Green-Skins

The following day:

Asher led the army of two hundred men through a dead forest, their morale sagging with every step. These were soldiers bound not by honor or duty, but by necessity, men who had no other place to go, and no better fate than to follow him into the depths of the mines.

Their spirits were frayed, not only by the ever-present specter of death but also by the bleak terrain around them. The ground was lifeless and hollow, every inch coated with a thin layer of snow despite the absence of snowfall, as though the land itself mourned in silence.

The creaking of their crude wooden shields and the clatter of battered spears, hastily assembled under his orders, were the only sounds that accompanied them.

It was a cruel irony that such a ragtag group of misfits would be the only force standing between the people of Ashtown and the monsters lurking in the mines.

Yet, there was one thing they held in common: their belief in Sirius.

The wolf with his pale fur and sharp eyes, walked a few paces ahead of everyone. He was more than a mere beast to those men.

To them, he was a symbol of strength, survival, a chance at victory over the horrors that lay beneath the earth. They believed in Sirius more than they believed in Asher.

Asher could feel the weight of their reliance on the creature, but he couldn't bring himself to care for it as they did. It was a tool, nothing more. And yet, as the men whispered among themselves, they spoke not of him, but of the wolf.

His lips twitched in amusement and irony. 'They put their faith in a beast yet scoff at their lord. How fitting.'

As he took in the sight of his army, his lips twisted into a bitter smile.

Their attire, worn and patched, gave them the appearance of vagabonds more than soldiers. The shields they carried were crudely made with patches of planks and wood all over the surface.

Moreover, the spears they carried looked more like makeshift tools than proper weapons. Hardly suited to battle, and yet here they were, a hundred shieldmen and a hundred swordsmen, marching on a journey that would demand more than they had to give.

His men, like the town they defended, were nothing if not resilient.

"Some army we've got," Alex said, walking up beside Asher. "Can we really fight with this lot?"

Asher's eyes remained fixed ahead, his tone steady. "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, nor even the sheer number of them —but the one most responsive to change"

Alex could only keep walking, his thoughts consumed by the unusual quote his Lord had given him. 'Does he already know how insecure I am about my strength?' The question lingered, heavy yet awe-inspiring.

'If so… Lord Asher, you are on a whole other level than I imagined. To recognize something my own brother never did, and in such a short time... not to expose it or hurt me, but to offer advice instead—disguising it with such subtlety is a trait befitting of a Lord.'

Truth be told, Asher hadn't noticed anything unusual, nor had the system provided him with any insights.

Instead, he had merely recognized a perfect moment to slip in one of Earth's most famous quotes—Darwin's, no less—hoping to sound clever and seize the chance to show off.

[Loyalty: 99]

An information panel flickered briefly above Alex's head, catching Asher's attention.

Huh, Asher thought, just saying that quote nearly pushed him to Loyalty 100. How strange...

…

A short while after, his gaze wandered next to the towering peaks of the mountains surrounding Ashtown, their jagged tips cutting into the sky.

'If I had to guess... these mountains surrounding Ashtown hold both advantages and disadvantages. For one, the high elevation gives this land a natural defense. Any outside attack—from other kingdoms, hostile groups, or roaming monsters—would fail miserably. Not unless they're from here, with knowledge of hidden paths and ways to navigate the terrain.'

'But the disadvantages are glaring... I'm looking at them now. No wonder Ashtown's history has been a cycle of extremes—times of prosperity and times of utter disaster. These mountains bring harsh conditions, especially in winter, where the temperatures drop so low that plant life can hardly survive.'

'It's clear that the mountains do more harm than good... If I were to take on the full responsibilities of Lord here, I'd have to endure countless struggles due to the severe climate.'

'I'd be surprised if the land even has fertile soil at this altitude. I remember a developer friend of mine from back in the day—someone who studied geography for months—saying that the higher you go in Boundless, the more rocks you find beneath the surface. It's tough terrain, no doubt.'

Asher chuckled at the advantages though. "Any enemy who dares to assault Ashtown will have to climb mountains, scale forests, and cross uneven terrain, all while under the gaze of beasts who roam the lands," he muttered to himself. "It's the perfect natural defense."

The journey to the mines continued with a few arranged stops to rest from time to time.

By the time they reached the mining camp, night had already settled. Hence the two moons in the sky, one silver and the other a haunting shade of purple.

