Page 46 of Mountain Orc Daddy

What we need is to break the link between witch and summoned. Without the bond, the witches will no longer be able control the creatures they summoned.

The easiest way to defeat a summoning spell is to kill the witch, but we can’t currently reach them, so that’s out.

Option two is a counter spell, but this is difficult and attempting it would reveal our witches.

The third and final option is to manually sever the link.

With this in mind, I begin carefully circling the creature in front me. I repeatedly bait it into attacks so that I study it further.

After the eighth failed attack, I find it, the binding point. A small, half-circle rune hidden in the forearm of its fur. It is glowing light blue.

I shake my head in disbelief. Aisling must have been in a hurry to create such a weak binding in such a vulnerable place. Or perhaps she had simply underestimated us.

Angling my short sword blade, I quickly slice through the creature’s forearm, just above the binding point. The creature howls in pain, clasping its forearm to its chest. The rage fades from its eyes.

The creature swivels its head left and right, looking around in confusion. It crouches low and I ready myself for another attack, but the creature bolts instead, fleeing into the tree line on my right.

Triumphant, I look for my next victim.

After a few seconds calculation, I sprint forward, severing the wrist off a gnarled creature, before spinning away and slicing off the arm of a second tentacled creature. Giving my wrist a quick flick, I stab my dagger into the forearm of a third hairless creature.

Pausing to admire my work, I see that the first creature I attacked lays on the ground howling, and the third creature I stabbed is currently attacking the tentacled one. None of the three show any interest in battling the orcs.

“Focus your attacks on their left forearms.” I call out to the orcs around me confidently.

I hear several grumbles of confusion, and no one moves to carry out my orders.

Then I hear Rogar growl beside me, and I watch as he launches at a spiny creature, quickly cleaving off its left arm at the elbow. The creature immediately flees, screaming.

The other orcs who have stopped to watch Rogar, hesitate for only a moment before charging forward to launch their own attacks. With a yell of my own, I join their charge.

I move through the ranks and continue to shout “Their left arms, hack off their left arms.” until my voice is hoarse.

The word spreads quickly, and soon the hordes of summoned are significantly thinned, as most of the now unbound creatures flee or battle one another.

It’s time I think, as I whistle sharp and clear. A few moments later I hear the crack of thunder and the searing heat of a fireball fly past as my family charges into the fray. They quickly blow through the weakened line of summoned and begin directly attacking the dozen or so rogue witches.

The rogues, now faced with battling the orcs as well as my family, begin to falter. A young male rouge is knocked unconscious, blood trickling from an open gash across his forehead. The orcs let out a cheer at the sight.

“Glory to the Broken Maws tribe!” I hear Uzul call out. Invigorated, I pump my fist in the air and charge once more into the fray.

“Filthy traitors!” I hear Aisling screech.

I look up to find her Aisling’s eyes focused intently on me. “Why do you betray your own kind and help the orcs?” she screams at me. “These filthy brutes are a blight on our world.”

I just shake my head and raise my sword, planting my feet in a wide ready stance.

Aisling stops her rant and stares at me curiously. “What is wrong little witch? Are you all out of magic?” I brace myself, teeth gritted as the blast of air she flings out slams into me.

The sound of her screeching laughter rings through the battlefield. “You don’t have a drop of magic in you, do you.” Aisling states, breaking into a fit of maniac giggles.

She waves her hand once more and a cold icy wall slams into me.Shit, a freezing spellI think to myself. I can feel a leg muscle twitching as I struggle to move, but it’s like I’ve been turned into a statue.

“You know, after I kill you, I think I’ll summon you back to the battlefield. Let you battle your friends.” She spits out the last word in disgust. She begins to saunter closer.

I watch as the orcs around her begin to rain down attacks, but they simply bounce off an invisible shield, Aisling paying them no attention.

“Say goodbye, little human.” Aisling calls out joyously. Even frozen, I can feel the electrical charge build in the air as she gathers power for her attack.

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