A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Again, Kaya's punches flew. No matter how many times he punched, there seemed to be endless targets for him to throw at. It was a role that neither Jorah nor Karesh could have fulfilled. With two fists, unencumbered, he was faster than both of them, able to keep a good few enemies stalled all at once.

Oliver imagined short blades on the edges of his gauntlet's fists, and he shuddered. With a true weapon augmenting his gauntlets, each of those wolves that he struck would have been killed. He was holding back nearly eight of them with merely the armour of his gauntlets alone. It was a shocking thing to witness.

"Incredible," Verdant said with admiration. "To think that the battlefield would find a use for even that."

"It was Jorah that found it," Oliver said. "He arranged this battle plan around both of their strengths."

It was true enough. Jorah hadn't been allowed to show off yet. In their little lineup, he seemed relatively unremarkable. He did his work like a labourer, thrusting his spear as though he was hammering a nail into wood. He made it look like monotonous work, but he was the very pivot of the seesaw that allowed Karesh and Kaya to function as well as they had.

Now Karesh had survived the entirety of the pack's charge, killing five wolves in the process, and blunting their momentum significantly. He freed them from overwhelm, whilst functioning as a brick wall that allowed both Jorah and Kaya to do their work. Jorah too had slain a further four wolves as they dashed by, and Kaya had put down a good eight at their back, as they attempted to nip at them.

Oliver had expected – and likely, Jorah had too – that it would be the instantly Karesh was freed from his burden that the tide would turn. That wasn't the cast. The tide had already turned, even without him needing to turn around. Kaya was gradually reducing the enemy, and all the advantages that they should have had from the Black Wolves had managed to immediately encircle them were eliminated.

"What..?" Karesh said, pausing his sword midswing, seeing that there wasn't an enemy to swing at. Jorah took in the situation far more quickly. The mass of the pack was now concentrating entirely on Kaya right at the back, and somehow, just barely, he was managing to hold his own, as he struck them just enough to stun them and keep them at bay, as Jorah had ordered.

Though, even those light strikes, with his giant hands, inevitably ended up fracturing more than a few skulls.

Whilst Karesh took a moment more to process the sight of it, Jorah rushed in, his spear taking advantage of the Black Wolves' occupied attention, felling two of them in quick succession, one after the other.

Then, Karesh was there too, biting into the opposite side, swinging his greatsword from overhead and smashing through one of the monster's spines.

Between the three of them, they made light work of the stragglers. It was clear for all to see now, that they weren't the same men that they had been a month ago. Meek, and hesitating even at the show of goblin blood. These were men of a far stronger sort.

If they could do so well against Black Wolves – and twenty of them, at that – Oliver did not doubt that they were a good deal stronger than your average soldier.

A rhythmic echo celebrated their victory, as Verdant brought his gloved hands together to clap, smiling as though it were a victory of his own. "Congratulations," he told Oliver. "You've made another three monsters."

Oliver took the words for what they were, though he doubted that it was purely his own contributions that had made them what they were. More than anything, it was the training that they themselves had put in. They'd been given an opportunity, and they'd arisen to make the fullest use of it.

"Well done," Oliver told them as they came over. "The three of you have begun to perfect a skill that is uniquely yours. Together, you're a unit of great strength. I have no hesitation now about bringing you along on the next mission that Skullic sends my way. I do not doubt that you will be of great use."

Jorah bowed to Oliver in thanks. Kaya and Karesh hurried to do the same. "You honour us, my Lord Patrick. We will do what we can to live up to your expectations."

"I imagine today has brought to light a number of improvements that you wish to make before we set out," Oliver continued. "Kaya, in particular, you seem to have much that you will need to put together, before you can make fullest use of your newfound strength. I hope you will consider augmenting your gauntlets in some fashion, to deliver a more powerful strike."

"I will, my Lord," Kaya said, enthusiastically. "But… I am not sure when I might be able to do so. The smiths tend to charge a great deal for that sort of thing."

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"Then I will pay for it, whatever it costs," Oliver assured him.

"I do not imagine the modifications should exceed a gold coin, if it's existing material that the smith is working with," Verdant said. "I shall go with the boy, if you wish, my Lord, to ensure that he gets what he needs. Though, I imagine it might be prudent to run a good number of tests before we commit to any one modification, given the dent on your purse."

"Indeed," Oliver said. "If you would spare the time for him, I would be grateful."

At that, Kaya's worries were largely set aside, and he beamed from it, bowing to the both of them. "Thank you, my Lord! And you too, Lord Idris! I'll make sure that your efforts do not go to waste."

Oliver nodded. "And the two of you as well will be needing your equipment lists completed. I see that you both have gotten together a number of items yourself. I will take care of the rest. I'm also in need of a set of armour myself…"