Chapter 21: The Dashing Axi
Fortunately, the horses, though frightened, weren’t scared to the point of trembling on their legs.
They were only panicking in confusion due to their fear.
To that end, Airael and Axi had to do their best to calm the emotions of their mounts.
“Easy now, darling. Those guys just look fierce; soon they’ll be nothing but corpses on the ground.”
Airael leaned down, whispering cruel words in Elvish to the horse beneath her.
Her words carried a hint of magic, quickly soothing the horse’s nerves.
Besides that, Airael was observing the surrounding orcs.
The orc’s weapons and armor were quite rudimentary, but they were custom-fitted for the orcs.
The simple armor protected essential body parts, while the rest could be toughened out by their own sturdy bodies.
As for their weapons, they mostly wielded blunt instruments like axes and spiked clubs, perfectly suited for showcasing their immense strength.
Some of the orcs even wielded heavy javelins.
Once the horses were calmed down, Airael glanced at Axi, who was still soothing his horse, then turned her gaze back to the orcs encircling them.
The orcs were thoroughly entertained.
They hadn’t rushed to attack Axi and Airael just yet.
The fear emanating from the two horses and Airael and Axi’s attempts to comfort them delighted these ruthless orcs.
Airael smirked at them.
How should she describe these orcs?
They were definitely archetypal villains, for sure.
Though they were silent and merely watching, they had missed the perfect opportunity to strike.
Airael turned to Axi.
“Take care of yourself.”
At that moment, Axi shot a quick affirmation and leaped off the still-restive horse.
He first stood on his mount before jumping forward, rapidly charging at an orc wielding a spiked club.
This orc appeared to be the captain of the orc troop.
As he leaped, his hand moved to the sword at his waist, drawing it.
In the instant the sword was fully unsheathed, Axi was already beside the orc.
As the sword came out, it took the orc’s head along with it.
Axi executed all of this in a matter of “speed.”
So quick that the slain orc and his companions didn’t even register what had happened.
Dashing!
That one word flashed in Airael’s mind.
She had to admit, that move set was incredibly stylish.
Moreover, combined with Axi’s exceedingly handsome appearance, it was enough to make countless fangirls swoon.
In that moment, Airael was caught under his spell as well.
Mainly because that series of moves was truly flawless, unbelievably cool.
But soon, Airael found herself thinking about whether she could pull off such moves too.
Before long, she was disappointed to realize that as a magic specialist, performing such actions was rather challenging for her.
In terms of martial skills, she was still lagging a bit and had only barely crossed into the advanced warrior threshold.
If the folks on the continent knew of Airael’s current thoughts, they would undoubtedly mock her wildly.
Do you think being an advanced warrior is easy to achieve?
For many, being an advanced warrior is a dream come true.
For common folk, reaching the level of advanced warrior opens many doors.
They could choose to join the army, where advanced warriors are desperately welcomed; joining would earn them a title right away.
If they rack up some achievements in the army, they might receive rewards from the king or a noble and become newly promoted nobles, ensuring their descendants live well.
Even if they don’t join the army, being an advanced warrior in their social circles would earn them respect and awe.
Thus, a common person’s life would be considered fulfilled.
Sadly, such aspirations are entirely extravagant for the majority of people.
They spend their lives unable to achieve that level.
But enough about that.
Axi’s outburst incited the fury of the orcs.
What was supposed to be their enjoyment turned into a reversal where the prey became the predator, and they had lost their captain.
“Kill him!”
The orcs charged at Axi in waves.
The simple-minded orcs didn’t consider whether they could defeat Axi and Airael; they only knew they were angry and needed to vent.
Axi, the very culprit behind their captain’s death, became the perfect target for their rage.
As for Airael, she was momentarily ignored.
Watching as the orcs stormed past her without a glance, riding their wolves towards Axi, Airael felt quite displeased.
Are they looking down on her?
While annoyed, Airael shifted her gaze back to Axi.
The onslaught from the orcs didn’t trouble Axi much.
After killing the orc captain, he swiftly dispatched the captain’s riding wolf.
