Chapter 133 - Day CCCLXIX

The day was busy from the very beginning. It all started with a meeting during breakfast. We still had a bit of distance between us and the orc camp, but since we could reach it, we also could start preparations for the battle.

- So if the camp is here - Will made a small circle with a knife on the sand, then two lines a bit below - and the walls of the canyon are here, we should set up a choke point around here.

- And what exactly 'around here' means? - asked Nobuo raising an eyebrow.

- Around two to three hundred meters - I replied. - That distance should be sufficient. I will have enough space to attack them from behind, and to fight, while you will be able to ascertain their incoming numbers.

Adachi nodded, content with my explanation.

- Then the second point should be at the same distance. More or less. Then we maybe can make them a little sooner since the numbers should go down by a lot - said Boris, looking carefully at Will's drawings.

Our little painter kept going, putting more details on the sand according to what was said by others.

- I was also thinking about how we should proceed with this, and I have an idea. I think Nobuo, Will, and I can block the orcs while being supported by others from the back, and when we were gonna retreat, they can step up, to give us some space - he continued.

- It's better if I handle it alone - William disagreed. - I don't need support to retreat by myself, and if something goes wrong Peter can help me. It's easier to help one person than five.

- What about archers? - asked Nobuo.

- They won't be able to shot at you directly because of the barricade, but they still might send some arrows blindly from behind the stones, but we can't really do anything about that. You will just have to dodge - I replied.

- That's risky. Very risky, but on the other hand they might not try to shot at all, since we will be engaged with their forces, so they would have to risk their own kind - he continued.

- They might not care. I've seen goblins shooting even at their own kind, with minimal chances of hitting hunters, and they still did it - said Nil.

- Then let's prepare something to hide behind just in case. There is enough boulders around here - Hailwic joined.

Nobuo nodded.

- That's a good idea.

- So we have our game plan prepared, and I believe we can start working, yes? - asked will with a wide smile.

- There is still some distance to cover, so let's get moving - I replied, and started to gather my things.

A bit later we were on the move, cutting our way through orcs. Heading straight towards our destination. The excitement could be felt in the air, and seen in the more reckless behavior of less experienced hunters. Boris and Nobuo quickly called them to order though.

Finally, somewhere around midday, we reached the immediate vicinity of the orcs settlement. We started by scouting all together how it looked.

They lived simply in tents made of wood and animal skins. Some meat was roasted over few fires, armed guards were walking around, and unarmed greenskins pretended to work.

For somebody who was new to this place, it could look like an orc village of some sort with real living intelligent humanoids, but the truth was different. It was just a facade made by the device. The monsters were not real beings, but rather a bunch of puppets acting accordingly to the script.

After a few minutes of observation, we returned to our established previous position where we left all of our supplies on the carts. We had a brief conversation, and then work started.

The strongest people rolled over some boulders. Others brought smaller stones. It went on for hours during which I figured that actually using shadow walk to cut the distance was making big of a difference. Then I got another idea of utilizing shadow essence to make a platform on which I would put the stone, and then move it.

It worked like a charm, which allowed us to actually finish the first structure shortly before the darkness swallowed the canyon, making us unable to work anymore.

It became pretty obvious that we might spend here a few days before we manage to set everything up. So we decided to split into two groups. One would work, while the other would hunt, and we would switch every day to better manage our energy.

For me and William it didn't matter much if we were hunting or working, but for others moving stones all day was too much to keep up with. They needed some break, but during the hunt, there were no breaks, so the only option was less tiring orc hunting.

Tired we moved to the closes safe spot to set up our camp for today. Even exhausted, everybody seemed to have high morale. Martin was the biggest difference-maker with his silly ideas.

He kept talking that he is gonna use all of his shares to get bigger and stronger. Nobuo tried to explain to him, that skills would him a bigger advantage in battle than just pure strength, but he failed as Martin didn't really want to be the top dog, but rather a strong man.

I respected his line of thoughts even if I found it not the smartest. Nil had obviously the same opinion as me. They both seemed to get along well.

Hailwic was also fond of the big man, especially when it came to light they are both german. It put a smile on my face when I would see them having a conversation on the side.

After a large dinner the time to sleep came, and we all, after short preparation, lied down to get some rest.

The day came to an end with 618 181 points remaining on my account and five class points.