Blood trickled on the ground as specks of yellow visible on the crimson fluid. The Orc Chieftain was too fat that even its blood showed the concentrated lipids in it. All eyes stared at Muzgonk who bled as the whole family of the Inuit couldn’t believe what they just saw.
“He did it,” muttered Arrluk.
Tapeesa froze on the spot with her hand hanging in the air. She was about to throw another icicle spear but stopped as she saw the crimson fluid spilling from the Orc Chieftain’s flank. Nuniq, on the other hand, was also the same. His hands still in the ground but as his focus wavered after seeing the bloody orc, made his tight rein on the roots to loosen.
Muzgonk felt it and it reacted in a split second. It kicked and thrashed the shrub that held it down. The immense strength that it had was showing as he got loose and took a swing of its fist at the man standing near it. Jason ducked the wide swing as he made a swing of his own. His eyes targeted the ankle of Muzgonk.
Swish…
A blade cut through the back of Muzgonk’s ankle. But Jason’s face twitched. Too shallow.
He retreated as a protruding belly was coming at him. He jumped in the air, dodging the reckless charge of the Orc Chieftain. But he stopped in mid-air as he felt a bad feeling. Shit, it got me.
The Orc Chieftain was quick in its movement even with the size of its body. You would think that a body like an orc would be slow and clumsy but the next action proved Jason wrong. Muzgonk managed to grab Jason by the ankle as if it was karma. An eye for an eye but in this case, an ankle for an ankle.
Muzgonk’s long reach and quick reaction made it possible to catch Jason who was fleeing in mid-air. Within that split second moment, Jason thought of slashing Muzgonk’s hand but a huge momentum made him unable to do it.
SLAM!
Jason tasted the dirt in his mouth as he felt the huge force from the swing. Fuck! He cursed as taking in the dirt in his mouth wasn’t how he pictured the battle would turn out. Jason glanced and aimed with his hand at the Orc Chieftain. But before he could say a word, Muzgonk continued his thrashing.
Jason was flung around like a rag doll, reminiscent of a scene of a brutish green man thrashing a self-proclaim King of Trickster. Jason saw his energy guard dwindling down as he took a beating. He was dizzy and his vision being blurry wasn’t helpful at the moment.
Fuck it!
There was no need to aim as Jason reached his palm out to the blurry figure of Muzgonk. “Lightning Fury!” electric crackled in the air as two projectiles shot right at the Orc Chieftain in the face. It was by random but luck was by his side. The bolts of lightning sizzled the Orc, as the burnt smell plus with the smelly odor of the orc gave an overly rotten combination.
Jason’s whole body took a stop as he swung his swords. Crimson glows flowed within the blade of the swords as he cut the thumb of Muzgonk. The stubby finger was cut as it dropped on the ground along with Jason. With no opposable thumb, the orc couldn’t get a good grip.
“Oargh!” Muzgonk wailed in pain as blood jutted from the cut thumb. Compared to the fat over the stubby ankle of Muzgonk, the thumb was easier to cut through.
Jason rolled away as his body glowed in green. He faced Muzgonk as he watched his opponent wailing in pain. While his body healed, Tapeesa was making her assault. Ice spears came raining down the injured Muzgonk as the young lady was showing her aggressive side.
Muzgonk felt a prick as the ice spears shattered, every time it was hurled at it. The Orc Chieftain endured the pain as it blocked its face with its forearm. The ice spears were getting closer to its head and it knew the terrible effect it would have if it reach its head.
While one of Muzgonk’s hands guarded its face, the other free hand punched the ground, shattering into pieces. The Orc Chieftain grabbed a big piece and was ready to throw at Tapeesa.
Jason’s eyes turned wide. A throw from that pig leader with that size of a stone was enough to throw Tapeesa into her burial ground.
“Lightning Fury!”
“Briar Shackle!”
“Rod Bash!”
