Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

57  Herrera Village

Zuna's once unblemished blue hair was now a chaotic mess, covered with the dust and ashes from the bonfire's explosion as she sprinted towards the center of the thunderous noise, with her sword already in hands and ready to fight off all invaders on her way.

The captains followed behind her were trying their best to restore the order and calm down the panicking soldiers. However, despite their best efforts, the army didn't stop and continued to desperately run in the opposite direction of the explosion. Their eyes were unable to hide the fear and terror ravaging inside them.

The soldiers were like frightened birds, flapping their wings in every direction, not knowing which way to fly as a predator closed in on them. They only knew that they had to get as far as possible from the thunderous sound. It was impossible to stop a desperate herd by only standing in front of it.

"Fire!" - The sudden shout startled everyone in the campsite. The soldiers who were running away suddenly stopped, watching incredulously as the flames burned the tent and licked the skies, casting an eerie glow on the whole area.

This brief moment of distraction proved to be the perfect opportunity for the captains to reign the situation and restore order. The fastest one tightly gripped his axe while scanning the area for the nearest soldier, rapidly choosing one to his right. Without a second thought, he dashed towards him and with a swift motion, the captain swung the axe at his leg. Although the blade was dull, the force was sufficient cut it off, causing blood to spurt everywhere.

The soldier fell to the ground with a dull thud, his eyes still trying to understand the situation as the pain traversed through his body. He let out a sharp cry as he tried to use his hands to stop the blood from pouring out while desperately calling for help. However, the biting cold and the intense blood loss made sure to end it rapidly, his life leaking out from his eyes.

"ARE YOU HEARING ME NOW!?" – The captain roared, his voice booming over the chaos. He raised his bloodied axe, scanning the surroundings with furious eyes until they landed defiantly on Zuna, who looked at him in annoyance and surprise while diverging her eyes towards the burning tent.

The bloody spectacle was followed by a deafening silence, jolting the soldiers out of the panic and desperate trance. It allowed them to take a deep breath and calm down, giving them time to understand the situation and get out of the herd effect, which made all of them run away together.

On the other hand, while the captain was setting the order back at place, Zuna dashed towards the tent.

"What happened?" – She couldn't help but ponder in doubt – "An attack from Aritreia? Stahl?"

-x-

Henry sat atop the tree, deep in thought, his brows furrowed in concentration as he read through a yellow parchment made of leather. He paid no heed to the commotion happening at the campsite below, which was finally under control. After finishing the report, he handed it to Leier, who carefully put it back in a small wooden box with a satisfied smile plastered on her lips, a result of only a few words of praise.

"Indeed, there is some kind of power working behind the curtains to take my kingdom down" – Henry coldly muttered, not hiding his anger and desire for revenge – "I will have to start my plan a lot earlier than I thought. I can't let them stabilize and take control of the West. Their objective seems to be something buried deep down there. They also have plans to reach their hands towards the capital. I don't know who it is…but I will find out."

Henry turned to Leier - "Inform Olaro that I require a hundred trained soldiers and a few more seeds" – he said – "Then, I need you to escort the soldiers to Herrera Village without arousing suspicion from the villagers and from those of Luak. You can use the deactivated mines to hide them. I will be waiting there."

"I obey, my king."- Leier said, her tone serious, but her eyes betraying the happiness at receiving praise from her liege. With a jump, she disappeared into the night.

"I should also get going." - Henry stood up, dusting off the dirt from his pants, before gazing towards the campsite.

He narrowed his eyes, attempting to tear up the veil that covered Luak and spread chaos throughout this small part of the North. He could vividly feel a dangerous presence lurking in the shadows, trying to reach its disgusting paws towards his kingdom. And the thought of someone daring to challenge his rule and kill him made his blood boil in rage. He wanted to rip it to pieces and grab this force by the neck.

"I will get you." – Henry decisively said and with a simple jump, he disappeared into the night, dashing towards the West.

He had to prepare the trap to extinguish both nations and bring to light the force behind everything.

-x-

Herrera Village was located in the western parts of the Kingdom of Stahl, a small and isolated settlement nestled in the shadows of the mountain range. It was a place that had been long forgotten by the capital and the noble classes, left to wither away after the main mine dried up and ceased most operations. It didn't border the perilous Frozen Forest, but the villagers still had to live in constant fear of bandit attacks, which made it a challenging place to call home.

The crumbling and dilapidated buildings and homes of Herrera Village stood as a testament to years of neglection. The once-bustling market squared lay desolate, filled by garbage and debris. The meager iron mined from the deactivated mines were barely enough to sustain their basic needs, since the merchants raised their prices way above the normal, due to the great dangers of travelling through the roads around it.

Over the last years, after Henry's coronation, the situation on Herrera Village has improved by a large margin. The bandits were exterminated, and the White Merchant Road was being revitalized, increasing the commerce in this region. However, it was still distant from the other western villages on the side of the Merchant Road or those with still operating villages.