Eternal_Winter
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Chapter 40: An (easy) alliance
🕑 Added 2025-05-02 13:44:50 +0000 UTCReaching the Brammgestir was, to Ethan’s surprise, uneventful. No ambush, no open attacks, no hordes of the undead. Instead more of his troops joined the growing army and even some Brammgestir scout parties merged with the delegation and formed a rather impressive shock force. While it didn’t have the order of the Crocodiarii they made up for it with their fierce style of battle. At this point the combined armies formed an impressive force that decided to rely on his guidance to make decisions. In the few days it took to travel he felt how blessed he was to have Nora. She helped him shoulder the responsibility and made good suggestions when he ran out of ideas, he was after all not a trained army commander so her suggestions became increasingly helpful.
With the army growing they had in return more manpower available and could send out more scouts to make sure the path was clear, one of those squads found the main army of the necromancer but luckily it was marching away from them. It seems not even they’re dumb enough to attack the main settlements of the two races. Ethan could already guess where the army was heading. While the Crocodiarii were located on the inside of the third circle, in the south.
The Brammgestir were widespread on the north side of the circle. Having more area to expand to made it perfect for their preferred nomadic lifestyle. In the end they were mostly following a tribal doctrine without a set home. Only Journey’s End, the capital of Brammgestir, was an actual city where they settled down when age or illness stopped them from travelling. For the Brammgestir it was a holy place because there the bones of their ancestry found rest, a place to pray in silence, touching the horns of former great warriors for good luck and asking the dead for guidance. Because of its importance the location is a well guarded secret that the Brammgestir never shared with outsiders..
Ethan and his army now approached the largest military settlement of the Brammgestir. Hornhold was also a nomadic city but only inhabited by soldiers and the people it needed to function, like weapon smiths, armorers, cooks, tailors and the like. As the first line of Crocodiarii crossed a dune, they heard the deep sound of a war horn, quickly followed by a second and a third. The delegation that accompanied him stepped forward, Ethan with some of his officers and the general right behind them. The army was ordered to rest while they waited for the war party Hornhold would certainly send out to meet them.
Ethan had to admit that he was impressed with their speed, it took no longer than five minutes and a horde of over two hundred Brammgestir sprinted towards them. He only felt at ease because their weapons were still tucked into their belts and instead of lowering their heads to pierce his belly they held their heads high with pride. Instinctively he rested one hand on his belly, the injury fresh in his mind. He watched as Torin, son of Tauros, stepped forward and met with the supposed leader of the war party. Both of them slamming their heads against each other in some form of greeting.
They seemed to exchange words, the war leader looking over to Ethan a few times during the conversation. Then the war party pulled back and the leader of the war party followed Torin towards Ethan. I really hope his name doesn’t start with T or B or some other bull related stuff. Why can’t they be named Steve or some other stupid name? He asked Nora silently but she refused to answer, she knew he needed to rant sometimes. Especially since some of the inhabitants of the tutorial seemed to be as stupid as video game characters.
Torin stepped forward and slapped the huge Brammgestir on the shoulder, even though he had to reach up to hit the shoulder of that beast. The size of his body was impressive in its own way. Well maybe he wasn’t the brightest in exchange, Ethan thought. “Great mage this is Torax, the leader of the war party and advisor to the jarl.” Fucking knew it… he really wanted to slap himself right now but it was time for another round of roleplay.
“I greet you Torax, being a war leader must be an honor after all the Brammgestir are a powerful race and that must make you worthy. I hope you can assist us in our endeavor to meet Jarl Thoran?” So glad I’m alone right now, he smiled and waited for an answer.
“Yes, me Torax, son of Torax, help you. Mage of ice, Torin spoken well of you. Torax help, yes?”
Fucking hell… he pinched the bridge of his nose and hid a groan. Now a speech impaired bull man or he’s just that fucking stupid. This day can only get better from this point forward.
“That…would be nice, yes.” Advisor my ass, he can’t even eat without help.
Torax nodded. “Good, come. Meet leader. Come, come.”
And so Ethan with Kra’kulgar and Torin followed Torax as he confidently walked towards the camp. Ethan exchanged glances with his general, nodding his head towards Torax. Kra’kulgar just shrugged and shook his head. Seems like he was as confused as Ethan. Who would have thought he met someone like this in the tutorial.
