The training grounds of the Yohan First Horde stretched across a wide expanse of trampled earth just beyond the main encampment. Dust rose in clouds as thousands of orcs moved through drills under the harsh morning sun. The sound of wooden practice weapons clacking together filled the air, mixed with the barked commands of drill masters and the heavy breathing of warriors pushing their bodies through repetitive movements.
Khao'khen stood on a raised platform overlooking it all, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his expression unreadable. Beside him stood three of his war chiefs, warriors who had fought alongside him through countless battles and understood his vision for what the horde could become.
Below, the newly arrived warriors moved through formation drills. Shield walls forming and reforming. Spear lines advancing in coordinated rows. Flanking maneuvers practiced again and again until the movements became instinct rather than thought.
It was necessary work.