Swift lighting zapped right towards Muzgonk. The speed of the ability was remarkable and within less than a second, it struck the Orc Chieftain. Muzgonk stunned in place, it only lasted for a second as Muzgonk was about to move once more.
But then, roots exploded off the ground just below Muzgonk’s feet. The root tendrils wrapped around the legs of Muzgonk as the shrubs began to bloom.
“You’re not going to get my granddaughter!” the voice of an angered old man. A metal rod bent to the extreme was swung hard by a petite old man. Arrluk attacked Muzgonk’s blind spot, right at its back. Arrluk swung with rage as he aimed for only one thing, Muzgonk’s head. The metal edge of the pole struck right at the temple of Muzgonk.
BAM!
Muzgonk felt it. Its head flew in the other direction as an attack from a blind spot was an effective one. The piece of rock in Muzgonk’s hand slipped off from its grip as the sneak attack did its job.
Nice.
For the first time, a collaborative team effort from three people worked. Jason stunning the orc, followed by Nuniq restraining its movement and to end it off, Arrluk came by for a swing, a mean one at that.
But it wasn’t the end, not yet. Jason still had his eyes at Muzgonk as he rushed towards Arrluk. The old man didn’t waste the given opportunity as he attacked with ruthless swings at the dazed Muzgonk.
“Nuniq! Keep your fucking focus!” Jason shouted as he ran. Wind Clad surrounded his body as his swords glowed in crimson red. Jason was not going to hold back, not anymore. Against a sturdy monster like this Orc Chieftain, he got to bring out everything that he had.
“I’m fucking trying here!” Nuniq shouted back while gritting his teeth. The roots that shackled Muzgonk felt like his own fingers and he tried his utmost to keep it immobile.
Tapeesa saw the situation as she approached her brother. “You okay?” she asked.
“Just shoot the damn pig!” it was time for small talk as Nuniq hollered at his sister. Tapeesa didn’t mind the aggressive words from her brother as she set her sight at Muzgonk.
The Orc Chieftain shook off from its daze as it was riled up. It noticed it was attacked by an old man, the sneaky ambusher that struck it right at the head. Arrluk fought as he forgot to maintain his distance as he was getting sucked in inside the whirlpool of enacting his comeback fight, Muzgonk took the opportunity. A wild fist rushed at Arrluk as the thick knuckle swatted away the metal rod and struck Arrluk.
It hit him right at the chest as the old man was thrown off from the ground. Yet a pair of hands grabbed him in mid-air as a green glow engulfed Arrluk.
“Don’t get too rile up old man,” said Jason. Arrluk stood on his two feet as he rubbed his aching chest which was slowly getting recovered.
“It's tough,” said Arrluk as he used the metal rod to balanced his stance.
“Of course it is,” Jason replied. He knew for a fact, that a named monster was a tough thing to beat.
While the two men observed the struggling Muzgonk who was trying to free itself, Tapeesa took action. She aimed her open palms as a chilling cold sphere formed. “Frost Orb.”
A freezing cold sphere flew right at Muzgonk. The Orc Chieftain noticed the incoming projectile as it readied its fist. Muzgonk wasn’t going to accept it head-on as it threw its fist right at the incoming orb. Thick knuckle met with the chilling orb. Two opposing forces clashed as the sphere broke into pieces. The chilling bite of the cold only did so little to the bare-knuckle of Muzgonk.
“Fuck, I can’t hold it anymore!” Nuniq shouted. Although he couldn’t see his hands, yet he felt the pain of his hands like prickling thorns jabbed right through his skin. It was the cost of enduring the great strength that tried to get free from his restraint.
“Ork!!!” Muzgonk roared in the air as dense energy surrounded the Orc Chieftain. A flash of light lit behind Muzgonk’s eyes. The named orc grabbed the shrubs that held it down and ripped it apart like it was paper.
“Argh!” Nuniq yelled in pain as his hands returned to normal but not without consequences. Both pairs of hands were bleeding at every inch. Nuniq’s hand trembled as he glanced at his hand and then to the Orc Chieftain.
