Corwin Benedict
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Risha Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2025-04-27 08:00:09 +0000 UTC“No Klu.” Risha turned away, looking over all of the injured orcs and goblins laid out on furs next to the river. Most of them were healed, and just resting. Only Tya and a couple of her assistants were here to heal. The rest of the healers were supporting the frontline, fighting off the offensive that had drawn Glo’s attention. She turned back to Klu and the chained up orcs. “They are your responsibility.”
Klu was shocked by her words, and couldn’t stop the increase of his heart rate as he looked over the orcs that had just become his responsibility. They all looked at him with awe in their eyes.
Diel had even bowed his head.
Klu turned back to Risha, only to find her speaking with one of the goblin lieutenants and motioning over towards them.
Klu shifted awkwardly, the goblins had gotten used to him, but many of them still looked at him with hatred. This one disliked him, but the fire in his eyes was nothing compared to some. The lieutenant motioned towards another goblin who ran over to Klu.
The goblin bowed his head to Klu, “I am High Goblin Warrior Rik, I will accompany you and your…” The goblin looked over the tied up orcs, “men. I am to tell others that you are under the protection of the Grand Mother.”
Klu pushed back his shoulders, taking on his old air as a leader. If Risha had trusted him with this task, then he would not fail her. He would show her that there are orcs that can be trusted.
But in honesty, he was terrified. Terrified to be leading again, terrified of the trust that was being placed in him. He missed the old days of living on the edge of the goblin village with his wife and children, where his greatest worry was a stray beast wandering too close to the weak little goblins.
He breathed in, then out, hardening himself to the challenges ahead. “Good. Help me cut their bonds.”
The ten orcs were quickly freed, but none of them dared to move without his permission. The goblin Rik was clearly uncomfortable with their strange obedience, but all it did was bring back painful memories for Klu.
Klu stood straight as he addressed the orcs. “Grab the injured. We will make camp near the fighting.”
“Yes, Mystic Klu.” Diel responded.
The gathered goblins were uncomfortable seeing the orcs they had just been fighting and killing walking among them to pick up their injured.
They quickly regathered around Klu, carrying the injured on their backs. “Diel, walk with me. The rest of you follow.”
Diel stood a head taller than Klu, but it was clear who was in charge as they made their way through the goblin camps.
Goblins watched their small troupe with curiosity and hatred as they made their way to the spot Klu had in mind. Thankfully, Rik stopped any issues by loudly proclaiming that they were deserters who served the Grand Mother.
A small pit of nervousness grew in Klu as they walked, but he decided to ignore it as he spoke to the orc beside him. “I see that you have become a Death Bringer, Diel. I always knew you had the skills for it.”
“I thought you were dead.” Diel responded.
Klu grimaced, “As do most.” Klu placed his hand on the pommel of the sword he usually kept hidden under his cloak. “It was the only way to protect my family from the chieftains.”
“Does that mean that Death Bringer Shasha…”
“She lives, yes. But she did not leave unharmed from the chambers.”
Diel bowed his head. “I apologize Mystic, if I had been stronger, or if I had known the truth.”
“Then you would’ve died as so many others did. It wasn’t a war we could win.” Klu shook his head, “But that is in the past. We look to the future now.”
“We fight for a goblin.” Diel said bitterly.
In one swift movement, Klu drew his sword and placed it against the other orc’s throat. Diel gulped, his eyes wide in surprise. Klu’s sword was an old creature, with many strange symbols inscribed down its length.
“She is the Grand Mother, and she has shown you more kindness than you deserve. Do not take her mercy lightly.” Klu bared his teeth at the younger orc, who flinched in fear.
“You serve her truly, Mystic?” Diel asked.
“She is my master and I am her servant. If you cannot accept her as your master, then I will end you now and spare you any further pain.”
Diel closed his eyes. “Forgive me, Mystic. I spoke hastily.”
Kiel looked at him for a long moment, then sheathed his sword. “If you prove yourself to her, you will live a life far better than any you could live under the chieftains.”
“You saw this?” Diel asked in awe.
Klu nodded. “The spirits pointed me to her.”
Diel looked to the night sky, the first lights of morning just beginning to show. “Then I will follow my oath with both my heart and soul.”
“Good. Speak to the others tonight and tell them what I have seen.” Klu paused, then spoke softly. “Bring peace to any you do not trust to serve their oaths.”
“I follow the will of the spirits.” The Death Bringer’s eyes shone with a dark light as he spoke.
The orcs arrived at the tent that Klu had been staying in, there was plenty of room around it for the orcs to begin to set up.
