The Adventurers Bond

by Tao Wong

  Of course, those strange actions would be enough to scare the Riders. Rather than risk running into a likely pit trap, the group pulled to a hasty stop, the raptors skidding and sliding on the leaf-strewn earth.

  “Now!” a voice called as the group came to a standstill. From above, a net dropped, entangling a pair of Riders and their raptors. Moments later, small spheres filled with enchanted ice traps were tossed into the center of the group to freeze and slow the monsters. Along with the attacks, a hatchet and a bolt flew from either side of the trail, crushing and skewering the unridden raptor.

  “Die!” Omrak roared as he charged out, his sword gripped in his free hand as the Orcs struggled to free themselves. Daniel dropped his crossbow as well, taking to the trail as he pulled his hammer from his belt and crashed into the entangled pair with his shield to throw them off.

  In the midst of the fight, Tula continued running, headed for her next vantage point. As the mad scramble on the trail filled with the crunch of broken bones and the cries of bleeding creatures, Daniel prayed that they had timed this right.

  “Slaves!” the Raptor Rider spat as he lay on the ground, one leg crushed under his fallen ride and an arm shattered, blood spilling from the bone shard sticking out. The muscular Orc – sporting a surprisingly full and well-coiffed beard – glared at Daniel as the Adventurer raised his hammer one last time. For a brief second, Daniel hesitated before he brought the hammer down.

  “What was that about?” Daniel panted out while looking about him at the slain. The last word, it had been disturbing in a way that he was not certain he liked.

  Omrak ignored Daniel’s words, turning towards the fast approaching sound of a pair of raptors. In seconds, Asin burst from the trees, the remaining members of the Orc patrol on her heels.

  “Down,” Omrak commanded the Catkin who promptly dropped and rolled. Her movements allowed her to narrowly dodge a snapping mouth even as the raptor skidded to the side under the guidance of its rider. Leaning over the side, the Rider raised its sabre to lash out at the recovering Beastkin. Behind him, the final raptor rushed Asin from her other side.

  Before they could finish the attack, Omrak channelled the small build-up of rage he had achieved into Asin’s attackers. The bolts of lightning reached out, stabbing into the riders and raptors. As the Orc and the raptors recovered, Daniel plowed into them with his shield, using his greater mass and lower centre of gravity to bowl the pair over. After that, finishing the remaining members of the squad was simple.

  “Let’s go,” Daniel commanded the group when the last raptor fell under Asin’s knives. Any thoughts about the previous Orc’s words were gone under the flurry of combat. Daniel’s friends nodded in return, and together the trio rushed off into the undergrowth.

  Tula growled softly as she ran, finding the small hill that she had scouted and clambering up its steep slope. Squatting down, she struggled to control her breathing as she looked down towards the abundant vegetation. Thankfully, they were high enough that the low-lying mists that covered the valleys were mostly gone. Unfortunately, the vegetation blocked most of her view. Most.

  There.

  She quickly pulled and set a trio of arrows down next to her before picking one up and setting it to her bow. The Ranger did not draw yet, instead watching the moving vegetation that marked the advance of the Orc reinforcements. Letting her eyes track further backwards, Tula grimaced as she caught sight of the slow-moving infantry crossing the cleared zone that demarcated the no man’s land in front of the walls. Unlike the smaller forts, the cleared ground before the walls was sufficient that even Tula’s powerful recurve would have trouble reaching the walls from the safety of the trees.

  The presence of both the infantry and cavalry reinforcements was nearly the worst possibility that the group had planned for. If they were not able to slow down the cavalry, it was quite likely that none of the others would be able to escape. Stakes well in mind, Tula drew the arrow to her cheek and focused, exhaling threadedly once and heavily before she loosed the arrow.

  The arrow spun through the air, darting through vegetation and disappearing from sight. Tula did not hesitate, picking and firing the second arrow at the same location, adjusting just slightly. The vegetation was dense enough that she could only guess at where the Orc Riders were going to be. If she managed to actually injure any of her opponents, it would be a miracle.

