Shiva Golzar smiled as she cut through another Kobold the thrill of battle was soothing to her as the hot midday sun rose into the air. Though she didn't mind the sweltering heat didn't seem to affect her in anyway. Behind her thousands of armed warriors of the Suudiman Empire engaged with the desert Kobolds who had emerged from the wildlands to the north. They had managed to burn five villages and sack an entire town before Shiva and her warriors could engage them.

Shiva's flowing black hair was tied up in traditional Suudian fashion her skin was a tanned caramel color which contrasted with her violet eyes a common feature amongst the noble class of Suudiman.

Carrying a staff she had two ring blades attached to each end which she used to cut through another Kobold which had run up to her. Spinning it behind her back as she bent down and dodged around a third larger Kobold. Standing up she brought the blade swinging past its neck disconnect it's body from it head.

Kobold's were nasty creatures who were just intelligent enough to build basic huts and build basic weapons, but not smart enough to bother with negotiating with them. They were barely above beasts in Shiva's eyes.

What drove them to constantly prove and lose to Suudiman was beyond her concern. She was brought here to drive them back and that is what Shiva Golzar the hero of Caphaine in Suudiman would do.

When she turned sixteen flashbacks and memories of her previous life had began to enter into her dreams and mind she didn't really understand beyond a intuitive understanding of who she had been previously, but she had long accepted that wasn't who she was now. Her previous name Sarang was meek and weak willed girl who dreamed of being something greater. Now she had the chance.

REEAAKK

A Kolbold screeched as it charged with another group. Kobolds were notoriously bad at fighting preferring to overwhelm with numbers in disorganized mass. Groups of ten to fifteen would be led by an alpha of sorts. They were slightly less clumsy and pathetic and had roughly the strength of an adult male human. Kobolds only advantage were they were tenacious and aggressive and they bred must faster than most monsters.

Swinging the staff around she slashed three down at once and kicked up a bit of sand into the air. At the moment she did so she injected a bit of mana into the sand which formed a shield that blocked two of the makeshift blades that came swiftly down. The Sand buckled slightly, but didn't allow them to retract the blades.

Shiva smiled as she used the bottom ring blade to sweep quickly across their exposed feet sending them to the ground amputated.

As she watched the armies of Suudiman in organized and well disciplined fashion cut through the mass of Kobolds she couldn't find much peace. The Kolbold attacks had been ramping up in the last few months more so than in the past.

Shiva decided she had accomplished her job which was break the lines and allow the army to mop up the rabble.

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Shiva entered the main base camp where General Anshar waited with his commanders. He was thirty-two year old creep who had been eyeing her for marriage since she was just old enough to be betrothed. Of course the Emperor had refused, but that didn't mean he didn't try to make it happen. To him she was a political tool and the marriage would be in name only.

While Shiva disliked the man she had to admit he was a competent general and this merely irritated her more.

"Lady Shiva! I hope the battle went smoothly." Anshar bowed slightly giving his respect to the hero, but she could tell that he didn't believe in the prophecy nor have any respect for the Goddess.

"It is Kobolds even in best of scenarios they wouldn't pose much of a challenge." Shiva didn't bother returning the bow.

The man thick beard was trimmed to perfection. His armor was shined and well-kept which only suggested he rarely used it. This just went to make Shiva loose more respect for Anshar.

"I see as to be expected, but even still the attacks have been ramping up and we were told by the emperor to find the cause. This means after this battle we need to set up near the border of the wildlands and figure out where they are coming from. We cannot afford to lose more villages in outlying areas that feed the empire."

Shiva understood all to well the pressure Suudiman was under. The people were reliant on the harvesting season going without a hitch and Ipanya wasn't on good terms with them so they couldn't rely on their nearest neighbor to graciously make up the difference.

"I plan on taking my cohort on an excursion deeper. I will send a messenger hawk back to signal if we find the main Kobold nest and where they are coming from." Shiva didn't need approval, but it was still considered a great disrespect not to give face to the commanding officer.

Anshar continued to look down on the map his face twitched in clear rage the man hated being undermined and ignored. "I don't think you should. We move the army methodically. I need you on the front. The Hero of Suudiman is great moral booster."

"Thankfully I am not merely a moral booster, but someone who was requested by the Emperor to bring her cohort to assist you. This is me assisting you. Have your armies follow behind. We will find the source. Surround it and kill it."

Shiva didn't bother to hear his response and left the tent heading directly for where her select troops were returning from the battle.

"Commander Shiva!" a youthful feminine voice came from the side belonging to her long time friend Ninse and second in command. "We just returned. No reported injuries a few bruises if we are honest."

Shiva smiled she didn't have time in the battle field to pay attention to her men like she wanted and Ninse always managed to deal with the logistics of it all better than herself.

"Prepare the men we will be moving out when the sun starts to go down. Better to travel at night and out of the heat."

Ninse looked slightly puzzled. "Did General Anshar order us to move out?"

"No. I decided we will move ahead of the main force. By the time the main force moves the Kobolds might move out of their nest so we need to be faster on our feet. Get all the Suudian horses ready and pack light."

Ninse bowed leaving her immediately. Ninse had been made her companion by the Golzar family since they were both born. The goal was to make someone who would be loyal to the bone and willing to die for them, but Shiva never saw Ninse as a servant though. To her she was her closest and deepest friend. The only one she trusted outside her family in an absolute sense.

To Ninse she was just Shiva Golzar and that was comforting.

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As the sun began to fall in the sky Shiva looked over her troops who each had their steeds readied. Each Suudian soldier wore a turban covering their face with a brown leather helm and metal studs that dotted the rest of their attire. Suudian armies prefered flexible and fast moving armies due to their environment. While she hadn't been to the other nations she knew they were much more prone to wearing thicker plate armor.

"Desert Hawks!" she called out the name of her cohort "It is time for us to end this Kobold threat. Let the goddess protect! May Awil-Ishtar guide us!"

"Let the goddess protect!" they yelled in response.

Awil-Ishtar was the original hero who had defended and established Suudiman long ago with the aid of the descendants of the Emperor. It was said he ascended to be with the goddess Caphaine. How much of that was true was up to theological speculation and she wasn't much of a theologian. She knew the Goddess was real...otherwise she wouldn't be here, but the other deities at her side were notably less active than Caphaine.

One thing was certain the Wildlands waited her and her purpose was finally being realized.