Dagger of Souls
*** Chapter 20 ***
The two large orcs took turns swinging their large curved axes at the tall, leafless Heartland elm tree. They had just about chopped through the nearly two and a half foot thick trunk base as one of them stopped to check their progress. The pale green humanoid bent low to inspect the large notch and mumbled a few guttural sounds to communicate with the other warrior. They setup again on opposite sides and continued to strike at the widening rift in the tree until they heard several loud cracks as the weight of the tree lumbered against the small amount of wood left to support where it was cut. The snaps soon turned to a great whoosh sounds as the tree gave way to gravity and began to fall back toward camp.
The orc was quite astonished to see in the midst of the falling timber, a jade arrow head burst through the front side of his rib cage, and another appeared just under his collar bone. Its limited brain had trouble processing that this was an attack and not something that fell from the elm. Before he realized what had happened, the world around him faded away.
The second orc grinned with satisfaction at the destruction of the majestic object that had grown here for over a hundred years, not even noticing the fate that befell his comrade. Keltar sunk his steel dagger deep into the humanoids back, severing its spinal cord. The damaged nerves caused it to drop straight down like its limbs were made of rubber. At the same time the orc fell, the large elm tree crashed to the ground sending bits of snow, dirt, and twigs flinging outward from the upper section of its branches.
The rogue warrior dragged the humanoid's heavy carcass to a nearby bush at the base of an evergreen pine tree, as the cloud of debris began to settle. The ranger hurried in and grabbed his victim and added its limp body to the new pile, and joined the messenger in seeking cover there. The rogue warrior watched the camp intently to see if anyone had noticed their deadly actions. Judging from the leisurely stroll of the one guard following behind the villagers, they had no idea anything had happened to their fellow orc soldiers.
On the other side of the encampment, Arlin hardly paid any attention to the crashing sound. It was an all too common occurrence for the slaves to take much notice. It just meant more work would continue to come. He was upbeat though as he realized the raid never returned from Stalford. He wasn't completely sure, but it felt as if the gods had answered their prayers and spared the town. He was surprised, though, to see that a small sparrow had landed on the rope between him and the orc guard at the same time the tree came crashing down. The bird shook its head up and down like it was nodding as it looked him in the eye. The orc guard holding the rope was also a bit surprised by the brazen sparrow, but before he could formulate a proper response the sky suddenly lit up bright orange. The campfire at the center flared up tenfold and shot sparks and flaming cinders that whistled and screamed as they flew twenty paces in every direction. The two orcs at the center of camp let out low guttural screams as the held their eyes and stumbled around.
Arlin was incredulous at the new turn of events, but even more flabbergasted when he saw the sparrow become a slender woman with short elven ears. She cocked back a large, gnarled cudgel-like object with both hands and whacked it across the unsuspecting orc guard's ear. The solid oak weapon knocked the orc from its feet, unconscious before it hit the cold ground. Dark blood pooled around the orc as three golden, shimmering orbs shot past them and struck the orc guard holding the rope of the other group of captives. It let out a throaty moan as it collapsed to the snow.
Jaceira pointed to the tree line west of their position, where Klenn and Sir Dural were running toward them. She yelled out to the villagers. "You are all free. We are here to rescue you. Go that way toward Klenn, quickly."
The startled villagers were stunned between the fireworks going off and the strange woman who suddenly appeared in their midst.
Klenn yelled out and waved his large hands in the air. "This way! It's me Klenn from our village. You have to move this way so we can protect you. Now!"
Two orc guards stood in the escape path of the townsfolk and they looked around at the chaos in the camp and back to the two humans charging toward them, trying to decide who to deal with first. Orcs behind them shouted out to get their attention and they turned to try and stop the villagers. It was a short lived attempt as a large bolt of blue lightning sizzled through both of them. The two guards convulsed as the burning energy passed through them causing them to crumple to the snow covered ground. The smell of burnt hide, cloth and skin permeated the air as their charred remains smoldered.
The three guards working on the section of wall adjacent to the prisoner came out of their stupor and began to sprint to cut off the escaping prisoners. The druid met the lead warrior and swung her oak weapon at the orc's knee, but the warrior was able to deflect the blow with the handle of his axe weapon. Fortunately the low strike caused the orc to bend down to deflect it and that threw him off balance. The guard stumbled and had to come to a halt, nearly doing a split to keep from tumbling over.
