Empire Of Souls
/ Empire of Souls 120 Calm before the storm 3
"She is up here again, that angelic young lady."
"Mmm.. she has stood up here on the wall almost every day, what exactly is she hoping to see? Someone like her should be far away from the battlefield. She seems more suited to a ball than this godforsaken place."
Several soldiers nearby were whispering to each other thinking that no one could hear them, but their conversation couldn't escape the senses of Shelise and Eneran who were the subject of their conversation. They didn't care much about it though and continued to gaze off into the distance. Even Eneran didn't understand why they continued to stand on this wall day by day, but Shelise was adamant about it. He could only accompany her and continue to stand by her side.
"Do you feel that?"
Suddenly one of the soldiers gasped. There was a slight tremor which even those upon the wall could feel, but it was faint. It was as if it had originated from quite a distance away.
"Hmm, maybe it was just our imagination?"
"Not if we all felt it, there again!"
Another tremor, but this time it was much more noticeable than the first.
"This… should we warn the commanders? They might not have felt the tremors due to their celebrations."
Let's send someone just in case."
Another tremor, even larger than before. This time it was completely noticeable. Every soldier upon the walls felt it and many below the walls did too.
Just out of sight in the distance, the Horde was still assembled in their enormous camp which seemed to stretch into the horizon. There were several hundreds of thousands of barbarians who made camp there. Their numbers when grouped together were astonishing. For the past dozen hours there had been relative peace in the camp. This was a huge change from the prior chaos which had engulfed them after the assassinations and fire which had rampaged through their main camp. Here, Grobak was once more donning his armor and sharpening his axe. He smiled wickedly as he stared at his reflection in the gleaming blade.
"Grobak!" A loud voice from outside the command tent caught his attention. He knew exactly who the voice belonged to and his smile grew.
"Let him in, it is time anyway." Grobak said to a nearby Orc.
"Grobak! It is almost time. The deadline you yourself set will soon be up. Where is this supposed miracle you promised us? We have done nothing but sit in this camp!"
Ordak came storming into the tent with his subordinates close at his heels. He was filled with righteous indignation.
Grobak took it all in stride and placed his axe securely on his back, "I was just about to call for you. It is time to assemble the Horde! We will shortly storm through the Human stronghold and begin the massacre."
Ordak frowned, he couldn't understand exactly where Grobak's confidence came from.
"Hmph, what nonsense are you talking about? The gates and walls still stand strong!"
"Patience, by the time our Horde assembles and marches, those walls will no longer be a barrier to our victory." Grobak calmly replied.
Ordak grew visibly angry but stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.
He grunted and said with disdain instead, "We shall see. This is your last opportunity, let's hope this miracle of yours shows itself."
He then left with his subordinates to prepare the Harkul for battle.
"Are you sure about this Chief?" asked one of Ordak's subordinates as they left.
"Heh, this is an excellent opportunity. Once Grobak fails to produce his promised result, we will strike! This has given us a perfect justification to take back control and end a potential threat to our tribe. Let him have a few more moments of life. Once the Horde reaches the settlement and sees the walls still standing, who will still support that fool?"
Grobak spat violently on the dirt and sparse grass floor of the command tent. He watched Ordak leave with a strong killing intent. He quickly calmed himself and was reminded of the fact that Ordak would soon be dead. It was just a short time until he could finally rip him apart. The thought of slicing the bastard Orc up improved his mood.
"Haha.. whatever."
It was at that moment that he felt a tremor that shook the ground beneath him.
Grobak turned his head to look at an inconspicuous Orc near the entrance of the command tent.
"Right on time. Urdnak, go and assemble the Horde. It is time for us to march. Do not delay, quickly summon everyone!"
"Yes Chief!" replied Urdnak before rushing out of the tent.
Grobak then turned to the rest of his officers, "As for the rest of you, act as we have already discussed."
"Yes Chief!" replied the various officers of Grobak's tribe before they too rushed into action.
Grobak was left alone as he finished his own preparations and as he walked out of the tent and took a deep breath of fresh air, he chuckled.
"There is a change in the air. If not for master, I would probably have died in some shithole. But now.. I have a chance to rise! It is time I prove my worth to the master, but then again, it's really master who is doing all the work."
Grobak shook his head and sighed, "Well, I can only do what I am told for the time being! There will be plenty of time to prove my worth in the future. I will just have to ensure master's successful conquest of the Steppes for now. With his strength, that isn't too difficult, but conquering the minds and hearts of people isn't so simple. If I can ensure their worship of him, that should be a good contribution!"
The Horde soon moved into action like a behemoth, the tribes gathering and moving as one. Although they were chaotic, when it came time for bloodshed, they were always eager and quick to move. Their battle lines were disorderly and lacked the discipline of a well trained force, but their numbers and bloodthirst were truly overwhelming. Even the Human expeditionary force would not be able to defeat them if they were not holed up behind their formidable fortifications. They had truly prepared well for this expedition. Without their walls though, they would have no hope of winning.
At the head of the enormous Horde was Grobak, his tribe members close by and his entire force surrounding him. As for the Harkul, they were moving alongside Grobak's tribe and Ordak would occasionally flash Grobak a vicious grin. He was fully anticipating Grobak's failure, but Grobak couldn't care less. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
"Good boy! That's right, you will soon be able to feast on some Human flesh. You are looking forward to it, aren't you?" Grobak stroked the head of an enormous grey wolf he had recently subdued.
This was one of the benefits of becoming a temporary chief of the Horde, he could choose a mount from among the wolves. He had chosen the largest and most fierce of the pack which only surrendered once he had beaten it to an inch of its life. Now, the wolf strode forward with an arrogant step not minding Grobak on its back. After being subdued, it had become his loyal mount.
As Grobak swayed slightly from side to side, he glanced to both sides of the enormous snaking horde which stretched beyond the horizon.
'This is what it is meant to have power! The hearts and minds of millions, the strength to shatter your foe! It fills me with goosebumps.' Grobak silently thought, but then he realized something else.
"No, this is nothing."
"Did you say something Chief?" one of his subordinates nearby asked.
"Look, do not close your eyes. Soon you will see true power, the power of our god, our master, the one whom we worship and serve!"
Although his subordinate wasn't fully clear on what Grobak meant, he nodded and looked towards the distance beyond the settlement walls. He was waiting for something eagerly. He was already a devout follower of the master and had followed Grobak since he first formed their tribe.
Grobak then rode silently while enjoying this brief glimpse of power. The sounds of marching, shouting, and the grunts and screams of the horde only added to the ambiance of his demeanor.
Chapter end
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