Chapter 3

Marshall Udeen Carmine, a short and pretty woman, wearing a white surrcoat with a blue tabard on the front, entered the room, glancing at each person who stood in her quarters. Her light brown hair bounced on her shoulders as she stepped over to her desk. Her eyes lingered on the handsome half elven man, for just a second longer than the other three. This drew a glare from the woman who resembled a dark elf.

The marshal sat at her desk and looked at the four. "Some of my men told me you cut down some orcs this evening."

Thomas bowed. "It was Sir Tanis and Lady Kaylah who did much of the cutting down." He smiled at Udeen, which resulted in Nala punching him in the shoulder.

The marshal tapped her fingers on her desk. Her eyes turned to Tanis and Kaylah. "Perhaps you both could help Thomas and Nala here defeat the orc leaders that hold Helm's Hold."

Tanis looked at Kaylah, who shrugged. "Well I'm up for killing more orcs," he said in a delighted voice, disguising the discomfort he was feeling. The rogue giggled and hooked her arm around his, as if to give the marshal the idea that they were more than just friends.

The marshal grinned at them both. "Good, than you both will act as scouts whole I talk to Thomas and Nala about an important matter."

Tanis and Kaylah quickly turned to leave. Before they stepped into the hall, Tanis caught the marshal's eyes staring at him.

At a quickened pace, Tanis and Kaylah moved through Neverwinter's streets. The only source of light were magical torches that sat on top of long metal poles, and the silver moon that lay in the dark sky. Keeping to the shadows, the half elf and the rogue made sure to keep their eyes, and ears open.

"You sure wanted to get out of that room quickly," Kaylah whispered, trying to spark up a conversation as she and her companion continued towards Helm's Hold.

Tanis sighed, remembering the marshal's eyes on him. "I felt a little uncomfortable with her staring at me like that."

Me too, Kaylah added silently. Her eyes peered down the street, seeing two orcs standing guard at the gates of Helm's Hold. "We could easily take them," she whispered into his ear as the two orcs walked behind the gates. "Just let me get my crossbow."

"Don't you ever fight up close?" Tanis asked curiously.

Kaylah responded with a sly smile. "I do, but fighting weak opponents like orcs, I would rather waste my bolts, than waste my arm strength."

"Weak huh?" growled a loud voice from behind them. Tanis and Kaylah turned around, seeing a group of six orcs with weapons drawn.

Kaylah reached into her cloak, but instead of pulling out her crossbows, she drew out two short swords, one with a black colored hilt, and the other, a red colored hilt with no crosspiece.

Two orcs charged Kaylah, their spears aiming at her stomach. The rogue easily stepped out of the way of the spears, then swiped the black hilted sword in her right hand in a low semi-circle, knocking the one of the spears away. She then stabbed the red hilted sword in her left hand into the throat of the weaponless orc.

The other orc jabbed his spear at Kaylah's neck. The rogue weaved in and out, easily evading the orc's feeble attempts to hit her with his weapon. She then responded to the orc's misses by stabbing both of her blades deeply into the orc's belly.

Across from Kaylah, Tanis had a harder time fighting the other orcs, as he could only block and parry their spears with his long sword. One of the orcs did manage to stab the tip of his spear across Tanis' cheek. Another orc swung his low, cutting a thin line through Tanis' breeches and into his ankle.

Tanis growled, trying to keep his balance. He stabbed his long sword at one orc, ripping through the chest. After the orc gasped his last breath, Tanis pulled his sword free and faced the remaining three orcs.

Three more spears came at Tanis, poking around his chest, almost toying with him. This time he barely managed to dodge the spears.

With a smile, Tanis drove his long sword deeply into an orc's chest cavity, breaking a few of the orc's ribs. He pulled his blade free and watched as the orc fell to the ground.

He expected the other orcs to attack, but once he held his sword in his hand, the remaining two orcs were lying dead on the ground.

"Well I fought close, are you happy?" Kaylah asked, putting her short swords away. "The sword in my right hand, I call Slice, and the sword in my left hand, I call Dice."

