"All Orc Boyz and Hobgoblin Archers, assemble at the square!"
Kurzadh's roar echoed through the Blackrock Clan, breaking the deep night's silence.
Hearing the command, the greenskins instantly erupted—the Orc Boyz rushed out of their grass huts, some grabbing axes, others shouldering spiked clubs filled with iron shards, and after throwing on their leather armor, they sprinted towards the central square.
The hobgoblin archers hastily donned their sheepskin melon hats, slung wooden bows and quivers over their backs, gripping several arrows coated with herbs; the hobgoblin spearmen were not idle either, shouldering long spears with iron tips, their short legs trotting behind.
In just a quarter of an hour, the central square was filled with the tribe's entire armed force: 150 Orc Boyz, each burly, their green skin covered in old scars, their weapons gleaming coldly.
80 hobgoblin archers, though short, had sharp eyes, their arrows in their quivers ready to be drawn at any moment; 30 hobgoblin spearmen, gripping their iron-tipped spears, formed neat ranks, their momentum no less than that of the orcs.
Kurzadh stood in the center of the square, looking at the mighty greenskin army before him, and nodded with satisfaction.
This was the first time the Blackrock Clan had assembled its full armed force since its establishment; although the numbers were not large, every one of them was a veteran who had experienced bloody battles, and their fighting power was far stronger than that of ordinary greenskin tribes.
"Boyz, we found iron ore! It's in Bonebreak Canyon to the west!" Kurzadh raised the iron axe in his hand and roared, "But a group of night hobgoblins are occupying the cave and won't let us take the iron ore! What do you say we do?"
"Kill them! Steal the iron ore!"
The Orc Boyz were the first to bellow, their axes and spiked clubs waving, their voices shaking the trees around the square.
The hobgoblins also shouted along, their bows and long spears held high, their eyes full of warlike glints—for greenskins , fighting and stealing were always the most exciting things.
"Good! Then follow me! Drive out the night hobgoblins and take the iron ore!" Kurzadh waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something and turned to the hobgoblin spearmen beside him, saying, "Go bring the Arachnari Giant Spider's eggs over, be careful not to damage them!"
Several hobgoblin spearmen immediately took the order, carefully carrying the giant spider eggs from the eastern shed—the eggs were wrapped in thick wool blankets, revealing only their deep purple shells and silver patterns.
Kurzadh brought the giant spider eggs because he remembered that the night hobgoblins regarded the Arachnari Giant Spider as a sacred beast, so perhaps this egg could be useful at a critical moment, and even if not, having it with him would provide peace of mind.
With everything ready, Kurzadh took the lead, running towards Bonebreak Canyon.
150 Orc Boyz followed closely, their footsteps making the ground tremble slightly; 80 hobgoblin archers and 30 hobgoblin spearmen split into two teams, following on either side of the orcs, forming a huge wedge formation, majestically passing through the Forest of Gloom.
Along the way, the animals in the forest, hearing the movement of the greenskin Army, scattered and hid—several wild wolves foraging saw the dark mass of greenskins and ran into the depths of the forest with their tails between their legs.
Several owls perched on branches also flapped their wings and flew away, fearing they would be used as targets by the greenskins . The greenskins , however, paid no attention, only focusing on running forward, humming out-of-tune war songs, as excited as if they were going to a feast.
Half an hour later, the entrance to Bonebreak Canyon appeared before them.
High cliffs flanked the canyon, and moonlight spilled onto them, casting mottled shadows.
The road at the bottom of the canyon was uneven, scattered with many broken stones, and in the distance, a dark cave could vaguely be seen—that was where Bone Tree said the iron ore was located.
At the entrance of the cave, several familiar green figures were waiting—it was Bone Tree and the five Orc Boyz he had taken out.
Seeing Kurzadh arrive with the army, Bone Tree immediately went to meet him, his face full of excitement: "Boss! You're finally here! We've figured out everything about the night hobgoblins in that cave!"
"Tell me the situation, how many night hobgoblins are there? What's their fighting strength?" Kurzadh stopped and asked.
Bone Tree scratched his head and said casually: "We secretly sneaked into the cave and saw that there are probably two to three hundred night hobgoblins, each riding a small spider as a mount, holding bone daggers or short bows. But they don't seem to have noticed us, they have no defenses against us at all. As long as we rush in, we're guaranteed to beat them senseless!"
Kurzadh frowned and pressed: "Did you find out how they survive? Did you see any mushroom fields or animals they raise?"
