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Burnt hair and burnt leather gave way to a bad smell that enveloped the air.

Dead barbarians lay scattered around the clearing.

He didn’t mean to kill the barbarians at first. But as soon as he got a slight glimpse of how many people were out in the forest, waiting to jump on him and attack, he couldn’t help but show an example of the three people who launched themselves at him.

The rest of the deaths— were purely out of self-defence

The barbarians tended to fight wildly which was almost closer to fighting a beast than a soldier or a guard. His spear work was good enough, but not to the extent of solely defeating them. Therefore, he played smart. He stayed in the distance and gained maximum advantage of it, using his spells and doing what he did well.

He had been thinking about combining his wind spells to boost his speed and it had worked well.

He turned his eyes to take a good look at the floor, failing to put the battle memories to the back of his mind.

The broken weapons littered on the ground like the remnants of a child’s broken toys. A few tents were broken and their contents spilt out.

If the mercenaries and I have failed to sense their arrival, I doubt the guards would fare well against them.

Kai dismissed that thought with a shake of his head.

His eyes shifted to Killian, who was meticulously binding the wrists of a burly barbarian. The latter had a growing scowl on his face. He shook, trying to throw the knight off as he pulled the ropes from the two ends tightly.

From the conversation he had heard of the barbarians while waiting for their attack, his name was Wulfgar.

It was Ragnar’s turn next.

The guard who held him kicked him in the back of his knees as the man fell into a kneeled position. His hands were out at the front as the guard tightly held him from his shoulders and the back of his neck.

Soon, Killian continued to tie him just like he did before with the other barbarians.

"Over thirty of them," Killian muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "There were over thirty of them. And almost half of them are alive."

Kai nodded.

"That’s a good number," he said as his eyes roamed over to Wulfgar. His bloodied face showed no fear as he snarled at Kai even though he could be bleeding to death.

These men… They don’t know when to give up.

Without another word, he cast a glance towards the guards and mercenaries, who were cautiously inspecting any damage to the carriages under Malden’s watchful eye.

"Alright everyone," Kai announced. "Looks like we’ve got this under control. Let’s get the wounded tended to and secure the prisoners. We move out at first light."

Hearing that, guards nodded in understanding and the mercenaries murmured amongst themselves. Malden, however, approached Kai. His hands clutched to his front, seeming to have something to talk with him.

"Lord Arzan," he began hesitantly, "about the herb… are we still going after that?"

Kai matched his gaze, unblinking. "Absolutely, Malden. We’ve dealt with this little hiccup. Nothing to worry about."

Malden’s brow furrowed. "But won’t there be more attacks? After all, we just…"

"Don’t worry about it," Kai said. From the expression on Malden’s face, he knew the merchant wanted nothing more than to run from the hills mentally. But he had a different plan in mind regarding his concern. "I have a way of dealing with them." He looked at the Barbarian leader, Ragnar and Wulfgar, who’d tried to make eye contact with him quite often.

Probably to make silent conversation, but it was futile. At least unlike him, the rest of the barbarian stayed silent, only putting up small fights from time to time, but unable to do anything with their hands tied up.

Kai crouched down before Ragnar, noticing the scar that ran in his blood-smeared face.

"Ragnar."

The barbarian leader had his eyebrows knit together in a tight pull as he scowled with all his might.

"Are you willing to help us?" Kai questioned, knowing the answer already.

Ragnar snorted and let out a deadpan chuckle. "Help you?"

"We’re about to pass through your tribe’s territory," Kai explained. "If you and your men could offer us a safe passage, let’s say, I’d be willing to let you all walk free."

As he said the last few words, he caught a glimpse of his men. They were perplexed at what he was offering. Killian’s eyes were asking if it was the right thing to do as it was a gamble at trusting these bandits who just attacked them head-on.

Kai patiently waited for Ragnar’s response. He turned around to look at him.

"Ahahahah!" Ragnar laughed loudly and inhaled a deep, long breath. When Kai thought he was about to reply with something he spat on the ground. "A safe passage? Do you think I’d betray my own people? I’d rather die than bring you through our lands! I am anyway considered dead if I lose a battle. So, to hell with you and guiding your men!"

"Those are not your land, and even if your tribe considers you dead for losing a battle, you’re not dead. Traditions are nice, Ragnar, but they tend to crumble when you’re the chieftain’s son. Sentiment plays a role, you see."

Ragnar squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. "I won’t help you."

Kai simply shrugged. "Not a request, Ragnar. More of a command." His gaze shifted to Malden, who stood nearby. "Malden, clean up for tonight. We move out at first light. And I’ll be making a path for us through barbarian territory… using them."

Malden nodded, trusting Kai’s judgments. Along with him, the rest of the guards from behind quickly got back to work, knowing that tomorrow, was another day with quite a lot of challenges ahead.

Especially now that they had to hike a mountain.

