The inside of the Chief"s fort was lit by bonfires, and a feast of food was arranged on every table. All of the important individuals of the clan were there, along with Elias, his son, and the higher-ups of the caravan.
All of them were enjoying the feast, but at that moment, their eyes were at the center of the ringed fort. There, a fierce battle was taking place. Standing on each side, were dozens of defeated youth from the tribe.
"Peng!"
Verthandi used the sheathed Sword of the King to knock the tall Chief Ibu, sending him flying with a single sweep. All of the people within the fortress looked at the tiny knight in shock and awe. No one thought that this tiny knight, who looked so thin and weak, could easily defeat the strongest warrior of their tribe, without even unsheathing a sword!
Ibu rushed at Verthandi in a rage. He lifted his huge warhammer, but Verthandi easily deflected his attacks, striking the warhammer and sending it flying.
Lu Zhiyu walked up, effortlessly catching the handle of the gigantic warhammer. It was so huge, it could smash the skulls of elephants!
The hammer had been flying with a great force, yet Lu Zhiyu caught it effortlessly. He then gave it a twirl, while taking a bite from the leg of lamb that he held in his other hand.
He joked with a laugh. "Chief, your hammer."
Ibu was both embarra.s.sed and enraged. He did not think he would be defeated so easily. The other side didn"t even send out their strongest fighters! He could not defeat this son, even with all of his strength, and even after shamefully sending out many warriors against a single person in the rounds!
Verthandi took back her sword, looking at Ibu proudly. "I have won. I hope you will do as you promised, allowing us to stay here temporarily and a.s.sisting our efforts to slay the dragon."
Ibu flushed as he stood. After grabbing the hammer back, he looked at Verthandi. After looking her up and down, his eyes glittered with respect and approval.
"I recognize that you are very strong, but that is useless. You do not understand what you are up against. This is a huge dragon that is dozens of meters long. Standing before him, you are only a weak little mouse. It can easily tear through your guard, while the attacks you are so proud of will be completely useless against it," Ibu warned.
Verthandi lifted her head, unphased. "Evil must be punished!"
Ibu responded seriously. "Do you think that we don"t also want to get rid of the evil dragon? Yet, no one can do it, at least no mortal. You don"t know, but many of our youth have already become its food. It has even demanded that I provide it will treasures and sacrifices every month. Otherwise, it will flatten our tribe and kill us all."
After Chief Ibu"s words, the rowdy feast was instantly silenced. All of the people"s eyes were filled with fear and hatred. They had already lost too many people, yet they could not do anything about the evil dragon. They feared the G.o.dly power that it possessed.
"Sacrifice? What sacrifice?"
Verthandi looked around, confused. She saw the women and children sobbing silently. Then, suddenly realizing the significance of it all, she looked Ibu dead in the eye with disbelief and rage. "You"re actually providing it with sacrifices? You"re sacrificing your own tribe to the evil dragon?!"
Chief Ibu howled in rage. "You think I want to? But what choice do I have? We have to survive! The tribe has to continue. I am responsible for all the lives inside this tribe. Unlike you, with all of your pretty words, to us, this is survival, and this is fate!"
Elias approached from the side. "Ibu has not offered his own people to the dragon. Instead, he has offered the orcs of other tribes."
Verthandi finally understood why so many tribesmen were injured, and why there was so much sadness in the village. Even the children were going hungry. Verthandi looked at Elias, then turned her head to look back at Ibu. "So, by sacrificing the lives of orcs from other tribes, your heart can be at ease?"
Verthandi kicked out the bonfire at the center of the fort, scattering the sparks far and wide. "I cannot accept this!"
Verthandi stormed out of the fort. The wind was mostly blocked from reaching the valley, but it was still quite a chilly night, especially since a blanket of white snow was floating through the skies.
Lu Zhiyu walked out of the fort and spotted Verthandi by the water tower just above it.
"What is it? Are you angry?" he asked her.
From here, they could see the entire tribe, as well as the whole valley. It was a very primitive clan, and without the bustling scene of a large city, this place in which they lived was quite simple and pure. Every single ring fort, every single lit place, represented a family.
Verthandi lowered her head. "I"m not angry. What Chief Ibu did was correct. He was very responsible and protected his tribe. He is a true hero. I am, as he said, just a person full of pretty words."
Lu Zhiyu looked at Verthandi. "So?"
Verthandi looked at the entire clan, remembering the faces that she encountered. Visions of all of the cute children, the diligent women, the youths returning from their hunts, all the children who had lost their parents, all the wives who had lost their husbands, as well as all the elderly who were alone in this snowy winter filled her mind.
Verthandi then stood up. "I have decided, I must slay this wicked dragon!"
Verthandi looked into Lu Zhiyu"s eyes. Beneath the short golden fringe of hair was a delicate face with sharp brows and a stubborn expression. "I must do this not for glory, nor to be a hero, but to protect others and to listen to my own heart."
Lu Zhiyu felt that a dramatic transformation had occurred within Verthandi. Never again would she be the clumsy little trouble that he once knew, who would yell about becoming a knight. Now, she would embrace the hero she knew that she would be since she was a child, the Verthandi that wanted bards to sing of her legends!
Lu Zhiyu smiled and started reciting. "Be fearless before the strong, resolute and faithful before the divine. Be loyal and upstanding, and go to death before yielding. Protect the weak, and follow the laws of heaven!"
Halfway through the verse, Verthandi joined in. After finis.h.i.+ng the pledge, Lu Zhiyu nodded. "You will become a true knight, or maybe even a true king."
A shadow emerged from behind them. Lu Zhiyu saw a human youth, who he identified as one of Elias"s guards.
"h.e.l.lo, I am Allen. Can I join you? I also wish to join the Dragonslaying team."
The two turned around to see a solemn youth with brown hair. Verthandi stood, excited. "Of course! We welcome you! What are your skills?"
Allen replied hastily. "I can set traps, and my swordsmans.h.i.+p isn"t bad. I"m also good at tracking and hiding my presence. Trust me, I will definitely be a helpful companion."
Lu Zhiyu looked at Allen curiously. "Why did you choose us? As you know, most people believe that we are foolishly courting death."
Allen looked at them. "Risk and opportunity always co-exist. To me, this is a very important chance. I have something that I must accomplish, so I welcome this risk. I also have a feeling that you two will succeed."
Lu Zhiyu stood up and patted Allen on the back. "Welcome then. But, I must tell you that this time, the only one heading there to slay the dragon is the wee knight."
Allen was dumbfounded, as he looked between Verthandi and Lu Zhiyu. Verthandi also could not believe her father. "Dad, aren"t you going with me?"
Lu Zhiyu shrugged. "Of course not, why would I? I wasn"t the one who took down the King"s bounty posting!"
A few days later, at dawn, the entire dragonslaying team was packed, ready to depart with Verthandi and Allen. And, although Ibu still said that Verthandi was being reckless, he also joined the team. Other than that, there was also a minotaur named Tiridan. The four of them formed a squad, then embarked on the dragonslaying expedition.