Chapter 139: Red Sand

Urich left the old shaman with Vald and descended alone to the Stone Axe Tribe's village. The village tents were scorched and broken, with women and children's cries occasionally heard across from the village. On one side, defeated warriors lay groaning, while shamans busily tended to them. The tents were filled with the pungent scent of burning herbs.

"Are you here to mock me, Urich?" Chief Gizzle said as he sat with liquor in his hand. He was also heavily wounded with lacerations all over his arms and legs. His feathered helmet, which was the symbol of his authority, was tattered.

"Why didn't you call me?" Urich asked, standing before Gizzle.

"Do you think your presence would have changed the outcome? You're too arrogant," Gizzle scoffed, then scowled from the pain.

If you had me, we wouldnt have been completely destroyed like this, Urich said as he pointed at the ravaged village.

"Shut it, Urich. You broke the taboo and casually came back... I took care of this tribe in your absence. It was me, not you, who protected the Stone Axe Tribe! Stop boasting and get out of my face before I banish you," Gizzle threatened.

"It's true I abandoned my brothers and family. In fact, I did have the chance to return," Urich calmly replied to Gizzles angry words. He had chosen curiosity and exploration of the unknown land over staying with his brothers.

"Then respect my authority and follow me instead of lecturing me. You're merely a warrior, Urich.

Gizzle said, poking Urich's chest with the blunt end of his spear. Urich stumbled, grabbing the spear.

" A chief must be respected. But that doesnt mean that Im just going to stand here and watch our tribe fall. I'll ignore your authority any day if it means saving our tribe."

"Uuuurich!"

Gizzle got up, grabbed Urich's collar, and swung his fist at Urichs head with all the strength his wounded body could muster up.

Thump!

Urich glared at Gizzle and lightly shook his head after the punch. He grasped Gizzles arm to subdue him. The chief, wounded, was no match for Urich.

Urich pulled Gizzles arm behind his back and jumped on his back.

"You should've called me before the battle. I heard what tactics the Blue Mists used. It was probably something youd never seen or heard of before, but I know their ways. It was the ways of beyond the mountains."

"More lies about what's beyond the mountains!" Gizzle yelled, still subdued. The warriors who were standing around slowly approached the two men.

"Urich! Are you trying to get yourself banished? What are you thinking, attacking the chief!"

The warriors pointed their spears at Urich's back.

"It was just self-defense. The chief lost his temper first."

Urich said, raising his hands. After being released, Gizzle raised his fist for another punch but stopped.

"We've already lost, Urich. Our children and women are gone. I'm a defeated chief, keke."

Gizzle said as he stumbled backward and sat back down. The responsibility and pressure of being a chief were weighing down heavily on his chest and shoulders.

A tribe thats been defeated inevitably had a difficult time rising again within the same generation. That was what it meant to be trampled. Stone Axe Tribe, now under the Blue Mist Tribe's dominance, knew this well from their own history of subjugating others. They were going to be serving tributes to the Blue Mist for a long time.

"Snap out of it. Its not over yet. We need an alliance, Gizzle."

"An alliance? Who would ally with a falling tribe? Youre just spewing even more nonsense," Gizzle said, shoving Urich away with a tired look.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"The Red Sand Tribe," Urich snarked, stepping back.

"You're the one who needs to snap out of it. The Red Sand Tribe gains nothing from allying with us. You think alliances are easy?" Gizzle said, tired of Urich's talk and motioning to other warriors to dismiss Urich, considering banishment if he persisted.

"Are you confident we can ally with the Red Sand Tribe, Urich?" Kirungka, who was listening in from behind, intervened as he put himself between Urich and Gizzle.

Kirungka, this is not your place to step in! Gizzle shouted, waving his arm.

Gizzle, if Urich can really push for an alliance with the Red Sand Tribe, we must send him. Without this, our tribe has no future.

Kirungka looked at Gizzle.

You were the one who said to keep Urich in check, Kirungka.

Gizzles icy eyes seemed to say that.

