Chapter 57: Again
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With no one to lead them, and with the death of their revered leader looming over them like an ominous shadow, the remaining orcs surrendered to the all demanding system of lawlessness.
Thus, without even having to launch an attack, Xzavier had already spread a neat blend of panic and terror over the gullible orcs. Their leader was gone. There was little to no hope for a better future for them. So, head over heels, they skipped and ran like fire had been set on their backsides.
With nothing to live for, they recklessly abandoned their home, they left behind the solidarity of tribe, and they lurched forward with a zeal that could only match that of a deer running from a cheetah.
So, the once proud and majestic orc tribe fled before the terror that was Xzavier. With her face contorted in a mask of pure avarice, Adalia drank in the scene with the insatiable thirst of a blood thirsty vampire. The young woman savored the scene, drinking every part in and burning every inch of the picture before her into her memory.
In several days to come, when she would retire to her bed on many a night, she would replay this very scene in her head and become intoxicated with the same feeling dangerously coursing through her being. This was more than what she had been promised.
Having lost the leadership of their chief the orcs all dived in different directions. In retrospect, Xzavier realized that he might have gone a little overboard with the stunt he had pulled with the flare gun and the head of the chief orc. The effect on the orcs had proven to be more disastrous than he had originally intended. At this stage, it was almost impossible for Xzavier to gather them all in one heap to finish them up.
But he consoled himself with the fact that maybe it was no longer imperative that they be killed off. Unlike the goblins, individual orcs weren't that much of a threat. Indeed, it could truly be said that true strength of an orc attack lies in their numbers. Orcs loved the comfortable anonymity of being part of a herd. So, as long as their unity was broken, they were little more than just chaff before the wind.
The atmosphere at the top of the cliff was in complete contrast to the atmosphere in the valley below. Tacy, Adalia and even Xzavier reveled in the euphoria of victory. It had been a long and arduous journey, and now, right before their very eyes, the victory which had seemed so unattainable had finally materialized! The hunters had become the hunted!
Only Kadin didn't seem to be in a victorious mood. As a matured mind, he knew that an enemy was at his most dangerous when he appears to be fleeing. The old man couldn't truly bring himself to celebrate yet. As he separated his consciousness from the joy of his environment, he dug into the far reaches of his mind to search for the root of the trouble that was irking him.
With a violent start, Kadin remembered!
"Of course!" he thought inwardly. "How could I have been so carried away!"
The nagging worry that had been eating deep into his subconscious was none other than the fear for the safety of the group of hunters whom he had left waiting for him in the woods! Unintentionally, Kadin had now placed them in the path of the desperate orcs. Kadin didn't like the odds of the group having to face the rampage of these frenzied beasts.
Worst of all, the only reason why there were at that location was because Kadin had pleaded with them to remain there and wait for his return. They never would have been there in the first place if Kadin hadn't dragged them into this mission. Right now, they were about to face the vengeful rage of this fleeing band of orcs.
With this frightful feeling of guilt threatening to swallow Kadin whole, the old man voiced his concerns to the group;
"Xzavier! Quick, we have to get out of here!"
Xzavier gave one of those dramatic shoulder turns and looked at the old man quizzically.
"Relax old man, the worst is over now. They can't get us here."
Even as Xzavier spoke, he knew that the orcs getting to them probably wasn't the issue. But he had to goad the old man into spilling his worries.
"I am not taking about us!" Kadin snapped as he replied the younger man.
Xzavier raised his eyes brows, trying his possible best to follow the old man's thought train.
"…he's referring to the hunters we left behind in the woods Xzavier."
Fortunately for Xzavier, Tacy chose that exact moment to step in step in. She slowly brought Xzavier up to date on the old man's worries.
"There's about two dozen of them who came out with us on this mission to rescue you. And right now, they are presently camped in the woods not too far away from here…"
Xzavier tensed as he came to terms with the urgency of the situation. Having finally understood, Xzavier swerved his head towards Kadin.
"That would mean that they are about to be on the receiving end of a bunch of wrathful orcs! The carnage would be astronomical."
"We need to get a move on Xzavier. You know what this means don't you?"
