Caravan Trouble (solo)
Apr 16, 2015 11:09:02 GMT -6
Post by Orcleous on Apr 16, 2015 11:09:02 GMT -6
Orcleous was no thief, despite the fact that he stole armor from the dead, but he was a member of a cult that had thieves in it. The cult of the Green Wraith, like many cults in Etruria, was not welcome and as a result the nation became a quasi enemy to the faction. Many of its members wanted to strike back against the nation. They wanted to teach them a lesson for not allowing the light of there maiden of death to pass in their boarders. So a few of them came together and decided that they were going steal from it, hurt the nation in the best way they knew how, by taking its money. Rumors on the black market and the underground told of a shipment of great value being moved though the nation. The shipment was ordered to be taken to Kraft directly and presented to him. Of course something sent to the great leader of Etruria, it had to be gold. Gold was the only thing someone of his rank would personally accept. Anything else could just be handled by some lowly general or churchman.
A mission like this Orcleous would normally stay out. It was alright to rob a merchant or kill some stuck up nobleman, but to steal from a nation, that was a bad idea. However like many of the churchmen in Etruria Orcleous was bound to his religion. A higher up in the food chain asked the hero to aid there efforts. It seemed that the fools who planned the mission were his own lap dogs. If they succeeded and they gained the gold then he would gain both leverage and popularity in the Cult. As a result the people who followed him would also gain a boost in there position. Orcleous fell under his command, he was a assassin true, but he usually took his orders from the man. So in a sense Orcleous was also his lap dog, though the hero did not eat from the man's hands like the others. If he denied the request he could loss both his position in the organization and his contacts, both Orcleous could not do without. So he signed onto this foolish suicide mission. With him aboard there was a chance that it might succeed.
"So what is the mark looking like", spoke Orcleous to another member of the cult. The man he spoke to was named Tarkus. He was a veteran at caravan assaults. Before he joined the cult he was a mercenary and his job for twenty years was taking out shipments to fort and castles. It was easy to say he knew what he was doing. Following Tarkus advice the units took refuge on top of a steep hillside. The caravan would have to move through here if it wanted to get to its destination in a timely manner. Any other route it would have to pass through major cities and then risk being stopped by some greedy and ambitious statesmen. The value level on this shipment was high and as a result they were going to try to make the trip as expedient as possible.
"Just crossing the ridge", spoke Tarkus as he pointed to brimmed hats crossing over the horizon. It was a bit funny though. If Orcleous had attempted this back in his homeland of Bern then he was sure they would have failed. The caravan would have most definitely moved through major cities and probably would have been escorted by a army. However this was Etruria and bandit and robbers were so uncommon that it was almost as if they did not exist. The peace they enjoyed for so long made them inept in defending there own valuables. Instead of sending a army it was merely a platoon. 40 men strong by orcleous count and from the looks of them they were all heavily armored. The high command seemed to be a great knights wile the foot soldiers wore thick white plates of armor. A few cavalier formed the advancing front and in the back were the heavily armored knights.
"It will be like taking candy from a baby", spoke One thief adding himself into Tarkus and Orcleous conversation. With a wave of his hand he sent the signal to his boy's on the other side of the hill next over. The men moved in preparation. As soon as the actual caravan reached the center of the space between the two hills the ambush was lunched. Great boulders were pushed off the side of the hills and sent rolling down into the Etrurian ranks. There positions cut off both ends of the pass sealing the caravan in the middle and splitting the platoon into three. Thirteen men per section with the Great Knight at the front.
"Success", spoke Tarkus as his plan came together perfectly. "Alright hit them with the oil", he shouted as the thieves poured the boiling liquid down onto the rear flank killing five of the men. The bulk of the forces that came for the mission engaged the vanguard of the caravan. It was a seven on fourteen match, but the thieves were lightly armored. Rather than face the enemy outright in open pitch battle they instead moved to flank them and try to take advantage of there weaker back armor. Naturally the horse would have a advantage in movement. However the two hills on there left and right flank boxed them in and a charge forward would only leave thee prize wide open for the thieves. This placed them between a rock and a hard spot as the advantage was given to the attacking forces.
With both the vanguard and the rear flank being held up by there assault this left on the middle expose. There were still thirteen soldiers guarding the prize, but they offered littler resistance against the force that was coming down onto them. That force being Orcleous himself along side another assassin and Tarkus himself. The Thieves only sent three people to take on thirteen and unfortunately for the soldiers the odds were against them.