“Fuck,” mumbled Nuniq and he wasn’t the only one who cursed.
“Fuck,” both Arrluk and Jason said in unison.
Did it just get a power-up? While am I seeing its body suddenly turning more muscular? His sight wasn’t wrong, he saw it perfectly as Muzgonk’s body was changing rapidly. The fat it had over its body shrunk to the point of enlarging the muscles beneath it. The fat Orc Chieftain was turning into a muscular bodybuilder like figure in a matter of seconds. Yet its bulging stomach was still the same except it had an eight pack rather than the flabby layers of skin and fat.
“It transformed?” Arrluk asked as he was bewildered by what he saw.
Shit, is it a Saiyan or something? Why the heck did it turn into a rippling muscular pig? Unknown to the rest, Muzgonk utilized one of its skills, Enhance Strength. A skill that enhanced rather physically and visible to the eyes. One that benefits Muzgonk as well as instilling anxiety in its opponents.
“Ork!” Muzgonk roared as it was readied for another round and this time it was determined to do the beating.
“It’s coming at us,” said Arrluk as Muzgonk plodded towards the close combat duo.
“Old man, stall it for me,” Jason said.
“I don’t think I can,” the old man was having second thought as the power shown by Muzgonk was nothing like before. It seemed he realized that the fight he had the other day was merely a child play for the Orc Chieftain.
“Don’t get cold feet on me. I’ve got to see the condition of those brats. To win against this thing, I need all the help I can get,” said Jason.
Jason tapped the old man by the shoulder as he prepared to leave but Arrluk stopped him. “It’s doing something.”
Jason turned his head over and saw Muzgonk grabbing the ground. Then, the Orc Chieftain roared in burning determination. Veins started popping out from its arm muscles as Muzgonk took a chunk of earth and lifted it on top of its head.
Then, Jason saw it. The gaze of the orc focused on the two brats. Jason’s instinct flared up as he summoned his Lightning Fury and as he was about to hurl it right at the Orc Chieftain, his ears picked a rumbling noise from a distance.
To hell with that noise. Jason shook it off as he continued his motion but then he saw it. Right on top of elevated ground, a big shadow flew in the air. All eyes were on it as even Muzgonk was distracted by it.
A car?
No, it was even better. A pickup truck flew in the air as the front tilted down, falling with its path right towards the Orc Chieftain.
CRASH!
The pickup truck slammed right at the muscular pudgy Muzgonk as it intercepted Muzgonk from throwing that big chunk of earth. The crash dragged the Orc Chieftain a few feet away with the big chunk of earth dropped on top of the pickup truck hood.
“What’s going on?” Arrluk asked.
“I don’t know either,” Jason said as he kept his eyes at the truck. Then, the door of the truck opened wide as someone kicked it from the inside.
A man came out with his tall height revealed to the onlookers. While the other door was also opened with a bang, accompanied by an obnoxious comment.
“You almost got me killed!” a voice of a woman.
The driver who crashed the truck spotted someone familiar from a distance. The tall guy waved his hand at Jason as that amiable smile was nothing short of familiar.
“Huh,” Jason sighed as he knew who these two were. It was Hakeem and Esther.
“Heyyy, we kill it for you man!” Hakeem shouted from a distance. “A little thanks would be appreciated.”
The two newcomers approached Jason and Arrluk with light steps. Esther was lightly jabbing at Hakeem for driving recklessly but she still didn’t forget to glance at her brother.
“Is it over?” Arrluk asked. He wasn’t convinced that a monster like that would die after just being involved in a car accident.
“No, not yet,” Jason said as he noticed the truck starting to move.
The creaking and clanking noises of the metal of the car caught the attention of the two newcomers. They turned and what they saw made their eyes quivered.
Muzgonk stood tall as it punched the truck right through the hood. It raised it up and glared at Hakeem and Esther. Jason saw it as he sprinted like mad at them while shouting to the top of his lungs.
“Run!”