Gleeson The Defender The Conclusion

Gleeson walks over to the orc standing in the middle of town. Gleeson lets a knife fall from his sleeve into his left hand, hiding it from the orc. “We can negotiate so that most of this town can survive and we can go back to how things were.”

“I want my father’s sword.”

“That won’t be an opti-” But the orc can’t finish. Gleeson slices his throat with a flash of his blade.

He grabs the tip of the knife in the same motion and sends it flying at the closest orc to him. It slams into the skull of the orc, sending it off the horse. Gleeson grabs the sword from the fallen orc in front of him. The orcs are all in shock at the audacity of the humans.

Gleeson sends the short sword in a flying arch over the orcs, finding its home in the chest of a shaman. Within seconds of the shaman falling to the ground a volley of arrows comes over the clan. Most of the shamans are able to get shields up before arrows take them but some fall dead from their horses.  

Once the shaman fall dead the spell on the trolls is released. The trolls shake their heads, the cloudiness of the spell fading away. The largest troll looks around and sees the chain leading to the orcs. “Kill the orcs.”

The few trolls that are freed from the shaman control attack the ranks of the orcs ripping out the throats with their teeth. Gleeson takes advantage of the stunned orcs and races down the street toward the orcs taking out his daggers.

He leaps in the air at two orcs on horses. His blades find their throats spilling more orc blood all over him. He lands as the two orcs fall of their horses behind him. A sword comes down at him. He blocks it with his knife and swings hard with his left knife taking the arm off at the elbow. The orc falls to the ground holding its upper arm trying to stop the bleeding.

Arrows scream by Gleeson’s head crashing into orcs. The town’s people charge the orcs with spears in hand. They collide with them in the middle of town. Jake is getting surrounded by the other groups of orcs coming in from the other parts of town. “To arms.” Jake commands all those that can fight in his group.

Gleeson and the trolls make short work of the small group in front of them with the help of the archers. “We’re in your debt.” The troll confronts Gleeson as the rest of the orcs are destroyed around them.

“We couldn’t have done it without you.” Gleeson offers his hand. The troll reaches out a clawed hand, they shake, grasping their forearms.

“The children.” Erik points from a distance. Gleeson follows seeing Jake and those under his command on the other side of town. Without hesitation, Gleeson moves to his father’s claymore. He pulls it from the sheath attached to the dead orc. He runs to help Jake, his claymore held high.

He slides to a halt behind the orcs, whipping his claymore at their necks taking off at least four heads and slicing open necks. He pushes the tip of the claymore in the back of an orc like a spear driving it forward impaling another. He pushes his way into the center where Jake is. He lets go of his claymore letting the momentum of the orcs crash to the ground.

Gleeson’s energy forces him to the ground but his agility allows him to pull his daggers from their sheaths as he rolls to his feet. “I was beginning to wonder if you forgot about us.” Jake looks around at the orcs closing in, their teeth bared.  

“I was already drinking, figured you had this under control.” Jake looks at Gleeson and rolls his eyes. “You have us surrounded.” Gleeson calls out to the orcs. “All I ask before you attack is one thing.” The lead orc holds up his hand halting them.

“The time to negotiate is over.”

“You’re mistaken, I plan on taking your head, along with several others, I was just curious on what you’re planning on doing with them?” He points with his knife behind the orcs.

The orcs turn just as several trolls jump into the middle of them. Chaos breaks out all around with blood flying everywhere. Jake and Gleeson hold the center with the rest of the town’s people defending those that can’t fight. To Gleeson’s surprise, Jake is doing quite well against several opponents, deflecting multiple attacks at once.

He can’t deflect all of them though, and his calf is sliced by a downward strike. He falls to the ground, still fighting them off. The blade comes from his blind side, going straight for his throat. “No.” Gleeson steps in front of the blade taking it in the belly.

He looks down, seeing the blade disappear inside him. He looks at the orc holding the hilt of the sword. He grabs the orcs wrist when it tries to pull it out but Gleeson holds tight. He pulls the orc closer, letting the tip come out his back.

He’s now face to face with the orc and gives him a bloody smile. He points the dagger at the orcs throat and pushes in slowly. The orcs eyes are wide as its blood drains from his throat. Gleeson falls to his knees looking down once again at the sword. He can’t see any of the blade, only the hilt. 

Gleeson looks around holding onto his blades still, seeing the carnage unfold in front of him. He tries to stand but is unable to do so. He looks around, his men fighting, but it’s not the town’s people he sees, it’s the Iron Brothers.  

He falls to the ground but is caught before he hits the dirt. Jake is there holding him in his arms. “Your promised has been kept.” Jake holds him so he can see the triumph the town is experiencing. The few orc survivors flee on horseback but are dropped quickly with a volley of arrows.

Gleeson smiles, blood is covering his teeth. “I’ll protect her in the afterlife so you can all be a family once again.”

“I’d appreciate that.” A tear runs down Jake’s face.

“This is your town now. They’ll look for you for guidance.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Rebuild.” Gleeson takes a deep breath. “Take my father’s sword.” Gleeson points weekly to his left. “It belongs to a leader.” Jake nods his head. Erik comes up to them, kneeling with Jake. “He’s going to need your help.” Gleeson looks at Erik.

“I know, and we’ll need his.”

“Remember what I taught you and this town will stay defended.” Gleeson closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He opens his eyes and sees the old woman standing next to him looking down. He laughs, coughing up some blood. “Old woman, I need to know one thing.”

She looks at him with her head cocked to the side. “What could you possibly learn from me?”

“Your name.” He closes his eyes again, his chest no longer rising.

“It’s Annabelle.” She whispers. The town gathers around Gleeson, falling silent.

