RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC
TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATE
By: RAGNAR (that really is my name)
Chapter 16: Ties that Bind
Kevin and Degedos eyed the orc encampment under cover of the trees. Their swords glowing dully from the little light that went through the forest canopy.
Sodos and Mae agreed to guard the camp, leaving both the Crusader and the Knight to patrol the forest.
"How many do you think are there?" he asked Degedos.
The Knight's eyes glinted from the fire as he made a rough estimate, "Around fifty, would be my best guess. They're too far for me to see them clearly enough."
Around fifty hear and another on the other side of the hill...
It would seem that they've brought two fists. "Let's head back to camp, Degedos, the two of us won't be enough to handle this. I think we should go defensive and wait for them."
The Knight's voice carried a hint of disgust. He harrumphed before saying anything "Do you really think I'm that weak, Crusader? I've been through tougher battles than this."
Kevin ignored Degedos' apparent ambivalence, "But then, a thousand years ago, there never were High Orcs."
True enough, if Kevin could recall correctly, High Orcs started to exist around six decades ago.
"High Orcs?"
Great, he had to give a lecture now "High Orcs are, to put it lightly, the bad-assed version of the ordinary Orc. Thicker hide, bigger muscles, and apparently, bigger brains. You can tell them apart from common Orcs because they have grayish skin instead of the flat green."
Degedos backed off from the rock they were hiding in, sheathing his sword, "I hate to say this, but I believe that I should trust your judgement, for now. The Rift's effects on me are becoming questionable. It would seem that Sodos and I have been too long outside."
"You mean to say, that you're afraid you might die?"
The Knight just gave him a one-sided smile "No, Kevin. In fact, I welcome death. But not until I give my family their freedom back."
Well what do you know; the man has a sensitive side.
As soon as Kevin started to make his way for camp, an arrow zipped passed his face. He could feel the wind brush his face when the projectile went past him and ended on a nearby tree. "Oh shit."
Guttural cries can be heard as the High Orcs charged up the hill.
Kevin and Meshido ran as fast as they could back to camp.
--------------------------------------------------------
Marus was on that same bleak wasteland of his dreams again, but something was different. Why did he know he was dreaming?
Then, the wasteland faded into darkness while he just stood there confused.
"HELLO, SON."
Shadow Eyes can only sneer at the voice that boomed across the empty space in his mind. "Sei'Gash" he spoke the name while coating it with every ounce of contempt he can summon.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SO HATEFUL OF ME, MARUS. I AM WHAT I AM."
Laughter echoed in the emptiness as Marus tried to find the source of the voice.
Marus screamed, "SHUT UP! You're not my father, and I'm sure as hell not your puppet!"
The demon's laughter became louder while flames started to gather in front of Marus. He could see the demon's silhouette inside the inferno.
"I AM WHAT I AM, MARUS..." The figure's shoulders shook as the demon laughed again, "AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE WHAT I AM."
Marus' rage turned loose inside him to a point where he can no longer stand it, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he screamed.
He didn't know how, but the Twins were in his grip while he was charging towards the fire-covered figure. Rage and hate twisted his face into a semblance of pure fury towards the one who had turned him into a mindless monster.
The demon just disappeared. To his surprise, Marus suddenly found himself surrounded by mirrors. Sei'Gash's words came out from his mouth no matter what he did to stop himself.
"LOOK AT YOURSELF, MARUS! YOU'RE ME NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU DENY IT! YOU ARE SHADOW EYES TO THE VERY CORE! YOU ARE MY OWN BLOOD AND ESSENCE FROM THE DAY OF YOUR FIRST HEARTBEAT!"
Marus was confronted by thousands of his reflections, only it wasn't his face he saw. Pitch black eyes stared at him while his face carried an empty smile.
"YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, DON'T DENY ME, MARUS."
He could feel the darkness creeping into him. He could feel his soul giving way to the evil that has conceived him thousands of years ago. Marus can almost remember the blood on his hands as he slaughtered those people. He can almost hear their screams as he relished in their pain.
"Yes..."
The Twins smashed the mirror in front of him into pieces. Shards of broken glass disintegrated as soon as they touched the ground.
"Yes, I am Shadow Eyes. And yes, I am a monster..." The Twins disappeared from his hands as he spoke this. At the top of his lungs, he screamed towards the emptiness around him, "... BUT I WILL NEVER SERVE YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!!!"
