Overwhelming Firepower

After seeing Sir Thalos with them, the warriors of the Stone Hawk Tribe led Lucen’s group into their domain.

The valley opened up as they descended, revealing a settlement unlike any Lucen had seen before.

Massive stone pillars jutted out from the earth like the broken ribs of some ancient beast, their surfaces worn smooth by wind and time.

Some of the pillars leaned inward, others outward, creating narrow corridors of stone where wind howled endlessly.

Each step deeper into the valley changed the acoustics; their footfalls echoed strangely, sometimes swallowed whole, sometimes thrown back at them in sharp, distorted bursts.

Lucen found himself glancing upward more than once. From certain angles, the stone spires looked close enough to touch the clouds, their peaks half-shrouded in drifting mist.

Built between and atop these natural formations were longhouses made of thick timber and stacked stone, their roofs slanted sharply and reinforced with hides, bone frames, and layered wooden shingles.

The structures were sturdy, clearly built to endure brutal winters, yet they did not dominate the land.

Instead, they followed its shape, hugging the stone, rising only where the cliffs allowed. There was no wasted space, no needless ornamentation.

Everything had purpose; they did not waste material to make it look better, like those houses from the Capital.

Totem poles stood at key points throughout the settlement, carved from dark wood and etched with symbols.

On them were wooden wings with feathers, long and broad, matching the color of the Stone Hawks above, were woven into the carvings, fluttering softly in the constant wind.

Some of the carvings bore scars, deep grooves, and chipped edges that had clearly not been repaired.

Rather than hide the damage, the tribe had left it visible, as if those marks were part of the story being told.

Between the longhouses were open fire pits surrounded by stone rings. Smoke rose steadily, carrying the scent of roasted meat, burning pine, and unfamiliar herbs.

Warriors moved through the settlement, some sharpening tools, others repairing hides or braiding feathers into leather cords.

High above, wooden platforms and rope bridges connected the upper stone spires, forming lookout points where sentries stood watching both sky and land.

This was the first time Lucen had seen the barbarians’ domain with his own eyes. In the game, they were reduced to short lore entries and vague illustrations of rough people living in rough places.

Seeing it now, in full detail, made those descriptions feel almost insulting in their simplicity. He did not expect their place to be this well-built.

Even though there are no man-made walls, nature solved that problem. He had expected something like this to be done by elves, but to see barbarians do it was quite surprising to him.

’Well, I guess even I was a little prejudiced.’

He had expected crude shelters, more caveman rather than what he was seeing now. Maybe he wasn’t looking at things as objectively as he imagined.

Lucen shrugged his shoulders at the thought. While they were walking, he noticed that no one seemed to mind outsiders walking around.

A few children did glance their way, but only for a second before returning to whatever they were doing.

’I guess they aren’t all that interested in us. Must be because Sir Thalos and a few knights come here frequently.’

Their group continued walking, and Lucen saw that they had a forge that was much smaller, and the equipment they used was pretty old, but it was still working as intended.

Eventually, the group entered one of the houses, and the first thing Lucen saw upon entering the house was a humongous man.

The man radiated pressure even while standing still. It was the kind of pressure only emitted by someone who had experienced many things.

Every warrior in the tribe with tattoos were quite large and muscular, but the man in front of him, who seemed to barely fit the house he was in, was much larger than even Sir Thalos, who was the most muscular knight under his Father’s command.

When the humongous man saw Sir Thalos, a huge grin appeared on his face, and without any warning, he suddenly punched Sir Thalos.

The incoming punch was fast, but Sir Thalos was able to catch it. The second the man’s fist met Sir Thalos’s open palm, the impact detonated through the house.

The air itself seemed to compress before bursting outward, rattling tools on the walls and sending a visible tremor through the wooden beams beneath their feet.

The two of them did all that with nothing more than just their own physical strength. Lucen was not that bothered by the attack since his Battle instincts told him that there was no ill intent in that attack.

”Kakakaka!!! Still as strong as ever, Thalos.” The man spoke with a jolly tone.

”I can say the same about you, Varek,” Thalos replied with an equally large grin on his face.

The two men held that position for a brief moment, fist to palm, muscles locked like colliding mountains. Then, almost simultaneously, they pulled back and laughed.

The sound was loud, rough, and honest enough to make the wooden beams creak faintly.

Sir Thalos rolled his shoulder once, as if loosening a stiff joint. ”That was a pretty good attack.”

Varek threw his head back and laughed again. ”Heh, you’re the only one who takes my attacks head-on like that. The others just dodge.”

It was then that Varek glanced at Lucen and Thrall. ”Oh, it’s the brat from the Ashfang tribe. The other one is... Who is this?”

Varek stared at Lucen, trying to assess him. ”Hoh, this one is interesting.” Varek started mumbling to himself.

”Nice to meet you, I’m Lucen Thornehart.” Lucen introduced himself.

”Thornehart?... Are you the son of the one who has blood of steel?”

”Huh?” Lucen was confused since this was the first time he heard of someone with blood of steel.

”Young lord, he’s talking about the lord. That’s what they call your Father, the one who has blood of steel; sometimes they call him the unbreakable one.”

”I see...” ’I guess they will give him a different nickname depending on the place.’

”Yes, I am the son of Vardon Thornehart.”

”As expected! A warrior of that caliber has strong blood flowing through him.”

Varek’s eyes burned with interest as he stepped closer, his shadow swallowing Lucen whole.

”I’m guessing you didn’t come here on a whim. So, what does the son of the unbreakable one want from the Stone Hawk Tribe?”

Lucen then started explaining about what was happening in Norvaegard. He spoke without embellishment. He talked about Marquis Valeire.

About the Styrhord that had been declared. About twenty thousand troops under the Marquis, getting ready for the Styrhord.

”So you came here to make us, the Stone Hawk tribe, fight for you?”

”No, I wish for you to fight with me.”

”Hmm... Your Father and Sir Thalos, we know as honorable warriors. If your Father wished to conquer us, he could have done so long ago. Yet he allowed us to remain here, and we even began trading with one another. Still, we have our own laws and traditions to follow. If you, an outsider wishes us to fight, then you need to prove your mettle in battle. You must do an Einvígi. A battle of honor between you and the tribe’s chosen champion, in unarmed combat.”

Lucen listened quietly as Varek spoke, his expression calm from beginning to end. He noticed a few of the words Varek used were rather vague, but he felt like he understood why he spoke that way. When the chieftain finished, Lucen nodded once.

”I already heard about that from Thrall.”

”I see, the little warrior from the Ashfang tribe should know about it.” Varek nodded his head as he spoke. ”So will you face me, the chief and champion of the Stone Hawk Tribe, in battle?”

Lucen felt every gaze in the room settle on him. He was not bothered by those looks and showed a confident smile as he answered. ”Then let’s do this, Einvígi, now.”

Seeing the confident look on Lucen’s face and the answer he gave without hesitation stunned Varek and the two Stone Hawk Tribe Warriors. After a short silence, Varek laughed heartily.

”Hahaha!!! As expected of someone who shares the same blood as the unbreakable one! So eager to do battle. Very well, let us go and do the Einvígi!”