The extreme north was extremely cold.
Kai was shivering.
The horses were all bulked and muscular as they easily allowed barbarians to ride on them.
He sat in front of the large red barbarian.
They rode through the forest without speaking.
For a long time, Kai only listened to the sound of hooves crushing snow.
He watched gigantic trees pass by.
A frozen river they crossed without stopping.
Barbarians rode ahead and behind them, quiet, disciplined.
No one laughed. No one talked loudly.
They did not feel like a normal army.
They felt like something else.
After some time.
Kai swallowed and finally spoke.
"Who… are you people?"
Haksha did not answer immediately.
"Deadland Regiment,"
he said after a while.
Kai waited.
He had not known that name as he was not fond of studying even though his teachers had praised him.
Haksha continued,
"We are the sole protectors of this continent with a sacred duty to safeguard humanity from dangers like Gargantuas Giants , Wyverns, The Red cult and so on….
We are not under any authority of the empire or any noble house , the sole authority is the grand commander."
Kai started thinking deeply.
He didn't know why, but that sounded right.
After some time, he asked, "The old man… who is he?"
The man's grip on the reins tightened slightly.
"The Protector of this Continent
The Annihilation Sword.
Gilrodan Auch Silvestine.
Sword Saint.
Grand Commander of the Deadland Regiment"
He said it with pride
They rode in silence again.
After a while, Kai asked,
"And the other one? The quiet one."
"Jugran Gilrodan.
The Vice Commander of the Deadland Regiment
Also known as Black Death."
That was all he said.
Kai did not ask more.
Few minutes later
He looked at the red markings on the barbarians arms.
"Why are your arms covered with red stripes and markings?"
Haksha made a low sound that might have been a laugh.
"I am a Red barbarian.
I lead the Red Barbarian Tribe of the North.
I am Haksha - A commander of the Deadland Regiment.
I lead the 5th unit of the Regiment - The Red Howl Unit."
Kai nodded slowly, as if he understood.
They rode for days.
Kai ate when they gave him food.
Slept when they stopped.
Sometimes he woke up in the night and forgot where he was, panic rising in his chest before he remembered the sound of barbarians nearby.
No one spoke to him much.
No one treated him specially.
He was simply there.
A small figure among hardened barbarians.
On the fifth day, the trees began to thin.
The land rose higher. The air grew colder.
Then Kai saw them.
Mountains.
Huge peaks cutting into the sky.
Clouds drifting between them.
Sunlight hitting the snow and turning it silver.
He had never seen anything like it.
His eyes widened.
"They're majestic…."
The barbarian looked at the same mountains for a long moment.
"This,"
he said, "is one of the most dangerous places on the continent."
Kai looked at him, confused.
The man nodded toward the peaks.
"This Range is the only barrier to stop The Giants from Gargantua , The Wyverns from the Wyvern hills and The Demons "
They kept riding toward the mountains.
As they got closer, Kai began to notice something strange and humongous.
Black Iron walls.
Not built on the mountain.
Built into it.
Towers carved from Black Iron.
Black gates set between cliffs.
The mountain was not just a mountain.
It was a fortress.
Thousands of Men moved along the walls like ants. Weapons glinted in the light.
The sound of metal striking metal echoed faintly even from this distance.
Kai felt something tighten in his chest.
This place did not feel safe.
It felt… serious.
They approached the large gates.
Soldiers stepped aside when they saw the barbarian. No one asked questions.
Inside, everything moved with purpose.
Training yards carved from stone.
Men sparring with real blades.
Someone bleeding while a medic wrapped his arm without stopping the fight.
Racks of weapons along the walls.
No decorations.
The horse stopped.
The barbarian helped Kai down.
"Mount Arden," he said.
"Main base of the Deadland Regiment."
Kai looked up at the large tower above him.
He felt very small.
Someone came, took his name, wrote it down without interest, and verified his identity and registered Kai.
He was just another recruit.
The barbarian started walking away.
Kai hurried after him.
"Where are you going?"
Haksha glanced down at him.
"To our Base"
Kai said
"I want to go with you"
Haksha said
"You're not qualified to come with us"
"I will be"
That made Haksha pause.
He turned slightly, looking down at the boy for a long moment. Not angry. Not amused. Just measuring him.
"You can barely stand."
Kai's hands tightened into fists.
"I won't fall."
Haksha held his gaze a second longer, then turned away again.
"Keep up, then."
Haksha called the registration personnel and told him that I was recruited into the 5th Unit -
The Red Howl Unit.
he then updated the information in his record book.
Haksha called
"Rukan"
Another Barbarian appeared however he looked the same age as me but was very muscular like Haksha.
Their appearances were also similar.
"Yes, Father"
"Take care of him for now and introduce him to the recruits and go to the base"
"Alright"
Haksha and the dangerous looking barbarians then started moving towards the main building.
Rukan said
"I'm Rukan, Son of Haksha"
"I'm Kai"
We shook hands but his grip was monstrous.
"Follow me"
Me and Rukan passed through the fortress and toward a narrow path that led away from Mount Arden and into the surrounding peaks.