Kai took a deep breath as his eyes lingered on the angry men. Some were fuming red, physically. If it weren’t for the situation, how their burly figures turned red would’ve been comical. But the tension that crackled in the air, thicker than the mountain fog kept him from chuckling.

He remained a picture of calm, his hand outstretched in a gesture that was both a plea and a threat, the arrows still slightly cutting some of Ragnar’s men on the carriages.

Although he could easily cut through Ragnar’s neck, it only invited war, therefore, Ragnar and his second in command, Wulfgar were two among the captives who didn’t get a single scratch from his arrows.

The other captives had blood sleeking down their necks where the arrows slightly hit and the fact that they squirmed and moved under it in fear didn’t help either. Still, he made sure not to overdo it since his intention wasn’t to kill any of them. At least for now.

“Very well,” Kai’s voice cut through the tense silence. “If you’re about to kill me, you’ll be going home with the dead body of your son and his men. I’m pretty sure a lot of them are the children of you all, young and brash and a collective funeral for them would make quite an event.”

Yafgar’s nostrils flared. Kai could see the vein that throbbed in his temple.

“Empty threats, blessed one! I wouldn’t turn around without your blood in my hands!” Yafgar’s words were agreed upon by his people from behind. They put their weapons in the air, shouting for their want for Kai’s blood.

Kai didn’t answer that directly.

Instead, he lifted his other hand as mana surged through it, slowly streaking across to form a spell structure through which another flaming arrow appeared.

The arrow swooshed into the thin air, gaining everyone’s attention as it hovered just inches from Ragnar’s bound form.

Now, in total two arrows were a few units away from him. One on his neck and the other on his face.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Yafgar shouted.

A slow, chilling smile spread across Kai’s face.

He flickered his wrist and changed the direction of the arrow. It shot forward, not in Ragnar’s direction, but towards Yafgar. The movement happened in a blur as it stopped inches from the chieftain’s face, the heat singing his beard and making him flinch back.

He let the arrow hang there, suspended in mid-air.

That’s not enough to scare them.

With intent, he used mana to swing the arrow around in a slow arc, the flames casting shadows around Yafgar and his right-hand man.

“Do you really believe that you can touch me? Much less, kill me?” he asked, the last part came out with a low chuckle. His amusement-filled facade in the face dropped as he dramatically asked, “You called me a blessed one, right? Well, I don’t know if you know any other blessed, but I’m way more dangerous than all of them.”

Before Yafgar could reply, he snapped his fingers.

Mana surged out of him in droves as the single flaming arrow shifted in the air, slowly multiplying. One became two and two became four and four became eight. Like that, over fifty arrows floated in the air, casting an orange glow over the barbarians.

Much to his happiness, a collective gasp escaped from the lips of even his own companions behind. Kai watched Yafgar closely, who stared upwards. Multiple emotions ran through his face— fear, anger… respect?

All the while, he didn’t let his guard down even for a second.

Fifty arrows were ready to fall on the barbarians and even if it was too much of a waste of his mana reserves, he held the arrows on Ragnar and the captives as well. He needed to maintain that as a direct threat to their sons since he and his men were in no position to contest against the barbarians.

Even if they dealt with the ones in front of them, more of them were going to come for revenge. It would be never-ending.

He looked at the barbarians— their faces contorted in horror. Some even had their mouths gaped open. By the way, a few of them took a few steps back or glanced back, he knew he had managed to seep fear into them.

Kai took advantage of the stunned silence that spread through the area. “Do you truly desire war, chieftain? A war that will leave your men— and yourself nought but smouldering ash? Might as well ask from them to see if they would want to die here, in the hands of a Mage.”

Yafgar’s hardened face scrunched up for a brief moment. He tried to mask his expression, but his eyes didn’t lie.

After all, these weren’t trained liars, they were trained fighters. Their eyes wouldn’t lie unless they intentionally tried to. With the arrows separating them from life and death, Yafgar couldn’t put up a front even if he wanted to. The thought that it would take a second for the arrows to pierce down their throats had already entered his mind.

