Sequence Five: An Extinguished Hope

The sounds of the raging battle outside resonates the whole room as Josh stood in front of a girl sitting on the bed neatly with her hands resting on her lap.

“Anyway do you happen to know a girl named Stella la Berviere?” Josh asked the girl.

“That would be me.” She answered.

But Josh didn’t even seemed surprised. How can he be? After all that happens to him in just a day after he woke up in a forest filled with wild beast and now this assault by the orcs. He will be more surprised if it is just a peaceful night to end the day.

“Why are you looking for me?” the girl named Stella asked for the reason of his search for her, continuing their little conversation.

“Well you see, Cardel asked me to secure you out of this mansion.” He said scratching the back of his head with a slight wary look on his face.

“Sir Cardel did?” she responded with a bit of surprise on her tone while still having a soft – gentle voice on the way she utters it.

“Yeah, so we better hurry and…”

“I’m sorry but I can’t.”

Stella immediately interrupted Josh from talking while having a slight frown on her face. Surprised for the rejection, Josh couldn’t even respond to what she just said.

“I can’t flee to save myself and let my people die here.” Said Stella, clenching her small hands on the skirt of her nightgown.

But after a few seconds of silence, another explosion happen and shook the whole mansion making the girl twitch her body while her hands are trembling in fear.

Noticing her reaction, Josh realized that she is also scared about the current happenings outside the mansion, yet she is firmly holding on her fixed resolve of not abandoning the village or her men fighting for her.

‘What a brave young lady.’ He though, but he needs to tell her the reason why the people outside are desperate on fighting such an overwhelming foe. Josh didn’t want to break it to her but it is a thing he must do.

“You know, I don’t know the reason why you won’t leave this place…” said Josh as he walks to a near window revealing the front yard of the mansion.

“But I do know that those people fighting outside…” he continued, as he gently touches the windowpane with his hand slightly sliding it down.

“…Are betting their lives for you to be able to survive, and will definitely be happy for your safety.” he finished his sentence with a gloomy face then turns around to look at Stella, breaking a harsh reality in front of her.

“I know… that I must not waste their efforts and their sacrifices.” She replied

Upon hearing it, Josh noticed a small sobbing sound and by his surprise, he saw Stella crying like a child that is being scolded by her parents, her head bowed as she looks down and her tears flowing on her cheeks down to the back of her hands that she rests on her lap.

“I know… but I can’t… I just…” Sobbing, Stella utters the words as clear as she could to the man.

“Hey… I didn’t mean it that way…”

Startled by what he saw, Josh tries to lighten the mood but Stella interrupts him before he could.

“It’s… Just that… I can’t leave behind the only thing I hold precious.” She said, still sobbing as she wipes off the dripping tears on her eyes and cheeks continuously.

“So please mister, can you just let me be?” she added, trying to ease her tears by wiping it off with her fingers.

‘So this place has a sentimental value for her?’ Josh thought for a moment realizing how important this mansion is for the girl.

“Then if you’re not going anywhere…” Josh said, walking closer to her. – “Can I join you here instead?” he added as he sits next to her on her bed.

“Well, aren’t you supposed to leave and report this to sir Cardel?” Stella asked, confused of the sudden decision the man made.

“Well if I come back to him empty handed, Cardel might eventually…” he said, gesturing his right hand as if he is slitting his neck.

“Anyway, I just hope that everything will settle down the way we want it to.” He added, as he slams his back on the bed.

“This is certainly one cushy and cozy bed.” Josh said as he fondles the surface of the bed, feeling its softness thoroughly with his hands.

“You are a carefree man aren’t you?” she said, while her tears are slowly driven away by the soft smile she is now expressing on her face.

“Well, maybe. It’s just that, I can’t force something that is not going to happen anyway.” Josh said as he rolls left and right on the bed.

He pauses from rolling and stares at the ceiling of the room.

“And I’m starting to feel a bit tired with all these running and hiding I did the whole day.” He added, while still staring above.

But their conversation was cut down by a loud scream outside.

Josh immediately runs towards the window he was looking at earlier and saw a huge orc wearing a black hooded cloak, but from the looks of it, it is he who gave off that tormenting cry just a minute back.

‘Looks like they are winning outside.’ He thought as he scans his eyes on the battlefield.

The soldiers only has to worry on the left and right flanks of the mansion being attacked, because the back of this manor is a wide chasm spreading from hundreds of feet across. But it also serves as a double edge sword for them, if somehow, they are attacked on both said sides and couldn’t defend it, there will be no means of escape for them.

