Chapter 4: The Orcs Attack
Pandora reclined on a sunny beach as she sipped a tropical drink and gazed at the surf. A male figure with white angel wings, wearing a sporty bathing suit, stepped over to Pandora and recharged her drink. She gestured, and the figure retreated back up the beach.
“What is it?” she asked to seemingly nobody in particular.
“Oh? You would interrupt my fun so soon after I arrived here?” She said as she put her drink down on the adjacent table. Once again, only her side was audible.
“So? You should just learn to let things go.” The area went silent for several seconds.
“Fine, do what you want. Just know that I’m not rooting for you and I don’t support you.” She picked up her drink and resumed her lounging.
--
The caravan was greeted warmly by several elves. One in particular apologized profusely when he heard that Solana had caused such a scare.
The caravan was led to a special building designed to closely resemble the architecture of human cities. The plan was for the princess and her entourage to rest for the evening, then begin meetings tomorrow morning.
“I’ll show you around the village,” Solana offered Hannah. She looked to Garfield who nodded. They could certainly make do without one person for a few hours.
For the most part, White Glow would be keeping close to the princess for this stay, but she requested Garfield visit her for a short while in order to discuss the plan for the upcoming days. Seeing how Garfield was a Duke, the princess thought it appropriate for him to attend the meetings as a representative of the Kingdom more so than as a bodyguard.
Garfield didn’t really have much to offer regarding trade agreements, but he’d take notes and pass them along to Assistant Duke. Perhaps the Rox Region was a good source of resources the elves needed. Garfield was interested in listening to the exchange of intelligence. In fact, one of his reasons for getting involved with the Fenwick Kingdom to begin with was to start gathering information about the region.
According to the princess, the first morning was designated for exchanging that intelligence. Much of it, the princess had committed to memory before departing Bretten. Some of it was well outside her areas of expertise, after all, so she would simply convey it. Similarly, she would take careful notes on anything the elves reported. The knights were well educated and would assist her as well.
The first afternoon was designated for discussing trade agreements. Both sides would share how they fared over the past year and what they would like to see changed for the upcoming year. Likely, these talks would raise questions that can’t be answered immediately. To that end, days two and three were dedicated to be a break before concluding meetings on day four. Days two and three would be spent on discussing magic and the like.
Garfield went to his assigned room. His party wouldn’t be needed for any guard duty until tomorrow. As he was getting ready for bed, Hannah returned from her exploration around the village. “How did it go?” he asked her.
“It was fun,” she admitted. Upon further elaboration, Garfield learned that Solana is quite the little troublemaker. Perhaps she wasn’t the best influence on Hannah, but Garfield wasn’t going to stop her from making a friend.
--
“The dark elves delivered these magic items for us to use tomorrow.”
“How do they work?”
“Apparently, we aim them at the barrier and squeeze. The barrier’s effectiveness will plummet for hours.”
“Excellent. I haven’t forgotten how weak I felt the last time we attacked the village.”
“Nor have I. I’ve been waiting for this day for years.”
“And what are these?
“Magic crossbows. Supposedly, they pack quite a punch. The dark elves assure us they will take away the elves’ advantage.”
“Good.”
“Oh, there’s one other thing.”
“What is it?”
“Our spies noticed a caravan enter the Elvish Forest from the west.”
“What? The timing is terrible.”
“I know. I bet it’s those Fenwick meddlers. What should we do about them, War Chief?”
“Hmm…”
--
The following morning, Garfield, Kay, Linet, and several Knights escorted the princess to her meeting with the leadership of the elves. Hannah and White Glow were given the morning off to see the village some more. White Glow would form the princess’ inner security once the day’s meetings were over. Once again, Solana escorted Hannah around the village. White Glow wouldn’t be able to keep up with them anyway. A less energetic elf offered to escort the human girls.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The meeting proceeded amicably, with the elves leading off by providing information about the orcs. The elves’ reports seemed to match up well with what Swifty had learned recently. While Charlotte reciprocated by providing a bit of information received from Swifty, Garfield glanced at his minimap and then jumped up to his feet, interrupting the meeting.
--
Solana and Hannah were jumping from tree branch to tree branch northeast of the village. The elf had put together a list of neat things to see in the forest, and they were traveling around looking at them all and arguing about which ones were the best. While progressing towards a supposed haven for fluffy animals (or so Solana claimed), the pair stopped on a branch to discuss what they both sensed.
“Did you feel that?” the elf asked Hannah.
“Yes, but what is it?”
“There’s a barrier around the inner portions of the forest which weakens any orc that enters. There must be something wrong with it.”
“Did the orcs take it down somehow?” asked Hannah.
“I hope not. Without the barrier—“ Solana was interrupted by Hannah grabbing her and jumping to another tree. Just as they cleared the immediate area, the trunk of the tree they had been standing on exploded.
“They’re arrows of some kind. And they explode!” Hannah observed.
“Arrows!? Then I doubt there are orcs—“ This time, the pair both detected incoming fire and jumped, although in separate directions. As the two outmaneuvered the incoming arrows, more and more trees were blowing up. The rate of fire was only increasing.
