Barbarian Quest

"Is it true that the imperial army is close?"

Georg hurriedly ran into Urich's tent.

Urich nodded as he fastened his belt equipped with a sheath for his sword.

"That was fast. They caught up to us much sooner than I expected," he said to Georg.

"Good heavens, the imperial army is right behind us. We're finished!"

"Why are you being so negative? It’s not like the sky is falling."

Urich chuckled and patted Georg on the shoulder.

"We're talking about the imperial army here!"

"If you cower before you even fight, you've already lost."

"You speak too lightly."

"You go and calm the mercenaries down. I can already see them scared out of their minds and trying to desert."

"Of course, they’re going to desert. We're up against the imperial army! Now's not the time to be so relaxed and casual."

Georg was anxious. Things were different this time.

‘We’re not in the west this time. The imperial army would have come fully prepared.'

The alliance would have slim chances of victory if they were to face the imperial army head-on. That was a fact everyone knew, not just Georg. The tribal warriors already had firsthand experience of the imperial army‘s combat strength.

"Me being nervous and anxious isn’t going to get us anywhere. Besides, at the end of the day, what’s the worst that could happen? Worst case scenario, we’ll just die. Nothing more than that."

Urich shrugged as he donned his leather cloak. He tucked his axe by his side and walked out of the tent.

Outside, Vald and several other warriors from the Stone Axe Tribe were waiting for Urich. They followed him as if they were escorting him.

After meeting eyes with Urich, Vald nodded with a stern look and said, "Urich, even if this is the end for us, no one will blame you. We'll follow you to death."

"Has everyone just decided to lie down and die? We haven't lost yet. Let's go take a piss or something before the meeting starts."

Urich awkwardly loosened his trousers under a tree. A thick stream of urine poured out with a whooshing sound.

"Ah, that's refreshing. Belch."

Urich burped and looked up at the sky. Anxiety was palpable in every corner of the camp. No one was unaware of the news that the imperial army was right on their heels.

Urich's expression hardened as he gazed at the sky. Though he pretended to be relaxed in front of others, he was more aware of the gravity of the situation than anyone else.

'This is bad.'

Urich's calculations were off. He had thought they wouldn't run into the imperial army at least until after the alliance had escaped Langkegart.

'I don't know how many men the imperial army has, but even assuming we're evenly matched, the odds are against us. We’re going to need huge luck if we’re going to even stand a chance,' Urich thought as he shook his groin.

By the time Urich attended the tribal meeting, a bunch of the chiefs were raising their voices in argument.

"Let's fight! What's there to back down from!"

"We've become stronger! No matter how many come at us, we can fight and beat them!"

The belligerent chiefs urged for battle. Their words were met with cheers from the warriors who had the same mindset.

‘These foolish warmongers.'

Samikan frowned and looked around. Spotting Urich entering, Samikan's lips twitched.

"Oh, Urich! You've arrived!"

"What does the Son of the Earth think? We must fight, mustn't we?"

The other chiefs crowded around Urich, pressing him for an answer.

“Well, yeah. If we have to fight, then we should.”

Urich sat down and picked up his horn cup. A serving woman approached and filled his cup with alcohol.

“This is Urich the Son of the Earth, indeed! You never shy away from a fight!”

The chiefs who craved battle raised their voices.

After wetting his lips with the alcohol, Urich slowly opened his mouth after further listening in on the conversation.

“But we'll probably lose. Most of the men gathered here will end up going to see our ancestors.”

Urich murmured as he stared into his empty cup. It sounded like he was simply muttering to himself, but there was no one in the tent who did not hear those words.

“What do you mean we’ll lose! What blasphemy is this!”

“We are stronger than them, Urich!”

The chiefs, drunk on all the plundering and victory, were underestimating the empire.

“What a joke. The win we had in the west was half due to luck. They had their guards down, and all our plans just happened to work.”

Urich drew his axe to trim his nails and beard. Several chiefs were angered by his attitude.

“The earth and the heavens will be on our side, just like they have been until now!”

“Relying on the sky won’t win us a war. Sure, we're all excellent warriors. None of us lack battle skills. But the enemy are soldiers who’ve made war their profession, not just battles. They are people who’ve been fighting in units of ten thousand for decades. Even while we were squabbling in units of hundreds.”

