Tha-Nar grunted with displeasure as he watched the cloaked girl and her gawking companion vanish from the Great hall. He had always hated the way people: humans mostly, stared at him, and although he didn't sense any ill intent from the boy, it still made him uncomfortable. Shortly after the pair disappeared with a flash something massive materialised before him in the same flash of light. Tha-Nar quickly parted with the wall as he recognized his "Father", the huge Orc wore a full suit of silver platemail that seemed to be only a "little" too small, surprisingly. He towered over Tha-Nar so much so that he had to crane his neck up to look into his dark green face, his tusks grew up past his wrinkled nose and stopped right below his pure black eyes. He gently shoved a scroll into Tha-Nar "Take" the Orc's voice was a grating mess as it spoke "Only return when quest done" he ruffled Tha-Nar's hair and gave a brief smile that would make anyone from the other races scream I'm terror, then he turned and left. The young Half-Orc smiled to himself as he unraveled the scroll but then frowned upon realising it was covered in the squiggly lines the "civilized" races referred to as "words". The only thing he understood on the scroll was a map and a portrait of man. He committed the map to memory then disposed of the paper without taking a second glance at the portrait, he then took and sheathed his broadsword to his back and left the guild. The warm sun washed over him as a gentle breeze caressed his face and ruffled his hair, the boy smiled good day for killing he thought to himself. He quickly descended the steps before him and stood for a while, the streets were filled with people who stared in disgust at the young Half-Orc while they went their ways, Tha-Nar growled at an old lady who ventured too close and chuckled to himself as he saw her eyes fill with terror. He looked around an frowned again, leave city.....how? He mused. He stood at the base of the marble steps of the guild which stood at the end of an open square, three streets stretched out from there: each in a different direction. Tha-Nar grumbled under his breath before picking one at random and leaving.
After a long and grueling task of navigating through the large city, Tha-Nar had finally emerged from its bowels. He sat resting on a rock next to the wide cobblestone road which led to the largest and Capital city of Lanatheas: Traliseth. It was almost dark so the usual bustle of the road had died down to a trickle of one or two travelers or a wagon. He was a fair distance from the city walls, yet the massive stones still towered over him, from where he sat he could make out tiny specks on the walls, sentries he recalled, he had passed a pair at the gate where he exited the city. Thinking to himself that he's rested enough, Tha-Nar got up and continued his trek down the cobblestone road. Not long after he started he begun to hear screams echoing from further down the road, he continued at his usual pace until he came upon a gruesome scene: a carriage lay overturned on the side of the road, the Half-Orc warily approached it while reaching for the hilt of his sword. As he got closer he noticed the ground was slicked with the blood of almost a dozen soldiers that lay dead on the ground, he carefully stepped around them and walked to where the roof was, as he went by he heard a faint whimper followed by gasping sounds. Tha-Nar stopped and put his ear to the canvas roof of the carriage then quickly ripped it apart revealing the body of a well dressed man, who was bleeding uncontrollably from a large gash in his chest. His chest heaved heavily and his breaths came in rasps, Tha-Nar unsheathed a small knife from his belt and held it to the man's throat. "Cannot save, only end pain" he said stoically. The man's hand shot up suddenly and caught his arm, "please...save…her" he cried "save…..my….daughter....save...Laura….please….save…." Tha-Nar felt the man's grip loosen on his arm and then watched as it fell softly to the ground, the light in his eyes faded as his breathing stopped.
Tha-Nar straightened himself and looked towards the forest that stretched out about a mile away from the side of the road then grunted as he noticed the bloody footprints leading away.
"Problem not mine" he said gruffly as he walked away from the scene, shortly after that he heard another scream echo from the forest.
