Endless Chaos Chapter 1 For as long as anyone can remember the war between the Adorean Alliance and

the orc tribes has been on going for generations after generations. Many lives claimed that in the 100 year war on our world, Adorea. Casualties on both sides increased daily and yet so many young souls still take up arms against the orcish tyranny and to avenge their fallen comrades. Whereas I did not know anything about the war or even what an orc looked like. I was just a young lad of ten years old that lived in a cottage in my peaceful village. My life was simple, helping father run the farm, while my elder brothers would assist him in his foundry. It was simple, hardworking but a pleasant life. However all good things do come to an end. The life I once knew to be laughter and peace would be taken away and my journey of endless chaos would begin. It was like any other day where I would start the day by carrying out my daily routine. I would get up as early as daybreak to head out to the chicken coup to collect the eggs. Afterwards, I would milk the cows for the freshest milk I ever had the privilege of tasting. By the end of the day the family would have sat down for dinner with the food we grew and planted ourselves. Well they would have if an unforeseen event didnt come knocking on our doorstep. As we were about to settle to dinner, the town hall bell was sounded. The sentry was hammering as hard as he could to warn us of an impending danger. The townsfolk were running and screaming as though some natural disaster had struck. However it was no natural disaster, more like a nightmare. Out of the blue our neighbour came barging in on our front door with his face all pale and frightened. Quickly Connor! Get you and your family out of the house and head for the Florencia Fortress. Slow down Lenard, now tell me what is going on? Its orcs Connor! They are raiding our village. We have to get out of here and now! Quickly pack your things, me and my family will be waiting for you behind your house. I just hope the town guards will be able to hold them back until we get to safety. The news somehow put the whole family in terror. I on the other hand had been confused over the whole matter. I had no idea what is an orc or why we even had to move in the first place? I looked up to my father trying to seek his wisdom in times of my confusion. Father what is happening and why are we moving?

Im sorry Tyreal but there is no time to explain. Everyone go quickly and pack your things. Take only the things you need and meet me here at the dining table. Now quickly go! But father I tried to ask him further but I was dragged back by my two elder brothers who had the same serious look in them just like our neighbour and my parents. As soon as everything was packed, we quickly head to the back of our house and met up with our neighbour and his family of six. As we joined up with our neighbours family, we saw what devastation the orcs had brought upon our village. Fires were breaking out, houses were burning and people were being slaughtered like a lamb in the abattoir. Indeed I was terrified and understood why our neighbour had that pale look in him for these orcs are terrifying creatures with no mercy. Together we departed with other refugees who were leaving the village which I would one day return to fight for it back as a soldier of the Adorean Alliance. Chapter 2 The following day the refugees from my village had finally arrived at the Florencia Fortress. Tired and terrified over yesterdays nightmare, the refugees were brought to their respective places in the fort by Florencia soldiers. Food and shelter were provided therefore we were never hungry or tired but we could not remove the fear that burrowed deep in our hearts. Fear had made it uneasy to sleep. Fearing one day we ourselves will be killed by the hands of those monsters. Though it is not just the barbaric orcs we must worry. There are indeed other forces in this world that are unknown that we should rightfully be weary off. Orcs are not the only beings that can instil destruction and chaos. After recuperating in the fortress for a week, we were then moved to the capitol itself where we would make our new home. The Florencia Kingdom is apart of the Adorean Alliance. A kingdom rich in resources and fertile land has always given support to the alliance in terms of vital supplies for the alliance armies located at the front lines. However it is rumoured that the Florencia Kingdom has the interest of the orc tribes because of its plentiful resources. At first what seem to be hopeless raids by the orcs in some areas of Florencia is slowing turning into a wide scale invasion of the kingdom. Armies of the kingdom had dispatched over the years to prevent the orcs from invading but as years passed by their hold against the orcs are weakening. Even though there were many skirmish battles at the border lines of Florencia, its capitol kept the people safe within its high broad walls. It was in the great capitol we made our next home. My father had opened a blacksmith shop where his skills in crafting and welding were put to good use. Even though our previous home had been torched and burnt to the ground, our new home provided us with safety and now father is in demand

more then ever because of his ability to create magnificent swords and other weapons which helped the alliance during times of war. However this facade of safety we lived in was only to be short lived. When my two brothers had finally turned twenty and eighteen years old, they had both enlisted in the Florencia army. Hoping they would make a difference if they joined. Both of them headed out to the recruitment centre in the city and never to be seen again. Before they left, my father had crafted armour for my brothers. With that they left with our families love and blessing in them. I wanted to join with my brothers but I was still too young and my family still needed me to help around. Disappointed, I watched my two brothers left our home and walked away. That was to be the last time I would ever see them. Just because you do not get to see your love one doesnt mean that you cant hear about them or find out news about their whereabouts. From time to time we would receive letters from my brothers telling us that they are safe and doing well. They were finally making a difference as they both had wished for with each battle they fought in was a victory. In fact their success had made them admirable officers in the army. My eldest brother was a lieutenant and the other was a sergeant. They were famous in the army for their fighting style which had been battling side by side whenever they were in a battlefield. It was their perfect combination to win a battle. Once they were nearly separated because my eldest brother was given the order to be transferred to another company. When that happened, the company he was in currently decided to discharge from the army. They felt that a single brother could not win any battle if his other brother wasnt there to back him up. Even the captain of his troop had agreed that the pair was vital to the companys victories. With that the order was reverted and my brothers continued to fight on. Just like how our village turned into ruins, my brothers were going to face a battle which they could not win and very well not live to see it through. In the last battle that my brothers fought, their troop was suddenly ambushed by hordes of orcs that was under the command of a brutal and tyrannical ogre. Just as how they fought in previous battles, my brothers fought as a pair. At first the troop was fighting well. Morale was high and so were their spirits despite the overwhelming odds against them. However the tables turned when my second brother was killed in battle by the enemys commander. In retaliation, my eldest brother faced and fought the enemy commander head on. With rage, my brother manages to mortally wound his opponent with a stab wound in the ogres ribs but like my second brother, he too was killed when an orc archer fired an arrow which had pierced through his heart. He died side by side with my second brother on the bloody fields of Florencia. News of their death had caught wind quickly and soon it came to my parents in a form of a letter delivered by a Florencian soldier. Their death was a great shock to my family and that was all I could endure from the orcs. Soon after my brothers burial, I decided that I would join in the war to avenge their death. My parents were reluctant to let me go but I left anyway. My mind was made up and there was no turning back.

Chapter 3 I joined the army when I was 19 and I thought I was too young to be in it but soon I found out that there were others who were just 17 years old who had enlisted as well. As time passed by I realize there were many young boys in the army who were fighting for freedom of their homeland. Before I was enlisted to my troop, I had to undergo months of training where I learned the basics of combat and warfare but in that time I had made close friends. One of them was Ramius. Ramius was someone who was most skilful with a sword. So skilful that he once defeated our trainer in a duel. Then there was Tiberius, a large man that he was. One may think not to cross him because of his enormous size but once you get to know what a friendly and loyal friend he was, you would want him wherever you travelled. Tiberius is skilled with a broad axe and with his fist. With one punch, he once made a bull unconscious back at his village before it was burnt down by orcs. Last but not least there was Dylan. Some say he was born with eagle eyes because he can see further then most people can. When given a bow and arrow, he transforms into the most accurate archer Ive ever known. Never have I ever seen him miss a target before. We even made a bet with him just to test his skills. His challenge was that he must shoot down a particular apple that is hanging on a tree and that tree is located on a hill 250 yards away from camp. To make the challenge more difficult for him, the apple tree was filled with ripe apples. With a target as hard as this to spot, it would be close to impossible to shoot it down. Never judge a book by its cover was what my father told me before. When Tiberius and I told him what his target was, we couldnt help but laugh. We knew he couldnt make the shot. He maybe good but a target like that you need to be God. Few seconds later he fired his arrow. Few seconds later our jaws completely dropped as Ramius looked on smiling. As we emptied our pocket money, Dylan ate the apple he had shot. With this Dylan had proved himself to be an incredible archer and also that we lost the bet and our pride. Together the four of us trained in the same camp for five months and when our training was completed, we were then assigned to our new troop as regulars in the Florencian army. Our commander who was in charge of our troop was a man that his reputation had made him famous to many. Together we would drive these barbaric orcs out of Florencia. The four of us were enlisted in the 12th infantry regiment under the command of Lord Conrad son of Count Alexander of Xarania. Our commander is a brilliant tactician of noble blood. What makes this man more interesting is that he is a half-elf. His father was an elf count in Xarania and his mother a famous cleric in Xarania. Even though Lord Conrads mother was a human, love somehow had bloomed. It was said that Conrads parents met when his father was wounded in battle and was being treated by his mother in a medical camp in Xarania. Apart from being of noble blood, he was most famous for one battle he fought in.

The plain of Orion which is a vast valley in Xarania was a bloody battleground ten years ago. Many battalions were sent out to stop the orcs advancement from entering into Xarania any further. Each battle that took place in that battleground had always ended up in a stalemate but Xarania was loosing its soldiers and supplies too quickly. Xaranian generals did not know how long they could hold up the line before they were finally pushed back. That time the Adorean Alliance did not even exist and even though Xarania was strong and its armies large, it was soon loosing grip on her land. Back then Lord Conrad was just a colonel under the command of his fathers regiment. Elves are noble beings but they can be stubborn as well. The elves believed that Xarania does not require help from any other country or other races. They highly believed in their ways of being an independent kingdom but with the situation they were in, Conrad knew they needed help and fast. Two nights before another battle was about to breakout on the plains of Orion, Conrad rode to the human kingdom, the Kingdom of Viridian. His mission was to meet with the king of Viridian of that time to forge an alliance between the two nations. However before there could be an alliance, a certain condition needed to be met. On the day of the battle over the blood stained plain, hundreds of orcs and elves fought ruthlessly. Blood from each side of the field was being spilled. It was a horrific battle of utter proportions. Under the command of Hector the Bloody, he led his army of orcs and ogres into battle against the elves under the command of General Tolandeal. In the battlefield, elves were being crushed by ogres and slaughtered by orcs. At the same time huge thundering beasts trampled over elves and broke their lines. Even though the elves are skilful warriors with the sword and bow but to fight with overwhelming odds was just madness. With the lines being broken, the elf general believed that they could not hold the front any longer. The moment General Tolandeal was about to sound the retreat, somewhere behind the orc army was a sight to be hold. Behind the great orc army of three thousand strong was the Viridian army of five thousand soldiers led by Lord Conrad himself along with other officers of Viridian. Other then Viridian, countries like Tyrania and Florencia participated in that battle as well. Conrad had arrived just on time to support the elves. On his arrival, the morale of the Xarania army boosted and that was when their forces retaliated and ran headlong into the enemy. At the same time the Viridian army charged into battle with a heavy cavalry charge. Phalanxes at the ready, they crushed the back lines of the orc army. Forces on both sides of the field, the orcs soon discovered they were losing and by the end of the day the victor were the alliance forces. With the help of the Viridian army, the Adorean Alliance was formed with Xarania and other smaller countries soon joined in as well. With that battle, Lord Conrad was soon recognised to be the Hero of Xarania and was later promoted to general. A fearless commander that now serves the Florencia kingdom as part of the alliance treaty which part of it states that weaker countries will be given military support by the three superior countries which are Xarania, Viridian and Aesir.

Chapter 4 The 12th infantry regiment of the alliance army was dispatch on its first mission. Along the outskirts of Florencia lies a village that was destroyed by the orcs but now the orcs have made it their encampment. Our mission was to destroy the orc encampment and reclaim back the land. Finally I was going to experience my first battle. An experience in which would put me through my first hell. Excitement and fear flowed side by side in me. It takes three days to get to where we were going and it was during that duration of time I realized where we were heading. The village that the orcs ravaged had been my abandon village. The village which I had grew in. It was my Eden until they took it away. With only revenge filling my heart, these monsters will get no mercy from me for they not only destroyed my home but also murdered the only siblings I had. They will all die by the end of the day. By the third day we had reached our destination. There we set up our base camp few yards away from the village, along the main road. The ground was soaked from yesterdays light rain and the surrounding forest was covered in morning dew. The orcs positioned in their encampment knew we were coming for them but for them to receive any supplies or reinforcements were impossible now. Other Florencian forces had barricaded the surrounding encampment, cutting off their supplies routes and thus making them isolated. Any road that passes through that village had been sealed off by the 4th and 5th platoon of the Florencian army. This was the time to finish them. Despite the orcs being isolated and unable to receive reinforcements, this did not make them any weaker. They still had a strong force of desperate orcs that were willing to give it all theyve got for their final stand. To make matters worse, these orcs were veterans of many previous raids and we were just fresh recruits. Our first battle would be our last for some of us. The night before the actual battle, many of us prayed for a good fight and to see the next sunrise. A new day has come and on the battlefield was the 12th infantry regiment of the alliance forces. Our forces were in formation and outside the range of their archers that were entrenched in their defensive positions. Swordsmen at the front and behind them were the archers. Just my luck I had to be at the front line of the formation and usually the first line of a formation does not last long against an orc charge. Well at least I had Ramius beside me. For some us, we were terrified but there were others like Tiberius who showed no fear to any adversary. It was this type of character that kept morale of the troops somewhat stable. Right before the start of the battle our visibility over the terrain was blurred by the morning fog. This fog made it difficult for us to see the enemy lines and their encampment as well but we were lucky enough to know the location of their archers. We could not see them and they could not see us. It was only a matter of time before they would make the advance on us and because of the fog, the archers could do nothing to give us support. We swordsmen were on our own.

Suddenly the ground began to tremble. The tremor started of small but it gradually grew louder. They were coming and it seems from the sound of their armour clapping against one another showed that they were heavily armoured. In my life, I have seen soldiers abandon their fellow men when they face superior enemies charging at them. To prevent this from happening to our troops, the sergeant would tell the men to steady themselves and other words of encouragement. In Lord Conrads mind, he knew there was no turning back. The unsheathing of his sword, the tremors below our feet and the intense pounding of my heart made it hard to focus but somehow Lord Conrad had manage to remove them by few simple words. As his eyes were fixed on the battlefield, he shouted towards his unseen enemy, For Glory! With just two simple words my mind was clear. I had been waiting and ready eagerly for this day to come. When the first few orcs appeared in front of us, my heart raced even greater. Then as I was about to swing my sword at my first orc, an arrow pierced through its head. My kill to be had been taken away by Dylan. It was then that the order was given to the archers to fire at will. However orcs and humans were already facing against one another. Axes were crashing down on armour, swords were cutting flesh and bodies were being bashed and broken. Blood was spilling everywhere. The first clash between the orcs and our front lines had sent some of our troops hurling into the air. As predicted, the first line was crumbling however Ramius and I took down orcs one at a time. We held our ground and remembered our training to fight with all our might. Tiberius was happily cutting down orcs with his broad axe. He was more menacing then some orcs which few have thought. If you gave him animal fur and dressed him up ruggedly, one might think he was an orc. The battle ravaged on with both sides loosing their numbers. However because we had greater numbers on our side, we were slowly pushing them back and soon they were on the retreat. With this our commander ordered the charge at the orc encampment. As we ran in high spirits, I couldnt help but wonder why we took the field so easily and why these veteran barbarians retreated so easily. The fog was thicker now which made our movement slowed down. It is only natural to slow down when youre moving into unknown areas. Suddenly without warning, arrows came piercing through the fog and into my fellow men. Instantly many fell and in a moment we raised our shields but this made us stranded in one place. We did not dare move cause by doing so we had to lower our shields, making our chest vulnerable to enemy arrows. All we could do was just crouched down and hoped some other company would find the enemy archers and cut them down. Slowly one by one of my comrades were being shot in the shoulders and thighs. Then as though we were blessed by the heavens above, the fog had lifted and revealed the enemies location. Once that happened, we realise how close we were to the encampment. Victory was in our grasps. Conrad gave the order of the cavalry to charge and eliminate the enemy archers. Later Conrad signalled the other alliance troops in the vicinity to storm the village and finish them of. As I fought, time went by slowly. Everything passed by like picture frames and soon the

battle was over. Just as I promised myself before the battle, every orc in the encampment died that day. The orcs never retreated nor did they surrender themselves. My village was finally liberated from the orcs. Chapter 5 We had won our first battle. The troops were overwhelmed by their victory that when we made camp somewhere in the Florencian territory, they took out their musical instruments and played whatever folk music they knew. That night was a festival which reminded me of my childhood back then in my village. I remembered how I use to play with the village children. We had our little games and sometimes we would pick up long sticks and imagine they were swords. Such silly games we played that but now it is just a thing of the past. Ramius had also took his time to reminisces his past. He remembered how often his father would spend time with him by training him with a sword. This explains his amazing skill sword mastery. He enjoyed every moment he spent time with his father. However, like me he too had a reason to join the army. When the orcs came and raided his town, his father was captain of the town guard. He and his team of town guards did everything they could to stop the orc advancement but their efforts proved hopeless. Ramius remembered all too well of the incident because he saw how an orcs claymore pierced through his fathers chest. Such pain will never fade away for him. He swore that day he would avenge his fathers death. Tiberius on the other hand had been into battle long before us. When the orcs stormed into his farm and slaughtered his cows, he told us that he took up his axe and went on a rampage. That day he killed his first orc at the age of twelve. He even had his first battle scar that day. He went completely berserk, not because his cows were slaughtered but his entire family died that day. The next day he sat on a rock by himself like a lost sheep. Even though the wound that he had received on his right arm was causing immense pain, he merely covered it up with a torn up cloth and sat solemnly. Behind him were the burnt ruins of his farm. Then as refugees were passing by, a nobleman by the name of Ezekiel saw the misguided soul that was sitting on top of a rock in front of a burnt down farm. Young master, are you just going to sit there and cry about your lost ones or are you going to carry on living as how they would want it. Tiberius understood the nobleman and later joined the other refugees. The nobleman saw the strength the boy possessed and knew he would make a fine warrior. Tiberius was later invited by the nobleman to stay with him. He was even given a job to take care of the animals at the noblemans manor. The nobleman treated Tiberius as though he were his own son. When Tiberius was of right age, the nobleman gave him his blessing to join the army. Before Dylan joined the army, he had a life of hunting. Everyday he and his younger cousin would go hunting whatever there was around. From wild boars to large

bison, no animal he hunted could escape him. His elders had a prophecy the day he was born that he would grow up to be one of the greatest hunters there ever was and they were right. His family are nomads that constantly move from one place to another but one night while they were camping by a river, their camp was suddenly attacked by a group of orcs that were passing through. His family managed to escape the terror of the orcs since his family were mostly skilled hunters however he lost his younger cousin that night. Now Dylan has a new target to hunt and this creature can be found in abundance. Orcs are the only animals he would gladly hunt till extinction. The following day Lord Conrad rallied the troops together. It was from there that the regiment will separate into four large companies. My company was under the command of Captain Edward. Our mission from then on would come from him as we travelled further into the territory to counterattack any orc movements within the territory. I was fortunate to be in a company where three of my closest friends were in as well. Together, the company moved south of Florencia. Reports had confirmed that there had been multiple orc movements in the vicinity and it was up to us to quell them. During our journeys, we encountered many orc platoons but with quick and decisive actions they were quickly defeated. As we move further into the territory, our battle with the orcs continued and even though we were winning every single fight, the size of our company was slowly being reduced. Supplies and strength of the company were decreasing as well as we travelled. Captain, the men have been travelling for fourteen days now. Our supplies are low, we need to find a nearby town to rest and recover our strength sir. I understand your concern sergeant. Tomorrow we will head for the town of Hollowwick. It is a large town where we can get plenty of supplies there. On top of that we will even be able to stand down there for at least a week. Thats wonderful sir, I shall inform the men immediately. Wait! As great as our destination is, we have another problem on our hands. Scouts have returned with dire news of orc patrols that patrol the road we are going to take to reach Hollowwick. If they are patrols then that means there is probably an orc camp nearby. Damn! We are so close and then they had to show up. Get a hold of yourself sergeant, what is the condition of our company? Sorry sir, well the men would have regain their strength by tomorrow morning but they are not to happy about travelling for so long without proper rest. Yes I can understand how they feel. Tomorrow you will brief them of the situation and tell them once it is over they will finally get the relaxation they have always wanted.

