Chapter 56: The Orcs’ Assault

Chapter 56: The Orcs’ Assault

Sko was being quite cautious about everything.

He had to catch the humans off guard.

On the other hand, the humans were a bit lax.

Although Powell had heeded Axi’s advice to increase the patrols of scouts and the sentries on the city walls, the folks below didn’t take this matter too seriously.

They didn’t believe the orcs would attack a town protected by city walls.

Those out on patrol failed to spot the orcs who were deliberately hiding.

This led to a rude awakening for the humans when the orcs showed up at their doorstep.

The orcs were unusually attacking the city.

As soon as they arrived at the base of the city walls, they launched their assault on the small town.

The orcs were quickly approaching the town wall, carrying makeshift wooden ladders.

The sudden appearance of the orcs and their offensive shocked the soldiers on duty atop the walls, plunging them into chaos.

This was completely unexpected for them.

Some even forgot how to deal with such an urgent and critical situation.

Lucky for them, a few were able to maintain some semblance of composure.

“Sound the alarm! Notify the Baron that the orcs are attacking!”

The speaker was the knight assigned to guard duty that day.

As a knight, he was naturally stronger in mental fortitude than those soldiers.

Those who regained their senses immediately took command of the soldiers on the walls.

With direction, the soldiers on the walls began to organize themselves.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!…”

As the alarm rang out, some ran quickly into the town to relay the message.

While the alarm conveyed certain information, more accurate news still needed to be delivered by a person.

The remaining soldiers were getting ready under the knight’s organization to repel the orc assault.

The ringing of the alarm transformed the once peaceful town into a tense atmosphere.

Many people, recalling their previous experiences, believed they were safe within the town.

However, today, danger had arrived.

Upon hearing the alarm, Airael and Axi, who were practicing together, paused and exchanged a knowing glance before hastily heading toward the source of the alarm.

Though they had a bad feeling in their hearts, they didn’t expect it to happen this soon.

Inside the castle, Powell, who was training the soldiers, changed countenance upon hearing the alarm.

Both soldiers and knights ceased their training.

Some were tense, while others were excited.

“Head to the walls!”

Quickly, Powell ordered the knights and soldiers to rush toward the source of the alarm.

On the city walls, the knight stared at the approaching orcs with a grave expression.

These orcs had suddenly popped up, catching everyone off guard.

Moreover, he didn’t understand why the orcs, known for avoiding attacks on wall-protected villages, chose today to strike theirs.

Beside him, the soldiers, under his command, had already formed a defensive line atop the walls.

But with the main force yet to arrive, there were only a few human soldiers scattered across that section of the wall, making their numbers seem sparse.

This left the humans feeling insecure.

Although they had the walls as cover, the ferocity of the orc charge was indeed intimidating.

The orcs towered over them, especially their tusked faces, which looked terrifying at first glance.

Especially since orcs were genuinely man-eaters.

Some of the weaker-willed soldiers, facing the advance of these orcs, might just wet their pants from fear.

“Don’t panic, don’t be afraid! We have the walls for support, and the Baron will be here to aid us soon, so we will surely prevail!”

As his gaze shifted away from the orcs, the knight noticed a dip in morale among the soldiers, prompting him to rally their spirits.

“These orcs will ultimately become the souls beneath our blades, and their soon-to-be-lost lives will stand as a testament to our merit and glory!”

His down-to-earth speech somewhat rekindled the soldiers’ morale.

They still had support; they still had the noble Baron.

“Crossbowmen, fire!”

Just after re-energizing the crowd, the knight immediately gave the next command.

The orcs were now within effective range of the crossbows.

Against the powerful crossbows, the makeshift shields the orcs carried were utterly useless, pierced straight through by the bolts.

Though the crossbows were indeed formidable, their numbers were limited, and reloading took time.

“Archers, fire!”

Next, it was the turn of the archers.

Not many archers were available, but they began loosing sparse arrows at the orcs below the walls.

Compared to the heavy crossbows, these arrows inflicted minimal harm on the orcs.

Some orcs, even when hit by arrows, continued to fight as if nothing was amiss.

In the woods behind the orcs, Sko and his personal guards weren’t participating in the siege.

They were waiting.

Waiting for Axi and Airael to show up first.

Sam’s death had taught him a lesson.

He needed to be cautious and not allow carelessness to cost him his life like it did Sam.

He certainly didn’t want to become the second Sam.

Only when Axi and Airael appeared would he spring into action and head straight for them.

His primary goal in this siege had always been to kill Axi and Airael; destroying the town was secondary, just a side benefit.

Sko was quite satisfied with the current battle situation.

They had caught the humans completely off guard.

By the time the humans fully reacted and sent reinforcements, the orc warriors would already be scaling the walls, perhaps having already taken them.

Indeed, as Sko anticipated, Airael and Axi made it there swiftly.

However, by the time they arrived, the wall’s defenses were already on the verge of collapse.

Human soldiers were few and far between, desperately clinging to one corner of the wall under the knight’s leadership.

The orcs had split into two groups.

One group was attacking the remnants of human resistance on the walls, while the other was beginning to push into the heart of the small town.

Meanwhile, Sko, hiding in the woods outside the town, began heading toward the interior.

The approaching orcs naturally crossed paths with Axi and Airael.

These orcs had no clue who they were but didn’t let that stop them from viewing Airael and Axi as enemies.

To the orcs, Airael and Axi looked like mere roadblocks.

“Kill them!”

With a commanding shout from their leader, the orcs raised their weapons and charged at Airael and Axi.

“Be careful.”

Axi warned Airael, drawing his long sword and charging at the orcs alone.

Airael, meanwhile, began to conjure magic.

A golden magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and she unleashed a powerful lightning spell once more.