He tried ignoring it and continuing on his way but somehow his legs received the wrong message and he found himself making a mad dash towards the trees, his powerful legs pounded the soft grass beneath him as he closed the distance in a mere matter of minutes, he thanked his "father" for his Orc blood as he rushed between the trees. While he ran, Tha-Nar focused his keen hearing and sense of smell on locating the girl. His ears twitched and he suddenly made a sharp turn and hoped he wouldn't be too late. After what felt like hours to the young Half-Orc, he finally started to see a clearing up ahead, where a group of ten stood in a semicircle around something. Tha-Nar heard sobbing up ahead and decided he was in the right place, he raced forward, unsheathed his broadsword then made one powerful sweep with it cleaving through the two the men closest to him as he came to a stop. The others quickly turned in shock and as the severed bodies hit the floor in a rain of blood and entrails, the blood making Tha-Nar's sword glisten in the dim light that peeked through the canopy above. He wasted no time before continuing his assault, he quickly chopped off the arm of the closest bandit who had already recovered from the shock and was in the process of driving his sword forward. The bandit screamed in pain as his arm and sword fell, Tha-Nar quickly dispatched of him then spun and blocked a knife strike aimed at his neck, he delivered a powerful kick to the attacker's side and cringed inwardly as the man's bones shattered and broke through his flesh on the other side, the man upchucked a sickening amount of blood, but Tha-Nar was already back in action parrying two attacks from individual men who snuck into his guard while he was distracted. He jumped back and rolled to the side as a another sword struck the ground where he was standing, Tha-Nar stopped and analyzed the situation briefly then he spun back into action, avoiding the brigands who swung for his exposed sides, his mighty sword sliced through one as he unsheathed his knife and threw it into the throat of the other who clutched at his neck in shock before falling over. The remaining brigands started circling Tha-Nar as the one he assumed to be leading them grabbed the crying girl and pointed his longsword at her.
"Stop!" he snarled "You're here for her aren't you?" He smiled darkly "she's a real beauty I'll admit, how about a deal Mr. Orc?"
"Deal?" Tha-Nar inquired
"Yes"
he paused and fondled her breasts, which made her scream and thrash her arms about to hit the man, but he simply held his sword to her neck and she stopped.
"You and I can come to an understanding see? You can have your way with the girl, and then when you're done, my boys and I will take her and be on our way. What do you say Mr. Orc, is it a deal?"
Tha-Nar finally understood what the man was getting at and he couldn't believe his ears, they seriously believed he cake all this way just to violate the poor girl. This is why he despised humans, they rarely saw him as a person; to them, he was a monster of sort, and he hated it. He stared at the bandit in contempt before snarling a response.
"No"
The bandit stared back at him wide-eyed and simply shook his head.
"Ah well, can't say I didn't try to be civil."
He gestured to his remaining friends who were still circling Tha-Nar warily.
"Kill him, and let's be on our way."
Tha-Nar's eyes went red with fury as he let out a terrifying roar which emanated a red sound wave numbing everyone in the vicinity. He dispatched of the four in an instant then rushed the leader who somehow managed to break out of his trance and block his sword just in time, he knocked Tha-Nar's sword to the side then jabbed at him with the point of his, but missed narrowly as Tha-Nar dodged left and delivered a powerful punch to his chest that sent him flying into a tree which a sickening crunch.
He looked to the girl and tried smiling without looking terrifying; which failed miserably as it made her back up to a tree with a frightful look in her eyes. "Stay" he commanded as he slowly moved towards her.
The girl nodded and braced herself against the tree and started to remove her dress while she continued her sobbing, Tha-Nar stared dumbly at her as she removed her clothes revealing her smooth flawless flesh, his mouth gaped as her ample breasts came into view. It took a while before he snapped back to his senses.
"What you doing!" he exclaimed as he covered his eyes and spun around.
"I'm sorry, would you rather undress me yourself?"
She was crying heavier and the tears raced down her face, as she closed her eyes and looked away. Tha-Nar spun back around, his anger rising, humans really didn't think much of him.
"Tha-Nar. Not. Rapist." He roared
"I'm sorry…." She gasped as she pulled her clothes tighter "I thought….I mean….." she fixed her clothes properly as she fumbled for words "you're a Half-Orc" she finally said accusingly
"And?" Tha-Nar screamed
"You're from a warmongering people who rape helpless damsels in distress" she half shouted "I assumed you saved me with the intention of conquering my....you know?"
"Where you learn that?"
"From books....bedtime stories…." She hesitated then trailed off as it dawned upon her just how foolish she had been.
"Orcs be Good, Orcs not evil than humans. Why do you kind treat Orcs bad? We just like you....green an big, but same" Tha-Nar spoke with touch of sadness to his voice, as he looked at her. "Why humans make lie about Orcs? Why humans learn other humans that Orcs bad an evil?"
