AVARICE ONLINE: KEL'VAN RED HAND

by Titus Nettles

  CHAPTER 16

  “Don’t let me get inside of your space!” yelled Kel’Van.

  Voresh had just swung his bone sword and Kel’van had blocked with his own weapon. Then while Voresh was winding for another strike, Kel’Van quickly rushed him with a shoulder into his chest. Voresh lost his balance and started to fall back. Kel’Van quickly bought his sword to his throat while he was just getting his balance under control.

  “Hmmm,” mumbled Voresh. While Kel’Van backed away from him. “That is the second time you have caught me that way.”

  “And it’s going to keep happening until you learn to stop it,” admonished Kel’Van.

  “Look, with the size and reach of your sword, you want to keep your enemies at arm’s reach. That is your advantage. When they get close, they nullify your attack because of the size of your sword. So, in the event that one does get close, you cannot just stand there immobile because you just become a target. They get in close; you dodge to the side you are swinging from. That way, you can create more space, and your weapon becomes more effective.”

  Voresh nodded his head and then moved to the side after swinging his sword. “Mm, makes sense. I will practice more on this captain. Thank you for your instruction.”

  “Not a problem, as I’ve said earlier, your weapon is for mass destruction of multiple targets and destroying single enemies from a distance. Always remember your strengths and try to compensate for weaknesses.”

  Kel’Van waved his hand for both Fer’shad and Belar to come over.

  “Is it time to switch already?” asked Fer’shad.

  He and Belar had been sparring for about an hour. She practicing her three to four move combos while he had been practicing his blocking and counter attacks with Kel’Van’s infamous “practice sword.” Which was basically a wooden plank wrapped in rope.

  “Go ahead and spar with him. Include getting inside his space with your shield and counter-attacks, alright?’ Fer’shad then marched over to where Voresh was waiting for his opponent.

  Belar got in her stance, two fists just far enough in front of her face to see her opponent. Her legs spread in such a way to move quickly to advance on her enemy. Her chin down to her chest but her eyes up and alert. Classic boxer stance.

  Kel’Van pulled his practice sword out in front of him. Then he charged without warning, swinging his wooden plank at her midsection. Belar dodged left and then tried to sweep him after he charged. He barely jumped hopped backward to avoid the move.

  “She’s getting faster,” he said to himself and mentally congratulated her on the progress made.

  She quickly reverted back to her original stance, then she launched into a short run to close the distance between them. This time Kel’Van tried a forward attack at her head as he lowered his sword horizontally towards her face. Belar crossed her fist together in the form of an X while still closing the distance. As the sword clanged against her mail gauntlets, she shoved back against it. The initial inertia pushing the blade back a little into the face of Kel’Van, then she performed a roundhouse kick almost immediately following the block. Her foot connected with Kel’Van’s shoulder, pushing him to his left.

  “Arrgh,” he cried out as the metal foot collided with his shoulder. He momentarily went down one knee from the impact.

  “Getting hit with a metal boot with the force of someone swinging a bat will do that,” Kel’Van darkly thought.

  He barely dodged the left knee to the to his face that followed her last attack. He swung his sword haphazardly in one hand to create space between them. As she backed off, it gave him time to stand up with his sword again at the ready.

  “Stop!” yelled Kel’Van. “That was a pretty good combo. That block and then roundhouse was great. That last move didn’t land, but I don’t think people will anticipate those types of moves. Honestly, I didn’t either, particularly that block with your gauntlets.”

  “I started practicing last night with Fer’shad. I’m still trying to figure out 3 to 4 moves like you asked, but I do have a couple.”

  “I think you are on the right track, but with that last combo, I think a kick to the face on your forth move would have been a better choice to incapacitate me than the knee. Use your reach when you can. But you are overall leaps and bounds where you were earlier,” gushed Kel’Van.

  “Thank you, shall we continue?”

  “By all means.”

