Chapter 77: Caution

The sun had dipped low, staining the skies with vermillion as it disappeared into the western horizon. After finishing his experiments, Tristan finalized the result of today's battle.

Though they had managed to grasp victory from the jaws of the enemy, they had suffered quite the massive loss as well. 25 orc gretchins and 41 orc grunts died in the battle.

As the precise number of their current forces that still left standing;

[Gretchin: 43]

[Grunts: 106]

[Champion: 2]

Anyone would tell him that they had a very successful battle, considering the enemy lost more than 20 times the forces they lost, but the fact remains, Redstone Fort has lost another one third of its forces, and the struggle for their survival remains an uphill battle.

Caution is still a must.

In the end, seeing the uncertainty of their situation, Tristan decided to hold off from upgrading his skills. There is one thing he must make sure of before and depending on the situation he would be able to make a decision.

Moments before the night falls, Tristan sent all the barbarian warriors who were under the influence of his blood seal to return to their camps. There are a total of 7 of them, five elite blue tattoo warrior and the two regular warrior

Their purpose is clear. To spy on the enemy camp and get the latest update on their next move. Tristan had already used the same trick with Astrid, so this time, he decided to change things up and only send the warriors, not the captain. This way, everything would be less suspicious.

"What about the rest of the captured barbarians? What do we do with them?" Karra asked.

Tristan glanced at them, to see only despair in their eyes "Just put them in the dungeon I have some uses for them later."

"Yes, my chief," said Karra with a slight bow

Tristan could see how the female high orc started to act much more respectfully to him than before.  The last battle seems to be the proof she needed to fully submit herself to him as her chief.  Likewise, it was a mutual thing for Tristan. Having her come for the rescue when he was in trouble before, certainly left an impression on him. He had never had many people he could rely on before.

There was no victory party tonight as he reminded everyone that the battle is not over and all of them need to have proper rest for the next battle. Both Astrid and Scrall had confirmed that there are a total of 20,000 barbarians crossing the plains, and considering the Jarl, it's hard to believe he wouldn't want payback for the humiliation he suffered today.

In front of everyone, including the dwarves, Tristan announced that he sent back the barbarians he put under his spell to the enemy camp, and he hoped tomorrow will bring some good information. Afterward, he could plan accordingly with it also his decision on the upgrade.

Tristan had also noticed that while he was explaining, no one dared to speak up against him, not even a slight disagreement.

After two bloody battles, his success in the duel with the warchief, and showing his terrifying Blood Seal skill in front of everyone, really gave an impactful impression to everyone. He had proved himself as a warrior on the battlefield and a chief they could rely on.

As for his human companions, Other than Seth who was simply terrified of him, Herrera, the crazy chick of the group, and his sister seem to fully support him.

His main concern at this time is Barry, who seems to be distancing himself from him. This guy used to be very talkative and gives valuable advice to him, but he has been acting strangely recently.

Tristan once more asked Barry regarding the incoming reinforcements from the Mayor, and Barry merely said that there was no news from the mayor at all. Something about this seemed off with Tristan. But as Tristan never really put much hope on the reinforcement he decided not to think too much into it. 

The last group was The dwarves, now that they have seen today's battle, they were fully convinced to stay behind for Tristan's protection until they find a safe path to return home to the mountain.

Belot, the dwarf master, was usually arrogant and hard to get along with, but today, he appears to be more friendly toward him. It wasn't long until the white bearded dwarf approached him.

"Sir elf… Um…"

"Yes? What is it that you need, Master Belot?"

"I wonder if… If I could take a look at… your sword?"

It appears The dwarf master cares about nothing but rare minerals and powerful artifacts. Tristan really wouldn't mind showing it to him.

Right after Tristan nodded, the old dwarf's eyes were shining with happiness and anticipation. When Tristan handed over the sword to the dwarf, to his surprise the dwarf didn't seem to be affected by the weight of the sword at all.

[Claymore – Meteorite – Tier 4 Weapon]

[Length: 2.2 meters, Weight: 42 kg]

"Ah, an outlander item I suppose, isn't it sir elf?" said the dwarf

Tristan nodded and kept an eye on the old dwarf while he took a look at the sword, felt each ridge on its surface, and tried to look for the method used to forge it. After a few minutes, the dwarf gave it back to him.

"I would really love to study it further later if it's possible I will be very grateful," said the white bearded dwarf

Definitely, a big No for him. The sword had brought him to safety several times and he would not dare to part with it even for a minute. 

But Tristan ended up saying the complete opposite "Yes, of course, maybe later when the battle is done" 

Tristan has this feeling that he would need more help from this dwarf in the future.

When all is done, Tristan decided to take this opportunity to rest easy. It seems that there won't be any trouble for a while.

… Or as they said, if you boast about how the fates favor you, they might on a whim decide to punish you.

Tristan awoke the next morning with a very bad feeling. He quickly checked the connection to his blood-sealed barbarians, and surprisingly, there was nothing. Shockingly, his blood seal connection was severed, all seven of them.

"How could it be possible?"

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