Chapter 13: Despair… Light of Hope
The general's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "FALLBACK... KEEP GUARDING AND FALLBACK!" but his order was met with hesitation, the soldiers faltering for a split second in confusion.
How could they retreat now when victory seemed so close? Yet as the vanguard began to disengage, a new threat emerged from the depths of the orcish ranks—a line of colossal, muscular orcs whose brown skin set them apart from the green-skinned foot soldiers they had faced before.
These were no ordinary warriors; their movements were deliberate, calculated, and terrifyingly efficient. They didn't swing their clubs recklessly but instead used their feet to kick shields out of position, exploiting even the smallest openings with brutal precision.
When humans stumbled, they struck without mercy, their clubs arcing through the air like executioner's axes. Some grabbed soldiers by punching straigth through their defenses, lifting them high into the air before swinging their clubs with horrifying force—like baseball players aiming for a home run.
The battlefield turned into a strom of flying bodies as human forces crumbled under this unexpected onslaught. Atop the fortress wall, Elder Alaric's shout shattered the stunned silence.
"I can't believe it—it's real! I thought it was just a myth!" his words carried a weight that sent chills down everyone's spines.
Elder Cedric, wide-eyed and pale, demanded answers. "what?! What are you talking about?" Alaric's response came in a trembling voice, disbelief etched into every syllable.
"when I was a child, my father took me to one of our allied kingdoms. During a meeting, I overheard a general speaking of ranks within the orc hordes. Those green-skinned ones we've been fighting—they're mere foot soldiers, cannon fodder. Above them are Orc Chieftains, stronger and smarter. And above them..." he swallowed hard, dread creeping into his tone.
"... are Orc Champions. Only five to ten exist per horde, their dark-red skin marking them as apex predators. Their abilities? Double or triple that of a chieftain. And leading them all is the Orc King, nearly indistinguishable from the Champions save for the necklace of fangs around its neck—each fang representing an orc it defeated to claim its throne."