  Practice continued for another hour before they called it a day. Voresh caught fish using the impromptu net that Kel’Van had created out of bridge parts. After eating and stowing the food into Kel’Van’s inventory, the party renewed their trek, following the air current through a path leading through a crevice. The way through the gap was just wide enough for all of them to walk through. The problem was it was conveniently an excellent place for an ambush. The path was between two hills like masses whose top couldn’t be seen well from the ground position. The entryway and the exit could be cut off easily from anyone watching from the top. It was a logistical nightmare, and Kel’Van knew it.

  “Voresh, do you see any tracks anywhere near there?”

  Voresh got down on almost all fours and inched his way around the entrance. “There are some that look like animal tracks, but not like spiders or Holmgren tracks, captain.”

  Kel’Van sighed at the situation, not feeling comfortable at all. “All right, same formation. While you and Fer’shad take point, I will monitor both sides of the crevice for an ambush while Belar covers our rear.”

  They moved together as a group into the deep gash between the hills.

  Their slow but deliberate pace went without incident for about an hour. Kel’Van never wavered from eyeing both sides, waiting for a head to peek over the surface and fling a fireball or something his way. The apprehension was driving him crazy.

  “We’re coming close to the end captain,” Fer’shad warned the party from upfront.

  “It doesn’t look as if there are enemies for us to be wary of,” Belar intoned, walking backward as she surveyed behind her, looking for an ambush.

  “Seems that way, don’t it,” Kel’Van replied. “Stay alert till we clear this thing. Better safe than sorry.”

  Voresh stopped just short of the exit. He was able to see another landscape lush with trees, with shapes and colors much like what they saw coming out the spider’s den stretching out before him. This held his attention only slightly. Voresh’s concentration was there on the ground below him.

  “Captain, come quickly,” Voresh whispered. The whole party stopped in its tracks as Kel’Van slowly came to the forefront of the party. The tracker then pointed to the wet soil just outside of the passage.

  “There are multiple tracks here, all bundled up. A fight or struggle happened.” Voresh explained quietly. He then pointed in the direction leading into a dense patch of what looked like black and brown bushes. “The tracks lead in that direction. The lines in the ground could mean someone was dragged.” He then touched the ground. “The soil is still wet and not dried out. This happened not long-ago captain.”

  Kel’Van nodded his thanks to Voresh. His skills were definitely improving quite rapidly with each level he mused. “We will go towards the north and evade prying eyes. We do not want to run into enemies if we don’t have to. Let’s go,” he quietly instructed.

  “I think we are too late for that captain,” Belar growled.

  Turning in the direction his partner was looking, were six grey-skinned orcs baring fangs just a little off where the tracks ended in the bushes. They were all carrying various weapons, while one of them pulled a bloodied knife out the back of some small creature. No doubt, the person they had dragged to the bushes after they ambushed him. There were no words said between them. Just a grunt and a growl from the Holmgren as they braced for an attack.

  “Can’t say you weren’t right captain,” said Voresh as he hefted his sword in front of him, right before the Holmgren rushed in to attack.

  The enemy
was rushing from the party’s right side, so Fer’shad immediately pivoted to the right and began advancing towards them. Voresh took to the left of his shield-bearer since there was more open space. Belar took the right, because the closeness of the hills limited the space. The wave of Holmgren hit Fer’shad’s shield first. One of them was slamming a mace-like weapon repeatedly against him. The large orc calmly blocked two of his attacks before he bashed his shield into his face, then mightily thrust his short sword under the reeling Holmgren’s armpit.

  Voresh was protecting Fer’shads left flank, using his swords’ reach to ward off attackers. He swung his sword in a mighty arc, slashing one enemy through his thigh and hand. The Holmgren next to him was able to block the rest of Voresh’s swing with his dual blades. The impact of the blow slowed the dual-wielding warrior for only a second. As Voresh was preparing another srike, the grey orc dashed forward, closing the distance in order to land a blow with one of his blades.