  But that was not the point.

  Swiftly, Tula picked up the last arrow and waited. Already, she could see how the flashes of black skin and brown leather armor had shifted, the way the vegetation now moved towards her. A slight smile flickered across her face even as the low chanting from the newly arrived, slightly breathless Enchanter beneath her stand reached her ears.

  Good.

  She released the arrow, this time imbuing the arrow with her Arrow Storm skill. She watched as the arrows shredded the vegetation ahead of her, a lucky arrow even managing to embed itself in the arm of a raptor.

  Job done, Tula turned and ran up the hill and down the other side even as she drew another arrow from her quiver. For a second, Tula thought she saw movement at the boundaries of the forest in front of the walls but dismissed it from her mind. Now was the time to run. Now, it was all up to Rob.

  “-ima ja lars!” Rob spat out and exhaled, staring at the frost-rimed, rock-strewn ground. He eyed it for a second more and then withdrew a couple more of his enchanted spike traps, casually tossing them among the rocks after turning on their trigger with a surge of Mana.

  “I should have demanded an extra share,” Rob muttered to himself as he turned around to run back. As he neared the forest, he took a light hop, jumping over the yellow flowers that had spread across the smaller ground. As he landed, he felt his foot sink into the ground more deeply and he made a face, feeling the mud squish.

  “Outdoors. Why did this Dungeon have to be outdoors?” Rob complained to no one. If not for the fact that Tula continually glared at those who made noise, Rob knew he would have been content to make more noise. Not as much as Omrak, of course, but he found no reason to hold back now. It wasn’t as if it was actually a problem if the raptors came after him.

  So long as Daniel and the rest of the team actually finished their targets off in time.

  If not, well.

  Rob fingered his necklace again. It was not as if he and his Master had not planned for such an eventuality. It would be a shame to fail at the Dungeon, but his life was significantly more important than some stupid directive by the Adventurers Guild.

  And as for his team, well. They were Adventurers. They knew the risk.

  Screams and hissing screeches erupted from behind Rob as he jogged along the track. Already, the Enchanter could feel his breath growing shorter, a stitch beginning in his side. Rather than suffer through it, Rob reached into a pouch and pulled forth a small purplish-yellow potion, downing the bottle in one quick rush. Seconds later, he felt energy rush through his body, allowing him to pick up the pace again.

  Better living through alchemy.

  Now, which way would the Riders go?

  Crouched behind the boulders next to the stream, Omrak fingered the edge of the throwing axe once again. Waiting was always the most difficult part of an ambush, especially a multi-stage ambush like this one. Running from place to place with short, explosive fights in-between had the tendency to increase his heart rate and adrenaline in short-bursts. It required discipline and experience to control otherwise…

  “Stop!” Asin snapped at Omrak as she sniffed at the air.

  Omrak grimaced, pulling his thumb back from the bloody throwing axe and sucking on the wound. The Beastkin’s senses were incredibly sharp to notice the blood he had shed already by pushing too hard. Still, after a time, Omrak took his thumb out of his mouth where it crept, unconsciously, towards the axe’s edge. It stopped only when the Catkin straightened.

  “Coming?” Omrak said.

  “Yes.” Asin n
odded. She shot a glance down towards Daniel who nodded and began the laborious process of loading his crossbow. Her hand twitched slightly, pulling a pair of throwing knives from her Inventory before the Beastkin subsided once more.

  “How many?” Omrak said. Could she tell? He was never sure exactly how much the Catkin could sense. A shrug was all he received and Omrak sighed. Well, it did not matter. Not really.

  “HELP!” Rob came crashing out from the forest, a panicked look on his face as he raced down the minor slope that edged the stream. In seconds, Rob assessed his location and shifted directions slightly, heading for the series of rocks further upstream that would allow him to cross the stream. Unfortunately for the Enchanter, hot on his heels were the members of the cavalry patrol.

  “Daniel…” Omrak whispered, eyeing the distances. From Omrak’s estimation, there was no way for the Enchanter to make the stream before the raptors got to him.

