The Burning Grove

by Skyler Grant

  “And a dummy!” came the shout from somewhere behind Cleo.

  Banok really didn’t want to think about making babies in the middle of having sex. Which he recognized as absurd. Still, Cleo sounded serious and she deserved some sort of answer.

  Banok loved Cleo, and while his emotions weren’t quite as deep for any of the others on the ship, he cared for them all in different ways.

  “If you wanted it, any of you, I’d see it happen,” Banok said, a bit breathless as Nyx began working with even greater fervour.

  Cleo regarded him for a long moment before leaning forward and capturing Banok’s lips in a particularly hungered kiss. The answer must have pleased her.

  It wasn’t just she that was pleased. All of Nyx’s fevered motion finally had the desired effect and Banok let out a groan against Cleo’s lips as his release overcame him.

  Cleo pulled away, smiling. “That wasn’t a setup. I’m not asking, yet, but there really will come the day when all this is done. Now, put all that lifeforce to good use. You are so far from being done. Nyx, move.”

  Banok felt Nyx shifting away as Cleo glanced behind her to make sure the way was clear before moving her hips back.

  Banok shifted a bit of lifeforce to keep himself hard, making himself ready for a second round without any downtime.

  Cleo slid him inside her and at once began to rock her hips, not wasting any time.

  The night was a long one and he had no rest. Banok didn’t mind at all.

  39

  They were at the outer edges of the system containing Etos. They’d been here for three days, hiding in a large belt of asteroids where their ship would hopefully blend with the noise. So far it seemed to be working.

  They’d sent the wraiths ahead to scout out what opposition existed and they’d reported back. It was enough information for Cleo to draw up a battle plan.

  Everybody met in the lounge, including Ogdek and a representative from each of the mercenary squadrons.

  Ebon represented the wraiths, a shadowy figure that seemed vaguely humanoid. Zapow came from the goblins, a tiny greenish man who wore a toolbelt that looked a lot like Nyx’s. Egon was one of the healers, a balding and capable-looking man in his late forties.

  Cleo swiped the air, pulling up displays. “Ebon has trouble speaking, although he can communicate with me through text on a private channel. If you need to correct me, do so. The Orc breeding facility is located on the southern end of the main continental mass.

  A screen enlarged to show an aerial image.

  “Fortunately there aren’t any defensive vessels, but there are two fixed gun emplacements on the surface. Each is capable of hitting ships in orbit,” Cleo said, pulling up another image.

  “We might be able to hit those with the battleships,” Ogdek said.

  They might, the battleships had an advantage in that they could at least move, whereas the ground cannons were static. That said, the cannons would be hardened against orbital assault and with superior power facilities probably packed more of a punch.

  “What is their firing arc like? Are they designed to hit a ship coming in low to the ground?” Vanwyn asked.

  “From what we can tell, no. A ground approach in shuttles might be effective, but we don’t have enough to deploy all our forces. The facility itself is guarded by roughly four hundred soldiers. That in addition to the thousand young Orcs present at any point in time,” Cleo said.

  “How many on each of your ships?” Banok asked Ogdek.

  “Maximum compliment is five hundred, but we’re understaffed. Right now if we took everyone it would be seven hundred. Leaving a skeleton crew we can deploy five hundred,” Ogdek said.

  That was a numerical advantage over the soldiers, but not if you included the Orcs.

  The goblins and the healers contributed another five hundred between them, which brought numbers up one thousand.

  “How are they equipped?” Banok asked.

  “About what you’d expect, given they might have to fight their charges. Top of the line battle armor, high-power energy rifles,” Cleo said.

  “We’re the same,” Ogdek said.

  “We has the booms!” shouted Zapow, looking around wide-eyed and twitching.

  “Needs smaller teams to take out the gun emplacements, so the main force can approach,” Ogdek said.

  “We has the booms!” shouted Zapow again even more fervently, and if anything getting even more twitchy.

  “Get me and the boom squad here close and we can take care of one,” Nyx said.

  Nyx wouldn’t be of much use in a big battle, it just wasn’t her area of expertise. In her power armor though she was incredibly durable and a fantastic engineer. The goblins supposedly were as well, and explosives experts.

  “If you think you can do it, then you’re one team. I can handle the other,” Banok said.

  “You’re not going in alone. I know, I know, you don’t want me in the middle of a battle. Tough, Master, I stick by your side,” Jia said.

  Banok nodded, he wasn’t even going to fight her on that one. It was a risky place to be.

  With his raw magical power, particularly over fire, he thought he should be able to take out one of those emplacements on his own. As long as the force was small he should be able to keep Jia alive while doing it.

  “Just the two of you? They swarm you, and you’ll be too distracted to take out the gun,” Ogdek said with a grunt.

  “He’s right. Vanwyn, Ogdek, can you put up a team to support him?” Cleo asked.

  The two nodded.

  Cleo brought up more images displaying the compound. There were four buildings, one large, two mid-sized and one small.

  “The large building is housing and support for both the soldiers and the Orcs. Soldiers are housed in the northwest corner. If we can get in there fast and possibly catch some still asleep, it is to our advantage to hit it coming in,” Cleo said.

