The moment he stepped out of the boss' wooden door, a thunderous roar crashed into his ears—dust was flying from the direction of the Fighting Pit, and countless green-skins were packed around the pit, like a group of goblins surrounding roasted meat.
Their laughter and cheers were enough to make Blackrock Spire's wooden palisade tremble.
Kurzadh followed the sound, and before he even reached the Fighting Pit, he saw two Orc Boyz shirtless, fighting each other in the pit.
The one on the left, whose face was covered in scars, clutched a stone in his hand and smashed it onto his opponent's shoulder, making the opponent howl in pain.
The one on the right was even more ruthless, directly pouncing and grabbing his opponent's waist to throw him to the ground.
The two rolled on the muddy ground, punching and kicking, their faces and bodies covered in bloodstains, yet they became more and more excited as they fought, roaring, "WAAAGH!" and "Smash you!"
The green-skins around the pit watched with shining eyes; some waved their axes, some slapped their thighs and cheered, and a few hobgoblins even climbed onto a nearby crooked tree, standing on tiptoes to peer into the pit.
The goblin were squeezed on the outermost edge, craning their necks, their small eyes full of adoration—in the world of green-skins, might makes right, and the orcs who won were heroes in their eyes.
Kurzadh stood at the edge of the pit, arms crossed, watching for a while.
Recently, the tribe had been busy mining, farming, and building a Blacksmith Shop, so it had indeed been almost half a year since they had fought a proper big battle.
War blood flowed in the bones of green-skins; they felt uncomfortable if they didn't fight for a day, and without a battle, they could only satisfy themselves by fighting each other in the Fighting Pit.
Look at these Orc Boyz, every one of them with red eyes, their fists clenching with cracking sounds, clearly bursting with pent-up energy.
"Everyone stop!"
Kurzadh suddenly roared, his voice like a clap of thunder, drowning out the clamor of the Fighting Pit.
The two Orc Boyz in the pit froze, and before they could react, Kurzadh grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and tossed them out of the pit like little chickens.
The surrounding green-skins also instantly quieted down, turning their heads to look at Kurzadh standing by the pit, their eyes full of confusion—why wasn't the boss letting them fight?
"Gather 'round! I have something to say!" Kurzadh jumped onto the dirt slope by the Fighting Pit, raising his voice.
The green-skins immediately surged over, the Orc Boyz pushing to the front, hobgoblins and night hobgoblins standing in the middle, and the goblin at the very back, forming a dense circle.
Even Skarsnik from the distant mushroom field curiously poked his head out, still clutching half of an unfinished poisonous mushroom in his hand.
Kurzadh looked at the dense crowd of green-skins before him, a grim smile appearing on his green face, his voice carrying a deliberately inciting tone: "Don't you feel that fighting each other in the Fighting Pit isn't satisfying enough?"
"Yes!" the Orc Boyz roared in unison, their voices shaking the leaves to fall.
"Don't you want to fight a big one? Want to grab more things? Want more people to know how powerful our Blackrock Clan is?" Kurzadh asked again, his tone even more impassioned.
"Want! WAAAGH!" The green-skins' emotions were stirred, some already waving their weapons, their eyes burning with fire.
Kurzadh nodded in satisfaction, spread his arms, and his voice echoed through Blackrock Spire like rolling thunder: "I have good news for you all—we are about to have a big WAAAGH! to fight!"
"WAAAGH!!" The green-skins instantly erupted into a frenzy, the Orc Boyz throwing their axes into the air, the hobgoblins jumping and cheering, and even the goblin followed suit, shouting "WAAAGH," their voices small but filled with fanaticism.
"Quiet! Listen to me!" Kurzadh pressed his hands down, and when the scene had calmed down slightly, he continued, "A group of ignorant human Bandits has come to the Forest of Gloom, calling themselves the 'Defias Brotherhood'! There are nearly a thousand of them!
They rob caravans, occupy territory, and have made the Khyprian road a chaotic mess!"
He deliberately paused, watching the fierce glint in the green-skins' eyes grow stronger before continuing: "These Bandits have stolen what should be ours! They have occupied what should be our territory! Can we endure this?"
