Wasteland Survivor – The hammer - ch31
#32 of Wasteland Survivor
"Are they in position?" I snarled at the male, causing him to cower back delightfully.
He bowed low, scraping his forehead on the ground, "Yes High Priestess, all the vermin we could gather are in position, ready to strike." He replied.
"Begin it then, as was ordained by Her most high servant." I commanded.
"As your will." was his reply. As it should always be.
-
I was not sure what was happening, my father had suddenly stirred the clan up into a frenzy, ordering us to march, it seemed, to a war.
He wrought well, once you get a few hundred Orcs moving to a fight, they will be impossible to stop.
But something wasn't right, father displayed his usual hostility and white hot temper, but none of the cold calculation that had earned him the right to rule our clan.
Young male Orc that I was, I was sent to patrol our flanks with another, a younger warrior, who was two thing, infuriatingly talkative and hot blooded, a terrible combination in a scout.
"So what about it Grarst, how many of these freaks are you going to kill? Twenty? Thirty?" He asked, again, and again, and... oh I wish he would just-
Suddenly an arrow sprouted from him, just below his heavy skull at the back of his neck.
I stood in stunned silence, the wind whispered over the land, there was no trees for many days travel, no cover at all.
Carefully, I dropped my bundle of throwing spears, dropped my short hunting bow and carefully unhitched the axe I wore over my back, dropping that too.
I knew father had been meeting with Elves in secret, and they were the only race that could pull off such a shot.
I dropped to my knees in the grass, pushing down the need in my blood to jump up, grab my axe and charge... but at what? There was no-
"Don't move a muscle and you will live. You blink and your dead, got that?" A voice said behind me, I felt a knife at my throat.
The knife slowly withdrew and the figure walked around in front of me, a Kitsune, but built like no upright fox I had ever seen before, he wore clothing that made him blend into the grassy landscape perfectly.
He tossed a set of tough wrist straps to me, "Put your wrists in these." He said, there was no hint of compassion, I complied wordlessly.
He leaned in close and did up one cuff, a strange clicking sound issuing from it, as he reached for the other, I realised it was now or never, just as my muscles tensed and I started to act, my brain, almost as an afterthought, told me 'this one carries no bow, the archer is still out there'. I had his arm, and began to pull him forward, it would be a quick fight, his kind were known for their craftiness with magic but little else.
Without seeming to expend effort he pulled me forward, using my own muscle against me as I pulled, the last sight I had was his knee coming up to meet my forehead.
-
Ryst kneed the Orc in the head and it collapsed, my vision kept focusing in and out, paying close attention to the scene playing out ahead on the game-trail, but also scanning the horizon and the grass for threats, bow drawn, one arrow nocked, another resting beside it in my hand.
In short order Ryst had the orc trussed up and carried it on his shoulder.
I reached out to Drathnial.
~"Great one, we have a mark and require pick up."~ I superimposed an image of our location to him too.
~"Little pack mate, your hunting has been successful? That's good news, I am on my way."~ The presence faded
-
I watched Drath drop off his two charges and saw his claws uncurl and reveal a biped creature held in them.
"Crystal." I said softly, trying to get her attention away from the sleeping young. She wandered over to me, "Our hunters have some prey.".
~"I will keep an eye on them for you both, go, scat, you have adult work to do!"~ Lyliannas voice said to both of us as she walked silently by us with a smile.
"Thanks Lyl." Crystal and I said in unison.
~"Never a problem, they're such good kids."~ The cat girl replied.
We started making toward the command buildings, thankfully my stamina was back, the month since the birth had proven tiring for me but I was now full of energy again.
The Orc, now awake and sporting a huge shining lump at the front of his forehead glared at us.
"What do you want of me!" He yelled, "Torture me if you will, I will say nothing."
Jennings had walked up on the other side of me from Crystal, "Hrmm, his mind is a little different, but I don't think... Ahh." Her eyes were glowing.
The Orc, meanwhile suddenly looked terror struck, "All right, I will tell you anything, just please get out of me!" He struggled in Ryst's hands so much he managed to throw himself to the ground. Whereupon Hellen shut off her power, "All I did was make contact, I hadn't delved around at all..."
The Orc meanwhile was whimpering.
It was a few hours later, a quick bit of healing by Ryst and a warming cup of tea that the Orc was finally talking.
"So your saying my father, the chief of our clan, is under the control of the Elves? That they control him with one of those." He pointed to the wrist band, made of silver, sitting on the bench.
"That's a replica. But yes, pretty much." General Jennings said, confirming the story.
"I knew he was consorting with them, but this is too much." He paused a moment, looking at his hands as he opened and closed them. He then looked up at us, a fire burning in him I could almost feel, it was not un-akin to the songs the dragons sing. "How do I stop this?" He asked, death in his voice.
