Forest Fight

…

…

Seemingly, there’s no voice.

******

…

There are five orcs with one of them has a unique look.

“That one big guy gotta be their leader…” thought Marco in a jiffy. “But sometimes look may be deceiving. One of them might have magic powers. This might be the perfect time!” he said to himself.

"Say, Nina, can you give me some ‘sharp-eye analysis?’" Marco asked her to perform her special ability.

She smiles, "Right away, Marco," Nina affirmed. She then crouches while focusing herself.

“—umm, to that particular orc over there if you can,” Marco suddenly added. “—Yes, just by seeing myself I already know it, Marco.”

Both of her pupil transform into a star-cross with the middle turning into a magic circle.

“Mana Perception”

*ZIIIIM*

Her skill, the Mana Perception, allows her to detect heat from mana or magic energy that emits from entities around her. She can tell someone's power through their mana that flows within their body. But the drawback to this, she could never use the mana sensing ability like most mages or elementalists could do, which means she heavily relies on her eyesight to notice magic users.

Calmly, she examines, “I see it. That one orc… the one having the red pickaxe… the heat coming from it is greater from its fellow orcs…” she thought to herself while focusing sight onto the mentioned monster. “It might have some medium-level magic…” she added.

After a few seconds, she affirms to Marco, "Yup, that one orc has magic, indeed, Marco! We should be careful. Its magic energy is quite high.”

"Got it," Marco shifts his sight onto the monster. Though the red-pickaxed orc is dangerous, he’s also aware that the other orcs also pose a threat. Marco then rushes onto a cliff edge.

"W-Wait! We're going to jump down there?" Aily asked in a reluctant voice, Marco yessed her right away. “Well, yes, where else can we reach down there? We don’t have a ladder, you know?”

"Umm… t-then allow me to cast Protect first!" She offered. “Oh, good idea, it’ll be very helpful to save our skin down there,” Marco replied spiritedly.

Aily smiles cutely. She then raised her scepter a bit above in front of her head. The orb on the tip of her scepter emits light followed by a white with a slight blue hue colored magic circle.

“Protect!”

She then casted one on each of them three, the Protect spell is a support magic that raises vitality on a single target, it doesn't eat much mana energy, though. After that, the three headed down and joined the troops.

Some unsightly views are upon them. The soldiers… they're all battered, tired, and some are immobilized. With the monsters approaching scarily, Marco takes the initiative to counterattack.

"Nina, Aily, go help the wounded, I'll go repel these monsters," he said assuredly.

"You got it, Marco!" The sisters OK'ed together and head off into helping the damaged soldiers.

"Explorer M-Marco, I presume?" A soldier approaches Marco while carrying a halberd upside down. He looked tired. Marco nods, “Uh, what’s with that?”

"Fool! Why are you here?!” he shouted hardly, catching the attention of other soldiers. "We only request Mercenaries to support us, not explor—

GRAAAARGH!

AAAAYYIEEEAARRRGHHH!!!

"Shite, those raging pigs are rampaging through our defenses, we wouldn't hold out much longer!" one soldier reported to the soldier near Marco.

“Hehe, ‘tis but a chance!” Marco rapidly thought to himself. He dashes away.

“W-Wha! Hey, Marco! Get back here!” the soldier shouted after he saw Marco ran towards the heating battlefield.

“Sorry, maate! Gotta go!” Marco waved his hand.

Marco reaches the defensive barricades. The orcs distanced only 50 meters from him and is approaching fast, "What should I do… huh… um…” Marco thinks hard. He then spotted a pile of powder kegs tied up together right beside him.

"Hehehe.... heheheheee..." He grinned uncontrollably at what his mind tells him. “I’m sorry, landlord, but I’m gonna make some high noon firecrackers!”

“Marco!” Nina and Aily called as they rejoined Marco. “Woah, perfect timing!” he spouted.

“Huh…?” both of them wondered in confusion.

Marco then tells Nina and Aily to prepare a more powerful wind magic.

“Prepare that windforce magic you guys have, quickly!” He then jumped onto the pack of nine powder kegs.

“Huh, what for? That magic does little damage, you know?” Nina commented.

“Just do it! Pretty please?”

Shortly, Nina and Aily witnesses the powder kegs and notices what Marco is up to. Written quite clearly on the barrels in white chalk:

“CULVERIN GUNPOWDER – EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL”

In both of the twins’ mind, they think, “He’s really going crazy again…”

Marco jumps onto the top of the barrels. Nina and Aily stand on the ground not so far behind it. Marco then cuts the core rope string and other bonds around the barrel with his short sword.

Because being overwhelmed by numerous amounts of monsters, the Aredanian soldiers decided to pull back. One of the troops sounds the retreat signal.

"Wha—h-hey! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" One of the soldiers yelled loudly.

"Sorry, mate, gotta borrow these fireworks!" Marco waved his hand quickly while continuing dismantling the powder keg ropes.

*SHTASH!

The ties are cut.