With but a flick of his hand Orcleous drew upon the might of the Fiery Dragon Blade. The sword delighted in the burning of human flesh and the fires danced of the sword with such grace and fury that the heavens themselves turned there gaze. The flames consumed five men in a single bolt. Like a tornado the fires swirled up and span around filled with the screams of the fallen men. The ones who did not get consumed by the fire fled in terror only to be cut down by Tarkus and Orcleous assassin partner on the mission. It was a quick victory in the center and it was clear that sending Orcleous was the right choice.
"Alright check the gold and get on that horse", shouted Tarkus. "We need to turn the caravan around and retreat out the rear flank of the enemy forces." The professional has spoken. There was little time to gloat on there catch. The battle was not over yet and there were still enemies that needed to be cut down. The trio needed to get the caravan turned around and moving out of the back end of the passage. That way they could avoid the faster and more mobile knights. A score was not complete till they lost the enemy and they were safely back at base. This was Tarkus rule and the reason he was so successful at what he did.
"Right I will check the gold", spoke Orcleous as he rushed to the back of the caravan. The other assassin jumped up on the horse and began trying to get the beast to turn around. It made Orcleous job all the more difficult, but he would manage. Taking a key from one of the dead soldiers Orcleous opened the back while the carriage was turning. He wanted to tell the fool to wait up, but Tarkus orders were absolute. They needed to be constantly moving.
As the back gate swung open Orcleous was shocked and surprised to see that there was no gold. Inside the caravan was simply a mass of iron or that was what Orcleous thought. After taking a second look he noticed that it was more of a hammer. A very unique hammer. To be truthful it did not really follow the description of a hammer. When one though of a hammer one would think of a tool used flatten metal or a war club used to pierce through knight armor. However this was not it. It was instead a giant metal rod shaped like a hexagon. A single steel pole shot out one end of it and was wrapped around with orange cloth. At the end of the grip was a metal ring which had a thick piece of cloth wrapped around it. The cloth was covered from head to toe with prayers and the words Xigshaw was etched into the handle.
"What in the world is this", spoke Orcleous as he stared at the weapon.
"Get down", as voice shouted as Orcleous turned. Before his eyes a tomahawk that sailed through the air at speeds that were almost invisible. The weapon was too fast for Orcleous to dodge adn as a result the axe hit its mark. However the blade was not aiming for Orcleous face. That kind of blow would have easily been dodged. No instead it was aiming for the hero's hand or to be correct it was aiming for the weapon still in his hand. With a great ping Fiery flew from Orcleous hand and bounced across the battlefield.
"Fiery", he shouted almost as if the magical weapon was a person. To his great horror his magical sword was picked up by the great knight who lead the caravan. The man's white armor was now stained red with the blood of Orcleous men and his once noble visage turned to that of a demon. Unable to cross the bolder with his horse the man had dismounted and crawled over on foot.
"You all would dare steal from the prophet", he spoke as he tighten his grip on Orcleous blade. Fiery responded to his anger and fire lit up the sword. Orcleous always knew that the blade was hungry or human flesh and cared very little who it burned. That also meant that it did not care if it burned Orcleous and as matters of facts go Orcleous believed the sword probably desired to turn him into ash.
The Great Knight raised Fury into the air and began to call upon its magical power. Orcleous, knowing full well what that blade was capable of panicked and quickly shut himself inside of the iron carriage. His instincts were correct. As the man brought down the sword a fury of fire erupted from the blade. The flames consumed Tarkus, consumed the horse, consumed the carriage, and burned the other assassin to a chard corpse. The fires burned the wood on the carriage and the iron heated up like a furnace. However the heat inside of the carriage did not even come close to matching the power of the flames on the outside. Though Orcleous did receive burns from the attack he was still alive, though you could not tell from the outside.
"My god", spoke one of the Etrurian soldiers as he stared at Fiery and there commander holding the blade. A twisted smile crossed the man's face as he looked at the sword. The power was perfect and its rage matched his own.
"Yes I am going to keep this sword", spoke the Great Knight as he removed his old sword from its sheath and planted the new one into it. The fight was pretty much over at that point. The moment the great knight showed the power of his new sword the remaining thieves fled in terror. There three strongest members were consumed in a single shot from that blade. What chance did they have against it.
