Rise of the Horde - Chapter 354: Chapter 354:

As the battle went on, the Ereians were being crushed by the onslaught of the orcs. Seeing the progress of the battle which was clearly not in their favor, Trakaros gnashed his teeth in frustration. He hates to admit the bitter truth that his troops were no match against their foes but what else can he do. Only he and a few individuals among their side were capable of having a chance against the orcs.

After forcing a few foes back, the old commander grabbed the nearest officer to him and sent his supposed foe flying back with a powerful swing imbued with his battle energy.

“Send word to His Grace… We need the aid of the cavalries.” Frustration was clearly written on the face of the commander. He wanted to save as many troops as he can but he didn’t possess the power to do so. Gladly he would fight the entire enemy army if he has the ability to do so but alas he didn’t.

“All the cavalries sir?” the officer wanted to ascertain of the command that was given. Just like their commander, he had some doubts about the new cavalry units and he was worried about fighting side by side with the hulking war beasts of their side since a slight mistake from him or the handler of the beast would mean his death. He had no plans of being squished to death or being killed by one of his own allies by mistake.

“Yes…All of them… and while you are it…Tell His Grace to prepare to make an escape in preparation if things go south.” Trakaros responded then added a few more words to be told to the duke.

“Yes sir.” The officer saluted then hurriedly headed towards their camp which was not far away from the current battlefield. A few javelins landed near him which he didn’t expect and one even almost claimed his life if he wasn’t alerted by the nearby soldiers of its existence allowing him to make use of his battle energy to deflect the projectile that was headed for him.

The officer was in disbelief as he saw that the rear of their formation was also in shambles but he paid no heed to it as he continued on his path while remaining on guard against the rain of javelins that came from time to time.

Hearing the sound of battle, the duke was anxious yet remained patient as he waited for the news from the frontlines. He trusted the commanding ability and battle prowess of his commander.

“A lone figure is heading this way!” one of the sentries on post reported.

“Is it an enemy?” The duke questioned while his personal guards already started surrounding him to protect him from the possible threat.

“It’s hard to determine as of the moment Your Grace.” The sentry responded while keeping his vision upon the figure that was making its way towards them.

“Darn this brutes… Of all the possible times to launch a massive assault! They just had to do so during the night!” The duke groaned as he gave out a yawn. His personal guards communicated with each other through their eyes and without saying a word they all agreed on the same thing, ‘The duke must be joking, night was the best time to launch surprise attacks and them being exhausted from the continuous march, no enemy commander would be foolish enough to not take advantage of the situation.’

“The approaching figure is identified. He is one of the officers under Commander Trakaros.” The sentry who had his eyes trailing after the figure reported after seeing the gear of the person.

Upon hearing the update from the sentry that the one coming was a friendly, the personal guards of the duke loosened up a bit in their formation.

“I carry a message from the commander…” the officer reported while trying to catch his breath after all the running that he did to deliver the message as soon as he can.

“Let him through…” the duke emotionlessly commanded and his personal guards made way for the officer to come close to the duke.

“How is the progress of the battle?”

“Not good Your Grace… We are being overwhelmed by the enemy that’s why the commander tasked me to request reinforcements.” The officer readily replied while maintaining his posture of kneeling down on one knee.

“What kind of reinforcements did he ask for?”

“The commander requests all the cavalries to join in the battle.”

The duke just nodded his head in acknowledgement then barked out commands for all the cavalry commanders to be informed that they are needed in the current battle. After giving out his orders, the duke’s gaze went back towards the officer who delivered the message. He was confused since the officer was still maintaining his kneeling posture like he had something else that he wanted to say.

“Anything else that you want to inform me about.” He questioned after waiting for a few moments in silence waiting for the officer to get up.

“The commander also said that Your Grace should also make preparations for your escape in case we fail to hold the enemy at bay.” The officer was a bit fearful that the duke might take the message badly.

“I understand…I’ll make my preparations now.” The duke still had no emotion on his voice.

The officer who was tasked to deliver the message gave out a silent sigh of relief then got up and headed towards one corner to wait for the cavalries to assemble. A few moments later, the melee cavalry arrived and the new cavalry units joined in the formation right after them. The last to arrive would be the humongous war beasts under the lead of their handlers.

No matter how many times he looks at them, the officer was still awed by the might of the huge creatures by just their presence alone. The giant creatures were easily more than two times the height of the orcs.

The officer then led the way towards the battlefield with the reinforcements in tow. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the rear of their allies’ formation. Jumping down from the back of the one of the war beasts, the officer made a beeline towards their commander to report that the reinforcements have arrived.

After learning that the cavalries have arrived, Trakaros was quick to disengage and headed back towards the rear to arrange a counter for their enemies’ offensive. He arranged for the new cavalry units to divide themselves into two groups then head for the flanks and reinforce them. Their heavy cavalry would push through towards the enemy’s center. He then sent commands for their center to make way for their War Elephants while he ordered their melee cavalry to wait at the rear to act as reserves for the meantime.