《Sands of Elstirr (Dropped)》
Prologue - Twilight of the Ork
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The rythmic banging of the drums echoed across the field. Randval shook his head to clear it, no, got to stay focused. He looked up to the sky the carrions birds circled overhead, bloody scavengers, he thought they are the true winners of this godsdamned war.
On the eve of the second month of the imperial calendar, the Holy Congregation, an oligarchy of the empires most holy men and women convened to discuss a new issue, the issue of the greenskin menace.
It has been known for a long time that the Orks have dwelt in the Sands of Elstirr, ever since the first outcasts were banished to this deserted edge of the world have men and ork fought, with tooth and claw, with bronze and steel and with fire and blood have the histories of the last century been forged.
But today was the day that it all changed, the Holy Congregation called for a holy crusade throughout the sands to "rid our god given lands of this heritc filth." And many did answer the call. from all corners of the empire did the god fearing men and women of the empire come and they brought with them steel and a fanaticle belife in this new righteous cause.
Trainee Paladin Randval Stubbton was one of this new breed of genocidal maniacs he had just graduated from the acadmy and was now working under the infamous Paladin Lustrous Von Clantior, and he like many others suceeded in driving the orks back to their last stronghold, Blackhold Keep.
"Breach the walls!" yelled and unknow soldier as yet another volley of poisened orkish arrows descended on the ranks of the holy vanguard lead by the dreadknight Lustrous Von Clantior, the ranks of the vangurad were men of tested skill and temperement and luckily so as theirs was a nigh on impossible job.
The lands around Blackhold keep had been stripped of all vegetation in advance of the oncoming army by the Orks, clever little bastards, meant that their wasnt enough left to make proper seige engines, the army had managed to put together two ladders of questionable quality in time for the battle and so instead of retreating, as most would advise, Paladin Von Clantior volunteered to lead the forlorn hope.
A party of men whose duty it is to best the wall and the defenders and open the castle gates for the oncoming atacking force, it was a strategy long since abandoned by the empire as it almost always lead to the near or utter destruction of the forward party. It was a job for the insane, but luckily for the empirem, if their is one thing a crusade does not lack, it is fanatical cannon fodder.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Nearly 500 brave souls had volunteered for the assault and only a tenth were predicted to survive.
Randval as the apprentice to Von Clantior, was forced to join.
That was all he could think of now as he and 500 other men climbed up there pitiful attempt at a seige ladder to almost certain doom.
"Hey Randval, stop fucking daydreaming there is work to be done." Chuckled one of his masters personal guard he laughed at his own joke as Randval thought of how one could be so jovial in the face of certain death.
His thought was interupted by the swing of a large broze war axe aimed at his head.
"Fuck!" he screamed as he steadied himself from nealry falling of the wall, just in time to dodge yet another swing, this time aimed at his lower abdomen.
He looked at his assailant a large tanned skinned Ork in tattered leather armour brandishing a beast of a weapon, an axe almost as long as the Ork was held out in an offensive position in front of him. The moonlight glinting of the bloodstained edge.
"Stay still and let me kill ya, ya dirty bastard! Ill skin you alive and then wear you as a bloody cloak!" The Ork yelled at him before charging, but Randval had no such intention of following orders. He moved into the Orks charge and dropped low, lashing out with his short sword sinking it into the bowels of the Ork as it howled in pain.
And then he smelt it his killing blow had spilled the half digested contents of the Orks gut across the bloodied gleaming wall. It smelt like bile mixed with shit, and all that mixed with the sent of blood sweat and dispair, made Randval want to retch over the wall. He stedied himself you never get used to the stench of battle he told himself as he moved on to regroup for the push for the gate house."
"Randval you lucky bastard get over here!" Lustrous was a large man around 6 and a half feet barrel chested and with a furious bushy black beard.
He clapped Randval on the back and then started both of then, and the 200 remaining soldiers of their advance party for the gate house.
Their renewed charge was met with feirce resistance and the air was clouded with defiant screams and death thoes of man and ork alike.
Somehow Randval ended up at the head of the charge egged on by the press of bodies there was no escape. He threw open the heavy oaken door and was met with a damp room dominated by a large set of wooden levers used to operate the gate, and then it hit him. Literally.