  Every soldier they killed sleeping was one they didn’t have to kill shooting.

  Cleo marked one of the mid-sized structures.

  “The growth vats being used to produce Orcs. If the goal is to keep new generations going, we can’t risk it getting damaged in combat. Currently it is rigged to explode,” Cleo said.

  “If the compound falls, probably,” Banok said.

  “Soon as we neutralize the cannon we’ll head over there. If anyone is going to be able to disarm those bombs it will be us,” Nyx said.

  Cleo marked the second, mid-sized building. “Armory. Pluses and minuses to taking this out fast, for obvious reasons.”

  If they took it out coming in, they might prevent some forces from being armed. They’d also deny themselves of some high-quality gear that might be used to supply their forces later.

  “I’d rather leave it intact, if we can,” Banok said.

  Ogdek said, “Just one entrance. What about this. We land one of the transports right against the doors coming in?”

  Turning the vehicle into a barricade. If nobody could get in or out of the armory, they wouldn’t be resupplying from it.

  “That works,” Banok said.

  “The last structure, while small, is incredibly well-hardened. Communications, command, and the home of the commander of the base. This biologist we came so far for,” Cleo said.

  “When I take out my tower I’ll head there,” Banok said.

  Whoever was behind this, Banok wanted to deal with them personally.

  Around the table there was agreement. It was a rough plan, but it was a plan. They were ready to go to war.

  40

  Banok wished they were taking one of the shuttles from the Catspaw, but instead they were making the trip in one of the Orc shuttles. They were better armored and would be able to take a few hits if they were fired on upon approach. If only their seats were a little softer. Orc backsides must be made of steel.

  When Cleo had told Ogdek and Vanwyn to put together a team they took it personally, and both were present in the
shuttle along with him and Jia. There were four other Orcs and one of the healers.

  They’d been dropped out of orbit far from the range of the cannons, the shuttle violently shaking as they entered the atmosphere.

  “Have you done this before?” Banok asked Ogdek.

  “We saw a lot action before it all went wrong,” Ogdek said.

  Banok had to wonder if part of that was against the druids. It probably was, and it was difficult not to ask. If he did though, and knew for certain they were involved, he wasn’t sure Ogdek and his people would survive his finding out. Sometimes it was better to live in ignorance, and he needed the Orcs alive.

  There was a shout from the cockpit.

  Ogdek explained, “Brace yourselves. They had a surprise hidden. Missiles are closing on us.”

  The wraiths hadn’t made any mention of that. The launchers must be located outside the compound, there to catch any shuttles coming in low like they were.

  Banok really hated fighting competent enemies. It was so much easier when he was just stealing from, or killing, idiots.

  The shuttle dove and Banok was thrown against the restraints as it began to execute evasive maneuvers. The sound of chaff launching behind them could be heard, a fog of compounds and technology designed to hopefully confuse the missile.

  Banok doubted it would work. This Orc shuttle and that launcher were built by the same people, and he was sure that an Orc rebellion was judged likely enough that their defenses wouldn’t work.

  The shuttles were vulnerable, but Banok had more than that. Quickly spinning weaves he encased the shuttle in a magical barrier, and it was just in time.

  The ship violently bucked.

  The weaves hadn’t been able to hold enough power to completely dissipate the blast, and something in the rear of the shuttle was screeching horribly. Banok wove another shield as quickly as he could, only getting it half-constructed before another missile slammed into them.

  The world turned into a calamitous din for a few moments. They survived the hit, but the shuttle was in poor shape, swerving wildly from side to side and the engines now a tortured roar in the rear that sounded as if they were about to tear themselves apart at any moment.

  “Get us as close as you can. I can get us alive through a crash,” Banok said.

  Ogdek shouted orders in Orcish to the cockpit.

  Banok didn’t bother with a third shield, the shuttle wouldn’t take the hit anyways. Instead he quickly wove a mesh of life magic around all of those inside. This came to him far faster with life magic being one of his specialties, and it was easy to do.

  He also had more time. It was another minute until the third missile hit them. The world blurred into fire, shrapnel and pain.

  The fire didn’t do Banok any harm, but the shrapnel did quite a bit. Life magic kept him going even with a support strut of the shuttle impaled through his stomach, and with flows of Void magic he eventually managed to remove the strut from reality so his flesh could properly heal.

  The shuttle was in pieces, but most of the passenger cabin was intact. Orcs were getting unbuckled, and so was Jia who was pulling a wicked shard of metal from her shoulder.

  They’d almost made it to their destination. In the distance were the walls of the compound and a massive, towering cannon aimed towards the sky.

  Banok’s lifeweave had managed to keep all of them alive, although most of the Orcs had damage to their armor and those without heavy armor needed large chunks of metal removed from them.

  It was bloody work, but soon they were on their way. The area around the compound was flat, open plain. There was no cover to be found and soldiers opened fire from the walls.

  Ogdek ordered his people into a crouch and they returned fire. They were good, in the distance a lifeforce flickered out.

