Aurion Ch. 01

The burning oil had consumed or driven back any of the enemy who were close to the barricade. This meant that the remainder of the attacking force couldn't close with the tired and battered Orcs defending the wagons without being consumed by fire. Talasa had seized the opportunity to order around the perimeter for the defenders to rearm themselves with bows again before coordinating volleys against the exposed and vulnerable enemy, who were unable to charge through the flames and we're stuck on exposed ground with no cover and few shields. As the survivors were cut down, Michael moved to deal with the two remaining beasts in camp. He quickly stumbled on the first as it tried to bite a giant man with light blue skin and dark blue tribal tattoos. The man had thick cylinders on ice around his forearms, protecting him temporarily against the snapping bites of the three heads. Two more Frost Giant stood on either side, trying to overcome the beast using a long chain that had been wrapped around the beast's lower neck and a spear that was being used to jab at the face and eyes of the Cerberus to keep it at bay.

Michael didn't hesitate as he ran forward and spiraled through the air over the beast's back, allowing his natural momentum bring his sword arm around in a backhanded swing as he barreled past. The blow from his Falcata landed perfectly between the beast's ribs to slice through, as though without resistance, to sever the spine and continue through on it's deep path, leaving a handful of intestines and a length of skin as the only things connecting the front and back half of the three headed monster's body.

The three Frost Giants simply looked at him in awe as he casually moved as if such feats of martial prowess were simple, everyday occurrences. Indeed, they were. Michael simply gave them a nod before continuing on. They simple watched him go, still not quite believing that a human could cleave a large monster in half in mid leap-a feat requiring at least as much strength as they themselves poses in their blue, 8-10 ft. muscular frames.

Michael found the last, and by far the largest, of the Cerberus in almost exactly the center of the camp. As he approached, Michael saw the monster snapping and pawing at a little blue skinned girl who was crying for help and sobbing underneath a pinned wagon that was seconds away from shattering under the Cerberus' onslaught. Michael called out to the beast and it turned away from the wagon to face him, glaring and shaping all three of its jaws while poisonous saliva dripped into the ground at it's feet. The three headed killer charged Michael almost immediately. Michael charged to meet it with a loud roar, moving with incredible speed that surprised even himself Michael brought his sword from low and behind him across his front in an invisible blur as his charge met the Cerberus' head on. In front of a now huge audience Michael's Falcata effortlessly sliced through both of the Cerberus' front legs causing the beast to slam into the ground neck-first, with all of it's body weight and momentum, instantly snapping it's spine right underneath the junction with it's three skulls upon impact.

Michael looked up to see everyone staring at him in awe, many of themselves struggling greatly with many comrades to slowly drag down one of the beasts. He quickly moved over to the wagon to help the young Frost Giant girl hiding beneath it.

"Are you alright sweetie?" He asks as she straightens up and dusts herself off.

Eventually she says, "I am alright. I miss my Mother."

"Where is your mother, dear? I'll take you to her."

L

"You can't. My mother...my father...both my parents are gone. I am fine now, thank you."

"If you say so... Let me know if you ever need anything." He assured her as she walked off into the crowd.

Michael immediately went to see if his girls were alright. Before he could track either of them down, they both came barreling into him, smothering him in kisses and pressing his face into cleavages. He laughed loudly as the two smothered him in affection, which he gladly returned.

"I looked up and all of the sudden you were gone!" Talasa exclaimed.

"A few of the beasts got inside the camp, I went to deal with them before any of the noncombatants were hurt." Michael responded, as Koran approached with a relieved look on his face.

As he was about to speak, an Orc scout ran up and panted, "Chief, we've driven them back and the survivors appear to be regrouping a few hundred meters into the forest."

Before he could respond, Michael simply said, "I'll deal with it," and was quickly padding off on silent footsteps. Several minutes later the forest erupted in inhan screams and bright flashes of white light. Koran quickly held back a worried Talasa from running out to aid her lover. All the while thinking, who is this man?

:..:

The next day Michael and Talasa left the Orc camp, leaving Rea in charge of Michael's new holdings. After the stories of Michael's deeds in the battle spread, the jealously and spite boiled over. Several Orcs, who desired Talasa for their own or thought an undeserving Human hardly an obstacle, had challenged Michael, despite the warnings of the few Orcs who had clearly witnessed his skills or seem him march off into an enemy infested forest to return unscathed.

