Age of Heroes

The morning air this morning does not seems as peaceful s before.

A tense atmosphere fills the area of the clearing around the cave. Some Kobolds could be seen practicing their swords and Orcs is practicing their strikes

Many of them are brandishing their swords.

They are practicing and preparing their hearts. They don't know how much that would affect their hearts when they met a dragon but something is better than nothing

Arial look at this scenery and he too could feel the tense atmosphere.

It is full of anxiousness and there is also certain excitement.

A dragon lair.

Some of them are probably anxious because they probably not expect to see another sunset and some were probably excited to meet the ancient beast feared by all

His troops are all informed of the news about the dragon lair and they all prepared themselves, their body and their mind.

After finished packing they took a last long look at the cave and then they began to march toward that area inside the map

There are varieties of emotions inside the hearts of the mercenaries. Their hearts are all restless anticipating the encounter.

Will they live? Will they perish? Such thoughts crossed their minds.

The kobold, talented swords user swings their sword gracefully and blissfully during the practice showing their swordsmanship.

Arial had look at them with admiration each morning when he woke up.

They are great swordsman, practicing swordsmanship in earnest. It is through looking at them Arial also have started creating another technique.

The Heaven Punishment Style.

In martial art, there is technique when talking about external attack and internal attack but in swordsmanship of higher technique it is called style.

It is created or learned from some masters of sword.

Mastering the sword is a discipline of the mind and body, and was meant to help live righteously.

Though it can also be seen as an art of killing. After all, sword is made to be used. And there is not many uses for the sword other than to kill your enemies

Though, it probably depends on the person.

During Arial years in the Library he learned a lot of swordsmanship but he always has trouble executing it.

It is not a problem when he fights people with no basics but he knows that if he encountered a talented swordsman his skill is not in par.

It is because of the stiff movement of his sword attack. He is too absorbed in executing the swordplay. So he found a solution.

Change it to something new.

It began with his technique. While he is no genius in creating something new, he combined the myriads of technique through trial and error.

It is an effort no one have seen. He did not just recite the Teachings when he was in the Temple of Linzi.

He practiced and honed his sword skills.

He wanted to create a brand new way for himself. Something that doesn't restrict him and utilize his strength.

The techniques he had learn, while many of them are high tiered martial arts and sword skill, Arial sometimes was also restrained by it.

The movement then become stiff and when it became stiff, it became slow and in being slow, he could not reveal his true power.

So he began creating his own technique and nowadays he is creating this style of swordsmanship.

Free, limitless, unrestricted, unpredictable like the wind, elusive as the clouds. You can lose yourself in it.

This is the style Arial is developing. Boundless like Heaven, immeasurable like the droplets of water in the sea.

Arial was sure that if this technique is created, his swordsmanship would rise to a whole new other level.

He had met two of the Four Immortals.

He didn't think that he would not be able to surpass them.

But it was also true that at the Linzi Temple, if he fought the Western Serpent he might be able to survive, but he would not be able to defeat her

So this sword technique he created would probably help him tremendously.

And the Kobold is delighted to help. They view swordsmanship as the God of War divine art.

The Kobold as Arial learned from Mikael, worships the God of War, a Horned God that depicts him wearing man skin as his clothes, human skull as his goblet and both of his eyes a flaming eyeballs.

Behind such a terrifying God is the scene of carnage and his throne is a chair of swords filled with human, and other races skull.

That is how the Horned God is usually depicted either in paintings or in the murals of its Temple.

To master the sword is their goal and fighting worthy men. They will not soil their swords with senseless murders. Kobold had their own code of honor.

Yet they do not underestimate the efforts of their fellow men. And challenging a dragon?

What honour will they achieve among their brethren if they succeed to do the unthinkable?

Arial have seen their swordsmanship.

It is exquisite and overwhelming, swift and lethal. They can kill anything with any slash. But would that work against a dragon?

This Arial doesn't know.

They continued their journey as the Dark Elves scouted out a path. They all look upwards and Arial nodded as he saw the open hole in the middle of the mountain

'Is it really here?' he thought to himself. They see the suspected lair is high on the mountain.

Quickly they informed the others in the back and they braced themselves as they started moving upwards.

The new groups from the back look upwards and gazed, wide-eyed, at their new and probably last destination.

