It was easy enough to reach the caravan, they were wary at my presence and seemed to pick up speed so they didn't piss me off.
These orcs were the more human kind, flesh orcs, they had male and female counterparts and reproduced as all other huminoids did and had real souls.
The other kind of orcs were stone orcs, born and bred by foul concoctions and forces their womb was often stone or mud.
Stone orcs could be made to have genatalia and breed but the children would not be as powerful nor consistent, that was the case for most stone orcs until Uruk-kái.
Uruk-kái were a creation of mine/Sauron, the sex cells of orcs and humans were combined with the power of myself/Sauron and bred in the earth to steal whatever additional power they could.
They formed a proto-soul which by default made them better than any other stone orc and gave them a will to do evil and in some cases good, it also gave them a drive which could be easily manipulated into warring just as flesh orcs could be manipulated.
Stone orcs were superior for their consistency and speed of production, and if they were granted genatalia then your production multiplies while retaining a fighting unit as female orcs can fight pregnant, though the number of still births is high and infant mortality is higher still.
The only way to ensure a high yield of births for gendered stone orcs is too skew the number of male orcs, 15-20% male and the rest female is most efficient, this pattern is commonly found in wild orc packs as well which only proves it effectiveness further.
The logic of orcs gave me peace of mind, the peace being a rough friction to prevent anymore slips.
If I could I'd smile down on the stream of orcs, they were currently double-timing through a long grassed wetland.
A glint caught my eye.
"AMBUSH! AMBUSH!" I bellowed out.
The orcs were already on guard giving them enough time to draw their weapons and face the elven scouts that were prone in the 'blanket' grasses. Funnily enough they were caught off guard in their own ambush.
Despite the numbers weighing the scales to my side, I did not like the odds, I'd win but at the cost of too many orcs.
There was an unorganized charge against the elves who numbered 13 by my count.
Orcs began dropping as their archers loosed arrows, then the melee began and the orcs were losing.
They were not targeting the archers while our own archers were in no position to assist.
"Attack the archers, don't move in patterns!" I commanded.
They did, and the Elves noticed both the order and my presence. An arrow flew at me, it'd go through me, it didn't the dwarven ring of power stung as it went flying.
The pain sent me to the real world, or one of the real world's it was hard to say.
"Ughhhh" air escaped my lungs as if I'd had the wind knocked out of me.
Luna was lowered her magazine to see me wincing in pain, the world was going by outside the train.
I forced myself back asleep.
I was a black vapor laying over a pool of water, I reformed into a huminoid mist. A few squat orcs stood around watching.
"Lord, the elves is dead, none escaped, lost 42."
"A shame... gather the dead, do whatever with them I've no mind for orc undertakers..."
I changed my attitude. "I've lost something a blue gem'd ring find it!!!"
"Of course my lord." The closest thing to the leader answered before relaying the orders. The two orcs next to the leader had been dispatched to lead the search for the ring.
If we lost 42, then 112 remain, suitable for my intents even if we lost half our number it'd be fine and we might, elven ambushes were likely and attrition from crossing the Aunduin.
I began to search for my ring; if I were corporal that ring wouldn't have flown off but no use in dwelling on what could've been.
I called over spare orcs and gave them a command, they were quick to leave me and within a half hour one of them called out.
My eyes immediately fixated on him, he had been wading through a puddle but stopped and began wriggling his foot.
"It's under my heel." The pale-red thing proclaimed.
I floated over, "raise your leg slowly, I shall retrieve it." He did so slowly, I flattened myself to get a better veiw as I reached down with my black mist hand. It slid so naturally onto my finger.
"You've done good." I raised my hand upwards letting the sun catch the gem but the smoke of the 42 burning orcs blotched it out. "Give me your name."
The orc stared up at me, his fear palpable, literally, I could taste it.
"I've no name." Curious, Orc culture was fascinating just for its diversity.
"Then I shall name you... The Rising Red, that is your dubbing." It would help him fit in better with the greater orc culture.
"Thank you lord."
I liked him for no reason. "I give you rank as well. Sargent, pick any ten orcs, they're yours to command." Leadership of any kind would do well in this rugged band of orcs just the mentality.
The orcs around watched on, The Rising Red was paralyzed in fear and confusion, I bid him move before any Orcs got ideas of weakness. He did so, he bolstered his confidence and headed over to the majority crowd of orcs who stood around the bonfire of orc corpses.
My time was running out, my body would soon force itself awake though it did not seem like it had been long enough.
"I shall leave you for some time, continue to the fortress, Let it be known The Rising Red is under my specific protection he has rights to any 10 orcs other than the tribe leader if any harm come unto him there will be Torture!"
I was nothing if not an aura farmer so as I left for the real world I faded my body into the smoke of the burning orcs.