Fear and Unease

The next day, the first mercenary to wake up and step out of his tent immediately let out a terrified scream. Everyone else was roused from sleep, stumbling out of their tents in a panic, some not even fully dressed. They were all stunned by the sight before them... The four mercenaries who had been on guard duty the previous night were now laid out neatly in a row in an open area, their bodies intact but their heads severed. One trembling mercenary pointed behind them: "Look... look behind!"

On a tall rock at the back of the camp, four heads, still bearing expressions of terror, were piled together in a triangular formation. The blood had dried into a dark, purplish black, creating an indescribably eerie scene.

For a moment, there was complete silence, but then the camp erupted into chaos. The members of the caravan, who had been temporarily hired by Wald, were horrified. Though Wald offered generous pay, it wasn't worth risking their lives. Moreover, the fact that the four night guards had been killed and decapitated without anyone noticing left them wondering: if the attacker had entered the camp... By the Light of God, they didn't even want to think about it!

Almost all the caravan workers approached Wald to resign. They preferred to forgo their pay and leave immediately while they were still close enough to retreat safely. Wald himself was pale with fear, but he couldn't escape his duty. If he failed to complete the royal mission and lost his job, how would his wife and two sons continue to live a prosperous and stable life? He had no choice but to try his best to calm the workers and announce that everyone's pay would be doubled! Yet, some were still too scared and wanted to leave.

Wald, at a loss, couldn't help but angrily approach the stern-faced Sava. "Captain Sava, I demand an explanation. Who exactly attacked us? How could four night guards be killed without you noticing? This is a serious dereliction of duty on your part as our protectors."

Sava's face was grim, but he had no words to refute. They had indeed been careless. Exhausted from the journey, they had slept deeply and neglected their usual habit of making a midnight patrol.

"Mr. Wald, I have already told you, the Gravel Wasteland is full of dangers, and you can never predict where a threat might come from. Moreover, the five people who have died along the way were all my men. My anger is greater than yours."

Hearing Sava's words, Wald's tone softened a bit. "Yes, I apologize, Captain Sava. But we need to know who or what is targeting us. I don't want to be decapitated before we even reach the Lizardmen's settlement."

At this moment, Huda and Misa also approached, examining the surroundings carefully. "Judging by the traces, someone approached last night. They easily killed the four night guards on the camp's outskirts, without any sign of struggle. It must have been a swift and lethal attack," said Misa.

"Can you tell who or what did it?" Sava asked.

Misa shook his head. "It's impossible to tell. The footprints and other traces have been erased. It could have been humans or some other creatures of the wasteland."

Suddenly, Huda spoke up: "Let's keep moving. Tonight, we'll increase our vigilance and even stay up all night. Since the attackers are clearly trying to intimidate us by displaying the bodies, they won't stop and will come again. I want to see what exactly is challenging us!" He secretly hoped that everyone would be killed so that he and Misa could take all of Wald's gold and live comfortably for the rest of their lives. As a mercenary on the verge of becoming a mid-level warrior, he never considered himself at risk, assuming the attackers feared him. Otherwise, they would have attacked openly, not sneakily—at least, that was his perspective!

After much effort to calm everyone and bury the dead, they ate a quick meal of bread and set off again! They traveled anxiously all day but surprisingly encountered no trouble. That night, everyone stayed on high alert, fully armed and prepared for any incident, but nothing happened.

The absence of danger made them even more uneasy. Exhausted from sleeplessness, they continued their journey during the day, fighting off drowsiness. By nightfall, many could barely stay awake, nodding off where they sat. Sava, Huda, and Misa, as fighting spirit warriors, remained alert, patrolling the perimeter and organizing the remaining forty-plus mercenaries into groups of five, following military standards for mutual support.

The night passed without incident. At dawn, even the three fighting spirit warriors were showing signs of fatigue, sitting down to rest their eyes and regain their energy.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the hidden orcs chose their next attacker. Surprisingly, it wasn't one of the young leaders or any other orc, nor was it Barok himself, but the frost giant wolf, Rak!

