Chapter 91: Smoke on the Horizon
"The meat from the aquatic beasts is rich in energy," said Kellar, looking out toward the work areas. "I distributed it equally because in this environment every person in the tribe, man or woman, must be capable of becoming strong enough to fight if necessary. I hope those former nobles understand the situation and reform through hard labor, but in case they don’t... I intend to sever the problem at the root."
A cold tingling ran down the back of the hunters’ necks upon hearing the detachment in the shaman’s voice. The ease with which he spoke of carrying out a purge sounded as simple to him as clearing weeds from the dirt.
"Yesterday I spoke with Lennis, and he is already working on something that I am certain will help compensate for our lack of training and physical strength," said Kellar. "However, for the time being I need you to take turns. We are far too few, so the burden will be heavy. We will form night watch teams to guard the access routes and alert us in time to any potential invasion."
Kellar turned toward Krag, pointing to a rocky elevation in the distance.
"Your first mission is to erect a stone pillar atop the hill next to the old village," said Kellar. "We will use that point as our beacon. Make sure to stock plenty of dry straw and firewood at the peak. If an enemy approaches, the sentry only needs to light the fire; the smoke and flame will be visible to everyone from the settlement. It will be infinitely faster than waiting for a runner to sprint all the way back, and it will allow us to seize the initiative."
"That is an impressive plan, Shaman!" said Krag, letting out a whistle of admiration. "Just as expected of you! How did we never think of something like that before...?"
Kellar let out a short laugh before turning serious once more.
"Lastly, always keep an eye on the troublemakers," said Kellar. "If anything suspicious happens with those disgruntled families, do not hesitate to let me know immediately."
"It shall be done, Great Shaman!" said Krag.
The hunters bowed deeply and departed to execute their orders. Kellar remained alone at the edge of the hill, gazing out at the vastness of the valley while letting out a annoyed sigh.
"Tch... I wish I had an aerial HUD map to monitor this entire region," said Kellar to himself.
At that moment, a light weight settled onto his shoulder. His familiar, the small white cat, had silently appeared from the shadows.
"Shouldn’t you be accompanying the hunter we sent to scout?" said Kellar, glancing sideways at the feline.
"He is on his way," said the cat, stretching its paws across the fur of his cloak. "I just moved ahead a bit because that human is far too slow to wait for."
"Did you find those scumbags?" said Kellar, narrowing his eyes.
"Do you mean those strange humans who have other humans tied up in chains?" said the cat, licking a paw with indifference. "They have odd customs. But yes, we found them just as they were moving through the dense forest. When we reached them, they had just burned down another small tribe and were dragging all the surviving people away in chains. Quite strange habits, those guys in black outfits."
"How far are they from here?" said Kellar, unfolding the skin map once more over a flat stone.
"The human ran nonstop at full speed all night," said the white cat, settling comfortably on Kellar’s shoulder. "They are three times as far as where we went for that giant river lizard."
Kellar calculated the distance in his head. Holding a piece of charcoal, he began making rough marks across the parchment’s surface while questioning the feline about the terrain’s geography.
"Tell me what you saw along the way," said Kellar. "Which path were those guys taking?"
"They followed the dry creek bed toward the north," said the white cat, tracing the charcoal mark with its paw. "After crossing the red pine forest, they skirted an ash field where the ground is cracked. Near there is a murky pond where a stone-furred bear sleeps; if they get too close, the beast wakes up and tears them apart."
With the familiar’s superior intelligence, pinpointing the exact landmarks was simple. Kellar marked three possible locations for the enemy camp, along with mapping out the creek’s route and pinpointing the territories of the most dangerous beasts so his men could avoid them in the future.
"They are quite far," said Kellar, weighing the marks on the map. "How long does it take you to get there? How fast did my scout travel?"
"It takes me two hours at top speed," said the white cat nonchalantly.
Kellar froze mid-motion and stared at the small feline on his shoulder.
"But you say the human ran all night?" said Kellar.
"Yes, but he is far too slow," said the white cat, licking one of its front paws. "If I didn’t have to wait for him every few minutes, I would have gone and come back before dawn."
Kellar thought he was overestimating the animal’s capabilities, but in that instant he realized his supposed "overestimation" was actually a severe underestimation of the creature’s true potential.
"You have done a good job," said Kellar, gently stroking its head.
"Just give me more essence," said the white cat, rubbing its snout against Kellar’s neck. "I have already finished digesting the last batch you gave me. Now you look stronger, so it will surely be even more delicious."
"I understand, I will do it tonight without fail," said Kellar.
"Yummy, yummy!" said the white cat, letting out a cheerful meow before vanishing into thin air like smoke.
Kellar stowed the detailed map inside his robe. According to his calculations, his scout should arrive by dusk to report everything he had found. By knowing those people and their movements better, he would have much more information to use to his advantage for the impending battle.