We found them! I exclaimed mentally as the hot stench of urine mixed together with blood and offal slammed into me, its already-potent smell only magnified through my link with Amaranth. Forcing myself to choke back a gag, I focused my attention on the prison and the prisoners within, recognizing them all as the gronn that we’d been looking for. Numbering at least a dozen from what I could see from my position, I noticed that all of them were facing away from me, their arms stretched high above their heads. A glance upwards showed me that the orcs had tied thick ropes around their arms and wrists before looping them through the upper bars of their cage and pulling them tight. The result made it so they would all be forced to stand on their toes to relieve the pressure the position brought on as well as preventing them from having any hope of falling asleep.
Grunting a mental acknowledgment at my familiar, we split up, with Amaranth circling one way around the cage, while I circled around the other. Based on the quick glance that I’d been able to get of the two orcs, it seemed like they were each patrolling on a clockwise or counterclockwise path respectively around the cage.
Which at the moment meant that their backs would be turned to us, leaving us with a golden opportunity to close with them undetected.
But also putting them close enough together to support one another if we screw up, I added silently to myself as I reached into my belt pouch and fished out a vial containing a bright red liquid.
Given how much hinged on the next few seconds, I knew that we needed every advantage that we could get in taking down the two orcs relatively silently. So, I didn’t even think twice about popping the stopper with my thumb as I moved around the cage, throwing back the [Battle Potion of Strength] in one smooth motion. A stride later, I activated Alacrity, the word ‘overkill’ briefly crossing my mind as the world slowed down, and the armor around my chest and arms began to tighten with a burning surge of strength.
Moving quickly as I rounded the corner around the cage, I finally saw my target come into a view, the orc almost at the corner where he would cross paths with his partner. Realizing that I had seconds before my opportunity was gone, I put on one final burst of speed, the distance between us rapidly vanishing. But unfortunately, that extra speed came with a price, the orc sensing something behind him and beginning to turn around towards me.
Only to promptly freeze in shock as Amaranth chose that very moment to pounce on his target’s back, knocking the orc’s partner completely off their feet and sending them crashing to the ground face first, thereby giving me the extra second I needed to thrust Splinter directly into the orc’s back.
Piercing straight through the thick leather tunic that the orc was wearing as if it were paper, I thrust my blade right into the spot where I figured orcs carried their kidneys. As it slid through flesh, I was rewarded with a shuddering gasp, followed by the orc going completely still with shock. Not willing to give the orc a chance to recover from my attack, I twisted Splinter viciously as I pulled it free from his body, eliciting another groan just as my free hand grabbed a hold of his collar. Yanking back sharply with my enhanced strength, I pulled the stunned orc off-balance while simultaneously delivering a snap kick to the back of its knee, breaking it with a crunch and sending him crashing heavily to the ground—where a powerful follow-up stroke from Splinter a second later ensured he would stay forever.
I said to the cat as I turned to look back into the cage and saw several sets of eyes staring back at me with shocked expressions. It was also then that I noticed that all of the prisoners had been gagged, each and every single one of them bearing a thick leather strap going through their mouths.
Probably didn’t want any of them talking to one another overnight, I thought as I briefly took my attention off the prisoners within and towards the cage itself, spotting a heavy lock hanging from a door built into it. Turning my attention back towards the caged gronn, I spoke as loudly as I dared, while trying to meet the eyes of each of them.
“My name is Lyrian Rastler,” I said, hoping to reassure them to my presence and any other additional unease that my ætherwarped appearance may have caused. “And this is my familiar, Amaranth. I know a lot of this is going to sound really confusing, and I don’t have time to explain it all, but Aryana sent us to free you all. She wanted me to tell you all that it’s time to go home.”
I paused for a second to allow my words to sink in for the group, hoping that they would all understand the code phrase that the resistance leader had given me and react accordingly. “So give me a second to find the key to this cage, then I’m going to come in there and start cutting you all free. Do you understand?”
There were several excited nods from amongst the prisoners in response, followed with a handful of muffled words that I couldn’t.
“Great!” I replied, bending down to search the two orcs that Amaranth and I had killed.
Starting with the orc closest to me, I quickly fished through his pockets and tunic before patting him down, finding a pair of tarnished iron daggers, an iron shortsword, and a purse containing three badly tarnished Eberian silver coins, along with a single gold coin. Pocketing the coins without another thought, I set the weapons aside before doing the same with the other orc. Seconds later, I uncovered another pair of daggers along with a one-handed axe, followed by a thick leather cord from around the orc’s neck, which held a shiny metal key looped through the middle of it.
