The crowd was roaring at a fever pitch. It had been three days since their fight with Blackscale, and Alpheric was once more standing before the gates of the arena standing alongside Doraka as they waited whatever new horrors the Ogres had managed to find. He looked over to the Orc and his mind drifted away from the crowd. Any doubts about her feelings towards him had tied the night after the two of them had lain together, their sweaty bodies a tangle of limbs, as the night after that, and last night, had ended in similar notes. He was noticing even more of her then he ever had, her eyes had him since the first, but now he noted the feminine curve of her hips, she soft swell of her lips against his...
He was pulled from his thoughts as he was pushed forward by Gorp and the gates began to open. This game was different from the last, Gorp said they were expecting a large "shipment" of new meat so Crush had something special planned for today. So it was that over half of the cells were emptied, including Alpheric and Doraka, and brought into the staging area. The slaves had gone in, two sometimes three at a time, and the doors firmly closed before the others could see. Whatever was on the other side, seemed to like to take its time though as one by one, prolonged screams could be heard over the roar of the crowd.
The numbers had dwindled down till only him and Doraka remained, but the Light had given them a tiny blessing. Out of all the weapons Alpheric was given a short sword and a solid enough wooden shield. Doraka as well had been given a large axe and he could see the joy in her eyes, she had kept her hair down today, her wild mane of hair giving her an even more fierce look. She came beside him as the door opened and gave his hand a quick squeese before they marched out together.
Whatever he was expecting, Alpheric's imagination could not conjur the scene before him. The pit was soaked red with blood, pieces of bodies and organs scattered from one end of the arena to the other, and in the center of the carnage stood a huge undead Abomination. Crush had long since stopped commentating and sat up in the balchony with other high ranking Ogres getting ready to enjoy the show.
The giant corpse, stitched together from the bodies of dozens it seemed, turned his head slowly to gaze at the newcomers in his ring. "You play with Ripper?" He asked Alpheric and Doraka almost kindly as he worked his way to them. The two beagn to slowly circle the pit around the monster, sizing him up. In one hand the undead held a rather large cleaver, the other arm ended in a stump, the hand replaced by a sharp hook, on which was still hanging part of the intestines of an unlucky slave.
Ripper's body was marked with dozens of deep gashes and had several arrows sticking out of the decaying flesh making him look like a rather fat porcupine. These wounds had no effect on the undead, and it would take more than cuts to bring this thing down. "Any ideas?" Doraka shot to him as Ripper laughed with joy at the game of chase and edged closer. "Aye, you see those gashes on his legs? We have to keep working on them until we can cut one out from under him. The only way we are going to kill this thing is if we can get to his head," Alpheric said, raising his shield and readying for the attack.
Charging forward with a yell, Alpheric hoped to surprise the dimwitted undead and swong at Rippers leg, chunks of dead flesh and black blood flying with the sword as it arched in the air. "Play time!" Ripper said with excitement, his hooked hand swinging low and catching the rim of Alpheric's shield. With a cheer of the crowd the undead flung Alpheric like a toy with his hooked hand and sent him flying, crashing to the dirt and rolling several times before coming to a halt. Doraka wanted to scream out, but she knew she had to stay out of the undead's sight if they were going to have a chance bringing him down.
Alpheric managed to get to his knees as the giant undead started waddling towards him again. Spitting blood onto the ground he lifted his shield and readied for the Ripper's next attack. He did not care if he died, but he was going to make sure Doraka made it out of this. Ripper gave an excited roar and swong his cleaver right at Alpherics shield, numbing his entire arm with the force of the blow. The crowd gave gasp and both Ripper and Alpheric stared in surprise as they looked down at the shield. The cleaver had burst through the tough wood and was wedged in deep, the blade resting against Alpheric's naked arm. "Give it back!" Ripper shouted annoyed, and begun to tug at the cleaver, shaking Alpheric's whole body.
As Human and Undead wrestled over their respective weapons, Doraka sprang into action. Her axe singing as it swong through the air she brough its blade over a gash in Rippers, knee, once twice, and then the leg was gone, dead blood dripping like black jelly onto the sand. Howling in surprise the undead fell over onto Alpheric, and it was all the human could do to be crushed by the weight. Having a moment of inspiration, he grabbed one of the many arrows that was sticking from Rippers, body and breaking the head from shaft, slipped it into his loincloth, the Abomination's huge body shielding him from onlookers. Alpheric felt Ripper grow still and then a green hand was reaching for him and him out of the crushing dead flesh.
Alpheric coughed in breaths of fresh air and looked over at Ripper, large axe planted in his skull, eyes crossed in death looking at the weapon in interest. Helping Alpheric to his feet Doraka and him looked on at the silent crowd, even Crush was slack jawed. They walked to the gate and were making their way down to the cells when the crowd finally started buzzing with chatter once more.
