Silence filled the room again and Sergeant Hunter left. Awkwardness settled over the room as an hour ticked away. Nerves eating at each of the Knights. Elise leaned into Alden and Warren found himself wondering if Victoria would be watching. Odds are she would be with her father viewing from the center of the stands in the Royal Box. Fights in the Arena weren’t common, but they weren’t uncommon either. It would attract most of the people living within the city and a few members of the nobility as well. Maybe even a Lord or two. The time continued to creep by.
Sergeant Hunter entered the room again from above and motioned to John and Skorri, “These guys are big and strong you two. Don’t get heroic. Wear him down. Come back in one piece.”
John stood in silence and checked his falchion at his side as he strapped on his round shield. Skorri nodded once and tossed his maul onto his back and hooked a pair of axes into his belt. The big man smiled, “Just in case.”
Sergeant Hunter nodded once and opened the door to the arena letting Skorri and John out into the open. The people started to cheer and Warren moved over closer to the bars. The stands were packed with people but the Royal Box wasn’t visible from the holding chamber where the other Knights waited. Warren watched Skorri and John bow toward what he assumed was the King. The people continued to cheer as Skorri pulled the maul from his back and rested it on his shoulder. John drew his falchion, the wide, single-edged sword gleaming in the sunlight.
Warren licked his lips as the gates opposite their holding cell door opened and the orc stepped out. His skin was a grey color, and the whites of his eyes were a grey as well. He wore a brown pair of pants but no shirt and he was bald. Big wasn’t the word. Huge almost did it. John was just shy of 6 ft tall. Skorri was 6 and a half feet tall and a giant. The orc was nearly 7 ft tall and just as broad as Skorri. Warren saw Skorri lean his head back and laugh as he hefted his maul and twirled it in one hand. The orc bellowed as a heavy club was thrown out after him and the orc hefted the weapon in one hand. It had to be five feet long. The grey giant gave a bellow of rage and loped across the field toward Skorri and John. The fight was underway.
Chapter 63 Skorri's Harmr
Alden slid up beside Warren as the orc’s rage echoed through the chamber. John seemed nervous but calm while Skorri bounced with excitement. That didn’t surprise the green eyed man in the least. Skorri was the type of person who lived for the thrill of battle.
The loping stride of the Orc seemed to make the ground shake and as the grey giant closed the distance Skorri and John fanned out in opposite directions. The Orc locked his eyes on Skorri and made a bee-line for the large Knight. The big man held his ground as the club came arcing through the air and Skorri swung the blunt side of his maul to meet it. The heavy hammer head turned the crushing blow aside so it slammed into the grass beside Skorri and the giant Knight released one hand from his maul and rammed his elbow into the Orc’s head.
The Orc’s neck twisted as he registered the blow but then Skorri’s eyes went wide as the grey giant smiled and his open hand flew toward Skorri’s neck. The big man rolled under the grasping hand with a clatter of steel and stumbled back to his feet as he abandoned his weapon. The Orc released his club and picked up Skorri’s maul, examining the weapon before grunting and sending it soaring through the air toward the big Knight.
Skorri twisted out of the weapon’s path and the Orc laughed. The laugh twisted itself into a bellow of pain as John’s falchion tore into the grey man’s tough skin drawing a thick, viscous line of yellow-green blood. The bleeding Orc swung his fist and John ducked the heavy handed blow and the follow up punch to the chest that followed. The third blow was a crushing left that John caught with his shield. The punch sent the young man sprawling onto his back and the Orc smiled, walking toward his fallen foe.
The Orc jerked away from the blade of Skorri’s first axe. The second blade whirled through the air behind it and the Orc nimbly dodged it as well. Skorri grit his teeth and pressed forward, a barrage of steel slicing through the air in front of him as the Orc dodged backwards and his grin grew broader and broader. The Orc hopped back a half foot and swept Skorri’s maul off the ground where it had fallen. The grey giant wielded the heavy weapon with one hand and batted aside the next swing of Skorri’s combination and smashed the butt of the weapon into the big Knight’s chest, making him stumble. The Orc brought the bladed head of the weapon arcing around as John pounced with a snarl.
