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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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<blockquote data-quote="EternalNewbie" data-source="post: 5595229" data-attributes="member: 6489"><p>Muscles surging, Gorak crested the tree tops and headed straight for the village. Quickly nearing the town, his eyes, sharpened by the transformation, picked out flickers of movement between the trees below. Grimly, he redoubled his efforts, racing through the sky. What would take more than half a day on foot took him less then an hour to cover in flight and soon the first houses at the edge of the village came into sight. He was more than a little relieved to see that the assault had not yet begun and the town below bustled with activity. He flew toward the centre of the village, circling above a long, low building, three times the size of the largest house. Leather clad rangers and villagers swarmed around it, erecting wooden battlements along the edges of the roof. A fifteen foot tall watch tower, newly built by the looks of it, sat in the centre with a ranger on the platform at the top scanning the tree line in all directions. Spotting Erik among the men on the roof, Gorak swooped in low and shifted back to his normal form, eliciting more than a few startled gasps.</p><p></p><p>Erik, watching him with an decidedly unfriendly expression, spoke up as the men looked around in confusion and reached for their swords. “Put your weapons away,” he barked. “This one's friendly. Or stupid. Either way, he's not much of a threat.”</p><p></p><p>“Not to you at least,” Gorak growled. “There's four ogres and an Orc buried in a shallow grave out there that'd disagree. Before you get your panties in a bunch, Geoff said to tell you, 'The sun never sets upon the Green'.”</p><p></p><p>Although the scowl didn't leave his face, Erik seemed to relax slightly. “Alright, he trusted you enough to make sure we wouldn't kill you outright. Now tell me, why isn't he here to vouch for you himself.”</p><p></p><p>“We found your boy Gavin. Seems like he didn't like the odds too much on this side of the wall, and cut hisself a deal with the Orcs.” He leaned in close to Erik. “He told them everything and you'd better believe I know what that means. You're gonna have a whole mess of Orcs in here any time now.”</p><p></p><p>Erik, anger simmering just below the surface of his impassive demeanour, replied, “We pulled in our scouts this afternoon. There's Orc sign all over the edge of the woods in large numbers. If Geoff broke his oath and told you,” he held up his hand as Gorak started to protest, “for whatever reason, then you know what's coming. You'd better clear out of here.”</p><p></p><p>“I don't think so,” Gorak rumbled. “We're gonna see this one through. And by the end of it, trust me, yer gonna need us. The other's will be here by morning.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, that'll help,” Erik replied, mastering his emotions. “If we live that long. Know anything about sieges?”</p><p></p><p>“More than you lot, I'd wager.” Gorak growled. “We're one for two. We're turned back a tribe of Orcs at Knolton but the Dwerro at Caer Morag, not so much. And both of them towns had ramparts. You might have considered a wall at some time in the last few hundred years, you know.”</p><p></p><p>“You can't wall out the Green,” Erik answered piously. Seeing Gorak's grimace, he relented. “But I'll give you that one. I'd feel a lot better if there were a half dozen feet of stone between us and the forest right about now.”</p><p></p><p>“Normally, all you'd have ta do is ask me nicely, but I don't think we've got the time.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, unless you could conjure me up another hundred blades to man it, it probably wouldn't matter much anyhow.” Erik sized him up with a sidelong glance. “I figured the tan fellow in the red dress for a wizard, but you don't look the sort. Earthbrother?”</p><p></p><p>“If that's what you want to call it, sure.” Gorak agreed.</p><p></p><p>“Still can't see how you figure you're better off on this side then the other.”</p><p></p><p>“I've delivered more than one of Rasha'guar's holy men to their final reward, Ranger. I don't think that's gonna endear me to him a whole lot. And I got those other fools to think of too.” He shrugged. Besides, only thing Orcs like killing more than humans is other Orcs.”</p><p></p><p>“And why might that be?”</p><p></p><p>“They put up a better fight,” Gorak replied with a grin. Turning serious again, he asked, “What have you got planned?”</p><p></p><p>“There's no way we can hold the perimeter. We're fortifying an area around this building, pulling down some houses and blocking up the roads. We'll give them just enough resistance in the outskirts to make them cautious, then pull back to inner defenses. If Gavin betrayed us, they won't stop until they reach this building or they're all dead. We'll give them a few soft spots to push through and funnel them here, bleeding them every step of the way.”</p><p></p><p>Gorak nodded. “Can't argue with that. What about the women and children?”</p><p></p><p>“Everybody able to wield a sword has got one. The rest are hidden away in safe rooms in houses near the centre of town.