An ork, probably no less than 15 had just bludgened him with a wooden cudgel sending him reeling. The ork was probably in here to avoid the worst of the fighting but was now met with around 50 angry desperate and armed men. As Randval fell he saw the young ork desperately try to run before being skewered on the tip of a longsword. It howled it pain as antoher man finished it of.
Randval blacked out as the gate opened, good the soldiers had one now that the gate was opened and the main force had arrived Blackhold Keep would fall within the hour. He thought he should be more worried or scared as he lay there dying, but all he felt was relife, relife that this war had finally come to an end. A cold and bloody end to be true but an end none the less he could now rest in peace in the god of light''s embrace. The age of the ork is at an end now is tiome for the age of man.
Chapter 1 - Delinquents of Dao
"Dao, the city of a hundred races and a thousand cultures. Also known as the city of indulgence as its markets are the place to be for getting amazing and sometimes illegal goods."
- Landrach the World Walker on the markets of Dao.
"That little runt just robbed my store!" yelled a red faced merchant waving his arms about like a headless chicken. "Oi you, you''re a gurdsman, catch the bastard. He just stole some of my best spices"
Harak chuckled under his breath as he watched the scene in front of him take place, he had been living in the city of Dao for nigh on 3 years now and the naivety of the cities merchants still managed to amaze him. You''d think living in a city with one of the highest population densities and gaps between rich and poor would make them more wary of bandits. But they seemed to think their city guardsman grown fat from years of bribes could protect them. And in all sincerity Harak had to observe that the guards here where some of the best trained in the free cities, but no matter of training could prepare them to run after a speeding, panicked goblin.
When Harak had first arrived in the city he was 14 summers old. One of the few ork survivers of the massacre of Blackhold 13 years earlier , he was from the new brood was smuggled away with the rest of the children and those not fit to fight. They stumbled throught the desert for days. Orks turning on each other like animals, fighting to survive. They were saved on the 12th day when they came across the ork border tribe of Dulgaresh.
It''s called the ork border tribe but many different greenskin races resided there, it being the last well before the great grey wastes and all. Things were good for a time, Harak lived in peace and played and learned with the other orks, goblins and kobolds, races once warring now brought together under a common disaster.
But his one favourite memory was of the return of the survivers of Blackhold, of the thousands of ork soldiers defending a pitiful 5 made it back to the village, Harak didnt wait until they had finished desperately gulping down fresh water before launching an unrelenting barrage of questions at them.
He asked for news of the family he had never know, he had heard stories of his father and brother who had stayed behind, most ended in tears as the women remebered lost loved ones, the survivers told him they did not know of his father but that his brother had valiently defended the gatehouse till the end, even bringing down one of the revered human paladins.
After assuring him his brother would be remebered in song and revenge would be bought in the blood of a hundred human dogs, they left the young broodling to his grief.
Harak had always known in his heart of hearts that his family was dead, but the boy in him still held out hope that one day his father would return alive and well, with his brother in tow. He fell to his knees and wept.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Harak now seventeen watched the sprinting goblin deftly weave his way throught the pact crowd of humans and silently mused to himself, Tog is getting quite good at this, i will have to assign him more theft duties.
Harak, now assured in the fact that his subordinate could handle it himself, walked back to the arranged muster point for his "gang". Harak and the other members had taken to calling themselves "Green Fury" by popular vote, allthough "Head Stompers" was still thrown around by Thorik, the only half ork member of their group quite often, but it was the masters of the free cities who had given them the name they were most know by they called them "The Delinquents", they were but one of the many street gangs founded after the great crusade. Most run by the refugees and orphans of that war and as such the vast majority of them were populated by goblins kobolds and orks.
Harak''s group consisted of himself, Tog, or Tog the Tog the Marvelous as he insisted on calling himself, Thorik their half ork member, it was rare to see a half ork engaged in a group with any but their own kind, poor things were shunned by both the world of man and ork, so it was quite a surprise to the rest of the group when Harak recruited their newest member. Meev, the kobold of the group was one of the best lookouts Harak had ever known, sadly though she was little better than useless in a straight up fight, The final member of their group was Ratcham one of the runtier goblins Harak had met but the boy knew his way around a knife and had a dexterity even Harak had to envy.
He walked up to the courtyard and even before he could see his gang he could hear them.
"Where in the nine hells are Tog and Harak!" exclaimed Meev in her shrill voice.
