Induction

Kalem rode on horseback, his brows furrowed tightly.

Dozens of orc corpses lay scattered haphazardly across the ground before him.

It was a truly gruesome scene. The stench of blood still hung in the air, and countless flies had appeared from who knew where, swarming over the corpses and feasting greedily.

The dead orc soldiers still gripped their weapons. These once-strong and agile warriors could now only lie on the cold ground.

Many of them had been reduced to bloody, mangled flesh. Their twisted faces still revealed pain and fury, and in the eyes of those who had yet to close them, one could still taste the hatred and unwillingness to accept death that had filled them in their final moments.

"It looks like they encountered a terrible ambush."

Feranro and Boyle had accompanied Kalem here. The Orcish General's silence frightened them, so they could only speak quietly as they exchanged their observations.

"Collect their corpses!"

Kalem issued his first command of the day.

"Yes, sir!"

His subordinates dismounted at once. They carried and hauled the corpses one by one, arranging them neatly on a flat patch of grass.

"The Urig Squad had thirty members in total. Not one surrendered. Every last one died in battle."

An orc in charge of examining the corpses reported to Kalem.

"What was the enemy's situation?"

"Judging from the footprints, their numbers should have been somewhere between fifty and sixty. They were undoubtedly human. Judging from the traces left on the battlefield, Urigge and the others were first tripped by horse traps. Then a large number of crossbow bolts were fired from beside the road, causing them considerable casualties. Finally, the humans suddenly charged out of the woods and attacked them. Every one of them fought to their final breath. They were heroes!"

After