When I saw all the surprise attacks play out without any change to the torches in the valley, I was sure of it—the raids were just a distraction. If the enemy really wanted to break through the gate, there was no way the army in the valley wouldn’t have budged. Even if the present force had managed to take control of the gate, if that were truly the plan, there was no telling if they would be able to hold it without those supposed reinforcements. No, that torch-bearing army would have to be close by and ready to immediately lend support. Their real objective lay elsewhere.
The surprise attacks were drawing nearly all our troops to the east. It stood to reason their true target lay to the west, but what would they want there? It could only be the entrance to the underground chamber. At the moment, the majority of the temple’s priests who could use mana were gathered there. If the enemy got to them, the priests would be massacred. Protection magic was the greatest defense humanity had against the orcish armies. Losing the priests would shatter humanity’s hope for resistance.
There were other possibilities. Perhaps the enemies on the west side hoped to get over the wall to attack the garrison from within. Or maybe they intended to take the central tower and render the floodgates useless. It was possible the orcs didn’t know about the gathered priests, and how could they ever know about the hidden entrance to the underground chamber?
Yet my gut firmly told me the underground chamber had to be their goal.
I didn’t often rely on my instincts, but on the off chance the enemy made it there, it truly would be a national crisis. I needed to stop it no matter what it took. If I was wrong, then so be it. I could just help out whoever needed me after that. I’d at least check, and if I was wrong I’d lend my strength elsewhere.
I raced for the western tower, plunged inside, and pounded up the stairs. I ordered the lookout I encountered there to let me know if any enemies should appear. Then, I opened the entrance to the secret passage and raced down the long stairwell to the underground chamber.
There were two reasons I didn’t wait to watch for enemies atop the wall. Firstly, if they came in great numbers, there was a chance those beak-dogs of theirs would just jump over me anyway and slip past. Secondly, if they did try to infiltrate the underground chamber, I could bottleneck them in the narrow stairway and hold them off until Herbert sent help. Additionally, the stairwell would hamper the use of their beak-dogs, so I probably didn’t have to worry about them.
Rushing into the chamber, I immediately called out for Worion and told him to evacuate all the priests into the surrounding rooms. They had nowhere to run if I failed, but it was too late to lead them out through the tower. Still, I was feeling pretty good about my odds.
Soon enough, my instincts proved correct, and orcs appeared in the chamber. They didn’t immediately attack, though. I didn’t know how many of them would come, so I told myself I mustn’t wait for more than ten to arrive before I acted.
One, two, three… Soon there were six, but no more. I actually felt a little disappointed, but I recognized a familiar face among them, and a satisfied smile came to my lips.
The one-eyed orc…the one who’d dodged my spear thrust from behind during our first retreat. The Black Dog, was it? I’d asked around and found he was well known among the humans too.
If he was leading them, his companions could be no regular orcs, but select elites—worthy adversaries. Yet for some reason, none of the orcs moved. Then again, I couldn’t blame them. With no priests to obscure the glowing symbols that covered the floor, the sight of it was eerie and unsettling. It looked like the orcs needed a wake-up call.
I manifested a spear and hurled it at the Black Dog. However, the large orc beside him reacted before his master could. He pushed the dazzled Black Dog out of the way and took my spear of light to the lungs.
That was enough to wake them up. They pulled the guns holstered at their hips and began firing, but I quickly formed a shield and repelled the bullets. Before they could change their tactic, I charged at the Black Dog. I swept at the orcs with my spear, and they all managed to dodge it, just barely. That was how it had to be.
I didn’t want to kill the Black Dog just yet. I needed to demand he tell me how he’d known to come here. I evaded his saber and kicked him in the midsection with all my might. He slammed into the wall by the entrance, then slumped to the floor.
Before I could take a breath, an orc flew in on either side of me. If possible, I wanted them all alive, in case one proved more talkative than the others, so I formed a spear in both hands and merely severed their blades. However, they dropped their broken swords and attempted to seize hold of me with their hands. This was getting too dangerous. While orcs were small, they could overpower in numbers, so I nimbly jumped to avoid them.
The remaining two orcs came at me from behind, hoping to catch me by surprise. Dammit! When did one of them get behind me?! They’d even attacked with a calculated delay just long enough that it would make it hard to dodge.
I dematerialized one of my spears so I could reach out for the nearer of the two fighters, grabbing the hand that held his saber and pulling him in close. Shock showed in his face as I used his momentum to spin him through the air. With that spin, I avoided the lunge of the second of the two behind me.
From the corner of my eye, I could see the Black Dog preparing to drag himself back to his feet, and I decided to give up on taking the others alive.
First, I hammered my spear of light into the one who was currently charging me. I leapt back to dodge a second one, simultaneously skewering an orc who was going for my flank with a saber. As I whirled around, I swept the legs out from under another saber-wielder. It was then that the one I’d just dodged managed to grab on to my leg. The surviving saber orc stood up and made to thrust at me, but he was too late. By that time, I’d already stabbed the orc clinging to my leg, kicked off his body, and jumped sideways.
The last orc whipped his head wildly, as if he’d lost sight of me. What he found was a spear through his torso.
Oh, they’d been formidable. There weren’t many who could fight me to that extent, even among the humans. Yet they were now gone, and I turned my eyes back to the Black Dog. To my surprise, he was already on his feet. His legs were visibly shaking, but he was upright, and I almost admired him for that.
Even more surprising, he still had the will to fight. He stared straight at me and held out his saber. He was not acting out of desperation, nor had he lost his mind—he simply refused to give up. He was a true warrior, through and through.
I sensed he was still hiding something. If he intended to entertain me, then I was game. I extinguished my spear and drew my sword. I took my stance, the point of my blade trained on him as he cautiously closed the distance. Surely, he didn’t think he could beat me with sword skills? He had to have something else up his sleeve.
I kept my eyes on him, not letting the slightest movement escape notice. Suddenly he halted, just out of my striking distance. He stayed there, frozen, and I suspected he wanted me to make the first move.
If that was his intention, then I would oblige. I leapt and, with one powerful swing, smashed the sword out of his hand. As his body lurched back, I kicked him again and sent him to the floor. There, I pinned him down with one foot.