Roderick and Gorlana Pt. 06

Roderick swung the sword, felt the balance and momentum and turned it into a fluid, spiralling slice through the air as he moved his feet smoothly over the soft ground, and adjusted to the weight of his shield.

Traulch stabbed and jolted the sword and his body alike, swinging the mace in a quick slice at the air in front of him, stomping at the ground again, and coughing an impatient hack out of his snarling mouth.

Torvrul stepped forward with a distant look, as the drum sped up, "Talbidagar!" he intoned loudly.

"Talbidagar!" the crowd replied

The speeding beat of the drum suddenly stopped with one loud final vibrating tone.

Roderick widened his stance, feeling the ground beneath his boots, the sword and shield in his hands, trying to feel one with them all. The air in his nostrils fed him the dismay and excitement of those around him, but he pulled tight his sails and tried to let that breeze of feelings blow past; to simply be. He would at least try to last as long as he could. Perhaps his body's new-found energy and strength would grant him more endurance than the orc, to outlast him. The Rechlinger did not seem likely to tire, though.

Traulch looked to the sky and bellowed a rumbling roar and looked across at Roderick, being only a few inches taller, but staring as though he was truly looking down on a rat. He took a step to the side nonchalantly and then suddenly, like a spring-loaded trap, launched his body and his sword arm forward. Roderick jolted to block him, having misjudged the longer length of Traulch's arm, and as the orc's lunge stretched forward with his sudden stab he reached Roderick's shield. Not just to reach it, but with strength enough to pierce it. Roderick bounced backwards from the blow, then as Traulch retracted, was whiplashed forward with the impaled shield, towards the deadly arc of the orc's mace.

He twisted with a desperate agility to swing his sword and redirect the mace to ricochet off the edge of his shield and knock Traulch's sword tip out of it. Roderick rolled passed the orc, coming up onto his feet ready to face him again but was not expecting Traulch's foot to meet him the instant he stood.

The air was forced painfully from his lungs as his body was driven backwards. Only the width of Traulch's foot spreading the force saved his ribs and sternum from breaking. He rolled backwards again, only just escaping another long stretching stab, and finally jumping to the side enough to allow his wheezing lungs to recoup and his mind to gain his bearings.

Traulch laughed menacingly, "You think your choice of weapon will force them to honour you? You will never win the honour of our Queen! Dead or alive!"

"I already have," Roderick replied simply, "You know I have. Why else would you be so upset?"

Traulch snarled and swung a long but blindingly fast slice down, that Roderick anticipated, but he still had trouble dodging out of the way in time. He jumped forward, opposite to Traulch's mace-arm, deftly arcing his spinning sword to slice at his side, but had to bring up his shield to block Traulch's quickly retracted sword, making his slice only shallow as his body and sword were both knocked away. Roderick again rolled, and came up flashing his curved sword quickly enough to intercept Traulch's boot this time, as it kicked him again, still knocking him back, but forcing Roderick's sword through the boot by the force of the orc's own kick, and yelling out in pain as his Rechlinger blood spilled from between his toes.

Roderick rolled up on to his feet again, with a painful cough, only faintly acknowledging a pride in spilling some of the orc's blood. He knew that to take a wound to the foot in such a way would be seen as a dishonour to some, and sure enough Traulch responded in outrage. Roderick only had time to dance sideways for a step before Traulch kicked a spray of sand in his face and lashed out with his heavy sword.

Roderick changed direction in the cloud and still only just dodged the blow, but had to block an unimaginably quick-responding attack from the mace in Traulch's other arm, sending him reeling back again, and wondering if the shield or his arm would break first.

He spat sand from his dry lips and blinked dust from his eyes.

"She will Rutt for me," Traulch muttered with a cold smile, "You may have twisted her into using that tainted human part of her mind for now, but she is still mostly an orc. An orc who will see her weak poorly-chosen mate die by the hand of a true champion. An orc who will Rutt for that champion in true honour, as the prize h-"

Roderick attacked, exhaling to try to keep his body from seizing up in stiff rage, but knowing the orc's words were effecting him too much. His sword still blurred in a smooth circular attack that bent and twisted to avoid Traulch's counter swing and bring him within reach, his sword spinning towards the Orc's neck. Traulch was able to bring his mace across to block the blow, but Roderick continued his spin and brought his shield heavily against the back of the orc's head before stepping quickly away from a second slice from Traulch's long-sword. He didn't seem slowed by it, only brought to a rage that matched Roderick's now. The two rivals' circled each other, trading quick attacks, Roderick spinning and slicing in fluid, deft movements, mimicking Gorlana's style with the sword that he had first witnessed all those years ago. Traulch stomped and stabbed in fast sudden bites of steel. Roderick drew blood from surface wounds on the Orc but the jarring shake of his bones with every blocked or glancing blow from Traulch seemed to affect him more.

