Scorched Kingdom

by Daniel Guevara

  “Yeah, you did, but how about this one?” Stundroff struck him with a punch.

  Korgat was expecting the attack and decided to test his strength with a strike of his own, so he punched as hard as he could using his left hand.

  The two fists collided in the air. And from them a shockwave blasted the surrounding area, lifting the thick layer of snow from the ground and smashing it all over the few buildings that stood in Blood Howl village.

  A tense silence could be felt, as both warriors stared down at each other, until a clear and commanding voice brought them back to reality.

  “Enough! Stop this nonsense before you take down the village with you,” Licius shouted.

  Korgat and Stundroff immediately got back on their feet and faced the Elf.

  “I was just teaching him how to control his anger; he will be of little use to us otherwise,” Korgat said.

  “I will be the one who decides that,” Licius replied.

  “And who said you would be in charge? I am a captain with more than a hundred years of experience.”

  “And I am a general with over four thousand years of experience,” Licius answered.

  “Yeah, if you are a general, then where is your Elf army?” Korgat asked.

  Licius thought for a second, as Korgat’s question struck a nerve. But he realized that if he was to continue this path, it would end in conflict.

  “Look, every toolset needs a hammer. And Stundroff is our hammer.”

  “And here I was thinking that I was the hammer,” said Korgat, with an arrogant smile.

  “Oh, do not misunderstand me. You are also a hammer, just a slightly more precise one,” Licius said.

  “Fuck off, you arrogant Elf piece of shit. I could kill you with a slap!”

  Licius knew that they had a difficult fight ahead of them once they reached the Fire Mountains and insubordination was something they could not handle, so he thought about his response for a second.

  “Very well then, why don’t you show me? I could use the exercise.”

  Korgat looked at the Elf and smiled just before he jumped at him.

  Licius easily avoided the giant Outsider. And even when he had a clear opportunity for attacking, he decided to use this opportunity to test his reflexes and reactions before the real battle.

  So the Elf pulled his punches and simply avoided the back hand attack from Korgat.

  The former Outsider king quickly recognized that he was no match in speed for the Elf warrior, even in his wounded state. So instead of attacking him, the giant man stamped his foot strongly against the ground making it shake and then kicked a pile of snow in Licius’s direction.

  Licius was slightly affected by this, but not enough to lose his balance, or to prevent him from avoiding the snow that the giant Outsider was throwing at him to block his view. But as soon as the snow flew past him, he saw Korgat’s fist heading directly at his face.

  A month ago, Licius would have avoided this attack with ease. But now he was barely able to move his head out of the way of Korgat’s fist enough to avoid a direct blow.

  The Elf felt a sharp pain in his spine, as he was forcing the armor’s reaction time by getting in this fight. This made him stop his head movement, just enough for Korgat’s punch to graze him on the cheek.

  Licius face was protected by the strong Bronium armor, but this did not stop him from being sent flying ten feet back by the force of the blow.

  Korgat smiled, as he saw an opportunity to teach the Elf a lesson and jumped at him, summoning his sword in midair and lading on top of Licius, releasing a bolt of lightning. But to his surprise the armor took the full effect of the bolt, as though it was nothing.

  The Elf used this moment of surprise to slide between Korgat’s legs and stand behind him. So Korgat immediately struck again with a back hand punch, as he spun around.

  But Licius was ready for this and leant backwards just enough for the giant fist to miss him. But in doing so, he lost his balance and fell in the snow. Korgat saw this and tried to stamp on the Elf. But yet again, the Elf was too fast and managed to roll on the ground away from Korgat’s foot.

  So Korgat jumped on top of the Elf to pin him down with the weight of his body. But as the giant Outsider feel on top of the Elf, he saw that Licius had unsheathed his right blade and was waiting for him to kill himself.

  Korgat barely managed to roll to the side, avoiding the blade with nothing more than a superficial cut to the skin on his stomach, landing face up on the snow. And before he could react, he felt the cold Bronium blade against his throat.

  “Do you yield?” Licius asked.

  “Fine, I yield. But only because we’re on the same side, otherwise you´d be dead by now.”

  “Trust me, that is the only reason you’re still alive.” Licius replied with confidence.

  Licius realized there was a crowd watching, and he had shown them he was in charge.

  “Now, make sure that everything is ready for our departure,” he commanded.

  “What for? It’s been four days since we got the sword and we still haven’t left this fucking town.”

  “I told you already. We will leave as soon as Arius is fit to travel.”

  “Then I guess we better get going,” Stundroff said, as he looked at Arius standing at the door of the tavern.

  Korgat and Licius turned around and looked at the Human prince, both feeling joy at the sight of him, for Licius was happy to see his friend recovered and Korgat would finally get to smash some Orc heads.

  “Arius, are you all right?” Licius asked, because he saw Arius was holding his right arm, as if it was still painful.

  “I am fine my friend. I still need a bit more time to fully heal, but we have already wasted enough time here.”

  They all gathered at the center of the village, as Arius preformed a quick head count of their forces.

