Chapter 134 - Commander

Zaos thought Drannor would hesitate a little, but in the end, he quickly accepted the weapon and left to test it. While Zaos could increase the number of things he could do by using a spear, it didn't fit his style. In any case, he entered his room and then began to meditate. He wouldn't get much mana by doing that, and he wouldn't get stronger, but Zaos needed to focus on the next battle. Not a single idea for a new magic attack came to Zaos's mind, but that was fine. He managed to sharpen his mind as much as possible, imagining the enemies he would face the next day.

Zaos had planned to keep himself focused until the next day, but he had to leave and eat something for dinner in the end. Once again, he waited until a few people were there, but despite that, he still found someone waiting for him. It was the redhead girl.

"Hello again," The girl said. "I didn't have the chance to thank you properly and say sorry for the trouble I caused."

"Not a problem," Zaos said.

"My name is Tyra," The redhead girl said. "What is yours?"

"Zaos," Zaos said.

"Thank you, Zaos," Tyra said. "If it weren't for you, I would have lost my life without noticing how foolish I was… only looking at my own misfortune."

"It was understandable," Zaos said.

"Even so, you also lost many of your friends and still kept fighting," Tyra said. "Even when you were surrounded. It was your job indeed, but no one had to tell you to do that."

It seemed that while he was unaware, Tyra looked at Zaos fighting and got impressed by it. He couldn't tell why since he looked like crap while fighting, he could understand if he were a bit cleaner and more skilled.

"I never saw any soldiers using magic," Tyra asked. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"By myself," Zaos said.

Now things seemed a bit more compressible since his fighting style was different from others since it relied a lot on magic. Most people and even more so kids would think that it was a pretty interesting fighting style.

"Do you think that most people can learn it?" Tyra asked.

"I am not sure… do you want to learn it? Why?" Zaos asked. "You are not a soldier. Although I can understand the feeling of someone trying to learn how to fight in a situation like this. Do you know how to use a sword or a spear?"

"I know how to use a bow…" Tyra replied after realizing that Zaos probably didn't develop his fighting style to use alongside bows.

Zaos didn't consider that until now, but it might be a good idea to develop his fighting style while using a bow. He probably didn't consider it because he wasn't that good with one. Still, he could improve it, just like he did with the other weapons just by relying on training alone. In any case, Tyra was older than him, so it was a bit too late for her to learn how to use a sword.

"If we survive this, I might teach you how to use bow and magic at the same time," Zaos said. "But only if you offer me a stable income of mana potions. I assume you learned how to craft them."

"Yes, I can… if we survive, it is a promise," Tyra said and then got up and let Zaos finish his meal.

Zaos couldn't help but wonder if he did the right thing making that promise. While he could obtain a stock of mana potions, it doesn't mean that he will be able to mix his archery skills with magic. Regardless… he had to try now. After finishing his meal, Zaos returned to his room and then proceeded to sleep as soon as possible. He doesn't know when the battle is going to happen, but he needs to use every single moment to sharpen his fangs.

The following day, Zaos skipped breakfast because he wanted his body to be as light as possible and because he wanted to concentrate. As it turned out, he did the right thing. Around nine in the morning, the base's alarm echoed, and he immediately put on his armor and grabbed his weapon and potions. As soon as he crossed the southern gate, he found Elius waiting for him. Instead of saying anything, he just nodded while looking him in the eye. Zaos was more than ready to face the enemy.

The soldiers split into two groups just like planned, and soon after, every soldier in the base was outside and in formation. In the distance, they could see the two mercenaries' armies approaching while raising the snow with their footsteps.

"Who is going to command this army, sir?" Zaos asked.

"Hehehe, don't piss yourself," Elius smirked. "Commander Ruvyn will command us from the very frontlines."

As soon as Elius said that, Zaos saw some soldiers passing nearby, and the commander was leading them. All of those seemed fairly experienced, so Zaos assumed that they were soldiers who have been working with the commander for many years. Finally, Zaos was going to see the sword that he wanted to have a copy someday in action. Hopefully… despite his age, the commander will show him some crazy techniques and won't kick the bucket too soon.

"Is that a common occurrence, sir?" Zaos asked.

"Not really, but desperate times require desperate measures," Elius said. "We don't have the numerical advantage and the siege weapons will be a pain in the ass the more the fight drags on, so we will need him."

If a single man could affect an entire battlefield like that, then Zaos truly couldn't miss the chance of seeing him fight. Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, Zaos was at the very frontlines, so he will have a good view of the old man's back, and considering how serious he looked, Zaos assumed that the commander would show some impressive skills.