The Army of wolves band together and set out as a pack, the Fang leads the pack over the walls and in seconds the war is brought to the Orc's. The pack scatters for the kill, let loose under the dim torches sparse across the whole camp, the orcs run around wildly in confusion and fear as these foreign invaders have their way with them.
The Fang can only stand and watch however. Witnessing one faded shape kill another in the darkness, one by one, under the soft light of lonely torches, the defenceless orcs sink into the abyss, running to the unknown away from these killers. This isn't a battle, it is a slaughter. I want no part of this, where are the warriors?
The Fang slips past his allies onto the moulded mud path leading up to partially torn houses and makeshift scaffolding surrounding houses further ahead. He doesn't know why, but part of him has to see the place Nia had grown up, to try to understand her experience with his own eyes.
The path Fang walks on leads up to the storm beginning to boil over the clouds, rain starts to spit down again and the thunder yawns as it awakens for the battle, it makes the sun finally drown from sight under the horizon.
The inside of this outpost is stained by the cruelty of these people. The moist mud is littered all over the walls and equipment, cages are rusted and filled with worn cloth and sludge like substances in the food bowls. Fang can see pools of dried blood near something like a stage; barbed whips, twisted wires and hooks are among the expansive collection of tools scattered across the table on the centre of this sadistic stage. What cruel, barbaric torture. But am I really one to judge?
A few steps away from it, a house to his left seems dead, but the movement in the window says otherwise.
A child appears at the door, peaking her head out to see this foreign invader. Fang is only slightly shocked to see a kid here, I shouldn't be surprised, Nia was born in this place. That girl will be like her.
Except he could see immediately their differences. Her skin was not the same tone, it is not even the earthy green tone he thought orcs used to have, it is a deep black skin tone that is only a few shades darker than Nia's, but her front row of teeth dip past her lips below her lively green eyes. What then shocked him properly was the girls size. She was almost his height and certainly Nia's build, but she can not be past her teens.
With his sword over his shoulder and caution on his mind, Jaco slowly walks to the child but in an instant, she disappears back inside the dead house. He follows her and walks into the house, chains lay on the floor, scrapped and broken. The house is a mess, aside from the dim fire pit, it must be deserted and left behind, by who though? And why?
His sword is yanked away from him. He rolls towards the exit and turns to an Orc now holding his weapon at him with a terrible shake going through his arms.
Jaco steps back, gaining space from his now armed opponent. But the Orc doesn't advance.
Jaco continues to gradually back off, even if his instincts scream to pry the sword out of his dead hands. He nearly reaches the door, but a scream from behind him then fills the room.
The orc charges and lets out a mighty roar, but he is no a fighter. Jaco grabs his arm mid swing and picks him up by the neck, lifts him up and smashes him through a table. The thick wooden table shatters under the force and the Orc nearly rolls into the fire pit in front of the table. The Fang, without thinking, retrieves his sword and lines up the edge of his sword to his throat.
"NO, DAD!"
Fang freezes and pulls back his sword. The child emerges from behind the door he was just about to exit. She sprints to the fallen orc as the Fang watches on as he tries to piece this all together.
Then, he can see the scarring around their wrists, but they are deep, like when he first released Nia's shackles months ago. No, these are even deeper!
Wait, have we been killing..?
It falls together. Jaco drops his sword in horror, looking out that door to where his comrades are, they continue hunt and kill the Orc's, the orcs that are the slaves they promised to rescue.
"Where are the slavers?" Jaco is in full panic, understanding that the orcs aren't running to regroup and fight, they are slaves who are running from them. The new monsters in their lives.
The orc slowly sits up, clearly now an effort after being slammed down so hard. In the light he can confirm he is right. He wears minimal rags covering his chest and legs, his scars are aged compared to the young girls who are still fresh and painful. The girl clings onto her father, scared of this foreigner who invaded the only place she knows as home.