“Hey, those are not fireworks, you idiot!” another soldier scolded him. But Marco just simply ignored them.

"NOW! NINA! AILY! Blow them away!" Marco shouted as he hops away onto the ground.

"You crazy bastard," One of the soldiers shouted at him. "Don’t worry, everything’ll be fine, now STEP BACK!" Marco retorted quickly.

Nina and Aily simultaneously casted a green magic circle that has six blades instead of four blades on the propeller shapes. It implies a much powerful magic readied up.

“Twin Magic - Thruster Windforce!”

*FWAAASH!

The push from the wind magic blasted all nine barrels onto the rampaging orcs. But Marco's plan didn't go well as expected.

“Rising Stone!”

The red-pickaxed orc casted an Earth Elemental Spell. Five to seven pillars rose from the ground almost simultaneously, breaking at least six barrels that was about to fall into him.

"Gwaarrahahahaha! Fools! Do you think we will let you use your tools against us? A desperate attempt at its best!" The orc taunted while crushing the remaining falling barrels.

Shortly, the destroyed kegs sprinkled a ton of gunpowder onto the ground, raining upon the orcs.

Marco noticed it quickly. He spotted a stationary falconet. At first he intends to use it against the orcs to start something big, but when he followed the aim of the cannon being poorly targeted at the orcs, he cancels his plan to do so.

“No, no, using the cannon won't be a good idea. Moreover, there’s no guarantee those soldiers had the cannon loaded or not…” he thought.

“Sharp Stone!” the orc casted.

Marco reflexively hopped within moments the orc casted his earth elemental spell. Sharp Stone is an earth elemental spell. It shapes like the smaller version of Rising Stone spell.

"We'll crush you with our mighty earth powers!" The red-pickaxed orc groaned.

Marco backflipped quickly as another Sharp Stone strikes from beneath, "Since when Orcs can cast earth magic?!" He retorted.

Two orcs charged at him, “Woah, snaps,” he quickly dodged two pickaxe stabs that went past him by jumping highly, thus the orc fiercely stabs their own instead of Marco.

*SSHPLAT!

Marco then jumped onto a slightly higher slope on the ground. While trying to pick his gun, the red-pickaxe orc lands a massive blow onto Marco.

*SLLLAASH! *BOOF…SHHH….!!!

The pickaxe rammed the ground, causing several fissures on the ground below.

"Not only mocking us with your pitiful desperate attack, you tried to avoid our attacks. Unforgivable!" the orc leader shouted.

"M-MARCOOO!" Aily and Nina shouted calling their friend…

"Hoho? A pitiful desperate attack you say?" A silhouette appears from the dust that gathered from the blow.

“Gun Skill - Triple Shot!”

*DAR! *DHAR! *DAR!

Three consecutive shot was heard within intervals of each second. One, a fast shadow appears in the smoke, and then suddenly a flash followed by a gun sound that was unleashed, the bullet hits directly at the head of one of two simple orcs. Two, another flash was seen, this time with a visible muzzle and shockwave from the smoke. But the last simple orc didn't notice that the bullet actually came from behind him, where he's looking at a water puddle, smashed through its brain with its blood followed on. Three, the last shot, this time, it was concealed by the dust screen, but the bullet didn't damage the orc leader because of its armor.

Every time a bullet meets its target, a zapping sound of thunder cracks the atmosphere.

"W-What t-the?!" confusion and anger mixed up within the orc leader. When the dust begins to fade off, he looked at the red splatter on the ground where he thought he hit Marco.

"You think I’m done for? Well, too bad! It was my idea to draw you super close to me!" Marco taunted.

Marco had used his Thunder Step earlier before the pickaxe hit his skin to move almost in an instant while leaving a red bottle behind. Even he managed to fool an orc leader with a simple tomato sauce.

"You may have destroyed those powder kegs, but did you think it’s over?" Marco grinned fearlessly.

"Marco!!!” Aily and Nina called gladly.

Marco rushes to Nina and Aily, greeting them first hand.

“Hey, there! Sorry to make you worry. But hey, I’m still alive!” Marco smiled to the two girls while pointing a thumb.

“How reckless you are?” Nina asked.

“Limitless, maybe? Well, then, gotta go! Oh, before that, I’ve an idea. Hear me out!”

Shortly, Marco casts Thunder Step once more. He boosts himself from the ground and then lands onto a tree branch.

The orc-leader, filled with ire, rushes to follow right away. Now, it is about to cast another earth spell.

“Woah? Earth spell again?” Marco wondered. “Well, then, I’ll just have to…!” His hands are glowing in lightning bolts.

“Get down here, you!” the orc yowled loudly in utter rage.

"No way, dude. You're trying a bit too hard there, mate. I’m only playing as the igniter here!" Marco shouted. The orc didn’t catch what he stated yet he lets out a roar.

“Cast forth and make these black powders fly, Aily, Nina!” Marco commanded.

The orc neglects the two girls since he is obsessed with Marco right now. In which, turns out to be a fatal mistake for the red-pickaxed orc…