The Human and Orc sat down on the dirt floor back to back exausted. The human reached behind him squeesing Doraka's hand in his, and waited till he heard Gorp go up above ground before he whispered to her, "I have found our way out." Doraka's body tensed agaisnt his and she gripped his hand painfully. "How?" She asked nearly breathless. Alpheric pulled the arrowhead from his loincloth, and handed it to Doraka. The thing was long and skinny, an arrow better suited for piercing armor then slicing flesh but it would serve well enough. "Tonight we are free once more," Alpheric stated with certainty.
And so they waited, the crowds slowly died out and all that could be heard in the cells was the crackle of the torches flames and a small whimper from one of the slaves. Gorp came to give them their meals, and Alpheric waited a few minutes before shouting, "Help! Help! Gorp, something is wrong!" The Ogre came huffing down to their cell where he saw Doraka laying in the middle of the floor motionless, "No no, the boss won't like this, he had plans for you two. You hummie, stand out of the way!" Unlocking the door the Ogre came inside the cell and kneeled down over the Orc, who turned to him and asked, "Are all orcs as dumb as you?" Gorp looked confused and then terrified as Alpheric jumped on his back and drove the arrowhead deep into the Ogres thick neck. Hot blood spraying over the humans hand as he stabbed Gorp over and over again.
As the Ogre fell dying unto the floor, blood gurgling from his mouth the pair quickly snatched the keys from his belt and ran out of the cell. Alpheric yelled to the hall in Common while Doraka did the same in Orcish, "We are breaking free tonight, this is our only chance, come with us!". So they swiftly ran down the hall unlocking each cell till the hall was crowded with slaves. Together Doraka and Alpheric lead them up the stairs, quietly peeking out the door to see no one around. They quickly darted to a door opposite the one that lead to the cells and unlocked it, the weapon room!
Tossing weapons to outstreched hands, Alpheric armed himself and Doraka with the remaining swords and a dagger each then as a group the slaves made their way to the open courtyard. Trying to keep the group silent they almost made it to the main gate before one of the more wild slaves noticed a figure walking amoung the sone buildings, Crush! Before Alpheric could intervene, the slave and many others ran screaming at the arena master. Having no weapon the imposing Ogre was cut down to bits by the half made slaves, but their noise had attrached attention, shouts of Ogre gaurds responding to the commotion started getting closer. Alpheric grabbed Doraka's arm and ran with her "We have to get out of here now before it is too late!" he huffed as they sprinted to the main gate.
Doraka had to fight down despair as she and Alpheric could hear the clash of steel and screams behind them. Making it to the entrance of the Dire Maul, they found the two Ogres that stood guard the day they came in. One was passed out drunk a half empty keg at his feet, the other was getting unsteadily to his feet to see what the commotion was. Alpheric and Doraka decend on the two as silent as death. Alpheric dropping down and slitting the sleeping Ogre's neck before he could even open his eyes, Doraka dancing around the tipsy Ogre's wild blow and stabbing deep into his heart from the side.
Leaving the two Ogres behind in the dark, the pair ran down the main road together, ears open always for any sound of pursuit. Coming to a fork in the road they turned East, "Camp Mojache is this way, if we can make it there we will be safe!" Doraka said as loud as she dared and they set out silently, pushing their legs to the limit. It seemed like they had been running for hours when they finally saw torchlight in the distance. They gave all their energy to the final sprint and when Tauren guards from the camp yelled for them to halt at the settlements gates they threw down their weapons and fell to their knees in joy.
The next hour or so was a blur for Alpheric, the Taurens had listen to Doraka's story in rushed Orcish, and then the peaceful people of the camp allowed them in, if a bit wary on Alpheric's part. They lead him into a warm lodge with some food and locked him into a room until Doraka could better explain her story to the camps leaders. Alpheric was sitting on the soft floor rug cradling his drink in his hands when the door quietly opened and Doraka slipped in. A bundle of cloth in her hand. "The Tauren have heard or story, and they will give us food and rest for a few days then help us on our way, they even gave us something new to wear," Doraka was saying as she sat the bundle nearby and settled in next to Alpheric, leaning against him. Alpheric cocked his brow and asked sarcastically, "They will help the savage human?" Doraka leaned in and pressed her lips to his, "Especially this human, or they will hear from me."
They rested their heads against eachother and enjoyed the peacful quiet for a moment. "We made it... Now what do we do?" Doraka asked with some hesitation, worried about there they went from here. Alpheric took her hand in his and said, "I was hired to kill some Bloodsail weeks ago, when this beautiful but frustrating Orc interrupted me." He laughed as she growled and bumped against him and continued, "And I plan to make good on that contract, especially two certain pirates and I could use the help of a certain Orc if she will come with me." He looked into those haunting eyes of hers and smiled "But that is for tomorrow, right now it is just us."
The End