Suddenly a woman's voice echoed behind him, "Well done, Marus!"
The darkness before him vanished as he turned around to the voice behind him. A magnificent white throne room replaced the darkness. Great pillars spanned to heights so great that he could no longer see the top supported the enormous roof.
The roof itself was no less grand. It was so large that it would seem the sky as he stared. Marus could see that the roof was decorated with sparkling rubies in its white carved marble, making them look like thousands of red stars in a white sky.
At the end of the room, there was a great throne with a woman sitting on it.
Marus strode towards the throne. The red carpet he was walking on was decorated with a sunburst pattern that zigzagged all the way from one end to the other.
When he finally reached the steps of the throne, he couldn't help but notice that the woman had a piece of cloth around her eyes, like a statue of justice that he had seen some time ago.
His voice was calm, even if he was quite confused at trying to assess everything all at once, "Who are you?"
The woman's voice was like crystal chimes in the wind, "I am like you Marus. I am an agent of the Fates."
Marus tried to keep his questions simple, best he stay cautious for now, "Why are you here?"
"The seal to Sei'Gash's prison has been loosed. The Keeper, Mae, might have put him back in, but she can only hold for so long." The woman then took a sip of wine from a glass that suddenly appeared in her hand, "I am here to safeguard that prison, and aslo, to deliver a message to you from the Fates."
"What is the message?"
"It is better if I showed you."
He felt his body fade away as only his mind became present in the dream, as if he were just looking into someone else's mind.
The throne room vanished while he was transported to the base of a strange, yet familiar looking tree. He knew, however, that the real base was thousands of miles down. He was just standing next to the middle of the trunk.
He was the kind of person who was rarely amazed, but he was wide-eyed now. This is but the only time he had actually seen Yggdrassil. And even though it was just in a dream, he can only marvel at the sheer size of it all.
Suddenly, Marus can see that the tree began to burn from all parts. He can feel the great tree's pain, as it seemed to writhe and wither at the great heat that consumed it.
If Marus had eyes at the moment, he would have covered them. He would have run away from the heat if he could still feel anything.
Panic gripped him as the very world that he had sworn to protect and fight for was burning right in front of him.
As soon as the fire started, it stopped, leaving nothing but a charred barren wasteland.
He found himself in his body again as he stood there with the woman beside him. For miles around, he can find no trace of life.
The woman's voice was grave, "Listen well Marus, unlike Mae, I am but a Keeper with no body to use. I may have power over your demons but I have no power over the things to come. You must protect Mae at all cost, Marus, else all is lost."
Marus frowned at the Keeper beside him, "Why is she so important?"
The Keeper took on a lecturing tone, "Because eighteen years ago, the Norn, Skuld, had discovered a corruption in the ranks of the Guardians. Normally, she is but to observe the coming and going of this event. However, she knew that it would cause the destruction of everything in existence."
A small sigh escaped the woman's lips, "So, in order for her to find out who the corrupt Guardian was, she needed to become human. And by doing so, she gambled everything by triggering a certain prophecy that would lead to the awakening of the demon Keys."
Marus turned stiff at the sudden surge of realisation, "You mean to say... Skuld is..."
"Yes, Marus, all life depends on her being alive. Skuld can only sense the wheels of fate as long as the girl that she resides in is alive."
Marus' grip on the Twin's hilts tightened as he gritted his teeth, "I owe my soul to the Fates. Now, one of them is brought to my care and charge."
"I ask you if you can do this, Marus Rain-Seeker Shadow-Eyes."
He finally had a true purpose. A real reason to live.
A reason to be something else other than a murderer.
Marus slapped his fist to his chest in an old-fashioned soldier's salute. His heart was filled with new purpose as he spoke. "By my blood and with my life, Keeper, no harm will befall Keeper Mae, or Mistress Skuld."
The Keeper smiled as real sleep took over.
--------------------------------------------------
Sodos drew out his Glowing as soon as Kevin and Degedos burst out of the bushes. He had to dodge a volley of arrows that followed the two men.
The Crusader was screaming, "Odin's bloody friggin' eye! Here they come!"
They would have no support from the Priest tonight, and since the Rift was waning in his system, he would have to fight the old fashioned way – with everything he's got.