They stood staring at each other in awkward silence for a lengthy moment, Tha-Nar's words had surprised them both and they were now at a complete loss as to how to proceed. The girl took that moment to take in Tha-Nar's visage. He wasn't half as ugly as she'd heard, he was most certainly not handsome by any means, but he had a certain beauty about him she thought. He had two small tusks jutted out from the corners of his mouth; they weren't nearly as huge as she'd expect and she thought it looked a little cute. His pointed ears looked similar to that of Elves but were turned at an angle and pointed behind him slightly and his eyes were black where white should have been and in the middle was a bright fiery orange. She stood admiring him for awhile and as a result, missed what he had finally spoken.
"What was that?" she asked
"Sorry" Tha-Nar sighed and sat on the ground, he took a cloth from his pouch and started to wipe the blood and pieces of viscera from his blade. "For explosion"
She sat on the ground in a graceful and ladylike manner and smiled softly at the Half-Orc, she gagged as he picked at a few bloody chunks on the sword. She swallowed it and regained her composure before he noticed.
"I apologize for my rudeness." She sighed "It's been a long day and I'm afraid I do not know much about your kind, other than what I've heard from others and from books"
Tha-Nar tried not to look frightening as he attempted another smile. "No need, heard worse before"
"That doesn't matter, as a lady of RoséHearth, I shouldn't have made such assumptions about my saviour" her voice was calm and there were traces of an authoritative tone.
"May I ask why it was that you saved me though? I assume you had good reason, giving me your name would also be lovely" she smiled at him and continued "For courtesy sake, I am Laura Von Strauss, Lady of RoséHearth and only daughter of Duke and Duchess Von Strauss of RoséHearth." She extended her hand and waited on Tha-Nar to return the favour.
"Tha-Nar Thak, of IronHorn Orcs." He looked at her extended hand in visible confusion
"This is where you kiss my hand Tha-Nar" she smiled kindly as he delivered an awkward and clumsy kiss to her wrist.
"Encountered destroyed carriage on road, dying man inside sent me to save daughter" Tha-Nar explained without consideration as to how the young lady would take the news, and as a result was utterly shocked when he saw her reaction.
Laura was aghast once she had heard Tha-Nar's words, her demeanor changed as her smile faded and her shoulders drooped, she was filled with dread as memories of her life flashed before her eyes, followed by the terrors of the bandits' attack earlier. This isn't real…..it can't be she thought to herself "No!" she quickly stood and rushed past Tha-Nar her tears flowing freely once more, her father wasn't dead, she refused to believe it….not until she saw it with her own eyes.
Tha-Nar watched and cursed himself silently as he hurriedly sheathed his broadsword and followed after her, taking note of a dragon engraving on one of the swords which lay discarded by their owners who were lost in eternal sleep.
Night had fallen and the woods were now only partially lit as only a few rays of moonlight was capable of penetrating the foliage above. The two trekked along cut-out paths on the woodland floor; one determined and careless in their steps, and the other, indecisive and careful. Tha-Nar walked a few feet behind Lady Laura, which is what he had decided to call her, as she moved through the wood oblivious to the world around her and with one singular thought. He kept a watchful eye on his surroundings as they quickly moved, his hand on the hilt of his trusty steel. Shadows danced above them which startled the young lady occasionally and elicited a quiet chuckle from Tha-Nar, despite that, the girl seemed to be braver than he initially expected, and a lot kinder too. He was used to the racial stereotypes people believed about his people, but it wasn't often that someone apologized after being wrong about him, it never happened, in fact people were more likely to be even more discriminating after he tried telling them they were wrong, Laura had been the first to ever apologize to him. As a result, he had ended up not being bothered about it anymore, and somehow he felt a strange bond with her as they walked silently through the woods, as if he was in charge of her safety from now on. They walked in complete silence for a few minutes until they were out of the woods and were walking towards the main road, Tha-Nar peered out in the distance looking for the wreckage he saw earlier; making out the silhouette in the darkened night, he carefully guided Laura to it.
Laura slowly approached the overturned carriage, she had completely disregarded the bodies strewn around it, for only one was important to her at the moment; her father, whom she still refused to believe was dead. Tha-Nar had stopped at the edge of the wreckage and watched as Laura faced her worst fears. He witnessed her shock as she saw her father's corpse which was no doubt currently in rigor mortis, he saw her reach out to touch his face then she let loose a shrill scream that made Tha-Nar shiver, she then fell to her knees and broke down in tears, her hands covering her face. She stayed there for a while; bawling her eyes out while Tha-Nar watched her, not sure what to do, and silently prayed for a distraction which would never come. He bellied up to her when she had finally calmed down enough and made to put his hand on her shoulder when a commanding shout rang through the night.