"They left days ago." He rises slowly, walking past Jaco and throwing a hateful kick at his old shackles as he reaches the door looking onto the oncoming army, he continues to detail what happened,
"After they got rid of the non-Orc slaves… they claimed they were going to stop slaving, start doing more honest work pfff. They said we'd all be free. They gave us the camp and some weapons to protect ourselves. But it was clearly their last deception before they got rid of all of us…" Jaco slowly walks up to him, trying to be patient with him as he would with Nia.
"I am sorry. You should follow me, we can explain to them what's going on and help your people, I don't want to-"
The slave collapses. Now in the light of the brighter torches, Jaco can see the large gashes going across his chest, the flesh sliced and bleeding heavily all over the floor. A wolf had already got to him.
"I'm out of time…" His daughter cuddles into him, knowing what is to come, desperately holding him for the precious moments he has left,
"At least you saw past this trick, you didn't just start killing us. I just hope she can find a home; maybe find joy in this miserable life she was given. And maybe you can find those rotten bastards and make 'em pay for EVERYTHING they did to us…"
"I… I cannot believe this. Where did they go?"
"I do not know. Please, do not let my little girl get caught by those bastards ever again… She only just felt freedom, she does not deserve this… none of our children did, even if they are not…" he stops before he can finish and holds his daughters hand,
"Honey, I love you so much, you are my world. Please do not let this break you, this world has wonders and love that you can find… please, find them for me, and cherish it all…"
He leans his head back, his sadness now frozen on his face. The child cries but doesn't make a sound.
The Fang picks up his sword, and then the child. Before leaving the house, he closes the eyes of the father. I've seen so many children left with nothing, orphaned, homeless and forgotten. But then again, how many children's lives have I ruined with my actions. I'm growing to hate seeing these kids lose it all because of the clans, because of us, because of bastards like me…
He walks back to the gate, to the massacre he turned away from. He makes sure to grab a torch and holds it high.
The chaotic noises start to bleed into silence. One by one, they witness the Fang walk away from the darkness, with a child in arms with grief in her eyes.
"You've been killing slaves. The Slavers are long gone!" He walks away from the army, leaving them in guilt and shame for what they have done. In the heat of the moment, they forgot what they were fighting for.
As Fang makes his way back, the wolves follow, gradually stopping their allies from the senseless killing, and soon begin to escort the reluctant and terrified slaves left behind by heartless monsters.
However. Not everyone stops the killing.
Quillen tries his best to keep his men under control, but these murderous fighters, mostly the new members, just do as they please with the slaves who are at their complete mercy.
The Fang returns with his group, now his own vanguard swiftly quelling the heartless monsters who don't stop even after their allies try to talk sense to them.
A flail and chain whirls in the air, smashing heads and breaking bones. A final monster kills indiscriminately, both slave and wolf alike. The Fang puts down the child, letting her run to the camp for safety, away from the approaching fight. Quillen gets his more loyal soldiers to arrest the savage wolves as he approaches this severe problem too.
The bald man screams, his veins bulge and pulse on his limbs, his dyed white armour is decorated with blood stained fibula's and tibias glued on the waist and hanging over his ragged trousers. His green tinted pupils are like needles in his snowball sized eyes that dart from person to person.
Quillen draws his sword and runs ahead of Jaco to the beast itself.
"Bastard used boosthium! Must have grabbed some before Khan got rid of it. Now he has gone berserk, we got no choice now." The Fang nods, and they charge behind the beast. Quillen knocks into his gut, but to no effect.
The beast spins around with his flails and knocks away the brothers. The Fang rises immediately and charges again. He jumps up and swings his sword down.
But it is caught by the flail as its chain coils around the blade. The beast swings over his head and slams the Fang down, the force glues him into the mud. He tries to rise quickly but he meets a boot to his face, planting him back into the dirt.
