“He wasn’t my favorite person for a while,” Kyrah let out a soft laugh at my tiny little understatement. “But I can appreciate his caution in dealing with us at first.”
“I’m glad you came around,” she looked up with an unusual expression on her face when she replied. “That’s going to make this next part a little easier.”
“What next part?” Her odd look and strange tone instantly made me suspicious.
“You’ll have to come with me later if you want to find out, Ash,” her smile only grew broader as she continued to hold out on me. “He wants to tell you about that himself.”
No matter how much I tried to pry the secret from her, Kyrah refused to relent, and I was forced to wait—something I was not very good at. When Agna and Derrik returned, I was surprised when she dragged them along with us, beckoning Scar to follow as well. Kyrah was obviously enjoying her role as the gatekeeper of Leshel’s secret, refusing to provide the slightest hint of what sort of surprise awaited us even as we entered his office. He seemed equally startled at our arrival, glancing at us one by one as we strode through the door—obviously, Leshel hadn’t planned on making his disclosure just yet.
I recognized the stare Kyrah gave him, reading it clearly for myself; she’d chosen this moment, and Leshel would just have to deal with it. The look of resignation on his face was also quite obvious, and I enjoyed his discomfort thoroughly as I slid into one of the seats opposite Leshel’s desk.
“Derrik and I have been reviewing the Nér-vrogan defenses,” Leshel quickly regained his composure, beginning his explanation as if the whole affair had been his idea. “I believe that with the information he’s provided, we have an opportunity to strike a blow against them, one that might even prove to be fatal.”
That certainly got my attention, and I rose up to look over the map Leshel spread across his desk as he went on.
“Lord Tarvul is the most powerful of The Thirteen,” Kyrah winced but said nothing when Leshel mentioned her father’s name. “If we can defeat him, not only will it strike fear into the hearts of the other Nér-vrogan, but our victory will rally many to our cause.”
His plan became all too clear for me then: Leshel intended to march his forces south and attack Tarvul’s stronghold, hopefully catching the Nér-vrogan Lord by surprise. Of course, he’d need my help; without my ability to slay the Nér-vrogan, Leshel’s scheme had no chance of success. Should we be victorious, I had no doubt that Leshel’s prediction would come true, throwing the rest of the Nér-vrogan into disarray and bolstering the ranks of the rebellion against them.
“When do we leave, Leshel?” The attack was a rather straightforward affair, requiring no further elaboration. Besides, what other option did we really have?
“I’m under strict orders to remain at my post,” he smiled broadly, causing me to wonder what fool was going to lead this expedition if it wasn’t Leshel. “The commander of our forces heading south will be the one who determines that.”
“Who will that be?” I considered the likely possibilities from among the many soldiers I’d become familiar with during my sparring sessions. Yet as I pondered, not only did Leshel continue to remain silent, but Kyrah joined him in staring at me, both with stupid grins plastered on their faces.
“Oh, fuck no,” I protested the ridiculous assignment. “I’m not letting you do that to me.”
“Ashíel,” he addressed me by name. “I don’t do this lightly. Handing over command of my troops is no small matter, but they respect you, and even more than that, they believe in you. You’re the only one who can do this, and you need to be the one in charge if we’re going to succeed.”
“I appreciate my role in this, but I don’t have any leadership experience, Leshel,” I pled my case, doing my best to point out the flaws in his logic. “Not only that, but I barely know these people; I doubt they’ll be willing to take orders from a total stranger.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong about that,” Leshel finally dropped his grin, his face taking on a far more serious countenance as he spoke. “We’ve been waiting for the day the Nér-vrogan finally decide to wipe us out for centuries, all the while knowing that when that time came, there was absolutely nothing we could do to stop them—until now.”
“You’ve not only proven yourself capable of killing our enemies, but they’ve trained beside you and seen you cast your magic,” he continued, his tone only increasing in its deadly earnest. “I know you consider your abilities as only some minor thing, but you clearly have no idea how inspiring they are. Just your few words to the smiths set them into a frenzy. They’ve actually made some progress in recreating the Dwarven Steel, a quest they’d all but abandoned before you spoke to them.”