Mae sent multiple bolts of fire in every direction; the spell's unworldly heat burnt every tree around them even before they touched their bark. She then cast a Sight spell to give light to the battle.
The bright balls of fire spun above the battlefield with great speed to the point where it was like daytime in midnight. The orcs that came out of the charred portion of the forest were unlike any he had ever seen. For one thing, they had grey skin, and they seemed to be bigger than the ones he used to fight back then.
Kevin ran up beside him with Degedos on the opposite flank. Mae was behind the three of them, a ball of lightning cackling on her palm as she readied herself to cover them.
As always, his voice hardly carried any emotion as he spoke, "How many are there, Kevin?"
Kevin took out his shield, "Not less than fifty, minus the ones that were probably burnt with Mae's spell. Shit! You have any ideas on how to fight two whole fists of High Orcs?"
"A few." Was Sodos' short reply.
Actually he had none.
Then, the orcs charged. Their grey skin glittered metallically in the harsh light of the Sight spell as they ran forward with axes raised. The air was filled with the brutish grunts of the orcs's stampede.
Turning around Sodos saw Kevin's shield going through the heads of the first three orcs that came within throwing range. It then rounded back, taking out four more orcs in the way as it returned to the Crusader's grip.
Behind him, Mae's fireballs were flying out in all directions, burning every orc they hit into cinders.
He also saw Degedos, grinning as always, cutting down every orc that came near him. The Knight's sword was but a blur in the harsh light.
Then, Sodos sensed the air whistle next to him as an orc tried to split him in half.
Sodos stopped the axe by cutting off the orc's, and when the axe was brought up again with the other arm, he slashed the orc multiple times from the belly up. The creature never had the chance to scream.
He then used the body to jump over the next orc's head. The knife was slicing the brute's throat as he spun upside-down in mid-air.
As soon as he landed, his right hand gut open the next orc that tried to lay a hand on him.
The battle lasted for a few minutes with them driving the orcs back from the camp.
With Degedos, Mae and Kevin taking care of the other orcs, Sodos believed that they were winning. When suddenly, he found himself flying through the air – again – when he was hit by a... tree?
He felt bone after bone pop and crack as the tree's trunk made contact with him. He felt his neck crack from the strain of landing on his head while flying sideways.
Lying face-up on the ground, he saw the huge trunk a foot above him as it flew to the farther side of the battlefield.
Reconstruction came slowly now that he was too long from the Rift, Degedos had to help him get up. As soon as he struggled to his feet, he saw that the orc that threw the tree at him was different from the others.
Something was different about this one from all the others they killed just now – he looked like a regular orc. He was covered in heavy armour and wore a helmet adorned with numerous long feathers.
When Sodos' body was partially fixed, he noticed that there was something else different in the orc's eyes. When Sodos looked into them, he saw... intelligence, something most orcs do not have.
He also saw that they were empty of any soul or will, as if the warrior was being controlled.
Mae's sight spell faded as it lost its momentum. The fire's dissipation brought the camp back into darkness.
Kevin's sword glowed in the moonlight as he faced the orc. Something in the man's face told Sodos that the Crusader and the orc were supposed to know each other.
"Stand down, Kodore, I don't want to hurt you."
The orc just growled. His enormous axe was partly raised in the air while his eyes glowed fiercely.
"I said stand down Kodore!!!" Kevin's voice was bordered on desperation "I don't want to hurt you!"
The Crusader's pleas weren't heard.
The orc charged as if just to kill him. His roar filled the forest as he closed the gap between him and Kevin.
----------------------------------------
Kevin felt his whole body shaking as Kodore's axe slammed on top of his shield. A loud gong could be heard across the battlefield as he tried to regain his footing.
"Kodore! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" his sword blocked another swing from Kodore's axe, sending him back a few feet and shattering the steel of his blade.
The orc's eyes glowed in the moonlight as he charged again.
Kevin was about to reason with the warrior again when Kodore screamed, "KILL THE HALF-BREEDS!!!"
"Kodore! Stop this!" He can feel his sheild taking in dents from Kodore's repeated blows.
One of Mae's fireballs flew past his head.
"Mae, no! He's a friend of mine!" he brought up his shield again to block the orc's axe. "Stop this, Kodere, damn it! I said stand down!"