“Gather the wood, we all build his spire.” Jake stands up letting Gleeson down gently. “Tend to your families first.” He walks over to the two orcs spooning with his father’s claymore holding them together. He puts his foot on one and pulls out the sword letting them lie limp. He wipes their blood off the sword on their lifeless bodies.

He walks through the crowd holding onto the secondary hilt with the blade protruding behind him. He comes face to face with the trolls that are waiting on the outside of the crowd. “Your leader is dead?” Jake nods. “We shall forever be in his debt for freeing us.”

Gleeson The Defender Part 9

That night, they burn the bodies of the dead on mounds of lumber the town gathered in true Claville fashion. Each family member that’s able to work must spend time gathering and building the spire for the deceased to be burned upon so their spirit can join the afterlife.

Those without families help where they are needed, usually with families now with only one parent. Gleeson stares at Mary’s spire as Jake takes the torch around the bottom, lighting it in multiple places. He turns away as the flames dance around her lifeless body. The street glows as smoke bellows above their roofs. 

Gleeson walks behind Jake’s house towards the barn. He can feel the heat as he moves to the back of the house, his shadow flickering with the flames behind him. He opens the barn door and pauses, he turns around looking back at Jake and Adeline as they say goodbye to Mary. He turns back, closing the door behind him, blocking out the town singing the song of mourning. He sits on a stool with his claymore, sharpening it as tears roll off his face. He’s never cried for anyone before, not even when his father died.

Mary was different though. She was someone that he could see himself spending his life with but he knew it would never happen. She loved her family and there was no place for him. “What does it matter now?” He grinds the stone along the section of blade he’s sharpening. “She’s dead and you made a promise. Get your wits about you.” His anger helps dry away the tears.

The noise at the barn door takes him out of his sharpening trance. Erik walks into the barn and closes the door behind him, blocking out the singing again. “I can’t handle it out there.” He leans up against one of the posts.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Why’s that?”

“I need you to send out some scouts for the night and some sentries at each end of town.”

“You think they’ll come back so soon?”

“I would if I were them. If it were my brothers getting slaughtered by some nobodies, I’d take them out as quickly as I could.”

“Why?”

“What are you, a child? What’s with all the questions?”

“I need to know the plan. Jake isn’t going to be much help and Mary’s-” Gleeson holds up a hand, stopping him in mid-sentence. He can’t bare hearing that she’s dead again, not right now.

“Well, it could show weakness. That isn’t good amongst the orc ranks. I would bring everything that I had to take out any threat that came my way.”

“You think the whole orc clan is coming tomorrow?”

“I do, and we must be prepared. If they don’t, then we march.” They sit in silence for a while listening to the stone sing off the steel as Gleeson slides it across his claymore. They hear the muffled singing come to an end drawing their attention.

“Should I gather everyone?” Gleeson nods at Erik and he slips through the barn door leaving it open behind him. Gleeson puts his sword down and walks to the door. He looks at the glowing town in front of him. The fire puts off heat that he can feel at the barn door.

            He can hear raised voices coming in front of Jake’s house. Curiosity gets the better of him so he moves to see where the voices are coming from. He rounds the corner to see several people confronting Erik, Jake is one of them.

“Is there a problem here?” Gleeson leans up against the porch.

“We need time to mourn.” Jake turns his attention to Gleeson.   

“And I gave you time. You gathered your wood, you built your spires and you sang your song.”

“We need more time than that.” The old woman from earlier shows her bravery once again.

“You need to train.”

“Look around you. We can’t take on the orcs like this.” Jake points behind him at all the fires. Gleeson humors him by following with his eyes.

“Well, events have been put into motion that can’t be undone. This discussion is over.” Gleeson looks over to Erik.

“Form up.” Erik walks into the street waiting for the others to form their lines.

“No.” Jake folds his arms at his chest.

“So this is how it’s going to be then?”

“It is.” Jake holds his ground.

“You did this to us.” The old woman steps between them. He realizes at this moment that he still doesn’t know her name.

“You asked me to. Now form up.” The anger rushes back to his face. Some of the men listen and move quickly to their line.

“My wife is dead. I’m not moving a muscle until I mourn her.” Others join in with Jake in their contempt of training.

“Your wife was dead when she got the cough. I can’t believe that you’ll be so selfish as to let your child die.” Gleeson’s words releases anger in Jake he’s never seen before. Jake is on him in a second. Gleeson wasn’t prepared for an attack like this.

Jake takes Gleeson off his feet and both land on the ground hard. Jake is on him with a knife drawn going for his throat. Gleeson grabs his hand holding inches away from certain death.

“This must be what she fell in love with.”

“I’m going to kill you, you son of bitch.”

“No you’re not. You want to know why?”

“Why?” Both men are grunting while they struggle with the knife.

“Because I made a promise to Mary, and I’ll keep at least half that promise but I don’t think you want Adeline to be an orphan, do you?”

“Daddy?” A small voice comes from the porch. “Why are you and Mr. Gleeson wrestling?” Adeline’s voice distracts Jake long enough for Gleeson to push him off. Jake gets up dropping the knife.

“He was just showing me something that I needed to know.”  Jake gets up to the porch, tears rolling down his face.

“What’s that daddy?”

“That what I still have is more than what I’ve lost.” Adeline bends down and gives Jake a kiss on his forehead.

“Don’t worry daddy. Mommy will watch over us.”

“She already has honey.” Jake looks over to Gleeson.  “Now run along and go to bed. I’ll be up when I can.” Jake gives her a kiss back and walks over to stand next to Erik. “You heard the man. Form up.” The people at the porch look at each other in confusion. “I said form up.”

They quickly move around to get in line. They train in the light of the fires. The spirits of the dead are drifting in the smoke about them as they train. They train until the fires are a dull glow before they go to bed with soot covered faces.