"Commander Dan", spoke one of the soldiers as he rushed up to give the Great Knight his report. "The enemy on the southern end have fled. Do you wish to give chase? "
"no", spoke Dan as he looked around to get a idea of how many of his men survived the attack. There were less than a squad left. Only ten in all and that was counting himself. "We don't have the man power, nor do we have the time and resources to give chase. It would be a fools errand to give chase. What we need to do now is get The Holy Axe of Faresh out of that smoldering carriage and carry it to the nearest village. There we can get a new horse and a new carriage. It looks like we are going to have to rely on some of the nobles for extra troops. To think heretics would reside in our own land", spoke the man as he began to prepare his next move. Unknown to him Orcleous was still alive and hearing every word of there conversation.
"Aright boy's you heard him", spoke his second in command to the rest of his men. "Get that rod out and prepare to move out. It is extremely heavy so you guys are going to have to carry it four men at a time."
"@#$%, we have to carry that thing", groaned some of the soldiers as two of them moved to the caravan.
Crap, crap, crap, crap, thought Orcleous as he hid in the carriage. The moment they opened the door and saw him still alive there commander would soon rectify that. To make it worse Orcleous did not have a true proper weapon to fight them. Before the battle he let Tarkus barrow his Katana. The man's own sword broke just a few days before and the blacksmith had not finished repairing it. Without his katana all Orcleous had was his knives and there were completely useless against Dan's armor and let alone useful in trying to fight off nine men. What was he going to do, what was he going to do, what was he going to do!?
It was in that moment of panic that Orcleous took a step back and accidentally kicked Xigshaw. The weapon did not budge, but the vibration brought it to his mind. At the time Orcleous had no idea that the hammer was magical, nor would it have done him any good to know it. Xigshaw had not seen him as his wielder and for that matter it did not see any of them as its proper wielder. It would not give Dan aid the same way it would not give Orcleous. Xigshaw would only allow the worthy to wield it and no one was worthy to hold its power. It's only true master was Oya.
"Well at least the floor boards did not get burned out", spoke one of the soldiers as he walked up to the caravan.
"I don't know", spoke another. "It may still be usable. With how much that @#$%able hammer weighs if it was properly burned then it should have fallen to the ground by now."
"True, most of the heat must have went around the carriage", spoke the man as he opened the door. As the door opened and the light shinned in the man's eyes were meet with the sight of Iron. With a great howl and the force of a titan Xigshaw came crashing down on the man's skull. The might hammer blow shattered his helmet like glass and left only a dent were his head use to be.
"Bob", shouted the other soldier as he looked up to see orcleous pulling the weapon back up onto his shoulders. Fury could be seen in his eyes as his adrenaline rushed through his body.
"Impossible", shouted the second in command as he stared at a man he thought was dead. He and all the other soldiers knew that Xigshaw would not simply budge for any man. Even more so for some guy who hid in the back of the carriage. The way orcleous pulled the hammer back up told them that its magic was not flowing through his body. That only meant one thing.
"How strong is that bastard", spoke Dan as he took a step forward. His eyes sifted to Fury. He knew the Hero carried a magical sword, but he thought that was all the man was. He never imagined that he had strength to back up his magic.
"Why you", shouted the second soldier as he stabbed forward with his spear. It took everything Orcleous had to control Xigshaw, dodging was out of the picture and blocking was not even a option. Orcleous simply had to control the situation. Since Orcleous could neither dodge or block he chose instead to attack and prey that his armor stood the test. The hero leaned forward placing the point of the spear were the leather was the thickest. The blade bit in, but did not pierce.
For the second time Orcleous had used Xigshaw as a weapon, even without the blessing of the spirit within. The massive club found its mark on the man's shoulder. With the full force of its weight and Orcleous' muscles he shattered the man's bones like glass. The hero cringed under the weight of the hammer as he brought the mighty weapon to a stop.
"Frank", shouted another soldier as he watched his friend's blood spill onto the sand. It was clear now that Orcleous was a threat with the hammer in his hand even if Xigshaw himself did not accept him as its master.
"Everyone finish him off", spoke the second as he drew his rapier and prepared to join the fray himself.
"No that will not be needed", spoke Dan as he stepped forward. The Great Knight was going to finish this himself. "For a bandit you fight well", he spoke as he looked Orcleous up and down. The Hero had removed himself from the carriage, but was pretty much stuck in place. He could move, some, but it was not enough to fight against all of them. He was actually glad when the man gave the order for his men to stop. In a group they would have ripped him to pieces.