No matter how hard he tried, though, the orc kept on raining blows that just landed on his shield.
Kevin's mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to stop his old friend from hurting the others.
Jumping back, he dropped the broken blade and bent shield to the ground, "I don't know what's wrong with you, Kodore," Kevin drew his hammer from his belt, "but I can't let you go on like this!"
Kevin's face began harden as he focused on the task that must be done. Gripping the hammer with both hands, he readied himself for Kodore's attack.
He jumped back to avoid a left swing from the orc.
If I know you, Kodore, you wouldn't stop swinging.
True enough, Kodore used the momentum to turn around and swing the axe down for an overhead chop.
This was the moment Kevin was waiting for. He sidestepped the attack and ended up behind Kodore. Then, with all his might, he swung the hammerhead right onto the orc's lower back.
Kevin can hear his friend's bones splinter and break from the blow as his hammer continued onward to complete the swing.
Kodore's body flopped to the ground as his legs gave way. His throat giving out unearthly screams as he dropped face down to the dirt.
Then, Kevin can hear Kodore speak to him; black blood was coming out of the orc's mouth as he spoke.
"Thank you Kevin... you've freed me..."
Running next to his friend and turning him over, he tried to Heal his friend the way Meshido taught him.
But the ability never came to him.
Kodore's voice was beginning to weaken as the orc began to slip away from life, "There's no use for that, runt. Orcs don't heal they way human's do..." his friend let out a half laugh, half cough, bringing out even more blood, "...you've grown well, Kevin... your father...would... have been... proud... Thank you for freeing me and... my warriors..."
Kevin was beginning to grow desperate, "Freed you from what?" he shook the fallen warrior in his arms, "Damn you for a fool, Kodore! Don't you dare say it like that!"
But there was just silence and Kodore's blank dead eyes staring into nothingness.
Kevin hated loosing his friends.
He hated it even more when he saw them die in front of him.
Apparently, even more when he killed them himself
Kevin wrapped his hand around the orc's fang and yanked it off, a loud snap was heard as he did so. Whoever did this, he will find out who it is.
"Rest well my friend." And with that, he laid his hand over Kodore's eyes and closed them.
TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATE
By: RAGNAR (that really is my name)
Chapter 16: Ties that Bind
Kevin and Degedos eyed the orc encampment under cover of the trees. Their swords glowing dully from the little light that went through the forest canopy.
Sodos and Mae agreed to guard the camp, leaving both the Crusader and the Knight to patrol the forest.
"How many do you think are there?" he asked Degedos.
The Knight's eyes glinted from the fire as he made a rough estimate, "Around fifty, would be my best guess. They're too far for me to see them clearly enough."
Around fifty hear and another on the other side of the hill...
It would seem that they've brought two fists. "Let's head back to camp, Degedos, the two of us won't be enough to handle this. I think we should go defensive and wait for them."
The Knight's voice carried a hint of disgust. He harrumphed before saying anything "Do you really think I'm that weak, Crusader? I've been through tougher battles than this."
Kevin ignored Degedos' apparent ambivalence, "But then, a thousand years ago, there never were High Orcs."
True enough, if Kevin could recall correctly, High Orcs started to exist around six decades ago.
"High Orcs?"
Great, he had to give a lecture now "High Orcs are, to put it lightly, the bad-assed version of the ordinary Orc. Thicker hide, bigger muscles, and apparently, bigger brains. You can tell them apart from common Orcs because they have grayish skin instead of the flat green."
Degedos backed off from the rock they were hiding in, sheathing his sword, "I hate to say this, but I believe that I should trust your judgement, for now. The Rift's effects on me are becoming questionable. It would seem that Sodos and I have been too long outside."
"You mean to say, that you're afraid you might die?"
The Knight just gave him a one-sided smile "No, Kevin. In fact, I welcome death. But not until I give my family their freedom back."
Well what do you know; the man has a sensitive side.
As soon as Kevin started to make his way for camp, an arrow zipped passed his face. He could feel the wind brush his face when the projectile went past him and ended on a nearby tree. "Oh shit."
Guttural cries can be heard as the High Orcs charged up the hill.
Kevin and Meshido ran as fast as they could back to camp.
--------------------------------------------------------
Marus was on that same bleak wasteland of his dreams again, but something was different. Why did he know he was dreaming?