Yes sir. When morning broke, we had received another mission which most of us werent to keen on doing, however there was a greater purpose in completing this mission. If we carried it out we could finally reach a nearby town and rest but if we decide to abandon this mission then we would need to travel even further to get to the next town. With that we would also have to face more unnecessary battles, but if we did except the mission then we wont only get our desired break but also protect the town from a nearby orc camp that was situated not to far away from the town. Even though the captain gives the orders in the end it is the troops determination that decides the judgement of a leader. If the troop isnt ready then the captain cannot make an order to fight an enemy. That will only endanger the entire company. However we were eager to get our break and the orcs as always were in our way. Therefore in the end we were battle ready once more. No orc was going to stop me from sleeping on a proper bed. We packed up camp and moved out to face with the enemy patrols. The objective was to defeat three orc squads that patrol the main road and later destroy their camp which was located deep in the forest of the town of Hollowwick. Our battle was going to take place in a forest environment, which means we need to be careful of sudden ambushes which the orcs might have had for us. As simple as the plan may be, we cannot for one moment let our guard down. These orcs are cunning warriors. Chapter 6 As tired as we were, we set out to face against enemy positions and hopefully by the end of the day we will have reached Hollowwick. As our company moved further into the forest, I cant help but wonder that we were being watched as we marched on. I wasnt the only one with the same feeling, Dylan and my captain sensed something was a miss as well. However we kept to our plan and relied on the data that scouts brought back for our mission. Then as we were marching, the path that we took diverged into two paths, one on the left and the other on the right. The right one takes to the town but the left one takes us to the enemy camp. We knew which path we needed to take to complete the mission but some of us had the urge to just abandon the mission and head for the town. However the decision had been made when orc forces suddenly appeared from the left path and they had also appeared from our rear. There was no other choice, we had to face them. The captain quickly repositioned the troops. The archers were kept in the middle of the two infantry columns. The captain knew our current situation wasnt good for us and if we didnt act quickly, more orcs from their camp would soon close in on us and if we try to flee, the orcs in front and behind would have caught up to us and then we would be in grave danger. Therefore the captain could only do what he could at the time. Stand your ground men! We first need to break their lines, once we have accomplished that we will move in on their camp. Is that clear soldiers of the alliance!

In unison we shouted our war cry. Huuuwaaaaah! Archers give them hell! The archer team was split into two groups, each to face one of the orc groups. As soon as the order was given, the archers let loose upon the enemy but seeing how the trees were in the way, not every arrow manage to hit their mark. Then the moment came as both orc groups clashed on us. We held our ground as instructed but the force delivered by the orcs had pushed us back by a few steps. As we were fighting, I manage to meet up with Ramius on the field. So Tyreal, do you think we can escape from this one seeing how we are cramped up in this forest. Im not sure but why not? We have been surviving through all this while and orcs dont know who their messing with remember. Hah! Thats right, if only they knew how pissed we are at them. Yes now come on, lets push these monsters back and get to our beds. Side by side we fought, slashing and cutting down the enemy as we made short work of those orcs. It was like a dance the way we battled. Everything was rehearsed and was played to perfection. He protected my back and I did the same with his. I wonder if this was how my brothers fought. Then our captain saw an opening within the orc formation. The order was given and the company immediately ran passed the enemys formation and headed to the orc camp. The orcs at their camp were caught by surprise as they were expecting us to be dead by the end of the day. I guess they shouldnt judge a book by its cover and because of such they werent even ready for battle. Some of the orcs at their camp were not even wearing their chain mail armour. Sure most of them had their swords and axes with them but they were not battle ready by the looks of things. We took the opportunity and massacred the orc camp. We burnt their camp to the ground just as how they burnt my village years ago. We showed no mercy and took no prisoners. We left the place as soon as the mission was completed and headed for the town of Hollowwick. The remaining orcs that had ambushed us earlier returned to what was their camp but now a smoky ruin. Seeing how they had lost their camp, the orcs had no choice but to move on. The sun was beginning to set. Usually by this time we would pitch up camp but today we did not have to because we had finally after many hours of fighting and marching, reached the town of Hollowwick. We entered the town as heroes. Flower buds were thrown to our feet, I even got lucky as a fair maiden ran up to me and gave me a peck on the checks. Just as the captain promised, we were given the chance to retire to our barracks. Some of the men instantly fell asleep on their beds the moment they removed their armour.

I suppose I could understand why they were rushing to get to their beds. We were all very fatigue and our morale to fight another fight had been depleted. On top of that I too fell asleep the moment my body laid upon my bed. We were told that we would be stationed here for a week. It may seem as though our duties was to protect this town from intruders for a week but actually it was our chance to be on holiday for a week. The troops spent their time walking through the streets, flirting with young girls and enjoying themselves in the town tavern. Sometimes Tiberius and I would enjoy ourselves to a good drink while Ramius was busy flirting with barmaids and young girls that walked passed by him. Sometimes he would be turned down because some girls hold strongly in their religion but seeing how he is a soldier of the alliance army, most girls turn to please him. Indeed he has a way with the ladies. Dylan on the other hand does not enjoy flirting with women or drinking in pubs, no he is a hunter. As a hunter he trains himself to be better and sharper each time. Sometimes I would find him sharpening his skills at the archery range and sometimes even I join him. I myself could use some practise after all practice makes perfect. Even though some of us were having a break from it all, we still kept security in check in this town. From time to time I was sent to carry out patrols along the border of the town. When I was not on patrol duty, I would sometimes be at the tavern along with the others. Ah isnt it great Tyreal, were on leave and the accommodations here are fabulous, not to mention the beautiful barmaids they have here. Youve drank too much Ramius but Ill agree to the last part of what you have said. I knew you would see it my way. Tiberius, you should enjoy yourself a little more. Come and talk to one of these beautiful angels they have here in this tavern. Three of the barmaids that were with him began to giggle and poor Tiberius, big and fearless as he maybe was a little shy that night. Well that would be nice but no thank you. I think Ill head back to the barracks now. Just as he was about to leave, a barmaid reaches his arm and tries to pull him back. Wait dont go, stay awhile with your friends. Tiberius looked at the fair barmaid as she tried to persuade him not to leave. Yes Tiberius, please stay and tell how you defeated a hundred over orcs over the past few months. At that time a few heads had turned and faced Tiberius with amazement however I knew what Ramius said was basically exaggeration. A little too much wont you say Ramius, I mean a hundred kills. Seriously stop spreading rumours.

Oh dont be so uptight Tyreal, Im only trying to make our friend here look good. Can you not see how comfortable he is with that one barmaid? Dont you worry, I will be sure to get you a girl for you alright? Just as I was about to reply Ramiuss comment, someone whom I did not expect to enter the tavern came in. Dylan? Youre actually here! Dont be too surprise Tyreal, I only came here for a drink. Training can make one dehydrate at the end of the day. In some parts of the world where there is laughter and happiness, there are those who seek to destroy them because they do not possess them and therefore they envy those who have it. There are also those who seek revenge and destruction for it brings them satisfaction and amusement. Somewhere in the forest of Hollowwick, the remaining orc forces that were defeated by a company of alliance troops were on the retreat to the next camp they had nearby. Sir, what do we do now that the humans have destroyed our camp and killed many of our warriors? Have no fear and keep your spirits high young warrior. I will gather the forces from the other camps and soon we will have our revenge upon those that murdered our comrades. Chapter 7 Chieftain, I come to you because I need your aid to eradicate my enemy that has dishonoured my brothers in battle. Tell me what has happened. The humans attacked us in the forest of Hollowwick while we were doing patrols. We engaged them but they used cowardly methods and avoided a direct confrontation from us. Instead they headed for our camp where our wounded were still recuperating from their wounds. The humans slaughtered everyone and burnt everything to the ground when we returned my chieftain. With rage the orc chieftain let out a furious cry. These humans will pay for their cowardly actions. I will avenge you and you have my word. Now go and tell the other camps to bring their warriors before me and tell them we will have another battle with the cold hearted humans. Yes chieftain, at once.

The following day the surrounding camps moved their supplies and equipments to the main camp along with the orc warriors that brought them. My fellow warriors, once again the humans have attacked us with their cowardly tactics. Now they must pay for their actions with their blood. United we are, we will crush the humans that brought shame to our brothers whose camp was burnt at Hollowwick. It is no doubt they are hiding in that town. Now take up your axes and swords for we are going to destroy that human town. With that speech, the morale of the orcs greatly increased and soon they left to bring an end to the town of Hollowwick. Back at the gates of Hollowwick, a scout returns with gravely news. He then gives his report to his superiors. They are what! Sergeant, rally the men and get them to the courtyard immediately and also inform the governor that I want the town guards to be under my command. Yes sir but what is going on? Orcs sergeant, and this time theyve brought a very large number of them and siege equipment as well. Now hurry and go! Yes sir at once. A new day has come but unlike the other days where we could live peacefully, that day would turn out to be another hellish nightmare for me. All of a sudden the town hall bell rang which alerted the troops in the barracks and apart from the town bell that alerted us, our sergeant came rushing into the barracks rallying us to meet in the courtyard. In five minutes we gathered at the courtyard and then we were informed of the worst of news we had ever heard of then. Just as we were going to move out of the town, the orcs just had to engage us once more. The scenario this time would be a life or death situation for the orcs had mobilized a large force to siege the town and they brought with them heavy equipment which were large catapults, better known as mangonels. These siege weapons were horrible news for us for these machines had the power to hurl larger projectiles. From the reports of scouts, our captain was unsure if he could defend the town which was why he advised the governor to evacuate the people. So even if the town was destroyed, at least its people will survive. Buildings and structures alone does not make a town. With the people saved, they can always return to rebuild what they had lost. The orcs were closing and time was running out. Defences needed to up quickly or the orcs will run down the town like a wild bush fire. Within minutes the captain planned out a strategy to defend the town.

Sergeant, get the archers to the wall. Corporal, inform the towers to load their ballistae. At once sir and sir I have brought the four soldiers you have requested. It was that moment the four of us had finally been noticed of our skills in combat. This could explain why we were assigned a different task from the rest of the men that day. Gentlemen out of all the veteran soldiers I have under me, you four are the most skilled. That is why I need you now. This gate here is located at the far end of the wall and because of limited troops, we do not have enough men to protect it. If the orcs get to it they would have an access into the town. This is your mission, defend that gate until reinforcement arrives. It is a small gate and the only access to it is by a bridge which is directly below the gate. Try not to fall off the bridge, the river below it has strong currents. This gate is vital in our victory. It does not only stop the enemy from coming in but also we will be able to outflank the enemy from there. Now go quickly, there is a squad of town guards waiting outside for you to be of assistance. God speed gentlemen. With that short briefing, I, Ramius, Dylan and Tiberius along with six other town guards made our way to the gate. Indeed the gate and the bridge are small which meant we did not have to protect a lot ground and the six town guards under us were archers and their weapon of choice as instructed by Dylan was the long ranged longbow. This gave us the upper hand. Dylan and the archers were positioned on the walls whereas Ramius, Tiberius and I were standing outside the protection of the walls. Just in front of the gate where we held our ground. The time had finally come, the orcs assembled in front of the main gate. Just as the reports stated, the orcs came in large numbers along with their catapults. To give them the extra edge to this battle, the orcs brought with them the giant half-brained ogres. Large creatures they were and their favourite weapon was usually a massive spike club. On top of that, these giant beings were born with thick layers of dead skin that act as natural armour. With such monsters on their side, they would be able to destroy the gate within a short period of time. Times like these I wish the reports were wrong. As predicted the orcs made their first move but because the orcs came out of the forest, they didnt had much space to run. In front of them was the towns stonewall and towers. Behind them is the forest that they came out from and because of limited space, the moment the orcs made a charge the archers would be able to open fire on them. However they had catapults to bombard our archers. This battle was later to be remembered in our history books as The Great Siege of Hollowwick. The orcs made their charge to the walls. Archers had fired upon them but at the same time the walls were being pounded by mangonels. The orcs quickly made their way to the base of the wall where they threw their grappling hooks in order to scale the walls. The soldiers positioned on the walls immediately went to secure the part of the wall that was being invaded.

Captain the west wall is being over run! Send more troops over there, we cannot let them advance and capture the towers. Sergeant, reinforce the main gate. The orcs knew the only way into the town is through that main gate and the side gate which my team was protecting. Just as how they brought their catapults to hit our walls, they also brought battering rams to cripple our gate. From my point of view, I could tell the orcs were pushing harder to break our gates but just as how they were fighting fiercely, we were doing our best to break them from our walls. Ballistae from towers opened fired on ogres that got to close to the walls but we only have a small hand full of towers and they had a much larger force then my company and the town guards combined. Orcs were up to their dirty tricks once more. They flamed their boulders with poured oil and fired them. Whatever part of the wall that got hit, the flames from the boulder quickly spread across some parts of the wall. Soldiers did their best to extinguish the flames but this gave the orcs an opportunity to storm the walls. I could see the events that were taking placing but I could nothing. I had my orders and if I left, the side gate would have been less defended. Tyreal! Orc squads are heading our way. How many squads do they have Dylan? I see three banners, only three squads are heading our way. Three squads, that means thirty six orcs. Why are the odds always against us? Archers take aim, Dylan you command the archers. You may fire when ready. Understood, archers take your aim. Keep steady and fire on my command. As thirty six orcs were approaching the side gates with their axes and spears, Dylan and the six archers kept their cool and waited for the right moment. As they got closer I was beginning to wonder when Dylan would open fire. Ramius and Tiberius looked at one another. It seems they understood each other and understood what Dylans motif for the delay was. Fire! Kill them where they stand. Instantly they fired upon the enemy and each time they fired six or seven orcs would have fallen. Dylan could have given the order to fire sooner however the orcs had still some cover within the forest. Now it was my time to shine, the first orc that confronted with me had its chest sliced up as I swung my gladius, a favourite short sword of mine through its body. However the next orc learned quickly of its predecessor and immediately went into defensive to counter my attack but orcs are not as fast as humans. That orc may have blocked my first swing but my next one caught it off guard which

cause its life. Ramius being a skilled swordsman used dual scimitar blades which he had bought at the towns market to enhance his effectiveness on the battlefield. After all the scimitar is a light weight weapon and perhaps two swords are better than one if you can handle it. With one blade Ramius is able to block his opponents attack keeping his opponent focused on his first blade, Ramius then uses his second blade to pierce through his opponents heart. Swift and fast kills were his tactics in winning battles however Tiberius had a different approach. He wins his battles through brute force. Annihilate the enemy by crushing them where they stand and he does this so with his broad axe. With one swing from his axe he is able to knock off an orc of its feet or if he brings down his axe, no orc shield would be able to withstand his blow. The shield would brake before his broad axe and the orc that wield the shield would have been crushed by his axe. There may have been thirty six of them or more that day but we were much more skilled then any of those vial creatures. As the battle continued, the walls were quickly being over-run by them and the main gate did not look like it could withstand anymore blows from the orc rams. Captain the east and west wall are being over-run. We cannot hold out any longer and the gate is crumbling. What about the situation at the south gate? How are they holding up? Tyreals squad, well they are holding them back but I fear more will come and I do not know how long they can hold their ground. Captain we need to retreat to the keep. I understand, tell the men to pull back to the keep. We will make our stand there and once the gate breaks down, tell the sergeant to order his team to engage the enemy. The archers from the keep will provide cover for him. At once sir! The situation has developed into this, well it is to be expected so now we must wait for the right moment to counterattack. It was already mid-day and the walls had been breached. Now there was no where to run. The keep was all they have left to defend and hold off the attackers. Then as the battle continued on, the main gate finally broke down and orcs just poured into the garrison. However they had a little surprise waiting at the other end of the gate, the sergeant had a porcupine placed facing the gate. The porcupine is a human invention and its purpose is a murderous one. It is design to carry six rows of arrows and each row had ten arrows. If you were caught in between the firing range on a porcupine then there is just no hope of survival. With just one push of a lever, the porcupine unleashed hell upon the foolish orcs and with them confused the sergeant ordered his men to retaliate. Instantly they charged towards the confused orcs as arrows from archers positioned on

the keep gave them covering fire. The tables were slowing turning and we were slowly reclaiming back our ground. Just as we pulled a surprise counterattack on them, they too had a trick up their sleeves. At first glance we assumed the orcs were on the retreat but in fact they were regrouping and this time they brought an ogre to lead the front. Our men were froze as the ogre came charging towards them. They could do nothing to bring it down. Anything that stood in the way would have been crushed and it was impossible to block an attack by it. The force delivered by an ogre is too much to block. However it isnt in human nature to just give up without a fight to the end. However it was pointless for those who tried because they were instantly swept away like dirt on the floor. The brave soldiers that were pushing the orcs back had been crushed by the overwhelming power of the ogre. The sergeant even though had a broken rib and multiple cuts on his body made his bloody way back to the porcupine to make one last effort to bring down that ogre. Archers did not do much to hurt the ogre but it did slow it down giving enough time for the sergeant to reposition the porcupine. Time was running out. The ogre was getting closer to him and he himself was loosing too much blood. Lack of blood made visibility for the sergeant hard for him but everything became clear when the ogre stood before him in front of the porcupine with its club raised high. With the push of the lever, sixty arrows filled the monster with arrows and with such amazing force the ogre fell dead before him. With that the sergeant knew he could finally rest in peace even though he had his body stabbed multiple times by orcs that had over-run his position. The last image he saw was the bright clear sky above him as he closed his eyes to eternal slumber. Chapter 8 By the time the orcs took control of the main gate, their numbers at the side gate that I and my squad were defending double and the battle quickly became more intense. My mission was to defend the side gate from intruders, so far I had been successful but how long can one hold up against overwhelming odds. These barbaric orcs just keep coming. I didnt know for how long I was fighting but my sword and shield began to feel heavy. Fatigue was beginning to overwhelm me but even with that my focus over the battlefield remained sharp and without it a soldier would end up dead minutes into the battle. If my focus wasnt sharp that day then I would had never realised the hidden plan the orcs had. Just as the battle continued, the orcs had still not laid a finger onto the gate but the tables soon turned once more when I saw an orc running down from a slope of a small hill and charging towards the bridge. In its hand were small balls of explosives wrapped up in a net. My eyes widen and fear filled my entire body. Quickly I alarmed Dylan and when he saw what was coming for us, he wasted no time in taking his aim. However, just as he was about to make his shot, he himself was shot in the chest by an orc with a crossbow. The other six archers were oblivious to the suicidal orc but when they finally noticed it, the orc was already too close for comfort.

