The cavern loomed large and dark, its jagged walls faintly illuminated by the dim, bioluminescent moss that clung to its edges.

The cavern floor was a sprawling labyrinth of uneven stone, cracked crevices, and puddles of stagnant water.

Each step echoed with a hollow tap-tap as the massive horde of Orcs and Ogres trudged forward.

Their guttural voices reverberated off the walls as they argued and grunted, brimming with anticipation.

Many of them, clad in rough-hewn armor, carried crude weapons—jagged axes, chipped swords, and clubs studded with bone.

They were ready for war, ready to charge into the open air and face the harpy people.

Volk stood at the edge of the group, silent and calculating.

The skeletal remains of his undead subordinates formed a quiet, macabre ring around him.

Their bones clinked softly, a hollow clack-clack, with each subtle movement. His crimson eyes glowed faintly, though he kept his hood drawn low to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

He had already dealt with the harpies, a fact he had chosen to keep hidden from his horde.

The battle had been swift and brutal.

Feathers and blood had painted the cold stone red as he cut through their ranks with methodical precision.

Every harpy’s shriek, every desperate screee of wings beating against his encroaching horde of undead, still lingered in his ears.

But his horde didn’t know.

The Orcs and Ogres hadn’t seen the lifeless bodies scattered across the rocky terrain far above them.

They hadn’t seen Volk’s traps snapping shut with snap-crack! precision or the cruel spikes hidden beneath the loose gravel impaling their foes.

They didn’t know how the battle had ended before it had even begun. And Volk intended to keep it that way.

Volk’s voice cut through the restless grumbling like a blade through flesh. “Hold,” he commanded, his tone low and calm, yet filled with authority.

The horde stopped, though the air remained heavy with anticipation.

Weapons scraped against stone as they shifted in their hands, the Orcs and Ogres glaring at each other with barely restrained impatience.

One particularly massive Ogre, with a scar that split his face in two, stepped forward. His voice was deep and gravelly, like the rumbling of distant thunder.

“We’re ready, Volk. The harpies won’t stand a chance against us.” His lips curled into a savage grin, revealing jagged, yellow teeth. The others grunted in agreement, some slamming their weapons against their shields with loud clang-clang! sounds of approval.

Volk turned to face them fully, his cloak billowing slightly as he moved.

Your adventure continues at empire

His undead minions shuffled behind him, their hollow sockets gazing lifelessly ahead. “No,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of steel. “We’re not ready.”

A chorus of protests erupted from the horde.

“Not ready?”

“We’ve waited long enough!”

“The harpies are cowards! Let us spill their blood!”

The Ogre with the scar snarled, his muscles rippling as he clenched his fists. “Why should we wait? We’ve trained. We’ve prepared. The harpy people will fall before our strength!”

Volk raised a hand, and silence fell, though the tension in the air was palpable. “The harpies are cunning,” he said, his voice measured.

“They’ve littered the surface with traps. Hidden pits. Poisonous spikes. Their strategy is not to face us head-on but to whittle us down with ambushes. If we charge forward recklessly, we will lose far more than we gain.”

The horde murmured among themselves, but the fire in their eyes dimmed slightly. Volk could see doubt creeping into their minds, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.

He gestured to the depths of the cave behind them.

“I set traps as well,” he continued. “Traps designed to counter the harpies’ ambushes. But they must be studied. Improved. If we rush forward now, we’ll be walking into their claws blindly. We need to go back. Study the traps. Understand their weaknesses and strengths. Only then will we be truly prepared to face the harpy people.”

The Ogre growled low in his throat. “Study? We’re warriors, not scholars. Why waste time on such nonsense when we could be spilling blood?”

Volk’s gaze hardened, and his aura shifted. The undead at his back stirred, their bones scraping together with a chilling creeeek-creeek.

“Do you think war is just about strength?” he asked, his voice as sharp as a blade.

