Rise of the Horde

For almost two months, Khao'khen and his group continued to harass the Ereians led by the Bulwarks of the Sand and slowly chipped away their strength as they crawl northwards towards the land of the orcs. Their main aim was to make their life as miserable as possible and Khao'khen have been not in the front line since he was still suffering pain from his previous wounds and over exhaustion of his body.

"Are you sure that those are the last of their supplies?" Kroth questioned the troll Verakh that was informing them of what they have found out after infiltrating the enemy camp before the two enemy armies gathered together.

"Yes mi mon." the troll replied affirmatively while nodding his head while he confirmed his report.

"Alright, let's wait for it to become dark before we strike. It's only about two days march north and we will be at the Fortress of Vir and we can finally have some good rest and turn everything over to the others." Kroth responded as he glanced towards the north where he can finally make a rough outline of the hills and plains of the north that were no longer made out of the sands.

After Khao'khen woke up from his previous battle, he was feeling pain from all over his body like his muscles are constantly suffering from cramps and he can't maintain his strength for even a few minutes before feeling feeble once again. The only good thing is that their enemies are now even more careful than before and finally learned their lesson that the slightest carelessness from their side would invite an assault towards them and their camp which slowed down their advance to a crawl.

They have constantly suffered from frequent raids of their opponents who didn't miss any opportunity that was presented to them. Baron Husani feeling his safety being threatened and his army lacking the most needed supplies finally united with Baron Masud. Their army still numbering over ten thousand finally put him at ease and finally slept soundly for the first time since he set out to hunt for vengeance.

*****

Darkness came and silence rained over the endless swat of sand except inside the camp of the Ereians that was still bustling with activity as they were securing their camp in preparation against their enemies who might decide to launch another assault. The morale of the soldiers was at an all-time low as their supplies are nearly depleted which helped Badz, Skorno, and the other Ereians who are aligned with them to recruit more into their group. More than a quarter of the current army of the two Barons were now a part of the group.

"See those wagons." Kroth pointed a finger at the far end of the camp that was more guarded by soldiers than anywhere else. "Those are our target and it might finally be our last mission before heading to the fortress." he continued to which an expectant smile formed upon the lips of his companions.

"Now let's just wait for the trolls and the Rumbling Clan riders to cause chaos and confusion," Bakrah spoke as he crossed his arms in front of his chest while looking at the well-lit camp of the Ereians which went overboard as there was not a single place that was not without a torch or other sources of light around and their frequency of patrols almost quadrupled from the last time they raided their camp which now makes sneaking inside their camp without being spotted nearly impossible to accomplish.

"You both are harbingers of bad luck! One misfortune after another came to me after acquiring the both of you!" Baron Husani shouted as he flick his wrist and whipped the two ladies in front of him who had metal collars upon their neck and are secured to a post inside his camp. The beauty and grace of the two have long been gone as it their entire body was covered in blood and dirt. It was practically like a paradise for them when their owner left them in the camp since no soldier would dare to lay their hands on a property of a noble.

Their life was easier than before since they no longer have to pleasure someone and they are being given their worth of food by the soldiers because they fear that if the mother and daughter would die because of starvation then the soldiers would bear the brunt of the Baron's lashing. The two only had to wake up, help inside the camp and do chores that were tasked to the helpers who came along with the army like preparing meals and other basic day-to-day life. Both of them were spared from giving services to the soldiers in bed and aren't abused in any way and even Baron Masud never laid his hands on them since he was preoccupied with his women who have been sapping away his strength whenever he recovers.

Lord Masud indulge in as much pleasure as he can while his fellow noble was out of the camp and attracted the troublesome foes that were stalking them in the dark. The time that Baron Husani was out in the wilds was one of the most relaxing times for the other Ereians. No enemies threatening their safety and no raids to burn their supplies. It was practically paradise for them except for the fact that they are consuming much more supplies than before but after receiving reports that a few weeks of march north was fertile land, Baron Masud didn't change his ways of lavishness as he planned to send out his soldiers to gather food from the fertile lands when they reach it.

Baron Masud was busy drinking liquor from his chalice as he let his eyes feast upon his women who were shaking their hips in front of him to entertain him and maybe get him in the mood. The five women were dressed in skimpy silk clothes that only covered the most crucial areas of their bodies while the rest were out in the open for their master to feast upon with his eyes.