Of course Xzavier knew what it meant both for him and for the old man. If the entire group ended up being slaughtered, then their blood would be on both Xzavier and Kadin's hands.
"Damn it! I can't just seem to catch a break!" Xzavier's annoyance was understandable. Each time he felt like this was all over, he found himself instantly hooked on another branch of trouble.
Xzavier finally made the call.
"Alright let's go everyone! We need to make it in time before the orcs chance on those hunters! Remember that they don't know what had happened here. So hurry up! Let's go!"
So, despite the group's apparent fatigue, they rushed back with full speed towards the unsuspecting group of hunters who had been left exposed. Everyone surged forward, hoping against hope that the orcs wouldn't get there first before them. Because if they did, there was no band of hunters that would be able to withstand the full force of the orc's who had been stricken by terror.
No one prayed harder than Kadin. Asides from the fact that he was the proprietor of the underground exchange and these men were his comrades, it also wasn't the fact that this was majorly about business. No, the feeling of dread that haunted Kadin, hovering over his every thought was born out of and fanned by the fires of his PTSD from his younger days. This moment was reminiscent of the time that the chief orc had single handedly slaughtered almost three-quarters of his circle of hunters back then.
It had taken the old man a great many years to put that incident behind him. The loneliness and the feeling of helplessness that followed was crushing. That loss and pain had been a very solid foundation on which Kadin had built his character. Overtime, the magician had built walls and walls of fortification round about himself to make sure that an event like that never occurred.
He went deeper and deeper into magic. He gained for himself the respect and admiration of both peers and seniors. The crowning glory of his efforts was the underground exchange which he had built in honor of his fallen hunter friends. And right now, all of this was threatening to be destroyed as a result of his choice to willingly drag them out here even when they protested that they wanted to leave.
As Kadin tore through the woods on his feet, dawn greeted the landscape, filling the terrain with the warm glow of the first sun rays of the day. But Kadin hadn't been so disinterested in nature and its beauty for such a long time. At the moment, his heart had already left his body, it was waiting for him up ahead, where he had abandoned the hunters.
Kadin stepped up his pace and broke into a run. He dashed ahead with the energy and strength that one would not expect from a man of his age and dignified status. Before long, he disappeared out of sight, leaving Xzavier, Tacy and Adalia in the dust. Xzavier cursed under his breath.
"Damn!! This old man!!!"
But Xzavier couldn't fully grasp Kadin's state mind. It wasn't like Xzavier couldn't run ahead like Kadin, the fact was that he was considerate of the two women with him. Neither of them had had a good night's rest in days, they were exhausted, famished and in need of recuperation time. Also, he couldn't very well abandon them in the middle of the woods, especially when a pack of wrathful orcs were on the prowl.
So, at a steady pace, Xzavier and the rest covered the distance between them and their destination.
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With no one to lead them, and with the death of their revered leader looming over them like an ominous shadow, the remaining orcs surrendered to the all demanding system of lawlessness.
Thus, without even having to launch an attack, Xzavier had already spread a neat blend of panic and terror over the gullible orcs. Their leader was gone. There was little to no hope for a better future for them. So, head over heels, they skipped and ran like fire had been set on their backsides.
With nothing to live for, they recklessly abandoned their home, they left behind the solidarity of tribe, and they lurched forward with a zeal that could only match that of a deer running from a cheetah.
So, the once proud and majestic orc tribe fled before the terror that was Xzavier. With her face contorted in a mask of pure avarice, Adalia drank in the scene with the insatiable thirst of a blood thirsty vampire. The young woman savored the scene, drinking every part in and burning every inch of the picture before her into her memory.
In several days to come, when she would retire to her bed on many a night, she would replay this very scene in her head and become intoxicated with the same feeling dangerously coursing through her being. This was more than what she had been promised.
Having lost the leadership of their chief the orcs all dived in different directions. In retrospect, Xzavier realized that he might have gone a little overboard with the stunt he had pulled with the flare gun and the head of the chief orc. The effect on the orcs had proven to be more disastrous than he had originally intended. At this stage, it was almost impossible for Xzavier to gather them all in one heap to finish them up.