Quillen bashes the beast from behind with a shield into his spine, only for him to catch his arm and throw him on top of Fang. Quillen rises again, dodging the boot and jabs the beast's jaw, followed with a powerful roundhouse on the ribs. The beasts just smiles and begins to batter into Quillen's shield, his flails repeatedly crash into his shield. Quillen can barely deflect the assault, the mud only making him slip and lose his footing. He grabs his medallion, the sky is at perfect conditions. I am going to fry this bastard!
Jaco rises again. OK. NOW I'M PISSED.
He charges again and gets the beasts attention by cutting at his leg. It connects, but he still does not scream. He just turns his assault to the Fang, Quillen raises his hand to the sky and focusses his mind.
But the sky does not answer his summons.
Where is it?! He panics and shakes the medallion as if its faulty, the Fang sees this as he slides into the mud and goes under the beast.
Fuck this. Quillen drops his medallion and charges again. With perfect timing, the Fang slices off the beasts right arm mid swing. The beast smiles at the pain though.
Then Quillen grabs his remaining arm as he disturbs Jaco with his grin, he extends the arm fully and bashes his shield against his elbow, dislocating the bone. It is over.
Quillen and The Fang stand back from the mutilated enemy as the wolves circle the beast and detain him. The beast just laughs over the mess of shouts and commands. But it is cut out when his wound is cauterized. His flail is then used to guide him to the camp by the neck, with no room for comfort. He is not laughing as he is dragged away from the outpost.
Jaco can feel Quillen's wrathful eyes upon him, but he doesn't react.
"You ok?" Fang asks.
"I'm fine. That fucking medallion is useless! Wouldn't work at all!" Quillen kicks mud over the discarded item. He storms off, but Jaco quickly grabs it, wiping it over his fingers trying to clean it, but it proves useless. He drops it in his pocket as Quillen continues with the task at hand,
"We aren't done yet; we need to make sure we got everyone. Hey, you! Get these thugs in chains and get 'em out of here. Take the slaves with you and get them to Khan."
That young slave girl did not leave for freedom.
Instead the Fang finds her frozen in place in front of a wolf who was gone. He walks up to her slowly and meets her eye level,
"Hey, I know someone you can trust and will take care of you, find 'Nia'; she is also from here and you can trust her. She has dark skin, eyes like a fire and is strongly built. I will see you later, be careful, okay?"
Her eyes show a bit of hope, and she feverishly shakes her head.
"Fang! Stop chatting to the slaves, come on… it is just going to be us."
He takes a deep breath and gives the young girl a nod and a smile before she moves on with wolves back to the carts. He was not looking forward to this. The Fang realised that so many people wouldn't stop and got injured that only Quillen and himself were the only available wolves left to search this place.
The wolves leave with the slaves and the merciless pretenders who claim they are wolves as the Fang catches up to Quillen. The sky seems to be building up to something, the rain has stopped, but it is as if it knows this was the finale.
The Fang and Quillen search the houses, finding the same things in each unfinished and empty dead home. Behind the old cages a 'grave' is marked with flies that buzz over dead slaves piled up in a ditch on the edge of the camp. The stench reeks, it is so bad that Quillen vomits on the spot. The Fang has been around this odour a few times though, so it does not hit his gag reflex as hard.
How did Nia not catch a disease in these conditions?
"How many did that bastard kill?" Quillen whispers, as he leans against an opened cage with his back to Fang.
"What the slavers or the drugged-up traitor?" he asks, Quillen's shoulders start to rise and fall quickly, he turns around.
"That bastard who killed them ALL!" his voice starts to shake, "I let him get the chance to kill my men, even when we won the battle, they innocent people died!" Jaco turns around, unsure what he means.
"Are you ok?" he approaches Quillen, with caution.
"The Cro- I'm, not there, I'm over here, while it kills my vanguard!" Jaco places his hand on his arm and shakes it lightly to keep his attention,
"Hey. Snap out of it, this is not that outpost, that was months ago, remember?" Quillen's head lowers, the reality fading back into him,
"Y-yeah, it was." Jaco walks off as Quillen tries to calm down. It is clear that day haunts Quillen, but Jaco doesn't know what is wrong with him exactly. He is really pale now, and his eyes are different. Like he isn't all there nowadays.