"Halt!"
Tha-Nar spun and noticed the band of black amour clad men led by a mountain of a man atop massive black stallion. He stared in shock, surprised he didn't hear them approach and silently cursed himself for his lack of vigilance.
"Step away from the girl," The horseman said, his voice a strange calm which carried such authority, Tha-Nar was compelled to obey without question "disarm yourself and move aside"
"No" Tha-Nar resisted, he didn't know why but something was extremely off about these men, especially the one in front who seemed to blend in with the shadows around "Who are you?"
The man faltered a bit, regarding Tha-Nar with his icy steel gaze. Tha-Nar stared back and felt a shiver run down his spine, slowly he moved to put himself between the men and Laura as he felt it was necessary. The man dismounted in a smooth fluent manner and bowed slightly.
"Forgive me for my rudeness, I am but a humble knight captain from the capital, here to investigate reports of bandit activity in the area. My men and I were simply doing some patrolling when I heard her cries" he gestured at Laura, whom was still on her knees staring at her father "Your turn, and please bear in mind that your answer will determine your fate"
"He is my personal guard" Laura had gotten up and answered before Tha-Nar got the chance to. She couldn't explain it, but she also felt uneasy in the Knight's presence.
"Is that so?" the Knight looked from one to the other then pinched his chin with a gloved hand "I don't recall the young lady having a personal guard.....and last I checked, your father was not friendly to the non-human races. Isn't that right milady?"
There was a sudden flash of lightning that lit up the area like the first rays of daylight, and for a moment Laura and Tha-Nar got a good look at the Knight's deathly pale face. Laura gasped and stepped back a few paces, tripping over herself in the process and tumbled over in an unladylike manner. She stared in shock at the man as Tha-Nar moved quickly to help her up. Above them clouds swirled together in an unnatural way as lightning bolts streaked through them continuously. The knight looked at them and muttered.
"Took long enough, though it's a shame it had to come at this particular moment. I'm busted aren't I dear?" his voice had taken a vicious tone at that moment.
"You're supposed to be dead!" Laura squealed
She hugged his arm while managing to stay behind him. Tha-Nar himself was lost and couldn't fathom what was happening around him. So he watched the men warily and kept his hand on his sword hilt.
"Am I now?" he looked back towards them and flashed a wicked grin, showing off a mouthful of serrated teeth along with two unnaturally long fangs.
"Queen Andraste announced it herself....." her voice was getting desperate as she slowly tugged Tha-Nar backwards with her. "you died along with Princess Rosalina. That's what were told"
Tha-Nar was still lost but he felt that it would soon be time to run for his life, despite dispatching the bandits earlier, he somehow got the feeling that these men would rip him to shreds before he even drew his sword. He looked up and saw the swirling clouds and suddenly felt a gust of wind picked up.
"Who....what are you..." he asked. Fear tingeing his voice.
"Ah. Allow me to reintroduce myself properly" He spread his arms to his sides and looked to the sky as the wind billowed around him. "I am Lucien Arengar, one of the twelve Celestial Knights, Leader of the Dragon Knights, and Emissary of the Dark Lord himself." His voice became an icy chill in the night air as the unnatural storm picked up around them. "And as for what I am, boy, I will become the worst of your nightmares unless you leaves the girl, and run for your pathetic life. For I assure you, only a harsh and cruel death awaits if you stand between me and what I desire."
At that moment the light winked out suddenly as the dark clouds swirled around the moon creating an unnatural darkness around them all. Lucien looked to sky and screamed.
"Behold the power of my master, the dark one himself, lord of all things cruel...."
He stopped his speech after noticing a slight moment in the darkness, then laughed insidiously as he mounted his horse once more. Lucien sneered into the darkness as he pointed forward.
"After them. Kill the Orc and bring the girl back alive."
