The Books of Azric: War, Volume 3 Chapter 1

Here is the first rough draft of Chapter 1 in the next volume of The Books of Azric. Remember the fifth and sixth words of the first sentence I just wrote before this one. ROUGH DRAFT! I don't want anyone talking about any errors or anything like that. If you do, well everyone will know you're a meany head and nobody will talk to you anymore. Probably not true but remember, I don't have to share this with you until the whole book is finished. Here it is, Chapter 1

His heartbeat intensifies with the pounding on the gate. The wood from the gate splinters and his heart calms. Arrows fly from above down into the portal courtyard. “Get the ladders.” One of Bricker’s guards yells. Bricker watches orcs climb to the top of the walls.

“Get ready,” Bricker sets his feet. The gate bursts open and the Liz-Orc Army floods through the dismantled gate. “Charge,” Bricker points his sword and races into battle. His men follow him with eager anticipation for the slaughter to come.

Orcs grab the portal guards on the top of the wall and throw them off. They hit the ground with cries of pain. Swords clash together as the portal guards and the Liz-Orc Army collide in the main courtyard of Portal Town.

General Kadlik comes through the portal with Narl behind him. “Let’s do this shall we?” Kadlik hisses. Narl only gives him a nod. He pulls out his large battle axe with a large ball on the top he uses for smashing his opponents. The sleek design makes it lighter than normal, giving him speed and the smashing ability of his strength. He whips it around his head a time or two before rushing off into battle. Narl smashes into a group of portal guards and a few lizrac.

“Die scum,” Narl brings his axe over his head into the head of one of the guards. His head splits in half. Blood and brains splatters on the other guards and himself driving his rage even more.

He catches a sword coming down at him with the piece of metal wrapped around the haft of his battle axe. He slams the heavy blunt ball into the man’s face, sending him off his feet into a bloody pile on the ground. “Kill something already,” he yells at the lizrac, including General Kadlik, who still stands in front of the portal.

Kadlik watches Narl race off to another group of guards. He slaughters that group as well. “There’s no art in what he does,” Kadlik walks away from the portal. He gets to the busted gate and looks around as the battle unfolds in front of him. He sees the outnumbered portal guards holding their ground against his overwhelming force. Even now, more of his army dashes out of the portals.

He sees Bricker and some young looking male next to him. He walks towards them without hurry. A guard races up to him but Kadlik catches him by the throat. He squeezes until he hears the distinct sound of bone breaking and feels the struggling portal guard fall limp in his hand. He tosses him to the side. The guard slams to the ground motionless.

Kadlik turns his attention back to the commanding officer. Bricker stands with his back to the main gates. He catches a slashing fist of an attacking lizrac and takes it off at the elbow. The attacking lizrac howls in pain as he grabs his bloody stump.

Harkins comes in and finishes it off before he can grab another weapon. Bricker and Harkins work well together for never fighting with each other before. They move as one, letting their blades dance and sing in the music that can only be called combat.

“Stand your ground,” Captain Bricker calls to his men. “Form a line. Don’t let any of them behind you.” His men take action and form a line two men deep. Shields in the front and spears in the back, both armed with swords, ready for close quarters.

The battle axes and war hammers of the orcs crash into the shields. The lizrac attempt to jump over the line but get caught by the spears in the air, most of them die before they hit the ground. The force of the attack pushes the portal guards back against the walls.

“Push back,” Bricker commands. On cue, his men push back against the attack of the Liz-Orc Army. They push them back towards the busted gate that used to enclose the portal to Realm 5. “Keep it up,” Bricker calls as his men bash them with shields again, driving them back at spear point.

“Berserkers,” General Kadlik yells from some place beyond Captain Bricker’s field of vision. Bricker looks around to try and find the berserkers he calls forth. It takes his attention away from the battle he conducts long enough for Narl to launch a counter attack and flank the left side of his line with the full force of the Liz-Orc Army.

