Orcs and Ogres can eat their enemies without restraint, but the humans led by Unas cannot. "So where do you want to go?"
"The Badlands, I've heard they're inhabited by many Ogres, and a good portion of my men come from there." Lincoln had his sights set on that place.
"Are we really going to part ways here?" Unas, unwilling to lose such a powerful ally, urged, "As far as I know, getting to the Badlands requires traversing the Searing Gorge, which won't be easy with the Dark Iron Dwarves chasing us. Since most of the Canyon belongs to Thaurissan, can you guarantee you'll get through all those checkpoints?"
"So what if I can't guarantee it?" the female Orcs sneered. "Heh! So you want us to stay here and wait to die with you?"
"How could we just wait to die? We're all fugitives now. If we cooperate, we'll both benefit; if we split up, we'll both suffer. You're all smart enough to understand this," Unas argued eloquently. "Why don't you stay with us and help this Hill Lord out first? When those Dark Iron Dwarves start fighting amongst themselves, won't we be able to escape more safely?"
Lincoln fell into deep thought upon hearing this, but Unas had no time to wait for him to come to a conclusion. "I've said my piece. The choice is yours. Oh, Keira, don't forget you still owe the Holy Light a favor."
After saying that, he led the group to continue rushing towards the fortress, re-entering the outer city gate, where they encountered Torbjorn who was fleeing out. Unas quickly stopped him and briefly explained the situation to him.
"So you're also looking to side with Rendaen," Torbjorn said, panting heavily. "I've met him a few times before, and I've been wanting to join his side as well."
Unas was overjoyed and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Quickly take your men and help us capture this fortress. Rendaen's reinforcements will arrive soon. Hand it over, and he will surely protect you."
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded from behind, and Lincoln emerged from behind the gate with his Ogre and Orcs. "Knight Unas, I, Lincoln, will trust you this once."
"I promise you won't be disappointed!" Unas shouted excitedly, "Come on, let's break through this fortress again!"
The Dark Iron Guards, who had been organizing a small-scale pursuit, were terrified when they saw the fleeing slaves suddenly turn back, and were quickly routed once again.
Unas's vanguard quickly returned to the inner walls—what the Dark Iron Dwarves called the South Gate.
The fire showed no signs of abating, and thick smoke almost completely covered the city wall. Now it was their turn to defend, and of course they had to protect the wall. Unas summoned Angela to unleash a Blizzard. Magic was so convenient; the fire was quickly extinguished.
Several Ogres stuffed the cylindrical boulder that had been cut off back into the round hole, and Angela then used magic to freeze it, thus temporarily repairing the gate that had been damaged by Huoye.
Unlike the North Gate, the South Gate was not completely enclosed. When the group climbed onto the city wall, they saw corpses everywhere, charred into charcoal by the flames from the exploding white Fireballs. Bows, crossbows, and throwing axes, also charred, were neatly arranged next to the corpses, having never been used. Huoye's magic had truly been a great help.
The crowd immediately began clearing the city walls, and the shouts of battle within the fortress gradually subsided. The defenders who had been resisting in various locations were slowly surrendered.
The original estimate of the garrison was around 1,000 men, but only 600 were killed or surrendered. The rest must have all fled. This was thanks to the three mages. According to the prisoners, all the commanders and mages were on the city wall at the time and were wiped out, creating a chaotic situation with no one to command them. Otherwise, the city defense army would not have been so easily defeated.
The fortress's Granaries and armories were opened immediately, yielding enough Glowing Wheat to feed a thousand people for a week, as well as various weapons and equipment capable of equipping five hundred men. Unfortunately, these were mostly suited for Dwarves, greatly benefiting Torbjorn.
All the bows and crossbows used for defense were moved to the city walls, and a dozen or so Ogre slingers also stood on the city wall, carrying up huge stones one by one, quickly forming a small hill.
The crowd waited anxiously on the city wall for a long time. Only a small detachment of enemy soldiers appeared in the distance, observed the formation on the city wall, and hesitated to advance. In the end, they even retreated.
Unas pulled Torbjorn aside and asked, "Didn't you say you were being chased very closely by the enemy? How come there are only these pursuers now?"
"I don't know either. Did they give up halfway through the pursuit?"
There must be some reason, but now is not the time to investigate. With the enemy not coming, we have plenty of time to prepare for defense and rest.
Torbjorn sent several scouts to investigate their route, but they haven't received any news of pursuers. It seems that peace has been temporarily restored.
The series of battles had left everyone exhausted. Since there were no enemies for the time being, it was the right thing to do to have a good meal and recharge.
The Ogres had already set up large cauldrons at the foot of the city walls, and the strong aroma of meat quickly filled the entire fortress. However, the thought of Dwarf flesh made the humans and Torbjorn's men, who were drinking porridge, feel nauseous.
At this moment, news came from behind that Hill Lord Rendaen of the Hill had finally arrived. Unas quickly finished his tasteless porridge and gathered several leaders to go with him to greet him.
The North Gate is currently guarded by Keira. The Tigerfang Clan has suffered heavy losses and can only rest in the rear. Of course, she will not easily let the Dwarf lord in. Only after Unas and his group arrived did the Orcs woman order the stone gate to be opened.
Unas, Lincoln, and Torbjorn came out of the gate to greet them, only to find the wide downhill road lined with fully armed Dwarf soldiers, numbering no less than two thousand at a glance.
Rendaen was a very imposing Dark Iron Dwarves. He rode on the back of a huge, fiery red lizard, wielding two massive black hammers. His snow-white beard was bound into a cylindrical shape by several thick gold rings, making him look both noble and dignified. However, his sniffling and the words he uttered were less than solemn. "What are you cooking? It smells so good!"
Unas wasn't sure how he would react if he gave him the right answer, so he evaded the question with irrelevant words, "I'd long heard of the Lord's might and domineering presence from Tieshan, and seeing him in person, he's truly extraordinary!"
Rendaen chuckled but did not reply.
Tieshan, riding a black goat and standing beside Rendaen, stepped forward upon hearing this. "Old Unas... may the Knight take over his fortress?"
"Not yet, we need to see the lord's sincerity first."
"I've taken in all your wounded soldiers; they're now in my Iron Summit. What more sincerity do you need?" Rendaen seemed to be implying that he had hostages in his hands.
Unas hated this kind of threat the most, and said firmly, "We need food and water."
"Your cooking smells delicious! How can there be a lack of food?" Rendaen's tone suddenly turned stern. "Whether friend or foe, every fallen Dark Iron Warrior deserves respect, not to be swallowed by these giants. I can't believe this Dark Iron Dwarves before me can tolerate such a thing?"
It turns out he knew what was being cooked, and he was furious. This is a bit tricky.