-To Poinard: your last review was the best compliment i could've recieved (hugs) There aren't enough centaur stories...
-To Tom Valor: I'm feel so special that you reviewed my story when i totally love your Fear of Death fic. I love paladins and you have to update that story...
-Chapter Eight:
Hrimfaxi, the centaur bard, trotted around the bodies of the orcs lying on the cavern floor where they had fallen after being struck down. Obviously the bard was upset by the mass blood they had shed.
"Felosial," she said. "Why don't you take Cleon out of here. He doesn't need to see this."
The elf took the young boy's hand and led him out.
"By Moradin they deserved it," muttered Rurik, kicking a dead body contemptuously with his boot.
"How can you stand to do that?" Hrimfaxi asked Eldon who was rummaging through an orc's vest.
"Don't you think it is kinda odd that the orcs were ready...and waiting for us? I'm looking for clues...and the random gold coin."
"You're wasting your time," snapped the centaur. "They must have heard the dwarf as soon as we came in. The way he was shouting could've raised all these guys...dead as they are."
"A well-trained army regiment -let alone a bunch of idiot orcs- wouldn't have been able to get into full armor, battle gear, and formation in only fifteen minutes," said the halfling, looking up with raised eyebrows. "I think they were expecting us."
Hrimfaxi flicked her tail uncertainly.
"Can you help me find the body of the chieftain? If I can find any clues it will be on his body."
"He's over there...right where I killed him," the centaur said obligingly, pointing to a corner.
"I beg to differ," said Rurik. "I was the one who killed him."
"You can stop arguing," broke in the halfling. "For it was I who killed him." He pulled a crossbow bolt out of the dead chieftain's head.
Hrimfaxi ignored the comment and walked over to where Rurik was kneeling, burning incense and praying. "Must you burn that stuff?" she asked, snorting. "It smells terrible."
"Live with it," answered the kneeling dwarf, raising his bowed head. "If you want me to heal that wound on your back I need to meditate."
"Well hurry up. We still need to find the prince and tell the king he won't have to worry about this orc tribe anymore."
"We don't have to do that," broke in Eldon. "At least not anymore."
Something in his voice got the attention of both centaur and dwarf. "What is it?"
"Let's go to Cleon and Felosial. I'll show you what I found when we're all together."
All three adventures waded through the battlefield. They found Felosial and Cleon right around the corner, the elven wizard amusing the boy with little feats of magic.
"Eldon has something to show us," said Hrimfaxi.
Immediately Felosial stopped and turned to the halfling...though he was ages younger than the rest of the adventurers they had all learned to trust him. He never made a big deal about anything, and so if he thought this was important it undoubtedly was. The rogue took out a purple velvet bag and a piece of parchment from his vest.
"I found these in the pocket of the orc chieftain," he explained. He unfolded the parchment. "This piece of paper is a letter and it reads:
-To Juvil the Head-Basher, leader of the Hollow-Oak Orc Tribe:
As bargained, there is a group of five adventurers coming on the morrow: a centaur, dwarf, elf, halfling, and young boy. Be careful of the centaur and elf, the elf knows magic. The dwarf should be easy to kill and serves Moradin...the enemy of your own god. The dwarf carries valuable armor and weaponry on him. The halfling, too, should be easy to kill, but he is small and watch out for him, he is trained in the arts of stealth. Kill them all, except for the young boy. Take him prisoner and bring him to me. I want him unharmed, well-fed, and alert when brought to the tower. Two of my patrol will be waiting by the large oak for the boy, they will take him to the tower. They will also have part of your reward. The other half is in the attached bag.
-From King Swill, Lord of the Tower
At first there was only silence. The halfling folded the paper again and placed it back into one of his vest pockets.
"What!" sputtered Rurik. He seemed so upset that he was speechless.
"I know!" gasped Felosial. "This was all a trap!"
"I can't believe it!" shouted the dwarf.
"The King had this all set up, knowing we were coming!" said Hrimfaxi, dangerously calm.
"How could he!" continued the dwarf.
"But his plan failed," said Eldon.
"He said I would be easy to kill!" growled the dwarf angrily. "He...had...the...nerve...to...under...estimate...a...cleric...of...Moradin...and...think...that...a...bun ch...of...damn...orcs...would...be...able...to...kill...me!"
"Rurik!" gasped Felosial. She clapped her hands over Cleon's ears just in case Rurik took another angry spell where he could and would say anything.
"But why would Swill want us killed?" asked Hrimfaxi, she was sometimes a little slow on digesting new information. But once it was digested it stayed with her for a long time.
"That...damn...king-"
"Well, it sounds like in the letter, that he wanted Cleon," Eldon explained, making sure that Felosial's hands were tight enough over the boy's ears that he couldn't hear any of this.
"Paying...those...damn...orcs-"
"But how did he know that we had Cleon?"
"Damn...orcs-"
"Remember that man who we saw spying on us on the way here?"
"With...their...damn...crappy...weapons-"
"Yes."
"Thinking...that...they...could...kick...our...asses-"
"I bet he was working for Swill, and saw Cleon with you, and warned the King."
"Damn...king...with...his...damn...money-"
"But why would Swill want Cleon?"
"Damn...money...for...the...damn...orcs-"
Eldon paused for a moment. "I don't know, was his final answer."
Hrimfaxi too, was silent.
"Damn...dead...orcs-"
"Rurik!" cried Felosial, distressed. "Stop talking...we have a young boy here!" Rurik took another deep breath. "If you don't," she threatened. "I'll have to put a silence spell on you!"
This stopped Rurik from talking, but he glared darkly at everything and even kicked his helmet across the cavern floor. "I think we should go and kill that da-..uh...king."
For once Hrimfaxi agreed with the dwarf. "I don't care right now why he tried to kill us...all that matters right now, is that he tried, and I say we go and show him that his plan didn't work."
"Let's not be hasty," begged Felosial. She turned to Eldon for help. "Do you think the little prince is here after all?"
"I bet that was just a lie from the king, a lie that would get us to come here. But," Eldon continued, "Let's search the cave anyway. There might be treasure here." The halfling rogue turned to Hrimfaxi and Rurik, who were now joined by the same hate towards the king. "Come on." When they didn't budge he sighed. "I promise that we'll go and kill Swill. But let's do that after we search the cave. We can even go and find the guards Swill put near here...I'll let you guys question them."
It was an offer the two warriors couldn't refuse and they raced after the halfling.