Bone Tree thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Didn't see any mushroom fields, didn't see any sheep or chickens they raise. We circled the cave and only saw some animal bones, so I guess they live by hunting."
Kurzadh said nothing, turning to walk to the cave entrance, carefully observing the surrounding environment.
The cave entrance was two meters wide, tall enough for an orc to enter upright. The rock walls at the entrance were smoothly polished, and some faint runes could still be seen on them—those were dwarf characters, though somewhat worn, they could still be recognized as meaning "iron ore."
Looking further into the cave, the ground was paved with smooth stone slabs, the gaps between them tightly filled with lime mortar, clearly the work of dwarf craftsmen; on the walls on either side of the cave, every few steps there was a groove, where the dwarves used to place torches; even not far from the entrance, a discarded wooden mining cart could be seen, its wheels already rotted, but the iron axle on the frame was still intact.
"That's right, this is indeed a dwarf abandoned mine." Kurzadh touched the rock wall at the entrance, feeling even more certain.
dwarf mines always emphasized order and safety, and from the design of the entrance, it was clear that this was once a considerable iron mining site, but for some unknown reason, it had been abandoned.
But he soon discovered something amiss—Bonebreak Canyon was surrounded by mountains, with complex terrain, full of rocks and bushes, suitable for hiding.
And since night hobgoblins lived by hunting, they had to go out every day to find prey, so it was impossible for them not to send scouts around the cave.
After all, although greenskins were warlike, they also understood basic defenses, especially a race like night hobgoblins who lived underground all year round, their vigilance would only be higher.
"Bone Tree, when you were circling the cave, did you see any suspicious figures? Like night hobgoblins hiding in the bushes, or spiders clinging to the rocks?" Kurzadh asked.
Bone Tree paused, recalled carefully for a moment, then shook his head: "No, we circled around, and besides animal bones, we didn't see anything, not even many spiders."
Kurzadh's expression instantly became serious—this wasn't that the night hobgoblins had no defenses, but that their defenses were too well hidden!
Just because Bone Tree and his companions didn't notice them didn't mean the night hobgoblins hadn't discovered them. It was very likely that the night hobgoblins' scouts were already hiding in the shadows, observing Bone Tree's every move, and even now, as their army had just arrived at the canyon, they had already been targeted by the night hobgoblins.
"These night hobgoblins are much more cunning than I imagined," Kurzadh muttered to himself.
If it were ordinary greenskins , seeing the night hobgoblins "undefended," they would definitely rush in with their army without a second thought. The result would likely be falling into traps set by the night hobgoblins—for example, digging deep pits in the mine shafts, blocking roads with stones, or having night hobgoblins ride spiders to ambush from the shadows. In that case, even if the greenskin Army could win, they would have to pay a heavy price.
But Kurzadh was not an ordinary greenskin. His dimensional travel mindset and the system's assistance made him more cautious and strategic than any other greenskin.
He knew very well that the easier a battle seemed, the more likely it was to hide danger.
"Everyone stop, stay put, no one is allowed near the cave!" Kurzadh suddenly ordered, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority, "Hobgoblin archers, spread out onto the rocks on either side of the canyon, pay attention to the surrounding movements. Once you spot night hobgoblins or spiders, immediately shoot an arrow to warn! Orc Boyz, form a defensive formation, protect the giant spider eggs, don't give the enemy any opportunity!"
Although the greenskins were a bit confused by the order—they were just about to rush in and fight, why did they suddenly stop?—they still obediently carried out the commands: the hobgoblin archers quickly climbed onto the rocks on either side of the canyon, drawing their bows and nocking arrows, their eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings; the Orc Boyz formed a circle, protecting the giant spider eggs and the hobgoblin spearmen in the middle, their axes and spiked clubs held tightly, ready to fight at any moment.
Kurzadh stood at the very front of the team, his gaze fixed on the dark entrance of the cave.
He knew that a seemingly easy battle might have already turned into a contest requiring careful planning, and he had to first understand the night hobgoblins' true strength before he could devise the most secure tactics, both to seize the iron ore and to avoid too great a loss for the tribe.
The tribe had finally gathered so many boyz! If they were ambushed and overturned, it would truly be a huge loss.
Moonlight spilled into the canyon, illuminating the figures of the greenskin Army and making the shadows at the cave entrance appear even darker.
An invisible tension seemed to permeate the air; everyone was waiting, waiting for the night hobgoblins' first move, and also waiting for Kurzadh to give the order to attack.