Im always on Gizzles side, but if the survival of the tribe is at stake, its a different story.

Kirungka, like most of the Stone Axe Tribe's warriors, was a man who would do anything for his tribe. The continuity of the tribe was more important than his personal emotions.

We need to give Urich a chance.

If we can bring the children and women back

One by one, the warriors gradually paid attention to Urich's words.

Chief Gizzle had already faced defeat once. The warriors showed interest in Urich, who was showing them a different possibility.

An unspoken pressure weighed down the defeated chief's chest and shoulders. If he were to reject Urich now, the warriors might turn their backs on Chief Gizzle too.

I was the one whos been protecting the Stone Axe Tribe all these years, me, not that Urich.

Those words almost escaped his lips. But the warriors' choice was realistic and harsh. Their loyalty was to the tribe, not the chief. They were different from the knights of civilization who were loyal to their lord.

This is our warrior way.

Urich knew the nature of warriors well. They follow the strong and respect those who achieve great feats.

The position of a chief is always precarious. If weak, one dies. The status of a defeated chief was even more unstable.

...How will you form an alliance with the Red Sand Tribe? We have nothing to offer.

Gizzle spoke laboriously.

I have something. Shiny metal and information about the world beyond the mountains.

Beyond the mountains...! Do you think that nonsense will convince the Red Sand Tribe? Gizzle expressed his anger.

Schring.

Urich drew his sword and plunged it into the ground. The warriors' eyes widened.

I've heard rumors, but it really is an incredible sword.

The imperial steel sword had a completely different glow from the tribe's usual weapons. It was not something that could come from the tribe's forge.

The Red Sand Tribe has long handled iron. To my knowledge, no tribe is better at it than them. The Red Sand Tribe will recognize the value of the weapon I have. They will be curious about where this weapon came from.

You think they'll believe it came from beyond the mountains? A story not even your own tribe believes? Gizzle continued to speak negatively.

I believe Urich's words.

Urich doesnt have the silver tongue to fabricate such clever lies.

As Gizzle's influence waned, some warriors started to support Urich.

We've already lost our future. It's over if we can't regain it. Whether Urich fails or succeeds in his mission, we have nothing more to lose.

The reaction of the warriors was cold. None responded to the chief's words.

Kirungka, you go with Urich.

Gizzle, lowering his head, spoke. Kirungka nodded and moved next to Gizzle.

We must bring back the children and women. For that, an alliance is necessary. The only thing that matters now is that.

Kirungka patted Gizzle's shoulder.

Schring.

Urich pulled his sword out of the ground and sheathed it. He looked around; many warriors had already gathered.

If the chief has given permission, there's no need to hesitate. We leave now. I need ten guys in good shape to come with me.

Urich declared. The surrounding warriors clamored, eager to step forward.

Gizzle has failed, now it's Urich's turn.

Kirungka crossed his arms and watched Urich. Urich picked ten warriors. Despite having been away from the tribe for a long time, he still handled the tribal warriors well. His natural leadership quality was evident, seemingly more accustomed to command than even Chief Gizzle.

Urich revealed his hidden claws. He hadnt been spending his past three years in the civilized world doing nothing; he had lived as intensely as if three years were ten. He had returned as a far greater warrior.

* * *

Urich, Kirungka, and ten warriors left the village. It would take them ten days to reach the Red Sand Tribe even if they were to avoid getting lost on the way.

"The people beyond the mountains form a formation when they fight. They dont fight just however they want like we do. They maintain a certain distance and follow predetermined actions, moving like one body according to the situation."

Urich explained while walking. He had been putting effort into sharing the knowledge he learned from beyond the mountains with other warriors, knowing it would be necessary in the future.

"The Blue Mist Tribe warriors probably paired up with one carrying a shield and a short weapon, and the other a long spear. It was probably a strange method for you. If one blocks with a shield, the other stabs from behind. Moreover, shield warriors move like a wall, shoulder to shoulder. Charging directly at such a wall would only mean getting impaled by the spears."

Urich, who had led and experienced many battles in the civilized world, had as much combat knowledge as any civilized knight.

