I briskly stepped out of the cave-like room.
The words "Green Valley" were a red signal, as far as Skylar Reigns' memories told me.
I emerged into the open air, feeling the wind tousle my hair. The air carried the rich aroma of abundant vegetation, and my senses were overwhelmed by the myriad shades of green around me. It was an all-encompassing green canvas, ranging from the darkest hues to the lightest shades.
Green.
Green.
Green.
Even the tree branches and stems were painted in varying tones of green, heck not to mention the soil, which was a mix of dark blacks, browns, and a hint of green.
Despite the overwhelming greenery, I noticed our location—a mere 22–30 metres away from a river. The terrain beneath our feet sloped slightly. The tilt wasn't abrupt; it was a gentle incline that suggested a tilt without necessarily feeling tilted.
And then, behind us, was the huge mountain. No, the word huge word didn't do justice to its size; it was a gigantic mountain whose top and where it ended were never known to Skylar, but he knew about this famous mountain that separated the northern and southern continents.
"Over there, there, and there..." While I was engrossed in absorbing the most verdant surroundings I had ever encountered, Alcatraz tapped my shoulder and directed my attention in three distinct directions.
Startled momentarily, I followed the line of his outstretched fingers, observing each of the directions he pointed to.
"What?" I looked at him, puzzled.
He pointed straight to where we stood, meaning across the river, then to the left against the current of the river, and then to the right with the current of the river.
However, it didn't immediately click in my mind.
"These are the three places where we are patrolling at the moment, including the secret passage that allowed us to cross the Horizon Spine. And all three of these places have bandits."
"Ahh, Oh shit!"
The realisation struck me like a bolt of lightning.
The gigantic mountain range that divides the northern and southern parts of the continent was known as the "Horizon Spine." This was the name the Barbarians gave it, as it signified the importance of how endless this long mountain seemed. It was endlessly long and alone; a single mountain single handedly separated the continent in two.
Yes, this was a single mountain that stretched so far and wide that it divided the continent.
Barbarians lived in the northern part of the continent, and now we were in the southern part of the continent. In the past, Skylar had seen this mountain several times and had even climbed it and gone towards the southern part, and of course the individual who accompanied him was Alcatraz.
They both had heard some weird stories about this part of the continent, and their young and reckless selves, without putting much thought into it, reached this side. However, they were first greeted by the greenery of this place, and then the bandits, who seemed like they would hunt them down to the end of hell, as if they had seen a priceless price as they saw them.
Skylar and Alcatraz both escaped with their lives, and after reaching the tribe, they had to tell their experience to the others; of course, it was forced as they were not present in the tribe for several days and how they appeared when they returned.
After their trip to the green filled region, they named it Green Valley.
'Morons!' I inwardly chided their youthful recklessness.
However, there was one thing: if the bandits present in this region hunted them down with the same vigour and passion as the soldiers were pursuing them, then this was the important thing for me to notice.
'Hell, it's as if barbarians are some long lost treasure.'
However,
"You sicko!"
Alcatraz let out a chuckle.
"You wanted me to bring us to a safe location, so here we are. What do you say? Isn't it time for us to get our revenge?"
'This crazy bastard.'
Duck!
Duck!
Duck!
I got goosebumps as I understood what this bastard was planning.
However, there was still something missing.
"How many days did it take you to cross the Horizon Spine?"
"Less than 3 hours."
"The hell?"
"Remember that small spot we found in the Horizon Spine? It was just large enough for ten people to hide."
Nod.
I nodded, recalling it.
"Well, after you fell unconscious, I told all those who were injured to hide there while we all who could fight would go and fight. The moment the eleventh person entered, the surface collapsed, and they fell into the depths. And they could see a distant light, and then we all jumped in, and we followed the single point of light and came to the other side."
"And how long has it been since?" I asked.
"Two days passed, and as soon as we arrived here, I knew what this place was, and so I remembered our courteous friends from the past, so me and others, all those who were in good condition, began searching for their hideouts, and we found them." As he ended his words, his eyes had a vicious glint in them, which I hadn't observed yesterday.
