Chapter 225 225-Tribal Warfare
Chapter 225 225-Tribal Warfare
The villagers immediately halted, anger burning in their eyes as they tightly gripped their clubs.
"Let our chief go, damn outsiders!"
"You won\'t leave here alive today!" they shouted furiously.
Though they were enraged, Kellman had clearly stabilized the situation temporarily.
Howard, getting to his feet, asked, "Why did you poison the food?"
"You Shadow Night Tribe bastards, stop pretending!" one villager spat in anger.
Kellman, still gripping the chief\'s throat, was taken aback.
Shadow Night Tribe?
He remembered reading about a human tribe in an ancient text, as bloodthirsty and murderous as Night Demons, but they only preyed on their own kind.
Moreover, the Shadow Night Tribe, as mentioned in legends, had disappeared centuries ago.
They were an entity similar to Night Demons in ancient times.
Could it be that the Shadow Night Tribe had reemerged?
"Shadow Night Tribe?"
At this moment, Howard felt an overwhelming headache, similar to the sensation he had experienced when he was swept into the river.
Enduring the pain, Tina noticed his distress and came over to support him.
"Are you alright?"
"I\'m fine," he replied.
After the wave of headache passed, Howard realized something had changed in his body; his injuries had miraculously healed.
He felt light and full of strength, as if...
It was then that the elderly woman appeared, anxious yet explanatory.
"We are members of the Frost Raven Tribe. We mistook you for others. Please forgive our mistake."
She then turned to the chief, "I told you they were not a problem. You are just too suspicious. If they were from the Shadow Night Tribe, you would be dead by now!"
The old man quickly realized that Kellman had no intention of taking his life, a revelation that confirmed their identity.
They were not part of the cruel, bloodthirsty Shadow Night Tribe.
Kellman had heard of the Frost Raven Tribe, a mysterious group, and was surprised to discover their hidden presence here.
As everyone began to lower their weapons, a panicked villager burst in.
"Disaster, Chief! The Cheetah Tribe is attacking!"
The Chief, startled, quickly rallied everyone to follow him in defense against the enemy.
Howard and his two companions exchanged glances and followed, eager to assess the situation.
The Cheetah Tribe, a formidable force in the vicinity, had become increasingly aggressive since the emergence of the Night Demon.
The scarcity of resources had sparked wars between the tribal villages.
Under the leadership of Chief Jonas, the Cheetah Tribe had now forcefully entered the village.
The Frost Raven Tribe\'s village appeared desolate, but it was not short on inhabitants.
Yet, in terms of strength, they were clearly outmatched by the towering warriors of the Cheetah Tribe.
"Annihilate them!"
Jonas commanded from the rear, urging his warriors to charge into battle.
The once peaceful village was now a scene of chaos and despair, filled with cries of anguish.
"Kill them!" roared a Cheetah Tribe warrior, his voice thunderous.
He mercilessly wielded his blade, slaying several defenseless villagers, like a soulless killing machine.
"You Frost Raven Tribe dared to kill my brother. Today, I shall have my revenge!"
A burly man glared at the villagers with raging fury in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he swung his blade, striking down a woman.
His clothes were soaked in blood, yet his blade never ceased its deadly dance.
"Help!"
The villagers, in a state of panic, scrambled into a narrow alley, hoping to escape his gaze.
Huddled together, they trembled uncontrollably.
But no amount of prayer could save them.
The man soon found them, his sinister smile fixating on the cowering villagers.
"Run, go on, run. I want to see where you can hide. No one will save you today!" he taunted, raising his blade menacingly.
"It\'s you who should be running!"
An unexpected voice echoed from the side.
In an instant, Howard sent the man flying with a powerful kick, tumbling him awkwardly over a considerable distance before he finally came to a halt.
Howard was surprised; his constitution had indeed been strengthened.
"Who are you?" The angry man got up, staring at Howard, who returned the gaze with icy indifference.
Howard\'s sudden intervention shocked Kellman and Tina.
When had Howard become so powerful? Kellman had been about to act, but Howard was quicker, surpassing him in both speed and strength.
Howard, however, seemed unfazed by his newfound abilities, instead turning his attention to the terror-stricken villagers of the Frost Raven Tribe.
He offered them a reassuring look.
"You will survive this. But be strong, pick up weapons and defend yourselves. Fear won\'t help you live through this."
"Die!" Unable to tolerate it any longer, the man charged forward.
Kellman, seeing this, quickly tossed his sword to Howard, who caught it and sent a grateful glance his way.
Howard had often noticed Kellman staring absently at his sword.
He knew the significance this sword held for Kellman – it was more than just a weapon; it was a piece of his identity.
By lending his sword to Howard, Kellman symbolically accepted him as a true friend.
The man reached Howard and swung his knife in attack.
Although Howard was slightly slower to react, his speed was superior.
In a swift motion, he decapitated the assailant.
"So decisive even in killing..." Kellman and Tina were increasingly convinced of Howard\'s extraordinary capabilities.