His sharp sword sliced the wolf cleanly in half.
Such a gruesome scene only fueled the surrounding orcs further.
Besides their inherent sensitivity to such matters, there were also objective factors to consider.
That was food!
Facing the utterly irrational orcs, Axi seemed to manage without much difficulty.
Although each orc was massive and the riding wolves fast, the speed of the wolves was hindered by the weight of their riders.
Thus, in terms of overall ability, they couldn’t match Axi.
Especially when it came to agility.
As the orcs attacked, Axi was a master at slipping through gaps.
Dashing forward, sidestepping, jumping back, and rolling—he executed each movement perfectly.
Every orc’s attack was deftly dodged by him.
He seemed to embody the phrase “through the flowers, without even a leaf touching me.”
Moreover, each time he evaded an orc’s strike, he seized the moment to counterattack.
With his sharp sword, remarkable strength, and keen eyes, he effortlessly found moments to deal lethal blows to the orcs.
Although Axi could finish off these mindless orcs soon, Airael didn’t plan on remaining a mere spectator.
There were three reasons:
First, their previous dismissal annoyed her greatly.
Second, Axi was her companion; although he seemed to face little danger, she had to help out in this situation.
And third, a bit crass, but it was for the money.
Earlier, she had agreed with Axi: if she couldn’t assist during the mission, she wouldn’t earn a reward.
Airael took out her staff and set her sights on a few orcs preparing to hurl javelins.
They were struggling to lock onto Axi.
But Axi noticed their presence amidst the orc ambush as well.
He became even more agile.
He avoided optimal attack opportunities, keeping the orcs from zeroing in on him.
Although he could dodge those javelins, the resulting chain reaction wasn’t so easily avoidable.
Thus, Axi’s situation looked increasingly perilous.
His chances to attack dwindled; most of the time, he was defending and dodging.
And the strength of the orcs was terrifying; Axi’s sword nearly slipped from his grasp multiple times due to the impact.
But not dropping it meant he hadn’t dropped it—close calls were not failures.
Locking his gaze on the orcs wielding javelins, Airael began to unleash her magic.
A golden magic circle appeared beneath the hooves of her horse.
To this, the horse kicked its hind leg, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Be good now! Darling!”
Airael murmured in Elvish, then turned her gaze back to the orcs.
“Die, Lightning Strike!”
As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as an old summon; as long as it’s useful, it’s good.
Airael truly adored the spell Lightning Strike.
It could be cast at various distances, on single or multiple targets; the speed was incredible and the power great, making it hard to react—by the time one did, it was already too late.
A radiant lightning sphere flew into the air, sending multiple bolts towards the javelin-wielding orcs.
The orcs completely ignored Airael.
In a moment of carelessness, several orcs were struck dead on by the lightning.
Charred black, they fell from their riding wolves.
“Hehe! Ignoring me, huh? Now you know my power!”
Airael’s magic attack caught the attention of Axi and the surviving orcs.
Only then did the orcs realize Airael posed a significant threat, and Axi finally recognized her as a true mage.
Prior to this, Axi had doubted Airael’s identity as a mage, thinking she might be faking it.
After all, a single staff didn’t prove much.
Now, with Airael personally casting a powerful spell, she had shown Axi her strength through action.
“She’s a mage! Forget about that human; kill her first!”
The orcs regained a bit of their reason, and one of them called out.
At that moment, Axi seized the opportunity while the orcs’ attention was diverted to Airael, launching an attack on one orc.
The orc’s head rolled off just like the previous captain’s.
Only this time he came from behind.
After taking down one orc, Axi continued to attack the others.
The orcs were thrown into disarray.
They were unsure whether to kill Airael first or Axi.
As for splitting their efforts, those simple-minded orcs seemed to have never considered such a strategy.
But whatever their approach, once they provoked Airael and Axi, their fate was already sealed.
Though they were the elite Wolf Cavalry of the orcs, Axi and Airael were stronger.
Not to mention, having underestimated the duo had already caused them to miss out on their best opportunity to strike.
