Chapter 650: Battle on the Ice Field (2/3)

Bobo munched on the meat bone in his hand while staring into the wilderness. He grunted in resentment. Their harvest had been terrible. The cunning Humans had been on the alert and Bobo's tribesmen failed to plunder any foodstuff. The foodstuff that they had managed to snatch wasn't enough to feed them fully. Moreover, the Orc patrol group had a hard time catching even rabbits under this harsh, ice-cold weather. Furthermore, the wasteland covered in snow was barren. Their Rhino Beast had not eaten for a long time. If this continued, perhaps his tribe would crumble this winter.

This won't do. I need to find some meat to eat and survive this winter...

The burly Orc patriarch bit on the meat bone fiercely. There was not a single bit of meat left and the entire bone had frozen like a hard rock, which left him in a bad mood. He gritted his teeth and gnawed on the bone grudgingly. Then, he stood up and tossed the bone into the bonfire.

"Grr! Grr!"

Suddenly, Bobo heard the hurried whooping from his companion nearby. He turned around and witnessed his trusted aide jumping off the wall and gestured with an excited grin toward him.

"Bobo! Bobo! There are Humans and fat horses! Human Cavalrymen!"

"Oh?!"

The glint in Bobo's eyes flashed. He immediately pushed his tribesman aside and strode forward to the fort wall. Indeed, Bobo clear spotted a dozen dark figures in the brilliant white snow cover, which got him excited. Orcs generally had low IQ, but they weren't as dumb as idiots. He recognized those guys as Human Cavalrymen because they wore clothes that were tougher than rock and rode on the tall horses. Orc tribes often met those annoying guys during their migration process. However, these guys seemed more delicious than annoying to Bobo at this moment... He took a gulp of his saliva. The two razor-sharp fangs poking out of its lower jaw twitched along with his movements and made him appeared exceptionally vicious.

"Get ready to fight. Capture them! The Humans and fat horses!"

A glint of greed flashed in his eyes. He was fantasizing how tasty the fresh meat would be after they were barbecued... Bobo's nose could even smell the fragrance from the delicious meat!

"They're here."

John rode on his warhorse and examined the abandoned fort in the distance. He didn't charge forward mightily and announce his arrival. As a commander, John had fought against the Orcs in the past, so he knew how powerful they were. Most Humans treated Orcs as lowly idiots due to their clumsy appearances. But John knew clearly that they were indeed crafty and savage. Besides, their burly body didn't obstruct their movements at all. An Orc darting at full speed could be as quick as a soldier on his warhorse. Back then, when John was still in the Southern Legion, he had witnessed an Orc dash past one of his men and the Orc dragged his man down from the warhorse mercilessly. Besides, the Orcs had a unique mount—the Rhino Beast. These tall, gigantic beasts were similar to rhinoceroses, but were much larger and stronger. They were terrifying creatures that could even defeat the elite Cavalrymen. There would surely be no lack of Rhino Beasts in this massive Orc tribe. If John were to approach them too closely, perhaps he might be ambushed by them. The Mage Equipment had enhanced their stats and even though the strength of John's Cavalrymen was stronger than the Southern Legion, he wouldn't resort to such a dangerous method. Therefore, John led his men slowly from a far distance away from the fort as though they were patrolling. John knew that the Orcs had definitely seen them and with their current predicament, they would surely charge their way out of the fort.

As expected, John witnessed a hundred Orcs bolting out of the fort on their Rhino Beasts. They screamed loudly and whipped the enormous beast below them, darting toward John's group.

"Everyone get ready. Listen to my command!"

John raised his hand high and ordered firmly. He sensed that the people behind him were nervous and terrified. Rhode had been strengthening his team and he didn't forget about John's Cavalrymen. John's team of Cavalrymen had expanded from their initial 50 to their current 100 members. Although the newly joined soldiers had passed the strict test and were rather decent in terms of strength, this was still their first battle, after all. The Orcs' frantic, imposing manner was indeed threatening. The magnificent view of the snow beneath their feet fluttering into the air pressured John into feeling a little tensed.

"Stay calm!"

John stared at the incoming enemies and yelled out calmly. The young commander gritted his teeth at the powerful and overwhelming pressure. The Orcs' cries could be heard clearly now and they sounded like hungry wild animals snarling at their prey. The Cavalrymen behind John were getting restless. But at this moment, John's training sessions had come into great effect. Although they were frightened, many of the newcomers clutched onto their reins and urged on their warhorses to stay on the spot. It would be the biggest nightmare for the soldiers if their warhorses fled in fear.

The distance between both sides shrunk quickly. Bobo led the charge and revealed a delightful glint as soon as he witnessed the Humans standing foolishly on the spot. It seemed to him that the Humans were scared out of their wits and his tribe would instantly wipe them all out! Bobo raised his right arm and brandished the huge stone axe.

"Brave warriors! Capture the Humans and fat horses! Let's have a feast!"

"Oooooh!"

Bobo stirred up the emotions of his tribesmen. They locked eyes on the hundred Cavalrymen and displayed their avaricious and beast-like hunger. The Orcs were moving increasingly faster and they could see the Cavalrymen's faces now!

"Move out!"

John commanded.

Then, the Orcs witnessed a scene that left them stunned.

The Cavalrymen swiftly turned back and bolted off in two directions, and the Orcs couldn't react on time. Although the Rhino Beasts were quick in their movements, there were still weaknesses to these massive beasts. They couldn't nimbly adjust their charging direction. Therefore, even though the Orcs were powerful in their assault, their nimbleness was nowhere close to the Cavalrymen's. The Orcs were unable to make head or tail of the Humans' 'escape'. They slowed down perplexedly and gazed at the fleeing Humans in a daze.