But he consoled himself with the fact that maybe it was no longer imperative that they be killed off. Unlike the goblins, individual orcs weren't that much of a threat. Indeed, it could truly be said that true strength of an orc attack lies in their numbers. Orcs loved the comfortable anonymity of being part of a herd. So, as long as their unity was broken, they were little more than just chaff before the wind.
The atmosphere at the top of the cliff was in complete contrast to the atmosphere in the valley below. Tacy, Adalia and even Xzavier reveled in the euphoria of victory. It had been a long and arduous journey, and now, right before their very eyes, the victory which had seemed so unattainable had finally materialized! The hunters had become the hunted!
Only Kadin didn't seem to be in a victorious mood. As a matured mind, he knew that an enemy was at his most dangerous when he appears to be fleeing. The old man couldn't truly bring himself to celebrate yet. As he separated his consciousness from the joy of his environment, he dug into the far reaches of his mind to search for the root of the trouble that was irking him.
With a violent start, Kadin remembered!
"Of course!" he thought inwardly. "How could I have been so carried away!"
The nagging worry that had been eating deep into his subconscious was none other than the fear for the safety of the group of hunters whom he had left waiting for him in the woods! Unintentionally, Kadin had now placed them in the path of the desperate orcs. Kadin didn't like the odds of the group having to face the rampage of these frenzied beasts.
Worst of all, the only reason why there were at that location was because Kadin had pleaded with them to remain there and wait for his return. They never would have been there in the first place if Kadin hadn't dragged them into this mission. Right now, they were about to face the vengeful rage of this fleeing band of orcs.
With this frightful feeling of guilt threatening to swallow Kadin whole, the old man voiced his concerns to the group;
"Xzavier! Quick, we have to get out of here!"
Xzavier gave one of those dramatic shoulder turns and looked at the old man quizzically.
"Relax old man, the worst is over now. They can't get us here."
Even as Xzavier spoke, he knew that the orcs getting to them probably wasn't the issue. But he had to goad the old man into spilling his worries.
"I am not taking about us!" Kadin snapped as he replied the younger man.
Xzavier raised his eyes brows, trying his possible best to follow the old man's thought train.
"…he's referring to the hunters we left behind in the woods Xzavier."
Fortunately for Xzavier, Tacy chose that exact moment to step in step in. She slowly brought Xzavier up to date on the old man's worries.
"There's about two dozen of them who came out with us on this mission to rescue you. And right now, they are presently camped in the woods not too far away from here…"
Xzavier tensed as he came to terms with the urgency of the situation. Having finally understood, Xzavier swerved his head towards Kadin.
"That would mean that they are about to be on the receiving end of a bunch of wrathful orcs! The carnage would be astronomical."
"We need to get a move on Xzavier. You know what this means don't you?"
Of course Xzavier knew what it meant both for him and for the old man. If the entire group ended up being slaughtered, then their blood would be on both Xzavier and Kadin's hands.
"Damn it! I can't just seem to catch a break!" Xzavier's annoyance was understandable. Each time he felt like this was all over, he found himself instantly hooked on another branch of trouble.
Xzavier finally made the call.
"Alright let's go everyone! We need to make it in time before the orcs chance on those hunters! Remember that they don't know what had happened here. So hurry up! Let's go!"
So, despite the group's apparent fatigue, they rushed back with full speed towards the unsuspecting group of hunters who had been left exposed. Everyone surged forward, hoping against hope that the orcs wouldn't get there first before them. Because if they did, there was no band of hunters that would be able to withstand the full force of the orc's who had been stricken by terror.
No one prayed harder than Kadin. Asides from the fact that he was the proprietor of the underground exchange and these men were his comrades, it also wasn't the fact that this was majorly about business. No, the feeling of dread that haunted Kadin, hovering over his every thought was born out of and fanned by the fires of his PTSD from his younger days. This moment was reminiscent of the time that the chief orc had single handedly slaughtered almost three-quarters of his circle of hunters back then.
It had taken the old man a great many years to put that incident behind him. The loneliness and the feeling of helplessness that followed was crushing. That loss and pain had been a very solid foundation on which Kadin had built his character. Overtime, the magician had built walls and walls of fortification round about himself to make sure that an event like that never occurred.
