Cloaked Orcs were marching their way through the darkness. Three battalions of armed warriors traversed swiftly through the complicated terrain of the [First Kingdom]. A small platoon was awaiting them near a stone pillar.
The tongue of Acivis rang out through their growls and raspy voices.
"Reporting to the great Hilvar!" An Orc scout yelled and saluted. "We know where those gremlins live. They have yet to figure us out! We have prepared the best path forward!"
"Very good!" Hilvar, who had a greatsword hanging on his back, guffawed as his hands itched for battle. He turned to face his brethren and unslung his blade. The hood of his Cloak of Tranquility came off as he held the blood-scented greatsword above his head.
"Men! Sharpen your blades and count your arrows! We will strike when the beast has bled dry!" An eager glint flashed through Hilvar's deadly eyes. His voice had reverberated throughout the area, riling up the bloodlust of the warriors under his command.
Hilvar bellowed once more and allowed morale to soar, "We shall crush those cowards who hide behind their wimpy pets. Their heads will roll!"
"Glory to the Orcs!"
"Hurrah!"
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.
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{[ June 29, 102 A.A. ]}
{[ Kingdom-city Lioxus, First Kingdom, beneath the Holy Nation of Illyas ]}
Irene, Cammille, Laffe, Grant, and Archer were lying in wait at the borders of the warm torchlight.
Athelei's grey fog-body spread throughout the area, surveying the situation. There was a faint vibration shaking the ground and causing pebbles to jump. It was rhythmic, like the beating of hundreds of heavy drums.
Thump, thump, thump.
The march of an army of Orcs grew louder with each passing moment. The little shudders turned into bass drums. The bass drums turned into a small quake.
Cloaked figures then emerged from the Baneful Shroud. One after another, they came into the light, alerting the Greater Goblins hiding inside Lioxus.
"ORCS!" They roared in fright.
"Orcs?! Here?!" Cries in Acivis echoed throughout the kingdom-city.
Hundreds of beasts began to stir, rudely awoken by their masters as the threat of an invasion loomed over their heads.
The Orcs kept emerging, their measly dozen or so numbers doubled again and again. With every hundred that poised themselves for an attack, the expressions of fear on the Greater Goblins grew. A shiver caused their knees to buckle as they realised the scale of their enemy's army.
Suddenly, an Orc at the forefront flicked its hood off. The ugly face revealed by the warm torchlight gave the Greater Goblins shivers.
"Hilvar! It's Hilvar!"
"What is that monster doing here in the middle of goblin territory?! What happened to the frontlines?"
The morale of the goblins wavered. And Athelei was astonished as he freely made use of Inspect.
[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]
Hilvar
Health: 28/28
Mana: 3/3
Energy: 40/41
=o=o=o=o=
Strength: 59
Defence: 54
Dexterity: 56
- Race: Orc (88%), Crystalline (12%)
[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]
'That Hilvar has enough [Energy] to match a Rank 3 Evolver! One of the Pristine! And these physical attributes... They're quite close to Ulthasiair's attributes by themselves..!' The angel's nonexistent eyes flashed as he opened a book in his mental library and scanned the army of Orcs, 'So this is the difference in species... A monster, indeed.'
The regular Orcs had an average [Energy] level on par with Rank 2 Human Evolvers at around 30-39. Their physical attributes ranged from 40-49 and can spike to around 59 depending on the way they utilise the boost of their [Energy]. They also had higher base attributes than humans, that was for sure.
The topic of Evolvers had been something Athelei hadn't put much focus on in the past. Now though, with his ability to extract the relevant information, as well as his studies in mathematics and the fruits he had been eating, he thought about it more. On top of that, he was technically a Rank 0 Evolver.
[Energy] works to strengthen an Evolver's body. The honing of one's Battle Prowess helped someone grow their [Energy] attribute, and the more an Evolver had, the more they could amplify their physical attributes.
There were two ways that [Energy] amplified an Evolver's body. The first way was the natural growth of their fitness. Every extra point extra in their [Energy] meant a bonus to all their physical attributes.
Essentially, 1 point of maximum [Energy] equalled 1 point in [Defence], [Strength], and [Dexterity] each. It was the growth of the container to accommodate greater power.
'But this is only for fully-grown bodies...' Athelei pursed his lips as these thoughts ran through his head, 'As a human toddler and now, an infant Endbringer, my physical attributes have yet to fully mature. It makes the computation messier since the extra [Energy] is being used for my growth instead.'
