Chapter 171 Tradition

A roasted golden deer was quickly eaten up. The three of them lay on the animal skin and closed their eyes to prepare for sleep. Ares guarded the door as always. The biting cold wind blows through the woods from time to time, making a whining sound, it sounds like someone is crying in a low voice, which makes people feel uncomfortable all over.

The half-orc warrior lay by the bonfire tossing and turning and couldn't sleep, his mind was full of tomorrow's duel. The image of his father's invincibility has always been deeply engraved in his heart, and this feeling of admiration and hatred made him feel very uncomfortable. After lying down for a while, I found that I couldn't fall asleep at all, so I got up and started dancing in the tent with a weapon.

Henry didn't fall asleep either. The strange migration of winter wolves kept him in suspense. He was afraid that he would be surrounded by an army of frost giants overnight, or that a white dragon would suddenly rush out and sweep across the entire Icewind Dale. Seeing Vaughn getting up to exercise, he also laughed at himself, feeling that he was really too sensitive recently. Vaughan has been exercising for more than an hour, and his whole body is already drenched in sweat. Only then did he insert the giant sword back into its sheath and lay down contentedly. After a while, the snoring sounded.

When it was close to noon the next day, the three people got up one after another. They each cleaned up their personal hygiene and began to eat by the campfire. Zuwosa asked while eating: "It will be noon in two hours. What if the challenge fails? Will there be any danger to life?"

Vaughan shook his head with a wry smile. "My father was a proud warrior. Many people challenged him in the past, and none of them were killed. The biggest possibility is that I will be expelled from the tribe and never return here."

Henry sat on the side and couldn't help reminding him: "Relax, since there is no danger, then treat him with a normal heart. You are not in the right state now, think about your father, he didn't even change his face when he saw the dragon head, and he was not afraid."

Vaughan took a deep breath and held it in, and it took a while before he let it out. "Head, I've been looking forward to this battle for many years. As long as I can defeat him today, I can get rid of all the confusion for so many years. You should know how important that is to a fighter."

After hearing this sentence, Henry patted him on the shoulder with a smile on his face. For half-orc warriors, it was equivalent to something like a demon. As long as he can defeat his father today, his self-confidence will be greatly improved. This is a process of self-affirmation, and no one else can help him.

After eating, Vaughn took off all his magic items. Including dragon leather armor, leggings, magic boots, giant sword, throwing axe, helmet, wearing only a thin unlined garment and sitting cross-legged in place to rest. He intends to have a fair fight with his father without resorting to any external force, to see how much he has grown over the years.

Soon a barbarian came in and said loudly: "Dear dragon warrior! Vaughan. The ceremony is ready. According to the tradition, I will inform you. Please be sure to arrive within half an hour, otherwise you will be regarded as abstention."

Soon Henry and his party followed the barbarian who reported to the center of the tribe, where a circular arena had been besieged. The surrounding area was surrounded by water, and it seemed that everyone in the entire tribe had arrived. The old chief didn't wear any protective gear either. He stood in the middle holding an ordinary warhammer, revealing an immobile aura.

Vaughan pulled out a two-handed giant sword from the weapon rack next to him, and walked into the arena unhurriedly. The two of them just stood there with weapons in their hands, staring at each other.

Suddenly a bell rang, and the duel officially began. The half-orc warrior launched an attack first, with the giant sword sweeping first, followed by a powerful slash and upward thrust. A whole set of dazzling fighting skills forced the old chief to retreat continuously. However, the old man did not sit still. He used the hammer in his hand to block while using special steps to circle around.

Vaughn's onslaught didn't last long, as he found his father patiently draining his energy. Seeing that his son had stopped attacking, the old man nodded slightly. "It seems that these years of adventurous life have made you mature a lot. I remember that you never paid attention to these details when you were fighting."

"Yes, I have grown up, but you are old. Abandon those so-called traditions, which will only bind us to this frozen land. Don't you realize? There is a dangerous force approaching in the north, and even the winter wolves are fleeing south." Vaughn watched his father try to impress him with words.

The old chief glanced at Henry who was watching the battle, and then sneered. "Old? Wait until you defeat me before you say such big words. The tradition of the barbarians for thousands of years has given us a strong body and an unyielding will. If I read correctly, the southerner who is traveling with you should be a mage."

