It was late by the time Thepa went to bed, but she woke up ready to start the new mission. She had prepared, she had seen her sister, and she was going to see the other two. Nothing was going to get her down. If it came down to it, she was going to lay down the law. She would make the team listen because she was Thepa Warbol: Captain of the Goldale Army and Leader of the Elite Team.
"Alright, listen up," she said upon arrival, making sure she was the last one in the room. She half expected to catch them off guard, but instead, she was met with a wall of ice. Stone silence radiated from the team, all save Rory, who hummed an unfamiliar tune.
"Our trip today will take us into Clayborn territory. King Starmoon reports an attack on the Clayborn outpost deep in the dark forest. Our charge is liberating it. Mr. Bidant, I expect we will meet your people at the outpost by the ionic crystal?"
"Correct," Bidant answered stoically.
"Are we doing more reconnaissance?" Claudia asked.
"Not really. I have a few strategies already in front of you. Once we assess the situation, I'll make a plan on which one to execute. Is everyone familiar with orcs?"
Claudia and Rory nodded, but beyond an eye-roll from Lily, the rest looked back with blank stares.
"Well, just in case, let's go over it. Unlike goblins, orcs are formidable, battle-hardened beings known for their brute strength. They—"
"We can move on... Sister Thepa," Vivian interrupted.
Thepa looked towards the elder satyr, feeling awkward under her gaze. Back in the Beachwick, the pause between the statement and her title would have been a slight—a humiliation to show her respect wasn't valued. She couldn't help but wonder if Vivian might have done something similar to her own mother or what her mother might have done about it.
Maybe I'm trying too hard.
"Right... Well, if that's the case, we stick to the plan. Bidant will confirm our credentials, then we'll make the six-hour journey to the outpost. Barring any complications, we should be there by mid-afternoon. Rory? You're up."
Rory nodded and began to cast the spell, her movements fluid. Watching Rory perform magic was always joy for Thepa. The colors dazzled her, almost youngling-like in nature, filling her with awe. She had seen both Einkidi and Claudia use magic, but when Rory did it, she danced as if it was a deep part of her soul. There was always something different about the way she harnessed her power, like she was weaving a melody through her fingertips.
As the spell neared completion, Thepa braced herself. The beauty of the magic was mesmerizing, but this time it made her nervous. Not because she didn't trust Rory, but because the last time had gone horribly wrong. As the familiar sense of weightlessness overtook her, pulling her away from the moment, Thepa closed her eyes and held her breath, trusting that Rory's grace would guide them to safety. Moments later, the sensation subsided, and when she opened her eyes, they arrived at the ionic crystal. Already, things were moving more smoothly than she'd anticipated.
Upon arrival, they were greeted by members of the outpost, who verified their credentials. The sergeant in charge informed Thepa that some of the enemy had already been killed in a counterattack, and a few of the soldiers had managed to escape. Although they were unsure of the exact number of orcs present, Thepa was grateful for the information and accepted a map from the sergeant, in case they needed it. She thanked the sergeant for his help and promised to fetch him once the problem had been resolved.
However, peace eluded Thepa. The team was still not talking to each other, making the journey unbearable. Occasionally, one of them would snip at the other, normally over some small comment or gesture the other found annoying. Will in particular was in rare form. He would occasionally make a comment about Bidant's 'elvan ways' until Bidant finally had enough, responding in kind.
The tension between the two was palpable, and it was clear that they were both itching for a physical confrontation. Thepa thought this in itself might not have been so bad until Lily told the two to 'shut up' escalating the tension. That prompted Sister Vivian to tell Lily to have some respect for her elders causing Lily to turn her anger towards her.
It was the longest six hours of Thepa's life.
Thepa tried her best to calm everyone down, but nothing worked. Even Rory and Claudia doing their best to play peacemaker, only seem to further escalate the situation. It was clear that whatever respect all but her sisters might have had for her as their leader had disappeared.
Finally, they arrived at the outpost, the sun beginning its descent across the horizon. Tired and frustrated, Thepa found an outcropping about fifty yards away so she would have a good vantage point over the surrounding wall. Figuring there couldn't have been more than half a dozen inside, she reported what she saw to the team.
"Two at the gate, three inside the fence, unknown how many inside the building."
Will rolled his eyes, spitting with contempt. "This should be easy. It's a small building. How many of them could there possibly be? I bet I could handle half a dozen on my own."
Thepa ignored his indifference, "Still, we need a plan. It's better not to be surprised. I suggest we execute strategy three on the—"
"What's there to plan?" Lily said, pulling out her daggers. "Run up, stabby stabby, we're done. Even an incompetent leader could see that."
"Now hold on..." Thepa began as her own anger started to get the better of her. "This is not—"
She did not get the chance to finish her statement because at that moment, Will decided to take matters into his own hands, running towards the gate. There was a brief pause as the others realized what was going on, and Lily, Vivian, and Bidant took off after him, leaving Thepa, Claudia, and Rory behind.
