"Soldiers, form up!"
With a booming command, the multitudes of men shifted in perfect unison, their iron-clad bodies clanking and scraping as they moved across the earth. The sound of their armor drowning out the distant roar of the approaching monster horde for just an instant, but just as quickly as the movement began, it halted. The soldiers snapped into position, awaiting their next orders in silence.
"Marksmen and mages, hold your ground! Trust the vanguard to protect you!"
A unified voice echoed from the rear of the army. "Marksmen and mages, ready and awaiting orders, sir!"
"Knights, stay close to your assigned mages! Don't let a single enemy through!"
"Knights ready, awaiting orders, sir!"
"Cavalry and infantry, prepare to lead the charge on my command!"
"Infantry and cavalry, awaiting orders, sir!"
With a gaze as hard as stone, Gigith stared down the advancing swarm of orcs, his eyes locked on the approaching chaos.
"CHARGE!!!"
With a deafening roar, hundreds—if not thousands—of fully armored men charged into battle.
Seconds after the command, men on horseback were the first to make contact with the orcs, quickly pulling back after their initial strike to attack from a distance with long spears. Orcs began to fall in droves, impaled by the cavalry's assault, but not all went down so easily. Standing at over nine feet tall, the average orc was a force of sheer brutality. Some crumpled under the cavalry's spears, but others, seemingly unfazed, charged forward with spears still embedded in their flesh, swinging their massive limbs. Their strikes sent men flying off their horses as if they were toys.
To my left, Gigith stood among the archers and mages, his eyes scanning the battlefield. Behind him, archers released volleys of arrows, and mages unleashed a storm of spells. The sky filled with fireballs, shards of ice, and boulders of earth, all hurtling toward the orcs in a relentless onslaught.
The battle seemed to be going in the human army's favor when a sudden, deafening boom exploded across the battlefield, sending me—and many others—flying to the ground. The shockwave rattled the horses, throwing their riders as they bolted in panic. My ears rang as I struggled to regain my bearings. Around me, over a third of the troops were on the ground, disoriented and slowly recovering. In the center of the chaos was a massive crater where the cavalry had once stood.
Towering over everything, the Orc Lord loomed. It was easily two feet taller than the other orcs, with two massive tusks jutting from its mouth and skin the color of sickly, dark green. Clad in thick armor, it was nothing short of a walking catastrophe.
"Men, pull back and surround the Orc army! They may have the numbers, but I will hold off the Orc Lord and protect the rear!" Gigith bellowed to his troops.
Without hesitation or complaint, what remained of the army quickly regained their footing and moved into formation. Meanwhile, Gigith and the Orc Lord locked eyes, their intense stares charging the air between them, a palpable force gripping the atmosphere.
This must be mana. That's the only explanation that makes sense. While I may have authored the concept of mana and how one's presence could manipulate it, I never imagined it would feel this... terrifying.
The ground trembled as the Orc Lord began to move, each step like an earthquake. But Gigith remained unshaken, charging forward on his horse, unwavering in the face of this living catastrophe. Before I could fully register what was happening, both were in full stride, destined to collide.
"FOR RANGIA!"
As if echoing their commander's battle cry, the soldiers surged into the Orc horde, shouting in unison, "FOR RANGIA!"
The clash was like a second sonic boom. Gigith's bow staff met the Orc Lord's massive steel sword with a deafening crash, creating a crater beneath them from the sheer force of their blows.
Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain hit me like a fourteen-wheeler. The impact of their strike caused my ears to pop, and the headache that had been gnawing at me erupted into something far worse—like my brain was melting from the inside out.
As my vision blurred, I could barely make out the blue mission screen as it began to change.
<A Side Quest Has been forcefully generated>
<Tutorial has been paused>
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Orc army and human resistance are going to war. Survive the battle and help the human army come out victorious.
Clear Condition: Defeat the Orc Lord
Penalty for failure: ??ATH
Looking again I began to notice the penalty changing.
<A Side Quest Has been forcefully generated>
<Tutorial has been paused>
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Orc army and human resistance are going to war. Survive the battle and help the human army come out victorious.
Clear Condition: Defeat the Orc Lord
Penalty for failure: DEATH
DAMN IT!
I can't die
I have so much to live for
There has to.. Be some way... out of this......
As my thoughts grew faint, the effects of Indomitable Will slowly faded, bringing with them all the pain and exhaustion that had been building up. It was too much for my body to bear. My eyes rolled back, and I could barely whisper, "Please..."
With that, I drifted toward unconsciousness—right in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield, death thick in the air. Oblivious to the chaos raging around me, I slumped to the ground, helpless and defeated.
Sorry for missing an update, me talking to my 1 viewer, hope you'll enjoy this one sorry for all the cliff hangers, I'm not...
- Author out
YOU ARE READING
NAG
FantasyWhen a young authors book gets turned into reality all hell breaks loose, as he is forced to survive in a new world in the body of one of the weakest characters in his novel.