  “Ba’al!” Daniel cursed and then stood up. Taking their leader’s cue, the pair stood as well and together, the trio of Adventurers loosed their ranged attacks across the stream at the cavalry patrol.

  Once again pandemonium ensued as magically created knives, a throwing axe and a badly aimed crossbow bolt landed among the closely bunched group of raptor riding orcs. Working from a shared understanding built from years working together, Daniel and Omrak left the lead raptor to Asin, the pair targeting the second-in-line. Of course, Daniel’s shot winged right past the rider’s shoulder to bury itself in a tree further back, but Omrak’s throwing axe buried itself in its leg.

  Taking the moment of confusion offered by his friends, Rob hopped, skipped and jumped across the stream before he managed to make it across with a wet boot and no injuries. Rob did not stop, however, angling towards the trio of Adventurers. Omrak chuckled as threw another axe, watching this one be deflected from the air by a well-timed cut.

  For a time, the Raptor Rides fought for control of their mounts before a barked command from their leader had the group wheel around. Omrak’s last throwing axe flew, embedding itself in the back of one of the retreating Orcs, sending the Orc tumbling off his raptor before the group rode away.

  “Nooo!” Daniel cursed as he leveled his finally-recocked crossbow at the swaying branches. Cursing, he shifted the aim of his crossbow bolt, sending it spiraling into the back of the unraptored Orc. The bolt sank low into its back, sending the Orc stumbling to the ground. As it struggled back upwards, a Magic Arrow and a throwing knife ended its life.

  “That was all of them, right?” Daniel said, eyeing the swaying vegetation.

  “Yes. None of them followed Tula,” Rob said. “She should be fine.”

  “Then we should go. Before the rest of the reinforcements arrive,” Daniel said, waving the group. Quickly, the group assembled and took off jogging, headed for the next rally point. While not finishing off the second cavalry group was a failure, no one was injured. Which was, in the end, the best result they could wish for. Now, all they had to do was come up with a new plan to deal with the remainder of the Orcs.

  Chapter 12

  A day later, the team slowly made their way back to the fort. When they arrived at the lookout point they had chosen, Tula was already waiting and frowning.

  “What’s wrong?” Daniel asked softly.

  “No cavalry,” Tula said. “Gates are damaged.”

  “Damaged?”

  Tula nodded and pointed. Daniel squinted but could not see any difference, eventually giving up. Without Tula’s Skill, details at this range were just not possible. Even for the Ranger, it was obvious that she was straining by the little frown on her face.

  “What kind of damage?” Rob said.

  Tula shrugged and Daniel tapped his fingers, wondering what else they should do. Asin, looking between the group, suddenly stiffened and turned her head sideways, sniffing slightly. Her tail lashed, Omrak immediately tensing as he shifted in the direction that Asin looked, a hand dropping to the hilt of his sword. A brief moment later Asin relaxed slightly, her tail stopping its jerky movement.

  “Leaves.” Asin pointed downwind.

  “The Leaves? Why would…” At this point, Rob fell silent before he sighed. “Taking the time to set-up our traps took too long. They caught up.”

  “Yesterday, I saw a flash,” Tula admitted quietly. “It must have been them. They probably attacked the fort while we distracted the others.”

  “But that gate’s still closed,” Omrak said.

  “So they didn’t succeed?” Daniel said, a rising note of hope in his voice. “Then, we still have a chance.”

  “Of what?” Rob said caustically. “There are still over fifty Orcs in there, at least.”

  Rob’s words brought silence to the group once again. With the gates closed and the Archers on the walls, approaching would be difficult at best. After two weeks of fighting, even Tula’s overstocked Traveller’s Pouch had begun to run low on her arrows. A long-range duel was out of the question, especially considering there was another floor left.

  “We can work with the Leaves,” Daniel finally said.

  “Why would they work with us?” Omrak said.

  “Their failure at breaching the gate might offer some reason,” Rob said.

