Deeper and deeper as he went inside the Knight found that the world around him grew quieter and quieter .
The constant chirping of birds on their way to find their daily bread, the stream of monkeys hopping from branch to branch , the steady murmuring of the cicadas as they droned away into perpetuity ; all of them seemed so comforting now , a distant bittersweet memory like the echo of sunlit days spent being gently caressed by a lover when experiencing a period of long separation .
Now all that his eyes could see now was the darkness that sprung from the shade all around which sucked out all joy and life , all his ears could hear were the creeping and slithering as unholy creatures scurried about unseen and all he could feel was an ever-increasing dread with every step.
The dog was not doing much better .
It was constantly whining in fear. It retreated again and again towards the Knight unwilling to move forward regardless of how it was goaded or threatened.
At last he set it free and watched as it thundered away into the distance back the way they had come from .It seemed to him as if wings had sprung forth from its back aiding it in its bid to escape.
Brenn frowned for a moment in silence.He didn't regret setting the dog loose.If he had taken it any further in its panic it could have given the game away.
Looking around he could easily deduce that he was close enough.Only the vile orcs would be able to corrupt the lands near their lair to such an extent that it became a nest for all things defiled and all creatures debased making the region unfit for habitation by the lives that roamed free under the sunlit sky.
Judging from the extent of degradation , the orcs should have been here for a reasonable period of time .Meaning that what he wasn't going to face was a roving band of orcs migrating in search of fresh prey but rather a well trained legion in their fortress itself which was an entirely different game altogether.
He would be outnumbered a thirty to one at least , a hundred to one if he were unlucky which meant that a frontal assault wasn't an option.
An average Orc was far stronger than an average human equivalent to a Third Tier Knight by virtue of brute strength alone , though intellect was a different matter.Then came Orc Chieftains the leaders of Orc Tribes ,who could not only go toe to toe with Second Tier Knights but also had a crafty mind to match.
From the description of the raid and the tracks that remained he predicted that what he was facing only an individual Orc Tribe which meant only a single Chieftain .
Thank providence for that.
He shuddered at the possibility that he might have been forced to face an entire clan .Clans were congregations of multiple tribes just the numbers alone would be enough to finish him altogether even if he had multiple lives not to mention the odds of surviving after facing multiple chieftains and an Orc Lord weren't bright to say the least.
Now although he did have a disadvantage , with the right strategy he could tilt the odds in his favour.
The first thing that he had learnt from his experience was the importance of prior calculations in warfare.The more one is able to figure out every aspect that one would face in battle the more certain would be his victory.Even uncertain factors as long as they were not too overwhelming could be overcome with the momentum on his side .
He gently unsheathed a short sword from a belt strung across his waist .He twisted his neck back and forth , clenched and unclenched his fists till he could once again feel the blood in his fingers.He then proceeded to take a pose not unlike a sprinter at the starting position before taking a sudden leap.
The power behind his jump was sufficient enough to carry him far ahead straight onto a long and wide branch of a gigantic tree yet so soundless it had been that it had gave the creature seated on it any time to respond.
Before the Orc scout could react a thin , red line could be seen gradually expanding across its stout and filthy neck even as it mouth opened to scream no sound came from it only a faint gurgling as its gigantic torso collapsed onto the branch with a plop.
Brenn meanwhile was gently ridding his sword clean of the foul orc blood that dripped down gently onto the branch below giving rise to sizzling vapors .Like a ghost the sword had severed the soul of its prey rapidly and thoughtlessly even now gleaming with the lustre of cold steel expressing its delight .
Brenn had been prepared for the presence of the Orc Scout of course ,he had deliberately chosen to taken care of it at its vantage point. Firstly it would certainly not expect an attack at its own den and Midday was the very period when its attention span was at its weakest.Not to mention the added advantage the location provided in disposal of the body , if he had done it anywhere else the process might have raised enough sound to alert the others.Here he could do it soundlessly provided he was fast enough.Turns out he was.
"One down , A lot more to go.On to the next step." He muttered aloud under his breath as he took another immense leap into the foliage as he vaulted from tree to tree with unmatched agility.
After around half an hour past seven more orcs had been taken care off thoroughly in their posts.Never shall they pillage again.
However Brenn felt no delight at his achievement.
The number of Orc scouts meant that the tribe was bigger than he had expected it appeared that he might end up facing the worst case scenario of being overwhelmed hundred to one .Luckily , he had prepared for that too .
Barely a few minutes later the lair of the Orcs finally came into view.
Just a stone's throw ahead the dense forest widened into a clearing .Unlike the other parts of the forest only stunted undergrowth, moss and lichen grew there made possible by the fact that the overcast sky permitted no sunlight.Brenn couldn't help clicking his teeth in annoyance .His main advantage was useless now , Though the orcs will not be as strong or alert as would be at twilight their faculties would not be diminished as much as he thought.What worried him the most was the ruined obsidian tower in the center which was quite clearly the den they had made for themselves.
