THE MISTS OF CROAKA II

Thadius stood on the edge of Todos' foundation, looking down at an entire city he failed to discover upon his arrival.

When he'd entered the capital with Yuna and Christina, he had wondered where the merchants entered the city with their goods. Now he knew the answer.

On the opposite side of the capital's raised base was a vast city that spread out onto the plains. A wall surrounded it in a semi-circle, connecting to the foundation as an extension.

What Thadius was looking at now, was a giant lift that elevated citizens and merchants from the city below. The city guard was currently entering the lift to descend.

'How the hell did I miss an entire city!?' Thadius thought. He'd felt that he had already explored most of the city, but as he looked down at the buildings below, he knew he had seen only half of it.

"Get a move on, rookie!" One of the guardsmen said from behind him.

Thadius hurried to fall in line behind the guardsmen in front of him. Then once everyone was on, the lift slowly lowered to the bottom.

Lower Todos wasn't nearly as organized as it was above. The buildings were scattered all over the place, showing absolutely no resemblance of the straight streets and alleys that Thadius had seen. The uniformity of the stone was gone too. Some of the buildings were made of wood and mud instead of stone, and the difference was jarring.

"We call it 'First Todos'." A voice said from beside Thadius.

He looked down to find a slim man with sheepish features. A narrow chin and beady eyes could be seen through his helmet, and all of his gear was the sub-par standard of the guard. Thadius' first impression of the man was that he was a 'true' rookie that hadn't seen a day of battle in his life. Which was odd since he showed no fear towards Thadius after being exposed to his fighting spirit.

"Is that so?" Thadius replied.

"Yeah. My pop use ta tell me 'bout it all the time. 'Bout how the Croaka kept comin' and tearin' everythin' up. One day, somebody thought it a good idea ta build the city on a giant rock." The man shrugged. "Once that happened, the Croaka won't much of a problem fo' us."

"It had to take a while to build the foundation for the new Todos though." Thadius said as he looked up to the ledge he just left.

"Maybe, yeah. But when ya got magic, it speeds up the process." The man smiled, then reached out his hand. "The name's Thomas, I heard you're the fourth?" he asked.

"You can call me Thadius." Thadius said as he shook Thomas' hand."I'm not entirely sure what 'fourth' means, but that's what Captain Dain said."

Thomas shook his head. "Just means ya part of the squad, is all. Every squad is made of five, includin' the squad leader of course."

"And our squad leader is Elroy?"

"Yes, sir." Thomas nodded.

Thadius nodded in return. He had figured he'd been assigned to some sort of unit, but he still didn't know the structure of the guard, or how they organized the men.

Thomas shuffled beside him anxiously, glancing his way as if he was wrestling with a thought.

"What is it, Thomas?" Thadius asked.

"Well, if ya don't mind me askin', are ya an adventurer or somethin'? I mean, ya seem plenty strong already, and ya weapons are pretty fancy too." Thomas asked with an uncomfortable expression.

Thadius could feel the looks of the other curious guardsmen. It wasn't a secret that his weapons were a cut above the rest. Not to mention the fact that his broken Fighting Spirit could be felt by anyone within 10ft- or 20ft if they also had fighting spirit.

Thadius looked around before he answered. "I'm not an adventurer. The strength you sense is the product of my master's training, and my weapons are a part of the inheritance I received from him before he died."

"He must of been pretty good if ya got that strong from just trainin'." Thomas said.

"He was..." Thadius said solemnly as the lift reached First Todos.

The streets were packed with people passing by and others that wanted to get on the lift. As they filed out, the guardsmen on lift duty nodded to the unit as they marched out into the city.

After an hour, the unit reached the far end of the wall, reuniting with Captain Dain and the rest of the croaka subjugation unit. The unit itself consisted of 50 men, including priests and priestesses from the Church of Thena and the detachment that Thadius arrived with.

Thadius eyed the priests and priestesses curiously. He remembered what Tony had said about newly fledged initiates being assigned to a squad, and he was thankful that he had found out sooner rather than later.

"We'll be marching until we reach the end of the mists, then we'll make camp and go in at first light!" Captain Dain yelled from atop his horse. He didn't intend to walk with the rest of the unit. "Form up! I want to reach the mists before it gets dark!"

Everyone formed neat rows according to their squad with the priests and priestesses in the back, resulting in a row of white every four rows.

As soon as everyone was in place, the guardsmen began their long march, with two carts of supplies following behind.

Thadius was in line behind Elroy, but Thomas was right behind him, taking every opportunity to assault him with questions. He didn't mind the conversation since the march to the mists was going to be a long one, but he wanted to find out more about the ranking system, and Thomas was making it difficult to get a word in.

"I joined the guard so I could fight some croaka like my pop did. What 'bout you Thadius?" he asked excitedly.

