Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

Chapter 76 Brutal battles against orcs (1/2)

"The south is a fragmented region.

"There are several noble houses, but the most powerful is unquestionably that of Count Ardan, master of the county of Ravemont. His territory is vast and well-defended, stretching from the hills of Endrial to the forest of Myra."

Everyone knew the Endrial hills, for they were reputed to be the first line of defense against the orcs.

For if the orcs wanted to attack the kingdom's territory, they were obliged to pass through these hills.

For its part, the Myra forest was known for the legends linked to it.

It was said that in the past, there was nothing there but dead, uncultivable land. But after the death of a woman, considered by legend to be a goddess, trees grew rapidly, insects appeared and animals began to live there.

This woman's name, according to legend, was Myra.

Maxime resumed his speech.

"The county of Ravemont is a natural fortress. Ardan is an ambitious man, an outstanding strategist, and his army is the most disciplined in the region. He has over 20,000 regular soldiers under his command, dozens of powerful knights as well as a small but formidable heavy cavalry."

"And the other nobles?" asked Romuald.

"Are they all allied to him, or are there divisions?"

Maxime nodded.

"Ardan has allies, of course, but they're not very reliable. Some petty lords are loyal to him more out of fear than conviction. But there are tensions too. Count Ardan dominates, but other, smaller nobles, like Baron Roulf de Ventel or Viscountess Elda de Mirande, are unhappy with his influence."

"Roulf in particular has lost several lands because of Ardan's decisions, and Elda, for her part, is always looking to expand her own domain, in order to become countess. These rivalries complicate the situation."

Romuald frowned, weighing these words.

"So, who are we going to help first against the orcs?" he asked.

"Ardan? Or another nobleman?"

"I think it's best to lend a hand to the noble family of Algrande," said Maxime.

"Why this territory in priority?" asked Romuald, curiously.

"Their lord, Baron Edrin, is only an apprentice knight at the peak stage, and he's poorly equipped to deal with a threat like the orcs. His forces are very weak with less than 500 regular soldiers and only a few apprentice knights."

Romuald quickly understood.

"Since they're weak, they're both the most likely to fall quickly but also the easiest to help, our elite force could really change the situation on a small battlefield like this."

Maxime nodded at Romuald's thought, and at the same time added an important element.

"His territory should have excellent revenues, but strangely his army is so small. In any case, he shouldn't be spending a lot of gold on this aspect."

"Generally, that means the lord likes to have gold to spare and so they can pay us well."

"If it turns out that he was just a greedy lord, we'll see if he's still greedy after having a sword under his neck."

As he said all this, Maxime wore an imperturbable expression, as if he were talking about the errands he was going to run the next day.

But Romuald looked very worried, as did several other mercenaries listening in on the conversation.

"If the news that our group has threatened a nobleman reaches the ears of the Kingdom's court, we could be beheaded Maxime."

Maxime suddenly stopped and looked at Romuald.

A heavy atmosphere settled over the forest where they were walking.

Only the sound of a few birds and the wind whistling through the leaves could be heard.

"If for you the mercenary life means being paid a pittance and bowing to every nobleman you come across, then you haven't yet understood the mentality of our mercenary group."

Maxime took one last look at the other mercenaries, then turned and walked on as if nothing had happened.

No one dared reply to Maxime on the subject; they all knew it was for their own good that they had to act in this way.

"What's our plan?" questioned Terry, who had been listening intently all along.

"From what I understand, it's difficult to repel orcs in open terrain." Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Maxime's voice became more solemn.

"Algrande is a small fortress town perched on a hill to the east of Ravemont, not far from the Endrial hills. It's an advantageous defensive position, but according to the latest reports, orcs have already crossed the mountains and are harassing the villages affiliated with the town."

"Our first mission is to strengthen its defenses. We also need to understand the scale of the opposing army. If it's just an isolated raid, we can repel them. But if it's a more organized orc army, that's another matter."

Terry nodded, understanding the wisdom of his words. The road still stretched before them, and in the distance it was possible to make out the first hills marking the entrance to the southern lands.

As the group made their way along the steep paths, an acrid smell of smoke carried on the wind reached them. Maxime, alerted, raised a hand to immobilize the troop. They scanned the surrounding hills, and a dark cloud hovered at the edge of the forest to the north, where the village of Ventbois lay, a village supposedly under Algrande's protection.

"A village in the distance is in flames," Andrew announced, squinting, his voice tinged with seriousness. He turned a questioning gaze to Maxime, wondering what action they should take next.

"Forward. If they're under attack, we need to act fast."

The troop quickened its pace, rolling down the hill and following the smoke to the outskirts of the village. Wrenching cries echoed through the air, and they soon saw a horrific scene.

Houses had been set on fire, villagers were trying to flee, while some thirty orcs were spreading terror, happily pursuing the defenseless villagers.

Their only defense was their green skin, but they all held a variety of rather large weapons.

Their racial peculiarity gave them a physique particularly focused on robustness, then strength and finally speed.

It should be noted that even a teenage orc could have the strength of an elite soldier, while most adult orcs could reach the strength of an apprentice knight at the entry stage.

However, their agility and army coordination was poor, allowing humans to hold the line against them and even win most battles.

Here, only a few brave men tried to confront the orcs, but they were quickly slaughtered one after the other due to the orcs' powerful natural strength.

If ordinary humans attacked orcs without proper equipment and strategy, they were courting death.

Without a doubt, this village of 200-300 inhabitants would soon be massacred without the intervention of Maxime and his men.

"Romuald, take five men and block the north exit! The rest, with me! We attack from the east," ordered Maxime, drawing his sword. The troop deployed without hesitation, every man and woman knowing what they had to do.

"Yes chief!"

Tena and his brothers and Terry accompanied Romuald to the north, while the rest continued to follow Maxime.

Maxime soon reached the wooden wall to the east of the village, which had been completely destroyed by the orcs.

From his vantage point, he could see that in the center of the village, an orc, taller and more massive than the others, dominated the scene.

A huge axe, with twisted blades covered in dried blood, hung from his belt.

He made strange noises to control his men.

But this orc was a little too far away, and right now it was more important to save the villagers nearby.

Maxime nodded to his men, and the 14 accompanying mercenaries jumped onto the roofs of the houses like martial arts experts with superhuman physiques to gain better visibility.

Then, in teams of 2-3, they quickly surrounded several intrepid orcs and killed them.

Others were powerful enough to easily defeat an orc in 1vs1.

With a war cry, Maxime leapt up and struck an orc in the flank with a precise blow that pierced its green skin. The orc let out a hoarse howl before collapsing heavily.

Ernest, standing on the roof of a house, unhooked his bow from his back, aimed at an orc about to lay waste to a house, then shot an arrow straight into its eye.

As the orc cried out in pain, covering his eye with his left hand, Ernest rushed towards him and decapitated him directly.

For his part, Henry managed to knock down an orc by knocking him off balance with his shield and then piercing his mouth with his sword.

The surprise worked in their favor, and in less than a minute they had already eliminated a dozen orcs.

The villagers, who until then had been running around in panic and shouting, began to calm down and watched in amazement as the mercenaries tore through the small orc squad.