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, the rest of my crew are stuck on the other side of the lines until morning and there ain't nothing I can do about that, so I might as well pitch in.” With a nod to Erik, Gorak dropped off the roof and headed over to a group of men dismantling a house. Picking up one of the huge timbers from the wall of the building and setting it on his shoulder, he walked it over to where a group of men were sharpening stakes to create a wooden palisade. Tossing it to the ground in front of them, he headed back for another. He worked in silence beside the men of the village, sensing their unease with his presence. Gradually, they began to relax after it became clear he was easily doing the work of two men. When a young girl came around with a wine skin, one of the men nodded his head in Gorak's direction, and she hesitantly walked over to him, offering him a drink. Taking a long pull of what turned out to be a fairly powerful fermented fruit juice and handing it back to the girl, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and got back to work.</p><p></p><p>He toiled tirelessly through the afternoon, barely pausing to catch his breath. He tossed a final armload of wood upon a heap of oil soaked branches, one of a dozen scattered around the centre of the town, placed both as a barrier and a counter to the unparallelled Orcish night vision. Stretching his arms over his head, he attempted to relieve his aching muscles as he walked back to the ranger's barracks, climbing up on the roof to rejoin Erik, who was quietly surveying the defenses from his vantage point. They watched in silence for a time, while the villagers continued their work. </p><p></p><p>Finally, Gorak spoke. “So I gotta ask. Why keep that thing here? Why not destroy it?”</p><p></p><p>“We never could figure out how. More than a few died trying,” Erik replied. “Even if we knew how, would you do it? Raise your hand against a god? It's one thing to kill a few of his followers. It's something else to destroy part of his being. How long could you withstand the terrible hatred of a savage and powerful God?”</p><p></p><p>Gorak, thinking back to the unpleasantness the dogged them since they left Shalazar, grumbled. “Long enough. But I kin see your point. Not that it matters much now.”</p><p></p><p>“Not at all,” Erik agreed.</p><p></p><p>Here and there among the houses, torches were lit and Gorak knew that many more had been placed in the event the Orcs attacked in the night. Eventually, they were engulfed in true darkness, the sun vanishing at the appearance of the twin moons, beneath a glittering canopy of stars. The village had begun to quiet, when a sound Gorak hadn't heard in at least a decade reached his ears. What started out as a low throbbing became a rumble that gained in strength, rolling over the town like a wave. Gorak's blood surged as his heritage overtook him, his hands clenching involuntarily into fists. He looked around at the faces of the men beside him, hardened soldiers, seeing the blood drain away. They may not have been born to it, but they knew the sound as well as he. Orcish war drums.</p><p> </p><p>“Well Orc,” Erik said loudly, speaking over the rising din, “looks like you're gonna get your chance to prove which side you're really on.”</p><p></p><p>“Soon enough,” Gorak agreed, listening to the tempo. “They ain't in no rush yet. They'll let you stew on it for a bit while they work themselves into a frenzy. By now, they know you're cut off and there ain't no help coming.” He paused, staring out into the darkness. “It's gonna be a long night and one helluva an interesting morning.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EternalNewbie, post: 5595229, member: 6489"] Muscles surging, Gorak crested the tree tops and headed straight for the village. Quickly nearing the town, his eyes, sharpened by the transformation, picked out flickers of movement between the trees below. Grimly, he redoubled his efforts, racing through the sky. What would take more than half a day on foot took him less then an hour to cover in flight and soon the first houses at the edge of the village came into sight. He was more than a little relieved to see that the assault had not yet begun and the town below bustled with activity. He flew toward the centre of the village, circling above a long, low building, three times the size of the largest house. Leather clad rangers and villagers swarmed around it, erecting wooden battlements along the edges of the roof. A fifteen foot tall watch tower, newly built by the looks of it, sat in the centre with a ranger on the platform at the top scanning the tree line in all directions. Spotting Erik among the men on the roof, Gorak swooped in low and shifted back to his normal form, eliciting more than a few startled gasps. Erik, watching him with an decidedly unfriendly expression, spoke up as the men looked around in confusion and reached for their swords. “Put your weapons away,” he barked. “This one's friendly. Or stupid. Either way, he's not much of a threat.” “Not to you at least,” Gorak growled. “There's four ogres and an Orc buried in a shallow grave out there that'd disagree. Before you get your panties in a bunch, Geoff said to tell you, 'The sun never sets upon the Green'.” Although the scowl didn't leave his face, Erik seemed to relax slightly. “Alright, he trusted you enough to make sure we wouldn't kill you outright. Now tell me, why isn't he here to vouch for you himself.” “We found your boy Gavin. Seems like he didn't like the odds too much on this side of the wall, and cut hisself a deal with the Orcs.” He leaned in close to Erik. “He told them everything and you'd better believe I know what that means. You're gonna have a whole mess of Orcs in here any time now.” Erik, anger simmering just below the surface of his impassive demeanour, replied, “We pulled in our scouts this afternoon. There's Orc sign all over the edge of the woods in large numbers. If Geoff broke his oath and told you,” he held up his hand as Gorak started to protest, “for whatever reason, then you know what's coming. You'd better clear out of here.” “I don't think so,” Gorak rumbled. “We're gonna see this one through. And by the end of it, trust