Chapter 6 - Part 2
Roaji leapt above the canopy, damning the rigidity of the trees here. Were he in the swamp jungles nearer to home he could have used the suppleness of the branches there to launch himself tens of feet and maintain a perpetual element of surprise. Not so here, however, where he was limited by his own strength and his every move was chronicled by showers of crimson flora. He made a token effort to maintain his surprise by launching a couple of spears through the upper reaches of the trees, thus creating false trails, but he knew the time for direct confrontation was soon.
Unfortunately, such an encounter would not be even remotely in his favour. The majority of dwarfs were experts at their chosen profession and these three had given him no reason to doubt that they were any different. To fight a single dwarf, an earth elemental in all but form, on solid ground was tantamount to receiving a death writ and here he faced a trio. But Roaji was not about to let Misty perish for the sole crime of crossing his path.
Besides, Roaji was no stranger to the art of violence and he was among the small number of orcs to have faced dwarfs and lived. In fact he even counted a handful of kills among his achievements. Granted those occasions had been mostly at times and places of his choosing, but considering dwarfs' extreme sturdiness and skill such accomplishments were not diminished. Even so, here he faced a battle he knew he was unlikely to win.
Misty; for her he would fight this no win scenario. Not because he loved her, for he had only known her a few days. Not because he hated the dwarfs, though he expected them to be fully cognizant of the hypocrisy of their so called justice. But because he had brought this danger upon the girl and out here he did not have to play the coward. Out here he had his freedom and autonomy and he would kill anyone who tried to take it from him.
And then the earth began to shake.
The tracker was saturating the ground with magic in order to gain mastery over the surroundings. It was an expected play and Roaji wished that the executioner had not forced the orc to make him his first target. He would have much rather used his surprise attack to incapacitate the group's magic user. Within moments a thick cloud of mud and dust had risen into the air, obscuring his vision and aim. He used the last of his perception to pin a handful of spears into the tree trunks closest to the dwarfs for emergency use then dropped down silently onto the ground.
As quiet as he was, the ground was ensorcelled letting the dwarfs know exactly where he had landed and knives and axes shot unerringly towards the orc through the dense dust cloud. Roaji was already elsewhere, however, and gone again as the next flight sought him. One dwarf called what Roaji knew to be a 'hold fire' and the orc grinned; they had sussed his strategy quickly, but he still doubted they had many projectiles left.
Swiftly, before the dwarfs could employ a new stratagem, the orc selected a specific spear and cut his thumb on the point before smearing the blood along the shaft. He then leapt at the dwarfs high, so as to pass over them. As he did so the blood vanished into the wood and Roaji felt the magic within the weapon prime. As the orc anticipated, the hunters were ready for him and the injured warrior stopped the spear thrust at his heart with practised ease, very almost tearing it from Roaji's grasp. The orc did not cease moving with his weapon however, using the executioner's solid grip on it as a pole vault to extend his jump well past them. Before Roaji landed again the spear exploded.
The scent of blood filled the orc's nostrils as the dwarfs were slashed by splinters and he felt the fluid lusting beast within him stir. He quashed it grudgingly, this fight he could only win by being smarter than his opponents. He was moving again the moment his bare feet hit turf, drawing his most sturdy spear just in time to deflect a dagger a dwarf had held back. Roaji felt the blow vibrate all the way to his spine; he had forgotten how preternaturally strong his enemy could be.
He zig zagged through the sediment filled air making his path erratic as possible and cursing the dwarfs and their runes. Normally a magically talented being could only effect their attuned element through direct touch, however through the use of their runes, dwarfs had discovered a way to use the latent energy in air and water as a medium through which to channel their will into the connected earth. Given enough time, they would be able to make the dirt 'smart' enough to discern, target and likely flay him alive.
Roaji had no intention of giving them that time, but he indulged himself a quick look to see if he could spot Misty through the levitating soil.
Would she look at him in fear, awe or rage? One of the things that attracted him to her so much was that he could never guess what she would do next or how she would react. With a greater sense of regret than he was expecting he failed to catch sight of her, but his moment was over and he had a job to do.
At this point, clever tricks and moves would only serve to delay his defeat. If he had any hope of beating the dwarfs now, it would be through direct confrontation with enough distraction to prevent them from enacting a magical technique he could not counter or avoid. If his exploded spear had left them with open wounds, he would at least have a better chance of taking them down with him.
Roaji came at his enemy low, swinging his spear widely; thrusting against an opponent armed with axes was a sure way of finding himself disarmed. He had hoped to get some time to neuter the magically able tracker, yet the executioner was at the front again shielding his allies. He was in dire condition; pin cushioned by large splinters, one having blinded an eye and his earlier chest wound still seeping, but he was still standing. A few feints answered by sluggish parries was enough for the orc to know that it would take little to finish him off, to do so though would leave him open to the other two.