  “Ah, an alliance of convenience?” Omrak nodded. “But the Champion…?”

  “Is something we’ll deal with when we talk to them,” Daniel said firmly. After the group slowly nodded, he looked at Asin who flashed a grin, slinking off in the direction of the smell.

  “You can come out now,” Rita called out. A few moments later, Asin exited the foliage with the rest of the team, waving a hand in greeting. The group just looked at her and the rest of the team flatly.

  “Afternoon,” Daniel said. “Asin noticed you were here.”

  “As did we with your little stunt,” Gerardo said. Left unsaid was the fact that the Leaves had seen fit not to meet with them.

  “We saw the damage on the gates,” Daniel said. “It seems they’ve withdrawn into the fort for now.”

  “For now,” Gerardo said. “They will come out.”

  “And if they don’t?” Daniel asked.

  “Then we go in,” Rita said with a shrug and grin. “Sneaking into a big place like that isn’t hard.”

  “For you. And Asin. But how about the rest of us?” Daniel said, shaking his head. “There’s no way we’re going to make it up without attracting attention. And then we’d be finding over forty Orcs.”

  “Forty-eight,” Eiju said. Gerardo growled but the melee fighter just smiled back. “There are other ways to deal with them, but they are all risky. Working with DAO is our best bet.”

  “I still don’t like that name,” Tula muttered.

  “We will not work with those backstabbing, Orc-loving, sheep-swilling degenerates!” Casey said.

  “You shouldn’t hold back on what you think, Casey,” Rita said with a laugh in her voice.

  Farhad just stared at the group, his gaze flat. Behind him, the female in the light armor looked between the group, sniffed and returned back to her reading while the other, a fully armed and armored spearman worked on the edge of his spear as he sat next to the mage. Obviously, the two newcomers from the Field had little concern about the argument.

  “We didn’t choose…” Daniel caught himself and paused, forcing himself to exhale breathily to calm himself. He was not going to defend himself again. “You don’t have to like us. But we’re just on the second floor here and it’s been over two weeks. Erlis knows how big the third floor is going to be. We can either work together or sit around and pray that the Orcs decide to stop hiding before our rations run out.”

  “Then we wait,” Gerardo said, crossing his arms.

  “Such a logical and well-thought-out plan,” Rob said with a snort.

  “You know, my bow arm is getting tired,” Casey said, idly twitching the bow he held in his hand.

  “It’s not even draw-”
Omrak stopped as the Fallen Leaves archer drew back on his bow, an arrow nocked.

  “Go,” Asin said softly and turned, walking off.

  Daniel stared at the group one last time before he finally spoke. “We’ll be waiting.”

  Over breakfast a few days later, Daniel quizzed Asin and Tula. Obviously, they were not going to just wait for something to happen which was they had been watching the fort. Last night, Asin and Tula had been tasked with the objective of sneaking into the fort and seeing what they could learn.

  “Hard. Patrols walls. Five minutes. Torches lit. Everywhere,” Asin said, ticking her fingers off. “Raptors in courtyard. Smell.”

  “Did you manage to sneak in at all?” Daniel said, frowning. He knew that the majority of the night had been spent getting the pair close to the wall itself. And of course, getting back before ‘day’ began.

  “Little. Gate barred. No portcullis,” Asin said. “Stables for raptors. Half out,” she added then shook her head. “Left fast.”

  “Sounds like sneaking us in would be difficult,” Rob chimed in. Daniel had to nod, thinking about the tall wall. If the patrols came by every five minutes, getting the whole team up the wall and to a quiet, hidden place would be impossible. Especially if the courtyard was being guarded by raptors.

  “Any place to hold on the wall?” Daniel asked next. After further questioning and short, somewhat cryptic answers from Asin, Daniel discarded the idea of holding a building or other fortification in the fort. There were no towers on the wall to enter and secure and Daniel was unwilling to risk entering any of the smaller stand-alone buildings inside the walls. After all, if they could not defeat the Orcs, they would have no retreat.