Wylan and another guardsman had their crossbows ready, but the part elf woman was in the midst of the orc warriors. "Hold your fire, Horlin, the druid is too close." He held his hand up to signal the Bandon and the other two soldiers to cease firing as well. He held two fingers over his eye and then circled his finger around to let them know to keep an eye out for the other orcs in the area.
The two other orc guards were met head on by Klenn and Dural just before they reached the fleeing captives. The sound of clashing metal reverberated loudly across the camp as they collided. The paladin managed to deflect the wild blow of the one orc nearest him and kick at the beast's shin as it ran past. The blow combined with its momentum caused the orc to trip and slide head first several paces forward, making a wide groove in the white snow. Sir Dural leapt forward toward the orc warrior as it tried to get up. The knight kept his broad sword low and to his left side and swung his blade upward at the creatures head. The orc got his weapon up to block it with the handle of his axe. The paladin's strike was enough to knock the orc back, giving him time to shift his weight and reverse the blade's momentum, coming back to a quick downward, diagonal strike. The orc balancing precariously on its knees could not recover from the first blow to defend the next. The gleaming blade sliced down unopposed cutting green flesh from its cheek to its chin, and cracking its jaw bone cleanly in two pieces.
Klenn was able to deflect the crushing blow of the orc warrior with the haft of his own large axe, but the force of the charge spun him around and made him stumble forward. The farm boy spread his feet wide and bent his knees to regain his balance as the sergeant taught him and that action kept him on his feet. He was ready and in a proper defensive stance as the orc came at him again. It was smiling, revealing all its horrid, yellow-stained teeth to him. He felt nauseous as he recognized the 'x' shaped scar across its left cheek. It was the same orc that attacked and nearly killed him back in town. The creature was grinning eagerly because it expected to finish him this time. The words of the Tyrran knight's training rang in his mind, 'turn your fear to anger, and channel it to your advantage.' As the humanoid closed in on him he imagined the humiliation of defeat, and remembered the helplessness as he had watched many of his fellow townsfolk being taken or killed. The anger welled up inside of him as the orc came in swinging mid-level toward his chest. Klenn waited until the last moment before he brought up his axe and met its haft with his own. He angled his axe handle upward causing the warrior's momentum to carry the axe head high over him. He used the momentum of the attack to help him spin around. Combined with the rage he felt at the vile marauders, he was able to bring the axe around in a wide arc with immense power. The orc could not bring its weapon back down in time to stop it and the curved axe head slammed into its gut knocking the beast off its large feet. It came crashing down and peered up at the young human in shock as its entrails flowed out from the massive wound riding on a stream of its brackish colored blood.
Cera began a divine chant as she locked her gaze on the large orc squaring off against the tiny part elf woman. The star shaped scar above her eye glowed dimly as she unleashed the power of the Moonmaiden. The orc raised its axe to block a blow from Jaceira, who was swinging an overhand strike toward its head. Before his axe was up high enough to stop the attack, all its muscles became rigid and it's arms came to an immediate halt. The beast could only watch helplessly with its beady black eyes as the solid wood cracked the top of its wide, green skull.
Wylan and the other soldiers scanned the rest of the battlefield to see what was happening. Two of the elite guards were chasing Keltar and Arden to the north, but a mountain of an orc was moving quickly across the camp toward the others. Its greasy black and grey mane was braided with red and green dyed beads and had large earrings with black stones hanging from its large ears. It held a giant axe with twin, curved axe blades and a sharpened spike on top. He deduced that this must be the clan chieftain, and gave the signal to fire. A cacophony of thumping sounds erupted as five steel bolts flew toward the towering orc. One or two seem to hit the huge humanoid, but somehow did not even leave a scratch.
Klenn cut the bindings holding the groups of prisoners together. "It is good to see you all alive. We don't have time to talk, you are still in danger." The large farm boy handed them a large cloth sack. "Take these supplies. There is food and clothing for all of you. Head south until you get to a small frozen stream and wait for us there. If we are not back in one hour, keep heading south until you find the road. Take it east to Stalford. Now go, I have to help the other soldiers." The townsfolk had many questions but the young man ran off to join the others. Seeing the fierce battle was all they needed to know, they headed south.
Cera watched as the chieftain moved toward her allies. She called upon the power of her goddess once more, summoning the divine energies granted to her. She held out the mace contain the holy symbol of a crescent moon and star and pointed it at the massive orc. Shards of silver lightning erupted all around the beast, but it moved through the blinding display unfazed and turned toward the three guardsmen reloading their crossbows. Only two were able to get a shot off in time, and both scored direct hits but both steel bolts just bounced off of the orc leader as if it was made of stone. Wylan let out a curse as the orc moved in too close to the other soldiers for him to take another shot.
