Encounter with orcs

Chapter 12 - Encounter with orcs

An hour passed since Dorian's party discovered the battlefield. After some time, they realized that this might not have been an orc's overwhelming victory, since the Count Frederick Silverguard was still nowhere to be seen.

Traces of a majestic swordsmanship could also be seen on the ground. It was as if the ground had been cleaved in half, along with a huge 3-meters-tall orc who most likely was a general in this battle. It was obvious that each and every one of these orcs was at least on the level of a preparatory knight, which was roughly equivalent to a human being with 3 points of strength and 3 points of vitaility.

Elite warriors would be equivalent to beginner knights, while generals were bound to be as strong as intermediate or even advanced knights. As for the orc shaman, he was probably on par with a peak acolyte judging by the mightiness of his spells. Perhaps only a magus could deal with such a beast.

Still, after looking for traces, Dorian came to the conclusion that the Count had been either captured or hiding.

Arthur, however, was happier than ever.

[Health Alumet - Low-grade Enchanted Item

This is an amulet blessed by an Orc Shaman. Every hour, the user recovers one additional point of HP]

[Ring of Courage - Low-grade Enchanted Item

This is a ring blessed by an Orc Shaman. It increases the wearer's pain tolerance by 1 point]

[Fire Spirit Tribe Flag - Low-grade Enchanted Item

This is an ornemental flag that inflict fear ailment to enemies]

Of course, it was extremely difficult to appraise items among thousands of corpses. Since the effects were not self-evident as well, it was pretty much impossible to tell the difference from an ornemental amulet and the low-grade enchanted item Arthur had picked up from a random orc.

Seeing that even orcs did not bother taking those enchanted items, they must have left the battlefield in a hurry. At this point, Arthur was sure that the Count Silverguard was not dead, and did not lose the battle. He most likely injured the orc shaman and chased the orcs away. However, his train of thoughts could not be shared, since it would expose his unrighteous looting of enchanted items.

With his magical ring artefact, he could scan the entire battlefield and accurately see where the 'above-average' items were located. Under the excuse of investigating, Arthur safely picked up three low-grade enchanted item in secrecy, without Dorian, John or Elizabeth even suspecting that there could be items of such high value on lying on the ground.

It was quite a shock.

After all, enchanted items would usually sell for more than ten magic crystals in the Ivory Tower Market. For enchanted items that could have an effect on a battlefield such as the Fire Spirit Tribe Flag, then this could even be sold for twenty or even thirty magic crystals, since it could directly affect the outcome of a battle.

Arthur was most satisfied by this flag, actually. The amulet would be a nice addition to his fighting prowess and training rate since more regeneration meant more training, and the ring meant that he could push his body one step further, but because of his contract, he knew that he would have to return to the Elderwood County at some point. There, he would have to fight a war, and having this flag would surely increase his odds of winning large-scale battles.

After all, the more achievements he would accumulate as the Count's right-hand, the higher the rewards and reputation of his family would be. Arthur was convinced that he would become a Magus one day. If he could construct his magical tower in his family's castle, then he would have loyal servants and even knights ready to give up their lives for him.

*AWOOOO*

*AWOOOO*

"What is that sound?", Arthur spoke as he heard the sound of wolves howling in the distance

Elizabeth cursed: "This...this is orc cavalry! When a large tribe of orcs appears, it is pretty common for tamers to appear. These strange orcs have the power to tame wild beasts. Since we are on Narth Island...Then these wolves are likely to be..."

"Dire wolves", Dorian said as he took out binoculars, "Eighteen...Nineteen...There are nineteen riders coming our way"

Knight Angelo, who had been wary since the moment he observed human corpses, readied his war hammer and shield, before shouting: "Sylvester Soldiers! Ready your shield and use the Centurion Formation"

Instantly, the fifteen soldiers escorting the carriage surrounded the four nobles in a semi-circle.

Arthur acknowledged those trained soldiers:

[Gary - Level 3 Preparatory Knight]

[Anthony - Level 3 Preparatory Knight]

[Grace - Level 2 Soldier]

...

Half of these trained soldiers had already reached the level of preparatory knights, and all seemed to possess decent swordsmanship, with roughly 20 points of proficiency in it. With Angelo commanding them, this elite team of soldiers could probably take on 50 regular soldiers with ease.

However, Arthur knew that as magnificent as this display of strength was, it lacked strength and momentum. They did not possess enough strength to block nineteen orc riders with such momentum on the back of dire wolves, a species of wolf that was over two-meters-long, and even faster than regular horses.

Well, it turns out that Arthur's expectations was turned upside down as Dorian casted the following spell: [Light Flash]

Instantly, the fifteen soldiers and Angelo shined in a blinding light, causing the nocturnal species of direwolves to be blinded. Even Arthur could only barely see due to the exposition of such brightness. Still, he could see that the soldiers and Angelo were used to such light, and stayed strong on their feet. As the direwolves crashed onto them, the soldiers bashed their shields against the wolves.

Losing balance, the orcs fell on the ground, only to be cut and pierced by a flurry of swords. Minutes later, the entire squad of orc riders had been annihilated besides one sturdy orc. The latter was wearing the skin of a bear, and most likely held high status. He probably was some sort of commander.

Dorian chanted a few words, before a spear of light pierced his heart.

[You have witnessed a battle of expert soldiers...]

[You have earned the following skills: [Strategy], [Military Formations]]