“Are you scared? Is the Son of the Earth afraid?”

A chief who had been constantly arguing with Urich blatantly criticized him.

“If you know nothing, you fear nothing. Must be nice to be fearless, huh?”

Urich’s tone was just as aggressive. Despite the opponent in the argument being the Son of the Earth, the chief had his pride too.

“Watch your mouth,” the chief said threateningly.

“Seeing you strut around because you've torn down a few cities and plundered them, it makes it really difficult for me to watch my mouth. What you’re doing is basically like being happy about trampling a tiny tribe.”

“Urich!”

The opposing chief shouted. He reached for the sword at his waist.

Unable to stand it any longer, Samikan shouted before someone got killed.

“Stop! Is this the time for us to be doing this? Urich, come with me.”

Samikan gestured with his head and walked outside to behind the tent. Urich, after glaring at the chief he was arguing with, stood up to follow.

Samikan and Urich spoke in a place where the other chiefs couldn't hear them.

“Urich, is something bothering you? It seems like you’re unnecessarily picking a fight to split up the chiefs.”

“That bastard is the one acting stupid. The ones who talk about fighting straight away are crazy. If they want to die, they can go die by themselves. What’s going to happen to the rest of the tribespeople if we all die here?”

“Why are you acting like this is the first time they’ve shown their stupidity? Even so, they are all brave chiefs of our alliance.”

Urich scratched his head instead of responding. Samikan looked over the bustling camp and continued.

“I also know the empire's army is strong. But we cannot run without even trying to fight.”

“Samikan, there’s nothing to think about here. Retreating is the only option. Even if we have to swallow some sacrifices, running away is the right thing to do.”

“I am the one who has embraced the will of the heavens, and you are the Son of the Earth. We are examples to the other warriors. Brother, we must act like warriors. Before we run, we have to at least clash our swords with theirs.”

Samikan grabbed Urich’s shoulders. Urich snorted and brushed his hands away.

“So, what I’m hearing is that running away like this wouldn’t save the face of the Great Chief, huh? How many need to die before that pride of yours is satisfied?”

“The Urich I knew was a warrior who would never avoid a fight, even if it was reckless to do so.”

“I could say the same. You used to be so good at discerning situations… but all of a sudden, you’ve become this overly enthusiastic warrior.”

Urich said and then looked into Samikan’s face.

'Samikan looks haggard.'

Urich sniffed the air. He snatched the leather pouch tied to Samikan's waist. His hands were so quick that Samikan couldn't even grab his arm to stop him.

"Are you putting your hands on the Great Chief’s property now?"

Samikan frowned.

Urich pulled something out from Samikan's leather pouch. It was a pill made of herbs, emitting a foul odor once it was taken out of the pouch.

'The shaman's pill. It eases pain but clouds judgment, and sometimes causes hallucinations.'

This pill was among the most potent and long-lasting medicines made by shamans. That meant it was also just as toxic.

"Samikan, this is what dying old men take. Are you that unwell?"

Samikan snatched back his leather pouch, glaring at Urich.

"Mind your own business."

"A warrior must always be clear-headed. If you're going to use drugs, step down from your position."

Urich was wary of the shaman's medicine and hallucinogens. Drugs rust both the body and the mind.

"Nonsense. This alliance was my work. Who else but me to lead it? Surely you don't think you can? You think you can replace me?"

"I’d probably do it better than someone who’s high on drugs."

"I thought I warned you not to challenge my authority."

"I wouldn’t take that authority even if you handed it to me yourself."

"Then start thinking about how we are going to fight. Have you become a coward like those in the civilized world from living there too long?"

Urich briefly clutched his chest. His heart throbbed with pain.

He recalled the massacres and plundering committed by himself and the alliance. The strong devouring the weak was only natural.

'Am I regretting this...?'

Eternal pleasure was not a thing. The ecstasy felt from destroying civilizations also gradually faded. What remained after the flame of desire went out was nothing but unpleasant, damp emotional residue.

"Maybe. Perhaps I have become a coward, just like the civilized people."

Urich muttered to himself without even realizing it. Samikan's eyes widened.

"…Then you are the one who is not fit to lead the warriors, Urich."

Samikan walked past Urich to rejoin the meeting.