"I joined to gain more battle experience."

"More? Ya already had ya first fight, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. How'd it go? Did ya win?"

Thadius thought back to his time on the mountain. His first real fight, and kill, had been his own master. It was a duel to the death under the moon and stars, and it wasn't even a fair fight.

"Barely." Thadius replied solemnly.

"Well, at least ya won, right?" Thomas smiled. "I can't wait ta have my first battle. After all that trainin', I'm ready ta have a go!"

Thadius looked back at Thomas with a mischievous smirk . "You know, people who usually say that are the first ones to die..."

Thomas made a shocked face, getting a few laughs from the surrounding guardsmen in the process.

"I-I won't go down so easy! I'll kill me a hundred of those croaka!" Thomas protested.

"Keep dreaming rookie."

"Poor guy doesn't know what he's in for..."

"Fresh meat for the croaka!"

As the other guards teased Thomas, Thadius took the opportunity to talk to Elroy.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes?"

"How exactly does the ranking work here?" Thadius asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Elroy turned around with a puzzled look.

"I don't intend to be at the bottom forever." Thadius said truthfully.

"Fair enough." Elroy sighed. "There are generally five ranks of command. There's the squad leader, lieutenant, captain, colonel, and then the general. However, for the guard, there are no colonels or generals. Instead, there are sentinels that handle a specific section of the city, then the Commander of the Guard, who's responsible for the entire city's security.

"The ranks determine how many men that man can command, numbering 5, 10, 100, 1000, and 10,000 respectively."

"Going from 1000 to 10,000 is a huge leap..." Thadius said as he looked around the number of guards. Having to suddenly command 10,000 would be too much.

"We don't have many generals." Elroy replied, then he turned towards Captain Dain. "And most of them leave the commanding to colonels. Besides, generals don't have to take all their men to the battlefield."

"I see..." Thadius fell back in line, only to have Thomas start back up again.

"Ya joinin' the war after this, Thadius? I mean, after we finish the Croaka and all."

"I don't think so..."

"The thoughta goin' out there is kinda scary ain't it?" Thomas asked.

"I don't fear the fighting. It's the killing I worry about the most. Cutting a man's

future short isn't something you just get used to..." Thadius looked back at Thomas with a sorrowful expression.

He could still remember the knight he killed in the coliseum, and the disappointment he'd felt in himself when he saw the status card.

If he went to war, he knew he'd have to face that feeling head on, along with the fact that he'd be purposefully killing Npcs by the dozens. It wasn't something he was looking forward to.

"Ya killed a man before?" Thomas asked in surprise.

"I've killed men, yes. But when it comes to war, I'm just as inexperienced as you are."

Thomas fell silent, and the unit continued marching under the sun. Hushed conversations died away as morning turned to noon, then to evening. By the time the sun was setting, a great wall of mist could be seen on the horizon, and the humidity had risen considerably.

"Alright men, set up while we still have some daylight. We head for the mists at first light!" Dain commanded.

The guardsmen dispersed and surrounded the supply carts. They grabbed the necessities for campfires and quickly settled down into their respective squads.

Every guard carried a pack filled with rations and a thin blanket to sleep on. So when the fires were ready, everyone gathered around them for a warm spot to eat and sleep. Though Thadius' squad, and some of the surrounding guardsmen, felt an inexplicable warmth that didn't originate from the fire.

Thadius had a small smile on his face as he witnessed the confused looks.

"I believe introductions are in order." Elroy said as he came to sit by the fire.

Thadius had already met Thomas and Elroy, so the two strangers on the other side of the fire were the only members of the squad he hadn't met yet.

"That's Banon. He finished his basic training the same day I signed up, so they put him with me." Elroy pointed to the man wearing the same guard attire. He was an exceptionally large man with broad shoulders and long limbs. And he wasn't easy to miss since he had been the only one taller than Thadius when they were marching.

He was far older than Thadius, and he had wrinkles lining his face with eyes that seemed cold and hard. Especially the sightless eye that had large claw -shaped scars over it. With one look, Thadius knew that Banon had seen far more combat than he had.

Thadius nodded toward Banon, but only received a blank stare in response.

"He doesn't talk very often." Elroy said, then he pointed to the priest in the group. "And that's Marcus. He was the first one to be assigned to my squad."

Thadius nodded to the priest, and the priest nodded in return.

The priest seemed out of place amongst the squad of warriors. He was also shorter than the average height of the group, making him stand out even more. Despite that, he seemed like an earnest enough man.

"Gentlemen, this is Thadius. He'll be with us from here on out." Elroy finished, giving Thadius a few light pats on the shoulder.

The rest of the evening was passed in silence, save for the soft snoring from Thomas and the whispering guards nearby. Then once everyone was fed and sound asleep, Thadius got up to circle the camp. The dying light the campfires did nothing for his sight, but he wouldn't need it in the surrounding darkness.