"Damn it, Will!" Thepa muttered to herself. She climbed back up on the rock just in time to see Will engage the guards and the orcs inside the gate blow a battle horn. Grabbing her bow, she notched two arrows into the chest of the alarmist, but by then it was too late.
Chaos erupted before Thepa's eyes. The two orcs surged from behind the outpost, joining the fray, while four more burst from the structure. One of them unleashed a spell, freezing Vivian in midair with a crackling flash. From the woods, four additional orcs emerged, accompanied by two massive bugbears—towering, menacing beasts that dwarfed even the orcs.
Thepa frowned at how quickly the whole thing unfolded. The team was already down a member and about to be outflanked all because they couldn't have taken five minutes to work out her plan.
"Spellcasters, we need to take them out," Thepa called down to Claudia and Rory as she started to notch another arrow.
The two reacted swiftly, running into the fray, as Rory unleashed spells of her own. Thepa turned her attention towards the orcs that had come out of the structure, loosing arrow after arrow. The orc staggered but remained upright, eyes locking with Thepa's in a fierce, defiant glare. As Thepa quickly drew another arrow, preparing to finish the job, the orc's hand surged with dark energy, and a spell crackled to life. She did a quick check to see if anything changed and fired again, but this time her arrows bounced right off him. Annoyed, she shifted her focus to the other enemies.
Stolen novel; please report.
Meanwhile, Bidant, Will, and Lily had taken care of the four orcs at the gate, but they were now facing a new threat with the arrival of the bugbears. Immediately, one started pounding into Vivian, still suspended in the air. Claudia ran up to intervene, putting herself between the creature and Sister Vivian, buts struggled under the weight of the bugbear's massive size.
Rory ran to the front of the gate and cast an unknown spell at Thepa's original target. "Shoot!" she yelled, and Thepa complied, quickly firing her arrow at the orc. This time her arrow found its mark, and the orc came crashing to the ground.
She smiled and mouthed a 'thank you' back to Rory, but they had no time to celebrate as two more orcs emerged from the building and joined the attack on Bidant, Lily, and Will.
The situation had gone from bad to worse. Rory was fiercely engaged in a brutal melee with two orcs, dodging their relentless strikes while trying to land her own. Sister Vivian was still paralyzed and helpless. Claudia was struggling to fend off the gigantic bugbear, swinging her sword with all her might, but it was barely making a dent in the creature's thick hide. Meanwhile, Bidant, Lily, and Will were outmatched and outflanked by the five remaining orcs, a bugbear, and the spellcaster, who was unleashing a barrage of deadly magic upon them.
Thepa knew she had to act fast. With grim determination, she took aim at the second spellcaster and let two arrows fly towards him, scoring a direct hit to the chest. The orc fell to his knees, clutching the arrow in his chest, but he managed to stay upright. At first, she thought he might be trying to remove it, until he reached into a pouch fixed to his waist and pulled out a small object.
Thepa's heart sank as she realized what was about to happen. She fired two more arrows at the orc, but it was too late. The object hit the ground with a deafening explosion, unleashing a wave of searing flames and smoke that engulfed the entire area. Thepa watched in horror as her comrades were thrown in all directions by the blast, their bodies battered and broken. When the smoke cleared, Thepa's worst fears were confirmed.
No, no, no, no! Not Rory, you will not take her from me.
Scared and panicked, she jumped from her spot, rolling her ankle. Excruciating pain screamed up her leg as she moved as quickly as she could towards her friend, no longer caring about anything else. She gave a sigh of relief when she found that it wasn't too late, but the lack of color in her friend's cheeks told her she didn't have much time. As fast as she could, she pulled a vial out of her own pouch and poured the contents down Rory's throat. With its magical potency, the color returned to Rory's face where she coughed, opened her eyes, and managed to sit up.
"Hurry! We may not have much time left!"
Rory obeyed, jumping to her feet, and chanted her spell. With each word, the others glowed in a blue light and were able to sit up.
Now that the situation was under control, Thepa allowed herself to acknowledge the radiating pain in her ankle, yet she knew they were not done. She shifted her weight to the other hoof, readied her bow, and pointed it at the building.
"Claudia, I need a breech. Vivian, cover her. Rory, prepare to take us back to the crystal. The rest of you, get off your asses and protect Rory." Thepa commanded, sharp and urgent. She didn't bother to check if anyone listened. She was tired of the chaos and more importantly, she was done playing games.
Thankfully, Sister Vivian and Claudia didn't hesitate and quickly breeched the door. Thepa watched as the two of them disappeared inside the building, and when they emerged a minute later, the looks on their faces said it all. The battle was over.
"Right," Thepa said as she hobbled into the building. She did a quick once over for intelligence to find someone had laid out a map of Bellmouth Abyss. Finding it strange that Clayborn had a map of human territory, she rolled it up, placed it in her bag, then went back to the rest of her team her injured ankle throbbing with every step. To her amazement, the others were already doing exactly what she had ordered them to do.
The sight both frustrated and relieved her, but there was no time to dwell on it. "Go!"
Rory began casting the spell that would transport them back to the crystal. But just as the energy started to build, a timid voice spoke up.