Every step he takes, Jaco feels threatened at every alley and corner, and he hopes whatever it is would just try to kill him already. He can smell the anger in Quillen, his eyes burning a hole through his back. Is it this place making him like this? Or 'cause of me?
But he walks on. Even if Quillen tried to back stab him and leave him to die, part of him would be ok with it. But Quillen is not a coward. And there's that issue we have after this battle, and I feel like one of us has to go.
As they reach the last houses that are ruined by the weather, the Fang can hear movement, he looks up toward where the cliff is, and up ahead a lone figure is running, there black coat greasy and scaly.
The Fang freezes, I'll make sure to bring him that cliché fuckers head to Khan, that'll make his day a little better.
The Fang coughs loudly, Quillen slowly turns around and spots Fang pointing toward cliff, spotting the traitor.
He nods and leads the way up to the outpost's cliff, where their answers are. Thrak stands at the edge of the cliff, the wind tugging on his coat, waiting for them.
The ground they approach is much less muddy here and is almost dry, the empty rows of long grass reach over to the point where the cliffs edge expands into the blue lake behind it all.
Quillen steps forth in front of the Fang, but he uses the time to look at Thrak, he has no weapon, and there is no way Thrak can hide any reinforcements near them without them being spotted and even then, they just searched the whole place.
"What the hell are you planning Thrak? Actually, who are you?!" he does not respond, he slowly starts removing the jacket without haste as he stares past Quillen, at the Fang.
"Answer me!" Quillen shouts over the wailing wind biting at his skin.
The brothers stand a few feet from him, ready for a fight. Each strain of grass that separates them shakes and wavers in terror for what is to come.
"Oh, Kaycon was right again, you guys had no clue huh?" He raises his hand to the rags covering his face, his nails pull away the mystery he held on to.
He throws off his coat, the wind claims it and gifts it to the sea. He shrugs off the folds of his faded cream cotton shirt, still tied to his waist, it falls down to his thighs, exposing his bulky, dark green body to the bitter air around him, only his thick face cover shields his neck from the cold, with its absence, it reveals his unique, metallic piercings on his ear lobes and left nostril.
He is an Orc. By his side are unique swords in their sheathes tied to him by rope. They seems thinner, almost more like a kitchen knife, but are slightly longer than the Fang's sword.
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Thrak! Leader of this productive group of 'sailors' and your 'expert' in Orcs, but did I not mention I was an orc?" Quillen is in shock. Angry that he was blind to this. Fang just sighs, make sense. You are a big boy, and orcs are typically big guys. This does not stop me from killing you.
"But why?! You plan on somehow taking on an entire clan with your shitty little militia!" Thrak bursts out with laughter, the thunder seemingly joining him in the hilarity.
"Ah, your right, we'd get destroyed. BUT, let's say 'Hypothetically', by certain events your people were enticed by the opportunity to over throw their 'corrupt' chieftain who was about to capture some slaves. Throw in some promises, some tempting benefits, from a clever leader on the inside and all of a sudden, you have a whole clan in your hands." The Fang knows EXACTLY who would happily fill that role.
"Thee!" Quillen screams!
"WHAT?! Why would she!? That doesn't make sense."
"But she is always disputing with the chieftain, and she is so controlling and manipulating!" The Fang actually scoffs at his reasoning.
"Are we even talking about the same Thee here?! She isn't controlling and manipulative, she is just an asshole who is too direct. She'll force you to do something yeah, but plotting and politics! She hates that. It has to be -"
"ENOUGH." Thrak screams, "It doesn't matter, for neither one of you are leaving this cliff alive."
The brothers grow anxious. Finally lighting boils over the clouds and drips behind the cliff, the sky is gutted open for the rain to pour.
