Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 120  The companion of Zuna

For days, Luak's army traversed the White Merchant Road, their numbers stretching endlessly under the shadows of the trees, marching towards the distant Capital of Stahl. Roughly a hundred and twenty miles, or about two hundred kilometers, lay between them and their destination. Everyday, the soldiers were forced to endure a relentless march that could easily extend up to twelve grueling hours, going against the ceaseless but gentle snowfall and the piled up snow beneath their feet. Under those circumstances, a toll had to be taken from each soldier. The accumulated snow coupled with the low temperatures resulted in some soldiers losing all sensation in their toes as a black color painted their colors and spread to their whole feet. This fact made the march even more painful and difficult. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

However, even in such a desperate situation, not a single word of complaint dared to escape their lips. The memory of the last noble to voice any discontent words still haunted their minds. Zuna, the blue haired woman leading them, forced the dissident to get on all fours and crawl his way forward. He died on the first day. Since then, no one dared to voice their thoughts and only cursed that damn blue demon in their hearts. She had swiftly silenced any opposition.

However, there was another reason why they were marching without voicing their minds. Some of the soldiers thought that the other reason was even scarier than the blue-haired demon. And, it was all because of the cursed lands they were traversing. The origin of such fear began on the day they set foot in the Western Lands of Stahl, maybe even earlier than that.

A bonfire that exploded out of nowhere during the night, killing a few of their friends and leading others to a life on the bed, even before they arrived on the mountains. Then, black demons that seemed to be conjured from ancestral nightmares emerged from the woods and relentlessly hunted them down. The only one that survived the gruesome attack was driven to madness by the horrors he witnessed.

These ominous signs were not the end and grew even worse. The cursed land beneath them shook, emitting a furious sound. Then, a majestic mountain amidst its siblings lost not only its once pristine peak but also its white clothes. In that moment, the profaned mountain seemed to unleash a thunderous roar, one mixed with anger and fear. As the sound reached the camp, fear gripped the hearts of the soldiers, who dropped to the ground, begging for forgiveness from their ancestors.

These lands and their ancestors seemed to be ordering them to run away and leave it alone from the beginning. However, they refused to heed the warning, and now the land was finally going to punish them.

"THE DEMONS!" - Screamed a soldier, the terror in his eyes and tone contagious. Because of that, panic spread like wildfire, fueled by the recent happenings and their ancestors warnings. These were the cursed lands of the North.

Panic gripped the people's hearts, and there was no one present to quell the rising fear. Even the nobles, who were the strongest and responsible for keeping the morale, were visibly shaking. The destruction of a mountain, believed to be indestructible, shattered their perception of the world. A majestic mountain that could endure rain and snow had fallen apart, they felt desperate.

Soon, in less than half a day, a group of soldiers led by a small noble with no real power decided to leave the camp and leave the cursed land. However, their departure was quite short lived. They returned a few hours later, or rather, only a part of them returned, in a gruesome manner.

In front of the camp, the soldiers watched in horror as a group emerged from the shadowy embrace of the trees, their figures holding a grotesque display of severed heads, each one suspended by a spear.

"Demons!" - This word flashed in countless people's heads, but their terror eased when they noticed the blue-haired Zuna among them, gripping one of the spears. Her clothes were ruined, skin red like it was burned, and her hair frozen from the impact of the snow wave.

Zuna stood before the camp's entrance, her eyes scanning all soldiers gathered before her. A mixture of fear and astonishment painted the people's expression, as they looked at the cruel image in front of them.

"IT SEEMS LIKE I CAUGHT A FEW RABBITS TRYING TO LEAVE THEIR HOLES!" - Zuna's icy tone cut through the air, planting her spear firmly in the snowy ground. At that moment, the soldiers behind her followed suit, sticking their spears into the ground one beside the other, forming a macabre line with dozens of heads- " A FEW OTHER ANIMALS ALSO WANTED TO EAT THE RABBITS. WE SHARED IT WITH THEM." Zuna's words hit them hard, like an arrow piercing their hearts. The cremation of a brother was disrespectful, but abandoning the bodies in the wilderness when there was a chance to handle it differently could be regarded as a crime against their very being. Those left to be consumed by wild animals would never find their way to the ancestors' lands. It was so cruel that only those who betrayed the king could receive such acts.

NOW!" - Zuna's voice, filled with both killing intent and commanding authority, demanded attention - "YOU ALL HAVE A DAY TO PREPARE! WE ARE LEAVING THIS PLACE, AND WE ARE GOING TO ATTACK THE CAPITAL OF STAHL! WE WILL CONQUER THESE LANDS!"

The soldiers, still gripped by fear, experienced a strange relief when the words 'leaving this place' were uttered. They momentarily forgot about those severed heads and turned their attention to the destroyed mountain looming in the background, a great reminder of the curses and dangers living in these lands. All they desired was to escape the shadows of those mountains, to leave this place as soon as possible. "PREPARE YOURSELVES! WE ARE LEAVING TOMORROW!"

For a brief moment, Luak's soldiers glanced at the transformed nobles behind Zuna, whose eyes and actions were shining with a strange sense of loyalty. It was strange. Even the common soldiers knew that an internal conflict was happening amongst the leaders. It was strange indeed. However, it was way more important to leave these lands than reveal the true colors of this people.

The soldiers turned around and went on their ways, ready to prepare themselves for the war on the horizon.

-x-

"That is Eisenburg," Zuna spoke, her gaze fixed on the towering walls of the city before her - "It's way bigger than Luak's capital." The sight of the castle amidst the frozen forest resembled something out of a fairy tale. The grandeur of the castle was evident, and even from a considerable distance, Zuna could spot the four towers that adorned its structure.

"That's nothing" - an ancient voice reverberated as a figure holding a strange and contorted cane seemed to appear out of nowhere, standing right beside Zuna, his eyes looking coldly at the walls of Eisenburg - "The central region has castles that span across the whole horizon and walls that even a bird can't be able to see from above. This is truly the North, nothing remarkable."

"Great Mage!" - Zuna called, bowing her head with deference, not daring to look at the figure covered by simple brown robes. She could feel an intense and cruel gaze hovering over her, rendering her immobile. The king had said countless times that she could never defy the orders of this person. And when he said those words, Zuna could feel the terror mixed in her king's voice. He seemed so afraid of this man that sometimes he would murmur his words around her, afraid that this person would notice and suspect any of his next words.

"You can rise!" - The ancient voice sounded again, commanding Zuna to lift her head. However, Zuna kept her head bowed, but soon, she felt something strongly pulling her up. She tried to resist, but the force only stopped when she was looking directly into the figure's shining golden eyes, like those of a cat - "When I give you a command, you should obey, right?"

A shiver ran through Zuna's back as she felt the cold tone in the man's voice, one that was followed by a sudden feeling of nearing death - "I obey, Great Mage!" - Zuna immediately shouted, afraid that a sudden force would squeeze her throat and kill her. She didn't know how, but this man controlled her movements without notice. It was this man that saved her and a few others from the big snow wave that descended upon them a few days ago; if not for him, she should have been dead.

"Good, good!" - The figure said before his eyes turned towards the walls of Eisenburg - "I will take those walls down, and you will lead the soldiers through the gates. Kill everyone you want, but I want the king alive. No, I need him alive."