One hand holding a net full of explosives and the other a torch to set of the explosives, which was all that orc had. No armour and no weapons to defend itself. It had one purpose, to destroy the gate whatever means necessary. As that orc was running towards us, archers began firing arrows into it but that still did not slow or stop that suicidal orc until finally Tiberius grabbed an axe which belonged to a dead orc and threw it to the orc. The orc fell but it was already too close to the gate. When both explosives and the torch fell, all hell broke out. The next thing I remembered was this enormous blast that appeared in front me which had hurled me into air and into the raging cold waters of the river. After that everything went blank. I though I was dead. I though my time had finally come because I remembered returning to my home in my village where I saw my two brothers and my parents waiting for me. It felt like a dream and yet it also felt so relieving. Then my eldest brother whispered something to me which I could not make out. No matter how hard I tired to heed his message, it still did not reach my ears. Then I notice that I was being pulled back by some unknown force. The more I struggled the more it pulled me back. I shouted and screamed for freedom but soon everything went blank once more. Then in darkness I heard a voice, it was faint but I could hear it. Hey, hey look at me. Looks like you had a rough day my friend. Hey guys this one is alive. Put him with the other three that we found earlier. After that everything went silent and blank once more. Chapter 9 Tyreal, Tyreal can you hear me? In that same darkness I heard a familiar voice calling out to me. Tyreal, Tyreal hang in there. Is he awake? For some reason that sounded like Ramius but I couldnt be sure since it was hard to keep my focus. His eyes are slowly moving, what does that mean Dylan? It means that he is alive Tiberius now move aside. Oh right I knew that. The little explosion we had really did something to your head now didnt it Tiberius. Hah it will take more then just a small display of fireworks to hurt me Ramius, oh Dylan you were shot werent you. How is your chest? Wrapped in bandages around his chest and forehead, Dylan helped me up and placed me against a tent wall. When I had finally come around I realised that I myself had been wrapped in bandages. My head, chest and arms had been wrapped. It must have

been a huge blast. I must be truly blessed to be alive. Someone up there is giving me a second chance of life. DylanRamius Tiberius, youre all here. Thank God. Well little explosions cant hurt us, we are invincible right Tiberius. Speak for yourself Ramius, where exactly are we? It doesnt look like some orc encampment or prison so thats good. I dont know but I think we are going to find out soon enough. Footsteps were drawing closer to our tent. The footsteps seem light so it had to be someone of small build. As the steps drew closer our tent door was opened by a nurse. She seemed rather shy of us. Well it cant be help. After all the four of us are half nude, striped of our shirts and only left with our pants. So youre all already awake, so soon. Well my young foxy girl, we are big, strong and dashing men after all, said Ramius as he once again tries to make his move on yet another innocent maiden. However this time his effort was cut short because of his injuries. The minute he tried to get up, the injuries in his ribs began to react and with that an amazing tingling pain ran through his body. With such intense pain coursing through his body, he instantly collapsed to his knees once more clinging on to his ribs. Well, well Mr. Big and Strong, I guess your not all that healed up but I can agree to the dashing part. Now then let me check those bandages. When our medical check up was finished, Field Marshal Ezekiel of the Viridian Kingdom entered our medical tent. Field Marshal Ezekiel, one of Viridians most famous officers and one of the best they had. This was the man responsible to leading the first alliance army to retaliate the orc invasion of Xarania. If not for the support of this hero then Xarania would have been a slave camp for the orcs. The elves have much gratitude towards this man even though he is human. However because of his selfless act, all difference was put aside and with that he was able to establish an alliance with the Xarania kingdom. He came in with his blood stained full plate armour which reminded me that previously I had a battle at the town of Hollowwick. Then a though had occurred to me, had I failed my duty to prevent the orcs from entering the side gate? Did we win that battle but more importantly were the people unhurt. Feelings of guilt and concern filled my body however there was nothing that could be done. What has happened has come to past. If I were a mage then I would have been able to have done something like perhaps travel back in time yet time travel is a spell even most mages have not mastered. It is said only a small number of mages have the ability to time travel. Nonetheless the damage

was done, the next step was to come up with a solution to prevent future catastrophes. Even though I was unable to defend the town till the very end, I am still alive and breathing and with that I can still make a difference. The moment Field Marshal Ezekiel entered the tent, the four of us tried to stand up in honour of his presence however we soon came to fail at that as well. We were still in a horrible shape but the marshal is an understandable man and therefore we had the luxury to continue resting on our posteriors. So you four are the survivors of the battle of Hollowwick. You four should be thankful that you are still alive. From the reports Ive received the town was apparently over run by the enemy and part of the town had been destroyed and it would appear that both gates had been brought down as well. Both gates were taken by them. Then it means we have failed. At that moment it felt as though that all hope was lost and because of my failure the people of that town will suffer. Do not worry, you all have tried your best to hold the enemy at bay but they were just too great of a foe for you to handle. I believe your captain must have informed you that reinforcements were on the way in order to boost morale. Indeed he was right and we arrived to reclaim back the town. However when we arrived both gates had been captured and the orcs were already inside the garrison but nonetheless we defeated them there and then. Those fools should know who they are fighting with. The captain, how is the captain? Your company suffered severed casualties, eighty percent of your company is either presumed dead or captured. Captain Edward is one of the dead. His body was found in the keep with multiple stab wounds in his body but he did not go down so easily. Five orcs died around him. Im assuming they were all his kills. Your captain fought well but Im afraid your company must be disbanded for it has suffered too much of a loss. Therefore from now on you four and whatever survivors will join my army. Welcome to the Viridian army my friends. Sir what about the citizens of the town, did they manage to escape? Yes captain they did, we found them in the caves in the mountains of Orion not far of from the town. They are safe and rebuilding their town even as we speak. Thank heavens wait did you called me a captain? Indeed I did, you are now my new captain for this infantry troop. This troop had apparently lost their commanding officer in battle and you are the perfect replacement. My decision is made based on the reports I received from the survivors of your company.

It stated that you were made squad leader of your group and protected the side gate from impossible odds. I believe you will make a fine captain. I am honoured sir, thank you. As for Ramius, you have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and will serve under Captain Tyreal as his second in command. Dylan you are now the Captain of the 18th Longbow Company and Tiberius, you have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. You will be serving under my company. Congratulations to the four of you, rest now and in seven days we will depart for Viridian. The moment the marshal left, we were thrilled by the overwhelming news. Not only were the people of Hollowwick unharmed but on top of that we were now officers of the Viridian army and under the command of Viridians most famous field marshal. Soldiers that achieve the rank of lieutenant and above will receive a different set of armour to differentiate their status among the other soldiers. I was made the commanding officer of my own company therefore I was given a gold and silver full plated armour with a red cape. Full plated type armour were one of the most challenging of armours to mend for this armour had been made to protect most of the users body. Apart from covering the entire body with armour, the chest plate of the armour had been made especially to able to receive arrow fire without harming the user. To receive such armour is indeed a great honour to the one wearing it and the craftsman who constructed it. Apart from receiving new armour I was also given a new blade to replace the one I had lost. The marshal had presented to me a new broadsword which was double-edged and larger than most swords I had used before. My very own arming sword had its own nickname carved into it, Survivor. With that my journey continued on and more blood shed was waiting for me as I continued on my travels. Chapter 10 A week had passed and most of my wounds had been healed. Now it was time to move on again. To get to Viridian we needed to pass through three locations, The Valley of Merlidia, Draktol Pass and the Andromeda Sea. I was told that the journey would be long and hard. Our first destination was The Valley of Merlidia. This is one the largest valleys on Adorea and one of the most hazardous. This valley is under the territory of Aesir but rumour has it that Aesirs forces do not patrol these parts because the valley mostly belongs to the nomads that stay within the valley. The nomads also known as the wild men roam the valley as though the entire place belonged to them. The nomads live in large groups but when a threat approaches, all of the nomad groups will unite together and defend their valley. Many times Aesir have sent its armies to disperse the nomads because they pose a threat to anyone that try to pass through the valley. However as the war with the orcs intensified, more and more resources were needed and more troops were sent to the front lines which was why Aesir had stop sending its armies to quell the wild men. Many years had passed and because of Aesirs actions the wild mens power grew and if ever united they pose an even greater threat to the peace of Adorea.

The wild men of the valley were originally fugitives of Aesir. Ages back Aesir was facing troubled times. Crimes were escalating and unrest was on the rise. The power to suppress the criminals was given to the premier of Aesir however after three years of effort, the criminals still roamed free. This did not please the king of Aesir well and because of his failure he was relinquish of his power. The task had now fallen under the king himself. Through his power he ordered his very own private army, the Vanguards to eliminate the threat that spread through his country like a plague. The Vanguards are the most disciplined and highly trained soldiers in Aesir and probably in the alliance as well. They obey any order given by their superiors and never hesitate to kill anyone who has been marked as an enemy and within five months the fugitives were captured and placed in a prison facility that was built in the Valley of Merlidia. That way the prisoners were isolated from the rest of the world while Aesir had the opportunity to develop itself into a greater nation. A moment of peace for the country but as time passed by the prisoners began plotting their way to freedom and within a year they broke free of the prison facility and captured the entire prison facility as their own. The prison facility was build like a castle. It was designed to keep prisoners in and at the same time it could defend itself from external threats. In spite of this the prisoners had taken the facility and made it their very own fortress. This insult had made the great king furious. He ordered his armies to be sent to the Valley of Merlidia to once more suppress the insurgents. Armies after armies were sent but their efforts seemed futile and the civil war between Aesirs armies and the fugitives of Aesir ravaged for many years. The turning point came when a new king was crowned. He took different strategies into crushing his foes and within a year the prisoners or the wild men were at the verge of defeat however a new foe had shown itself. This foe was even greater then the wild men. They were on the rise and had begun their invasion of Aesir. Two years after the coronation of the new king, the orcs begin their invasion into Aesir. Aesir was so close to finally eliminating the wild men but it had to turn its attention elsewhere but by doing this it gave an opportunity for the wild men to recuperate and grow once more. Years had passed since the war started and now their numbers have grown to a number so large that it would take two full armies to crush them. That is if they were all met in the same place. After marching for a few days we had arrived at the entrance of the treacherous valley. There were other ways to get to Viridian but time was of the essence and we were in a hurry to return to Viridian and the valley was apparently the quickest way to get there. May God be watching over me as I cross through the Valley of the Sinned, once entered there was no turning back. Before we entered the valley, Field Marshal Ezekiel ordered the troops to set up camp at the mouth of the valley. We were to spend a night in our camp before we set out into the valley. This way we would be able to reach the centre of the valley by next nightfall. That night the men were feeling unease about venturing into the valley. Some of them did not even go to sleep, I did not sleep. Indeed the thought of passing through the valley is a terrifying one. After all our opponents were the wild men, insane and murderous people that will not spare a moment thought of killing you. Woman or child, they are all the same in there. Its either killed or be killed, survival for the fittest. That

night me, Ramius, Dylan and Tiberius gathered together by a camp fire and sat the night away. Hey Tyreal is it true what they say about the wild men, that some of them are cannibals? I dont know anyways it is just an old story our parents would tell to scare us. Besides their just criminals, well cut them down easily. Do not underestimate them Tyreal for you forget that not just the men but the women and children are murderers as well. If given the chance they will kill you. We will have to face them as well, are you prepared to kill them too. If you do not make the first move, you will die. Women or children they will spare no mercy when it comes to defending their home. Make no mistake they are our enemy, if they engage us we will fight back despite who our enemy maybe. That is true Dylan but can you really come to your senses and strike against a child? If I do not then they will. It will be the hardest mission we will ever have to face. Many will perish from tomorrows battle. Its best to just stay focus on the objective alright. Dylan is right, these people are no different the orcs. Do not think too much of it. Come let us all get some sleep now. We will need the rest. Alright Tiberius well I guess Im going to bed now. Good night everyone, sleep well. You to Tyreal, well I guess Ill be sleeping now as well. See you guys tomorrow in the morning. Get some sleep alright Dylan and the same goes to you Ramius. Yes mother. Tiberius left for his tent. I left shortly after that but didnt really leave at the same time. I felt as though there was something bothering Ramius and Dylan during our conversation so I hid myself behind a shadow of a tent near the campfire. Ramius Huh? What is it Dylan. Do you feel it? Excuse me? Do you feel as though we are being watched?

So I guess Im not the only one then. Well then we should still get some rest. Tomorrow is another bloody day Dylan. The following day we packed our camp and we were about to set out into the valley. Before we did, Field Marshal Ezekiel reminded the troops what war meant how it will destroy lives if one should partake in it. Gentlemen, I know how you feel about having to fight our enemy. As you were all probably informed by your superiors, you know that your enemy are not only men but women as well and possibly children too. Understand this, these people are fugitives and an order had been passed for their execution. Do not hold back against them or they will take your life. They are only still here today because we let them and if they get in our way today they will face the consequences. This is war gentlemen, remember that. If they dare strike at you, then you will put them down. Remember your training and God speed. Like a lion, our fearless marshal led his troops into the valley. We had marched for about an hour or so until we had made our first contact with the wild men. As we were marching, three large groups of wild men possibly the size of companies came charging towards us. No archers, just men with blunt swords and axes. Some of them barely wore any armour but those that did wore light armour. Most of their armour was either made out of leather or many pieces of small metal rings linked together to form a mesh or in other words these nomads were also equipped with chain mail. This was the first of many confrontations to come. Responding quickly to the situation, Ezekiel ordered the 17th, 18th and 19th longbow archer companies to open fire upon the enemy. Instantly many fell and those that finally crossed blades with the infantry were cut down almost instantly. The first wave of enemy troops did not have any women or children in it. Therefore this victory increased the mens morale however it will soon plummet in the next few battles to come. Alright we defeated them. That was not hard, did you see that. They dont stand a chance. Thats enough soldier, do not get carried away or you will live to regret it. Yes Captain Tyreal, my apologies. Young men that join wars only to kill others in believe that their doing the right thing. They believe to fight for their country is the right thing to do because it is their leaders who tell them this is the way. However what if it is not? What then, do we just abandon our fellow men and run away because what we believe is different? I was made captain of my own company and as such I have the power to make my own decisions even if it meant to abandon my mission in order to save my company. During the time I spent crossing through the valley, I witnessed the brutality of war.

The first attack by the wild men was quickly defeated but soon after they were defeated we were once more engage in another battle. This time they had more numbers and it seemed they were better equipped. This time they brought archers and better weaponry to battle. Weapons such as the curved and light scimitar however theirs were blunt and the destructive mace were used favourably by them. Once again we were on defence. Our archers opened fire first since they were using longbows which meant we had longer range to our advantage. As though our first encounter had happened again, the same fate awaited these people. That battle was quickly won as well only because they were not organised and that they rushed in to quickly. Before we finally reached the centre of the valley, we were faced with many obstacles. This valley is surrounded by a dense forest in which time to time the valley can be engulfed in mist. The nomads used this to gain the upper hand. Field Marshal Ezekiel, theres a thick mist up a head. I do not think it is wise if we were to move into it. You are right Tiberius, nevertheless this mist is coming towards us. Order the men to halt and to stand our ground. Tell the men to expect an ambush at any time. Lets see what trickery they have for us this time. When the mist had completely engulfed us, my heart beat was beating at a fast rate. I was fearful because I could not see my opponents in such a mist. It was like my first battle back in my village. This was probably what you call a fog of war. Then it happened, in a blink of an eye many of the infantry were suddenly shot by arrows that just appeared out of no where. We had our shields up so this reduced the fatalities. We maybe blind but we were not death. After the first attack by their archers, we heard multiple footsteps in a face pace coming towards us. We knew then they were charging in and we knew which direction they were coming from. We stood our ground in close quarters and applied whatever our training taught us. Within seconds we were fighting the enemy that seemed to be everywhere. It was hard to tell who were a friend and a foe because of the mist you only knew once they were close to your face and if it was your enemy it could be too late by then. As I was fighting I saw an opaque image in the distance. Instinct told me it was a foe but when I brought my sword down on him, he suddenly turned at blocked my attack. When the mist cleared between us I had realised I nearly killed my own sergeant. Oh sergeant it is you. My apologies I thought you were the enemy. Its alright sir, I get that a lot. Then without me noticing, someone had been charging towards me with a killer instinct. Sir watch your back! Immediately I turned and blocked my opponents strike and gave a counterattack which had killed my foe. When I first joined the army, taking someones life wasnt easy and it was not just because of moral issues. As time passed by, my skills just kept improving that even a simple defend and counterattack strategy from my sword could end a careless opponent. Killing was done with such great effectiveness that it has become a reflex action to me. When the mist cleared, my eyes widen for I had realised whose life I had just taken. It

was a womans life. I froze by the sight of my own doing. All this long I had only been taking the lives of orcs and corrupted men but never a woman. Then a thought occurred to me, were my previous kills all women and possibly children. I could not tell as I had already killed so many so quickly. Growing up in the farm, my father thought me moral values such respect your elders and also to never harm a woman. Such values had led me to think whether my actions had caused me great sin. I just froze thinking about it which nearly led to my own grave. As I stood there staring blankly into space, a man wielding an axe took the opportunity to slay me from behind but his chance was cut short. As he charged in full battle spirit towards motionless me, Dylan had shot an arrow into his skull before he could even swing his axe. Tyreal wake up, you know we were going to face such a situation. If you do not kill them then they will. We cannot afford to lose another officer now pull yourself together. His short speech was later followed by two slaps to the face. I guess I needed it. Dylan was right, these were our enemies and they chose to fight us. As such we will defend ourselves accordingly. Woman or child, if they strike at us then they will pay the price. When the battle ended we had finally reached the centre of the valley and set up camp by nightfall. That night I kept thinking, why did the women get involved in the last battle? Cant they just let the men handle it? Then I understood, this is their home and we were trespassing. They were just trying to defend their own home. Somehow I knew the road ahead was going to be a lot more difficult tomorrow. Chapter 11 Even when we were asleep in the night trying to recuperate from our wounds, they had shown no mercy towards us. Even at night they continued to attack us. A good tactic but a dirty one, to fight your enemy when they were least prepared is dishonourable. However these are wild men, should not be expecting much honour in them anyways. Without a doubt their attack was a surprise to us all and they killed many of our comrades but they should not judge us so quickly. We were not weak as we appear to be. That night they attacked us but they did not send as many soldiers as they did during the day. This was their flaw and because of that they were defeated after we had regrouped and made our counterattack. When day break came we were no longer confused over yesterdays strike. Now we were more infuriated with them. That was the last time we were going to be pushed by them. It was time to take the fight to them. The marshal assigned scouts to gather intelligence of their camp sites and outposts. Some had failed to return. They were presumed either dead or captured. To rescue them would put the entire force at risk. Those missing in action knew the risk when they accepted the mission. Those that did return delivered us valuable information. They had three camps which had been discovered by our spies however we were more interested in one of their camps. This camp which was closest the exit of the valley was the biggest among the three. This camp was more like their military installation. They had tall palisade walls covering their camp