  “I count thirty besides us four.”

  "Eighty, our women are just as fierce of a warrior as our men" Khall replied.

  "It is still not much."

  “Yes, but every Outsider is worth ten of your soldiers. And the four of us are worth a thousand more,” Korgat said.

  “I hope you are right,” said Arius, “because Xandraf’s forces grow with each passing moment.”

  “Yes, and he will stop at nothing until he sees the world burn,” Stundroff added.

  “Then let’s not waste time. Let’s go kill this fucker,” Korgat said.

  Licius smiled. “Not the words that I would have used, but I agree completely.”

  They loaded the caravan and began their march towards the Fire Mountains, hoping to meet with Khall and the forces he had gathered along the way.

  Once the caravan had been set in motion and they had traveled a few miles from Blood Howl village, Arius found himself staring at the endless snow.

  “You know, it’s funny. When I left Logrant, I was hoping to unite the three clans of men. But never did I imagine that the only ones to follow into the final battle would be the Outsiders.”

  Korgat smiled. “That’s because Outsiders never back down from a fight.”

  ◆◆◆

  Meanwhile back in Logrant city, Khomod ran through the halls of the order’s barracks in search of Argoth, the now commanding officer.

  Argoth had just finished shaving when the doors of his chamber flew open.

  “Argoth, sir, your presence is requested at the council most urgently.”

  “Why? What is going on, Khomod?” Argoth reached for his armor.

  “Orcs, my lord, they are everywhere.”

  “How can this be? I don’t hear the battle.”

  “They haven’t attacked yet, my lord. They are waiting in the mountains, surrounding the city completely.”

  “They haven’t attacked yet? That’s impossible.”

  “Yes, my lord. That is why you have been summoned to the council.”

  Argoth thought for a second.

  “I fear that this is not the time
for diplomacy; if the council wants to have a word with me, they can meet me at the trenches. Maybe there they can finally do something useful.” Argoth stormed out of his chambers to rally his men.

  Khomod wasted no time in returning to the council and informing them of Argoth’s decision. But just as he expected, none of them moved a finger, much less went to the trenches.

  Argoth quickly found himself in the mist of panic, civilians running for shelter.

  The paladin gathered the commanding officers of both the order and the army and distributed them to key positions along the city’s edges, to equally distribute their forces.

  Argoth had just finished giving everyone their assignments when a young soldier approached.

  The paladin looked at the young man’s terrified expression.

  “What is going on?”

  “The Orcs, sir, they want to speak with you.”

  “Orcs speaking? Are you trying to make fun of me?”

  “No, my lord, I swear that what I say is the truth.”

  Argoth found it hard to believe, but there was no doubt in his mind that the boy believed what he was saying to be the truth.

  “Where are they?”

  “At the entrance of the valley; a delegation of three Orcs asked for you.”

  “Get this young man some water and fetch my horse; I cannot wait to hear what an Orc has to say.”

  As Argoth was shocked to see the sheer number of Orcs in the mountains, He began to feel fear, creeping up his spine.

  “There must be at least two thousand Orcs up there.”

  He found his troops staring at a formation of at least four thousand Orcs in the distance, just out of the reach of the old catapults made by the Dwarves.

  “Who is in charge here?”

  “That would be me, my lord.”

  “And who are you?”

  “My name is Captain Killad, my lord. I command the battalions at the city’s entrance.”

  “Captain Killad, I have never heard of you.”

  “That is because I was recently promoted, just after the last captain died.”

  “Very well then, can you fill me in on what is going on?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  He hesitated for a moment, as if wondering how to describe the situation.

  “During the past two weeks, Orc attacks have steadily increased. But the Orcs seem to be more interested in getting into the city, than actually killing or pillaging. Some men even thought that the Orcs were running away from something. But four days ago the attacks stopped completely and we had peace for an entire day. Then we saw the Orcs standing in formation just outside of catapult range. They stood there for a day without moving, until three Orcs approached us, asking to speak with you personally.”

  “And where are these three Orcs now?”

  Captain Killad turned to the bunker on the city’s limits, where Arius had killed so many Orcs.

  He then asked Argoth to follow him.

  As they entered the bunker, Argoth saw five Human soldiers watching over three Orcs waiting for him in the room that still bore the marks of Arius’s ferocious attack.

  Argoth walked confidently to the table that separated the three Orcs from the Human soldiers and looked into the Orcs’ eyes for a second.

  “I heard you were looking for me.”

  “Yes, the mighty Argoth. Your reputation precedes you.”

  “What would a filthy Orc like you know about my reputation?”

  The Orc smiled.

  “You are the mighty Argoth, commander of the order. Second only in skill and power to the great Arius White Knight; everywhere I went and everyone I killed always said that they would be avenged by either of you. But since your beloved prince decided to abandon your city in its time of need, you are the person to talk to.”

  “Do not pretend to know what our prince’s intentions are, for he is guided by the light and his path is true. But then again, I suppose a filthy beast like you could never understand that.”

