Rise of the Horde

The next day, Aro'shanna and the troll skirt finally arrived at the Fortress of Vir. Aro'shanna just went in without care as he dragged the little Grogus behind her, who was carrying his cooking utensils and some of his ingredients.

"Where will I stay?" the female orc went up to a Yurakk who was the nearest to her and asked while slinging her battle-axe on her left shoulder. The Yurakk stared at Aro'shanna for a few moments while trying to remember who she was and it didn't take long before he remembered who she was, she was the trainer of Brazan and his kin and she was someone who was strong enough to stand toe to toe against two ogres at the same time and toy with them. Fear started to shroud his entire being as he remembered how scary she was when in combat.

"I-I... I will lead the way." he stuttered as he stiffly turned around and walked away first and headed towards one of the buildings that was near the command center which was reserved for the commanders. "Kik? Scaredy orc...kekeke..." Grogus laughed, but he quickly clammed his mouth shut when Aro'shanna gave him a stern gaze and yanked his arm and dragged him behind her. His arm was almost torn away from his shoulders with how powerful the female orc pulled his arms. The Yurakk who was leading the way was visibly trembling. The other Yurakks stared at their comrade with a look of pity but the expressions on their faces turned graver as they turned their attention at the little Grogus who was being pulled behind Aro'shanna, 'Poor goblin' they all thought but they don't have the courage to stand for the little goblin.

The other Yurakks just pretended that they saw nothing when Aro'shanna and Grogus being pulled behind her went past by them. Their gazes were looking far into the horizon as they didn't want to irk the female orc who was obviously in a bad mood.

"This will be your quarters, now I'll excuse myself." the Yurakk who led the way saluted to Aro'shanna then turned around and walked away briskly. When he was a few meters away, his walk turned into a jog as he was in a hurry to get away from Aro'shanna as soon as possible.

"Tsk..." Gur'kan clicked his tongue at just transpired in front of him, but like the Yurakks, he also doesn't want to irk Aro'shanna, who is obviously displeased by something.

"Go cook." Aro'shanna pointed her finger towards her quarters as she ordered Grogus. The poor little goblin had no other choice but to obey, as he didn't want to suffer more pain. He walked inside the assigned quarters of Aro'shanna while all the luggage on his back which was totally too heavy for him to handle, but he gritted his teeth and continued to endure.

"What!?" Aro'shanna grumpily questioned Gur'kan, who was staring at her this whole time. "Nothing..." the skinny orc answered as he walked away while grumbling something, but it was too soft that Aro'shanna couldn't make out what he was grumbling about. She turned her gaze to the Yurakks, who quickly evaded her gaze as they too walked away in different directions, but they were all distancing themselves from her.

*****

Inside the command center, in the hall, Sakh'arran, Draegh'ana, Trot'thar, Maghazz, Adhalia and Xiao Chen were having a discussion.

"In the addition to the Third, Fourth, Sixth and Eight Warbands you will also take the First Warband with you and inform Dug'mhar that he and his clansmen will be joining you on your attempt to convince your fellow Ereians. The Verakhs will move in the shadows, the First till Eight Squad will be mobilized. Trot'thar and Sakh'arran will be with you too." Xiao Chen muttered as he stared at Adhalia who had a determined look on her face.

"I'll go with her too, chief. Ulfrus will function as her steed for the meantime to make a grand entrance." Draegh'ana suggested, which made Adhalia turn towards her with a confused look on her face.

Adhalia thought that the female orc would be happy since she will be out on a mission and which in turn will allow her to accompany the chief by herself, but the worried look of Draegh'ana which was directed to her made her realized something. The female orc now treats her as one of their own.

"Will do. The others will maintain security for the fortress and help in training the Skalsser orcs even just a bit. After you do your task, return as soon as possible. We will just wait for the supplies to arrive, then the expedition to the south will start." Xiao Chen muttered as he traced his fingers on the edge of the map.

"I will do my best to convince them, chief." Adhalia answered as she saluted, then went out first to inform Dug'mhar. She walked with steady steps and with full confidence, but deep inside her heart, she was really nervous. She clutched the pendant on her chest, which contained the crest of the Darhkariss as she prayed to their ancestors to watch over her and aid her in fulfilling her mission.

"If... I say if... Things don't go well. You have to get her out quickly and exterminate all the Ereians to the last man. None of them should survive if they will be hostile. Hide somewhere nearby first and don't show your full strength, but if things go south, let them taste the wrath of the horde." Xiao Chen stared at eyes of all those inside the hall with a serious look.

The commanders inside the tent all replied in unison, "Yes chief!" as they saluted their chieftain and walked out to prepare themselves for the mission. Xiao Chen watched as the Amazferr took hold of the Golden Wolf, then turned to him to render his salute. "I'll return with the wolf or I shall die trying to return it." the Amazferr muttered as he saluted before carefully carrying the Wolf outside to join those who were assigned for the mission.

Xiao Chen walked out of the command center and watched his warriors assemble in their formation. He headed towards the walls with all the warriors in their full gear saluting at him as he went past by them. While he was on the walls, he saw the squads of Verakhs who already departed first as they scattered in their respective groups and headed towards their designated areas of responsibility. The Verakhs quickly disappeared into the woods and beyond the hills after a few moments of Xiao Chen keeping an eye on them.

It didn't take long for the main force for the mission that he had assigned to move out of the fortress. The Wolf leading the way while being flanked by the two highest Guidon Bearers carrying the banners. The Skalsser orcs watched the spectacle with curious eyes, as this was by far the biggest mobilization of their new friends had done. They too wanted to join in, but they were informed that their new friends will just be out to fetch some new friends of theirs.

Xiao Chen continued to watch his warriors in their orderly line till he could no longer spot even a vague silhouette of them. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts, he went down from the walls with a very serious look in his eyes. The Skalsser Tribe will now know why he was called a devil by many or all of his warriors.