Chapter 473 - 473: Invasion [39]

"We'll just die for nothing if we keep fighting the undead," Gobbo explained. "There's no point."

"So we leave them here and let them destroy the clan?" Dribb asked.

His voice carried across the area with enough force to give the rest of them chills. It wasn't surprising. His entire body was practically swirling with power, the energy radiating from him growing more intense with every passing moment.

"I say we go after the source," Zivra suggested.

Called it.

Veyra said nothing, but the thought immediately crossed her mind.

She had been wondering if Zivra was planning to go after Raghul, and now she had her answer.

What Veyra couldn't understand was why Zivra sounded so confident about it.

Why wasn't she even slightly hesitant?

Then again, there was a simple explanation.

The newcomers hadn't seen Raghul yet. They had no idea how powerful he actually was.

Sheera and Doro knew because they had already witnessed what he was capable of. Gobbo had also seen Raghul in action, even if he hadn't witnessed the full extent of the goblin's strength.

And then there was Dribb.

Veyra glanced at him.

Dribb was insane.

His entire approach to battle was basically throwing himself at whatever looked dangerous and seeing what happened afterward.

So, as far as Veyra was concerned, his opinion didn't count.

Still, Zivra's confidence bothered her.

"That's our best shot," Zivra continued.

Gobbo hesitated.

He wasn't completely convinced that Raghul was as much of a threat as everyone was making him out to be, and that uncertainty was dangerous. He simply hadn't seen enough of Raghul's power to understand what they were dealing with.

Veyra was about to speak, but Sheera spoke first.

"I get what you're feeling, but I agree with retreating and waiting for the chief to arrive. Raghul isn't someone we want to be brave against. If we fall, we'll become part of his army, turned into tools he'll use against the rest of the clan. Do we really want to take that risk?"

Her voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the seriousness behind her words.

"Only one orc is left holding back the undead. Make a choice."

Dribb raised both axes, his posture already shifting into a fighting stance as he prepared to deal with the remaining undead. The troll beside him began preparing himself as well, seemingly uninterested in the argument they were having.

For him, only one thing mattered. And that was to find Zarah. Fighting was simply a process to achieve that.

"I agree," Doro finally said, his voice carrying a noticeable sense of urgency. "If there's anyone capable of defeating them, it's the chief. And maybe Caius."

That last part came with a slight hesitation.

Even Doro wasn't completely certain Caius could handle Raghul. Sorry Caius.

Zivra turned toward him.

"And where is this Caius?"

Veyra answered before anyone else could.

"Probably engaging with an enemy. Otherwise, he would've made his way here by now."

There were numerous Chosen among the enemy forces, after all, and Caius was likely occupied dealing with one of them. There was also the matter of the graveyard, which meant they couldn't afford to assume he was simply free to move around the clan.

"Then we find Caius and hear what he has to say first?" Zivra concluded.

"The orcs are coming!"

Dribb yelled, pointing one of his axes toward the approaching undead. He was clearly itching to attack, but he had held himself back long enough to hear the conclusion of their discussion.

Doro moved immediately.

He stretched one hand toward the ground and activated his ability.

The earth beneath the approaching orcs suddenly lost its firmness, transforming into a thick, unstable mass that swallowed their legs and dragged their bodies downward.

Within moments, the undead orcs were buried halfway to their torsos.

Doro then clenched his hand, causing the ground to solidify around them once again.

He couldn't maintain the entire area as quicksand for long. There were too many undead spread across too wide an area, and keeping such a large volume of earth in a constantly unstable state would drain his mana far too quickly.

So he had stopped the effect halfway through.

But that was enough.

The orcs were trapped.

They tried to move, but the hardened earth held their bodies firmly in place.

Their movements became increasingly violent as they attempted to force themselves free, and the strain was so great that their bodies began tearing apart under their own strength.

Yet even as limbs twisted and bones cracked, they continued struggling.

They simply refused to stay down.

"So what's the conclusion?!" Veyra asked.

Everyone turned toward Gobbo, waiting for him to make the final decision. He was next in line after Zarah, Narg, and Caius afterall.

Gobbo looked across the battlefield, taking in the remaining undead and the destruction surrounding them before finally speaking.

"As Zivra said, we find Caius. But we can't all go. Some of us need to find Caius while the rest stay behind and hold off the undead."

Veyra sighed disappointedly.

"What happened to retreating to the shelter?"

Gobbo grinned.

"Did I say that?"

He glanced toward the battlefield, his expression becoming more serious.

"I can't possibly hide behind the shelter while the clan is in danger, can I?"

Veyra immediately palmed her forehead.

And here I was thinking Gobbo was sensible.

"Veyra, you go with Zivra and find Caius. The rest of us will hold them back here. It's better to keep them contained instead of letting them spread out and destroy more of our home."

Veyra immediately turned toward Sheera, concern flashing across her face as she wondered whether she would really be okay staying behind.

But Sheera simply shook her head.

"It's okay. Go. I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. You know I don't die easily."

Veyra understood exactly what she meant.

Sheera wasn't telling her there was no danger. She was telling her that she had already accepted the risk and didn't want Veyra wasting time worrying about her.

Veyra nodded.

She then tilted her head toward Zivra, silently signaling that it was time to move.

Zivra understood immediately.

The two of them turned and ran, leaving the battlefield behind and trusting the others to hold the undead back.

Dribb remained...