I smiled.

Way to go Briana!

It was clear that what Gank wanted wasn’t going to happen. There was no way we were going to get out of this alive. Our only hope was escape and maybe fight this battle another day.

Lunging forward I took off at a dead run. I crossed the arena in a few seconds and shoulder checked the orc with the arrow in his eye. Somehow, he wasn’t dead, just pawing at the arrow and screaming. He stumbled backward from the hit and fell.

“Alissa!” I screamed to get her attention. Daisy was still chained, but the chains were simply locked with a crossbar, not an actual lock. I undid the bolt and pulled the bar out, freeing her.

She smiled at me as she undid the rest of the chains, pulling them off her and throwing them to the ground.

We had little time. The surrounding orcs were confused, but they wouldn’t be for long.

A blast of fire hit the ground in front of us. Heat washed over me, forcing me back. Bartuce leapt down from the platform as the flame dissipated. He held his arms out wide to the side. In one hand, a ball of fire hovered above his palm, in the other, lightning crackled and crawled around his fingers and wrist.

“I no longer care, human. You can join your beloved's father, and I will rule this tribe through sheer strength. All who oppose me and Kojiman shall die!”

I knocked Daisy to the ground as Bartuce let forth a flamethrower stream of fire, igniting the platform in a huge ball of flame.

The orcs closed in from the sides, yelling obscenities as they drew weapons to kill us.

“Bartuce,” Alissa yelled from the now burning platform. “As Ragnardottr, I challenge you for leadership of the tribe,” she yelled as loud as she could.

The advancing mob came to a sudden halt. Their black eyes turning to Bartuce as if waiting for him to respond.

Alissa ran forward, leaping high into the air, landing in a crouch. The ornate leather armor strained to hold her in as she stood, her muscles rippled under the firelight. “You will pay for what you did to my father,” she said with an angry growl.

“No,” he screamed. Lightning flared around his arm, blasting out toward Alissa, flinging her bodily past us, through the burning stand, and out the other side.

“That’s our cue to exit,” I said, pulling Daisy to her feet.

“Honor-less dog,” an orc yelled. “She challenged you!” Two different orcs roared through the crowd.

Suddenly, Bartuce had an element in his orcs that weren’t under his control. His answer was to turn and shoot another bolt of lightning, blasting one of the orcs who had shouted.

I saw Gank in the crowd. He caught my eye and mouthed, ‘run’. I gave him a nod, grabbed Daisy’s hand, and we ran.

Bartuce was too busy dealing with the sudden rebellion to stop us. We skirted around the platform to find Alissa’s blasted body, and for a moment, my heart skipped a beat. Then I remembered if she were dead, then I would already have died.

Daisy ran to our fallen comrade and dropped to her knees. She immediately began singing, sending healing energy into Alissa.

“She’s hurt, bad,” she said between verses.

The platform was engulfed in flames, crackling and sparking as it burned like a bonfire on a beach. Using the light of the fire, I looked around for something we could use...

“Stay here. Heal her as best you can. I’ll be right back.”

Fifty feet away, through the camp, was the cart they used to bring us here. At some point, the cage was removed, leaving a flat bed on two giant wheels. I slid to a halt when I saw what was tethered to it.

“No freaking way!” The cart's huge wheels kept the bed suspended over the tail of the triceratops that pulled it. An intricate leather harness attached to the dinosaur connected it to the cart.

This far away from the fire, and as dark as it was, I couldn’t see very far beyond the cart. I hoped there were no guards around. Whoever owned the beast had parked him next to a trough full of green food.

“Hey buddy,” I said as I came up to him, trying to keep my voice calm. The leads dangled down from his crest. His horns were cut off and capped at six inches, probably to keep him from goring people.

I reached for the leads and he shook his head, large brown eyes blinking at me. Then he sniffed a few times and shuffled sideways, dragging the cart with him.

“Briana!” I yelled as loud as I dared, waving my hands in the air to get her attention. She had to still see me, right?

I heard the swish of her cloak as she stepped out of the shadows a few feet away from me.

“You are okay?” she asked.

“I am, thank you. Alissa’s hurt. Can you tame this critter?” I asked.

She pulled my sword from her back and handed it to me before she went to the side of the great beast, whispering to it as she approached.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

LEVEL UP!

You have a single level to bestow.

The message splashed across my vision as soon as I grasped my blade. It faded after a second replace by,

Achievement unlocked: Selfless*

*Commune with Adora to learn the secrets of this achievement.

As curious as I was, I didn’t have time to look into what I could do next, instead I dismissed the messages.

Instead, I watched her back while she worked to tame the trike. Lexi zoomed by, circling my head before landing on my shoulder and hugging my neck.

“Nick! I’m so glad you’re alive,” she said as she pressed her body into my throat.

“It’s good to see you too, Lexi,” I replied.

Briana spoke to the dinosaur in elvish. Magic swirled around her as she cast charm animal. Within seconds, it was our ally. With me leading the way, and Briana pulling the leads, we ran back to where Daisy was keeping Alissa alive.

Yelling, followed by the sound of lightning strikes, echoed over the platform as it continued to burn. We couldn’t hope for this to last much longer. Briana and Daisy lifted Alissa up and slid her onto the bed. I climbed in after her then helped Daisy. Briana ran up the cart and hopped onto the trike's back, sliding in behind his crest like she was riding a horse.

He immediately started moving, turning in place, dragging and jerking the cart around, digging furrows with the wheels until he was positioned pointing at the main gate. Then he took off at a trot.

