There were savages (I)

Some outsiders had come into the mountains. They wore matching black clothes and carried muskets, and that afternoon they had set up camp by the river.

Pasa lay cautiously in a patch of grass, peering through gaps in the weeds at the outsiders working in a clearing two hundred paces away.

It was a long way off, and he could not see very clearly.

But Pasa did not dare get any closer. These people were vigilant, and the sentries standing on rocks or hiding in trees kept their full attention on every movement nearby.

Pasa had already tried approaching from several directions, but he had not found a single angle that would let him sneak closer.

That made Pasa nervous. He was the best hunter and scout in his tribe!

If even he could not get past their perimeter to observe these strangers up close, what did that mean?

Were they soldiers of the Bohemian Empire?

Pasa widened his eyes, carefully studying and analyzing their uniforms.

After watching for a while, Pasa decided they did not look much like Bohemian soldiers.

The Oka Tribe frequently clashed with the Bohemians and had fought several battles against them. Although they lost more often than they won, those encounters had taught the Oka people how the Bohemian army was organized.

Those in blue were regular troops. They were formidable fighters with excellent weapons and equipment, and they must never be fought head-on, because these Bohemians generally had field artillery.

Trading arrows for musket fire was difficult enough already. Under artillery bombardment, even the bravest and most skilled Oka warriors would be routed.

Those in gray coats were Bohemia's reserve troops. They were cowardly and poorly equipped. As long as the Oka warriors charged and managed to close the distance, they could defeat them even when outnumbered.

But although the gray-coated soldiers were easy to fight, there were so many of them. Drive off one unit, and two more would charge in. They were endlessly troublesome, and in a pitched battle, the Oka Tribe could only retreat in the end.

So Pasa did not want to see either blue uniforms or gray ones.

As for these people in black, Pasa hoped they were not Bohemians. Their discipline was excellent, and they were far too alert. If a clash broke out, the Oka Tribe would certainly suffer.

If they were from the Retalia Empire, that would be even worse.

Pasa kept watching, and soon he noticed a group leaving the main force and heading toward the cold waters of the Nait River.

This was a good opportunity!

Pasa perked up and began backing away slowly. He planned to leave this spot and approach the Nait River from another direction, where he could observe them up close and perhaps even find an opportunity to capture one of them.

Yet while Pasa was considering this, he failed to notice a figure behind him moving slowly and silently toward him, like a film playing in slow motion.

Even as the figure's hand slowly reached for his neck, Pasa remained completely unaware.

"What? You caught a savage?"

Chris, who had been about to inspect the river crossing with Mia and a squad of musketeers, listened to the player's report in surprise.

"Yes, I caught a savage!"

The player with "Barbarossa" above his head nodded earnestly, then turned and pointed. Chris followed his finger and saw a filthy, disheveled man dressed in animal skins tied to a tree.

"I caught him near camp. He was lying behind a patch of grass, and I thought he was a wild boar. I nearly threw a javelin at him."

The captive was extremely agitated at being restrained. When he saw Chris looking his way, he jabbered and shouted in a language Chris could not understand.

Chris genuinely could not understand him. Thanks to his predecessor's memories, he understood Bagnian and could speak Bohemian. His memories of his mother had also given him a little knowledge of Minisian.

Yet despite knowing so many languages, Chris could not understand a single word the man said.

Under the circumstances, Chris had no choice but to believe Barbarossa. He really had caught a savage.

The savage's shouts were loud and piercing. After listening for a while, Chris began to lose patience.

"Does anyone know what this savage is yelling about?"

"No idea. Can't understand him."

"Just kill him. He's no use alive!"

That suggestion came from a player, but not Barbarossa. It was Home Alone, who had heard there was something interesting happening and had brought his men over specifically to watch.

"Are you crazy? Why would you kill someone for no reason?"

Barbarossa was a little annoyed. This was a trophy he had captured! Even if the man was useless, he could still be put in a cage and kept as an exhibit. His usefulness was another matter, but he was definitely one of a kind.

"If we don't kill him, why keep him? To waste food?"

"Because I want to. What's it to you?"

"Well, I don't want to. I'll come over tonight and poison him."

"You bastard..."

As they argued, Isaac arrived with his men after hearing the news. He walked over, took one look at the man tied to the tree, then nervously glanced around, surveying the surrounding mountain woods.

Chris noticed Isaac's unusual behavior and instinctively drew the Flintlock slung across his back.

"What's wrong, Isaac?"

"Sir, when and where was this Mountain Savage captured?"

"Just now, near camp... Is this bad?"

After answering quickly, Chris could not help asking. Isaac's behavior had made him nervous too.

The two players, whose argument had nearly turned into a fight, also stopped and came closer to listen.

Mountain Savages. That sounded interesting.

"I'm not sure."

Isaac looked around and, finding nothing unusual, turned back to the savage in animal skins, who was still shouting nonstop. His brow furrowed.

"When I was in the army, I heard about the Mountain Savages of El Province. They've clashed with the Bohemian military before. I suspect we've accidentally wandered into their territory."

"Aren't we inside the Bohemian Empire right now? How can this be Mountain Savage territory?"

Chris was astonished.

"We know this is Bohemian territory. As it happens, the Mountain Savages think it's theirs too."

"Then what do we do? We've already captured him. Do we kill him or let him go? Speaking of which, can you understand what he's saying?"

"I can't understand him either... I suggest leaving him tied here and crossing the river tonight..."

"He's asking who we are and what we're doing here."

A voice cut in. Chris turned and saw Mia and her big white pig standing beside the savage.

What puzzled Chris even more was that the savage had stopped shouting. Instead, he stared in disbelief at Mia and the white pig at her feet.

After staring for a while, the Barbarian took on an expression of fervor and sincerity, loudly chanting a song with long, drawn-out notes.

Hearing the song, the big white pig also looked up at the Barbarian and grunted.

At the big white pig's response, the Barbarian grew even more excited. He craned his neck and, ignoring his current predicament, kept bellowing his mountain song.