Skirmish (Fangdarr): Ears

Skirmish (Fangdarr): Ears

Follow along each week for Skirmishes of characters of the Orcblood Legacy Series. These are real events that take place during the story’s timeline but are not detailed in the book.

Fangdarr pressed his back to the tree. Peeking around, he could pick out at least two dozen guards in the small village. The orc turned toward Raz’ja who had scaled a nearby tree and sat hardly visible through the screen of leaves. Even still, Fangdarr could see the spread of a wicked grin across the troll’s face.

Turning toward the town, Fangdarr listened to the low bustle of its people. The thought of killing humans did not breed any discomfort for the orc. He expected it never would—not after the fate his mother suffered. Though, the serene sound of innocent children giggling as they played together brought its doubts. Fangdarr looked to the remorseless troll chieftain and knew his companion would have no thoughts of mercy. He also knew it was too late to back out now.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, the orc shook away the plaguing doubts and started walking toward the village. Fangdarr stomped forward without fear as shouts started coming from the guards. They fear me before I even break words, he thought. Without hesitation, the humans started loosing arrows at him. Each missile whizzed past, only missing its mark due to their startled and shaking hands. After another few steps, one dug deep into Fangdarr’s arm, drawing a disapproving sneer from the invader and halting him in his tracks.

They should.

With a burst of motion, Fangdarr dashed toward the town’s gate. In their surprise, the soldiers had forgotten to close it, instead electing to simply shoot down the lone orc. But he wasn’t alone. As soon as Fangdarr passed the threshold, roaring with fury, Raz’ja leapt from on high toward the guard tower. The pair of daggers in his hands plunged into the spine of the nearest man as the troll landed, cackling as he quickly bit down onto the man’s ear and tore it off.

Instantly the once calm and joyous village erupted into chaos. The screams of women and children drowned out the shouts of the men attempting to organize their defense. A pair of guards ran toward Fangdarr with their swords raised but the large orc didn’t slow. He raised his greataxe high into the air and closed the distance with a bounding leap. As he landed, his weapon cleaved through the soldier to his right, severing him in two. On his left—to the man’s credit—the other guard managed to impale Fangdarr’s thigh with his blade before his face turned to horror upon witnessing the fate of his ally. Even worse, the wound the man had managed to inflict mended unexpectedly.

Fangdarr’s elation heightened as he watched every twist of his next victim’s face, jumping from each level of horror to the next. Reaching out, the orc grabbed the man’s tunic and lifted him to eye level. Opening his maw wide, his victims screams were muffled as the orc’s jaws clamped down onto his face. Fangdarr bit down with all his might, pressing his large fangs deep into the man’s skull. Beneath the crushing force, the man’s screams ended abruptly as his bones shattered within the orc’s jaws. Spitting out shards of bone, the orc pinched the dead man’s ear and pulled hard enough to tear it away. Fangdarr stared at the trinket for a moment before tucking it into a sack on his belt.