and on top of that they had a lot of soldiers positioned there. Even then they had women and children living there as well. Our commander wanted to deliver the most damage he could to these savages to avenge our fallen comrades however to attack a place which holds women and children will need more caution. We did not want to recklessly to slaughter away women and children just because they were the enemy. A life is still a life and should be valued no matter where they come from which was why our marshal had ordered the men not to attack the unarmed. Our mission was to crush their military installation. All unarmed or wounded were to be left alone. It was a tricky mission but it delivered a message to them that they do not rule over the land. It is the king of Aesir who rules all of Aesir. They have only been surviving in that valley because until now they had been stubborn in accepting total defeat. It was time to crush our enemies with an iron fist. Within half an hour the troops assembled themselves and were combat ready. When we arrived at their encampment they were already prepared for our confrontation. News travels fast of our whereabouts. We had positioned ourselves in front of their gate where we set up our catapults and prepared our battle ladders. To make the siege of their encampment more effective, we brought down a giant red wood tree and turned its trunk into a ram. By noon all was prepared. Longbow men flamed their arrows and took their positions. The infantry who were on standby with the battle ladders were praying hard that they make it out alive through this battle. Everyone was fuelled with anticipation to win this battle. Then the desired moment came when Ezekiel drew his sword to signify the attack over the encampment. Archers from three companies fired their fire arrows over the encampment. It did not take long before a fire started and spread fast it did in their camp. To cause more destruction within the first few minutes, the catapults launched flamed oil pots to their walls. Over and over again the archers and catapults fired into their camp but our infantry were still placed on standby. Tyreal, why wont the commander order us to make the charge? We are more then ready to lay waste to these fools. What are we waiting for? We have not been given the order to charge. Im sure the commander has a plan laid out for us. We are meant to await his signal. If you have noticed, most of the infantry are placed in front of the gate. The marshal must have a plan for us or perhaps he is waiting for something to happen. Be patient Ramius, our time will come. All of a sudden they opened their gate. This was our grand opportunity to breach their camp. Instantly Ezekiel gave his order to storm in. Thats it. This is the time we have been waiting for. Everyone, charge into battle! When their gate opened, their troops had also carried out a charge towards us just as we charged towards them. It was a face off. Within seconds both forces clashed and a bloody battle took place beneath their gate. Petty thieves to murderers were no match for

skilled veteran soldiers. Me and Ramius had led the front of the assault and within half an hour we had manage to secure their main gate. Their walls were easily taken by our soldiers with the use of our battle ladders since most of the damage had already been done by the archers and the catapults. On top of that they had even withdrawn their men from the walls to further defend their gate. This gave us a higher possibility to achieving a quick victory. Their defence finally broke and we were in their encampment causing havoc and destruction but we remembered our objectives. We were there to remove their military installation and nothing more. Houses and anything not related to military were left intact and by late evening we were already out of the valley. We had passed through the Valley of Merlidia and after that we had to cross through Draktol Pass. It took us two days to get to Draktol Pass and in between those days I, Dylan and a team of five other soldiers were assigned to scout ahead of the army. That way we were able to report any hostiles in the area back to the army and Field Marshal Ezekiel. As intelligent as the plan may be, it came with a price and that was the scouting party. If the scouting party did indeed discovered the location of an enemy, that party was still under risk of being caught and if so they were most likely to be tortured or worse executed. If indeed a scouting party is caught then all their information of whatever they saw would have been wasted and this would help bring the downfall of the main force of any army. This is such for two reasons, the first is because the information gathered by the scouts will not be able to be received by their superiors and secondly the captured scouts who most likely will be tortured till death would have revealed the location and information of their army to the enemy in act of desperation. Despite the risk of being a scout, I had my orders and my role was vital for the welfare of my fellow men. Therefore my success in that mission was also important. My scouting parting was given half a day to travel ahead of the army. Until the time we returned, we had to survive on our own without the aid of the main force. When we left, I remembered praying once more knowing that that mission could be my last. Chapter 12 We set of as planned ahead of the army. Our orders were to scout the opening of Draktol Pass. Halfway there we decided to rest our feet as it had been a long day of walking. We made a small camp fire by the edge of hill that over looked a vast open barren land. Where we pitched our camp is always important. One just does not set up camp wherever he likes because if your enemy is able to locate your position so easily then that could prove trouble. Apart from being able to stay hidden, a campsite should also be able to have a great view over vast terrain. That way if indeed an enemy discovered the location of your encampment, one would be able to locate the intruder and prepare a counterattack. For our case we could see the entire barren plain because of the location of our camp which had been a flat hill top and further more our camp site was set up behind a covering of wild shrubbery.

As we were resting our feet, something was passing through the barren plain. It had caught Dylans eye the moment it entered his view of sight. Tyreal get over here. Look, northeast of our position. Do you see it? Dylan then passed me his telescope. Goblins...a company of them, theres even an ox caravan behind them. What are the goblins doing this far out from their territory? I thought their homeland is in Dreadyell, so what are they doing here and so close into Tyrania? Should we pursue them Tyreal? Why do you intent to hunt them? Yes Im sure you would love that. You would hunt just about anything. Alright everyone listen up, we will follow them for the time being and see what they are up to? Goblins are famous for their nature to be cunning and mischievous creatures and humans are unfortunately curious creatures. When nightfall came we packed our camp and descended from the hill top. We moved closer to their caravan after they had set up camp for the night. In the cover of darkness we closed in on them. We got close enough to be able to eavesdrop on their conversations. The closer we got the more danger we were in. Lenaz, why do we have to travel all this way for? Do you not know where we are? Shut up Grimfrowl, I know where we are but we have business with the Bladeslay clan. That chieftain of theirs is interested in our goods. Plus we were even paid in advance for our services. So enough with your worthless complains and get the others ready. Get the others ready? Dylan, do you think they plan to move out? Perhaps but I think it is time for us to leave. Agreed Just as we were about to leave we were unfortunately discovered by them. Instantly we were ambushed and knocked out. When I woke up my head felt as though it had went through hell and back. It felt as though I had a nightmare but when I woke up I realised I was still in one. I had discovered that last night we had been caught and the result of that made us prisoners. Our hands and feet were tied together. Dylan and I had been separated from the rest of our group. The goblins did not want us to be giving ideas to them. Then one of the goblins came up to us. On his body had many scars, there were some left not fully healed. As he approached closer to us, he had with him a wicked grin which troubled me. What sinister trick did he have for us I wondered? Mostly likely

torture but how was my question? I only hope the message that I sent before this reached to the Marshal on time. Sir we just got a message from Captain Tyreal. It says he has located a goblin caravan at the barren plains and is attempting to pursue it. Next message will be sent the following evening. A goblin caravan this far out, this is indeed interesting news. Why I wonder anyways is that the entire message reads? Yes sir. I see then Tiberius write a reply to Tyreal and tell him we will await further news from you. At once Field Marshal The goblin with multiple scars all over his body or as I like to call him Scary picked up Dylan and placed him in the middle of their campsite. In front of everyone, in front of his own men he was tortured to speak but he was defiant. No matter how many times you lay a punch on him, he would never speak. Speak fool! Tell me who sent you? not in this life time you freak of nature Arent you a brave one? Why do you smile human, does torture amuse you? HehWhen this is over, I will put an arrow into your putrid face. You shall pay for that insult. Just as Dylan failed to answer his enemy he was once more punched in the stomach. The blow was so great that blood slowly spilled out of his mouth. Just as he was about to get another hit, the other goblin with an eye-patch over his left eye stopped him. Enough Grimfrowl, this is one that will not be intimidated by force. You need twist him first. Allow me to demonstrate. The next few moments someone was murdered in cold blood. The other goblin known as Lenaz to others came around one of my men who had been battered just recently all for the sake of amusement. He came round behind him and placed the tip of his poleaxe on one of my fellow mans next. Now you shall see how your failure in answering the question will cost your friends life. He raised his long axe like weapon on a pole slightly higher to get some momentum and instantly he thrust the sharp spiky end that stands out of the pole axe

through my soldiers neck. The eyes of that soldier or better known as Erwin were as lifeless as his beaten body. The poor soul did not even have the chance to make his last scream as his vocal cords were ruptured when the poleaxe went down on him. The life of a worthy human had been taken away by the evils of the world in cold blood. This is the risk that anyone will face when one goes on a mission like this. Life is precious and can so easily be taken away. Now do you intend to speak or should I twist you some more. Oh I think I should you seem to have a lot of fire left in you. Well you wont be so brave soon enough. Just as he was about to execute another one of my fellow man, suddenly a thunderous rumble was gradually increasing minute by minute. What is itwhat is going on? Lenaz the orcs caught up with us. Orc riders are charging towards us. Pack up everything quickly. We need to leave now. There is no time. We must stand and fight. Curse these pigs! They are just as bad as these pig skinned humans. Within the next few minutes the orcs on their giant wild hogs charged through the goblin campsite and massacred every single goblin. All accept me, Dylan and the remainder of my team were left unharmed. The goblins did not even stand a chance against the orcs for they were greatly outmatched. Then the most unexpected thing happened. I would never imagine that of all things these orcs would do, they would actually cut us free. The ropes that tied both hands and feet had been cut free by them. Have we been savedby the orcs? Chapter 13 The six of us gathered in the middle of the newly constructed camp which had been set up by the orcs. We were once captives of the goblins and all of a sudden we were saved by orcs, a popular enemy that all humans hate. I should have been feeling relieved knowing that we were rescued but the fact that we were rescued by the orcs, my mind wondered if we had become prisoners of the orcs. In the middle of their camp we gathered in front of their leader who was apparently an ogre wearing his traditional war costume of animal skin, feathers and a belt that holds the skulls of his past adversaries. Then their leader had a look in him as though he had come to a decision. Who among you is your leader? That would be me; I am Captain Tyreal of the Viridian Army.

Tell me captain, why were you and your men captured by the goblins? We are curious of what business they had here? You humans never learn to stay out of others affair. Now look where it has gotten you. Grom, get them some food. What? You mean you rather not have us killed? You are not my enemy and therefore you are not my prisoners which makes you guest in my presence. At that very moment my entire view over orcs had been changed by this particular ogre who had been known as Thrall the Conqueror, Warlord of the Uzal clan. As time passed I had come to learn of Thralls purpose for hunting down the goblins. A few weeks before our encounter with the goblins, a fishing village that was under the lands of his clan had been plundered by the same goblins. To avenge the deaths of his fallen followers, Thrall himself led his warriors into hunting down the offenders. Through out his journeys in search of the goblins, Thrall had witnessed many battles between other orc tribes and humans. The war he noticed had been intensifying. He was unsure as to why the orcs had become so interested in invading human territories. Orcs were known to be protective over their lands but for an orc to go invading into other countries is just not in their nature. What tempted them to leave their home and to cause an on going war with the humans and its allies? While helping ourselves to some mushroom soup which the orcs had prepared, something extremely large had caught my eye. Dylan take a look at that, its huge. Have you ever seen a sword that big before? Its larger then my arming broadsword. That must be what you call a claymore. Ramius once told me that the claymore is the largest sword ever to be forge which is why there arent many of its type. Why is that? Because not all humans can hold it. This sword is more favoured to the orcs and ogres who are able to wield it with a single hand. To the orcs the claymore is a symbol of power. Any orc or ogre that wields such a weapon shows that that particular orc has a higher status then most orcs. If a human wields one, he could perhaps bring down a horseman off his horse. All was calm as we sat around the camp fire under the watchful eye of the orcs but then one of Thralls subordinates made a startling discovery. Thrall you need to see this. What is it Grom?

We found these barrels that the goblins kept in their ox wagons. Look inside these barrels. Dont they look like explosives? I came up to see the explosives myself, then I realised that it was the same explosives that the orcs were using during the battle of Hollowwick. Then I remembered one of the goblins that we were spying on. That goblin had dealings with the Bladeslay clan, one of the three clans under the orcs. It was made clear that the goblins were supplying the orcs explosives in their battles. Warlord Thrall, Viridian cavalry are charging towards us. They have their phalanx down. What, hurry and go prepare the warriors. Get ready for a counterattack. Tyreal take a look, its Ezekiel. He is leading the charge. Your right Dylan, oh my God I have to stop them. Instantly I went up to one of the war hogs and rode towards my allies. As I rode toward them I kept throwing my voice at them, telling them to halt their advance. Field Marshal I think my eyes are playing tricks on me but I think I see Captain Tyreal on a war hog? That fool, halt the advance! When the charge had been halted, I was placed directly in between two sides of the plain. On one side were Ezekiels cavalry and on the other side were orc pikemen. There had been silence in the air. Both sides were just waiting for one of them to make the first move. Field Marshal Ezekiel please you need stop this advance. They are not our enemies. Have you gone blind captain? Do you not know who are behind you? I understand sir but please let me explain. My squad had been captured by the goblins that we were spying on but it was these orcs that came to our aid. There is more to this war that we do not know of sir. Please sir, have the men on standby. It is not worth fighting today. Very well then, I will take your word captain since you are so determined. However if this is an act of treason I must warn you, you will face death. Hurry and return to camp. We have horses prepared for you. By late evening we had returned back to camp and by then scouts had reported that Thrall and his warriors were heading back to Adarkis, motherland to all orcs and orges.

Wait, wait, and let me get this straight. First you were captured by goblins and then you guys were saved by the orcs. My you really do have an interesting life dont you Tyreal? Shut up Ramius The next morning the army set out for Draktol Pass. Draktol Pass is actually a narrow ravine that goes through the mountains which separates the border between human and orc territory. Due to the narrowness of the ravine the army had travel in a tight formation and transporting vital supplies in wagons through the ravine was hardly possible. The path was rough and rocky. In the end we carried most of the supplies on our backs rather then having it transported by wagons. The road may had been difficult but even every road needs have an end and by the time we reached the end of Draktol Pass we were one step closer to reaching Viridian. We travelled a little further and sure enough we could see the vast Andromeda Sea. The only way to cross it is by ship. Well actually that is the only short way of crossing it. The other way is to go through several orc and goblin territories and other unknown areas which would take close to a month to travel. Indeed most people would say travelling by ship is the only way because who in the right mind would want to venture into hostile lands all for the sake of crossing some vast ocean. Gentlemen we are now in the lands of Tyrania. There is a nearby port. I was told Admiral Vardan and his fleet will be there to greet us at the port and to bring us to Viridian. We have travelled far but rest assured we are nearly there. Im sure the folks of the port will be astonished to greet us. What Field Marshal Ezekiel said was partly true. We were getting closer to the port however when we got there the people were not all welcomed to see us. When we arrived at the port, we discovered the port was turned into a fiery ruin. Chapter 14 Half of what originally was the port had been burned down by pirates. The pirates or better known as the Kraken Marauders plundered the port a few days back and their recent attack on the port had been yesterday. The dock master informed us their first attack took them completely by surprise. It started with just a large group of merchants that had just docked their ship in. Then without anyones attention they had manage to place themselves in their designated positions. Then as if all hell had broke out, the barracks which was where the port guards stayed had exploded mysteriously. By that time the pirates were already made known but the port guards were powerless in stopping them. The first wave of pirates had even put several of the coastal defence towers out of commission. With that out of their way they were able deploy more pirates from their other ships that had been waiting all the while. Their latest attack was swift and fast. This time tactics were not required because the defences had already been brought down in the previous attack. Rumours had it that the port would be plundered another time. The rumour was true but these pirates had no idea what was about to befall on them.

From the reports I have with me, it would appear that the pirates had only enough time to raid the first four storage yards. There are still another four still untouched. Our spies have returned from their mission and from their reports the pirates have regrouped their forces and are getting ready for another assault on the port. Our objective is simple. Prevent the pirates from raiding these four storage yards. Alright men you are dismissed. Tyreal the reports also stated that the enemy is sending a force that is bigger then ours. Do you really think we can defend this port? We must Ramius for this port is brings in supplies for the men in the frontlines and I will not repeat the same massacre that took place in Hollowwick. We will defend this place with our lives even if it cost ours. Can I say something to you as a friend? What is it? You just do not know when to quit do you? If you keep fighting battles like these then you are going to get yourself killed and perhaps you will bring the rest of us down with you. Did you consider that we would like to live another day as well but I suppose there is no other way to avoid this battle now anyway. I will see to the preparations are being carried out as instructed. Ramius trust me on this. Night had come and the wind brought in a cold breeze as though death was coming. The fog was so thick it was even hard to see the street lamps. My company had been assigned to defend four storage yards. A task which I felt may have been a little over my head but I had to prevent these pirates from raiding this port and stealing vital supplies. Field Marshal the companies are ready and civilians have been safely escorted out of the port. Excellent work Tiberius now we just have to wait for their assault. I hope Vardan gets here quickly. I agree sir but Quiet! Listen do you hear that? It sounded like cannon fire! Out of the blue the pirates unleashed a barrage of cannon fire into the port. The entire night was filled with the thunderous sound of cannon fire from the corsair ships that were favoured by the pirates. Continuous bombardment levelled the port even as they

were making their way into port. Their first wave had been annihilated for they were caught by surprise. I guess the Kraken Marauders were not expecting us to be there that night however they quickly learned of our arrival and adapted to the new changes. They were then at their best when their second wave arrived. On their second advancement, they were quick to capture the beach head and place mortars along the beach. This artillery like weapon that fires explosive projectiles into the air was used with great effectives. These mortars would fire these projectiles through the use of gun powder. Depending on how much gun powder is used, the projectile will eventually come falling down on its target and release a deadly explosion. Tyreal the pirates have slip through Isaacs defensive line. So the pirates have manage to overwhelm the major, I guess their coming for us now. I hope your ready Ramius because there is no turning back now. Like I would leave and let you have all the glory. Only in dreams my friend, Im staying till the very end. Glad to here it, time to have fun again. For Glory! Soon after the pirates had passed through Major Isaacs company, it was then our time to face them. Initially the fight with them started of easy but they just kept coming. On top of that their ships were also pounding on our side of the port. That just made things even harder to fight. Not only did I had to worry about pirates swinging their machetes at me but also falling debris. Tyreal they are everywhere. We cannot keep up with them. We are being spread to thin. Hurry and regroup the men. We must hold this place Ramius despite the cost. Our numbers were soon being cut down rapidly as they stormed in. I started doubting that I would survive through the night. Captain Dylan there are simply too many of them. We are being over run. We need to retreat sir. If you run now I will personally put this arrow into your head. We will hold our position. Is that clear sergeant? Forgive me sir. Just as we were nearly obliterated by the enemy, the heavens above granted us hope once more. From the direction we took to enter the port itself, alliance troops from Florencia were on their way to our location. From then on I knew I had to keep on fighting. Just had to survive for just another couple more minutes before helped arrived. Lord Conrad has come to aid us. We are saved.