"Bandit", spoke Orcleous as he struggled with the weight. "I am not really a bandit. More like a guy who got stuck with the wrong job."
"Mercenary, bandit, it makes no difference boy", spoke Dan as he drew Fiery from its new home. "If you stand against the will of the heavens then you are bound only to loss." The man stopped for a moment to admire Orcleous' sword. "Before you die, what is the name of this sword".
"Pshaw", spoke Orcleous as he began to lightly chuckle. Here Elizabeth was sure she would be the first to go. Orcleous however seemed to be on the path to departing this world first. To thing that Fiery would be the one to end him. Well no, Orcleous always knew that sword would be his end. Its hunger for flames and the death of man was only matched by his desire for power. "Fiery, The Fiery Dragon Blade, consider yourself lucky. That sword has been held by better men than us both."
"Better", spoke Dan as he ran his hand down the flat of the blade. "I doubt it. There is no better man than a man of faith. The fact that it was used by dirty bandits and mercenaries like yourself insults the craftsmen who made it. The sword practically pulsates with desire to see you burned to ash. Proving its distaste for you and your ilk."
"Pshaw, you don't know Fiery my friend", spoke Orcleous. That sword cared not for who it burned or why it burned them. It just loved to consume men with fire. There was no reason for Orcleous to tell him that. He was going to find out soon enough on his own. Fiery was never a quite blade. It made its will known at every given chance.
"So long heathen", spoke the man as he swung fury at Orcleous. Once again the sword released its flames. A sea of fire seemed to swarm and rush toward Orcleous. In defiance of his own death the Hero swung Xigshaw one last time. "Worth" that was what Orcleous felt at his finger tips. Suddenly his muscles bulged and power began to rage through his body. Xigshaw had found him worthy of wielding him and gave him the full power it could muster. For Xigshaw a man's worth was not in there morality or there gods. It was in there actions and in the glory it could achieve by fighting at there side. Orcleous had not only wielded it without the axes blessing, but also showed great courage even in the face of his own death. There was glory to be had fighting with this one and Xigshaw was not going to allow him to be consumed.
A great roar filled the air as thunder radiated from orcleous. A wave of earth and air shattered the sea of flames as the force generated by Xigshaw sent out a shock wave with the power to repel the magical attack. "What the #@%%", shouted Dan as he stared on. Orcleous was not only not dead, but seemed to be wielding Xigshaw with the same force as Orange haired boy did.
"Impossible", spoke the soldiers as orcleous now held the weapon in a single hand.
"Whoa what is this", spoke Orcleous as he felt the surge of power. At the time he had no idea that Xigshaw was magical nor did he know it had the power to repel a attack like that. Orcleous simply swung his weapon in pure defiance and it seemed that defiance paid off. "It is so light now", spoke Orcleous as he felt the muscles in his body pulsate.
"Quickly slay him now", shouted the second in command as he pointed his sword toward Orcleous. Suddenly and without any warning something flew by him at great speed. With the fury of a ballista Orcleous had tossed Xigshaw straight into Dan's chest. The force and power behind the attack pierced clean through the man.
"Get your hands off my sword you filthy rodent", spoke Orcleous as the other men stared on. It was impossible, or at least they thought it was beforehand. Xigshaw was never thrown before, but apparently it was possible. Orcleous knew the shock of his attack would not last long. The fear would soon turn to anger and anger into rage. If Orcleous was going to get out of this one alive he needed to finish them off quickly.
"Dan", shouted the second in command. As he turned around to use his blade against Orcleous he was surprised to see the Hero already in his face.
"Smite", shouted Orcleous as he channeled the natural energy in his body to his arm! With the full force he could muster orcleous punched the man so hard that it sent him flying through the air. Lucky for Orcleous fool landed on top of another soldier lowering there numbers to a total of six. However the battle was already over. The moment Orcleous touched the handle of Xigshaw the six remaining warriors retreated. In there minds there faith meant nothing all they cared about was there lives. A few of them were even kind enough to carry away there unconscious new commander. Orcleous however did not give chase. The burns he received from the carriage still needed to be tended too.
