Chapter 32: Marching and Cavalry Talk

Arriving at the west gate of Karaz-a-Karak, Sinuoli saw a group of Dwarfs already gathered there. They were loading various supplies onto several wagons.

Seeing Sinuoli's figure, they all looked up to greet him. "Good morning, Master Sinuoli!"

"May the Ancestor Goddess bless you, respected Chosen of the Goddess!"

While returning the greetings, Sinuoli looked around, but he did not see the figure of Brother Grom. "Where is my brother?" Sinuoli pulled over an attendant to ask.

"Well, His Highness the Prince had some important business to attend to last night; he might not have gotten up, but he should be on the road by now!" Hearing this, Sinuoli shook his head; in his memories, his brother had always emphasized the importance of punctuality when he was young.

Before long, the Dwarfs recruited yesterday had all arrived, and Grom also hurried over, surrounded by his Hammer Guard.

"Has the headcount been verified? Noel?" He asked the attendant while sporting dark circles under his eyes.

"And the supplies purchased yesterday, oh, they've arrived too! Alright then, let's set off!" With that, Brother Grom led the Hammer Warriors to the front of the formation.

This small detachment was composed of the 80 Ironbreakers recruited yesterday, 20 Irondrakes, Grom's 20 Hammer Guard, and Sinuoli's fifty men; they marched on foot through the underground tunnels in a long, single-file formation.

The formation protected Sinuoli and the several wagons loaded with supplies in the center; Sinuoli was surrounded by the Eternal Hammer in the inner circle and the Anvil Guard in the outer circle, protecting him tightly.

The marching speed of the unit was limited by the Dwarfs' short legs and could not be called fast, but it was offset by the Dwarfs' excellent stamina. They walked for an entire morning with almost no rest, and when they sat down for lunch, Sinuoli knew from the road markers that they had advanced fifteen kilometers.

Sinuoli sat cross-legged; although as a wielder of Rune Magic he did not wear heavy armor, nor did he carry much luggage, only holding his weapon in his hand, the forced march of the morning still left him somewhat exhausted.

Although his body had changed, there was still a distance to go before he could adapt to such marching intensity. Taking the bread, dried meat, and water handed over by Balin, Sinuoli chewed vigorously; the severe physical exertion made the food taste delicious.

Balin was also exhausted; this was the first time this administrative Dwarf had participated in a forced march, not to mention he was carrying two large bags of luggage. After Brother Grom briefly arranged two sentries, he sat down with them, bringing his own food.

"This is the Silver Road province, at the foot of the Everpeak; there are Ironbreaker squads patrolling every day, so it's very safe! If we were really adventuring outside, we wouldn't dare do this; even while eating, one would have to have bread in one hand and a weapon in the other!"

Although Brother Grom appeared somewhat weary, the elite troops recruited and the impending victory made him exceptionally excited.

Sinuoli chewed the dry rations in his mouth, feeling the soreness in his lower limbs, and spoke up, "Brother, don't we have horses? Why don't we form a cavalry? Four legs are always faster than two!"

"Shh! Keep it down!" Grom gulped down some beer.

"Don't let the Longbeards hear you, or they'll start grumbling again. According to the teachings of the Ancestor Gods, we Dwarfs are the Sons of the Mountains; we are meant to measure the earth with our own two legs."

"But..." Sinuoli was interrupted before he could finish.

"Of course, that's only one reason; the other is that we lack suitable mounts. With these legs of ours, there are many fierce beasts we can't even climb onto." The brothers looked at their own legs, which they had struggled to fold, and burst into laughter.

"The horses are right there; you can try riding one. Don't look at how it's fine when walking slowly; once they start running, they'll shake you right off. Don't ask me how I know!" Grom bit into a large piece of dried meat as if venting.

"And those are just pack horses. If it were real warhorses, it would be even more troublesome. Further away, in that Bretonnia, they have the tall, powerful horses left behind by the pointy-eared things; that's what you call exciting!"

Sinuoli nodded. A large part of the reason why the cavalry of Bretonnia was renowned throughout the Old World was that they possessed Elven warhorses and Half-Elf Warhorses left over from the era of Elven colonization; these horses had greater stamina and speed.

"What about Griffons, Hippogryphs, or Demigryphs? We don't have a chance to ride those either? I heard from Father that over in Kislev, they even ride bears." Sinuoli was not yet ready to give up.

"Why don't you think a little bigger? Go to the home of the pointy-eared things and get yourself a Dragon!" Grom was amused.

"Look at yourself—can you even straddle the width of a bear's back! But," he thought of something, and his tone shifted.

"It's not that there's absolutely nothing we can ride. Rock Sheep and war pigs are actually possible. Hahahaha, just thinking about you, the Chosen of the Goddess, riding on a pig's back makes me want to laugh!"

"Uh, let's put the pig thing aside for now; let's talk about Rock Sheep!" Sinuoli also felt that riding a pig was unsightly; if he really did that, he feared his title of 'Pig-Riding Warrior' would spread even faster than that of 'Chosen of the Goddess'.

"Rock Sheep, eh? There are indeed some Rangers and herdsmen who tame them for transport, but there are many problems."

"The first is that they can't carry heavy loads. If our heavy infantry ride them, the sheep can't hold up; if they don't wear armor, they are too easy to suffer losses! Although the pointy-eared things haven't fought in years, their ranged firepower—their arrow volleys are like rain—without armor protection, you'd turn into a hedgehog immediately!"

Grom drank two more mouthfuls of water; talking while chewing bread was somewhat of a burden.

"The second is that Rock Sheep are timid and easily spooked. Think about who our main opponents are. On the Greenskin side, many cavalry ride wolves, which naturally counter them. The Ratman are not only numerous, but their elite troops can also emit all kinds of fire, noise, poison gas, and the like. Our warriors aren't afraid, but the sheep are terrified. If they get spooked and charge back, imagine how much trouble that would cause!"

"It's not that no Lords have tried to form Rock Sheep cavalry in the past, but the value wasn't high, and they were gradually abolished."

"If you really want one, there are plenty of Rock Sheep near Mountain Lake Fortress. When we get back, I'll arrange for some Rangers to catch one for you to train! You are the Chosen of the Goddess; the Longbeards won't say much if you ride a sheep for transport. If all else fails, just say the Goddess requested you to ride it!" As he spoke, the two brothers smirked.

After lunch and a short rest, the Dwarfs set off again. Grom hoped to reach Karak-Varn within the day.

In the afternoon, Sinuoli sat on a wagon under the pretext of needing Meditation to exercise his Rune Power; the surrounding Dwarfs naturally had no objections to this.

By dinnertime, the unit had covered two-thirds of the journey. As they sat down to rest again, and as Balin complained about the boredom of the march, a veteran suddenly made a gesture for silence.

After a brief silence, he spoke: "I hear the sound of blades and axes hacking not far away!"

"Let's go. Half of you follow me to take a look, and half stay here to protect the supplies! Sinuoli, you..."

"I'm going too!"

Grom nodded, picked up his Warhammer, and walked at the very front.

Thanks to the book friends, Illusory Moon Wandering Underworld for the monthly ticket and to all the book friends for their recommendation tickets; there will be an extra update tonight.

I got a better recommendation spot this week, so I'll continue to ask for votes, collections, and tips!