The others were momentarily stunned by his ferocity, but I wasn't, I let it soak through me, and I let my soul start to sing, throwing the heat back at him, "You want to stop this? You think you have it in you?" I asked, throwing more heat at him, raising the song of violence.
I saw him suddenly quench his fire, it was amazing to watch, and without warning he stood and looked at me a cold piece of iron trying to hold its way in front of the inferno that I was singing. He shouted, right at me, "I WILL FREE MY PEOPLE!"
I heard Brianath outside roar, her soul singing along.
Then I let the fire lower to a simmer, and looked at the Orc, his eyes showed two things, a staunch commitment to his people but also a fear that what he had was not enough for them.
"Follow my road berserker and we will find your way, come now, let those wiser than us plan and plot, this is a night for hunting." I turned and left the building. The Orc followed me out unrestrained.
-
"Did what just happen really happen?" I asked the stunned silence that Fox and the Orcs departure had left.
"I am not sure Don, but I think Fox means to teach that boy how to really fight." Crystal answered.
"Oh good, because I thought she was just inciting him to a blood frenzy for the fun of it..." I finished.
"Ok, another pot of coffee is on, what the hell are we going to do about the Dwarves, they have been sitting on the fence too long I think." Hellen moved us along, as Fox wanted.
For a brainless berserker she had us all jumping to her tune, and a good tune at that, far too much lately.
-
~"Bri, Fox needs to know where there are any Elf scouting parties nearby."~ Drathnial sent to me.
~"There's one to the south west Drath, HERE"~ I sent him the image of where they would likely be at this time of day.
~"Consider them no more."~ Was his only reply.
"Fuck, Ryst, we are moving, fast run, south west to grid fourty three, Fox and Drath are active there." I said to my patient partner.
He sighed, "Even I felt the song she has going, its a bit different to the one she and Drath sang that day at my village, but I don't believe the results will be any less bloody." He was on his feet as he said it, we broke into a sprint.
By the time we reached the site Fox and the Orc we had picked up a few days ago were finished, both standing there, looking at each other, blood all over them. Neither was armed.
We both dropped to the grass, I grabbed my rifle out and started scanning for any targets, Bri was doing the same with her binoculars, there was nothing left on the plain than the two standing before us and a whole lot of mess.
~"You are fast little hunter, but they worked quickly, this show is long over."~ Drath confirmed for us, he accompanied it with flashes of the fight, of Fox and the Orc ripping the hapless Elves to pieces.
I raised to a stand and started forward, Ryst stayed where he was, keeping over-watch.
"Fox!" I called when I was close, "You had a disagreement over the colour of an Elfs guts?" I asked casually.
The Orc looked at me oddly before he, and Fox, started laughing.
"Yeah yeah, ha ha bloody ha, DRATH, get these two back to camp!" I finished shouting, the dragon heeding my call and swooping down.
I was picking around the bits of body that were left, trying to find anything important.
"How did I get signed up for this job?" I asked the empty air, the dragon had left with his charges and Ryst was still out there, keeping me safe.
-
For the first time in a while my blood was truly hot, there had been a dozen of the pointy eared bastards.
After landing back at camp, the Orc looked at me and shook his head, "Its Grarst, by the way. My name that is." he said.
I just nodded, "Grarst the Orc, I am just known as Fox. Stay here a week, and I will teach you more in how to drive your blood hot."
His eyes were bright points, "If it gives me the training I need to beat my father and take hold of the tribe, then I will learn from you."
It was then Jennings came out, "Ahh, your back, Ryst just radioed in the results of your little stunt, poor Brianna is having to sift through bits of her own kind trying to find any intelligence." She admonished.
"Wait." Grarst said, "She is an Elf?"
"Hold it there big feller, she was not born an Elf, its an affliction, unfortunately permanent. The Elven goddess wanted her as a priestess, she declined and we had to do a bit of fighting to let them know we meant it."
"You took your whole clan to war to defend a single female?" He asked incredulous.
I laughed, "You have seen her at work, personally if she didn't want to do anything, I would not argue with her. But yes, I would fight every creature and god on this planet for the sake of one of my pack."
He looked thoughtful, right up until Hellen clamped a silver band over his wrist.
"What is this!" He all but shrieked, attempting to tear it off.
"Calm down, its a replica of the real thing." at these words he calmed, but still fidgeted it, "It will be your safety pass when you win your clan, to Elven magic it will look just like a real control bracer, even magically, they will be so busy trying to work out which faction is trying to mess with their plans they will not think to just kill you."
He paused and got a big grin on his tusked mouth, "You people are more devious than the Elves give you credit for. When I take control, be sure that my Orc hoard will not be an enemy at your door, but an ally against a common foe." He turned back to me, "Train me, you have five days, then I fight him and win or die."
I just nodded.