The rescue operation went smoothly at first. Since it was late at night and all the guards responsible for the prisoners had been quietly eliminated, it wasn't until everyone was freed from their ropes and chains that the orcs noticed anything was wrong.
However, this was only the first step in the rescue. There was no way to sneak hundreds of people, including elderly and children, away quietly. Their escape would inevitably be slow. A distraction was needed to give them a chance.
Wayne gathered a few able-bodied men among the prisoners, then took out some weapons he had previously collected from his space bracelet. He addressed them:
"You've only got one shot at this. I'm going to create chaos in the orc camp and draw their attention away."
"You must lead everyone and escape back to Lake Town."
"The elves should come to your aid after what's happened. If you can make it through tonight, you should be safe."
After outlining the plan in detail, Wayne donned his invisibility cloak once more and left the enclosure where the prisoners were held.
The war chief responsible for the raid on Lake Town was Brugg, a commander from the Gray Mountains. His tribe was small compared to other orc clans, but they were a middling force, able to field several hundred orc warriors.
Despite having fewer warriors than the residents of Lake Town, the orcs possessed a significant combat advantage. Orcs, being a race where nearly every member is a soldier, had a number of warriors several times greater than the town's able-bodied defenders.
It was this overwhelming number of soldiers that allowed Brugg and his forces to quickly overwhelm Lake Town in an afternoon, plundering a large amount of supplies and capturing prisoners.
Brugg's life had been relatively easy in the mountains. His main enemies were the dwarves of the Iron Hills. However, a sudden order from his superiors sent him south to raid Lake Town.
The orcs of the Gray Mountains had always been more experienced in warfare, particularly against the dwarves. Their war capabilities and forging skills were superior to many other orc tribes, second only to the larger orc legions.
After the night's drunken revelry, Brugg had fallen asleep next to a large stone by the campfire. Alcohol, rare among orcs, was the reason for the night's indulgence. Unlike the wet, dirty ground, the stone provided a dry and somewhat sheltered spot to rest.
However, Brugg was abruptly awakened by a chill at the back of his neck, and his loyal warg companion let out a warning growl.
Instinctively, Brugg rolled to the side, just as a sharp pain shot through his neck. Blood poured down his shoulder—the artery had been severed.
Panic surged through him as he clutched at the wound. "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" he bellowed.
Through the flickering firelight, he saw a tall figure in blood-red armor, standing where he had been lying moments before, a gleaming blade in hand.
Before Brugg could get a clear look at his assailant's face, the figure's voice, speaking in Common Tongue, reached his ears:
"Tch! Is this a dog or a wolf? It actually smelled me."
The figure disappeared and reappeared behind Brugg in an instant. This time, Brugg had no time to react. The blade flashed, slicing through his neck. His head rolled to the ground, frozen in an expression of shock and rage.
Though Brugg was dead, his warning cry and the warg's growls had roused the camp. The orcs, startled from their drunken slumber, looked toward the spot where their leader's headless body lay.
For a moment, silence fell over the camp as the orcs took in the sight of their fallen war chief and the bodies of several companions, murdered in their sleep. Then, all at once, shouts of rage and battle cries filled the air as they scrambled for their weapons.
Once his position was revealed, Wayne abandoned his plan to quietly assassinate more orcs and blew his whistle loudly, summoning the Deathclaw.
As the clear whistle echoed through the night, a deep, excited roar reverberated in the air. The ground shook as the powerful Deathclaw, its body as solid as steel, charged out from its hiding spot. Its heavy breathing and thundering footsteps crushed everything in its path, reducing any orcs brave enough to stand in its way to pulp. Nothing could slow it down as it rushed to its master's side.
After beheading Brugg, Wayne tossed the filthy orc chief's head aside and sprinted toward the incoming Deathclaw. A flash of light sparked as he unleashed a chain of lightning, cutting down five or six more orcs along the way.
Once reunited, Wayne leapt onto Deathclaw's back and commanded the beast to ravage the orc camp. The orcs of the Gray Mountains, known as large orcs, were quite different from the smaller, goblin-like orcs of the Misty Mountains. Standing as tall as humans, with some reaching up to two meters, these orcs wore iron armor and wielded sophisticated weapons.
Though the Deathclaw still held an overwhelming advantage, it couldn't tear through them as effortlessly as it had with the Misty Mountain orcs. The orcs' armor resisted its powerful bite, and even its claws couldn't shred metal with the same ease they cut through flesh. Instead, Robin employed a more brutal approach, trampling and flinging the armored orcs aside like they were nothing, crushing their internal organs with sheer force, like a car plowing through obstacles.
However, the orcs' barbaric and ferocious nature quickly resurfaced after their initial shock. With four to five hundred orc soldiers present in the camp, Wayne and Robin soon found themselves surrounded. Orc warriors and their wargs attempted to climb the Deathclaw's tough hide, trying to reach Wayne or exploit any vulnerabilities in the beast's massive frame.
The orcs were resourceful, too. They brought out oil drums and ropes, attempting to bind Deathclaw's legs or set its body on fire. The situation was growing more dangerous. Even with Deathclaw's immense power, it couldn't withstand such an overwhelming number of enemies on its own.
Fortunately, Wayne was there to even the odds. His alchemical bombs and lightning strikes proved invaluable on the battlefield. Whenever he spotted a cluster of orcs threatening Deathclaw with ropes, fire, or other means, he launched a decisive attack, cutting down the threat before it could escalate.
The night was long, and the battle between Deathclaw Robin and the orcs raged for what felt like an eternity. The two sides shifted from tentative strikes to fierce clashes, and finally to scattered skirmishes as exhaustion set in.
After nearly two hours of relentless fighting, the orcs from the Gray Mountains could no longer endure the mounting losses. Their morale shattered, and they fled in disarray.
Even Deathclaw Robin, despite his immense physical prowess, stood panting amidst the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. But as the mightiest beast in the apocalyptic world, Robin's recovery was swift. After resting for about an hour, both Wayne and Robin began their journey back to Lake-town, retracing their path at a slower pace due to exhaustion.
Along the way, they encountered a group of captives making their escape back to Lake-town. When these survivors learned that Wayne and his beast had single-handedly defeated such a massive orc army, they were overcome with gratitude.
Wayne, not one for false modesty, assumed command of the group and briefed them on the current state of Lake-town.
The group journeyed through the night and finally reached Lake-town by midday, where they were joyfully reunited with their families.
As the hero who had saved the town, Wayne was greeted with reverence. The residents of Lake-town, deeply indebted to him, eagerly followed his orders. Under his leadership, they began extinguishing the remaining fires, collecting the bodies of the fallen townspeople, salvaging any usable supplies, and constructing temporary shelters for the displaced.
By noon, a group of woodland elves clad in resplendent armor arrived at Lake-town, bringing much-needed supplies from the dark forest on the far side of the lake. The emergency provisions were distributed among the survivors, helping them endure in the aftermath of the tragedy.