‘But it seems like they can keep this going until help arrives’

But ironically, the view he saw took all his hopes down the drain.

***

Shocked, everyone inside the barrier couldn’t react on what just happened to the orc that is about to break the only protection that keeps them away from being slaughtered.

“Who on earth did that?!” the female commander exclaimed, confused of what just happened.

“Looks like it came from that direction.” The old man said while pointing on their left flank of the battlefield.

“Whoever did it is probably on our side.” He added.

Seeing it as an opportunity, the female commander instructs her men to attack the warlock who is now amputated by the attack and is currently crippling in pain.

“Mages! Stretch the barrier and let that thing enter our premises.” She commanded

“Men, grab your weapons and deteriorate that caster! We need to take that one out from the battle!” she added, as she points to the orc that is gravely damaged by the attack.

The mages immediately responds to her demand and stretches the area of the barrier until the orc warlock plunged inside while pushing the rest of the mob backwards as the barrier expands.

“Now!” she ordered, then a crowd of armed men attacks the orc, letting out a loud battle cry as they charge forward to the warlock’s location.

Noticing it, the warlock immediately cast another spell, creating a medium-sized magic circle of the same element he used before. But before he could finish casting, one of the attacking soldiers cuts off his other hand, now making him defenseless.

In pain, losing both his arms the warlock could only watch with his eyes wide open as he is stabbed and slashed to death by the soldiers.

One of the guards decapitated the warlock and lifts its head, showing it to the enemies as they scream their cry of victory while the rest of the orcs just stood there looking at the head of their comrade being showcased around like a trophy, the proof of their victory.

Seeing the so-called ‘trophy’ on the hands of one of her combatants, the commander exhaled deeply as if a heavy load is taken from her shoulder.

“Well done my lady.” The old man said with a contented smile on his face.

“Stella will be very happy to hear the results.” She said with a pleased reaction on her. Knowing that they are now in control of the battle.

Meanwhile, on the opposing side of the barrier, seeing the head of one of their fallen ally being held high by the humans, an orc starts to clash his weapon against the other weapon he has on his hand, followed by another orc then another until all of them are now clashing their arms, creating a distinct sound.

It started slowly, almost like they are following a certain pattern of beats.

The beats increases its speed overtime, until it is fast enough that it makes an irritatingly loud sound that eventually gives the listeners a headache.

The orcs then starts to growl in a phased manner while still clashing their weapons again and again, that it almost sounded like a tribal ceremony is being held on the battlefield.

The humans are confused from the act the orcs are doing, but inside them, they can feel an immense presence coming closer as time flies, they feel like something big is going to happen sooner or later, as they start to feel unease.

“What are they doing?” asked the female commander as she can feel an immense dark presence coming near towards the battlegrounds.

“I think… They are calling for something.” The old man replied and from the way he pronounced each word, the commander knew that he also felt the strong presence of malice in the air.

After a few minutes of ear piercing growls, the orcs stops on their actions and in a flash of a second, a shadow dashes forward in an inhumane speed from the rear of the orcs, passing the crowd and appears inside the barrier where the human soldiers are.

In an instant, a scream of a person in pain followed by a splattering noise shudders the humans.

In their surprise, the heads of the soldiers who slew the warlock are now rolling on the ground. As the headless bodies fell on the cold ground, it reveals a terrorizing sight for the humans inside.

A red-skinned orc holding a large double-edged battleax, almost the size of his own body with a very strong muscular build appeared in front of them.

He releases a loud and horrifying roar almost cracking the ears of those who heard it, along with its deadly presence that makes the observers tremble in fear.

One slash, it only took him one slash to decapitate five men in an instant.

“How did he managed to pass through the barrier?” one of the mages said.

“This can’t be! Does it mean he is a tier higher than our barrier?” the other mage responds

Shocked and trembling in fear, the female fell on her knees in defeat with an anguished look on her face from what she just saw in front of her. She knew that against such adversary any resistance is futile; they are sitting ducks waiting for their individual deaths.

“H-how? How can we defeat… such a presence?” she said, with trembling eyes and a shaking voice, almost losing her sanity from the view.

The humans’ trembles in fear as they saw an orc that is unique from the rest and is more terrifying than the one they just defeated with all their might.

Stepping closer to the pack of humans, a high-orc warrior will soon wreak havoc on the now bloody battlefield!