The next morning, we were all refreshed, clean and ready to head back to Griphondale. I was excited at the prospect of getting to Brightstar and retraining as a warrior. The granting of levels was a powerful ability, but it just wouldn’t work unless people devoted themselves to me.

We picked up camp, doused the fire with enough water to drown an elephant, and headed out.

Briana led the way. She even smiled at me as she trundled off into the woods. Her smile, Daisy’s singing, and Alissa’s general level of happiness made for a good morning.

Lexi buzzed around me, pointing at various flowers and trees and telling me all about them.

“If we hustle when we hit the road, we’ll make Griffondale by noon,” Briana said over her shoulder as she led us through the woods at a brisk pace.

“This isn’t... hustling?” Daisy said. She was already breathing heavy in her armor and heavy pack.

“This is a relaxing morning walk,” Alissa commented from behind us.

Daisy grunted as she hefted herself over another large root. “Damn half-orcs and their superhuman strength,” she muttered.

I turned to help her, letting her use me for balance on the way down, and she smiled as she landed next to me. “Thanks,” she said demurely.

“My pleasure,” I said. Her hand lingered on as she walked away, smiling at me over her shoulder.

Oh boy.

I ended up following her as we made our way to the edge of the thickest part of the woods where the road cut through them. I just needed to focus on the mission and ignore the female scenery.

The part of the forest we moved through looked familiar. I wasn’t sure, but it might be where I met Alissa.

“Alissa, what were you doing out here when you saved me from the wolf?” I asked.

She shrugged, looking around the trees as we walked. “My tribe had a scout in the area. I was trying to get any word from him if it was possible for me to return.”

“Are there members of your tribe who are still loyal to your dad?” I asked.

“A few. Enough, I hope, that if Bartuce were to fall, they would call off the foolish raiding practices of our ancestors and live in peace once more.”

I nodded, holding a branch up for her as she walked by. She lowered her body slightly to fit under it, all the while looking up at me with a smile. “Thank you,” she said.

Trail courtesy was something I learned as a boy scout, man would they be shocked to find out how I was using it.

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“A scout?” Briana asked from ahead.

“Yes, the tribe has them all over now, looking for places to raid. I think they are on a pattern, but I haven’t figured it out yet,” she said.

Briana suddenly held her hand up. We froze for half a second before taking a knee and hunkering down as low as we could without crawling.

I didn’t hear anything... then I realized I didn’t hear anything. Not birds, or forest critters, nothing.

My mind flashed back to years before in Afghanistan when my squad was ambushed. This was exactly what it felt like.

Exactly.

“Ambush,” I whispered. I drew my sword to punctuate it, but before I could get the blade all the way out, a mass of green skin weighing as much as a small car smashed into me. I saw Alissa take a hit on the side from a huge muscle bound orc as well, before I was smothered under sweaty, smelly orc.

Instincts kicked in and I pushed my knees up and flexed my legs as we fell backward. It was like doing a leg press with a thousand pounds of weight. If we weren’t already falling backward, it wouldn’t have worked.

We hit the ground, and I exhaled, keeping my lungs from collapsing as I struggled to keep his momentum rolling and flung him off of me. A pair of dark, beady eyes, flat nose, and an open mouth full of yellow teeth and tusks flew right by as I finished the roll with a grunt.

I rolled over all the way, craning my neck and ending up flat on my stomach. He went right into a tree with a crunch.

Scrambling to my feet, I drew my sword and plunged it into the back of the orc who had tackled me. He was still dazed from hitting the tree, which he nearly uprooted from the force.

The blade hit his green hide—and slid off! A line of green blood spilled from where I hit him, but no significant damage appeared. I hefted the blade with both hands and hit him again, as hard as I could.

It was like attacking a block of ice with a plastic butter knife. The sword bounced off of his hide after doing hardly any damage. I was forced to back up as the green-skinned monster stood up and shook his flat face, sending his long, thick black hair flailing in every direction.

The orc was dressed similar to Alissa, with a thick leather loincloth and a half top of leather. Otherwise, he looked like something out of a horror movie with a necklace of teeth and a hodgepodge of ears interspersed.

I felt Daisy behind me. She had her shield and sword out and was placing herself at my back. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the big orc that was facing her down. He had a crisscross of green cuts on his chest. It both relieved, and terrified me, that she had no more success than I did.

Alissa wrestled on the ground with her orc. He punched her in the head as hard as he could, grunting with each blow, sweat flying off of him from the exertion.

Lexi helped Briana as the gorgeous elf slashed out with her blades, knocking the club that was easily as big as her aside and sending the orc wielding it tumbling back.

Club?

They didn’t have blades or spears, just clubs. The surrounding woods erupted and four more orcs came out with blunt weapons. Two moved to circle Daisy and me.

I knew what we needed to do, but I hated to do it. It wasn’t in my nature to surrender, but if they really were trying to capture us... as strong as they were, and apparently as invincible, we weren’t going to beat them.

“Brie, Lexi, RUN!” I yelled at the two. If there were people in this party who could vanish and hide from the orcs, they were it.

“I’m not leaving you,” Lexi countered.

The orc came at me, hefting his club over head and bringing it down with earth shattering force. Instead of stepping aside like a smart person, I tried to block the blow. It blasted the sword out of my grip and struck me in the collarbone. I spun around and slammed face first into the ground. The last thing I saw was Brie picking up my sword and vanishing into the woods.

Then the darkness took me.