Chương 43: Chapter 42 Learning to Fight Together

"The patrols will do the same," Karath continued.

"We will create a more detailed map of the land surrounding the settlement. Once that is finished, traps can be installed and their locations marked." Without records of those locations, every orc except the trap's creator would risk falling into it. The traps used during hide-and-seek inside the village had been different. There were only so many places and methods available for constructing them within the settlement. The forest possessed thick vegetation and varied terrain.

Traps were easy to dig and conceal, but extremely difficult to discover.

"One final matter. Beginning today, everyone will undergo combat training after returning from hunting or patrol duty each evening."

"Huh? We already do that every day."

"You mean fighting, right?" For the first time, the adult orcs looked openly confused. Whenever they returned from their duties, or had a day without assigned work, they already spent their free time beating one another. That was not the kind of training Karath meant.

"Suppose Uncle Galon, Uncle Goldin, and Uncle Gwein encounter a troll. How would you hunt it?"

"How else? We would conceal our presence and approach it."

"And then?"

"We all attack together."

"Exactly! We charge together and smash its skull!"

"Krahahaha! A troll will not die unless its head is destroyed!" The three uncles laughed heartily and exchanged passionate looks, pleased that their thoughts aligned perfectly. Karath sighed. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The second serious problem he had discovered while observing the tribe's hunters was their inability to fight as a group. Painfully, the Bloodclaw orcs possessed no concept of strategy or tactics.

When facing a monster too powerful for one warrior, several orcs attacked it together. That was the full extent of their cooperation. They never divided responsibilities or approached the battle according to a plan.

"That is the problem. Uncle Galon could attack first and draw its attention. Then Uncle Gwein and Uncle Goldin could strike from behind. Would that not be far easier than all three of you charging at the same time?"

"D-did Karath call us foolish?" The three warriors stared at him with deeply wounded expressions. Had these uncles genuinely believed they were intelligent until now?

"With nothing more than properly divided roles, two of you could probably kill a troll." Karath had reached that conclusion during his own battle. A troll was undoubtedly difficult for a single orc to defeat. Even Karath had benefited from the creature's struggle against the Giant Wolf before attacking. However, did killing one truly require three or four adult warriors? After watching the uncles hunt, that question had disappeared. Of course they needed four warriors when they fought like this.

The tribe consisted entirely of infantry. Calling them berserkers rather than infantry might have been more accurate. Introducing sophisticated strategy into a force composed of a single type of warrior would be difficult. Even the simplest tactics, however, would be better than nothing.

"Karath, a battle depends upon momentum!"

"That is right! If you think too much and lose your spirit, you die!" The older warriors who had spent more than a decade enjoying simple, violent battles naturally resisted. Karath looked around the gathering.

"Has anyone here killed a troll alone?" Silence answered him.

"Then perhaps the uncles should listen to the orc who has."

"Ahem." They still looked dissatisfied. Karath sighed once, then his expression became serious.

"More importantly, the troll is not our real concern. The chief already told everyone what happened several days ago." He looked down at Buddy, who was panting quietly beside him. A single Giant Wolf possessed combat power similar to that of a troll. Because trolls could regenerate, wolves were normally considered slightly weaker. Two Giant Wolves fighting one troll would probably produce a close battle. According to Grild, however, Giant Wolves usually traveled in packs of ten or more.

Buddy's pack had been destroyed or driven away. Something far more dangerous than a troll had appeared within a relatively short distance of the settlement.

"Momentum is useful. But if the creature that scattered an entire Giant Wolf pack attacks the village, do you still intend to charge it with nothing but spirit?"

"O-of course."

"Even if tribespeople die because of it?" Every warrior reacted at once.

"Karath!"

"That is too far!"

"Speaking harshly is not the problem!" Karath's roar silenced their objections.

"The real problem is what happens if it becomes reality!" He swept his bloodshot gaze across the assembled warriors. The atmosphere became so hostile that they seemed more like mortal enemies than members of the same family.

"That is why training is necessary." Karath met the eyes of every adult orc standing in the settlement's clearing. His voice fell into a bestial growl.

"You must learn to protect the tribe in any situation, even if the most dangerous monster imaginable comes for us."