The morning comes faster than most wanted. They spend the morning getting ready to leave. Everyone that’s going after the orcs is preparing for war and those that aren’t get ready to flee if things go wrong.

Gleeson and Erik make the plans they need while Jake helps those that are to flee to only grab what they need. Jake is going to help those flee so he can stay with his daughter but only after a huge protest and argument with Gleeson.

The whole town is about to move in their desired directions when one of Erik’s riders gallops up. “They’re coming.” He jumps off his horse before his horse comes to a complete stop.

“How far?” Gleeson runs up.

“At the tree line. They’re coming to destroy us.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because sir, they captured me. They told me that they brought the whole clan and will destroy us all.”

“Mountain trolls are quiet.” Erik lets the scout know it’s not all his fault.

 “We aren’t ready for this.” Gleeson turns to address the town. “We need to run. We can’t take them without the element of surprise.”

“Gleeson.” The orc voice calls to him. Gleeson spins around to see the orc clan riding slowly into town. There are trolls chained in collars in front of them.

“Shaman.” Gleeson points to the staffs behind them. Erik locates the staffs high in the back. “That’s how they control the trolls.”

“They must be strong. Trolls have a huge immunity to magic.”

“That’s why we need to take them out first. Looks like two shaman per troll. I want your archers taking them out first.”

“I want to talk to you.” The orc clan leaders points to Gleeson.

“Then halt your clan and meet me in the middle.” The orc clan stops as Gleeson requests. The clan leader gets off his horse and walks to the middle of town with his hands held high. He sees a short sword on his side and his father’s claymore on his back. “Get the troops ready. We’ll hold them off so they can flee.”

As Gleeson points to the other side of town he sees the other group of orcs coming in on the other side of town and filling in between houses, the heads of the sentries and scouts with them. The town is surrounded by orcs.

Flashbacks of the ambush that took his men flash in front of him. Gleeson has a look of terror in his eyes. “What have I done?” Erik and Jake come up to see him.

“What are we going to do?” They see the look in his eyes. “Gleeson.” Jake slaps him in the face. “You made a promise.” Gleeson glares at him. “Now what are we going to do?”

“We do what Mary wanted us to do.” Gleeson smiles, anger coursing through him.

“What’s that?” Jake smiles with him.

“We kill them all.”

Gleeson The Defender Part 8

Gleeson snaps awake from his slumber. He sees Erik stirring the fire with a stick. “How long have I been out for?”

“Not long.”

“I don’t think I can sleep any longer in this place. Why don’t you get some sleep, I’ll stand guard.”

“Suit yourself. Don’t know if I can either, too many bad vibes here.” They both look over at Jake, who’s sleeping like a baby.

“We have a fight ahead of us. You should get some sleep.”

“I’d rather leave this place.”

“I would too, but the trolls.”

“You think we could use them to our advantage?”

“Depends, can you speak troll?”

Erik looks at Gleeson. His eyes are taking on a serious tone in the light of the fire. He grunts several times slamming his fists to his chest.

“What’s that mean?”

“I don’t fucking know. I was making shit up.” Erik laughs. Gleeson joins in. Jake stirs a little stretching out. They laugh even harder waking him up.

“What’s going on?” His groggy voice is barely audible above their laughter.

“Nothing.” Gleeson’s laughter fades. “Are you ready to get outta here?”

“Yeah.” Jake stands up stretching out his arms.

“I’ll go take a look around.” Erik walks off grabbing his bow. Gleeson kicks dirt on their little fire after they get their gear together. Jake and Gleeson each grab a shaft on the cart and lift.

It only takes a brief moment but they’re able to get it moving with its heavy load. They pull it through the abandoned battlefield at a steady pace.  Erik picks a way through the dense forest that’s easy for the cart.

The trees grow lighter as they move through them. It’s hard to tell what time of day it is because of the thick foliage above them. The sun only peeks through small gaps between the leaves.

They come upon the rock formation they hid behind when they saw the orcs and trolls. They take a short break here as Erik looks around the rocks. He cautiously makes his way to the road ahead, scouting their way.

Erik pauses behind a large tree and waves them forward. Gleeson and Jake pull on the cart moving it forward to their destination. Walking on the road makes pulling the cart easier. They’re no longer getting tangled on underbrush or having to go out of their way just to make it around a fallen tree.

They make good time heading down hill once they reach the switch back. They keep a quick pace even when they hit flat ground. The sooner they’re back to town the better.

“We should almost be back to town.” Jake huffs as he pulls the cart.

“Getting close, I can smell the stoves.” Erik walks backwards so he can talk to them.

“How much longer do you think we have?” Gleeson doesn’t take his eyes off the road.

“I don’t know, maybe-”

“It’s not the stoves.” Gleeson cuts Erik off. He stops pulling the cart and points down the road. The inferno rages in the town and can be seen flickering through the trees.

“Adeline.” Jake drops the shaft and runs down the road.

“Mary.” Gleeson follows pulling out his claymore from the cart. He chases after Jake, passing Erik. Erik readies an arrow and follows. Jake is halfway to town when Gleeson emerges from the trees. “Son of a bitch.”

Half the town is on fire. The orcs are murdering everyone they see. The carnage unfolding in front of them gives him flash backs. He stops shaking his head, clearing his mind. He runs down the road, he slows briefly as he comes upon his spear that he used as a cane so many moons ago. He carries his claymore in his left hand by the secondary hilt, the spear in his right hand. Both tips are pointing behind him. Jake is already fighting an orc when he gets close enough to launch the spear.

Without breaking stride, Gleeson unleashes the spear with all his might. It finds the orc Jake is fighting, releasing Jake to find his family. “Kill everyone and take the children.” A large orc calls to his soldiers.

