[Bee Blueglade][Session 2 - Level 1][Part 2]

Ada and Bee ran across a street, fighting was ensuing around them, but the orcs were killing villagers left and right. As the two rounded a corner they arrived at Haren Groth’s house. Lilac was several feet away from the home, laying on the ground, her head missing.

Haren was backed into a corner with three orcs surrounding him. He tried his best to keep them back with his spear, but blood seeped from a wound beneath his shirt.

Bee focused all his energy on the dagger in hand, reaching out with his mind for any semblance of the threads he had seen before, but it didn’t come so easily. Instead he drew the dagger back and threw it at one of the orcs.

The dagger flew end over end, carried by fate itself, as energy left Bee’s body. It slammed into the back of one of the orcs' heads. He fell to his knees, trying to say something, before collapsing to the ground.

The other two orc’s whipped around. Haren took the opportunity to stab one in the side of his ribcage. The other orc charged at Ada and swung a machete-like weapon at her. Bee could see the blow about to land on her left shoulder, he desperately wanted to be there to stop the blow, and as he reached out a little bit of energy left his body.

Like a thread pulling his arm back, fate intervened, giving Ada time to sweep the shovel through his legs. He fell backward into the dirt before Ada slammed the shovel head into his throat repeatedly.

The three orcs were dead. Haren took a few steps towards his wife's body, reaching a hand out, muttering something under his breath.

“Lilac.” He cried in a soft whisper.

“We can take care of her later.” Bee pulled him away trying to stand him up straight. “You need to focus on surviving the night.”

Bee could see the tears running down his face, his heart shattered, and he wanted to sob along with the old man. Haren and Lilac had always been there for him. Bee knew he needed to be there for Haren now.

“The orcs are coming from the water mill. Let's make them pay.” Bee said.

Haren nodded, he sniffed one last time before standing straight, and he turned towards the mill.

“They’ll pay.” Haren clenched his spear.

Bee led the way towards the mill. Heading parallel to the river, as moonlight glinted off the ripples, the three of them moved as a group. Bee held his two daggers, Haren had his spear, and Ada had the shovel and shield.

They reached the base of the hill leading up to the watermill. Three orcs stood at the top of the hill. One shrouded by draped animal pelts across his head and shoulders was clutching a gnarled wooden staff. Another had bots of spiked-black armor strapped onto him, with red-tinted skin, and horns curling off his head. The last of the three wore trousers and had a loose white button up that was unlike the clothing of his kind. It was more akin to the clothing of royals.

A beast quickly leapt up from where it was laying before the demonic looking orc. The beast was a dog-like creature, with mange across one side of its face, and short black fur that looked coarse. It was big enough for any of the three orcs to ride, almost as large as a horse, and looked deadlier than any animal Bee had ever encountered.

The hound snarled at the three of them drawing the attention of the orcs.

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“It seems we have guests.” The orc in royal clothing said.

“Three villagers. Tan-nuruk, take care of them with your pet.” The shrouded orc said with an old and raspy voice.

The demonic-orc grinned before he raised his fingers to his mouth and whistled.

“Brace!” Bee yelled as the hound charged down the hill towards them.

Ada stepped forward, crouching, holding her shield in front of her. Haren raised the spear above her, ready to strike the wolf. Bee stuck close behind them.

The hound charged with no tactics, no intelligence behind its action, it slammed into Ada’s shield. Haren stabbed his spear into its shoulder as it began shoving Ada into the ground and climbing over her.

Bee saw an opening and swiped forward with his daggers. The hound snapped at Bee, sinking its teeth into his arm, before swinging him off his feet. The beast let go of Bee and he tumbled across the grass.

He shook his head, pulled himself up, and looked back at Ada barely keeping the hound away. It snapped at her, and pawed at her. Haren was failing to push it away.

Up the hill Bee saw the demonic orc slowly making his way towards them. Past that monster he could see the older orc was starting to shout an incantation. As he said the words hundreds of arrows began to apparate in the night sky, held aloft, and one by one were lit with flame.

“Igairm, vodean, sateine!” The orc repeated the spell louder as its strength grew.

The last of that energy deep within the pits of Bee’s soul started to flow once more. The villager scrambled up the hill moving faster than he ever has in his life. The demonic orc didn’t have time to react, he barely managed to turn, and yelled after Bee.

He sprinted straight at the shaman. As he got closer, the orc in royal clothes, started to step forward as his bones cracked, his flesh moved, and his frame began to grow. He sprang at Bee as his nails extended into claws.

Bee felt like this moment was an eternity, less than a second from being torn apart, yet his vision was slowing down. A single thread glowed before him, and he followed.

Bee rolled forward, going under the leaping clawed-orc, and kicked upward with all his might. The clawed orc flew to the side and slammed into the demonic orc. They both tumbled down the hill.

The villager gripped his daggers as he ran the rest of the way up the hill. The shaman stopped his chant to swing the staff at Bee, but he was ready for it. Dodging under it, he closed the distance, and put both blades to the orc’s throat.

“Hey!” A gruff orc voice called out.

Bee looked down the hill. Ada and Haren were being held by the orcs. The demonic-orc held a blade to the throat of Ada while the other dug his claws into Haren’s throat.

“You step back, and the three of you go away free, and we pull all our guys out of here.” The well dressed orc said, obviously struggling to speak cohesively with his altered physiology.

“Alright, alright.” Bee slowly stepped back and sheathed one of his daggers when he saw his friends being released.

The demonic orc sheathed his sword and Bee went to sheath his other dagger. As he sheathed his blade the orc pulled his fist back and punched through the back of Haren’s chest and it came out the otherside covered in bone fragments and viscera. Ada let out a scream before the clawed orc grabbed the sides of her head and snapped her neck.

“Igairm, vodean, sateine.” The shaman whispered and hundreds more flaming arrows flew at the city; at the militia and the retreating villagers.

“No!” Bee slashed out with his dagger at the Shaman, chipping the center of his staff.

The shaman held the staff up to block as Bee tried to bring the blade down again. He slashed the staff again as he pushed the orc backwards. Bee goes to strike with his dagger again, this time the shaman pulls the staff away, and raises an arm towards Bee.

“Ruhadh.” A condensed burst of fire shoots through Bee like a laser.

Bee’s slash misses the orc, instead going past him, and hitting the middle of the staff again. With the force of the blow and the previous cuts the staff breaks in half. In an instant there is a burst of energy from the staff. The orcs arm is blown off as he is thrown from the hillside.

The dagger is nearly vaporized along with most of Bee’s hand as the man is thrown off the otherside of the hill. He sails through the air, past the watermill, as fire engulfed him. He could feel a charred hole through his midsection.

His hair shined a brilliant golden light as he arced through the air. His body put itself back together, as he slammed head first into the shallow river. The glow dulled as he floated to the water's surface and drifted down stream.