Feet pounded loudly on stone as the Half-Orc ran ahead with the fastest speed he had ever mustered, he had scooped up Laura and draped her over his shoulder as he fled at an incredible rate. He could hear her panicky breath as fear washed over her in the darkness which enveloped them, he was also afraid, but he knew that their lives depended on him getting away, and as such he bottled up his fear inside and concentrated and putting each leg forward. He continued on his way as he thanked himself for his "father's" genes once again as his eyes allowed him to see through the gloom, it wasn't much but it was enough, he shivered when he realised that Laura would be completely blind to her surroundings. He spared a glance behind and quickly dodged to the right as a clawed hand whipped through the air where his head was, he staggered and nearly fell as having Laura on his shoulder made him unbalanced. As he corrected himself, he took in the sight of a hideous creature which had attacked him; a pale skeleton of a man in armour, everything about him was lifeless just like the man who was leading them. Tha-Nar gathered himself quickly and shot forward once more, but this time he could feel the creatures hot on his tail, he bobbed and weaved as he was attacked from all sides which made him stumble a few times and almost fall over because of his extra luggage. He took stock and realised suddenly that Laura had lost consciousness somewhere along the way, he hoped that she was alright. He muttered under his breath as he sidestepped and narrowly evaded another strike. He was starting to wonder whether he'd be able to make it out alive when he spotted a couple of women just up ahead, there was a faint light floating above them as they walked through the total blackness.
"RUUUUUUN" he screamed at them "monster night things"
The two stopped and stared in his direction as he pumped his legs harder and dashed towards them leaving the creatures in his dust, as he neared closer he saw the woman raise her hands then shortly after a faint light appeared in her hand. She looked shocked for a bit then gathered herself quickly and shouted back.
"The light will stop them if they're truly creatures of the night. Get behind me, quickly"
Tha-Nar didn't have to hear that twice as he forced himself to go faster and wondered briefly why she sounded so manly, he felt like he was at his limit and nearly tripped a few times as he finally got past the lady and skidded to a stop as he panted for breath. He turned and noticed how the two light sources lit up the area almost completely, then he saw them. The creatures hovered at the edge of the light, there were five of them and they looked fairly similar in attire and the coldness in their visual appearance.
"Well what'd you know. They are vampires"
The voice came from the other girl which stood beside the one casting the light, who Tha-Nar now recognised as the boy from the guild hall. He looked at him in disbelief wondering why male elf and human mages often wore those long dresses, then he figured that it probably helped with their magic.
"This is so fucking cool, ain't it Kemari?" she grinned
The girl walked to the edge of the light and started making faces at the "vampires" as she'd called them, one of them pounced at her and she jumped back at once. The creature screamed as the light washed over its body and it ran back to the safety of the darkness. The girl laughed and gestured towards them
"Fucking idiots aren't they?"
She smiled ear to ear, leaving Tha-Nar to wonder if she was mad, and then suddenly she looked back to him and her expression got serious as she looked him over.
"Mr Orc, would you like to explain why there's a young lady draped over your shoulders?"
She stepped forward towards him, but just as she did the original ball of light winked out and the one in the boy's hands flickered. He then spoke for the first time.
"Uh. I'm not particularly good with light magic so it's burning through my mana like crazy" his tone was urgent with a hint of fear.
"Mean what?" Tha-Nar asked, his voice shaking.
The girl grabbed the boy by his dress and pulled him forward as she began to run dragging him behind.
"It means run, you stupid overgrown pig!" she screamed at him
Tha-Nar sighed heavily as he started moving again. He had taken the short reprieve as an opportunity to catch his breath and stretch his legs, and had shifted Laura to his other shoulder. So now he felt full of life as he raced forward just ahead of the girl who struggled to pull the boy along as he was entirely focused on his magic. He grumbled under his breath, spun around and took up the boy in his arms like a new-born babe, the girl gave him a weird look but didn't say anything as they both ran ahead. The boy however was a bit more difficult.
"What the fuck are you doing?" he screamed which made the light flicker a bit at his loss of concentration "put me down. Do you have any idea how emasculating this fucking is?"
"Kemari, shut up and focus on your stupid spell" the girl growled next to them "besides, I don't think you'll ever get the chance to be so close to another person again" she laughed.
The boy "Kemari" said something inaudible and then barked back something in a different language that made the girl laugh harder as he refocused on his magic. The vampires kept up pursuit but kept at the edge of the now dimming light. Tha-Nar and the girl continued their run at the highest speeds, which appeared to be the same. They ran for what seemed like an eternity until the magic light finally went out and Kemari fell limp across Tha-Nar's shoulder.
