Orcs First Blood - Legion Of Thunder Part 22

Jup flung his knife at the nearest guard, striking him hard just above the collarbone. It broke the stand-off, and the goblin's neck.

Then all h.e.l.l was let loose.

One of the grunts quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed up the fallen guard's spear and turned it on another goblin. Simultaneously, Stryke and Haskeer leapt forward and grappled with their captors. A desperate struggle for the weapons began.

Jup's group rushed towards Lekmann and Aulay. They drew their blades and launched into a knife fight.

The dwarf himself was blocked from joining it. Waving a sword, a henchlin barred his way. Dropping to avoid the swinging blade, Jup drove himself at the creature's legs and brought him down. They rolled on the floor, fighting forpossession.

Clutching the wrist of the goblin's sword arm, Jup repeatedly ham-mered it against the flagstones. But he wouldn't let go. Then a screaming guard collapsed beside them, its face ribboned by an orc dagger. Jup reached out and grabbed its sword. Still holding his opponent's wrist, he plunged the blade into its chest.

He leapt to his feet, tossed one sword to a comrade and used the other to rejoin the fray.

On the dais, Coilla was fighting like a wildcat to free herself of Blaan's hold. Nearby, Razatt-Kheage was yelling orders, interspersed with curses.

Stryke had managed to get his foe in a bear hug with the goblin's arms pinned to his sides. Wriggling, unable to lift his sword, he was trying to rake the orc's legs with it. Stryke cooled him with a couple ofhead b.u.t.ts to the brow. Eyes rolling, he went down. Prising the sword from his hand, Stryke slashed his throat.

He turned and saw Haskeer vying for a spear. It belonged to the guard who had hit him. As he pa.s.sed, Stryke swiped at the goblin, slicing him in the side. The minor wound was distraction enough to throw the henchlin's poise. Stryke bowled off through the melee, mak-ing for the bounty hunters.

Haskeer wasn't slow exploiting the upset. He managed to seize the spear's shaft. They tussled for it. Using all his strength, he twisted the spear and got its lethally barbed point under the goblin's chin. Then he pushed upward with all his might. The howling creature was skewered. Haskeer ripped loose the spear in a burst of gore and looked for a fresh victim.

Still struggling in Blaan's arms, Coilla shouted something. The words were lost, but she seemed to be indicating a large chest on the dais.

Lekmann and Aulay slashed wildly with their knives, trying to keep the orcs clear. The arrival of Jup and Breggin with swords had them backing off.

Coilla's attempts to break loose of Blaan went on. She called out again. He began applying pressure to her neck and looked set to snap it.

Haskeer rushed at the platform. A henchlin stepped out to stop him. The orc levelled his spear and impaled the goblin, the shaft piercing his stomach, and tossed him back into the scrum. Abandoning the spear, Haskeer hurtled on and leapt up to the dais. He landed a couple of feet away from Coilla and Blaan. Razatt-Kheage was near the other end of the platform, shrieking at his bodyguards. Haskeer ignored him.

At a run, he landed a ma.s.sive roundhouse blow to the side of Blaan's meaty head. The hulking human cried out in rage. Haskeer hit him again on the same spot, just as heavily. Bellowing, Blaan let go of Coilla and turned on the orc.

They commenced swinging at each other in earnest.

Coilla dived across the platform and collided with the wooden chest. She wrenched open its lid. It was filled with cutla.s.ses, rapiers and scim-itars. She seized a broadsword then overturned the chest, toppling it from the dais. It crashed to the floor, its weaponry spilling out.

She hadn't noticed in her haste that it would land at Aulay's and Lekmann's backs. They spun and fell upon the weapons, scrabbling for swords. They weren't alone. Four or five orcs piled in too, anxious to swap daggers for lengthier blades. Twenty seconds of kicking and punching saw all of them rearmed.

What had been a series of hand-to-hand brawls transformed into swordplay.

'Bounty hunter!'Stryke yelled, skidding to a halt in front of Lek-mann. 'Defend yourself!'

