Tales of Ocora: The Wraiths of Omyr (Abridged) – Part 2
A short story by Philippe Burton & Dac Philippe Nguyen
Staff Writers
Soon enough, the tunnel began to divide itself into multiple branches.
“Keep following the light,” Rolym said.
The heroes progressed in the maze slowly, but surely. They turned left and right, went up and down. The labyrinth was dull. Everything was made out of rocks: the walls, the ground, and even the ceiling. Vaeryon played a few songs with his harp as they walked, in the hope of entertaining their minds and distracting them from the boring landscape.
“I can’t believe we still have a day to spend in this hole,” the bard said to Venali.
“Be careful of what you say; the mountain can hear us.”
They halted to rest after what seemed to be an eternity of wandering aimlessly.
“Vamir, help me set up the camp. Venali, be on guard. Vaeryon, just go sit on that rock and don’t do anything stupid,” the leader said as he dropped his backpack to his feet and started to unpack.
A few moments later, four deer skins and blankets were spread out on the ground. Vamir distributed the rations of bread and water that had been brought among themselves. The brothers-in-arms ate in silence and went to rest in their respective improvised beds.
***
Suddenly, Venali stood up. Something had disturbed him.
“Quick, hide behind those rocks,” he said to the two other Elves as he dragged Vaeryon with him, who was clueless about what was happening.
The mountain was trembling as if someone was drilling a hole over their heads. The Elves felt as if it would collapse on them. A fissure started to form in between the rocks of the ceiling. As it gradually grew, a dozen huge, dark silhouettes dropped from the gap. Howls all too familiar to the squad resounded in the labyrinth. The bright yellow trail illuminated the hideous faces of the intruders. They were covered in recognizable green paint.
The Raiders of the Black Tribe, Captain Rolym thought in fear. They are reputed to be the most violent unit across Ocora, killing their victims for pleasure. How did they manage to breach the mountain?
“The Great Shaman’s crystal globe spoke the truth. The labyrinth leading to the tombs of the dead Elves exists. And, look, there are four beds here,” the biggest Orc, who was probably their chief, said. He proceeded to sniff the air. “Four little Elves, just like the crystal globe showed. I can smell them! They aren’t far away. Capture them, they will be useful to open that damn door!”
The Raiders began to inspect their surroundings, getting closer to the rocks behind which the Elves were hiding. Rolym waved to his men, signalling them to prepare for combat. They each grabbed their sabres firmly.
As soon as an Orc passed by Rolym, he jumped out of his hiding spot, grabbing and decapitating him with a single stroke. The Elves followed his lead and rushed towards the Raiders at lightning speed. Vaeryon ran and strummed his magical harp, deafening their opponents. It seemed as though victory was within their grasp, thanks to him, but he ended up tripping at the last moment. In the process, his instrument slipped out of his hands, getting stuck in a cluster of rocks. The Orcs regained their senses.
Vamir tackled one of them to the ground and tried to finish him off, but the berserker had to get back on his feet to defend himself from two other Orcs. Venali was bobbing around and weaving through the battlefield. The tight space didn’t allow him to move as freely as he needed to, and he was quickly overwhelmed. The Elves fought valiantly and managed to kill five out of the twelve Orcs. However, the Raiders were too resilient. Blades were clashing incessantly, and blood was shed. Both parties were getting tired.
Eventually, things got worse. Vamir clumsily lost his footing, and he fell to the ground, losing his weapons in the process. Three Orcs immediately surrounded him. Vaeryon desperately tried to recover his harp, hoping to save his comrade, but it was too late. A scream of pain escaped Vamir’s mouth as the Orcs’ chief struck his abdomen with his battle axe. He died instantly.
“No!” Rolym screamed.