Cheers rang out from the gate of the Fortress as the Orcs shouted to support their Guard Captain in his battle against the Fortress Defender, who had a fearless grin plastered on his monstrous face.
Among Lux's subordinates, it wasn't ALL-MITE that looked the scariest—it was Pazuzu.
The Demonic Defender had a very hideous appearance, which was meant to scare his opponents in battle. Pazuzu's face was so scary, that Lux was afraid of summoning him near children because they might all cry simultaneously.
Because of this reason, Pazuzu always wore a helmet whenever he was in town.
But, on the battlefield, he did not need to hide anything, especially when he stood on the front lines, protecting his Master from any harm. As long as he was alive, he would be Lux's strongest shield and would gladly sacrifice his life in order to shield his Master and his comrades till his dying breath.
"You're so hard," the Guard Captain, whose name was Klog, said as he distanced himself from his opponent. "What do you usually eat?"
"Attacks of Deimos Beasts," Pazuzu replied as he raised his mace with a smirk. "And Rankers."
Klog laughed out loud after hearing Pazuzu's answer. Even the spectators joined their Captain in laughter because they thought that the Fortress Defender was just joking.
Pazuzu didn't take the initiative to attack and simply waited for his opponent to stop laughing.
"Are you for real?" Klog asked. "Even I can't take the attacks of a Deimos Beast head-on. As for a Ranker, I will become one very soon."
Klog's voice was filled with confidence as if him becoming a Ranker was already a done deal.
Lux, Pazuzu, Gerhart, and Cethus knew that the Orc Captain wasn't lying. They could sense that the Orc was already at the peak of the Initiate Rank and was probably only waiting for the right opportunity to break through.
Instead of giving an answer, Pazuzu used his spiked mace to beckon Klog to attack him. The Fortress Defender didn't need to say anything to prove himself.
Although he died almost all the time from facing opponents that were way above his rank, the Fortress Defender learned a lot from fighting them.
As he and Klog clashed, Lux noticed that Pazuzu was not blocking Klog's attack directly with his shield.
Instead, whenever the Orc Captain's Axe was about to hit his shield, Pazuzu would move it at a certain angle to deflect the attack, and deliver a counterattack of his own.
This fighting style was the perfect counter against Klog's powerful and heavy-handed strikes.
Pazuzu was more of a defensive fighter than an offensive one, but after Lux gained the title "Lord of Death's Army", Pazuzu's already high defenses and mediocre attack power doubled.
This gave him the ability to effectively fight against opponents who weren't Rankers or Deimos-Ranked Beasts.
"Go, Uncle Pazuzu! Hit him!" Laura shouted.
"Smack him! Whack him!" Livia cheered with her small fist raised high.
"Eyah!"
"Eyah!"
"Eyah!"
Laura, Livia, Eiko, Nora, and Cora, were cheering for Pazuzu, which amused Lux and Grandma Annie.
Randolph, Gerhart, and Cethus were watching the match closely, as if they were trying to gain insights on how to fight in close quarters.
Klog was faster than Pazuzu. Even so, he was feeling frustrated because it seemed like he was fighting against a snapping turtle who blocked his blows and delivered a very painful bite when given the right chance.
Suddenly, Pazuzu's spiked mace hit Klog's right arm, making the latter grit his teeth in pain. However, the next second, the Orc Captain felt an overwhelming feeling of fear, which made him subconsciously take a step back.
Pazuzu's attack had a small chance to instill fear. However, after Lux gained several upgrades, the Fortress Defender's attacks now had a small chance to inflict paralysis on those that were hit by his attacks.
Since Klog had momentarily entered a state of fear, Pazuzu didn't miss this opportunity and unleashed a barrage of attacks, which forced the Orc Captain to fight defensively.
"It's my win," Pazuzu said as his spiked mace hovered inches away from Klog's head.
The Orc Captain was kneeling on the ground because one of Pazuzu's attacks had connected and the passive paralyzing effect activated.
"Yay! We won!" Laura happily clapped her hands together.
"You're amazing, Uncle Pazuzu!" Livia also clapped her hands in happiness after seeing that their side won.
"""Eyah!"""
"""Eyah!"""
"""Eyah!"""
The three baby slimes also celebrated their victory, while jumping on top of their Masters' heads.
"That was a good fight."
A voice filled with amusement reached everyone's ears, which made them look all at the gate of the Stronghold at the same time.
"""We greet the Great Shaman.""" The Orcs who were watching the duel earlier all pressed their fists over their chests as they greeted one of the Commanders of the Blackrock Clan.
"I greet… the great… Shaman," Klog said through gritted teeth as he tried to fight off the effect of fear and paralysis that had spread over his body.
Baronar smiled and waved his hand.
Immediately, a soothing breeze blew in the surroundings, making everyone feel refreshed.
A few seconds later, a sigh of relief escaped Klog's lips before he stood up.
"That was a good fight," Klog pressed his closed fist over Pazuzu's chest. "But, next time, I will win."
"I'll be waiting then," Pazuzu replied with confidence. He was quite happy with how the duel turned out because he had always wanted to test his newfound strength.
Orc Warriors were stronger than Humans. An Orc who was at the Initiate Rank was stronger than a Human Initiate when it came to raw strength.
Even the proud Barbarians had no choice but to admit that Orcs were naturally stronger than them. Pazuzu's victory also allowed Lux to gain a better understanding of his Fortress Defender's ability, which made him very happy as well.
"So, you are the Summoner Friend who traveled from afar to meet me, right?" Baronar asked in a teasing tone.
"Yes, Lord Baronar," Lux replied. "My name is Lux."
The Half-Elf gave the Orc Shaman a respectful bow, which made the Orcs have a better impression of him.
"Lux?" Baronar rubbed his chin as he narrowed his eyes to look at the red-headed teenager that he had seen for the first time. "Have we met before? For some reason, I felt like we have known each other for a long time. Also, your Summon feels similar to my Elite Orc Spirit Warriors… fascinating."
Lux smiled before answering Baronar's question. "This is our first time meeting each other, Lord Baronar. However, the moment I saw you I also felt like we've been friends for a very long time."
Baronar chuckled after hearing Lux's reply. Pazuzu had only piqued his interest earlier, but now, he was very interested to have a proper talk with the red-headed teenager in front of him.
As a powerful Orc Shaman, who communicated with the spirits, he already knew that Lux only spoke a half-truth about being a Summoner.
'This is only the third time I've seen a Necromancer in my lifetime,' Baronar thought as he eyed Lux with a critical gaze. 'Still, the Spirits are telling me that his Fate and the Blackrock Clan's Fate are bound together by an invisible string.'
The Orc Shaman was quite thrilled to meet someone who had the power to communicate with the Spirits of the Dead. He also had this ability, but it was nothing compared to the power of a true Necromancer.
Baronar was hoping that after exchanging pointers with Lux, he would be able to know how to evolve his Elite Orc Spirit Warriors, just like the Half-Elf had done with his Demonic Defender, whose origin belonged to a spell that Baronar had painstakingly created many years ago.
"Friends that came from distant lands, I welcome you to Rogdul, one of the Strongholds of the Blackrock Clan," Baronar said with open arms. "Please, come with me, so you can take a rest in the guest quarters."
Lux accepted Baronar's invitation, and entered the Stronghold with him.
Both of them had an agenda in mind, but neither of them was aware of what the other person was thinking.
For now, they just walked side by side and made small talk, as they made their way towards the guest quarters, within one of the Strongholds of the Blackrock Clan.
