Chapter 106: The Wheels of Progress
The freezing morning wind dragged the stench of burnt gunpowder and scorched earth toward the settlement’s central plaza.
Held by Krag’s guards, Mark and the former nobles stumbled forward through the snow. Even though they had tried to fake indifference inside their huts, the dull thud of the previous blasts had made the beams of their homes shake. Upon being dragged to the shooting range and seeing the huge smoking craters, the oak logs reduced to splinters, and the iron chains twisted like straw threads, all color drained from their faces.
To worsen their torment, Krag brought them to a halt in front of the Black Skull Tribe commander’s corpse, whose cut throat and death-deformed face hung grotesquely from the wooden stake.
Kellar walked slowly toward them, holding an unused bolt in one hand while observing them with a blood-chilling coldness.
"I know what you’ve been thinking," said Kellar, circling the terrified group. "You thought that if you stayed on the sidelines and did nothing, eventually some outside force would come destroy this tribe and you could reclaim your old privileges."
Mark swallowed hard, keeping his eyes pinned to the ground as his knees trembled beneath his hides.
"But as you can see," said Kellar, pointing with the bolt at the blast crater and then at the impaled corpse, "those monsters you feared so much are nothing more than meat for our spears. And this thunder you heard... is just a taste of what happens to anyone who stands in the way of the Overlord Tribe."
Kellar stopped in front of Mark, pressing the tip of the wooden bolt directly against his chest.
"Starting today, the era of parasites in this village is over," said Kellar, dropping his voice to a deadly whisper. "Tomorrow you will head out on the first gathering expedition toward the defile. You will carry bags of dirt, extract resin, and work with your hands until your fingers bleed. If I see a single one of you slacking, hearing whispers of betrayal, or trying to sabotage Lennis’s work..."
Kellar paused, looking over at the bearded commander’s corpse.
"You will end up hanging next to this dog," said Kellar. "Was I clear enough, Mark?"
"Y-Yes, Great Shaman!" said Mark, falling to his knees on the snow as the other nobles hurried to bow in panic. "We will work! We will do whatever you order!"
"Take them out of my sight," said Kellar, turning his back on them without another thought.
Krag and the hunters herd them away with shoves toward the storehouses to prepare their work tools. Once the yard fell quiet, Kellar turned to the old craftsman waiting a few paces away.
"Lennis, come here," said Kellar, spreading a piece of polished hide over the workbench where he had drawn new schematics. "I have a new assignment for you."
Lennis leaned over the sketch, adjusting his leather tunic as his eyes scanned the charcoal lines.
"What is this object, Shaman?" said Lennis, frowning in deep confusion. "It looks like a large wooden box... but it has two thick disks attached to the sides with a rod running through the middle."
"It’s a transport cart with wheels," said Kellar, pointing to the central axle on the plan. "Until now, we’ve been savages carrying bags on our backs and dragging sleds over dry ground. With this design, the weight won’t fall on the men, but on the axle. Two people will be able to move a load that used to take ten."
Lennis gaped at the reinforced wooden disks and the rotation system, running trembling fingers over the paper as the understanding of mechanical physics sprouted in his mind.
"Incredible...!" said Lennis, his eyes gleaming with fascination. "If we carve the disks from cured oak wood and lubricate the axle with animal fat from the storehouses... we’ll be able to transport hundreds of kilos of resin, ash, and bombs without exhausting the hunters!"
"Exactly," said Kellar, offering a cold smirk. "And best of all, we already have the perfect beasts of burden to pull them. Mark and his nobles will be the engine of our new era. Lennis, build two of these carts immediately."
"It will be done exactly as you command, Great Shaman!" said Lennis, bowing with an enthusiastic smile.
The entire settlement turned into a hive of activity. The builders, workshop apprentices, and hunters began preparing tools and materials under the orders of Lennis and Mentz. Feeling a bit drowsy from mystical exhaustion and lack of sleep, Kellar walked toward the edge of the yard and leaned back against a large polished rock, watching the commotion as a fine dusting of snow began to fall from the gray sky.
Shortly after, his women arrived together at the spot. Seeing him resting against the stone, Mila stepped ahead of the group with a firm, graceful stride; despite being the youngest, she was already beginning to show the traits of the true lady of Kellar’s household.
"So this was what you were planning?" said Mila, stopping beside him and looking out at the still-smoking craters. "Those weapons are truly amazing."
"That’s right," said Kellar, opening one eye to look at her with a slight smirk. "Pretty neat, don’t you think?"
"A bit terrifying, actually," said Mila, adjusting her fur cloak over her shoulders. "Is that what you are relying on to defend this place from the Black Skull Tribe?"
"Yes," said Kellar, closing his eyes again peacefully. "If they dare to come, they will be completely wiped out."
Maya stepped forward, observing her nephew with undisguised curiosity as the wind played with her hair.
"Are those the things you told me about from that other world?" said Maya.
"A bit," said Kellar, keeping his cool composure. "This is just the beginning; I don’t want to spoil the surprise."
Maya pouted in playful frustration, but Kellar simply reached out, pulled her toward him to give her a quick kiss on the lips, and laughed at how cute she looked.