Ambush didn't seem like a hopeful prospect now not to mention the presence of the tower complicated things in all sorts of ways .Apart from the obdurate difficulties of having to face traps and ambushes at every turn , the search for the women would also become more complicated.He didn't hold much hope for that still he had to try without question.
Based on prior experiences he had with such fortresses they were mostly the relics of a bygone era when all the world and its denizens had been at war with each other .Men had only been a small faction at that time trampled upon by other races .Most of the fighting had been between the mystical races long thought to have vanished such as the Elves, Dwarves and Giants .In fact during that perilous age it wasn't even uncommon to hear of the occasional firedrake plundering for its hoard in its withered heath. With the passage of time all had faded away living on only in the tales told to children and the age old ballads of the wandering bards.
Such fortresses invariably had a dungeon where the lords had kept their prisoners. If the women were still aware that was were they will be .What made it difficult though was it had only one entrance deep within the bowels of the earth and was certain to be guarded heavily .
"Hmm it seemed that only that plan was viable." Brenn thought to himself."Time to put phase two in action ." A smile couldn't help from creeping on its face
He sheathed his short sword back inside before taking a dark-green velvety material from a pocket deep inside his breeches.He shook it till expanded to reveal a cape which he draped over himself till he was covered entirely.It was a Ranger's Cloak which provided for extra camouflage in the forest it would be effective at least till he gets inside the tower . He then gently reached for a white bulge in his clothing many fine wires invisible to the naked eye erupted from it which vanished into the forest all around .This was the real reason that the assassination of the scouts was absolutely necessary although the fact that the Orcs inside would be unaware of his assault was an added plus.
He gently crushed the bulge without hesitation and leaped ahead into the clearing.
"BOOM !"
He barely had the time to take cover as the world behind him exploded in a sea of burning fame and dazzling light.
The explosion was loud enough to nearly leave him deaf even when he had taken the precaution of making a protective covering of aura around his ears.
He rushed ahead without hesitation his body bent towards the ground .He could already hear the pounding of frenzied feet and the howls and shrieks of the Orcs who swarmed out of their den in a bid to get rid of the intruders who had assaulted them .He didn't look up though that would be a dead giveaway with their sense of smell if he paused for even a moment he would be found instantly.The only reason he hadn't till now was the fact that they had been caught utterly by surprise in their panic they had no idea of who or what was after them.
Plus he had deliberately arranged the flash bombs in such a manner that not only would they create the illusion that an entire army was assaulting them but also delude them into believing that their enemy was far away.The lack of information received by the scouts would only worsen the situation and with luck he could get a sizeable chunk away from their fortress and he might just be able to gain the upper hand.His true purpose was rescue after all not annihilation
For added measure he brought out a couple of long thick sticks with a thin wire hanging on one end he bit of the wire and throw each stick into the distant forest as far as he could which was a lot.From the corner of his eyes he could see long plumes of red smoke arising the sign that the flare was working.
"The more the merrier , with this the Orcs would think that the army is signalling for even more troops and they would be in even more of a rush to eliminate the 'troops' in order to prevent them from joining up with their companions and outnumbering the Orcs.Still I would have to be quick about it each second of extra delay implies an extra chance for the Orcs to regroup together and overwhelm me with sheer numbers." He said to himself
Brenn suddenly unsheathed his sword , a long sword this time with great reach as he headed towards the open entrance to the tower which was still chaotic with the jostling and pushing of Orcs as they did their best to come out as fast as possible.
What followed was a unilateral slaughter .
Like a wolf among a herd of sheep Brenn pounced among the Orcs.Each strike from his sword was like that of the Death God personified . Every single slash, every single cut achieved its purpose .To Kill without a single sound.
Barely a minute later the entire group lay there fallen with blood spewing from a thin line in their necks.For all anyone could have known they were simply sleeping peacefully . Who could have realized that the reaper had carried away their souls amidst their deep slumber?
Meanwhile Brenn had long since entered inside the path beyond the entrance forked into two the left one leading to a staircase from which even now hordes of Orcs were clambering down the other right path on the contrary showed no signs of any habitation and headed into darkness.
Without hesitation Brenn headed rightwards before the Orcs could notice more he had long gone.
Each step was leading him ever closer to the Dungeons and an inevitable danger that he would encounter.
Unlike the situation at the entrance the advantage wasn't on his side any longer.There he had used the confusion he had created to reap quick benefits .Now, he was heading into the heart of enemy territory and he wasn't the hunter no longer if he won't be careful the tables might be turned and he might be hunted instead.