  “This is too much for you and your men. I’m going in alone. No arguments, Jia. If I have to keep you alive I can’t take out that gun. You can join after,” Banok said.

  “Fine,” Jia said, not sounding very happy about it.

  That was okay, he’d rather have her alive than pleased.

  Banok filled himself with as much lifeforce as he could hold and spun shielding magics around himself, advancing towards the tower.

  Astra flickered into place alongside him after a moment, the elemental looking completely unfazed when weapons fire began to hit her. Shooting at a star wasn’t generally an effective battle strategy. That was the point, really, she was helping to draw some fire away from him.

  Shots peppered his shields, and even magic wasn’t enough to stop them all, but any that found his flesh inflicted no wound that he couldn’t heal. Banok couldn’t keep this up forever, hopefully he wouldn’t need long.

  The tower was shielded with ceramic armor, incredibly durable and expensive. Banok almost hated to destroy this thing. Defending this facility after taking it would be important.

  There wasn’t a choice. Banok infused his fist with the power of earth and amplified his muscles as high as he dared, drawing back his arm and delivering a punch.

  The armor flaked but didn’t crack, so he hit it again, and again. Bloodied knuckles healed and he kept punching. More flaking turned to tiny cracks and then those into a larger one, large enough.

  “Care to do the honors?” Banok asked.

  Astra stepped forward, her entire body turning to blue flame as she poured herself into the crack.

  With a means through the heat-resistant armor Astra could project her fire inside, and surrounded by the armor the cannon had no way to vent that heat.

  The ground shook when the energy cells it used exploded.

  Banok sent a stream of blue fire towards the sky, the signal his target was neutralized.

  In the distance he could see a pillar of green smoke, Nyx’s symbol that hers had been dealt with too. She’d done it faster, and he wouldn’t soon be hearing the end of that.

  41

  Even now ships should be repositioning themselves in orbit and preparing for insertion. First, Banok needed to clear those walls to keep the others safe.

  After the day’s activities Banok’s magic well was already growing a bit low. His power wasn’t infinite, for all that it was far more vast than most mages had to draw upon. Given time it would replenish, but for now it was best that he handle things without any grand magical displays.

  An empowered jump took him to the top of the wall. A soldier in armor turned to face him. Banok tore the gun from his hands before sending the man flying off with a kick.

  Those on the wall were watching the ground, not their flank, and when Banok opened fire several fell. Once the others noticed what was happening they turned on him. Banok was able to soak their hits. The gun wasn’t so durable and within seconds his weapon was rendered useless.

  It was time to grab another, this time using a soldier as a shield. At least, that was the plan.

  Banok’s amplified muscles were strong, but so was the soldier in his powered armor and a push sent Banok backwards, soaring off the wall to crash twenty feet down in the interior of the compound.

  It afforded Banok a good view of the sky. The ships had reached position in orbit and without the cannons to stop them opened fire.

  Banok was so busy watching the sight an axe almost cleaved him in half.

  The Orc didn’t look particularly young, they came out fully grown. No heavy armor, only lightly woven plates that offered little protection.

  They had them train with long-handle axes?

  The staff was really an unappreciated weapon. Banok sent him sprawling with a weave of air after snagging the axe for himself. A quick snap broke off the axe head, now he had a weapon he was a lot more familiar with.

  A good thing too as more Orcs were rushing towards him. They were immensely strong, but Banok was more knowledgeable and with his powers over life magic he could feel the movements of their muscles before they were even realized into action.

  Wherever an Orc blow was coming, he moved
. Banok was striking them with his staff anywhere unprotected flesh was to be found. He was trying not to kill any, although two still died as he made his way forward.

  He was halfway to the small building when the transports started to land and unload troops. At least it was easy to tell friend from foe, their Orcs were much better-equipped.

  Banok helped in the fighting where he could, but mostly this battle was theirs. He had done his part by neutralizing the gun emplacement and he had minimal power left to spare. He knew it was best to conserve what remained, and he doubted the Biologist would be undefended—who knew what surprises might be ahead.

  The small building was studded with communications equipment. Their activities wouldn’t have gone unnoted. They were taking the Biologist by surprise, but the others wouldn’t be caught the same way. Banok didn’t mind—let them know he was coming for them.

  The building defenses were formidable. Not just was the structure armored, it was covered from top to bottom in interlocking runes. Magical defenses against the elements, magical amplification of the armor itself, magical regenerative powers to restore the runes in case they were damaged.

  It was beautiful work, and Banok now had the skills to say that fairly. Not Spellweaver either, but Dwarven if Banok was right. This conspiracy had many allies out there, and this was a reminder.

  The last time Banok had come up against complex Dwarven runes with a lot of power held in them he’d been able to divert their power to form his Grove. That wouldn’t work this time. Those runes had been ancient and the weaves that constructed them falling apart. These were new and far more durable.

  Banok had some new tricks that he could bring to the problem. Void magic flickered out and where it touched the runes they flared violently.

  The Void was in many ways the antithesis of magic, of life. Using it in direct conflict with magic was dangerous, and it risked releasing all the energy of the runes at once. Banok doubted he’d survive that—he doubted much of the army would.