Then, the wasteland faded into darkness while he just stood there confused.
"HELLO, SON."
Shadow Eyes can only sneer at the voice that boomed across the empty space in his mind. "Sei'Gash" he spoke the name while coating it with every ounce of contempt he can summon.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SO HATEFUL OF ME, MARUS. I AM WHAT I AM."
Laughter echoed in the emptiness as Marus tried to find the source of the voice.
Marus screamed, "SHUT UP! You're not my father, and I'm sure as hell not your puppet!"
The demon's laughter became louder while flames started to gather in front of Marus. He could see the demon's silhouette inside the inferno.
"I AM WHAT I AM, MARUS..." The figure's shoulders shook as the demon laughed again, "AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE WHAT I AM."
Marus' rage turned loose inside him to a point where he can no longer stand it, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he screamed.
He didn't know how, but the Twins were in his grip while he was charging towards the fire-covered figure. Rage and hate twisted his face into a semblance of pure fury towards the one who had turned him into a mindless monster.
The demon just disappeared. To his surprise, Marus suddenly found himself surrounded by mirrors. Sei'Gash's words came out from his mouth no matter what he did to stop himself.
"LOOK AT YOURSELF, MARUS! YOU'RE ME NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU DENY IT! YOU ARE SHADOW EYES TO THE VERY CORE! YOU ARE MY OWN BLOOD AND ESSENCE FROM THE DAY OF YOUR FIRST HEARTBEAT!"
Marus was confronted by thousands of his reflections, only it wasn't his face he saw. Pitch black eyes stared at him while his face carried an empty smile.
"YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, DON'T DENY ME, MARUS."
He could feel the darkness creeping into him. He could feel his soul giving way to the evil that has conceived him thousands of years ago. Marus can almost remember the blood on his hands as he slaughtered those people. He can almost hear their screams as he relished in their pain.
"Yes..."
The Twins smashed the mirror in front of him into pieces. Shards of broken glass disintegrated as soon as they touched the ground.
"Yes, I am Shadow Eyes. And yes, I am a monster..." The Twins disappeared from his hands as he spoke this. At the top of his lungs, he screamed towards the emptiness around him, "... BUT I WILL NEVER SERVE YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!!!"
Suddenly a woman's voice echoed behind him, "Well done, Marus!"
The darkness before him vanished as he turned around to the voice behind him. A magnificent white throne room replaced the darkness. Great pillars spanned to heights so great that he could no longer see the top supported the enormous roof.
The roof itself was no less grand. It was so large that it would seem the sky as he stared. Marus could see that the roof was decorated with sparkling rubies in its white carved marble, making them look like thousands of red stars in a white sky.
At the end of the room, there was a great throne with a woman sitting on it.
Marus strode towards the throne. The red carpet he was walking on was decorated with a sunburst pattern that zigzagged all the way from one end to the other.
When he finally reached the steps of the throne, he couldn't help but notice that the woman had a piece of cloth around her eyes, like a statue of justice that he had seen some time ago.
His voice was calm, even if he was quite confused at trying to assess everything all at once, "Who are you?"
The woman's voice was like crystal chimes in the wind, "I am like you Marus. I am an agent of the Fates."
Marus tried to keep his questions simple, best he stay cautious for now, "Why are you here?"
"The seal to Sei'Gash's prison has been loosed. The Keeper, Mae, might have put him back in, but she can only hold for so long." The woman then took a sip of wine from a glass that suddenly appeared in her hand, "I am here to safeguard that prison, and aslo, to deliver a message to you from the Fates."
"What is the message?"
"It is better if I showed you."
He felt his body fade away as only his mind became present in the dream, as if he were just looking into someone else's mind.
The throne room vanished while he was transported to the base of a strange, yet familiar looking tree. He knew, however, that the real base was thousands of miles down. He was just standing next to the middle of the trunk.
He was the kind of person who was rarely amazed, but he was wide-eyed now. This is but the only time he had actually seen Yggdrassil. And even though it was just in a dream, he can only marvel at the sheer size of it all.
Suddenly, Marus can see that the tree began to burn from all parts. He can feel the great tree's pain, as it seemed to writhe and wither at the great heat that consumed it.
If Marus had eyes at the moment, he would have covered them. He would have run away from the heat if he could still feel anything.