Solana attempted to land on a tree just as it too exploded at the base. She tried to escape but got caught in falling branches and dragged down to ground level. Hannah raced over to her to find her friend pinned between a colossal branch and the stony ground. Elves were likely sturdier than humans, but it was obvious to anyone that Solana’s body was done for. She wasn’t dead, but her time was near.
Hannah felt an anger well up inside of her. Normally, she never felt strong emotions because she was always so safe while traveling with Garfield. Even now, if Garfield was nearby, she’d need only tell him about what’s happening and he’d take care of it. Somehow, Solana would be fine and the enemy would be running away with their tail between their legs.
However, Garfield wasn’t here. Hannah would need to deal with the enemy herself. She glared in the direction of the opposition and instinctively revealed her fangs. Her body glowed a subtle red, right up until she disappeared.
Over the next minute, 21 orcs turned into about 100 pieces, depending on how you counted. Likely, this squad was just a small portion of the army assaulting the elves. Still, the immediate threat was eliminated. Hannah teleported back to Solana, desperately thinking of a way to save her.
--
Shortly after Garfield announced the arrival of intruders, the orc-weakening barrier was itself weakened. Linet ordered two knights to round up the rest of their party and quickly escort them back to the meeting hall. Two elves were sent with them as escorts.
There was still a little time to strategize before the enemy arrived. “Duke,” Linet quietly addressed Garfield. “I’m sorry, but I witnessed your duel with Hannah. I know your strength is beyond comprehension. Should the orcs assault us here in this hall, will you be able to bring such strength to bear?”
“Hopefully I can stick to my normal routine. If I’m running around kicking orcs, that’s a bad day.”
Garfield looked around the room. Everyone seemed pretty panicked. The princess’ party was getting caught up in a war that wasn’t theirs, so the reaction was understandable. In the elves’ case, the fear was likely a sign that they had become over-reliant on their magical barrier.
“Remember, prioritize protecting the princess!” Linet announced to her group. Garfield stepped over to an open area in the room and raised his hand.
“«Summon Forest Creatures of Legend, Canid Of The Zodiac, The Dog; Suidae Of The Zodiac, The Pig; Muroid Of The Zodiac, The Rat; Primate Of The Zodiac, The Monkey».” He stuck to small creatures that wouldn’t draw too much attention. Based on how things went, he could ramp up his efforts.
The elf leaders received a report that battle had broken out in the village. The elves were hardly caught off guard, given that they were anticipating a possible attack, but the enemy was much stronger than anticipated for three reasons. First, the barrier was ineffective. Second, some of the orcs were equipped with magic crossbows of some type. Third, the orcs’ numbers were greater than expected.
Although no word arrived from the northern portions of the elf village, a messenger announced that the south, around the meeting hall, was in bad shape. The attendees heard the sounds of guards yelling and calling for aid. Then, the surroundings went quiet.
--
“Quick, in here!” It was clear White Glow wasn’t going to make it back to their group, so an elf led them and one knight into a hiding spot behind a wooden structure. “I’ll lead them away. Good luck!”
The elf ran back into the village. White Glow wasn’t sure whether it was right for them to simply hide while the battle was ongoing, but they figured it was safer to lay low in the absence of instructions from the princess, Linet, or Garfield. The knight with them seemed to agree, anyway.
--
“Hm, to think you would find yourself surrounded after all these years,” the War Chief, Corgak, announced to the elvish leadership in the large meeting hall. He and several dozen of his soldiers had broken through the defenses, and both the elvish leadership and the princess’s entourage were surrounded.
“We are a diplomatic group here to discuss trade, only! Release us so that we may return to our lands without creating a diplomatic incident between our nations!” Linet shouted. It was worth a try.
“Hoh. You provide the elves with all the materials they need to set up anti-orc barriers and then expect us to just let you go?”
In response to the War Chief’s question, the orc named Mudagog spoke up. “Nah, I say. I’ve always wanted to try human females. You know, to see how they compare to the elves.” Several orcs laughed.
“Good idea!” Garfield suddenly shouted out, drawing everyone’s attention. “I myself have been wondering how humans and elves compare to fox-girls and goddesses! I bet they’re each better than orc women, so I can’t say I blame you for getting all experimental!”
“I, uh, what?” Mudagog was at a loss for words.
“Beware!” a hooded orc shouted from behind other warriors. “I sense great evil from that human! Do not underestimate him!” All the orcs present lifted their weapons and resumed a heightened level of readiness.
“Damn it! Stop ruining my fun, you dark emperor wannabe!” The orcs looked back and forth at each other, wondering what the heck that was supposed to mean. The princess’ party did the same thing.
Garfield turned to Yttria. “He said, I’m evil, didn’t he?”
“He did. I heard him.”
“So that means it’s acceptable, nay, expected, for me to use evil methods to deal with these intruders, right?”
“I suppose so, but… please don’t go too far…” Yttria wasn’t sure what constituted too far, but she thought the request was justified.
Garfield took a couple of steps towards the War Chief, who took one step back. “I’ve found starting with the leader works well. «Enchant Creat—“
Before Garfield could finish his chant, he disappeared in a puffy cloud of black shadows.