Sword of Justice part 12 (and finished with teh first draft)

First draft done, I'll discuss what happens next in another post.  

Chapter 42: Which witch is which?

I returned to the dungeon and began searching around for another path back to the courtyard.  Clearly there had to be one and clearly I had to find it.  I brought up the map and checked.  The dungeon clearly stopped just underneath the keep, which in turn was built into mostly solid rock except for that single passage which must have been some sort of an escape route.

There probably weren’t any passages that lead back up to the courtyard, but there might have been some passages that lead up to points in the wall.  Outside of the keep, the walls were mostly solid according to Zahir.  Mostly solid was not entirely solid, however.  I would find something.

“I think I hear something,” said Justice as I turned a corner and then immediately went to the wall.  There was a faint cackling in the distance.

“That sounds like people,” I said, banishing my armor back into storage.  It was impossible to sneak around in plate armor.  I crept over to the side of a room and slid Justice around the corner.  While he could see around corners, actually exposing the blade to the room gave a far more detailed map.

There were eight orcs in the room around a massive cauldron.  They were clearly trying to figure something out and failing miserably at it.  I looked at the minimap trying to figure it out and also failed miserably.

“I have no idea what they are doing, it may be a magical ritual,” said Justice.

Seeing as there was a place to hide, I crept into the room and bunkered down while the orc females stood around the cauldron.  Purple lights flowed out of the alchemical mixture contained therein, and the room became positively chilly.  A half dozen orc females wearing hardly any clothing were dancing in the background next to several large fires, and I could see three caged humans next to them.

A lone orc walked to the top of the platform, on her head was a wolf’s skull with feathers adorned through it as well as a black leather cape strewn with feathers.  The vile warlock orc held out her hands.  In one she dropped a handful of leaves into the cauldron and in the other was a staff made up with skulls of various small animals.  As the pedals fell, she began chanting in demonic.

“In the land of darkness, I call to  you, to grant the recipient of this ritual your maniacal powers, so that they may be uplifted and granted the powers of darkness, that they will recipient!”

She stood tall for a long moment, arms outstretched, then glanced around.

“I think you mispronounced it,” said a second orc reading a book.

“I’m certain I did it right,” she said walking over to the book, “See right there, <maniacal>”

“I’m pretty sure that is <magical>,” said the second orc.  “You’ve got to stress the g.”  The first orc looked at it for a long moment before exhaling.

“Seriously, I think we did the whole ritual wrong,” she said.

“Is that why Cogro got so fat,” asked a younger orc female who was dancing in the background.

“Yes Klortny, I’m sure it was that I mispronounced the demonic language and turned him fat, not that you were dancing a fertility ritual.”

“You said dance, I didn’t go to finishing school for demonic ritual dancing, I went to learn how to dance seductively,” said the orc, stomping her foot down and pouting.  “Why are we even doing this again, Cretta?”

Cretta was the ornately dressed orc, and she took off the headdress and then distastefully at her ghastly staff.  She left both on the table.

“Because if we complete the ritual, it will cleans the blood of the curse, and we can have normal children again,” said Cretta.

“We can try harder,” said one of the orc dancers, “Kiladet, what does a demonic dance look like, we just got those new books from the warlock?”

“I’ve skimmed a dozen of them, I think Kilva might have kept the actually valuable ones,” said Kiladet from her position on the table.  “I don’t see anything that fixes the ritual, just more ways to introduce errors.”

“This insane, there has to be another way,” said one of the younger orcs, who was still shaking her hips seductively.

Cretta shook her head, “We’ve been trying to fix this for years now.  We wouldn’t be doing demonic magic if there was another way.”

“My mother said it was because all of us are related to the chief,” said another.

“That’s just stupid,” said Kiladet, “Everyone knows the strongest blood comes from the chief’s own loins.”

“That’s not blood.”

“Shut it,” yelled Kiladet as she walked over to the cauldron and stirred it with a large wooden ladle before dipping the ladle back into the mess.  “All of this talk of inbreeding and genetic diversity is just new age nonsense.  We need to go back to traditional orc values like demonic magic and blood sacrifice!  Only those will fix this problem!”