Another leaping attack from Roderick batted the Orc's sword away and blocked his mace opening up a clean slice to his shoulder. He connected, deeply, but not deep enough and though the orc roared once again, he kicked at Roderick's knees, knocking the lighter human end over end to tumble painfully into the ground.

Roderick forced his throbbing legs to stand again, desperately blocking another of Traulch's incessant attacks, and succeeding at parrying the blade, only to receive Traulch's heavy knee into his guts. He let out a sickening wet grunt, tumbling across the ground again. His body, despite the endless determination of his rutting mind, was beginning to fail him, his lungs protesting both the dusty air and his shaken, cracking ribs, as he willed them to suck in more breath in a painful gulping wheeze. His elbows and wrists jolted painfully to move quickly enough to fend of another unstoppable attack from the murderous Rechlinger. First another long stab, and a heavy arcing mace-swing that nicked Roderick's ankle as it shook the ground beside him, feeling like it chipped a piece of bone through the boot from its momentum.

Roderick ignored the pain and paced quickly sideways to gain distance. Traulch eyed him with derisive hatred, seeming to grow impatient with his tactics. The orc spat sand from his mouth, growled, and charged like a juggernaut. This time he spread both his long brown arms wide to cut off any sideways retreat, and brought the sword and mace together like the jaws of a giant insect on its prey.

At the last second, Roderick hit the ground rolled forward under the clang of Traulch's weapons, his fingers still deft enough to flip the swords grip in his hand to stab upwards from underneath the orc. He hit true, sinking into the Orc's thick torso, but still not deep enough, and Traulch responded quickly enough to drop his knee on to Roderick's sword arm before he could roll away, pinning him to the ground. He landed a quick but skull-shaking blow to the side of Roderick's head with his elbow, and might have knocked him out cold with another heavier blow but Roderick was able to move his shield between to block it just in time. Traulch dropped his mace though, to grab the shield and rip it painfully from Roderick's flailing arm, and almost pulled his shoulder from it's socket in the process. Nonetheless he flailed that arm across himself to grasp the sword from his pinned arm, just as Traulch grasped his throat with one hand and re-gripped his heavy sword with the other. Both stabbed at each other's face at the same time, and Roderick only barely made it first, glancing off the Rechlingers tusk and cutting across his cheek, flinching him back enough for the long-sword to only graze Roderick's ear as he rolled away, his arm finally free.

Each with only one sword now, and each bleeding and furious, they stood, but Roderick was clearly in worse shape. Shaken and weakened despite his mind's unstoppable will, his breaking body could only take so many of Traulch's blunt heavy blows, even if he had avoided his blade. Traulch only gave him a second of respite as he licked the blood from his tusk and spat in offence. Then he took a long but impossibly-fast angled swing at Roderick, who somehow reacted quick enough to jump from the deadly slice that shook the ground again. As he landed though, Traulch's foot came around to strike him from the side and whiplash his body in the other direction to tumble over the ground again. He came up with a wet painful cough and spasmed to spin his sword quickly enough to ricochet another powerful swing into the ground and spiral an attack of his own, slicing at Traulch's other shoulder now and sinking into flesh again. Blood spurted out at the deeper cut, but it did not debilitate his arm, and made the Rechlinger snarl and lash out at him again all the fiercer.

Roderick, without his shield, was able to block the attack with his sword, but his wrists and hands vibrated painfully and almost dropped it. He shook his head and forced his tired body to ignore the sharp pain in his bones and fight his own style instead of responding to Traulch's. He danced to the side on the balls of his feet, and quickly changed directions to make Traulch flinch and stumble as he stabbed into the air where Roderick was no longer heading. Roderick spun his sword all the while, arcing it forward in a figure eight to keep Traulch from thrusting forward again and succeeding for a moment. Enough to catch his breath and steady his feet. He attacked now, before Traulch could, and made him block a blurring slice at his neck and turning the spinning sword to cut at the Rechlingers thigh. Again, more blood spilled from the deeper cut into the orcs muscle, but he felt little satisfaction seeing his leg still move unhindered. He needed to cut him deeper and deadlier, to end this quickly before he used up the last of his body's strength.

