The Clow Nation is one of the youngest but biggest countries on the continent. Instead of Duchies, the Clows chose to divide their territory into provinces called Seats. The nation’s power is centralized in the Clow court in the Emperor Seat, while Clow governors are sent to occupy and rule the other Seats. Eventually, Overseers can also be named amongst the Clow to carry out the families’ interest in specific areas. Aside from its center of power, the nation has nine other Seats, the Northern Seat, the Southern Seat, the Eastern Seat, the Western Seat, the Golden Seat, the Iron Seat, the Seaport Seat, the Woodland Seat, and the Border Seat.

Although the last war of Clow Nation ended 80 years ago, a few regions still experience conflicts, like the borders with Elvyhn and the Oryn Kingdom. In the last ten years, because of the fall of the Impassable Wall, the conflicts intensified but the rulers still refused to intervene at the risk of precipitating a war.

Two months ago, Ceres’ mercenary company was commissioned to escort a merchant caravan from the Emperor Seat to the capital of the Oryn Kingdom. They would travel for a month stopping at a few cities in the Northern Seat and the Kingdom. The growth-stage bronze half-wolfkin led the contingent of five bronze and six copper fighters to protect the 20 carts.

The first part of the trip was uneventful with the mercenaries fighting off a few skirmishes and beasts but nothing too dangerous. Ceres made use of the trip to collect a few books here and there, especially in the Oryn Kingdom. Because of its old ancestry, the Kingdom had much more literary antiques than its youngest neighbor. The mercenary also made use of the opportunity to reach Anne’s contacts and retrieve scrolls and records from the Kingdom.

After their escort job was done, Ceres’ company split into three groups to look for returning opportunities in the Kingdom. After all, finding an employer willing to pay for such a big entourage would be difficult. Even with a fixed base of operations, the mercenaries were used to working as itinerants. Except for special situations, they would only return home after finding a job that could take them there.

Fortunately, the half-wolfkin already had a returning job - Anne’s books. Of course, she wouldn’t turn away any other jobs that could fit the schedule. In the end, a happy Ceres left the Oryn Kingdom escorting a trader of crystals and a cart of her own filled with books and scrolls.

However, whatever good winds that were bringing her fortune suddenly left when they met with a group of orc mercenaries on the border between the nation and the kingdom. Most orcs were born in the Orcish Clans in the northern end of the continent as they were one of the races that less mingled amongst the rest, but quite a few of them would leave their homeland to work as battle mercenaries.

While common mercenaries would mostly take protection or escorting jobs, battle mercenaries would be hired to fight small conflicts or even wars. Which was a perfect occupation for the orcs since their culture welcomed war as a way of life. Additionally, the brutish beings had a natural physical disposition for it.

The group of four orcs that met with Ceres and her two copper associates, were probably returning from some battle. Unfortunately, the race was known for pillaging and raiding when an opportunity was presented. For all accounts, the half-wolfkin entourage was a perfect opportunity.

The moment Ceres sighted the orcs, she knew what would happen. So, she acted fast instructing the merchant and the other two fighters. They could, of course, abandon the carts and run away. Though strong, the orcs were too slow and wouldn’t give pursue. However, she wasn’t ready to leave the books behind, nor her duty. Sadly, the other two mercenaries thought differently and abandoned the group without any hesitation.

The merchant’s confidence in Ceres dropped drastically when her comrades escaped, but he was still invested enough to wait for the fight to conclude before deciding between fleeing or staying. The orcs saw the running mercenaries and started laughing. Still, they continued moving forward leisurely. They were clearly convinced of their victory, which made the mercenary burn with anger.

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Yet, did she have any chance of defeating them? Judging by the quality of their armor and war hammers, which usually dictated their tiers, the four orcs had reached the bronze tier. Maybe one or two were copper tier and had lucked out some better gear but she couldn’t count on it.

Usually, a common warrior wouldn’t match an orc of the same tier in battle, much less four. However, Ceres wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Before, she only had her wolfkin speed and human weapon affinity going on for her, but now, her body and fight style was being polished by the bookstore guidance.

Ceres flexed her arms and explored the balance of the halberd on her hands to prepare for the upcoming battle. Instead of leaving the Oryn Kingdom with her two gold of commission, the half-wolfkin decided to invest them in equipment. Which got her a high-quality bronze armor and a low-quality silver weapon.

The mercenary switched into a fighting stance, ready to attack when the orcs got close enough. Her strategy was simple and direct, striking first and hitting before they could react. Parrying against the devastating war hammers would be unwise, so she needed to rely on speed. Still, against four she would probably be pushed into a corner, and when that happened, she would put her hopes on a burst of energy to block.

If it wasn’t for the support given by the bookstore through the ‘Body Pathways’ and the ‘Martial Laws of the skull crushing sect’, Ceres would never have any chance against the orcs. The latter gave her a technique to boost her speed and strength while the former made the skill execution smoother. And now, she was ready to test her growth against those who blocked her way.

The first attack came after a sneer of the leading orc, who ran forward and struck without using any fancy skill. However, Ceres was ready for it. She used a burst of energy on her legs and feet to cross their distance. The woman bent forward and slashed across the orc’s stomach, drawing blood and a painful hiss. Then, she leveraged the remaining speed to strike the next orc in a similar way before jumping back.

The orcs’ fighting style focused on dealing powerful blows while ignoring any attacks. Nonetheless, they weren’t expecting the attack to pass through their armor and tough skin. And even if it did, they planned to finish the enemy in the exchange, but unfortunately for them, Ceres was combining speed, a strong attack, and a silver-tier weapon.

Instead of proceeding with a mindless attack, the orcs recognized her strength and circled the half-wolfkin. Surrounded, Ceres prevented the next wave of attacks by spinning the halberd low, which earned some cuts but nothing nearly fatal. Then, she darted towards the orc who she hurt second. If she couldn’t deal with them at the same time, one by one would have to work.

Again, she struck across his belly but moved passed him instead of retreating; leaving her back exposed to the remaining enemies would end up in certain death. Ceres conjured another burst of energy, this time through her arms, spun and slashed again at the turning orc. The blade cut across his shoulders and arm, making the yelling orc fall awkwardly.

Unfortunately, the nearest orc was already on her before she could retreat. Giving up on dodging, Ceres overran her energy pathways to strengthen her block as much as possible. The hammer and halberd collided, her weapon held but the impact of the block was transferred to her hands and arms. The half-wolfkin groaned and was pushed back to the ground.

Ceres cursed her mistake but still forced her hurting body to stand up. The grinning orc followed up with the attack, yet the move only earned him a shallow cut on his arm. The mercenary knew that victory would only be possible if she didn’t stop moving and attacking, jumping from enemy to enemy, relentlessly keeping them occupied.

And so she did, bursting energy through her legs and arms to strike across the four-sided battlefield. Pain and strain were stacking up on her body, but the enemies suffered far worse. Two orcs had serious bleeding while the other two were only slightly better. It would be a war of attrition, but she was ready to fight to her last breath. Somehow, all humiliation she faced through life had taken the form of the orcs.

A tired but fierce Ceres stared at the wounded orcs, her fighting spirit ever radiant. The orcs recognized the posture and decided to admit defeat. They cursed a few sentences in orcish and left. She had survived.

Soon, an excited merchant returned shouting of victory. Yet, the panting warrior only smiled, she had earned more than just victory from the fight.