"#$%^ Etruria", spoke Orcleous as he began to look around for Fiery. Even though the sword nearly turned him into ash Orcleous still would take her back. He was a gentlemen like that. However it soon became self evident that the fleeing soldiers took more than simply there commander. Those dirty rodents had made off with Orcleous's prized sword. The one he had to kill a armored zombie paladin to kill. "D@$^ you Etruria!" Orcleous was now ticked. He would give chase, but he needed to report back in and leave before more soldiers showed up. However this day he swore to himself that he will find his sword and return it to its proper place. With Xigshaw in hand he set off to find the cowards that left him behind. "Man this was going to be one heck of a report."
[End Thread]
A mission like this Orcleous would normally stay out. It was alright to rob a merchant or kill some stuck up nobleman, but to steal from a nation, that was a bad idea. However like many of the churchmen in Etruria Orcleous was bound to his religion. A higher up in the food chain asked the hero to aid there efforts. It seemed that the fools who planned the mission were his own lap dogs. If they succeeded and they gained the gold then he would gain both leverage and popularity in the Cult. As a result the people who followed him would also gain a boost in there position. Orcleous fell under his command, he was a assassin true, but he usually took his orders from the man. So in a sense Orcleous was also his lap dog, though the hero did not eat from the man's hands like the others. If he denied the request he could loss both his position in the organization and his contacts, both Orcleous could not do without. So he signed onto this foolish suicide mission. With him aboard there was a chance that it might succeed.
"So what is the mark looking like", spoke Orcleous to another member of the cult. The man he spoke to was named Tarkus. He was a veteran at caravan assaults. Before he joined the cult he was a mercenary and his job for twenty years was taking out shipments to fort and castles. It was easy to say he knew what he was doing. Following Tarkus advice the units took refuge on top of a steep hillside. The caravan would have to move through here if it wanted to get to its destination in a timely manner. Any other route it would have to pass through major cities and then risk being stopped by some greedy and ambitious statesmen. The value level on this shipment was high and as a result they were going to try to make the trip as expedient as possible.
"Just crossing the ridge", spoke Tarkus as he pointed to brimmed hats crossing over the horizon. It was a bit funny though. If Orcleous had attempted this back in his homeland of Bern then he was sure they would have failed. The caravan would have most definitely moved through major cities and probably would have been escorted by a army. However this was Etruria and bandit and robbers were so uncommon that it was almost as if they did not exist. The peace they enjoyed for so long made them inept in defending there own valuables. Instead of sending a army it was merely a platoon. 40 men strong by orcleous count and from the looks of them they were all heavily armored. The high command seemed to be a great knights wile the foot soldiers wore thick white plates of armor. A few cavalier formed the advancing front and in the back were the heavily armored knights.
"It will be like taking candy from a baby", spoke One thief adding himself into Tarkus and Orcleous conversation. With a wave of his hand he sent the signal to his boy's on the other side of the hill next over. The men moved in preparation. As soon as the actual caravan reached the center of the space between the two hills the ambush was lunched. Great boulders were pushed off the side of the hills and sent rolling down into the Etrurian ranks. There positions cut off both ends of the pass sealing the caravan in the middle and splitting the platoon into three. Thirteen men per section with the Great Knight at the front.
"Success", spoke Tarkus as his plan came together perfectly. "Alright hit them with the oil", he shouted as the thieves poured the boiling liquid down onto the rear flank killing five of the men. The bulk of the forces that came for the mission engaged the vanguard of the caravan. It was a seven on fourteen match, but the thieves were lightly armored. Rather than face the enemy outright in open pitch battle they instead moved to flank them and try to take advantage of there weaker back armor. Naturally the horse would have a advantage in movement. However the two hills on there left and right flank boxed them in and a charge forward would only leave thee prize wide open for the thieves. This placed them between a rock and a hard spot as the advantage was given to the attacking forces.
With both the vanguard and the rear flank being held up by there assault this left on the middle expose. There were still thirteen soldiers guarding the prize, but they offered littler resistance against the force that was coming down onto them. That force being Orcleous himself along side another assassin and Tarkus himself. The Thieves only sent three people to take on thirteen and unfortunately for the soldiers the odds were against them.
With but a flick of his hand Orcleous drew upon the might of the Fiery Dragon Blade. The sword delighted in the burning of human flesh and the fires danced of the sword with such grace and fury that the heavens themselves turned there gaze. The flames consumed five men in a single bolt. Like a tornado the fires swirled up and span around filled with the screams of the fallen men. The ones who did not get consumed by the fire fled in terror only to be cut down by Tarkus and Orcleous assassin partner on the mission. It was a quick victory in the center and it was clear that sending Orcleous was the right choice.