“We’re no enemies of your tribe, you know,” Kai continued. He knew he’d drag a few eyes from what he was about to say next. “I apologize for what the kingdom did to your tribe. It is something out of my power to even take back if I could. If it was up to me, or anyone who’s a part of my land, we wouldn’t have gone that far as to execute you from your own land.” He looked straight into the eyes of Yafgar, trying to seem as earnest as possible.

The last few words struck, Kai could tell from the widened eyes of the man who was next to Yafgar; the one with the braid.

He even saw Killian shooting a surprised glance, one eyebrow raised. All things considered, this wasn’t part of the plan, to apologise for something they didn’t do, but his immediate action seemed to have had a proper impact.

A murmur rippled through the front line of the barbarians.

The chieftain remained frozen, his eyes bouncing between the fiery crown of arrows overhead and Kai’s eyes that were glued to him. He had given the message clearly— War was an option, but a disastrous one for them.

They would be going up against a walking inferno who would kill the future of their tribe before the fight could even start.

To poke him a little towards his benefit, Kai took a deep breath, and let his carefully constructed facade soften. “We sought a peaceful solution,” he said, trying his best to sound sincere. “That’s why Ragnar remains unharmed, despite… his questionable tactics to kill us in the middle of the night.” A pointed glance at the whimpering figure on the carriage underscored his words. “All we ask for is safe passage through your lands. Once I gather the herb I need, I will release all your men and of course, your son, unharmed.”

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The chieftain grunted.

“A quick stop,” he added, emphasising his need. “Just a healthy exchange. We wish you no harm, and in return, you get your son back.”

Kai kept his eyes on the barbarians; a glimmer of movement amongst them. He cast a [Rave’s whisper] and immediately felt the familiar hum flooding his senses. It was a simple first circle spell to eavesdrop on conversations, one he had used on Ragnar and his men yesterday.

Brugnar, Yafgar’s hefty second-in-command, was whispering something fierce in the chieftain’s ear, something about a lucky throwing dagger and how he could take the “Blessed neck.” Yafgar scoffed, his response barely audible even with his spell.

“With those flaming stars overhead,” Yafgar rumbled, “I wouldn’t get close enough to swing a dagger before becoming another ash pile. And taking down a Blessed… that’s risking a war of attrition, one we’ll lose. What if he has more men than the ones riding with him? What if there’s more blessed among them? You son of boars just want a battle, but have you seen a single expression of fear on his face? By the elements, that man is dangerous.”

A wave of relief washed over Kai.

It seemed reason, however begrudging, was prevailing. He kept the display of fiery arrows hovering, a potent reminder of the consequences of defiance. But beneath the surface, his mind raced. He had gambled, playing on the barbarian’s fear and the sentiments of a father. But the question of will it even be enough for them to go through the passage lingered in his mind.

After a moment of whispers, they turned towards Kai.

Needless to say, he heard every single word that was passed between them.

Kai saw Yafgar glancing at his son, fear and shame flickering in his eyes.

“What guarantee do I have you won’t… dispose of my son after you get what you want?” Yafgar asked, his eyes staring straight at him.

Kai kept his face from showing anything, but he was grinning inwardly. Things were moving as well as he had hoped and now it was time to win them over completely.

“Honour binds me just as firmly as it binds you, Chieftain. I swear by the very essence of pure mana itself— Once I have the herb, I will release your son and his companions unharmed.”

He had no reason to kill anyone if they kept their part of the deal. Although he was angry with the raid, a killing spree wasn’t going to solve things since the barbarians weren’t typical bandits.

He brought his hand and placed it around his gut, where his Mana heart was.

“I swear.”

As he finished his words, his hand glowed in a bright glow and enveloped the rest of the barbarians and even Killian who sat next to him. It resonated with everyone who could hear him and all of them knew he couldn’t back out of his oath.

He recalled one of the papers he had read on a mana theory on how mana was alive and it was the will of the world they live in. That’s why, oaths like this contained the strongest will and one couldn’t back down on it.

If they didn’t fulfil their part of the oath, mana itself would not listen to them, resulting in losing the ability to manipulate mana. In worst cases, he had even heard of it killing the person who broke the oath.

He knew it was extreme, but it seemed to have done the job as Yafgar looked at him differently. He saw a flicker of something passed by his eyes before he lowered his head, examining him once more.

