Dark clouds blanketed the sky. On the wilderness outside Beast Mouth Fortress, the Northern Barbarians had assembled into an army. War drums echoed low through the valley, as though urging on the coming storm.
A tall figure stepped out from the Northern Barbarians' ranks. Draped in animal hides and gripping a battle-axe, his face was painted with the tribe's distinctive black markings. He slowly walked to within a hundred paces of the fortress, looked up at its towering walls, and shouted in halting Imperial language, "Imperial... cowards... come out!"
The soldiers on the walls exchanged looks, not fully understanding what he meant at first. But when the Northern Barbarian took another step forward, a crossbow bolt ripped through the air and drove viciously into the mud before his feet. Its tail trembled slightly, giving off a dull thrum.
"Anyone who comes within a hundred paces dies!" a soldier on the wall shouted sharply, as the crossbows in their hands all aimed downward.
The Northern Barbarian warrior was startled by the bolt's power. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly retreated to the formation.
At that moment, an even more burly warrior leaned close to the Northern Barbarian tribal leader and said in a low voice, "Yaob, as long as the Imperials hide inside this fortress, we can't do anything to them. Why don't we just not fight them?"
Yaob did not respond. His gaze remained fixed on the walls, as though he were contemplating something.
Seeing that he remained silent, the warrior added, "If the priest were still here, he would never have agreed to this battle!"
Slap! Before his words had even faded, a loud slap struck his face with such force that he staggered back half a step.
Yaob's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, and his