As Pwyll and the others are infiltrating a human city—

Verc and the others are preparing back in the village for their expansion plan.

The atmosphere in the settlement had shifted completely. There was no more idle resting or slow-paced days. Every corner of the territory was filled with the sounds of hard labor, shouting, and the constant clanging of tools. Everyone knew that a big change was coming, and nobody wanted to be the one holding the village back when the time came to march.

Groo, Mamon, and the other family heads had taken the initiative in training the warriors, most of them are consisting orcs anyway, and Pwyll already taught them the techniques they need to train.

The training grounds outside the main village gates had been expanded, cleared of old stumps and rocks to make room for the large groups of fighters. Every morning, before the sun even cleared the treetops, the deep, rumbling grunts of the orcs would echo through the valley as they practiced their footwork.

They were no longer just swinging their weapons with wild, reckless abandon.

Following the strictly structured drills that Pwyll had left behind, the warriors were learning how to hold a proper defensive line, how to shield their companions, and how to strike with maximum efficiency. The family heads marched up and down the lines, barking orders and correcting stances whenever an orc leaned too far forward or left their flank exposed.

Kuma and Aodh are working nonstop—the gnolls are producing good quality armors and weapons with the eight dwarves leading them. Kuma are making sure the gnolls are learning fast and properly.

The smoke from the forge never truly cleared anymore, rising up into the sky in thick, grey columns day and night.

Inside the workshop, the heat was almost unbearable for anyone who wasn’t a dwarf or a blacksmith. Large iron ingots taken from the treasury were being melted down, poured into molds, and hammered out into sturdy chestplates, iron-shod shields, and sharp spearheads.

The eight dwarves were acting as master craftsmen, directing the eager gnolls who were more than willing to learn the trade.

Kuma walked between the workstations, his sharp eyes monitoring every single apprentice. If a gnoll made a mistake with the bellows or failed to quench the steel at the right temperature, Kuma would step in immediately to correct them, ensuring that no raw materials were wasted in their rush to arm the village.

Grainne, the other dark elves, and the three beastwomen on the agriculture team are expanding the plot land and they started planting more crops.

They had cleared a massive section of the forest, turning the damp, dark soil into structured farming rows. The beastwomen used their natural instincts to track the best areas for irrigation, while the dark elves channeled their minor earth mana to make the soil loose and fertile.

They also continued studying about the mutated plants.

The flora inside the Cursed Forest was unlike anything found in the human kingdoms, constantly changing due to the dense concentration of raw corrupted mana in the air.

They neutralized a lot of bad mutations, and were able to multiply good ones. There’s even a mutation that makes a crop five times its original size; they use this to produce more food.

These giant vegetables were a blessing for the rapidly growing population. A single root crop could now feed an entire family of orcs for a day, significantly reducing the pressure on their hunting parties and allowing the village to build up a substantial food reserve for the upcoming campaign.

Then there’s a mutation that paralyzes one’s body—plants with this mutation are boiled to be used as poison for their weapons.

The concentrated liquid was collected in small clay jars, ready to be distributed to the scouts and archers when the conquest began. Even a small scratch from an arrow dipped in this solution would be enough to bring down a large beast in seconds.

The only two kobolds, Scally and Skul, were given specific tasks by Verc—the two of them were to scout the west part of the [Cursed Forest].

They were small, incredibly agile, and naturally stealthy, making them the perfect choices for a deep reconnaissance mission into unknown territory.

In that part of the forest; the wolf-kin tribes lives. This was confirmed by Kuma. Him and his people came from that part of the forest, they left because the wolf-kins are territorial, and they aren’t going to wait till they get attacked to relocate.

The gnolls had known better than to pick a fight with a massive, united force, choosing instead to move their entire clan to a safer area before any blood could be spilled.

The wolf-kins are similar to beastmen, but instead of humans having animal features; they’re wolves with humanoid body—they stand in two legs and they have hands with sharp claws.

They possessed an incredibly sharp sense of smell and hearing, making them formidable hunters and lethal warriors in the dense brush of the woods. They were known to be fiercely proud and highly aggressive toward any outsiders who dared to cross their borders without permission.