He walked the perimeter, hoping to get a feel for what lay beyond the boundary of the misty wall. But his aura detected nothing beyond the cloudy entrance, so he settled for a calm midnight stroll to pass the time.

He strolled silently, and he enjoyed the quiet that reminded him of his time in Yune. Yet, his attention fell on the solitary tent in the camp that belong to Captain Dain. Light could be seen inside, and when Thadius concentrated, he could barely make out whispers coming from inside.

"Are you sure this is wise, sir? Sending his youngest son off to die?"

"He arranged for it himself." Dain replied.

Thadius didn't recognize the first voice, but it was obviously a subordinate. The subject matter;however, was completely unexpected.

"But the consequences should we fail-"

"We won't fail. In fact, we won't do anything. The mists will do the work for us." Dain reassured his guest.

"And the general's man? What about him?"

"It's just another one of the general's whims. The man may seem strong, but he wouldn't be here if he was." There was a pause, and a shuffling of paper before Dain continued. "Get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

Thadius watched as the subordinate walked out of the tent before he made his way back to his squad. But a message stopped him in his tracks.

THE YOUNGEST

You've stumbled upon a plot to kill a young noble by leaving him in the Mists of Croaka. Will you leave him to his fate? Or will you return to Todos beside him? His fate is in your hands.

DIFFICULTY: D

REQUIREMENTS: Learn of the plot to kill the young noble.

REWARDS: Unknown

It was a quest that couldn't be accepted or denied, and no one had asked him for anything. The very nature of the quest was to wait for the outcome.

'I'll just have to see how it goes.'

Thadius thought as he slipped back into camp.

He gradually revealed his presence while he walked back to his squad. He didn't want to sudden appear on his bed roll.

Yet, before he could lay down, he felt someone behind him.

"Where have you been?"

Thadius turned around to find Elroy glaring at him. "I went out for a stroll, sir."

"Couldn't sleep?" Elroy asked with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No more than you, sir."

"I woke up to relieve myself. Then I saw your roll was empty..." Elroy explained as he looked over said bed roll. Then looked back at Thadius with a look of pure hatred. "And it's been empty for quite some time. Does a stroll take so long? You can obviously find your way in the dark, so I doubt you were lost."

Thadius was completely thrown off by Elroy's tone, and he had a feeling that a half-assed excuse wouldn't cut it.

"As I was walking, I heard some disturbing information from the captain's tent. And I was wondering whether to notify you."

Elroy still had his eyes narrowed in suspicion, but the hatred had dissipated, replaced by reluctant curiosity. "What did you hear while you eavesdropped on a private conversation?" He asked menacingly.

Thadius walked closer to Elroy so he could whisper the words. The squad leader put a wary hand on his sword at the sudden approach, but the movement was ignored.

"The captain plans to abandon you in the mists. I don't know when, but it has something to do with the fact that you're a-"

"The captain wouldn't do such a foolish thing!" Elroy hissed.

"He said he had someone's approval. You may not believe me, but it's what I heard, sir."

"What I don't believe," Elroy came face to face with Thadius, "is how you just happened' to walk pass as it was being said." He said as the hateful look returned to his eyes.

The two stared each other down while the final embers of the fire extinguished. Though when Thadius held his ground with an unwavering gaze, Elroy sighed and stalked over to his bed roll.

"Go to sleep." He ordered as he lay down.

Thadius obeyed readily, laying down and closing his eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn't tired at all, so he opted to rest his eyes instead.

After a few hours of quiet waiting, Thadius opened his eyes to the dawn light. And once the sun was up, it wasn't long until the rest of the guards were up and about. And in minutes, the camp was packed away on the carts with everyone lined up in front of them. The moment to enter the mists had come.

Captain Dain paced on his horse at the front, checking over the formation before addressing his unit. "Alright you lot, we'll be entering the mists to engage the croaka. Though that's not all we'll be doing.

"Our second objective is to map the mists in order to improve the efficiency of further expeditions. So I'll be assigning squads to do so." The captain looked directly at Elroy. "Elroy, your squad will head west once we enter. I want a detailed mapping on any new territory you come across."

Elroy nodded, then Captain continued giving instructions to other squads. Yet, the other squads were to branch off further into the mists, and most of them were to go east or south.

Thadius stepped closer to Elroy. "What's wrong with the west side? Is it uncharted?"

"It's been charted...until a certain point. And the mists as a whole is mostly uncharted." He replied quietly.

"And you don't find that strange that we're the only ones headed west!?" Thadius whispered fiercely.

"You're jumping to conclusions." Elroy said as he grit his teeth.