Panic gripped him as the very world that he had sworn to protect and fight for was burning right in front of him.
As soon as the fire started, it stopped, leaving nothing but a charred barren wasteland.
He found himself in his body again as he stood there with the woman beside him. For miles around, he can find no trace of life.
The woman's voice was grave, "Listen well Marus, unlike Mae, I am but a Keeper with no body to use. I may have power over your demons but I have no power over the things to come. You must protect Mae at all cost, Marus, else all is lost."
Marus frowned at the Keeper beside him, "Why is she so important?"
The Keeper took on a lecturing tone, "Because eighteen years ago, the Norn, Skuld, had discovered a corruption in the ranks of the Guardians. Normally, she is but to observe the coming and going of this event. However, she knew that it would cause the destruction of everything in existence."
A small sigh escaped the woman's lips, "So, in order for her to find out who the corrupt Guardian was, she needed to become human. And by doing so, she gambled everything by triggering a certain prophecy that would lead to the awakening of the demon Keys."
Marus turned stiff at the sudden surge of realisation, "You mean to say... Skuld is..."
"Yes, Marus, all life depends on her being alive. Skuld can only sense the wheels of fate as long as the girl that she resides in is alive."
Marus' grip on the Twin's hilts tightened as he gritted his teeth, "I owe my soul to the Fates. Now, one of them is brought to my care and charge."
"I ask you if you can do this, Marus Rain-Seeker Shadow-Eyes."
He finally had a true purpose. A real reason to live.
A reason to be something else other than a murderer.
Marus slapped his fist to his chest in an old-fashioned soldier's salute. His heart was filled with new purpose as he spoke. "By my blood and with my life, Keeper, no harm will befall Keeper Mae, or Mistress Skuld."
The Keeper smiled as real sleep took over.
--------------------------------------------------
Sodos drew out his Glowing as soon as Kevin and Degedos burst out of the bushes. He had to dodge a volley of arrows that followed the two men.
The Crusader was screaming, "Odin's bloody friggin' eye! Here they come!"
They would have no support from the Priest tonight, and since the Rift was waning in his system, he would have to fight the old fashioned way – with everything he's got.
Mae sent multiple bolts of fire in every direction; the spell's unworldly heat burnt every tree around them even before they touched their bark. She then cast a Sight spell to give light to the battle.
The bright balls of fire spun above the battlefield with great speed to the point where it was like daytime in midnight. The orcs that came out of the charred portion of the forest were unlike any he had ever seen. For one thing, they had grey skin, and they seemed to be bigger than the ones he used to fight back then.
Kevin ran up beside him with Degedos on the opposite flank. Mae was behind the three of them, a ball of lightning cackling on her palm as she readied herself to cover them.
As always, his voice hardly carried any emotion as he spoke, "How many are there, Kevin?"
Kevin took out his shield, "Not less than fifty, minus the ones that were probably burnt with Mae's spell. Shit! You have any ideas on how to fight two whole fists of High Orcs?"
"A few." Was Sodos' short reply.
Actually he had none.
Then, the orcs charged. Their grey skin glittered metallically in the harsh light of the Sight spell as they ran forward with axes raised. The air was filled with the brutish grunts of the orcs's stampede.
Turning around Sodos saw Kevin's shield going through the heads of the first three orcs that came within throwing range. It then rounded back, taking out four more orcs in the way as it returned to the Crusader's grip.
Behind him, Mae's fireballs were flying out in all directions, burning every orc they hit into cinders.
He also saw Degedos, grinning as always, cutting down every orc that came near him. The Knight's sword was but a blur in the harsh light.
Then, Sodos sensed the air whistle next to him as an orc tried to split him in half.
Sodos stopped the axe by cutting off the orc's, and when the axe was brought up again with the other arm, he slashed the orc multiple times from the belly up. The creature never had the chance to scream.
He then used the body to jump over the next orc's head. The knife was slicing the brute's throat as he spun upside-down in mid-air.
As soon as he landed, his right hand gut open the next orc that tried to lay a hand on him.
The battle lasted for a few minutes with them driving the orcs back from the camp.
With Degedos, Mae and Kevin taking care of the other orcs, Sodos believed that they were winning. When suddenly, he found himself flying through the air – again – when he was hit by a... tree?
