Chapter 185
Ezra led Han through the stone corridors of the underground labyrinth that was hidden underneath the palace of the Patriarch of the Bolvar Tribe. Han was initially shocked to discover the presence of this place, but eventually accepted it. It was nothing strange for such a place to exist in a hidden area of the territory of a pack or tribe. The Belmun Pack had its own secret space after all.
Soon, they arrived before a large, black metal door, which Ezra easily pushed open. Behind that door was a massive store of weapons. The vast majority of the weapons consisted of spears too. To the side of the large store room, armors of various kinds were lined up on a rack against the wall.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say the Bolvar Tribe was preparing for a war." Han could not help but comment on the weapons.
"Haha! The Bolvar Tribe was once a warring tribe. We have a rich heritage of warriors." Ezra replied. "The Bolvar Tribe you see now is merely an offshoot of a much larger tribe." He hinted at the true strength of the tribe, but did not say any more. Han raised his eyebrow in surprise, but also opted not to say anything more.
After nearly a week of planning and plotting had passed, the Bolvar Tribe finally agreed to add thirty high ranking Beastkin and demi-humans to the taskforce that would continue on to free more packs from the control of the Herder Drug.
Currently, Ezra had proposed to kit out the members of the taskforce with the gear that was resting in the bosoms of the tribe. It would not affect them in any way, but would instead, strengthen the power of the taskforce.
The Bolvar Tribe was mainly known for their excellent craftsmanship by the packs around them, so Han was more than ready to accept this offer. It was not like the taskforce lacked any equipment, but he would be more than happy to receive the excellent equipment that the Bolvar Tribe could provide.
Soon, Han was back in the town square that was not too far from the Patriarch's palace. The entirety of the taskforce was spread out in the plaza, waiting for their new orders. They were already kitted out in the armors and weapons that had been provided by the Bolvar Tribe. Because of the expansive inventory of the tribe, everyone was able to get a set of armor and weapons that fit them either perfectly, or near perfectly.
Han stepped up to a raised platform and began his short speech. It was nothing too special, as he only wanted to motivate them and boost their morale for the coming days. After he was done with his own speech, Ezra also stepped up and gave his own speech. This time, his speech was more directed towards the members of his tribe that had joined the taskforce. They had suffered a huge loss with the loss of their former Patriarch, so he needed to reassure them that what they were doing was right, and that it was the humans who had brought it upon themselves.
When they finally finished their speeches, the taskforce officially set off from the city of Delmore, under the gazes of the tribesmen and their young leader.
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A couple of days passed by quickly as the taskforce travelled. They had finally reached the boundary that separated one of the unclaimed lands from that of the next pack that was under the control of the Herder Drug, and had chosen to rest through the night before they continued their journey. They wanted to be fully rested before taking part in any risky endeavors.
A large river marked the boundary between the claimed and unclaimed lands. This river was known as the Silver River. It was named that way because of the nearby Silver Mines that belonged to the Kraetor City. The Kraetor City was a minor power in the Northern Continent that made their livelihood through trades with neighboring packs and the Henshaw Dynasty.
Because of their favorable position, and the good ties that they had painstakingly developed with the neighboring packs, the city had been able to gain enough support and protection through its ties, making sure that it would not be attacked by any of its neighbors.
"Beyond this river is the official territory of the Kraetor City." Han explained in the usual meeting between the higher-ups of the taskforce. It had become something of a ritual for them to meet every evening in order to further refine their plans.
"The Kraetor City is officially ran by a collective of demi-humans, but is quite lax when it comes to humans. Their society is run much like that of the human society, but instead of a monarchy, they opt to elect a new leader whenever their current one is deemed unfit to continue his rule." Han began to break down the nuances concerning the leadership of the Kraetor City.
"Dammit. Those Henshaws sure are smart." Someone couldn't help but comment. "No wonder they went for the Kraetor City. The Kraetor City has enough power and sway to challenge them, so by putting its leaders or the vast majority of its people under their control, they are basically ensuring their rule over the Northern Continent!"
"Indeed. But considering the strength and size of the city, how do you think we will go about with handling this threat? Surely, we can not jut waltz in there and expect to gain access to their water source." Another person grunted.
The members of the taskforce were thrown in for a loop. So far, ever since their mission began, this would be their greatest hurdle. If they were able to free the Kraetor City from the hold of the Herder Drug, then they would gain a powerful ally. With the help of the city's forces, then their small taskforce could very well become an army!
Just as the men were thinking, the sound of hurried footsteps getting closer to their position called their attention.
The men turned to face a member of the taskforce that was quickly running in their direction. He held a letter in his hands, and he looked flustered.
"What is it now?" Han snatched the letter from the young man's hands, before opening it and reading its contents. A few seconds later, an ugly look came upon his face. "This is... We should have thought of this." He crumpled the letter in his hand and threw it into the fire that burned before him.
"Han? What did the letter say?" His comrades were surprised at his reaction, and quickly asked for the reason behind it.
"One of Ezra's scouts caught up with us and passed this message onto our own scouts. He mentioned in the letter than the bodies of the humans that Dion and my son had killed had been dug up, and then, buried back. The scent of humans were all over the site, although it was a bit dated." He explained the reason for his frustration, and a similarly sour look came upon the faces of the others around him.
"What does this mean?" One of the men present from the Bolvar Tribe, asked, directing his question to Han.
"We expected to come against a good deal of resistance when we got to the Kraetor City. Now, we should expect at least double of that, if not more." Han raised his gaze to meet that of everyone there. He was very serious. "The humans would have surely gone out of their way to make things much more difficult than we expect."
"But we have already prepared for this outcome, to some extent." The men then began to develop their plan, taking in the account of human interference. This development would halt their forward advance for some time, and it irritated them to their extremes, but there was little they could do about it.
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"The defenses of the city wall have been tripled as you asked, Sir Adas." A Werecat with black fur, and a splash of white fur on top of his head, bowed deeply before the human that was currently seated behind a large oak desk. The demi-human's dark eyes were dull, and lacked the light that they possessed before the human had initially arrived at Kraetor City.
"Good, good, my dearest pet." The woman behind the desk laughed and gestured for the Werecat to come to her side. The male Werecat did so, and immediately went on his knees upon reaching the side of the desk. The woman's slender fingers ran through the white fur atop the Werecat's head in a slow, languid motion.
"What about the pits? Have they been filled with the spikes I ordered?" She asked in a murmur.
"Yes."
"Good." She petted the demi-human once more before abruptly tightening her fingers in his fur and pulling him up to her level.. "Get out of my sight!" She then used her great strength to toss the demi-human over the table and across the room.