'Finally' some say

Some were panting in exhaustion. Some is looking at the destination, dread filling them. Some look at it with a new determination.

Whatever their feeling is, they keep moving forward, one step at a time.

Arial is in the lead and as he keeps moving forward fearlessly, like it was a calming effect, the others followed him from behind.

The expedition is proceeding smoothly. Today, it seems the weather would be fine. There are no storms.

But that doesn't mean there isn't any threats

As they climbed higher along the path made by the dwarves they encountered many monsters that made the mountain their home.

Sometimes Arial and his mercenaries' troops had to rest at some caves under the mountains and encounter monster that hid in the deep.

At times like that Arial and Velamina would become the first one that clashed with such monster it and it was at this time the companionship between Arial and Velamina grew.

They are comfortable in protecting each other in battle and Arial acknowledge the woman explosive power.

The Elves would support with arrows and magic while Orcs attack with their strength. Kobold uses their swordsmanship to slash and stab the monster to death.

Of course as mercenaries their priority is Arial safety. But Arial also join the fight killing as many as he can.

At night they stopped. At dawn they move. Sunset and sunrise come and go. They climb. They stopped. Move. Climb.

They are paving their way forward with every step. The mountain was not easy. Any mountain was never easy

Swiftly they advanced.

They sometimes encountered worms of the deep when they rest in a cave or they would find some Fire Lizard, a small creature that resembles a lizard but it can breathe fire, and the rain that comes day ago provide great opportunity for the elves to use their water magic to dispel these creatures.

Since dragon breath fires it was a good experience for them to prepare. Arial don't know if there is really a dragon inside that lair but if it did, he would like for his people to be prepared and in their tip top shape.

Finally, after great pains and tribulation they arrived near the entrance of the lair.

Arial look at it the huge opening entrance, winds entering in creating shrieking sounds because of the many small openings inside the large dark cave.

'Hmm' he muttered as he takes his step forward inside. And he began to spot some things as he surveys the area with the torch on his hand

The abundance of skulls, from orcs skull, dwarven skull, elves and even some giants bone around the vicinity only strengthen their belief that a dragon is near this cave.

Every moment during the expedition, Arial have trained himself, in strengthening his internal energy and polishing his technique all for this moment

He tries to teach Mikael about fighting but Mikael is not interested in it though he knew some healing magic. Sometimes he heals the injured soldier and his proficiency's in medicine is remarkable.

He also collects herbs, rare ones during our journey. Sometimes he orders the troops to find some leaves or seed.

Thinking about it, Mikael is descended from a High Elven so it is no wonder that he has magic in his blood.

Not to mention he is a great scholar, learning from the text of the First Generation among other things.

And his healing magic is not one that Arial could underestimate.

It has saved many of Arial troops after they are attacked by monsters or because of some unpredictable storm, from poison snakes and scorpions.

Velamina is also talented in such arts and in battle she provided healing but since she is more valuable as a warrior she rarely used her magic instead relying on her godly speed to finish a battle

If she was compared with Arial, she lacked explosive power but her sped makes up for it. There was only one way to describe her sped when she is in battle: godly

Meanwhile even as he was walking inside the lair, the pain in his heart is getting stronger.

He sighed

Before this, at night Mikael will always use his healing magic to soothe the pain and it worked to alleviate the pain.

But of course it does not expel the poison.

Maybe if Arial met him earlier during the early stages of the poison Mikael might have been able to expel the poison but after this long, Arial hope is resting upon this crazy gambit.

Sometimes in the morning Arial could hear the whooshing of a large creature and he realizes that the dragons find his food in the morning and sleep at night.

They both have long formulate strategies on how to fight the dragons. Velamina with her strength and fast moves are also included in their discussion.

The mercenaries are informed by their team leader so does the kobold and the Elves. The Elves will act as support from the back providing healing magic and explosive magic.

Kobold and Orcs as the group frontline. Dwarves are behind them as Arial and Velamina is on the front because of their prowess skills and strength.

The Elves are divided into support magic division and archer division. They planned to attack the dragon when it is asleep.

But Velamina tell him that dragons are random. Sometime they sleep in the morning, sometimes they sleep at night. It depends on their moods.

And now they are finally inside the lair.

'Let us walk further inside.' Arial said and the mercenaries' soldiers all moved their trembling knees inside the lair.