            “Adeline!” Jake calls over the chaos. Dead men and women lay in the bloody streets. Jake keeps running to his house. Gleeson is close behind him slashing at orcs as they get close enough to his claymore.

Jake continues to run through the street, not caring what’s around him. Erik sends arrows racing past him, most of them finding their mark in the orcs. Gleeson is happy to see that his training hasn’t gone to waste. Many orcs have fallen to the town’s people.

Gleeson hesitates when he sees an orc comes busting out of Mary’s house. Under his arm, the orc carries a crying and screaming Adeline. “No!” Jake’s pace hastens. Mary comes limping out of the house, flames licking at her dress from the door.

She has a knife in her hand and is heading toward the orc. “Mary, no!” Gleeson tries stopping her from attacking the orc. He doesn’t know if she doesn’t hear him or is ignoring her. She jumps on the back of the orc stabbing him in the neck over and over. The blade is barely big enough to puncture the thick skin of the orc.

Blood flows freely from its neck as multiple wounds cover its side. He drops Adeline and flips Mary over his shoulders. She lands on her back, the wind being knocked out of her. 

Jake picks up Adeline from the dirt and darts behind his burning house. The orc’s attention is still on Mary. He stabs down, penetrating her lower abdomen. When he pulls the sword out, Gleeson can see the blood on her dress.

The orc turns back to where Adeline was lying. His anger ensues when he sees she’s no longer there. Gleeson slashes down on the orc, taking its head and shoulder off. An arrow races by Gleeson, taking out another orc.

Gleeson drops to his knees in front of Mary. She’s holding her belly, trying to stop the bleeding. Her face is turning pale as she meets Gleeson’s eyes. “Hey.” Gleeson puts some more pressure on her wound. “Erik, get a doctor.”

“It’s too late.” Mary coughs up some blood. “Is Adeline safe?” Tears run down her face.

“Jake got her.”

“You keep them alive. Promise me you’ll do this.”

“I promise.”

“One more thing.” She closes her eyes taking a long breath of air.

“What is it?”

“Don’t leave any survivors.” She reaches her hand past Gleeson. “Jake, my love.” Jake comes from behind the house. “Where’s Adeline?”

“She’s safe.” Jake kneels on the other side of her. He wipes the blood from her lips and gives her a kiss.

“Gleeson, you keep your promise.” Gleeson nods at her, fighting back tears. He stands up, leaving Mary to die in Jake’s arms. Orcs are killing everyone they come across. His men are defending the buildings they have left. The fire from Jake and Mary’s house burns behind him.

“What now?”

“No survivors!” Gleeson charges at a group of orcs. Erik follows him, sending arrows at them, dropping as many as he can before Gleeson reaches the group. Gleeson whips his claymore around his head, extending his arms out on the forward swing. He connects with three orcs.

 Two of their heads roll off with ease. The third one tries to dodge but the reach of the claymore is too great. The tip of the sword catches the orc in the throat splattering blood all over his comrades.

The group of orcs turns their attention to Gleeson standing there, covered once again in orc blood. They see the malicious smile spread across Gleeson’s face. The fear in the orcs eyes triggers the blood lust in Gleeson.

He strikes with a blinding speed. His claymore whips around as he spins and twists. He blocks the incoming attacks from the orcs without hindering his own assault. He twists around an attack and switches his grip to the secondary hilt.

He stabs an orc with a spear like thrust. The orc grabs his hands holding Gleeson captive. Gleeson doesn’t panic when he can’t move. He drives his head forward, smashing his forehead into the orc’s flat nose splashing blood all over.

The orc releases his grip on Gleeson. He grabs his custom knives slicing the orc in multiple places. The orc drops dead and Gleeson moves on to the next victim. He keeps his blades protecting his forearms while slicing throats as he makes his way through the group.

Erik’s arrows flash by him as he carves his way through the orcs. Slashing and slicing, the orcs fall around him. The orcs start to flee as the town regroups behind Gleeson and Erik.

The cart of children is left behind by the fleeing orcs. Erik’s arrows race to their targets, taking them from their horses. Erik reaches for another arrow as an orc jumps on a horse. He finds there are none left in his quiver.

Gleeson sees the orc trying to escape. He walks over to his claymore stuck in the orc. He plants his foot on the orc and pulls out the claymore. He turns his attention back to the rider.

He holds the claymore with both hands. “No survivors.” He puts it behind his back, the tip pointing to the ground. He takes a few steps and heaves it over his head. It flips end over end, arching through the air.

The claymore finds its mark in the middle of the orc’s back. The orc flies forward from the weight of the claymore. It flies over the head of the horse, taking the horse with it. The horse falls to the ground but gets up just as fast, trampling the orc.

Gleeson turns around seeing the town behind him. Everyone is covered in orc blood and ash. “We leave in the morning to find the orcs.” Tears of anger roll down his face, leaving clean tracks through the blackness of his face. 

Gleeson The Defender: Part 7

Mary finds Gleeson behind the barn next to the water pump. Gleeson picks up the bucket underneath the pump and dumps it over his head. The dirt and blood wash off of him in an instant.

“I could draw you a bath.” Mary walks up to him.

“Don’t have time for that. Once Jake and Erik are done talking, we’re leaving.” Gleeson pumps more water into the bucket. The pump squeaks each time Gleeson moves the handle.

“How long will you be gone for?”

“Don’t know. I don’t know how long I was walking before I got here. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for us to find the clearing where I found the road or if we even can find it.” Gleeson still pumps on the handle waiting for the water.

“Then we should get going.” Erik comes around the barn. He has a quiver of arrows strapped to his back and a bow in his hand.

“Did you get what you needed to find the battle?” The water spits out of the horse head spout. It flows into the bucket after a brief moment. Gleeson picks it back up and dumps it over himself one more time. He pushes the wet hair from his face and Erik gives him a quick nod.