Those eyes were just glinting viciously, but they were asking a hidden question, knowing Alcatraz's personality. Those eyes were saying, 'How spectacularly you want this revenge to be.'
I looked at this bastard who was hell-bent on revenge; his gaze wasn't asking, 'Will we take revenge?' but rather how spectacular they both wanted it to be.
And why not?
Skylar Reigns and Alcatraz had known each other since childhood, and Skylar would have reacted no differently.
But this was good, and I understood the plan that this crazy man had brewed.
It would approximately take more than 3 days to cross the Horizon Spine even with the physical prowess of barbarians, who were physically ten times stronger than normal humans; however, that certainly didn't mean they could defeat ten humans at a time.
This implied that if the soldiers believed they had crossed the colossal mountain and reached the other side, it would take them at least 6-7 days to ascend, not to mention the challenge of descending to this side. However, this scenario seemed unlikely.
"How large was the opening when it collapsed?"
Alcatraz grinned slyly.
"It was barely visible, but I made it large enough to be visible."
"You crazy son of-"
I stopped myself before swearing.
This guy—no, this bastard—ducked all of them.
This bastard made sure to duck the soldiers and their respective kingdoms before coming to this side.
Barbarians were being pursued by soldiers from three kingdoms on the northern continent. Skylar and the others discerned this from the distinct attire of the soldiers.
Skylar Reigns, Alcatraz, and even barbarians didn't know much of what happened in the kingdoms of the northern continent; however, there was one piece of news that constantly made its way to their homes: how scarce was the transportation between the northern and southern continents, how costly it was for the kingdoms of both continents to have exchanges, and this bastard just fucked them all over this piece of information.
What if these kingdoms, striving for an efficient mode of goods transport and improved intercontinental flow, stumbled upon a passage that reduced travel time by over thirtyfold?
Chaos!
Everyone would want to have the monopoly of the passage because this wasn't just a passage; this was a large chunk of money that no one would want to leave.
I didn't even want to imagine how crazy the situation would be, as they would have found the passage.
How panicked they would be—not only the soldiers but also the higher ups who would have soon heard about the information. And the most important thing was that the passage was found on land that belonged to barbarians, who, for one, according to all of them, were already extinct as they hunted them, and as for the left ones, they were mere small chucks who didn't pose any threats to the big kingdoms.
And as the land on which the passage was found now didn't belong to any kingdom, this would surely ensue conflicts on different levels, and whoever came out on top of all these different levels of conflicts would have the passage under them.
However, in this case, there was also a possibility that they would work in harmony, but alas, who are we kidding? These kingdoms perpetually sought power and wealth.
"So, you've set them up." I shook my head, contemplating various outcomes.
"But I closed the exit from this side, so it will take them time to find their way out after settling their disputes."
"That's expected."
What? This bastard basically single handedly gave headaches to these kingdoms, and would he forget such an easy aspect? Like hell, he would.
"So, when do we commence?"
"First, let me see the locations."
Alcatraz nodded, and both me and him began walking towards the hideout of the bandits, and of course we covered ourselves in green leaves and green paste for better camouflage.
"So, Chief, are we really doing it?"
"Yeah, you just woke up; you should take it easy; it's not like we are craving battles, you know."
"I'm craving for some smooth battles."
"HAHAHAHA! CHIEF, I'LL BE THE VANGUARD! WE'LL SWEEP THEM CLEAN IF I'M THE VANGUARD!"
"What? So, in other words, you are telling us we are some weaklings; you want to die, you sucker?"
"YOU ARE NOT EVEN BIG ENOUGH TO BE MY COCK SON, SO KEEP YOUR BALLZ SHUT, OR YOU'LL NEVER KNOW HOW YOU DIED!"
…
"Everyone looks pumped up." Alcatraz said as he stood slightly back to the right of me.
"..."
I gave him a sidelong glance.
Pumped up? My ass.
Those were some wrong words.
They sounded more like back-alley hooligans, and as I looked at them, yeah, they even resembled the back-alley hooligans.