“Summoning a demon just sounds so extreme,” said Klortny.

“Look, if you know a better way to get natural, healthy babies, I’m all ears,” said Cretta.  “But if you knew, you should have mentioned that about a week ago before Cogro got annoyed.”

“Was there a commotion upstairs?” asked one of the orcs.

“Probably, someone came down but I sent him away,” said Cretta.  “Seriously, if it doesn’t have to do with baby making I don’t see what the point of them even talking to us is?”

“Males are vexing but they do have a singular purpose,” said Kiladet.

“Speaking of the singular purpose, is Cogro’s purpose going to fix itself anytime soon, because it kind of went back inside his body when he expanded,” said Klortny making a shrinking sign with her hands.

“No amount of coaxing,” asked Cretta.

“There are five of us dressed in fertility dancing costumes, his favorite, and yet we are down here doing this stupid nonsense,” said Klortny.

Kiladet’s head fell forward into a book, “I regret every day that I learned to read.”

“What male finds reading an attractive quality in a mate,” said Cretta.  “My mother convinced me it would be so I could manage lesson plans for my children.”

All the orcs stood for a moment looking around the room.  The fire under the cauldron was sputtering.

“Are we sure sacrificing the skill trainers is going to do anything,” asked Klortny.  “Because otherwise that one can make potions that really clear up your pores.”

“Obviously we were going to sacrifice her last, and also I don’t understand magical rituals, it was an optional class in my finishing school, I only took it because the instructure was this hulk of an orc,” groaned Cretta.  “I spent most of my time staring at his pecks imagining our babies.”

“And he was gelded,” said Kiladet.

“So much quality orc male ruined by Grimdar,” sniffled Klortny.

Cretta shook her head, “That’s enough depressing thoughts for the day.  I’ll go find out what the blob wants, you take the skill trainers to the nursery and see about getting those skin care potions made.”

I stepped out, “I think not, I am a Knight and I bring Justice!”

“Eeeek, an animal,” screamed Cretta as she grabbed the ghastly staff and pointed it at me.  A purple bubble appeared around me and I was trapped.

Chapter 43: Someone’s very wrong and terrible day

“Seriously, you can’t just pop this,” I asked.

“It is a short term bubble designed to hold a powerful demon, so now, not offhand,” said Justice as I continued idly poking the thing.  I’d been stuck in here for the better part of five minutes now and was becoming concerned.

“Did you hear something,” I said, listening to the side of the barrier.

“You found an animal,” said an orc with a deep voice.

“Yes,” replied Cretta.  “It jumped up and I bubbled it, Grodok”

“You wasted a spell charge on an animal,” said Grodok.  “You realize we are under siege by an infestation of humans.  Cogro is fighting with them on the roof trying to preserve the keep at this moment.”

“Well that’s the good news, this is a human,” said Creeta as the bubble popped and I landed on my feet.

Grodok looked over at her with wide eyes, “You idiot.”

Cretta looked indignant, still wearing the cape and headdress, and was about to yell something when I burned dexterity and reached for the staff only to have the orc’s powerful hand shoot out and grab me around the wrist.

“I will murder all of you,” I said in orc.

“Can it speak orc, is it a girl?” asked Kiladet.

“No, maybe it's just rabid,” yelled Cretta.

I swung Justice at the orc who hastily blocked it with his ax.  He tried to fling me away but with my new strength all he managed to do was drag me slightly forward as I pulled back against him.  I thrust Justice and the orc released his grip.

“Kill the animal,” yelled Cretta.

“I’m trying, he refuses to die,” yelled Grodok.  “Use the staff.”

“It is out of charges for the day,” said Cretta as I leapt onto the table and slashed at Grodok.  Kiladet grabbed her book and then looked at Cretta.

“We should go,” said the booky orc.

I leapt down striking with a powerful overhand strike sending Grodok sprawling backward.  Cretta suddenly realized what was happening and started inching towards the stairs.