Michael tried to exhibit restraint and compassion but it was soon clear that if he didn't make an example of someone, he was going to have to put down half the Warriors in camp. When an extremely large and vicious Orc stepped forward, giving a lecherous look to Talasa before challenging Michael to unarmed combat, Michael obliged. When Talasa told Michael that the Orc was said to take part in heinous war crimes, but as his old and respected clan's head, he was more or less protected, the Orc's fate was sealed. As the match began, the Orc charged forward in an attempt to sweep Michael up in a crushing bear-hug, having seen his speed and skill with weapons. Michael, however, didn't dodge or even move out of the way. At the last second before contact, Michael's hand simply shot out, with a crunching thump it tore straight through the skin, tissue and ribs of the giant Orc only to reemerge an instant later holding the Orc's quivering heart before his severely confused face. After that, there were no more challenges.

Now, the pair made their way through the mountains heading west toward the Human and Elf lands. They exchanged stories and bantered as they made their way down the trails and animal paths to the bottom, often glimpsing the exotic wildlife that made it's home only in those mountains. As they finally reached the bottom of the mountains, Talasa was in the process of explaining how a small group of peaceful Frost

Giants had broken off from the large host that came south years ago, waging an ultimately unsuccessful war against the human governed

Aurion Empire. The small group of peaceful Frost Giants had been accepted into the tribe of the Mountain Orcs, as their isolation served the Frost Giants as well. Before Talasa could go into more detail however, Michael stop her and pointed off into the distance. Now that they were on the open steppe it was easy to see a column of smoke rising into the dusk sky. It appeared to only be a few miles across the soft rolling hills of the mostly-flat plains.

"Let's go. Be prepared for anything and keep your eyes open."

Talasa nearly nodded in response as she secured her beautiful black hair with a leather strap and the two were off at a quiet canter. Her beautiful golden eyes filled with resolute determination, Talasa had absolute faith and trust in Michael. It was curious to say the least. Whenever she looked at him though, she was amazed at her own reactions. Outside of his inhuman beauty and divine image, he simply elicited desire, loyalty and a burning desire to please. It made a girl want to seek his approval over all else before she even knew his name. It was like sorcery except...not. She felt the same desire even simply watching him sleep and it was such a pure and wholesome feeling. Sure, there was plenty of lust, but most of that was based on his scent, appearance and the knowledge that he has more Vick than any man should and his seed was divine in and of itself. No, her desire for him was more than lust. It was also more than service. She truly, objectively, had genuine feelings for the man himself (or whatever he is). The fact that her knowledge of him consisted of a few days of stories from an amnesiac should have bothered her, it just quite simply didn't even when consciously analyzed, though. His strength, his generosity, his lack of entitlement and egotistical bluster separated him from any Orc strong enough to challenge her and his noble bearing all served to separate him from her preconceived image of the male gender. In fact, her only concern was whether or not he would be interested in her for more than pleasure and companionship, both of which he proved to offer quite freely, never flexing his power over her or reminding her of her technical status as his slave. She wondered if such a beautiful and powerful being could even be expected to look open her as an equal in any relationship. This worry took root in her mind and soon she was wondering if she even COULD keep satisfied sexually, as multiple orgasms would have her out cold before long and he could last forever. Surely at least one of the other females he would take as wives or concubines would be able to keep up with him in the bed. As it was, there was still more than a fistful of cock outside her body when he buried himself in her sex to the cervix. Talasa quickly locked away these doubts and insecurities and prepared her mind for potential battle as they crested the last low hill between them and the town.

:..:

Felix watched as the man led his Orc female, presumably his slave, through the burned out town. He was hoping they would simply move on without settling in more and more the longer he watched. He assumed the man was some sort of mercenary, possibly under the current employ of the forces that had invaded this land barely a week ago. The problem was the skill and confidence with which the man carried himself. He was worried that if it came to a fight, it would cost him several of his men to bring the warrior down-and that's before the Orc was accounted for. Several of the weapons carried by the man appeared to have been constructed with magical properties to his veteran eyes.

