The sun's ray lightly shone upon the dew-filled grass of the central lands. The morning had come, and with it, the people of Krome hoped for another day of their walls remaining unfallen.
For the last few days, the city of Krome had been constantly attacked by pirates. Their initial force of three thousand soldiers had been reduced to only a thousand and a half. The mayor of Krome, a thirty-year-old woman named Malvoza, was the strongest champion Krome had to offer. And it was only she who remotely stood a chance with the pirate's leader, Dyrin.
But as she was discussing plans with her strategists, a messenger interrupted them; with a loud and hurried voice he remarked, "MAYOR!! NERIO'S BACKUP HAS COME!!" Immediately Malvoza's eyes widened.
"Continue making up plans, I will personally greet them," she commanded her strategists as she left the building. Hurriedly, she walked with the messenger, passing wounded warriors on the ground, target-practicing archers, and mages eating mana-restoring food.
Their eyes were heavy with the weight of battle combined with little sleep. As Malvoza reached a massive clearing where a park used to be located, a dragon, now resting on its grayish-green grass. Near the creature were fourteen warriors and a beast, she recognized the regular soldiers such as defenders and fighters, even high-rank warriors such as the red scars and the Emperor trained swordsaints,
But there were five soldiers she didn't recognize, but she knew who they were. The rumored Emperor's apprentices, and the Lesser Lich himself, Ashkin, "Greeting soldiers, I am the mayor of this city, Malvoza, thank you for making it all the way here to help us."
At her greeting, the Lich responded, "No problem, his Majesty has told us about the situation, could you fill us in with the current predicaments." The lesser Lich was one younger than Malvoza herself, but he was as tall as her, wearing a dark robe with layers of armor on top of it. He had the same shoulder guards as that of the Lich and even wore a similar mask.
Next to him were the rest of the apprentices. There was a man who wore a full suit of black and red armor, on his waist was an armored tasset that reached to his knees. His upper face was covered with an armored scale-like mask ascending his face and ending to show his slicked-back blonde hair, even his eyes couldn't be seen, only his mouth was visible. On his waist was a sheathed blade, not that of Zanian origin, and he stood calmly but with an air of intimidation.
In parallel to the armored swordsman, next to him was a young boy who looked as carefree as can be. His hair was red with a style that resembled that of fire, his eyes were a bright ruby, with slit pupils. On top of his body was a red shirt, one partly covered by a black tight leather jacket that covered his sleeves and his upper chest even up to his neck. His pants were a tight black leather; and all around his body, to his arms, his pants, his chest, and even to his waist were strapped belts that tightened his entire body.
Next to him was a young girl, her bright blue eyes were sharp but not threatening, and her mouth carried a smile that Malvoza knew hid a dark intention, her hair, a medium-length crystal blue, reached down to her jaw, with it a bit spiky and sharp. She was wearing a standard mage uniform with a few adjustments; a long dark robe covered her body, and instead of light armor protecting her, heavier plates were on her body, like that of a knight. She wore a black skirt and pants, but her skirt was also plated with armor.
Behind them all was a beast, one whose height reached up to fifteen feet, and its long armored body was forty feet in length. Its long crocodile-like mouth produced a venom that looked to be one from a basilisk. But on top of that beast, Malvoza saw a figure, her body resembling that of a woman.
Her face was masked, and her hair was covered by a hood that worked as a scarf and cape two holes were made on each side of the hood to let out her elf ears. But what shocked Malvoza was the armor the figure was wearing; it was a dark and sleek outfit, one with minimal bagginess. This was a very rare type of armor named as the Klariac set, only one man knew how to make it, and he had only made a handful, only the Lich Artefus and Grand General Quix were known to have it. Made out of fiber compressed to the tightest level, its strength is five times that of steel while being five times lighter. Aside from a tasset that she wore on her waist and her scarf hood, her clothing was made to rip through the air.
Malvoza scoffed at the sight, they impressed her by how they looked, but it was going to take more than that to fully impress her, "Follow me, I'll tell you about it." The group followed Malvoza to a building, Rico and the rest of the warriors stood outside whilst Malvoza and her strategists filled them in about the pirate group.
"The leader of the group is Dyrin, he is a fighter who uses a knife and his fist. From the analysis we have done, his singular element is that of fire which he is proficient at, he uses pretty basic magic arts with a magic defense of C5," one of the strategists exclaimed, causing for Sevi to turn at Rapl.
"Same as you," he told Rapl, making him nod as his fists gripped tighter. Magic defense, the ability of one's body to resist a full force of mana either from yutro or kutha, its measurement is the same as magic arts.