"FUCK!"
The words came from both Tha-Nar and the girl as the darkness consumed them once more, behind them the vampires screeched out as they rushed forward with uncanny speed, Tha-Nar looked behind him and noticed that only one was there. He swallowed hard as he turned back around and saw one of them standing in the road ahead the monster let out another terrifying screech and he heard it echo around them both.
"Stop!" He hurriedly said to the girl "we surrounded"
They both looked wildly around as they stood there next to each other, the creatures advancing slowly towards them.
"If you have any ideas now would be a good time to use them, Orc boy" the girl said as she looked around frantically at the sounds of the advancing vampires.
"No plan"
Tha-Nar was doing the same. His heart pounded in his chest and he considered dropping Laura and making a run for it, but quickly purged the thought from his mind, there was no way he was about to do something so evil, even if it would save his life. He desperately searched for a way out of their situation but deep down he knew.......they would die here tonight.
"Set me down Tha-Nar"
And icy chill tickled his neck as the words were spoken, causing him to flinch, he stood motionless before realising the words had come from Laura he slowly set her down on her feet and stared at her speechless as an icy coldness emanated from her, Tha-Nar blinked as he noticed that she still appeared to be unconscious. She turned towards the vampire before them and Tha-Nar noticed how they seemed to back away from her. Suddenly a large black ghastly apparition formed over her it had a long flowing black cloak which was riddled with tears and holes Tha-Nar watched as it stretched out a long bony hand, and a menacing looking scythe appeared in it, then suddenly a smaller identical one appeared in Laura's hand. The chill which emanated from her as well as the apparition caused both Tha-Nar and the girl to back away, their fears of the monsters gone and replaced with fear of something much, much worse.
"I thank you my knight, for you have protected my vessel far better than I could have hoped," her voice was cold chill, which gripped his heart and spread dread throughout his body. "but I fear I have to handle it from here. I hope you will continue protecting her after this"
She slammed the butt of the scythe into the ground and the gloom vanished as if it were never there. Moonlight returned to the road, and they could finally see clearly once more. Then she spoke again.
"Come to me my children, so I may set you free."
The vampires made no sound as they walked to kneel before her. Tha-Nar and the girl watched with shocked expressions, while Lucien sat atop his horse at a distance, watching in anger as his thralls bowed before his very prey, he sat there motionless until the apparition turned its skull head towards him and pointed a bony finger. Lucien cursed as he spun his horse around and vanished into the night. Laura continued to speak.
"You have been long dead, and yet your souls were forced to stay tethered to abominable flesh, by the commands of a cruel and dark being. I can hear your souls, they plead for help, they cry to be free, they hunger for vengeance for what was done to them, and for what they have done at the commands of the dark fiend. Their prayers will be answered, this I promise you"
And with that, she rose the scythe and sliced it through all five, Tha-Nar watched as the bodies went limp and burst into golden flakes. In their place knelt five ethereal beings, which were blown apart by a sudden gust of wind, their voices echoed after as five "Thank you"s rolled into one. Laura turned back to Tha-Nar.
"Take her home" Were the only words she said before the apparition vanished and Laura's body hit the floor, the scythe fell beside her.
The two stood there for a while before a soft snore from Kemari brought them back from their confusion. The girl was the first to speak.
"Ok...what in the actual fucking fuck just happened!" She exclaimed "Just who the hell is that?"
"Laura Von Strauss" Tha-Nar said idly
"Wow, thanks. I understand everything clearly now. It all makes sense"
"It does?" Tha-Nar asked he was completely perplexed
"Of course not you stupid pig, I was being sarcastic" she rolled her eyes "How the fuck does 'Laura Von Strauss' explain anything?"
"Ask her" Tha-Nar shrugged as a went to pick up Laura and draped her over his shoulder once more.
The girl stared at him and blinked a few times before screaming off into the night sky and grabbing up the scythe.
"Name's Isadora by the way" she grunted "Thanks for asking"
Tha-Nar at her confused once more "Didn't. But me Tha-Nar"
"Ugh. Where the hell does 'Laura Von Strauss' live anyway?"
"Follow" was the only reply.
The two trailed off together Tha-Nar with two bodies draped over him and Isadora stomping along behind him, cursing loudly.