Although my friends nodded in agreement, I only grew increasingly uncomfortable with his praise. “I’m no leader, Leshel. I don’t want this sort of responsibility.”
A slight grin returned to his face as he backed me into a corner with his logic. “That’s exactly why you’re perfect for it, Captain Ashíel.”
I eventually conceded the point once I realized that I wasn’t going to be allowed to decline, deciding to at least accept his offer on my own terms. Looking around at the satisfied grins on my companions’ faces as they stared at me in my discomfort, I made my demands known.
“Fine, I’ll do it, but not alone,” I focused on Kyrah’s mocking smile as I spoke, watching it falter when she recognized my intentions. “With his unique knowledge, Derrik is the obvious choice for my second in command.”
Although I still stared at Kyrah, I saw Leshel nodding his approval in the corner of my eye.
“Our course will take us through the territory of the Black Hand, so Agna will make the perfect leader for our scouts as well.” Once again, Leshel tilted his head in acknowledgment as I let the suspense build for Kyrah.
“I’ll also need an aide.” Kyrah’s expression turned slightly sour when I pivoted towards her. “Someone to deliver messages and run errands for me.”
“If you think that’s the best role for her,” seeing Kyrah’s disapproval, Leshel was clearly reluctant to agree to the assignment.
“I’m glad we could come to an agreement,” I grinned at him, taking his non-committal as an approval. “Now that things are all sorted, how many will be heading off with me?”
“Four hundred,” Leshel gave me the underwhelming count, more than the two hundred defenders Derrik had estimated we’d be facing, but far less than what I imagined a siege might require.
“I don’t believe that Tarvul will hide behind his walls, Ash… captain,” Derrik anticipated my response. “Having no need to fear us himself, he’ll most likely march out to meet us in battle the moment he discovers our presence. Defeating any who dare defy his authority will be Tarvul’s highest priority; the sacrifice of his Sentinels will be of little consequence.”
Normally, sheltering inside one’s fortifications would be the smart play against superior numbers, but the Nér-vrogan were no typical opponents, as Derrik had reminded me. Invulnerable to normal weaponry, they had no reason to fear us despite our advantage. Using Tarvul’s perceived immunity to lure him onto the battlefield would actually help us, and for once, I was grateful for the Nér-vrogan’s haughty arrogance.
“I see no need to delay, then,” I concluded, glancing at Leshel for confirmation, he silently nodded his agreement. “If you could provide my aide with the names of the officers who’ll be under my command, Derrik and I will meet with them this evening to plan our departure.”
“Come, lieutenant,” grinning broadly, I gestured towards the door as I assigned Derrik his rank. “We have much to discuss while Corporal Kyrah makes the arrangements.”
I didn’t turn around to look, that would have spoiled everything—but I could feel Kyrah’s eyes burning holes in my back as I left the room behind.
22
After two days crammed full of meetings and consultations with my subordinates, we finally marched beyond the fortre
ss gates, beginning our campaign against Lord Tarvul. Despite the count Leshel had given me, when we took our first steps, our ranks had swollen to over five hundred soldiers. In addition to those I’d been assigned, many more had chosen to join us, most of them having resigned their posts in order to do so.
Traveling through the wilds with so many proved far less dangerous than I’d anticipated. Even though we blatantly trespassed across the goblins’ territory, they dared not offer any challenge to our incursion. I doubted that the Black Hand would be quite so accommodating, however, so we paused at the border of their lands, allowing Agna the opportunity to locate her people and negotiate our passage. Some had balked at having the orc take such a prominent role, but she quickly proved her worth—I’d also made it known that anyone who even looked at her crossly would be sent packing. Agna returned from her discussions much sooner than I’d anticipated, the wide grin on her face telling me they’d gone well.