"Sir, you know this is-"

"Is there a problem?" Captain Dain called out as he trotted up to Elroy. The squad had been placed at the very edge of the formation.

"My fourth," Elroy glanced back angrily at Thadius, " has some concerns about being the only squad assigned to the west, sir."

"Are you concerned as well?" Dain asked.

"It's a lot of ground to cover with only one squad, sir."

"Of course it is! And I never intended for you to go about it alone. Others would have joined you eventually." Dain said as he glared at Thadius.

Thadius narrowed his eyes as he returned the glare. Dain just shook his head. "Hmph, I should have expected some fear from the new recruits. It's your first excursion after all."

The captain scanned the formation until he laid eyes on the man he was looking for. "Charles!" he shouted. "You'll be going west with the Elroy's unit!"

"But sir! I thought I was too check on them after-"

"Well I've changed my mind!" Dain roared.

Thadius recognized the voice of the subordinate he heard last night, and he looked just in time to see a terrified expression on the man's face as he accepted the order.

As Dain walked away, Elroy turned on Thadius. "Satisfied?"

"That was the one he was talking to..."

"What a coincidence." Elroy sighed as he turned back around. Thadius didn't miss the troubled frown on his face as he eyed the captain.

'Coincidence my ass! This is exactly how you do your diet and get rid of a questioning subordinate at the same time! I've seen this too many times...' Thadius shook his head as he remembered all the drama in the medieval shows he used watched. Now he was in the thick of it.

When Dain returned to the front, the signal was given to march, and the the city guard steadily made their way into the mists. Once they were inside, the noise of the unit was muffled as moisture clung to every surface.

By the time Charles came over with his squad, everyone's face was covered with dew as if they had been sweating.

"Come on, let's get going. We're burning daylight." Charles said as he walked up to Elroy.

"After you lieutenant." Elroy replied.

The two squads split off from the main unit and headed west. And the deeper they walked in, the more Thadius noticed how quiet it was. He turned around to Thomas.

"Nothing to say today Thomas?" he asked quiet.

Thomas looked around nervously. "It's not that, just a little rattled is all."

Everyone else looked just as tense. It showed in the way they moved. Thadius could read the mood, and decided to keep silent as they traversed the great marsh. The only sound could be heard was the soft squish of the wetland under their feet.

Along the way, Elroy and Charles often huddled over a map to keep track of their progress and stay on track. And Thadius kept his aura stretched out to its full 150ft(46m) radius so they wouldn't get ambushed easily. Progress was smooth until Charles stopped after a few hours.

"This is where we part ways." he said firmly.

"Sir?" Elroy said with a confused look.

"From here, I'll be going south. You will go south-west. This way, well be able to cover more ground and make it easier for one another." Charles shrugged.

"And the croaka?"

"You should be able to handle a few stray croaka, right?"

"Y-yes sir." Elroy replied.

"Good. Be sure to make it back to camp before nightfall." Charles said as he turned to leave. Thadius and the rest of the squad could only watch as the other guards walked off into the mists.

Thadius stepped up to the dumbfounded squad leader. "Sir, we should-"

"Save it!" He growled, "This isn't some plot or scheme! It's an efficient tactical decision. Why have two squads cover the same path when twice as much ground can be covered if they split up?"

"Because the place we want to map is uncharted enemy territory! And if you haven't noticed, visibility is extremely limited!" Thadius countered. Thomas looked around frantically at the mention of enemies while Banon and Marcus gripped their weapons.

"Then we'll have to be careful won't we?" Elroy said before he stalked off.

Thadius sighed in resignation, then he and other men followed their squad leader deeper into the mists.

They were on high alert as they trudged through the marsh, taking care not to step into a pond or trip from the soggy ground. Every so often, Elroy would take out the map to ascertain their location, but they didn't stop for any other reason.

Thadius turned on his Concentration and strained his hearing. In the silence of the mists, the range of his enhanced hearing was extended, so he didn't miss the opportunity to use it to his advantage. He didn't want to be caught off guard and any early warning he could provide could be lifesaving.

"Anything out there?" Thomas whispered. Thadius jumped. With all his focus on his hearing and Sense Presence, Thomas' voice was like a dog barking after hours of silence.

Thadius gave Thomas a look that made Marcus chuckle.

"S-sorry. I was only curious. You seem to be lookin' for somethin'..." Thomas said apologetically.

"I'm listening for anything sounds of life, as well as sensing for any nearby presences."

"How far out can you hear?"

"If it's quiet, I can hear pretty far." Thadius smiled, then his eyes narrowed. "So I'd appreciate it if you could tap me on the shoulder instead-"

Thadius stopped in his tracks as several presences entered his range.

Everyone stopped with him. Even Elroy looked at him in concern. "What is-"

"Shh!" Thadius hushed the squad leader as he strained his hearing.

