Arc 1:

Spero of the Red Sand

Midday, in the desert heat of Aria, a golden eagle sores through the sky. Below, a valley stretches for miles, nestled between two large mesas, and at their edge sits a group of five masked bounty hunters.

Below, a valley stretches for miles, nestled between two large mesas, and at their edge sits a group of five masked bounty hunters [https://img.wattpad.com/6e8d91c6545707d38006fe5a89314fd339ebb782/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f757165384f6b44633549494432413d3d2d313232383530303338382e313666316432333530663734663532383138353532313734343634332e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

"Is that really him?" a slim, reptilian hunter asks, pointing to a man walking through the valley sands.

"What do you think?" a female hunter replies. "It's the first person we've seen in hours. He's wearing red and his limbs are covered in bandage wraps, just as we were told." She adjusts her white top, and her black ponytail flows in the wind. She points her long, obsidian claws at the reptilian.

Their leader, a dark elf with dark-blue skin and grayish-white hair, stops their bickering. "The Assassin of Anshan, Spero of the Red Sand. What is the king's personal assassin doing all the way out in Arian territory?"

The group exchanges glances and a giant with a metal jaw speaks up. "Are we going to attack? His bounty is high, about ten talents. I'm a hefty boy, so I'm sure to get paid the most." He let out a deep chuckle.

The dark elf takes out a knife, spins it in his hand, throws it up, and catches it.

"If we attack, we must be careful, the rumors about him may be true" another hunter with one-eye states."There's no way a king would have such a thing protecting him. It's against the ways of their people," the clawed woman says.

"No he's right," their leader says. "We mustn't take him lightly. A bounty this high is not based on speculation." He juggles the knife again and holds it in his palm.

The reptilian licks his sharp teeth. "I want to kill him. Let me kill him!"

The dark elf gives the signal and the other four dash toward their target. The leader spins his knife one more time before throwing it at the stranger at breakneck speed.

Their target, Spero, strides through the valley, seemingly unaware of what's happening. His bandana whips around when a strong wind sends a cloud of sand at him. When it clears, he sees a knife hurtling towards him and quickly catches it.

A large blur appears in front of him, and a gigantic axe comes flying over. Spero dodges it by leaning back, his feet planted steady on the ground. Seeing his reflection in the axe as it passes centimeters away from his nose. He springs back up and holds the knife in position. He then dashes to the left and in the corner of his eye, he sees a gleam—an incoming spear heading toward his throat. He jumps backward and spots a man with a porcelain mask. Spero blocks an incoming slash from the reptilian's left dagger. He then slashes with his right dagger, but Spero grabs both of his foe's wrists holding him in place.

"I'll cut you up!" the reptilian says, flailing his lizard tongue in Spero's face.

Repulsed by the lizard's actions, he kicks the hunter in the chest and swiftly blocks the strikes coming from the female hunter's sharp claws. Spero backs up a couple of steps and analyzes the situation.

There's a giant; metal jaw, wields a one-sided axe, medium to long-range. Their race is slow but powerful.

Reptilian. Slim, no tail, double daggers, short-range. Race known to be fast, but this one is weak.

Claw hunter. Sharp claws—ten in total—short to medium range, quick. She's a humanoid but could also be a mutant.

Then there's doll mask. Uses a spear, medium to long range, great form, quick but not as experienced. Most likely human.

Alright, I think I have a plan.

When facing multiple enemies, there are a few rules to follow. Rule number one—separate them and try to fight them one on one.

With a plan in mind, Spero is ready to engage. The lizard and hunter rush toward him. He blocks two attacks from the lizard's daggers and then returns two punches: one in the lizard's chest and one in the jaw. Spero then ducks to his left to dodge the incoming claw strike from the hunter. When her ponytail flows in front of him, he grabs it and yanks it back. She gasps and his knee meets her back brutally hard, causing her to collapse to the ground.

In the corner of his eye, he sees the doll-mask hunter spin his spear, striking to the left and right of Spero just grazing his clothes. The spear gets caught on the sword on his back, and Spero notices that the hunter's mask is only covering one of his eyes.

Left eye, blind spot.

He swings his left leg and high kicks his opponent on the side of the head.

The giant appears behind him, veins bulging in his neck. "Try to stop this!"

Don't block, redirect!

Before he can reach for the sword on his back Spero parries the axe to the right of him with the knife chipping off pieces of the blade. He kicks the giant in his knee causing him to stumble backward. Spero shuffles away to reanalyze the situation. He looks up and sees the dark elf sitting on top of the cliffside, watching the fight.

He's studying my movements. I can't give him an advantage! Let's show as little as possible.

Spero refocuses when a spear is lunged towards his neck. He slides back, and the claw hunter enters with an uppercut; he shoots his head back, brings his right foot up, and kicks her straight in the chin. Spero hears a whistling noise and juts both legs up as the axe flies under his feet. Spero, stuck in midair, spots the reptilian, and the enemy jumps towards him. Spero twists his body sideways and kicks the lizard away. However, a dagger sneaks through and cuts his thigh. Spero uses the momentum of his kick to land on his feet. As they surround him, Spero memorizes their positions, The claw hunter and reptilian are at his 2 and 11 o'clock; the doll mask and the giant are at his 8 and 5 o'clock.

Rule number two—if you get surrounded, use their teamwork against them.

"He's really pissing me off!" the reptilian says, pointing his dagger at Spero.

"We have to time our attacks together. Focus!" the claw hunter shouts.

They both charge in and crisscross, switching their positions. The claw hunter gets in front of the lizard and strikes Spero. He blocks her first attack, but the second strike grazes his right shoulder. Spero executes two quick jabs: one to her stomach and the second to her cheek. The reptilian cuts Spero's forearm but blocks his other dagger. The doll hunter shoots his spear forward, but Spero grabs the lizard's head and uses it to block the spear; the doll hunter reacts and redirects his weapon, brushing the side of the lizard's face. Spero cuts the doll hunter's left shoulder as a large shadow covers him. The axe comes crashing down and Spero barely has time to slide back before the axe slams into the ground and cuts his back. The claw hunter sneaks from behind once more, but Spero steps back and trips her. She falls and smacks her face against the side of the giant's axe. Spero readjusts his stance, but a spear comes spinning at him, he skips side to side and kicks the bottom of the spear, breaking off a part of the handle. The wooden piece flies towards the giant hitting him in the right eye. Spero takes a deep breath and prepares himself.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Rule number three—when their teamwork falls apart, go for the kill.

Spero rushes toward the reptilian and punches him in the throat. The lizard gasps for air, and his tongue flaps out. Spero cuts it off and the lizard swings his daggers wildly, screaming in pain. Spero dodges the blades and dashes toward the doll hunter. Shocked at what happened, the doll hunter attempts to stab his foe with his halved spear, but his limited reach prevents a hit, and Spero slips past him. He rolls onto the back of the doll hunter and slices his neck as he lands on the other side. As his body begins to fall, Spero snatches the spear and chucks it into the claw hunter's right shoulder.

The giant strikes down his axe once again, but Spero backs up. He tosses his knife high in the air distracting the giant, and takes the opportunity to jump on top of the axe. The giant notices and picks his weapon up. Using the momentum of the axe, he launches himself up. Spero kicks the giant in the chin with his right foot, twists his body, and scissor kicks with his left to reach the handle of the knife that's free-falling in the air. He strikes the knife, sending it directly into the forehead of the panicking reptilian. Spero turns his body again and lands behind the claw hunter as she manages to remove the spear from her shoulder. Spero grabs her head and snaps her neck.

Further enraged, the giant rushes toward Spero and swings his axe at him. Spero sprints forward and slides on his knees to the right side of the giant, dodging the attack. As he's sliding, he unsheathes his sword and slices the giant's right kneecap. The hunter collapses, trying to keep his balance, and swings his axe in the opposite direction. Spero slides under his weapon again, slicing his other kneecap. Unable to stand, the giant releases the axe and falls onto his hands. Spero looks at him and pierces his head with his sword.

He pants and wipes his weapon clean with a rag. As he does so, a clapping sound echoes behind him, the dark elf announcing his presence.

"That was impressive."

Spero whips around and sees the leader a few meters away.

"You're as dangerous as they say. Who would've thought we'd run into a bounty as rare as yourself? I must thank you. Now I can keep the reward all to myself."

"I'm in a hurry, can we move this along?" Spero says, standing tall.

The elf's eyes perk up as he grins underneath his mask. Spero analyzes him.

Dark elf—a race known to have light movements, high agility, great precision, and high levels of magic. The large sword will slow him down, medium to long-range.

The elf dashes forward quicker than Spero expected. He manages to turn his face away, but the blade lightly cuts his left cheek. The elf bombards Spero with a multitude of attacks. Spero blocks and parries most of them, but a few slip by, marring his arms and torso. The elf slashes down and the blade cuts the strap of Spero's scabbard, sending it tumbling to the ground.

How can he swing a sword that size with such ease and accuracy, Spero thinks, shocked.

The elf strikes, but the attack is blocked. Spero tilts his sword touching the flat sides against each other, slides his sword against the large weapon, and slashes the elf in the chest, leaving behind a minor wound. He sends a quick jab to Spero's nose and swings his sword. Spero blocks the incoming strike. The heavy hit rattles his arms and causes him to stumble backward.

Noticing the loss of balance, the elf lunges his sword into the ground. A blast of wind propels his body forward, and he kicks Spero in the chest, sending his opponent crashing into a rock wall. The enemy's sword flies toward his head. Spero swoops down as the blade cuts through the rocks and lops off a piece of his bandana.

Spero, now crouched, notes a silver light shimmering on the blade's hilt. He ignores it and launches himself into the elf, tackling him to the ground. Their bodies tumble across the sand, but the elf stabs his blade into the floor again and kicks Spero away. Spero's body bounces across the hot sands for a moment, but he quickly regains control. He also strikes the sword in the ground, allowing him to slow down to a halt. They both clamber to their feet, resuming their fight stances.

That's an unusual elf-fighting stance. He keeps most of the weight on his front foot... His form is a bit rigid; I can get past his speed with his lack of form.

"A dark elf that doesn't use magic? That's rare."

"You think I would use magic against a divinian?" the elf responds snarkily.

Spero chuckles. "I guess you're smarter than I thought."

The elf raises his sword, and they both rush in throwing multiple slashes, their blades colliding.

He tends to aim for my hand that's holding my blade. He's also trying to strike my back leg. Let's give him what he wants.

Spero leaves his left side open, and the elf smirks and slashes his back leg. Spero parries his blade out of the way and uppercuts the elf's gut, he lets out a heavy wheeze and recomposes himself. The elf kicks Spero in his shin causing him to land on his knee. The dark elf swings his sword with a heavy attack. Spero turns his blade vertically, the handle above and the blade covering his side. He blocks the attack, but the large sword shatters Spero's blade.

Shards of metal scatter everywhere. The elf closes his eyes to prevent the shards from getting into them. Spero reacts and completely spins around holding his broken blade, and stabs the elf in his shoulder. The elf yells and uses the bottom of his handle to punt Spero in the head.

Spero grows dizzy, his vision blurring. In the short moment, it takes the divinian to sober up, the elf strikes down with his sword. Blood splatters, dripping onto the sand. Spero is holding the blade, which is barely embedded into his shoulder.

"Damn... I went way too easy on you, "Spero mutters.

The elf grits his teeth. "Ridiculous! The bounty is mine!" the elf shouts feeling insulted.

Spero looks up at him. "You were using magic this whole time, weren't you? Not on me but on yourself."

The elf's eyes enlarge. "How did you—"

"You use wind magic. That's how you were able to move around so easily. I noticed when you were propelling yourself forward, the rune on your blade would activate. That's why most of your body weight was on your front foot."

The elf gets heated and pushes his sword further into Spero's shoulder, but he's stopped when Spero grabs the blade harder, causing it to crack where his fingertips meet the metal.

"Training's over," Spero says, punching the side of the blade, and cracking it more.

Tiny streams of black smoke appear out of his hands.

The elf's eyes widen with fear. "I-It's true! You are a daeva!"

Spero hits the metal again, and it shatters into pieces. The elf tries to back away, and Spero chucks the remaining piece of the sword at him, cutting off the elf's hand that's gripping the handle. The hunter screams and Spero snatches the other half of the sword out of the dismembered hand and pierces the elf's chest. The dark elf collapses on the desert floor.

A horn is played in the distance, and another follows. Spero turns around and sees an army of Arian orcs behind him. A group of archers are also on top of the left cliff and another on the right. The soldiers in the center move to their respective sides, opening the group up. A bulky orc with bronze skin walks through to the front. The Arian orc general grabs his double-sided axes off his back.

The Arian orc general grabs his double-sided axes off his back [https://img.wattpad.com/058697f0558ade6e27ffe5df3ad28adadab5475c/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f50354d7971344e516878547342673d3d2d313232383530303338382e313666316432356663373637663632623630363235353832383133362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Spero looks relieved. "Took you long enough."

He takes off the bandage that covers his mouth and wraps it around his injured shoulder, gripping it with his teeth to tighten it.

"It looks like I'll have to be serious this time", he says, extending his right arm. Chaos Variant: Sword of Madness!

A symbol glows on his right shoulder and black mist seeps out of his palm, forming a thin blade. Dark energy continuously flows out of the blade. His eyes turn black, and a glowing, red symbol appears in the middle of his oculus.

His eyes turn black, and a glowing, red symbol appears in the middle of his oculus [https://img.wattpad.com/4c2458dee8be36c916846f3126af1efd31f6e153/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f464b7979767165324249645154513d3d2d313232383530303338382e313666316432363166373638663366643932323937333233393432362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

"Let's make this quick. I hate using this power."

Worried, the group of orcs step back muttering in Orcish.

"It's him!"

"Daeva!"

"Spero of the Red Sand"

"Kill the demon!"

Spero rushes toward the general, his weapon gleaming.