The heavy weapon bit into John’s shield and buried itself there. The grey man growled loudly and yanked on the weapon, pulling John off balance as the maul came free. The Orc struck the smaller Knight’s chest with his open palm and sent the young man sprawling. Skorri bellowed as he stepped forward, axes whistling. The grey giant bellowed as one axe tore into his left arm but the inhuman being swung Skorri’s maul and made the young man hop back a step, abandoning the weapon.
John rolled back to his feet Skorri and the pair lunged forward. The Orc swung the maul in a wide two handed arc , making both Knights duck under the blow and then hop back as the maul whistled back through the air. The grey giant bellowed out as he twisted out of the way of Skorri’s axe and spun, the butt of the large weapon smashing across the big man’s shoulders and sent him sprawling face first into the dirt.
John lunged forward with his falchion extended before him only to have the blow batted aside with the maul’s haft and then the butt came around, smashing into the shield and making John stumble. Skorri started to rise and turn as the blunt end of the maul swung around in another wide arc. The giant Knight lurched forward. The arena fell silent as the resounding crash of steel on steel echoed and John was flung sideways like a rag doll, the side of his helm caved in.
Skorri stopped in his tracks as he stared at John’s limp form. The Orc snorted and yanked the axe free of its arm. The grey man dropped it beside John and drifted a few feet away. The giant Knight ran over to his fallen partner and landed on his knees. Alden saw Skorri remove John’s helm and then clench his fists. Skorri rose to his feet slowly and looked up at the sky and then to the Orc. Sergeant Hunter was visible in the stands, glancing between the arena and the King. Distress was written across his face.
The giant Knight reached up and pulled his helm off exposing his face. Rage and grief were written across his features as he stared at the Orc. He reached down and scooped up the bloody axe from the ground and leveled one of his blades at the Orc.
The grey being hefted the maul again and Skorri took a deep breath before he spoke, the words echoing across the silent arena, “You, you killed my sword brother. Now, say goodbye because I’m coming for you!”
The Orc bellowed in rage as Skorri charged him, the Knight brought his axes down in a blinding whirl. One blow was dodged and another batted aside but a third blow was already impossibly on its way. Alden found himself unable to keep up with the flurry of blows the enraged Knight unleashed as he scored one cut and then another. The Orc began to lag, its thick blood running down it’s arm and side and chest but there wasn’t as much blood as a human would have lost by this point. Skorri scored another slash into the Orc’s thigh and the giant lurched forward with a punch. The blow connected with Skorri’s head and made the Knight’s head snap sideways.
Skorri continued his onslaught without pause and tore into the Orc’s chest with one blade and left it there. The bleeding Orc fell to one knee, gasping for air as Skorri whirled and planted his axe deep into the Orc’s right arm, burying the blade to the bone. The Orc bellowed in agony as the maul slipped from his grasp and Skorri gingerly hefted the weapon again. The blade whistled as Skorri swung it, the heavy blade cleaving into the Orc’s skull with a sickening thump.
Cheers erupted from the stands as Skorri walked silently over to John’s body. He stared down at the young man in silence and Alden watched him drop his gauntlets to the ground and wipe at his nose. He bent down and lifted John’s limp from in hi
s arm as the Knight Medics appeared to lead Skorri from the field. A group of workers came out to collect the fallen Orc and the discarded gear.
Chapter 64 The Third Trial
Warren stared out into the arena before him. Somehow, the fact that John was gone hadn’t sunk in. He had watched it happen but it didn’t seem real. The big man saw Elise press herself against Alden quietly, a sad look on her face. Alden’s face was stoney and unreadable, his eyes hard. Enzo sat back against the wall, resting his arms on his legs and staring at the floor. Hawkes stared up at the ceiling in silence and Reginald sat with a thoughtful expression on his face. The big man crossed his arms, wondering what Skorri was going through.
Sergeant Hunter appeared in the room, his mouth set in a tight-lipped line. The man took a deep breath, “Alden, Warren. Your match has been delayed. Captain Fox is appealing to the King again in an effort to return to the traditional Third Trial.”
Silence filled the room again and finally Alden snarled, “So, you’re sayin’ we’re not even supposed to be fightin’ Orcs?”