"That kid is also very durable," Malvoza added, her eyes sharpening as to look back on the times when she had to fight him, "Even though his channeling isn't something too special, the way he can just walk off attacks is something else."
"I'll take him on," Rapl announced, taking everybody off guard, "As the apprentice of His Majesty, I need to be able to battle their leader to prove my worth." Even though his voice was confident and loud, Sevi knew otherwise, staring at his shaking hands that he hid behind his back, hands that spoke louder than any word.
"I see, well, there is more. It appears that there is an orc mage that might be the second in command, he fir-" But in the middle of the strategist speaking, the sound of the town's bell was heard ringing throughout the city. Malvoza's eyes curled as she stared at the apprentices.
"THEY ARE HERE!! PREPARE YOURSELF!!" She yelled as she reached out for a blade and a helmet, "I'll lead my soldiers to the front lines, please hurry up." Malvoza quickly left the building as the apprentices were trying to comprehend what was happening,
Ever the quick thinker, Leena grabbed her bow, "C'mon let's go, we have a war to participate in," she remarked, taking everyone back to reality. As the five left the building, they saw streams of soldiers rushing towards the gate, but Rapl saw the men Artefus gave him waiting, ready to take any command.
Rapl was forced to eliminate all second thoughts as he embraced his new name, Ashkin, heir of the Lich. "Follow me! We will rush towards the frontlines, me, Sevi, Alex, Bok, and Leena will face their champions, everyone else, help Malvoza in fighting the lower tier champions, you will participate too Rico."
"Yes sir!" They all collectively yelled as even Rico nodded his head up and down. The group ran with the army, and Rapl caught up to Malvoza.
"Mayor, my team is going to assist you on the lesser champions, leave the higher tiers to us," Rapl exclaimed. Malvoza stared into Rapl's eyes to see his character, and when she saw how determined he was, she could not help but grin.
"Go at it then." On the front lines, a line of first responders was outside the city gates. For on top of the gates were mages and arches bombarding the battlefield. Yet even with their strength, they could not pierce the shield wall of the pirates, defending from the front and the top, and due to their mages displaying mana shields, no spells could be cast directly near them.
Multiple shield walls marched towards the city, unbreaking spare for some arrows wedging past the shield and killing a shieldman, but immediately they would be replaced. Inside the shield walls were mages, unshielded warriors, and archers, "OPEN UP A BIT!!" A mage yelled inside the shields. Just as he commanded, the shields created a slight opening where mages shoved their hands, wands, and staffs out of.
Collectively they performed the magic art, aegis, just above the battlefield, a shield projection that blocks any magical and physical attacks from going past. And whilst some mages stood back, using mana shields so no yutro could be cast below the aegis; the shield walls opened up, revealing the battle-thirsty pirates of Dyrin.
Yet what met them were the soldiers of the Empire of Zan, "FOR THE LICH!!" A ground captain yelled as he ran at the pirates, not going to let him go alone, his soldiers followed him.
Seeing their foes so ready to fight, the pirates began to smile, "FIGHT!!! OR DIE!!" One of the pirates yelled as they all collectively began to run to battle. But before the footsoldiers clashed, a black haze ran past the Zanians, as three furred men ran past the pirates.
They were the first to meet, the men's axe clashed with a blade as pure white as can be, "A swordsaint?" One of the men remarked, "Well then brothers, ain't this a worthy prey for us?"
"The Glorrin brothers joined Dyrin? I gotta say, for a trio known for their power, it's pretty embarrassing for all three to not even overpower one man." As the battle of the footsoldiers and champions continued, behind them, the main five heroes of the pirates just watched.
"Can't I join them?" Tuck asked Ja'Klei, a bit bummed out, "There's a swordsaint there, it counts as a champion right?"
Ja'Klei who was quietly observing the battlefield didn't even look at Tuck, "How many times do I have to tell you that champions are not allowed to battle footsoldiers," the orc replied, bumming out Tuck, making Frieda pat his head to make him feel better. Yet the orc was wondering something, "No way they sent an entire dragon just for a swordsaint, red scars, and a few more soldiers."
But as Ja'Klei was murmuring to himself, Dyrin was also observing, but not in a strategical way, "Where is she?" He asked himself. But as his eyes wandered, he saw her, on top of the wall leading the mages and archers down, was the champion of Krome, Malvoza.
But someone saw her first, with a burst of wind that almost sent the halfling Verti flying, Tuck propelled himself towards Malvoza, "FIGHT!! OR DIE!!!" He yelled as he ripped through the wind. Malvoza's perception made her turn towards Tuck, but he was too close to block.
But she didn't need to. As Tuck was twenty feet away from Malvoza, his perception alerted him of danger above, he channeled mana on his hands as he used the wind to turn last minute. And there he met eye to eye, with a boy who resembled fire itself.
