El-Vador's Travels (12 page)

Nodding,
Harg answered, 'It's the killer. He's obsessed with rooting him out
and thinks his presence here will somehow help.'

Their
commanding officer emerged from the fortified encampment and bore
down on the sentries. Gurgash stood to sharp attention as he
approached, something seemed on his mind but he dare not ask.

'As
you were.' he said, unable to keep the deflated sound from his voice.

'Is something the matter, Commander?' Harg dared to ask.

The
Commander did not answer immediately. 'We have lost contact with all
the forts north of here.'

Gurgash
and Harg stared at one another in disbelief. 'Perhaps the messenger
was attacked in the forest.' Gurgash suggested.

'Then he would be the fifth one to suffer such a fate.' said the
Commander dismissively. 'Every message that has been sent out to the
forts in the north has been unanswered and there have been no reports
coming from any of them.'

The
news was grim and Gurgash couldn't find a silver lining. If they had
really lost all the forts in the north then surely they were next.
His trepidation bubbled over into fear now that evidence of an Elven
resurgence had been found.

'If the Elves have mounted a counter assault, what has the Chief
planned to do about it? Do we march out and meet them head on?'

'First we push trained scouts up to the north that won't be captured
and slain as easily as simple messengers. Then we shall get a
determination of their numbers and their composition.'

'We can send scouts north all right,' said Harg. 'Just don't expect
to hear from them ever again.'

'What do you mean?' asked the Commander.

'We have seen first hand how stealthy an Elven warrior can be.'
replied Harg. 'They'll be watching the roads and I'd be willing to
bet their best men will be on it too.'

Ordinarily
Harg's outburst would have cost him dearly, the Commander seemed too
defeated to care. 'Orders are orders.' he said and turned away
without further comment.

Gurgash
looked to the north. He had seen one swarm of Elven warriors bearing
down on the army of which he was a small part. In his mind's eye, he
saw another, this one wilder and more coordinated. He saw the face of
that damn boy that killed the Orc and he multiplied it many times in
his mind. Until that moment, he had not imagined anything more
ferocious than the onslaught he and his countrymen had so narrowly
survived. Now he discovered his imagination was stronger than he had
thought possible. If there was really an Elven force out there of
that magnitude then they were doomed.

'What do we do if the Elves get here before our reinforcements do?'
he asked, his voice quivering with obvious fear.

'Then we fight again' Harg answered stolidly. 'We keep fighting
until either we're dead or they're dead. Simple as that really.'

His
words didn't offer Gurgash any reassurance.

If
more Elves swarmed down out of the north, he had no doubts about what
they would do. As docile as they had seemed when they had been
conquered, he knew exactly what the thought of freedom would make
them do.

The pain and suffering and fear that emanated from their fighters
could not be ignored as I laid waste to their forces. I had yet to
learn the calm detachment I now possess, the realisation that there
are no unique characters and all that these beings are is all they
will remain: obstacles to be disposed of.

G
urgash
was catching a brief nap in a makeshift hut when the Orcish horns
rumbled, they were being called to attention for some task. Rousing
himself, he found his cousin already outside and fully armed.

'What is it?' he asked Harg. 'Are we under attack already?'

'I
don't think so, though I cannot say for certain,' replied Harg, 'The
Commander just told us to get out here and be prepared. Sounds like
trouble.'

'Sounds like another drill to me,' said Gurgash, though he didn't
feel certain about that at all.

Orcs
and Goblins hurried out to the open space between huts and palisade.
They seemed too frenzied in activity to truly be preparing for yet
another exercise. They all came fully armed too, this in itself was a
rarity as usually it was acceptable to just show up.

Then
the Commander arrived, that was when the reality of the situation hit
them, this was no drill.