The thick mist was playing tricks with his spacial awareness, so any forms he could make it were distorted. But he listened, and further in the mists came a low guttural that could only be described as...croaking.

"Thadius?" Thomas whispered.

Thadius removed his shield from his harness. "Croaka." he said solemnly. "About ten of them. And they'll be on us in seconds."

"Do they know we're here?" Elroy asked.

"They're spreading out. They seem to be trying to surround us." Thadius said as he looked toward the gaps in his aura, then he looked at Elroy. "We could back up, try to cut down their numbers as they spread out."

Under normal circumstances, Thadius would have let the monsters surround them, but now he was a part of a team, which required him to think about someone other than himself. And the fact that he didn't know the fighting purposes of his peers had him on edge.

The sound of muffled croaking reached the ears of the squad, and everyone began readying for battle. Banon had his two-handed battle axe in hand, Marcus gripped his staff, and poor Thomas drew his sword with shaking hands.

Elroy drew his sword with a fierce hunger in his eyes. "We'll stand our ground here."

"Sir, they outnumber us-" Thadius tried to make the young noble reconsider, but was interrupted by him.

"I gave my orders! Now you will either follow them or get out of the way!"

At the sound of Elroy's shout, the croaking grew louder, and it seemed to come from every direction. The squad gathered in a circle with their backs to each other as their foes made their entrance.

Out of the mists walked 12 gangly creatures that were more frogs than man. They had pale blue skin and stood on two long legs with equally long arms holding green spears. Their backs were hunched, and their frog heads swiveled as they communicated to each other with the vocal sacs on their throats, tightening their formation around the lone squad.

"Amazing..." Thadius whispered under his breath. Every time he encountered a creature that couldn't possibly exist, he was astounded at how Sonsoft managed to bring it into reality.

He analyzed the croaka's gear. The spray in their hands seemed to be some sort of rolled up stalk while the armor they wore was clearly made from a large plant. The equipment didn't look too threatening, but there was a reason they had given the Kingdom of Todos so much trouble in the past.

"Stay in formation! Remember what you were taught in basic training!" Elroy yelled.

'Marcus didn't have basic training! He's fresh out of the Church of Thena!' Thadius thought as he assessed the situation.

He looked behind him to find Marcus chanting in between Banon and Elroy.

"-Thena, smile upon us! Goddesses Favor!"

Light shined on everyone except Thadius.

You've been denied by Thena.

"I don't understand! It's always worked before!" Marcus cried in surprise.

Thadius couldn't resist a chuckle. "Thena won't bless me Marcus. Save your mana for the others." he said. Then he looked at Thomas beside him, who was shaking like a leaf and staring at the croaka in fear.

"Thomas!" Thadius yelled as he slapped a hand on his shoulder. Thomas winced, then he looked at Thadius wide-eyed.

"Y-yeah!?"

"Remember what you've learned, and don't let the fear take control." Thadius said calmly, trying to keep Thomas' attention off the scanning advancing monsters.

Thomas visibly relaxed for a moment, but then he looked over Thadius' shoulder and cried out in terror. "Look out!"

Thadius had felt the frog-man leap long before Thomas' warning, and he had waited to unsheathe Serenity for his first opponent. He ripped Serenity from its scabbard in a wide arc, directing at the airborne croaka.

A blade of wind rushed from the orihalcum blade. Thadius didn't know how powerful Wind Cutter was, but he hoped that it would at least deal moderate damage.

Everyone watched as the unfortunate monster was cut in half. And as it fell to the ground in two, so did Thadius' jaw.

With the sudden death of one of their own, the croaka closed in cautiously. A few flinched from Thadius' Fighting Spirit, but with their superior numbers, the frog-men ignored the danger.

There was a brief moment of stillness as the squad and the croaka measured each other. Then silence quickly escalated into violence.

Two of the monsters were on Thadius immediately, while three went for Thomas.

Thadius fell back into the Dragon Scales stance, with tip of his sword next to his heart and the edge of the shield just below his eyes. Then he parried the two attackers as they thrust their spears by knocking their weapons up he ducked.

He slashed out low with Serenity, aiming to for the ligaments he'd been taught to target. However, the new attack power of his sword, on top of his strength, caused him to miscalculate.

Wind damage extended the swords range, and it cut through one of the the right croaka's front leg from the knee down. Thadius was so surprised by the lack of resistance that he cut clean through the second croaka's leg by mistake.

'Mercy!' he thought while he looked at his sword in awe. He truly didn't think that the attack of his weapon made so much of a difference.

He finished off the crippled croaka and attacked one of the three enemies that had approached Thomas.

The rookie had managed to keep himself alive during the first exchange with his opponents, but he couldn't close the gap and deal damage.