He places the bucket back under the spout. “Then it’s time we leave.”

“I’m coming with you.” Jake comes around the corner. He’s holding a bow as well but he carries two quivers. The quivers of arrows are strapped to his waist band like a sword sheath. The bottoms are tied to his legs keep them from flopping around too much.

“You can’t.” Mary looks at Gleeson. “Can he?” Gleeson looks down at her and then to Jake.

“He’s a man and if he wants to go, I’m not going to stop him.” Mary shoots him a look. “Say your goodbyes, because we gotta go.”

“Mary, I can’t sit here and let others defend our family, I have to go.”

“I understand.” She walks over to him and wraps her arms around him. “I love you. Come back safe.”

“I will. If the orcs show, you stay hidden.”

“I will.” She kisses him passionately. She lets him go turning away. “You better bring him back to me.” She points at Gleeson.

“He’ll be fine. Let’s go.” Gleeson walks over to the barn and grabs his claymore. He cleaned his blades long before he cleaned himself. He carries the claymore with one hand over to the cart they had set up ready to go. He places it in the cart with it ready to pull if he needs to.

Gleeson commands no horses other than the one pulling the cart. He was on foot when he came through, so he needs to be on foot when he tries to find it. He needs to feel the earth beneath his feet, because the darkness blocked any vision he had.

Mary walks with them until the tree line just outside of town with Adeline in tow. Gleeson allows Jake to say goodbye one more time before they fade into the trees. The sky all but disappears under the trees.

Gleeson just assumed that it was the clouds causing him not to see the stars on that snowy night. Thinking back on that cold night causes a shiver to run through him. He looks at Jake and Erik to see if they saw him. If they did they weren’t showing any indication of it.

They walk for a while with Gleeson trying to remember where he came from. He goes as far as closing his eyes. It’s hard for Gleeson to pick up on anything. He can’t tell the difference between memories or the fever dreams.

“How much longer do you think?” Jake turns and walks backwards looking behind them.

“I don’t know.”

“Anything look familiar?” Erik looks over his shoulder. He spends most of his time in the woods, so he’s leading and tracking. He stops them every now and then to look around or walk into the trees off the road.

 “The only thing that I keep coming back to is that I remember almost walking back to where I came from.”

“The switch back.” Erik turns around. “Let’s go, I know where to go.” He jumps on the back of the horse. Gleeson and Jake jump in the cart. Erik gets them up to a trot, moving faster than what they could on foot.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s a switch back a few miles up the road. It makes you feel like you’re heading back the way you came, because it’s so long.” Erik turns back to watch where they’re going.

Gleeson closes his eyes, feeling the breeze on his face. “I thought it was just a dream.” He smiles.

They ride for only a little while when they come to the first curve in the switch back. Erik can feel the horse tense up as it starts up a steeper incline. He brings it to its walking pace. He hops off the horse and walks beside it holding onto the rains. Gleeson and Jake follow by jumping out of the cart.

“We should reach the top in no time at all.” Erik looks around making sure all is well. They walk up the road at a brisk pace. Gleeson is the only one panting.

“I’ve spent too long in bed, I no longer have my stamina.” Each word escapes him with a pant. He laughs at his own flaws.

“This trip should help with that.” Jake laughs along with him. The switchback comes faster than they expected. They slow their pace allowing Gleeson’s senses to pick up where he came from.

“Nothing is coming to me.” Gleeson looks around. Everything feels the same to him. Gleeson comes to a halt quickly. He closes his eyes, sniffing at the air.

“What is it?” Erik smells the air as well.

“The scent is familiar. It’s like the smell of roasting meat.” Gleeson smiles. “It was here the night I came off the mountain.”

“To the trees, move.” Erik runs past them to the horse. Gleeson looks over at Jake. Jake shrugs his shoulders looking at Erik. “Get your weapons and move.” Erik unhooks the horse, slapping it hind quarters sending it off on its own.

He draws an arrow, readying it on the string of his bow. He stealthily moves to the trees. Gleeson grabs his claymore from the cart and follows him. “What are you doing?” Gleeson hides behind a tree next to Erik.

“Trolls.” Erik hisses not taking his eyes off the road.

“Why do trolls smell like roasting meat?”

“Roasted meat. They’re mountain trolls. They are the only trolls that cook their food.”

“Should we be here when they come? They may be trolls but you’d think the cart would even raise their suspicions.” Jake points to the road.

“We can’t abandon the cart. It’s the only way to get the weapons back.”

“Did you forget that Erik let the horse go?”

“Damn it.” Gleeson runs out to the cart. He grabs both shafts of the cart and lifts. Gleeson turns to the trees and runs, pulling the cart behind him. “Let’s go.” Gleeson runs into the tree line and doesn’t stop.

They come to a large rock formation. Gleeson pulls the cart behind it so he can catch his breath. Erik leans out with his arrow still ready. “I can’t believe this.”

“What?”

“The orcs, they’re with the trolls.”

“What to do you mean they’re with the orcs.”

“What I mean is that the orcs have them chained. They’re prisoners.”

“It’s time we move.” Gleeson grabs one shaft this time. “Jake, I could use your help.” Jake grabs the other and they carefully make their way away from the rock formation. Erik stays behind them, keeping an eye out behind them.

They trudge along for what seems an eternity until they reach the battle ground. Gleeson falls to his knees. “My brothers, I’ve come back.” They’ve been picked down to their bones.

Scavengers have been feeding on them all winter long. Gleeson stands up and walks around the battle field. Flashes of the fight unfold around him. They were caught off guard and never had a fighting chance.

He was only able to take a few hits before he fell. He walks over to where he thought he had fallen. He looks around the area, trying to find the claymore his father gave him. It’s nowhere to be seen.

