CHAPTER 6

FRIENDSHIP

Olose swung open a door to the small servant's room Tarrak had allowed him to stay in. He had slipped into his clothes and wondered out groggily. He wasn't used to washing, or doing anything to groom himself, having lived for four years alone in the woods, and so simply wondered down the huge stairs to the study below. He swung open the door to get a look at the city. The streets were still worn and damaged by the storm of the previous two nights, and the entire place looked as if it had been washed clean. He bent down to a puddle and used the water to splash over his face, still feeling groggy and attempting to wake himself up. He looked around the fairly empty city. He smiled and decided to take a walk, knowing that Arcadia would take hours before she was fully awake and dressed to her satisfaction.

He walked up onto the wall overlooking the forest outside of the mighty city with a smile, enjoying the moist seeming air and cool breeze. He loved the feeling of aftermath after bad weather, it was always cool and relaxing.

"And I took them all out by myself!" Came a voice. Olose smirked, turning around.

"I'm sure you did." Grumbled back an annoyed voice. "Why did I get you as my partner for patrol?"

"Because I'm in your squad?" Came a stark answer. Olose looked around to see Norg and Nadia climbing up the wall. He waved and Norg hurried to him.

"How'd you like to be enlisted in the elvaan army?" He asked quickly. "You can take my place. Now." Nadia laughed behind.

"I'm not that bad!" She chuckled.

"Isn't she a private?" Olose inquired. "You know, a lower rank than you?"

"How'd you know that?" Norg asked.

"I have rank insignia." Nadia said in a deadpan voice.

"He does have a point." Norg threatened.

"Then court martial me." Nadia said casually. "Maybe Windurst needs some good adventurers."

"You're friend pulled through, by the way." Olose put in.

"I know." Nadia answered, rolling her eyes. "I did check in on him!"

"This the morning patrol, then?" Olose guessed.

"Wow, check out the brain on that guy." Nadia laughed to Norg. Norg sighed.

"Yeah, we are." Norg told Olose. "The guys who were supposed to do it were murdered by orcs last night." An awkward silence fell. Nobody felt comfortable joking and laughing about the dead. Olose looked out across the trees.

"So much for your mighty nation." He sighed.

"We'll handle the orcs." Nadia snarled. "We'll wipe 'em out before they know what hit 'em."

"Tyen-sah duh uh-muo." Grumbled Norg. Both Olose and Nadia looked at him blankly. "Goddamn monsters." He translated through gritted teeth. "We can't wipe them out. They're too savage and there are too many of them."

"Have the attacks always been this common?" Olose asked curiously.

"Oh no, mostly they've been running scared from us." Norg answered. Olose peered out over the forest.

"They're planning something." Olose stated. Norg laughed.

"I told you, they can't plan. They're disorganised beasts." Norg told him. Olose sighed a smile.

"I guess you're right." He said turning away. "But if San d'Oria gets attacked, you owe me a drink." Norg smiled.

"Deal." He turned to Nadia. "Now we had better get on with our patrol."

"I'm sure you can flirt with your boyfriend if you like." Nadia taunted.

"Don't make me angry." Olose warned sarcastically. "You won't like me when I'm angry." Norg smiled knowingly, and Olose grinned.

"I don't like you anyway." Nadia shot back.

"Ow, I'm hurt." Olose said, clutching his heart in an overdramatic action. Nadia mumbled something and turned away. Norg laughed.

"See ya later." He smiled, walking away.

"Yeah, see ya." Olose decided to jump off the wall, landing in the street below. The fall shattered his ankles, but they instantly regenerated again anyway.

Norg and Nadia wondered the streets before arriving at the bar, the window still shattered from the night before.

"That your doing?" Nadia guessed. Norg laughed.

"Not quite. It was Olose." He answered. "Mistook him for an adventurer."

"Ah." Nadia nodded with understanding. "Do you think he was right, 'bout the orcs attacking?" Norg laughed aloud.

"Not you to?" He smirked. "Those orcs couldn't manage to organise an attack on a scared rabbit, let alone San d'Oria. Besides, these walls are solid."

"And on their land." Nadia reminded him smugly.

"Wuh duh ma huh ta duh fung-kwong duh wai-shung doh!" Norg exclaimed in a mouthful. "Orcs are not going to attack this city!" He was clearly getting wound up.

"You keep that attitude up and they'll just give up. Nobody has a clue what you're saying. They'll just give up listening to gibberish and go home. The orcs'll never attack!" Nadia mocked. Norg rolled his eyes.

"Nah mei guan-shee." Norg said, beaming with pleasure at knowing how frustrated Nadia was at her inability to understand him. She grumbled something as Norg signalled for her to move on.