me, yer gonna need us. The other's will be here by morning.” “Well, that'll help,” Erik replied, mastering his emotions. “If we live that long. Know anything about sieges?” “More than you lot, I'd wager.” Gorak growled. “We're one for two. We're turned back a tribe of Orcs at Knolton but the Dwerro at Caer Morag, not so much. And both of them towns had ramparts. You might have considered a wall at some time in the last few hundred years, you know.” “You can't wall out the Green,” Erik answered piously. Seeing Gorak's grimace, he relented. “But I'll give you that one. I'd feel a lot better if there were a half dozen feet of stone between us and the forest right about now.” “Normally, all you'd have ta do is ask me nicely, but I don't think we've got the time.” “Well, unless you could conjure me up another hundred blades to man it, it probably wouldn't matter much anyhow.” Erik sized him up with a sidelong glance. “I figured the tan fellow in the red dress for a wizard, but you don't look the sort. Earthbrother?” “If that's what you want to call it, sure.” Gorak agreed. “Still can't see how you figure you're better off on this side then the other.” “I've delivered more than one of Rasha'guar's holy men to their final reward, Ranger. I don't think that's gonna endear me to him a whole lot. And I got those other fools to think of too.” He shrugged. Besides, only thing Orcs like killing more than humans is other Orcs.” “And why might that be?” “They put up a better fight,” Gorak replied with a grin. Turning serious again, he asked, “What have you got planned?” “There's no way we can hold the perimeter. We're fortifying an area around this building, pulling down some houses and blocking up the roads. We'll give them just enough resistance in the outskirts to make them cautious, then pull back to inner defenses. If Gavin betrayed us, they won't stop until they reach this building or they're all dead. We'll give them a few soft spots to push through and funnel them here, bleeding them every step of the way.” Gorak nodded. “Can't argue with that. What about the women and children?” “Everybody able to wield a sword has got one. The rest are hidden away in safe rooms in houses near the centre of town.” “Well, the rest of my crew are stuck on the other side of the lines until morning and there ain't nothing I can do about that, so I might as well pitch in.” With a nod to Erik, Gorak dropped off the roof and headed over to a group of men dismantling a house. Picking up one of the huge timbers from the wall of the building and setting it on his shoulder, he walked it over to where a group of men were sharpening stakes to create a wooden palisade. Tossing it to the ground in front of them, he headed back for another. He worked in silence beside the men of the village, sensing their unease with his presence. Gradually, they began to relax after it became clear he was easily doing the work of two men. When a young girl came around with a wine skin, one of the men nodded his head in Gorak's direction, and she hesitantly walked over to him, offering him a drink. Taking a long pull of what turned out to be a fairly powerful fermented fruit juice and handing it back to the girl, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and got back to work. He toiled tirelessly through the afternoon, barely pausing to catch his breath. He tossed a final armload of wood upon a heap of oil soaked branches, one of a dozen scattered around the centre of the town, placed both as a barrier and a counter to the unparallelled Orcish night vision. Stretching his arms over his head, he attempted to relieve his aching muscles as he walked back to the ranger's barracks, climbing up on the roof to rejoin Erik, who was quietly surveying the defenses from his vantage point. They watched in silence for a time, while the villagers continued their work. Finally, Gorak spoke. “So I gotta ask. Why keep that thing here? Why not destroy it?” “We never could figure out how. More than a few died trying,” Erik replied. “Even if we knew how, would you do it? Raise your hand against a god? It's one thing to kill a few of his followers. It's something else to destroy part of his being. How long could you withstand the terrible hatred of a savage and powerful God?” Gorak, thinking back to the unpleasantness the dogged them since they left Shalazar, grumbled. “Long enough. But I kin see your point. Not that it matters much now.” “Not at all,” Erik agreed. Here and there among the houses, torches were lit and Gorak knew that many more had been placed in the event the Orcs attacked in the night. Eventually, they were engulfed in true darkness, the sun vanishing at the appearance of the twin moons, beneath a glittering canopy of stars. The village had begun to quiet, when a sound Gorak hadn't heard in at least a decade reached his ears. What started out as a low throbbing became a rumble that gained in strength, rolling over the town like a wave. Gorak's blood surged as his heritage overtook him, his hands clenching involuntarily into fists. He looked around at the faces of the men beside him, hardened soldiers, seeing the blood drain away. They may not have been born to it, but they knew the sound as well as he. Orcish war drums. “Well Orc,” Erik said loudly, speaking over the rising din, “looks like you're gonna get your chance to prove which side you're really on.” “Soon enough,” Gorak agreed, listening to the tempo. “They ain't in no rush yet. They'll let you stew on it for a bit while they work themselves into a frenzy. By now, they know you're cut off and there ain't no help coming.” He paused, staring out into the darkness. “It's gonna be a long night and one helluva an interesting morning.” [/QUOTE]
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