"You won't get away with this, we will take you and Thee down." Quillen scream, but Thrak just laughs to himself and shakes his head like an unamused parent.
"I don't care about that right now, I am more focussed on fighting right now, and you should too. Now, to kill you." Thrak stares down the Fang with excitement in his fingers as he taps the handle of one of his swords.
"I am here too ya know, don't count me out just because I'm the only guy here who isn't a monster."
"This is between me and him, boy. Go back to playing commander because I have no interest in you. It is the Fang I want." Thrak rips a sword out the sheath, its serrated edge rises high into the sky and impales the droplets of rain, it has no hilt or pommel and has a plain black handle.
Quillen takes an aggressive stance, shield at his side and sword ready to attack,
"Fuck you. I'll show you I am better than him."
"Seriously, stay out of my way. I want a good fight out of him." Thrak says irritably.
The Fang stands with one leg wide behind him and holds his sword two handed, pointed to the ground. Thrak stands in confidence as he drops the sword down to a guard, waiting.
"Fine, I'll take on both of you. But if you disappoint me Quillen, I'll make you regret it…"
The brothers ready up for a hard battle. The wind leaves in fear it will be caught in the middle of this fight.
The Fang charges first and swings upward, Thrak sways right. The Fang then spins round and goes for a horizontal swing but Thrak leaps forward and counters with a charge and tackles him before he can throw his attack. He plants Fang into the ground and begins to beat him with powerful strikes aimed for his skull, he blocks the punches, but his gauntlets just vibrate violently, shaking his bones unnaturally.
Quillen shield bashes Thrak, but he rolls right back up, grins and charges him now.
Fang struggles to stand back up with mud in his eyes and his hands will not stop shaking, he is unable to hold his weapon steady as Quillen charges at Thrak too.
A quick stab grazes Thrak's arm, but he gets his hands on Quillen's shield, in one quick push, he bumps Quillen's jaw with it then kicks him away from his shield. Thrak grins a toothy smile and looks Quillen straight in the eyes as he snaps his shield apart.
"Don't bother with the defence boy, I'll just smash through it, much like how I will smash through you."
Jaco, now slightly recovered, helps Quillen back on his feet. They look at each other and nod. Charging forward together this time.
Quillen goes to shoulder bash Thrak, but he swipes at Quillen before impact. Then Jaco steps around Quillen and raises his sword high into the wailing air for a killing blow.
Thrak steps away from Quillen and he abandons his blade. Just catching Jaco's sword in the lightnings flash above, the blade dangles above Thrak's nose as his palms catch the blade. Jaco cannot believe it, then Thrak uses his shock against him. He grins and twists his arms aside in a awkward position, but in a way for his hand to find his other sword.
Jaco gets jabbed right in his left shoulder with the other sword.
He falls next to Thrak, yelling in pain from the unexpected blow. Then the disorientated Quillen goes for another charge but Thrak grabs him before he can strike him with his shield. He is thrown high up with a push under his chest and slams into the ground next to Jaco. It is enough time to recover from his wound and Jaco finally sees Thrak's talent for combat.
A double sword technique, one sword rises high, horizontally above his head like prepped guillotine, the other across his chest diagonally as his guard.
"Not many get me to use both swords in a fight, I was hoping Fang alone would be enough. I guess not…" he sheathes one of his blades, slowly and dissapointingly.
Jaco slowly stands once more, his wound is not deep, but it hurts, and he knows he cannot swing with that arm now, he lets out a frustrated sigh, but keeps his calm,
"This is actually getting interesting…"
"For you maybe, but I am still waiting for you to let lose, don't let that fool prevent you from letting loose. COME ON. This is a fight to the death; you have to give it your all if you want to walk away alive, Fang."