Do not get too happy just yet soldier for we are not out of this mess yet but what are they doing here not that Im complaining? Well I heard from Sergeant Morgan that Lord Conrad is here to give assistance to the soldiers in Tyrania. I see, hang on what is happening with Tyreals company? Their numbers are dropping and their being spread to thin. You soldier tell me the situation of Captain Tyreals company. Yes Lieutenant Tiberius, well we just received news from one of his men that Captain Tyreal is alone and fighting by himself. How did that happened? Hang on Tyreal Im on my way. But sir he is at the far side of the port. Where are you going sir? Hang on Tyreal, you must. The pirates had overwhelmed my position. I once had a company of veteran soldiers but the pirates made it into a squad and now I have been separated from my men. Cornered to one of the storage yards side wall, I stood all alone fighting for my life. Alone and had to face ten or more pirates by myself. I could had probably tackled on two or three, five at most but ten. Only an immortal could pull it of and I could count only ten but Im sure there were more of them coming. Ten of them made a semicircle around me, cutting off all possibilities of escape. Their squad leader of the ten had plans on toying with me so he ordered two of his murderous fools to challenge with me. Fools they were because I had my sword went through their chests in a blink of an eye. This made their squad leader on edge so he sent five of his pirates after me and as expected more pirates joined in to see my death. By that time fatigue was beginning to overwhelm me. My sword felt heavy and lifting a kite shape shield would only meant my death would be a lot quicker and so I dropped it. That night would have been my end but then two of the pirates from the back row mysteriously collapsed. The semicircle that had formed around me broke out of shape and then I realised what had been the caused of it. Ramius the double wielding swordsman had come to my aid and always at the last second. Captain dont you die on me now. I just got here so hold on a little more. Dont worry Ill save you. Moments later the semicircle had been reformed around me once more. Only this time Ramius was in it and more of those marauders were around us. Did you not say you were going to save me? Look I am just one man anyways your not alone now.

Great so I get to die with you. Oh stop being so negative. Their notorious squad leader of the pirates around us personally wanted to carry out our execution. He grabbed a crossbow from one of his men and pointed it at me. How nice of him to think of me first. If I had a crossbow then I would have done the same to him as well. His finger was already on the trigger. No where to run and no chance of dodging it. I closed my eyes just once and when I opened them again, their squad leader had an arrow in his head. As he fell backwards, Dylan jumped of from a balcony above us. When he had landed he had fired another two more shots at the pirates with his composite bow, a bow much smaller then a longbow but has the ability to fire with great force at a distance of 150 yards and perhaps even further then that. What do you say Ramius, we take them on one more time? Why not, lets end this and Dylan impressive shot. That shot was nothing. Thats great Dylan now how about a little covering fire alright. With our spirits rekindled, Ramius and I charged into them while the marauders were still in confusion and at the same time Dylan fired arrows into the enemys head. Now the fight seemed balanced regardless of being outnumbered two to one. As we were slashing them down, out of the blue five more marauders charged into our fight as well but then something extraordinary took place. Tiberius came charging in from a different direction and sent all five of the marauders flying with few swings of his broad axe. With the four of us together the remaining pirates had their morale badly shaken and without a thought they chose a wise move, they fled from battle. Sorry for the late arrival guys. You would not believe how many of them there were. Oh we believe you Tiberius. Good to have you with us, now lets finish of the rest of them. With pleasure Tyreal Just like old times eh guys, come on Dylan the fun isnt over yet. I hope you can keep up Ramius. Oh its like that now. Alright I accept your challenge. Dont be too surprise if I kill more then you.

You can try. Shortly after that Conrads forces had finally came to our aid and with their arrival we were able to push back the enemy forces back to their ships. Unfortunately for them Admiral Vardan and his fleet had also finally arrived from Viridian. His fleet had managed to sink most of marauders fleet causing the surrender of the pirates that were already ashore to be a lot quicker. When the sun rose once more the battle was already over. The sea was calm again and repairs to the port were taking place. Field Marshal Ezekiel had an army of veteran soldiers when he was in Hollowwick but after the battle with the infamous Kraken Marauders, all the great marshal had was just a battalion of exhausted and wounded soldiers. Perhaps a company or more were actually battle ready. Once preparations were completed, we boarded the ships that would bring us to the Kingdom of Viridian but before that Dylan and Ramius went to what was the tavern of the port to settle a little argument. Well, well Dylan it is time to see who got the most kills. I hope you are prepared for the shock of your life. I the great Ramius of Double Blade had thirty kills. Shocking isnt it? Oh Im sorry were you done already? Alright then I only had thirty one kills. I guess that makes me the victor of this bet. I cant believe I lost by one. However you are right about one thing, it is indeed shocking. You actually manage to get thirty kills, very impressive. I despise you Dylan really I do. Chapter 15 The journey from the port to Viridian would take at least five days and it was within that time I made more discoveries of our baffling word. My first startling discovery while at sea was about Tiberius. Tyreal did you remember Tiberius telling us about the nobleman that gave him shelter when he was younger? Yes he has mentioned it to me before, what of it? That nobleman he was talking about is actually Field Marshal Ezekiel. Are you serious, how did you find out about this? I was just walking along the deck when I over heard Tiberius and the marshal talking about their past. I suppose it makes sense as to why he and the marshal can get along so well.

Hey its Dylan, let us ask him and see if he knows about this. We walked up to Dylan who was at that time feeling a little seasick. I assumed Dylan did not enjoy travelling over water. Dylan, how are you? Oh sorry wrong question to ask, anyways did you know that Tiberius once lived with the Marshal? Yes I know, Tiberius told it to me himself. Now if you two would please step aside. Right after that poor Dylan ran to the other side of the deck to throw up his lunch he just had. What a pity for a man who has faced many perils in life to be at his weakest on the high seas. On the third day misfortune struck us again. High waves slammed the ships that bravely sailed their way through and at the same time thunderstorms and dark clouds made visible blurry for our captain to sail and with that it was also hard to recognise the other ships from the fleet. Lives were lost at sea as some had been thrown over board. As our ship tried to push on, a stroke of lighting had hit the mast of the ship which had caused the tip of the mast to break. As the heavy mast collapsed I was trying to get below deck however I slipped and fell hard on the deck. Everything went blank after that. When I woke up the storm was over but we were no longer at sea. I woke up discovering myself on our ship that had beached itself on an unknown island. Tiberius, Dylan, Ramius and the marshal were safe as well and thankfully the ship could still sail on to Viridian. However due to the damage on its hull it received during the storm, repairs were needed and that took time. Listen up everyone, the captain has just informed me that repairs to the ship can only commence once they have acquired the sap from a certain tree trunk. This sap will act as strong glue. They will need at least three buckets of this sap. Tiberius get five men assigned for this job while Tyreal, Ramius and Dylan, I want you to take ten soldiers and scout this place. See what you can find out about this island. If you locate any hostiles do not engage. Report back if you do see any hostiles. After receiving our orders from the marshal, Ramius, Dylan and I along with ten other foot soldiers made our way into the islands jungle. Thick shrubs and undergrowth had made the track difficult for us to venture. While tracking we came across a cave that had torches placed along the side of the interior cave wall. That could have only meant one thing, we were not alone. Cautiously we entered the cave and made our way through until we came across another cave opening that had led us to the other side of the island. At first we could hear seagulls and sounds of pounding waters on the coastline and then we could see the wide open sea when we made our way out of the cave. Before we continued scouting ahead, Dylan scanned through the island picking a path for us to continue on our track. Then north east of our location, Dylan points to one part of the island where black smoke was rising into the air. We then decided to unearth the mystery of this island and its inhabitants. Who was living on the island, were they friendly or foe? As we approached closer to the smoke, up ahead we heard numerous voices. One had sounded like a human, another like a goblin and sadly one had also sounded like an orc.

When we finally got to the location of smoke, we became conscious that this was not a camp fire which we originally thought it was. In fact it was more like a gathering point. Our ears were not playing tricks on us. We then hid ourselves in the wild bushes and at the same time had a great view of our surroundings. The area was filled with pirates from the Kraken Marauders, goblins and orcs. Most of them seemed to be busy with setting up camp and while others were unloading crates from a different location, at that time I could only assume they had ships as well. However out of all of them, one member from each faction of the group gathered in one part of the camp. Arguments and foul words were being thrown all over the place. We could not hear much so we decided to move closer to them which could have been our biggest mistake. Felkin you and your goblins had promised us explosives for us but why is it we received less of your supply this time. Its a pity great Warlord of the Bladeslay clan. I would have given a full supply however a particular orc clan did not secure Draktol Pass and on top of that our pirate friend here failed to capture that port in Tyrania as he was supposed to. To hell with you wretched goblins, I nearly had the port but there were too many alliance forces. Admit it you could not handle such a task. What an embarrassment for the Captain of the Kraken Marauders. Vile creature I will remove your grin with my blade and thats admiral! Shut up the both of you! Even though we failed to capture that port, there are still other ways of invading Viridian. We will continue our invasion of Viridian as planned. King Lucian is not happy with our efforts to win this war. As his allies we must prove to him that we are worthy to annihilate the humans. The invasion would have been a lot smoother if a certain someone had captured that port. Now we have to walk to Viridian. Well Ill be sure not to slip up the next operation and look who is talking? You failed to deliver the full supply of explosives to the orcs. I heard the orcs had trouble seizing a fort in Viridian because their supply of explosives never came. I said shut up to the two of you! Go to your men and get ready. King Lucian is already on his way to Viridian. Tyreal I think it is about time we left this place. Yes Ramius weve heard enough but who is this King Lucian? Ask later, leave now.

Just as we were about to return back to the ship, sounds of broken twigs and dry leaves that brushes over one another were heard close by. Fear had run through my whole body as I knew in a matter of seconds the enemy would have known our concealed location. Out of the bushes from where the noise had been coming from, two arms stretched out as if trying to pull the body out of a tight corner. Then a head finally emerged and unfortunately it had to be a marauder sailor. Both our faces stared at one another for a few seconds as our eyes were fixed on another. On his torso he had a horn which his right hand was inching closer and closer to grab. Then in a blink of an eye Dylan took an arrow and fired it into the marauders chest just as the marauder was about to rush for his horn however the pirate did not die silently. He collapsed to the ground screaming his head off. If you cannot use man made equipment then use what God gave you. With that unnecessary scream all of the pirates, orcs and goblins on the island were alerted of our presence and because of such we ran for our lives. I was captured by the enemy once and I was not just about ready to be captured a second time. As we ran back into the cave we could hear all sorts of yelling that echoed of the walls of the cave and finally we made it out to the beach where the ship had been waiting for us. Repairs were completed and it was ready to depart. We ran as fast as our two feet would takes us to the ship that was drawing closer to us but sadly at the same time our opposition that wanted us dead were following closely behind as well. When the captain had realised that we were sharing the island with marauders, he immediately ordered all hands to set sail. When we finally reached the ship we were tossed ropes to grab on to and climbed back into a ship that was already in motion and heading back to the sea. We later rejoined the fleet which had anchored itself not far of from the island and by the following morning we were in Viridian. As our ship entered the port, I had a great view of the grand the city that was just bustling with people and other creatures such as elves and dwarves that were living their lives in peace and harmony. Even though the war rages on the people that live here were not disturbed by the horrors of war. When I set foot on to the dock I saw a young boy who was with his father. They were simple city folk but the boy had an expression on his face which reminded me that I was once in his shoes. Then I had understood what I was really fighting for. At first I thought I was fighting to seek revenge for the murderers that took my brothers lives away but as time passed by I understood my true purpose of being a soldier. I understood why my brothers had sacrificed everything. They were fighting for the freedom of the innocent people and just like them I will keep on fighting so that the smile on that young boys face will never have to be taken away. Chapter 16 In five days a massive invasion on Viridian will commence. Legions of orcs will siege the citadel of Viridian and at the same time the seas that allowed merchants to bring in wealth into Viridian will be filled with dead bodies and half sunken ships. In five days, the Kraken Marauders will invade the great citadel by a massing a large naval assault

onto the ports. In five days, Viridian will be invaded by land and sea. The location for the final stand of the Adorean Alliance had been decided. Five days before the actual event, a grand meeting of Viridian officials and military officers gathered in the Hall of the Great Kings. The Hall of the Great Kings is not just a three story circular structure where annual summits are held but it is also a place where statues of past kings of Viridian are kept as well. This was where we servants of Viridian had come up with strategies to defend the great kingdom but the one who will approve of our actions is the ruler of the kingdom himself. It was King Furion who decided what course of action we would take. Officials who were in charge of state affairs and security of the kingdom were present while generals and other high ranking officers who were on a campaign to drive the orcs out of Viridian had returned for this very occasion. All plans for Viridian to invade Adarkis had to be put on hold for the orcs had made a dangerously bold move that cannot be overlooked. I myself had been given the honour of being present to the summit since the field marshal had invited me so. As I took my place in the large circular hall, the atmosphere was filled with arguments and debates that were heard all over the hall. Out of the officials and officers who were tensed of the current situation, King Furion was the only one who had been silent but then he suddenly raised his arm and pointed to Field Marshal Ezekiel who had just entered the hall. As his majesty called out his name the entire hall fell silent and the marshal was soon at the centre of everyones attention. Ezekiel my advisors have informed me that you had encountered orcs and pirates on an island on the Andromeda Sea. Is the report from what my advisors gave me true? Have the orcs and the Kraken Marauders allied themselves? Yes your highness it is true and it would appear that the elves maybe right about the dark elves. While on the island my scouts reported that King Lucian is also part of the invasion. So Lucian is also part of this but who is pulling all of the strings? I believe it is Lucian himself your highness. While I was stationed at the Port of Tyrania, I was met up with General Conrad. It was there I found out from him that the dark elves had been supplying the orcs with weapons and supplies. While he was proceeding with the campaign in Adarkis, his spies discovered weapons and food supply being delivered to the orc tribes by dark elves. On top of that Conrad himself noted seeing King Lucian discussing battle plans with one of the orc warlords. With that I believe it is proof the orcs had placed allegiance to the dark elves from the very beginning. However not all of the three orc clans follow Lucian your highness. The Uzal clan under the rule of Warlord Thrall has not allied themselves with the dark elves. I see nevertheless the problem still remains and now we know Lucian is behind this war. General Walter when will the alliance armies from our allies arrive at our castle?

Two days from now armies from Tyrania and Florencia will arrive in our castle whereas for Xarania and Aesir, their forces will only reach us the following day your highness. Alright in the mean time Ill leave it to you to prepare our defences for the upcoming battle. Everyone this one battle we cannot lose. If the enemy wins then the Adorean Alliance will crumble. It is this battle that will decide the outcome of this war. For the sake of peace we shall win, for the alliance, for Adorea! I remembered clearly as though it was yesterday how our king stood up and raised his sword as he delivered his inspiring speech. I remembered how we loyal followers of Viridian stood up with the king and cheered along with his highness. Soon after the assembly I was sent to the courtyard to see the training of new recruits that had just enlisted themselves into the army only two months ago. As I observed their training I realised that all of them were no where close to be ready for combat and yet even though they know that their first battle could mean their last, they still continued on their training with full spirit. As I was inspecting the recruits training, I had overheard a conversation between two recruits who were on temporally break. Roland, have you told your mother goodbye the last time you visited her? Yeah I did and she was crying her heart out too. Well I guess it cant be help. We are going to face the hardest battle of our lives and to think we will be in our first battle three months ahead of time. I know what you mean Joel. Our sergeant told us we would be in our training camps for five months and then we will be fit to be called soldiers but now we are sent to the frontlines three months ahead of time. Well it doesnt matter to me. I already know how to use the sword and I know how to use it well. That is all I need to know if Im going to be killing those monstrous orcs. So have you told your father goodbye as well? No, I will live through the entire war was what I told my old man. I plan to defend my home from the intruders till the very last breath I have in me and that is why I cannot die in this battle. If I am to defend my country for many years to come then I cannot and will not fall in this battle. Never in my life was I proud of my own fellow man as I was that day. I knew then that every man, woman and child would do their part to defend their home. It was in times of desperation where everyone grouped together and work as one despite their differences with one another. By the time my inspection of their training had been done, another day had come to past. Only four more days till the greatest battle of my life. Chapter 17

The following day I continued my duties over at the courtyard. The men had slightly improved from yesterdays mishaps but they still had a long way to go. While I was at the courtyard, Tiberius had been assisting the engineers and builders with the preparation for citadels defences. This included covering cracks in some areas of the citadel outer wall, reinforcing the sturdy wooden main gate and many other tasks needed to be done in preparation for the upcoming battle. Ramius on the other hand had been busy preparing himself for the battle ahead. He and a large number of the most skilled swordsmen in the country and other soldiers alike had been training hours after hours in the courtyard. Each passing hour they sharpen their skills as they had been given a specific duty which only they would stand a chance to pull of. Any other regular soldier would not last five minutes if they were given the same task as Ramius and his group of elites. His group of men were known from that day on as the Gryffindor Defenders, named after the name of the citadel. When on duty, Dylan would patrol along the walls of the castle to prevent assassins or spies from intruding the castle. However when he was off duty he did not waste another second resting. In the archery range was where I would usually find him firing countless arrows over and over again on a target made out of straw which by the end of his practise had looked like a pin cushion. For the time being there was peace in Viridian however the war still continued on other parts of Adorea. On the plains of Adarkis, civil war had erupted between the Gordok and the Uzal clan. As orcs battled against one another in furious combat, the sun had begun to set on Adorea marking the end of another day. The following day started of with a cold breeze in the morning that swept through the land. Winter was coming and at this time farmers would have harvested their crops to last through the bitter cold winter. In some parts of Adorea, snow had already begun to fall. Places like Xarania it is sometimes said that blizzards can last for a week or more. In Adorea the time of winter is about the same for most countries except for two nations, Elderis the land of the dark elves and Lycania the land of the dwarfs. For the dark elves and dwarfs, their thirteen months of winter for them would finally end as ours was about to begin. It was already the third day and most of the defences had been given its supply of armaments and maintenance to the inner city walls had also been completed. However there were still many other tasks that needed to be done before we could fully secure the safety of Gryffindor and its people. As Dylan was carrying out his duties along the outer walls of the castle, one of his subordinates had caught up with him. Sir, General Rohan from Tyrania and Lord Gabriel of Junesberg from Florencia have both arrived with their armies. Excellent, go inform the sergeant to prepare the accommodations for our guests. Yes sir. Later that day General Rohan and Lord Gabriel had visited his majesty in the Hall of the Great Kings. Alas the news they brought were the least bit pleasant. As their