"Bet Tog got himself caught and Harak well, you know how he is, the bastard probably walked in front of a mirror and got caught up in a battle for supremacy against this new intruder." Replied Ratcham in a voice as heavily laden in sarcasm as the small goblin could manage.
That little bastard, it only happened once and that was when he was new to the city, how was he supposed to know humans had magical devices for seeing yourself.
"You shouldn''d be so hard on them they are probably on their way back here as we speak" no matter how many times Harak talked to Thorik he would never get over how nice the mountain of half ork muscle was it was well, weird to say the least.
"Your too nice Thorik, Harak is a great fighter ill give him that, and he has a head for strategy none of us could match, but he has a head thicker than a trolls..." Ratcham sentence was cut short as Harak''s hand landed forcefully on the goblins shoulder.
"Thicker than a trolls what Ratcham, choose your next words carefully cause i may just show you what i would have done to that other ork."
"You heard that then huh?"
"Every word."
An awkward silence followed with all members of the group looking more than a little worried that Tog was so late.
"And your glorious leader has returned!" Triumphantly exclaimed Tog, at least Harak thought, he couldnt quite make the goblin out under the mountain of gold jewlery he was no covered in.
"We will have a talk about showing you who the real leader is later. but now, please tell me you didnt were all that jewlery here you glow the the fucking sun god!" Angrily spoke Harak as he rubbed his temples, and they called him stupid.
"Of course I didnt who do you think I am, Ratcham?"
"You cheeky bastard!" said a now redfaced Ratcham, "Ill get you for that mark my..." He was interupted again this time not by Harak but by a squad of city gurdsman burstin in on their little meeting.
"Stop! Feinds, In the name of High Consul Mazahigh, you are all under arrest!"
Chapter 2 - Justicar
"And as to why you are here my good friend Markoshias, you who tried to hide your debauchery and embezzlement. You should know most of all that this is no ordinary city, this is Dao, and justice will be served!"
- An extract from the biography of Her Serene Justice, Lord Justicar Loreenia Cafaw
Fuck, Harak swore under his breath, of cause the fucking gurad wouls show up right when they were about to leave, another few fucking seconds and it would all be done, now what?
"And what, in all the heavens do we have hear? An ork, a halfork, a kobold and two goblins. Ha, you sound like the start to a bad joke!" Enthused a man that Harak thought to be their leader, he was tall, for a human. About an inch taller than Harak, if not as broad shouldered. His breath smelt like a bad tavern and even with the distance between them Harak could smell it, that coupled with the beer gut pertruding from his Daoian standard issue leather armour and he looked like someone who spent far, far to much time in taverns.
"Ha Ha, thats right boss! You got em good, they are a joke, ha ha ha!" Laughed a man far to enthusiastically for the calibre of the joke, a thin man, clearly a subordinate trying to curry favour via compliments rather than skill.
"Thats what i just said is it not Johnas, argh. Any way you are all now under arrest for breaching the laws set by her serene highness Lord Justicar Vilnia Mertoli, and as stated by Daoian law you are to be brought before her.. blah blah blah. He he, why dont he just ditch the technicalities huh. Say you resisted me, then i could bring back your heads instead. And ive been itching to see if you orks still got any fight in you after the crusade." The man let out a wicked laugh and Harak felt an old ager well up within him. The crusade had only ended over a decade ago and was still fresh in the mind of humans, and what remains of the orks.
Harak turned to his group, seeing that they had taken up all manor of guilty poses looking at their feet like a bunch of toddlers caught raiding the pantry, bloody amatures! They were meant to be greenskins, the scourge of the western world. Lot of heklp they would do Harak would have to get them out of this.
"Comrades, fall back to the secondary rally point, i''ll meet you there." Harak said calmly as he ran his fingers through hil black ponytail to check it for knots. Then he struck.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He charged forward without a word of warning, covering the retreat of his allies. The guards barely had time to lift their swords before Harak upon them. He swung a tanned leathery fist into the fat leaders face, and took great satisfaction as he felt his enemies jaw break with the hit. Wouldn''t be so smug after this, would he?
He didn''t even slow before moving on to his next opponent, a man with wild hair in contrast to his lazy eyes. Unlike his leader this one had managed to get his sword up, for all the good it would do him. The gurd he had adopted was sloppy at best and Harak had no trouble in slapping it aside and sinking his claws into the man''s eyes.
