Rise of the Horde-Chapter 405 -

The skies were dark and ominous as the human army of Threia marched forward towards the orcish lands. The orcs had been at war for centuries with them.

The air hummed with anticipation as the Threian army, led by the formidable General Farus, marched through the barren orcish lands. Their swords, honed to a razor's edge, glinted in the sunlight, a testament to their unwavering determination.

The orcs, was a scourge upon the human settlements that were on the edges of the kingdom. It was now time for them to mete out their punishment. This was not a simple conquest, however, but a crucial turning point in a long-standing conflict.

The human soldiers, equipped with their advanced weapons and battle-tested tactics, moved with a practiced efficiency that sent shivers down the spines of even the most hardened orcish warriors.

In previous battles, standing amongst the human ranks was a group of figures unlike any other. The elves, with their ethereal grace and piercing beautiful eyes, radiated an air of otherworldly beauty. The elves, draped in silken robes and adorned with intricate silver jewelry, held an air of refined elegance that contrasted sharply with the stoic demeanor of the human soldiers.

The elves, with their whispers of ancient spells and their potent arrows imbued with enchantments, seemed to dance upon the battlefield, their movements as graceful as the wind.

Deadly as they were, the orcs had a hard time dealing with the elves. They had no way to get near the elves as the human knights kept them at bay. Every charge that the orcs launched was met with a counter charge by the human knights. A wall of iron was created by the knights, keeping the orcs away from the elves as they fire away with their spells and arrows.

The human mages were already a huge problem for the orcs. Their shamans finding it hard to outclass their counterparts and with the addition of the elves and their ancient magic, the orcs were having a really hard time.

The orcs took noticed of the missing elves from the ranks of the humans, no more powerful arrows raining down on them. The absence of the elves made the orcs somewhat relieved.

The arrival of the human army came too sudden, like a storm out of nowhere. Their ranks filled with warriors clad in polished armor, their weapons gleaming with the sun. They moved with a chilling efficiency, their disciplined formations sweeping across the land, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

The orcish tribes, fractured by centuries of conflict among themselves, were ill-prepared for such an attack.

It was many decades ago when such an attack have been launched upon their lands. They had fought each other many times in the past years but it was them the orcs who was raiding the pinkskins' lands and not the other way around.

Many of the orcish tribes only fought for their own tribe's survival which greatly aided the advancing Threian army. The human army, a tide of iron and fury, swept across the orcish lands, crushing any resistance encountered. Their advance was swift and merciless, driven by a singular goal: the complete elimination of the orcs.

The soldiers didn't know why their king suddenly decided to completely eradicate the orcs but they were in agreement to his decision, the orcs have plagued their kingdom long enough.

The news of the human invasion spread through the orcish lands like wildfire. The once-proud tribes, now fractured and vulnerable, found themselves facing complete destruction. Some tribes already ceased to exist under the iron blade of the humans. The shadow of war hung heavy over the land, its cold grip squeezing the life out of the scattered orcish tribes.

The orc warriors, known for their ferocity and strength, were forced to confront the reality of their own division. They had fought amongst themselves, wasting their strength and leaving themselves vulnerable to the human advance. The very existence of their kind was now being threatened by the advancing Threian army.

Some tribes that had surviving members fled down south. Their numbers now severely lacking to be even considered a tribe. There was only one fate for such members, to be absorbed and merged to still existing strong tribes. The revival of their initial tribe was still a possibility if they were lucky enough, but if not, then the tribe would really cease to exist.

There had been many of such tribes, long forgotten in passing of time.

To the south of the orcish lands, the orcs under the leadership of Khao'khen thrived. Towering concrete walls secured the city and abundant fields of grain made sure that they wouldn't starve. The multitude of races that belongs to Yohan was far from the troubles of the north.

Although they were far away from the chaos, the warriors of Yohan were prepared to give the advancing Threian army a rude awakening. They would slap them with the reality that they weren't unlike the tribes that they had dealt with before.

On the high walls of the city, the orc warriors were always on the look-out for the first sign of trouble. The Tauren Guards patrolled the streets ensuring safety and order, especially with the survivors from the north that had recently joined them.

If the lands to the north was Gehenna, then the lands under the control of Yohan would be considered Elysium.

Orc mobs patrolled the edges of the territory seriously. No pinkskins would be able to slip pass them silently.

*****

Far to the south, in the kingdom that sits in the Burning Sands, the war was still far from over.

Khao'khen had finally made a decision after considering everything. They would make use of the cautious approach when dealing with the enemy army. The reason why he chose the cautious way instead of the most direct one was because of the report of Kul'tha.

With their supply lines being threatened by a raiding party, they can't lay siege upon the capital without worries. The enemy might use starving tactic to defeat them. They have to secure their supply lines first before laying siege upon the capital. The heart of the kingdom was known to boast formidable defenses and can't be taken down easily.

The next day, the scouts sent out by the side of the horde noticed the enemy camp fortifying their defenses.

"They are digging in?" Khao'khen mumbled to himself after making his way to the walls after receiving reports of the enemy's movements. Although his line of sight was not as powerful as that of Trot'thar, he could still get a good glimpse of the enemy camp.

The once simple walls of the enemy camp were now fortified with dirt. Sharp wooden stakes were also scattered around the two meter deep ditch that surrounded the camp.

"It seems like they are going to be here for a long time," Zaraki commented. Attacking the enemy camp just became harder after the fortifications that they have set up.

"Those defensive additions would still be rendered useless though with a charge from the Rhakaddon Cavalry, the ogres or our fine new addition, the War Elephants," Faynah scoffed as she too kept her gaze at the busy enemy camp.

A charge from one of those units could trample the defenses set up by the enemy army, the ogres especially.

"What do we chief?" Sakh'arran questioned. The horde was still eager to fight and such defensive measures were far from being able to stump the might of the horde. The orcs were willing to take up the vanguard position if permitted by the chieftain.

"If those defensive additions give them a sense of security, let them be. We can always slap them with the reality that such contraptions wouldn't be able to stop us." Khao'khen said. He just needed his warriors to have some rest before engaging in another battle.

Far to the north of the battlefield between the Ereian army and the horde, a group of soldiers were marching south. Their pace was so slow that an old lady would be even able to overtake them.

To the center of the marching column was a huge wagon being pulled by multiple camels. The object being transported seemed to be very bulky and heavy because of the enormous size of the wagon being use and the numbers of camels use to transport it. There were two of such objects being protected at the very center of the marching columns.

The item was of a very great importance which could be observed from the protection that it had. They were transporting weapons that the king said to be able to turn the tides of war easily. Most of the soldiers didn't have any idea what they were transporting but there some that had a hunch what it might be.

The observant ones would clearly notice the two missing pieces from the walls that were always there ever since the walls of the capital had been erected. Those mighty weapons can cause a lot of destruction and whoever was unfortunate enough to be in its line of fire would cease to exist.