Breathing a sigh of relief as I palmed the key, I rushed towards the cage and began the process of freeing the prisoners. Working carefully, I cut a black-furred gronn loose from his bonds before pressing a dagger into his hand and repeating the process with another prisoner, hopefully garnering a bit of trust in the process. Then after I’d handed out all the daggers that I’d taken from the orcs, I simply took a step backward, allowing the group to free themselves, all of us regrouping outside of the cage. During that time, I had a chance to fully look over each of them and saw just how the orcs had treated them.
Which was to say, not very well.
Every single one of them was covered in a mixture of dirt and blood, some even with fresh wounds still visible on their body. Any clothes that they might have been wearing during their capture had been stripped away from them, leaving them with little more than rags, some barely enough to protect their modesty.
This wasn’t just a case of having them cool their heels for a night in prison, I thought as I looked at the various gronn, noticing how tenderly or slowly some of them moved. Or how their imprisonment under the orcs’ hands had affected them, many of them appearing malnourished, leaving what was once a strong and powerful frame so rail-thin to the point where their fur hung loosely away from their bodies. This was a brutal interrogation, if not outright torture. The orcs and the Dread Crew wanted to know something.
/> But as stark as their appearance and evident poor treatment was, I only allowed myself a second to take it in before refocusing on the task that I’d come here for, my eyes searching the group of gronn for a pair of familiar faces.
“I also have a key for you all to unlock your collars once you’re all free,” I said as I searched, reaching out into a pocket to pull out an engraved iron rod that Aryana had given me before we’d began our mission and offering it to one of the gronn. “But right now I’m looking to talk to Garr or Arcturus if they’re here. I have a message from Aryana for them.”
Waiting as the group continued to cut themselves free, I was fortunately able to distract myself for a second as the heavy collar belonging to the gronn I handed the rod to hit the ground in front of me. Made of smooth grey iron, the only adornment that the shackle had upon it was a diamond cut crystal of some sort on its face, which was where I’d seen the man press the rod to before it had opened. Feeling a little anxious staring at it and what it could do to me, I decided to take the opportunity to call up its description, curious to know just what its effects were.
Siphon Collar
Slot: Neck
Item Class: Magical
Item Quality: Masterwork (+20%)
Special: When equipped, this item prevents all spellcasting unless authorized by a Control Rod. Furthermore, while equipped this collar drains 50 mana per second and prevents all natural mana regeneration.
Note to self, never let anyone put one of those things on you, I thought as I reached down to carefully pick the item up and promptly dropped it into my bag, not wanting to leave what was obviously a potentially useful magic item even if it made me uncomfortable. Fortunately, it was by then that a pair of gronn had managed to push their way forward from within the cage, their fur gold and grey respectively. Walking tenderly as they got used to standing under their own power again, they quickly made their way over towards me, the golden one speaking first.
“I am Garr,” he said in a tired and raspy voice, one of his hands held gently around his throat where his collar had just been. “And this is Arcturus. Did I hear right that Aryana sent you? How? How did she even find…wait, you aren’t with them, are you? Are you here to turn against your kind?”
“She did,” I replied, watching both of their hazel eyes dance warily between Amaranth and me as I spoke, immediately sensing the subtle hostility hidden beneath Garr’s words. “And no. I know exactly the people that you’re talking about, and I assure you that we aren’t with them. In fact, we’ve been fighting our own war with them these last few weeks ever since they attacked our town, Aldford.”
“Wait, you are of Aldford?” the gronn repeated with a slight flare of recognition in his eyes at the town’s name, his earlier suspicion fading. “I’ve heard many of the slaves mention the place in my time here, Aryana as well. It was to be their new home before they were taken here.”
“And hopefully it will be again once we can get everyone out of there,” I said, hoping that my words would earn me enough trust to get everyone moving. I had no idea of how long we had before the slaves began their riot, and the last thing I wanted to do was burn time that we didn’t have. “Look, like I said, I know that this is a lot to take in at once, and I’ll be happy to answer questions you have once we’re safe, but we’re working on borrowed time here. Aryana wanted me to tell you both that it’s time that you all escaped, so unless you’d really prefer to stay here, we—”
Without warning, a thunderous explosion from outside suddenly cut me off before I could finish speaking, causing all of us to flinch and stagger as a heavy tremor passed through the ground. Lasting for an instant, the noise swept over us as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving us standing and staring at one another in sudden shock.
“—need to get moving,” I finished belatedly as the thundering drums outside began to rapidly taper off, only to be replaced by shouting voices outside.
This was followed immediately by the sound of a second explosion, this one even larger and closer than the first.
“I’m not certain about you, Garr, but I feel inclined to listen to this stranger right now!” Arcturus shouted as a second shockwave rocked the building, sending a thick spray of dust falling from the ceiling above. “If nothing else, it would grant us a chance to fight and die on our feet and not be buried like caged rats!”