A warrior of the Cheetah Tribe had just fatally wounded the village chief, who was dragged back by the villagers of the Frost Raven Tribe.
Knowing his end was near, the chief passed his title to his daughter.
"I killed the Frost Raven Tribe\'s chief!" the warrior boasted loudly, proud of his deed.
All eyes from the Cheetah Tribe were on him, admiring his accomplishment, which promised him a generous share of food as a reward.
Emboldened, the warrior chased after a child with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, eager to increase his kill count.
The sound of his blade cutting flesh was clear, but, to his shock, the one who fell wasn\'t the child but the Cheetah Tribe warrior himself.
Disbelieving, he looked down at the dagger\'s blade protruding from his back, falling to the ground with eyes wide open, dead.
The young girl screamed in terror, closing her eyes.
"Are you alright?" a gentle voice asked.
The girl opened her eyes to see the newly appointed village chief – a sisterly figure – and ran to her, overjoyed.
"Chief!"
"Yes… are you hurt?" the woman asked, her voice filled with concern.
"I…my parents are both dead…" The girl sobbed uncontrollably, and the woman, filled with rage, trembled as she comforted her.
"I will make them pay, but first, we need to escape."
At that moment, an arrow flew through the air, piercing the girl\'s head.
Her small body collapsed to the ground.
"None of you will survive," Jonas taunted from a distance, his figure looming behind a countless number of Cheetah Tribe warriors.
"Bastard!" The woman, unable to contain her fury, suppressed her rage and commanded her remaining tribespeople to flee.
They stood no chance against the Cheetah Tribe.
The newly appointed village chief clearly struggled to command the Frost Raven Tribe\'s warriors.
They, fueled by anger and seeking revenge for their loved ones, ignored her orders and charged towards their enemies.
"No!" The woman tried to stop them, but to no avail.
Jonas laughed heartily at the sight, finding their actions foolish and suicidal.
"Come, Geoff, let them experience what true despair is," he said to a burly and fierce-looking man behind him.
"Leave it to me," Geoff nodded.
He was a knight, who, after being gravely wounded by a Night Demon, had been saved by the Cheetah Tribe.
Out of gratitude and a desire to survive, he had joined them.
Geoff walked forward, his presence marked by the sturdy full plate armor and a large sword, a clear indication of a battle-hardened knight.
Each step he took seemed to exert an invisible pressure on the surroundings.
"It\'s a knight!"
The Frost Raven Tribe members were terrified at the sight of their formidable foe, but the necessity to fight for their tribe reignited their courage.
A warrior from the Frost Raven Tribe, mustering his courage, attacked Geoff.
"For the tribe!"
Geoff, utterly unimpressed by the ferocious attack, swung his sword effortlessly and claimed the attacker\'s life.
Yet, this did not deter the warriors of the Frost Raven Tribe; they charged at him one after another.
Like moths to a flame, their lives were extinguished quickly, unable to inflict even the slightest damage on Geoff.
Their clubs and sticks couldn\'t even penetrate his defense.
In just a few breaths, nearly all the Frost Raven Tribe\'s warriors lay dead.
Geoff stood amidst the fallen bodies, turning his gaze towards the newly appointed village chief.
"No…" The chief\'s eyes were filled with despair.
From her perspective, there was no chance of survival.
Everything was lost...
Geoff, the formidable knight, was beyond their ability to combat.
"Chief, you must flee!" The last few warriors of the Frost Raven Tribe were shielding the chief and a dozen villagers.
They valiantly held back the onslaught of the Cheetah Tribe warriors, but it was only a matter of time before their defenses were breached.
"Hold the line, brothers! At least ensure the chief\'s safe escape!" cried a Frost Raven warrior.
No sooner had his words fallen than he was struck down, a blade piercing his chest.
In his dying moments, he turned, driving his spear - once Howard\'s, traded the previous night with the chief\'s family - into an enemy, taking one last foe with him.
For the Cheetah Tribe, dragging out the battle would be disadvantageous, even if they eventually managed to annihilate the Frost Raven Tribe.
Jonas cast a pleading look at Geoff. "Geoff, I implore you to intervene once more. I know you are reluctant, but we must resolve this quickly. I hope you can understand."
"Hmm... very well," Geoff hesitated, knowing the Cheetah Tribe owed him a debt of gratitude. It was hard to refuse Jonas\'s earnest request.
"Hold your attack!" Geoff\'s commanding voice boomed across the battlefield, instantly silencing the clash of arms.
The Cheetah Tribe warriors obediently stepped back, understanding that Geoff was about to take action.
A path cleared for Geoff, and it became evident that the Frost Raven Tribe was doomed.
"It\'s over..." The realization dawned on the faces of the Frost Raven villagers. "No one can withstand Geoff\'s might again."
Indeed, the Frost Raven people had fought valiantly.
Without Geoff, they might have stood a chance against the Cheetah Tribe on their home ground.
But now, their expressions were filled with helplessness and despair.
Their fate seemed sealed.