“They took it.”

“They took what?”

“My father’s sword.”

“Well, let’s get it back.” Erik walks by him grabbing some armor off a corpse. Gleeson looks at him with disgust. “It’s what we came for isn’t it?”

“It is.” Gleeson closes his eyes trying to remember his friend’s faces. “Let’s do this so we can get back.”

It’s dusk when they finish loading the last of the weapons. For the most part the orcs took the majority of the weapons before they left. Only a few were left behind, mainly spears. Armor is more valuable to them at this point anyway. The blacksmith in town has been working on crafting weapons since they started training.

“We stay the night here.” Erik walks into the trees.

“I need to get back to my family.”

“The orcs have enslaved trolls with them. We may not make it back in the dark. I’m surprised I did.”

Erik comes back from the trees carrying an armful of wood. “You should of thought about that before you came.”

Gleeson The Defender Part 6

The training schedule is intense. After the shops close for the day, everyone is required to train. Shops are only open part of the day anymore and everyone helps with feeding and hunting now.

The feeding is building strength in those that don’t have any. The hunting is creating marksmen of all levels. The nights are quiet. Gleeson sends his best riders out as scouts. They’re always in groups of two.

Erik is his lead scout. He is under strict orders, never to be seen and never to engage the enemy. The scouts are the town’s only defense at this time. If the scouts are to be seen the element of surprise is no longer theirs.

It’s been a fortnight since the town meeting. The training has been going great for a bunch of settlers. “We’re still not ready.” Gleeson confides in Mary.

“I know we’re not.” She grabs his hand, squeezing it softly. They look out the window of her house onto the street. Jake is leading the muscle building exercise.

“Why do you do that?” Gleeson turns to her.

“Do what?”

“Play with my emotions like that. You’re constantly touching me, caressing me.”

“I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s gotta stop or I’m likely to rip all your clothes off and make you mine.” Mary blushes a little. “Is that what you want?”

“No. I love my husband and my daughter. I will do anything to protect them.”

“Then stop. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I just thought men like you wanted.” She stops, not really knowing what she thinks anymore. Gleeson looks out the window and sees his scouts riding up fast. He runs out the door into the street with Mary following him.

He meets Erik close to the training exercise. “The orcs, they’re here.”

“How many?”

“Six, at least, maybe more. Should we ambush them?”

“No, we’re not ready. Maybe if we had another couple of weeks. How far out are they?” Gleeson looks into the direction Erik came from.

“Not far, they’ll be here soon.”

“We submit.” Mary steps in. “It’s our only choice.”

“She’s right.” Jake walks up as well.

“I’ll be there with the food at the general store.” Mary looks around at the men in the circle. None of them interject.

“I’ll be with you as well.” A soft old voice comes from behind them.

“Father, you can’t.”

“How can I be a leader if I let my daughter sit there alone?”

“He’s right.” Gleeson walks away. “You three, gather the supplies for the orcs. Everyone else!” He yells for the town to hear. “Stay inside, no matter what happens!”

“I’ll be there, watching you.” Jake grabs Mary’s hands into his.

“You need to stay with Adeline.” Mary looks into his eyes. She tries a smile but it doesn’t fit. She looks over to Gleeson. “He’ll make sure we’re all safe.”

            “Fine.” Jake lets go of her hands. He walks over to Gleeson. “You let anything happen to them, I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Kill me?” Gleeson smiles at Jake. “You don’t need to worry about them, just take care of your daughter and all will be fine.” Gleeson shoulders past him. Gleeson walks to the general store across the street from Jake and Mary’s house.

The supplies are being loaded into a small wagon that can be connected to a horse and rider without great difficulty.  Bags of grain fill up most of the cart. Grain is the easiest for the little town to come up with. Other vegetables are loaded up as well and a sparse amount of meat is on top.

Gleeson spins his arm upright in the air with his index finger extended, signifying to wrap things up and for people to clear the streets. He walks away, but before he can get too far, Mary reaches out and grabs his hand. He turns back to face her.

“You keep them safe, you hear me?” A tear rolls down her cheek. Gleeson nods and she lets go of his hand. He walks up the steps to the porch and turns back around. Mary and Lord Gregory are right down the street.

“Sprinting distance.” Gleeson adjusts his belt that holds his two custom daggers. They’re longer than most daggers but still smaller than a short sword. He opens the door, leaving it cracked behind him. He grabs his claymore from the corner behind the door and straps it to his back. It’s held on by a half scabbard, leaving most of the blade exposed at the bottom. The blacksmith spent an immense amount of time crafting him a new sword and daggers.

The claymore has a secondary hilt that extends beyond the hand guard flaring out at the end where the blade actually begins. This is in the half scabbard itself, the pommel is right above his head. The blade reaches almost to the floor, even at its angle.

 Gleeson positions himself at the window, able to see Mary and Lord Gregory standing behind the cart. “Great job, Mary.”

“What?” Jake walks up next to him, staring out the window.

“She positioned them behind the cart and close to the door in case the orcs decide to attack. A great defensive move.” Gleeson sees Mary cough into a small rag. “She seems calm. That’s good.”

 “What can I do?”

“Take your daughter up into the loft.” Gleeson glares at him. Even though Jake is a large man, Gleeson still towers over him. Gleeson looks back out at Mary behind the cart, trying to conceal her rag from her father.

“She loves you, ya know?”

“I know.” Gleeson looks down at his knives. “It’s not really me she’s in love with. It’s what I can do for her that she loves.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The anger in Jake’s face turns it red.

“She may love me but she’s in love with you.” Gleeson stares back out the window. “She loves me because I can keep you and Adeline safe when she’s gone. She’ll do just about anything for that.”

“So you know about that then?” Jake looks out at Mary too.

