Chapter twenty-one: Ambush
"Were be da girly?" he muttered as they waited for a while. "Ya cannot tell me any female be needing that long to take a leak?" he mentioned to Vim. The tauren laughed, he had no idea how long females would take to do that. Not something he wanted to know in particular. But Hazajin was right, this was taking ages. The rogue paced up and down, peeking over into the direction she had gone to. "Hey girly…nobody needs tah take dis long tah take a piss," he shouted loudly, provoking. There was no answer to his surprise. He was sure it was loud enough!
The growl coming from the rogue suddenly before he hit the ground was low and angry. Vim looked at his friend as the troll painfully grabbed one of his legs. An arrow sticking out of it. Instantly Vim let the reins of the raptor go to reach for his crossbow. The creature backed away nervously as it could not see where it was going with the blindfold covering its eyes. Gihm shrieked as unannounced arrows were flying like rain into their direction. They were heard too late.
The other raptor shrieked loudly as it got hit by several arrows suddenly. The predator dying instantly as one hit the mark through the blindfold right in the head. Vims kodo panicked, trying to get away when another arrow almost hitting its side.
Hazajin shouting curses from the top of his lounges when one flew past his ear. He tried vanishing but could not concentrate enough to go into stealth. In his aggression he grabbed the arrow shaft before pulling it out in one go. He snarled something in his native tongue as the arrow came free. Ripping open his leather pants and leaving a deep wound in his leg. Hazajin panted as he relaxed after he freed himself from the arrowhead. Vims brown eyes scanning the area for any attackers.
The next bunch of arrow coming their way were heard as they were prepared. "DOWN!" Hazajin yelled, holding a hand on the wound in his leg before he could pull out a bandage to wrap around it. Vim shot a multi shot into the direction of the arrows, leaving his guard down for a moment.
"Get down!" the rogue shouted as the arrows came flying again with several at once. Vim reloaded as he aimed for the other direction where the arrows were coming from. Hazajin crouched towards the tauren.
The paladin steed pranced from a distance as the horse whinnied, pulling Hazajins attention towards the direction it came from. The human made some rude gesture at Vim as the tauren trying to loading his crossbow to aim another multishot. "My blade will beat da crap outta him wen I get him," Hazajin sneered painfully as he saw the paladin raise his hand and the rain of arrows stopped at his call. The human laughed as his group members appeared next to him, this time they were with more than five Hazajin counted quickly. There were at least two persons with bows and quivers full of arrows if not more in hiding, aiming for them as they closed in on Vim and him.
"Vim…go if ya can!" Hazajin growled at his friend before the group could come closer. He caught the eye of the paladin, sword in his hand as he came walking up to them. Acting as if nothing was bothering him while the group surrounded them near Thoradin's Wall.
Vim lowering his crossbow as one of the rogues motioned him to do with a gesture.
The paladin licked his lips as his smile was far from charming when he stepped up as close to the growling Hazajin as he dared. His sword safely pointing to mark the distance between him and the troll lying on the ground. He spat, mocking the troll in his face. Hazajins snarl was low and dangerous when the paladin took another step closer. His hand tighten around the pommel of one of his blades as he tried to move in his uncomfortable position.
The man said something sneering at him as he snickered. The group laughing loudly. One of the other rogues jumped on top of his back, painfully bunking her knees in the ribs of the troll, setting a shiny and sharp side of a knife against Hazajins throat. She pulled his head uncomfortably back by his blue dreadlocks. Now the paladin dared to come closer, eyeing Vim for a second who apparently did not pose a threat for him.
It would not be wise for Vim to take action as he would be killed by the other rogue instantly.
The human paladin cocking his head as he eyed the troll rogue up close, studying his face for a moment before talking to him in a mocking tone. He fumbled with his hand through a bag he carried at his side. Hazajin could not make out what his intention were. As the paladin took out the silver locket and let it dangle on its necklace in front of the troll Hazajin's eyes grew wider. The paladin smirking meaningful, he saw recognition on the trolls face. Knowing he did not need words to show what he meant to tell the troll.
They had Denaestra?
Hazajin roared in anger at the human who smiled darkly. The knife pressed deeper against his throat by the female rogue as he tried to move in his fury. Not that the female would prove a problem, he could probably break her neck with just one hand. It was a guess if the paladin was provoking him with the fact he really did have Denaestra, or that he was bluffing.
