"Who is it? Where did this arrow come from?"
The young commander, running out of the tent where he fell, was scanning his surroundings with his eyes. It was so obvious that he hadn't taken such a violent blow while wearing his armor.
"Hey blabbermouth, I'm here!"
"Let this be a warning to you, shut your mouth! Otherwise, if I come down, I'll open that armor like a tin can and make you run stark naked against the hillside!"
The soldiers on the ramparts made the city groan with their laughter; they hadn't laughed like this throughout the long siege.
Things started to get interesting after the female orc spoke. Çekiçdöven, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs until then, couldn't open his mouth and say a single word. When the siege commander returned to his tent one after another, Alyon relaxed a bit more and listed his instructions.
"Soldiers protecting the city valiantly, what you have done will be remembered with honor in orc and human history. Grin and bear it a little longer; the time has come for us to lend a hand in this business!"
After finishing his words, he didn't neglect to walk along the ramparts together with Nafız and give morale to the orc and human soldiers fighting together. During the journey, they also encountered some familiar faces.
"Wow old man, you took your brave warriors with you; what are you doing here?"
Instructor Morrison and the city's gladiators had also taken a break from their work for a while to defend the place they lived in. The school had rushed to the front without distinguishing opponents.
"Nafız, Alyon, long time no see. We started to think you caused trouble and ran away!"
While their leader spoke, the gladiators gathered behind him. The men, whose expertise was close combat, were serving as a supply unit at the front.
"We had a small job, handled it and came back. You are very energetic too; let the siege end, I'm thinking of entering the arena with all of you one by one!"
Alyon spoke cheerfully, but the gladiators who decoded the meaning within the words immediately moved away from the environment. Who would want to fight someone who took down all his opponents with a single blow?
Later in the day, when the darkness of the night fell, a strategic meeting was taking place in the city lord's castle. The officers of the orc tribe and the heads of the city's three noble families had entered into a search for a solution regarding the siege.
"The way is clear. We will mobilize our forces in the arid region, corner the enemy in front of the ramparts, and destroy them with a two-sided attack!"
Blood God Nafız was after finishing the event in one stroke; she adopted the fastest way in her mind. Those at the table looked favorably on the idea; they stated their support one after another. Only Chief Alyon maintained his silence, and after looking ahead for a while longer, he spoke calmly.
"My view is towards cutting off the supply of the siege army. The enemy running out of food and ammunition will be forced to retreat."
Alyon supported his idea by drawing attention to the losses to be experienced and the bad image the city might gain. He was reasonable in this view; the leaders of the three noble families had come to the point of choosing between a bloody war or defense.
"Have it your way! If that army is still standing in the same place at the end of forty moon cycles, I will personally make sure not a single one of them is breathing!"
Nafız had stepped back during the meeting, but although she didn't voice it among people, she guessed there was a different reservation in Alyon's mind. For a long time, the details of the general plan agreed upon were discussed; the meeting was ending almost when the first lights of the morning appeared.
When Alyon, getting up quickly, left the room as if escaping, Nafız went after him.
"You can't run anywhere, come here. I thought we were going to shed blood in streams? Spill the beans!"
The hulking orc trying to move away from the environment was caught by his friend before taking ten steps.
"Let's move to a quiet place. Since you are so curious, let me explain."
While the duo walked towards one of the outer gardens of the castle, there was no development out of the ordinary behind the ramparts. Siege armies attacking relentlessly were returning upon hitting the city walls, and after a while, they were going on the attack again.
Only the young commander, making the battlefield groan with his voice, had stopped coming out of his tent. Although the army was told that he was busy with new attack plans, his high-level commanders knew Çekiçdöven was in an impasse.
The arrow he took to his head the previous day might not have opened a physical wound, but it had broken the young commander's pride and courage. It was impossible for him to take down the person who would make such a shot from that distance in a duel. One of the people he constantly called to the square was most likely stronger than him.
Thoughts were driving him crazy. No one had been able to compete with him since he became an adult. Although his wrist was bent against only one person, he didn't need to worry about it because that person was his father.
When Alyon and Nafız moved to a place where they could be sure no one was listening to them, the hulking chief started to spill his guts.
"Nafız, the Glacial Region is the place where our great enemy's military power is raised. The orc at their head is the war chief from the time of Braveheart. He is my master's father's closest friend and his instructor too!"
When her friend's words ended, the Blood God spoke by suddenly exhaling the breath she held inside.
"What does mentioning the past have to do with this subject?"
"You don't understand; with a war we will wage here, we will both suffer great losses, and if Beyazayı's son dies, we will get into catastrophic trouble!"
If someone else heard Alyon's words, they might think the hulking orc was scared, but Nafız had spent enough time with him to know this couldn't be true.
"Tell the truth, does a voice inside you want to come face to face with the Glacial Region Orc Tribe Chief?"
The female orc blurted out what was on her mind; the subject needed to be clarified. The biggest obstacle standing in front of the solution to a problem is hidden intentions.
"I have different plans regarding the capture of that region. I would be happy if the siege army returned on its own!"
"As I said before, thirty-nine moon cycles remain. They will draw their own fate!"
When the duo completed the conversation, unenlightened points regarding the future remained, but today's solution was clear. Either they would leave or they would die!
When ten moon cycles passed since the meeting, the siege continued, but the intensity of the attacks significantly decreased. Now war happened only during the days; nights passed in tranquility.
On the thirtieth moon cycle, soldiers going up to the ramparts with the first lights of the morning couldn't believe their eyes. Their enemies were sitting in front of their tents looking at them. The news dropped on the headquarters like a bomb; as understood from the giant cauldrons not boiling for a while, the siege army had started to struggle with hunger.
"Yours have ten moon cycles left. The armies are waiting for my order to fight!"
Nafız was trying to leave her friend desperate. The Blood God wanted blood; she was looking forward to the day the two armies would clash.
"Çekiçdöven! I call out to you as an orc kin! Take your army and go before it's too late!"
Although Alyon called out to the enemy commander, he wouldn't receive an answer because the young man couldn't get out of the whirlpool he entered. Even though his warriors had fallen weak, he was determined to continue the siege relying on the help to come.