The Orcs listened intently to everything that Hao Xuan had to say and by the end, they were seeing red.
Hao Xuan told them the truth without holding anything back. About the future, about THEIR future and the things they would have to do. The wording could have used some improvement but it got the message across alright.
They were too weak in their current states. He didn't need lumbering followers but elite soldiers that could work just as well alone as they did in a party. They needed to be powerhouses, each and every one of them.
"For the next few months I will train you personally, all of you! Come to me with any questions and I will do my best to answer them. Come to me for help and I will give it to you whenever and wherever. Before I leave I want each one of you to be able to fight against me one on one. Do you think you can do that?"
"Do you think you can once again raise your heads proudly, and announce to the world who you are?!" he started picking up the tempo and by the end was yelling at the top of his lungs. The air hummed with every word making their hearts beat with a seething storm of emotions.
"So that when they see you they scream, 'Look, there go the descendants of the greatest Orc King that ever lived! The fiercest warriors under the heaven!' Can you promise me that simple thing? That you will live up to your bloodlines, to the sacrifices of your ancestors?! ANSWER ME!"
"Yes!" a great number of them shouted but not all.
Hao Xuan's expression turned livid, "LOUDER! SCREAM LIKE YOUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT! SCREAM LIKE IT IS THE LAST HONORABLE THING YOU WILL DO IN THIS WRETCHED WORLD! SCREAM SO EVEN THE DEAD HEAR YOU!"
"YES, WE PROMISE!"
Hao Xuan suddenly turned towards a random Orc boy, "YOU! WHAT DO YOU PROMISE!?"
"T-TO BE THE STRONGEST, SIR!"
"AND YOU!" he turned towards another and then another.
"TO BE THE BRAVEST!"
"YOU!"
"TO BE THE FIERCEST OF THEM ALL!"
"ALL TOGETHER NOW, WHAT DO YOU PROMISE?! TELL IT TO THE HEAVENS ABOVE AND THE HELLS BELOW!"
"TO BE THE STRONGEST, THE BRAVEST, THE MOST FIERCE OF THEM ALL!"
Their voices were deafeningly loud and at some point they had started stomping rhythmically on the ground which only added to the barbarous aura of the evening.
Hao Xuan's expression softened and he smiled faintly upon seeing their vicious and savage nature rear its ugly head once more. Blood did not lie. The Orcs of the old ages were amongst the most barbaric and brutal races of their time.
And that's what Hao Xuan needed from these inexperienced youngsters, the one thing their species was known for throughout the many ages.
Hands clasped behind his back Hao Xuan glanced towards the seething youngsters one by one, offering them a devil's gambit.
"Good. Now I give you an opportunity to prove yourself in front of your peers. Who among you has the gall to fight me right here and now. Which of you is willing to put their money where their mouth is, come down here and fight me. But before you decide, let me tell you the prize."
He raised his forefinger into the air as silence fell over the hall.
"One wish, whatever it may be. It has to be grounded in reality mind you, but if it can be fulfilled I will do so as soon as I possibly can. You can ask for anything, anything at all. Make up your minds-"
A clamor broke out and before he had even finished the sentence a hand was raised from the viewing platform. A petite girl who stood out because of her average stature.
"Yes?"
"Does it have to be a one on one fight?" her soft voice silenced the room once again as they all looked to him with pleading eyes.
Many wanted to fight but deep down they knew Hao Xuan was far out of their reach. That's exactly why he gave them this opportunity to not only show them how they were lacking and by what degree, but maybe, HOPEFULLY, raise their confidence enough so they wouldn't put him on a pedestal.
"Alright, sure. You can all come at me at once if that's what you like but keep in mind, I won't be able to hold myself back in the heat of the moment. A few will probably lose a limb or two, or maybe even more if you're not careful. Those that are the left standing by the end will be the winners."
The same girl raised her hand again, leaving Hao Xuan a little tongue-tied.
"…Yes?"
"Can the team leaders fight with us? And what are the exact conditions for victory?"
Hao Xuan almost rolled his eyes listening to her. This girl just kept egging him on.
"I will allow two team leaders of your choice to aid you in battle, the other two can support from the sidelines but not directly attack. To win you either have to make me kneel, or survive five minutes. Does that sound fair enough?"
There was no more leeway here and listening to the conditions the faces of many of the Orcs lit up like full moons.
