Rise of the Horde

Chapter 227: Chapter 22

Khao’khen gave out one heavy sigh after Badz told him every detail of what happened after they separated. Based on the details given out by his gluttonous friend who was happily munching again on the pieces of dried meat that he received from the riders after asking for some food, they wouldn’t be facing any strong opponent to soon.

Khao’khen also had some plans of his own by helping Adhalia with her revenge. With Ereia as a buffer zone against the other lands nearby, he can deny his possible enemies in the future from gaining information about them and his horde. According to the information that he gained from those around him, orcs from different tribes would gather together to form hordes and go on raids like the ones that he participated in before. But the aim of the orc hordes would be to pillage or to seek better locations to settle and not conquest for expansion of their lands like how he wanted.

The world that he currently lives in is vast and what he has explored might just be a tiny fraction of it. There would be different races, civilizations, kingdoms, and empires scattered around Azgalor if he isn’t mistaken with his guess. The Threians to their northwest or the pinkskins as his warriors like to call them, the Ereians to the south, the Albernans somewhere probably to the southeast and their neighbors, the elves or referred to as the long ears at the Kasha’norah Forest to the north and a human empire to the south of Ereia.

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Along the border of Alberna, the Ereians managed to find success against their opponents by fighting defensively and utilizing the small cavalry unit that they have by harassing the foragers of their enemies and retreating quickly as soon as they feel that the skirmish would turn into a full-blown battle.

Viscount Redore and Lord Kasto led the only cavalry that was available to them and they managed to successfully thwart the plans of their enemies many times already. They never won a single skirmish that they fought since they would always be the ones to retreat when things were getting out of hand but their opponents not even once had the feeling of being victorious after sending their Ereians running away from battle. The Ereians were being pushed by the Albernans and their allies back towards the territory of Ereia which was a success for them but based on the number of casualties on both sides, the Ereians are winning by a big margin despite being forced to change camping grounds three times already.

They were steadily being forced out of the lands of Alberna but their morale is still at an all-time high after their first full-blown initial clash where they sent the Albernans and their allies fleeing back to their camp. Commander Nassor’s strategies managed to catch their opponents off-guard.

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During their first pitch battle, Commander Nassor hid their cavalry near their camp and just brought with him the infantry but not all of them, he also ordered some of them to make themselves scarce alongside their cavalry. They were outnumbered which was a huge disadvantage for them and their army is made out mostly of farmers who probably never held weapons in their entire life to kill someone.

After the initial clash of the frontlines, the Ereians slowly retreated with both their flanks quickly fleeing away from the battlefield after just a few minutes of clashing which left their center to be vulnerable to flanking maneuvers. The enemy commander made use of the opportunity presented to him and signaled his army to quickly flank the Ereians and if possible, surround and exterminate them. Little did he know that it was all but just a disguise.

The center of the Ereian army was made out of the best among the soldiers of the nobles and wouldn’t be taken down so easily. With the whole enemy army invested in trying to break the defensive circle of the Ereians, Commander Nassor sent out a signal and their retreating flanks turned around and reengaged followed by the hidden infantry and their cavalry.

Those who went to the rear of the Ereian center to encircle them got trapped instead and had to fight in all directions. Chaos broke out in their midst as they were encircled by those who they were suppose to encircle. After the enemies of the Ereians who went for their rear collapsed, they rode the momentum and charged forward with more vigor.

Commander Nassor managed outwit the enemy commander in every single confrontation that they had. Even though he was slowly falling back towards their own territory, there was still a proud smile on his face as he knew that they were the ones winning the war.

*****

After having with Khao’khen, Badz and Siroh were soon presented to Adhalia and after knowing that she was of the noble Darkhariss family, the two were quick to pledge their allegiance to her and her house. Even the poor baron was dragged to pledge his allegiance with them and Lord Husani didn’t fuss about it since he valued his life more than his allegiance or whatnot with the nobility.

Since those who were with Badz were ill equipped and looked out of shape, they were sent to help out with the logistics and won’t be fighting alongside the Drakhars and Skallsers. Baron Husani opted to stay with Adhalia rather than follow Badz and Siroh who went with the one who seemed to be the head commander of the huge army that he was seeing.

The poor baron felt safer to stay alongside his fellow Ereians rather than be surrounded by the creatures that give him chills. The hulking frames of the orcs with their deadly weapons and the glaring eyes of the trolls as they look at him like some sort of delicacy, especially the gleaming head of their spears. The towering giants that looked like they can easily swallow him whole whose steps can even make the ground tremble and specially to be far away from the one who he suspected to be the one who took away the most important part of him as a man after seeing the weapon that he has on his back.

The pain from that unfortunate memory of his was still fresh in his mind and he doesn’t want to stay anywhere near the possible culprit less he decides to cut everything off from him which he very much wouldn’t like to experience. There were some minor changes that happened after the Ereians who were with Badz and Siroh joined but it was negligible and the march continued with no problem.