'Come and get it, freak!'

Jup and the grunts disengaged and quickly found other foes. Stryke and Lekmann squared off.

The human went for a quick kill. He powered in, his sword a blur as he carved air with shocking rapidity. Stryke stood his ground and parried everything coming at him. Deflecting a half-dozen pa.s.ses cleared the way for advancing a step or two. He went into offensive mode. Lekmann countered with equal fluidity, reclaiming the gained s.p.a.ce.

They fenced with total focus, oblivious to everything else, beating a steel rhythm with their blades.

Jup had Aulay to himself. The human was a lesser swordsman than his partner, which was to say he was merely good.

But he was fuelled with anger and desperation. That fed him fury while clouding his skill.

The dwarf got off a weighty swing aimed at decapitation. Aulay ducked and returned a scything horizontal sweep meant for disembowelment. Jup sprang back and avoided it. Then he was in again and battering.

All across the room orcs and goblins went at the business of murder with a will. Blades hacked spears, knives slashed at mail, swords met in a ringing din. A grunt hefted a table and smashed it across the back of a henchlin, allowing another trooper to dart in and deliver a stabbing. An orc slammed against a wall, impelled by a flesh wound to the arm from a goblin mace. He dodged the follow-up and brought his sword into play.

On the platform, Haskeer and Blaan slugged it out in a furious bare-knuckle contest. Each sponged up the other's blows and dealt their own. Neither would give.

Blaan landed a piledriver punch to Haskeer's chin. 'Go down!' he hollered.

The impact rocked Haskeer but didn't fell him. He responded with a crazed howl and a counterblow that sank his fist in the human's belly. Blaan staggered back a bit but otherwise seemed unaffected. Both of them were unused to anybody staying upright once they hit them. It stoked their wrath.

Arms outstretched, moving surprisingly fast for his bulk, Blaan shot forward and encircled Haskeer with his powerful arms. They set to wrestling, faces strained, muscles bulging.

Coilla thought about going for the slaver, but had a more longed-for target. She jumped down from the platform. A goblin came out of the melee and engaged her. They crossed swords, the goblin making up for subtlety by powering in with savage swipes. She countered every swing, batting aside the blade with ease. Then she wrong-footed him, s.h.i.+fted her centre of balance and sent her blade point into his eye. The shrieking henchlin dropped.She headed for the humans.

Lekmann and Stryke were still matching knock for knock. That didn't interest Coilla. She wanted Aulay.

He and Jup battled on, toe to toe, sweat flecking their brows.

'Mine!'she yelled.

Jup understood. He pulled back, spun, and connected with a goblin sword. That duel moved him clear.

Coilla took his place and glared at Aulay. 'I've dreamed of this,you f.u.c.ker!' she spat.

'And I oweyou, b.i.t.c.h!' He absently touched bandaged ear with wrapped finger.

The jarring impact of their clas.h.i.+ng blades rang out. Coilla dodged and weaved, looking for any chance to plant cold steel in his flesh. Aulay fought back with a bravado bordering on panic. The homicidal expression she wore was enough to sustain the energy of his defence. It made his pa.s.ses wild and not entirely accurate; it also added an ele-ment of unpredictability to his style.

For her part, Coilla poured all her resentment and hatred of the bounty hunters into her onslaught. Only blood would a.s.suage the injury they'd done her. She pounded at the one-eyed human's sword with such frenzy it was a wonder it didn't snap. He was hard put to fend off the a.s.sault. His attacking stance began dissolving into pure self-preservation.

Stryke had found that despite looking dissolute, Lekmann fenced like a demon. Theirs was a duel that demanded every ounce of concen-tration and strength.

It was an old orc adage that the way an enemy fought betrayed the way they thought. So it befitted his nature that the bounty hunter used feints and deceitful moves as key techniques. Stryke was equally adept at duplicity and replied in kind. Though he would have far preferred the honesty of straightforward homicide.

