Chương 87: Chapter 86 The Grand Chief’s Expedition

The following morning, fifty warriors and fifty women gathered at the settlement entrance. They had been selected during the previous day's meeting.

"Krahahaha! Parker looks forward to seeing your skill! Surely a warrior of your size can kill at least one Horn Boar!"

"One swing of Kaden's axe would split a Horn Boar in half! Krahahaha!" Kaden and Parker were already burning with competitive spirit.

"Chief Parker must not become flustered merely because the weapons are unfamiliar! Victory gained through unfairness would only insult a warrior!"

"Flustered by an unfamiliar weapon? That accusation itself insults a warrior! Krahahaha!" Had they been humans, the exchange might have sounded like two rivals provoking one another through psychological warfare. That was not what was happening. Both genuinely desired a fair contest and wore delighted smiles as they laughed. Karath became certain of one thing. Should the tribes ever encounter humans, he could never bring these two along for diplomacy. They might prove useful at the front during a war.

"Krahahaha! Grand Chief, Parker Doubleaxes will win with the weapons you bestowed upon him!" When Karath approached, Parker tightened his grip upon the two axes in his hands, perfectly matching the name Doubleaxes. The tendons along both arms stood out vividly. The weapons were two drake-bone axes temporarily borrowed from Bloodclaw warriors. Karath's personal axe contained a magical engraving, and he was the only warrior capable of activating it. Giving it to Parker would have been inefficient.

It was certainly not because Karath simply refused to hand it over. The two warriors lending their axes were remaining in the settlement. They also still possessed their older weapons made from ogre bone. Those might have been inferior to drake bone, but they remained perfectly useful. Taking a weapon back from an orc warrior could easily cause resentment. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

However, when Karath explained that the weapons were needed to guard the Grand Chief, both warriors surrendered them without complaint. Their true purpose was the contest between Parker and Kaden rather than Karath's protection. The reaction would probably be entertaining if the owners discovered that fact. Karath could still argue that remaining behind to defend the tribe was also an important duty for a warrior. Very few orcs possessed enough intelligence to make that argument for themselves.

Perhaps Krog was one of them.

"Krog, is everything ready?"

"Yes, Grand Chief." Krog answered formally after approaching from behind. Only two days earlier, they had spoken as friends. The moment Karath became Grand Chief, Krog adopted a deeply respectful attitude, even when the two were alone. For someone intelligent by orc standards, he was surprisingly inflexible about hierarchy.

"Then we depart." At Karath's brief command, the group of one hundred left the settlement and began moving toward the river. The five united tribes possessed approximately one hundred warriors in total. With fifty joining the expedition, Karath was taking roughly half their military strength. Even so, he did not feel particularly concerned about the settlement. The surrounding forest had become so filled with traps that ordinary monsters could barely approach.

Even if a creature comparable to an ogre appeared, the warriors carrying drake-bone weapons and the defensive device entrusted to Kairin should handle a single attack without serious trouble. Even a drake could probably be stopped once, although the settlement would suffer damage. What if something stronger than a drake appeared? Their losses would be catastrophic even if every warrior remained in the village, so worrying about such an impossible situation accomplished nothing.

Seventeen warriors of the original Bloodclaw Tribe and thirty-five from the other tribes remained behind. Karath's expedition included sixteen Bloodclaw warriors, counting himself, and thirty-four warriors from the other tribes. The standard used to divide them was simple. Age. Expansion would continue for years. Rather than take warriors who would soon retire and become elders, it made more sense to bring younger and healthier fighters.

Whatever the reasoning, a procession of one hundred orcs could not move through the forest without attracting monsters.

"GRAAAAAH!" Creatures repeatedly emerged to attack the group on its way toward the river.

"Krahahaha! Come, monsters!"

"Krahahaha! You must pass through Parker first!" Each time, two orcs more terrifying than the monsters charged forward like madmen.

"Haa..."

"Should we truly leave those two alone, Grand Chief?" Krog sighed at the sight, while Dagon, who had been selected because of his youth, asked the question.

"Leave those two to Karath. You and Krog command the rest of the warriors."

"Understood, Grand Chief."

"Understood, Grand Chief." The two answered instantly and began issuing orders.

"Do not attempt to kill it! Strike once and retreat!"

"Warriors of the five tribes, only draw its attention!"

"Bloodclaw warriors carrying drake-bone weapons will deliver the final attacks!" The warriors from the other tribes carried inferior equipment and therefore focused upon distracting the monsters. The original Bloodclaw fighters used their drake-bone weapons to finish them. Krog was already accustomed to tactical combat after working beside Karath for years. Dagon was intelligent and had learned these methods while staying with Bloodclaw. Experienced commanders did not automatically create experienced soldiers.

Most of the warriors had never fought alongside one another, and their impatient orc temperaments made coordination difficult at first. Several nearly received fatal blows from the monsters.

"Aero Shield." Whenever that happened, Karath used magic to protect the warrior in danger.

"Follow your orders!"

"Any warrior who fights however he pleases will be punished in the Grand Chief's name!" Krog and Dagon clearly disliked seeing warriors placed in danger and roared warnings at anyone beginning to lose control. Naturally, those warnings did not include Kaden and Parker.

"Krahahaha! Brother Kaden, Parker has already killed seven!"

"Those were all weak creatures! Kaden just split open a troll's skull! Krahahaha!"