Arcadia walked down the now much busier street, deciding to look for Olose. The ball was in the evening and she wanted to make sure that she could find him successfully. She had a bad feeling Olose would have no idea how to present himself. She wondered the stone streets, looking down at the wet floor and feeling glad her dress ended at her ankles to avoid it dragging and becoming soaked. She had searched, but she hadn't seem him anywhere. She had even investigated the dingy bar he had been in the night before, never having quite felt as out of place in her life. She decided that he must have headed outside, probably becoming involved in a brutal fight or two. She hated it when he did that. She knew that he was immortal, but was still petrified he would get hurt. Illogical, but true. She headed to the main gate heading out into the forest and looked out over the drenched area. She couldn't see Olose, but knew if he was out there, he could be easily be hidden behind the many trees. She stepped out of the gate to follow. She cringed as her feet sunk in the muddy ground and found herself wishing she could remember enough ancient so that she could curse the storm without people understanding what she was saying. She sighed with relief as she eased her feet out, and stood back on the stone ramp leading out of San d'Oria. She decided Olose could take care of himself.

She rose an eyebrow as she heard something pounding towards her. Could that be him? She listened, and suddenly saw an orc approaching, storming towards the city. Her eyes went wide and she tried to run up the ramp. Her muddy feet slipped on the stone and she fell forwards. She turned on the ground in horror as the orc got closer. An arrow hit between its eyes and it dropped down on the ground just before it reached the ramp. Arcadia turned away, sighing in relief but covering up her mouth in a reflex at seeing blood.

"They aren't attacking the city, huh?" A voice mocked.

"Can it, Nadia." Norg said casually as Nadia put her bow back on her shoulder. Norg bent down and helped Arcadia to her feet.

"Does this mean you owe Olose a drink now?" Nadia smirked.

"No way, I said 'orcs', plural. Only one attacked." Norg replied. "Are you okay?" He asked Arcadia. She straightened out her dress and hair.

"Yes, I believe so." Came a formal response and a nod. "Where is Olose?"

"Not a clue, he's been jumping around all over the place." Norg answered. "Paranoid about orcs attacking."

"I wonder why." Arcadia said dryly, looking at the corpse.

"You're just lucky I'm good with a bow." Nadia smiled.

"Of course. I thank you." She said politely.

"It's what I get paid for." Nadia casually replied. Norg had wondered over to the body of the fallen orc, and was looking over it carefully.

"This is the closest they've been to the city since San d'Oria expanded." He observed. Arcadia wondered over to his side, looking distastefully down at the muddy ground.

"What do you think it was doing this close?" Arcadia asked gently.

"I don't know." Norg admitted.

"Probably saw me somewhere and couldn't resist my winning personality." Nadia joked. Arcadia and Norg shot her a look and she sighed. "Well, I'm sure it's just here to kill us all, that's what they normally plan. It's dead now, what does it matter?"

"Don't you ever think in the long term?" Norg shot.

"Not if I can help it." Nadia casually entered. Arcadia turned away from the body, looking a great deal paler than she had a few moments before.

"Nice shot, by the way." Norg commented, holding the arrow he had pulled from the orc's face. He threw it to Nadia and she caught it.

"Why do I want this?" She asked in confusion.

"Rule one of survival." Norg answered casually. "You can use and reuse everything."

"I thought rule one was 'think smart before you think hard'?" Nadia asked. "At least that's what you told me the first time."

"Rule one of telling rules." Norg stated with a grin. "Every rule is rule one."

"I really hate you." Sighed Nadia.

"I need to find Olose." Stated Arcadia. "I had better start looking."

"You checked the bar?" Norg asked.

"I have." Replied Nadia.

"Well, I'm out of ideas." Norg laughed.

"You would be." Nadia shot.

"He might be in trouble." Arcadia said awkwardly.

"Why?" Nadia questioned.

"I need to see him, and he knows it." Arcadia explained.

"Maybe he just can't find you." Nadia pointed out. Arcadia laughed, blushing slightly.

"Urm, he can track me by my scent easily." She admitted. "He has done it before. He can find me easily if he wanted too."

"Olose isn't the type to get into trouble." Norg said in his most comforting tone.

Olose was in serious trouble. Or he would have been if he was mortal. The elvaan skilfully swung in his sword, slicing him across the chest. Olose staggered back, unarmed and unable to get close to the elvaan due to his incredibly fast sword skills. The elvaan lunged, stabbing Olose for a third time.

"Ow!" Olose cried. "Dammit!" He was steadying approaching a large canyon just outside of the forest leading to San d'Oria. He had been exploring. The plains around the area were littered with canyons, and right now he was about to fall down one.

"I know you were at that bar last night." The elvaan spat. "And I know you would have seen who I was looking for."

