Noah desperately scanned the surrounding countryside, intent to lay eyes on any other returning warriors. As the minutes stretched on no further parties came into sight. It’s just the one. But so soon? He had feared the worst when he first saw them, imagining Jeline falling in battle and the whole of the enemy’s forces bearing down on them. Now however, at least for this moment, they were spared such horrible outcomes. Noah turned to his council, noting the same looks of concern and relief written on their faces.
“Suggestions?” He asked.
“Kill them, quick and clean before the whole city catches wind and comes to any foolish ideas.” Ro’kar said, conviction clear in his tone. Noah nodded, of the same mind.
“Perhaps we could capture one.” Ne’Ja commented. “We could use more information.” Noah’s stomach soured at the implications.
“I agree… However I don’t think I’m ready to condone torture.” He replied. Ne’Ja hurriedly shook her head.
“I mean only to interrogate, ask questions, and make threats. Nothing more.” She assured him. He nodded slowly, as he came to grips with the reality of their situation.
“You’re right. Let’s capture one, look for any signs of hesitancy or other weakness. With any luck we’ll find an ally in the process.” He said. There had been eight or so beasts visible in the party, so Noah instructed the leaders to pair off, leading their joined groups to comb the streets. He warned them to be on guard and to expect higher-level enemies than those they had already encountered. And so he found himself paired with Ta’Ku and walking through one of the empty streets. He had noticed eyes staring out of quiet houses and had even attempted conversation with the residents inside but to no avail. It appeared that they knew they were the invaders and didn’t want to risk communication. The group of beasts had disappeared from view into the side streets before they left the guard house forcing them to ferret them out in groups, but it was only a matter of time before one of their teams located them and drew attention to their location. They had been instructed to shout upon spotting their targets and so he was caught off guard when the scream of pain disturbed the still city. The tone was distinctly orcish and his breath caught as he endeavored to discern the direction it was coming from. Ne’Ja pointed in the direction of the castle.
“I believe it was from over there.” She said, prompting them all to turn and sprint. They found the main thoroughfare and took it toward the castle, before another cry of anguish rang out this time closer, somewhere to the left in the western district. They bolted forward, tearing down the next side street. The sight he was met with was devastating. Eight bloodied beasts stood menacingly over his people, several of which lay in pools of their own making. He cried out in anger and rushed forward, Ta’Ku and Ne’Ja to either side.
Noah’s hammer moved with a will of its own, promising immediate retribution as it narrowed in on the first beast’s skull. Within his domain, he perceived the unthinkably quick reaction of his foe as it expertly side-stepped his strike and thrust forward with its sword. Noah managed to pivot, but the momentum of his swing put him off balance and the beast struck him with a furred fist to his face. Noah reeled back, the blow bringing tears to his eyes and deviating his septum. While he regained his footing, he was only faintly aware of his companions fighting beside him and the shouts of others closing in on their location. The beast, a humanoid leopard grinned predatorily at him before stabbing forward with its blade. For all the advantages of his warhammer, parrying was not one of them and he desperately dodged while setting up a counterstrike. The leopard failed to move in time and received the blunt of his hammer to its shin. It yowled in pain and fury before turning its wrath on Noah.
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To his delight, he noticed that the beast was unable to put its full weight on the injured leg and was only keeping up the appearance of a fighting stance. Noah lunged forward in a feint, causing the leopard to step out of the way only to find itself at the mercy of the real blow that followed. The spike of Noah’s hammer connected with its abdomen, piercing the flesh and causing its offal to spill. It fell to the ground in a heap, clutching its stomach to hold the damaged organs in. It didn’t even flinch as the descending spike was driven through its skull, delivering its final end. Only then did Noah consider turning his attention to the others. The faces of his friends were locked in intense focus, and it was clear that their opponents were of similar skill to his. He noticed Ga’To and another orc struggling to fend off a lizard beast and he joined the fray, splitting the beast’s focus and eventually sealing its fate. Other groups of warriors caught up with them then and moved in to assist the others, dealing the finishing blows to the impressive enemies.
Noah joined the others in carrying the injured to Un’Dal, but not all were lucky enough to survive their wounds. Four orcs succumbed to their injuries before they had gotten to them, and several others were barely hanging on. When they arrived back at the guard house, Noah called his leader to the turret where they began by scanning the horizon for any further signs of the sovereign’s return. Noah had received 130,000 XP from the fight, confirming the conclusion that he had already come to. Noah shuddered as he considered what that meant for them. If a small straggling group of warriors were all that powerful, what could he expect from the rest of them? He knew with grim certainty that they couldn’t win against any sizeable force of them. Including Recter they now had only 73 warriors, including the healers that didn’t focus on combat. We need to flee. The whisper of a thought planted doubt in his heart and with a furrowed brow he turned to the others.
“Our enemy appears to be far more capable than we believed. If many more parties of that ability come, we won’t be able to stand against them.” Noah stated. There were several sharp breaths as they took in his words and Ne’Ja moved to speak.
“No’Ah–” She began, but he interrupted.
“In the heat of battle we didn’t manage to secure a prisoner, but I think it may be for the best. Such a powerful captive would be hard to contain.” He said. She shook her head.
“I understand that, and I agree. But that’s not what I was going to say.” She said, and Noah nodded his head in apology, motioning for her to go on.
“Before the battle, I would have scorned the mention of retreat, but I realize now how foolish that was. Four of our tribe are dead and we have no feast to send them on their way. I think we have seen enough blood already.” She explained. Ro’Kar nodded his head in solemn agreement.
“You would retreat after coming this far?” Recter asked, stepping forward.
“You only say that because you lost nothing!” Zo’Kati retorted hotly. Recter narrowed his eyes at the woman but Noah stepped forward, hands held out in a placating manner.
“Peace. No one means disrespect.” He said, looking first to Recter then to Zo’Kati.
“I do not wish to retreat either, for we have come a long ways and have paid a steep price.” He said nodding to Recter. “This however is a trap. On Earth we called this the sunk cost fallacy, meaning that you justify an action based upon your investment rather than the projections. This is a poor reason to make a decision.” He said, before locking eyes with Zo’Kati.
“I also feel deeply grieved for our companions who have met their end today and I do not wish to see more warriors needlessly spend their lives. I also won’t let grief cloud our judgment.” He finished. Several of those present took a deep breath as they let the adrenaline and intense emotion of the day fall away.
“I would hear your opinions. This choice is not a burden I wish to carry alone.”
Romance predictions (There will be no harem, I promise)