“Maybe we should get the skill trainers gathered up and leave for another city,” said Kiladet.

Cretta snorted, “And leave this keep, it is not like Grodok cannot handle a single human,” said Cretta confidently.

Grodok shook his head free of cobwebs and charged me again.  I parried the first strike and then grabbed him by the shoulder before flinging him across the room.  He bounced twice before stopping in front of the two orc women.

“Be good my son, may the blessing of the great mother protect you,” cried Cretta as she ran.

“You got this, we believe in you,” yelled Kiladet as she too scurried up the stairs.

Grodok glared at them as they ran and then stared at me before saying in plain english, “You have made a poor choice, human.”

“You are going to be a tree,” I replied in perfect orcish, leaning next to the still boiling cauldron.

The powerfully built orc stared at me for a long moment and then took a stop back.  “You learned a phrase in orc.”

“I learned many phrases in orc, like you will be a tree, and you are going to die alone and unloved,” I said watching the words hit home.  Grodok growled at me so I continued, “You have a face not even a mother could love.”

“You asshole,” bellowed the orc and he charged me.  Mental note, Orcs were sensitive about their mothers.

As he charged I swung the flat of my blade down on the ladle which shot out of the cauldron and blasted a bubbling mass of alchemy at the orc.  He burned dexterity, attempting to dodge but I anticipated his angle and met him with Justice.

He did not enjoy the exchange and the magical sword tore through his armor in a gastly spray of blood and ichor.  Then he slammed head first into the cauldron with a resounding bonk, before sprawling to the ground.

“Any idea where those orcs went,” I asked, moving over to the staircase.

“It does not matter, Cogro is on the roof fighting with our allies,” said Justice as I checked the minimap.  The orc women were so close, all I needed to do was run up stairs and as I checked the map I saw the little tracker stone go flying across the roof.

I tore up the stairs, and spotted a wagon being loaded.  Cretta hopped onto the driver’s seat and whipped the horses, sending the wagon racing forward.  Kiladet barely made it on with the potion trainer in tow, they were right there.

“Get to the roof, Cogro is about to kill them all,” yelled an orc and I saw two racing up the steps.

“Damn it,” I screamed, looking at the orcs and charging.  Both armored orcs saw me coming and readied their weapons.  I slid under the frirst strike before cleaving one’s leg off at the knee then jammed the tip of Justice under the other one’s chin and launched myself towards the second floor.

“There are three more orcs between you and the stairs,” said Justice as I whipped around the corner.  Two orcs were trying to staunch the bleeding on a third orc, who was stuck against the wall with an arrow in his chest.  I impaled one and smashed the other to the ground as I used him as a springboard.

There were  a dozen dead humans on the roof.  Cogro was wearing multiple plates of armor that were stitched together somehow so that he was more or less armored.  It would have been more, but there was just so much of him to work with.

He swung around a massive ax far faster than should have been possible and two more humans died.  Elana attempted to burn dexterity and get in close for some knifework, she was somewhat successful, slashing the massively round orc on his side before he grabbed her and flung her again.  She slammed into the roof and tried to rise.

Cogro smirked and walked towards her ax raised.

“Get away from my bodyguard,” I declared.

Cogro spotted me and laughed, “I thought you ran.”

“I was dealing with your ritual, your women have left, they know you are going to die here,’ I declared.  “For I bring Justice, and it calls to you now.  Surrender and die with honor.”

“I will never surrender to a human,” spat Cogro.

I smirked, “I would have been disappointed if you did.”

There were nine orcs up here that could fight, and I still had the better part of fourty remaining humans.  The orcs looked healthy, rested and very tough.  The humans had seen better times.

Zahir stood slowly coming to my side.  Her resplendent armor was battered, but she still held her sword.

“Just give the word,” she said as all the remaining humans prepared to fight.  They were a battered and bruised mess and if they did fight, I doubted I’d see any of them left alive.  Still, they had hope.  A knight was here, and they could do the impossible.

