CHAPTER 27 - Just do it yourself! IV
I wake up in one of the void rooms of the buildings I used as a tower watch yesterday. I chose to stay the night here, resting for a few hours before getting up and before the orcs start pouring out of their settlement again.
The moment I wake up I leave my hideout and I don't stop to eat before I get out of their patrol range, now having the needed information about their habits, I am at ease. I just need to go and see how things are at the other orcs' base and the rest of the city using that information to my advantage.
I start my new scouting mission as soon as I finish breakfast, leaving in the direction where these orc’s patrols were leaving the base, which to my surprise, wasn’t deeper into the city, just about the same distance that this base is.
I set off there, knowing that this may be faster than I thought, but I will need to be careful anyway. The other orcs were stronger than these ones, and is harder to go unnoticed against a smaller group of strong enemies than against a crowd of weaker ones.
At first, I use the little amount of time that I have before the streets are filled with monsters and cover a good amount of the journey, making me get to the other orcs' base before nightfall.
I try to sneak out between the patrols just like with the others, but even though I manage in the end, it isn’t as easy as before. They have a smaller amount of orcs stationed around the base, but they are compressed into a smaller area to defend, making a thinner defense, but an efficient one too.
After a little bit of struggling, I get to a good enough place for overwatching all that happens at ground level. I do the same thing I did on the other side and after that, I leave the place knowing that there are a little bit over 700 orcs or so. Not as much as I thought they would be, but not a low number.
I make my way back out of their patrol range to sleep around the area before the night is due just in case. I think as I move, about a way to enter and search the inside of their base for prisoners, just in case someone has been caught and kept hostage.
The people I found before told me that the orcs were taking them as prisoners, so I figured that some of the people I am searching for may be imprisoned by them. The problem though, is how to get in their base.
They have a lot of people as lookouts and some of them are stronger than the ones going out on patrols for what I have seen. That only leaves me to think about a way to make them almost leave their base empty while they go out for whatever reason. The easiest way for that would be to make them think it is a good time to end their war using an opportunity of some kind.
That way though, there are some problems too. I need to come up with a believable way to make them think it is their time to strike. I have some idea of how to do that, but it is going to be risky, so first I will look around the other parts of the city, which at this point are not that many, and end up leaving only the centermost part and their territories.
The central point of the city is where that kid with unbelievable strength is allegedly located, and the orc's territories are obviously being monitored, I don't want to risk being seen after unintentionally faking my death so perfectly.
For another couple or so of days, I finish my expedition around the inner part of the city. With no recomforting results whatsoever, and only fighting against a few groups of those hedgehogs here and there, I finish my task for now.
I am starting to get angry at myself for breaking my phone, at this point I really try to stay positive, but it's hard. I know that surviving in these conditions is not something easy at all, I already experienced it myself.
I did come up with a nice idea to get the orcs out of their respective bases, at least one of the sides. I am planning on making it happen tomorrow at nightfall, after I get familiar with the dual axes.
I have been using them this whole time, but I did not have that many fights, and most of them were fast and easy as I avoided exposing myself to any of both orc species. I’ve been fighting smaller monsters, only having a few fights that actually make me try my best against some armored panthers.
Next day
The day before I practice with the axes and qi to get to my peak, not forgetting to try and get some insight into that other feeling I have while fighting for my life, trying to replicate it, but with no progress.
However, I will keep trying, I feel like it is something that I just need to get the hang of while fighting with my life on the line, it doesn’t seem like something you can just learn with practice.
Day of the plan
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping on the window. I get up and eat something as I prepare all my equipment and make sure I have everything I will be needing on me. It is not much, but if everything goes according to plan I will be using every single thing.
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I sheathe both my axes as best as I can in the scabbard that is clearly not designed to hold them and depart. I leave at sunrise to make the most of my time.
‘It’s my best shot, I need to make it count.’
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Jake
“Are there any news Jordan?”
“No, we advanced into the city and discovered a war between monsters, but not even a hint about his actual whereabouts.” Jordan answers, clearly frustrated.
“There is a high risk of dying for anyone that enters that area, I wouldn’t recommend going in at all.”
“Hmm… That won’t do. We need to pay him back.” I say so as I take a pistol from the drawer.
