(Attendances… plz…)
….
After hearing the old, white-haired ogre's assessment, it all made a kind of sense to the young, red-haired leader.
Which was kinda terrifying to even think of such a large army.
The words died in his throat. He wanted to acknowledge or deny the truth, to form a plan to strike back, but he couldn't.
If there truly was an Orc Lord, a legendary monster marching through the forest with an army of two hundred thousand, they couldn't do anything at all.
The thought was just what it was.
Reinhard's voice was grim. "It's true. They eat and devour friends and foe alike. If one of them falls in battle, their own comrades will consume them on the spot without any thoughts and hesitation. I don't think it's a good idea for you to regroup here."
The red-haired ogre's eyes burned with what could only be described as a desire for revenge, but the surviving ogre's, his friends, his sister, the children in the village, and anyone else lucky enough to be alive held him back from acting on his irrational thoughts.
He couldn't drag the others with him on a death march just because of this on a literal suicide.
And he couldn't go alone; first, it would be suicide, as explained earlier and second, he was the leader of his tribe now. His father, the previous leader, had been killed by those Orcs in the sudden surprise attack.
He turned to the old, white-haired ogre by his side.
"What should we do old man? If It is really an Orc Lord… We can't just go charging in, even if we want to."
"Young Master," the elder said calmly, "first, we should tend to the wounded and relocate from this already opened place. We don't know if they will attack again. The possibility is low, given they just sent a ten-thousand-strong army, so it would be at least a few days before another army attack comes."
Reinhard surveyed the smoldering view of their village, the ground littered with the corpses of orcs.
He didn't want to act as if he could solve their problems or promise them revenge, that would be far too arrogant, especially toward a proud warrior race.
Even if they did want revenge, it had to be by their own hands. So, instead, he offered a suggestion, something reasonable and focused on what they truly needed in that moment.
"I have a place in mind that should suffice for the time being with the problem at hand, and it is a good idea or something to take into consideration. There is a goblin village where I have been staying for a few days. It is big enough to accommodate all of you for the time being, and not to mention them always welcoming a helping hand."
The red-haired ogre didn't respond. He breathed calmly. His gaze lingered on the collapsed homes of their village where the bodies of orcs and a few of his own people lay. There were less ogres' corpses there, the reason being the orcs eating them instantly by hoarding around, not even sparing their own comrades they killed.
Finally, he spoke, his voice laced with a tone that suggested they were being humiliated. "A goblin village?! You expect us to hide among goblins?"
The pride of the ogres was no small thing. They would rather die a warrior's death than live like cowards. It was a core part of their warrior code. To be told to take shelter in a village of goblins, the weakest race in the forest, was a profound humiliation for the proud ogre tribe.
Reinhard shook his head. "I expect you to survive," he stated flatly. "Pride won't really help you in this situation. It's only a temporary place I'm suggesting. I didn't say anything about you being hidden there, unless you consider living somewhere as hiding. The bigger problem is already solved, as I've already killed the majin responsible. So there isn't much left to do other than defeat the Orc Lord. After that, most of the orcs will likely surrender."
The young ogre's teeth clenched, not in anger at Reinhard, but in frustration at his own weakness, and at the truth and reason in Reinhard's words.
"What do you intend to do now, Sir Reinhard?" he asked. "You are powerful… you wiped out ten thousand orcs like it was nothing. I have a request, depending on your answer."
Reinhard was surprised. "A request? I suppose, if it's something I can do... but I'll need to hear it first before I promise anything."
The red-haired ogre repeated his question, his intent clear. "What do you intend to do now?" He needed to know if this powerful warrior would face the army or simply report the information to his own kingdom and leave them to their fate.
"I intend to defeat the Orc Lord," Reinhard said without hesitation. "The other orcs are being controlled, marching without fear or rest, likely due to some skill. The best way to avoid heavy losses is to defeat their leader. Once he falls, the rest can be dealt with." He finished.
He wasn't trying to deny what he had done or justify it by saying the orcs were being controlled or anything like that. He would carry the weight of the souls he had killed within him, even if that was all he could do. There wasn't any short-term plan other than letting the orcs wipe out the entire ogre village, which now had only a few hundred left.
And by his choices Reinhard chose the ogres.
A heavy breath escaped the red-haired ogre. He dropped to one knee again, his voice ringing with conviction. "Then let us join you! We can't just let them trample on everything, not after what they've done to us and our home!"
"Young master!"
"Huh?" Reinhard was taken aback. He hadn't expected this at all.
And to be honest, Reinhard didn't have any problem with it. Even if he declined, they would still do what they wanted, facing the orc army by forcing some kind of alliance with others.
"I don't have a problem with it," he said after a moment's thought. "But you have to keep one thing in mind. If the orcs surrender, you must not harm them. You will only fight those who refuse to stand down. If that is agreeable… then just as I had said, I don't have a problem with it."
For a long moment, the young ogre said nothing. His jaw tightened, and his eyes burned with the memory of orcs swarming his village. The thought of sparing a single one of them was unthinkable.
Reinhard sighed. "You don't have to accept it or decline it," he said softly. "I can't and won't force you. It wasn't me who suffered through what happened here, it was you and your people. I can't imagine what all of you went through. So I understand that what I'm asking is unthinkable and, in a way, sounds like I'm asking you to forgive the orcs who did this to your village."
The red-haired ogre pushed himself to his feet. "I can't decide that on my own. Give us a few days to decide, if that is alright."
"Of course," Reinhard replied. "It's not my place to alter your thoughts on that. But it is dangerous to stay here for now, so I can wait for your answer. I just hope you'll decide soon, whether to move to the goblin village or any other place you have in mind."
….
A/N: Sorry these past few days my focus isn't that great… thats qhy chapters are late. I just cant focus on one thing for too long. I think i will have to meditate.
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
And if you want to read ahead you can do it by just joining my discord server.
&
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y