Jaco moves toward him before Quillen gets up, Thrak meets the Fang's blade with his own. The bright blue sparks fall with the rain as they fight for supremacy. Jaco slips left and elbows Thrak's ribs, but the orc counters by sticking his fingers inside Jaco's wound, Jaco screams in pain and Thrak swings his sword at Jaco's chest.
He barely dodges the attack; his armour gets scraped across his chest as he falls back next to the still winded Quillen. Jaco looks at him and sees this fight has already beaten him to his limit.
Jaco pulls out the medallion and hands it to Quillen,
"You have the perfect conditions for that lightning shit. You got this!" Jaco rises as Quillen kneels and holds out his hand again with the medallion, concentrating as best as he can.
Jaco is charged at this time and their swords meet. Strike after strike sparks fly and their swords start to dent and flake as the fight goes on.
Quillen still cannot even create even a spark, even under the screaming sky, his medallion does not respond. WHY!? Please! I need it!
He starts to hyperventilate,
"No, no. I need to. I can't let them get through. I have to keep back these raiders…"
Quillen keeps trying but Jaco cannot last much longer, his lack of training now catching up to him.
His breath is heavy, and his harmed limb keeps getting a little slower as each strike takes more effort. Thrak finally wins, he grabs the Fang's sword. He could see Jaco was at his limit a while ago, he just wanted to see how long he could last.
Thrak throws Jaco aside with a mighty kick to the ribs.
Jaco is blown back into the earth, the rain threatening to drown him as he lays on his aching chest. His blade impales the soaked ground in front of him, defeated. Thrak sighs depressingly at his victory, he crouches down next to Jaco, his face holding a scowl as he sheathes his final sword,
"This isn't satisfying Fang! I was excited to fight you myself after I saw you lose it at the riot. I wanted to see if I could keep up with ya at your best. But no. You're weak. And now that I've had my 'fun'," he raises his foot,
"I'm gonna end this, like putting down the family dog.".
Quillen finally rises, his knees feel weak and his spine in complete pain. He slowly stumbles toward Thrak during his speech,
"You can't… you cannot get to the gate" he hobbles over to him, but Thrak laughs as Quillen swings his sword for his head and misses.
Thrak grabs his throat,
"Damnit, I warned you that you'd regret getting in my fucking way." He knocks away his sword with little effort and lifts him up with just one arm. Thrak's face slowly looks to his side for his sword as Quillen kicks away. Thrak's position makes it awkward to grab either sword, but the Fang's sword is just next to him.
With a bored expression and casual manner, he rips the Fang's sword out of the earth.
"Well, see you later kid!"
Thrak drives into Quillen's stomach with the Fang's own sword.
Jaco can only watch as he tries to stand, his legs not working with him at all as he desperately tried to stop him, Thrak rips the sword out of his gut and throws Quillen into to the dirt.
"NOOOO!"
Jaco's head rises, and his stamina comes back to him, he grabs Quillen's sword and jumps up. Before Thrak can react, Jaco cuts at his leg, then elbows his back, pushing him away from Quillen.
"YOU BASTARD. I'LL FUCKING RIP YOU APAAAAAART!"
Thrak only loses him for a second. Then, as if rising from the ground itself, Jaco stabs Thrak right through his side. Thrak throws a punch but Jaco shifts backwards before it can connect.
"Fuck! Ah… that is more like it!" Thrak rips out a sword and throws Jaco's own to him as he pulls out the one in his gut.
The Fang grunts and pulls at his hair, his head pounding and his chest aching.
"I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES! YOU ROTTEN- HEARTLESS BEING!" he pounces at Thrak. Thrak grabs the Fang and flings him aside to the mud, but he bounces back and swings his sword downward. Thrak raises his sword to block, in the moments before the impact Thrak looks into Jaco's eyes and sees the what he wanted the whole time.
The Fang's sword dents Thrak's blade deeply, but it doesn't break. Fang backs up and launches another strike to Thrak's left, he just dodges and knees Fang's head.
But teeth sink into his leg. Flesh is torn off as Fang retreats.