Tanis smiled, putting his own sword away. "It looks like they lived up to their names." Kaylah gave a prideful smile and was about to tell him that her father gave her those weapons, but then a loud scream came from the courtyard of Helm's Hold.

Tanis heard the scream too, but to him it sounded more like a battle cry, then a cry for help. Together, he and Kaylah ran past the gates and into the courtyard. Standing in the middle of the vast courtyard, a small female humanoid dressed in dirty leathers- a halfling, by Kaylah's and Tanis' estimates- was surrounded by two orcs, three goblins, and a bugbear. They watched as the halfling held a great axe in her hands. They both feared the small woman would be torn to pieces.

In the middle, the halfling woman's lips curled in a smile. Using lightning fast movement, the halfling slashed her weapon into the bugbear's chest. She then spun in a fierce circle, her axe cutting through the bodies of the three goblins and the two orcs. The goblins fell lifeless to the ground, while the orcs grabbed their stomachs to hold in the blood that was flowing from their bodies.

Wasting no time, the halfling drove her sharp axe through one orc's body, then turned and cleaved the other orc down the middle.

"Nothing like taking on six at once," the halfling commented, strapping her axe over her back. She then bent down and reached into one orc's mouth and ripped out a long fang, then did the same to the other orc.

Tanis smiled. This was the first time he had ever seen a halfling. In the books back at the temple, they described halflings as peaceful folk who were well suited for the role of thievery. Though she was small, this halfling had managed to slay all six of her foes, without even getting so much as a scratch.

Walking closer, Tanis saw the halfling's short and curly brown hair. Dirt and grime covered much of her face, but beneath it, lie the smile of a beautiful halfling female. Yet now, she was searching each of the dead bodies finding copper and silver. Standing behind Tanis, Kaylah looked down at the corpses made by the halfling, seeing the deep gashes her axe had made.

When she saw the half elf walking towards her, the halfling smiled up at Tanis. "Nice night for killing orcs isn't it. I saw what you and your drow elf friend did earlier tonight to those ones near the Blacklake, good work. My name is Freya Skogrull by the way."

"I'm Tanis, and my friend is Kaylah. You took those men out pretty easily," he indicated, pointing to the bodies of those the halfling killed.

"Tis what I do," Freya declared in a sweet voice. "I am a horde breaker. I'm here to help Neverwinter rid itself of the orcs." Tanis had no idea what a horde breaker was, but Kaylah did. A horde breaker was described someone as going around the High Forest and the Silver Marshes, and just cleaning out camps of orcs, bugbears, goblins, and other creatures that gathered in horde camps. The rogue suspected that Freya had been involved in her fair share of orc killing.

Is everyone coming to Neverwinter just to kill orcs? Tanis asked himself. "Are you planning on going inside the Hold?"

"I was thinking about it?" Freya answered with a shrug. "Why?"

The half elf looked at Kaylah, who was thinking the same idea he was, then back at the halfling. "Perhaps you could help us with a small matter. It involves killing many orcs."

Freya brought the axe from her back and put the end of the of it on the ground. "I'm listening."

Brazer held his double-axe close to him, then stared at the demon, who was summoning fellow denizens from the abyss. Brazer stared at the demon. He had asked the marilith why she hadn't gone out to destroy the city already. The demon responded by telling the orc leader that she needed aid from the lower planes, as the forces of Neverwinter were many, and she was but one demon.

The orc gritted his teeth. If what his spies had told him was true, Neverwinter's forces were amassing any minute.

The demon opened her eyes and looked at Brazer. "The summoning is completed. My minions and I will attack the temple of Tyr. I am confident that your men will join me." Brazer nodded. He had planned to sent all of his men, but then decided to keep some of them here. The demon smiled and continued," You however, should wait here until the city is ready to meet their new ruler."

The orc watched as the marilith vanished. He walked over to his makeshift throne that was made from large slabs of broken stone. Holding his weapon, Brazer would listen to the demon's suggestion and wait until Neverwinter was within his grasp.