The poor creature, already in a foul mood from the arid wasteland and suffering under Barok's treatment, was once again subjected to the Hebreidon's wolf's stealth technique, transforming back into a yellow dog. Finally succumbing to the temptation of a large amount of roasted meat from Barok's storage ring, Rak nodded and swaggered towards the caravan's camp!

In the dark of dawn, a yellow dog approached silently, undetectable. Well-practiced in these sneaky tactics, Rak easily blended in with the sand, creeping close to a group of mercenaries, unnoticed just a few meters away.

Someone had to be unlucky. Rak randomly chose one target. As four mercenaries passed, the last one felt a gust of wind across his neck, suddenly feeling cold as if something had swiftly drained from his body, hearing a 'sizzle' from his throat. He tried to shout but could only gurgle, his vision blurring, his body weakening, and he fell to the ground, eyes losing focus. A huge hole in his neck gushed blood...

The sound of their comrade falling alarmed the other four mercenaries. When they turned around, he was already convulsing and dead. They screamed in terror, waking everyone up. Huda and Sava rushed over. After a quick inspection of the dead mercenary's wound, they drew their swords, their fighting spirits flaring, and spread out to find the killer!

Cunning Rak didn't flee but hid nearby, burying himself in the sand with only his nose exposed, remaining undetected. As the three fighting spirit warriors searched the perimeter, Rak shook off the sand and, unnoticed, severed another mercenary's neck. When Sava and the others rushed back, Rak had already buried himself in the sand again! Now even the three fighting spirit warriors were baffled and anxious, everyone huddled together, every grain of sand seemingly a potential enemy!

The orcs watching from afar almost died laughing at Rak's antics. They covered their mouths, rolled on the ground, tears streaming. The steady Muru had to sternly hush them, warning not to reveal their position.

Repeated successes made the orcs underestimate the mercenaries. A young orc remarked carelessly, "Even if those dumb humans find us, so what? We forty orc warriors could chop them into pieces."

His words received broad agreement. While this hide-and-seek game was amusing, the straightforward orcs preferred an open fight. All eyes turned to Barok, who was quietly reading his animal skin scrolls. Somehow, his calm demeanor commanded their respect, making him a natural leader.

Barok lifted his head, scanning the group, a smile playing on his lips. "What, tired of the game and ready for a direct attack?"

Muru, Barotan, Angrey, and Zainzu nodded in unison. "Yes, Barok, we want a straightforward fight. Let's kill them or bring them back and behead them in front of our ancestors' graves."

"Indeed, this is... should be our orc way. But sometimes things aren't as simple as they seem." Barok stood up, waving his hand as he walked out of the rocky hiding place towards the anxious human camp. His tribesmen immediately hefted their massive black iron axes, faces alight with excitement for the upcoming battle.

"I'll let you attack, to experience human combat prowess. Then, I'll hear your thoughts!" Barok pointed at the mercenaries, who had already noticed them and were forming a defensive line. "Go, kill our enemies... if you can!"

The orcs didn't hear Barok's last words or didn't grasp their meaning. The four young leaders raised their axes and roared, followed by the rest of the orcs, charging forward in a chaotic yet fierce assault!

...

In the midst of their fear and unease, the mercenaries finally saw their enemies appear in the distance. To their shock, it was dozens of tall, strong orcs with silver fur. Could it be that the orcs they thought were eradicated on the wasteland had come for revenge today? The caravan members shrank back in fear, while the mercenaries actually felt a sense of relief... it was better to face a visible enemy!

Sava, Huda, and Misa exchanged grim smiles. As seasoned mercenaries, they weren't worried about the seemingly fierce but disorganized orc attack. Sava loudly ordered, "Everyone, form up into small units, create the Odoyl formation, spears in front, shields up, swords ready for attack..." With Sava's command, the remaining forty-some mercenaries swiftly assembled into formation.

Sava had once been a soldier, and after retiring, he formed his own Sand Scorpion Mercenary Group. He was a clever man, secretly remembering some basic military formations from his army days to train his mercenaries. Although his so-called "Odoyl Formation" was not comparable to the complete version used by real military units, it was still quite formidable.

The orcs, having only trained in the arena, had no idea about this most terrifying aspect of human military tactics and thus suffered a significant loss. If it weren't for Barok deliberately letting them take this hit, the forty orcs might have been completely annihilated!