"Alright check the gold and get on that horse", shouted Tarkus. "We need to turn the caravan around and retreat out the rear flank of the enemy forces." The professional has spoken. There was little time to gloat on there catch. The battle was not over yet and there were still enemies that needed to be cut down. The trio needed to get the caravan turned around and moving out of the back end of the passage. That way they could avoid the faster and more mobile knights. A score was not complete till they lost the enemy and they were safely back at base. This was Tarkus rule and the reason he was so successful at what he did.
"Right I will check the gold", spoke Orcleous as he rushed to the back of the caravan. The other assassin jumped up on the horse and began trying to get the beast to turn around. It made Orcleous job all the more difficult, but he would manage. Taking a key from one of the dead soldiers Orcleous opened the back while the carriage was turning. He wanted to tell the fool to wait up, but Tarkus orders were absolute. They needed to be constantly moving.
As the back gate swung open Orcleous was shocked and surprised to see that there was no gold. Inside the caravan was simply a mass of iron or that was what Orcleous thought. After taking a second look he noticed that it was more of a hammer. A very unique hammer. To be truthful it did not really follow the description of a hammer. When one though of a hammer one would think of a tool used flatten metal or a war club used to pierce through knight armor. However this was not it. It was instead a giant metal rod shaped like a hexagon. A single steel pole shot out one end of it and was wrapped around with orange cloth. At the end of the grip was a metal ring which had a thick piece of cloth wrapped around it. The cloth was covered from head to toe with prayers and the words Xigshaw was etched into the handle.
"What in the world is this", spoke Orcleous as he stared at the weapon.
"Get down", as voice shouted as Orcleous turned. Before his eyes a tomahawk that sailed through the air at speeds that were almost invisible. The weapon was too fast for Orcleous to dodge adn as a result the axe hit its mark. However the blade was not aiming for Orcleous face. That kind of blow would have easily been dodged. No instead it was aiming for the hero's hand or to be correct it was aiming for the weapon still in his hand. With a great ping Fiery flew from Orcleous hand and bounced across the battlefield.
"Fiery", he shouted almost as if the magical weapon was a person. To his great horror his magical sword was picked up by the great knight who lead the caravan. The man's white armor was now stained red with the blood of Orcleous men and his once noble visage turned to that of a demon. Unable to cross the bolder with his horse the man had dismounted and crawled over on foot.
"You all would dare steal from the prophet", he spoke as he tighten his grip on Orcleous blade. Fiery responded to his anger and fire lit up the sword. Orcleous always knew that the blade was hungry or human flesh and cared very little who it burned. That also meant that it did not care if it burned Orcleous and as matters of facts go Orcleous believed the sword probably desired to turn him into ash.
The Great Knight raised Fury into the air and began to call upon its magical power. Orcleous, knowing full well what that blade was capable of panicked and quickly shut himself inside of the iron carriage. His instincts were correct. As the man brought down the sword a fury of fire erupted from the blade. The flames consumed Tarkus, consumed the horse, consumed the carriage, and burned the other assassin to a chard corpse. The fires burned the wood on the carriage and the iron heated up like a furnace. However the heat inside of the carriage did not even come close to matching the power of the flames on the outside. Though Orcleous did receive burns from the attack he was still alive, though you could not tell from the outside.
"My god", spoke one of the Etrurian soldiers as he stared at Fiery and there commander holding the blade. A twisted smile crossed the man's face as he looked at the sword. The power was perfect and its rage matched his own.
"Yes I am going to keep this sword", spoke the Great Knight as he removed his old sword from its sheath and planted the new one into it. The fight was pretty much over at that point. The moment the great knight showed the power of his new sword the remaining thieves fled in terror. There three strongest members were consumed in a single shot from that blade. What chance did they have against it.
"Commander Dan", spoke one of the soldiers as he rushed up to give the Great Knight his report. "The enemy on the southern end have fled. Do you wish to give chase? "
"no", spoke Dan as he looked around to get a idea of how many of his men survived the attack. There were less than a squad left. Only ten in all and that was counting himself. "We don't have the man power, nor do we have the time and resources to give chase. It would be a fools errand to give chase. What we need to do now is get The Holy Axe of Faresh out of that smoldering carriage and carry it to the nearest village. There we can get a new horse and a new carriage. It looks like we are going to have to rely on some of the nobles for extra troops. To think heretics would reside in our own land", spoke the man as he began to prepare his next move. Unknown to him Orcleous was still alive and hearing every word of there conversation.
