The flickering torchlight cast shadows over Volk’s face as he stood tall amidst the wounded, weary horde.

His crimson eyes glowed faintly, their sharp gleam cutting through the lingering darkness like shards of molten iron.

The air in the cave was heavy—so thick with tension that every ragged breath, every subtle movement of the wounded, seemed to press against the walls.

The horde watched him with a mix of awe and uncertainty, their bloodied forms frozen in place as if the weight of his mere presence held them still.

Volk tilted his head slightly, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips as his gaze swept across the horde.

His voice came out deep, smooth, and deliberate—each word rolling like thunder, both calm and full of raw power.

“Your plans are good.”

The warriors stirred slightly, pride flickering across their tired faces. It was rare for Volk to offer praise, and those two words carried the weight of a hundred compliments.

He gestured toward the scarred Orc captain, his clawed hand slicing lazily through the air.

“A trap. Simple, effective, and bloodthirsty. They follow us into the cave, and we collapse the ceiling over their heads. Quick death. Clean. Brutal. That’s how we like it, isn’t it?”

The scarred captain grunted approvingly, his single eye flashing with a mixture of pride and bloodlust. The other Orcs and Ogres murmured in agreement.

Volk turned to the smaller Orc strategist, who had suggested smoke and bait. His smirk softened slightly, though his tone remained as commanding as ever.

“Smoke to blind them. Clever. We’ve never fought harpies before, and you’d use their speed against them.

“Turn their skies into a graveyard of shadows where wings are useless, and their claws will grasp only empty air. You understand war well. Your mind is sharp.”

The Orc strategist puffed his chest out, a hint of pride replacing his earlier anxiety. He looked at his peers with a glare, as if daring them to challenge his brilliance.

Volk didn’t stop there. His gaze shifted to the massive Ogre at the back—the one who had suggested luring the harpies inside and tearing them apart limb by limb. Volk’s smile turned predatory, a hint of menace curling at the edges of his lips.

“And you. You want to rip them apart with your bare hands. To snap their bones. To dangle their wings from your fists like trophies. That’s the heart of a true warrior. The kind of ferocity that shakes the ground and tells the enemy their death is coming.”

The massive Ogre growled softly in approval, his chest rumbling like a dormant volcano ready to erupt. His fists clenched at his sides, itching for the fight Volk described.

Volk slowly began pacing around the flickering torch, his enormous form casting shifting shadows across the cave walls. His voice grew heavier, darker—filling the silent chamber with a steady pulse of authority that wrapped around every soul like an iron chain.

“All of you have thought well. Your blood burns with rage. Your minds scream for revenge. And your plans? They are solid. Worthy of this horde.”

A murmur of satisfaction rippled through the warriors, their shoulders squaring as they stood a little taller. Volk’s praise was rare, and the weight of his approval filled them with a fresh spark of energy—raw and unrelenting, as if the very act of hearing his voice had reignited their will to fight.

Experience tales with empire

But just as quickly, Volk’s smirk vanished, replaced by a sudden, sharp snort. The sound echoed off the stone walls, jarring in its abruptness. His crimson eyes narrowed into slits, their glow intensifying as his face twisted into something like scorn.

“But it’s not enough.”

The murmurs died instantly. Warriors blinked and stiffened, their pride faltering as they looked at him with uncertainty.

Volk stepped forward, his heavy boots striking the stone floor like war drums. Each step resonated through the cave, his looming figure pulling their attention as if he were a force of nature itself. He raised his chin, his voice dropping into a slow, measured cadence that filled every crevice of the cavern.

“You think the harpies will come here without caution? Without suspicion? They’re beasts of the sky. They strike from above, where they can watch us like prey. They’ve already seen us bleed. They’ve seen us run. They think we’re weak, broken, crawling into the shadows to lick our wounds.”

Volk let those words hang in the air, his gaze burning into every warrior before him.

“And that is exactly what we must let them believe.”

The horde exchanged glances, their faces twisting in confusion. A few Orcs shifted uneasily, while the Ogres furrowed their brows, uncertain of what Volk was suggesting. One of the captains cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“But Volk, if we hide—if we let them think we’re weak—they’ll press their advantage. They’ll pick us off one by one.”

Volk’s crimson eyes flashed, and the captain immediately took a step back. Volk raised his fist, the sharp claws catching the torchlight as his voice grew colder, more calculated.

“Listen to me.”

The cave seemed to freeze around him, his words snapping like a whip.

“We will not lay our traps here. No, we will draw them in deeper. Further into the cave—into the abyss where light doesn’t reach, where they cannot use their speed. They will think we’ve fled—too wounded, too broken to stand and fight. They will follow. And when they do, they will be walking into their own graves.”

A collective murmur rippled through the horde, understanding beginning to dawn on their faces.

“But Volk,” one of the Orc strategists called out hesitantly. “What if there’s… something else deeper in the cave? What if we’re not alone in here?”

The question hung heavy in the air, the shadows of the cave suddenly seeming darker, deeper—as if they were listening, waiting. The horde shifted uneasily. Whispers of monsters and horrors hiding in uncharted places flickered through their minds.

Volk stopped pacing. He turned toward the speaker, his expression unyielding, his red eyes blazing like coals pulled from the depths of a furnace.

Slowly, Volk raised his fist, his massive hand clenching so tightly that the leather of his gauntlet groaned under the strain. The gesture alone sent a wave of reassurance through the horde—a silent declaration of power and resolve.

“Then we will kill it.”

The words were spoken with such finality, such raw confidence, that it shattered the lingering doubt in the air. Volk’s crimson eyes swept across his warriors, and he bared his teeth in a savage, dangerous grin.

“If there’s a monster deep in this cave, we’ll tear it apart. We’ll rip it limb from limb and drink its blood if we have to. Nothing will stop us. Not the harpies. Not this cave. Not whatever darkness lies ahead. Because we are the horde. And we do not break.”

The horde erupted into a chorus of growls and snarls, their bloodlust reignited. Warriors slammed their weapons against the stone floor, the sound echoing through the cavern like a war chant. Ogres pounded their fists into their chests, their deep roars shaking the walls. The injured bared their teeth, pushing through their pain as they raised their fists in solidarity.

Volk stood amidst the chaos, unmoving, unyielding—the storm at the center of it all. His crimson eyes burned brighter than ever, he was ready.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep