A young boy is training [https://img.wattpad.com/a267b796c883dd57952781b52da56269abf91101/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f45336a6c546b4d4f316b44566b773d3d2d313233373033353832372e313666633833656335643266656535653236383339353038333035342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
A young boy is training. He strikes a wooden sword against some dummies made of hay. A giant man with a thick black beard and wavy black hair tells the boy,
"For faster recovery, once you strike, return to your main stance then follow through with the next attack."
The boy hits each dummy once.
"What's rule 1?", the large man asks.
"Separate them, try to fight them one-on-one", the boy responds.
He then backs away, stares at the dummy to his far left, and strikes the dummy cutting it in half with his wooden sword.
"That's my boy! You'll be the strongest warrior in all the desert!"
The large man picks up the boy while they both laugh together. The man places him down and places his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
"I miss you, my son."
Spero wakes up from his daydream as Cyrus nudges him to focus. They stand next to a table with a large map displaying the multiple territories: Aria, Assyria, Babylonia, Media, Qedar, and other parts of the desert.
There are three generals standing at the other sides of the table [https://img.wattpad.com/94386ecaa369e01400a01515f8882279b5a6863f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f39466450304745395a70435878773d3d2d313233373033353832372e313666663433663436613739326636663431363134323733383235362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Three generals are standing at the other side of the table.
One general calls Spero out, "Spacing out in the war room, as expected from an outsider."
The other generals keep quiet, Cyrus, about to speak up, is interrupted by Spero, "Might I remind everyone that this outsider is the sole reason any of your battles ended in victory?"
The other two generals slightly chuckle while holding in their laughs. Basir tries to rebuttal,
"Basir, if you're done with your comments, may we continue with our planning?" Cyrus calmly asks, displaying his authority.
Basir grits his teeth and looks down at the map.
Cyrus continues, "Their outpost is located here 30 kilometers out; only a day's travel. We will divide into three groups. Parsa's group will be stationed here, and Ashkan and his men will be on the opposite side located at the foot of the outpost. Basir, your soldiers will be in the back, if any orcs slip behind us, your archers will help pick them off or keep them at bay. Spero and I will be the first ones to infiltrate the camp. Spero will neutralize the shaman and brutes and I will be the main shield for all of you to rush in."
Ashkan points to the camp on the map, "How many orcs are we expecting?"
"There will be roughly a hundred" Cyrus replies.
"And are we only bringing about sixty of our own?", Ashkan asks.
"That is correct."
Basir chimes in, "We can't sneak that many men through the desert without being detected, so the fewer the better, however, these are orcs, they each have the strength of five men and they outnumber us."
Parsa questions, "Won't they notice us approaching? Orcs have an incredible sense of smell."
"Perhaps we could use a magic barrier to hide our scent", Ashkan suggests.
Spero intervenes, "Orcs can also smell magic from 100 meters away, we will wait until midday when they are preparing food. They use a heavy amount of spices in their cooking, so their sense of smell will be distracted for the time being."
Parsa nods in agreement and looks at Spero, "How do you propose we handle the number difference?"
"Since I killed their general, this platoon of orcs is a bit lost in their formation and tactics. Positioning them won't be an issue, however, their immense strength will be. Orcs, unlike Giants, are a bit quicker. They're not as strong, but their warrior instincts are at a high level. Their skin is similar to a boar but tougher. Your soldiers will have a difficult time cutting their flesh. Also, some arrows might bounce off of their bodies. Target their joints, eyes, and neck. Their tactics have evolved. Our magic may have been leagues above them in the past but their knowledge of protective spells has increased over the decades."
Cyrus re-enters the conversation, "Our people have always pushed back the Orcs from a distance. We have not had a direct conflict with them in over a century. This is where Basir's archers will be critical. Our archery skills are close to the proficiency of the elves, and we will be able to keep them at bay for the beginning of the attack. Try to weaken as many orcs as possible with your arrows so we can finish them quickly."
Everyone accepts the plan and leaves the war room to prepare for the assault the next morning.
The Anshan troops have made it to their destination, they are about half a kilometer away from the Orc camp. One of the scouts uses a magical tool to enhance his vision similar to a telescope to see the Orcs.