The sound of metal on metal catches his attention. He turns his attention to the left side and sees a large orc coming at him with a large, sleek looking battle axe. He readies his sword and body to accept a massive swing from the weapon.

“Die,” ­­­Narl yells as he brings his weapon down. Bricker deflects the attack letting the axe fall harmlessly to the ground to his left. He balls up his hand and strikes the giant orc in the face as hard as his human body allows.

Narl takes a step from the force of the punch. The right hook catches him off guard. Bricker keeps on the offensive and slashes at him again but the orc moves faster than he anticipates.

“It’s time for Narl to crush you,” Narl yells.

“Is that the name of the magnificent weapon you wield?”

“Don’t be stupid, I am Narl,” he takes a moment to pound his chest with his fist.

“Good, I was hoping you didn’t name such a wonderful work of craftsmanship a stupid name like, Narl.” Bricker attacks with a quick swipe from his sword. Narl dodges the attack but gets met with just as fast of a left hook to the face. Again, Narl takes a few steps back, not expecting such strength from a human.

“You’re strong for a human.”

“You’re fast for an orc.” Narl laughs at this, giving Bricker a chuckle as well before he strikes again. “But not fast enough,” Bricker attacks with blinding speed. He attacks with a left thrust of his sword, and then brings down a hard slash. Narl expects another punch. At the last moment he catches Bricker’s sword with the head of his battle axe but gives up his footing. Bricker steps behind him giving him a shove with his sword and his body.

Narl falls to the ground hard. He looks up and dodges a stab that sticks in the ground. Narl rolls back over and breaks Bricker’s blade. Bricker rolls away from the attack still hanging on to his shattered sword.

“Not so funny now, huh?” Narl swings with his battle axe. Bricker rolls away again, this time he comes up on his knees. He throws the stump of his sword and it sinks into Narl’s left leg. Narl growls in pain. He pulls the sword from his leg. He throws it back at Bricker who dodges it. Narl charges him and knocks him to the ground. “Get up you swine.”

“Swine? Who are you calling a swine, Pig Face?”

“Pig Face? Pig Face? I’m going to crush your fucking throat.” Narl reaches a massive paw of a hand down and wraps his hand around his throat. He picks Bricker up off the ground with ease. He holds him out and up away from his body. A bright shimmering blade flashes in front of his face. Bricker falls to the ground, gasping for air as he pulls the hand away from his throat.

Narl looks to his right, where the attack came from, and sees a young man standing next to him. Their eyes lock, “hands off,” the man tells him with a smile.

Narl looks down at his amputated arm lying on the ground in front of him. He looks back to the young man and grabs him with his left arm. He brings him in to his face. “That hurt,” he yells. He spins once and throws the man over the line.

“No,” Bricker yells.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“I never liked you,” Bricker jumps off the ground and flips over Narl’s head. He catches the throat of Narl and pulls him down with him as he lands on one knee. The back of Narl’s neck lands on Bricker’s shoulder, snapping the big orc’s neck.

Bricker stands up from the ground, letting the lifeless body of the dead orc fall to the ground. Bricker looks around just as the first berserker hits the line.

His men fly through the air with a burst from a beast unfamiliar to him. “Oh Fu-” Bricker looks at the size of it. In his time as a fighter, he fought every race and beast he could find in Azric but never against a beast of such magnitude. A massive lizracian berserker stands before him. Instead of some of the human traits the lizrac have, this monstrosity of a lizrac seems more lizard like. But this lizrac makes an orc look small. Its massive arm looks almost twice the size of Bricker’s head.

Bricker looks around for a weapon and Narl’s battle axe catches his eye just in front of him. He rushes to it and grabs the axe. He lifts it, expecting it to be heavy but it feels no heavier than any other battle axe or even a spear he used in the past. He spins it a few times to get a feel for it.