Thadius attacked the croaka who had yet to engage Thomas and stabbed it in the heart before it could react. Then he moved to take down another, but he felt a croaka jump behind him.

Having already predicted the monster's landing point, he turned around and pulled the distracted Marcus toward him, and then the enemy landed precisely where the priest had been moments before. Thadius rushed forward and quickly dispatched the monster with Dragon Claw that ripped through the amphibian with ease.

Elroy glanced back at the mess behind him. "Stay in formation!" he shouted.

Thadius glanced at the dead croaka at his feet. "The formation won't hold! They'll just-"

"Hold the formation!" Elroy repeated as he turned back in time to defend against the next attack.

Thadius surveyed his surroundings. Banon had already killed a few croaka, and continued to swing his battle-axe with frightening ferocity. Elroy more than proved that he could handle himself, but as Thadius looked at Thomas and Marcus, he knew they wouldn't last at this rate.

Thomas had only taken down one foe, but he was already breathing heavily. And Marcus couldn't even be counted as a combatant.

As if that wasn't enough, Thadius detected another wave of the same size coming from the south-west. Wherever the monster were coming from was in that direction.

"Damnit..." he muttered under his breath. Marcus hurried past him to retake his position.

"Thanks Thadius. I don't know what would have happened if-"

"It's fine, just keep your eyes open."

Thadius said as he returned to his position.

Once he reached his place, however, he kept going, and headed toward the coming wave.

"Thadius! What are you doin'!?" Thomas cried.

"Damnit, Thadius! I gave you an order!" Elroy bellowed as he turned to look.

Thadius took a deep breath and sheathed his sword as he moved towards the advancing croaka.

They were eager to take down a lone fighter, and they began to circle around him like they did before. Ten of them spread out around Thadius, with one of them eyeing the other members of the squad with hungry eyes.

"Hey! I'm right in front you!" Thadius declared as pressured the creature, keeping it focused on him. The croaka responded violently, rushing towards Thadius with reckless abandon.

*Ting

Whatever message he received was ignored as he introduced the charging monster to death. With the drawing of his sword, Thadius unleashed another Wind Cutter that was just as effective as the first.

When the corpse of their kin fell, it compelled the others to avenge its death, and they all attacked at once.

Which was exactly what Thadius wanted.

With 9 makeshift spears, Thadius quickly pivoted into the gap created by the slowest one and parried it by turning it aside. A barrage of spears stabbed at empty air, and Thadius rushed for the first croaka.

He focused on the enemy in front of him while he was surrounded by enemies on all sides. It was the same mentality he had in the coliseum, a mentality that almost got him killed.

-992 hp

One of the frog-men of to the side had shifted and attacked again faster than expected. Thadius whirled on the monster and smacked its weapon aside with a flick of his blade.

-895 hp

"Argh!" Thadius growled as a stab from behind caught him in the shoulder. He leaned forward and spun around to remove the apart from his armor.

-654 hp

This time, the croaka he had intended to rush, stabbed him in the leg. The attack stopped his movement for only a moment, but it was enough for his foes to capitalize.

-764 hp -1212 hp -543 hp

"Enough!" Thadius yelled furiously. He unleashed Triple Slash in wide, powerful arcs that threatened to sever anything that came too close.

He had done it again. He'd lost himself to the thrills of open melee, and made a fool of himself.

If Corban could see him now...

'He'd be laughing his head off!' Thadius shook his head at his own incompetence. Despite having completed his training, he continued to fall into old habits.

*FLASHBACK*

"Thadius, how long are you going to drool on the floor?" A raspy voice called out.

Thadius opened his eyes to find Corban looking down at him. He was sprawled out on the floor of the grand training hall after being beaten by Yuna for the first time. "Ugh..." He moaned pathetically.

Corban chuckled at the sight of his prized pupil on the floor. "Don't bother getting up. You'll only make it worse."

Thadius grimaced as he moved to wipe up the small puddle of saliva by his face. The back of his head was throbbing painfully. The last thing he remembered was Yuna swinging her sword like a baseball bat.

"What the- was she always that fast?" he said as he touched the tender part of his head.

"Your loss had nothing to do with strength or speed. It's something you picked up ever since you completed your steel weight training..."

Thadius was completely lost, and it showed on his face.

"You have focus Thadius. It's what makes you such a prominent student, but now that focus is working against you. You focused too much on your opponent and lost sight of the fight."

"But she was in my sights the whole time! I had her right up until the end!"

Thadius protested.

"Therein lies your second problem: emotion."

Thadius threw his hands up in exasperation. He remembered being frustrated at some of the moves Yuna had pulled, but it didn't affect his swing.

"Don't believe me?" Corban chuckled again.

"I just don't understand." Thadius sighed.