These cunning, cowardly Humans!

Bobo let out a bellow and smacked the Rhino Beast under him.

"Go! Grab whatever you can!"

The Orcs howled to their patriarch's command. Then, they instantly dispersed toward the fleeing Cavalrymen.

Everything's going well.

Rhode nodded in satisfaction. He squinted and observed the Orcs scattering like headless houseflies. He revealed an ice-cold, cruel smile in his eyes. But shortly after, he turned around and beckoned to Marfa, Sol, Lize, and the others who were hidden on the other side.

The action has begun.

Joey lowered his body and sneakily reached the walls of the fort, which didn't look abandoned. A majority of its construction was still in good condition, with exceptions to the left and rear, which had collapsed due to years of wearing down. The young Thief nimbly leaped over the broken wall and stooped over to detect the wind direction with his hand. Then, he scanned left and right.

Although most Orcs had launched their attacks with the lead of their patriarch, there were still almost 200 Orcs standing guard in the fort. However, they appeared to be idling, perhaps due to the harsh coldness and hunger. The Orcs who were patrolling above the fort walls returned to the watchtowers and curled up beside the bonfire for warmth after their patriarch had gone out to battle.

Joey revealed an excited smile. He rubbed his hands before retrieving a dagger from his waist. Then, he rotated the badge pinned on his chest and a faint white radiance shrouded him entirely. Joey lowered his upper body and approached an Orc who had his back facing him. At the same time, a few other Thiefs also stealthily approached their targets.

Joey was right behind his target, but the Orc didn't realize anything. The latter murmured under his breath and rubbed his hands before the bonfire. Joey held his breath and leaped up in a flash. His dagger streaked across the sky and penetrated the back of the Orc's head.

Perhaps due to the Orc's instincts in sensing dangers, he stood up hurriedly and his companions beside him swiftly grabbed their weapons. However, the deadly figure had flitted across their bodies.

The sudden movement of Joey's target caused him to miss his critical strike. But he didn't fluster. After experiencing adventures, training in the mirage, and enduring various strengthening exercises after the Midsummer Festival, Joey was fully equipped with everything that a top-rated Thief would possess. Moreover, he had been tortured by Mini Bubble Gum and Canary in the mirage countless of times and he had learned to face failures and accidents calmly. He swiftly adjusted the direction to his strike and pierced into the Orc's neck fiercely.

"...!"

The Orc shrieked in horror. These filthy and terrifying creatures would only die to lethal damage to their heads and hearts. Even if they were punctured in their throats, they wouldn't die instantly.

The bone-chilling aura emanating from the razor-sharp blade froze the Orc's throat and silenced all noises. The Orc's expression stiffened instantly and its body stopped moving as though it was frozen. At the same time, the two other Orcs who were attacked by Joey's companions weren't as lucky. Before they even realized what had exactly happened, several daggers enhanced with water elements on their blades pierced into their hearts and skulls and they instantly collapsed to their death.

Joey heaved a sigh of relief. He turned around and beckoned to his men to move forward. However, at this moment, Joey caught a glimpse of a shadow that had shifted. It was an Orc who had turned a corner and witnessed everything in bewilderment. Joey instantly clutched his dagger and darted forward.

Shing!

A shimmering ray of light flashed and the Orc collapsed heavily to the ground. An arrow had punctured its skull and let the pitiful Orc motionless.

"Hu..."

Joey wiped the sweat off his forehead before turning back and sticking out his thumb. Randolf and two other Rangers leaped above the fort wall agilely. Randolf smiled at Joey and beckoned to his companions. Shortly after, the other Rangers swiftly hid themselves in the shadows of the abandoned watchtowers. They raised their bows and aimed vigilantly at every Orc inside the fort who had not yet realized that their companions on the fort walls had been eliminated. A dozen Orcs were curled up around the bonfire burning in the center of the empty field in the fort.

"What do we do, Boss?"

"Get ready. Just like in the training sessions."

Both of them communicated softly. Then, Joey led his Thief companions and disappeared into the shadows. On the other hand, Randolf raised his bow and withdrew a fiery red arrow from his quiver. He aimed at the enemy before him and... blew a whistle.

"—!"

The crips whistle echoed clearly in the silent fort. The Orcs surrounding the bonfire stood to their feet immediately. They grabbed their weapons and scanned the surrounding vigilantly. But at this moment, Randolf released his fingers.

Red radiance flashed through the sky.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The scarlet flames exploded on the field. The constant explosion and blaze devoured the horrified Orcs, leaving them charging around like headless houseflies in the fort. However, as soon as they escaped the devastating flames, ice-cold arrows pierced through their skulls like a bolt of lightning and turned them into frozen corpses.

At the same time, many of the Orcs rushed out of the fort continuously. As a race who was naturally born to battle, the Humans were incomparable to them in terms of keenness in combat. Although they were faced with an ambush, they remained calm swiftly and didn't panic at all.

Until the next moment.

"—!"

The crisp warbling and whirlwind rising from the flat ground engulfed the vicious blaze. The Spirit Bird emanating in holy radiance expanded its long, majestic wings while soaring into the air. It hovered above and looked down upon the Orcs before screeching and flapping its powerful wings.

A burst of rumble and dazzling lightning bolts struck the pitiful Orcs who couldn't dodge in time. They were scared out of their wits and they retreated to avoid the terrorizing attacks from above. But this was only the start.

The constant bolts of lightning vanished abruptly and the Orcs discovered that a dozen well-equipped Human soldiers had encircled them. Rhode extended his hand forward with a card spinning above his palm. Then, he crushed it into bits.

"Attack!"