泡芙影院

Chapter 152

Swords clashed against each other. Sparks flew to briefly illuminate the surroundings.

Swoosh!

The blades grazed past each other, aiming for the enemy\'s throat like the teeth of a wolf.

\'It\'s hard to strike the neck in one blow. They are experienced warriors.\'

Urich stepped back and pushed away a charging northern warrior with a front kick.

"Gizzle! Get over here!"

Urich grabbed Gizzle by the nape and ran. Gizzle was almost suspended in the air as he was dragged along. Urichs strength was tremendous.

\'We can\'t get surrounded. It\'s impossible to fend off attacks coming from all directions.\'

Urich knew how to fight against multiple opponents simultaneously. He often fought in disadvantageous situations, constantly moving to induce one-on-one confrontations.

\'Gizzle can\'t move properly now. Defending him and fighting them at the same time is going to be difficult.\'

Urich looked at Gizzle limping. The pain should have subsided in the heat of excitement, but his foot was as good as dead, making his movements sluggish.

"Leave me here. I\'ll try to buy you some time."

Gizzle planted his spear in the ground and said to Urich. Holding the spear, he faced the enemies without being dragged by Urich.

"What? Dont give me that bullshit. Come on, we have to keep moving!"

Urich widened his eyes in disbelief as he glanced back. Time was of the essence. Every second counted. The northern warriors were leaping through the trees toward them.

"I\'m a chief who can\'t even move. I\'ll use what\'s left of my life for you."

Gizzle pulled back his shoulder and arm, holding the spear. He exhaled and launched the spear.

Thwack!

Gizzle\'s spear got buried in one of the northern warriors\' heads. The warrior fell backward and dropped dead. Gizzles ferocious maneuver made the advancing northern warriors flinch and draw their shields.

"I said enough of your bullsh...... Shit, duck, Gizzle!"

Urich grabbed Gizzle\'s head and pushed him to the ground. Unaware, Gizzle\'s nose broke from the sudden impact.

Thwip!

A crossbow bolt whizzed past where Urich and Gizzle had been standing. The northern warriors had given up on capturing them alive. They fired crossbows, fully intending to kill the western natives.

"What the hell did you do that for... was that an arrow just now?"

Gizzle looked at the bolt stuck in a tree. His eyes were opened wide.

"That cross-shaped thing is basically a bow."

Urich watched the northern warriors reload their crossbows.

"Anyway, I said I\'ll cover you! Go down to the village, Urich! I can\'t shake them off with my legs in this shape!"

Another arrow barely missed Gizzle and Urich\'s heads. The northerners alternated firing crossbows, pinning Urich and Gizzle down. Two warriors circled around to the flanks to attack them from the side.

Theyre using the imperial tactics...\'

Urich frowned. The northern warriors hired by the empire were skillfully employing imperial military tactics.

"I don\'t leave my brothers behind."

Urich gripped Gizzle\'s arm, his eyes shining.

"Thats rich coming from the one who came to take my chief position! Let\'s fight then, dammit!"

Gizzle bared his teeth and scoffed. Urich handed him one of his steel axes.

After quickly scanning their surroundings, Urich gave Gizzle a series of instructions in a rapid fire.

"When I give the signal, run to the left. Even if your feet hurt, run and jump them from the left. I\'ll circle to the right and kill the ones coming from that side and then climb up on the right."

Gizzle listened to Urich, a mere warrior, even though he was the chief. Without doing so, they had no chance of winning.

Urich closed his eyes for a moment, recalling what he had learned. He knew not only the imperial language but also the northern language.

"\'Behind! Ambush from behind!\'"

Urich shouted in the northern language. In the darkness, the voice was confusing enough to act as a diversion. Distracting the northern warriors attention for a moment was enough. Urich and Gizzle ran in their respective directions.

Gizzle gritted his teeth. Each step sent pain shooting up his spine all the way to his head.

"Gahhhhhh!"

Gizzle roared, practically screeching, as he ran. He turned left and ambushed the four northern warriors firing the crossbows. Their attention diverted to Gizzle.

Urich, having circled around, encountered two warriors and quickly killed them with his sword. The sudden northern cry had distracted them, making them relatively easy kills. He then silently approached the right side of the crossbow group.

"Ill send you bastards to Ulgaro\'s side!"

Urich yelled as he stabbed a warrior in the neck and sliced the face of another with his axe.

"Uuuuulgaro!"

The remaining northern warriors also shouted Ulgaro\'s name as they died.

Urich and Gizzle, panting heavily, collapsed. Their breaths were ragged, almost nauseating. They had been moving and fighting without rest.

"Huff, huff."

Steam rose from their fired-up bodies. Urich looked at the dead northern warriors.

\'Theyre using northerners as the vanguard. Whoevers behind this is pretty clever.\'

The two worlds, separated by the Sky Mountains, were beginning to overlap more and more.

\'It wont be long. Sending an army might still be hard, but sending scouts is definitely possible now.\'

Urich felt anxious. The west had yet to unite. The tribes were still busy opposing each other. If the imperial army crossed over during this time, the fate of the west was predictable.

"Gizzle, you alive?"

Urich used his sword as a staff to help himself stand up. He looked up at the night sky, exhaling deeply. The Milky Way twinkled above.

"Are these the enemies from beyond the mountains you talked about?"