armies were moving towards Viridian, some of the border towns had been destroyed by the orc army. Signs of them bringing their ogres and other beasts alike had been shown in their footprints as they made their way through the land. Whatever town the orcs went to, they were sure to leave the place burning and destroyed. Such news had made the old king furious and worried at the same time. Unfortunately his majesty was powerless to save the other towns that were in the way of the orc invasion army. All that could be done was to defeat the orcs by holding our ground in the last bastion of Viridian. As his highness was greeting our guest, the large hall doors were suddenly opened widely by the two guards positioned by the door. Strong gust of wind had flown out of the hall as Field Marshal Ezekiel entered the hall with his caped being pulled back by the wind. As the large doors closed behind him, he kneels before his majesty to present urgent news that was putting the tower guards in a state of confusion. Your highness we have a situation outside the castle. The High Mages Council has informed me that the citadel has been breached. They sensed that someone had passed through the mages barrier which had alerted them. We even have a tower at the outer walls where all the guards have been killed your highness. The horrid part was the mages discovered that the intruder had already infiltrated the city last night. How can this be? I thought the barrier was meant to alert the mages the moment it has been breached by intruder and yet they have only realised it this morning. Whoever this intruder must be a skilled mage to be able to slip through the barrier set up by the council. Ezekiel, find the intruder and capture him. Yes your highness, I have already prepared your guards to escort you back into your quarters your majesty. Please stay within the castle grounds your highness. It is most likely the intruder is an assassin plotting to take your life to create turmoil for the alliance. I understand so please remove this distraction before it causes further disruption to the peace of this city. Yes your majesty. Even though there was an infiltration of the great city, preparations for the invasion were still being carried out. Handling the situation of the intruder was left to General Walter. Handling internal affairs while keeping peace inside the citadel was his department and to capture an intruder was one of his specialties, however as he would later discover that this particular intruder would not be so easily caught. I, Ramius and Tiberius along with other officers had gathered in the military headquarters to receive the location of the city that needed to be examined. The locations we had been given were places where an assassin would most likely be hiding. Locations such as the lower class residential areas, the central market, the underground sewers but there is one place where all of us prayed the assassin would not be hiding and that was inside the castle. The castle

is the one place where our king and other nobles can be found. Failure to capture the intruder was not an option. Tiberius had been in charge of inspecting the castle grounds while Ramius was searching for the intruder in the underground sewers of the city. I on the other hand was ordered to track the intruder through the help of our only witness. The only one who saw the intruders face was a child whom at that time witnessed a figure wearing a dark cloak who had been running across roof tops. In spite of this, the little child was unable to identify the face of the wanted one for it was at night when the child witnessed the intruder but her last piece of information was of the greatest help. She had pointed the direction of the intruder had taken. With that we had a clue as to where the intruder might be heading and regrettably we believed it was the castle. As me and my team hunt down the intruder through the streets of the city, I prayed that the intruder would soon be caught. Chapter 18 Now that we had a clue as to where to begin tracking for the assassin, my team and I raced across the streets in search for the intruder. Just as we were sprinting along the old roads of the city and looking for clues at the same time, something peculiar had caught my attention. An inn not far of from where my team was conducting their investigation had its lanterns extinguished but its door widely opened. If the inn keeper had plans on closing the inn then why leave the front door opened especially when there were valuables in the inn? Even though it had no relation to my investigation, instincts told me that it was worth looking into. Cautiously I scanned the lounge which was dark and gloomy because of the absence of light. Then I made my way into the inn. As I entered nothing had been broken and there were no signs of an attempted robbery and yet something told me there was still something missing. The sun had finally come out once more to shine its light to disperse the darkness that had been blackening my vision all the while I was in the inn. As I kept touching the walls of what appeared to be a hallway, light from the other end of the hallway had peered through from a window. With the presence of light I was able to move with ease rather then walking blind. Then just below the window, a pool of crimson blood had suddenly appeared before me. The pool of blood looked as though it had been dragged across the floor. I then followed the traces of blood which had led me into the underground basement. Grabbing a nearby lantern I followed the traces of blood carefully and had finally arrived at the source of it. Hanging from the ceiling above me, a man with a rope tied tightly around his neck had multiple deep slashes all over his body. As he hung dead with his blood still dripping onto the floor, behind him there was a door which was slightly opened. Sensing danger I removed my sword from its sheath and gently pushed the door forward. Lighting the way with my lantern, I followed down a flight of stairs which led to the underground sewers. The stench of the citys waste was unbearable but somehow I felt the assassin had gone through here. The unfortunate part was I myself had to go

through the same way that the assassin did. I sure hope the men that was with me forgave me for what was about to befall on them. As my squad continued their search, I could tell they were not the least bit happy of having to be in the dirtiest and most foul place in the entire city. The soldiers either had one of their hands covering their noses or had a piece of cloth to cover the bottom half of their head. Even then we could still breathe in the foul air. Hey Roland tell me again what are we doing down here? We got no choice Joel, the captain thinks the assassin could have gone through here. Captains order, the smell is killing my nose. We better find whoever it is and capture him or I might have problems eating lunch. I hear you. Damn this stench. The assassin couldnt have picked a better way to travel through the city? We are definitely going to make that assassin pay for this. Hang on, look over there. As the squad had reached a junction, Joel found a torch lying at one end of the junction of the underground sewers. Captain we found something. As I got closer to the torch which Roland had found, I was seeing more and more of what appeared to be a body. When I finally got to the body I realised this was someone I knew. Oh god its Ramius. What should we do captain? Wait hes moving, quickly lay him against the wall. Ramius can you hear me? Laying him against a wall Ramius looks at me with content, Oh my head, Tyreal is that you? Listen to me the assassin went through here and I think he has already reached the surface. Go that way and hurry. and after that Ramius had passed out. Soldier, hurry and bring Lieutenant Ramius to the hospital and see if you can recover any other survivors that belonged in Ramius team. The rest of us, we are going after the assassin. With the direction that Ramius had pointed out to me, we continued our search and soon we reached the surface. However once we got out of the sewers we realised that time was running out. Captain isnt this

Yes, yes it is Joel. This is the castle courtyard. Roland, go and alert all the guards. Joel, find Lieutenant Tiberius and alert him as well. The rest of you follow me. The remaining of us dashed for the kings chamber to intercept the assassin. Along the way we discovered some of the guards that were on patrol duty had been hacked to death but eventually we reached the kings chamber. Apparently we had arrived just on time for the kings guards were still standing by his room door. To get to the kings chamber one would have to go through the castles tight security and eventually arrive at a grand hallway that leads directly to the kings chamber. It was at this hallway that my squad would face the lone assassin. Swords at the ready we positioned ourselves with the kings guards and waited. Thick clouds had blocked the sun causing the hallway to be gloomy. Moments later it had rained heavily which made the entire place pitched black even though there were grand windows at one side of the hallway. The only time when there was light was when lightning stroke. Just as another lightning stroke, a figure in a dark cloak had just appeared at the other end of the hallway and all of the sudden he vanished the moment the lightning disappeared. It was as though such a figure never existed or perhaps it was just my imagination. The storm grew more intense and lightning strikes were occurring more frequently and each stroke revealed the once thought imagined figure. The assassin was at first walking his way to us but then he suddenly dashed out at us the moment he was halfway through the grand hallway. Three of my men who were equipped with crossbows opened fired on the assassin but it seemed ineffective in immobilizing the enemy. The assassin had avoided every single shot as though it was nothing. The assassin moved with incredible speed. Then two members of my squad ran forward to engage the assassin. They were brave but foolish. To engage an enemy that had killed many and has managed to penetrate the highest of defences head on was unwise. Not only was the assassin a veteran at what he does but he had also hidden skills which Im certain was the one thing that gives him the advantage over my squad. The two that went out to engage the assassin did not put up much of a fight. The assassin got close to one of them and in a blink of an eye, he had slit through one of my soldiers throat. As blood from that soldiers throat began splattering out, the other did not hesitate in striking his opponent. Sadly he too did not survive that day. He tried slashing his enemy but the assassin had ducked in front of him and with his slightly curved blade or katana as some would call it, he punctured through that soldiers chest. With two of my men dead, the assassin moves even closer to our position but then he does the most extraordinary thing. Out of the blue he runs to one of the side walls of the hallway and started running along the wall. We were in complete awe by the assassins extraordinary skill which had also led to our demise. Despite our eyes focused on his movements, the assassin was still able to jump of the wall and get behind our backs. Once that happened the assassin had grabbed the opportunity to stab another two more of my men. The assassin was truly skilled and even I had difficulty when crossing blades with him. His movements were so quick that even trying to lay a fatal strike on him was

proving to be difficult. The assassin had blocked every one of my attacks and even though he was outnumbered by the remaining soldiers of my team and the kings guards, he had still proved to be unbelievably difficult to bring down. Then the fortunate moment had shown itself. I saw an opening and instantly took it. The assassin had been engrossed so deeply in trying to avoid our attacks that he had failed to realise that I was at his blind spot. In a split second I swung my sword hoping to remove his head but somehow the assassin had managed to avoid it but just barely. My sword had only managed to remove the assassins hood that had concealed his identity all the while. My eyes had widened as I saw for the first time the assassins face. The assassinis a dark elf! Chapter 19 We had the dark elf cornered and backed up to a wall. All that was left to do was to make the final blow on him and then it was all over or so we thought. The closer we inched forward to the dark elf the more the assassin was backed up to the wall. Then his left hand had reached into his cloak and without warning the assassin grabbed three round black balls and threw it to the ground. All of a sudden the balls had exploded and black smoke instantly started mixing with the air. We were completely covered in a shroud of smoke while the assassin had leaped over us and ran into the kings chamber. The assassin ran headlong to the kings bed. As he stood in front of his majestys bed, a blanket covers the entire body of his majesty. Then the worst case scenario had come to be. The assassin grabbed his blade from his back, raised it high in the air and stabbed where the location of human chest would be. The assassin stabbed the same location over and over again but for some reason no blood was spilling out. Not even a single blood stain. Frustrated the dark elf removed the blanket and discovered he had been fooled. With the blanket thrown to one side the dark elf stood by the kings bed in complete disappointment as he found out that the blanket had been covering a pile of pillows to mimic the body shape of his majesty. When we had finally barge into the kings chamber, all we found were torn up pillows, a blanket which had been thrown to the floor and the body of the assassin lying on the floor completely motionless. The assassin had taken his own life by stabbing himself in the chest. My only reason that I could come up with for taking his own life was probably the fact that he had failed his mission and had no intention of being a prisoner. Later that day the thunderstorm had stopped and I had also learned what truly happened to his highness. After regrouping in General Walters office, he had revealed to us the king had been kept else where when the entire incident was happening. When discovery of the assassin had been made, General Walter had immediately ordered the royal guards to escort his majesty to a different location. One which is secret and because

of its secrecy we were not allowed to know of its location. Only the royal guards and certain high ranking officials know of the location. The following day I delivered my report on yesterdays event to General Walter. Out of the ten soldiers that were under my command, only four survived. Then again if it wasnt for my orders then three out of those four that survived would have died as well. One of them had orders to bring lieutenant Ramius to the hospital and recover any wounded, another was sent to alert lieutenant Tiberius of the assassins presence. The private had managed to alert Tiberius however by the time he had reached my location during my encounter with the assassin, the duel was already over. The last private had been given orders to alert all the guards in the castle by blowing the great horn on one of the watch towers. Once that horn had been blown, the guards had already an idea what was going on and what needed to be done. Before the squads had been assigned to hunt down the assassin, the castle guards were told that if for any reason that the horn is blown then it could only mean one thing, the kings life is in danger. The surrounding guards in the castle who heard the horn moved without hesitation to the kings chamber but reports had stated that forty percent of the guards who heard the horn never made it. It is said that most of them had been stopped in their tracks and killed on the spot, most likely by the assassin. Four had survived in my team. Three were given orders to separate from the group to carry out their orders. The last soldier that survived in my group had been very fortunate that day. He had been with me at the time when I was battling the assassin. After the assassin had taken down four of my men, the remaining three in my group did all they could to put up a brave fight but even then they were no match. Two were instantly brutally stabbed to death but the last one who survived had managed to block the assassins attack from fatally wounding him but the assassins blade had still pierced through his body. He had been seriously wounded from that attack but physicians informed me that he would live. After handing in my report I went to visit my comrade who was also admitted to the hospital because of yesterdays incident. What do you mean Ramius has left? That is exactly what I mean captain. The lieutenant said he was fine and just left the hospital. But wasnt his injuries serious All he had was a slight injury to his head and so we permitted him to leave but we told him not to push himself for the day. Later that day I had discovered Ramius whereabouts. Seeing how he had been taken down by the enemy would explain his reason to be training in courtyard even more vigorously. Sweat was flowing down his neck like a waterfall as I walked up to him.

Ramius you really should not push yourself. After all arent you supposed to be recovering yourself from your injuries? Ramius turns around to face me with his soaked bandage on his forehead. Tyreal, I heard you defeated the assassin. I on the other hand had failed in doing so. I could have killed him myself but I was knocked out by him. He left me by myself while he went on to slaughter the rest of my men. He spared my life. Could it be that he wanted me to see how he murdered my men as I laid there helpless or could it be that I was not worth fighting? That is why I need to train even harder. I cannot allow anymore of my men to die because of my weakness. Dont be a fool Ramius. We have always fought together and I tell you now you are the most skilled fighter I have ever seen. Do not let yesterdays failure get to you. Training is good but now you must rest. But Tyreal Go and rest! Thats an order. Very well then, I understand. Oh by the way Dylan informed me that he wishes to speak with you. I think he is at the outer walls of the citadel. Making my way along the outer walls, more and more villagers from the border towns flee to the citadel as their homes got burned down by impending orc and dark elf army. More lives were being pointlessly sacrificed as the flames of war spread even deeper into Viridian. I had finally met up with Dylan who at the time was on duty over the main gate. Dylan, Ramius told me you wanted to see me. How are you doing then? As usual Dylan did not have much of a happy face when I went to see him that day but for some reason he did not have a serious look on his face either like he usually does. No this time it was more of a sad and depressing look. I could sense something was deeply troubling him. Tyreal, look at them, do you who they are? Of course, theyre the villagers from the border towns. I heard they have abandoned their homes and are taking refuge over here. Most of them are victims of the orc and dark elf armies that destroyed their towns. Exactly and being a victim of the war they must have lost so many of their loved ones. I know how it is to lose someone like that. Ive lost my cousin because of the orcs and he was not even a soldier. Just like the villagers who were murdered in cold blood, my cousin had no reason to be killed and yet the orcs executed him.

I understand your pain which is why we must win this war, for the sake of all the innocent people and to avenge our lost ones. Yes we must. Oh yes the reason why I called you here is because I found out who had disrupted the barrier and allowed the assassin to slip through. As it turned out it was from a disturbance outside the city. The marshal told me it could be from a mage of the dark elves. How interesting, dont you think? Hey take a look over there. I see banners. Their colours I think it belongs to Xarania. From a far, forces from Xarania had finally arrived in Viridian and they were also escorting another large group of refugees into the city. Leading the elf forces was General Tolandeal and accompanying him was an old face that had once saved us in the port of Tyrania. Accompanying General Tolandeal and the massive elf army was General Conrad, my first commander. When the elves had entered the citadel, forces from Aesir march towards the great city following the same trail that the elves once used. The battalions of soldiers that marched towards the city were under the command of the crown prince of Aesir, Prince Edward. When both armies and refugees had entered the city, the main gate was later sealed. The fourth day was about to end as the sun had began to set. Whereas tomorrow was about to come and it would be tomorrow that the fate of Adorea was decided. Chapter 20 The fifth day, the day that would be marked in our history books as to be the day that held one of the greatest battles on our world. Admiral Vardan at the last day had managed to recall all of his ships back to the citadel to defend the ports from the massive Kraken Marauders armada. The Mages Council, after the assassin attempt on the kings life had been in meditation and prayer all day long. I wonder if those elderly seniors ever went to sleep once in a state of meditation. When they had gone into their meditation chamber, two large steel plated doors had been shut behind them and locked so that none may enter while they were in deep meditation. Even when the sun had set those massive doors were still shut. Meditation must take awhile for them. Then again for people of their age anything would take awhile to complete. It was only on the fifth day that those steel plated doors had opened but when that happened, it had begun. That morning had placed everyone in a state of hysteria. Citizens and refugees were told to head to the underground shelters when the citadel was being siege. Weapons and supplies were quickly distributed among soldiers that gave their last goodbye to their loved ones. Being a commanding officer I was in charged of troop coordination and to certify everything was in check. Located in the centre of the great city is the castle and defending it is the keep. The keep being the largest tower the city had was where a final meeting of the officers was held. His majesty the king took a moment to stare at the faces of the brave souls that had helped him to build and protect this alliance. My friends for as long as I have known you, all of you have always helped and served me well. For that I am most grateful. The

fateful day has come my friends. Today is where we hold our ground and defeat our enemies once and for all. Many of us will perish but remember why we fight. The lives of so many women and children depend on us to protect them all. So my friends I ask of you to do one more favour for this old king. Please fight for me and for the people of everyones nation. All at once they cheered, For King Furion, for the Adorean Alliance, for glory! and with that King Furion had his hopes rekindled. All of a sudden a soldier bursts into the meeting room. Breathing heavily the soldier kneels down with one hand grasping his chest. My lordstheyre coming! The orc army has been sighted. Outside the citadels walls and on the far side of the grassy plains that citadel is built upon, a massive army of both orc and dark elf marched their way to the capital. From the Andromeda Sea, numerous corsair ships and frigates that sail under the Kraken Marauders flag draw closer to Admiral Vardans defence fleet. A battle so large was about to begin. Along the walls archers from Viridian and Xarania watched as the enemy marched closer. Below the walls, soldiers of the many alliance nations hustle to make last minute preparations. When noon came, thick dark clouds covered the bright sky as though a bad omen was about to happen. Then it had started to pour and our worst fear was standing before us. From one end of the citadels outer wall to the centre of it, stands the vast orc army that consists of the war crazed Bladeslay clan and the blood thirsty Gordok clan. Leading the two clans were their ogre warlords that tower above their orc warriors. On the other end of wall and all the way to the centre of it, stands the dark elf army that were led by their ruler, King Lucian of Elderis. Their armies were immense and despite our forces having amassed a large army of regulars and auxiliaries, we were still greatly outnumbered. Apart from having greater numbers then us, the war machines they had brought were the biggest I had ever seen. The trebuchets which they had used to launch massive boulders into the capital were of double the size of any of our regular trebuchets. These massive trebuchets which they had nicknamed the warwolf was built to be able to hurl projectiles weighing as much as three hundred pounds. With a siege weapon that great, the force it delivered was just terrifying. Other siege equipments that were in their armies include ballistae, siege towers, mangonels and several battering rams. As the rain continued pouring our archers took their stance and crews from every tower had prepared their catapults and ballistae to face the first wave. Somewhere on the Andromeda Sea, the Kraken Marauders were drawing closer to the ports. As they cruised through a thick fog, ahead of them was Admiral Vardans fleet of twenty galleons which was moving to intercept them. The Viridian galleon was a two decked warship that is armed with 60 guns on both sides. Whereas the pirate corsairs was only a single decked ship that could only carry around 20 guns on both sides and the pirates frigates, slightly bigger then the corsair carried 10 more guns and it was more armoured. Despite the Viridian navy having larger ships, the Karaken Maruders had a

larger fleet then our navy. They had 20 frigates and 50 corsair ships in their massive navy. A historic battle was about to be fought both on land and sea. Then the awaited moment had come. King Lucian draws his sabre and with that the first wave of orcs and dark elves charged into the heat of battle. With their first wave charging our archers and towers fired everything at them but then came their moment to test out their massive siege weaponry. With the release of the ropes, the heavy weights of the warwolf drags itself down giving the boulder it was carrying a perfect launch to hit its mark which unfortunately for us had been the capital. To cause further damage they had flamed their boulders and fired it. Whatever the massive trebuchet hit was either destroyed or in flames all except for the walls which our archers had taken their positions in. To siege such a grand fortress, King Lucian had used numerous siege towers to invade our walls but our towers countered their attacks by demolishing them before they got too close. However when the dark elf archers were in range, their attacks were far more lethal then the trebuchets they were using. Hundreds of arrows flew into the cloudy sky and fell hard on our men that were on the walls. Their archers were just as sharp and accurate as the Xaranian archers. Retaliation on that attack had proved itself a challenge for they had their men raising long broad tower shields each time their archers stopped firing. Our archers had been engrossed with so many targets that the orcs that were on the charge below our walls had taken the opportunity to scale our walls. General Walter the first wave of orcs are at our walls. Alright then private, now is the time. Give the signal to them. Let them feel our burning rage. Along the walls, soldiers were given the signal to pour hot oil onto the orcs that were scaling up onto them. The orcs were bathed in oil and in an instant they were in flames thanks to our archers. The first wave had been defeated but it was not long when the second wave commenced. Ogres from both orc clans ran headlong to the walls with their enormous spiked clubs that they wield. The tremor they had caused with their running felt as though a small earthquake was happening. Arrows were pointless when it came to killing them since their skin was so thick. Only a ballista had enough fire power to properly bring down an ogre but we had only so many ballistae which could only do so much. It did not take long till the ogres were hammering our walls but our pikemen did their part to defend their capital by jabbing through the ogres eye or into its neck. Whatever soft spot the ogre had, the pikemen took advantage of it and made short work of the ogre. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. While one battle was going on, another was taking place on sea. Ships from the Kraken Marauders and Admiral Vardans fleet had both engaged in a furious naval combat. Ships from both sides were on their broadside, firing their bronze cannons at one another. Brave men that worked with the cannons put their life on the line as their area had a higher chance of getting blown rather then the deck. Captains from ships shouted their commands for the sound of cannon fire was amazingly loud. Both fleets were fighting in one of the largest naval assaults ever recorded before in a dense fog.