“It is a shame you can’t get him into a duel,” said Justice.

“Did we ask?”

“Orcs do not duel humans,” said Justice.  That sounded like a challenge.

“What do you say Cogro, we could settle this like warriors,” I said, holding out my arm to keep my people back.

“Fight me one on one,” laughed the massive orc.  “You have to be kidding, what ever could you possible say that would make an orc fight an animal.”

“This is a good thought, but I have no idea how to convince Cogro to fight you one on one,” said Justice.

“I know,” I said, clearing my voice and speaking in orcish.  “Yo mama’s so fat, when she goes camping the bears hide their food!”

“What,” said Cogro as several of the nearby orcs' eyes shot open.

“Yo mama’s so fat, her belt size is ‘equator’,” I yelled directly at Cogro.  The nearby orcs looked shocked.

“My mother is young and healthy,” said Cogro, growing agitated.

“Yo mama’s so stupid, when I told her she lost her damn mind, she put on her coat and went looking for it,” I yelled.

Several of the orcs screamed in rage.  Another was staring in open shock at me.

“You dare speak ill of my mother,” bellowed Cogro, stamping forward.  The other orcs stepped back, letting him pass.  “Fine, I’ll kill you myself!”

The other humans all started at me in utter shock as Cogro came towards the center of the rooftop by himself obviously preparing for a duel.  Orcs did not duel humans.

“What just happened,” asked Justice.

“Insulted his mother, that was a slight to his personal honor so he has to personally respond even if he doesn’t want to, and no one else is going to help because I didn’t insult their mothers,” I said, stepping forward.  I glanced over at the town, several buildings were burning but the damage didn’t look that bad.  We had done a good thing here, shoving our finger in the orc’s eye.

Now all I needed to do was to win, and these people had their freedom.

Cogro stood unmoving for a moment, rage simmering inside of him.  He was massive, and round, and angry.  There were several veins I could see on his head that were bulging and he was actually trying to calm himself down before the fight.

“Ready to go, tree,” I asked, ending the calming down phase of Cogro’s preparations.  He roared, and charged towards me swinging his massive ax down in a single impossibly fast strike.  I exhausted dexterity, flowing back before the weapon could impact.

Cogro’s weapon out of position, my next move was child’s play.  I pulled Justice back into a thrusting positon pointing at a gap in his armor and lunged with all my strength behind the strike.  He smashed Justice away with his thick forearm and tore the ax free of the ground, nearly taking off my leg.

I rolled away, coming to my feet as he snarled and launched towards me again.  This time he swung his ax horizontally in a massive cleaving strike.  I attempted to dodge underneath it, but he adjusted the weapon mid swing and the blade tagged my helmet, tearing off the top in horrible clanging attack.

Armor did not just come off, and the impact sent me rolling away barely able to see with the helmet so compromised.  I activated magical armor, causing the helmet to snap back into shape right as the ax slammed down on my shoulder, cleaving into my body.  Magic armor made my armor much more durable, but it had limits and those were clearly exceeded.

Cogro smirked so I jammed Justice through his exposed forearm.  The orc howled, flinging me away.  I landed, stumbling to my feet as Justice healed me and the armor resealed itself as the spell ended.

The massive orc glanced down at his ax and then back at me.  “You are cheating.”

“I have magic,” I said.  Cogro nodded and opened a pouch, pulling out a potion and drinking it.  His arm sealed up.  That just seemed wrong, somehow.

The humans watched carefully, ready for orc treachery but the orcs were far more interested in the contest.  I had besmirched the honor of their leader, but worse I wasn’t dead yet.  That was an even bigger ding to his honor.

We closed again, I used my newfound strength to leap up, driving Justice at his helmet.  Cogro misjudged the strike, bringing up his ax too late and taking a strike his helmet that drove him back a step.  I landed and swung again, this time he had the ax ready and blocked using power.  I hadn’t considered that and the force of the block knocked me off my feet.