Once they reached the camp Ethan suddenly realized how small he was in comparison to the others, towering bull people in front of him and next to him the towering crocodile man. His mind was already working on escape plans, who he needed to kill and who he could just immobilize, without his input the cold seeped into his mind and cleared his thoughts. The lust for battle seethed right under his skin, a mix of calculating cold and hot eagerness for a fight mixed within his body. Only the sudden stop in front of the large tent made him snap out of it. He really needed to be back out there, fight monsters and learn more magic.
Stepping into the tent he was again surprised at how magical his world had become, not only was the tent bigger on the inside it was also a freaking meadow. Resting on his side in complete motionlessness was Jarl Thoran, a beast of a, well, bull man, laying down he was as tall as a Brammgestir and his horns would easily manage to pierce through Ethan five times and still leave the tips exposed.
He was wondering why the Jarl didn’t fight the undead, one afternoon and the threat would be gone from these lands but then he realized that this was a stupid tutorial for him and not for them. While he got handed out plenty of things already he was still just one weak guy doing his system tutorial. Compared to the multiverse he was a piece of dust.
Approaching the Jarl he noticed the heat washing from him, this was no aura or some other system given ability, just raw strength affecting the environment around him, it was more a domain of his path than anything else. This was a power incarnate and Ethan would love to know what level he was but maybe it was considered rude to ask someone a question like that so he kept his mouth shut. At least like this he couldn’t say anything stupid.
The Jarl turned towards them, opening one eye and then slowly sitting up to watch them. His eyes wandered over the Brammgestir and Kra’kulgar but then his gaze was glued on Ethan, the intensity of his eyes made him squirm and sweat started to pour down his forehead and down his back.
“You’re the one that killed him right? I can feel it, smell it. You fought him with all you had and now you’re here. An insect in the grand scheme of the universe. A mere toddler compared to the gods of old. You play around in the mud and call yourself a wizard. In reality you’re worth nothing and when you die no one will remember. A tutorial they call it. I tell you what it is…it’s hell and you, human, are in the middle of it now.” A smile tugged on Brammgestir's lips. “You look surprised, yes I know where I am and what this is, like you I’m just a guest in this land. We all have a role to play in the grand scheme of the system, this time I had to play one too.
We could start with negotiations, you offer me things I don’t need while I offer things you want but can’t afford. In the end we both know how it ends. So take them, there is no need to exchange more words boy, have my army and go play outside, I’m only waiting for you to finish. But, if you somehow manage to survive the fourth circle and end the tutorial…I might give you a boon that could be useful in the future. For now, I have a hint that might be useful right now in the tutorial.”
He leaned forward and Ethan stepped back, the heat overwhelming. “When you reach the fourth circle, burn it down and if you can’t do that, be ready to fight your own kind…just a more savage variant. It’s time for you to be challenged, there is no easy way to the top. So if you struggle, try to learn something while doing so. After all, you will soon return to your world. Now, begone!” he laughed and they stood outside the tent again.
Ethan was lost for words, his head spinning from all the information he got, he hated how information was handled, you either had nothing at all or the information is such a muddled mess that you couldn’t use it! How should he even use that info to his advantage and what was up with this stupid tutorial. Grumbling he didn’t notice the shift in the camp, soldiers prepared for a long march and broke down tents. Smiths packed up their tools and carried their anvils over the shoulder, soup was eaten quickly and the giant cook pots cleaned with sand. Everybody prepared for war right now. Even the Jarl’s tent got broken down but, it seems that was no problem with the meadow inside.
Another easy diplomatic victory under his belt Ethan had now an impressive force with him that would march with him towards the necromancer’s army. He knew he could win, the question was how long would it take to track the necromancer down and finally beat him, he never wanted to see an undead ever again if he could.
“If it’s James that idiot I’m gonna make him beg for death.” This whole hero and villain business was getting on his nerves. While riding the behemoth lizard again he thought about Jarl Thoran’s words, about fighting his own kind, a savage kind. What did he mean, berserker elves or what? Maybe mutated elves or something like that? While it was always interesting to think about the endless possibilities of potential elven races he couldn’t be sidetracked right now.
Looking back he saw the orderly rows of Crocodiarii marching through the sand and just behind them the horde of Brammgestir. While the necromancer would have the advantage in numbers he had actual troops that could think and act independently and use weapons and tactics to their advantage. Ethan never thought he would lead armies but here he was, commanding one of bull and crocodile people in a desert filled with dead titans. This was the most fantasy shit he’d ever seen and he felt nothing because of that, fantasy became his new reality and that tiny voice in his mind told him how cruel the adaptability of humanity could be.
If he was honest with himself, he missed the wonder of fantasy. Now it was just everyday life…filled with magic, death and violence.