"No!" The green-skins roared even more fiercely, some orcs already unable to hold back and trying to charge out, only to be held back by their companions.
"Right! We cannot endure it!" Kurzadh's voice was filled with anger, "I have decided that in three days, I will lead you into the forest to wipe out these Bandits! We will take back everything they stole! We will smash their camp to smithereens!
We will let them know whose territory the Forest of Gloom is! We will let them know the consequences of offending the Blackrock Clan!"
"Wipe them out! Plunder them all!" The Orc Boyz roared until their throats were hoarse, their axes glinting coldly in the sunlight.
The night hobgoblins also became excited, riding their small spiders in circles through the crowd, their poisoned arrows nocked, eager to fight—ambushes were their strong suit, and dealing with Bandits was much easier than dealing with human armies.
Kurzadh looked at the fanatical green-skins before him, nodding inwardly—this was what green-skins were like; as long as there was a battle to fight and things to plunder, they would always be full of drive.
He continued to incite: "If we win this battle, not only can we plunder the Bandits' wealth, but we can also make the humans of Katushir send us iron ingots and grain!
Our iron axes will be sharper, our goblins will be stronger! We can fight bigger battles, WAAAGH to our heart's content!"
"WAAAGH!! WAAAGH!!"
The cheers of the green-skins echoed throughout Blackrock Spire, reaching even the orcs in the distant Stonewatch, who stopped their hammering to look towards Blackrock Spire, their eyes full of envy—a big battle was surely about to be fought!
Kurzadh raised his hand to quiet them, and once the cheers gradually subsided, he said, "Bone Tree! Keziaz! Come over!"
Bone Tree was cheering with his axe raised, and upon hearing the call, he immediately pushed through the crowd and ran over, his muscles tensed with excitement: "Boss! I'm here! Do you want me to lead the Boyz as the vanguard?"
Keziaz also arrived, riding his Death Crawler, his black spider silk cloak fluttering in the wind, his eyes full of anticipation: "Boss, the night hobgoblins are ready! We'll make sure to shoot the Bandits' butts full of holes!"
Kurzadh ignored their excitement and turned to walk towards the boss' house: "Come inside to discuss the operational details."
Bone Tree and Keziaz exchanged glances and quickly followed.
The surrounding green-skins, seeing that the boss was going to discuss serious matters, gradually dispersed but did not go far, gathering in twos and threes, excitedly discussing the upcoming WAAAGH!—some talked about stealing the Bandits' money, some talked about replacing the Bandits' wooden sticks with iron axes, and some had already started betting on who would kill the most Bandits.
Inside the boss' house, Kurzadh closed the door and pointed to the map on the stone table (a simple map of the Forest of Gloom previously sent by Antonio), saying, "Come over and take a look."
Bone Tree and Keziaz leaned closer, staring at the crooked lines on the map—the thick black line was the Khyprian road, the red circle was the approximate activity area of the Defias Brotherhood, and there were a few small crosses marking the locations where Katushir's army had previously failed in their encirclement.
"Antonio sent word that the Defias Brotherhood has nearly a thousand men, poorly equipped, but familiar with the forest terrain, and they've dug many tunnels and traps," Kurzadh said, pointing to the red circle, his tone serious.
"They hide near the muddy swamp on the western side of the forest, relying on the swamp and dense woods to conduct guerrilla warfare.
Katushir's army suffered losses repeatedly because they were unfamiliar with the terrain."
Bone Tree scratched his head: "What's there to be afraid of! We green-skins are also familiar with the forest! We'll just lead the Orc Boyz in, one axe per person, and chop them into meat paste!"
"No! Don't be reckless!" Kurzadh glared at him, "Although these Bandits are weak, there are many of them, and they will hide in the dark to shoot arrows and set traps.
If we charge straight in, the Boyz will definitely get hurt! We want to win, not die!"
Keziaz also nodded: "The boss is right. night hobgoblins are best at hiding in the forest.
We can send reconnaissance teams first to scout out their camp and tunnel locations before making a move."
Kurzadh nodded in satisfaction: "Exactly. This operation will proceed in three steps."