“Everything has been arranged, captain,” she smirked, happily addressing me by the rank I was still uncomfortable with. “All that remains is for you to meet with them.”
“I didn’t realize that would be part of the process,” I replied, somewhat confused by the turn of events.
“This is a highly unusual event, Ashíel,” Agna paused briefly as she urged me to follow. “My people and yours have never formed an alliance like this before; there are certain… formalities that are required.”
While I wouldn’t have called our simple agreement anything as grandiose as an ‘alliance,’ I understood the importance the Black Hand had placed upon it. Allowing an army of enemies to pass unhindered through their lands was no small thing after all, so I appreciated their desire for a face-to-face meeting. The fact that I’d helped Agna slay Cren by casting a Spell on him likely had something to do with it as well—the story of that confrontation had probably gone a long way towards helping Agna secure our passage.
She’d only guided Scar and my small guard detail a short distance when we came to a stop at the edge of a large clearing. Stepping into the open, I could see a ring of heavily armed orcs emerging from the forest all around me. Despite the unexpected presence of so many of them, I sensed no animosity from the orcs. In fact, they seemed almost in awe as a small band dressed in the ceremonial robes of village elders approached closer, arms spread wide, displaying their empty hands in a gesture of goodwill.
“What the fuck did you tell them, Agna?” I growled under my breath before the orcs drew too close.
“The truth, Uglessek,” she replied as her voice took on an uncomfortably reverent tone. “Forgive me, but I told them the truth.”
‘This should be interesting, then,’ Scar’s head tilted sideways as he sat beside me.
“Agna has told us you are The One who was promised,” one of the orcs spoke up before I could answer Scar’s snarky comment, his proud bearing and position at the head of the group identifying him as their leader. “We would have dismissed her completely had others not echoed Agna’s belief.”
That scheming little…
I realized right away that Agna hadn’t truly needed me to help her defeat Cren; she’d only used that as an excuse to provoke my display of power in front of her fellow Black Hand. Having them corroborate her story lent Agna the support she needed to name me as The One to her fellow orcs—something it became clear that she’d been planning to do all along.
“So much for keeping my secret,” Agna’s fingers toyed with the frayed end of her braid, but she didn’t look away when I glowered at her.
“I am sorry, but it had to be done,” she finally tore her eyes away, staring at her feet as she admitted her deception.
“We will discuss this later.” Despite my anger, I knew that I’d forgive her. Besides, that wasn’t the time for us to hash out our differences, and putting off the discussion would also allow my temper the time it needed to cool off a bit.
“I will not claim to be what she says,” I let Agna off the hook while I addressed the orc elders. “Nor will I deny it either. This prophecy is yours, so it is for you to judge whether or not I’m the person you seek.”
Staring at a half-elf in the middle of the forest wouldn’t help them make their determination. Knowing that the orcish people favored bold action over mere words, I channeled my rage, letting it flow freely until my vision flashed green. They took a step back as my eyes flared, painting them with a verdant glow, but I wasn’t quite done with them yet. I followed behind while they continued to back away, alternately casting Blaze and then Bolt as I shot orbs of fire and brilliant electrical energy into the ground at my feet. Leaving a trail of charred earth in my wake, I finally came to a halt when I saw terror begin to set in their eyes.
“So, tell me… Did I pass your test?” I hadn’t intended it, but the note of challenge was clear in my voice as the orcs all but withered under my gaze.
“There can be no doubt,” one of them spoke while the rest nodded in agreement. “The power you wield is undeniable.”
“We will be as respectful as we can while we pass through your territory,” I vowed as Agna returned to stand by my side once more. “Once we reach our destination, I promise to do my best to rid these lands of the Nér-vrogan menace.”
“We look forward to witnessing your triumph over them,” the leader slowly drew himself back up to his full height, regaining his composure as still more of his tribesmen emerged from the surrounding trees.
“What’s going on, Agna?” I turned towards her as the orcs continued to pour forth.
