Asher froze; his fingers had already grazed the bow, and his right foot had trespassed and was now in the fur bed.
He retrieved his hand and calmly turned to face her properly with his hands clasped behind him.
She wore an amused expression that only made him feel awkward internally, but he refused to let it show. "Lord Asher, I have gathered the tribe's forces."
"That was faster than I expected."
Eritrea chuckled softly. "That bow belongs to my father; do you want to...?"
She knew Asher wanted to examine the bow, and it was funny when he retrieved his hand while trying to hide his shock and play calm.
Knowing he wasn't some ice cold lord made her feel close to him.
Even after she spoke, Asher only glanced at the bow, so Eritrea had to walk past him, take the bow, and give it to him.
Asher glanced at her and veered back to the bow. The bow had no string, and while the grip was made of wood, the upper and lower limbs were made from the bone scythes of a White Furry. Just looking at the holes that were burrowed into the sturdy bones, Asher felt impressed.
White Furry were beasts that appeared during winter, and they were at least bronze-ranked. They usually came in large numbers and were nocturnal beasts that attacked during the late hours of the night.
Eritrea smiled and stretched her hand to show him the name etched on the grip. "That's my mother's name. My mother isn't from this tribe, and according to my father, she had once met a true elf, and he trained her to be an elite Elvin archer.
After the tribe acknowledged her skills, my dad had the men gather these bone scythes and create a unique bow just as the elf had shown her, but most of the bows were kept since no sharpshooter proved to be powerful enough to draw it continuously except my mother."
Asher noticed she was too close to him, and he took a silent step back.
"Looking at the design, the bow is made for both long range and close range battles. It's a noteworthy concept."
Asher turned to the exit.
"It's time I see those waiting for me."
Outside the tent, Asher found a large, disorganised crowd. He was shocked to see the number of armed warriors before him.
"How many are here?" He asked Eritrea.
"I800. 1600 axemen and 200 sharpshooters."
"Are all the capable people in your tribe recruited into your forces?"
"I had to make sure we're ready to face the Raging Bear Tribe, but most of them just entered the iron rank, and the Raging Bear tribe has countless warriors that have gone through wars."
Asher furrowed his eyebrows. To him, most of them were simply cannon folders, but this battle would bring out the gems, and those gems are the ones who would be upgradable.
He would filter the extras from there and add those with at least D-grade talents to his army, thereby building an army of elite soldiers.
D-grade soldiers had a solid guarantee that they could ascend to the gold rank, but those of lower talents could only settle for less.
He turned to his left and saw women armed with bows lined up more neatly than the men, who had most of the number. They were disciplined and experienced, and this was Asher's judgement from the aura he perceived from them.
Cumulatively, the barbarians' clothing had almost nothing to do with protection, and Asher knew he couldn't do much about that. From the little he studied, he knew the system had a structure for his forces, and even the growth of the commander-grade soldiers was different from the ordinary-grade soldiers.
"The great rider has returned!!"
A loud voice reverberated, and everyone fell on their knees. Some even began to cry as they saw Sirius walk out of the tent's back.
Eritrea pursed her lips as Asher shot her a glance.
"Warriors of the White Wolf tribe, I am Asher Ashbourne, son of the Snow Swordsman and grandson of the Winter Shura. I have no idea if I might be this great rider you speak of, but I'm certain that I would help defend you from those cannibals."
Their voices shook the earth.
Asher watched the excited army without much expression on his face. At that moment, Alec rode into the gathering on horseback.
He dismounted and bowed.
"My Lord, we've surveyed the terrain."
"What is your suggestion for this upcoming battle?"
Asher called for him to come closer, and Alec came closer. He came to Asher's right and whispered into his ear.
Asher nodded softly. "Our first step to defeating those inhumane beings is by first reinforcing our defence. We must protect our old and young from the reach of those cannibals, and only by helping this man here can we do it."
After some more words, Asher convinced them to help Alec make the wall solid.
Asher spent time monitoring the construction during the day and at night. He got minimum sleep as his men and the barbarians were always at each other's throat for the smallest things. He had to be the mediator.
Over the course of a few days, Eritrea had woken him up over a dozen times to settle issues.
At the end, a good wall that had an alure was built, and it brought both parties closer. Asher sat on a stone and received reports from Alec and Eritrea while sharpening his sword dutifully.
The two moons hung high above the clouds, spreading their light to the entire town, while beyond seemed like a forest of darkness.
"My Lord, do you have to sharpen your sword by yourself?" Eritrea complained.
"I do. Ashbournes are not like other nobles. By tradition, we do the work, especially when it comes to being a warrior."
Asher responded solemnly.
An Ashbourne soldier ran toward them, holding tight to a fire torch and spear. The sword on his waist dangled.
"My Lord, they're here!"
A/N: Please write some reviews so the story can have a rating. Thanks in advance,