"Aright boy's you heard him", spoke his second in command to the rest of his men. "Get that rod out and prepare to move out. It is extremely heavy so you guys are going to have to carry it four men at a time."
"@#$%, we have to carry that thing", groaned some of the soldiers as two of them moved to the caravan.
Crap, crap, crap, crap, thought Orcleous as he hid in the carriage. The moment they opened the door and saw him still alive there commander would soon rectify that. To make it worse Orcleous did not have a true proper weapon to fight them. Before the battle he let Tarkus barrow his Katana. The man's own sword broke just a few days before and the blacksmith had not finished repairing it. Without his katana all Orcleous had was his knives and there were completely useless against Dan's armor and let alone useful in trying to fight off nine men. What was he going to do, what was he going to do, what was he going to do!?
It was in that moment of panic that Orcleous took a step back and accidentally kicked Xigshaw. The weapon did not budge, but the vibration brought it to his mind. At the time Orcleous had no idea that the hammer was magical, nor would it have done him any good to know it. Xigshaw had not seen him as his wielder and for that matter it did not see any of them as its proper wielder. It would not give Dan aid the same way it would not give Orcleous. Xigshaw would only allow the worthy to wield it and no one was worthy to hold its power. It's only true master was Oya.
"Well at least the floor boards did not get burned out", spoke one of the soldiers as he walked up to the caravan.
"I don't know", spoke another. "It may still be usable. With how much that @#$%able hammer weighs if it was properly burned then it should have fallen to the ground by now."
"True, most of the heat must have went around the carriage", spoke the man as he opened the door. As the door opened and the light shinned in the man's eyes were meet with the sight of Iron. With a great howl and the force of a titan Xigshaw came crashing down on the man's skull. The might hammer blow shattered his helmet like glass and left only a dent were his head use to be.
"Bob", shouted the other soldier as he looked up to see orcleous pulling the weapon back up onto his shoulders. Fury could be seen in his eyes as his adrenaline rushed through his body.
"Impossible", shouted the second in command as he stared at a man he thought was dead. He and all the other soldiers knew that Xigshaw would not simply budge for any man. Even more so for some guy who hid in the back of the carriage. The way orcleous pulled the hammer back up told them that its magic was not flowing through his body. That only meant one thing.
"How strong is that bastard", spoke Dan as he took a step forward. His eyes sifted to Fury. He knew the Hero carried a magical sword, but he thought that was all the man was. He never imagined that he had strength to back up his magic.
"Why you", shouted the second soldier as he stabbed forward with his spear. It took everything Orcleous had to control Xigshaw, dodging was out of the picture and blocking was not even a option. Orcleous simply had to control the situation. Since Orcleous could neither dodge or block he chose instead to attack and prey that his armor stood the test. The hero leaned forward placing the point of the spear were the leather was the thickest. The blade bit in, but did not pierce.
For the second time Orcleous had used Xigshaw as a weapon, even without the blessing of the spirit within. The massive club found its mark on the man's shoulder. With the full force of its weight and Orcleous' muscles he shattered the man's bones like glass. The hero cringed under the weight of the hammer as he brought the mighty weapon to a stop.
"Frank", shouted another soldier as he watched his friend's blood spill onto the sand. It was clear now that Orcleous was a threat with the hammer in his hand even if Xigshaw himself did not accept him as its master.
"Everyone finish him off", spoke the second as he drew his rapier and prepared to join the fray himself.
"No that will not be needed", spoke Dan as he stepped forward. The Great Knight was going to finish this himself. "For a bandit you fight well", he spoke as he looked Orcleous up and down. The Hero had removed himself from the carriage, but was pretty much stuck in place. He could move, some, but it was not enough to fight against all of them. He was actually glad when the man gave the order for his men to stop. In a group they would have ripped him to pieces.
"Bandit", spoke Orcleous as he struggled with the weight. "I am not really a bandit. More like a guy who got stuck with the wrong job."
"Mercenary, bandit, it makes no difference boy", spoke Dan as he drew Fiery from its new home. "If you stand against the will of the heavens then you are bound only to loss." The man stopped for a moment to admire Orcleous' sword. "Before you die, what is the name of this sword".
