Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 22: Tribal Tattoos

The expedition team had already been in the Frozen Forest for two days. After the encounter with the Death Spiders, they had buried their fallen comrades in the cold ground with the promise to retrieve their bodies on the way back and rapidly departed, afraid that more powerful creatures would spot them due to the sound of battle and the sight of fire.

However, after that incident, the one-armed guide, Gedhe, had been treading the path carefully. They had been sleeping on the cold ground without bonfires, not daring to cause any commotion, with the previous experience still vivid in their minds. Because of that, the group had not encountered any dangerous situation.

On the morning of the third day, the expedition team was already leaving their footprints on the snow, walking deeper into the forest, trying their best to remain silent. As they walked, the climate got colder and colder. The soldiers of the First Battalion, unaccustomed to such conditions, were already pulling up their fur clothes to cover their necks, under the scornful gazes of the shirtless barbarians.

Generations after generations of barbarians has lived inside the Frozen Forest, which led them to develop something like the Warrior Techniques utilized on the other parts of the continent, a way to let them rapidly partake a position in the hunts.

They created the Tribal Tattoos, a tool to improve their bodies and incorporate Mana without having to meditate and spend a long time assimilating it. These Tribal Tattoos were carved deep into the individual's body using a ceremonial knife, under a painful and excruciating process that counted with high chances of mortality.

These tattoos were made from the blood of a beast mixed with a very special and natural ink, extracted from the Genus Tree and a few other herbs, which could only be groomed under the special conditions of the Frozen Forest. After being engraved with the tattoo, the wearer would slowly be granted with a body as strong as the owner of the used blood and with a similar proficiency with Mana. These tattoos were connected with the Mana Circuits of the warrior, making an impossible task to remove it.

However, this technique came with a huge downside. It limited the growth of the individual by a huge margin, making them capable of only achieving the power of the strongest ancestor in that beast's heritage. In other words, if the progenitor of that species was only a Fifth Stage Beast, the individual that received the Tattoo could only achieve this level. It was like a bloodline and soul limitation. It was a way for the heavens to reject this creation.

But, in sum, this was the invention of the Tribal Tattoos were the only thing that kept the barbarians' community away from extinction. It was the only way for them to go hunting on time, the only way for them to not starve or easily die by the wild beast's attacks. Strength only matter when exists life.

The Tribal Tattoos were the only reason these barbarians were not afraid of the cold. This knowledge was also one of the reasons why Henry decided to take the barbarians under his wings, even if meant damaging his reputation with a part of his people. He had to acquire workforce and if it came with the way to build a powerful army, even better. However, it could wait until they arrived at their village.

"However, I still don't know how they managed to pass through this forest with that huge army." – Henry thought, pondering about the situation.

It was highly unlikely that a vast number of humans could traverse unharmed through this Forest, even more so without alerting the patrols and the hunters from the capital, which was really close to the Outer Layer. It made no sense at all, something was amiss.

Henry turned to Gedhe and observed the man's attentive gaze scanning the path and trees for potential dangers. As a king, he knew he needed to be prepared for all scenarios, so he decided to ask Gedhe for the situation.

"Gedhe," Henry called out, causing the man to look at him. "How did you manage to get an army to the capital without alerting the beasts in the forest?"

Gedhe hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the information to the king. But as he caught sight of Luther standing beside the king, with his hand on the handle of his sheathed sword, a look of distress crossed his face. He knew that if he didn't speak, he would be in a tight situation. So, he decided to spill the beans.

"One day, before the snow began to fall, a stranger came to our village with an opportunity to escape from the limits of the forest. He said that your kingdom was weak and that we could conquer your lands. We didn't need to wander, and we could sleep without fearing a beast's sudden attack." – Gedhe explained in his usual heavy accent, as they continued to walk forwards, a bit of regret evident in his voice – "He gave us with a strange blue powder, saying that we could pass through the forest without alerting the beasts' attack."

"Who is this person? Where is he?" – Henry asked, trying to assess the person behind this situation - "I must place his head under my throne and interrogate him."

Henry could not control that Royal Disposition from coming to surface. It was somewhat impossible to remain calm under such circumstances. Someone dared to devise a plan to take him down and kill his people.

"He didn't say his name. He disappeared shortly after."- Gedhe shook his head – "Unfortunately, our village was not able to gather enough food supplies to survive through the winter. Then, the leaders of the community decided to take this opportunity. We had no other choice."

Gedhe spoke with a tone of remorse. Had he known how things would turn out, he would have convinced the others to stay in the village and not take the stranger's offer. The king in front of him was a shrewd and clever individual. They were not prepared to face such situation.

"We are near!" Gedhe said with a happy smile, as he spotted a frozen tree with three peculiar markings on it. It was not only Gedhe, but all barbarians were happy.

However, the scene that greeted them was far more dire than they had anticipated. No, it was worse, ripping off those smiles.