A day later, Lady Avyanna once again ordered a full retreat after seeing that their current situation was unsalvageable.

The numb Orcs, who were now feeling unsure of their future, followed their Orc Chieftain as they left Lorgakh Kur behind.

This was a very difficult decision on their part, knowing that once their enemies passed through the mountain range, it would only take them four to five days in order to reach their Capital City, Ludrar Bragh.

All of them knew that they would have to once again face the difficult choice of either staying to fight or flee like what they had been doing ever since the Haca Dynasty’s Army launched their invasion.

For a proud race like the Orcs, each defeat weighed heavily on their hearts, leaving them feeling agitated.

Lady Avyanna understood this full well, and she was afraid that when it was finally time to defend their Capital City from the invaders, Barca and the rest might initiate a suicide charge at their enemies in order to kill as many as they could before they drew their last breath.

Such a situation was something she didn’t want to see happen, but she had a feeling that even her orders wouldn’t be enough to stop the Orcs from trying to preserve what was left of their dignity and honor.

‘What’s the use of honor and dignity when you’re dead?’ Lady Avyanna sighed in her heart as she led her people back to their Capital City. ‘Is this really the end of our Clan?’

Lady Avyanna was quite unwilling to accept such a fate. When the Haca Dynasty had mobilized their army to invade their lands, she knew that the battle with them would be difficult.

However, she never expected that they wouldn’t even have the chance to exchange blows with their enemies aside from the mock invasion that Ronan had initiated at the very start of the war in their First Stronghold.

Barca’s eyes were bloodshot as he glanced at the smoking mountain range behind them.

Just like his wife had anticipated, Barca was nearing his limit. He was still able to force himself to flee because he knew that the Dryads of East Haven would be waiting for them in their Capital City.

He hoped that they would be able to do something with the help of their reinforcements when they make their last stand at their Capital City, which they had built with their blood, sweat, and tears.

————-

A mile outside the Capital City of Ludrar Bragh

“So, it finally happened…” Lux sighed as he gazed in the direction of the Lorgakh Kur mountains.

“They lasted a bit longer than expected,” Asmodeus replied. “Master, we still need a day or two to finish our preparations. Do you think we can make it?”

Lux pondered a bit before nodding his head. “Since Eiko, her clones, Nora, and Cora, are the only ones working on the underground tunnels, it’s only natural for them to take a while to finish them. However, I am confident that we will be able to make it in time.”

The Archlich nodded his head before looking up at the sky.

Gerhart and Cethus were busy flattening the land using wind and gravity magic. They were doing their best to hide all traces of the digging that Lux and his subordinates had been doing for the past few days.

Truth be told, they were shocked when Lux told them about the outcome of the battle between the Haca Dynasty and the Blackrock Clan. Although the red-headed teenager already explained how the battle took place, they still couldn’t comprehend just how devastating their enemy’s weapons of war were.

‘Master, how is your work over there?’ Lux asked Randolph through their guild chat. ‘Will you be able to reach the quota in two days?’

‘Two days is impossible. Give me two and a half, and I’ll do my best,’ Randolph replied grumpily.

‘Okay, that’s fine,’ Lux commented. ‘Grandma Annie. How is everything going on your side?’

Grandma Annie’s reply came a few minutes later. She was busy doing the task that Lux asked of her with the use of Alchemy, and because of this, she was unable to divert her attention away.

‘We have enough ingredients for the production,’ Grandma Annie replied. ‘This is the first time I’m making this. However, the recipe you gave me is simply amazing, but scary at the same time. If we continue our pace, we will be able to finish the quota in a day. The Doppelganger Skill has saved me a lot of time’

‘Great!’ Lux said with satisfaction. ‘I’m glad that it is very helpful to you, Grandma.’

After making sure that his Master, Randolph, and Grandma Annie were able to meet their deadline, the Half-Elf closed his eyes in order to communicate with the Plague Wing Gargoyles that he had placed in strategic positions within the territory of the Blackrock Clan.

Their main goal was to observe the enemy’s armies advance, as well as eliminate the enemy scouts, who decided to go solo on their missions.

Their ability to ambush the unwary victims proved to be successful, and all the scouts they targeted died without ever alerting the main army of their demise.

Of course, the disappearances of these scouts didn’t go unnoticed. Because of this, the scouting parties were banned from going solo, decreasing the number of victims that fell prey to the “harmless statues” that would often change their location, depending on the situation.

Finally, on the third day, Lady Avyanna and the Orcs returned to their Capital City.

Those who had remained in the city looked at their returning warriors with anxiety.

They didn’t greet their Orc Chieftain with shouts of victory or roars of triumph.

A single glance at their brethren’s defeated faces was enough to tell them how their defense against the invading army ended, and it filled their hearts with fear.

“The Spirits of East Haven greet you, Orc Chieftain,” the Dryad Queen, Cornelia, greeted Lady Avyanna.

“Cornelia, you came personally?” Lady Avyanna was touched in seeing the ruler of the Dryads in their Capital City.

“Yes,” Cornelia replied. “However, even with us here, I’m afraid that we might not be able to hold back the invaders. The Spirits told me what happened to Lorgakh Kur. Our foes are simply terrifying. It makes me think that simply staying in our territories has limited our growth, while the outside world has developed these strange, and powerful weapons of war, which makes my heart shudder.

“Now I can understand why you resorted to recruiting a Necromancer into your ranks. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Lady Avyanna gave her friend a wry smile as her gaze landed on the red-headed teenager, who was happily eating a roasted chicken leg in the distance.

With just a glance, they could tell that the Half-Elf wasn’t even feeling the least bit anxious like they were.

Sensing that people were looking in his direction, Lux turned his head and smiled at them.

He even waved his hand as if telling the Orc Chieftain and the Dryad Queen to join him for lunch, which gave the two ladies a strong urge to kick him out of the fortress and make him disappear from their sight.