Felix quickly sent word to the other retired veterans that had assembled to prepare themselves but to wait and observe, for now. All of the men lived on farms in the Rhyne Valley just to the south, rewards for fifteen years serving in the legions of the Aurion empire. It was been the way of the legions for centuries to settle wild, border or frontier lands by awarding plots of land to legionnaires at the end of their full service of twenty years (though in extended peacetime the Emperor often decreased it to fifteen years for the men of the file armies).

Felix had been a Centurion, and a damned good one. He had led his hundred man unit for more than a decade from the front. Always offering any comfort to, living amongst and taking all the same risks as the men below him. Always an advocate for the common fighting man, he had managed to petition the Emperor's court to allow the veterans of his century to settle together in retirement, since most of the unit he led found themselves at the end of their service at around the same time. The court had agreed and he had been even more surprised that they had been given plots in the Rhyne, as it was a very fertile and beautiful land that supplied most of the fresh fruit and much of the fresh produce to the whole Northern Lordship. This meant that their farms would be both beautiful and prosperous.

Life had been good. Most of the men had taken wives and many had children over the past five years. Even Felix himself was starting to consider finding a woman. That thought was put on hold though the moment word reached their homes that, somehow, a demon led army had made it south of the wall and were ravishingly the countryside. Even more unbelievable was the news that the Warden of the North had been defeated in battle on the walls of his ancestral castle at Winterhaven, both himself and his son and sole male heir perishing.

Felix immediately called his men back to arms. With consummate professionalism they sent the woman and children to a cave system in the nearby hills, made sure they were adequately hidden, fed and protected before heading back to their farms and releasing all their livestock, harvesting what they could early and dusted off their kits.

They had seen the smoke and known that the trading village at the edge of the plains a days March east was likely being sacked. Not long after they arrived, they had used the falling darkness to sneak close and set up positions around the village.

Shortly after the mysterious warrior arrived with his servant, people started to emerge from hiding places. Mostly women and children, as the elderly hadn't been able to move fast enough and the men had tried to fight.

Felix issued the order to be ready. He decided he would attack if the warrior moved to harm the village people in any way. However, to his surprise, the warrior immediately began to comfort and aid the newly made refugees. To Felix, it was a good sign, perhaps even an omen, that there was still kindness in a time and place like this. And from a man who could easily take whatever was left of these people's belongings and virtue. He was preparing to reveal himself, but not his men, to the stranger when one of his men sent hand signals down the line indicating an enemy was approaching from their right, the front of the village. A moments wait revealed a group of Han approaching with malevolent grind on their fanged faces. Armed with clubs, hatchets and makeshift weapons, it was clear that they were not the warrior elite, however the man and his Orc were badly outnumbered and after they fell, the helpless townspeople would too.

Felix saw the Han leader step forwards and say something to the man who had interposed himself between the innocent people and the approaching Han. The Han leader laughed and started to say something but before he realized anything was happening, he was in the ground disemboweled and the warrior was amongst his men cutting and thrusting in what appeared to be lazy movements. A movement above him caught his attention just in time for him to see the she-Orc smile and remove his head with a shortsword.

Felix couldn't believe it. It was over in seconds. He had never seen such speed or such skill. Not once in his two decades of fighting all manner of species in all manner of places had he seen anything approaching that. Worse, he was sure the man hadn't moved his lips to utter a spell or combat magic.

As all this raced through his head he saw the warrior kneel down and whisper to a young boy who quickly came over to Felix's hiding spot. "He says you are welcome to come down now, if you so wish...", the boy said.

Felix was already too shocked to do more than simply nod. He still was having a hard time digesting the fact that he had just witnessed a man cut down twenty something Han like it was nothing, often moving faster than eyes could follow. And apparently his men felt the same as they marched down in formation to the village center.

"Greetings, my lord. My name is Felix. I am...was, the centurion to these fine men. We were given farms as a reward upon completion of our careers in the Rhyne valley. We came here in an attempt to offer any aid. We would be much obliged to be welcomed under your command. I have never seen such speed or grace..." He said, monentarily getting distracted before continuing, "...and as you are obviously of the noble class, I believe I speak for all my men when I say that, if you intend to fight the Daemon army, we will fight with you. Our homes and families are already at risk, though we have taken all possible precautions."