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Leo
I already found my target, a small group of the weak and small hedgehogs that populate the streets these days.
I take a big breath before acting and then jump in the midst of their group to scare them off.
They all start running in the same direction, seemingly able to know where to go instinctively, and I give chase. I run after them until they get to the next group and I do the same, scaring them off again.
Soon enough they join another group of bigger ones. This time to scare them I need to make a bigger impression, so I show myself jumping on top of a car nearby, crashing on it, and fortunately making the alarm go off and scaring them again.
I follow their path of flight for a while till they get to the next group, having already two of the bigger ones like the two I killed last time with some effort.
‘I don't think I will be able to save energy anymore or else I might die.’ Thinking along those lines I decide not to show myself like the times before. This time, I will launch a surprise attack, hopefully killing at least one of the bigger ones.
I charge some qi on both axes to make them sharper and jump at one of the big beasts from its blind spot.
I go for its neck, slashing at it with both weapons on the same spot for more piercing power, and soon enough its head it’s attached to its body no more and all of the other monsters get rowdy.
The other big monster looks at me, who in turn starts charging at him defiantly, but slow enough to let him run for its life, and so it does. It starts running from me, with all the smaller ones in tow, and I chase once more, now with a serious expression on my face.
After a while, we get to one of the few underground tunnels where the monsters enter. It is one of the few entrances to a small subway system. It is only a thing here in the center so I wasn’t taking it into account before, but now it kind of makes sense.
I arm myself with courage as I enter the darkness of the passages with only a small flashlight that I thankfully brought with me in my backpack.
I rush in fast to not lose track of my prey and follow them along the tunnels. There are not many instances where the road forks, but I memorize each one of them so I can come back just fine on my way back.
After a few turns here and there we get into a bigger opening where these guys seem to have made themselves at home. ‘Oh boy.’
The moment I enter I can't make much out of the darkness apart from two big round eyes in the middle of the chamber. I take one of my knives and imbue it with qi and throw it at the right one.
The weapon hits home, making the owner of those eyes that at some point were sleepy very angry, followed by a screech so loud and high pitched that I feel like throwing up just by the pressure of the sound.
Knowing that my job is probably more than enough, I start running already, not waiting for whatever there is lurking inside to catch me.
I run in the pitch-black darkness that surrounds the tunnel as fast as I can. For a second I wonder if I left them behind as I can't hear a sound behind me, but the moment I turn my head to hear the movement, thousands of paws hitting the floor at the same time, making a sound that resembles a tidal wave and amplified by the tunnel itself. I notice hundreds of crimson-glowing eyes in the dark too, chasing after me.
Even more motivated, I rush forward, decided not to slow down even one bit at this point.
After a chase that feels like an eternity, I finally leave the underground tunnels and keep fleeing onto the streets. I look back again, kind of scared that I will fail and lose their attention now that we leave their den, but far from the truth, I haven’t even reached the next of my knives to throw at them, and they are already shortening the distance. They keep up screeching even louder than before, completely lost in their rage.
Now that I got their whole attention for myself I start the second part of the plan, try and get to my destination and end goal, or die trying.
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Throld
“Tell me, what in the name of Yerka is happening in the frontlines?”
“My liege, the human you helped us take care of with an ambush some time ago seems to be alive and fine. He has been running all across the battlefield with a herd of beasts of humongous size behind.”
“What do you mean, I personally killed that human. He was the only variable of our plans and we already took care of him, how can he still be alive? Was I deceived?” I look for a reason or answer, but I can’t find one.
There is no point, whatever we missed is already done, and we need to take care of it fast to end the chaos. “ What’s the actual situation then, has he been taken care of?” I ask my general, looking for answers.
“No my liege, he is just crossing the battlefield trying to get caught by the herd as they tear everything apart in their wake. So far he has been taking care of the troops of both sides, but is now taking a clearer path here, probably chasing vengeance against us.”
“Accursed human, not happy with his downfall he wants us all to go down with him. And there I was trying to send him off with some honor before.” That damned guy will pay for this, I will definitely kill him today once and for all.
“Tell every single able orc to get ready, we are going to fend them off before they enter the base, we can't let them kill the common folk!”
“Yes my liege!”
“And refrain from calling me that again, I am not worthy of that title and only hold onto it for now.”
“As you wish”