Nathan

Year 2850 | Month 12 | Day 18

It takes about a day to arrive at the valley border of the inner and outer rings. And when I arrive, I stop right at the edge of a high cliff looking out over the valley. Then I spread my arms out a little and close my eyes, taking in a whiff of everything in the valley.

One scent after another enters my nose as I let my bloodlust out. The black veins spreading across my face all the while.

I smell the metal from the devices we stashed all around the valley’s edges on this side. Particularly the cliffsides on the valley.

Although, while everyone calls this a valley, it’s more like one really long albeit not too deep ravine. Just surrounded by cliffs on most sides, with only a few slopes going up to the different sides.

It’s part of why the Kingdom is separated into two rings in the first place.

One side of the ravine and the other.

Other than the devices, I also smell people. Most of whom are in the rather large fortress made solely out of metal I see on the cliff opposite the one I’m on, in the Outer Ring. But there are some people in the ravine as well.

Then there’s the hints of fire and poison I smell in the ravine. Along with a lot of blood in one particular area. Blood that makes my bloodlust grow a little stronger.

It’s not that hard to ignore the blood though.

Unlike what they believe, I’ve got a really strong tolerance against my bloodlust. I don’t even need blood to survive thanks to my immortality. And my bloodlust never grows beyond a certain degree.

So there is no chance I would ever lose myself to it.

I blink before turning towards the ravine to the South, where I smell more people suddenly appearing on the cliff. Then they walk over towards the fortress.

Hmm. Illusion magic no doubt covering them when they enter the ravine.

Interesting.

It’s clear they’re purposefully hiding the people and the blood. But they aren’t hiding the blood’s smell, likely implying that they know about my sense of smell.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Except they don’t seem to know just how strong my sense of smell is.

All as the intel said.

I lower my head again while opening my eyes. Then I cross my arms and turn to look over my shoulder as the wind changes, blowing from behind me. And along with the wind are the scents of humans marching this way.

My own forces, which are arriving not long after I myself arrived.

Okay. Everything’s going well so far.

When I look back, I find Benjamin Anderson – the former leader of my enforcers who now leads my army – marching right along the frontlines. The man is the only Class B magician amongst my forces, and he was also not present during my battle with the last baron.

He was dealing with his own issues and wasn’t at the Caverns during the attack, and since I didn’t want the members of the Caverns helping me, no one ever got him back during the attack.

But now he’s here. And he was rather upset when he was left behind during the last attack.

The man in question nods his head when he sees me, his eyes glowing with an electrical-golden glow in the light due to his lightning variant magic. Meanwhile his shoulder-length blond hair blows in the wind.

I glance behind him to see the forces under his control. A force that grew quite a bit since our last battle with the baron I killed.

People were inspired by the fact that I actually managed to slay one of the barons. A noble. And in direct combat.

In a war. A full battle with all of his forces in open combat.

So one by one, over the course of just a few months, my numbers grew from just two thousand soldiers and fifty magicians to ten thousand soldiers and one hundred magicians.

And unlike with the last battle, I’m bringing them with me this time.

I turn around again to face the other side of the ravine. But at the same time, I feel a flash of pain hit my head, knocking my head to the side before a very brief period of unconsciousness hits me. But I regain my senses again before I even begin to fall, turning my head towards whatever hit me as I still see blood returning to my head in the corner of my vision.

Then I spot the culprit. A man on the other side of the ravine with a sniper rifle aimed at me.

They raise their rifle and smile, giving me a salute. Then the man turns around and begins walking away.

Seriously? Couldn’t have found a better way to signal me and the enemies?

I almost click my tongue in irritation, but I don’t.

Instead I focus on the other side of the ravine as magicians begin to flood out of the fortress. Then a vast number of soldiers follow them and station themselves behind the magicians who form a line along the cliff.

The enemy magicians seem to number in the several hundreds, meanwhile their soldiers number in the couple hundred thousands. And with them all lined up along the cliff, they look more than a little intimidating.

But that’s all.

Nothing more than intimidating.

To me at least, because I see some of my own forces behind me shaking in fear as they arrive and begin spreading themselves out along the cliff as well.

I wait for several minutes as everyone on both sides of the ravine gets their forces in place. Then the general of my own forces walks up to me and whispers into my ear, “Everything’s ready, My King.”

Good.

I nod my head before waiting for what I know to be coming.

And I don’t end up waiting for long, because after just two more minutes, the horn sounds, echoing all across the valley.

Marking the true beginning of this conflict.