The Flames of War

After the naming ceremony, Sun gathered his strongest members of the tribe into his tent. A small oak table sat in the middle of the room, large enough for the green goblins, but too tiny for Sun and the red conquerors. Sun carefully placed his injured leg under the table, hiding it from them.

Sun gathered them around the small table, with his brothers sitting closest to it and the rest standing behind them. On the table was a small map Root drew after interviewing the guards on the camp. The Razin tribe was a large tribe surrounded by walls. Its walls were nearly seven feet tall, and guards would routinely patrol on top. "How should we break through the wall?" Rock asked.

"Trust me, breaking the walls would be easy. I'll just burn it away. The problem is trying to get through the chokepoint. We're not exactly trolls. We can't just use brute force and expect an easy victory." Sun said. "Once we go through the chokepoint, we need to fight through an army of goblins, and I don't think our legions' training could make up for the number difference we have."

"And some of us are still recovering from our injury," Shuja added. "Miss Mari can't use her healing spell yet. She got dried up during that disaster in the cave."

"But maybe we can use brute strength?" Smoke pondered.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think they've ever seen someone like you. And I don't think they've seen so many red conquerors working together. Maybe we can just threaten them. Force them to give up before any fighting happens."

"Maybe even show off some of our strength too!" Rock said with enthusiasm, punching the air a few times.

"Maybe even show them how their walls can't protect them," Sun said.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you this, but what exactly is the new spell," Rock made air quotes with his fingers, "that you told us about when killing those flying bastards."

Sun smiled, "Then let's get out of here." They left the tent and walked outside the camp's wall towards an opening. Sun pointed at a large pine tree across them, "I'm going to cut that tree down and burn it from here."

His spectators watched him gather his mana from his body into his sword until the mana condensed enough to glow a bright blue. Then Sun reenacted the intense emotions he felt inside the cave, and lo and behold the sword lit into flames. "Stand back guys, this gets very intense," Shuja said to the group. They stepped back a few meters away, but they could still feel the heat resonating from the sword.

Sun drew his flaming sword back, then swung it at the direction of the tree. The swing launched the flames from his sword towards his target, leaving a red hot trail in the air. The red flames slashed though the tree cutting it in half and burning it in the process.

Sun fell on one knee, exhausted from using the spell. His brothers rushed to his side, "Sun, are you ok?" Stick asked.

"Maybe you should have waited until your legs were ok," Smoke added.

"I'm fine. I just lost my balance." Sun turned to the rest of them, "Now with this, it should be clear to our enemy that fighting us will be the end for them. And that they should just surrender." Sun stood up with his chest, puffed out to appear stronger. "Now, let's go meet our new enemies."

"Now!" Smoke yelled in surprise.

"Sun, you can't be serious," Flute responded.

"Yes, I'm serious. And don't worry, I feel stronger than ever." Sun raised his sword and rest it on his shoulders, "Now let's go and end this already. Our tribe yearns for a new home, and I'll give it to them."

They left the field and began preparing in their tents. Spat said goodbye to his son and his wife. He tied his gray hair into a ponytail and led the legions towards the camp's entrance. Stick shaved his hair off and wore Cloud's red helmet. Then he joined Rock at the gates. Smoke had his long black tied into a bun by his mother. "Done," Cyrus said. Smoke got up and kissed his mother before leaving to joined his brothers at the gate. There Sun and Shuja waited for their troops.

Meanwhile, in the tribe of Razin, its Chief sits on an empty throne room holding a bouquet. A female goblin stood behind his chair, combing his long black hair of bugs before tying it into a bun. The woman was smaller than the Chief and had a crown made of feathers and small tooths hiding her bald head.

The Chief, on the other hand, was taller, for he was a red conqueror. And today he was getting ready to conquer, what to him, the unconquerable. "Are you ready, Chief Cossack?" The woman asked.

"Yes, thank you, Head Priestess," Cossack said.

"Oh, just call me by my name. No need for the Head Priestess part. We've known since we were children."

"Then what about me, Violin? Just call me Cossack then, no need for the Chief part to be there."

"Alright, Cossack, as you wish," Violin answered. "Now, with your hair properly groomed, all you need now is something fancy to wear." Violin left the room and came back with a white collared shirt. "We found this left behind by those outsiders. This should help you woo that woman." She helped put the shirt on Cossack.

Cossack stood awkwardly in front of the mirror. "You think I look good."

"Yes, ok, I lied. Not really."

"What?"

Violin laughed at Cossack's nervous expression. "You're fine. So stop overthinking it."