The Sergeant stared at Alden with sad eyes, “Traditionally, no. However, this whole affair was the King’s idea. It’s supposed to raise the morale of the people and show just how powerful our Knights are.”
Captain Fox stepped into the room, “Malcolm. The King won’t budge on this.”
Sergeant Hunter let out a breath, “I see. Then I guess you two are up then.”
Alden nodded to Elise and kissed her before he stepped up to the door and donned his helmet. Warren followed suit a moment later, hefting his tower shield and mace. Warren rolled his shoulders as he stepped out into the daylight to the roar of the crowd. It was strangely muffled by his helmet and the big man turned to face the King. On the King’s left was the Queen and on his right was Prince Dorian. Victoria sat to the Queen’s left. She was pale and looked sick. The Queen appeared calm, even disinterested. The King hid his emotions, keeping his face impassive and so did the Prince.
Warren bowed, seeing Alden do the same out of the corner of his eye but Alden’s bow was jerky and stiff. The green eyed boy was letting his temper control him instead of thinking about what they had to do. The big man rose back to his full height and turned his attention to the double doors on the other side of the arena. They started to roll open slowly, revealing one of the Orcs, spear in hand.
The grey man strode forward, a confused expression on his face. He scanned the people around the arena and then his eyes locked onto Warren and Alden. The Orc glanced at his spear and nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes.
Alden grunted, “I’m suddenly wondering if these guys are really pure evil.”
The Orc strode forward at a steady walk and leveled his spear at the duo and barked out, “Veth fen greshka!”
Warren tightened his grip on his mace, “I’m pretty sure that was a threat.”
Alden widened his stance as the Orc started to lope towards them, “Well, yeah. But to be fair he was thrown into an arena with a spear and pointed at us. So not evil but they know what an arena is.”
The big Knight readied his shield and rushed forward, Alden following along behind him. As Alden had said it was the Orc or themselves. The spear whistled forward and Warren angled his shield. The sharp point rang off and slid toward the left as the green eyed teen stepped around Warren on his right. Alden’s sword sung and tore into the Orc’s leathery skin drawing a line of the yellow-green blood. The Orc set his jaw and pulled his spear back, sweeping the bladed point in an arc and hopping backwards. Warren stepped back out of the way as Alden rolled under the blow.
Alden’s shield caught a second thrust of the spear and Warren charged in, shield leading. The orc snarled and slammed the butt of his weapon into Alden’s shield, lifting the young man and throwing him backwards. The grey man whirled, the bladed spear clanging against’s Warren’s tower shield and stopping the large man in his tracks. Warren set his jaw and swung his mace, the heavy hammer arcing down toward the Orc’s shoulder. The grey man leaned back, pulling his spear back in the process and let the mace swing by. And then he lunged, spear rocketing forward. Warren twisted as he fell to one knee and the spear narrowly missed him. Alden roared and darted in from the side again, his eyes glowing like rubies.
The large Knight scrambled back onto his feet as Alden swatted aside spear blow after spear blow, his sword being deflected aside every time he swung it. The Orc snarled and punched Alden in the nose, the unexpected attack catching Alden off guard. Warren charged in as the spear jerked back, preparing for the kill and then the tower shield collided with the Orc’s side and shoved the grey giant back a step. The mace arced around and slammed into the beast’s chest. There was a dull thunk and the flanges of the mace head tore into skin but bones didn’t break. Warren’s eyes widened in surprise and the Orc growled low in his throat and grabbed Warren with his free hand. The grey giant pivoted and tossed the large Knight across the arena where he landed with a clatter and rolled across the grass.
Warren groaned as he started to get up and glanced back at the Orc. The grey giant tugged the mace out of his chest where it was caught and tossed the weapon aside, away from Warren. The big Knight started to trot back toward the Orc as Alden re-engaged, his sword flashing in the sunlight. Warren picked up his shield where he had dropped it as the Orc launched Alden back through the air again.