The gigantic orc slammed the spiked end of his weapon into Tagrus' upper torso. The soldier moved just enough to keep it from puncturing his lung, but it still penetrated just above his pectoral muscle. He fell to the ground clutching at the deep wound, while Tu'Grol spun around to the left, bringing the large, twin-bladed axe around in a backhanded swing at Skalnor. The short, pale guardsmen made a feeble attempt with shaky hands to deflect the attack, which barely slowed down the large axe blade as it sunk into his rib cage.
Everyone began to sprint toward the mountain-like orc chieftain from multiple directions as two of the guardsmen fell to the ground, leaving Bandon face to face with the brutal leader. Sir Dural saw Wylan and Horlin draw swords and move in and he shouted to them as he ran to help the guardsman. "No. Both of you and Klenn go after the orcs in the middle of camp before they regain their sight. That's an order!"
Cera noticed Jaceira raising her gnarled oak staff as she ran passed and could hear the chant of some ancient Druidic language, while Einlan sent three more orbs of shimmering, golden magic that moved around the guardsmen and struck the massive orc. The orc chieftain growled at the impact, but it did little to slow him down. Bandon swung his short sword at the creature's trunk-like leg, but it swatted the attack away like it would a pesky fly. The orc maneuvered himself past the soldier, keeping the charging paladin in front of him. He turned to swing his axe but the wooden handle of his weapon began to warp and bend into a 'u' shape, causing him to swing wildly over guardsman's pot helm.
Sir Dural came barreling in and swung viciously at the orc leader, hoping to force the large orc back and away so that the priestess could get to the two fallen troops. Tu'Grol leapt backward to avoid the wide blade, as he tried to figure out how to hold the bent handle of his axe. The knight kept up the pressure with feigned jabs and quick attacks, but the orc was able to block or avoid them.
Bandon fell back and moved over to Skalnor, who lay writhing in the white snow peppered with blotches of deep red. He tried to cover the huge gash in the man's ribs with a torn piece of cloth he carried in his belt pouch. The cloth was soaked within seconds with the warm, crimson blood. "Don't give up Skal, the healer's on her way here. Hold on!"
The elf wizard thumbed through his pouch and grabbed a small token of an archery target and railed out command words in ancient Tel'Quessir language, "Ta'adimo Inderes Quendìl." He felt the magic weave flow through him and engulf the token which transformed into glittering dust that coalesced into his hands. He removed his bow and notched an arrow as he watched the deadly dance of weapons between the orc chieftain and the Tyrran knight. The magic allowed him to slow down the movements of his target, making them appear as if they were only a few feet away and in slow motion. He took careful aim at the pig-faced humanoid's thick neck and released the bow string. The arrow was on target and hit the creature's neck and then ricocheted off into the distance without even a scratch. "A'mril Desaeryth," Einlan cursed in elvish, realizing the bastard had some magical protection around him.
Jaceira finished another Druidic incantation and brought her fists together in front of her chest. A greenish shimmering animal-like form appeared and disappeared in front of her fists, as the part elf woman concentrated on the raging battle with the paladin. Suddenly a large black bear blinked into existence a few paces behind the orc leader.
The chieftain blocked another swift thrust attack from the holy warrior's bastard sword, then turned and slammed the back of his meaty green fist into Dural's face. The holy warrior felt the stinging pain in his gashed cheek and tasted warm blood mixed with sweat as it trickled into his mouth. Tu'Grol just barely heard the growl of the bear and turned just as the forest creature lunged at him. He somehow caught the large animal in the air with his free hand, but it lashed at him with sharp claws scoring a few deep cuts across his green face and neck. Remarkably the huge chieftain managed to keep his feet with six hundred pounds of bear on him. He pushed the beast with the bent haft of his axe and twisted his body sending the black bear rolling away from him. The paladin had recovered and was looking for an opportunity. He seized the advantage of the bear's distraction delivering a hard strike that cut through the orc leader's thick hide and leather armor just under its armpit.
The priestess arrived at Skalnor's side as he began to go into convulsions. She quickly chanted a prayer to the Moonmaiden as she held a medallion in her hand, "By the moon and stars, heal this man's wounds, bind them and restore him to health." The huge wound glowed brightly and mostly closed itself. The man sat up and was surprised to see he was still alive, as the woman moved over to the other injured soldier.
