“I think it’s better if Lith acts as our scout together with Vipli, Sir.” Nhilo said.
“Why do you ask my permission, Corporal? Your mission, your rules.” The Sergeant replied.
“How many orcs can you face at once on your own?” Nhilo asked Lith.
“Depends. Three if they are as weak as those you just killed. Two otherwise.”
Hearing Lith referring to the orcs as ‘weak’ sent a shiver running down the Cadets’ spine. Tepper was really curious to see the corpses of those Lith had killed by himself, but it could wait until the end of the mission.
“Based on the information we have and how fast the orcs spotted us, their camp should be nearby. Feel free to engage the enemy, but don’t get too far from us. If you spot anything suspicious, your first priority is to warn me. Are we clear?”
Lith inwardly smiled. Seeing Nhilo acting tough reminded him of Phloria. The two girls couldn’t be more different, since Nhilo was just 1.6 meters tall with red hair and green eyes. Yet something in her tone made him recall a few happy memories.
“Yes, Sir.” Lith replied before disappearing into the woods.
‘Judging by the Sergeant’s reaction, what we have seen so far isn’t anything special.’ Solus thought. ‘I wonder why the bestiary was so vague about the shaman’s powers.’
‘Probably because the author never met one.’ Lith shrugged. ‘At the academy, we focused more on copying everything we could about specializations and magical ingredients rather than worrying about monsters.
‘In the four years we spent there, we barely managed to get everything we needed about magic. Copying the whole library would have taken me a lifetime. Not to mention that Soluspedia isn’t that big.’
The magical space that Lith called Soluspedia and that gave him instant access to all the knowledge stored inside, had kept expanding as Solus regained her strength. Yet it was never enough.
Between all the books Lith owned and his own grimoires, Soluspedia was always full to the brim.
‘What really bothers me is how they managed to find us so far from their camp. I didn’t notice any array on our path. What about you, Solus?’
‘Me neither, but I can’t keep mana sense always active. It consumes too much mana. I prefer to keep it for battle and perform sweeps from time to time.’ She replied.
***
Meanwhile, at the orcs’ settlement, Ragh’Ash the shaman was deeply worried. About an hour ago, his holy crystal had warned her about twelve humans closing in to their position. After blessing six of her best warriors with the power of the gods, she had eagerly waited for their return.
Human meat was a delicacy and the women needed all the food they could get to increase the orcs’ numbers. Their Grey Wolf tribe had almost been wiped out by the Red Worm tribe whose shaman wanted Ragh’Ash’s holy crystal for himself.
Their victory had cost the Grey Wolf most of their warriors, so they had been forced to run away before the other tribes could exploit their weakened state.
When the warriors returned, it wasn’t in the way Ragh’Ash was expecting. One after the other, the blessings she had bestowed upon the three greatest warriors of the tribe had reunited themselves with the holy crystal.
Something had slain them like they were flies. Before Ragh’Ash could seek the holy crystal’s guidance, the remaining three warriors she had sent had followed their war-siblings in their travel to the afterlife.
<"This doesn't make sense!"> (AN: translated from orcish) Testa’Lhosh the war chieftain couldn’t believe his own eyes.
<"Six lives were sent to slay our enemies and six lights returned. Are you sure they are humans? Only magical beasts can slay orcs that fast.">
<"Quite sure."> Ragh’Ash replied. <"An hour ago they were still quite far, so my readings weren't that accurate. Let me try again.">
Ragh’Ash put her hands on the holy crystal, letting her mana flow into it. The holy crystal wasn’t actually a gift from the gods. It was simply a huge violet mana crystal the size of an adult human man.
It was also the most sacred relic an orc tribe could possess. Before their Fall, orcs shared a deep connection with the mana crystals. So deep it survived even the self inflicted disaster that destroyed their ancient civilization.
Through the violet crystal, Ragh’Ash’s mana was focused and amplified, to the point her Life Vision could sweep dozens of kilometers at once. There was only so much information her brain could process at once, so she would mistake her own perceptions for a vision sent from the gods.
Over the centuries, their science had turned into superstition. Their bloodlust clouded their minds, leaving them forever crippled as a sentient race. Yet when a shaman was born, they would always be Awakened ones.
Ragh’Ash now could perceive their enemies with much greater clarity. They were ten humans and two…
<"Demons!"> Ragh’Ash screamed in panic, almost fainting due to the shock.
<"Demons?"> Testa’Lhosh shuddered in fear. According to the lore, nondescript cruel demons had caused the fall of the orc race. It was totally not their fault. They were certain of it because their elders said so, before being eaten for dinner by their own grandkids.
<"You were right! Two of them are disguised as humans, but they are not. Neither they are beasts or other races. They can only be demons. One is the blackest night, with no stars or moon to light the way. The other is the brightest day, so pure and dazzling it almost blinded me.">
Ragh’Ash’s eyes were bloodshot from the effort of withstanding Solus’s light. Testa’Lhosh was a proud chieftain, there was almost nothing he was afraid of. Ragh’Ash’s words left him unfazed. For almost ten seconds.
<"There's no time to lose! We must run for our lives!"> Testa’Lhosh screamed when his brain realized the meaning of the shaman’s words. The chieftain had never met a demon, but he knew facing one meant death.
It was what his own father told him before Testa’Lhosh turned him into a new pair of pants. The chieftain was really fond of them. He wore that skin just like his father did. It was practically a family heirloom.
<"No, we must stand our ground and kill them. The humans are weaker than our newborns and both demons are lesser ones. The black one is weaker than me, while the white one is even weaker than you.">
Ragh’Ash shook her head while a cruel smile revealed her jagged teeth.
<"By feasting on their flesh and blood we'll be able to break the curse that plagues our race! The Grey Wolf will devour the whole world. With our ancient might back and the holy crystal, we'll be unstoppable!">
<"Are you sure eating demons can cure our curse? It's the first time I hear such a thing."> Testa’Lhosh scratched his head in confusion. According to the lore, there was no cure. The demons had made sure of it.
<"Of course I'm sure of it!"> Ragh’Ash screamed in frustration.
<"My own mentor told me about it on his death bed."> Before Ragh’Ash turned her into a bedside rug. It was more a dying curse than the passing of knowledge, but that’s another story.