The big Knight gripped his shield and charged forward. He might not be armed but he didn’t need to be. He was the weapon. The Orc turned in surprise as Warren got close and the beast thrust his spear forward. A blow that Warren easily deflected. The big man brought the edge of his shield forward and rammed it into the Orc’s stomach. The beast stumbled back and Warren swung his shield sideways, the flat of the object smashing across the Orc’s head. The grey beast snarled and lunged forward with the spear. Warren caught the full force of the blow and stumbled back wards as a second blow hammered into his shield. Alden appeared again. His helmet and shield were gone and he had Warren’s mace in his left hand. His sword in his right.
The mace came down and smashed into the back of the Orc’s knee driving it down to the ground. The beast snarled and swept the bladed head through the air, driving Alden back. The young man tossed Warren his mace and the big man caught it as Alden closed again. Warren caught the second arc of the spear with his shield and stopped the blow. He dropped his mace, again and grabbed the haft of the spear as Alden’s sword tore into the Orc’s stomach. The blade sunk two inches into the beast before being stopped and the Orc yanked on his spear. Warren slid across the ground but planted his feet and yanked back. He couldn’t keep it up for long but he didn’t need to. Alden’s eyes pulsed with power and the temperature rose ten degrees around him. Alden’s sword drove forward, sliding between a pair of ribs and into the beast’s chest, burying the blade to the hilt.
The duo stepped back as the crowd went wild and then the Orc roared and lashed out, fist rocketing forward and slamming into Alden’s face. The young man did a back-flip before hitting the ground, laying on his chest. Warren swung his mace, striking the Orc across the head. The grey man collapsed, dead. Warren rushed over to where Alden lay and knelt down, pulling off his gauntlets and helmet. The big man reached down, searching for Alden’s pulse.
The steady beat was there but blood was on the grass and it looked like it was coming from Alden’s ear. Warren’s pulse thundered inside his ears, wondering if his friend could be saved or if his mind had been destroyed. Rage flooded Warren and the noise of the crowd died down. The big Knight laid his hand on his friend’s chest and noticed his skin was emitting a golden aura. Warren placed his other hand on Alden’s forehead.
Something was happening outside, someone was yelling at him, but that wasn’t important. He could see inside Alden’s skull and it was a mess. Nothing seemed right and his brain was bleeding. Warren pushed his power further, beyond seeing and tried to re
store what was. Light poured out of him and Warren was blinded for a moment. The backlash of power sent a pulse of light rushing out over the stands and the surrounding Medics. Slowly, everything popped back into place. Warren didn’t know what he was doing. But the Light did. And Alden’s body did. Warren was simply a channel. A few minutes later Warren snapped back to himself. A group of Knight Medics surrounded him. Sergeant hunter knelt down beside them and stared down at Alden.
A few minutes passed and then Alden Flint coughed, “What the heck did you do to me, Warren?”
Warren broke into a smile, “Just saving your life.”
The green eyed teen rolled over and pushed himself to his feet as Warren stood up next to him. The crowd erupted as the pair made their way off the field.
Chapter 65 The Smith's Plan
Alden missed Reginald and Hawkes fighting but it went without a hitch. It had ben the longest match of all of them and there had been no intense showdown or miraculous healing. The reason Alden missed the fight was because of the thorough examination Isaac insisted on giving him. Three dozen coordination, memory and critical thinking tests later Alden was allow to drift back into the more comfortable viewing chamber. Reginald was sitting in the back, a tired expression on his face and Hawkes had actually fallen asleep on a couch after removing most of his armor and revealing the cotton shirt and leather pants he wore underneath. Skorri was gone. Warren sat by the viewing window and looked down at the arena below.
Elise and Enzo were just bowing to the King and the Orc was being unleashed. Alden sat down beside his partner, “Thanks.”
Warren grunted, “Just wish I knew how I had done it.”
Alden nodded as Enzo opened his bag and pulled out a chain and pulled a hammer from his belt. On one end of the chain was a foot long spike that Enzo quickly drove into the ground before the Orc had a chance to close the distance. The other end of the chain was mounted to a device that resembled a ’t“ with four seams running through the long leg of the letter. The Orc bellowed and raised it’s club, charging forward. Elise backed up behind her brother and the blonde man jerked to the left of the blow, chain dragging behind him. Enxo kept moving, circling around the grey giant.
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