"Depends on who that is." Olose gulped, getting close to the edge. The elvaan attacked again. Olose jumped over the blade, soaring over it and tackling the elvaan. The blade clattered to the ground. The elvaan hit Olose to the face, and Olose lifted his opponent with all his might and threw him off. He flew out of view. Olose sprang up, taking a fighting stance "Now who are you working for?" He snapped. "Who are you looking for?" He paused. "Urm, where've you gone?" He asked, noticing his opponent was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to his fallen sword and picked it up cautiously. He peered down the canyon, and saw the crumpled form of the elvaan at the bottom. "Oh." He sighed. "I think I threw him too far." He paused. "Wait. Who am I talking to then?"

Olose wondered back to the city, his mind racing. He had been ambushed while scouting the area, and nearly lost the fight. His regeneration and kept him alive, but the assassin was totally out of his league, slicing him apart with his amazing speed. Olose had survived because he was nigh impossible to kill, but would have been put through a lot of pain if he hadn't gotten lucky. That and he knew all it took was a lucky blow slicing off his head and he was gone. To top it off, all chances of finding out why he had been attacked, or who that assassin had wanted rested at the bottom of the canyon. Somebody at the bar? Could it be they were hunting him? He pondered this silently for a moment before sniffing the air. He caught Arcadia's scent easily and decided to track her down.

Norg and Nadia had disappeared to the bar, having finished their duty for the day, and Arcadia and returned to Tarrak's home to change, since she had once again ended up with dirt and mud over her clothes. The ball was soon, and she had to be presentable for it. Of course, so did Olose, but she knew he would show up soon. He had to. She had forced her own worries away. She was still extremely uneasy about the thought that Olose could track her anywhere by her scent, it made her shiver awkwardly. There was something creepy about it, but at the same time, it was particularly pleasant to know that he always knew where she was and could always protect her. She suddenly found her thoughts wondering and she attempted to get them back in line. She was supposed to be a lady of high society. Those feelings were wrong. Not for some wild man. A competent bodyguard and friendly he might be, but she shouldn't feel like that. Should she?

Olose walked casually through the city, his mind at a loss. He spotted Norg and ran over to him.

"Norg!" He cried. The elvaan turned around, looking angry. "What's up? Having fun with your new partner?" He mocked. "How is she?"

"Tah-shr suo-yo dee-yure duh biao-tze duh mah!" He spat in response.

"Something tells me I don't want to know what you just said." Olose said tactfully. "Listen, I have something important to talk to you about."

"It has to wait." Norg instructed him. "You have a ball to get to with Arcadia."

"Crap! I totally forgot! Crap! Sh-" Olose paused, trying to think of a good curse. "Quick! Give me a phrase that I can mutter that sums up this situation!"

"Da-shiong bao-jah-shr duh la doo-tze?" Norg suggested.

"Da-shong-" Olose stopped, realising he couldn't repeat it accurately. "What does it actually mean?"

"The explosive diarrhoea of an elephant." Norg answered casually.

"What? How does that sum up my situation?" Olose cried.

"It doesn't, but I thought you yelling that out would be funny." Grinned Norg. Olose rolled his eyes and left, bolting towards the location of Arcadia's scent.

He sprang in the door of Tarrak's manor.

"I remembered!" He announced. Arcadia walked over to him, looking more beautiful than ever, dressed in a long flowing black gown. Olose looked slightly shocked at her overwhelming beauty. She quickly turned away, covering her mouth with hands covered by long silk gloves. "What?" He asked after her.

"Blood." She managed to say. Olose looked down, realising his shirt was torn and bloody by the assassin.

"Oh, that." He said casually. "I'll explain that later. I figure we're late for some sort of shindig."

"It is a ball." Arcadia instructed, turning around. "It is very formal. You had better go and see Lord Tarrak. He will be able to instruct you in what to wear."

"Fun." Grinned Olose sarcastically. "But after this I need to talk with Norg. Something bad happened."
"What?" Arcadia asked with concern.

"It doesn't matter." Olose tried to dismiss it. "Besides, I'd hate for us to be late." He bolted up the stairs of the manor looking for Tarrak.

"But you do not even know when it starts!" Arcadia called after him, but he was already gone. She got the distinct impression he didn't like talking about any moments of weakness he may have suffered.

Author's Note: Just out of interest, the Chinese isn't too annoying is it? I find it funny because I know what it is. Maybe at some point I'll post the translations, not all are too pleasant though. Some are alright. None are beyond usual sweariffic (can I copy right that word?) dialogue anyway. I just hope it isn't annoying people, or person at the moment, since TheFrogKiller seems to be my only reader. Which I'm grateful for. Thanks TheFrogKiller (that's a damn clunky name to type on here, I'm going to have to start calling you by your real name!)!