Chapter 82

"Sir I would love to let you sleep in but I must insist you get up."

Kane opened his eyes to a toothy green grin.

"What happened Kellog?" Kane asked the orc as he started to get up from the ground. His body felt like it had been massaged by a troll. He also noticed that he had a few injuries that were still bleeding despite now being bandaged.

"You were wounded in the battle. When you fainted we carried you deeper into the woods. We also ran into some of Okla's forces. Apparently, he has been setting up camps in this area. Together with the survivors, we cleaned up the battle, and let me just say it was a rather good haul that we collected."

"Good job Kellog I am glad you were there to help. What is the news with the rest of the war party as well as the people from the White Sparrow Kingdom?"

"The rest of the Kokarian forces have set up a camp a few miles away. We have scouts watching them. I am positive that they don't know what happened to their cavalry force yet. Our sparrow friends have sent scouts to look for us throughout the forest. I assume this means they made it to safety. When you are ready I suggest we meet up with them so that we can head to Lerwick."

Kane nodded.

"I agree Kellog. Get your group as well as the Romans to Oklas camp. I will take 4 crusaders with me and head to Lerwick."

"That is fine by me Chief but first let me give you something."

Kellog handed a worn book to Kane.

"What's this?"

"Battle arts. They are prized in the human kingdoms. I assume that the leader was a practitioner of these specific arts. It may be good for you to learn them. The enemies that we face in the future will be much stronger. We barely won this battle and it was only due to our numbers."

Kane agreed with Kellog. He may have been an orc but he was far more intelligent than most. If Kane didn't improve his strength then he would be killed effortlessly.

Kane looked at the book. It was titled "Rage Regen." Kane appraised it. Apparently, these arts would heal warriors around the user as long as they were enraged. It was very useful in the midst of battle or when losses were high. It was based on another battle art known as Berserker rage which would only heal the user. Apparently, this art had been stolen from an ancient barbarian clan.

"This will be a great boost but how do I learn this?" thought Kane. He had no idea how the battle arts worked.

[Would the Host like to learn battles art: Rage Regen?]

"Huh, figures" mused Kane. Thanks to the system he would be able to learn something that would take others years.

"Learn away Bot," said Kane.

Light engulfed Kane. When it disappeared Kane felt refreshed.

"Wow, this feels great. I need to find more of these battle arts."

Kellog had watched the scene unfold and decided to chime in.

"I have never seen a human able to master battle arts in mere seconds. You truly are an extraordinary chief and warrior. I am truly fortunate to serve you. I know that all who walk this land will soon know their place under your rule."

Kane smiled. This orc was so well-spoken that he sometimes forgot how bloodthirsty and war-driven some of these orc clans could be.

"One more thing though chief. Battle arts are not common. Kingdoms usually leave them with their strongest warriors, nobility, or the very rich. Like that sparrow general. Some are also better than others. We were lucky this knight had his on him. Usually, they are locked away or guarded."

Kane understood. Of course, it had to be like this. Nothing was ever easy. He had a feeling people would have kept these things secretive. He was tempted to ask Bushivo about his battle arts though. It would make sense that the man had them based on his strength.

"Anyways Kellog let's get ready. I will find one of the sparrow scouts and head to Lerwick."

"Right Chief! I will keep an eye on that human trash that dares step on your domain. Nothing will go unnoticed"

Kane gathered 4 crusaders and mounted up. All of them had gone through hell and their armor and bodies showed it. Kane was still experiencing pain but the worst had subsided. The other crusaders had their own individual injuries with one even having a bandage covering a gaping hole where an eye usually rests. It had been a tough day but soon they will be behind friendly walls. Kane never expected anything like this to happen when he first left to recruit the ratfolk. It will be a while before he can go add them to his army but a whole new series of rewards wait for him which include potentially gaining a new and powerful ally to help him conquer the Kingdom of Kokar.