  “Perhaps you are correct, but that does not change the fact that I hold your city under siege. So hear what I have to say, before we decide to burn your city to the ground.”

  Argoth could not believe that he was being outsmarted by an Orc, but the Orc was right. So placing his pride aside, the paladin said,

  “Very well then, speak.”

  The Orc smiled.

  “My name is Xandraf and I command the Orc army that holds your city under siege. You are completely surrounded and outnumbered. With the forces at my disposal, I intend to lay waste to the entire city of Logrant. However, I may allow you to continue existing if you meet one simple demand.”

  “And what stops me, from killing you right now and ending this siege?”

  “Go ahead, see what happens.”

  Argoth grabbed a dagger from a soldier’s belt and threw it, hitting the Orc in the center of his forehead. The chair tilted back and the Orc fell with it to the ground as his blood began to form a small pool.

  “As I was saying, I will lift the siege over your city, as long as you meet my demand.” Argoth froze. One of the other orcs had said the words – in exactly the same voice.

  “What kind of dark sorcery is this?”

  “Every Orc that stands today outside your city is as much a part of Xandraf as I am; we are all united and devoted to the same ideal. But I don’t suppose a simple creature like you could understand such a thing.”

  Argoth realized that all he could do was buy some time, to prepare and to minimize the civilian casualties.

  “No, I understand. You said you had a demand, what is it?”

  “I need you to reveal to me the location of the current Elf city.”

  “That is preposterous; no one has seen an Elf in over two thousand years. What makes you think they are still alive?”

  Xandraf gave Argoth a look of disappointment.

  “Do not waste my time or yours, with lies. For I saw an Elf recently, running around in golden magical armor alongside your beloved Prince Arius. So unless you want to see your city burn to the ground, I suggest you start talking.”

  Argoth was unable to hide his surprise. And realized that the cunning Xandraf immediately noticed that he did not hold the information he needed.

  “Well, it will be a shame to see such a magnificent city burn to the ground. However, I will take a certain degree of comfort in the fact that I will hear your people scream for days as the fires consume the city.”

  Argoth had no idea how the Orc planned to burn the city. He presumed that all of this could be nothing more than an empty threat, but he could not risk the fate of the city on a hunch.

  “Wait, you are right. I do not know where the Elf city is, but this is the largest city in the world and it is filled with people from all places. Give me some time to ask around and find your answer.”

  “You know there is no point in trying to buy time; if you do not give me my answer, this city will burn.”

  “And how can I be sure that once I have met your demands, you won’t burn the city anyway?”

  “You can’t, but I can guarantee you what will happen if you don’t.”

  “Why is this information so important to you anyway?”

  Both Orcs stood up and walked towards the door of the bunker, where one of them turned.

  “Let’s just say that their Supreme Chancellor caused me a lot of pain. And nothing will prevent me from paying him back. You have two days to give me my answer, or you will die in your precious city. The choice is yours.”

  The two Orcs walked out of the bunker.

  “Do you think he will keep his word?” Killad asked.

  “I don’t know. But I doubt that he is bluffing; we need to ready our city and prepare for battle.”

  The paladin ordered that the soldiers fall back and fortify the next line of bunkers. He then returned to the council chambers. Where he explained what he had seen and heard.

  “There is no one in the city that has t
his information. All we can do is open the gates of the keep, to let the children and elderly in. Since this is the center of the city and the most fortified structure we have, it is the ideal place of refuge for those that cannot fight. We then pull the population away from the city’s borders and arm anyone who is strong enough to hold a sword or mace, since it will be harder for them to use their greater numbers, if we reduce the size of the battlefield.”

  “Open the doors of the keep and let the common folk in?” an outraged council member asked.

  “Yes, it is the best place we have to make our stand.”

  “You must be insane; there is no way we will let those whores and murderers inside the keep, just because you run here telling a ridiculous story about talking Orcs. We shall stand tall, as the proud race that we are and with the light by our side; our warriors will fight the Orcs in the city borders and prevent those beasts from entering our city.”

  Argoth felt an incredible rage, as he realized that the city was being ruled by a group of cowards, who would rather see everyone die before sharing their beloved keep with the poor.

  The paladin gathered his thoughts.

  “How many battles have you fought in your life, councilman? One, two maybe? Although I’m inclined to believe that you have never held a sword in your life. Our city has always used the hills of the valley that surround it as a natural defense. And it is ill-equipped to defend against an attack of this scale. If we dare to meet the Orcs in open combat, it will be a massacre. And once they are done with everyone outside, I assure you that they will tear down the gates of the keep and come for you next. So unless any of you know the location of the Elf city he searches for, I suggest you listen to me, before we all die.”

  There was silence for a few moments, as Argoth let his words sink in.

  “He’s right!” Khomod said. “We should all take a sword and fight for our city.”

  “If you are so eager to die with him then go ahead, but this council will not sanction the forfeiting of an inch of our beloved city to those beasts. We are men, we are a proud race that it is guided by the virtue of the light and we have defended our city for over two thousand years against the Orcs. And this will not be the day we cower in fear.”