“Do you think brute force will win you victory? If you charge forward without strategy, you’ll die. Your bodies will be torn apart, your blood will soak the ground, and the harpies will feast on your flesh. Is that what you want?”

The Ogre took a step back, his confidence faltering. The rest of the horde fell silent, their eyes fixed on Volk. The weight of his words pressed down on them, as heavy as the stone walls surrounding them.

“We go back,” Volk said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “We study the traps. We prepare. And when the time comes to face the harpies, we will crush them. Not as reckless fools, but as an unstoppable force.”

The horde hesitated, their defiance wavering.

Volk could see the gears turning in their minds, their reluctance clashing with their survival instincts. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince them.

They were Orcs and Ogres, creatures of instinct and bloodlust. But Volk had faced worse challenges. He had faced death itself and emerged victorious. He could handle this.

The Ogre with the scar grunted, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Fine,” he said grudgingly. “We’ll do it your way. But this better not be a waste of time.”

Volk nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. “It won’t be,” he said. “I promise you that.”

With that, the horde turned and began making their way back into the depths of the cave.

The sound of their footsteps echoed through the cavern, a rhythmic thud-thud-thud that reverberated off the walls.

Volk followed behind them, his undead minions moving in eerie silence. He felt a flicker of satisfaction.

The harpies were already dead, their traps dismantled. But his horde didn’t need to know that.

They needed to believe in the threat.

They needed to believe in the necessity of preparation. Only then would they be ready for the battles to come.

As they descended deeper into the cave, Volk’s mind raced.

He would use this time to strengthen his control over the horde, to cement his authority.

He would study their weaknesses, their strengths, and ensure that they were as prepared as they believed themselves to be. And when the time came to reveal the truth about the harpies, he would do so in a way that would solidify his place as their leader.

The horde grumbled and muttered as they moved, their frustration palpable. But they followed. They obeyed. And that was all that mattered.

Volk allowed himself a small, grim smile.

The cave was eerily silent when night fell. Only the faint drip-drip of water seeping through the jagged stone ceiling and the low, rhythmic snores of the Horde broke the oppressive stillness.

The massive forms of Orcs and Ogres lay sprawled across the cavern floor, their heavy bodies rising and falling with each breath.

The makeshift camp was littered with crude bedrolls, scattered weapons, and the remnants of a hasty meal.

A low, smoky fire in the center of the chamber crackled weakly, casting flickering shadows that danced across the walls like restless spirits.

Volk lay still among them, his hood pulled low, his body shrouded in the thick, black cloak that made him appear like little more than an ominous shadow.

His breathing was slow, deliberate, blending seamlessly with the quiet rhythm of the slumbering Horde.

His undead minions, hidden deeper in the cave, stood motionless, like statues carved from bone and malice.

The Horde thought he, too, slept.

They thought he shared their exhaustion after the long day of marching, planning, and arguing. But Volk didn’t need sleep—not like they did.

He opened his eyes.

The crimson glow in his gaze was faint, barely noticeable in the dim firelight.

He shifted slowly, carefully, like a predator moving through tall grass, ensuring that even the sharpest ears in the Horde wouldn’t hear a thing.

The rustle of his cloak was softer than the whisper of a breeze.

His movements were calculated, each one deliberate and precise.

He had perfected this routine over countless nights.

This was not the first time he moved among the Horde unnoticed, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Rising to his feet, Volk stepped silently over the sleeping forms of his followers. His boots touched the stone floor with practiced grace, producing no more sound than the soft pat-pat of falling leaves.

He navigated the camp with an almost supernatural ease, weaving between snoring Orcs and sprawled Ogres.

One particularly massive Orc stirred in his sleep, a low growl rumbling from his throat as he shifted position.

Volk froze, his muscles coiled like a spring.

The Orc mumbled something incoherent, then rolled onto his side, his breathing evening out once more.

Volk moved on.

He reached the edge of the camp and paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep