After getting his wound treated, Malakaus took stock of what he had to work with. He had about sixty-seven orcs including himself, though the reinforcements were not riders. They seemed to have been a coalition of various small clans sending a mix of experienced and newer warriors. He could tell from their equipment; the older ones had their own shields, spears, and armor, while the younger lads barely had shirts and warclubs. Fortunately the plunder from the weapon caravan would help even out the differences as steel was distributed evenly. Organizing his troops by their abilities, he had twenty-seven boar riders with black bows who can skirmish and provide long-range attacks, with thirty warriors who could serve as as foot soldiers to push back the infantry and hold ground. There were ten warriors in particular who seemed even more experienced than the rest, as they had a combination of battleaxes and greatswords of excellent craftsmanship. When Malakaus spoke to them, they apparently were the sons and even chiefs of some of the smaller clans, which would explain their superior equipment.

Still, that doesn't mean they were invincible. For all of their strength, orcs were still mortals and die from wounds as much as any other man, dwarf, or elf would. And these men were not trained under Malakaus, so he can't expect them to follow his commands or know his strategies. He needed to work with their strength as oppose to forcing them to work with his. With that in mind, his strength was in shooting. So as he had his men gather up in different mobs, he went to see his second-in-command, Torkin Yarick. A son of the current Vorinclex chieftain, and one of Malakaus's closer friends. Despite being a full-blooded orc he had a similar size and build as Malakaus, which in orc society may as well be weedy and weak. But because of that, he and Malakaus shared the same interest of using cunning over brutality. In fact it was Torkin's idea to construct the Warwolf, and he's really the only orc here who knew how to use it well. Even Malakaus only has a vague idea of how to construct it, let alone operate it.

[color=00a651]"Torkin, nyz tyim dni Warwolf cyyg?[/color]


"Ryd dy pet pymm. U zumn zi syoct secuphedi ud zudn myli dimd mnydm wuhmd, pod U gryz zi ser'd humg ud zudn dni irila my scymi dy dni suda. Nefi dy legi ifiha mnyd syord huknd?"

[color=00a651]"Dned zi ty. Pod U dhomd ayoh mgucc. Ayo'fi piir bhesdusurk zudn dni ydnih lyticm piwyhi, my ayo'hi dni pimd pid zi nefi. Zi'cc ceorsn yod riqd emmeocd myyr my pi bhibehit dy eddesg yr la syllert. Znir U pcyz dni iekci nyhr, dned'm znir U riit ayo dy mdehd wuhurk. Ert zedsn yod wyh era iriluim em zicc. Dnimi mzelbm ehi ryd yod nyli."[/color]

"Yw syohmi pymm. Ciefi ud dy li; U'cc bhydisd dnum selb ert wceddir dy nolerm!"

[color=00a651]"Vomd dni lihsirehuim, Torkin. Dni yrim zudnur dni zeccm U zerd dy mbieg zudn."[/color]

The two parted ways as the final preparations were made. Malakaus went back to his tent to gear up, putting on his armor, helmet, and gauntlets. His mother handed him his axe, sharpened and oiled, as he went to meet his soldiers. There was an ominous air around them; the dead of night did not make anyone feel particularly eager. The younger orcs were anxious to do battle while the veteran ones were curious to see how Malakaus conducted his battles. They had gathered in groups as he had ordered them to: each of the more well-armed warriors would lead a small team each. Ten warriors each had three orcs, thus allowing them to structure should they get separated from the rest. Malakaus had also split his boar riders into three seperate groups; he would be part of the vanguard of seven others to lead and direct the troops. Ten riders will remain in the camp to assist Torkin operate the Warwolf as well as to guard the camp now that the mercenaries may have gone into the forest to hunt them down. Eight more orcs will remain hidden but near the vanguard to switch out with warriors who run out of ammo or get wounded. Finally, there will be two orcs who's job would be to travel between the different units to give orders or run supplies. This may have seem odd for some of the orcs who are used to just being one massive horde, but broken down to their individual parts it was essentially just small gangs organized by their weapon types. Simple enough for even them to follow.

As they waited for Malakaus, he mounted his boar. His beast had also been treated for wounds and was eager to get his revenge. He turned to his orcs and gave them a rousing speech to encourage them. Off to the side, shaman women were blessing alcohol and passing them to soldiers to drink. It would give them courage in battle and heal their wounds, supposedly. If nothing else it'll numb the pain so they can keep fighting. Malakaus himself received a drink as he raised it up, and the other warriors did the same. [color=00a651]"Myyr zi zucc ky ty peddci zudn dni nolerm ed dni suda yw Tamberle. Ur rolpihm dnia ehi khied, pod ecyri dnia ehi zieg ert syzehtca. Vomd em zicc, yfihsyrwutirsi um er urmutuyom guccih. Mdea zudn ayoh phydnihm-ur-ehlm ert ayo zucc mii fusdyha dytea!"[/color] Malakaus raised his cup into the air and got a loud and hearty cheer. But he wasn't finished yet.

[color=00a651]"Zi ehi ryd nihi dy bcortih. Zi ehi ryd nihi mulbca dy mceokndih. U nefi phyoknd ayo ecc dy dnimi zeccm wyh mylidnurk khiedih dner vomd yoh biybci'm mohfufec yh ifir yoh yzr bihmyrec kcyha. U wuknd wyh yoh wodohim. Weh dy dni ryhdn, yod biybci nefi piir thufir whyl dniuh nolerm pa fuci nolerm. Pod zyhmi mducc zem dned dnihi ehi scerm zny nefi dni eotesuda dy degi noler syur dy pidhea dniuh yzr biybci. Dned dnia zyoct cyzih dnilmicfim dy lihi dyycm ert khyfic uw ud lierm dnia ser cufi erydnih tea. Pod U zucc ryd cid om cufi cugi piemdm! Zudnur dnymi zeccm um e noler zny U ser omi dy hikeur yoh nylicert. Urmdiet yw piurk dni mihferd, zi mnecc pi dni lemdih! Zi mnecc mceokndih dnimi shefirm yodmuti yw dni suda ert whyl dnihi zi zucc pikur yoh syrxoimd dy degi pesg zned um hukndwocca yohm! Dnum um yoh wodohi ryz!"[/color]

Malakaus chugged his drink as did the rest of his warriors. They tossed their cups to the ground as soon as they were done, drew their weapons, and turned to march towards the enemy. The alcohol filled their bodies with warmth as Malakaus's words gave them a sense of purpose beyond just the basic thrills of battle and bloodshed. There was something greater than themselves they were fighting for now. By the time the orcs were near the mercenaries, they had already set up wooden walls and begun firing catapults into the city. Malakaus had his foot soldiers wait by the treeline where they had cover against the crossbowmen, who Malakaus could see thanks to his darkvision. He had expected the mercenaries to be more wary now. He also didn't see the corpse of the monster boar, so he guessed it was still alive and simply drawn away elsewhere. A problem for later perhaps. Right now he needed to get his men moving. He sent his foot soldiers to take positions to the east, while he and his boar riders went to the west. When he gives them the signal, that's when they would need to charge.

The walls would make things a bit difficult since the crossbowmen would have cover, but nothing that Malakaus and his men can't handle. Quietly he had the reserve troops switch to flaming arrows while he told his vanguard to take out their oil flasks. Once they were ready they rode out as quickly as possible. It wasn't long before the karsuians heard the hooves and started firing upon Malakaus and his orcs. He made sure they rode in a staggered formation so each rider had room to dodge the arrows. Right now it was important to simply avoid getting hit over trying to return fire. They needed to be closer first, and when they did Malakaus and his riders threw the oil flasks against the wooden walls. The shattering of the clay flasks was the signal for the archers to shoot flaming arrows into the soaking walls, causing them to burst into flames. Malakaus then retreated back into the forest before the crossbowmen could return fire, switching to his war bow and firing a few arrows into the fortifications. Each arrow caused the walls to shake and in some spokes the arrows even took off bits and pieces of wood out. That ought to give the soldiers something to think about.