“The Black Hand is now yours, Uglessek,” she announced hesitantly, yet obviously full of pride at having delivered her entire tribe to me.
I’d only expected to gain safe passage, but Agna had given me far more than that. Although I cringed at the thought of having the fate of so many lives under my control, I couldn’t deny that having the Black Hand fighting beside us would substantially increase our chances of success.
“We cannot slay the Nér-vrogan,” the elder spoke up again. “But we will eliminate their Sentinels for you. The Lords and Ladies are immune to our weapons, but our warriors will offer as much help as we can against their evil, spending their lives willingly if it helps you kill even one of them.”
“Your people’s lives are valuable to me. Many will be lost in this struggle, but I won’t let any of them die needlessly,” the orc seemed taken aback by the importance I placed on the well-being of his tribe. “Leave the Nér-vrogan to me and those I’ve armed against them.”
I’d continued to cast Bless on my companions’ weapons each night, making the few of us the only ones capable of dealing with the Nér-vrogan. When it came time for our showdown with Tarvul, it would be my companions and me who would stand against him and any others of his kind who opposed us. Derrik assured me there would be no more than a handful of them to deal with; like his fellow Lords and Ladies, Tarvul had a profound mistrust for his kin.
“You know my mind well enough to serve as my liaison to the Black Hand,” I removed Agna from her scouting role and gave her a new assignment. “If there are no objections, I’d like to put you in charge of coordinating them with our forces.”
“I don’t deserve that honor,” she protested before the elder broke in.
“Agna will have our full support, Ashíel Uglessek,” he pulled Agna aside before she could offer another objection. “We will send her back to you as soon as all is made ready.”
Returning to where Scar and my handful of guards had wisely waited for me, we traced our way back towards camp. Agna rejoined us a short while later, clearly still ill at ease with her new role as the de facto leader of her tribe.
“The Black Hand will lead the way until we reach the border of their lands, captain,” once more among the army of Haven, she addressed me by the rank Leshel had granted me. “From there, it will be best for your forces to move ahead to prevent any misunderstandings.”
That was probably a wise strategy. A massive force of orc
s marching through the edges of Nér-vrogan territory would likely incite a panic, where we would be perceived as potential liberators instead. Although the Black Hand would follow closely on our heels, we’d at least have an opportunity to warn anyone we might encounter, preparing them for the large horde trailing behind us.
“I’m sorry to have to ask this, Agna,” I broached the potentially delicate subject cautiously. “But did you make sure your people know that this is no invasion? I need them to understand that this is not an opportunity for plunder… or anything else of that nature.”
Orc raids were notorious for their tendency to turn quite savage, and I needed to ensure that the Black Hand knew who the real enemy was. While I looked forward to them unleashing their full fury on those we’d be fighting, I certainly didn’t want the orcs to visit their typical debauchery on any innocent civilians.
“I understand your concerns.” By the subtle clenching of her jaw, I saw that she was uncomfortable with the admission. “While there was some objection to forgoing the rights of conquest, I managed to convince them that any failure to do so would only meet with your displeasure.”
Yeah, after the show I’d put on, I could see how that might have persuaded them…
Traveling at the slower pace dictated by our numbers, it took a full week for our combined forces to reach the edges of the Black Hand’s domain. Bypassing the orcs, the army of Haven took over the lead as we marched towards Tarvul’s stronghold. Our scouts ensured that we weren’t spotted too soon, guiding us around several small homesteads and outlying villages until we were deep within Nér-vrogan territory and Tarvul’s manor finally came into view.
23
With the fortress looming in the distance, speed became our priority over stealth, and we marched openly down the road as we closed in on our quarry. Drawing closer, the high spires soaring over its dark stone walls towered over our heads, casting ominous shadows across the open fields beyond. The blaring of horns sounding off in alarm greeted us as we surged into the clearing around Tarvul’s grand estate, and I feared that rather than helping us, our numbers might have actually spelled our doom.
Second Skin: Wayward: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 7) Page 23