"AH FUCK! What th-" He looks to the Fang, inside teeth dangles a mangled piece his own flesh,
"That's fucked even for me you little shit. C'mon, eat this!"
Thrak launches forward with a flurry of blows and swings down on the Fang. He blinks, and the Fang is gone.
He just hears the water below him splash as the Fang stomps forward and drives sword into Thrak's shoulder. He screams in pain, the thunder drowns him out, the Fang smiles and leans over and spits the bit of Thrak's leg into his eyes.
Thrak is blinded and with a slow and precise stab, the Fang drives his blade into the back of his damaged leg. Thrak falls, but he is not done yet. He swings his 3rd arm at him, only for it to be deflected with ease.
Thrak rolls forward and twists back around to him, but Fang is already back on top of him before he can stand and he shoots his knee into his jaw.
Thrak holds onto his leg as he is thrown back, they fall into the ground together, but the Fang slithers on top of him and starts to beat Thrak senseless with wild punches.
Thrak can only stab his blade into the Fang's shoulder again, but it doesn't stop him, the Fang screams and holds the blade in his wound as he beats Thrak's face to the dirt over and over, each hit making a dent into the ground where Thrak's head is being driven into.
Thrak reaches finally for his other sword and tries to cut at the Fang's neck, but he springs away, giving Thrak a chance to stand up again.
He can't. The cuts to that leg are too painful for him to stand as he crouches over, he looks toward the Fang standing above him, sword over his head ready to swing. Thrak pushes his sword up as the Fang swings.
However, the Fangs hands separate mid swing, one holds the sword as the other plummets swiftly with Thrak's own sword down onto his knee. Thrak stops the blow to his head, but he cannot hold in his scream as the blade is driven against the side of his right knee and stabs the ground.
The Fang recovers from the attack before Thrak can process it all and he swings overhead again with both hands this time.
As the blades collide, Thrak's sword shatters. It crumbles to pieces and only gives Thrak time to lean backward away from the blade that hits the ground instead.
Thrak is stuck on his hands, unable to stand up anymore, it signals the end of this fight, but not Fang's thirst for blood.
Thrak crawls through the mud, clawing for Quillen's sword close by, he reaches out for it.
The Fang stab his sword through his hand. Thrak wails in pain again, but he tries to push him off. The Fang releases a frustrated, pent up grunt as catches his arm.
He places his boots on that arm and one of Thrak's shoulders. and wraps both his hands around the flesh of Thrak's shoulders. He digs his nails in, deep and pulls. Thrak's wriggles under him but cannot get free, with fear in his voice he dares to ask him,
"Wh- what are you trying..?"
Fang does not answer Thrak, instead he adjusts his stance and pulls with all his might.
Thrak is in so much pain he cannot scream this time, Fang twists arm and pulls again and again, feeling the flesh tear and separate slowly. Another tug and his blood erupts from the torn flesh on his back. Thrak bites the ground knowing he cannot get out of this one.
Rip. The skin flails off and more blood soon follows. Thrak finally screams in complete agony, wreathing in pain under The Fang. But he refuses to beg for mercy or show him weakness. Thrak turns for one second to the Fang, and he sees him just staring right back at him.
After forever, he tosses the flesh aside and kneels toward Thrak, his hand leaning down toward his eyes.
"Ja…c…co…" The Fang fades and Jaco returns to his shell. He sees the passed out, dismembered Thrak at his feet, but he runs to aid Quillen, leaving Thrak with his dismembered back alone to bleed out under the rain and in the dirt that offers him no comfort.
Jaco gently turns Quillen around, only the brief light from the lightning lets him even attempt to see the damage done. He can barely see how his stomach is painted red, the mud helps to camouflage the damage.
"It hurts Jaco, it hurts so much." Jaco tries to lift him over his arm, but the rain and his state of body make it impossible.
He looks into Jaco's eyes, begging to say something to him, but they close. Jaco stares at Quillen, waiting for them to open again.
