Crisis

Despite the low lighting, Kadin could still make out Tacy's big pleading eyes as she looked at him. In that moment, Kadin wished more than ever that this was truly up to him. Even now, Tacy was still consumed by her worry for Xzavier, not even giving a slight thought to her own well-being or safety on this mission.

Kadin didn't want to give her hope. Nothing was worse than getting her hopes up only to have them dashed to a million pieces. So, not wanting to give room for any kind of optimism, Kadin instead stared at the young woman with a bland and almost unkindly expression. He uttered not a single word.

The young and incredibly naïve Tacy couldn't catch on. When she got no answer from her master, she quickened her pace behind him. And as she drew close to him, she pressed on with another question. This time, she dropped the pathetic act and with the curiosity of nine year old, she asked Kadin a more direct question.

"Master, I am no child, I have heard the rumors bouncing about regarding a certain unique skill that is peculiar to the orc leader…"

She stepped up from behind him and took her place by his side. "…. what exactly is this terrifying ability? What is it about this particular orc that has everyone on edge?"

Kadin pondered for a minute and consulted with his inner self;

"Given the circumstances, maybe she does have a right to know."

Just as Kadin opened his mouth to speak, literally just when Tacy was about to get some answers, providence decided to grace the both of them with a live demonstration of the truth which Tacy was desperately clamoring for.

A deafening roar that came with the ferocity and suddenness of crackling thunder came abruptly. It disrupted the calm that had pervaded the night for hours on end, completely jolting hills and surrounding woods from slumber. The thundering roar carried with it a strange and bone chilling sensation. Just about creature, predator, prey, nocturnal, feline and canine heard the terrible roar. It was unnatural. It was the roar of an apex predator.

The terrifying stillness that followed was nerve wracking. For a whole minute, nothing moved. There wasn't a single movement in all the earth. The encompassing fear caused the entirety of the host of creations to hold their breath. Time froze. Even the very air seemed sit still. The regular rustling of the trees stopped. Nothing was right about that roar. It's very nature itself was ominous in the sense that it portended doom. The atrociously loud roar was reminiscent of doom and gloom and all their unsavory allotropes.

Though it was dark, yet, the unmistakable look of terror overshadowed the old man's face like a dark cloud. His otherwise stony gaze which he had tried so hard to maintain crumbled under the full weight of the fear weighing down on him. Kadin was more than concerned, who wouldn't be? In fact, he was more than concerned. Like a litter of baby scorpions crawling all over his skin, a the dastardly feeling of dread crept up on him with the stealth of a midnight thief, and gnawed away at his wall of composure, exposing him to the encompassing terror that reigned.

Left with no confidence whatsoever, the urge to run overwhelmed him. Finally, feeling began to flow back into his legs. But then again, just when he had finally recovered from the paralyzing fear, just as he was about to take flight, Kadin's optical nerves were assaulted by another horrendous sight.

A huge figure, bigger than any natural creature appeared in the horizon right in the direction Xzavier and Tacy were headed. Towering above the trees and all notable landmarks was the impressive form of an orc. Despite the yawning gap between Kadin and the orc, it's upper body was clearly visible. It dominated the space between the ground and the sky, spewing vibes of terror and doom and gloom. The moonlight bathed the humongous orc, casting it in a deathly pale light.

As tall as a six story building, like the legendary titans of old, the massive leader of towered over the entire surrounding area. This was the notorious leader of the orcs!

Tacy wasn't left out of the loop. If Kadin was afraid, Tacy was petrified. Nothing in her imagination could have ever matched the this sight. Multiple shades of terror passed through her. Her internal emotions were in a turmoil, chief among them being fear and shock,

But in spite of everything, Tacy did not run. She felt everything else but the will to run. The urge to retreat just wasn't there. Instead of withdrawing to the comfort safety, she did the exact opposite. Energy surged through her, the balls of her feet sprinted and Tacy dashed in the direction of the danger. At this point, she wasn't even thinking about her own safety. The only thought that consumed her was how she could help Xzavier. From what she was seeing, the fact that Xzavier was in danger was no longer in doubt.

Kadin had been focused solely on the monstrosity that had appeared in the horizon. But all of a sudden, a quick movement on the ground beside him and caught his attention. Out of the corner of Kadin's eye, he saw the form of a young woman sprinting forward. The apprehensive Kadin immediately averted his gaze from the orc leader and turned to investigate the movements he had just witnessed.

Much to the old man's horror, what he saw confirmed his suspicions. Before his very eyes, dashing towards the danger ahead in full speed was his young waitress and ward. Too shocked to react, Kadin watched with horror as Tacy bolted away from him, running towards the terror ahead like she had a sack of gold to pick. Only when Tacy was threatening to disappear out of sight did Kadin move.

"Foolish girl!" he cursed under his breath as he charged after her.

"Am I going insane or does she not see what lies ahead?! Bollocks!!"

The old man hadn't ran in decades. Fate had never put him in that fate before. A dignified entity like him running was a sight for sore eyes.

Still, he didn't hesitate to rush after her. His girded his loins, gathered his robes, and set his legs to work.

Because it had been a while, Kadin was horrified when he saw that his bones and muscles refused to stir. His nerves had stiffened over time. Even his joints seemed groan in annoyance as Kadin forced them into action after more than four decades of being dormant. He called them all out of retirement; just for the sake of this impulsive young girl.

"Damn you Tacy! You're going to be the end of me!"

Kadin dared not call out to her. He feared that doing so would attract the attention of the very entity both him and Tacy were running to.

Ashamed of the fact that the younger girl was putting a significant amount of distance between them, Kadin forced the lower part of his ancient body to accelerate. His body want happy about it. Not in the least. As the wind blew past him, Kadin's lungs joined the protest and also began to react. His breath became more sporadic and the ache increased. At this point, Kadin was running more on mental energy than on physical energy.

"Damn you Tacy! Damn you!"

That was all he could do at the moment. Complain and curse as he chased after Tacy with all his might.