The Three Adventurers Pt. 04

"Do what?" Syn whispered and gestured frantically for him to get down.

The islander kept standing at full height and munched away on his apple like he didn't realise Syn wished to remain hidden.

"Hiding," he said drily, still fatigued from last night, with puffy bags under his eyes. "How can people not see you. I mean, you are not exactly the most petite girl. You're like... what? 6'4"?

"6'5. And are you calling me fat?" Syn snarled.

"No, but you aren't exactly fitting well behind these barrels either," Lyanne's right hand man said bluntly and made no effort to hide. "And I have seen where you finished Lord Bendric off. They must have been really blind or-"

"Years of training, I guess. Now, can you get down? I am in the middle of something here," she growled urgently.

"Obviously. Speaking of which what are you doing behin-"

With one swift motion Syn snatched the apple from Gunjon's palm, his eyes following it like his life depended on it before tossing it over the tents behind him.

"Go get it."

"I am no dog, Syn," he said, still completely unfazed and beyond tired.

"No, but you are hungry. You are always hungry, are you not?" she asked with a warm smile.

He sighed and eventually nodded as he clumsily turned.

"I am hungry... yes," he said defeated and continued his life-long quest to stuff his bottomless stomach.

Syn shook her head with rolling eyes before a loud metallic crack and heavy weight thumping into the ground filled the air. Her gaze returned to Fel and Lyanne... who seemed at odds with another. Or at the very least, she couldn't remember ever seeing Lyanne this angry looking.

'Is this all a fucking game to you?!'

Syn leaned closer and peaked out from behind wooden planks to see what was going on. Lyanne, all sweaty and pumped up stood in open challenge to Fel mere inches away from her. And her orcish lover looked more shaken than ever before.

'To rub it into my face what you did last night...and fuck me... another trophy... like Syn...'

She almost jumped out to stop that madness when she saw her second in command pulling Fel back. Lyanne's rage gave her the strength to overpower even a futa orc warrior, despite standing half a foot shorter than Fel. Syn leaned closer still in hope of deciphering what had occurred between the two. They seemed to enjoy each other's company greatly just hours ago!

Fel looked horribly distraught and never raised her voice beyond a whisper which vanished before reaching Syn's human looking, but very much elvish ears. Lyanne on the other hand was roaring louder and more vulgar than the half-elf had ever heard before.

This wasn't like her, Syn thought. Throwing insults at Fel, even calling someone as honest and straight-forward as her a liar... what had happened?!

And then she heard Lyanne mentioning the one word that must not be mentioned around Fel: Elves.

"No..." Syn muttered and felt fear gripping her as she began pleading. "Do not... say it."

'Still playing the 'stupid card'? I mean the part where you said how they all needed to die and then you END UP FUCKING ONE THE SAME FUCKING NIGHT!'

Lyanne couldn't have been any blunter and her betrayal any more complete.

Syn's heart sank with the rest of her body into the dirt behind her barrels. She knew what that reveal entailed. Her life was forfeit... at the very least her any life with Fel. And the rest of it too if she didn't act fast.

She collected her thoughts and caught her breath for one last glance. Fel was just standing there in total silence, staring past Lyanne who was still tearing up for some fucking reason. And then she heard all she needed to hear.

"I am going to tear that filthy elf limb from limb."

Syn waited for her moment and vanished into the tents behind her, out of sight for Fel... who headed straight for the 'filthy elves' home, with Lyanne following her.

All grace in Syn's steps was surrendered for her desperate escape. She stumbled into behind tent after tent, just to avoid as many prying eyes as possible. She needed to get to her own one last time and then she needed to leave. As far away as she could from Fel. Or else she would be dead. Syn looked over her shoulder with mortal agony for any sound that crept out of every corner until she ran into strong shoulders... and a rapidly receding hairline.

"Not you again," Gunjon said in an annoyed tone, this time armed with half a cheese wheel, which he shielded like his newborn.

Syn grabbed him by the collar, out of breath and with watery eyes.

"I need your help," she begged in desperation and barely brought out the following words. "Fel is going to kill me."

Gunjon, still visibly drained and with a bored expression on his face listened keenly and within a second, he was like reborn. The toll of last night's drinking washed off him the moment he was called upon as the hardened, beyond loyal veteran he was.

"Follow me, boss," he said, dead serious and even dropped his cheese. "We'll protect you."