They circled, alert for any flaw in each other's guard, ready to kill. Lekmann vaulted in, whipping his blade at Stryke's head. Stryke swatted it aside and paid him back with a swipe to the chest. It was short. They kept up their lethal dance.

Razatt-Kheage's outpourings of rage, frustration and orders continued, spouted in both his native tongue and universal. It stopped when a grunt on the floor below lashed out at his legs. The slaver jumped clear. In lieu of a weapon, he s.n.a.t.c.hed up a bulky cloth sack and swung it down at the orc's head. He missed and nearly lost his balance. The grunt slashed the sack. A torrent of silver coins, the bounty hunters' payment, gushed out and bounced in all directions. Orcs and goblins slipped on them as they scattered.

Dozens of coins rolled the way of Stryke and Lekmann. Crunching underfoot, they slowed but didn't stop their combat.

Both were tiring now and the fight was near the point where stamina could be the de-ciding element. Not that either allowed it to lessen the blows they dealt.

For all their strength, Haskeer and Blaan were hitting the same barrier. Haskeer knew he had to finish their bout quickly while he still had enough in reserve. He and the human were locked in a wrestling hold, Blaan's clasped hands in the small of Haskeer's back, one of Haskeer's arms trapped immovably. Drawing deep from his depleted well of energy, the orc slowly raised his free arm and repeatedly fisted the bounty hunter's head. Simultaneously he applied outward pressure with his snared arm.

The strain showed on Blaan's contorted face. He was struggling to contain his foe. Haskeer needed just one more bit of leverage. He found it. With all his might he stamped his boot down on Blaan's foot, heel first. The human cried out.

Haskeer stomped repeatedly. With a great outrush of breath, Blaan lost control and the hold was shattered.

He half staggered, half limped backwards. Haskeer lurched the few paces separating them and delivered a solid kick to Blaan's crotch. The human gave an anguished high-pitched scream. Without pause, and giv-ing it all he'd got, Haskeer landed a swift combination of punches-to the chin, to the stomach, then to the chin again. Blaan went down like a felled oak. The wooden platform trembled.

Haskeer moved in and conferred a kicking on him, right foot, left foot, targeting any vulnerable spot that presented itself. Blaan's hand flashed out, grabbed one of Haskeer's legs, tugged and downed him. There was a scramble to be the first one up. They made it at the same time. Blaan closed the gap, his enormous face demonic with frenzy, and raised his ham fists. Bloodied and bruised, they were back to sparring.

Coilla was making headway with Aulay. She sent in blows high and low, forcing him to skip and swerve to avoid them.

But his move-ments were leaden-footed, his vigour ebbing. She sensed a kill was close.

Jup and the grunts, working shoulder to shoulder, had thinned out the ranks of goblins. Just three or four were left, and they were retreatingto the dais end of the room. When their backs were to the platform they put up a frenzied last stand. Two tried to break through the semicircle of approaching orcs. One swung his studded mace in a wide arc. A pair of orcs ducked under the flying weapon and shredded the henchlin's chest. Jup took care of the other. He dashed the sword from its grip and hacked into the creature's neck.

But that had given the two remaining goblins their chance. They sprang on to the dais and rained blows down on the Wolverines' heads, preventing them from following. Razatt-Kheage sheltered behind them, raving encouragement.

Lekmann and Aulay, likewise being forced back by their implacable orc opponents, knew the game was up.

'Get out!'Lekmann bawled.

His partner needed no further encouragement. He swiftly backed off from Coilla, turned and ran. With a last flash of his blade in Stryke's direction, Lekmann did the same. The orc captain and corporal went after them.

Aulay tripped and fell. As he got up, Lekmann raced past him. He made the dais, arriving at a point between Haskeer's and Blaan's fight to the left and the battling orcs and goblins to the right. Unimpeded, he scrambled up.

Swerving to evade a lone orc trying to stop him, Aulay got there too. Lekmann stretched a hand and hoisted him up.

They turned to fend off Stryke and Coilla, who swept in a second later. All the humans and remaining goblins were on the platform. All the Wolverines battled to climb it.