  In a vague sense of déjà vu, Voresh remembered his recent lesson with Kel’Van and dashed to his left, creating more space between the two. When Voresh moved to his left, the dual-bladed warrior dashed forward, which led him straight into a blast of fire from Kel’Van. The inferno not only engulfed the Holmgren, but the injured fighter maimed by Voresh’s initial blow. Voresh ended the screaming enemy with a forward thrust of his long blade while Kel’Van sliced open the kneeling Holmgren's neck with his own sword. It died as bubbles of blood appeared in its mouth, trying to scream.

  At the same time Fer’shad had used his sword in an uppercut motion into an enemy’s armpit, Belar had launched herself into another grey-skinned orc attacking Fer’shad. She dashed to the side, then at the last minute twisted her hips into a roundhouse kick to the back of the Holmgren's head. The blow knocked the enemy right onto Farshad’s shield. The shield-bearer then promptly stabbed him three times before he flicked the offending body off his shield. The Holmgren's eyes glazed over as Fershad moved on from its ruined body

  As this happened, both Kel’Van and Voresh lined up in a semi-circle with Belar, surrounding the two remaining ambushers against the wall of the hill.

  Both of the Holmgren quickly looked at each other. One, still holding the blood-stained knife he used one of their captives, the other with a double-bladed ax in his hand. Kel’Van slowly raised his arm, his hand blazing a deep red. The ax-wielding Holmgren resigned to its fate, yelled’ “May Sol’sa burn your souls for eternity!”

  “You first.”

  Then a blaze set forth against the Holmgren. Screams began to well up from the bodies as even the shrubbery on the hill's wall caught fire. The knife-wielder tried to crawl out the blaze, but Belar kicked him in the face, teeth flying from his mouth, while both Voresh and Fer’shad began hacking at their bodies, bringing their enemies' lives to a brutal end.

  “Well, that’s that. Good job everyone, let’s loot these bodies.”

  Kel’Van made his way to over where Voresh was looting the body he personally killed. “I see you have a good understanding of stopping enemies from getting into your space,” he said with a smile. Voresh stood up while surrounded by the black smoke of bodies disappearing.

  “Yes, it’s easier to do something when a blade is coming for your neck captain,” laughed Voresh.

  “Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem,” Kel’Van chuckled.” What I particularly enjoyed was how the performed move gave me space to attack more of the enemy. Sort of like how we conducted our maneuvers earlier against the Holmgren on the surface. I think that should be our standard attack move when dealing with stationary targets.”

  “I’ll make sure to have many enemies waiting for you to burn captain,” bowed Voresh, with his hand in a giving gesture.

  Kel’Van waved his antics off, smiling. Then he took notice of the dying being bleeding out only a short distance away from them. The other person, which was tied up, was trying to wiggle herself out of her binds. He then started walking towards the two captives. As he approached, the female’s eyes turned wide with fear. She froze all movements as terror gripped her heart at the orc standing before her with a bone sword only inches from her face.

  Kel’Van put a finger up before he said anything. “I’m going to remove the gag from your mouth. I’m not here to hurt you. If you try to injure me though, you will come to regret it understand?”

  The female orc didn’t move for a minute as if she was unsure of what was being said. Then she nervously nodded her head in agreement.

  The captain then reached behind the captive’s head and started feeling around it. After finding the knot, he untied it and let the gag fall down on the ground. She immediately started coughing and breathing heavily, then she scurried to the dying orc feeling on his chest.

  “Farrat! Hold on!”

  She dug into her bag, which was right next to her on the mound. Then she pulled out two red potions, put his head on her lap, and gently poured the contents in his mouth. Slowly the orc started to open his eyes as his wounds stopped bleeding, and his hit points began to rise.

  “Surface orcs?” The now recovering orc gasped as looked around him with his head still in the worried woman’s lap.

