Janja carried Relai toward the crowd. He shouted at an orc, but was ignored. He had no time to waste being polite.
Janja turned his body to the side and knocked into him.
The orc turned toward him, annoyed. "Hey what are you doing... Janja?"
"Relai's been hurt in the woods. A monster poisoned her. I need the elder, where is she?"
The orc didn't mind being treated like this. After all Janja is stronger than him, and it looks like an emergency. "The elder? Well, she's over there conversing with the sacred Phoenix." He pointed at the center of the crowd.
"Thanks." Janja started to push his way through the crowd when a strong hand latched onto his shoulder.
"I can't let you disturb the elder. Look, honestly Janja, I don't want to fight you. Can't you just wait until the Phoenix leaves? I'm sure she'll help you then."
Janja almost wanted to laugh, but couldn't due to the seriousness of the situation. "You want me to wait? Look at her! Does she look like she can wait!" He lifted the shaking Relai to give the orc a better look.
Hmm... She does look pretty bad. "Sorry Janja." He shook his head. He wouldn't do this under normal circumstances. Honestly. He just can't let someone interrupt the elder at such an important moment.
"Then don't blame me for this!" Janja's leg shot up with incredible flexibility, that seemed impossible for his build, and caught the orc straight in the chin.
Something snapped as he fell to the floor clutching his face.
The commotion attracted the attention of the nearby orcs. They saw the girl in his hands and were wondering wether to let him through or not when the fallen orc yelled. "Dun leh em through!"
He held his broken jaw with one hand as he leaped at Janja again.
The others knew that no one should make a commotion at such a crucial moment. No matter the reason. If the elder convinces the Phoenix to support the tribe, they will become the overlords of everything for miles!
They leaped at Janja. They weren't trying to hurt him, just tackle him to the ground until the talk with the Phoenix ends, then he could ask the elder for help.
It was simple.
But not for Janja. He fought like his life depended on it. He rammed with his shoulders and kicked with his feet. Although he had never said it out loud, he was in love with Relai. He planned to do the ritual this year and ask the elder to marry them.
He couldn't afford to let her die now!
The other orcs latched onto his legs and waist, trying to bring him down. He struggled harder and harder trying to shake them off, when, he felt something wrong with Relai.
He looked down and saw it. A chunk of her arm had turned ashy and orange. During the struggle, someone bumped into it and a piece fell off.
"What is happening?" Janja froze, afraid to cause her any more pain.
The other orcs however, didn't care about her. They took advantage of the moment and slammed him to the ground.
He tried his best to protect her but the impact caused more flakes to fall off. Orange veins grew out from the wound covering her entire arm. With every passing second he could see it climbing further up her neck. He didn't know much about poison but he was sure that she wouldn't last much longer.
Janja felt as if he was holding a vase made of glass. Even the slightest bump would cause it to crack. He didn't move as they held him down. He didn't dare to.
Just as he had given up, a female voice entered his ears. "What's happening back there? Surely you're not brawling in my presence?"
The crowd immediately separated themselves from the scene. Giving the Phoenix and the elder a clear look. Five grown orcs formed a dog pile with Janja and Relai at the bottom.
When no one was paying attention to them they felt that they were doing something good, but now that they were being looked at by so many people, the orcs felt childish. They cleared their throats and stood up. They didn't dare speak and just tried to merge back into the crowd, but for every step they took forward, the crowd stepped back.
Dog piling in the presence of a Phoenix? Are they stupid? The orc elder had never been so ashamed of being an elder until today. She was just in the middle of bragging about how strong and righteous her tribe is, then they cause such a scene. All her talk must seem like a joke to the Phoenix now. She took a glance at it's face and, from what she could tell, it didn't seem to be angry. She subtly waved her hand at the orcs telling them to get lost as she tried to change the topic.
"Ah, this is perfect! This is Janja, he's the strongest youth of our tribe."
This peaked the Phoenix's interest a little. "Is that so? Then perhaps he wouldn't mind doing a little demonstration?"
"Of course not, of course not. Someone go find a rock big enough for Janja to display his power and bring it here."
One or two orcs left the crowd to look for the rock. The elder swung her walking cane at the crowd, "How long do you expect us to wait here! Go!"
After almost being beaten by the elder, half the crowd dispersed to look.
Janja picked himself up off the dirt as he carried Relai toward the elder. "Elder! Please save Relai! She's been poisoned by some monster in the woods... It's spreading too quickly, I-I don't know what to do. Please help her!"
The elder knelt down and touched the girls arm. As she poked it there was no give, it was hard like stone. The wound turned orange and the skin was brittle... she's never seen anything like this.
"Janja, what did this?"
"It was a metal creature. It hid behind a tree and slashed her as we walked past."
Metal creature? She's never heard about it. Maybe it's alone, or it could even be migrating and is just passing through?
Interrupting her train of thought, the Phoenix asked, oddly cheerful, "And how far was this 'monster,' from the village?"
Janja thought for a second, startled by the question. "Um, I'm not sure... maybe two or three hundred feet away?"
The village elder's eyes widened. "It was that close? Then..."
Before the elder could finish her thought, screams came from all directions around the village as the orcs came running back. They screamed in fear as they sprinted back to the elder.
"What happened?!" The elder reached out and grabbed an orc who collapsed to the ground.
"It got me! Elder please help me. They surrounded the village." The orc started to sob. "Please elder... I don't want to die."
"Okay, just... try to relax. I'll help you."
"Th-thank you."
She lifted his arms but didn't see anything. Then she felt around his clothes for blood but, again, found nothing.
"Where does it hurt? I can't find anything."
The orc didn't respond. He curled up into the fetal position and stared into the distance.
That's when she heard something creaking behind her. She turned to look, and watched as something shambled out of the thicket. It wasn't just one. At the same time, they all walked out and surrounded the village, but didn't move any further.
Surrounded by an army of unknown creatures, the elder couldn't bother with the orc anymore and left him on the floor as she begged the Phoenix. "Great Phoenix, we haven't known each other for long, and I realize you don't owe us anything, but on behalf of the village, I would like to ask for your assistance during this crisis."
She bowed, showing her sincerity, but the Phoenix just laughed. A laugh that chimed like a bell, seemed to be mocking them, but they still found it pleasant to listen to.
"Don't worry, everything will be okay."
Coming from anyone else, these words would do nothing to ease their minds and would probably be laughed off, but when the Phoenix, one of the most legendary and powerful creatures in the world says them, it calmed the orcs. It reminded them that there is nothing to fear as long as it is there.
The orcs gathered around the Phoenix like it was their guardian angel. They forgot their pain and fear momentarily.
Janja, who had been silent, finally gathered his courage to speak up. "Excuse me Great Phoenix."
It looked down at him, who was kneeling next to Relai. "What is it?"
He swallowed his non-existent saliva. "This is my... she's someone important to me. She's been poisoned for a while now. Do you think you can heal her?"
"Well I guess that depends."
"On what?"
"On wether or not you can convince him." The Phoenix lifted it's wing and pointed in a direction at the woods.
Janja, the elder, and the orcs all looked over. There was nothing, but soon, the sound of branches snapping as something walked closer was heard.