Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 256: Hero (1)

Arial enter the stronghold again and he could see that they have bigger settlement beyond the stronghold surrounding

Instead of castles and walls they have something resembling a longhouse. Their technology is. backward compared to Arrandy or even Aetherland.

Their land is vast, that is true. But Arial don't think they use the land to cultivate wheat or corn of any produce. Arial thought about this and he thinks this is probably the result of different cultures and needs

All of their necessities is given to them by the Capital. In a way they are a simple minded creature. This is what amazes Arial.

In economy it seems they have no power whatsoever but in warfare their talents shine brightly and Arial could see a lot of talents among the Orcs in warfare.

Since they did not have to worry about harvesting, their people focused solely in the art of waging war.

It is quite disconcerting, to be honest. In the capital of Arakath, there are castles and palaces but here the king lived in a mound of hills with brick mud stronghold.

In terms of strength they maybe are better than average soldiers but if they rely on this to defend then surely it would crumble.

One attack from his siege weapon and some fire arrows or some fire attack combining Asteros fire and Arial reckon their stronghold would crumble.

Then Arial realize something he had neglected. He gets it. He finally understands with a pure clarity the mindset of the Orcs.

The Orc rarely have been invaded. Mostly they attack and pillage and not the other way around.

They focused on attacking instead of defending.

It is confirmed when Arial look at their battle formations and arms. Sharp and high quality. With this Arial could confirm that the orcs and the Dwarven must have traded with each other a lot.

Their formation is neat and in discipline. After seeing all of this, he then went to Fera.

Arial consulted with Fera and Koer and he finally told them why he is here

He brought up the edict and they quickly kneel when Arial presented the edict by King of Arakath.

Listening to the edict, Koer heed the order and quickly supplied him with six thousand armed troop as an aid forces under him.

Arial then decided to divide the forces. He would take three thousand under him and Velamina will take the other three thousand Orcs troop.

The first thing he did was trying to understand the enemy. Koer and Fera both informed him on the current event

In the south of the Orc land, Clan Bor with E'rn, Ta'l and Ka'l is revolting against Clan Vor and began marching north to Vor settlement.

The other small clan around the North and many of small clan around the South is also involved in this mass scale rebellion.

In the South there are three Orc stronghold connected with each other. Arial saw the map and he immediately saw the way to breakthrough

Pass that stronghold and they can strike a decisive blow.

The same strategy is also the same for Bor clan. Pass Bor clan stronghold and the Vor clan can strike a decisive blow and vice versa. In a way it is simple.

Capture the fortresses and march on and conquer the clans and their settlements and whoever wins the most clan on their side wins.

It is simple. Not because they are stupid but because they each believed in their strength. Sometimes the simplest strategy is the hardest to break

There is no negotiation. In human continent at least if they lose in a war they can still negotiate something.

Here in this foreign land of the Orcs, Arial learned that it is all or nothing.

The loser would become a head on a pike and winner takes all. Maybe that is why rarely war ever broke out among the races.

It is a big risk. Either you could win everythingor lose everything. That night Arial return to the tent and decided to sleep to regain back his energy

He is still tired after all of that thinking and introducing himself to his troops.

Tomorrow he decided that he will engage in battle immediately. Arial thought of this just right before he goes to sleep. Even he doesn't know why he is feeling like this.

Lately he felt that he is very aggressive. Always wanting to battle. He shrugged it off. Must be his own feeling.

Then he closes his eye and went to sleep almost immediately. Velamina went to his tent and when she saw Arial is sleeping soundly, she smiles bitterly.

Then she went away

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A WEEK LATER

That week Arial regain many captured villages with Velamina.

Their cooperation is flawless and they brought down villages after villages, enlarging the sphere of influence of Vor clans while at the same time increasing their intelligence on the enemy

Arial even in a deed deserving of a military honor conquer one fortress called fortress Derwen with only three thousand Orcs.

Arial rested for a few days, resupplied and reinforced his army with new blood and then after a week, Arial once again rides his horse to the south

Vor clan also began marching more to enemy territory after the initial success paved by Arial and Velamina.

Now their troops are increased to ten thousand Orc troops as testament of Koer Vor at his friend capability.

Reports are sent to the Capital of this joyous news and Arial heard that King Azrael smiles and laughed when he heard the good news.

Arial name in the Orc land spread fast and wide and his brilliance in laying sieges and tactics gain him many fanfares in the land of Orcs.

In the heartland of the Demonkind, the Capital of Arakath the storytellers and bards told stories and sing song of a human that save the Orc with his ingenious tactic and strategies

Such strategies include 'picking the high ground to dam the river' one tactic which drown an entire Orc settlement.

Or breaking the pots and burning the supplies. Arial in a battle that shakes the Orc Land defeated a twelve thousand troops with five thousand troops

He breaks the pots and the supplies and told his troops, that the only way they could eat was to break through the enemy soldiers and take their supplies and the settlement around it.

This stimulates the orc survival instinct and they fight like the Horned God in the battlefield

Desperation and the desire to live enable them to defeat an army twice their size.

This news is also spread to the human traders of Asteros, Ariundus, Vorthy and Arrandians traders.

They all recognize the name. The Dragon of Arrandy. Arial name is famous now in both Human Continent and the Dark Lands.

Many minstrel and performing troupe took his story as inspiration for songs and plays most famously was the song titled the Song of the Young Lord.

There is also an operatic telling, a play that is sweeping the Capital of human kingdoms and Dark Lands alike, Young Hero of Aetherland where it told the story of the Vermont family rise to power in the perspectives of the admirers of the House.

It also speaks of how the young lord rally his people to fight a decisive battle with the greedy Duke Alderam who is the antagonist in that play while Arial is portrayed as a hero, honorable, just, kind and strong.

And like most play, Arial virtue is exaggerated and his flaws is diminished.

There are also some absurd stories in some Elven Forest and dwarves Taigns and the vast plains of the Kobolds about a human that manage to defeat a dragon.

Some laugh at this story while many of the young kids began calling the human, a hero. In a way Arial name is being spread all around the Anvali continent as a hero.

In the Orchish plains, one major clan has already surrendered, the Clan of Dore.

And now as Arial watches on the victory flag of the Vor clan, fluttering proudly on the stronghold of the Dore, he marches on with his undefeated troops