《Rise of the Horde 》Chapter 172
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The next day, Aro'shanna and the troll skirt finally arrived at the Fortress of Vir. Aro'shanna just went in without care as he dragged the little Grogus behind her, who was carrying his cooking utensils and some of his ingredients.
"Where will I stay?" the female orc went up to a Yurakk who was the nearest to her and asked while slinging her battle-axe on her left shoulder. The Yurakk stared at Aro'shanna for a few moments while trying to remember who she was and it didn't take long before he remembered who she was, she was the trainer of Brazan and his kin and she was someone who was strong enough to stand toe to toe against two ogres at the same time and toy with them. Fear started to shroud his entire being as he remembered how scary she was when in combat.
"I-I... I will lead the way." he stuttered as he stiffly turned around and walked away first and headed towards one of the buildings that was near the command center which was reserved for the commanders. "Kik? Scaredy orc...kekeke..." Grogus laughed, but he quickly clammed his mouth shut when Aro'shanna gave him a stern gaze and yanked his arm and dragged him behind her. His arm was almost torn away from his shoulders with how powerful the female orc pulled his arms. The Yurakk who was leading the way was visibly trembling. The other Yurakks stared at their comrade with a look of pity but the expressions on their faces turned graver as they turned their attention at the little Grogus who was being pulled behind Aro'shanna, 'Poor goblin' they all thought but they don't have the courage to stand for the little goblin.
The other Yurakks just pretended that they saw nothing when Aro'shanna and Grogus being pulled behind her went past by them. Their gazes were looking far into the horizon as they didn't want to irk the female orc who was obviously in a bad mood.
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"This will be your quarters, now I'll excuse myself." the Yurakk who led the way saluted to Aro'shanna then turned around and walked away briskly. When he was a few meters away, his walk turned into a jog as he was in a hurry to get away from Aro'shanna as soon as possible.
"Tsk..." Gur'kan clicked his tongue at just transpired in front of him, but like the Yurakks, he also doesn't want to irk Aro'shanna, who is obviously displeased by something.
"Go cook." Aro'shanna pointed her finger towards her quarters as she ordered Grogus. The poor little goblin had no other choice but to obey, as he didn't want to suffer more pain. He walked inside the assigned quarters of Aro'shanna while all the luggage on his back which was totally too heavy for him to handle, but he gritted his teeth and continued to endure.
"What!?" Aro'shanna grumpily questioned Gur'kan, who was staring at her this whole time. "Nothing..." the skinny orc answered as he walked away while grumbling something, but it was too soft that Aro'shanna couldn't make out what he was grumbling about. She turned her gaze to the Yurakks, who quickly evaded her gaze as they too walked away in different directions, but they were all distancing themselves from her.
*****
Inside the command center, in the hall, Sakh'arran, Draegh'ana, Trot'thar, Maghazz, Adhalia and Xiao Chen were having a discussion.
"In the addition to the Third, Fourth, Sixth and Eight Warbands you will also take the First Warband with you and inform Dug'mhar that he and his clansmen will be joining you on your attempt to convince your fellow Ereians. The Verakhs will move in the shadows, the First till Eight Squad will be mobilized. Trot'thar and Sakh'arran will be with you too." Xiao Chen muttered as he stared at Adhalia who had a determined look on her face.
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"I'll go with her too, chief. Ulfrus will function as her steed for the meantime to make a grand entrance." Draegh'ana suggested, which made Adhalia turn towards her with a confused look on her face.
Adhalia thought that the female orc would be happy since she will be out on a mission and which in turn will allow her to accompany the chief by herself, but the worried look of Draegh'ana which was directed to her made her realized something. The female orc now treats her as one of their own.
"Will do. The others will maintain security for the fortress and help in training the Skalsser orcs even just a bit. After you do your task, return as soon as possible. We will just wait for the supplies to arrive, then the expedition to the south will start." Xiao Chen muttered as he traced his fingers on the edge of the map.
"I will do my best to convince them, chief." Adhalia answered as she saluted, then went out first to inform Dug'mhar. She walked with steady steps and with full confidence, but deep inside her heart, she was really nervous. She clutched the pendant on her chest, which contained the crest of the Darhkariss as she prayed to their ancestors to watch over her and aid her in fulfilling her mission.
"If... I say if... Things don't go well. You have to get her out quickly and exterminate all the Ereians to the last man. None of them should survive if they will be hostile. Hide somewhere nearby first and don't show your full strength, but if things go south, let them taste the wrath of the horde." Xiao Chen stared at eyes of all those inside the hall with a serious look.
The commanders inside the tent all replied in unison, "Yes chief!" as they saluted their chieftain and walked out to prepare themselves for the mission. Xiao Chen watched as the Amazferr took hold of the Golden Wolf, then turned to him to render his salute. "I'll return with the wolf or I shall die trying to return it." the Amazferr muttered as he saluted before carefully carrying the Wolf outside to join those who were assigned for the mission.
