Traveling through the mountains meant treading on treacherous ground, vegetation lay rotting and moisture in the air caused a damp earth smell. People with low intelligence do not have an alertness to their surroundings and so the group walked as quietly as they could to be aware of any sudden danger as they climbed the steep incline.
While the party was still moving forward the eerie stillness, broken only by their breathing, was suddenly filled with loud footfalls. The three Orcs charged forward out of the trees, towering grandly over all of them. The feral look in the orc's eyes and the glint of their shiny white teeth made it clear they were hungry. Aric felt panic wash over him. "Orcs? Where the hell did they come from?!" Then another thought struck him. "There's someone living in these mountains?! Shit! Why didn't I tell them how to face these bastards?"
Before he could even react to the sight of the approaching orcs, Arshan had leapt into action. He sprang from the ground, sword raised high and glinted in the sunlight. The second from the right was his target and Arshan's sword quickly traversed the ground to meet the beast chest, splitting him in half in less than a second. However, Arshan was not prepared for the impact of his landing. He hit the ground with a thud, gasping for breath and completely exhausted, while the other two orcs continued to pose a threat to the group below.
The Orc tribe seemed furious at the death of one of their members and charged at the soldiers. Aric was fast and deadly as he swung his sword through the air. His first cut struck an Orc in the neck, killing him instantly, but the second Orc was faster, and he knocked down two soldiers before Aric could reach him.
There was fear among the soldiers, they were shocked by what was happening and began murmuring to one another. The sound of their voices became increasingly loud as they tried to understand what was happening. Aric had narrowed his eyes when he heard the noise and readied himself to call out to everyone. Before he could do so, Arshan called out loudly before him.
"How could you all have accepted a request from Aric, to follow me without knowing the reason behind it?" Arshan shouted as if his words were fire to the air around them. "What idiocy! Why did you unite under our banner? For what mission? For what goals? To become something greater than yourselves? To be on the right side of history? So that in the future, where you shall not see people like yourselves who had no choice but to live under the laws that continue to be made?"
Arshan's words had created pain and remorse within the soldiers. They were full of remorse for not being more thoughtful. They recalled the reason for their joining the group, their unity in honouring fallen comrades and the need to stand together to serve in building another new foundation that would carry their legacy forward. "Does this not make you feel ashamed to have witnessed your senior comrade die so that a new structure would be built and protected by this brotherhood?" Arshan yelled at them, and from that point forward their spirit was renewed and strengthened in the vision.
Aric nodded his head in agreement, smiling ever so slightly. "Now you must conduct the proper burial for your dead comrades," he commanded. The soldiers immediately responded with determination in their faces and continued with their assigned task of giving the proper honour to those who had sacrificed themselves to provide this brotherhood with a new way of life.
After several hours, they had finished the burial and now stood before the new graves. The soldiers looked out over the graves and felt that they were no longer just young boys, but true warriors who had endured the hardships of life and death. They moved forward with a new focus on the direction of their journey toward Mahnis. With each step they took on the new path that had been laid before them. Their spirits were filled with a desire for vengeance and justice, they realised that while there were obstacles along this journey, they were willing to battle through whatever those obstacles were if it would allow them to accomplish their goal of finding revenge for the loss of their comrades.
The group journey consisted of navigating steep hills and valleys while making every attempt to stay away from the main route to minimize the risk of detection. On the eighth day of travel, the group reached a mountain known as Gotso Hill, which was located in a strategic location between Odario and Mahnis. For the next three days, the 355 men waited in anticipation of the caravan's arrival, with their hearts and minds concentrated on the task at hand.
At precisely midnight, a scout arrived with news that had been long awaited. With a loud yell, "They've come! They've come! Get your weapons ready," he ran into camp. With that, Arshan and Aric locked eyes, and without saying anything, they went toward the road, taking cover among bushes and trees in order to time their attack. As the group waited for the caravan to make an appearance, the air was filled with the nerve-wracking anticipation of the moment of truth. Each man felt he would either die or be free to become the man he wanted to be. This was a chance to alter the course of history.
The caravan was finally very close by when Arshan shouted, "Men! Today you will die or you will live like a free spirit, Now attack" The group sprang from their concealed position, roaring their battle cry into the night sky. The enemy soldiers were caught by surprise, causing chaos to erupt throughout the battlefield. Arshan charged into the fray, slicing through the enemy ranks with brutal accuracy using his sword, while Aric followed up with just as much zeal, cutting down anyone unfortunate enough to be in his path while wielding his sword glinting in the moonlight.
The combat raged fiercely back and forth between both sides; each sustaining injuries but neither gaining the advantage. However, with his experience and training, Aric had proven effective at turning the tide of battle toward the side of victory for himself and his troops.
Just as it seemed that Arshan forces were finally starting to seize an opportunity for victory, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a 3rd tier aura user that had been hiding in the shadows. He realized that, although he held no true hope of overpowering someone who had achieved the status of a 3rd-tier aura user simply due to their immense strength alone, he would still employ strategies and techniques of the same kind.
As both aura users began to engage one another, their movements were so fluid and quick that those watching could only catch glimpses of them before they would clash again. At one point in their exchange, Aric shouted out "Flaming Berserker!" and leaped forward towards his opponent with an incredible upward strike. The enemy sensed the high level of danger and evaded the attack, but Aric moved quickly and was able to use his burst of speed and momentum from the first attack to execute a second attack.
This time, however, his enemy had no chance of anticipating his strike and was cut through the left arm of his body by the blade of Aric's sword. The adversary's eyes were full of shock and admiration when he glanced towards his severed hand: "I began to wonder who would have the ability to be this skilled." This was spoken in a voice that exuded respect. "And now, I see that you are Aric Baldwin and the brilliant genius boy among your age," he said. Although Aric did not show it through his facial expression, he was surprised by what the enemy said; however, before Aric could reply, the enemy's expression changed to a wide grin.
"That little brat must be the child of Rodriger Dragonia. Now, I can understand why they sent 6 six-tier aura users and 4 fifth -circles mages to kill Rodriger Dragonia. It takes a lot of wolf to defeat a dragon. Now, because of your work, this little cub will die tonight." Aric eyes narrowed as he lifted his sword to attack, but the adversary words had been enough to put doubt in the back of his mind. What remained were the unknown number of strong enemy combatants, waiting for them.