  “It would seem so,” the woman said while urging the orc in her lap to drink more of the health potion. “Are you taking us prisoner surface orc?” she asked.

  “That would be a no,” said Kel’Van. The rest of the party was now beside him after they finished looting the other bodies. “We are already on our way back to the surface. Taking prisoners would only slow us down.”

  “Then why help us?” rasped Farrat as he struggled to get up from the woman’s lap.

  “Truth be told, we were actually saving ourselves. Your captors here decided to attack us. They failed.”

  “We can see that,” murmured the woman.

  “Besides, it cost us nothing to free you and be on our way,” explained Kel’Van.

  “Thank you none the less,” said the woman. “My name Ashera. This here is my sect mate Farrat. We are of the Batoor. You say you are on your way to the surface?”

  “Yes, we are. I am Kel’Van Of the Ulgo. This my party Belar, Voresh, and the big guy behind me is Fer’shad.”

  She nodded to each of them in turn as Kel’Van introduced them.

  “If you are heading towards the surface, you should know that this is contested territory. Clans and sects fight here constantly over control and resources. The Korai bicker among their selves, raiding each other sects and attacking each other over power and politics. You being here may not be a good thing with over half of them waging war on you now.”

  Belar stepped forward beside her captain. “So it’s not The Holmgren who are waging war against us?”

  “No, it’s not,” said Farrat. “The Korai have been pushed closer to the surface by the turmoil going on in the lower depths. The Holmgren are just foot soldiers under the control of different sects of the Korai, elves who worship the dark god Sol’saa.”

  “What happened that forced them to come this close to the surface?” asked Kel’Van.

  “I do not know.” Farrat voiced in confusion. “Such knowledge of politics is not generally given to Holmgren. But we all can see this is not something the Korai here wanted.”

  The erstwhile captain’s forehead crinkled in deep thought. This put a whole new light on the war the Ulgo’s was having with the grey orcs. The way this Holmgren was talking, it’s as if the true enemy were a bunch of aristocrats fleeing from someone stronger than they were.

  “Are you telling me that the Holmgren are slaves?” he finally asked.

  Farrat stood there for a moment with his hands clasped together in front of his face in contemplation.

  “I would not say that. They are the working warrior arm of a given sect. That is, for most of them the case. I do not know when this became how we live, for generations this has always been how the Holmgrin have survived. It’s an understanding of providing the Korai with a force while the elves pr
ovide magic, protection, and overall leadership. They need and depend on each other.”

  “You said for most of the case. When is it not the case?” questioned Fer’shad.

  Farrat quickly looked at Ashera with consternation on his face. She patted his hand and stepped forward.

  “The ones that bear a tattoo from the arm and connected to the face, they are different. Most Holmgren do not speak to their enemy unless they are dying or their enemy is about to die. But these…. they rarely speak at all. I do not know why, only rumors. That the Korai sacrifice their young for power. Again, I do not know if this is true…. but they are not the same as the rest of us. “she explained.

  “Interesting as this is, we must be on our way. There are two more of your sects that we encountered. They are at least a day walk ahead of you. Maybe you can catch them if you quicken your pace,” said Kel’Van.

  “Batoor sect?!” cried Farrat. “We were the only ones sent here!’ In fact, the only reason we were ambushed was that there are no Batoor here to protect us for safe passage!”

  “They were not from here; we escaped a nest of arachnids together. They went in the opposite direction of us, as I said a day ago. I bid you safe travels.” He gave a polite bow, then he proceeded to walk away

  “You as well,” said Farrat. He clasped his hand around his belongings and was about to walk away, when he turned around. “Adventurer, again, be wary of the Holmgren here; you are bound to run into a patrol if you’re not careful.”

  “No Farrat,” smiled Kel’Van “These Holmgrin need to be warry of us.”

  The others in his party smiled as well, as if enjoying a joke only they were in on as they made their way to the exit.