The man wailed like a child a Harak dug his thumbs deeper into the mans eyes, then there was a pop a Harak''s thumbs went into the man''s brain, and he stopped wailing.
This is what orks were built for, this was his purpose. It was in battle that Harak had clarity, and in the screams of those who opposed him being crushed underfoot in which he found solace. It was an outlook which most humans would find grim, but it was not their culture, it was his, it was ork.
He stood from the now corpse of a man triumphantly and roared, a sound that travelled across the city and but decades previously would have brought fear to the hearts of all. Then he was struck, the pommel of a sword smashed into the base of his skull and he carreened before falling to the earth.
He looked to former position of his allies, they had run, even though he had ordered them to he was still a bit peterbed. Cowards didn''t matter now anyways he was going to die.
"Da, Ba-sterd bwoke meh feken jaw!" Howled on of them.
"And he killed Marlon so consider yourself lucky."
Then Harak blacked out, there was still so much he wanted to do, but he couldnt he had no strength left, he drifted into unconsciousness.
An ork border village, why was Harak back here?
It was night but the light from the birning village brightened the night sky, and the shadows danced the tormented ghosts.
Screams echoed throughout the night as Harak watched helplessly as his home was violated by human raiders, he wanted to scream, to fight back, to do something... Anything, then he was hit from behind and knocked unconscious.
Harak woke to a blinding light, well that was odd. He always thought orks never went to the heavenly halls of the light god lumour after death, and he certainly was not a paragon soul.
Then he remebered what had happened the fight with the guards, the robbery. He blinked his eyes to adjust to the light and found himself staring down a familiar face. He had seen it everyday on the Daoian city coins, this was Lord Justicar Vilnia Mertoli. He looked around he was in her court room.
Well this was just perfect he thought to himself. Just fucking perfect.
Chapter 3 - Law and Disorder
The legions of Dao are known as the slave legions, for apart from the noble cavalry almost all their manpower is taken from slaves or those facing the gallows.
- An extract from "Thoughts on Dao", by Scholar Henrich Levant of Ormuz.
After the bag was taken from his head it spread like wild fire, people everywhere in the court murmered one word, greenskin.
Harak wasn''t surprised, after the crusade his people had become recluses, hiding in caves hidden among the dunes. He was more surprised about the woman standing before him.
She had perfectly maintained black hair forming a series of intricate braids betraying her Ormuzi heritige and was hiding what looked like ample curves behind the veil of court dress. Not that Harak was attracted to her or anything, she was just pretty for a human she still had dirty cow teeth and that was an imedidiate red flag for him.
What he was more surprised about was why she was here of all places, being someone who is trying to hide from the law eventually results in you learning about it and he knew that the Lord Justicar never appeared in court unless for important cases, and he was a minor criminal at best.
She pulled out a staff, made of Daoian dragon stone and encrusted in rubies and emeralds, and then in one of the most flagrant disregards of wealth Harak had ever seen she struck the butt end of it to the floor. Sure it got the attention of the nobles but still if you sold that thing you could probably buy yourself a castle!
"All of you present, please take your seats the sentencing will now begin." She spoke softly but her voice carried around the room and had a sense of severity to it that caused the lookers on to sit without second thought.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Harak stood in the middle of an ancient court room, pillars adorned all the walls and the ceiling beheld some of the most impressive artwork Harak had ever seen. He was snapped out of his day dream by the voice of the Justicar.
"Ork, you stand accused of the theft of 2000 marks worth of goods and the murder, and attempted murder of two Daoine gurdsman how do you plead."
He didn''t know how to respond he was fucked either way, an ork in the supreme court against a human judge, there was only one way this was going to end. Might aswell make a show out of it.
"Guilty your honour, i broke the jaw of your guard and I clawed out the eyes of the other, and might I say it was satisfying to feel his brain beneath my claws." He could see the more noble elements of the court squirm, obviously squeamish after his former announcemnt.
"So your plea is guilty?"
"It is your majesty." he said as he did the most mocking and sarcastic bow he could manage. "And I would do it all again, my one regret being I wont get to kill more of you kind!" he said snarling, he stood defiant his eyes like black orbs scanned the room watching the nobles move with unrest as his gaze went over them. "So take my head, but know you will never crush the spirit of the ork!" He roared this time beating his chest as he did. Orks wouls stand for the rest of time, constantly chaging with the ebb and flow of conquest weakened but never beaten, like the dunes of Elstirr.