Suddenly the curtains were opened, and a goblin wearing leather armor stepped inside the throne room. "My Chief, me have important news. Lev tribe outside walls. Lev have small raiding party. Me think Lev attack us now."

"What!" Cossack and Violin ran towards the edge of their village, climbed up the walls, and saw a small army of goblins led by five red conquerors and a large goblin with feathers on its ears. "What the hell do you guys want from us?" He yelled at them.

"We are here for your tribe," Sun answered back. "You have two options! You fight us, or surrender and submit to my rule."

Cossack turned to his men and Violin, "Raise the flags and wave them around." He whispered, then he turned to the army at his walls. "You think you can fight us with that puny army. Our tribe is three hundred men strong. See those spears." Cossack pointed at the numerous long spears with flags tied on its tip that suddenly rose behind the walls. "My army is holding those spears as we speak, and they are prepared to gouge your eyes out with them. Three hundred spears, for three hundred goblins versus your thirty." Cossack rubbed his long pointy nose and while smiling.

While Cossack was making his speech, behind the walls and under Cossack's nose was Violin orchestrating the guards around and wiggle the spears. They don't have three hundred soldiers ready to die. The spears were planted onto the ground and moved every now and then by some of the guards to add the illusion of an imposing army. This should scare their opposing tribe, but it didn't.

"It doesn't matter how many you have." Sun yelled back, "I'll just burn them all down." Sun raised his longsword towards the sky, and mana traveled across his arm and to its blade.

"So what? That Cala guy did the same, and he couldn't break through this," Then to Cossack's dismay, the sword suddenly grew bright red before catching on fire. Then, with one fell swoop, Sun released a red wave of mana at the wall, slicing it in half and burning the surrounding. Cossack nearly fell on his butt, but he could not let these barbarians through the wall no matter. He had one more option left. "Cahahaha!" Cossack laughed, "I've always wanted to meet a strong opponent to do battle with. My former Chief was too weak, and no one else in the tribe could match my strength. But you are clearly different. How about this, we will decide the fate of my tribe in a Tina Bökh Fight. If you win, I will recognize you as the new Chief of Razin. And if I win, will take everything from you!"

Sun smiled, "Fine, let's fight!"

"What you're fighting now!" Shuja was shocked to see Sun walked forward after delivering such an attack.

"Not now! In a week, we will fight. After all, you don't look like you're ready."

Sun looked down on his leg and realized his wound opened. "Alright, in a week, I'll return."

After the heated exchange between them, Sun left with his arm. Cossack collapsed on the wet floor. The puddle beneath caused by his excessive sweating. His white shirt was no longer white, but now stained yellow from his sweat.

Violin climbed back up the wall. "What do you mean come back next time? Are you insane."

"What else could I do? They have like five conquerors on them. Not to mention our lie didn't work."

"We could have at least fought them. They all looked like the walking dead while we were fully fed during the months of winter. We had a fighting chance."

"Yeah, until the tall one suddenly shot flames from his sword. He could easily burn us all down."

"But, he was injured!"

"That doesn't mean he isn't strong enough to kill us. Look, I can make restrictions in the Tina Bökh Fight. No swords, just fist. And with my death touch, I have a fighting chance."

"But that takes about a month."

"One week is enough." Cossack looked down on his hands and clenched it into a fist, "One week is enough to get the death touch. I can't let them in. I haven't won her heart yet.

While the Chief of Razin gets ready for the coming battle, back at Bona, the brothers' mothers were discussing the matters involving their eventual return to the outside world. "Are you sure about this?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, I've made up my mind, I will stay with my son in the forest," Mari said.

"But what about us?" Cyrus protested.

"You'll be fine. Natasha can take you to her home. Right, Natasha?"

"Of course," She answered while giving Cyrus a hug.

"But I don't want to!" Cyrus pushed Natasha off her and jumped on Mari's arms. "I lost so many already. I don't want to lose more. Why can't you come back with us."

"I need to see this through the end. I chose to raise Sun, and I will continue doing so."

"Sun?" Cyrus buried her head on Mari's chest, hiding her envious face from the other women. But she could not hide her tail. It rocked back and forth, growing in intensity as Cyrus kept thinking about Sun taking her light away.

"Cyrus, don't cry, dear," Mari said.

Cyrus got up, embarrassed by the fact she was wiping her tears on Mari's chest. "I'm sorry,"

"It's ok," Mari petted her head, "You went through so much, I understand."

"Excuse me," Flute opened the tent's curtains, "The children have returned. I thought I'd let you know."

"Thank you!" Mari pushed herself up on her feet and extended her hand to Cyrus, "Come on, let's go greet our kids."