All save Haskeer. Trading punches with Blaan at their end of the platform, he was oblivious. The human was moreconscious of the need to withdraw. Still sparring, he began edging towards his comrades.

Alone among the Wolverines, Coilla managed to ascend the dais. She fetched up nearest Aulay and went for him.

'What does it take to stop you, b.i.t.c.h?' he snarled.

'Just die,' she said.

He attacked. Coilla deflected the blows. Aulay turned his sword and started to advance again.

She held fast. Giving way to rage, he came at her recklessly with wild, ill-judged slashes. His guard was careless. A thrust missed her head by a good three inches. Seeing a chance, Coilla quickly spun to one side and chopped downward with all her strength.

Her blade sliced cleanly through the flesh and bone of his left wrist. The hand fell away and slapped wetly on the boards. A fountain ofblood gushed from the stump. Agony and disbelief stamped on his face, Aulay began screaming.

Coilla drew back her sword to finish him.

From behind, a pair of ma.s.sive arms encircled her waist. As though she weighed nothing, Blaan tossed her from the dais. She landed heavily on the floor below.

Lekmann pulled Aulay away. He was wailing. Copious quant.i.ties of his blood drenched the platform.

Haskeer caught up with Blaan. The human elbowed him in the stomach. Gasping, Haskeer doubled over. Blaan thundered in the direc-tion of his fellow bounty hunters and the goblins. He stopped short of them and took hold of Razatt-Kheage's ponderous wooden throne. Has-keer was on his feet again and charging. Hoisting the chair like a toy, Blaan swung round and struck Haskeer with it. The force knocked the orc across the platform and slammed him into the wall.

Then Blaan hefted his load to the edge and hurled it down on the orcs. They scattered as it smashed to the floor.

Taking advantage of the confusion, the slaver led his henchlins and the bounty hunters to the door at the back of the dais. They were going through it before Stryke shouted out and everybody rushed the platform.

Too late. The door slammed in their faces. They heard bolts being thrown on the other side. Stryke and a couple of grunts shouldered it several times. Haskeer joined them and added his strength. But it wouldn't give.

'Forget it,' Stryke panted.

Haskeer pounded his fist against the door in frustration. 'd.a.m.n!'

Recovering from her fall, stretching her aching limbs, Coilla walked across the platform towards them. 'I'm going to kill those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds if it's the last thing I do,' she vowed.

'Look out!'Jup yelled, pus.h.i.+ng her aside.

A spear winged past and embedded itself in the wall.

It had been thrown by a goblin in the body of the room, wounded and bleeding but on his feet. Now he had a sword in his hand.

That was too much for Haskeer. He leapt from the platform and ran at the creature. The goblin took one ineffective swipe at him. Then Haskeer dashed away the sword with his bare hands and battered the henchlin senseless. Not content with that, he took the goblin by the scruff of its neck and hammered its head against the wall, again and again and again.

The others came over and watched the limp and lifeless body being reduced to pulp.

Jup said, 'I think he's dead.'

'I know that, short a.r.s.e!' Haskeer snapped. He unceremoniously dumped the goblin's body.

Stryke smiled. 'Good to have you back, Sergeant.'

From their rear came the splintering crash of wood. They turned.

A Watcher, grim faced and unstoppable, was beating its way through what was left of the door to the street. There were others beyond it.

Coilla sighed. 'f.u.c.k, what a day.'

16.

'Don't try taking on the things,' Stryke warned. 'Let's just get away from them.'

'Easier said than done,' Jup reckoned, staring at the lumbering homunculus.

They backed off as the Watcher moved into the room. The vast head slowly turned, its gem eyes, animated by synthetic life, surveying the scene. Two of its fellows filed through the door behind it.

The foremost Watcher lifted its hands, palms up. There was a loud click. s.h.i.+ny metallic blades sprang from slots in the heels of the hands. They were half a foot long and wickedly keen. As though on signal, the other Watchers snapped out similar weapons.

'Uh-oh,' Jup said.