The scout informs the soldiers, [https://img.wattpad.com/84e19ad3c590e72a994215523b6b8e7527b8fb09/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f49615f303435433170624a3034513d3d2d313233373033353832372e313730323530616232356530383161353735323539373435303533372e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
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The scout informs the soldiers, "They started the fire, and are preparing the food as we speak."
Cyrus hand signals his men and alerts the generals, "Good; we will begin moving to our positions."
The soldiers each go to their assigned positions, behind large boulders and hilltops that surround the camp. The other generals give signals to Cyrus letting him know that they are ready. The Orcs are below enjoying their meals, as the air around them fills with the aroma of cooked meat and spiced vegetables, Cyrus raises his sword. The archers in Basir's squad prep their bows, and Spero sneaks down to one of the tents where two Brutes are eating. He stabs one in the neck with a knife and slashes the face of the other with his sword before they can make a sound. Cyrus gives the signal and arrows rain down on the orcs below. Cyrus comes sprinting down, sword and shield in hand, boasting a war cry as soldiers follow. The other two squads of Parsa and Ashkan come down as well now fully surrounding the camp. The Orcs frantically run to retrieve their weapons and try to collect themselves. Arrows are embedded in the joints of their arms and legs, and a few of them are killed in the surprise attack. The orcs grab their armor and weapons and begin to defend. Cyrus rushes in as an orc tries getting up but he knocks him back down with his shield and stabs the orc in his shoulder. The men behind scatter their spears and push in. A couple of Divinians are crushed by clubs and an orc kicks them away. Cyrus ricochets an axe swing and slices an orc's achilles. Spero stabs and cuts five orcs in a matter of seconds. Another group surrounds him but he grabs a log from the campfire. He tosses it up and kicks it spreading ash and sparks of flame. The orcs cover their eyes and he kicks one in the knee, knocking him off-balance. He then pushes the orc to collide with another, a blade comes flying down but he dodges it and grabs the orc's belt to redirect him. Spero uses him as a shield to block an incoming club, he stabs the orc four times and moves off to the side. The orc that was knocked down tries to get up but Spero stabs his hand into the ground and punches him in the jaw. As another orc closes in, he jumps over him and cuts his neck from behind. He then launches himself forward and quickly slashes the two remaining orcs fighting him. CRASH RUMBLE, tents, and Divinian soldiers are flung around, an Orc Brute comes charging in and knocks Spero into a tent. The brute is in full armor. The shoulder plates are adorned with horns surly to cause damage. The orc takes out his large club with metal spikes, spins it, and rushes in, causing another tent to be demolished. Spero continues dodging and backing up to get a chance to slow down the assault. Spero analyzes,
Orc brute: Elite warriors, fast aggressive, and stronger than your average orc. They push in without a second thought and wipe out villages in minutes. I need to create some distance... or I should get as close as I can.
Spero jumps on a nearby rock wall and launches himself into the brute. The orc, confused by this, swings his club, cutting Spero's arm as he shields himself, but manages to get past the Orc's arms. He elbows the brute, knocking him back, Spero jabs the orc in his chest, ribs, stomach, and kidney. He then dodges another attack and kicks the orc in the liver. The Orc is unable to focus, Spero uses his knife to attack his legs and then his sword to stab the brute's ribcage, killing him.
Cyrus looks at Spero from across the camp and yells, "The Shaman, where is the Shaman!?"
Spero looks around trying to locate the position of the mage. A fireball hits a group of Divinans knocking them to the ground. A blast of stone spikes comes hurtling toward Spero as he braces for impact. He gets blasted by the magic attack and is knocked to the ground. As he gets up, he sees the mage
Orc Shaman: Unlike normal mages who only specialize in magic, Orc mages have all the advantages of a warrior with the added benefits of mana buffs. They may not be the best fighters out of the other orcs, but their long-range attacks make up for it.
The Divinians can withstand the Shaman's spells because of their natural magic resistance, but the orc's spells are of a higher caliber. He may not be able to instantly kill them, but he is weakening their bodies. The shaman realizes that direct attacks with magic have no effect. A magic circle appears at the top of his staff, emitting a green light and then transitioning to pink, this glow surrounds the Orc warriors providing them power and defense buffs. The Divinian mages try to keep them back with rock and fire spells but to no avail.