Quicker than the warrior could hope to catch, the orc slid through an opening to get at the female, attacking with an overhead smash for maximum distraction; dwarfs in particular were paranoid about falling objects. To his dismay though, she met his attack with an even swifter one of her own and he barely twisted around a dagger thrust to his throat. Too unwieldy for close quarters he flicked his weapon by the haft into the air and spun his dodge into a heel spin to her jaw. Though it felt like he had just kicked a boulder, the tracker staggered and Roaji reached for his falling weapon to push his advantage.
The warrior beat him to it, arcing his axe to crash through the spear and down upon the orc. Roaji flung himself backwards crudely suffering a glancing blow to his chest and landing several feet back with a crash. He pulled himself up with a cough that made his vision swim as agony threatened to steal his consciousness. The orc snarled through the pain, drawing his remaining two spears and hoping that his ribs were only cracked and not broken or his last stand would be shorter than he had hoped. Setting his spears parallel against his forearms in a defensive stance, he met the dwarfs charge with a roar.
Misty swatted away Kentin's hand as he again tried to pull her away from the swirling melee. It was still difficult to see through the dust cloud Verity had summoned, but she could still make out Roaji's much larger silhouette as it dashed around and against the two smaller ones of the tracker and executioner. It was difficult to tell who was winning however, from the fact that it was always the orc who retreated and never the dwarfs, if she had to guess; the Hunters had the upper hand.
Yenix was moving some distance away, outside of the cloud, seemingly looking for an opening in which to help.
"Please, Misty," Kentin was sounding increasingly desperate, his sight having returned.
"We can't just leave him! He came to save us."
"Yes, he did. But he made me promise to get you out of here if it came to violence."
The girl spun on him, "What?!"
"I'm sorry, I tried to get them to let you go, but the orc must've seen them about to attack."
She shook her head, "No. You spoke to Roaji? Since when were you two speaking? What the fuck?"
"Um, when I heard that the Hunters had you, I figured I might need help. So I found Roaji was it? And he helped me find you," the boy looked abashed.
"But how did you even find him? The dwarfs had us going in circles for hours."
"Well I kind of bumped into him last night and noticed he was wearing a herbalist's garb and-"
"Never mind," Misty interrupted, "explain later. Give me that," she snatched the dirk that he was holding limply.
He stared at the weapon dumbly for a moment before understanding her intent, "Misty, no! This isn't a bar fight; they'll kill you."
Misty surprised herself when she leaned in to kiss Kentin tenderly, "Thank you for coming for me, but I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me."
Further protests died on his lips and the girl turned and marched towards Yenix. She had no clue what she would or even could do against the dwarf besides annoy him enough to make herself a decoy; but she was sick of everyone fighting but her. The army had taken her boys from her and with them the life she had made. Now these dwarfs had come, destroyed Hen's livelihood and were poised to kill the man who had given her a passionate reprieve from her anguish. To say she was angry would be an understatement. She poured her rage into her father's long dagger and swung, the ambassador did not even hear her coming.
Not that it mattered. It felt like she had just struck a brick house and while the dwarf did recoil in shock and pain, he did not fall.
"Stupid girl," he said before punching her off her feet.
As the orc wove himself between attacks, he found he could only admire his opponents. The executioner and tracker moved almost in unison, closing openings as fast as he noticed them and mutually supporting each other in ways his people would have trouble conceiving of let alone achieving. Competition between orc males was brutally fierce; the spirit of cooperation but a ghost. Even the martially unskilled ambassador was doing his part by staying out of the melee. That dwarf was behind him somewhere and Roaji had to force himself not to worry; they had not brought crossbows and he was still confident that they had exhausted their supply of throwing weapons.
Except perhaps the wily female whose skill and speed was extraordinary. As fast as she was though, the orc was faster and he had no plans to play into their battle of attrition. He had been holding back his magic abilities, on account that the dwarfs would no doubt be able to quickly nullify it, for a decisive attack and now was the time.
The orc was down to a single spear so he shot back to spin around a tree, plucking another he had planted earlier. Dual wielding again he wove a rapid pattern of attacks that his enemies could not hope to match, bringing himself as close to them as he dared. Were they human or orc they would have been torn to ribbons by the flurry of slashes, yet the earthen adversaries merely endured his storm. As expected the warrior kept himself juxtaposed as the hunter's shield as she moved round warily waiting for her chance to counter. This time, she did not get her chance.
Roaji energized his alchemical powers in a rush, drawing his blood from the dozen odd cuts he had accrued during the fight and formed as many scarlet vipers from them. In an instant he went from humanoid to a writhing mass of hissing death. Some blood snakes spat burning venom at the two dwarfs, other stretched out to snap viciously at them. The orc quickly became lightheaded as he used his blood as a weapon, but did not falter adding his voice to the serpents' shrieks. If they wanted to consider him a monster, he would give them one.
The highly acidic blood caught the executioner full in the face, blinding him and he staggered back. The female had covered her face in time and was readying what Roaji had no doubt were nullification runes, so he threw both his spears at her one after the other. She must have anticipated the attack as she dodged the first with a duck, the second however found its mark, slamming into her arm and scattering her stones.
