"I’m glad to see you returned safely, Logan." Rasta, the Orc Shaman, sighed in relief the moment he saw his friend return to their camp.

"A barbarian messenger told us you’ve been captured, Great Champion." Khan, the Orc Warlord, bowed respectfully. "I am very happy to see that you’re finally free."

Logan smiled wryly. "Indeed, I’ve regained my freedom. However, it had come with strings attached. Tomorrow, the three of us shall head to the humans’ fortress to discuss the details of our alliance."

"Alliance?" Rasta frowned. "An alliance with the humans?"

Khan narrowed his eyes upon hearing their leader’s words, but he made no move to oppose or accept Logan’s declaration.

Seeing the reaction of his two subordinates, the Orc Champion couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

"Just as you were told, the humans had captured me when I tried to infiltrate their fortress," Logan explained. "They asked me to pick between two choices. Alliance or annihilation. I simply chose the lesser evil between the two. And with the situation at hand, allying with them serves our interests better than making them our enemies."

"There is truth in what you say." Rasta nodded in agreement. "Can you tell us more about the details of this alliance?"

"Yes. But it will be best if we gather everyone so I won’t have to repeat myself," Logan replied.

"Leave it to me, Great Champion." Khan patted his chest. "I’ll gather everyone."

Several minutes later, most of the Orcs had arrived, ready to listen to their leader’s declaration.

They had all felt anxious when they heard of Logan’s capture.

He was their pillar. If he were to die, the Ravage Tribe would suffer a great blow. They would also have a harder time settling down, for they were still at the early stages of planting their roots in their new home.

"Listen well, members of the Ravage Tribe!" Logan shouted. "From now on, the Aslan Tribe is our ally! They have agreed to help us if the calamity ever makes its way into our new home.

"In return, we will help them defend their territory against the barbarian tribes who wish to invade our domain!"

Logan skimmed through the crowd, observing the reactions of his fellow Orcs. Some of them looked relieved, some looked disgruntled, while others hid whatever thoughts they had inside their minds with a calm facade.

However, regardless of how they felt, their leader continued his speech.

"The Great Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe, Leone Frontera, agreed to split this territory in half," Logan added. "We rule the north, he rules the south. Our boundary will be the river we crossed when we first visited their fortress.

"Beyond that river lies the territory of the humans. We can cross to their side, but there is one rule we must follow—we can not harm them in any way, for that is the condition of our alliance.

"Anyone who breaks the rules will be severely punished. Do not forget why we fled our ancestral land! We came here to survive, and survive we will! This alliance will not only ensure our safety, but it will also ensure that we will thrive!"

Slowly but surely, a ripple of change spread among the Orcs listening to his speech. By reminding everyone of the reason they had to flee their former home, Logan made them realize the benefits of having a strong ally to help them fight against the Monster King.

Just as he expected, this angle quickly shifted the opinion of his tribe members in a positive light.

"Also, to prepare for any other future threats, Leone agreed to allow us to build our own home inside the mountain. No longer will we need to fear the minions of the Monster King that may or may not invade these lands in the future.

"With the mountain as our fortress and the Aslan Tribe as our allies, we will prevail! For the Horde!"

""For the Horde!""

""For the Horde!""

""For the Horde!""

With momentum on his back, Logan soon ended his speech and informed everyone that tomorrow, he and his advisers would head to the fortress to discuss more about the matters concerning their alliance.

He then asked everyone not to cross the river and ordered the warriors to hunt beasts to increase their food supply, which might serve them well in the future.

Once he finished his speech, he returned to his dwellings inside the Orc Nest, followed closely by Rasta and Khan.

Earlier, they still had qualms about the alliance.

But now, they were very eager to meet with Leone and discuss more about how the two tribes would be able to help each other.

In regard to manpower, the Ravage Tribe beat the Aslan Tribe in both quality and quantity.

However, when it came to defenses and firepower, there was no way the Orcs could siege the fortress that was currently undergoing a great transformation in preparation for the war against the Darkmane Tribe.

More areas of the mountains were under development, being reformed so they could hold catapults, ballistas, and repeating crossbows.

With all these changes, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Grimjaw Mountain was slowly but surely transforming into a fortress that could hold its own against a siege.

In fact, right after the Ravage Tribe had been confirmed as their allies, Leone and Daedalus immediately added fortifications with the Orcs’ help in mind.

Since they were stronger than normal humans, it would be much easier for them to load the catapults and the ballistas, which originally required at least three warriors to operate.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Logan realized that being captured by the Aslan Tribe might have been a blessing in disguise.

While he still felt bitter about his defeat, he vowed to himself that he would not let it happen again in the future.

After finishing their discussion, Rasta and Khan finally left Logan alone.

Inside his room, the Orc Champion recalled the smug look on the young man’s face after the contract had been signed.

"Stupid human," Logan muttered. "I’ll let you win just once."

Yet, even as he said those words, he couldn’t erase the uneasy feeling gnawing at the back of his head.

Somehow, it felt like Leone had already seen several steps ahead of him from the very beginning.

Deep within his mind, Logan began to wonder whether the alliance they had forged would become the Ravage Tribe’s salvation... or the chains that would make them the young man’s pawns in a game of chess encompassing the entirety of the Borderlands.