After we had successfully brought down the ogres, the orcs and dark elves that followed were invading our walls with more determination. Although they came in great numbers, we held our ground firm but without warning one of the towers on the east outer wall had suddenly blown up. A lot of attention was drawn to it as many of us pondered what could have caused such great damage. The shockwave that followed was even greater since I and Dylan had been standing along that same wall. What the hell was that? Damn those trebuchets of theirs! It is not their trebuchets Tyreal. Look above. Just what do you mean Dylan? When I had looked at the direction Dylan had pointed out to me, my jaw completely fell. Black wyverns, giant winged reptiles that breathes out corrosive flammable gases had swoop down on us destroying anything that was in its way. Some ballistae tried to take the opportunity to bring down the giant flying beasts but they were either burned or ripped apart. Archers did everything they could to shoot them down but more orcs just kept coming which had made things more complicated for them. By then the orc battering rams had begun their attack on the main gate. I soon left Dylans side to reinforce the tower that had been hit when I met up with Lord Conrad. Those cunning orcs, for them to use wyverns against us is just devious of them. Wyverns do not belong to the orcs. Orcs are not smart enough to tame such a powerful creature. Dark elves are the ones that usually use them in combat. Through their dark magic they are able to control them to their every will. General Conrad, how is it you know of such things? Have you fought the wyverns before? Yes, years back my battalion had engaged a dark elf company that had a few mages in their group. They had summoned those beasts at us but this story is for another time. The question now is how do we bring them down? How indeed I thought? Chapter 21 Their wyverns were dreadful news already but to add to our long list of problems the enemy had their battering rams pounding our main gate. Thankfully after reinforcing it, our engineers were confident enough to say that it would take awhile before anyone could break down that gate. Even so General Walter who was stationed at the main gate did not enjoy the idea of having rams pounding on his gate. He had his men burned the rams the same way he torched the first wave of orcs. Despite his efforts, more rams just kept coming and the escorts they brought along seemed more each time they sent their rams. Our hopes of winning, no our hopes of surviving were slowly becoming out of reach.

Behind the main gate, Ramius and a battalion of elite soldiers of Viridian were on standby as they watched the main gate being pounded over and over again. So far the gates structure was holding up but for how long he wondered. Ramius was given a mission by General Walter, a mission that could mean the sacrifice of his life. His mission was to hold his ground if the main gate should ever fall. This was why the Gryffindor Defenders was formed by General Walter. They would make the ultimate sacrifice. For their country they were ready to give it all. As the main gate was being pounded by orc rams, Ramius stares at his new pair of katanas which he had it made two nights ago. His previous swords were effective killing tools but he needed a blade that could deliver better results and so he went to one of the citys only blacksmith that could forge a katana. The katana is a light weight and slightly curved sword. It shares the same characteristics as a sabre but the katana was made to be sharper then most types of sabre. The origins of this sword was said to have come from the nomads that live in the far east of Adorea. What makes this sword unique is that not everyone can forge it for only the eastern nomads have mastered the craftsmanship for this sword. The blacksmith that Ramius had went to was originally a nomad from the far east of Adorea but later in his life he had finally settled down in Viridian and his latest customer had requested him to forge the sharpest katana he could ever make. With his new pair of blades, Ramius was about to stain his blades with the blood of his enemies. On the west side of the outer wall, Tiberius and his men were holding of attacks that were overwhelming their positions. Orcs had concentrated more on the west wall and less on the main gate to everyones surprise. Most of the west side outer wall had been taken by the orcs for they had overwhelmed the wall with incredible numbers. They may have conquered most of the west wall but Tiberius was not about ready to surrender just yet. He and whatever men that were left which were a few officers, archers and swordsmen, had barricaded themselves in the last tower at the very end of the west outer wall. From there they had devised a plan to recapture the whole wall from the enemy before more orcs entered the city. After all it would have been dreadful if more orcs infiltrated the city because of our failure to secure the outer walls. I could only wish that that scenario would never come but most of my wishes never come true. Alright guys listen up, I know all thats left of us is just twenty men but if we act fast I do believe we can recapture the other towers. Are sure we can pull this of Tiberius. Its twenty against a hell lot of orcs! On top of that, what makes you think those monsters wont take back what weve won? Lieutenant Frost, please stay calm. In some of the towers, our men are still in there fighting for their lives. How long more do you think they can hold up? If we delay anymore then they will all perish. The point of this plan is so that we can recover our fellow men and make our stand in one tower. United we are strong but separated we are weak. Now do you understand? Fine I get it now but I still dont like this plan.

Thats fine with me. Alright this is how we are going to do this, swordsmen at the front and back of our formation, archers in the centre and spearmen get in between the archers and the swordsmen. Keep close everyone and watch each others backs. Now lets hurry, our friends need us. Tiberius and the rest of his team moved in a tight formation. In his group, each member was covering his partners backs and with such a tight defence his team was able to save the lives of fifteen alliance soldiers in five towers. Although they had a strong defence they did ended up encountering problems along the way. While making his way to the third tower, orcs had suddenly ambushed his party. His archers were suddenly attacked by orcs that were climbing up the walls but thankfully they were not killed. The spearmen that were close by had saved them by pushing the orcs of the walls with their long spears. It was attacks like this they had encountered the most but there was one which nearly ended Tiberiuss life. While his party was making their way to the fifth tower, Tiberius was fighting his way through numerous orcs that had a strong desire to kill him. Lieutenant Frost was his partner who at the time could not stop cursing for he despised the situation he was in. Damn it! These orcs just keep coming. Is there an end to this insanity? Die you ugly pigs! I see you are enjoying yourself Frost. Oh shut up! These orcs keep coming. They must be attracted to you Tiberius. Is that so? While the two were pushing forward, an orc archer that had been ahead of them in the distance fired a bolt from a crossbow that was meant to pierce through Tiberiuss heart but the bolt never made it. Tiberius never noticed the incoming bolt piercing through the air but his partner did. While Tiberius had been engrossed in his battles, Lieutenant Frost had suddenly jumped in front of him with his back facing the direction of the incoming bolt. Frost what are you doing? We need to keep moving. With a slow and shaky voice Lieutenant Frost replies, You gigantic fool. You should be more careful you orc magnetlive on. Why are you saying this? Lieutenant Frosts body suddenly collapses in Tiberiuss arms and that was when he discovered it. Oh noI am such a fool! Without warning Tiberius swung his broadaxe like a wild man right after he laid his partners cold body to the ground. He ran and killed all that were in his path for he

had been in rage for the one who had murdered his friend right before his very eyes. The friend that hated his plan from the very start and in the end had saved his life by taking that bolt which was meant for him. As the same orc archer grabbed another bolt to try his luck once more, he sees Tiberius fighting with more flames in him. This had excited the orc even more. A more worthy kill was probably the reason for his excitement. With his bolt aligned well with his crossbow, he then recoils his crossbow but he never had the opportunity to fire the arrow for one simple reason. The orc archer had plans on killing Tiberius but as he trying to recoil his crossbow, a spear was suddenly impaled through his chest. He raised his head as blood started oozing out of his mouth to discover Tiberiuss eyes locked onto his. That had been the last image that orc archer ever saw right before he fell of from the wall. Vengeance had been served and yet another kill for the man who once punched a bull unconscious. After successfully recovering whatever troops that had been scattered along the wall, Tiberius and the remaining survivors fled to one tower and held their ground. From there they did the most damage they possibly could to suppress the orc advancement. On that tower which they had barricaded themselves in had one mounted heavy ballista. Such a weapon had been used to bring down creatures such as ogres, war elephants that orcs sometimes use to mount their mortars, and sometimes flying beasts such as black wyverns. Just like how the other towers on the east outer wall were facing air borne terrors, Tiberius and his men had face that similar problem as well. Tiberius and a few other alliance soldiers were busy defending one entrance of their tower when out of the blue a black wyvern flew right above them and landed itself on a tower which originally was where Tiberius and his band of twenty soldiers were initially stranded in. Looking above at his tower, he saw the sharp edge of a harpoon that had been used to bring down ogres being loaded to the ballista. Looking back at the wyvern that was still sitting itself on that tower, Tiberius joins the crew up on his tower. Sergeant, aim the ballista at that. The wyvern I see, we are already on it sir. Once you are ready, do not hesitate to fire. Once all the necessary adjustments had been done, the sergeant pulled the lever that released the harpoon into the air. The harpoon pierced through the air and its one stop was the chest of that black wyvern. Tiberius and his group of survivors placed their hopes on that one harpoon which drew closer to the creature and then it happened. The harpoon had pierced through the creature but not its chest as hoped but its right leg instead. The wyvern sensing it was in danger tried to fly itself out of danger but due to its injuries it was unable to gain much lift and therefore had a very short flight. When Tiberius witnessed the wyvern had been grounded, he moved hastily to finish it of once

and for all. As he got closer the wyvern tried to protect itself by blowing jets of fire around its surrounding hence creating a wall of fire. Tiberius was in complete shock as he raised his shield to cover himself from the burning flames. When the wyvern had ceased blowing out its flammable gas, it had raised its body high to make another effort in burning its victim that had been standing in front of it. By doing so it had made its lungs open to attack and before that wyvern was able to react, it had already perish for Tiberius had hurled a spear right through the wyverns lungs. When Tiberius had returned back to the tower, the sergeant that had missed fired had a shameful expression on his face, My apologies sir. It doesnt matter but information such as this is the last harpoon we have could have been useful if I had knew about it in advance. That way I could have formulated a less risky back up plan then the one I just did. Yes sir I understand but good back up plan if I do say so myself. Tiberius returned the sergeants comment with a disappointed look on his face but while that was happening the enemy had another hidden trick. Without warning an enormous explosion had erupted at the main gate causing total destruction of the structure. Tiberius stared at the crumbling gatehouse when his sergeant had alerted him of another in coming danger. From below, three large carts that had been full of explosive materials was suddenly been pushed with great force by ogres. As the carts raced its way to Tiberiuss tower, Tiberius ordered all of his men to evacuate the tower and then it happened. Once the three carts were close to the tower, dark elf archers ignited the carts and with that the explosives released an enormous blast once it had made contact with its target. The tower and several areas of the surrounding wall were completely destroyed. When the fist blast was heard, the sound that followed after it was heard all over the citadel. Everyones hearts fell as orcs flooded their city. Dylan was enraged by their actions that he scanned the enemys lines and formations to find anything that could have caused such destruction. Then he saw the same explosive materials near the enemys trebuchets but what had caught his attention even more was the fact the explosives were being handled by the goblins they had met when they were stranded on that island. Other then firing giant flaming boulders, their trebuchets were now using explosives to bombard the citadel. For that short brief moment of time, Dylan had been distracted by the enemys latest equipment but that had been his biggest mistake. While he was shortly distracted, a dark elf soldier whom he did not even realise had been charging towards him. An alliance soldier from below the walls had yelled out to Dylan to alert him and soon after that another death had come to be. Below the ruins of the main gate, Ramius and his battalion were about to show their true colours in combat. Chapter 22 When the main gate had fell most of the orc and dark elf forces had rushed to that area since they had a wide opening. The only obstacle that was in the way was Ramius

and his battalion of elite soldiers. Ramiuss battalion was like a solid block to the enemy when in a tight formation but even a solid block can be slowly chipped away. More of the enemy just kept pushing his battalion back but his men still held their ground. Then for some reason the enemy forces suddenly fled away the moment their horn was blown. Ramius was bedazzled as he did not understand as to why they retreated. He had feeling something was a miss. Charging through the gatehouses ruins and towards Ramiuss formation was an ogre with its massive club at the ready. Ramius tried to disperse his men to avoid getting clobbered but the ogre had caught up to them and inflicted a great deal of damage to his battalion. With that Ramiuss battalion had been severely wounded and their lines were broken by just one ogre. Soon after pulling out his knife and stabbing it through a dark elf soldier, Dylan had taken notice of a large ogre that had broken through Ramiuss lines. He then tied on end of a long rope to one of his arrows and fired it to the neck of that ogre. With the arrow safely secured thanks to thickness of the ogres skin, Dylan made his entry by swinging down to the ogre that had been on a rampage soon after having an arrow in its neck. Then Dylan climbed up the giant ogres back who had tried to grab Dylan. Once he was on top of the hairy beast, he then fired his arrow at point blank range which had gone directly into the ogres neck. His arrow had gone deep into the ogres neck which ultimately killed it. When the ogre fell in front of Ramius, Dylan had been standing on top of its head with a small grin on his face. Need help Ramius? What took you so long Dylan? The two soon paired up and regrouped Ramiuss men to once again make their stand. I had later joined up with the two once I had lent my assistance to General Tolandeal who had been battling the dark elves that had already entered the city. With the three of us gathered together our strength was growing and Tiberius had later joined up with us right after sending an orc flying to one end of battleground. Together we four led our men to battle the enemy forces that had regrouped and made another rush into the capital. While we were caught up with fighting, a falcon that belonged to Admiral Vardan had flew over us and made its way to the keep. The field marshal had retrieved the message from the falcon and read it to his majesty and those around his highness. This message is from Admiral Vardans second in command of his ship. It reads our fleet has been defeated. The enemy has far greater number of warships then anticipated. The message also reads that Admiral Vardan was sadly killed in action right after he ordered his crew and his second in command to abandon ship. His reason for doing so was because the admiral was about to ram the enemys flagship with his own ship that had been in flames. When his ship had rammed the enemy flagship, the gunpowder and other explosives in his ship exploded destroying both his ship and the enemy flagship. That is the entire message reads your majesty. It is most unfortunate that Vardan had to leave us but no doubt the enemy ships are still sailing to our ports despite his noble sacrifice. What shall we do?

Lord Gabriel, please take your men and reinforce the soldiers at the port. Of course King Furion, I will leave immediately. Back at the gatehouse ruins, enemy forces had greatly overwhelmed our position. We battled orcs and dark elves as they flooded the area. Even those beastly ogres were causing us trouble but thankfully Prince Edwards Vanguard whom which I was told were exceptionally skilled in tackling ogres had came to our time of need. During the heat of war I have lost many friends. So many of them have perished and have died right before my very eyes. For those who had fallen, more young souls take up arms to avenge their fallen comrades but this was the same when it comes to our enemies. When their own kind has been killed by us then they too will seek revenge. They will go all out to kill the enemy who had killed their comrades. As the battle in the citadel continued, the enemy was all around us but even so we fought with all our might. After all that time training, Ramiuss skills were finally showing itself. He had made short work of anyone that had crossed blades with his dual katana. Unexpectedly as he was fighting, a large shadow behind him had overlapped his own entirely. When he had turned around an ogre had suddenly grabbed him with just one hand. Ramius had been trapped in the hand of an ogre who had suddenly spoken to him while in rage. You humans kill so many of my kind. For that I will kill you all starting with you. While the ogre spoke Ramius was being crushed at the same time with spine breaking force but things were not at all hopeless. Ramius was still able to move his arms and with that he stabbed the ogres hand with his dual blades. The ogre yelled out as its hand been bleeding profusely and then it tossed the one thing that had caused it pain. Right after Ramius had stabbed the ogres hand he was instantly thrown away as though he was some little toy. Ramius had hit hard at a wall which he had been thrown to while the ogre had been killed by the Vanguards halberd that resembled a poleaxe. When Tiberius, Dylan and I had finally arrived to Ramiuss side, blood had been flowing out of his mouth as he was lying motionless on city streets. He had gazed at us with happiness as we tried to tend to his injuries. I held his hand tightly as he spoke slowly to me. Tyreal do not worry about me. Ive enjoyed my time with all of you. I am most honoured to have fought beside with all of you. Thank you. What are you saying? You are not going to die just yet so hang on! Dylan how is he? It is no good Tyreal, his injuries are far too great for me. His ribs are broken Tyreal. Soon after that Tiberius had returned with medical officers that were nearby. Ramius was then put on a stretcher and was brought away to the hospital. We watched Ramius being taken away by the medical officers with sorrow. Tiberius on the other hand could not withstand his emotions any longer. He had already lost a friend and seeing

