When Elder Shield-Bearer carved the final marks into the beast hide with his claws, the agreement between the two tribes was no longer just words—it had become law.
The tension in the hall dissolved instantly.
The elder let out a long breath, his weathered face breaking into a broad grin. Colin, too, allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. The cost had been high—but the return would reshape their future.
"Chief Colin," Elder Shield-Bearer said, rising with renewed vigor, "we will return at once to prepare. The first shipment of goods and salt will arrive within seven days."
He hesitated slightly, rubbing his hands.
"As for the weapons… when might we collect the first batch?"
All eyes turned to Colin.
What came next stunned everyone.
"There's no need to wait," Colin said calmly.
The room fell silent.
"We are allies—not merchants counting coins."
He turned to Lena.
"Prepare all the weapons agreed upon. Not just the first delivery."
Lena froze.
"All of them," Colin repeated.
"One hundred spears and twenty axes for the down payment… and the remaining one hundred eighty spears and twenty axes for the full exchange."
He paused, voice firm.
"A total of two hundred eighty spears and forty axes. Deliver everything—now."
It hit like thunder.
Lena stared, speechless. Goff's eyes snapped open in disbelief.
Across the table, the Bearmen were stunned.
Boulder's jaw hung open. Elder Shield-Bearer stood frozen, his expression shifting from confusion… to shock.
All of them?
Delivered in advance?
Before any goods had been exchanged?
This wasn't trade.
This was trust—raw, overwhelming, almost unimaginable.
"Chief Colin…" the elder's voice wavered slightly. "Are you certain?"
"I am," Colin replied without hesitation. "My allies should not leave empty-handed. Take everything that belongs to you."
Half an hour later, the warehouse doors opened.
Inside, under torchlight, stood a forest of steel.
Spears lined in perfect rows. Axes stacked like a small mountain. Every blade gleamed with deadly precision.
Boulder stepped forward, almost reverently, lifting an axe.
The weight. The balance. The sound of metal ringing under his touch.
He exhaled, almost in awe.
Elder Shield-Bearer said nothing.
He walked slowly through the rows, running his hand along the cold shafts of spears, lifting a blade, studying its edge.
These were not just weapons.
They were power.
They were survival.
They were the difference between being hunted—and standing to fight.
And they had been given… freely.
The elder turned back to Colin, his chest rising and falling heavily.
Then he struck his fist against his chest with a deep, resounding thud.
"Chief Colin!"
His voice echoed through the warehouse.
"You have shown your sincerity. Now I answer in kind!"
He straightened, his tone rising with solemn force.
"I swear—by the spirits of my ancestors!"
"From this day forward, your allies are ours. Your enemies are ours. As long as I live, the Brown Bear Tribe will stand beside Blackwood Fortress—without hesitation, without betrayal!"
The oath rang true.
There was no doubt left.
Colin had not just secured an alliance.
He had earned loyalty.
When the Bearmen departed, they no longer looked like a small envoy.
They moved like a warband reborn—each warrior laden with steel, their steps heavy, their spirits high.
At the gate, Elder Shield-Bearer clasped Colin's hand tightly.
"You have given us trust," he said. "We will return it. The salt and goods will come without delay."
He paused.
"And the bison—we will send only the strongest."
Colin nodded. "I believe you."
When the forest swallowed the departing figures, silence returned.
On the wall, Berg and Goff were already waiting.
Berg was the first to speak, nearly frantic.
"My weapons! Half the warehouse—gone in a blink!"
Goff was quieter, but no less troubled.
"This was a risk, Colin," he said. "If they betray us… we've armed our own enemy."
Colin remained calm.
Leaning against the battlements, he looked out toward the fading horizon.
"Trust must be given to be received," he said quietly.
"If we treat allies like enemies, then alliances mean nothing."
He turned slightly, his gaze steady.
"What we gave them wasn't just steel."
"It was belief."
He let the words settle.
"A hesitant ally is a danger."
"But a convinced ally… becomes a shield."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"What I planted today is not a loss."
"It's a seed."
Behind him, Berg and Goff fell silent.
They didn't fully grasp the scale of his thinking—but they could feel its weight.
Below them, Blackwood Fortress stood strong.
Ahead of them, unseen—but already taking shape—was something greater.
And Colin knew…
This gamble would define everything that came next.