'I
have received new orders from Chief Sarvacts,' said the Commander
without preamble. 'He believes that the Orc known as Hurglug was
murdered by the young Elven boy El-Vador out in the woods. While he
has not chosen to take action prior to now, he feels after speaking
to the boy that his guilt is obvious. We march on the settlement as
soon as possible, our task is not an enviable one, we are to burn the
entire place to the ground and leave no survivors. The Chief has
informed me that whoever kills the murderer has his rations doubled
for the rest of the year.'

He
waited to see if any questions would come. When none did, he nodded.
'All right, then. Let's go.'

The
whole garrison with the Commander leading the way marched on foot
toward the settlement then, all bar a few to hold the camp.

Even
before leaving the fortified encampment, Gurgash could hear the Elves
shouting, they knew what was coming and were powerless to prevent it.
One of them came out toward them, alone against their entire company,
presumably to broker peace with them. Before he opened his mouth the
Commander had signalled with his arm to one of the Goblin archers.
The arrow took the man straight through his open mouth, he stared
down at it briefly in confusion and slumped to his knees. The
Commander ignored him as he walked past and on toward the settlement.

They
met minimal resistance as they marched on, the few archers that took
pot shots at them were soon silenced by their Goblin counterparts
with no loss of life.

Harg
pitched his voice over the marching feet. 'We're going to have to
kill everyone in this settlement.' he said. 'They will fight
desperately, show them no mercy.'

Gurgash
nodded. He had never sacked a settlement before, part of him couldn't
believe that it was happening after all this time.

When
they reached the settlement it seemed deserted, were they all fleeing
for their lives?

A
roar came from a house as a group of Elves charged out at them. The
archers weren't quick or accurate enough in these close quarters and
the element of surprise cost them a number of men before their
numbers overwhelmed the group. Gurgash had yet to see any armed
conflict and for that he was grateful, how many more battle-ready
Elves could the settlement possess?

An
arrow from the next house up answered his question, its flight was
accurate and it caught the throat of the Orc opposite him. He
instinctively shied away only to be pushed further forward by the
crush of infantry behind him all trying to close down the attacker
before he could loose another shot.

The
push cost them a few more lives as the hidden archers got a second
volley of arrows away. Soon they were swarmed and silenced Orcs, the
settlement was eerily still after that.

'So ends their resistance,' the Commander said. 'Stay alert men,
search the houses in groups and expect a fight to the death.' His
waving hand saw a number of Orcs peel off from the main group to
search the houses. 'Remember, we show no mercy to any of them, their
women and their children are combatants also. Do not hesitate to kill
them, for they will surely try to do the same to you should you
falter in your duty.'

Though
he had been in a pitched battle before, it did not compare to the
shrill screams he heard from inside the houses. Gurgash was paired
with Harg and the Commander, with two Goblin archers providing them
cover. They went from house to house with systematic efficiency,
usually arriving after the conflict had ended, finding dead bodies
scattered over the floors and beds in various states. Some had put up
a fight with whatever implements they could find, others had died
bedridden. A few others were cowered in corners now soaked in their
own blood. Gurgash felt ill, he hadn't signed up for this.

Desperate
had been an understatement on the part of the Commander. Never had
Gurgash seen such flailing and screaming in the face of the
inevitable. The terror washed over him and made him want to bolt and
leave this cursed place behind. They came to the forester's house
now, the house where this El-Vador lived with his father. Yet once
they were inside they encountered no resistance at all, this being
the last house of the settlement he had expected something else.

At a
nod from his Commander, Harg ventured into the bedroom. He returned
shaking his head, there was no sign of the boy.

'His father lies in the bed, there is no sign of the son.' Harg
said. 'I left him alive, should you wish to speak to him Commander.'

His
superior nodded. 'Good work soldier, you may join me in questioning
this Elf, lest he be feigning bed sickness and wish to strike the
next Orc that gets close enough.'

As
soon as Gurgash entered the room he could tell that it was no act.
The sickly scent of burning herbs did little to stifle the disease in
the air. Here was a creature on the cusp of death, to kill it would
be merciful.