“It’s not hard to figure out. How long has she had the cough?”

“For a while. Her brother had it and she took care of him before he died.”

“She wants to make sure you two are taken care of after she’s gone. That’s where I come into play. I can take out the orcs, making you safe.”

“I see. If that’s her wish, then so be it.”

“It’s not like that. I’m going to do it regardless of what she wants. I owe it to my brothers.”

“You were planning this the whole time, weren’t you?”

“I wasn’t expecting to stay here.” Gleeson moves closer to the window when Mary turns her head to her left. Gleeson follows her gaze to his right. “Take your daughter upstairs. Stay up there regardless of what happens.”

“I can’t stand by and-” Gleeson interrupts Jake with a dark glare.

“You saved me once. Let me repay you, by saving all of you.”

“Fine.” The weak sound comes from Jake. He grabs Adeline’s hand and takes her up the ladder.

The orcs appear in the window right in front of him. There are six of them in all. The largest orc rides at the front, in typical orc formation. The largest are always the leaders.  He steps off to the right so he can keep an eye on them.

They stop at the supply cart. Gleeson can hear muffled voices coming from the orcs and Lord Gregory. Mary seems nervous to him, she keeps playing with her apron.

The muffled voices are getting more audible for Gleeson. He shifts his weight allowing his knife belt to shift more comfortably on his hips.

“Grain!” The big orcs voice bellows. “You expect us to eat grain? We want meat! Not this pile of shit you call food!” Gleeson tightens his hand around the hilt of a knife.

“Human meat!” Another orc draws his blade. The orc jumps up onto the little cart. He stabs Lord Gregory in the belly. The orc pulls the blade out, laughing. Mary screams at the sight of her father’s blood.

Lord Gregory falls and Mary is there to catch him. “Kill them all!” Mary looks beyond the laughing orcs, directly at Gleeson in the window. She pulls a blade from under her apron. The orcs see the blade in her hand and laugh even louder.

“Fuck!” He’s out the door without hesitation. He jumps off the porch pulling out both knives. Gleeson sprints across the street with the blades pointing down. He lets out a battle cry before he lunges in the air.

The orc closest to him turns too late. He drives his knives deep into the base of the orc’s neck. One blade is towards the back and the other, the front.

With a shearing motion, the blades cut through the neck of the orc, taking the head off. Black blood flows from where the head used to be.  Gleeson lands on his feet as the orc falls to the ground.

The orc that killed Lord Gregory is next. The orc slashes at Gleeson with its sword. Gleeson ducks under the sword spinning on his heels. He slashes the belly of the orc with his right hand, releasing more black blood. He comes up with a flash and stabs the orc in the chest with his left. Gleeson sees the sword stabbing at him out of the corner of his eye.

He pulls the orc down, using the blade buried in its chest like a handle. The sword protrudes from the chest of the orc just above Gleeson’s hand. He pulls down hard on his orc shield, causing the sword to be pulled from his attacker’s hand. Gleeson lets go of the knife’s hilt dropping the orc to the ground.

He slashes at the orc’s neck that lost its sword. Gleeson connects with the soft tissue just under the chin. Blood comes pouring out of the slit Gleeson made with his knife. The orc reaches up, grabbing at his throat. He falls to the ground with blood seeping through his fingers.

In the same motion, Gleeson pinches the blade between his fingers on his left hand. He spins and releases the blade with a flick of his wrist. It flashes through the air finding the eye of another orc.  The orc drops without a sound. Gleeson spins around grabbing the hilt of his Claymore, pulling it down.

This causes the long blade to extend almost straight out from his shoulders. He ducks once again catching the belly of an orc. Without stopping he finishes his turn pulling his claymore from its scabbard. He drives it down in an arcing motion, severing both legs of the orc.

Gleeson quickly grabs the secondary hilt with his right hand. He stabs the large leader in the gut using the claymore like a spear. He drives the leader back a few steps. The orc looks down at Gleeson who smiles back. With all of his might, Gleeson pulls up on the claymore’s secondary hilt, using the pommel as a pivot point. The blade glides through the orc, coming out at the right shoulder. Orc blood rains down on Gleeson as he splits the orc in two.

The large orc falls to its knees. Gleeson places a palm on its face and pushes it to the ground. He turns his attention back on the orc with no legs. He walks over to the orc that’s struggling to get its sword out. Gleeson stabs down with his claymore into the orcs chest. He twists the hilt, halting the struggling of the orc.

He lets go of the sword letting it wobble. He looks around the carnage, breathing heavy. Anger and hate present in his eyes. Black orc blood rolls off in beads down his hands. His shaggy brown hair is matted and clumped with black curdled blood.

Mary walks up to him cautiously, placing the blade back in her apron that’s now covered in her father’s blood. She grabs his gory hand in hers. He looks down at her, his cold blue eyes uncaring. She hugs him tightly, not caring of the orc blood. He looks down at her, wrapping his arms around her.

The townspeople come out of their houses a few at a time. They look at the massacre in their quiet little town. The blood of the orcs is all over the ground.  They see the two of them in the middle of the street. “They’re going to come back!” An old woman cries out.

“You said we weren’t ready. You said not to attack, you’ve doomed us.” She continues. Gleeson lets go of Mary.

“Go to your family.” He walks away from her. “You’re right, I did say that. I also said if they attacked, I’d deal with it.” He meets the crowd gathering in the street.

“What do we do now?” Erik meets him at the front.

“I need you to go talk to Jake. He said he tracked where I came from.”

“How’s that going to help?”

“If we can make it back to where my men were ambushed. We can get armor and weapons.” He looks back at the crowd.

“What do we need armor and weapons for?” The old woman cries out again.

“Why?” His anger flaring up again. He scans the crowd looking at all the scared faces. ““Because we now take the fight to them.”