The Justicar let out a chuckle that soon turned into full out laughter. What was she doing he was meant to be threatening, a figure that all men should shudder after meeting, and here he was, being mocked by a pompous noble. It would not stand.
"Why do you laugh!" He yelled out.
"Because it is funny, made my day it did." She continued to laugh, and Harak waited for further explanation but none seemed to come. Soon the laughter slowed and then stopped, and as the Justicar wiped a tear from her eye she spoke.
"You sir. You who would claim death so readily will be denied its embrace for the time being, instead i sentence you to the fighting pits. Win your freedom, or lose and be granted the death you so hunger for. Either way, you shall continue to be very amusing for me."
Harak looked at her in dismay as he was dragged from the court he could sense that she would be a recuring thorn in his side. But no matter, he would triumph and win his freedom and then he would take great pleasure in choking the life out of her. Yes he could already imagine it.
Chapter 4 - Dungeons of Dao
The door to his cell closed with a loud metallic thud. Built solid, guess he wouldnt be getting out that way, he looked around.
In the corner there was a drop pit, the use all to clear, a matress so thin it might not even have been there and that was it, the entirety of the cell. Could have at least hired an interior designer.
He sat down, his back to the wall and nursed the bruise forming on the bac of his head, there were several occasions were we winced in pain from poking it to roughly. And then he saw that across from him was another identicle cell, and in it sat a small goblin. Its back was to him but he could still that it had see pale blue skin. Good, not one of his.
Harak cleared his throat, if was going to be here for a while then he might aswell have company. The goblin turned around with a start and Harak saw her face for the first time, at least he thought it might well have been a very feminine looking male, you never knew with goblins.
She had bright round gold eyes, they darted around the room but mostly stayed on him, studying. She also wore a large hooked nose big even by goblin standards and bore the clear signs of having been broken more than once.
"Evening, lovely day isnt it, sky is the perfect shade of stone." She squeaked that being the most apt word considering how high pitched the goblins voice was.
"Yes, it is but doing away with the pleasentries I would like to know just where the fuck I am?"
"Well friend thought that would be obvious guess orks are as stupid as they say. We my good friend..." She said lengthening the last few syllables of the world friend, waiting for a response.
"Harak"
"We Harak, are currently residents of the city of Dao''s fighting pit quaters, welcome to the best bead and breakfast you will ever have, allthough i wouldn''t recomend the bed, flea bitten to all hell, and they dont actually serve breakfast one meal a day and that spot is occupied by dinner. But apart from that it''s great here, no complaints." The goblin said dryly.
Harak grunted in response, he was done dealing with goblins, right now all he wanted to do was wallow in self pity. But the gods never smiled on Harak and now was no differentEnjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
"My names Feerana, nice to meet you Harak."
He looked up at her, her arm was outstretched through the bars as if offering a handshake, they both knew the cages were to far apart for that, she was starting to get on his nerves with false gestures and false cheer.
"Oh and speaking of fights here they come now."
This got Harak''sattention he could see the torchlight begin to flood through the dank tunnel. Then two men in boiled leathers strutted into the room one holding the keys and the other a torch, both were armed with swords, guess we wouldnt be getting out that way.
"Oi, ya retches, ya know the drill back of the cell hands behind ya head." He spoke with a clearly Leoreon, he was lightly muscled and had a few scraps of beard covering his chin and neck.
The other, larger one said nothing but stepped forward and unlocked the cages, Harak''s face was against the wall and we could smell the mold made by years of poor lighting and damp conditions. His hands were then grasped ruffly and thrust behind his back, he could feel them being bound when a round fat and stubbled face pushed up next to his and spoke.
"Hey there greenskin, heard this is your first fight."
Harak grunted, barely fighting back the urge to headbutt this man, he could smell his breath and he smelt like a brewery, it was aweful.
"We''ve never had an ork fight before, the city is in an uproar, biggest crowd we''ve had in years, even heard the Lord Justicar might be attending wouldn''t that be a sight, but anyway. Hope you dont dissapoint." And with that Harak was pushed out a his cell through the tunnel and into a small room with mismatching pieces of armour and weapons. The other man came up nextpushing along a bemused Feerana, then they cut his binds and left the laughing to each other. Harak rubbed his now chaffed wrists before looking over the equipment in front of him.