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'I am going to tear that filthy elf limb from limb.' Fel said and lightened up with murder.

And Lyanne knew she screwed up... big time!

"Wait... what?" she asked in disbelief and felt a cold shiver taking hold of her.

She just sentenced Syn to death, without her knowing, but that didn't matter.

"You did not know this?!" Lyanne pleaded and had to hurry to keep up with Fel. "Everybody knows!"

"Now I do too," the orc said, void of all emotion.

"Wait!" the knight screamed, but words couldn't stop Fel at this point.

Lyanne had to run before the imposing orc warrior and spread her arms to halt her.

"I SAID WAIT!" Lyanne demanded, with men rallying around her to see what caused this early morning commotion. "I had no idea you did not know this!"

"What does it matter to you?" Fel growled and barely even looked at Lyanne.

"I cannot let you hurt her. She did nothing wrong," Lyanne said, tensing her muscles like that could threaten Fel in the slightest.

She was fully aware of the truth. She had no means to stop Fel without her weapons. Fel's advantage in raw strength and reach was undeniable. And Fel knew that too. The towering orc paused for a moment and clearly didn't even consider Lyanne a threat.

"She made me sleep with an elf. My blood demands I rip her head off for that," Fel stated without an ounce of sympathy.

"No! You cannot do this, Fel! I will not let you pass," Lyanne said, the guilt wearing heavier on her than the heavy paw Fel laid onto her shoulder.

"Step aside, Lyanne," the 7'4" greenskin said softly, almost with a hint of sadness. "I have no quarrel with you. I never had."

Lyanne investigated Fel's piercing grey eyes for answers. She looked conflicted, but also adamant to kill Syn.

"You do not have to do this!" Lyanne shouted and began tearing up uncontrollably. "This... is... all my fault. Not hers."

Fel halted and even rested her second hand on the knight's shoulder, almost like she wanted to console Lyanne.

"Nothing about this is your fault," Fel said as she leaned in for a whisper, her arms swung around Lyanne with great care, her guard fully down. "But what happened cannot be changed."

The knight looked around for a split second and found maybe one last shot on redemption... to avoid this crisis before it turned bloody.

"I really wishe-"

Fel's words were cut short, when Lyanne pulled the orc's bulking arms closer and rolled the giant desert warrior over her shoulder. Fel crushed hard into the floor with a deafening thump, accompanied with the gasps of everyone standing around the two.

An enraged orcish growl danced in the air while Lyanne rushed for one of the surrounding banners and pulled it from the soil. Fel's grey eyes widened in shock when she stared down the sharpened end of her band's insignia, with Lyanne holding it mere inches before the orc's throat.

"You will not hurt Syn... you... huge brute!" Lyanne hissed. "Nobody dies today!"

She saw Fel's face shift from one of unbridled anger to one of fear... to one of... grief? Even tears welled up in those orcish eyes where they were filled with murder just seconds ago.

"I am... no brute," Fel whimpered and knocked the spear aside and began to sob.

Lyanne was taken aback by that outburst. She didn't even know orcs could cry. And Fel had always been genuine in her emotions, she saw that now. This sadness... was real.

"I am done! Fuck this! Fuck all of you!" Fel cried and after one last, long gaze upon Lyanne burst into tears so miserably, it was impossible not to feel sympathy for her.

"Fel..." Lyanne muttered, once more taken by guilt and lowered her improvised spear.

Fel didn't turn around and just rushed for her tent, both hands shielding her face and wiping off tears.

"Fel!"

Lyanne could only see her huge comrade shrink as she ran past dozens of baffled faces before vanishing amidst the sea of tents.

Rarely, did Lyanne feel this horrible over anything in her life. Not only did she turn Fel against Syn, but now she also brought someone who just offered her hand in friendship to tears.

"FUCK!" she screamed and in a fit of unbridled anger about herself broke the wrist-thick wooden shaft over her knee.

She had to set this right somehow.

That was the least she could do after causing this much damage... to everyone.

Lyanne saw it in the faces of the boys who lined up in front of their tents, now that the entire camp was awake. They felt sorry for Fel... and rightfully so.

Her footsteps were cautious but never fearful as she entered Fel's tent at the end of her walk of shame. She had never been inside of the orc's little domain, Lyanne realised. And seeing Fel had turned her tent into a touch of her far-distant home, with figures, pelts and trophies lingered all over, made her shame weigh only that much heavier.