"How did the Blue Mist use such battle tactics?" Kirungka wondered the same question that most of the traveling warriors were thinking.

The Blue Mist Tribe had employed revolutionary tactics, unheard of in the tribal world. They acted as soldiers in a unit rather than relying on the prowess of individual warriors.

"Someone from their tribe must have had contact with the other side of the mountains like me, or they might have someone from beyond the mountains..."

Urich's eyes trembled slightly. He desperately wanted to contact the Blue Mist Tribe and verify his hunch, but he couldn't just watch the fall of the Stone Axe Tribe.

"Again with that beyond the mountains stuff, huh?" Kirungka mocked.

"Kirungka, if youve decided to trust me, don't doubt me. If you find it hard to believe I crossed the mountains, go back to Gizzle," Urich said coldly, his warning intense. Until now, he had tolerated being called a liar, but he wouldn't tolerate it anymore.

"Understood," Kirungka said, his lips twisting, sweat breaking out.

Youre showing your true colors, Urich.

Until now, Urich had been patiently listening to the mocking of the other warriors in the tribe. But before he left the tribe, Urich was the tribe's top warrior and a killer. While his peers hunted beasts for their coming-of-age, Urich killed a warrior from another tribe and brought back his head.

'That's who Urich is.'

The realization hit Kirungka hard. Urich was like a disaster to his enemies. He wouldn't have wanted to face Urich if they were from different tribes.

The journey to the Red Sand Tribe was tedious, passing through wastelands and plains multiple times.

"This land is still so damn big. If only we had horses," Urich muttered to himself.

"Horses? To eat? They don't even taste that good," another warrior responded to Urich's mumble.

"No, you can ride them."

"Bullshit. How can you ride a horse?"

"Hah, seriously. If you tame them... Kr, hahaha!"

Urich stopped mid-sentence, bursting into laughter, slapping his knee. The surrounding warriors looked at him as if he were crazy.

Dammit, Bachman! So this was how you felt the whole time!'

Urich suddenly remembered Bachman, who had explained the sea to him. Until Urich saw it himself, he never believed Bachmans words.

The horses in the west were not like those in the civilized world. Western horses were stouter, wilder, and rougher. The only similarity between them was their general appearance. The western horses were impossible to domesticate.

Urich was neither hurried nor impatient. It was natural that his tribal brothers didn't understand the civilized world beyond the mountains.

'Just as I learned over three years, they can learn too.'

Urich trudged along, and the warriors followed without much talk. They were well-practiced in running and walking.

Three more days passed, and Urich gazed at the gradually emerging red hills.

The Red Sand Tribe, as their name suggested, settled on land draped in red. They were a tribe thats been prosperous for years and they remained untouchable, even by the more aggressive tribes.

Iron manipulators.

The Red Sand Tribe was located on an iron-rich land. Many tribes had to trade their products in order to gain access to iron. The Red Sand Tribe gradually built up their size and strength with clever usage of their advantage, and now, even the tribes that survived on raids could not dare to touch them.

"Was the Red Sand chief named Takadu?" Urich wondered, recalling his faint memory.

"Takadu died a year ago," Kirungka replied.

"Oh yeah? Then who is it now?"

"Belrua."

"That sounds like a girl's name."

"Thats because it is."

Kirungka said briefly, and Urich turned his head.

Judging by your boring face, youre not joking, Kirungka. A woman chief not even a priestess but a chief

The Red Sand Tribes always had strange customs.

Right, the blacksmith who makes the best weapon becomes their chief. Im surprised a bunch of men let a woman be their chief.

Urich thought Kirungka was pulling a joke at first. A woman becoming chief of a tribe was unheard of in the wastelands and plains. They were certainly going to be overlooked by not only the men of their own tribe but the other tribes as well.

"I met Belrua just once. I felt the same as you do right now until I met her. But after, I had to acknowledge her. Belrua is undoubtedly the chief of the Red Sand. Don't think of her as just a woman."

Urich was about to see exactly what Kirungka meant.