There were helmets, greeves, pauldrons, gauntlets and chest pieces of all different sizes and after much trial and error he found a helmet, chest piece and pair of gauntlets that fit him.
"You seem to catch on quick." Stated Feerana as Harak looked over a comically oversized war axe. "Thought i would have to explain to you that this is used to get us battle ready before the fight."
It seemed obvious to Harak, men kidnap you, men lead you to room full of weapons, men get you to fight for money, simple.
He finally decided on an arming sword and heather sheild when Feerana spoke again.
"Looks like we''ll be fighting as a pair." He grunted again he was busy preparing for the fight, he could feel the sand in between his toes and could smell the air heavy with sweat, stale blood and the assorted spices of the spectaters. The ork blood burned in his veins, a fight was coming and he was ready.
"You know if we want to work as an effective team you''re going to have to do more than gru..." She was cut off to the doors the the arena swinging open and Harak charged into the blinding light.
Chapter 5 - A Justicars Favour
When in doubt, make like the blind cave men of Mishnakev, close your eyes and flail wildly with whatever you have on hand, you''re bound to hit something.
Extract from the diary of Captain Cazarak of the 17th Bolophen legion after asked his thoughts on what would become known as the hopless battle of Bedrong Hill.
Harak ran into the open arena and for a moment his senses overwhelmed him blinding him in a cacophony of sound taste and touch, he could feel the sand under his feet and dug his toes into it. He could smeel the food being cooked above in the stands. In this madness he almost missed the most important detail, he looked up to the stands and saw her.
She no longer wore her courtly dress and now wore a much more form fitting gown blue as pale as the ice lakes of Heran, and it was embroided by what looked to be purple satin, most likely imported from Ormuz, another one of the free cities and famous for its weavers and its warriors. She looked back at him, her eyes of Gold staring into his very sole, burning with an intensity he had never thought before possible. He was about to call out to her when his enemies waltzed in.
They walked with a swagger, showing how they thought that none, and definetly not an ork would beable to beat them. Oh how he wanted to show them otherwise. Both of the pair were of a medium build but that was where the similarities ended. One was pale of skin and of hair hinting to a heritige that did not hail form here in the free cities or in the sands. He did not have the build of someone who had been fighting in the pits perfessionally instead he was scrawny and thin, Harak could imagine himself snapping the man like a twig. The man was armed with a pair of wicked looking scimitars, with a cruel curved edge.
The other was a polar opposite to his companion drak skinned where the other man was pale, broad and muscled where the othere was weak and scrawny and had a massive bushy mustache and carried a big greatsword, before harak could wonder if the young man was overcompensating for something the announcer made himself heard.
"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we have a treat preparred for you by order of the empress, it will be a bout in honour of the greenskin crusade, that rid our land of their kinds aweful raids and warbands." And with that the crowd cheered louder than it had when he had first started. The odds were begining to be stacked against him and it all smelt of justicar.
"We shall be pitting our great human heroes against the greenskin terror, in a battle that will decide their very lives." The crowd cheered again and Harak leaned over to his companion who had seemed to plae after their enemy was introduced.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Feerana, what are we up against here?" She didn''t respond, she just stood their staring fearfully at their opponents. Ok not a good sign. "Feeran talk to me" he said this time snapping his fingers close to her ear this time, it got her attention.
"Um, uh. We''re fucked, i can tell you that much." She said with barely contained fear.
"And why is that?" He said as the announcer went through more pleasantries and formalities.
"It is because those to are the highest ranked fighters in Dao." She laughed, "and no offence but i dont make it into the top twenty, and you''re a fucking greenie, so yes we are royally fucked!" She told him, and he had to agree with her.
"And now that, that is out of the way," Yelled the announcer, "let the fight. Begin!"
And at the drop of a hat his enemies charged blowing up a cloud of dust in their wake. He turned to his left to look at Feerana, but she was already gone running away from the oncoming battle. Fucking goblins he thought, cowards the lot of them.
"And just like that the cowardly goblin runs from the battle, just typical of their kind!" This got yet another roar of approval from the crowd.
The scrawnier one turned and began to pursue Feerana, good he thought maybe she can keep him busy while he takes care of the other one, didn''t like his chances with two of them.
He broke into a run and smashed into the other one with his shield. Much to Harak''s dismay and dissapointment the man did not fall, he just shuddered a bit but that was enough for Harak, his sword slashed out and went for the mans throat but to his credit he was good, he flicked his head at the last moment and the sword sliced his cheek instead.