The men behind him held different reactions to it, some were in awe, while some had their faces in scowls.

Before Kai could say anything else, the voices from behind rose again, this time, loudly.

“Let’s fight him, Yafgar!”

“I want to see his face draining blood! Whatever he’s doing is useless.”

“Yes, even if he’s blessed, he’s a noble of this drenched kingdom. We can’t trust him.”

“We don’t know if he manipulated the oath! The men of these lands have no honour.”

Some more words that made Kai internally wince passed between them.

Soon, Yafgar raised a hand, silencing the growing clamour. His gaze locked with Kai’s, ignoring them.

“Very well, blessed one.” Yafgar nodded, his voice loud and clear. “We accept your proposal. But know this; any hint of betrayal, any harm to my son or my men, and you will face the full fury of Lombards.”

Kai smiled instantly.

“Your word is my assurance, Chieftain,” Kai replied, his voice steady. “I have no desire to earn your enmity. You will show the integrity of my words soon enough and how I wish nothing ill of you.”

***

The tension in the air dissipated as quickly as it came.

Yafgar silenced his men swiftly after Kai made the promise— then they were on their way to find Blursage.

Before they started their way to find the herb, Kai questioned about Blursage and where exactly he could find it. He wanted to make sure he was in the right direction and get it as fast as possible. If he wasted more time, the barbarians might grow restless and then, everything would go down the drain.

For that, Yafgar had grunted in confirmation, and one of his men from behind walked forward, giving the specifics on where to find and how to find it.

Soon after, Kai dispelled the arrows from the air.

That action— made a collective sigh of relief escape from his party and the barbarians. When Kai looked back, their faces had paled from the tense standoff.

Fair enough, it was too much, even for me.

In all honesty, Kai was drained.

He had crossed into the third circle, but maintaining more than fifty arrows for an extended period had taken a hefty chunk of his mana pool. The strain of it was too much and even if he had remained emotionless during the tense talk, he had been wincing internally, counting down each second and hoping the barbarians would agree before he showed any vulnerability.

Thankfully, the gamble had paid off.

The carriage trundled forward.

Kai saw the barbarians flanking them from a distance and a small smile crept to his face. He allowed it, thinking of it as extra protection. With them behind them, he doubted any beasts with good eyes would dare to attack.

From the back of the carriage, Ragnar’s voice rose in a frustrated tirade. “How could you agree to this, Father? They’re beneath us! We should have wiped the floor with them!”

Kai ignored him, focusing on his waning mana reserves.

He had a secured passage, but again, trust was a fragile thing, especially with a tribe known for their ferocity. All he could do now was hope that things would go smoothly and that the “healthy exchange” wouldn’t turn into a war cry echoing through the mountains.

He sighed, feeling the stress of it all, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Killian who was driving the carriage.

“You do realise what you just did, right, Lord Arzan?” Killian asked. “Sympathizing with the barbarians, especially in front of their chieftain, could be construed as treason if someone in the kingdom gets to know about it. The crown wouldn’t take kindly to that kind of dissent.”

“I know, but it was the only way to gain their trust, to get them to see us as something other than invaders.”

“Maybe,” Killian conceded, “but trust is a fickle thing. And if word gets there…”

If the word gets there, I’d be in trouble. But the good thing is… The word won’t get there.

“It won’t.” A sly smile crept to his face. “Before the Barbarians even arrived, I cast a soundproofing spell around the area. Only a few of our guards heard the conversation, certainly not anyone in the back.” He glanced back at the carriage, where Ragnar continued his impotent ranting. “Not even Malden was privy to it. All they saw were the flaming arrows and the Barbarians backing down. They probably think I scared them off which would go well for my reputation, especially with the tower mages in the back.”

Killian’s brow furrowed. “So, you’re actually considering… siding with the barbarians? Going against the crown for them?”

Kai shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, Killian. Right now, I have no intention, or such power to even think of it. But… But if the barbarians prove themselves worthy.” A plan already drew itself on Kai’s mind as he continued, “I can at least give them a safe place to be.”

Killian nodded to that and nudged the horse to gallop faster.

“Let’s focus on getting that Blursage first. The sooner we’re out of barbarian territory, the better.”

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