Amukelo stood watching the crowd for anything suspicious. Then, Amukelo saw a cloaked figure moving through the crowd.
Carefully, he gestured to an watching them to give a signal about danger. The orc nodded, passing the warning down the line to others hidden in the crowd or stationed on rooftops. Trusting that the network was now on alert, Amukelo began to tail the cloaked figure, keeping his distance while subtly unsheathing his sword, hiding it beneath his own cloak.
The figure moved to another cloaked figure, pausing to glance around before speaking to him. The two exchanged a few brief words before the second figure slipped away into a nearby alley. The first one, however, changed direction, heading straight toward the elevated platform where Naguk was speaking.
Then, the cloaked figure stopped, as he hurled a small metallic object toward the stage.
"Now!" the figure shouted, their voice cutting through the plaza like a blade.
The small ball spun through the air toward Naguk. But before it could reach him, an earth wall shot up from the ground. The ball ricocheted off the wall, arcing back toward the figure in the crowd. Then a cube of solid earth enclosed the figure and the object just as the ball exploded.
The force of the blast shattered the earth cube, sending shards of stone in all directions, though the magic contained most of the damage. Amukelo ducked instinctively, shielding himself as fragments of debris clattered around him. To Amukelo's surprise the crowd didn't panicked as he expected. Though, some of them still fled.
From the buildings surrounding the plaza, eight armed orcs appeared coming at Naguk. They came out of the buildings aiming at Naguk. His personal guards reacted instantly, intercepting five of the attackers. But three others slipped past the line of defense, their weapons aimed directly at Naguk.
Naguk didn't flinch. Instead, a wide grin spread across his face. "Come," he said.
The three attackers rushed him simultaneously. Naguk blocked two strikes with his arms, one with his axe and the other with his reinforced gauntlet. The third attacker aimed for his flank, but Naguk lashed out with a brutal kick, sending the orc stumbling backward. But Naguk had to take a step back himself, his other two opponents pressing him hard.
Naguk shoved their weapons aside, forcing the attackers to retreat a few paces. They regrouped quickly, and they lunged at him again. One came from his left, the other from his right. Naguk twisted, redirecting one blade into the path of the other, creating an opening just as the third orc charged back at him.
With his axe-arm free, he met the third attacker head-on, using his strength to throw the orc into the other two. The trio stumbled, but they recovered faster this time.
Naguk parried the strike of the first attacker, sidestepped the second, and brought his axe-arm up to meet the third head-on.
The first attacker, undeterred, came back at Naguk, aiming at his side. Naguk barely had time to react, jumping back just in time to avoid the blade. The orc who missed his target snarled in frustration, doubling back to charge again. This time, Naguk launched himself forward to meet the strike, but before he could land a blow, the second attacker intercepted him, slamming a heavy strike against Naguk's axe-arm. The force sent Naguk stumbling back a few steps, but he quickly recovered, roaring as the two others closed in on him.
Both attackers struck simultaneously from opposite sides. Naguk crossed his axe-arm and second axe to block. He roared through gritted teeth, holding his ground despite their combined strength. "You will not win that easy!" he bellowed.
One of the attackers smirked. He gave a subtle nod to someone behind Naguk. And in that instant, Naguk heard the faint whistle of a blade slicing through the air.
"Watch out!" a voice cried out. Naguk shoved the two attackers in front of him away, spinning around just in time to see the glint of steel descending toward his neck. Time seemed to slow as the blade came closer, and Naguk ducked, knowing he wouldn't make it in time to avoid the strike.
Then, with a resounding clang, the blade stopped mere inches from his neck.
Amukelo had appeared from the crowd, blocking the would-be fatal strike at the last second. He held his ground against the powerful slash, the force pushing him slightly back but not breaking his defense.
Naguk's eyes widened briefly in surprise before a grin spread across his face. "Thanks to you again," he said.
Amukelo smirked. "Are you okay?" he asked.
But there was no time to bask in the moment. "Look at your enemy!" Eliss's voice rang out. Naguk turned just in time to see the two orcs he had pushed away moments earlier charging at him once more.
As one of the attackers raised his sword a water bullet came flying from Eliss's direction, piercing through the orc's arm with a wet thud. The injured attacker cried out in pain, his trajectory veering off as he stumbled to the ground. The other, however, continued as he slashed across Naguk's chest in a vicious arc.
Naguk roared in pain, staggering back as blood began to seep through the wound. Fueled by fury, he retaliated with a powerful swing of his axe-arm. The sharp edge cleaved through his attacker, severing him cleanly in half. The orc's body crumpled to the ground, and Naguk turned his attention to the injured one, who was still struggling to get up.
Eliss wasn't finished with him. She cast another spell, freezing the fallen attacker to the ground. Ice spread rapidly across his body, pinning him in place. Naguk looked down at his immobilized opponent, then turned to the last of his three attackers.
The third orc faltered under Naguk's glare. But desperation pushed him to continue. He yelled defiantly and rushed forward, but his moves were clumsy compared to his earlier attacks. Naguk sidestepped the wild swing and countered with a swift strike from his axe-arm, knocking the weapon out of the attacker's hand. A moment later, Naguk delivered another slash with his second weapon, finishing him decisively.
Meanwhile, Amukelo faced off against the ambusher who had nearly killed Naguk. The cloaked attacker lunged repeatedly, but Amukelo evaded them all, while waiting for the perfect moment to strike back.
Finally, the ambusher overextended on a downward slash, leaving his left side exposed. Amukelo sidestepped the attack and spinning behind the attacker. Slicing through the ambusher's arm, severing his weapon arm cleanly at the shoulder. The attacker howled in pain, clutching at the stump as he collapsed to his knees.