'Where
is your son?' the Commander asked simply. 'Tell us this and we shall
spare you.'

'I'd
sooner die.' replied the Elf, then burst into a fit of coughing.

Undeterred,
the Commander asked once more. 'Where is the location of your boy,
El-Vador?'

The
Elf turned his head to stare at the Orc, the hatred caused Gurgash to
reflexively take a step back. 'You will let me live if I tell you
where my son is?' he asked.

'Yes.'
The commander replied.

The
Elf spat bloody phlegm in the Orc's face. 'I'd sooner die.' he
repeated. 'You have no idea what you have set upon the world. He will
find you and he will kill you all.' another spasm took him as he
coughed once more before stilling entirely. This foreboding defiance
had been his last act.

Gurgash's
stared down at his feet, not wanting to see his Commander's
expression as he wiped the red spittle from his face. It was then
that he realised his armour had been coated in gore and blood.

'What
now, Commander?' Harg asked.

'Sarvacts
will be pleased that the settlement has been cleared, we shall set
fire to it and bury our dead.' he answered. 'Then we must find the
last survivor, this El-Vador.'

El-Vador
walked out from the woods toward the settlement, hunting had been
scarce but profitable. His father could make a good stew out of the
brace of hares he'd shot. His body halted in the midst of that
thought, the inborn alertness of one who lived close to nature
warning him something ahead was amiss. The silence tugged at him, it
was far too quiet by half.

Cautiously
now he went forward once again, beginning to know in his heart what
had happened.

He
abandoned all pretence of stealth when he saw the first houses, their
doors kicked in and bodies strewn in the streets in a huge pile. The
air was thick with a metallic tang that sickened him to the very
core. They had killed everyone, Sarvacts had killed everyone.

A
Goblin archer spotted El-Vador, he held a large bucket and set it
down before reaching for his bow. He was much too late, El-Vador's
arrow sunk deep into his skull.

Approaching
the pile of bodies in disbelief, he saw that the Goblin had been
planning on dumping the bucket of foul smelling liquid over them and
setting the pile alight.

Something
snapped inside him, an overload of grief and anger and frustration
bubbled over and all restraint vanished. He found himself howling now
as he headed through the settlement, sending arrows with deadly
accuracy into anything that moved. He had nothing to lose any more,
he was driven by a hatred so pure and single-minded. He had but one
task, one goal, one purpose left in this life for him to complete.
All the Orcs must die, all of them.

Gurgash
retched in the street, the blood was too much, he couldn't strip the
settlement of its valuables like the others were doing.

'You look like death warmed up.' remarked Harg. 'Some of us are
heading back to the fort, we're not needed for the burning. I've seen
enough of them in my time, feel free to follow us.'

He
gladly took them up on their offer, weakly falling in line with the
rest of the group that were marching their way back south to the
fort.

Harg
had a large axe in his hands, he seemed to be testing the weight of
it with a few experimental swings.

'What
use are weapons now?' Gurgash asked.

'It may seem pointless to you but it's always a good idea to keep a
blade handy.' he said. 'Besides, my last one broke in the assault,
figured I'd get myself a new one before we left. Doesn't seem to burn
either.'

'This was no assault.' Gurgash said, looking back at the settlement.
'This was a massacre and it was wrong.'

'Wrong?' asked Harg. 'Had they the strength these Elves wouldn't
have bat an eyelid at doing what we have just done to them. Think of
this El-Vador and the hatred he had in his eyes every time we saw him
go into that forest.'

'We did take his land,' said Gurgash. 'He'll definitely try and
avenge his people now if he wasn't going to before.'

'What can one boy do?' asked Harg with a dismissive shrug.

Before
Gurgash could even begin to answer, a cry came from the soldiers they
had left behind. A huge explosion of sound filled their ears and
seemed to swell like approaching thunder.

'We're being attacked!' yelled someone, and then the storm fell upon
the group.