BLOOD SHALL RAIN

Ogni stayed calm. Horns bellowed outside while the tavern's ceiling rattled. The thunderous march of numerous feet vibrated from the earth above.

"Hm. And how many of them survived the valley's landmines?" Ogni said while checking on his little brother, who stirred in his sleep. "Or did they discover the underground passage?"

"No, the secret passage remains hidden, My Lord. When this human appeared, the troops checked it," Brom said. "But my Lord, I'm afraid we must hurry! They brought a horde of fire spirits from the Helrak! And there are five god-rank golems with them! The surviving scouts even said that they'd spotted a flying beast. If the old tales are true, then it must be the dragon! My Lord, the Black Orcs' number barely dwindled!"

Ogni's face soured. "Open the fortress' portals and gather all members of the Armada. Ask for help from the Alliance too! Tell them that war is on our doors and not in the Battle Arena!"

"Yes, my Lord. I'll wait for you outside." Brom bowed before rushing out of the tavern.

Then Papa Bear's eyes flashed open. "Skulls!"

"No!" Ogni said, glaring. "Bertran, it's time to rest. Log off or take your friend with you and leave this town. Quick!" He then strode out, causing the tables and chairs to topple.

And in just a few seconds, Ogni was out of sight. Papa Bear then winked at Aildrin. "Sounds fun. Let's smash some black skulls!"

Aildrin winked back; he never had the intention to hide, anyway. And so the two devils grinned at each other.

With the ideas he got from Ogni, Aildrin finally knew what he had to do. And the timing of the Black Orcs' invasion could not have been better. "There's more to learn in wars than in taverns," he thought.

...

Inside one tent, two orcs caressed each other's bare skin, oblivious of the looming war, when two shadowy figures materialized around them. They never had the chance to know what happened next. The two were still drowned in each other's embrace when a tide of darkness swallowed them. Nothing was left of them, not even their bones.

"Let's split up," the lanky shadow said to the short one. The two of them took the forms of the orcs. They then equipped themselves with the armor scattered on the leather bed.

"Pawns! Get moving! We're at war!" a heavily armored orc said to the two when they got out of the tent.

The short orc would have smashed his skull if not for the viselike grip on his shoulder from the lanky one. "Get a hold of yourself. We have a mission to complete," the latter said after the general-looking orc disappeared.

They then split up and blended in the ranks of marching orcs.

...

Orcs rushed around in groups when Aildrin and Papa Bear got out of the T-Bone. Jakorn's warning just passed through their ears.

The anvils and stations were almost empty, and so was the huge cauldron.

Gray portals appeared all around the cavern, and more troops of Orcs came out. Different colors of diamonds hovered around them—the guild members of Armada.

"Why did you choose the Orc race, Bertran? And why haven't you join the guild yet?" Aildrin asked out of nowhere while they tried to squeeze through the traffic.

Papa Bear shrugged. "Because big brother said so. He said it's easy to craft weapons with orc's resources, and he could help me become the strongest. And no guild. I don't like guilds. Papa Bear wants freedom!"

Aildrin nodded. He then decided not to ask further questions.

Ogni told him a while ago that Yoshimitzu Corporation gave out catalogs and advertised heavily about Wargrounds' various races before its release. They even detailed the stories and advantages of each race.

It should have been the next topic, if not for Brom.

After a minute, Aildrin and Papa Bear finally got out of the Shorkan. The surrounding orcs continued to rush ahead and join ranks. Ogni and his guild officers led them. Gray banners fluttered, showing the image of an orc's head in a fiery iron mask.

Further ahead, the ground kept on exploding while an army of crimson beasts marched like a colony of red ants. Five fiery golems marched with them, and another group of black figures from behind—the Black Orcs.

Armada's number paled in comparison against their invaders, but they did not waver. More orcs came out of the underground fortress, pushing carts of green circular flasks. Mechanized ballistas and catapults also appeared.

Aildrin could not help but clench his fists. In this large-scale war, he was just a cannon fodder.

And then a screech from the gloomy skies from the horizon broke the silent tension. It was ancient—a roar of destruction.

A scaly red dragon pierced the black clouds and stretched its enormous wings. They blazed in crimson.

"Skulls! It's a dragon! Wow! I want to ride one!" Papa Bear clapped like a child.

Aildrin's heart shrank. Because it now knew that this world was real, and soon blood shall rain on its parched land.

Meanwhile, Ogni's face hardened. This was the first mass invasion that he had heard in Wargrounds' Open World. And he would be the first to taste its wrath. "How could this happen?"

"My Lord..." It was Brom, who appeared beside him.

"What's the alliance's response?" Ogni said. But judging by Brom's tone, he had already prepared himself for the worst.

Lazybones was the farthest land in the northern part of Fitz. It served as a border between Dethrak—the Orcs' Capital City—and Helrak, the dead mountain which overlooked the Demons' territories.

And the Town of Lazybones was the only remaining orc territory that had not yet fallen under the hands of the Black Orcs. A group said to have assassinated their King because he would not listen to their demand to leave the Alliance of Light and become a neutral race.

Any reinforcements from other races would have to pass through Dethrak if they wanted to reach Lazybones quickly. But the Black Orcs heavily guarded its portals. So the only option was to send small batches through an abandoned orc town called Plumaria and squeeze through its secret passage to find a portal.

And portals even the larger ones accommodated a limited number; the more passengers, the longer it took to transport them.

"They have responded to our call, My Lord," Brom said. "But until then, we must hold our own."

Ogni planted his ax on the earth. "Very well. Today we shall teach these fools on why we're called the Armada! Release the Warheads!"