"I would be glad to accept your service, as long as it does not interfere with your oaths to the Emperor and you only serve until this conflict concludes. You may simply call me Michael, my story will have to wait, though. Go, discuss matters with your men and see if they share your heart."

It was less than five minutes later when Michael turned around to find them all kneeling, still in formation, with Felix at their head. "We have agreed. We fill follow you." He declared. In truth it hasn't exactly been a hard sell. To have seen Michael's speed and skill in dispatching his foes, when most generals never even bloody their swords. Or to see him helping even the worst off of the refugees without judgement when most leaders couldn't be bothered to even consider peasant's welfare.ore than that, there was just an inherent magnetism to him. It compelled one to follow and to be secure in the comfort of his pure presence. You simply knew he would protect you and advocate for you if you deserved it. It was s righteous strength born in a humble package and the feelings it elicited gave heart.

Talasa simply watched all of this take place, ever more in awe of her lord. She had only gotten the chance to kill three of the Han, not including the leader that Michael cut down and she finished off. They were all just dead in the blink of an eye. It was only then that she realized Michael truly had been toying with her when they met. She hadn't seen what he was capable of, by a long shot.

She considered all of this as they set off at a brisk trot about an hour after the quick fight with the Han. Michael had accepted Felix and his men. However, because they needed to move quickly, he took only those who could both ride and fight from horseback. Of the one hundred and thirty veterans, exactly one hundred and one had sufficient experience, as legionaries mostly serve as heavy infantry with only a few inserting as cavalry.

A stroke of luck came in the form of supplies. Apparently the Han that had attacked the town had simply slaughtered everything in sight and moved on, which explained the decent number of hidden survivors who were now under the care and protection of the thirty legionnaires they had left behind. There were plenty of food, grain, horses and armament for all to be heavy supplied and still leave more than enough for the villa he's remaining inhabitants. Wherever they would go.

It was one of those inhabitants that had told Michael of the abduction of the Lord's daughter. Apparently some barbarian chief's son had showed up with his war party just after the Han attack and rode off with the weakened and wounded Lady, who had taken shelter in the village after her home of Winterhaven was sacked and her father and brother killed. Apparently she had said it was only their deaths that had allowed her and a few others to escape.

Now Michael was going to free her. Talasa thought he seemed especially angry about a human preying on another human during the hardships of war. She could also tell that it wasn't the first tine that he'd seen it. She wondered if he even realized why he felt that way, without a memory to guide him. It wasn't really relevant though. Nothing was going to stop him and if she was sure about any of the little she knew about him, it was that.

:..:

They arrived at the foothills that the barbarian camp backed up to well before dawn. The Xia tribal confederacy were plains dwelling nomads who both lived and fought from the saddle. Their ever-moving camp was composed of yurts spread out in a roughly circular pattern with no walls or gate, as anything more than wagons turned on their sides in a laager would be impractical.

Michael ordered the legionnaires to stay put and sent Talasa to disarm and capture the warriors sure to be posted in the hills overlooking the camp before setting off himself. He moved casually at a trot on the black stallion he had taken from the guards stables back at the town. All of the men had to choose horses that they knew were trained for war, as you can't just ride a normal horse into the noise, fire, scent of blood, shield walls and arrows of combat as it will panic as well as not know what to do or how to effectively help it's rider fight with it's positioning, angles, speed or even it's very teeth and hooves. The Xia train their horses to fight with their hooves by trampling enemies dismounted by their deadly lassos or rearing up and kicking out with both front and back legs when in the midst of a melee. They even sharpened their horses hooves to make them even more deadly since the Xia didn't use horseshoes on their mounts. They were equestrians from birth who specialized in breeding, raising and training horses like no other people. In battle, their warriors are all mounted, having no infantry among their armies other than men who dismount to fire their bows from foot instead of the saddle or their allies or subject tribes that fight on foot. Each warrior has three or four horses when on campaign, constantly switching mounts to keep them fresh and using his multiple horses to handle all of his pack needs, eliminating the necessity of bringing slow wagons or even camel trains. Because of this, they can move over one hundred miles per day for weeks, and without resupply. They carry dried meat, dry cheese and maybe a little rice or grain as food supply but they are also furnished with hunting arrows and fishing hooks to magnify their already significant ability to live off the land in harsh climates.