The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

 Elius studied Drannor for a while. Just like Zaos. He wasn't a normal kid and received training from one of the most famous warriors in the country. Even among the group of noble kids, those two stand out. That was good in a sense, but it wasn't in some others.

"If you are half as smart as I think you are, you will keep your mouth shut about this," Elius said. "We made some healers investigate their bodies, but that ambush squad didn't have anything out of normal in their bodies… aside from a small piece of bone that they had near their hearts."

"A piece of bone?" Zaos frowned.

"It wasn't a bone that belonged to them, my guess is the bone of some of the demon god followers, they used their own body parts as a magic catalyst to control those corpses from a big distance," Elius replied.

"So, they were already dead to begin with…" Zaos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "To think that they could even control corpses like that… still, if they were walking corpses, just destroying their heads shouldn't solve the problem."

"Did you know? Any person can die if their brain or hearts are destroyed," Elius said. "Since they were corpses, their hearts weren't beating anymore. So, the brain became the core of their bodies. Some researchers say that the brain is the reason why we can think. So, the brain is the most important part for a mage. Considering all that, without a brain, a corpse can't be controlled by magic."

 It was weird how that much made sense in Zaos's head. While Drannor was a bit confused, he also understood the main points. The demon god's followers magic was totally different from the magic the people of Sairus Kingdom knew. It was much more grotesque, and that showed that they had qualms in doing whatever was necessary to achieve their goals.

"We didn't notice, but there was a group of the heretics in the forest watching us fight," Elius said. "While that was a blunder, I am more worried about the fact that the corpses could use their magic to do impossible things like climbing without their hands… Regardless, stay focused because they will go all out today."

"How can you be so sure, sir?" Zaos asked.

"Our reinforcements are to arrive tomorrow morning," Elius replied. "The mercenaries know that, so they will try one more time."

 Those were some good news, but in the end, Zaos couldn't help but imagine how terrible the next battle will be. The mercenaries will try to win no matter what, and thanks to that, they will become extra dangerous.

"If you understood that, then return to your squads," Elius said. "Those kids will need to prepare themselves for the next fight and it is your job to put them at ease."

 That was probably something impossible to do, but Zaos and Drannor didn't have any other option but to try it in the end. In any case, Zaos already knew what he could do to decrease the effects of their fears. They just had to train. Training would keep their minds busy and increase their confidence. Even though there was only so much confidence they could gain in a few hours, it was better than nothing.

"What are you going to do, Zaos?" Drannor asked. "I think today they will manage to destroy the gates and then enter the town."

"Don't say that too loudly, dumbass," Zaos said. "You will scare the other recruits… I also think the same, though."

"So, I was thinking that we should train our squads in how to fight in a melee," Drannor said.

"As if you know how to fight in such a battle," Zaos said.

"You are right, I don't know," Drannor shrugged. "But any and all experience is welcome right now. Let's make our squads train against one another."

"That will only tire our squads out," Zaos shook his head. "If you split your squad in two parts, it should be enough. Your allies will feel less pressurized and thus conserve their energy."

"Are you going to do the same?" Drannor asked.

"No… I will train to train my squad and make them use their bows like a proper bowmen squad," Zaos said. "There is no way that nine years old kids will be any useful in a fight in the streets, but they might cause some damage as a bowmen squad. Besides, they will need a lot less energy to practice with bows."

"Well, I will at least train my squad on how to fight while using a long spear and a shield," Drannor said. "Let's hope that we will be able to make any difference with our plans."

 After splitting up, Zaos returned to his tent, but he noticed that his squad members were already up. They looked as exhausted as Drannor, but at least they weren't trembling in fear. After calling each one of them, Zaos decided to tell them about his plans.

"Today and tonight, we will face some serious problems again against the mercenaries," Zaos said. "However, if we manage to protect the town until morning, then it is our win. Reinforcements will arrive at dawn."

"Are you sure, squad leader?"

"Yes, lieutenant Elius just confirmed that," Zaos said. "That is why we need everything possible to increase our chances of surviving until tomorrow. I don't think either of us will be very useful if the fight breaks into a massive melee, that is why I think we should train and improve our archery as much as possible. Pick up your bows and start to train to fire arrows at the same time and in unison. If we manage to achieve a decent level while doing that, I am sure each of our volleys will take the lives of many enemies, and decrease the chances of us losing our lives."

 It looked like Zaos said too much. He ended up reminding them that they still could die. Despite that, they picked their bows and prepared for another session of training.