Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Warriors of the Great Plains! Charge!"
Amur raised his long blade and led the charge at the forefront.
Despite the humans inflicting heavy losses on the orc archers with their incomprehensible weapons, his fierce warriors still pressed forward. Roaring with fervor, they charged up the slope, their heavy armor causing tremors that could be felt behind the parapet.
Behind the soldiers of Alden, spear-wielding troops from other kingdoms stood in formation, still reeling from the devastating power of what they had just witnessed.
The precision of the orc archers had left an indelible fear in their hearts. In past battles, no matter how solid their formations, they would always crumble under the relentless rain of arrows.
But now, the terrifying archers seemed to have met their match.
This weapon, called a cannon by the northwest men, spewed terrifying flames toward the enemy, leaving the towering orcs sprawled on the ground, howling in agony.
Yet, the armored orcs were advancing. Could the northwest men's weapons still hold?
"Fire!"
As tongues of fire and bursts of noise erupted, the battlefield bloomed with countless gray-white flowers. Smoke quickly spread, forming a dense wall that shrouded the front of Silver Moon Fortress.
The orcs who had pushed within 100 meters of the wall were met with Alden's first volley of musket fire, leaving them in disarray.
The sturdy armor, which should have offered protection, failed against the swift lead bullets, as if it were mere cloth being ripped apart.
Blood mist burst from the proud bodies of the orcs, which were then toppled by the sheer force of the projectiles.
Amur, the commander, felt a pang of fear.
Moments earlier, he had seen out of the corner of his eye a soldier ahead of him collapse as his head exploded into a mangled mess, leaving the body crumpling lifelessly.
Instinctively, Amur threw himself to the ground as a small, blood-streaked object rolled toward him.
He picked it up and examined it with disbelief.
The object was a small, seemingly insignificant piece of metal, originally round but now misshapen—likely from impacting his soldier's skull.
How could such a simple metal fragment, lacking the sharpness of an arrowhead, so easily claim the life of a mighty orc warrior?
Then, a sharp, acrid smell reached his nostrils, making him dizzy.
Realizing what it was, Amur turned and shouted, "Get down!"
Before his command could even finish echoing, flashes of fire erupted from the dense smoke ahead.
Amur now understood what was killing them. Deadly little projectiles zipped through the air, whizzing toward them.
Thud! Thud!
Many soldiers who hadn't dropped quickly enough were struck. The sight pained Amur deeply.
Facing these terrifying and mysterious human weapons, he was forced to make a painful decision.
"Retreat!"
Behind Alden's wall, the thick smoke impaired visibility for the soldiers, but the lookout atop the tower noticed the orc retreat and promptly informed Captain Joyce.
"It seems their commander is cautious," Joyce remarked.
Two of the 12-pound cannons had yet to fire, and the two that had just fired were already reloaded. Joyce had planned to unleash all four at once to inflict severe losses.
Seeing the orcs retreat, he immediately ordered the cannons to target the slope.
Thunderous booms followed as countless grapeshot rained down through the smoke, wreaking havoc on the retreating orcs.
The heavy casualties left the orcs scrambling back to their starting point.
"Commander Amur, why retreat?"
"We were so close to reaching the wall!"
"Yes, once we breach it, no matter how mysterious the humans' weapons are, they won't stand a chance against us!"
Despite the heavy losses, the orc soldiers, though awestruck by the strange weapons, remained fierce and eager to fight.
"Silence! We are the vanguard—the eyes of the entire army," Amur barked.
"Faced with tough opponents, our job is to report back, not to sacrifice needlessly!"
Pointing to a few soldiers, he commanded, "You, you, and you—take the fastest horses and relay the situation to the main army. Other areas might encounter these terrifying weapons too. Warn them to stay alert."
"Yes, Commander!"
Three soldiers saluted and departed swiftly.
"Commander! So many warriors have fallen. Are we just going to bypass this place and wait for reinforcements?"
Many of his troops thirsted for immediate revenge.
"Oh, no. We won't let them off the hook, not even temporarily," Amur said with a sly, cruel gleam in his eye.
"Take a small squad to the nearby villages. Round up human peasants. We'll test these new weapons thoroughly and gather as much intelligence as possible for the main army."
The soldier who had spoken lit up with admiration. "Commander Amur, no wonder you're in charge!"
As he turned to carry out the order, the hilltop suddenly erupted with thunderous roars.
Whistle! Whistle! Whistle!
Dark projectiles descended swiftly, too fast for the orcs to react.
Splat!
One smashed into the ground in front of Amur, ricocheted, and struck the leg of the departing soldier, snapping it violently.
"Ahhh!"
The soldier screamed in agony, rolling on the ground.
Amur's skin prickled in horror.
The humans had launched larger metal projectiles, fist-sized and far deadlier than the smaller ones. These bounced unpredictably, maiming or killing anything in their path.
Their mounts, terror-stricken by the attack, bolted wildly, adding to the chaos.
"Retreat further! Get away from here!" Amur roared.
He now realized that the humans had always been within striking distance. They hadn't attacked immediately but had lured the orcs into their deadly trap.
Such shameless tactics!
As he fled with his troops, a chilling thought struck him:
Could human weapons truly reach such distances?
Were these advanced trebuchets or massive ballistae?
No, neither trebuchets nor ballistae created thunderous booms or spewed thick smoke and flames.
Smoke? Flames?
Amur's mind raced. Those traits... weren't they the hallmarks of magic?
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read (FF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c840. [+1]
Early Access at $5.
Translated (5) Series, (2.5K+) Chapters, (3.4M+) Words.