Gleeson The Defender part 5

Over the next few weeks the snow melts away bit by bit until there’s nothing left except thick mud. Gleeson goes from shop to shop. An occasional warehouse but, in this small town, the warehouses are more like stockrooms.

He helps people that just need the extra hand. Most of them are older and their families moved away leaving them here to fend for themselves. Gleeson talks with everyone that he can, gathering as much information as he can about the orcs.

It’s easy to do. That’s all anyone has been talking about since the snow melted away. The snow is too deep to stage any kind of attack, but now that spring is here, it’s only a matter of time before the next attack happens.

“Maybe they moved on.” Someone said to him when he was helping them a few days prior.

“Maybe they did.” He couldn't help but smile at that.

Sometimes during his training sessions with Jake, he would have others come along. This allowed them to train against multiple foes at once. They used practice swords carved from nearby trees.

“Jake, it’s your turn.” Gleeson allows him into the center of the ring of men. Jake steps in and prepares himself. A large man known as Alan attacks first. Jake is able to adjust to the attack from his side, but is unable to block the next attack or the one after that. “Hold!” Gleeson interjects.

“What?”

“You were getting your ass kicked. I had to stop it. What would Mary say if you died because of a tree branch?” The men around them laugh. “You need to call a town meeting.” Gleeson says straight faced.

“Why?”

“Because, you are nowhere near ready to take on these orcs. I had seasoned veterans with me and they were slaughtered. You can’t even defend against attacks you know are coming.”

“So, what does a town meeting have to do with it?”

 “You’ll need to have a plan to submit. If y’all go out there now, everyone will be put to the sword and the town burned to the ground.”

“Our fearless leader wants to submit?” Alan looks at him with disgust.

“If you’re so eager to die, then so be it.” Gleeson pulls a knife from its sheath attached to his belt and throws it at his feet. Alan looks down at the knife. “Pick it up.”

Alan kicks the knife back over to Gleeson. He picks it up and puts it back in the sheath. “Call a town meeting.” Gleeson walks out of the barn.

That night, the town meeting is called. They all meet in the church at the edge of town. As Gleeson walks up to it, He sees the lone lantern hanging next to the doorway. The light that he saw the night he almost died.

He walks into the church behind Jake and Mary. Their daughter is in the middle holding both of their hands. They sit down in one of the pews towards the back. The townspeople fill in around them.

“Thank you all for being here.” Lord Gregory begins. “As you all know we haven’t had an attack in several months. More than likely because of the snow. However, the snow has melted away and spring is upon us. The attacks may continue again, we need to be prepared.”

“We need to fight.” A man calls from the front of the church. A few others grumble along with him. Gleeson makes a note of who it is. He hasn’t seen too much of him around town.

“He’s a hunter.” Jake leans over to Gleeson. He sees the look on his face. “He’s not in town much. Usually selling his kills to the butcher and they sell to us.”

“Why wasn’t he included in all of this before?”

“He can’t be trusted with secrets. If it comes to a fight, he’ll be there though.”

“We can’t fight them.” Lord Gregory calms everyone down.

“Why not?” The hunter stands up. “Why can’t we fight? We have plenty of men that are tired of all the stealing of our hard work, of our families.”

“How many of you know how to fight?” Gleeson stands up in the aisle.

“I can.”

“What’s your name or should I just call you hunter?”

“It’s Erik.”

“So Erik, you can fight. Who else can fight?” A few men stand up. Most of them he knows from training. He laughs, knowing they really can’t fight. “Great, so the eight of you against how many orcs?”

“There have never been more than ten here at one time.” Erik protests.

“Ten at one time. Are they all the same orcs too?”

“I don’t know.” He confesses.

“Well, I can tell you there is more than ten orcs. My men and I were attacked by well over fifty. I had over a hundred men and we were slaughtered.”

“You can train us.” One of his students calls out. He thinks it’s Alan but he’s not sure.

“You’re right I could train you.”

“Now hold-” Lord Gregory tries to interject but is shot down instantly by Gleeson’s fierce gaze.

“How many of you are willing to fight and die for your neighbor? Please stand up if you’re willing to do that.” Nobody stands up at first. He can hear a cough in the back of the church. “That’s what I-”

“I’ll fight.” Mary stands up.

“So will I.” Jake stands next to her. She coughs a couple of times into a rag and pulls her hand down quickly.

“Mary, you-”

“I will father.” She cuts of Lord Gregory. “Somebody has to or we’re all dead for sure.”

“I’ll fight as well.” Another man stands up. More stand up one by one until the entire church is standing.

“Is this what you want?” Gleeson looks around the room. He looks back at Lord Gregory and smiles. “It appears, my lord, that you’re the only one that wants to submit.”

“It appears to be that way.” He sits down on a chair. Mary runs up to her father.

“I’m sorry father, but I can no longer sit idly by and watch these monsters kill us.”

“I understand child. Are you ready to put Adeline’s life on the line when you fight?”

“Are you ready to put her life on the line when you don’t?” She retorts.

“You won’t stand a chance unless you follow everything that I say. Everyone reports to Jake or Mary and they report to me. If they tell you something that means it came from me. Do you understand?” Voices of agreement fill the church.

“What’s first?” Mary stands next to him. She reaches down and grabs his hand. Jake walks up the aisle and joins them, holding her other hand.

“I will create a training schedule. You will report when you are supposed to, if you are not training you will continue doing what you normally would do. Erik, I need you to be my eyes. If you see them coming you need to get here as fast as you can. We cannot attack them head on.”

“What do you suggest?” Lord Gregory stands up.

“At first, we need to submit. If they come sooner rather than later, we need to give them what they came for.”

“What if they want my children?” A woman asks from the back of the church.

“Let me worry about that.”