As for the second manner of amplification, it was the active exertion of [Energy], which allowed a temporary boost to any one attribute. Here, instead of a 1:3 ratio of [Energy] to physical attributes, it was a 1:1 conversion. But that meant that an Evolver's power could suddenly spike depending on how they manipulate their bodies.
Decisive blows were one of their fortes.
While Athelei wallowed in his thoughts, he suddenly felt a gaze land at the core of his grey fog. It gave him humanly shivers of fear. 'Did that Orc sense my Inspect?'
"Humans..."
Athelei witnessed Hilvar sniffing at the air as the latter's gaze pierced through him and landed on Irene and the other Adventurers.
"What the scouts said was difficult to believe, but the legends really are true..."
The angel glanced behind himself and saw the crease between Irene's brows. She also felt the imposing strength of the leading Orc. The gaze that landed on her was discomforting, forcing golden armour to manifest around her body.
It was only then that she felt calmer.
"Barbaric." Irene silently spat as the Adventurers beside her all shivered involuntarily.
They were all expecting a battle to suddenly erupt, but Hilvar moved his gaze elsewhere. Taking the kingdom-city of Lioxus seemed to take priority over the enmity between humans and monsters.
"Gremlins!" Hilvar roared with all of his strength, causing bones to rattle and hearts to shake.
"I'm sure you cowards know about us brave Orcs! Send out your strongest warrior! We shall duel to the death. If you win, my army will turn back! I swear upon the souls of my Elders, and so do my men!"
GRRRRAAAAAH!
The roar of an army of Orcs two-thousand strong shook the walls of Lioxus. The Greater Goblins all had foul expressions, but none of them spoke up. Their High Shaman was standing on their kingdom-city's walls but did not dare walk forward.
An awkward silence suddenly descended, but it was quickly broken by Hilvar's loud laughs.
"As cowardly as ever! Very well. Say goodbye to the walls that keep you safe! Hear the cries of your little pets!"
Hilvar then spun to face his army. But no words came out of his mouth this time.
Instead, he roared as he raised his sword.
GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
And then came the charge of the horde.
The charge of two thousand was a sound that echoed throughout the barren stone fields that surrounded Lioxus. A grand volley of whistling arrows the size of human spears came flying through the skies. Beastly roars rang out from Lioxus as Bedrock Worms shielded their masters and fellow beasts.
It was a rain of iron that bore through the stone walls of the kingdom-city. The Bedrock Worms all squealed from the impact as their bodies were dealt with cracks. Five hundred heavy, pure iron arrows peppered the city's defences, nullifying any construct that the goblins built atop their battlements.
Ballistae and the like were torn apart as the volleys came again and again.
Before the main force had even arrived, the walls of Lioxus and its many resident Bedrock Worms had become porcupines. The rain of attacks was too much, even for a beast with fifty [Defense].
And when the main force of the orc army arrived before the kingdom-city's walls, the beasts sprung forth to meet them.
Yet, just when the beasts and monsters started their dance of blood and violence, a huge lump of rock descended like a meteorite.
BOOM!
A huge explosion of rock and debris peppered the armour of the Orcs and drew blood from the beasts. A huge portion of Lioxus' outer wall collapsed, and an earthquake threatened the balance of all bipeds in the area.
Athelei blinked as he recognized a few parts of the rock that had fallen into the battlefield.
'Those stone bricks...! It's a portion of the labyrinth!' Athelei inwardly exclaimed as he drifted closer to have a look.
When the dust cloud died down and the jarred fighters all regained their bearings, there was a loud roar, signalling the resumption of action. The battle continued despite the sudden intrusion of rock. Falling lumps of earth were a normal event to those living in the underground, and so they shrugged it off.
"This is a chance!" Hilvar boomed, "Storm the city of cowards and kill them all! We will feast tonight!"
GRRRRAAAAAHHHH!
The Orc army stepped over the debris and charged through the hole in the wall as hundreds of beasts awaited their presence with hungry maws.
But as the Orcs all crossed into Lioxus, a burst of energy formed a hole in their formation. Knights in dented armour made their presence known as they pulled themselves out of the vessel that delivered them into the [First Kingdom].
Palpable bloodlust choked the air and Athelei recognized the resulting aura of an Evolver-Dictator. A familiar face then appeared. Long brown hair that framed her features, beautiful brown eyes, and a valiant sword.
'Sister Yan!'
First, it was Cammille, and now it was a captain from the Harmonic Knights, Thallium Yan.
Acquaintances kept popping up.