Chapter 107: The March of the Disciplined
The freezing morning sun was breaking the horizon when the settlement plaza came alive. After enjoying a night of rest and pleasure in his residence, Kellar walked out to the central yard, where the expedition was already lined up in neat rows over the trampled snow.
Standing before him was Mark’s former group of hunters, their faces pale with uncertainty and their hands trembling as they clutched their tools. Kellar swept over them with a cold gaze that conveyed absolute distrust.
"Listen closely," said Kellar, pacing back and forth in front of the formation of disgraced nobles and hunters. "I do not trust a single one of you. For that reason, the Bear God’s blessing and protection will not rest upon your heads until you earn that right through blood and hard labor. If you attempt anything stupid along the way, there will be no trial, you will be executed."
Mark and his men swallowed hard, bowing their heads in submissive silence. Kellar turned toward his hunt captain, who stood ready with his mallet resting on his shoulder.
"Krag, this time the usual four veteran hunters and I will head out," said Kellar, gesturing toward Grok, Brak, and the two original trackers. "But you will come with us as well to keep this entire mob in line. The rest of the camp will focus strictly on securing food for the days of war ahead."
"Understood, Shaman!" said Krag, slamming the handle of his mallet against the snow. "I won’t take my eyes off these dogs!"
Kellar raised his hand and gave the order to move out. Over thirty men took their positions, surrounding the four newly built wooden carts that Lennis had assembled through a forced march during the night. With their axles lubricated and their oak wheels creaking against the frozen ground, the contingent departed through the settlement gates, heading toward the Ash Valley.
Without stopping the march at any point, the contingent pressed onward at a steady pace through the pass, the wheels of the carts creaking against the frozen ground. By late afternoon, the golden light of twilight began to paint the rocks as they finally reached the margins of the Red Forest, where the volcanic pines oozed the precious crimson resin.
Kellar, walking at the front alongside his captain as he examined the slope of the terrain more closely, broke the silence.
"We should build a highway out to here so we can arrive faster," said Kellar.
Krag scratched the back of his neck, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"What is a highway, Shaman?" said Krag.
Kellar paused for a second, hesitating on how to explain a modern concept to a tribal warrior without confusing him too much.
"It’s a flat, wide road, cleared of rocks," said Kellar, gesturing with his hand. "A path prepared so carts can roll without stumbling. It can even be paved with cement so it becomes as hard as stone and lasts for years."
Krag blinked again, even more confused by the new term. Kellar let out a quiet sigh upon realizing he had once again gotten ahead of his era.
"It’s another good project, but where will I get the materials?" said Kellar in a murmur to himself, rubbing his chin. "There should be limestone near the volcanic zone, but going in there is far too dangerous. Plus, I would have to build blast furnaces... Perhaps I can create a skill with the system that allows me to control fire at high temperatures... So much to do, so much to do."
Krag nodded in silence, becoming more and more accustomed to the shaman saying seemingly nonsensical words that later turned into an impressive reality.
"I suppose the system will keep giving me more technologies," said Kellar in a low voice, looking up at the canopy of the red trees. "I hope it gives me the formula for cement... Though now, with iron weapons and the forge, I’ll be able to make rifles. The era of firearms is approaching."
As Kellar finished reflecting on the advancements for his new world, Brak approached with a firm stride after organizing the work detail around the forest perimeter.
"We are ready, sir," said Brak, pointing toward the men with their jars and tools at the ready.
"Let’s begin harvesting the resin," said Kellar, issuing the order for Mark and his men to get to work.
"Do not touch it directly with your skin," said Kellar, walking among the men as he showed them the exact procedure. "Make diagonal cuts on the bark and let the resin flow directly into the jars. When the flow stops, move to another tree and repeat the process."
Mark and his men began working in a hurry under Krag’s watchful eye, making the incisions to avoid touching the viscous crimson pitch.
Suddenly, a rustle of footsteps and sharp shrieks echoed through the canopy of the red trees. Drawn by the presence of so many humans in their territory, dozens of red monkeys appeared from the foliage, surrounding the contingent from above without daring to come all the way down.
Mark’s former hunters felt their blood run cold and gripped their axes in panic, fearing an attack, however, at that moment, Freyja emerged from the forest shadows. The small white cat leaped gracefully onto a high branch, locking her bright blue eyes onto the creatures. Upon noticing the feline’s presence, the monkeys let out terrified shrieks and began retreating in a frenzy back into the deep forest.
Mark’s men, who did not know the cat, watched the scene in absolute shock, stunned that such a small creature could make the forest monsters flee. On the other hand, Brak and the veteran hunters simply viewed it as completely normal. To them, there was no doubt: their Shaman was truly powerful, and even his small beast was terrifying.
"Don’t get distracted!" shouted Kellar, snapping the men out of their stupor with a powerful voice. "Fill the jars and let’s get out of here!"
The shout echoed across the forest perimeter and triggered an instant wave of panic among Mark’s former hunters. Overcome with fear at the sight of the lingering creatures and the presence of the strange feline, everyone scrambled to cut the bark and fill the clay containers at breakneck speed, desperate to finish the harvest as quickly as possible so they could leave the place behind.