He went deeper and deeper into magic. He gained for himself the respect and admiration of both peers and seniors. The crowning glory of his efforts was the underground exchange which he had built in honor of his fallen hunter friends. And right now, all of this was threatening to be destroyed as a result of his choice to willingly drag them out here even when they protested that they wanted to leave.
As Kadin tore through the woods on his feet, dawn greeted the landscape, filling the terrain with the warm glow of the first sun rays of the day. But Kadin hadn't been so disinterested in nature and its beauty for such a long time. At the moment, his heart had already left his body, it was waiting for him up ahead, where he had abandoned the hunters.
Kadin stepped up his pace and broke into a run. He dashed ahead with the energy and strength that one would not expect from a man of his age and dignified status. Before long, he disappeared out of sight, leaving Xzavier, Tacy and Adalia in the dust. Xzavier cursed under his breath.
"Damn!! This old man!!!"
But Xzavier couldn't fully grasp Kadin's state mind. It wasn't like Xzavier couldn't run ahead like Kadin, the fact was that he was considerate of the two women with him. Neither of them had had a good night's rest in days, they were exhausted, famished and in need of recuperation time. Also, he couldn't very well abandon them in the middle of the woods, especially when a pack of wrathful orcs were on the prowl.
So, at a steady pace, Xzavier and the rest covered the distance between them and their destination.
With no one to lead them, and with the death of their revered leader looming over them like an ominous shadow, the remaining orcs surrendered to the all demanding system of lawlessness.Thus, without even having to launch an attack, Xzavier had already spread a neat blend of panic and terror over the gullible orcs. Their leader was gone. There was little to no hope for a better future for them. So, head over heels, they skipped and ran like fire had been set on their backsides.With nothing to live for, they recklessly abandoned their home, they left behind the solidarity of tribe, and they lurched forward with a zeal that could only match that of a deer running from a cheetah.So, the once proud and majestic orc tribe fled before the terror that was Xzavier. With her face contorted in a mask of pure avarice, Adalia drank in the scene with the insatiable thirst of a blood thirsty vampire. The young woman savored the scene, drinking every part in and burning every inch of the picture before her into her memory.In several days to come, when she would retire to her bed on many a night, she would replay this very scene in her head and become intoxicated with the same feeling dangerously coursing through her being. This was more than what she had been promised.Having lost the leadership of their chief the orcs all dived in different directions. In retrospect, Xzavier realized that he might have gone a little overboard with the stunt he had pulled with the flare gun and the head of the chief orc. The effect on the orcs had proven to be more disastrous than he had originally intended. At this stage, it was almost impossible for Xzavier to gather them all in one heap to finish them up.But he consoled himself with the fact that maybe it was no longer imperative that they be killed off. Unlike the goblins, individual orcs weren't that much of a threat. Indeed, it could truly be said that true strength of an orc attack lies in their numbers. Orcs loved the comfortable anonymity of being part of a herd. So, as long as their unity was broken, they were little more than just chaff before the wind.The atmosphere at the top of the cliff was in complete contrast to the atmosphere in the valley below. Tacy, Adalia and even Xzavier reveled in the euphoria of victory. It had been a long and arduous journey, and now, right before their very eyes, the victory which had seemed so unattainable had finally materialized! The hunters had become the hunted!Only Kadin didn't seem to be in a victorious mood. As a matured mind, he knew that an enemy was at his most dangerous when he appears to be fleeing. The old man couldn't truly bring himself to celebrate yet. As he separated his consciousness from the joy of his environment, he dug into the far reaches of his mind to search for the root of the trouble that was irking him.With a violent start, Kadin remembered!"Of course!" he thought inwardly. "How could I have been so carried away!"The nagging worry that had been eating deep into his subconscious was none other than the fear for the safety of the group of hunters whom he had left waiting for him in the woods! Unintentionally, Kadin had now placed them in the path of the desperate orcs. Kadin didn't like the odds of the group having to face the rampage of these frenzied beasts.Worst of all, the only reason why there were at that location was because Kadin had pleaded