Chapter 450: Invasion [16]
Zarah paused for a second before speaking:
"Maybe."
"Maybe..."
Wes repeated the word with a grin, clearly amused by her answer.
He sincerely doubted Zarah would have done the same thing if it had been a goblin she was close to. There was a difference between understanding the necessity of a decision and being completely comfortable with the way it had been carried out.
But this wasn’t the time to think about something like that.
The clan was in danger, the graveyard was being targeted, and there was still an enemy standing directly in front of them.
Drel tightened his grip on his weapon as his attention shifted toward Wes, his expression becoming more focused.
"So, what do I do now, Commander?"
"Focus on protecting the clan. There are still more of those orcs scattered throughout the settlement. Find them, and if you manage to catch up with Caius or Narg, inform them of the situation."
Drel nodded, understanding immediately that there was no time to argue.
"Understood."
He turned and quickly left, disappearing into the settlement as he went in search of the remaining orcs and the other two combatants.
Wes watched him leave before letting out a laugh.
"You sure you want to send him away? With his help, you might actually stand a chance of defeating me."
Zarah didn’t even look in his direction.
"You talk too much."
The moment the words left her mouth, she raised her hands, and a chill swept across the battlefield as ice began forming around her once again.
Wes’s grin widened.
Then the two continued their fight.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the settlement, Gork, Dribb, Gobbo, Very, Bruz, and the clan’s strongest warriors were dealing with one of the orcs that had escaped the battle involving Zarah, Caius, and Narg.
They had heard the commotion caused by the orc and were already making their way toward the source of the disturbance when they encountered Gobbo and Zivra along the way.
According to them, the clan was being attacked by a Chosen who was leading an entire army of orcs, which immediately made it clear that this wasn’t some random attack. Someone had deliberately organized the invasion, and whatever their objective was, it was serious enough to threaten the entire clan.
Zivra was ordered to return and join Nira and Thok in protecting the clan’s residents, while the rest of them continued forward to deal with the invading orcs.
And so far, they were doing a decent job.
The orcs were powerful, but the clan’s strongest warriors had enough experience and abilities to keep them from overwhelming the settlement. They worked together whenever possible, taking advantage of openings created by one another instead of recklessly confronting the creatures alone.
One of the orcs suddenly raised its leg and attempted to stomp on Gobbo.
Gobbo reacted immediately.
His body became enveloped in a thick layer of earth, the material hardening around him into a protective armor just before the orc’s foot came crashing down.
BOOM!
The impact drove Gobbo slightly into the ground, but the earth armor absorbed most of the force and prevented the stomp from crushing him.
Gobbo gritted his teeth and pushed back against the orc’s leg with everything he had.
Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he grabbed hold of the massive limb and pulled.
The orc lost its balance.
Its body tilted backward before Gobbo managed to yank its leg out from underneath it, sending the much larger creature crashing onto its back.
It tried to get back onto its feet, but before it could fully recover, two arrows suddenly struck it directly in the eyes, forcing its head backward as it let out a furious roar.
The Gobbo didn’t waste the opening.
He immediately leaped forward, raising his axe above his head before bringing it down with all the strength he could muster.
The blade crashed into the orc’s skull.
The creature’s body went limp almost instantly, its struggle coming to an abrupt end as the Gobbo pulled his axe free.
Meanwhile, Dribb was trading blows with one of the much stronger orc, the two of them having been locked in combat almost since the beginning of the battle.
Neither seemed particularly interested in helping the others.
They were fighting for something much simpler.
Pride.
Each wanted to prove that they were stronger than the other, and neither was willing to be the one who backed down first.
Although both were powerful, Dribb had the greater advantage because of his ability. The more pain he experienced, the stronger he became, meaning that every wound the orc inflicted only pushed him further beyond his previous limits.
The orc possessed a similar trait, allowing it to grow stronger as the battle continued, but whatever ability it had was nowhere near as potent as Dribb’s.
It was only an inkling of what Dribb possessed.
And, if anything, Dribb might have been a little more unhinged.
The two warriors swung at each other once again, neither willing to give ground. Their weapons connected almost simultaneously, cutting through flesh and drawing blood from both combatants.
Yet despite the exchange ending in a similar fashion to all the others before it, something had changed.
For the first time since their fight began, the orc was forced to take a step backward.
Dribb remained where he was, blood running down his body as a grin slowly spread across his face.
He stepped forward, his grip tightening around the axe as he pressed the advantage before the orc could fully recover.
They swung at each other again.
But this time, Dribb was faster.
He shifted to the side of the incoming attack and brought his axe around in a powerful horizontal swing, catching the orc’s arm before it could pull away. The blade tore through flesh and bone, severing the limb completely and sending it tumbling to the ground.
The orc staggered backward, a pained cry escaping its throat as blood poured from the severed stump.
Dribb didn’t give it the chance to recover.
He stepped forward and swung again, cleaving through the orc’s remaining arm before it could defend itself.
The orc stumbled backward uncontrollably, blood spraying from both wounds as it desperately tried to maintain its balance.
Dribb watched it for only a moment before taking another step forward.
Then he threw the axe.