“Yes, I think you are right!” Garr replied with alarm as the second blast nearly took him off his feet, the man barely catching himself on the bars of the cage. Steadying himself, he wasted no time in pushing himself back to his feet, his eyes fixating intently on me, the suspicion I’d seen earlier having completely vanished. “What is your plan for our escape? Unless I am mistaken, this here is the slave riot that Aryana planned for us, is it not?”
“It is!” I replied, breathing a mental sigh of relief at the slaves’ timing for their escape. “Our plan is to use it as cover to get you all out of the camp and into the gardens so that you can finish blighting them before the orcs come looking for us. My friends are also in the camp here looking to try and free Senzin as well. Hopefully, we’ll be able to hook up with them on the way out.”
“Wait, what? Senzin was taken too?” Garr demanded, his eyes widening at the news.
“He was, but we’re confident we can find him before we need to leave,” I said motioning curtly with a hand, knowing that whatever time we had was rapidly running out. “Now we really need to get moving. Are you and your people able to fight?”
“Until our dying breaths and beyond if necessary,” Arcturus affirmed without a moment’s hesitation, all of the other ex-slaves sharing grunts of agreement as they overheard the conversation.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I replied as the shouting outside rapidly began to grow louder, no doubt originating from the orcs that Amaranth and I had evaded earlier. “All right! Time to go! Grab the weapons there and meet me by the door! Oh, and bring the siphon collars, too! They might be useful for prisoners!”
Trusting that they would do as I said, I rushed towards the prison’s entrance with Amaranth by my side, the two of us making it a little more than halfway there before a large orc stepped through the doorway, his gaze landing right on me.
“What?” he gasped in surprise, eyes widening in shock as he saw the gronn had been freed from their cage behind me. “You not—Intruder! Help! Intrud—ah!”
The orc’s panicked shouting suddenly ended in a cry of pain as I conjured and threw a burning dagger towards him, the fiery blade sinking deep into his upraised forearm instead of the throat I’d aimed for. Regardless, however, the attack served its purpose in distracting the orc, leaving his guard temporarily open.
Slashing out with Splinter as I entered into melee range with the orc, I cut a deep line across his unarmored stomach, blood instantly spilling forth from the wound. Flinching backward instinctively, the orc just barely managed to avoid being disemboweled by the attack, shouting out loudly in pain. Yet despite his panicked efforts, it wasn’t enough to keep Amaranth from lunging forward beside me, the large ætherwarped puma sinking his teeth into the creature’s upraised forearm and biting down hard enough to crack bone. With a vicious twist of his powerful neck and shoulders, Amaranth then effortlessly yanked on the orc’s arm, viciously dislocating it while also pulling the orc off balance.
And directly into Splinter’s path.
Using both my familiar’s help and the orc’s weight to my advantage, I guided the tip of my sword directly under its ribcage, angling it sharply upwards in the process. Sliding through flesh effortlessly, the blade quickly found the orc’s heart, whereupon a prompt twist ended its efforts permanently.
Amaranth exclaimed to me as we released the orc, and I pulled my blade free.
the seven remaining orcs we’d seen earlier rushing to the prison with weapons in hand.
Yet no sooner did that thought finish crossing my mind did I feel a large shadow appear at my back behind me and then rush past, only to be followed by another and another. Before I knew what was happening, nearly all the gronn had charged past me, their attention focused solely on the orcs. Slamming into their ranks without even a care to the fact that they weren’t wearing armor, or in most cases, even armed with weapons, the newly freed prisoners attacked with an unbridled frenzy, tearing through the orcs with a savagery that I’d never seen before.
“You do not know what this war with the orcs has cost my people,” Garr whispered to me as he saw my look, having hung back from the short yet vicious skirmish. “Hate is not strong enough a word to describe our feelings towards them.”
“I can see that,” I replied slowly, watching a thick spike of stone erupt from behind an orc as one of the gronn finished casting the spell, the earthen lance piercing straight through his chest with enough force to lift him off his feet. The rest of the battle was little different as the earthspeakers among the group used their magic to deadly effect, butchering the entire group faster than I could witness.
“We’re clear for the moment,” Arcturus said once the brief and vicious battle was over, his attention alternating between Garr and me as he spoke. “However, it will not last. I hear more fighting steadily growing closer.”
“Then let’s get moving before it finds us,” I told the pair, using the opportunity to check party sense to see where the others in our group were. As I did, I sensed that both Constantine and Cassius’s respective groups were making a straight line for camp’s entrance, with the rest of the group already being there, no doubt fighting. “Our next step is to use this chaos to get to the camp’s entrance. My friends should be making sure that’s clear by the time we get there.”
Glory to the Brave (Ascend Online Book 4) Page 55