"Captain, aren't we-"
Thepa's patience snapped. "No one gave you permission to speak, Mr. Bidant!" she barked, cutting him off mid-sentence. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your trap shut, or I'll shut it for you."
Bidant quickly fell silent and the only sound heard was the soft chants of Rory's spell. When she finished, the energy pulsed, the air cracked, and they vanished, leaving the chaos behind.
Back at the ionic crystal, Thepa's frustration and anger simmered beneath the surface. She turned sharply to face her team and barked out another order while at the same time daring them to defy her.
"Front and center, bottom of the platform now."
Just try me, she thought, her ankle throbbing with pain. I swear if any of you self-righteous pompous pricks even think of testing me, you're going to hurt a lot more than my ankle.
As they reached the bottom, a sergeant and a private of the outpost greeted them with a salute.
"Welcome back, Captain."
Thepa's frown deepened, and she returned the salute before turning back to her team. "If you'll give me a moment, Sergeant, I need to deal with them."
She stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger. Fire radiated off her body much in the way she had seen it during her run on the wall. Later, Rory would tell her that it was like there was a demon inside her, the fiery glow of her eyes sent shivers down Rory's spine. This time she didn't care. She gave the group the meanest look she could muster, her gaze daring them to disobey. When she spoke, it was with a commanding voice, making it clear that she would brook no further nonsense.
"Push up position! Now!" The six of them complied with the order and all but Rory and Claudia started to do pushups. Delighted they had not followed her directions, she took two arrows out of her quiver and whacked Vivian, Lily, and Will with the fetching side. "I DID NOT SAY YOU CAN START!" she shouted.
The effect was immediate, all now submissive to her command. She waited a minute to see if they would struggle and gave them permission to go down. This time, they all complied and none of them went up.
"That's better," Thepa bellowed. "Now, when I say 'up,' you say 'Sorry, Captain Thepa." She didn't wait for a reply, but shouted, "Up!"
"Sorry, Captain Thepa!" they shouted in unison. Thepa smiled to herself, enjoying the feeling of power she had over her team. Memories of how they had treated her in the past week, came flooding back. She was determined to make them pay for it.
"Down!" The effect worked just as she had hoped. Only Rory and Claudia said 'Sorry, Captain Thepa,' while the others failed to catch on. Before they realized their mistake, she took the arrow and whacked them again with it. "Good soldiers know what they should do without being told," she sneered. "Do you understand me?"
They all replied in unison, "Yes, Captain Thepa."
She smiled. "Up."
"Sorry, Captain Thepa."
"Down."
"Sorry, Captain Thepa."
"Up."
"Sorry, Captain Thepa."
"Down."
As Thepa watched the team struggle in the down position, she could feel her anger boiling inside her. They were supposed to be the best of the best, and yet they had let their guard down, risking the safety of everyone in the outpost. But she knew that anger alone would not fix the problem. She needed to get through to them and make sure they understood the gravity of their mistake.
"Struggling Commander Will?" She taunted.
"No, Captain Thepa," He barked, shaking like a leaf.
Thepa bent low, getting in his face. "Don't lie to your captain. I can see it in your eyes. Tell you what? Give up now, and you can be done. You can go home and tell all your human friends you had to quit to a Youngling of the Mountains."
"Never Captain Thepa," Will replied, but Thepa ignored him, turning her gaze.
"And what about you Ms. Lily? Am I... bothering you?"
The promiscuous female was sweating bullets. Out of everyone, she struggled the most, barely keeping herself together. "No, Captain Thepa."
"Up."
"Sorry, Captain Thepa."
"Tell you what Ms. Lily. I'm a forgiving woman. All you have to do is beg and this will stop."
"I'm sorry—" Lily stuttered.
"I'm not accustom to repeating myself. But just this once, so listen up. Beg for Clemency."
"Forgive me Captain Thepa."
"Everyone!" Thepa shouted. "And down."
"Forgive us, Captain Thepa."
She hit them again, this time with more force, and shouted, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
They shouted back louder, "FORGIVE US CAPTAIN THEPA!"
Thepa continued, "Who's the one in charge?"
Without hesitation, "You are, Captain Thepa."
"And who will you follow unconditionally?" she asked.
"You, Captain Thepa," they replied.
Thepa nodded in satisfaction. This was what she needed to hear. She pressed on, "Am I going to have any more problems with any of you for now on?"
The soldiers shook their heads in unison, "No, Captain Thepa."
"Good," she said, relaxing her grip on the arrow. "Now back to attention."
The six of them jumped up and stood, covered in sweat. Now, she was done with them.
"Sergeant, I leave them under your command for the evening. Due to...complications, we are going to have to secure the outpost tomorrow. However, this time I believe it will be safe enough for some of you to come with us. For now, give some of your soldiers a break by putting the six of mine on night watch. If you catch any one of them sleeping, I will make sure they personally clean your latrines for a month." She gave each of the soldiers an evil glare, then turned her attention to the private.
"Private, if you would please help escort me to the outpost. I need to rest my ankle."
Without looking back, Thepa put her arm around the private's neck and hobbled away into the night.