***

They started their journey in the first light like Kai had promised the last night.

They followed the worn path that led towards the capital. The journey itself was estimated to take five to six days, though their route took an unexpected detour. They veered off the main road, heading deeper into the wild, untamed lands that were captured by the barbarian tribes.

The landscape became progressively harsher, devoid of the scattered settlements and farms that dotted the main route. The only evidence of life was the occasional herds of wild horses, their powerful bodies blurring in the distance as they fled the approaching carriages.

They saw no carriages other than theirs, and it was normal considering the barbarians didn’t allow any outsider to reach their territory.

As they ventured deeper, Kai continued to look outside from the window. He was alone in the carriage this time with Killian taking the driver’s seat in the front.

The silence descended over them, only interrupted by the rumble of the carriages.

"Is this really a good idea, Lord Arzan?" Killian finally blurted out, seeming unable to carry his curiosity any longer as Kai saw him stealing a glance behind. "Isn’t this just… provoking them?"

"Provocation? Maybe," Kai admitted. "But sometimes," he began, leaning forward, "the best way to avoid a fight is to make your enemy see you as inconvenient. Make them believe they have more to lose than to gain from the fight."

"Still, won’t the barbarians charge straight at us seeing our carriages? They would be much more angry than usual."

"They should be, but we can’t be stealthy here. Can we? The possibility of them clashing against us is a given once we enter their territory. I’m just making them believe they would lose a lot if they even tried anything against us," he said as the carriage rumbled with the uneven road. They weren’t developed in these parts, and he was sure the Barbarians would be hating him more at the moment.

"Your words make sense, Lord Arzan, but I have no idea what the Barbarians would do taking one look at the carriages," Killian said, his eyes glancing back at his face.

Kai suddenly remembered something that would help Killian see this from the same light.

"Let me tell you a story."

The knight nodded from the front.

"There once was a band of Mages, bold and daring, who needed to travel through the territory of a rival guild to reach a hidden dungeon. Now, these rival Mages weren’t exactly known for their hospitality." He explained, pausing for effect.

"So, what did these Mages do?"

"Well," Kai continued, "they did something rather… unorthodox. They captured a powerful member of the rival guild, a Mage of considerable skill, not that it mattered. But yes, they captured a Mage from the enemy guild."

"Captured one from the rival guild?"

"Yes," Kai said, nodding. "And here’s the clever part. They didn’t just lock him away. They paraded him around, displayed him in a cage at the front of their carriage, for all to see."

"Wouldn’t that just anger the rival guild?" Killian asked, confused.

"Oh, it did," Kai chuckled. "They were furious! The whole thing was a blatant insult, a mockery of their power. But here’s the thing, Killian, every time the rival mages got close enough to attack, they noticed something… unsettling."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Kai confirmed. "The captured mage, you see, was magically tethered. Every time the rival mages inched closer, he bled profusely. A clever enchantment, a magical leash, if you will."

"So, they couldn’t attack without hurting their own man?" Killian asked, piecing things together.

"Exactly, the rival mages were caught in a bind. Their pride wouldn’t allow them to abandon their comrade, but at the same time, the human shield kept them at bay. So they healed him every time he’d bleed."

Killian shook his head, "So, they used their captured mage as a… deterrent?"

"A most effective one, at that," Kai agreed, "Now, the story doesn’t end there. They reached the dungeon, retrieved what they came for, but…" he trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging.

"But?"

"They just didn’t get back out. The Mage from the rival guild was killed."

Killian raised an eyebrow and looked back. The man was clearing deep into the story by how his eyes looked curiously. "Explain."

"Well, because when they’d have been returning, there would have been traps for them. And even if the Mage was used to staving off them, they weren’t sure if the Mage guild would try any different ways to save their member. Moreover, any Mage not with them was a threat to them. Therefore, his death was certain and necessary. As they reached the hidden dungeon, they had already gotten gains to stave off the guild by sheer power, so keeping the Mage alive would have done nothing."

Killian stayed silent for a few seconds, absorbing Kai’s story. The latter let the silence be.

"We’re going to do the same thing?" Killian’s voice cut through it quite soon.

"Hopefully not. Barbarians are known for a certain… sense of honour. Though, how much honour they have for their chieftain’s son who lost a fight… Well, that remains to be seen. If I could, I would make a deal with them and hopefully, they stand by it."

Killian nodded. Soon, they fell into a comfortable silence. The rhythmic creak of the carriage wheels and the gentle snorting of the horses filled the air.

Kai saw trees and empty roads beyond the window and even the mana felt a bit purer, the more they climbed the mountains.

Then, a shout from the front shattered the peace.

"Lord Arzan! Movement up ahead!" one of the drivers called.

Kai straightened in his seat, his smile fading. He glanced at Killian. "Looks like we’re about to find out just how honourable the barbarians truly are."