Hidden by the trees, two more orcs found the sweet embrace of death before the sun rose into the sky.
****
Risha looked at the orc camp with a frown. There was movement in the trees as the orcs prepared something, but Risha didn’t know what it was, and she didn’t like it.
Earth-Shaker walked up beside her, his dark eyes watching the movement with an unreadable expression.
“They’re going to attack again.” He said.
Risha glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.
“I can sense the approach of blood and death.” He matched her eyes, baring his teeth. “Ready your forces. This attack will break us if we’re not ready.”
Risha nodded, then took off towards where Glo stood with some of his lieutenants.They looked up at her approach.
“They’ll be here soon. Ready everyone.”
Glo nodded, then sent several of his goblins running off.
Risha walked towards her spiderlings. They rested on webs they’d created among the trees of the cliff. Underneath one of her daughters was a spear, her bow and arrows and a purple helmet made from the chitin of her spiderlings.
She put the helmet on, and strung her bow. The quiver of arrows went to her hip opposite her sword, and finally she picked up the spear, feeling the familiar wood in her hands.
Her spiderlings woke with her movement, stretching their limbs in preparation for the battle to come.
She made her way to the cliff, her spiderlings making their home in the trees above and around her.
Then they waited.
The orc camps were quiet, with no movement visible. The cloudy sky rumbled, breaking the strange silence that had fallen over both camps.
A drop fell on Risha’s arm, then water started to rain down. Webs and leaves grew heavy with the rain, creating larger drops that muddied the ground.
Risha’s eyes settled on the webs, heavy with droplets. Her heart froze as she realized that the webs covering the cliffs and protecting the pathways were completely visible to the eye.
Howls echoed out as the packs guarding the paths up the cliff were engaged by orcs. Still, the ravine below remained empty.
The goblins shifted as they heard the sounds of fighting in the distance, and the low rumbles of thunder.
The rumbling continued for a second longer, and she realized that it wasn’t just coming from above,
Risha jumped to the side as the ground beneath her exploded open. The risen dust was quickly settled by the rain, revealing a wide tunnel.
Orcs roared as they poured out of the hole in the earth, large spiders following them. Earth-Shaker’s personal pack met the charging orcs with a howl as Risha’s spiderlings fell from the trees to greet the enemy warbeasts.
Risha didn’t have a chance to gather her bearings as a large orc carrying a sword as big as her charged at her.
She ducked under the first swing, then rolled away as another swing buried the sword in the dirt where she’d been standing.
She jumped over the buried sword, her spear piercing the chest of the orc. The orc roared as he twisted his body with the spear buried in it, throwing her into a tree.
Her armor cushioned the impact, and she rolled away again as her own bloody spear pierced the tree.
The orc bled from a hole in his chest, but he didn’t care as he charged her.
Risha unsheathed her sword as she stepped outside the range of another swing. She stepped back in, her sword chopping the creature’s arm off.
The orc roared, but was quickly cut off as her sword cut its head off.
She had no time to celebrate her victory as the armor on her arm deflected an arrow into the tree next to her.
She turned to find two more orcs approaching her.
She gave out her own howl, the voices of the fighting goblins and kobolds joining her as she ran towards the two orcs.
She slid around the strike of one, then twisted her body to avoid the stab of the second. She spun, her sword cutting the stomach of the first, then immediately finding the neck of the second.
Neither one stopped as they bled out, their weapons thirsting for her blood. With a swish of her hand, she called upon the shaman magic within her to push both of them back and disrupt their swings.
She smiled, her sharp teeth visible under her helmet. She’d bitten her cheek when she was thrown into the tree, and blood dripped down her teeth.
They didn’t give up as despite their injuries, they charged after her.
Red mist rose from the ground, wrapping around their throats. Both heads rolled to the ground.
Eighteen Orcs wearing purple chitin joined the struggling goblins, turning the tide. Covered in his cloak, and surrounded by a strange red mist, Klu walked onto the battlefield.
He drew his sword, the red mist circling around him as he met Risha’s eyes. He bowed his head.
“Where do you need us, Grand Mother?”
Risha looked around, her gaze looking over the cliff to where tunnels had burst open in the middle of the goblin and kobold army. It was chaos as more orcs and warbeasts rode down to encircle her army.
She made her way to the spear embedded in the tree and pulled it out. She tapped the ground twice. Her spiderlings made their way to her.
“Hold the cliffs Klu.” She said as she mounted the closest spiderling. The orc bowed his head.
Her spiders knew what she wanted. With her at the forefront, they swarmed down the cliffside and into the sides of the approaching orc army.