The paladin laughing, making a tssk-ing sound at the troll, shaking his head as he stepped back. Pointing a finger at his throat as Hazajin was growling. Trying to swing at him with his blade the paladin jumped away, wrong move. The knife yanking a scar across his throat. It was not deep, but it was bleeding enough. A warning. The paladin laughing loudly as the rogue felt his own blood drip down on the ground.
Hazajins lip trembling as he showed his teeth in anger. He wanted to roar at the group, only to get a laughing salvo for attempting to even try to suggest he had anything to say in his position. The sudden kick in his face hurting and dazzling him for a second. The point of a plated boot shining in the corner of his eye. The second kick against his head knocked him out of his senses.
The point of the boot breaking the eye socket as it cracked with a snap. The rogue screaming in a rage of both pain and anger when the boot hit him in the eye. The painshot through his nervesystem agonizing.
Vaguely he heard Vim scream in anger. There was a painful stab in the side between his ribs. Hazajins sudden gasp for air as his breathing became heavy and painful. A slight panic in the back of his head as he heard the rasping sound of his own breath. The stab of the knife had pierced through one of his lungs. The blunt object that hit him over the head made him lose consciousness after that.
.*.*.*.
For the group that huddled with the paladin, things seemed edgy. As his group members watched the human go into one of his aggressive moods again. The nervous anxiety when the paladin let out one of his cackling disturbed laughs was felt throughout the other members.
The paladin hovered over the troll, laughing hysterical as the male troll did not move anymore. Something had cracked when he had hit the troll rogue with his boot, he had heard the snapping sound of a breaking bone as well when he hit the troll over the head with the back of his mace. Observing the damage he leaned the mace on the ground.
The tauren also lay on the ground, a rasping sound indicating he was alive still. The stupid kodo had ran off when they had taken down the large tauren. The human paladin rolled his eyes nervously before cackling a hysterical laughter as he ventured his aggressive rage at the troll again by kicking him in the side now. He panted after he seemed done with the beating, a satisfying smile spreading across his face.
"That will teach you to take my target…you freak of nature!" he called out to the troll. He took a deep breath through his nose when the rogue did not move. It seemingly angered his. "Not so tough now are you," he snickered. Rolling his eyes up and down nervously. It was something compulsive to the paladin, as was not being able controlling his anger.
The man's face one tight expression of aggression that was about to explode for the second time. His group members nervously watching him as he turned around in a half circle, using the pointy side of his plated boot again to kick the troll in the face a couple of times. A satisfying smirk crossing his face as he did it a third time.
"Ramaz…he is already down!" the male rogue shouted, standing up to the paladin as he lowered his bow, seeing it happen. The female rogue let go of the trolls hair, her hands shaking as she gazed at her male companion and the paladin. The paladins snorted like an angry boar, snickering as he took a step towards the rogue. The man swallowed something as he did not butch to the threat the paladin obviously wanted him to feel. "You…tried saying something…Ruhy?" he asked in a dangerously low tone of voice.
The male rogue standing firmly now:"He is down already, there is no need to keep beating him…," the man said, eyeing the paladin. The rogue was knocked back by the mace the paladin wielded powerfully at his group mate. Venturing his sudden rage as he knocked the man senseless to the ground with a hole in his head.
"Enough Ramaz," a night elf stepped up, taking the mace from the paladin. The paladin rolled his eyes in a nervous way, looking up at the tall night elf. "He defiled my order…he spoke against me Saravir!" he blurted out, sounding like somebody who would defend his actions towards a senior. The paladin looked around suddenly, suspiciously.
"I said it is enough. There was no need to almost kill Ruhy," the night elf said to him. The paladin glared at the night elf with fire in his eyes. "Yesss there is…he is against me! They all are…," he hissed, rolling his eyes again. The edge of his mouth twitched. When he took out the mace again, the night elf called Saravir stopped him with a spell. Entangling the paladin in roots that restrained him. The paladin cackled a nervous shriek for a moment as he seemingly calmed down by the restrain.
"Breath through your nose Ramaz…let the anger flow out, not venture towards your group members," the night elf soothed him, pulling out a bottle of something before pouring a sip down the paladin's throat. Ramaz seemed to loll into a slight haze of something. The rest of the team nervously looking at the night elf that did not seem scared to walk up to the paladin.
