A Misfit Orc

Journal of Varrin Stormviel book 3 page 1

     I stood on the small balcony outside of my room overlooking the courtyard below me. It was very early in the morning, so the new students were just now arriving at the courtyard for their lessons with Otah. He was a great teacher for the newer initiates, just as good with them as he was with us. I looked out at the massive base that we had built over the last two years. We had made two major extensions onto the massive base to make room for the refugees and the fighters we had taken in. The small group of misfits had become a real sanctuary. The dream we had when Sumi and I made this tribe was finally happening.

      My thoughts were interrupted by a pair of muscular arms wrapping around me. “Morning ace.” Said a familiar female voice as Sumi planted a kiss on my cheek. My chest filled with overwhelming love as her lips hit my skin. Gods, even after two years of having her in my arms I felt like I still couldn't get enough. She leaned forward and looked down at the courtyard. “Looks like the newbies are doing well.” This new group was from a border village whose entire town was burned to the ground by a pack of Cerberus. Many of them saw us fighting and wanted to learn how to defend themselves. It made me feel proud of what we were building when I saw them.

      I nodded. “It's easier when they have a reason to fight, besides Otah is just brutal enough to beat people into shape.” I remembered back on my own training before we reached Durik and how much stronger I became because of it.

    Sumi shrugged. “At this rate we'll need another extension onto the base, that or send a few of them to Rivington with Alias.” I pursed my lips a bit at her name. It still didn't quite sit with me that we were working with her, but she was a good woman and after she sent a few young mages my way that were appearing outside of Alexandria we formed a working relationship. She would take in anyone who developed magic outside of the city walls and I would help them harness their magic. It concerned me greatly that there were so many rogue mages over the last two years, granted the mages weren't hunting them down the same way they had under the Magistrate.

     I shook my head, trying to get my mind off of Alias and the business of our base. I looked at Sumi and a small fire lit inside me at the curves of her nightgown and the breasts that were thinly veiled. “You know, we have an hour or two before we're needed downstairs.” I said as I stepped toward her.

     She cocked her head at me and those purple eyes blazed with desire. I could see her breasts tighten from under her thin nightgown. “Oh, and what would we spend all that time doing?” She asked in a sultry voice that set me on fire.

     I got within an arm's reach before my body halted suddenly. I felt a cold, supernatural wind hit my body and my blood practically froze. I tried to fight it, tried to control whatever otherworldly source was trying to take over my body. As I tried to fight my body flared with pain. I turned my body away from Sumi, facing the balcony. A deep raspy voice filled my head with a low laugh. “There is a cost to such power.” I felt the underlying threat in the Magistrate's words, but this wasn't her. This was something far worse. I recognized it as the same one I had heard in my head when I killed her.

     Sumi moved around so she stood in front of me. “Ace?” She asked, clearly concerned about my condition. She reached up and grabbed my arm. I felt my magic flare as the black aura I had killed the Magistrate with surrounded me and without my control my arm slammed to the side and backhanded Sumi, sending her flying off of the balcony. My heart sank and I tried to take control of my mind again but no matter what I did my body was out of my control. I let out a scream but it went silent inside of the prison in my mind.

     I leapt over the balcony and landed in the middle of the courtyard. Otah was in the process of helping Sumi up as I landed. I tried once again to take over my body but I couldn't even move a finger. I had to simply watch as this happened. All of my friends formed around me, blades drawn and I wanted to scream at them to run, but they couldn't hear me. The being that took over me looked around at each of my friends. “Ah, the mighty Octos… I've been watching you for some time, it's a pleasure to finally meet you.” The voice was gravely but carried a level of decorum that was surprising, but each word carried such darkness I couldn't help but fear it. 

    Sumi gripped her ribs as she grabbed one of the blades the initiates had left on the ground. I could already see a bruise forming on her right side through the nightgown. “Who are you?” She asked. “What did you do with Variin?”

     I felt a smirk form across my face despite the horror that I was feeling. “The name is Rackshaw. Varrin's going to be taking a backseat for a while. He owes me after we saved the world.” Rackshaw did a sarcasticly over the top bow.