"FLASH!!" Sevi's hands lit up, and he delivered it towards Tuck. But due to the wind mage's channeled hands, it didn't hurt him. What it did instead, was it sent Tuck crashing into the Aegis shield.
Tuck grunted as the shield hit his back, but that was not his main concern, for the boy somehow appeared to his side. Such speed was something Tuck had not seen before, and it made him grin.
"Fi-"
"Enveloping Gale." A wind force field stopped Sevi in his tracks, and not a while later, a pulse of mana struck Sevi on the chest. The sensation was something else, it might've not been as strong as the hits Artefus would give him, but it came with full force, it was meant not to teach, it was meant to kill.
Sevi stepped back, but to match his speed, Tuck used his wind to close the distance quickly. His hands were spiraling with wind and he stared deep into the boy's eyes, and he saw, nothing. Quickly Tuck moved his body, his arm surging with mana, and with it, he clashed with the real Sevi that was above him.
"Quite the trickster aren't you?" He remarked. The two broke off, and immediately met again, their hands and feet surging with wind and fire, their speed matching each other, and their strength evident with each hit or spell done.
Some soldiers below the shield watched in both awe and hope; awe in the strength of the champions, and hope that their champion would win. Meanwhile, Malvoza stared on, the hope of Sevi's victory in her heart. But as she turned to her soldiers, she saw a young bowman charging up a shot toward Tuck, "SOLDIER WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She yelled, running and bringing the bow down.
The young bowman, shocked, replied, "I-I was just going to help him out." As the bowman's voice hit Malvoza's ear, she turned him around and forced him to follow the rest of the bowmen.
"Soldiers fight with soldiers, champions fight with champions, it is not your fight anymore, it is theirs," and as Malvoza finished what she was going to say, four warriors crossed the wall, their faces determined to defend the city.
With their appearance, Ja'Klei cast a wind spell that brought him, Verti, Frieda, and Dyrin on top of the Aegis shield. A massive smile was all on their faces as they eyed up their competition, slowly walking towards them, "Five against five huh? How's their power Ja'Klei?"
The orc chanted something under his breath, and with it, a circle appeared in front of his eye, "The red-haired one has the most mana it seems, but the control that armored swordsman has is the highest out of all of them," he remarked, his eyes narrowing on the swordsman.
Verti screamed in excitement, lifting her blade like it was nothing and pointing it at an armored mage with blue hair, her smile was unnatural, "That girl right there is giving off murderous energy, and I LOVE IT!!"
Frieda's eyes meanwhile targeted a cloaked figure, she got the shield behind her back and prepared her sword, "I sense no mana from that elf rogue, fascinating."
Still fighting, Tuck and Sevi finally separated as they both cast high recoil moves. Tuck blasted himself towards his group, taking a knee as he tried to catch his breath, "That kid… HE'S EXCITING!!!" The wind mage gleefully remarked.
Dyrin however, stood silently, a smile plastered on his face, and his hands behind him, shaking. He saw a man that resembled the Lich himself; pointed shoulder guards, masked face, and slicked-back hair. Only this time, his eyes were the bluest blue Dyrin had ever seen, and one that pulsed like a heartbeat, its cross-like pupils digging into his own yellow eyes, this was the first time Dyrin had seen an all-seeing-eye user, and it made him shake, with excitement.
"Greetings champions of Krome, may I ask what your name is?" He greeted trying to hide the joy that he felt. Yet it took a while for the other five to say anything, but one spoke, and it sent chills down Dyrin's spine.
"I am Ashkin, the Lesser Lich of Zan, apprentice of His Majesty the Great Lich, Artefus." Even his name shook the entire battlefield, but the same fire that burns everything to ash, will also ignite to create a roaring fire.
"WELL ASHKIN!! APPRENTICE OF ARTEFUS!!" Dyrin confidently yelled out, bringing out his knife as he banged his chest with his fist, "I AM DYRIN OF HULDA!! TODAY YOU WILL KNOW WHY I AM NAMED THE UNBREAKABLE SPIRIT!!"
Rapl scoffed at Dyrin's words, walking towards him as his fists began to fill with mana, "THEN SUBMIT TO THE MIGHT OF THE EMPIRE OF ZAN!!" He exclaimed, running full speed towards Dyrin.
To match his counterpart, Dyrin ran to meet him as well, with steps more powerful than the last, and his grin growing bigger and bigger, "FIGHT!!" With a giant leap, Dyrin ignited his knife, Rapl stepped hard as he set himself on the ground, he clenched his fist as Dyrin descended, his knife flaming just like his heart, "OR DIE!!"