Chapter 105: Mastery of Thunder
The morning sun illuminated the shooting range outside the palisade. The packed snow reflected the light with cold glints while Krag and the eleven veteran hunters stood formed in a line, holding the lever-action hand crossbows that Lennis had finished.
About forty meters away, at the base of the stone hill, Mentz and his workers had erected a test target: a thick structure of three oak logs bound with iron chains, a direct simulation of the defenses and heavy shields used by the Black Skull Tribe.
Kellar walked toward the center of the field holding one of the small clay bombs filled with the mixture of draconic gunpowder and volcanic resin. At the top, the hemp fiber fuse protruded, ready to be lit.
"Attention," said Kellar, turning to face the hunters. "What you hold in your hands is no simple bow. And what you are about to see is no ordinary arrow. When we enter the defiles of the Ash Valley, the enemy’s panic will be our best weapon."
Kellar fitted the spherical bomb into the front bracket of a wooden bolt and set it onto the rail of his crossbow. Pulling out a small friction match crafted from red pine bark, he scraped it against a flat stone; the flame ignited instantly, sparking with a crimson fire. He lit the bomb’s fuse, which began releasing a thick, bluish smoke.
Kellar raised the crossbow, aimed at the oak target, and pulled the trigger.
The sinew string vibrated with a sharp crack. The bolt flew through the freezing air leaving a trail of smoke behind, striking with precision in the center of the oak logs.
For a second, silence reigned over the shooting range.
BOOOOM!
A deafening detonation echoed against the mountains. A fireball of crimson and black smoke erupted with a violent shockwave that shook the snow off the ground and kicked up a cloud of dirt and splinters. The force of the draconic powder was so brutal that the iron chains binding the structure snapped into pieces, while the oak logs were reduced to splintered fragments engulfed in flames that refused to go out.
The eleven hunters tumbled backward from the force of the blast, covering their heads with their hands in pure panic. Krag dropped his war mallet, his mouth agape and his eyes wild as he stared at the smoking pyre where the structure had just stood.
"By the will of the Bear God...!" said Krag, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "What... what kind of thunder was that?"
Lennis and Mentz, who were watching from a safe distance, broke into a cold sweat as they realized the true level of destruction they had produced in their workshop.
Kellar walked calmly toward the crater left by the explosion, observing the remains of melted iron and wood reduced to ashes with a smirk full of cold satisfaction.
"That, Krag, is the fire that will bring victory to the Overlord Tribe," said Kellar, turning toward his men with a calculating gaze. "Now I will show you the second phase. Mentz, bring the defensive explosive charges; it is time to test what will happen when they try to cross our defiles."
Mentz and two of his men hurried to carry two large clay vessels, reinforced with leather bands and sealed with a thick layer of wax. They placed them at the bottom of a test trench that emulated the narrow walls of the rocky pass, burying them under a layer of gravel and loose rocks.
Kellar extended a long hemp cord impregnated with resin that ran from the vessels to a safe distance behind a stone wall.
"Watch closely," said Kellar, lighting the end of the fuse with a small ember.
The fire ran rapidly like a crimson snake across the snow. The moment the flame reached the mouth of the underground vessels, the earth seemed to roar.
BOOOOOOM!
A deafening blast raised a column of smoke, fire, and fragmented rocks more than ten meters into the air. The shockwave was so intense that the protective wall shook and a shower of rock shrapnel struck the surroundings. When the smoke cleared, where the trench had been, only a smoking crater with charred edges remained.
The hunters and builders gazed at the scene in total silence, awe-struck and terrified by the overwhelming destructive power their shaman had just unleashed.
"Wow, it’s better than I expected," said Kellar, observing the crater as he wiped a speck of dust from his cheek. "I wonder which one would be stronger, this or modern TNT."
Mentz and Krag blinked in confusion upon hearing the strange word, but chose not to question their shaman’s mystical terms.
"Mentz, how many of those jars do we have?" said Kellar, turning toward the master builder.
"We were only able to make two, sir," said Mentz, adjusting his leather belt with a touch of regret. "And we have fifty individual charges for the crossbows."
"I see," said Kellar, nodding as he calculated their needs for the impending invasion. "Krag, come here."
"Yes, my lord, command me!" said Krag, stepping forward immediately and snapping to attention.
"We urgently need more ash and more resin," said Kellar, looking toward the snow-capped mountain range. "Starting today, a squad will head out every day to gather supplies. You will bring a load back, rest for a day, and head out again. It’s too much work for just you, so I will go as well; we simply need more hands. Gather everyone who wasn’t present; we need those idle hands. And bring Mark above all. I’ve given them enough time. Bring them in front of the Black Skull guy’s corpse."
"Understood, Shaman, right away!" said Krag, slamming his fist against his chest before turning on his heel and marching with a firm stride toward the settlement interior.
As Krag’s figure receded into the snow, Kellar remained staring at the trail of smoke still rising from the test crater. Then, he turned calmly toward the craftsman waiting by his side.
"Lennis, come here," said Kellar, gesturing toward the schematics drawn on the workshop table. "I have a new job for you."