The black bear got up on its four feet and made another dash at the massive orc. The sergeant brought his bastard sword in a wide arc in the opposite direction to make sure the chieftain would not be able to position himself away from the animals charge. Tu'Grol blocked the attempt and turned to face the bear, but Dural pressed the attack pushing the block downward and slicing at the orc's leg just as the bear lunged at him. The animal rose up on its hind legs and raked at the flesh on the orc's upper arm and tried to clamp its jaw at the humanoid's wide face, but the orc elbowed the creature in the throat and then kicked at its hind leg's with his massive boot causing it to fall over. Bandon suddenly charged in with his long, thin military sword with a wild overhand swing which caused the large orc to hop back a few steps. It flashed a toothy grin at the inexperienced soldier who just got in the way of the bear that was rolling onto all fours preparing for another charge at the orc. The chieftain stepped up and reared back to cut down the guardsman when the handle slipped out of his meaty hand and flew half a dozen paces behind him. He stood befuddled as he examined the strange black slippery substance on his hands. The black bear brushed past Bandon and this time came in low and tackled the orc just above the knees, digging its claws into his massive thighs as its weight and several injuries to the chieftain's legs brought him down. The black furred animal and the green skinned humanoid rolled back and forth in the snow, a fury of claws and fists. Somehow the immense orc managed to get on the bear's back and twisted its head violently. The blacked furred animal vanished just as the paladin whacked Tu'Grol with the pommel of his sword in the back of his head.
Bandon was still enraged at the chieftain's vicious attacks and continued to come at orc leader, thrusting with his long sword. The large orc turned while still on his knees just enough to dodge the sharp blade and snatch the soldier's wrist, pulling himself up and forcing the guardsman face first into the snow at the same time. He easily pried the sword free of the man's hand as he stomped on his lower back with a heavy boot, causing Bandon to cry out in pain from his cracked ribs.
Sir Dural charged the chieftain again with a couple of wide, powerful swings at the mid-section to force him back a few of steps and off of the wounded man. Cera just finished administering her healing magic on Tagrus when Bandon was brought down. She and Jaceira grabbed the guardsman's arms and dragged him away from the skirmish to give the sergeant room to maneuver. Swords clashed and clanged loudly as they traded blows. Jaceira moved up to improve the odds and get the orc's attention. Dural grimaced and barked, "No, you'll get yourself killed druid. Stay back."
The woodland woman paid no heed to the paladin's command and swung her gnarled oak staff at the huge orc. Tu'Grol parried it effortlessly with his stolen longsword and responded with a wicked diagonal slash in return. Jaceira arched her back and then deftly pivoted to the side to avoid the long blade. The sergeant swung his own deadly sword scoring another gash across the huge orc's back.
The elf wizard frowned at the wasted spell to cause Tu'Grol to drop his weapon, only to have one of the guardsmen give another weapon back to the creature. He wracked his brain to figure out a way to bring down the massive humanoid that was being so difficult and snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. He pulled out a rolled up parchment with magical writing and read the ancient elvish command words, "D'rathayne Pi'ilta Joruur, Kamelle Braziin Madala'ath." The script began to glow in a golden hue and the entire parchment turned into a glowing thin cloud as Einlan pointed toward the chieftain. The magical vapor shot out swirling like a corkscrew across the battlefield and penetrated the orc leader.
Tu'Grol tried to swing his sword at the druid, but his muscular arm moved at half the normal speed and she easily moved out of the way. The holy knight seized the opportunity and made a quick slice across his tree-trunk like leg and then came in smashing his elbow into the chieftain's jaw. Jaceira walloped her oak staff across his temple causing the huge beast to stumble backwards. The green skinned humanoid's legs were moving slower than he expected which threw him off balance and onto his back. The paladin followed the huge orc and leapt on top of him driving his knee into its wide gut. Tu'Grol still refused to go down and tried to bring up his weapon, but the druid clubbed his hand with her oak staff causing him to drop the stolen long sword. The orc grabbed a hold of Jaceira's ankle with his other large hand and turned toward her to try and pull her down. The sergeant summoned the last of his energy and slammed his mailed fist into the orc leader's chin, finally knocking the enormous brute unconscious.
Sir Dural heaved a long sigh of relief and started to feel the pain of his wounds wracking his body. He looked around and was glad to see the two other soldiers were up and about and Cera was tending to Bandon. He heard crashing sounds as the two huge elite orc guards broke through the underbrush just north of their position. "Tyr's grace," the holy warrior croaked as he tried to get back to his feet.