Ramius in his state, the beast inside him was about to come out. With his emotions overwhelming him he had let out a scream that was so forceful that it could be heard through out the whole city. Even the enemy was astounded by his screams. He then raised his axe and spoke to himself, Ramius, for you I will win this war! and then as though God had rejuvenated him with divine energy, Tiberius suddenly charged towards the ruins of the main gate while killing his enemies around him. Neither orcs nor dark elves were able to stop him and his rage. Other alliance soldiers saw how he courageously ran towards the enemy without a thought which had greatly boosted their moral. They too started fighting with more spirit in their hearts and had later joined up with Tiberius who was already outside the walls battling the vast enemy army. Even Dylan and I decided to follow after him. After all we could not let him have all the glory. The Vanguards, General Rohans men and even Field Marshal Ezekiel had joined us in the fight outside the citadels walls. We were finally pushing them back. Chapter 23 Outside the ruins of the main gate there had been an intense field battle between the alliance forces and the enemy forces that were being driven back. Whatever remaining ogres that were left were quickly brought down by the Vanguards and with Xaranian soldiers supporting our backs, we knew it was only a matter of time before Lucian realises that he had lost. It was not long that their war horns had been blown to signal their retreat. On that blood stained battlefield, we soldiers of the Adorean Alliance had drove back the enemy but this was not the end. Dark elves are most renowned for their usage of dark magic and King Lucian was one of the highest ranking mages in Elderis to master the dark arts magic. With one hand, King Lucian had gathered his black wyverns together through his dark summoning magic. We froze as we stared at the wyverns that were just hovering in the air. Both sides of the battlefield had been still and silent for several minutes. If we had decided to charge at them then we would have been targets to their archers but if we had decided to go back inside the citadel then it would be back to square one again but only this time we would be defending less of the citadel due to our lesser numbers. However King Lucian did not spare us any opportunity to make the first move. All of a sudden his black wyvern began to act restlessly once more. They had all suddenly started flying higher up into the sky and by the looks of it, it would seem that they were about to dive on us. If they had done so then we knew we were finished since there were still a large amount of wyverns in the air and if they all had breathed out their corrosive fire at us then our fate would have been sealed. Their wyverns were on their dive towards us. This was the end so I had thought. I closed my eyes to await my end but halfway through the dark clouds above me had begun to act wildly. Flashes of light sparkled through out the darkened sky. This strange phenomenon had even startled the wyverns as they had stopped on their dive because of the oddity. While we gazed at the skies above the grand mages council chambers doors had opened. Their meditation and preparations were complete. It was now their time to

smite the enemy with their power. The five most elite mages of the Mages Council had teleported themselves onto the outer walls. This had made King Lucian himself to be at unease. He then used more of his dark powers to order his wyvern to continue the attack but his pets were suddenly electrocuted by vicious lightning strikes that had been generated by the thunderous clouds above us. All of King Lucians black wyverns were killed in matter of seconds. Even at sea not far from the ports, another strange happening was taking place all around the Kraken Marauders fleet that were drawing closer to the ports. As the pirates sailed even closer to the ports, a large shadow on the surface of the water probably created by a large creature below the sea was on a collision course with the pirate fleet. The soldiers defending the ports stared with anticipation as something was swimming towards the fleet and it was not long before it had gone under one of the pirate corsairs. Then for some strange reason the corsair had stopped moving and then a creature which I thought was just a myth had risen from the deep. Out of the deep blue sea, large and long tentacles that belong to the mythical Kraken had wrapped around the large pirate ship. The ship was completely immobilized as pirates did all they could to set themselves free by stabbing the creatures tentacles with harpoons and spears. However their attempts had only angered the giant sea creature even more as it had pulled more victims into the sea. Shocking as it is for a creature of the deep to suddenly act so wildly but that Kraken was not the only thing on a rampage. Other krakens were suddenly attacking the other pirate ships. The remaining ships had immediately turned their ships around and retreated from the scene leaving the others behind as their ships were being crushed and pulled under by the colossal size sea creatures. I had later learned that those rare beasts were summoned by our grand mages that specialize themselves in mastering the elements and communication with animals such as the creatures that had helped us. In other words our mages are druids and the same goes for the Xaranian mages except they have their differences. After casting a lightning storm and summoning creatures of the deep sea, the five grand mages retired themselves back to their chambers as they had exhausted their spiritual energy or better known as mana. The mages lightning storm had only affected the wyverns however King Lucians army were not even touched by it as Lucian himself had shield his entire army with a large barrier spell. When his barrier had gone down, a third wave of mostly dark elf forces charged across the battlefield in a stunning display of power. We were completely taken a back as we had assumed that all they had left were their reserve forces that were mainly guarding their siege weaponry. The third wave was led by a light dark elf cavalry charge. The dark elf cavalry division did not strongly believe in phalanxes and lances for they felt it was too heavy of a weapon to carry along. They were more comfortable with the hit and run tactic rather then a headlong charge. Instead of carrying a long sturdy phalanx like most cavaliers in the human nations, the dark elf light cavalry had equipped themselves with sabres that were made longer and stronger then most sabres and at the same time lighter so that it was easier to handle.

Those long slashing tools were one of the sharpest blades ever forged to be used in combat. That blade has the potential to cut through someones armour like butter. Our pikemen took to the frontlines to repel their cavalry as they trampled across the battlefield unfortunately we did not have that many pikemen to halt their charge. Therefore their cavalry charge would have created a bloody outcome on our side. Then the turning point of the battle had come. The dark elf light cavalry that were on their charge had been ambushed by mortar fire that suddenly fell on them. Many of the light cavalry were taken by surprise and were killed in the process and because of the sudden attack, the charge had been called off. On the far west side of the battlefield, orc war elephants with mortars mounted on their backs were on a collision course towards the enemy lines and behind the entire enemy forces were orc infantry and cavalry that were storming towards them. What was more surprising was the fact that the sudden orc appearance was from the Uzal clan and leading their troops was their warlord, Thrall the Conqueror. While King Lucians forces and the remaining orc warriors from the Bladeslay and Gordok clan were preoccupied with battling the orc forces from the Uzal clan, an Uzal emissary had met up with our generals on the field. I am Johan, emissary of the Uzal clan. I bring a message to your leader. I Field Marshal Ezekiel will take my kings place. What is your message? We the Uzal clan have waged war with the dark elves for manipulating our brothers in the Bladeslay and Gordok clan to fight against us, their own kind. For that they must pay. For now my warlord would like to propose a temporarily alliance with you until the war is over. What message would you like me to deliver to my warlord? After much thought and discussion with the other representatives of the Adorean Alliance, an answer was finally thought up. Tell your warlord we the Adorean Alliance accept your proposal. With that King Lucians forces were caught in between the great Uzal clans army and the alliance forces. Chapter 24 My father had once told my eldest brother to aware of cornered animals for that is when they are most afraid and will attack you if threatened. It was a lesson well learned for my brother who had been scratched by our house cat, Monty. All my brother had planned to do was just to clean our little Monty who had accidentally fallen of our roof and into a puddle of muddy water. However things did not go according to plan for Monty had been rebellious. In the end my brother had ended up chasing clumsy Monty all over the house and finally had the little thing cornered and that was when he had been scratched for he had rushed to soon to grab him. Our mother was not too happy of the idea of a dirty cat running all over the house and dirtying the floor as it ran and so my

eldest brother had went of to see my father to tend to his wounds while it had been up to me to clean Monty and the house. Having the alliance army and the Uzal Clans forces fighting the enemy on both flanks, the dark elves were getting edgy about their current situation. The more desperate they were the more dangerous they had become since they had become cornered animals themselves. On bloody battlefields such as this one was where I had lost many of my comrades and some of my closest friends. On that day, King Lucian had slaughtered so many of the regulars who had tried to engage him one on one. Despite their attempts Lucian had end their lives right before any of our men could make the first strike. As he casually walked across the field and slashing our men along the way, General Tolandeal went to face of with him. It was time to put an end to his reign of terror. I had joined in as well but as General Tolandeals back up. The war intensifies with another alliance soldier from Florencia had fallen prey to the terrors of King Lucian as that regular had fell to the ground as a result of blocking Lucians attack out of luck. Just as before Lucian nearly ended his life but General Tolandeal had stepped in and blocked his attacked from reaching that soldiers neck. The two of them then jumped two spaces back to get themselves a better battle stance. I had later joined in and took my stance beside General Tolandeal. When our fighting spirits were filled up to the point where it could not be contained anymore, all three of us lunged into battle. In my career as a soldier I had fought many skilled fighters of different races but never had I ever encountered someone who was as amazing as the dark elf king. His sword mastery was that I had never seen before. His movements were quick and his eyes had those of a true killer. Just seeing him fight was prove that he was too great of an opponent however General Tolandeal was nearly as old as Lucian which meant that he had much experience with the sword. His skills were impressive and yet he too had a hard time when it came to battling with King Lucian. I suppose one way of matching skills with Lucian is to be older then he is by a hundred years if I was to fight someone who has lived for two hundred over years head on. General Tolandeal and I fought Lucian whose attacks never seem to show signs of an opening. There were times when Lucian had come close to slashing through our armour. If General Tolandeal had not taken a step back when he should have then King Lucians sword would gone right through his body. Unfortunately I was not too lucky for I was unable to block one of Lucians moves when he had separated both General Tolandeal and I from fighting together. Lucians sabre had slashed through my armour like paper but I had been lucky for only the tip of his sabre had penetrated my armour and into my body and therefore the cut was not deep. Lucian had realised his mistake and to correct his mistake he had leaped into the air and kicked hard onto my chest. His kick had landed me a few feet away from the duel between General Tolandeal and Lucian which was what his true intentions were. Once I had been separated from the fight, Lucian was able to focus more on the stronger opponent. I did my best to pull myself together unfortunately Lucians kick had inflicted more damage then I had thought. All I could do at the moment was watched as

two great fighters duel it out but that duel had soon came to an end. General Tolandeal had been slowing down in his attacks because of loss of blood due to his cuts and wounds. With that Lucian had saw an opening and with the swing of his blade, General Tolandeals head was severed from its body. Once again I was unable to carry out my duty because I had been unable to move myself. King Lucian had taken a moment to stare at his latest kills headless body for what reason I will never know but then he had turned his attentions towards me. He walked closer towards me with blood slowly dripping of the edge of his blade. I tried to get myself away from him but I was still in much pain from his last attack. Then he had stood before me and just as he was about to press his sword into my neck, Lord Conrad had leaped in from behind me to prevent my passing. King Lucian was most surprise by that sudden attack that he had taken a few steps back to readjust himself to the sudden changes. The two of them stood and stare at each other like how General Tolandeal did with Lucian. However Lord Conrad had a different face that day. His eyes were full of anger and hatred towards the man in front of him. I did not know why at first but when Lucian spoke I had finally understood why. Conrad you seem a bit on edge. What happened to the calm and controlled character I once knew? Are you angry because I took the life of your dear elder cousin? You should be honoured for he had fought me with much skill. I hope you will provide me with a better performance. Lord Conrad never said a word and just charged straight into his opponent with anger in him. His emotions had reflected on his actions as his movements were sharper then usual and each strike he laid on Lucians sabre seemed heavier then the previous one. While duelling with his opponent Lord Conrad had advised me to aid the other soldiers on the field. On the other side of the battlefield two warlords were bashing one another to the ground. It was a battle of titans as warlords from the Uzal and Gordok clan were causing the earth around them to tremble as they fought. To see them fight was like a battle between two male gorillas that were fighting for dominance over one another. It was hard to tell who would be the victor for the two seemed not to know of the word defeat. While one warlord was being handled by our temporarily ally, another was about to face of with the man that even the orcs themselves fear him. Chapter 25 After completing his task which was to disarm the enemy of their siege equipment, Tiberius looked across the battleground to look at the current situation when the ground he had been standing on began to vibrate. The small pebbles near him were dancing wildly and Tiberius knew that something was coming for him for the vibrations were growing. Then he turned to where the source of the vibration had been coming from. Charging towards him was a nine feet tall and muscular beast with the same

amounts of strength as a rouge wild elephant. He knew if he did not jumped out of the way in time then the Bladeslay clan warlord would have trampled over him. Jumped away he did out of the warlords charge but this was when Tiberius had made his come back swinging his broadaxe towards the giant ogre. Despite the ogres enormous size, the warlord had managed to avoid Tiberiuss attack and at the same time had attempted to slam its hand onto Tiberius. Being quick on his feet Tiberius had leaped out of danger and this time he had successfully got his axe to cut into the warlords arm. The ogre felt extreme pain coursing through its body and was furious towards the human that gave it the horrible feeling. Leaving Tiberius with no possibility of escape, the warlord had grabbed him and hurled him towards the other side of the battleground. Tiberius had crashed on his back but thankfully he obtained no serious injuries. He had pulled himself together only to find the warlord charging towards him again only this time jumping out of the way would be a little too late to perform. After pulling himself together Tiberius had realised that the warlord had manage to close in on him and that running away would be pointless. The warlord would have easily caught up to him and that would have been the end of him. In the heat of combat there are three things one can do. You can run away, hide or stand and fight. Running away from the ogre was pointless and to hide from it was just as hopeless since there were no places to hide as the battle was taken place on a wide grassy plain. Therefore his only chance was to face his foe. Once in strike range the warlord raised his good arm to slam its massive fist onto Tiberius. Tiberius on the other hand had seen it coming and quickly raised his broadaxe in a way to shield himself from the attack. Adrenaline was causing Tiberiuss heart to pump more blood to his body and with that his focus on the ogre was even greater as he saw the ogre charging towards him in a slower motion. The warlords fist had finally made contact but it had smashed onto Tiberiuss broadaxe instead. The impact had been so catastrophic that it had broken the iron shaft of the broadaxe in two and sent its owner to be hurled into the air once more. The ogre had destroyed his targets weapon and now it was time to crush his rival. If Tiberius had not blocked that attack then it would have been all over for him however his situation had turned uglier for him for he had lost his weapon and with an enraged ogre charging at him, there was not even anytime to pull himself up. Coincidently there had been a pike lying beside him and with that he had grasped his opportunity to end his enormous foe. In a split second the sharp metal end of the long pike had gone right through the warlords chest and exited out from its back. The Bladeslay clans warlord had been slain and with its dead eyes peering at Tiberius, Tiberius had rolled over to one side to allow the deceased ogre to fall to the ground. Tiberius soon stood up and grabbed a nearby sword but his time in this world was about to end. As he stood up an arrow out of no where had suddenly pierced into Tiberiuss chest. All of a sudden Tiberius had gone into sudden shock as he did not realise where the arrow had come from and that it had pierced deep into his body. The dark elves took this chance to finally kill him but even at his

weakest Tiberius was able to slay everyone around him but the more he fought the weaker he became. His vision and body movements were slowing due to the arrow that pierced through one of his vital organs which had been in charge of transporting oxygen throughout the entire body. Even with an arrow slowing him down, Tiberius fought even harder to kill as many as he could. Somewhere on the bloody battlefield a dark elf officer prepares to fire another arrow to his target that was resistant on dying. Oblivious to the dangers around him, Tiberius swings his sword wildly for he was at a point where his vision was completely blurred due to the lack of oxygen and blood flow. Then another two more shots had pierced through his body. This was all the mighty Tiberius could take and as he collapsed to the ground he gaze at what he thinks was the bright sky that had finally come out after the dark clouds had dispersed. As lay on the grassy plain, his body could no longer feel the pain of the three arrows for the fact his body was becoming numb. To the dark elf officer who had taken the life of my good friend, I had impaled my broadsword deep into his chest when his back was turned but I had only wished I had done so earlier. I rushed towards Tiberiuss side but I was too late for he had already crossed over to the other side. I closed his green eyes as mine was tearing. I held his head on my lap as the first signs of snow fell. As I picked up my sword I forgot about the pain of my wounds for I had no control over my own body. Feelings of regret and anger had driven me to madness as I hacked and slashed arms and legs off my enemy. As I fought in complete rage a voice suddenly spoke to me in my mind. It was the voice of my parents. They told me to come back to them, back to the family. This was the last thing they had ever said to me before I had left for the army. Before heading to the military camp in Florencia, my parents told me that once the war is over you can always come back to them, back to the family. After remembering my parents voices after many months of not seeing them I had managed to clam down despite the fact Tiberius has passed on. The duel with King Lucian and Lord Conrad had been continuing even after the death of Tiberius however Lord Conrad was slowing in his attacks. Unlike General Tolandeal who had failed to even lay a scratch on Lucian, Lord Conrad was able to slash King Lucians leather black long coat three times but none were deep penetrations. King Lucian had been amazed by Lord Conrads sword mastery but after duelling for fifteen minutes, it was time to end the death match. In three moves King Lucian had removed Lord Conrads sword. Lord Conrad dropped to his knees and knelt in pain as his right hand which he had used to wield his sword was brutally removed by Lucians sabre. Blood gushed out of Conrads arm as King Lucian stared down on him. What a pity because I really thought you Lord Conrad would have a chance in defeating me? It doesnt matter now. Allow me to send you of to meet with your cousin. I may have failed to kill you but someone will end your reign of terror.

King Lucian had merely let out a small laugh as he could not believe what he had just heard from the one whom he was about to kill. King Lucian then went behind Lord Conrad to give the same execution as he did with General Tolandeal but in the end Lord Conrads head never came off. Just before King Lucian had swung his sword to behead Lord Conrad, the unexpected happened. Standing 250 yards away Dylan had fired a second arrow into King Lucian. Blood started oozing out of King Lucians mouth as both of his lungs had been punctured by arrows. Lord Conrad had taken the grand opportunity to finally end the chaos as he rushed for his sword. Lord Conrad had quickly got up and faced his weakened opponent for the last time. King Lucian had mustered all his strength he had left into his arm to make one last effort in slaying his enemy but the finale was not in his favour. In the end he had lost both of his arms and finally it was his head that had been severed from his body. The death of King Lucian had been a huge blow to the dark elves. With the death of their king the dark elves had retreated from Viridian and as for the Bladeslay and Gordok clan, they too had removed their forces from Viridian since their only ally has fled. The victory we had gained from that day marked the end of the century year old war. To achieve such glory many lives were needed to obtain it but no longer will we have to sacrifice another soul for now we have the chance to rebuild all that had been lost and destroyed during the horrors of that war. Towns and cities can be rebuilt easily for they are merely structures that require little but to replace a life that had been taken away is the hardest thing. In times of war heroes were made and their stories had made them legends. My three friends, Dylan, Ramius and Tiberius, they were the heroes that gave us our freedom. It was through their effort and sacrifice that we have the opportunity to live in peace. Three weeks after the war had ended, two new warlords had been appointed to replace the previous warlord of the Bladeslay clan which had been killed in battle and the Gordok clan which their warlord had been banished by his own clansmen. In Elderis homeland to the dark elves, a civil war had erupted between the many dark elf nations due to the decision of appointing a new King of Elderis. Whereas nations in the Adorean Alliance were finally living the peaceful life they had always dreamed of. Sons and fathers could finally return to their love ones but at the same time there were families that have mourned the loss of their beloved. Apart from loosing my two brothers to the war, I had also lost a good friend. Tiberius was an amazing man though some thought he was a god of war during battles since never once was he ever severely wounded. His memories will always rest within me and those who knew him. Three weeks after the war had ended, Ramius had recovered from his injuries thanks to help of the Xaranian clerics that had used magic to heal him. Upon hearing of Ramiuss recovery from an elf cleric, Dylan and I had met up with him and together we three had went on a journey together to visit an old friend. On the outskirts of Florencia, a village that had been destroyed by the orcs had been rebuilt by the townsfolk that had left their village in times of war. It was in that village we had come across three graves on a hill top. Two of the graves were for Tiberiuss parents which Tiberius himself had dug

for them. As for the third grave, Dylan and I had dug it to lay our friend Tiberius to rest. This book that I write holds stories and records of many heroes that had fought valiantly during the war. With this, their memories will last through ages as their stories will be passed down by future generations to come. As promised I returned to my parents which later we had rebuilt our home that we had lost back at the farm. The time of endless chaos has ended. End