Milo

  I sigh, and pass around the paperwork all over my desk. “Gertrude!” I call out into the hallway.

  “What, ya young bastard!?” She responds quickly.

  I sigh. “I need you to hire me a tutor for doing math, and all the aristocratic shit I should know.”

  I hear a visible sigh. “Yeah.”

  I drop my head onto the table, and take a deep breath. Our city has been producing godly amounts of coal, and money. Sadly most of that coal can’t be shipped out because the orcs are still besieging us, but I doubt they'll last long, when Theo arrives we’ll crush them between the hammer, and the anvil.

  Of the three artillery mages one of them is an older gentleman, who is from a relatively wealthy merchant family. He has been pestering me about setting up a school here. He claims the ambient mana is very high, and the area itself is perfect for training artillery mages because we have lots of wide open cliffs, and mountainsides to blast.

  I've been considering doing it. His arguments are very persuasive. It would bring more people to our city, not only that, if our city is ever attacked having a school filled with skilled artillery mages would be a heavenly asset to have. He also says he would charge tuition, so we would bring more noble families into the city, and a portion of the tuition would go to the city. I've spoken with Gertrude about it, and she seems to think it's quite the spectacular idea.

  The only problem I can think of, is that it could cause problems for the landscape. Powerful explosion spells will be loud, and annoying, as well as ejecting dust into the air, or even triggering landslides which could crush the city. So we would have to very carefully zoning firing ranges.

  I sigh. “I'll probably do it. I just can't resist more money.” I lean back, and grin with a chuckle.

  Ivan

  My stone laden feet stomp down, and a cloud of dust rises up. In a blur the Orc attacks me, his huge cleaver headed straight for my head. With a flick of my wrist I redirect the blade to the side, and drop to the ground in the fetal position. With a loud boom the whole area where we were in is encased in a burning hell. I am fine, barely warmed by the heat of the fires.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  I rise to my feet again, and with a deafening blow I throw a left hook from hell, colliding with the poor beast's side, and he slams into the side of the valley, embedding himself into the stone. The second A ranker attacks me, a giant curved scythe of force slides across the battlefield threatening to tear through my armor, and into me.

  I jump, my feet free from the ground and it passes harmlessly below me, but another blast of white force approaches me at breakneck speeds. I smack it aside, and it blasts into the floor of the valley throwing up dust, and rocks.

  I land back upon the floor, and rush forward jumping upwards. I lock my hands together, and bring them down on the creature's head, but with a grunt, his magic solidifies above him blocking my blow. I growl, but before I can do anything the cleaver collides with my armor again, tearing into the hard packed stone, before being bound within it.

  I turn, and throw another vicious left hook, twisting my hips, and throwing him away once again. But, as i'm distracted the other A ranker attacks me, and with a blast I'm thrown away, slamming head first into the wall. I growl, and press my head against the wall, pulling my head free.

  With a screaming noise the sky is torn open, and a black hand drops down, upon the heads of the thousands of Orcs marching into the valley.

  I jump forward, tearing into the lines before I'm intercepted by another A ranker, his cleave slams into my face directly, but my shielding blocks it. I glare, and spin. I grab the poor man in one hand, and toss him off once again into the sides of the valley. For the first time I notice something different.

  Alistair's abominations roll onto the battlefield. The gates pried open just enough for them to get through, they slide onto the battlefield, their long disgusting limbs grabbing people, and dragging them into the meat grinder. Their bones, like teeth they shred, and tear into the masses. One is intercepted by a A ranker, who blasts the top off of one, but it's growing too quickly, and is already starting to reform.

  I jump in and blast the assailant into a wall, allowing the abomination to roll on unimpeded. But while my back is turned the other orc reaches me, he blasts a bolt of white mana into my back, and I follow right behind the orc I just dealt with. I slam into the ground, before climbing to my feet, and spinning around upon the beast. I throw up my hands, and two pillars of stone rise from the earth, I grab one in each hand, and I blast the creature with a sidewinding swing from my right hand.

  The first orc climbs from the ground, and Spartan kicks me in the back, and I blast back towards the first orc, who throws up a umbrella shaped shield of force, which I slam against, than with a growl, the same orc hits my back, his cleaver finally breaking the stone. He chuckles, his voice deep, and gravely, then with a scream the first orc drops his shield, and blasts me. I fly off towards the wall, another beam of clear force following me.

  Then with a blast the entire area i'm in is blasted with fire, and I get a break. I reinforce my armor, and prepare myself. I heave my sides, and glance up at the walls.