I burned dexterity, rolling back as the ax smashed the roof where I’d been standing.  I got to my feet and burned power, striking at the ax.  Even with all of Cogro’s strength, Justice was still a more powerful weapon and when they clashed there was a spray of sparks.

I swung down, driving the head back and then slashed at his hand.  The weapon was in a two handed grip, but he had to release one if he didn’t want to lose fingers.  I slashed a third time and tore into his side before deflecting off an armor plate.  He slammed the pole of the ax into my chest and I spun through the air, breaking at least one leg on impact.

Health flowed through me and I stood back up.  Cogro grabbed one of his armor plates and tugged it down over the wound.  On any of the lesser orcs that would have been lethal, on him…

“What is in there anyway,” I asked.

“Are you insinuating I did a scan of his innards,” asked Justice.

“Not intentionally,” I said.

“Lots of stray fluid, blood, not orc blood,” said Justice.

Cogro roared and his eyes glowed red.  “Demon blood, that’s what he’s full of.”

“But his body cannot absorb demon blood, he’d bloat up and get really fat,” began Justice.  “Oh, that explains the books.  They are trying to get his body to process the demon blood, and he can’t do that very well.  ”

The orc slammed his foot to the ground and glared at me.  The round body began to glow with energy as he prepared himself.

“He is activating an ax skill,” said Justice as Cogro’s weapon began to glow.  Justice started burning in response.  “This will be it, go all in.”

I burned dexterity, exhausted power and activated Magical strike all in the same instant that the Cogro came at me like a tornado.  The ax swung around him so quickly that I could barely even see it, but with my swords skill and even greater power than before I managed one strike before the ax hit me.

Without Justice I would have died.  I landed hard well away from Cogro, with my arm only hanging on by a tatter of flesh.  My armor broke on impact and even the healing spell only repaired some of the damage.

Cogro stared at me his eyes filled with muted rage.  His arm was gone, cut off at the elbow where it was too thick to fit into the armor properly.  His ax was somewhere in town after I blocked it with my torso.

There was a geyser of blood shooting out from the orc.  Orc blood was red, perhaps a deeper red than human blood but you’d have to really look at it to see much of a difference.  Cogro’s blood was orange, and when it sprayed over several of the orcs they started screaming.

The orange blood didn’t stop though, not while Cogro shrunk down to exaggerated but normal proportions for an orc.  Not when it continued as the blood adoped a distinctly more red coloring.  The blood only stopped when Cogro’s body finished emptying out and the massive orc looked like too little skin wrapped over a large skeleton.

A human screamed a battlecry and the fourty remaining humans charged the five remaining orcs.  Both sides had tactics now, hard earned tactics that worked.  The orcs killed several humans, but out in the open they were getting hit by arrows and spears.  One by one the remaining orcs fell with Zahir decapitating the last one.

Then she dropped her helmet and ran over to her daughter.

I stood up slowly, and limped over to where Elana was.  Zahir was whispering something to her daughter.  Zahir smiled at me, tears in her eyes.  “This was a great victory, my daughter helped us earn a great victory.”

“She did,” I said, kneeling down next to Elana.  She was having trouble focusing.

“You’re going to need a new bodyguard,” she mumbled while breathing shallowly.

“I hate breaking in new people,” I said, pulling out a healing potion and shoving it into Elana’s mouth.

The liquid vanished and she spit out the bottle, then sat up.  “So this is the magical healing you keep getting.”

“Close enough,” I said sitting down next to her.  “I only have the one potion though.”  Zahir grabbed her daughter, who’s chest seemed more pronounced than before.  It wasn’t that she suddenly developed a figure, it had been crushed.

“I’m still pretty badly beat up,” said Elana looking at her leg which was at an odd angle.

“I don't think my other hand works at all,” I replied, holding up my limp arm.

“Okay, but we won right,” asked Elana.

“Yup, I saved the day, thanks for not killing him before I got here,” I said.

“Shut up you two,” said Zahir and she grabbed me for a hug as well.  “This is the first step for a free humanity and if I have to listen to either one of you talk anymore I’m going to have you jailed.”