Traulch yelled out as more blood oozed from his leg, finally showing some distress on his face, but it seemed to only trigger an urgency into his fighting rage. The orc countered with another heavy swing that Roderick was forced to deflect, but kept his feet this time. Traulch lifted his sword and swiftly swung it downwards, but Roderick saw it coming, and dodged a step to the side, and as the heavy sword sunk into the dirt was able to leap and finally slice openly at the Rechlingers head. He had wanted to catch his throat but Traulch jolted his head to catch his sword in his teeth. It broke through his first tusk with a painful sounding crack, but not through the second and suddenly Roderick's sword was caught in the bloody snarling mouth of the brown brute. He twisted it to slice through lip and gum and make the orc yell and let it go, but at the same instant Traulch's pommel retracted and connected brutally with the side of Roderick's ribs, sending him flying in a somersault across the ground of the circle.

He couldn't help curling his body from the pain, and stayed crouched as he regathered his strength. Traulch took it for impending victory, smiling with what was left of his mangled bloody mouth, and was nearly right. Roderick's muscles were able to spring to action just in time, as the orc's long stabbing sword reached him for the killing blow. His curled up body sprang from its crouch to have the orc's sword only graze the leather over his stomach and Roderick jumped forward to land a heavy downwards kick with all his might on Traulch's hand, knocking away his grip on the pommel. He flew upwards from the force of the kick and yelled in fury and near disbelief at his sword point thrust uncontested now at the Rechlinger's throat.

It was not to be, as Traulch's free arm shot out to grasp Roderick's hand before he could shove the sword point through his snarling gullet. The sword jolted down and sunk just under the orc's collarbone, but not far enough as Traulch's overly long outstretched arm held it back. Before Roderick could fall, Traulch's other hand flashed up to grasp his face and skull in his wide clawed hand, and suddenly Roderick was hanging in the air. He yelled out in pain as his wrist was twisted and made to drop his sword, and the Rechlingers claws dug into his scalp and face, holding him up by his head. His helpless body flailed underneath it, kicking ineffectively at Traulch's solar plexus as the orc's fingers almost sought to crush his skull in one hand. Then the orc lifted him higher with a roar and slammed his body into the ground with a sickening thud.

Whatever breath might have been left in Roderick's lungs after he landed was forced out painfully as Traulch let go of his ringing head to stomp on to his chest and pin his body into the dirt with his foot. He held him there, writhing helplessly like a worm caught under a rock, slowly crushing his ribs with his weight and denying his lungs their need for breath.

Neither sword was in reach, but Traulch had no intention of relenting as Roderick's dying body panicked, punching and scratching at the orc's leg to no avail.

"You dared to draw my blood! To break my mighty tusk! To mangle the honour of my foot!?" The orc roared as he lifted Roderick's leg and ripped his boot off with enough force to almost dislocate his knee. "I will repay it TENFOLD!"

The orc's claws pinched down on Roderick's small toe, and pulled with a brutal strength to rip it, bone and all, off Roderick's foot. Roderick's opened his mouth in tortured pain but his empty lungs would not let him scream. His head ricocheted mindlessly off the ground as he was pressed under Traulch's foot. Blood and sinew fell from the end of his shaking foot. He detected a few Rechlinger voices cheering distantly, but a sombre silence otherwise seemed to surround him on the grounds.

"I will destroy your pathetic honourless body, bone by bone!" Traulch roared with a maniacal sputtering laugh through his bloody broken teeth, and bleeding from wounds on his face, torso and leg, but standing victorious nonetheless as he slowly crushed his chest.

