Rise of the Horde

"Let me deal with these bastards," Barika finally came out from where he was hiding with a boastful tone in his voice. He unsheathed his weapon and stood with confidence in the open looking down on the three contraptions that were slowly making their way towards the gate. Barika channeled his battle energy throughout his body and concentrated it on his weapon, "Take this!" he yelled as he slashed towards the closest enemy battering ram in his sight.

A blade of thick battle energy flew towards the lead battering ram and with a loud crash; its front was smashed into pieces. The spikes and bones covering the contraption did not protect against the attack of Barika and the orcs who were at the forefront were heavily wounded by the attack.

"There is more where that came from!" Barika roared toward the orcs. His roar earned him a few objects being thrown toward him by the orcs who were pushing the now-destroyed battering ram. Among the objects that were thrown were the tusks of the war elephant's skull which narrowly missed him by a few inches.

Frightened by the response of their foes, Barika hid behind the cover of the walls.

"Archers! Focus on the destroyed enemy ram!" an officer among the Ereians quickly directed the archers to shoot at the now incapacitated enemy siege engine. Flaming arrows began raining down heavily upon the wrecked battering ram and embers finally began consuming it.

The two remaining battering rams continued towards the walls while the orcs who had theirs destroyed moved towards the remaining two to help in moving it.

"Pour down the black sludge," an officer who was guarding the gates ordered towards his men. Through the openings on the side of the walls, oil began pouring down and bathed the two battering rams.

"Do you smell that?" one of the orcs noticed the unique scent of oil and raised a question to his comrades.

"Probably Urduk who hasn't taken a bath for a week now," the orc behind him answered with a chortle which then caused the others to laugh. Urduk who was on the other battering ram had no idea that he was being badmouthed. "I haven't seen him take a bath once since we entered these lands." Another orc commented.

"No not that smell," the orc who noticed the odor of oil can't quite remember where he had smelled it before but he had a hunch that it was something not good. His senses were screaming of danger but he couldn't figure out from where. His first suspicion was that the scent was something poisonous but he quickly threw that notion away since he wouldn't be able to remember it if that was the case, he would have been long dead.

"Are you bastards feeling cold!? Let me warm you up!" the officer who was in charge of the gates shouted towards the orcs then threw down a torch at the now oil-covered battering rams.

The flames caught the oil quickly and soon, the battering rams were engulfed in a fiery blaze. Most of the orcs who were pushing the rams were caught by surprise and tried to flee but it was too late. Their screams of agony and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The Ereians watched as the enemy siege engines were destroyed and the orcs who were manning them were burning alive.

Barika couldn't help but feel satisfied with the outcome. He had taken down one of the battering rams and his men had successfully destroyed the other two. He knew that the battle was far from over but this small victory gave him hope.

As the smoke from the burning rams cleared, the Ereians could see the remaining orcs who survived the fiery blaze retreating.

Sakh'arran had not expected such resistance from the Ereians and had suffered serious losses. He was now losing confidence in his ability to command.

But Sakh'arran was not willing to give up yet. He had to prove that him, being named by the chieftain as the Horde Chief was something that he deserved. His initial attack might have faltered against the defense of the enemy but he was not going to give up. The siege could last for many days or might even take months but he was not someone who easily gave up against such a challenge.

"Soften them up more," he commanded then the First Kanikarr Corps began another round of rain of rocks against the enemy defenses. The downpour of rocks lasted for a few hours and the Ereians couldn't do anything against it.

Khao'khen who was watching at the rear remained quiet about the situation. He had given full control of the horde to Sakh'arran although he had many ideas in his head on how to take down the enemy fort. His chosen Horde Chief was still in the process of learning the proper ways of war and unlike the other races, the orcish way of war was simple, an out attack, brutal but simple, and also had a huge risk of getting easily defeated.

As the rocks continued to rain down upon them, Barika couldn't help but feel frustrated. He knew that they couldn't hold out for much longer against the relentless assault. Although he wanted to head out of the fort and launch a sudden attack against the enemy siege engines, he couldn't risk it. There was already a plan in motion and he just had to stick with it. He was aware that he and his soldiers inside the fort would be easily destroyed by the orcish army that was up against them if they fought them head-on out in the open. The consecutive defeats of their side were testament enough that the orcs had the upper hand in an open battle and he had no plans on being added to the list of the defeated by the orcs.

"Chief, the sneaky fellows have been caught by the Verakhs," a warrior came to Sakh'arran to report. He had already forgotten about the existence of the figure that Trot'thar had noticed before. "Very well, take me to them," the warrior then led him towards where the captives were being held.

Sakh'arran walked briskly, his heart beating rapidly with excitement. The thought of capturing spies from the enemy's camp made him feel at ease. He would make an example out of them, show the Ereians what happens to those who dared to cross their path. "Bring them out," he barked at the Verakhs, flanked by his most trusted warriors. The Verakhs dragged out five hooded figures and pushed them onto their knees. Sakh'arran walked up to the first captive and ripped off their hood. He was surprised to see that it was a woman, a beautiful one, at that. She had jet-black hair and hazel eyes that sparkled despite the fear that she was feeling. Sakh'arran's heart skipped a beat as he gazed into her eyes. He could feel that the woman was no easy foe if he encountered her on the field of battle.