"Neither did I, at first. And back then, I could only rely on trial and error. Thankfully, I'm here to guide you through this. Now," Corban sat down next to him. "your sight was returned after you passed the steel weight training, and when you're fighting, you rely on it heavily. Stop it. Your presence training is going to waste.

"Not only that, you were getting flustered whenever she landed a hit. You parents are renowned, and it's my belief that the competitive spirit you've inherited from them is causing you to neglect your swordsmanship."

"What!? My form was great! Every swing was exactly like we practiced!"

"Your swings were fine. Yet, your footwork was ruined, your attacks didn't connect, you completely lost sight of the essence of the Dragon Scales form."

Thadius fell silent as he replayed the fight in his head. The moment before his defeat, he had been lured into attacking, and he couldn't even remember whether or not his foot placement was correct. Which basically meant it wasn't.

"Remember this, Thadius. Don't let anything dictate how you move our how you swing your blade. You must be in control at all times, especially with the Dragon's Scales form. It's the most oppressive form of them all."

Thadius slowly picked himself up off the floor. "Be in control at all times..." he said.

"Precisely. Now..."

*FLASHBACK END*

"...Again." Thadius said as he settled into his stance.

The croaka attacked again, and the success of their previous attacks had all of them bloodthirsty.

The makeshift spears came in from every angle, looking to skewer the foolish human.

Thadius calmed himself before the battle to come. Then as the wild croaks of the frog-men reached his ears, he took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

What followed was something entirely different from the haphazard skirmish that took place before. A storm of blood raged in the mists, and Thadius was the eye of it.

Every attack was pulled toward him like a vortex, draining energy from anything caught by his pace. Yet, none of the attacks found their mark, even as they came within inches of touching him. And his sword never stopped, returning every attack with cuts that targeted the croaka's blood flow.

The rest of the squad finished up the first wave of croaka, and Banon watched as Thadius took on the second wave by himself.

Elroy, having just finished the last croaka, came to stand beside the man.

"We have to help him. He's skilled, but he won't last much longer." He said breathlessly.

Banon held out his arm to stop the young noble. "He doesn't need our help..."

"What are you talking about! He's surrounded by croaka!" Elroy protested.

Banon looked down at his squad leader. "His eyes are closed..." He said.

"What?"

"Look." Banon motioned toward Thadius.

Elroy calmed himself and took a closer look, but the whites of the Thadius' eyes couldn't be seen.

"How is that possible?" Elroy whispered.

"Training." Banon replied.

"But...he can't possibly kill them all." Elroy said as he watched in disbelief.

"They're already dead. They just haven't fallen yet." Banon said, turning away from the battle to lot the bodies of the fallen croaka.

All around Thadius, his foes were showing signs of exhaustion from depleted stamina and blood loss. But they still attacked because every strike seemed to get closer and closer to the mark.

What they didn't know, was that the hope they felt was orchestrated by the human in from of them, and the victory they thought was near was merely an illusion.

Thadius slowed down to match the speed of his opponents once they start to wobble from fatigue. Then he gradually released his pressure to bring the battle to a close.

Five of them collapsed at the same time, then three more fell soon after. The sudden change in numbers frightened the last croaka, and it tried to run on shaky legs.

Thadius moved to sheath his sword to reuse Wind Cutter, but he stopped as a thought occurred to him. Remembering his final fight in the coliseum, he ran through the motions for the long range move he traced from Serene. Then he tried it at full speed, and received surprising results.

You've learned Wind Cutter. You cannot use Wind Cutter due to your lack of mana; however, as a Sword Scholar, magical sword skills can be converted into unique skills once the skill has been successfully learned and the Intellect requirement has been met. Wind Cutter has been converted to Extended Slash Due to your prior knowledge of the Slash skill series, Extended Slash had been learned at the Intermediate rank. Extended Slash LV. 12 Intermediate

Derived from Wind Cutter by the Sword Scholar Thadius. Uses Holy Fighting Aura to Slash a target at a specified range. Maximum range and damage is increased with level. The percentage of Fighting Aura consumed directly correlates with the target distance and maximum distance.

Max. Distance 6ft.

+Doesn't cut non-targets You have learned Aggravate Aggravate LV.1 Novice

Pull aggro from nearby monsters with a small amount of pressure a few words. Success increases with level.

Not only had he received another unique skill, he found out that the message he had received earlier turned out to be a taunting skill. Thadius didn't think he'd use it as much as Extended Slash. That was the skill he was really interested in.

'Correlates with target distance and maximum distance? Meaning maximum distance consumes all of my Fighting Aura?

Thadius would have tested his new skill, but Banon had moved to finish the crawling croaka, and Elroy was walking toward him with a furious expression.

"I gave you an order to hold the formation! Why didn't you follow it!?" He spat furiously.

"Because I disagreed with your order, sir. Had more than one Croaka jumped, the formation would have been destroyed, and that's if the reinforcements didn't do it first."