Vaughan frowned, he knew very well the attitude of these barbarians towards magic. Since language cannot communicate, the only thing left is to use weapons. After a short conversation, the two collided again. The old man's war hammer kept hitting the sword, and the repeated vibrations made the orc warrior's hands numb. He tried several counterattacks, but none of them worked very well.

"This is the so-called dragon slayer warrior? Didn't you happen to come across a sleeping silly dragon?" The chief stimulated Vaughn with words while attacking. The half-orc warrior was enraged in an instant, and his two eyes began to turn red, which was a precursor to the activation of the berserk ability.

The old man swung his warhammer and opened the opponent's weapon, and then he swung his left fist and hit his son hard in the face. The powerful uppercut knocked out one of Vaughn's teeth and brought him back to his senses. He spat out the broken teeth in his mouth, and threw the giant sword vigorously.

The chief quickly made a sideways dodge, and the blade scratched the skin of his chest, leaving a long bloodstain. Taking advantage of this time, Vaughan rushed up quickly, waving his fist the size of a sandbag and hitting his father hard. The old man obviously didn't expect this, and was beaten dizzy for a while.

The old chieftain soon discovered that a warhammer could not strike faster than a fist. He simply threw the weapon aside, and started a most primitive fight with his fists waving. It can be said that the two of them punched to the flesh and saw blood everywhere. This brutal fighting method quickly consumed the physical strength of both sides.

It didn't take long for Vaughn, who had the ability to recover, to gain the upper hand. He punched the old man in the stomach and swung his arms quickly. The continuous left and right swings all hit the head, and the old chief's eyes began to wander a little. Before the round of attacks was over, he fell to the ground and passed out completely.

Vaughn raised his hands covered in blood and let out a roar, and the barbarians around him also cheered loudly. From this moment on, he not only got rid of his own shadow for many years, but also became the leader of all the barbarians of the Otto tribe. Just as they were about to start the celebration, suddenly countless white figures appeared in the woods outside the camp.

"It's the winter wolves! They must be back for revenge! Everyone is ready to fight!" Someone shouted, and the barbarians took up their weapons and stood in a row automatically. Henry hurried over and cast a few healing spells on the old chief who was lying on the ground. The old man woke up quickly. He glanced at his son standing beside him, and then at the pack of wolves outside the camp gate. He quickly got up and grabbed his weapon and stood with the others.

Vaughn was relieved to see that his father didn't react too aggressively. He picked up the great sword and walked forward, and the barbarians around saw the new chief and gave way one after another. The winter wolves did not attack as everyone expected, they just surrounded the entire camp, and they turned a blind eye to the deer in the distance.

Before the battle started, Zuwosa quickly ran back to the tent and brought the orc warrior's equipment. When he was dressed neatly again, suddenly there was a wolf howl not far away. Not long after, an exceptionally strong winter wolf slowly came out from behind. It can be seen from the respectful attitude of the wolves that this guy must be the leader of the pack.

It came to a place close to the camp gate, stopped and said to everyone: "Listen guys inside! I will give you two choices now. Either hand over the murderer who killed my people, or hand over enough meat. We still have to hurry. If there is no reply within a minute, the wolves will attack."

When Vaughan heard what this guy said, he was about to rush out to fight, but Henry grabbed him. "Don't be impulsive, let me negotiate first. After all, there are still many women and children here, and they will suffer heavy casualties in the event of a war. If there is no way to reach an agreement, it is not too late to fight to the death." After finishing speaking, he walked out of the camp gate.

The alpha wolf looked vigilantly at the human who suddenly came out in front of him, and its animal instinct felt the danger. "Stop! Just stand there and say anything, don't play any tricks, the power of wolves is beyond your imagination."

"Don't be nervous, I just want to ask, what happened in the north to make you migrate like this." Henry raised his hands to show that he was not a threat.

The alpha wolf instantly noticed the robes under his cloak. "A mage? What an unexpected gain." As he spoke, it slowly walked over and circled Henry twice, sniffing it from time to time. "Are you interested in accepting the entrustment of the wolves? We can provide a lot of treasure as a reward. You know that those things are meaningless to the winter wolves." After speaking, the guy sat down and looked up, waiting for Henry's reply. (To be continued.)