Rise of the Horde

Chapter 219: Chapter 21

A few hours into their journey back, green vegetation finally came into view, trees, grasses, and other plants which somehow made the trolls howl in excitement. They were waving their hands in the hair and shouting something like no more sand, finally green. Taking a look behind him, Khao’khen started shaking his head as even those who were wounded began shouting in excitement.

They must have really hated the desert, he thought as even Skorno grumbled about how hard it is to run through the endless sands at his full speed. He always complained that he felt like there were shackles on his legs when running through the sands and he can’t go far without having to slow down to stabilize his footing.

Khao’khen arrived at the Fortress of Vir after a few days of travel, he could have arrived earlier but he had to have wounded companions. The healthy trolls could sprint alongside his steed easily and with just a few breaks in between, they would have reached the Fortress within a day that they started their travel.

After settling those who were wounded, Khao’khen went towards where his quarters were at. On his way to his quarters, he passed by the place where the Verakhs usually stayed at after their missions. He began trying to remember which squad was it again “Was it the twelfth?” he mumbled to himself and continued on his way but then something caught his attention.

There in front of one of the most visited places in the Fortress, the tavern, two humans were hugging each other in front of its entrance while looking inside from time to time. It seemed like they were waiting for someone who was inside the tavern to come out. Two humans in front of the tavern were already out of place and what more if it was two female humans.

For as long as Khao’khen can remember, there was only one human female around and that was Adhalia. Female orcs, there are plenty of them and almost all of them might even thrash the male humans in single combat. He was about to approach them when two orcs came out of the tavern while carrying mugs in each of their hands. ‘Are those still even considered mugs, I think they are of the size of a bucket already’ Khao’khen thought.

“See, I told you that they would still be around...” one of them laughed as he pointed one of his mugs to the two human females who finally stood up fr where they were at but with heads lowered. The other orc snorted in displeasure and outright ignored the two and headed towards where their quarters were at. Khao’khen watched as the two orcs went away while being followed by the two female humans towards the barracks.

.....

Khao’khen felt that the two orcs were familiar and after finally sorting out his memorial, he finally remembered who they were. They were the brothers, Kroth and Bakrah, who are also a member of the Verakhs. ‘Perhaps they got them during their missions’ he thought then headed towards where his own quarters. He’ll just speak to Adhalia about them later and as their future leader, she had to take care of them.

*****

The next day, in front of Khao’khen, stood the human army and the Skallser orcs that Sakh’arran have been training. Equipped with armors which were rather similar to breastplates, helmets, greaves, and sandals. There were only one thousand of them but they project an aura of confidence. Craning his neck up, Khao’khen stared at the tip of their spears which gave off a metallic shine.

Khao’khen gave a nod of approval to Sakh’arran and soon the blaring sound of a horn echoed. The trained Ereians soon lowered their weapons and marched forward at the beat of a drum. They moved forward like a machine as their square formation was never interrupted as they marched.

Standing beside Sakh’arran, Khao’khen soon asked about who crafted the armors of the Ereians and he was surprised to know that the Ereians themselves crafted them. Looking at the armors worn by his orc warriors, Khao’khen shook his head as their armors paled in comparison. Well, for starters, orcs are not gifted with the art of crafting. ‘It might look crude and ugly but hey it works’ he comforted himself.

He once had a dilemma on which type of soldiers should he base the Ereians on. They weren’t as strong, as bulky, as resilient, or as crazy as the orcs to become specialized units. Most humans are lacking in strength compared to orcs except for those who were specially trained to be warriors since childhood.

So, he decided to model them after the Macedonian Phalanx, with no shields but equipped with a ridiculous long spear. He had to give up using shields since the weapons that they are equipped with needed both hands. His Rakshas is a defensive type with a nasty offensive capability, even the Yurakhs are the same. They prioritized stability before the offense and since orcs are more physically gifted than most of their foes, they could afford it.

The Ereians that were trained would be attack-oriented. And he very much would like to see the faces of their foes as a wall of spears slowly make its way towards them.

Adhalia alongside Draegh’ana finally showed up. There were smiles plastered on both their faces after seeing him and it looks like they had a pleasant time working together. Excitement was apparent in the eyes of Adhalia as she watched the newly trained Ereians doing their things as they follow each command given out to them. She feels that they are far from being on par with the army of the chief but they were good enough to trounce the army of Prince Gyassi.

“I will let you lead them since they are technically your army. Fly your banners if you want. I know that you have a commander in your mind to lead them already.” Khao’khen spoke without turning his head as he continued to observe the army of Adhalia.

Adhalia already had set up a command chain with Zaraki as her head commander. She had long anticipated this day to come, to have her own army and then march back to Ereia to avenge her family. Despite they only numbered a thousand, the orcs standing behind them were more than enough to make up for the lack of numbers. The Skallser orcs would also join in the battle as they will try to prove their worth to their peers. Although they can’t join the Yohan First Horde because of the differences in how they fight. Armed with weapons that were all over the place, the Skallsers will fight alongside their human friends.