The berserker sees him and charges. Bricker slides under a swinging arm. He whips the axe around his head and catches the berserker in the knee, taking the lower half of its leg off. It falls to the ground. He stands up and this time he charges it. It moves out of the way as he brings down his new battle axe. It turns and stands on its only leg and uses its tail for balance. It swats at him again and he jumps back but quickly counters. He chops down at the arm and takes it off just above the elbow. The loss of the limb throws the berserker off balance. It spins, pointing its back to Bricker. He takes two steps before he jumps. He lands on the tail of the beast and jumps again. He brings the battle axe down as hard as he can. The extra weight of the ball at the end gives it a force he would be able to muster on his own. He splits the skull open but the blade cuts down through its chest cavity, each half falling either direction until the weight of them causes the rest of the berserker to falls. He pulls the axe from the corpse of the lizrac. He looks at the weapon again and smiles. “You were lethal in the hands of Narl, but you will sing in mine.”

Bricker stands up and scans the battlefield looking for Harkins. He sees General Kadlik instead. “Shit, I need to find him before he does.” Bricker rushes pass his men. “Keep the line at all costs.”

He finds Harkins soon after he enters the wrong side of the fight. He dodges several attacks before he unleashes the fury of his newly acquired battle axe. Each one of his blows connects with some body part of an orc or a lizrac, sometimes both.

The ball on the top crushes skulls, while the blade slices through flesh and bone with ease. He clears a path before him. Blood flies every which way as dead bodies fall in the wake of his battle axe.

“Stop,” General Kadlik’s voice booms with a sickening hiss. Everyone freezes at the sound of the voice. Bricker stays ready and looks around at the orcs and lizracs. They clear a path for Bricker; General Kadlik kneels at the end of it, Harkins’ throat in his claws. “Captain Bricker is it?”

“Let him go,” Bricker demands.

“Why?” General Kadlik smiles.

“Look, let him go and we’ll give you Portal Town. Let the rest of live and we will leave through those gates.” He points to the gates leaving Portal Town.

“Interesting offer.” Kadlik taps his teeth with a claw. “How about this? I’ll let you and the rest of your men leave and I still get to kill this one.” Kadlik laughs as he squeezes Harkins’ throat.

“Stop,” Captain Bricker yells again.

“Or what?”

“I’ll kill you,” Bricker growls.  

“I’d like to see you try.” Kadlik tightens his grip even more.

“No,” Bricker yells.

“Too late,” General Kadlik reaches down with his other hand and pulls with all his strength. Harkins screams in pain as Kadlik rips his head from his shoulders, slowly. The blood shoots from his throat as his throat tears open.

Bricker charges but several arms pull him back. “Retreat,” Sergeant Ariks yells. Ariks and several other guards drag him back through the opening in the Liz-Orc Army.

“Let them go,” Kadlik laughs, holding a Harkins’ head by the hair. Blood drips from the jagged skin of his neck.

“I’ll kill you, you fuck.” Bricker screams while his men drag him out of Portal Town. General Kadlik laughs at the flailing man. His guards pull him out. He kicks and pulls against his men. “You’re dead. You hear that?” I’m going to fucking kill you,” spittle comes from his mouth. The gates shut behind him.

“Get to the trees,” Ariks yells. They drag him all the way into the trees. His men split up to either side of the main road to attack any reinforcements there could be. “Build fires and send some men hunting. We’ll need food.” Sergeant Ariks orders.

“We need to take back Portal Town,” Captain Bricker yells at him.

“No sir, we need to let our men rest. We need to regroup and think about our attack.” Ariks gets in his face. “Be smart about this. Don’t run in there thinking you’re going to kill all of them by yourself.”

“But I-” Bricker slumps to the ground. “They died because of me.” Ariks storms over to him. He grabs Captain Bricker by his tunic and lifts him to meet his face.

“Get a hold of yourself,” he slaps him. “These men need you to lead them.” He lets him go. Bricker looks at him with anger in his eyes.

“Post sentries all around us. Also send a few men to gather water. We’ll rest for the night and then tomorrow we build the trebuchets.”

“Incoming,” a sentry overlooking Portal Town yells. They look through the trees.

“I can’t believe it,” Ariks rushes closer to the trees. “They’re throwing the dead over the walls with catapults. They brought catapults from Realm 5.”

