Sarodor

Act II – Episode 51

“DAMN!”

General Savuk skids to a stop in a pool of Kiana’s blood and slams his axe to the ground. He looks up at the blood-red sky and roars with fury.

Chatra flinches at the sound. He tries to climb to his feet, but is prevented by the pain shooting up his arms. He collapses back to the ground and moans sickly. “I’m sorry, sir,” he says. “She was too strong for me.”

“No, son,” Savuk replies, helping Chatra to his feet. “You did well. You did very well indeed.”

“Well….thank you, sir.”

“We just didn’t get here in time,” Savuk says. He glances down the hill at the other fallen orc, Jafor the swordsman. Jafor lies in a twisted heap, his spine snapped in two. Marls – the medic – crouches over him, his hands clasped, dripping some kind of sweet-smelling liquid between Jafor’s curled, quivering lips.

Behind Jafor, the undead army storms over the walls of the Kindred fortress. Fights break out along the battlements. Trolls wail and bash their shoulders against the front gate, the iron bars beginning to give way underneath their enormous weight.

It won’t be long now, Savuk thinks. Time to go. He picks up his axe and waves it high in the air, signalling the orcs stationed on the mountain behind him. There is a faint flash of light as one of the orcs returns the signal. A few moments later, a bonfire roars to life on the mountain top.

Savuk turns his gaze back to the Kindred fortress. Shrill bells ring out over the sounds of battle. The evacuation signal.

Savuk draws a deep breath. A bittersweet moment. The plan worked; they were able to draw Kiana out of Arcanor, using themselves as bait. But in the end they did little more than wind her before she managed to escape. And below them, the Kindred fortress was barely minutes away from being overrun. Its loss was always inevitable, Savuk knew that, but he had hoped to bring a prize with him to the rendezvous point a few miles up the coast: Kiana’s severed head.

Again, Savuk glances down at Jafor’s twisted body. So…was it worth it?

Beside him, Chatra sways on his feet. “Will you be okay, son?” Savuk asks, putting a steadying hand on Chatra’s back.

“Yes…uh…sir,” Chatra stammers, trembling, his face covered in sweat. Suddenly he doubles over and vomits vigorously onto the rocks. “Just gotta throw up a couple of times.”

Savuk pats him on the back then walks down the hill toward Jafor. The medic looks up at him and shakes his head gravely. Savuk notes the medic’s pouch lying open on the ground nearby, and the empty vials of kaslekk extract lying next to it. Enough to kill.

A strange peace falls over the scene.

Savuk takes the dying soldier’s hand and sits with him, talking gently, until he dies.

Credits:
Orc and suit by Ghostofmacbeth
Posed in Poser Pro
Filters forged by Filter Forge
Bumps made crazier by CrazyBump
Rendered in LightWave 3D 9 and Carrara 7 Pro
Composited in Paint Shop Pro X2

Notes:
Bags of lollies consumed during creation: 3