Some soldiers yell, "We need some mana buffs!" "I need some healing for my men over here!"
Persa announces, "We can't use spells with that shaman around. If we deactivate our mana shields, then the orc's spells will kill us"
Spero sees that their army is being overpowered and he decides he must use his powers.
Chaos Variant: Sword of Madness
Some Orcs near Spero notice and charge toward him, Spero swings his sword, and the orc blocks it, however, the Orc looks down and sees his chest is open and blood gushes out. Spero then attacks another orc and the orc sees six different attacks. Unable to distinguish which blade is the real one he misses and is cut down.
Ashkan sees this and asks Cyrus, "Why are the Orcs trying to block and dodge attacks that aren't there?"
Cyrus turns to him, "I don't fully know what that power is capable of, but it's doing a great job of confusing the orcs "
Spero swings his sword to the right and the Orc blocks it. However, it seems as if the blade phases through the orc's blade without breaking it. The Orcs sword serves no defense and Spero's blade slices his stomach open. Spero approaches the Orc Shaman.
The shaman speaks in Orcish, "You damn Divinians, I will feed you to our kin and grind your bones to dust."
The Orc creates a tornado of fire around the both of them and uses the flames to coat his bladed staff. The orc charges toward Spero. He dodges to his left and kicks the back of the staff causing the weapon to go off balance. The Orc uses sand magic to trap Spero's feet in the ground, he ducks down to avoid a strike from the Orc. The heat of the blade sizzles some of the fabric from his clothes. He then breaks free from the trap and jumps back.
He points his sword toward the mage and takes a deep breath whispering "Sword of Madness, Mirage of Shadows."
A black cloud reaches the Orc and he blasts it away with a wind spell. The Mage is frightened and sees multiple Speros rushing toward him. The Orc blasts a few of the clones which he strikes down. Spero's madness sword blocks the blade, and darkness engulfs it absorbing the heat. One of Spero's clones cuts the staff in half as another clone kicks him in the gut. The Orc is confused and loses composure and creates an energy ball of heat. Spero strikes his sword into the energy ball before it can fully form, igniting his sword as darkness spreads and creates a dome around him and the mage. Once the darkness dissipates, the orc is lying on the ground covered in cuts and in a pool of blood. The other soldiers see this in disbelief. They have never seen Spero use these powers in person. Cyrus and Basir are the only ones who have witnessed his abilities firsthand. To everyone, it seemed that the Shaman had gone insane and was fighting frantically and aiming at nothing. A few soldiers said they spotted more than one Spero. Spero's right arm begins to shake and he clenches his fist to his forehead, a pain aches in his temples. He decided to de-summon his sword and the pain fades.
The soldiers are traveling back through the desert to the kingdom of Anshan. The sun is setting and they are looking for a place to camp out for the night so they may warm themselves from the desert cold. They find some cliff sides and head over. Cyrus, in the lead scouts the area, hears some rocks crumble, and searches for what caused it. Cyrus walks past an entrence and stops in his tracks; he signals the men behind him to stay quiet. He whispers to the mages to put up a barrier to seal their scent. Magic circles appear around them, and a spell is cast and creates a dome around them. Spero makes it to the front of Cyrus and sees what has caused them to slow down. A long scorpion tail swings back and forth, and a thick mane shakes off the sand from its head. A beast strolling through the area.
"What is a monster like that doing here?" a soldier asks surprised.
"As long as we wait for the manticore to leave, we should be safe, this isn't its nest, so it won't stay for long," Cyrus states as he motions everyone to lower their voices.
Another soldier steps forward," I heard that a manticore's venom is extremely valuable."
"We have several dozen men...we could kill it." another soldier adds.
An archer points to Spero, and she asks "Haven't you faced one before?"
Spero turns to her and crosses his arms, "I have, many years ago...however, I almost died in the process."
The soldiers are surprised by his response, Cyrus interrupts, "I will not sacrifice my men to make a few bags of gold. Now, shut your mouths and wait for the creature to leave."
After a few minutes, the manticore leaves. They set up camp and rest.