The male dwarf unfortunately decided he was not out of the fight yet and the orc scarcely avoided a clumsy swing. A few of his serpents were beheaded, splashing harmlessly into the ground as they were separated from their font. Roaji did not allow himself to lose his beat and twisted around the axe and the warrior holding it ended up behind him. The orc took hold of the dwarf's skull, finding the open wounds on his face and letting their blood merge. As soon as they were linked he flooded energy into the executioners head and gave the fluid within a single command: boil.
The dwarf was dead before he even had a chance to scream, collapsing at the orc's feet, red steam pouring from every orifice. Roaji wobbled on his feet, tired and reluctant to take satisfaction in the grizzly kill, still; one down. The tracker was still gathering her fallen runes and the orc took an unsteady, yet purposeful step towards her. Then a scream cut through the air.
It was Misty. He spun away from his prey looking for the source. He could not fail. Not now. A metaphorical dagger stabbed into his heart and then a literal one went into his back.
Roaji fell to one knee as his strength finally failed him, a moment later his magic failed too. He recognized the poison entering his blood immediately, though he had never experienced it personally or seen it in action. News of its use and effects travelled quickly among the scattered orc settlements. When Blood Hunters were able to subdue a rogue orc without killing him they would almost always transport them to another human region, infect them and set them loose.
First the toxin would strip the orc of any magical ability, then over the course of a few days it would drive its victim mad; stripping them of their reason, empathy and all else that separated man from beast. The orc would subsequently go on a mad rampage, killing anything in its path until either the dwarfs responsible re-emerged posing as saviours to eliminate the threat or a terrified human militia managed to take it down. Even if Roaji miraculously survived the next few minutes, he was regardless, a dead man.
With difficulty he reached back to pull the blade from his shoulder and as he feared it was little more than a stiletto, designed only to pierce and infect rather than kill. He dropped it to the petal covered ground, turning just in time to see the tracker levitate a rock into her hand and then slam said rock into his head. Roaji snarled at her, refusing to go down quietly. The dwarf smiled maliciously back at him, then hit him again.
Everything went black for a moment and the next thing he knew he was on his back with the female straddling his torso. She held the poisoned blade, examining it with calm curiosity. As soon as she noticed he was conscious she asked in unexpectedly clear orcish, "What to do with you, dwarf killer?"
Roaji tried to move, however the dwarf slammed a fist down on his bruised ribs, paralyzing him with pain. The orc sputtered in burning misery, struggling to remain awake and clearheaded. In the distance he thought he could make out grunting and the sound of cloth and flesh being rent. It really was over.
The tracker continued, "I don't know if I desire more to kill you now or watch you suffer, thad'duick," the last word was dwarfish. It did not translate well but roughly meant, 'one who is unworthy of receiving a god's blessing.'
She leaned down to slice open his cheek with the stiletto glaring at him triumphantly all the while, daring him to defy her again. Only when he felt his tears mix with the blood did he realize he was crying, yet he was beyond shame, "Misty!" he cried.
"Roaji?" a weak, confused, but very much alive voice called back.
The dwarf and orc's eyes met as both suddenly realized their roles were reversed. Rage and purpose thrummed through him, emanating as a snarl that ended only when his sharp teeth found her throat. She tried to stab him, he batted the weapon away. She tried to pummel him, he ignored the pain. The orc pulled her close and tore.
Misty's entire body shook as she forced the blade into Yenix's back again and again. The dwarf was surely dead, but she had to make sure. Everything had happened so quickly; she had tried to fight the dwarf, yet he was too strong. Then Kentin had charged in, practically bouncing off the ambassador. Yenix had then attacked the boy, pinning him to the ground and drawing his sword. From somewhere beyond desperation, the girl had leapt onto Yenix's back and found the strength to force her sword into the stone.
The dwarf had stopped struggling now, almost certainly dead, yet she had to be sure. She stabbed again and again, Kentin's pleas for her to stop barely registering. She forced her trembling blood soaked hands to hold the hilt tighter so she could force the weapon through as many times as it would take to be absolutely certain they could not take anything from her again.
"Misty!" a plaintive cry that could not possibly belong to her strong orc called to her.
Barely trusting her own voice she managed to respond in query, "Roaji?"
She could not see him through the floating dirt, then after a long moment, as if by magic, the veil of particles unexpectedly dropped. She quickly spotted Roaji as he rolled a limp and bloody Verity off of his chest.
The lazy bastard was lying down! She could not believe that the orc had the audacity to be relaxing at a time like this. Yet, all of a sudden, lying down did not seem like such a bad idea after all. Leaving her dirk in the dwarf she allowed herself to flop backwards into the soft bed of red petals with a sigh.
She reached out her hand towards the orc and several feet away he reached back to her.
Continued in Chapter 7
Post a comment