Rise of the Horde

Inside his tent, Khao'khen waited for the arrival of the messenger and his commanders as he sat down on his chair which he doubted at first would be able to support his weight. At first glance, it looks so untrustworthy as it was just made of thin-looking branches bounded together by vines which were then covered up with some animal fur for some feeling of comfort. His enormous fingers kept on drumming upon the table that was in front of him in a slow rhythm.

The flaps of his tent were raised and the first one to arrive was Dug'mhar who breathed out a sigh of relief after confirming that the chief was safe. Moments later, Skorno along with the messenger arrived and Khao'khen noticed the warg that was outside when the two entered his tent.

Khao'khen wanted to explain himself to them about his sudden disappearance but he decided not to. It would be a long arduous task for him to explain the real reason that he was nowhere to be found and he felt it was not wise to let them know that it was mostly because he fell asleep somewhere that they can't find him. Instead of bothering about explanations, he directed his gaze at the orc who has a message for him.

"I heard you have a message for me." Khao'khen began the conversation to which the messenger greeted him first with a salute before handing him a scroll made out of animal skin. It was a dirty brown in color and a little bit bulky in his eyes as he was more used to using thin paper in his entire life.

Khao'khen unfurled the scroll to read its contents. In it, it says that the harvest was quite fruitful and yielded a lot more than what he had expected and Kul'tha already brought with him the necessary supplies for the expedition to begin. They arrived yesterday at the Fortress of Vir and is waiting for the next task that he will be given. It also says in it that the Ereians are now sufficiently trained in the fighting style that he taught them and the Skallser orcs were also eager to prove their worth to their new chieftain. There was also a part in the letter that stated the north of Yohan was somewhat embroidered in turmoil as more and more orcs traveled to their city and joined them.

While he was reading the upper parts of the letter, Khao'khen was smiling but after reaching its end, his forehead started to show wrinkles. He can't help but be worried about what was causing the turmoil in the lands north of his dominion. After thinking for a few moments, he stared at the three who were in front of him and then gave out his commands.

"Dug'mhar, lead your clansmen and make your presence be known to the enemies. Just show yourselves to the Ereians even in broad daylight, march around close to their camp if needed be. Just make sure to keep them on the edge and make them be on guard at all times but don't engage them in battle."

"Skorno, tell your kin to prepare for our journey back to the Fortress of Vir. We will be bringing with us our wounded."

"Why just show ourselves chief if we can just directly raid their camp and whittle down their numbers,chief? If they come after us, do we run away chief, and not give them a fight?" Dug'mhar questioned with a confused look on his face.

Khao'khen breathed out a heavy sigh while screaming inside his head 'Orcs and their thirst and hunger for battle, sure they are really crazy for a fight' but then it dawned on him that he is now one of them and his cravings for battle is almost as insane as them or even more than them when he goes out of control like something possessed him making him very insatiable in battle. Khao'khen needed an excuse to convince Dug'mhar and he quickly thought of one that was passable.

"We need some enemies to bloody those who Sakh'arran and the others trained to see if they are worthy to be brought along to fight with us or is their training effective. Don't worry, you'll face more enemies than you can handle later on." he spoke confidently with a smile.

After giving out his commands, Khao'khen was left alone inside his tent and began thinking about what he had learned from Adhalia. He once asked him why she decided to go north as opposed to the other directions knowing that the north is home to the orcs. And he was surprised by her answer, the south was the land of the beastfolks which doesn't seem so bad except for the fact that it was only hostile beastfolks to their south and not the friendly ones who you can try to communicate with and not try to shred you apart the moment they laid their eyes on you.

To the west which is by far, the furthest of all her options leads to a dead end with sharp cliffs and an endless expanse of water with nothing and no one in between after passing through the known borders of Ereia. And to the east was the Kingdom of Alberna and she doubted that the current ruler of Alberna would risk souring their relationship by harboring someone who the crazy heir of Ereia is trying to kill personally.

He wanted to know more about the new world that he was now in but Adhalia could only provide him with limited knowledge and to learn more about this world, he needs to go to more places and meet more creatures, creatures that he could communicate with. Setting everything aside, he can't help but admire the brains of the rulers of Alberna for their ability to convince their neighbors through trade and agreements after learning about them.

There wasn't just the Kingdom of Ereia nearby, there were also three more to their east with the Kingdom of Alberna as the closest. Thinking about the state that the Kingdom of Alberna had always been, Khao'khen can't help but pity them as they share their borders with three other kingdoms. They survived for hundreds of years and weren't invaded by their neighbors despite having a very weak military because of diplomacy and the ability to endure the bullying of their neighbors.

If the turmoil to the north isn't something serious, Khao'khen's had his eyes set to expand to the east first unless something really important comes up that will make him rethink his plans and priorities.