Rise of the Horde

Chapter 108: Chapter 10

The Rhakaddon Cavalry started training with the stirrups, which made riding their humongous war beasts much easier. Charging towards their enemy ranks wasn’t their only way of attack, as they also could attack from a distance and shower their enemies with bolts and balls of iron. Depending on the situation and the command given, they would employ different forms of attacks.

Xiao Chen focused on training the Rhakaddon Cavalry while ruthlessly training the Raksha Aspirants with very intense physical activities. The Raksha Aspirants were exempted from the physical labor which was helping in the city’s construction. Rakshas are to be the elite unit who have only one purpose which was combat, unlike the Yurakks who will undertake the task of physical labors such as roadworks and constructions.

The Yurakks would be the all around soldiers as they learned different form of crafts, while the Rakshas would be more focused on providing security. Deep within the Lag’ranna Mountains,there they trained the special soldiers who would go ahead of the main army at all times in search of safe paths and also finding their enemies.

There were three hundred Verakh Aspirants who answered the call, who were also subjected to a much more ruthless form of training. Even more ruthless than what the Rakshas are going through. They lived within the mountains with no supply and they have to depend on themselves to survive the ruthless training. They are divided into sixteen groups and each group had to work together with their members to survive. Food, shelter, security, and other things related to survival, they must do it themselves with just the one weapon that they have. No clothes, no armors, no special equipments. They are basically like cavemen, except they wield a fine one foot dagger for their own safety against the wilds.

If the Rakshas are the special force in full battles with the Yurakks as the all around force, the Verakhs would be the most special one as they train not only to fight in full battles but also some special battles.

The tasks and roles of Verakhs would include scouting, guerilla warfare,jungle warfare, raiding operations, sabotages, ambushes, pathfinding, and also includes urban warfare. Xiao Chen really modeled them after the ‘Musangs’ and even planned on using their famous mascot as their insignia, which is the black panther.

*****

.....

Deep in the mountains, Galum’nor and some of his chosen warriors were messing with the Verakh Aspirants as they raided them multiple times. Destroying their shelters and stealing their gathered food supplies, which they foraged from the wilds, was just among the few things that they did in order to make the life of the aspirants harder than it already was.

The original three hundred who volunteered was cut down to less than two hundred now as the others quitted the training or weren’t fit to continue after suffering injuries inflicted by Galum’nor and his warriors. Broken bones, torn muscles, gashes, deep wounds, swelling, sickness and other things that could put their lives in jeopardy were grounds for disqualification from the training.

“Screw them! Ah! Those bastards. They don’t fight like proper warriors!” an injured orc screamed his annoyance and anger as his right arm was broken after the enormous Galum’nor and his troops ambushed their group who split away from the others to gather food. They were quickly defeated, and he was one of the unlucky ones who suffered a serious injury and will be pulled out from the training. He was just thrown towards a tree by the giant orc and landed badly, which resulted in him breaking his arm.

“It was an order of the chief. We don’t have any other choice.” the leader of their group muttered as he pitied his fellow orc who was one of the unlucky ones. His group was now only one fourth of their original size as Galum’nor’s group seemed to have a taken a liking to their group. Among the many groups of Verakhs Aspirants, they were the ones with the most casualties, as they seem to really have bad luck as they walked multiple times into the ambushes of Galum’nor and his chosen warriors.

“Argh! This is unfair! Why me?” the orc with the broken arm screamed as he really didn’t want his journey to be a Verakh to end just yet. “You can train again to be Verakh after you are fully healed, albeit on the next batch. Don’t worry, if the rest of us will survive this ordeal, we will wait for you with open arms.” their leader patted him on the shoulder. The injured orc somehow calmed down as he finally accepted the fact that his luck was really rotten and it is not his time yet to be one of the prestigous Verakhs.

The orcs carried their injured comrades towards the rescue zone and brought out the green cloth that was given to each group and attached it to a branch. Them attaching the green cloth to a branch and using it as a banner means that they are off limits for the meantime and Galum’nor can’t attack them since they are carrying their injured to the designated area. Those who voluntarily quit the training and those found out to be cheating their way through the training would be disqualified and barred from undergoing the training again in the future. Only those who were disqualified because of valid reasons can return and train again to be part of the prestigious unit.

“Hold! Don’t come out.” Galum’nor raised his hand to stop the ambush that they prepared as he spotted the green cloth dancing with the passing wind. “Why?” one orc under him questioned and stared at him with a confused face. Galum’nor approached the orc who sweated bullets as the vast frame of their leader that clearly towered over him approached. The big orc smacked the back of the head of the orc, who questioned him with the back of his palm and pointed at the green cloth, “Are you blind? Open your eyes wide. The green cloth is out and you know what that means or do you want me to remind you!” Galum’nor brought his knuckles against each other as his bones made cracking sounds and scared the sh*t out of the poor orc.

The orc backpedalled a few feet away from Galum’nor while shaking his head, “No... No.... No.... I-I-I re-re-member it. They-they are not-not be attacked.” he stuttered as fear gripped him. Not only the aspirants could be eliminated from the training but also the trainors as Xiao Chen tasked Galum’nor to find some good orcs that would train the future batch of Verakhs since they can’t be around at all times.

“Glad you remember.” Galum’nor snorted and led them away, deeper into the woods, in seek of another group to prey upon.

*****

“Put your backs on it! Move faster! Stop dillydallying or do you want to join those guys!” Sakh’arran shouted and pointed a finger towards the Yurakk Aspirants who he punished for their laziness as he caught them dozing off behind the concrete wall that they were building. In the distance, there were over twenty orcs rolling around under the scorching sun while stark naked. Rolling to the left then back to right, they were already so dizzy that they can’t figure out which was left and which was right. Some of them even passed out already because of exhaustion, but Sakh’arran, being a copycat of their chieftain, had someone pour water on the unconscious orcs to wake them up and make them continue their punishment.

It wasn’t only the Verakh Aspirants who could be disqualified and barred from the training, as the same thing happens with the Raksha and Yurakk Aspirants. The Raksha Aspirants had it better because if they voluntarily quit the training of being a Raksha, they could immediately join the Yurakk Aspirants and join them in their training like some sort of demotion.

“Don’t give up! Move your legs forward! Just continue to step forward! Don’t stop!” Maghazz runs around the group of Raksha Aspirants that were under him while the other group was under Arkagarr. He cheered and continuously lift the morale of his peers as he didn’t want the big gong to sound again, which would mean someone just quitted the training. They didn’t care about those quitted at first and just stared at them with condescending eyes as they felt they were far superior to those who quitted, but all hell broke loose when midnight came after their first fellow aspirant quitted and sounded the gong.

The demon woke them up in the middle of the night and started their intense training. Drowsy as they might be, the training woke up their sleeping blood as they sweated and bled. Their chieftain continued to mock and lectured them endlessly, instilling in them that they have to work together. They must be united at all times, “United you stand. Divided and you fall.” that’s pretty much the summary of everything that their chieftain wanted to happen.

***** _{????????????e????????. ????o????}

The orcs who didn’t want to take part in the potential wars were contended with just farming and working for the tribe. They tend to the fields, help construct the buildings, fetched water, took care of the livestocks, helped with the mining and just went on with their daily life. But if they are needed to fight, they would fight as their chieftain mandated that all those part of his tribe who are at the right age and physically fit must know how to fight. They were all trained in some form of combat and would respond to situations where they are needed, specially with the defense of the tribe in case of attacks.

The Yohan Tribe is basically one gigantic military organization wherein all of its members can be called to fight if needed be.