303 Chapter 30The Ereian soldiers who were defending the city acted like a big burden was lifted away from their shoulders after being informed that their commander surrendered the city to the ones laying siege upon the city. Commander Lars was brought to the camp of the warriors of Yohan to better tended to by the shamans who were there.
Khao’khen then entered the city while being escorted by the Rakshas and half of the Drakhars and the stench that assaulted their noses upon entry to the city was awful. The streets reek of unpleasant smell as it was littered with corpses which were being feasted upon by flies and rats and human filths. The odor was too strong that it amazed Khao’khen on how the heck did their foes managed to endure such a nasty stench.
At the center of the city, the remaining Ereian defenders were gathered there as they disarmed themselves to avoid creating any misunderstanding to the victors of the siege. Khao’khen then instructed those who were still free from the illness that plague the city to help with the cleaning along with the aid of the Drakhars who came along with him inside the city.
The dead bodies were carted over to the west in batches and after more than half a day of work, the total figures of the dead had an astoundingly high number of six thousand. Khao’khen felt pity for those who have died because of their siege upon the city, especially the young and innocent ones who have no inkling of an idea about what was going on but he just felt bad for the fate that befell on them, that was all since he knew that such things are unavoidable.
Before darkness came, Khao’khen sent runners towards the south to inform Glas and Dylan to provide grains for the consumption of the newly taken city as the food in the granaries of the city are no longer edible since they might have already been long contaminated. The cleansing of the city took almost a week and the corpses that were carted to the west of the city were sent ablaze to avoid anymore diseases cropping out because of them.
With clean food and water coming from the north and south, most of the Ereians who were trapped inside the City of Alsenna managed to recover from the illness the haunted the city. After making sure that everything was orderly in the city, next came the most annoying task for Khao’khen which was to deal with its management and all the paperwork that comes with it. Since he didn’t want to deal with such troublesome task, he delegated the management of the city to Adhalia as he went outside the city with the Yurakks of the First Horde and the Drakhars to build a fort since the city had no appropriate place to house them.
The City of Alsenna sure is a huge place but it doesn’t have quarters to house their numbers as they remain idle, especially the ogres with their huge size. Khao’khen left the Rakshas and the Verakhs to ensure the security of the city while he brought what remains of the army of that defended the city was brought by him along to add more hands in the construction of the fortifications to the east of the city.
Before they could even begin the construction of the city, a huge shadow casted over them which frightened the Ereians who didn’t know about Drae’ghanna and her summons. After the battle with the Blade Crows, Drae’ghanna went ahead to hunt down their enemies who managed to escaped through the help of some magic. She went on the hunt for a long time but failed miserably as she wasn’t able to locate where their escaped foe went to and hid.
After landing down, she dismissed her summons and greeted the chief and reported about what she discovered. “Chief, an army coming from the east is headed towards us while they follow the river banks. Their numbers are probably well above eight thousand or maybe more.” She unhurriedly reported about her discovery of the enemy army. The Yurakks who managed to hear about the report had eagerness written all over the face as they anticipated the upcoming battle since they weren’t satiated with the previous battles in the taking of the City of Alsenna.
.....
“How many days of march do you think they are before they will arrive?” Khao’khen questioned while shaking his head upon noticing the excitement of the orcs upon hearing the possibility of a battle up ahead. “I am not sure chief but I estimate that they would take about a week or more with their pace that they have in the past four days that I shadowed them.” She responded then waited for the chief if he had more questions for her to answer.
Khao’khen then began thinking of ways on how should they give their battle to their new foes, “Hmm…You’ve worked hard…Go and take a rest… I’ll call for you if I have more things to clarify with you.” Drae’ghanna then summoned Ulfrus and headed towards the camp to the north but then was told by the chieftain that the camp no longer exist and the city is already in their hands. She then turned towards the city for some much-needed rest and probably some decent meal after being out in the wilds in the past few months with no decent rest and good meal.
Khao’khen instructed a Yurakk to go and inform Haguk and Dhug’mhar that he requires their assistance with scouting a suitable place to the east where they would greet their new foes. It didn’t take long for the two to arrive along with their clans in tow asking the chieftain where they should go and what they should do. The quirks of Dhug’mhar in flexing his muscles and saying that he is a perfect this and that was thoroughly ignored by Khao’khen and the other orcs while the Ereians got a first taste of the strangeness of the Dhug’mhar. The riders of the Rumbling Clan had their faces saying ‘We don’t know him…’ as they distance themselves from their clan chief less they be seen as narcissist just like their clan chief.