     Sumi seemed to come to the same realization I had earlier, that this being was the same one that had powered my auras and helped us kill the Magistrate. She took a deep breath and held her sword toward me. “Give him back.” She ordered, so coldly that I could hear the inherent threat in it.

      Rackshaw shook his head slowly. “No, I have plans for him, and plans for all of you if you work with me.” He put his hand up to his chin in a sarcastically over the top motion. “How about this, you work with me and maybe i'll let you still play with this body on occasion.” His smile twisted in a way that I wished I could stab the damn entity.

     Sumi raised her blade as a tear fell down her face. “Let him go!” She screamed, her voice so raw and emotional it made my heart break. Her hand shook, but she knew what she had to do.

      Rackshaw held out his arms in a taunting motion. “Come and get him.” He said. Kerrigan was the first to attack. He struck from the right side, almost out of view. Rackshaw ducked under the first strike and the two subsequent attacks as Kerrigan became a flurry of steel. Rackshaw sighed as he landed a jab on Kerrigan's throat. The attack let out a crack as something broke. “Pathetic.” He muttered. Kerrigan dropped his blades and before anyone else could reach him or before Kerrigan's blades could even hit the ground, he caught the blade and drove it through the half-orc's chest.

       For a moment there was nothing but stunned silence. Kerrigan looked right into Rackshaw's eyes, my eyes in surprised dread. “Varrin.” He whispered. My heart dropped as life left his eyes. I let out a scream in the prison of my mind and I wished so much that I could hear the sound. This was my body doing this, even if I wasn't in control… I killed him.

       “No!” Screamed Otah as he slammed his elbow into Rackshaw's jaw. I prayed to any god who would listen that this would work. Otah was the strongest of us. If anyone has a chance of winning this it was him. Rackshaw seemed to regain a bit of his composure as he dodged back and avoided each of Otah's strikes.

      Rackshaw smirked as he blocked a large overhead strike. “Not too bad orc, but do you really think you can beat me alone?” He pushed back on Otah and Otah struggled as the strength of Racksaw was clearly too much for him.

      Otah gritted his teeth as Rackshaw pushed him back. “That's the thing, I'm not alone.” Otah spun around, moving out of the way of Rackshaw's reach. Before he could react a bullet struck him in his right arm. Rackshaw let out a hiss as he put his hand and used a ward shield to block the next three shots. Otah moved in to attack while Rackshaw was distracted and Fennik prepared to make a few more shots. As the bullets flew Rackshaw caught Otah by the throat, dropping the ward shield and held Otah forward as a body shield. Two of the bullets landed in the orcs chest, then the third impacted his skull. I watched in horror as my mentor's body went limp. I wanted to scream, wanted to punch something but I couldn't do anything but watch.

     Fennik dropped his rifle in horror at what he had done. He fell to his knees and a few tears fell down his face in the small moment before Rackshaw teleported forward and slashed across his throat with a claw made out of arcane energy. Fennik fell a moment later.

     Kyreen and Sumi moved in together, hoping to overwhelm Rackshaw by working together. Rackshaw dodged each strike as he seemed to barely be trying. He hit Sumi hard enough to send her flying back. Kyreen tried to strike with her Javelin but Rackshaw caught the weapon and held his free hand forward. “Such a disappointment.” He muttered as a torrent of flame shot out and the only thing I heard was Her piercing scream.

             Rackshaw moved on without a second thought as he walked past the ashes toward Sumi. She tried to slash at him with her blade but Rackshaw caught the blade and twisted till I heard the snap of her arm. Sumi let out a cry of pain as Rackshaw moved his hand to her throat and lifted her up. Sumi gripped the arm with her free hand as she stared right at me with those bright violet eyes. “Varrin!” She screamed.

       I tried with everything I had to take control of my body but the voice laughed inside of my head. “This is my world now, you are no longer needed.” I beat on the mental walls of my mind but nothing seemed to break it.

      A tear fell down Sumi's face as she let go of my arm and reached for my face.  “Please…” She begged as she tried to break me out of my trance. I gave every bit of my magic as I tried to break free but I felt powerless against this being.

     The raspy voice of Rackshaw filled my head again. “There's a cost to such power.” He then twisted his hand and I heard the horrifying snap of her neck.