Black Ash Tribe

At the warm invitation of Kulan, Kas took Seneya along to observe the Larona Clan's goblin-hunting operation in its entirety.

Although most of the tribal warriors, clad in grim plate-and-chain armor, felt uneasy at the appearance of a werewolf—fearing that proximity to a cursed creature would bring the curse upon themselves—

The extra head on Kas's shoulder clearly had an effect; wherever Morse Ironbone went, those who saw him would clench their fists and strike their chests, paying tribute to the legendary warrior.

Even their fear of the witch's curse diminished, and they puffed out their chests, preparing to perform an impeccable hunt before the eyes of Ironbone.

Hunting goblins is also known as "hole-ratting."

It usually involves experienced warriors taking a group of thirteen or fourteen-year-old children into a goblin nest, allowing them to practice the clan's tactics and techniques in "intense" combat—in other words, training the troops.

In Kas's memory, he had been taken to catch hole-rats by his War Chief several times; the process usually consisted of the War Chief tossing him into a goblin den, then watching the show while drinking, completely indifferent to the life or death of the young savage.

But clearly, the Larona Clan had no intention of pulling a group of child soldiers from the tribe to perform clumsy hole-ratting techniques for Ironbone.

The Larona warriors participating in the hunt were all clad in pitch-black half-plate and chainmail, the surfaces etched with red patterns. The murderous aura they exuded grew even more severe after the battle; they were the proudest force of the Drahok tribe.

Drahok means "Black Ash" in the Rishiman language. The craftsmen of the Larona Clan used a special technique to forge iron ore into black steel, and the equipment crafted from it was renowned throughout the Sorrow Mountains for its exceptional hardness and strength.

But this alone was not enough to allow the Larona Clan to endure for a thousand years in the brutal Iron Peak Mountain. At one point in time—perhaps in the era of Kas's great-great... Ancestor—

A Larona craftsman, returning from a raid in the south, unearthed a terrifying witchcraft from some abandoned Southerner ruin that utilized blood to strengthen steel.

It was a cruel technological advancement: casting the lives of the innocent into the furnace, combining black steel with sacrificial blood, and carving ancient runes into the bones of the victims to forge protective gear that rivaled dwarven runic armor.

With sharp weapons in hand, the desire to kill naturally followed, and the Larona Clan was the first faction to participate in the Comet Rebellion.

In that chaotic slaughter four hundred years ago, which left the Rishiman people severely weakened, they offended many clans in their quest to obtain powerful sacrificial flesh.

In the final judgment, they were forced to promise King Vanak that they would restrict the forging technology of Blood-Forged Black Steel, using only the lives of Southerners to sacrifice to the furnace.

As for the Comet Rebellion, that is a much longer story...

But the forging technique of Blood-Forged Black Steel did indeed influence the style of the Larona Clan; they were extremely rare heavy-infantry warriors in the Sorrow Mountains, accustomed to using heavy weapons like halberds, two-handed axes, and maces.

To be honest, Kas also coveted the Larona's cool equipment, but the moment he thought of the scarlet runes on the armor and weapons being irrigated with human blood, he felt a shiver of dread.

The Her Tribe was much gentler, after all; they just picked up some ironwood sticks in the forest and started brawling.

Within a few minutes, the black-steel warriors had finished their preparations. The leader stood before the abandoned mine entrance, striking the back of his tower shield with his battle-axe.

Thump, thump, thump.

The dull sound echoed through the cavern, and the sharp, fearful shrieks of the goblins satisfied the cold-blooded warriors.

Before entering the mine, the shield-bearer nodded slightly toward Ironbone on Kas's shoulder. He pressed his sharp-edged tower shield against the rock wall; the sparks from the friction between stone and steel, combined with the chilling, grating sound, allowed fear to spread without limit.

The dozen or so warriors following closely behind also pressed their axes and iron chains against the rock walls. The chaotic, grating, and rough disturbance poured into the prey's eardrums bit by bit.

Fear is also a weapon. The warriors of the Larona Clan were masters of using fear; they would crush your soul in every way possible, shatter your limbs with battle-axes, and toss you into the Blood-Ash Furnace that would make them stronger.

The process of rat-catching had nothing worth mentioning; the Larona Clan's combat method was as silent and boring as their personalities.

Walk up to the enemy, beat them into a bloody pulp, drag them out with iron chains, and finish it.

The dying goblin runts had their signature large noses flattened by iron fists, their originally sinister and cunning scarlet eyes filled with terror. With iron chains locked around their necks, they were dragged out of the mine.

Seneya's expression was somewhat unnatural; Kas could hear the faint sound of retching in her throat.

The stench of excrement clinging to the goblins made the sensitive-nosed werewolf feel nauseated.

Still that same tall warrior with the tower shield—he held the iron chains, dragging two hobgoblins that looked even more robust than himself out of the cavern.

The warrior glanced at the cleaned-up battlefield. He had no interest in the dead, but the armor and weapons on them were materials that could be recycled.

"I hear the voice of the Lady of Death. Gouge out the eyeballs of the dead, then notify the people of Bafri to collect the corpses."

"Yes."

Kulan led a team of men, using daggers to extract the eyeballs of the dead one by one, placing them on their chests.

This process was not just for the people of the Bafri tribe; the people of the Black Ash tribe suffered the same cruel treatment.

Theoretically, this was not a torture. The obsession with war among the tribes in the southwestern region of the Sorrow Mountains made them deeply respectful of the Lady of Death, Lagrey, second only to Pierce, who presided over war and courage.

Removing the eyeballs of the dead to offer to the crows was a prayer to the Lady of Death not to keep those who died heroically in the cold underworld; they should go to the halls of Vagha or the arena of Pierce to enjoy fine wine and continue the fight.

After feeding the crows and counting the losses, the lead warrior nodded at Kas but did not remove his helmet.

This gesture indicated that he respected the Zagwell Clan, but did not place Kas, who had yet to become a warrior, on an equal footing.

"I am Xipel Blackheart, son of Zakli... son of Malik Axe-Breaker."

Blackheart's tone carried a hint of hostility, an unwillingness hidden beneath his calm voice. Clearly, he and Malik had some unpleasant history.

"I heard your father died? Who killed him?"

"Who knows? Perhaps he died on some woman's belly."

The seemingly joking, humorous remark did not make Blackheart laugh. The eyes beneath the pitch-black bull-horned helmet shifted abruptly, fierce and oppressive:

"But Kas... who is your mother? I have never heard anything about Axe-Breaker's wife. Perhaps I should call you Kas the Leaf-Breaker?"

Kas, who had been smiling flippantly just a moment ago, turned icy cold in an instant.

"Leaf-Breaker" was a derogatory nickname in the Ferode Canyon region for bastards, usually referring to the offspring of Rishiman people and slaves or Southerners.

In terms of bloodline alone, Kas should indeed be called a Leaf-Breaker, but there were some special circumstances.

For instance, the Ancestor, whose eye sockets ignited with a violent red glow, his cracked skull emitting a terrifying pressure that forced Blackheart's knees to buckle sharply.