"Pshaw", spoke Orcleous as he began to lightly chuckle. Here Elizabeth was sure she would be the first to go. Orcleous however seemed to be on the path to departing this world first. To thing that Fiery would be the one to end him. Well no, Orcleous always knew that sword would be his end. Its hunger for flames and the death of man was only matched by his desire for power. "Fiery, The Fiery Dragon Blade, consider yourself lucky. That sword has been held by better men than us both."
"Better", spoke Dan as he ran his hand down the flat of the blade. "I doubt it. There is no better man than a man of faith. The fact that it was used by dirty bandits and mercenaries like yourself insults the craftsmen who made it. The sword practically pulsates with desire to see you burned to ash. Proving its distaste for you and your ilk."
"Pshaw, you don't know Fiery my friend", spoke Orcleous. That sword cared not for who it burned or why it burned them. It just loved to consume men with fire. There was no reason for Orcleous to tell him that. He was going to find out soon enough on his own. Fiery was never a quite blade. It made its will known at every given chance.
"So long heathen", spoke the man as he swung fury at Orcleous. Once again the sword released its flames. A sea of fire seemed to swarm and rush toward Orcleous. In defiance of his own death the Hero swung Xigshaw one last time. "Worth" that was what Orcleous felt at his finger tips. Suddenly his muscles bulged and power began to rage through his body. Xigshaw had found him worthy of wielding him and gave him the full power it could muster. For Xigshaw a man's worth was not in there morality or there gods. It was in there actions and in the glory it could achieve by fighting at there side. Orcleous had not only wielded it without the axes blessing, but also showed great courage even in the face of his own death. There was glory to be had fighting with this one and Xigshaw was not going to allow him to be consumed.
A great roar filled the air as thunder radiated from orcleous. A wave of earth and air shattered the sea of flames as the force generated by Xigshaw sent out a shock wave with the power to repel the magical attack. "What the #@%%", shouted Dan as he stared on. Orcleous was not only not dead, but seemed to be wielding Xigshaw with the same force as Orange haired boy did.
"Impossible", spoke the soldiers as orcleous now held the weapon in a single hand.
"Whoa what is this", spoke Orcleous as he felt the surge of power. At the time he had no idea that Xigshaw was magical nor did he know it had the power to repel a attack like that. Orcleous simply swung his weapon in pure defiance and it seemed that defiance paid off. "It is so light now", spoke Orcleous as he felt the muscles in his body pulsate.
"Quickly slay him now", shouted the second in command as he pointed his sword toward Orcleous. Suddenly and without any warning something flew by him at great speed. With the fury of a ballista Orcleous had tossed Xigshaw straight into Dan's chest. The force and power behind the attack pierced clean through the man.
"Get your hands off my sword you filthy rodent", spoke Orcleous as the other men stared on. It was impossible, or at least they thought it was beforehand. Xigshaw was never thrown before, but apparently it was possible. Orcleous knew the shock of his attack would not last long. The fear would soon turn to anger and anger into rage. If Orcleous was going to get out of this one alive he needed to finish them off quickly.
"Dan", shouted the second in command. As he turned around to use his blade against Orcleous he was surprised to see the Hero already in his face.
"Smite", shouted Orcleous as he channeled the natural energy in his body to his arm! With the full force he could muster orcleous punched the man so hard that it sent him flying through the air. Lucky for Orcleous fool landed on top of another soldier lowering there numbers to a total of six. However the battle was already over. The moment Orcleous touched the handle of Xigshaw the six remaining warriors retreated. In there minds there faith meant nothing all they cared about was there lives. A few of them were even kind enough to carry away there unconscious new commander. Orcleous however did not give chase. The burns he received from the carriage still needed to be tended too.
"#$%^ Etruria", spoke Orcleous as he began to look around for Fiery. Even though the sword nearly turned him into ash Orcleous still would take her back. He was a gentlemen like that. However it soon became self evident that the fleeing soldiers took more than simply there commander. Those dirty rodents had made off with Orcleous's prized sword. The one he had to kill a armored zombie paladin to kill. "D@$^ you Etruria!" Orcleous was now ticked. He would give chase, but he needed to report back in and leave before more soldiers showed up. However this day he swore to himself that he will find his sword and return it to its proper place. With Xigshaw in hand he set off to find the cowards that left him behind. "Man this was going to be one heck of a report."
[End Thread]