No weapon was in reach. No twist or spasm could free him from the orc's pressing weight. He panicked as he felt teeth sink into his fourth toe now, and flailed in agony as it too was ripped off his foot by Traulch's mouth. His body wracked uncontrollably, seemingly trying to vomit from the pain but being unable to even do that. The longer bone from within his foot had ripped free with his toe, and hung from the orc's mouth as he snarled an ugly bloody smile and spat it into the sand. There was nothing of honour in the manner that Traulch was killing him, yet it would be a grave dishonour for any orc to interfere. There was no question of his fate now. His lungs wheezed as his diaphragm spasmed to suck in just enough breath to keep him conscious but still wallow in air-hunger and wishing he would black out. His head knocked back against the ground, too soft to render him senseless. He prayed to the Gods that Traulch would tire of his torture and simply let go to reach his sword and end his life quickly. The Rechlinger's clawed hand grasped all three of his remaining toes.

Suddenly Gorlana's voice screamed, "NOOO!!!"

A dagger was thrown from her hand as she leaped over the barrier in front of her. Traulch spun and reached out to catch it before it hit his throat, and instead cut into his hand. Zurgana and two other orcs grabbed Gorlana by the arms and held her furious fighting body from rushing at Traulch.

The Rechlinger threw the dagger down from his bleeding hand and stepped off of Roderick to reach for his longsword and snarled at Gorlana with a hateful look.

"Bitch!" He shouted, "If you will not see my glory here, I will rid Orthalia of a worthless Queen!" He lifted the sword high as he began to walk towards her.

Gorlana and the two orcs holding her shot their eyes wide, without weapons to defend against Traulch's impending attack. The other orcs, already alarmed at Gorlana's break in honour, all seemed about to shout in alarm at Traulch's sudden complete abandonment of it, but Roderick's voice called out first.

"NO!"

His body, seeing Gorlana threatened, somehow willed itself into motion. He crawled to his sword, grasped it and stood.

"You will not touch her!" Roderick's gravelly voice shouted, as he ran at Traulch.

The Rechlinger chief turned to look over his shoulder and grinned wide. Roderick barely had the strength left to stand and lift his sword. Traulch flexed his thick arms and wound up for an overhead slice. Roderick yelled out in a fury of final doom. There was no grace or skill left in him. As he ran headlong at the orc, he reached back and swung the sword in one hand in a simple sideways attack. Traulch's bloody sneering grin knew it for the desperate, hopeless attempt that it was, as he arced his longsword in two hands over his head. Roderick knew this as well, but all he had left, was to sacrifice himself.

Part of himself at least.

The orc's sword came down at Roderick's right wrist to slice it off, and would have, if Roderick hadn't let go of the sword at the last second. It still connected, slicing through the meat at the base of Roderick's thumb and his first two fingers. The deep stinging pain shot up his arm, but he leaned into it, and used the force of the cutting sword as a fulcrum to rotate his body as his legs used their final strength for one last leap as he spun towards Traulch. As he twisted and watched his right thumb and two fingers fall through the air, he reached with his left hand, across Traulch's outstretched arms, to catch his sword still flying sideways through the air. His fingers found the handle, as his body kept soaring past the orc, and he pulled the blade across Traulch's throat.

Blood erupted instantly from the wide clean cut, and Traulch's roar was cut off suddenly to a wet deflating wheeze. As the orc's sword wedged into the ground from his swing, he let go, but was not even able to reach up to the twin geysers of blood pouring from his throat, before his knees buckled, and his eyes shot wide in disbelief, before turning glassy and empty, and the Rechlinger's teetering brown body fell forward, lifeless on to the ground.

"RODERICK!" Valessa's voice suddenly screamed, and he turned to see the princess only just now making it into the sparring grounds and pushing her way through the crowd with Navarin and a few nobles rushing after her.

"RODERICK!" Gorlana's voice screamed, from the other direction, tears falling from her wide eyes in disbelief, dropping to her knees and shaking, the orcs at her side unsure whether to keep holding her back.

Valessa burst into the opening of the circle and took in the scene. Traulch dead on the ground with his blood on Roderick's sword. "Oh Gods, Roderick, what have you done?!"

Roderick held his half-amputated hand close against his shirt, trying to control the bleeding. Just as he was about to collapse to the ground, the swirling wind shifted and Roderick's sucking laboured breath tasted a scent that suddenly gave him the strength to continue to stand. It was her. Yet, it was so much more. Gorlana's scent struck him just as he was struck by two soldiers immediately grasping for his hand and his foot to put pressure on his wounds and the sound of Beleros rushing forth shouting instructions to them.