Chapter 157: Chapter 156: Ancient Stronghold

’That must be the tribe’s leader,’ Colin thought.

The burly man then rose and spoke with Kase for a good while in a language they couldn’t understand.

It was impossible not to feel a little tense in such an environment. Colin could just picture Orelia standing behind him, completely at a loss.

Only after they had finished talking did Kase walk over to the group.

"The road ahead is indeed blocked by the Undead. They’re acting like an army, sealing off the entire path. This tribe’s hunting grounds have been affected as well."

The Half-Orc jutted his chin toward the surrounding Barbarians. "We can either try to sneak past them, or we can take the Barbarians’ offer to go smash those Skeletons."

"We’re pulling a sled, so I don’t think sneaking past is an option..." Colin asked, "What are they offering?"

"A few Sable Furs. That stuff’s pretty expensive."

"That’s a secondary concern. How many enemies are there? And will this tribe fight alongside us?"

"I’m not sure about the numbers, but their Shaman has performed a divination a few times. The results of the tribe fighting alone weren’t good," Kase said. "If we do this, we’ll have over twenty of their warriors with us."

"In other words, we’re up against an enemy that more than twenty Barbarian Warriors couldn’t defeat," Colin said. "So what makes them so sure they’ll win with us?"

"Oh, my dear Colin!" Kase sighed. "It’s because I’m here, of course! Plus, I told them you’re all warriors on par with me. Is that clever brain of yours not spinning so fast right now?"

"Fine, you win."

Orelia said timidly, "Um, Mr. Kase, you should probably mention that I might not be that... strong."

Although the "divination" they spoke of sounded mystical, Colin, having read many books, knew it referred to a Tier Two Magic spell called Divination.

This Prophetic Magic allows the user to ask a single question, and it foretells whether the outcome of the event in question will be good or bad.

The principle behind it was that a supernatural power, like the Gods or ancestral spirits the tribe worshiped, provided the answer. While Casting the spell multiple times in a short period could lead to unreliable results, the first answer was considered one hundred percent accurate.

All in all, it was a method that sounded mystical but was genuinely effective.

"In that case, we should get started as soon as possible," Colin said. "After the fight, we can rest for a few days. We need to find your tribe quickly."

-----------------

[Commission: Exterminate the Skeletons]

[Status: Not Started]

[Reward: Uncalculated]

-----------------

Kase nodded and said a few more words to the Barbarians.

After receiving an affirmative answer, the Barbarian Leader shouted something into the depths of the cave.

A chaotic clamor immediately echoed from within the cave.

With the decision made, Colin checked his gear, ready to set out at a moment’s notice.

He stole a glance at the Half-Elf.

She had been standing quietly to the side, reading a book. Having expressed neither agreement nor opposition, she was rather hard to read.

"Let’s head over there first and have someone lead the way," Kase said, coming over to pat Colin’s shoulder. "Their warriors still need a little time to assemble."

Colin nodded.

The group donned their gear and set out, following a Scout from the tribe along the mountain path back toward where they’d been headed earlier.

It was still early in the day.

After following the Scout for several hours, the group stopped on a small, snowy slope.

Judging by the distance, they were only about ten kilometers from the Barbarian Tribe’s cave. By the standards of the Southern Gathering Place, this was a distance dangerous enough to make villagers spend their life savings to hire Adventurers.

At some point, a light snow had begun to fall.

Fortunately, there was no wind, and all was quiet.

Colin peeked out from behind a snowdrift.

Below the slope lay a valley surrounded by trees, where a large group of Skeletons was bustling about. To the south of the valley rose a towering cliff, and not far to the north was a frozen lake.

"Are those things building houses?" Kase asked in surprise.

And it was just as he said.

Seventy or so Skeletons were gathered in a camp, busily processing felled logs and hunted animals.

The logs were stripped of their branches and bark and neatly stacked. Much of the timber had already been fashioned into sturdy wooden walls, while the hunted animals were being skinned and butchered.

Many of the Skeletons wore tattered Armor, and their weapons, nearly rotted through, were stacked carefully in the camp.

"Do these things even need to eat?" Kase scratched his head. "This is the first time I’ve ever seen Skeletons do something like this."

"Generally speaking, Skeletons that rise on their own and aren’t controlled by anyone tend to repeat actions they performed in life when there are no enemies around. Some skeletal horses will even chew on grass, though it’s completely meaningless for them," Colin explained.

Ale spoke up without warning. "The Skeletons’ movements suggest they were once an army stationed here. Judging by their equipment, they must be an ancient legion from thousands of years ago."

"Indeed."

"According to the tactics of that era, their front line would have been a defensive wall of young and middle-aged soldiers using Large Shields and Short Swords. The rear would be composed of older soldiers wielding Long Spears."

Ale continued, "The good news is I don’t see any of the special Javelins they used for breaking shields. We might not have to face that kind of troublesome ranged attack. However, we can’t rule out the possibility of other ranged support infantry."

After a moment, she suddenly realized the others were all staring at her.

"I’m sorry... was I being rude just now?" Ale asked.

"Not at all," Colin said.

’Don’t the books all say that most Warlocks rely on their bloodline for Casting and rarely train their minds through reading?’

’The Mage scholar who recorded that fact even wrote smugly that most Casters besides Mages are empty-headed. So why does it feel like this Dragon Vein Mage knows more than I, a Mage, do?’

Since that was the case, Colin felt it was only right to yield to the expert.

He asked, "So, what are your thoughts on tactics?"

"Tactics?"

Ale didn’t seem to expect the question. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "Then... how about we use the guerrilla tactics of the Ancient Elves? Have the Barbarians surround the enemy formation and constantly wear them down with arrows. If the enemy tries to give chase, we retreat?"

There was a moment of silence.

Colin turned to Kase and asked, "Will that work?"

"The Barbarian Warriors would never agree to that. It would be an insult to them." The Half-Orc kicked at the knee-deep snow. "Besides, do you really think we can outrun the undead in this stuff? They don’t get tired, and they don’t have any flesh weighing them down."