Xiao Chen walked out of the command center and watched his warriors assemble in their formation. He headed towards the walls with all the warriors in their full gear saluting at him as he went past by them. While he was on the walls, he saw the squads of Verakhs who already departed first as they scattered in their respective groups and headed towards their designated areas of responsibility. The Verakhs quickly disappeared into the woods and beyond the hills after a few moments of Xiao Chen keeping an eye on them.
It didn't take long for the main force for the mission that he had assigned to move out of the fortress. The Wolf leading the way while being flanked by the two highest Guidon Bearers carrying the banners. The Skalsser orcs watched the spectacle with curious eyes, as this was by far the biggest mobilization of their new friends had done. They too wanted to join in, but they were informed that their new friends will just be out to fetch some new friends of theirs.
Xiao Chen continued to watch his warriors in their orderly line till he could no longer spot even a vague silhouette of them. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts, he went down from the walls with a very serious look in his eyes. The Skalsser Tribe will now know why he was called a devil by many or all of his warriors.
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8 273BODY&SHADOW
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8 194Contact Through Voided Lenses
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Edit: Fixed some inaccuracies in the synopsis. The void is a vast unexplored ocean filled with various wonders and dangers all waiting to be explored by those brave enough to travel and record. Many souls do find themselves brave enough to face the vast distances, the various risks to personal safety and do the hundreds of task required on a craft. However, at times the void itself can be boring with absolutely nothing to do but as time pass and more and better technology is reached, things got better. The various trips got faster, communications became faster than light and you can be home to see your loved ones after only months now. Through the various planets whether rocky or gaseous, the various stars whether small or giant, the various systems both eerily similar or completely alien. As part of an expeditionary scientific exploratory survey craft, one could see that the void offers no reprieve from all the discoveries and wonders. At times, it can feel empty and silent where no soul can hear you scream and at others it can be overwhelming with sudden phenomenon that can overwhelm the brightest of minds. The void itself is a truly fascinating ocean where one must chart the various islands or drown in its deadly tidal waves. But the question still remained no matter how you try to hide it in of itself… is there truly other intelligent life out there? Are we alone in this ocean? Those very questions still haunt the minds of those on the crafts themselves as they brace for every jump ready for the unknown and the known. Many would try to explain that yes there is other intelligent life out there whilst other still say no after 2 centuries of continuous flight out of the home system. Still, those are questions that bury deep in the minds of the crew and those at home as the voidcraft jumps to a system with a single yellow star orbited by 8 other planets with one crowning blue jewel being the 3rd closest with its 5 oceans and 7 continents, a planet called Dirt which is inhabited by a primitive species called Humanity. Hello, author here and this is my newest dive into writing particularly for the Writathon currently in progress being my first one. I hope you give me story a try but in case you still want more information on what you’re getting into, below are some pointers about the story itself. First Contact: CTVL is a story about a first contact scenario between an advanced alien civilization and a slightly more advanced modern day humanity on their planet called Dirt. Characters: The story will take place mainly on the perspective of the alien visitors themselves though there will be human POV characters who will show how the rest of humanity react through media and forums. Action: It won’t be an actual alien invasion but you have to see for yourself how well first contact went. Sci-Fi: I will be very forward here, I WILL bend the rules of physics in order to add in parts of the plot and there WILL be parts that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Theme: It will be a brooding story talking about the futility of pe… Just kidding, it’s mostly wholesome stuff to be honest here. Alien: The aliens themselves will… actually why should I tell you, you have to go and read it to find out what the aliens are though I will draw a few things here and there to aid in the process. Extra tidbit: If you are a grammar nazi or someone who really wants a realistic scifi story... this story is probably not for you at all. Anyways, that’s pretty much all I can say before I spoil something major of the plot itself, the story is slice of life so make sure that type of story is what you like because I am terrible with anything else as I found out, anyways, have a good time everyone and good luck to the other Writathon participants.
8 158Once in a Blue Sun
First, the Blue Screens came, Transforming their lives into a game, Kevin's got a bomb, what a shame, Life will never ever be the same.
8 351Sins Of The Angels
THE WAR BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL STARTS HEREA hard-as-nails cop... Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis is up against a serial killer unlike any she's ever encountered. She has neither time nor patience for the arrogant new partner assigned to her in the middle of the case, but he seems hellbent on getting in her way-and under her skin-at every turn.An undercover hunter... A millennium ago, Aramael sentenced his own brother to eternal exile. Now the fallen angel is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm, and it's up to Aramael to stop him-and to keep the stubborn human police officer out of his path.A world made to pay for the sins of the angels... With tensions flaring between them and Alex's uncanny ability to see him for who he really is, Aramael's mission and his soul are both in serious danger. Can he and Alex work together to capture the fallen one? Or will Aramael end up committing a sin more unspeakable than that of his brother?
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