Night fell like a heavy cloth, enveloping Katushir.
In the dense forest at the edge of the Forest of Gloom, over eight hundred greenskins , like dormant poisonous spiders, huddled behind bushes and large trees.
The Orc Boyz clutched their iron axes, their heavy breaths condensing into white mist in the cold air; some couldn't help but scrape the stones on the ground with their axe blades, producing a "Shasha" sound; the hobgoblin spearmen lay on the slope, their eyes wide and round, occasionally looking up towards the distant beastmen camp, saliva dripping from their mouths—they had been holding back all afternoon and were eager to rush out and hack down a few beastmen for fun.
The night hobgoblins, riding Death Crawlers, perched on high treetops, their compound eyes gleaming a eerie green in the darkness, their poisoned arrows ready to be notched at any moment; even the goblin clutched sharpened wooden spears, their small faces full of both tension and excitement, occasionally poking each other's arms and whispering, "When do we start fighting?"
Kurzadh sat on a branch of an ancient pine tree, thick enough for three men to embrace, his brass telescope aimed at the distant beastmen camp.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering upon him, his black leather armor glinting coldly. The Furball in his arms was already asleep, its round body curled on his lap, its green fur flecked with pine needles, occasionally letting out a "Grumble" in its dreams.
"Don't rush, let me get a clear look," Kurzadh called down to Bone Tree below the tree.
Bone Tree was pacing back and forth, carrying his massive axe, like an agitated Bull, but immediately stopped at the words, grumbling, "Boss, my axe blade is almost rusty! If we don't act soon, those beastmen will have looted all of Katushir!"
"What's the hurry?" Kurzadh smiled, continuing to observe through the telescope.
The distant beastmen camp was faintly visible under the moonlight, the glow of bonfires like scattered will-o'-the-wisps, illuminating the wooden palisades around the camp.
He had initially thought the beastmen's camp would be as chaotic as usual, but to his surprise, the layout was quite orderly—
Closest to the Katushir city walls was the vanguard camp, with approximately fifteen hundred beastmen.
The camp was surrounded by a makeshift palisade of sharpened wooden stakes, and inside were dozens of ladders and three crude battering rams, their bodies still stained with the blood from the day's siege.
Many battle-scarred beastmen leaned against the wooden stakes, some licking their wounds, others gnawing on raw meat, dark green blood dripping down the stakes to form small puddles on the ground.
It was evident that this was the main force responsible for the day's siege, having suffered heavy casualties after a day of fierce fighting, yet still exuding a fierce and untamed aura.
Half a mile behind the vanguard camp was the central camp.
The bonfires here were the brightest, with a dozen black raven-feather banners planted in the center of the camp, the Chaos symbols on the banners glowing eerily in the firelight.
The palisades around the camp were thicker and denser, adorned with human skulls, clearly for intimidation.
Kurzadh adjusted the telescope's focus and could see many tall figures standing inside the camp—Great Horned beast and Bull Warriors! These beastmen wore heavy iron armor, their bull horns entwined with iron chains, and their massive axes were heavier than those of ordinary Orc Boyz; each was heavily muscled, clearly the elite of the elite.
In the center of the camp, there seemed to be a crude altar, with several Gors Shamans in tattered cloaks dancing around it, black Chaos energy coalescing above the altar, like a swirling black mist.
And to the left-rear of the central camp, on the side closer to the forest, there was also a flank camp.
The bonfires here were the fewest, but it was the quietest.
Kurzadh took a closer look and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow—the camp was mostly comprised of beastmen Centaurs, Angor beast, and Gor beast! The beastmen Centaurs lay on the ground, their horse bodies tensed, ready to charge at any moment; the Angor beast, holding long spears, patrolled around the camp with light steps, like ghosts; the Gor beast, with longbows on their backs, leaned against tree trunks, their eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Even better, this flank camp was situated on a flat grassy plain, with no obstructions in front. If the vanguard or central army were attacked, these lightly armored troops could rush out immediately to provide cover, and if the battle turned unfavorable, they could quickly retreat along the grassland, buying time for the main force.
"I didn't expect beastmen to have strategists," Kurzadh put down his telescope, a little surprised.
The beastmen he had encountered before were either a disorganized mob or only knew how to charge with brute force. He had never seen such an organized camp layout—the vanguard for siege, the central army for command, and the flank army for cover and retreat, all interconnected, more orderly than Katushir's city militia.
Below the tree, the greenskins were still grumbling softly. Some Orc Boyz had already started arm-wrestling, competing in strength; some hobgoblins took out dried mushrooms hidden in their bosoms and secretly gnawed on them. Furball woke up, rubbed its eyes, looked up at Kurzadh, and made "woo woo" sounds, as if asking, "Why aren't we fighting yet?"
Kurzadh stroked its head, picked up his telescope again, and aimed it at the central camp.
Just then, he saw the side gate of the central camp quietly open—a dozen Bull Warriors, holding great axes, were the first to emerge, followed by over a hundred Great Horned beast, all moving with light steps, making no sound.
They walked along the small path between the camps towards the vanguard camp, their dark figures like moving boulders in the moonlight.
"Interesting," Kurzadh's eyes lit up.
The elite troops from the central camp were secretly being moved to the vanguard camp, and at midnight no less. This was clearly not for a shift change—after the setbacks in the daytime siege, the beastmen commander must be planning a night raid, using elite troops to break through Katushir's city walls in one fell swoop!
Indeed, less than a quarter of an hour later, a low horn blast suddenly sounded from the vanguard camp—"Woo—!" Unlike the mournful sound of the day, this horn blast carried a suppressed rhythm, like a beast's low growl in the darkness.
