The Grey Wolf tribe only had twelve members remaining plus the chieftain and the shaman . Ragh'Ash had to think carefully about their strategy . Albeit lesser demons, their enemies were still demons .
Of the twelve orcs, four were just kids . Their bodies were yet to become able to endure the blessing of the holy crystal . The shaman decided to keep them close to her, so in case of emergency, she could turn them into living bombs and get rid of the tribe's enemies .
'As long as the tribe has women, we can always have more children . ' Ragh'Ash thought . 'The only things that matter to our survival is the holy crystal and breaking the curse . Everyone else is disposable . '
The shaman used the crystal once again . This time she didn't panic . Ragh'Ash took her time to assess the enemy strength and position while using her knowledge of the territory to come up with a battle plan .
She was the only one capable of rational thought thanks to her Awakening . The others, just like Testa'Lhosh, were mindless brutes, incapable of escaping the clutches of their base instincts .
Against a smart enemy equipped with magical weapons like Sergeant Tepper's unit, the blessing of the holy crystal wasn't enough . She needed a foolproof plan . Literally . Otherwise those morons would screw up and leave everything on her shoulders .
According to her readings, the demons and the humans were apart, even if not by much .
'Sending more orcs would be just a waste of resources . I'll let them come here, where the powers of the holy crystal and my magic are at their peak . I'll leave the humans to the tribe while Testa'Lhosh and I will take care of the demons .
'The gods from above and from below are on our side . The two demons share the same body, making them a lesser threat than what I feared . We outnumber and outmatch them . Thanks to my new pet, our victory is already written in the stars . ' Ragh'Ash thought .
***
Lith kept coming closer to the orc settlement, yet he met no resistance whatsoever . There were a few traps laid on the ground, but they were devised against animals to get food, not against a real enemy .
'Orcs are supposed to be stupid . They should have charged at us like mad bulls already . ' Lith thought while using Life Vision to check his surroundings .
'I guess a shaman is a real game changer . ' Solus pointed out . 'It's better to go back to the others and ask for more information . The Sergeant seemed to know more than what he told us . We should seek his advice . '
Lith mind nodded . He rushed back to the unit while Solus watched his back with mana sense, allowing him to move at full speed without any worry .
"How many orcs did you kill?" Liwell asked with a big smile on his face . Lith was so used to their ill concealed scorn that it gave him the creeps .
"None, that's why I returned . Something is wrong here . The orcs knew our position with enough precision to set an ambush, yet they aren't supposed to be able to use arrays . " Lith said, leaving the unit confused .
"What's an array?" They asked each other, receiving only a shrug in reply .
"Also, they are supposed to be dumb . It that was true, they should either run away or come at us in full force . Yet nothing has happened . I feel like we are walking into a trap . Sergeant, could you please tell us what a shaman is capable of?"
"Sometimes in battle, you're forced to face the unknown, Cadet Lith . A shaman is a rare creature, even adventurers have a vague knowledge of them . Only the army possess detailed records and I have already shared with you more than I should . " Tepper replied .
"As a fellow soldier, though, I can say that I think your observations are on point . The shaman seems smart enough to make use of their superior numbers . When you decided to continue the mission, you knew you would face a magician . "
'The whole unit is green and he wants to send us against an unknown enemy?' Lith thought . 'Either he is overestimating himself or underestimating a magician . '
'Or maybe he is overestimating you . ' Solus suggested . 'I think that at this point he is sure you are a magician and the army rules allow you to use your powers in case of emergency . Probably the Sergeant thinks that the two of you are more than enough . '
'I wish I shared his optimism . Until I know what kind of core the enemy has or the kind of tricks they are capable of, the only thing I'm sure of is that I can survive . I need to keep at least the Sergeant alive . Otherwise if the entire unit gets butchered, I could get blamed for it . '
The unit effortlessly advanced through the woods until Lith signaled them to stop .
"It's a trap indeed . " He said jumping down from a tree without making any noise .
"The settlement has no guards and there are no signs of activity . The tribe consists of ten adults and four teenagers . Eight adults are spread outside what I presume is the shaman's tent and are armed to the teeth . "
"What about the mana crystal?" Sergeant Tepper asked with eyes full of expectation .
"I saw no crystal . " Lith lied . "Maybe it's inside the tent, I can't see through walls . "
'The bastard knows about the crystal!' Lith inwardly cursed . Thanks to Life Vision and mana sense, Lith had now a clear idea of the enemy's strength . His comrades had only one path to victory .
If they managed to keep the orcs at bay they would win, otherwise it would be a slaughter .
Inside the tent, Lith had spotted a bright cyan cored orc that was likely to be the shaman, a very bulky individual at least two meters (6'7") tall, and four children that seemed to be around twelve years old .
Near to them, there was the biggest and most powerful mana crystal Lith had ever seen . He had hoped to keep its existence a secret to snatch it away during the fight . It was a priceless natural treasure with endless application to Lith's studies .
"There has to be a mana crystal, otherwise the shaman couldn't empower other orcs . " Tepper said . "Orcs consider them gifts from the gods, they would rather die than leave one behind . The Mage Association highly values orcs crystals .
"They hope to understand the secrets of the shamans' powers by studying them . We have to retrieve it safely at all costs!"
"What is our priority?" Lith asked . "Wiping out the orcs or retrieving the crystal?"
"Your primary objective is to remain alive . " Sergeant Tepper sighed . He had almost forgotten he was with cadets, not an elite force .
"The secondary objective is to wipe out the orcs . If we do that, the crystal will fall into our hands . "
"What's a crystal?" Nhilo asked, relieving Lith from his burden .
The more he learned about the orcs the more the mission appeared suicidal in his eyes . Sending the cadets forward without warning them about mana crystals would just add insult to the injury .
Tepper briefly explained the unit the mana crystals' uses, properties, and volatile nature .
"With all due respect, I don't think we can do it, Sir . " Nhilo said after Lith draw her a rough sketch of the orc settlement and the enemy positions .
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