Chapter 567 Know Your Enemy
Chapter 567 Know Your Enemy
"Seriously, guys? Do I need to do this?" Ashton sighed before turning his attention towards the massive screen before him. "I have Astaroth inside me. Doesn't he already know all this?"
"Lord Astaroth also knew the quickest way of defeating the Xyran grunts," Flintmace responded. "Til he tell you that?"
[He's got a point, you know. Although I didn't help you because I loved seeing your ass get kicked.]
'Of course you did,' Ashton replied. 'It must have triggered your masochistic tendencies, right?'
[...a bit.]
'What the fuck!?'
Ashton sat in a large, high-tech classroom with Flintmace and Vulcan at the front. The walls were made of a shimmering metallic material, and the desks and chairs were sleek and futuristic.
It was supposed to be one of the meeting rooms for high-ranking merc groups to convene their meeting. At first, Ashton thought it was going to be a strategic training day.
Little did he know Flintmace would teach him about the Xyran army, its composition, history and the military tactics they usually employed. Although an important topic, it was horrendously straining to learn about them.
"Stop being a kid and focus," Vulcan reprimanded Ashton.
Ashton groaned inwardly. He had never been much of a student, and the idea of sitting through a lecture was almost unbearable. But he knew this was important, and he tried to focus on the 'lesson' for once.
Flintmace noticed Ashton's lack of enthusiasm and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know this isn't your favourite thing to do, Ashton, but it's important. You can't just charge blindly into battle and expect to win."
"I know, and I'll try my best." Ashton unenthusiastically responded, but it was enough for Flintmace to continue teaching him.
"The Xyran army consists of nine different types of troops," Flintmace reiterated the previous information. "Starting with the grunts, who are the weakest and most easily defeated."
Vulcan nodded. "Grunts are the foot soldiers of the Xyran army. They're numerous but not very skilled. They're often armed with basic weapons like plasma weapons and, in rare cases, explosive weapons. Apart from that, they're easy enough to take down if you know what you're doing."
As Vulcan spoke, images of different Xyran soldiers appeared on the displays. Each was more intimidating than the last, with various weapons, armour, and abilities.
Ashton shifted in his seat, already feeling bored. He had fought against the simulated Xyran grunts so many times that he could take them down with his eyes closed.
"The Xyran army is divided into nine different types of troops, each with unique strengths and weaknesses," Vulcan said. "Starting with the grunts, they get progressively stronger until you reach the final tier, the Xyran Elders."
Vulcan nodded in agreement and added, "The Xyrans are known for their advanced technology and ability to create super soldiers. That's why it's crucial for us to understand their different tiers and strengths."
Ashton listened intently, slowly getting more and more interested in knowing about the Xyrans. Especially the different types of super soldiers they had created to fulfil specific purposes.
Flintmace continued, "So the first tier of soldiers is the Grunts, which we've already discussed. The second tier is called the Shadows.
They are stealthy units and can blend in with their surroundings, making them difficult to detect. They are equipped with advanced cloaking technology and are skilled in close combat."
Vulcan chimed in, "The third tier is called the Tempests. They are highly trained and skilled in using advanced weaponry.
They are also the first class that consists of actual Xyrans and not some experimental creatures. They often lead battalions of Grunts and Shadows into the battlefield."
Following them were the 'Wardens'. They were usually equipped with heavy armour and powerful shields that could deflect almost any type of attack thrown at them.
Vulcan recalled what a pain they were to handle because they kept overpowering the Dwarves using their own attacks. The only way to take them down was to engage them in hand-to-hand combat and kill them.
But since they were usually accompanied by at least two tempests, it was challenging to get through them quickly and kill them before they could deal massive damage to their enemies.
After the Wardens came the 'Infernos'. One could think of them as shock troopers. Their only purpose was to deal a gobsmacking amount of damage to the enemies before they were eventually killed.
Since their rank consisted of outcast Xyrans, not much attention was paid to their defence as they were mostly on death row, and the best of utilising them before they were killed was to use them as expendable troops.
"They are also called the 'Shamed Ones'. Even though they know they are being thrown to die, these motherfuckers do not care about anything and die happily thinking they have proven their loyalty to the Elders."