"That's what they teach in basic training. If you bothered to learn, maybe you'd know that!"

Thadius looked at Elroy, then glanced over to the pile of corpses he'd just walked out of. "I believe the training I've received is more than sufficient, and if you had retreated instead of allowing us to be surrounded-" he said.

"Every since we set up camp you've been questioning my every decision! What do you know about the burdens of leadership!?" Elroy screamed the words in Thadius' face, but as soon as he said the words, a shadow fell across his face. It was clear from the look on his face that he had just said something he'd never thought he would say.

By now, the others had come up to them. Marcus had healed everyone except Thadius, and was probably waiting for the opportunity.

"Elroy," Thadius whispered."I know what it means to be a leader of men. It doesn't mean that every decision you make is correct, nor does it mean you have to decide everything." Thadius looked around at the squad, then back Elroy, who had a sickened expression on his face. "What it means is making decisions that benefit the group as a whole, and when you allowed for us to be surrounded, you put Marcus and Thomas in a difficult position."

"I did as I was trained..." Elroy said as he looked at his subordinates. Marcus and Banon had stern expressions, but Thomas couldn't even look him in the eye.

Elroy swallowed hard and straightened his back, then he looked Thadius in the eye. "Very well, I can read the atmosphere. You think you can lead this squad better than I? Then show me!"

PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY

Despite your pending status, you may now take command of a 5-man group as a Squad Leader. Notify your superiors to receive your new schedule and orders.

PAY: 15S / Month

"I will." Thadius nodded, then he called out to his squad. "Alright fellas, huddle up." he said.

He motioned for the men to circle around him, then formally addressed them on the situation.

"Elroy has given me command of this squad. With that said, I want to make one thing perfectly clear." He looked every man in the eye in turn. "We are a team. That means that even if the final call is mine to make, I am always open to suggestions that are better than mine.

Any questions or comments before we proceed?" he asked as he looked around.

Marcus stepped forward. "I don't me to pry, but during the battle, you said that Thena wouldn't bless you. Why wouldn't she? I can tell you are a man of faith, so why..." he asked with a confused expression. He had obviously never encountered the situation before.

"The Goddess I worship isn't on very good terms with Thena, so I doubt that anything you try on me will be effective."

Thadius smiled.

"I'd still like to try! The spell I used earlier was given to me for my faith in Thena, so it's not one of the basic skills of a priest."

"I won't stop you." Thadius said.

Marcus nodded and cast Healing immediately. To Thadius' surprise, he felt a warm tingle throughout his body as the wounds from the previous battle closed over.

"I knew it!" Marcus declared happily.

"Thank you. That feels much better" Thadius said as he rubbed his shoulder. There was a tiny hole where the spear pierced through the leather armor. "Does anyone else have a question or something they'd like to share?"

This time Thomas stepped forward. "Like Marcus said, it ain't my business to know, but who do you pray to if you don't pay to Thena?"

"I pray to Tegaia; Goddess of Love, War, and Humility. She's also known as the Mother of All Creation."

"Goddess of War? I never thought there was one..." Thomas said.

"Well, she is. And you'll be hearing about her quite a bit from me. I won't ask that any of you pray to her because I'm in command; however, I want you to accept that she is a major part of my life. Speaking of which," Thadius pulled the pack from his back and pulled out the Book of Tegaia, " I'd like to pray for our safety. You don't have to believe, Tegaia will love you no matter who you worship."

All eyes were drawn to the divine tone in his hands, and as the Hand of Tegaia, Thadius knew his words about his Goddess have greater effect.

"This was given to me by the Goddess herself, and it was written in her own blood. I ask that you bow your heads, and let her love over you." he said.

Everyone closed their eyes. Even Marcus and Elroy, who had their own personal reasons for not following his whim, felt the power within the book, and bowed their heads in respect.

Opening the book to a random page, Thadius began, "Tegaia, there are men here who may do battle this day. As your humble servant, I ask that you watch over us as we walk through this treacherous place, and guide our swords so that we may live and return to those that love us."

'Of course I will...'

Thadius' head snapped up at the sounds of the divine voice, and the others were all looking at him with the same shocked expression.

Then above there heads, the mists parted, and single ray of sunlight fell on them.

As the Hand of Tegaia, the Goddess has blessed you and all your subordinates

+1000 Attack

+300 Strength

00:23:59:59

"Amazing..." Marcus whispered in awe.

"Yeah..." Thomas was just as mystified by the sight.

Elroy and Banon remained silent, but their surprise was clear.

When the light died off and the mist returned, everyone looked to Thadius.

Thadius just shook his head. "No one likes a show off." he muttered under his breath. And as he led his squad further into the mists, he could hear the echoing chuckle of his Goddess in his ear.