"Two moons, just like always," Alex said quietly, his gaze lifted. "But I can never get used to that purple one. Feels... Ominous."

Standing on high grounds, Asher looked down at the tents made from animal skins littered about. Hulking green-skinned humanoid beings with tusks protruding out of their lips moved about, clad in nothing but animal skins about their waists.

Subsequently he noticed some stood as watchmen and held the bones of beasts as their weapons. Although those bones weren't sharp, Asher did not doubt the damage it could cause as a blunt weapon.

"Lord Asher. They're about 400 orcs in total." Alex unsheathed his sword, stabbed the ground, and leaned against it.

"All those orcs, and you tell me there are only 400?"

"He meant 400 capable of fighting. Not including those inside the tents." Alec responded to Asher.

At that moment, an orc much larger than the others emerged from the biggest tent, draped in a garment made from wolf skin.

In his hands, he held a sizable piece of silver iron ore. As he raised it high, the other orcs erupted in loud yells and screams, each lifting their own pieces of ore. The sounds they made were incomprehensible to Asher, nothing but gibberish and primal in his ears.

"What are they doing?" Asher muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"They use our ore to summon and sacrifice it to their minotaur deity." A random man added.

Upon hearing that, Asher's expression became solemn. "They have a stronger ranked entity than gold!"

Alex shook his head. "I don't think so. They simply take those ores into a cave and wait for their deity to eat his meal. They're quite dumb up there, but when it comes to strength, only bronze-ranked warriors can match."

Asher then asked. "How will your men fare against four hundred?"

"With me, my brother, and Sirius, we can draw their focus, but in direct combat, our soldiers won't stand a chance. They're already double our number," Alec said, his voice tight, the weight of his words mirrored in the hard lines of his face.

Asher's gaze swept across the battlefield, cold and calculating. "Their number advantage makes it better for us. We'll take advantage of the slope. Prepare the shieldmen at the front and the swordsmen behind. Once the formation of the shieldmen is broken, the swordsmen will take the stage."

Alex and Alec exchanged glances, their disbelief clear. Twice the enemy's numbers, an advantage? The logic was as elusive as the confidence their lord spoke with.

After the shieldmen arranged their triangular formation with their spears ready to pierce through their enemies, Asher turned to his wolf. "Inform them of our presence."

Awoo!

Awoo!!

Sirius' earth-shaking howl made the orcs turn. Instantly, they sighted the huge white wolf at the top of the hill, and it was seemingly alone. Normally, only a few would go after it, but the orcs could perceive that the strength of this wolf was uncommon. And the second their leader mentioned using it as a feast, the orcs ran toward the hill.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hundred orcs began to whistle, and large, stout grey wolves came out of the other side of the forests.

The orcs, along with their leaders, mounted the wolves and went after Sirius. Sirius purposely retreated into the hill where the orcs could no longer see it, causing them to increase their speed.

They were shouting and making all sorts of sounds until the first batch arrived at the hilltop.

The sharpened wooden spears of well-prepared shieldmen pierced through their thick skins, drawing blood as they were drawn out. Without delay, they took a step forward and thrust out their spears, nailing down the second batch.

Instantaneously, 30 orcs were dead!

The next group was over twenty, and the shieldmen opened up a space, forcing them into their circle. In no time, twenty orcs were pierced to their deaths. The formation was so destructive that Asher's mouth almost dropped.

Although they looked like the worst, the constant fight against beasts every winter had forged them to be keen warriors. Their skyrocketing morale plunged when the wolf-riding orcs arrived. The first wall of shieldmen broke as the orcs swung their bone clubs at such speed that some shieldmen's shields shattered.

"Sirius!" Asher, who stood at the back, bellowed.

Sirius launched out, clawing two orcs and their wolves. Its presence drew the attention of the wolf-riding orcs, and Asher ordered Sirius to lead them away with their mental connection. He then looked at the chaos going on at the forefront with solemn eyes.

Alec stood at the front, leading his shieldmen. His yells broke through the sounds of clashing, keeping the formation from breaking. "Sirius has created an opening; go from the right side now!"

Alex nodded and led the swordsmen to come from the right instead of the shield men's back. As Alex closed the gap, he leaped into the air and swung his sword, cleanly killing an orc. The orc's body had not even touched the ground when Alex weaved through two more and flicked away the blood from his sword.

"Three dead." He muttered under his breath.