104 Onset of battle 2

Lenia pulled her horse closer to Aleks, \"Master, I don't think I have ever seen so many people and animals in one place.\"

\"This is only one part of the horde. If the entire horde were here it would be like locusts blanketing the earth.\"

Lariel giggled, \"Aren't you over exaggerating? There aren't that many mortals living on the Steppes.\"

\"There's enough.\" Aleks replied calmly.

Lenia eyed Lariel with a bit of hostility, \"Will we just watch master?\"

Aleks didn't respond immediately, he was busily surveying the area below until his eyes settled on one location.

\"Nelay.\"

Nelay suddenly appeared next to Aleks in a kneeling position, \"Yes, master?\"

\"Find Grobak, I have already informed him to prepare his people. It will soon be time and he will need to act quick to avoid the coming storm.\"

Nelay disappeared from the hill and there were only the three still remaining.

\"Will Grobak and his tribe be okay?\"

\"There is no need to worry. Soon, the battlefield will become extremely chaotic and this will present an opportunity for Grobak and his tribe. Grobak's tribe will use the chaos of the battle to escape while he completes his mission. Also, Nelay will be by his side, what need he fear from this rabble?\"

Lenia understood her master's words and nodded, \"Right.\"

\"Such a worrywart, aren't you?\" teased Lariel causing Lenia to mutter something angrily.

\"This is a good spot, let's wait here until the battle begins.\"

Aleks dismounted his horse and motioned for the others to do the same.

\"My illusion spell will keep us out of their sights, so just relax. I also brought a comfortable fur to lay on while we enjoy some fruits.\"

Lariel pulled a white silky fur seemingly out of nowhere and laid it on the hill. It was very large and beautifully adorned. Lenia couldn't recognize the animal it came from. Lariel then sat on the fur and called Aleks over to come rest is head on her lap, causing Lenia to scrunch her face in anger.

Aleks ignored their bickering and laid down on the fur while resting his head on Lariel's lap. She pulled a container of fruits out of nowhere once more and began to feed him while giggling. Lenia was completely incensed by this, but couldn't bring herself to say anything about it. Instead she walked over to the edge of the hill to watch the events below. She gripped her sword hilt firmly and struggled to keep her jealousy and anger in check.

She watched silently and cringed every time she heard Lariel's playful banter and annoying laughter. She desperately wanted to be in her position at that moment.

Through the throng of densely packed barbarians of a multitude of tribes, Nelay flashed through the shadows without anyone noticing she had ever been there. She headed swiftly through the camps of the barbarian tribes and eventually made her way towards the camp where Grobak's tribe was located. They had been positioned on the southern side of the city walls and had yet to see any significant fighting.

With Aleks's ability, 'Astral Projection', Grobak had already been informed of his master's arrival and the impending attack by the Dragonmen. Aleks's 'Astral Projection' ability was extremely useful as it couldn't be detected by normal means and only those using divine senses might be able to detect it. He had been able to use his ability to scout out the entirety of the battlefield and the expeditionary army behind the settlement walls.

He had even already detected and scouted the Dragonmen army approaching. There was nothing that had escaped his detection and he was well aware of the situation. The only thing that had strangely escaped his detection was the location of his sister. Most likely due to the influence of Tihr. This was his greatest concern at the moment.

\"You're here.\"

Grobak was seated in his own personal tent and already knew Nelay had arrived. Normally, he would never have been able to detect her presence, but she had let him know she had arrived.

\"You received master's orders?\" she asked.

\"Yes, I was only waiting for you to arrive, but why do I feel the aura of a Legendary being from you?\" asked Grobak angrily.

He knew she had intentionally leaked her aura to him and this really pissed him off. Just when he felt he had finally caught up to her and could possibly even beat her in a fight, she was now already a Legendary being?

Nelay appeared from the shadows and held her hand over her mouth. He could clearly tell she was just laughing at him with contempt.

After meeting with Nelay, Grobak made his way towards the commander of the southern siege forces. The commander was a Master class being who served the chieftain of the Harkul tribe. No one knew his name and he only liked to be addressed by his title, Ravenous.

As a Master class being, he was quite powerful and his class and abilities were focused on offensive might and speed. Despite his renown, Grobak secretly disdained him and didn't consider him a match for his strength. Grobak was a High Orc and Ravenous was just a regular Orc. Grobak didn't even put him in his sight. However, due to the current circumstances, Grobak had to show a modicum of respect towards him.

\"Ravenous.\" Grobak grunted while clasping his hands and giving a slight nod.

\"Grobak, what brings you here?\" Ravenous replied in a gruff voice.

Ravenous, despite being a normal Orc, was still quite large and muscular. He also wore a suit of scale armor which was enchanted. Although Orcs didn't have many capable smiths who could forge armor of steel or other metals, this didn't mean they had none. There was also significant trade between the tribes of the Steppes and other regions or nations.

Most Orcs did not possess much more than fur, hide, or leather armor, but the Harkul were a powerful tribe and were able to outfit their soldiers in a variety of armor types. For a Master class being like Ravenous, it was a simple matter to acquire better equipment.

Grobak briefly surveyed the tent that Ravenous had made his command center. It was littered with a variety of tribal junk that Grobak could only sneer at. Although Grobak had once been a small character among the tribes and had even been treated terribly, he now considered himself to be a superior race to the tribal Orcs and looked down on such antiquated trash. The Orcs had once been majestic, but now had been reduced to such a pitiful state.

Grobak kept his thoughts to himself and simply said, \"I have a request.\"

\"Oh? What request?\"

\"I want to lead the attack on the walls today.\" replied Grobak calmly.

\"Hmm, that's a strange request. Our chieftain values you greatly, why would you want to put yourself in danger when we haven't yet committed to a real battle? There is no need for you and your tribe to waste your lives. Let the weaker tribes die against their walls.\"

Ravenous too felt a bit of appreciation for this powerful High Orc before him and didn't want to see him throw his life away. It wasn't easy for such a talent to develop on the Steppes and being at the peak of Master class while still so young, there was a good chance he would advance to Legendary. For the tribes who didn't have many characters at the Legendary level, this was a big deal.

\"Not to worry, I am confident in the ability of my tribe and it is time they had a chance to see some combat. You should know that we are still a young tribe and they need some experience in battle to weed out the weaklings. These are losses we can afford and this is a good opportunity. I am not a fool, if the situation becomes unmanageable, we will just retreat. Sitting in the camp and doing nothing is becoming boring anyway, time for a little fun.\"

Grobak grinned wickedly causing Ravenous to chuckle. Ravenous could understand his feelings and nodded his head. Of course what Ravenous didn't know was that Grobak wasn't grinning because of the words he said, he was grinning thinking about how these Orcs would soon be dead and how unlucky they were to become pawns in his master's plans.

\"Alright, but make sure you fall back if things get dangerous. We can't afford to lose you.\"

\"Haha, we will have a drink later once the fighting is over!\" Grobak said happily.

Ravenous grunted in reply and the two conversed for a short time until Grobak finally left to prepare. What Ravenous didn't see was Grobak's smile that was filled with nothing but contempt.