“We wait a little longer for the sun to set and then we retrieve our men then.” Bricker walks up behind Ariks. “Rest for now. It’s going to be a long night.”

“What’s the range?” Ariks asks.

“It looks like two hundred meters from the wall,” the sentry reports. Bricker looks up at the sky.

“Less than hour before we move,” Bricker walks away.

“After we get them?”

“We need to find out who all died.” Bricker sits down on a log by a fire. “And then bury them.”

“You heard the Captain. Get some rest we move again soon.” They hear a scream coming from the other side of the wall.

“We left wounded,” Bricker rushes to the trees. Several more bodies fry over the walls, then the screams come. They land in the same area as the dead bodies, silencing the screams of their fellow guards. Dust flies as they land. The echoing laughter of the Liz-Orc Army fills their ears.

“Did they all die?”

“Help me,” they hear this time.

“Ones alive,” Bricker pushes pass Ariks, but Ariks pulls him back.

“I think they’re baiting us sir.”

“Then it worked because I won’t leave a wounded man out there.”

“But sir?”

“You heard me. Even if I have to go by myself, I won’t let them suffer on their own.”

“You won’t be.” One of his guards steps up. “I’ll go.”

“So will I,” another says.

“Me too.”

“Well Sergeant Ariks?”

“I can’t let you have all the fun now can I?”

“Good,” Bricker walks back to the log and takes off his sword belt and removes his cloak. “If we’re going, we’re going fast and light. We need to get in there and get out.” He walks back over to the group of men. “We find the bodies but we also need eyes in the sky.”

“And a diversion.”

“What did you have in mind Sergeant?”

“Archers at the gate with flaming arrows. If we can start the gate on fire they’ll have to focus on putting that out.”

“You take some archers and keep them off of us.”

“Wait for the first arrow to fly and they won’t even know you’re there.”

“See you back here.” They clasp forearms and head off in different directions. Captain Bricker watches Sergeant Ariks grab a few archers and a torch before heading toward the gate. “Get ready. We move in silence.”

The sun sets in the distance giving a faint glow to the field in front of them. Portal Town fades in the distance a clouds move in front of the setting sun. “We should go now sir.”

“We wait for the arrows and no sooner.”

“Sir,” the guard gets back in line. Bricker keeps his eyes on Ariks. The torch moves closer to the gate.

“Attackers,” the voice comes from above the gate in Portal Town. Bricker sees the torch move left and right to light the arrows. More flame comes from the darkness and then into the night sky. The arrows land just short of the gate.

“Let’s go,” Bricker signals his men to follow. They quietly make their way to the wounded soldiers.

“Help me,” the cries get louder as they get closer.

“Keep calling,” Captain Bricker whispers.

“They’re going for the wounded,” Bricker hears.

“Eyes to the sky.”

“Incoming,” one of his spotters yells. Several stones fly over the walls.

“Watch where they go,” he calls out. “Try and get the wounded out of the way.” The first stone hits and misses everyone. “Move,” Bricker yells to a group on his right. The stone smashes into the first man, crushing his skull. The stone then bounces and hits another man in the chest. Both lie dead in the cold night air. The rest of the stones miss the rest of his men, alive or wounded.

Bricker looks over at Ariks and sees the fire arrows flying at the gate. The army inside tries to hit them with arrows of their own, but they only posses short bows. “It’s actually a lousy design considering we used to defend it.”

“What’s that Sergeant?” A bowman asks as he launches another arrow at the gate.

“Well, we have a wooden gate but it’s inside a gate house with no way of pouring water on it.” Sergeant Ariks laughs as the gate opens. “Alright boys, here they come. Fall back.”

“What about Captain Bricker?”

“He’s going to need to run, just like us. We didn’t plan for an assault like this. Now move,” he orders.

“They’re running,” a big orc yells with laughter in his voice. “Like little cowards.” The arrow slams into his skull.