I stood up on the bed, using the point of my sword to keep my balance on the slightly uneven cart, and watched behind us. I was mostly concerned with anyone following. If we could even get a little farther away before Bartuce regained order, we would be okay.

The gates loomed in front of us, and the trike slowed down. It would take forever to open them, even with everyone pulling on them.

“Nick, the slaves,” Daisy said, pointing. There wasn’t a lot of light to see by. The orcs had night vision, the fires they used were for cooking more than illumination.

Huddled against the wall, with long chains attaching their feet to the turnstile, were the twenty-five human slaved the orcs had here.

I leaped off the cart and ran to them. My legs burned with ache and exhaustion.

“Up, everyone up, and push for all your worth if you want to be free,” I shouted.

An orc stepped out of the small guardhouse next to the main gate. He had a large spear that looked more like a small tree with a shovel for a tip.

He saw me and roared, his mouth open wide, showing a row of tusks and teeth.

Then two arrows sprouted out of his throat, knocking him back into the small structure. He dropped his spear on the ground, giving me an idea. I tossed my sword back to the cart and ran for his spear.

As I covered the distance over the ground, the slaves started standing up, seeing that something was happening, but like any people living in captivity, they weren’t sure what was going on or what they should do.

“Up,” I yelled again. “Turn the thing!”

Crenshaw, the farmer Daisy had recognized that morning, seemed to clear his head the quickest. He grabbed one of the men and hefted him up while shoving him toward the turnstile.

By the time I had managed to lift the spear and make my way to them, they were turning the device clockwise. The big doors creaked as the ropes went taught and started pulling them open.

While they were all individually chained, they were attached to a single iron bar that was pounded into the top of the turnstile like an upside down U. I didn’t have time to examine the individual manacles, but if I had to guess, they were pounded, or bent in someway that no amount of strength would free them.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I ran around opposite, putting the turnstile between me and the door, then I shoved the spear into the U. I could use the leverage of the turnstile that opened the gate to free them.

It was essentially a giant oak tree with a cog around it, just the sides where the slaves pushed against the logs that they used as handholds to turn the device. Ducking under the ropes that were pulling the door open I ran back to the orc's body. Sure enough, in the small building were coils of rope. They were as thick as my forearm, but they would do. I just needed twenty feet of rope to make this work.

Once back outside, I dragged the rope over to the makeshift lever and tied the rope around one end of the spear but kept the knot loose so I could pick up the slack, then I waited. The slaves grunted with exertion and finally had the doors open enough to let the cart through.

“Briana, go, we’ll catch up,” I said, waving at her to move.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Just go!” I yelled. She did, urging the trike forward. It stomped through the gate that was barely open wide enough to let them through.

Just like the walls, the gate was made of logs, stripped of bark, sharpened on one end and then bound with lashing. I made a loop out of one end of my rope, twirled it a few times and heaved it up.

The twin doors were twenty-feet high, higher than the walls, with braces and extra lashings. The turnstile opened the two doors inward when pushed clockwise, then closed them when pushed counter to that. I threw the rope at the top of the gate and missed. The rope was incredibly heavy, and I was exhausted. I tried again and missed.

“Come on man, we have little time!” one of the slaves yelled.

“What about my wife and daughter?” another asked.

I glanced back the way we came. I guessed they were in the long tent where they had taken Daisy... but if we didn’t escape, there would be no one left to save them.

“Nick, let me,” Lexi said. She grabbed the end of the rope and beat her little wings for all they were worth. Halfway up, she slowed, straining to gain altitude with the heavy line.

I heard her scream as she finally slipped the rope over the end. Then she fell straight down to land with a thump on the ground.

“Hang on, Lexi!” I finished the slipknot, tightened the rope and then pointing in the opposite direction they had pushed.

“Heave, heave like your lives depend on it!” I cried.

They did. Grunting and groaning as they pushed their underfed and overworked bodies to the very limits. One man collapsed and his fellows did their best to step over him.

I ran to Lexi, scooping up the faerie-dragon in both hands. “Lexi, you okay?” I asked in a whisper.

She raised one hand and gave me a thumbs up and weak smile. If I had a pocket to put her in, I would, but I just had my pants. I didn’t even have boots on. Instead, I held her carefully in both hands, cupping them to protect her.

The rope stretched tight, the log-like spear flexed. The turnstile pulleys tried to close the door, but the rope connected to the speer and the slave chains stopped them. It held for a moment. The U bracket pinged as it was torn loose from the turnstile and shot off like a bullet to bang off the wall.

The chains dropped to the ground, leaving only those around their wrists.

“Run!” I yelled at the men. They did, without hesitation, their chains rattling behind them as they scurried out the door. They ran so fast, they left the man who had fallen.

“Son of a—” I ran over and did my best to help him up. He wasn’t unconscious, just dehydrated and exhausted. Careful as not to squash Lexi, I shifted her to one hand then looped the man’s arm over my shoulder and heaved, trying to get him to stand.

“I’m so tired...” he muttered.

“Stay here and die or run like the devil’s behind you, man!” I shouted in his ear. That got his attention. He perked up, stumbled forward, then was able to move up to a jog as he slipped through the door, dragging his chains.

I double checked, making sure I had everyone, then I ran out the doors, leaving that accursed fort behind me.

I vowed I would return. There were people here who needed my help. And if the people of this world weren’t willing to do it, then by God, Nicholas J. Spencer would be the hero they needed, whether they wanted him or not!