Page 5 of Steel & Thunder
“If Adam and Liss get back here before I do, let ‘em know that I’m getting us outta here.” I do my best to make my final words to my team sound confident and not so...final.
“Good luck, David.” Corrine gives me a sad smile from her side of the bars.
“Yeah, kick his ass, man.” Nate does his best to not look quite so unconvinced.
“We’ll be out of here in no time.” I try not to think about how our freedom—and my life—is on the line.
Leading me from behind, the orc pushes me past a few more empty cells until we reach the door I assume I heard earlier. It’s heavy and made of metal, though I don’t see a lock. He presses his wrist to the door, above the handle, and a second later I hear a click. Huh? Before I have a chance to ask anything, I’m pushed through it.
As I’m led through the building, I do my best to take in my surroundings. We pass a few more doors before we end up in a larger room with a few other orcs. Some are conversing, but most are seated at desks and looking at papers. A few watch with amusement as we make our way through the room before we exit a final set of double doors to the outside.
Wow.
We are definitely in a city. Buildings line the road on either side. The streets aren’t packed, but there’s plenty of people—orcs—going about their business. A hand on my neck has me moving again, my warden apparently tired of my gawking. We turn right, and then right again down the next street so we are facing behind the jail, and I see where we are heading.
What looks like a large arena over two stories tall is situated just a few blocks down from us. The bottom half seems to be made of wood while the top half is stone. We’re doing this with an audience then. I suppose I did ask for that. We pass several orcs along the way, some doing a double take when they notice the metal cuffs on my wrists. A few even run off to the arena ahead of us, I guess to get a good seat.
Once we reach the open-air building, I see that the wooden walls outside are actually just panels laid over more stone. Several have been carved with intricate depictions of orcs engaged in different activities. They’re mostly battle scenes, but I also see what I think might be some kind of game or sport being played, and occasionally just some orcs standing around talking. Before I can look in more detail, I’m pushed through another series of doors, past more orcs I don’t know—who all look at me funny. The guard finally slows down when we reach what seems to be the final door, knocking when we approach.
A woman opens the door, her skin, tusks, and large pointed ears a match for my jailer, though her hair is long and black. She says something in Orcish and the guard grunts in response before pushing me to her.
“Come with me, sweetheart.” Another orc who knows her Common, and also one who is a lot less pushy; she’s content to let me follow at my own pace into the room.
It’s a large room, not at all what I expected. In one corner is a wooden bathtub, the water within hot enough for me to see the steam rising from the surface. There’s also a table filled with food, and along one wall is a large mirror situated above a shelf covered with all sorts of bottles. There’s a couch against another wall with a second female orc currently sitting on it. About the only thing in the room I do expect is the huge amount of weapons lining one of the walls.
I follow my new guard over to the mirror. I’m only just realizing I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female orc before today, not even in artwork. I mean, I guess I knew they had to exist, but I’ve only ever thought of orcs as male. They don’t look any different than a human woman does from a man. I just never pictured them before for some reason. I’ve seen more than a dozen in the last twenty minutes, including the two in front of me now, both dressed in simple black robes.
“Did he leave the keys?” the other orc, whose dark hair is pulled into a bun, asks.
“Damn, I forgot,” the first orc sighs.
“It’s fine. Come here sweetie.” The other orc signals for me, and I step forward. She takes a hold of my cuffs, placing her hand over the lock before muttering something to herself. The lock on my cuffs clicks, the manacles easily sliding off. “Much better.”
“Now, do you need help getting ready?” the first orc asks. Both these orcs sound a lot more natural when they speak.
“Um, no thanks. I think I’m okay.” Get ready with what exactly? It’s a fight. Are they gonna spar with me or something?
“Alright. You should have about thirty minutes. Once the ritual begins, you’ll hear a bell chime. Select your weapon from the wall—only one—and then walk through that door there.” She smiles warmly as she explains, pointing at a door set in the same wall as all the weapons.
“Feel free to use any of the oils or perfumes along the mirror. Just one more thing.” The second orc leans forward and places her hand on my lower stomach, muttering to herself again.
Oooooohhh boy. Whatever she just did, it felt weird. Kinda like I’m… I dunno…lighter or something? The hell did she do that for?
“Alright, good luck.” The second orc winks at me, both women smiling before turning and leaving the room through a separate third door.
That was weird, but at least I’m alone for a little and can think. I make an immediate beeline to the table of food. It’s simple things like fruits and cheese, but still better than anything I’ve had in a long time. I haven’t exactly been eating great since we started traveling. I’ve lost a lot of weight, almost thirty pounds, and most of it was muscle.
I used to hold my own against Adam or Liss in a one-on-one fight, but now I can’t so much as arm wrestle them. It’s not like I’m starving or anything; I just never knew how much I needed to eat to maintain my size. You don’t really fill up on meals when you spend most nights sleeping outside. Still, what I lost in strength has been gained back in agility. I move quickly, precisely, using my opponent’s strength against them. I’ve even practiced picking a few pockets here and there.
Which is why I’m not too worried about my chances here. But I do need to eat something. I help myself to some of the food, stopping when I feel like my stomach is full, though not so full that it’ll hinder my movement. Then I look over the rest of the room. The mirror I really don’t see the use for, but the bath... I haven’t felt hot water in ages. I pull off my clothes and toss them on the couch. They’re nothing fancy, just a shirt, some pants, and a loincloth, all cotton.
I use the stepladder next to the large wooden tub to lower myself in slowly. Fuck does that feel good. For a few minutes, I just lay there with my eyes closed, content to mindlessly soak. Only for a few minutes though—I’ve got a death match to win after all. I spot a bar of soap and a washcloth on a small table next to the tub, and I am happy to scrub all the days of being outside off of my skin. I’m not sure how long I’m in there exactly, but the water never seems to go cold. These orcs certainly know their magic.
After a rinse and a few more minutes of soaking, I grudgingly pull myself from the tub. After weeks of nothing but cold river baths, that was heaven. I grab the towel laid out for me nearby, tossing it to the floor once I’m dry. I leave off my clothes, content to wander the room naked for now, something else I haven’t been able to do for a while.
I ponder the wall of weapons. There’s a lot: swords, staves, maces, bows, and quivers—just about any weapon I could think of and a few I don’t even know the names for. My weapon of choice used to be a broadsword, but after all the weight loss, I switched over to something smaller, usually a short sword. They’re lighter, and at the moment, easier to wield. I’ve been practicing using a second one in my offhand lately so it sucks that she said I could only take one.
I reach for a sword that looks to be a good size, removing it from its perch. Steel, I think, the blade sharp and well balanced. I practice swinging it a few times before adding in a few jumps and dodges. It feels a little silly to be doing this naked, but I want to get a good feel for this thing before I head out there. I wish I could use my own sword. It’s nothing special, but I’m used to it.