“I’m not a coward,” one of the bowmen says. “I’ll take you all on.” He loads another arrow and shoots it. He connects with another orc.

“No,” Ariks yells as he looks back. He digs his heels in the ground and turns back. The other bowmen with him turn and shoot. “Stupid boy, get back here.”

“I’ll hold them back.”

“Not alone you won’t.” Ariks stands next to him with his battle axe. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re right; we give them as much time as possible. So let’s kill every last one of these fuckers, what do you say?”

“I say let’s do it.” He launches arrows faster and faster with each pull.

“Come on,” Ariks yells holding his battle axe.

“Brace yourself boys, it’s a dwarfling,” a lizrac yells. The lizrac jumps in the air for an aerial attack. He some down ready to strike the dwarf but a shield slams into right before he strikes. Guards with shields stand at the ready in a line in front of Ariks. The Liz-Orc Army slams into them. Spears come from above slamming into the orcs and lizrac.

“Fire,” Ariks looks behind him but doesn’t see anything, but instead, hears the whistle of arrows flying by his head. The first line of attackers crumbles to the ground, but more follow them. They meet the same fate as the others.

“Shoot at the back of them,” Ariks yells. The arrows fly over his head this time and into the back rows of the army pouring out of the gate. They shoot again and again, effectively cutting off reinforcements.

“Turn the catapults,” Ariks hears a relay of calls coming from a lizrac.

“Damn it,” Ariks looks towards Bricker. “What’s taking so long over there?” The sun fell before the gates opened so he can no longer see the rescue party.

His attention returns back to his own battle as the Liz-Orc Army pushes back on the shields protecting him. The army remains stronger than his band of guards. His men give a little ground so they won’t get overrun if one of them falls. The Liz-Orc army advances from the castle once again, giving them even more of a push and the numbers to out flank them.

“Incoming,” a guard in the back yells. Ariks looks up but he doesn’t have to move. The Liz-Orc Army pushed them out of range of the catapults. The stones slam into the Liz-Orc Army with bone shattering force. The sound of death fills the night as another set of stones comes crashing down. The army runs back toward Portal Town.

“Fall back,” Ariks yells. “And fire some arrows at them. The more we take out now, the less we have to fight later.” He hears the whistling of the arrows overhead. Most of them find their marks but several still hit the ground.”I just hope he made it back without losing anymore men.” Ariks tells himself as he looks over in the darkened field, hoping to see something.

“Get get more fires going, and boil some water.” He hears from the trees.

“Hurry up,” he calls to his men. “We have wounded to take care of.” He rushes into the trees to help.

He comes into the light of the fires hoping to see Bricker. He looks around but doesn’t see him anywhere. “Have you seen Captain Bricker?” He grabs the arm of a passing guard.

“Last I saw him, he was over there,” he points farther into the trees. Ariks hustles pass the wounded and on to the next group of fires. He still doesn’t see Bricker anywhere. He keeps looking and asking but everyone continues to point deeper in the forest.

Sergeant Ariks comes to the last fire before total darkness. Only one man sits in front of the fire. Ariks steps into the light but Captain Bricker stares into the fire. The flames dance in front of his face but he still doesn’t blink.

“Captain,” Ariks steps closer. “Is everything alright?”

“I couldn’t find him. I looked everywhere and I couldn’t find him.” Bricker stares into the fire.

“Find who sir?”

“Harkins. I looked at every dead body out there and I couldn’t find him at all. They still have him behind those walls.”

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t understand,” Ariks sits down on a stump across the fire from Bricker. “Why would they do that?”

“General Kadlik is trying to get into my head.”

“By keeping a boy you were training?”

“It’s more than that. It’s hard to explain about Harkins.” Bricker says without any emotion in his voice.

“Why?”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“It’s just me and you here sir. There’s nothing you will say that will change my opinion of you.”

“There’s stuff you won’t understand.”

“Who was Harkins to you sir?” Ariks looks at Captain Bricker over the fire. Bricker looks up for the first time with tears rolling down his face.

“He was my son