Now that the fight was on equal footing the other man had the advantage, he hammered Harak''s shield with a speed and ferocity Harak thought only orks could manage and then he kicked his shield and Harak was sent sprawling. The man stood over Harak sword raised and poised to strike.
"And it looks like we have our first kill of the day folks, our ork friend just couldn''t stand against human might."
"Time to finish what the crusade started retch!" And this was why Harak frowned upon monlogues, as the man spoke Harak sunk his fangs into the mans phemeral arteries causing blood and a scream, as he lurched forward finished him by breaking his neck.
The announcer seemed to flabarghasted to speak, good better his next opponent thought he only had one enemy.
It seemed the man had managed to make short work of a fleeing Feerana as he had been slicing at her legs forcing her to a crawl it was pitiful, how far the goblins had fallen.
He ran uo behind the man and skewered him on his arming sword, and thus the battle was over he cast a glance at Feerana who looked just as surprised as the man he had just killed.
He threw his head back and looked at the Justicar, as the announcer tried to salvage the situation she looked like it had all gone to plan, fucking schemers he would have to upgrade her, she was now the biggest pain in his arse ever.
Interlude - Feerana
Goblins are crafty buggers, that''s why i like to cut the toes off my slaves. Stops the little buggers from running away.
- Grenzald the Slaver
Feerana sat on her bed trying not to move. A cold wind was blowing through the window and the blanket she had rapped around her was thin and pointless.
Fuck, she thought, of course the day she has to stay in her tiny uninsulated quarters for days is the one fucking time the desert gets fucking cold, the gods must truely hate her.
She laughed and then winced as her cut legs rasped against the bandages. The doctors at the pits were good but no skill can take away the pain of healing, or the pain of helplessness.
She had promised herself she would never e weak again, never run away. But as the other gladiator raised his sword all the promises she had made to herself had become null and she was once again just a scared goblin all alone she sat alone and cold on her bed and remembered another time she had felt like this.
12 years ago
The closet smelt of rot, but it was better than going out there here she was safe, this was her place.
"Slave!"
The goblin recoiled at the voice and planted her hands firmly over her ears there was no one here, no one but her and her safe rot smelling closet.
"Slave!" the voice was louder this time and obviously closer, She flinched again, if master found her he would be angry, it would probably be better if she went out now but maybe he wouldn''t find her if she stayed hidden, she decided she would stay put safer that way.
The doors to the closet were flung upon and outside stood a visibly angry man in a grease stained shirt and pants he looked down at the goblin cowering in the closet and scowled.
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She squealed and tried to scramble out of the closet but he grabbed her before she could escape. Like a deer in the headlights she stared at the man, who appeared to be seething with anger. He picked her up by the scruff of her neck and began walking her away.
He stomped through the laundry in silence before speaking. "Wretch what have i told you about ignoring me."
"Not to do it master." she squeaked with her eyes downcast.
"That''s bloody right, so why did you ignore me!" He said throwing her against the stone wall. She hit it with a thud and fell to the ground gasping for air, he loomed over her glaring daggers. "Answer me wretch!" He yelled.
"I couldn''t here you." She coughed. The man kicked her hard in the midsection and she had to fight to regain her breath.
"Don''t give me that shit. I know for a fucking fact that you could here me so, Don''t. Fucking. Lie. To. Me!" His statement was punctuated with kicks that sent the small goblin sprawling onto the floor. "I have been nice to you bitch, if it wasn''t for me you would be dead or enslaved to someone really bad, so why do you repay my kindness with this!?" He roared picking her up again. He walked her to the door and threw her into the street. "Well I''m done starve for all I care." And with that he slammed the door, she crawled into the alley way and cried.
The door to her room in the pits flung open suddenly ripping her from her daydream.
The Justicar stood before her dressed in stately court robes and strode into the room confidently. "Good Evening Feerana, healing okay?" She asked calmly.
"I guess."
"Good because i have a job for you." She said delightedly
"What?" She asked warily.
"Your friend, the Ork, he seems to be capable yes?"
"Hm"
"Well I would like to challenge him see how he can do under pressure, he has already killed my best men so that wont work so I want you to help me sabotage him, make it a fair fight."
"And if i refuse?"
"My dear Feerana, that isn''t an option here" She said smiling sweetly.