As soon as the horn sounded, the palisade of the vanguard camp was suddenly pushed open! Swarms of beastmen poured out, not carrying torches, only their glowing red eyes flashing in the darkness.
At the front were the Ungor and Gors who had attacked during the day. They ran swiftly, clutching their weapons tightly, emitting low "Ho ho" growls; in the middle were the Great Horned beast and Bull Warriors newly transferred from the central camp, carrying massive axes and taking heavy strides that made the ground tremble slightly with each step; at the very back were the Gor beast, carrying longbows, nocking arrows as they walked, their arrowheads aimed at Katushir's city walls.
The beastmen quietly approached the city walls along the same route they had used for the day's siege.
Moonlight fell upon them, casting a cold sheen on their black fur, and dark green blood seeped from their wounds, leaving long trails on the ground.
They moved extremely slowly and quietly, evidently intending to sneak up to the city walls under the cover of night and catch the city militia off guard.
Kurzadh sat on the tree branch, watching with interest.
He had initially thought Katushir's city militia would relax their vigilance after the day's fighting, but he hadn't expected—
Suddenly, rows of torches lit up on Katushir's city walls! The firelight instantly illuminated the city walls, and also the approaching beastmen.
The city militia soldiers peered out, drawing bows and nocking arrows. Ballistas were also pushed to the edge of the arrow towers, their muzzles aimed at the horde of beasts below the city.
There were even a few Musketeers, crouching behind the battlements, carefully loading their priming caps, their gun barrels emitting faint Mars.
"Heh, they were really prepared," Kurzadh couldn't help but laugh.
It seemed that silver-armored knight (Caelesal) was not to be underestimated; she had long anticipated a beastmen night raid and had already set up defenses on the city walls.
The soldiers on the city walls remained silent, only staring intently at the beastmen below.
The day's fighting had left them exhausted, but it had also made them more vigilant.
Caelesal, riding a white griffon warhorse, stood in the center of the city wall, her silver-white armor particularly dazzling in the firelight.
She held her knight's sword, her gaze sharply sweeping over the approaching horde of beasts, a cold arc forming on her lips—she had already seen through the beastmen's retreat during the day, knowing they would not give up easily, so she had specifically arranged for the soldiers to rest in shifts and set up double the guard posts on the city walls, just waiting for the beastmen to launch a night raid.
The beastmen clearly hadn't expected the city militia to be prepared, and their advancing steps faltered.
The Ungor at the very front stopped, their blood-red eyes fixed on the torches on the city walls, somewhat hesitant—the arrows and lead shots of the day were still fresh in their memories, and now being exposed in the firelight would undoubtedly make them easy targets.
But another horn blast came from the central army's direction, this time more urgent than before.
The beastmen seemed to have received a death order and no longer hesitated, roaring as they charged towards the city walls.
The Ungor, carrying ladders, ran swiftly; the Great Horned beast, wielding massive axes, charged towards the battlements of the city walls; the Gor beast stopped, drew their bowstrings full, and unleashed a volley of arrows at the city walls.
"Fire arrows!"
Caelesal's command echoed from the city walls.
A dense rain of arrows descended from the city walls, like a black cloud, engulfing the beastmen horde.
The Ungor at the very front fell one after another, struck by arrows, their dark green blood splattering, but it couldn't stop the horde behind them—the Great Horned beast trampled over the corpses of their kin, continuing to charge towards the city walls, swinging their massive axes, trying to cleave the soldiers off the walls.
Kurzadh sat on the tree branch, his telescope sweeping back and forth across the battlefield.
He saw that although the soldiers on the city walls were exhausted, they cooperated seamlessly; he saw the silver-armored knight riding her warhorse, weaving through the city walls, each swing of her sword creating an arc of blood; he saw that although the beastmen's night raid was fierce, it was restricted everywhere due to the city militia's prior preparations.
"Boss, when do we go in?" Bone Tree's voice came from below the tree, with a hint of urgency.
The greenskins were all stirred up by the battle before them. The Orc Boyz, holding iron axes, wished they could rush out immediately and hack down a few beastmen; the hobgoblins, on the other hand, stared in the direction of the beastmen camp, their eyes filled with desire for loot.
Kurzadh didn't answer, just smiled.
He knew it wasn't time yet.
Although the beastmen's night raid had been exposed, they still had elite troops holding the line; and while Katushir's city militia were prepared, they had also suffered heavy casualties.
Only when both sides had fought to their fiercest, both suffering heavy losses, would the Blackrock Clan's greenskins rush out to seize the greatest advantage.
Under the moonlight, the torches on the city walls remained bright, arrows and beast roars intertwined, and the scent of blood drifted with the wind into the dense forest, stimulating the greenskins' nerves.
Kurzadh stroked the Furball in his arms. The Furball also woke up, its round eyes wide open, staring at the distant battlefield, emitting excited "woo woo" sounds from its mouth.
"Don't rush," Kurzadh whispered, as if speaking to Furball, and also to himself, "The real show has just begun."
Below the tree, the greenskins , though still grumbling, gradually quieted down.
They trusted their boss, knowing that he would surely lead them to a satisfying battle and enough loot.
Silence returned to the dense forest, with only the sounds of distant fighting and occasional horn blasts, like a battle song in the darkness, signaling that a greater chaos was about to unfold.
Below Katushir's city walls, the beastmen's night raid continued.
The city militia's arrows rained down incessantly, and the beastmen's roars were unceasing.