He untangled the roots that had strapped the paladin to the ground as he watched the effect of the bottle take immediate action. Ramaz seemed to have a clear eyesight now, the nervous twitch was gone from him. "Thank you Saravir," he said slowly. The night elf smirked.
"I do not have to remind you that if Brygar finds out about your little…fun, you will be far from safe when he gets his hands on you," the night elf mentioned as he looked at the damage in front of him. "Brygar will not find out!" The paladins voice rising in anger again. This time he spat in front of the feet of the night elf. "Brygar is a senile old fool that thinks he has authorization he does not have! Or at least not over me!"Ramaz sniffed loudly as he looked suspiciously at the group again. The female rogue had crouched towards her male companion who still lay knocked out on the ground. She quickly bandaged his head.
"Alright, easy," the night elf said, reaching out for the bottle and showing him. The paladin focused his look on the strange liquid as the night elf allowed him another sip from it to calm him down. "I'm alright…I'm alright again…," the paladin said quickly, holding up his hands as he glared at the bottle.
Ramaz turned his attention to the group that looked at him nervously. He looked each of them in the face. "It is a lesson alright! The troll took my target! He should have thought twice then to mess with THE Ramaz!" he said, smiling normally now as if nothing had happened. It was a pour attempt to try and excuse his previous aggressive behavior towards his nervous group.
"If he comes around he will be one angry male troll," the night elf said dryly. The paladin frowning at the night elf. "What do you mean?" Ramaz asked, looked suspiciously at the troll. The troll rogue did not move an inch.
"Tell me you saw his behavior towards the female? It was obvious she was his in some way, why else would she blush when taking a leak?" the night elf laughed. The paladin was silent for a moment. "You did observe them didn't you? At least a little?" the night elf slapped himself on the forehead for already knowing the answer. Ramaz rarely took notice of his targets, he bluntly went for them guard up or down, full on mana or not. Aggression mostly being the motivating factor for him to attack…anything.
Saravir on the other hand had observed the behavior of the group when they had stopped near the wall. To him it was very obvious the elf female was in either possession of the troll when he considered her uneasy behavior towards him. The locket they found on her seemed a token, as it smelled of troll. Her clothing had done so, thus making the conclusion that the elf female must be either his mate or a subordinate in a way. That it could be anything else he highly doubted.
"Do not take me for a simpleton Saravir, " Ramaz warned him. He bit his lip, acting as if he had to get the memory from far beneath the surface. To the hotheaded paladin it did not seem logical when he looked at the troll for a moment and thought of the elf they caught earlier. Adding them together did not make sense to him at all. Unfortunately he was not born with much sense or reason to start with.
Ramaz cleared his throat. Eyeing his edgy group.
"You druids…you are always so observing," he said turned his attention to the night elf again. "There is still no need for you to question my authority here…Saravir, but yes, you are right…I see we share your observation," he said with a meaningful smile. Then nodding. Pretending to understand. The paladin had enough muscle and aggression, but his way of thinking did not even reach halfway to the capacity the night elf had on him in brains and smartness.
"Ofcourse…Ramaz," the night elf laughed as he gloated over the moment. Ramaz, thinking with his aggression more often than in the reasonable sense, making a fist as he was ready to jump to the night elf as well to hit him in the face. Saravir only laughed, holding up the bottle in front of the paladin. Ramaz stopping instantly as the night elf threatened to drop the bottle to the ground. There was fear in the way the paladin came to a halt.
The hands of the paladin shaking for a moment.
"Stop mocking me Saravir… I need that brew," he wheezed like a madman whipping his forehead from sweat. Saravir only nodded. He knew that. The harsh shouting of gutterspeak alarmed the paladin and his group that trouble was heading in their direction in the form of several deathstalkers patrolling the road towards Thoradin's Wall.
"Scatter!" the paladin shouted at the group as gunshots were fired at them.
Author's note: I took down chapter 22 for a rewrite. cause I did not know if these chapters were written well enough the way I was hoping they would turn out. In any case, we'll see. As I'm sure the next chapter already made a little more sense as to the introduction of both the paladin and the night elf. I have placed them under M to be on the safe side, because I figured some descriptions would perhaps not be proper for a T-rating read. Anyways, hope you enjoy.