"The orcs have the home advantage, are physically superior, and have a magician on their side . We can't set a trap without being noticed nor can we handle eight adults at once . Also, the children's position is highly suspicious .
"I don't think they are close to the tent to keep them safe, but rather to use them as sacrifices . A single one could throw our formation into disarray and doom us all . Not to mention we cannot even bombard the shaman's tent without the crystal exploding . "
"I agree with your analysis, Corporal . " Tepper nodded . "Their behavior is highly unusual, even for the presence of a shaman . The orcs were supposed to send another wave of warriors and attempt to escape after their second failed attack .
"Orcs being cautious is almost unprecedented . They regard humans as food, not enemies . Yet they are acting as if they are afraid of us . We need reinforcements . Lith, you can use dimensional magic, right?"
Lith nodded while watching his companions' expression turn to a mix of surprise, envy, and hate . Tepper noticed it too .
"He is not a noble . Lith comes from a family of farmers . He became a magician thanks only to his own hard work . Show some respect . " The Sergeant's words left everyone dumbstruck .
To them meeting a magician of commoner origins was like finding a unicorn under a rainbow with a pot of gold in its mouth .
"Bring us back to the camp . " Tepper ordered .
Lith attempted to open a Warp Steps, but the dimensional door quickly became unstable, shattering before it was fully formed .
"This is bad . " Lith clicked his tongue . "Something like this has only happened to me once in the past . It means the orc shaman is preparing something big and powerful enough to upset the normal elemental balance . "
'Solus, why didn't you warn me of the array?' Lith was surprised, it wasn't like her to make such a rookie mistake .
'There is no array . ' She explained . 'Nor any significant disturbance in the world energy . Quite the contrary, the air is really quiet and the mana thin . '
'How thin?' Lith asked .
'Not much, but now that you mention it, there is something wrong . ' Solus needed to focus her mana sense to the extreme to separate the world energy into the six elements that composed it .
'By my maker! This is exactly the opposite of what that wyvern did . There is no abundance of an element this time . The earth magic in the air is less than half of what it should be . I can see it being siphoned towards the orc encampment!'
"Do you mean you can't Warp us back?" Tepper inwardly cursed . Even if he called for reinforcements, it would take them too long to find the unit's actual position .
"I think I can, but it will take time and effort . I need you to watch my back . " Lith said to his comrades, but he meant those words for Solus alone . She was still tired from the overuse of her mana sense, yet Solus reassured him and kept watch .
***
<"now, my="" warriors!="" receive="" the="" power="" of="" the="" earth="" god="" and="" become="" their="" avatars!"=""></"now,> Ragh'Ash had used Invigoration though the mana crystal as if it were a part of her own body .
With the combined effect of Invigoration and the natural ability of purple crystals to absorb the world energy, the shaman had collected an enormous amount of mana . Ragh'Ash had called upon earth magic in particular, to make her pawns invincible .
The world energy seeped into the warriors' mana cores, temporarily boosting them from the red level to the yellow one . Such unnatural status would have been their demise if not for the orcs' peculiar physiology .
Their bodies contained very few impurities, allowing them to grow strong enough to withstand the power of an Awakened core, even if only temporarily . The crystal was a key element in the process .
It was not only capable of storing the necessary world energy, but it also kept it pure . If Ragh'Ash had attempted to give them her mana, it would be like poison to them . Only in its purest form could world energy be absorbed without being rejected .
The earth elemental energy coursing through the warriors' bodies would double the effects of earth fusion, making them immune to lightning and resistant to all the other elements .
Yet, it came with a price . Only the strongest orcs could survive their cores being enhanced not once, but twice . Ragh'Ash could see energy cracks appearing on the skin of five out of the eight warriors she had blessed . They only had a few minutes left to live .
'The weak can only blame themselves . ' Ragh'Ash thought . 'The demon's meat is too precious to be wasted on failures . Their death was only a matter of time . '
While the orcs charged towards the humans' position, the shaman and the chieftain followed them from a distance . Testa'Lhosh carried the holy crystal on his back, while the ground emitted a low rumble wherever Ragh'Ash stepped .
***
"Orcs incoming!" Vipli screamed on the top of his lungs from the top of a tree .
Lith inwardly cursed while pushing his willpower to the limit to compensate for the lack of earth elemental energy with his own mana . Finally, the Warp Steps appeared, but instead of being static as usual, its edges spun like a buzz saw . They emitted sparks every time Lith sent new waves of mana to prevent it from collapsing .
One after the other, the cadets rushed through it until only Nhilo and the Sergeant were left .
"We can't leave Lith behind! They will kill him!" As the commanding officer, Nhilo felt it was her responsibility to remain behind with him .
"That's why I'll stay here . " Tepper said while throwing her through the Gate . "There's no need for us all to die . "
"Indeed!" Lith used spirit magic to push the Sergeant away before closing the Warp Steps . When Tepper's face hit the boot camp's ground, he wasn't angry . Quite the contrary, he was almost moved to the tears .
"That idiot! Together we had a chance, alone he is as good as dead . Shamans can prevent an opponent from flying . Without Warp Steps, he has no way out . I misjudged Lith . He preferred to die a hero rather than see one of us die . "
He ran to the HQ to request immediate backup . With him as a guide, the mages would only need a few minutes to reach the orc encampment . He could only hope Lith would survive long enough for it to be a rescue mission instead of a revenge one .
Meanwhile, on the other side of the crumbled Gate, Lith was overjoyed . He was wearing his Skinwalker armor again . The Gatekeeper sword was firm in his hand while Invigoration gave Lith back his strength .
"With no witness messing with my plans, I can pretend to be a hero and get myself a purple crystal . Two birds with one stone . "
Lith took flight, weaving several spells at once just to be safe . Two orcs leaped toward him while swinging their weapons, only to be chopped in half like fresh fruit . Lith's flight spell made him even faster than he was with fusion magic, whereas the orcs were sitting ducks while in mid air .
'Worst case scenario, I can rain spells from the skies until they are all dead or I can run away if the unexpected happens . Killing non flying opponents is child play . ' Lith thought .
He readied his sword for the second wave of enemies while pouring air magic into it to enhance its edge .
Ragh'Ash saw Lith descending upon her warriors and acted accordingly . Her hand touched the holy crystal, depriving the environment of the air element and causing the flight spell to fail . Lith crashed in the middle of the orcs who immediately surrounded him .
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