Anyway, for Verc’s first step of his plan to conquer the whole of the forest— 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He will start with the wolf-kin tribe, and after that—the other tribes.

He needed to establish an absolute baseline of power. By targeting the most organized and territorial group first, he would send a clear message to every other creature living under the canopy of the woods.

He plan to take under him all the tribes that will surrender, and eliminate those who will be hostile to him.

It was a simple, brutal plan, but it was the only way to ensure absolute unity within his borders. He didn’t have the time to play politics with a dozen different chieftains; they would either join his banner or be swept away.\

... ... ...

*****

SLASH!

Verc was in his room, swinging his sword—he had been training for half a day now.

The rhythmic whoosh of the [Moon Blade] cutting through the air filled the quiet space of his personal quarters. Sweat poured down his face, dripping off his chin onto the stone floor, but his arms remained perfectly steady, his grip on the hilt unyielding.

But this time, he wasn’t in a trance. He had been actively thinking of plans and strategies about how to conquer the forest.

He didn’t just blindly swing his weapon to pass the time anymore. Every strike was a calculation, a physical manifestation of his thoughts.

Verc felt more at ease training, he also feels his mind becomes clearer; that’s why he was planning as he swung his sword.

The physical exertion allowed him to filter out unnecessary doubts, leaving only the cold, hard logic needed to run a territory. With every vertical slash, he mapped out the movement of his people; with every horizontal parry, he considered the defensive capabilities of his village.

Ashley, Neit, Moro, Jai, and Maya are staying in the castle, handling every task inside.

They took care of the cleaning, the preparation of the grand hall, and the maintenance of the lower storage rooms, ensuring that the dark elves and dwarves didn’t have to waste time on domestic chores.

They also roam the village in their free time as usual to help all around.

Whether it was helping a pregnant orc carry heavy water buckets, or assisting the agriculture team in hauling the massive, mutated crops to the storehouses, the children were always visible, moving from one task to another with bright, encouraging smiles.

These seven kids, including Tatum and Jed are really famous in the village, not just as Verc’s first followers, but because of their helpful and kind nature.

The villagers truly respected them.

Anyway, Verc started thinking of a plan, then again, he remembered about the others who are currently infiltrating the human domain.

"I wonder what they’re doing right now."

He stopped his swing mid-air, the dark blade hovering perfectly still just inches above the floor.

Verc got a bit frustrated being in the dark about what’s happening outside the forest, he needs to wait for the five just to hear about what’s happening outside.

’The village was attacked and we were unprepared because we didn’t know about the expedition. If we were unlucky--it would’ve been bad.’

The lack of real-time information was a significant disadvantage. Knowing what’s happening outside was just as important as knowing what’s happening inside, and relying entirely on a single group of scouts that would take weeks or even months to travel back and forth was highly inefficient.

"Hmmm..."

As Verc was thinking about this, another idea entered his head.

He lowered the sword slowly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the polished surface of the steel.

He remembered the time that he was able to walk among humans because him being one of the demonic race was not obvious.

He didn’t possess the grotesque features, horns, or distorted bodies. To the average citizen or guard, he looked completely ordinary, just pale with red eyes. This fact had allowed him to walk on the city streets without a single question being asked.

Also, he was able to confirm that Elianna and the others didn’t tell on him about what happened back in the City of Zore.

The Saintess and the Knight Commander had kept the specific details of his identity completely buried under their official reports.

His appearance isn’t known even though he was wanted throughout the kingdom.

The bounty posters probably contained generic descriptions or completely inaccurate sketches, meaning that his face was still a total mystery to the general public.

’Oh, but the prisoners we freed saw my face... One of the reasons why I wasn’t included with the infiltration in the human city with the others. I guess I would need a disguise.’

Verc thought to himself.

And after that, he decided to create a persona later on, one outside the forest, where he can use to mingle with the humans—

He needed a way to move freely, to gather his own intelligence directly from the source without putting his village or his followers at unnecessary risk.

"I can pretend to be a wandering knight again."

Verc mumbled with a casual shrug of his shoulder.