Chapter 227: Black Orc

"Sons of the Mountains! Occupying Karag-Hongyun Shan is a group of shameless Greenskins; are there any warriors willing to go and scout out their true strength?" Snorri roared; only now could his expedition be considered truly started.

To be honest, Snorri felt relieved to hear it was a Greenskin warband. He vaguely remembered that Karag-Hongyun Shan had a landmark called "Clan Mors Headquarters," and he had only chosen this path after repeatedly confirming with veteran Human and Dwarf adventurers that there were no traces of rats.

Otherwise, if he had to fight a hard battle against the premier clan under the four Great Clans of the Skaven Empire right from the start, Snorri's expedition would hardly have a bright future.

"I, Koen of Clan Moir, am willing to go!"

"I am duty-bound to serve in the restoration of our homeland!"

Having left the desert, the Dwarfs were once again invigorated; every clansman caught the scent of wealth and glory. In history, among all the expeditions that attempted to find Karaks-Zuen, those who could make it to the Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai had already surpassed half of the others.

Snorri did not wish to dampen his clansmen's enthusiasm at this moment; on the other hand, he also wanted to select some qualified leaders. Currently, the only person beside him who could fully take charge on his own was Henlide; his previous position as Gatekeeper did not mean a doorman, but rather a commander of city defenses.

A large number of Dwarfs were dispatched in small squads; they either came from the same hold or Clan, or they had adventured together before, and some were just temporary teams formed by those who got along on the road.

The Greenskins occupying Red Cloud Mountain Fortress had not yet realized the danger was coming; they had no vigilance at all. By evening, the scouting Dwarfs returned one after another, having figured out the situation of this Greenskin warband clearly.

This group of Greenskins was not native to the area but had drifted over from the Badlands. The Dwarfs speculated that they must have discovered the Earth Vein Network in the middle section of the World's Edge Mountains. Greenskins were one of the few races capable of digging tunnels.

This group of Greenskins had not gained the upper hand in the process of seizing territory in the Badlands and was forced to retreat here; their strength was not considered powerful. Snorri decided to attack directly under the cover of night.

When he had a numerical advantage, Snorri's tactics were relatively simple: a portion of the clansmen would launch a surprise attack from underground, while he would lead the rest to launch a frontal assault from the surface with the support of Artillery. The two foreign troops would each be responsible for one flank to prevent the Greenskins from escaping, and the Knights would be concentrated to act as a mobile force.

There was some dispute over the command of the underground troops; the resume of Qiangsen-Jian Dun was not particularly outstanding, and several clansmen recommended themselves to compete with him for the position of commander.

Snorri was still happy to see healthy competition, especially when it did not threaten his overall command. However, this time, in order to achieve a quick victory, he still appointed Captain Qiangsen as the primary person in charge; of course, he also promised that he would pay close attention to the performance of those who recommended themselves during the battle.

When the moon Mannslieb rose to the zenith, Snorri's Rune Anvil lit up, and Qiangsen sent the signal that the underground troops were in position. Coffin Canyon had been riddled with holes for thousands of years by the former kings of Nehekhara, and the Dwarfs easily excavated a tunnel leading directly into the interior of the Red Cloud Mountain Fortress.

Snorri pointed his Warhammer, and large groups of troops surged out from the mountain hollow. The Greenskins of Red Cloud Mountain had not noticed anything yet; this could not be blamed on them, as after all, who would remain vigilant after spending so long in a canyon full of skeletons on both sides?

Following a few cannon blasts, the Dwarfs charged forward with war cries. The Goblins in the Greenskin camp were startled; they screamed and ran everywhere, waking the Orcs who had already fallen asleep.

Soon, a group of Black Orcs rushed out of the camp. The name of the Black Orcs came from their dark green or black skin, armor painted black, and their notorious reputation.

These strong Orcs possessed something other Greenskins lacked—a high degree of discipline and organization. Combined with their sturdy armor and the heavy blades in their hands, it could be said that they were simply born for war.

Snorri licked his lips as he watched those fellows; to be honest, he was very covetous of these Black Orcs. It was said that they were secretly cultivated by the Chaos Dwarfs of the Dark Lands; under the influence of Dark Magic and selective breeding, the Black Orcs overcame their disadvantages and amplified their strengths.

A Black Orc boss, who was a circle larger than his surrounding kin, shouted and urged the ordinary Orcs who were still sleeping soundly in their shacks and burrows to get up. Black Orcs were few in number, so although they despised the slackness of ordinary Orcs, they were still forced to associate with those fellows.

Buluokesen personally operated a bolt thrower to aim at the Black Orc boss who was shouting while waving the large chopper in his hand; a spear tipped with fire flew toward the Black Orc boss with a heart-stopping whistling sound.

A scene that shocked the Dwarfs occurred: the Black Orc used the Battle Axe in his hand to parry, then blocked with the Shield in his left hand, and the crossbow bolt was actually neutralized into nothingness.

"Waaaagh!"

The Black Orc boss looked up to the sky and let out a war cry; ever since leaving the Badlands, he had been chopping skeletons every day. Those things wouldn't bleed or scream, and he didn't find it satisfying to chop them.

Before the Orcs' battle line had stabilized, Henlide arrived with the Dwarf vanguard. The Black Orc boss spotted at a glance the Dwarf who was also a circle larger than his surrounding kin and was wielding a two-handed Battle Axe with one hand; the two strong men clashed together.

The Dwarfs also began to trade blows with the Orcs; one side was tall and strong, the other was well-equipped, and originally it was a fairly even match. But soon the Greenskin side showed signs of decline; their ranged firepower was simply too poor.

The Goblin archers and Orc arrow boys either had low armor-piercing capabilities or poor shooting accuracy, and they were not in the same league as the Dwarfs' Thunder Guns and crossbows. The Black Orc boss soon discovered that his subordinates were being hit in vital spots by projectiles and falling down from time to time.

"Spineless stunties! Only daring to sneak attacks from afar with shooters!" Seeing that the situation was bad, the Black Orc boss swung his large axe to push Henlide away and pulled back, intending to retreat. The Orcs still fighting behind him saw the situation and prepared to slip away as well.

Just at this moment, Captain Qiangsen and his subordinates charged out from behind the Greenskins.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

The Dwarfs first threw a round of the Thunder Tubes they carried; the sudden explosion caused the Greenskin ranged troops in the rear to panic and charge forward, colliding directly with the front line that was retreating. Amidst the smoke and dust raised by the explosion, no one knew who had come from behind, only the sound of war cries could be heard everywhere.

The bolt throwers and Cannons took the opportunity to fire another volley; the morale of the Greenskins other than the Black Orcs collapsed. They dragged their weapons and scattered to both sides of the battlefield. The Black Orc boss shouted and yelled but could not control the rout; he killed two or three deserters, which only made the Greenskins move even further away from him.