He felt bone after bone pop and crack as the tree's trunk made contact with him. He felt his neck crack from the strain of landing on his head while flying sideways.
Lying face-up on the ground, he saw the huge trunk a foot above him as it flew to the farther side of the battlefield.
Reconstruction came slowly now that he was too long from the Rift, Degedos had to help him get up. As soon as he struggled to his feet, he saw that the orc that threw the tree at him was different from the others.
Something was different about this one from all the others they killed just now – he looked like a regular orc. He was covered in heavy armour and wore a helmet adorned with numerous long feathers.
When Sodos' body was partially fixed, he noticed that there was something else different in the orc's eyes. When Sodos looked into them, he saw... intelligence, something most orcs do not have.
He also saw that they were empty of any soul or will, as if the warrior was being controlled.
Mae's sight spell faded as it lost its momentum. The fire's dissipation brought the camp back into darkness.
Kevin's sword glowed in the moonlight as he faced the orc. Something in the man's face told Sodos that the Crusader and the orc were supposed to know each other.
"Stand down, Kodore, I don't want to hurt you."
The orc just growled. His enormous axe was partly raised in the air while his eyes glowed fiercely.
"I said stand down Kodore!!!" Kevin's voice was bordered on desperation "I don't want to hurt you!"
The Crusader's pleas weren't heard.
The orc charged as if just to kill him. His roar filled the forest as he closed the gap between him and Kevin.
----------------------------------------
Kevin felt his whole body shaking as Kodore's axe slammed on top of his shield. A loud gong could be heard across the battlefield as he tried to regain his footing.
"Kodore! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" his sword blocked another swing from Kodore's axe, sending him back a few feet and shattering the steel of his blade.
The orc's eyes glowed in the moonlight as he charged again.
Kevin was about to reason with the warrior again when Kodore screamed, "KILL THE HALF-BREEDS!!!"
"Kodore! Stop this!" He can feel his sheild taking in dents from Kodore's repeated blows.
One of Mae's fireballs flew past his head.
"Mae, no! He's a friend of mine!" he brought up his shield again to block the orc's axe. "Stop this, Kodere, damn it! I said stand down!"
No matter how hard he tried, though, the orc kept on raining blows that just landed on his shield.
Kevin's mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to stop his old friend from hurting the others.
Jumping back, he dropped the broken blade and bent shield to the ground, "I don't know what's wrong with you, Kodore," Kevin drew his hammer from his belt, "but I can't let you go on like this!"
Kevin's face began harden as he focused on the task that must be done. Gripping the hammer with both hands, he readied himself for Kodore's attack.
He jumped back to avoid a left swing from the orc.
If I know you, Kodore, you wouldn't stop swinging.
True enough, Kodore used the momentum to turn around and swing the axe down for an overhead chop.
This was the moment Kevin was waiting for. He sidestepped the attack and ended up behind Kodore. Then, with all his might, he swung the hammerhead right onto the orc's lower back.
Kevin can hear his friend's bones splinter and break from the blow as his hammer continued onward to complete the swing.
Kodore's body flopped to the ground as his legs gave way. His throat giving out unearthly screams as he dropped face down to the dirt.
Then, Kevin can hear Kodore speak to him; black blood was coming out of the orc's mouth as he spoke.
"Thank you Kevin... you've freed me..."
Running next to his friend and turning him over, he tried to Heal his friend the way Meshido taught him.
But the ability never came to him.
Kodore's voice was beginning to weaken as the orc began to slip away from life, "There's no use for that, runt. Orcs don't heal they way human's do..." his friend let out a half laugh, half cough, bringing out even more blood, "...you've grown well, Kevin... your father...would... have been... proud... Thank you for freeing me and... my warriors..."
Kevin was beginning to grow desperate, "Freed you from what?" he shook the fallen warrior in his arms, "Damn you for a fool, Kodore! Don't you dare say it like that!"
But there was just silence and Kodore's blank dead eyes staring into nothingness.
Kevin hated loosing his friends.
He hated it even more when he saw them die in front of him.
Apparently, even more when he killed them himself
Kevin wrapped his hand around the orc's fang and yanked it off, a loud snap was heard as he did so. Whoever did this, he will find out who it is.
"Rest well my friend." And with that, he laid his hand over Kodore's eyes and closed them.