Urich cooled his head and looked at his hands. The non-existing blood was on his hands. It was the blood of the people Urich had killed.

'Who are you, Urich?'

In tribal society, being weak was a sin. Strong warriors possessed more. Plundering was a warrior's natural right.

Woosh.

Emotions darkly welled up. A corner of Urich’s heart was making a judgment.

‘Plundering is not a natural right in the civilized world.'

Waves of denial against the life of a tribal warrior emerged in Urich’s heart. What Urich had felt from the warriors' acts of plundering was not pleasure. He could no longer smile looking at the powerless people dying.

The ashes left after the flame of desire burned out filled Urich’s chest with heaviness.

* * *

Patter, patter.

The rain was pouring down. The ground was muddy. And it was red. Pools of mud mixed with blood and rain.

The grand strategy of the alliance army was to draw their enemies in. They engaged the imperial army in minor skirmishes, gradually pulling them inward. The eastern border of Langkegart was mountainous, which was advantageous for the infantry-heavy alliance army.

‘...What happened?’

Urich clutched his spinning head as he rose. His memories, which had been fragmented, weren’t being regathered so quickly.

"Aaaaaah!"

An imperial infantryman charged at Urich, thrusting his spear deeply.

Clang!

Even in his disorientation, Urich parried the spear with his sword and spun around, swinging his axe.

Splat!

Urich's axe cleaved into the enemy's neck. Blood touched his cheek.

"What happened?" Urich asked himself again.

‘Our plan was to lure the imperial army into the mountainous terrain, engage in skirmishes, and then withdraw using our superior mobility.’

Samikan, too, had wanted a fight only as a means to retreat, knowing there was no chance of winning against the well-prepared imperial army.

To even stand a chance against the imperial army, the alliance needed well-prepared terrain and strategy. The enemy was too experienced to be taken down by mere bravery and valor of the barbarians.

‘We did lure the imperial army as planned. The number chasing us was just over ten thousand.’

Urich fought bravely. Participating in small skirmishes, he drew the enemies deeper into the mountainous terrain.

‘I even thought that maybe we could win. The outcomes of our exchanges weren’t bad for us as we pulled back.’

Urich rolled his eyes and looked around at his warriors. Warriors with an arm or a leg broken were rising unsteadily. Several were so severely injured, that their lives were hanging by a thread.

"Urich!"

Someone called Urich's name. The voice deeply penetrated Urich's ears.

‘My head is ringing. The back of my head hurts.’

Urich reached for the back of his head. Sticky blood met his hand.

‘Ah, I blacked out and my memories were blurry because I was hit in the head.’

Urich's sense of reality had not yet returned. He was dazed as if he was wandering through a dream. Urich swayed as he shook his head.

"We need to retreat! Snap out of it!"

Vald supported Urich, gathering the other warriors.

"What happened, Vald?" Urich asked, almost muttering.

Vald responded after confirming Urich's serious condition, "We were surrounded, Urich. Knights were waiting for us as we retreated. The enemy's numbers were much greater than we expected. They had enough men to surround us with a thick layer."

The alliance army had failed in their reconnaissance. The imperial army had not revealed their full numbers and had split into two.

"But we were in the mountains. How could they have gotten ahead of us and surrounded us from behind?"

Urich managed to piece together his memories.

"That, I don’t know, either. A force that large took our rear and was climbing up the mountains without us noticing. How was it possible for them to not be seen by us? What trickery did they use?"

The alliance army, which prided itself on its mobility, got caught by their enemy in the mountainous terrain. Surrounded from both fronts, the alliance army was crushed as if it was being smashed by a hammer.

‘Why did we get caught so easily? Where was our mistake?’

Vald, who was practically Urich's adjutant, had also attended the strategy meetings. There was some unease even before the engagements, but this was a variable that was completely unexpected. If it had been one of the anticipated variables, they might have had a contingency plan.

Buuuuup!

The horn of the alliance army sounded long and repeatedly. It was a signal to retreat.

Even before the signal was given, the majority of the units had already started retreating. The warriors tumbled down the terrain that was as steep as cliffs in their effort to escape the pursuit of the imperial army.

"Come on, Urich. You're not going to die just because you got hit in the back of the head like that, right?"

Vald waited for Urich's usual rough reply. All that returned was Urich's heavy breathing.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m