"Big brother, the Aldeans are completely terrified of us now. They’re like turtles hiding in their shells, afraid we’ll smash them to pieces. Where would they dare provoke us now?" Clarys sneered.
Wallis’s face darkened immediately, and he barked, "Are my words just air to you?!"
Clarys’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "I’ll send someone to investigate right away!"
Just as he stood up, a young woman entered the hall carrying a wooden tray. On it were a wooden bowl filled with goat’s milk and a piece of flatbread.
Wallis, having just lost his temper several times, felt a dry throat. He grabbed the wooden cup holding the goat’s milk and tipped it back to drink.
"Blegh! Why is this so sour?!" Wallis spat out the milk after one sip and roared fiercely, "Why didn’t you add some honey?!"
Enraged, he hurled the wooden cup at the woman, and a shriek followed. The woman staggered and fell to the ground, clutching her forehead. Red blood mixed with white goat’s milk poured through her fingers like a stream...
"Brother!" Clarys, witnessing the scene, couldn’t help but exclaim, "Isn’t that too harsh? She’s the female slave Chief Andres rewarded you with—the most beautiful among all the tribal slaves!"
"So what? She’s still just Skodisqi scum!" Wallis sneered with contempt, then shouted at the woman, "What are you staring for? Do you want another beating? Hurry up and bring me another cup of goat’s milk with honey! If you mess up again, I’ll take your life!"
Tears welled in her eyes as the woman clutched her forehead and fled from the hall like her life depended on it.
Glaring at his brother, Wallis said in a deep voice, "Chief Andres rewarded us this land to establish our own tribe and conquer more of the Aldean lands! If you can capture that Aldean outpost across the river, I’ll give this woman to you."
"Really?!" Clarys was ecstatic.
"Really." Wallis nodded, watching Clarys leave the hall in high spirits. Yet, inwardly, Wallis had already made his plan: once the outpost of the Alde Tribe across the river was captured, he would kill the woman in front of Clarys, teaching his foolish, lust-driven brother the brutal reality of war and transforming him into a hardened warrior.
Wallis grabbed the flatbread from the tray. Just as he took a bite, Clarys came rushing back into the hall in a fluster.
"Why are you back so quickly? Did you take care of what I asked?!" Wallis scowled.
"Big brother, something’s happened!" Lalala said anxiously, "Our patrol discovered many Aldeans on the southern bank of the Kupa River, below the western hills!"
"What?!" Wallis, hearing this news, was not alarmed; instead, he appeared excited. He promptly asked, "What are they doing across the river? Are they planning to attack our outpost?!"
"Munsendes, you explain." Clarys, unsure of the full details and worried about making Wallis angrier, quickly pushed the patrolling captain forward.
"Chief, those Aldeans have stayed there. Some seem to be digging with hand tools, while others hold shields and long spears, forming ranks, likely to watch for us. Their total number is about four to five thousand, with over two thousand being soldiers—"
Patrol Captain Munsendes said with some concern, "I think they’re trying to build an outpost there! The spot is flanked by the Kupa River on the right and high hills on the left. The flatland in the middle is narrow. If they build an outpost there, raiding the Aldeans across the Kolana River like before will become significantly harder, just like with the one they built by the Murenica River."
Clarys burst into laughter. "The Aldeans think building an outpost can stop us? How stupid! We can always go around it through the low hills—"
"Shut up!" Wallis scolded his brother sharply and immediately asked, "Are you sure there are only four to five thousand people there?"
Munsendes, understanding what the chief wanted to know, replied confidently, "I sent several men to bypass them and scout the surrounding hills. There are indeed only four to five thousand of them, and among those digging, there are even some old men."
Munsendes was among Wallis’s most trusted subordinates. Wallis believed his report and, tossing aside the half-bitten flatbread, exclaimed excitedly, "The Aldeans, hiding in their turtle shells, have finally come out. We cannot let them retreat again! Clarys, go assemble the warriors of the tribe immediately. We’re preparing for battle!"
"Chief, though there are only 2,000 Aldean warriors there, those who are digging can still fight with their tools," Munsendes cautioned.
Wallis glared at him. "No need for you to state the obvious; I know."
Yet he followed up by issuing new orders to his brother. "Assemble all the warriors in the tribe at once! Bring along the slaves who can fight too!"
"Yes!" Clarys responded enthusiastically and loudly.
Half an hour later, a Segestican force of 4,520 had gathered outside the outpost gates. This included 593 Skodisqi male slaves armed with wooden clubs. The rest were able-bodied tribesmen. Most were light infantry armed with round shields and long spears but without armor, while a small portion were heavy infantry equipped with bowl-shaped helmets, chain armor, large shields, and longswords. There were no cavalry among them.
Wallis stood at the front of the formation, wearing a conical helmet adorned with feathers, a polished iron breastplate, and wielding a sharp greatsword in both hands.
With nearly 4,000 robust warriors and a tribe population exceeding 10,000, this group was the most powerful among all the tribes under Segestica’s command. Positioned at the warfront, it bore the heavy responsibility of expanding their territory. As a result, the Segestica Great Leader had heavily supported this newly formed branch of the tribe.
Surveying his ferocious warriors, Wallis, brimming with confidence, shouted loudly, "Move out!"
The morning weather was decent, with a light breeze and cool air. The land on the southern bank of the Kupa River was soft and flat. The force marched along a broad dirt road flanked by freshly harvested farmland. In such favorable conditions, the warriors seemed relaxed, though Wallis was slightly concerned: if the Aldeans saw their arrival, would they flee?
Thus, before long, he ordered the troops to quicken their pace.
Their outpost was less than ten miles from where the Aldeans had been spotted.
In under an hour, Wallis could see numerous dark figures flitting in the distance.
The Aldeans were still there! Wallis was overjoyed.
He immediately commanded, "Halt the army! Form the battle formation!"
The Segestica army’s formation speed was relatively quick, thanks to years of combat experience and the simplicity of their tactics.
Nearly 600 Skodisqi men, with their loose ranks, were positioned at the front. The Segestica warriors were divided into five units, each consisting of approximately 600 men, with the central unit having 1,000, personally led by Wallis. The five units formed a loose battle line, with the heavily armored soldiers equipped with large shields and longswords, including Wallis, positioned in the frontmost line.
He raised his greatsword high, marching at the very front of the central unit, leading his warriors forward with bold strides.
Wallis, known for his ferocity and skill, was a renowned warrior among the nobles of Segestica. His high reputation within the tribe was the reason why Chief Andres had assigned him to the frontline, placing great hopes upon him.