"Fel... listen... we need to talk," Lyanne said as softly as she possibly could.

"No, we do not," Fel said and kept hurling all her precious memorabilia from her long journey into a massive sack, without any consideration if she broke them. "I am leaving."

"We... do," the human whispered. "I came to... I am sorry... I had no right... to say anything about you... and Syn."

"That is no longer your problem," Fel hissed, her broad back still facing Lyanne.

"It is... Fel... I... apologize for being angry with you," she said and walked closer. "I am sorry for being... envious."

"Envious?! "Fel growled and paused for a moment, before concluding. "Pah! You can have the elf!"

"That is not... what I am asking..."

Fel stopped her frantic packing and sighed, the outline of her dried tears still coursing down her cheeks and chin as she faced the smaller futa.

"Why are you here then?"

One could tell it pained the enormous warrior to look at Lyanne.

"I came to ask for your forgiveness," Lyanne said with a trembling voice. "I hurt not only one... but two friends today. I am... so sorry."

The same sadness as earlier claimed Fel, the same that robbed her powerful voice of its strength.

"Friend? I am just... a brute to you. A beast," she spat.

Lyanne grabbed Fel's gigantic hand and felt its thick and radiantly warm, almost feverishly hot green skin on hers.

"I... did not mean it. Fel... I... was not myself..." Lyanne whispered and lowered her head in shame. "I consider you my friend... and I hope you decide to stay with us."

Fel shivered so noticeably all the metal ornaments on her rattled when emotions came to pour out of her again. She pulled her hand away in a hurry.

"As long as I do not kill the elf," she muttered, equally soft-spoken.

"As long as you do not harm Syn... yes," Lyanne clarified and added. "If you promise me that... I promise to be... a better friend than I was."

"I... would like that," the towering desert warrior whispered eventually in an untypically mousy tone.

Fel's broad shoulder twitched, and her muscles flared as she wringed through to an answer.

"But what... does my word count. I am a liar," she said and looked over her shoulder.

"You are no liar... even I... can see that now."

A moment of deafening silence followed, with only their gazes giving any insight on the troubles within.

"Fine. You... have my word, Lyanne," Fel said eventually, but also continued to wrap up what must be ritualistic figurines, for she treated them with careful reverence. "I have to... think... about leaving... and other things."

"I hope... you change your mind and stay with us, Fel," Lyanne said and laid one hand on the orcs enormous traps. "I really do."

Lyanne waited outside Fel's tent for a bit longer, not only because the entire camp was on high alert now. The news of Fel wanting to kill Syn must have spread like wildfire. And Kalthorn and Brossim surely did the rest.

There were a at least a dozen men present when the tallest of their own rose from her tent, her heavy broad axe tied to her back... but at the very least the orc left her possessions behind.

Fel only nodded towards Lyanne but didn't say a word. Not to her "friend" and not to anyone who attempted to talk to her as she passed them. She walked out the wooden gatehouse and headed for the forest... without the assurance of her return.

Only after minutes of self-loathing did the disgraced knight swallow her curses and headed to Syn. That part would not be any less tormenting.

Gunjon and at least another 40 men, many barely wearing half their armour and weapons, and some even struggling to stand, set up position before Syn's tent. With spears, crossbows, and shields.

"Lyanne?" he asked with wide eyes. "Where is... Fel?"

"She will not come," she whimpered and laid a hand on Gunjon's padded shoulder. "You will not have to face her."

His beard danced when he let out a sigh of pure relief. They might be a formidable fighting force, but Fel, this in rage, would have cut through most of them like butter. Everyone was aware of that.

"Is Syn inside?" Lyanne asked, dreading any answer.

"She is... but I doubt she wants to see you, Lyanne," Gunjon said caringly.

"Can I still try?" his fellow islander companion asked timidly.

He just nodded and lifted his pike and the rest of the shield wall followed. Lyanne could see it in their faces, they all knew who was responsible for the tragedy unfolding today. And so did Syn.

Lyanne trembled with fear and only entered Syn's inner sanctum after a deep breath.

It looked like a storm had rampaged through the tent. And just when Lyanne dreaded Fel had broken her promise, a frantically breathing Syn emerged from behind her huge bookshelf.

"You!" Syn hissed, her hazel eyes burning with dried tears and rage. "You have got some nerve to show up here!"

And Lyanne knew... she deserved all the hate she would get.