"This is just a taste of them. Give me back my axe and collect the spoils. They were carrying good weapons, all steel."

Urich swung the weapons of the northern warriors. They were from the imperial workshop.

"People really are living beyond the mountains, then."

Gizzle picked up a steel sword. Even in the starlight and moonlight, the beauty of the blade was apparent.

\'If it wasn\'t for Urich, we would have been killed.\'

Gizzle ran his hand through his hair, self-deprecatingly. Only Urich could have stood against them.

\'What was the point of my life...?\'

It seemed like he lived only to pass the chiefship to Urich. Even in his own life, Urich was the main character.

\'Chief Gizzle.\'

That was his only pillar of support and pride. Gizzle stood up, his fur boots soaked with blood. He didnt even want to check on his feet, as it was obvious what state they were in.

Urich helped the struggling Gizzle down the mountain. It was a painful journey for him with his impaired mobility.

\'The rots already spread throughout his body.\'

Gizzle\'s complexion was poor. His temperature fluctuated, and he threw up everything he ate. Blackened toes fell off one by one. These were symptoms of a dying warrior. He was weakened but was not recovering.

"So, this is my fate? This is so unfair."

Gizzle laughed, looking at the sky as he descended the mountain. It\'s the will of heaven whether a warrior lives or dies after an injury. Some survive even gruesome wounds, while others die from a mere surface scratch.

Gizzle didnt get to have his frostbite treated in time. Rotten blood already circulated in his body, tormenting him by the second.

"Call the shamans immediately!"

Urich shouted as soon as he stepped into the village. Gizzle was carried away on a stretcher. The village shamans burned incense and begged the celestial spirits for the chiefs life.

"Woooo, mmmmm."

The shamans shook palm branches and sang. The tent where Gizzle lay was filled with thick herbal smoke.

Gizzle coughed up blood. His condition worsened, and the ominous voices of the shamans only made him dizzy instead of helping him recover.

"The mountains have cursed you, chief."

The priest warned. Gizzle propped himself up and grabbed the priest\'s collar.

"There are enemies beyond the mountains! How long will you keep spewing such nonsense!"

"Evil spirits take on human forms. They stand against those who wish to cross the mountains."

"Why is Urich unharmed then? Shouldn\'t he also die for breaking the taboo?"

Gizzle glared at the priest, baring his teeth.

"Urich will soon pay the price."

"You sure talk a lot of shit for a coward who\'s never set foot in the mountains!"

The priest frowned at Gizzle\'s scolding and retreated.

Gizzle caught his breath and lay back down. He sent a few warriors to bring Urich.

"I heard you called for me."

Urich, who had also climbed the mountains, stood calmly, unlike Gizzle. Gizzle put his jealousy aside for a moment and gestured for Urich to sit beside his bed.

"I dont have long."

"Call your brothers for a proper farewell."

"There\'s something more important. Our tribe is going through a change. I couldn\'t keep up with it."

"It\'s natural you couldn\'t. I don\'t blame you."

Being confined by the era and convention wasnt ignorance. It was simply a limit of experience.

"Don\'t pretend to be nice, Urich. Youre telling me that youve never resented me once?"

Urich awkwardly twisted his lips. Gizzle too chuckled, breathing roughly.

"Are you leaving me your dying wish or something?"

"The next chief is you. In these uncertain times, you\'re the only one fit to lead the tribe. It\'s annoying as hell... But before I die, I\'ll declare my support for you, and my warriors will too. Just be careful of the priests and shamans."

Urich nodded, taking in Gizzle\'s words as seriously as they were.

"Thanks, Gizzle."

"Im not doing this for you. It\'s for our tribe."

"It doesn\'t matter why youre doing it. You were an excellent chief who fulfilled the responsibilities of his position."

Everyone stands in different places. Gizzle and Urich, both wishing for the tribe\'s prosperity and safety, saw different directions from their standings.

"Remember, Urich. You must also fulfill your duties and responsibilities. You can\'t abandon the tribe anymore. The tribe\'s fate is more important than your curiosity and pride."

Urich\'s eyelashes trembled. He was no longer a free warrior. He now bore the weight of his tribespeople on his shoulders and back.

"A heavy burden to remind me of, Chief Gizzle."

Urich clasped and then released Gizzle\'s hand. He stood up and left the tent. Gizzle didn\'t have much time left, and he had to say goodbye to the other brothers.

"Thank you for bringing Gizzle home, Urich."

Kirungka said as he passed by Urich, nodding before entering the tent.

Gizzle had told his followers to support Urich. Urich would take over as chief, and Gizzle had handed him his entire support base so that the transition would be smooth.

"Kek-kek."

Left alone, Gizzle chuckled. His insides boiled with resentment and frustration.

\'Who will remember me...\'

Gizzle\'s name would wander the empty world before disappearing into the void. He was but a firefly lost in the brilliance of the great warrior Urich. He felt pitiful for having to help Urich knowing what it meant for himself.

His head felt like it was being cooked by the fever. He gasped for air. The sounds coming out of his mouth were shapeless. Gizzle flailed his arms helplessly.

"Guuuugh."

Gizzle\'s arm fell limply as he struggled.

A warrior, who was waiting for Gizzle\'s passing, awoke and checked his pulse. Realizing what had happened, he rushed out of the tent.

The village bell tolled, and a lifeless body grew cold.