A grating laugh fell from the dwarven man's lips as blatant insults and challenges were yelled out by the orcs. The leader came forward and swung her Timor from her shoulders, the blade's edge at the small man's nose.
"Dwarvish skum! Ifer died many of years ago and he isn't to return! Who might you be, to use a demon's name so carelessly?" She demanded, aggravated by how lax the man seemed despite her swing at him. She showed little fear for the army of bones behind him.
The ringing of colliding blades echoed through the cave as one of the skeletal warriors sent her blade into the air with its own.
"Who be ye to question me! Glortur Silverblood!" The dwarf retorted stridently. Though, his dry lips soon spread into a scheming grin. "Da Days o' Darkness be upon ye. Surrender ye'r self to Ifer, 'r be nuthin' more den da ground we tread." The dwarf's eyes then scanned the room in search of any willing to join them, but none seemed to come forward. The orcs' eyes were either full of rage, or the slightest hesitation. Damn their honor!
With a simple wave of the dwarf's hand, the hell spawn began to pour into the cave. The room filled with hymns and chants of battle and courage in the orcish tongue. They were strong, but many fell in a matter of minutes. Glortur didn't lift a finger, much less a blade. He simply watched as the cave-dwellers were cut down, his lips stretched into a wicked grin.
***
Amidst the chaos, Torheng was swift to lunge at Arcius and pull him aside. Unarmed, they couldn't jump into battle without stripping someone else of their defenses. They'd have more luck attempting to take a blade from one of the orcs rather than the undead.
"Let us go, while we have the chance!" He urged, attempting to pull him away from the ascending battle.
Arcius seemed hesitant, his gaze darting between those fighting and those slain. He wanted to help, but even the battle-bred orcs were slain with ease. Yet, he still wished to fight! "Where be me honor if we'r to flee without 'least avenging one!" He stated firmly, all hesitation leaving him. Pushing Torheng back so he'd have a chance to escape himself, he slid into battle. It was only when he felt a sudden stinging in his side that he began to reconsider. Though, his reaction was faster than his thoughts. Arcius scooped a shield from the ground and swiftly bashed the creature's skull. The wood of the shield split into two and the creature stumbled back, dropping its sword and its head. Quickly, it scrambled to reattach its skull, as Arcius scrambled for its blade.
The red flare to the skeleton's eyes dimed until it was no more, and it's bones fell to dust as Arcius swung at its brittle ribs again and again.
Torheng felt conflicted as he was abandoned at the rear of the battle field. He knew he wouldn't survive if he plunged into battle like Arcius had done, but it felt wrong to leave. As his hands fell to his sides helplessly, his fingers brushed against the halter that usually held his spell book. How could he forget he was a wizard only moments after he had acted as though he was one brought up by the gods!
The smaller male took a step back and stretched his fingers before putting his hands forward. He began to chant, hoping that this would do more good for their side than, if the orcs could be considered so, the latter. A shift in the air underneath his hands could be seen, and the ground began to shake. As the quaking became more grand, rocks began to fall. Sensitive from the explosion, the majority of the cave where the entrance had been fully collapsed. A large number of the skeletal creatures were crushed, but they wouldn't stay underneath the earth for long, as well as some of the orc kin.
All was still. Most of them assumed the cave collapsed naturally from the stress of the bombs and the battle, while others assumed it was aid from the gods! Torheng's tremulous voice broke through the silence. "Those creatures won't die," he remarked, having made such a conclusion by observing the battle "we should find another way to leave before they come back." He suggested, unsure if the orcs still wished to kill them. Though, many didn't seem to have the motivation or the strength to rush to their deaths as their leader had. All that remained of her was an extended arm from beneath the rocks, Timor still in her grasp.
One of the orcs took her blade and lodged it into the stone as though to mark and honor their fallen. "Let's take leave. We'll open the cavern of the blood-werves. Maybe they'll make something of these boney bastards." He explained, sounding foregin to the common tongue. "Then, we'll leave through the north tunnel. Head to warn our kin."
The orcs took kindly to who appeared to be their new commander. Immediately, they began to follow his instructions. A small group of orcs went down the south cavern to open the gate in which kept the blood-werves from entering the main caverns. They returned within the hour, but it was quite the jog as the others had a head start down the northern tunnel.
Arcius and Torheng were relieved that they had been welcomed to leave with the group. Some of the orcs, even, were rather attentive to Arcius and his wounds. He had killed one of the hell-spawn! No matter how hard they had been struck, they always came back. And yet, Arcius had killed one! In this, the orcs found respect for the adventurer, regardless of his upbringing. Arcius was quite amazed with the feat as well. The ebony sword was still in his grasp, and no longer did a blackened smoke seep from it.
***
The walked until the sun had begun to rise, and the biting wind could nip at their flesh. They had exited the mountain hours before, and Torheng managed to collapse their exit. The undead army and their dwarven commander would struggle to trace their tracks, as they would have to go around or over the mountain to find their exit. The orcs began to set up a camp once they had come to the Region of Frostforge, the home of Grauknok's hall.
Torheng jumped at the chance for rest, and forced Arcius to do the same so his wounds could begin to properly heal. As they began to settle into the tall grasses, an orcish woman approached them and sat besides him. "Let me join you," She stated simply, hardly giving them time at all to question why she had sat with them.
"Excuse me?" Torheng spoke up.
"Let me join you. On your adventure, that is. My name is Sovo, Sovo the Tamer." She told them calmly, her gaze eager.
Torheng shook his head vigorously as though to reject any thought of an adventure. "There should have been no adventure from the beginning! We're heading to Grauknok's hall, and that will be all." He stated firmly.
Sovo's expression twisted with confusion and defiance. "The mountain is to be burned. If you're from it, I don't believe you can go back."
The wizard's jaw dropped. "What do you mean the mountain is to be burned?!" He cried out.
"Haven't you learnt of Ifer's reign? When he conquers, he doesn't slaughter and leave. He destroys the very land he treads upon! The mountain will burn, as will everywhere else he touches. If disaster follows you under his name, you can't escape 'adventure'."
Arcius cleared his throat to interrupt. "If there's to be adventurin, let the girl join us! No harm in lettin' 'her come to the Hall. The world looks to be in for adventure. Ye can think of 'er as protection. Ye be needin' to find a new home. We can accompany ye til. This Ifer business, I be wantin' to explore it a bits meself. Nothin' good will be a-comin' of it." He declared. Having an orcish warrior to back them, he found, would be most helpful. If she wished to go on with Arcius if they departed from Torheng, he'd be a lot less lonely and a lot less likely to die.
Torheng sighed in a manner most dramatic before falling back to lie down. "Very well. We'll see."