Flintmace muttered with a sense of disgust towards them. Unlike him, most exiles do not know what the Xyrans have done and perceive the Elders as gods and do whatever they instruct them to do.
Even though Flintmace had never told them about his past in detail, Ashton could guess it must have had something to do with Infernos.
However, sensing the change in the mood, Ashton didn't think it was the correct time to ask Flintmace more about his past. After all, even Ashton didn't like talking about what happened to him when he was a human prisoner.
"Carrying on," Vulcan replaced the holograph with the following type of soldier. "We have what we call the Vindictives, and they are known for their ruthless tactics and willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
They are equipped with advanced exosuits that enhance their physical abilities and allow them to take on multiple opponents simultaneously. One of the Vindictives can take on an entire planet if given proper time and resources. So you can think of the level of strength they possess."
Ashton nodded his mind in overdrive. He was now beginning to understand why no one had ever confronted the Xyrans head-on. With soldiers like the Vindictives in their ranks, one would have to have been screwed up in the head to even think about attacking the Xyrans.
[Well, it's a good thing that you are a bit screwed up on the top floor, eh?]
'Of course,' Ashton smiled, looking at Vulcan and Flintmace. 'And by the looks of it, I'm not the only one with loose screws here.'
"You'll love the name of the seventh tier of super soldiers under the Xyran command," Vulcan and Flintmace smiled broadly as the next soldier model appeared before them. "I present you, the Reapers."
The Reapers were tall and imposing figures, standing almost seven feet tall with broad shoulders and a muscular build. Their skin was a pale shade of grey, almost sickly in appearance, and was stretched tightly over their chiselled features.
They had piercing yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness, and their hair was long, black, and unkempt, unlike most of their Xyran counterparts, who had white hair.
The Reapers wore black armour that covered their entire bodies, giving them a menacing appearance. The armour was sleek and form-fitting, hugging their muscular frames, and was adorned with intricate silver filigree designs.
They carried large, curved swords at their sides, with long, serrated blades that glinted in the light, and their movements were swift and graceful, like those of a dancer.
"Apart from their hair, they look an awful lot like you, don't they?" Vulcan joked.
"The semblance is uncanny!" Flintmace joined in on teasing Ashton.
"Haha, very funny." Ashton retorted. "Now, are you going to tell me what they do, or you'll just keep laughing?"
Vulcan finally continued, "Unlike their appearance, they are the assassins of the Xyran army and are skilled in stealth and infiltration, and they are equipped with advanced weapons and gadgets that make them deadly opponents."
"Usually, no one would notice them until it was too late, and hence they were called Reapers," Flintmace concluded. "I used to be one of them when I was a child, then when white hair replaced my black after evolution, I got disqualified as a Reaper trainee."
"Damn... just because of the hair?" Ashton was weirded out by the Xyran rules of classification.
"Either way, let's continue to the rank I eventually joined." Flintmace continued, "The eighth tier is called the Annihilators. They are the heavy hitters of the Xyran army and are equipped with massive weapons that can cause significant damage to their opponents.
They are also heavily armoured and can withstand almost any attacks thrown at them. However, their numbers are pretty small as most trainees usually died during the training itself."
"And here I thought being trained to death was just a figure of speech." Ashton chuckled. "Seriously speaking, my respect for you had sky-rocketed, sir."
"Hmm... at least we don't need to train you in the art of buttering people." Flintmace laughed before Vulcan got all serious and ruined the fun... as usual.
"We are here to train, not to gossip!" Vulcan yelled at both of them before continuing, "And the final tier is called the Obliterators. They are the most advanced and powerful soldiers in the Xyran army.
They are equipped with advanced exosuits and energy weapons that can cause massive destruction. They are also skilled in all forms of combat, making them formidable opponents on the battlefield. They are often known as the Generals and possess Mournblades."
[As you can guess, I used to be one of them.]
'Damn... I never knew you were so strong!'
[Hehe, now you know-]
'Yeah, at least now I know why you turned out to be a maso. Note to self, too much power can screw your brain.'
[This brat!]
Ashton was impressed by the different tiers of soldiers, and he realised just how challenging it would be to defeat the Xyran army. He knew he had a lot of training to do if he was going to have any chance of succeeding.