Quillen's arm slides down, splashing into the mud and his neck twisting over Jaco's hand.
"QUILLEEEEEN!"
Nia swiftly deals with the incoming wave of liberated slaves, including the last one who is a young orc girl who asked for her specifically. Nia cannot help but notice the girl resembles her, but something is definitely different between, she just cannot put her finger on what it is.
"Why did you ask for me?" Nia asks as she looks her over in the cart, she already bandaged her wrists at this point.
"The man with the white hair said I can trust you." Nia smiles, Jaco then. She hands her a cup of water as she checks the girls back,
"Well, he sent you to me because I was a slave here too."
"Really?! How did you get out?"
"My mother, she sacrificed her life to get me out." Nia says with pride, but it is still dipped in plenty of fresh pain,
"My father sacrificed himself too." She says softly, "I was being hunted by those bad people, but he jumped in front of me and pushed them off, but he got hurt badly from it, and he eventually…"
"Shhhh, it is okay." Nia hugs her tightly and pats her back, "I know it hurts so much, it is terrible… but I am here for you know, you are going to be okay." Nia is the one who tears up between them, but she carries on, she hands her rations, and, she gives her some extra meat she stole from one of the bags of the thugs, bastard stole supplies from the cart before the attack, hope he starves after this is all over.
Nia gives the girl a final hug before leaving the cart and dropping into the storm outside. She looks at all the gathered people who survived the attack, and not one of them recognise her. But it does not hurt her as much as she thought that would. Instead, she is reminded of her growth since her mother gave her this freedom, she sought for so long. She walks past the crowd but it proves to be a mistake.
One of them screams, and jumps back away from her and the others also back away quickly as they look at her. Nia's skin crawls at the thought of being compared to her captors. She marches through them this time, forgoing any kindness or gentleness. It isn't that she was not thanked, she hates how they see her as the things that she too had to obey. She sees her commander and makes for a direct route to Khan.
"Go." Khan says as soon as she approaches him, "I know you want to bring him back, you have done very well Nia. I won't forget that." He pauses and says to himself.
"And.. we need him for what is to come..."
Nia sprints past the fires and carts. Regrettably charging through the harrowing gates she swore she would never walk through again.
Memories of the cages and torture they did to the slaves flash in her mind. The stage like structure she runs past was where she would be whipped for not keeping up with the adults, and how one time her mother paid for her not waking up for more work. She had part of her forearm skinned off, she would beg someone to keep me from seeing that, but no one ever did. They never went near me.
She spots the rotting bodies of slaves she may or may not have known, too decomposed and chopped up too tell them apart.
And I was thrown inside that weeks before I left, by the other slave children…
But these are all eventually pushed out by her thoughts of Jaco, she is hoping that he found more slaves in hiding and that is why he is not back yet.
She runs to the cliff knowing they would finish up there at the end of the camp, it was a popular suicide spot to slaves, she stood over that same edge a few times in the past. The lightning picks up and flashes every few seconds, it helps her find the bloody, but living, Jaco.
She can see a bloodied and mud ridden Jaco, his back to the edge of the cliff, the rain batters his shoulders and the lighting dances dangerously close to him. The world itself just seems to vanish as she gazes at Jaco.
She sighs with relief. In flashes, she watches his sword sway in the wind. Back and forth. Back and forth. And back and forth again so gently.
She gets close, but discovers two bloody, possibly dead bodies around her, and she looks at Jaco for an answer. His eyes are possessed by something else, they float around the bodies in front of him.
He allows the swords weight to guide his body, leading him over the edge of the cliff, into the blue abyss below.
Nia, step by step, goes to the edge, falling to her knees as she looks over the edge and can no longer see Jaco.
"JACOOOO!" she cries out as the storm begins to die down, she collapses, broken over just seeing the love of her life take his own life.
The waves calm down into a gentle sway, but the sky darkens further, doom looming over the land.