Rise of the Horde

It took the Skalsser orcs a while before realizing that charging recklessly forward would be their doom as the spears were waiting for them at the end. They stabilized their frontline and kept themselves a good distance away from the reach of the spears of their foes.

On both sides of the Second Warband, the Fifth and Seventh Warbands established a solid defensive wall as to deny their foes of any chance to outmaneuver them. Xok'nath himself made his way towards where the Fifth Warband was defending as he deemed it less dangerous to fight them rather than engage against the Second Warband that just stood there with their spears pointing forward that are thrusted forward from Tim to time.

The Skalsser orcs had a hard time finding an opportunity to strike at the Second Warband as every time that they try to move forward, the spears would come homing in on them and even if they succeeded in coming face to face with the armored orcs, they would just be pushed back by their shields.

"Maintain the line! Don't let them through! Let them tire themselves out!" Gur'kan kept shouting commands at the rear which the battle band relayed with their war drums and battle horns. The Yurakks and Rakshas kept swapping out their warriors as the ones from the front move to the back to have some rest while the ones behind them step forward to take their place.

The warriors of Yohan are like a moving, unbreakable fortress, as they denied the Skalsser orcs of any chance for retaliation. A few of the Rakshas got injured because some annoyed Skalsser orcs had enough and threw their weapons at them as a way to vent out their frustration on the development of the battle. Their foes are just standing there, but they have no way to get close to them without risking their own lives as the spears that are always pointed forward warded their attempts off. The ones charging against the Fifth and Seventh Warbands are no better; they rammed themselves again and again against the towering rectangular shields to no avail. It just wouldn't budge and it also doesn't help that swords would just come out of nowhere to stab those that are too close to the wall of shields.

It was frustrating and annoying, but that is how the warriors of Yohan do battle. Cheers erupt from time to time as they manage to strike down some of the Rakshas only for the injured orc to stand up and stab his spear back at the one who hit him as a retaliation. Stab, push, recover, it was just a perpetual, endless cycle.

Xok'nath himself was already panting as he tried numerous times to break apart the formation of the Fifth Warband with his strength that he was so proud of, but to no avail, instead he sustained a few stab wounds on his body.

Staring at the unbreakable wall, Xok'nath brought out a green rock that he kept inside his armor and contemplating whether he should use it or not. Shaking his head, he kept it hidden again inside his armor and shouted his battle-cry and charged forward, only to be sent reeling back as the shield wall didn't even budge an inch. The weight of all the Yurakks was too much for him to push back.

*****

Under the lead of the Verakhs, the Skalsser orcs who fled made their way back to their tribe with the Warghen Clan guarding the surroundings and some of the Verakhs going back into hiding to secure their surroundings. The wargs patrolled the surroundings in the open while the Verakhs kept watch in the shadows.

"Goblin scouts again. What are they up to? They have been coming back again and again. Do they think that we don't see them." the marksman of the Third Squad muttered as he aimed his weapon at the lead scout of the goblins. An iron bolt flew out and soared towards the oblivious goblin, who was glancing around while keeping most of his body hidden in a bush.

The sound of iron striking something soft then hard caused the rest of the goblins to panic. Their lead scout fell back with an iron bolt embedded in his face. The poor goblin twitched a few times before going on remaining still.

"They just wouldn't learn. No matter how they try to hide, we can still see them. That's my eleventh already." the marksman sighed as he reloaded his weapon while keeping his eyes on the panicking goblins that were scurrying away as a few iron bolts chased their asses.

To the west of the Skalsser Tribe, a few ogres were stalking them. They eyed the place as they deemed it safe for them to trade since there were only a few orcs around than the usual numbers that they see.

Unknown to the ogres who were stalking the Skalsser Tribe that they are also being stalked by the Verakhs. The Second Squad was less than fifty meters away from them, hidden from sight, with their weapons aimed at them.

"Wait for my command. Let them come out in the open. They are big targets and I won't accept anyone among you missing." their captain sternly said to them as he glanced at them with a serious look in his eyes. The ogres that they were aiming at were bigger than Brazan and his kin, who were a few feet shorter than them.

"Xiu!"

"Xiu!"

"Xiu!"

The captain of the Second Squad shot his weapon, which was quickly followed by those under him. Iron bolts flew towards the ogres in rapid succession. Moving forward to prepare themselves to storm the tribe down below, the ogres stood in line and motionless as they wait for their kin to group up.

The sound of flesh being penetrated accompanied by howls of pain ensued as the ogres got hit by the iron bolts that flew out of nowhere. Some of them even had their asses to be the only place pierced by the iron bolts, making them jerk forward in pain.

"Durka, what is up with you only aiming for the ass?" the captain stared at his warrior who just shrugged his shoulders and smiled sheepishly in response.