Chapter 480 - 479: The Beginning of the General Offensive

Chapter 480: Chapter 479: The Beginning of the General Offensive

Early on the third day, Dorn and Kase set out again to scout the orcs’ routes, while Colin found a hidden corner and began observing the orcs’ movements.

Today, the orcs finally changed their tactics.

Colin could see a small number of orcs moving around the castle with goblins in tow. Each orc was only followed by a dozen or so goblins—hardly what you would call a large force.

As the orcs approached the castle walls, clouds of mist immediately appeared on the ramparts.

Those orcs must have been Shaman capable of Casting.

Immediately after, the goblins began attacking the inside of the castle with Catapults. Their ammunition consisted of stones as well as oil bombs that would burst into Flame upon impact.

The defenders of Wolf Castle reacted quickly as well.

A group of Crossbowmen and archers began to counterattack from the towers and walls.

But after Casting their Magic, the Orc Shamans hid behind rocks or tree trunks, leaving only the unfortunate cannon-fodder goblins exposed.

And when those goblins saw the defenders counterattacking, they turned tail and ran.

The little creatures scurried about all over the place, making them difficult targets. To avoid wasting Arrows, the defenders could only fire back sporadically.

’These orcs are pretty clever,’ Colin thought. ’They must be probing the defenses of each section of the wall while wearing down the defenders. After a few days, they’ll be able to figure out which section is more loosely guarded.’

This attrition by small squads continued for about two days.

On the sixth day after Colin’s group arrived, the orcs began sending out small units carrying siege ladders to try and scale the walls.

These small squads of Orc Warriors and goblins were quite dispersed, so the Range Magic and siege weapons inside the castle weren’t very effective.

This made the defenders hesitant to expend too much Magic and supplies, forcing them to fight cautiously.

As a result, a number of orcs managed to successfully get onto the battlements. Although they were quickly eliminated, they still inflicted some casualties on the defenders.

Furthermore, the orcs’ attacks were completely erratic, liable to happen at any moment. The defenders were clearly being run ragged by these tactics. As the defending side, no one dared to bet on whether the enemy’s latest assault was a serious one.

Colin and the others could only watch from a distance.

For them, it wasn’t yet time for the decapitation strike.

While both sides were constantly probing each other, Colin’s group was also slowly moving toward the Orc Chief’s tent.

Because the orcs had begun sending out parties to harass the fortress, their own defenses around the camp had weakened considerably, which was a huge help for Colin and his group’s infiltration.

Finally, on the evening of the seventh day, Colin and the others reached the back of a small hillock next to the Orc Chief’s tent.

Under the cover of darkness, the group hid among the rubble, nibbling at the contents of their dry ration packs.

Colin used his teeth to tear off small shreds from a piece of jerky, savoring the salty taste and the faint, almost imperceptible meaty aroma.

Since the Orc Chief’s tent was located on high ground at the outer edge of the camp, their position was only a few hundred meters away. At top speed, they could rush over in just a few minutes.

This spot was very close to the Orc Camp. It had been checked many times before by goblins and orcs, so patrols generally didn’t pay it much attention anymore.

It was a testament to the old saying, "the most dangerous place is the safest place."

Also, because they had to hide their tracks during this time, they couldn’t light a fire, so they were left with nothing but jerky to gnaw on.

Fortunately, they hadn’t been short on supplies along the way. If things got desperate, Orelia, who had mastered Tier Three Magic, could use Create Food and Water in an emergency.

The biggest drawback was that the food didn’t taste very good.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time most of the squad had eaten like this. The only one who had trouble adjusting was Albert; his complexion had clearly worsened over the past few days.

Dorn suddenly whispered, "Didn’t you say the reinforcements would arrive on the seventh day? There isn’t a single soul down the mountain yet."

"They’ll be here by the day after tomorrow at the latest," came Albert’s weary voice from the darkness.

Dorn spoke up. "I have a feeling the orcs are going to launch their final assault soon. We might not have much time left."

"But all we can do now is wait," Albert said helplessly, his voice tinged with obvious frustration.

"Colin will have a plan when the time comes," Ale said. "No need to worry so much."

"Maybe worry just a little," Colin said.

Ale continued, "Alright then, we’ll worry just a little."

"Are you two telling some kind of weird joke?" Kase grumbled. "I don’t get it."

"Mog doesn’t get it either."

After that, the group ran out of things to talk about.

After finishing their food and setting the night watch schedule, they each fumbled their way into their sleeping bags in the dark, conserving their strength for the coming day.

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DOOM, DOOM, DOOM...

’Must be the orc war drums again,’ Colin thought as he slowly came to.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see it was already dawn.

Because of the orcs’ harassment tactics, they hadn’t been sleeping well recently—though certainly a bit better than the defenders inside the city.

Colin propped himself up and looked toward the orc encampment.

The orcs were gathering around the camp, cheering and shouting. All the Shamans were in the center of the camp, busy painting war patterns on the Warriors.

The Dire Wolves were released from their pens, heavy siege ladders were shouldered, and the Ettins took their positions, weapons in hand. At this moment, even the lowliest goblin seemed incredibly frenzied.

This was orc warfare...

Colin turned to look at the others, who were also awake. "The orcs are launching their final assault!"

"Finally, our time to shine, boys," Kase said with some excitement.

"Alright. When the orcs charge, we’ll look for an opportunity to raid the Beastman Camp. Even if the tribe doesn’t collapse after we assassinate the Orc Chief, their level of organization will plummet..."

Albert trailed off, pausing suddenly.

Everyone looked at him, waiting to hear what the battle-hardened nobleman would say.

Albert took a deep breath and said, "Let’s eat breakfast first. We’ll observe the situation before we act."

"Let’s keep a level head," Colin added.

The group took out their ration packs and began their final meal to replenish their strength.

Just then, the orcs’ final assault began.

Scouts composed of goblins and orcs swarmed out from all corners of the camp, launching ranged attacks at the weak points that would take the Guards the longest to reinforce.

Arrows, Javelins, stones, oil bombs... a ceaseless barrage of projectiles rained down haphazardly upon the castle.

Immediately after, Orc Warriors in Beast Hide Armor charged forward, carrying siege ladders. They roared as they ran up the hilly slope through a rain of arrows from the defenders, using the ladders to cross the moat outside the walls while the orcs behind them placed new ladders against the ramparts.