with them to remain there and wait for his return. They never would have been there in the first place if Kadin hadn't dragged them into this mission. Right now, they were about to face the vengeful rage of this fleeing band of orcs.With this frightful feeling of guilt threatening to swallow Kadin whole, the old man voiced his concerns to the group;"Xzavier! Quick, we have to get out of here!"Xzavier gave one of those dramatic shoulder turns and looked at the old man quizzically."Relax old man, the worst is over now. They can't get us here."Even as Xzavier spoke, he knew that the orcs getting to them probably wasn't the issue. But he had to goad the old man into spilling his worries."I am not taking about us!" Kadin snapped as he replied the younger man.Xzavier raised his eyes brows, trying his possible best to follow the old man's thought train."he's referring to the hunters we left behind in the woods Xzavier."Fortunately for Xzavier, Tacy chose that exact moment to step in step in. She slowly brought Xzavier up to date on the old man's worries."There's about two dozen of them who came out with us on this mission to rescue you. And right now, they are presently camped in the woods not too far away from here"Xzavier tensed as he came to terms with the urgency of the situation. Having finally understood, Xzavier swerved his head towards Kadin."That would mean that they are about to be on the receiving end of a bunch of wrathful orcs! The carnage would be astronomical.""We need to get a move on Xzavier. You know what this means don't you?"Of course Xzavier knew what it meant both for him and for the old man. If the entire group ended up being slaughtered, then their blood would be on both Xzavier and Kadin's hands."Damn it! I can't just seem to catch a break!" Xzavier's annoyance was understandable. Each time he felt like this was all over, he found himself instantly hooked on another branch of trouble.Xzavier finally made the call."Alright let's go everyone! We need to make it in time before the orcs chance on those hunters! Remember that they don't know what had happened here. So hurry up! Let's go!"So, despite the group's apparent fatigue, they rushed back with full speed towards the unsuspecting group of hunters who had been left exposed. Everyone surged forward, hoping against hope that the orcs wouldn't get there first before them. Because if they did, there was no band of hunters that would be able to withstand the full force of the orc's who had been stricken by terror.No one prayed harder than Kadin. Asides from the fact that he was the proprietor of the underground exchange and these men were his comrades, it also wasn't the fact that this was majorly about business. No, the feeling of dread that haunted Kadin, hovering over his every thought was born out of and fanned by the fires of his PTSD from his younger days. This moment was reminiscent of the time that the chief orc had single handedly slaughtered almost three-quarters of his circle of hunters back then.It had taken the old man a great many years to put that incident behind him. The loneliness and the feeling of helplessness that followed was crushing. That loss and pain had been a very solid foundation on which Kadin had built his character. Overtime, the magician had built walls and walls of fortification round about himself to make sure that an event like that never occurred.He went deeper and deeper into magic. He gained for himself the respect and admiration of both peers and seniors. The crowning glory of his efforts was the underground exchange which he had built in honor of his fallen hunter friends. And right now, all of this was threatening to be destroyed as a result of his choice to willingly drag them out here even when they protested that they wanted to leave.As Kadin tore through the woods on his feet, dawn greeted the landscape, filling the terrain with the warm glow of the first sun rays of the day. But Kadin hadn't been so disinterested in nature and its beauty for such a long time. At the moment, his heart had already left his body, it was waiting for him up ahead, where he had abandoned the hunters.Kadin stepped up his pace and broke into a run. He dashed ahead with the energy and strength that one would not expect from a man of his age and dignified status. Before long, he disappeared out of sight, leaving Xzavier, Tacy and Adalia in the dust. Xzavier cursed under his breath."Damn!! This old man!!!"But Xzavier couldn't fully grasp Kadin's state mind. It wasn't like Xzavier couldn't run ahead like Kadin, the fact was that he was considerate of the two women with him. Neither of them had had a good night's rest in days, they were exhausted, famished and in need of recuperation time. Also, he couldn't very well abandon them in the middle of the woods, especially when a pack of wrathful orcs were on the prowl.So, at a steady pace, Xzavier and the rest covered the distance between them and their destination.