He pointed at the map, beginning to deploy in detail: "First step, reconnaissance. Keziaz, you take 50 night hobgoblins with poisoned arrows, riding Death Crawlers, and infiltrate the western side of the forest first thing tomorrow morning.
scout out the Defias Brotherhood's camp layout, guard post locations, tunnel entrances, especially the traps near the swamp.
Mark them all for me. Remember to be stealthy; don't get discovered."
Keziaz immediately bowed: "I understand! I guarantee I'll get a clear picture of the Bandits' lair!"
"Second step, frontal diversion." Kurzadh then pointed to Bone Tree, "Bone Tree, you take 100 Orc Boyz and 50 hobgoblin spearmen, and depart from the Khyprian road the day after tomorrow morning, marching ostentatiously towards the swamp.
Pretend to be encircling the Bandits to attract their attention. Remember, only divert; do not charge blindly!
Once their main force comes out, retreat and lure them to our designated battlefield."
Bone Tree was a bit reluctant: "Only divert? No chopping people?"
"Less nonsense!" Kurzadh tapped him on the head, "If you scare the Bandits away, will you take responsibility?
Once you've lured them to the designated spot, there will be plenty for you to chop!"
Bone Tree finally nodded: "I understand! I'll make sure to lure them out!"
"Third step, ambush." Kurzadh's finger landed on a patch of Pine Forest on the map, "This area is high in elevation, surrounded by low bushes, suitable for an ambush.
Keziaz, you take the remaining 200 night hobgoblins with poisoned arrows and set up an ambush here in advance, coating your arrowheads with Skarsnik's poisonous mushroom powder.
Once Bone Tree lures the Bandits here, you give the order to fire arrows, first disrupting their formation."
He paused, then continued: "Then, Bone Tree, you lead the Orc Boyz to charge from the front, and Keziaz, you lead the night hobgoblins to outflank from both sides, trapping the Bandits in the Pine Forest.
The goblin will push the pump pump carts and guard the perimeter of the Pine Forest to prevent the Bandits from escaping through tunnels—the pump pump carts are loaded with stones.
If you see a tunnel entrance, fill it with stones to block their escape route!"
Bone Tree and Keziaz nodded repeatedly, their excitement growing even more—this plan sounded much more interesting than a direct charge, allowing them to fight to their heart's content while minimizing casualties.
"The most important point!" Kurzadh suddenly emphasized, staring at the two, "No matter what, you are not allowed to act on your own!
You must obey orders! Bone Tree, if you dare to lead the Boyz in a reckless charge, I will throw away your axe and make you fight with a wooden stick!
Keziaz, if you let the night hobgoblins expose their whereabouts, I will confiscate your Death Crawler and make you walk back to Blackrock Spire yourself!"
Bone Tree and Keziaz immediately stood at attention: "I wouldn't dare!"
Kurzadh nodded in satisfaction, patting both their shoulders: "Alright, go prepare. Bone Tree, go to Stonewatch and pick 100 of the strongest Orc Boyz from there.
Keziaz, go arrange for the night hobgoblins' reconnaissance, and while you're at it, ask Skarsnik for some poisonous mushroom powder.
Meet at the entrance of Blackrock Spire the day after tomorrow morning!"
"Yes!" Bone Tree and Keziaz responded in unison, turning and running out, their steps light as if on springs—finally, a big battle to fight!
Watching their retreating figures, Kurzadh walked to the window and pushed it open—outside, the green-skins were still excitedly clamoring, and two more orcs had started fighting in the Fighting Pit, with cheers rising and falling from the pit's edge.
A smile played on his lips—these restless green-skins finally had a place to vent their energy.
And this WAAAGH! against the Defias Brotherhood would not only open up the trade route of the Khyprian road and help Antonio gain power, but also allow the green-skins of the Blackrock Clan to once again taste the sweetness of war and become even stronger.
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling onto the red circle on the map.
Kurzadh knew that in three days, the forest would surely run red with blood.
And this baptism of blood and fire would be the first step for Blackrock Province to move towards a broader world.
________________
Omake :
VanCleef stared at the genie :
"I wish I was a brawler,Wish I was a little bit taller,Wish Stormwind didn't chase me like I'm some kind of squaller.I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat.
"DADDY! WE NEED MONEY!"