Orc Wars 2 : Lazarus

Chapter 42 - Re-grouping

Valentine groaned as he regained consciousness and tried to move but he couldn't. Something heavy was on him. He cracked an eye open and whacked the body on top.

"Hey!! Get off me."

He tried to push the body off but it was too heavy.

"Laz? Laz!!"

A door burst open and guards rushed in.

"Who goes there!!"

"Ughh!" Valentine tried pushing Lazarus off him again. Immediately, two swords were at his throat.

"Someone, call the Battle Master!! We have been breached!!"

"Call the Keeper too!!"

"Who are you? Do not touch Lord Lazarus again or you will run through, understand?"

Dimitri rushed into his lord's chamber and stopped short. The soldiers behind him bumped into each other at their leader's abrupt stop.

"Stand down! Put your swords away. That's Lord Valentine," Dimitri bellowed.

Before he could move further into the room, a white blur streaked past him. Anya sniffed at her Chosen and whined. The 'wrongness' on the blood stains soaking her chosen's clothes were stronger. It was getting worse. Why wasn't he getting up? Anya bit into her Chosen's collar and pulled him off Valentine freeing the Thief. She whined and fussed over Lazarus, licking his wounds.

"Wake up Chosen! Wake up, wake up, I'm sorry. Please wake up!"

Anya ignored everyone else in the room as she fussed frantically over the motionless assassin.

Valentine sat up slowly, dazed.

"Help Lord Valentine up! He is Lord Lazarus's most trusted friend," Dimitri instructed the guards authoritatively.

The Battle Master sighed inwardly. The only problem with the fantastic spawning/training rate Lazarus had achieved with the soldiers to grow his army was the fantastic spawning rate. He had to instruct the new units on the finer points of humanity. Only the older ones had seen and recognised Lord Valentine during their earlier campaign against the orcs. These newbies however needed an introduction to the loyal Thief. Wait until they see him in action, thought the Battle Master.

Dimitri wasn't disappointed.

Valentine recovered quickly getting his bearings. His eyes narrowed at the imprudent guards who dared put a sword to his neck. In an instant, he kicked out at them and jumped away. Flashes of silver flew in the air and the two guards cried out in pain, little daggers embedded in their sword arms. Their weapons clattered to the floor. The thief landed neatly beside the Anya and glared at them. He did not want to kill them and waste Lazarus's troops even if it were only two miserable level twenty guards. Point made.

"I don't need their help to get up."

The two guilty NPCs saluted and backed out the chamber hastily at their Battle Master's urgent covert gestures.

Dimitri bowed to Valentine. "Please forgive them my Lord. They are, umm ... new. They were just performing their assigned duties."

"Hrummmpphhhh."

Valentine ignored all of them and checked his friend over. They were safe in Lazarus' City that was for sure, he recognised Lazarus's private chambers. He had been here often enough, planning with him, Dimitri and the Keeper.

Lazarus's clothes were still wet from his blood, but there were only pinkish scars on his chest. His mangled shoulder was also healing nicely, the wound was already closed and the flesh mending.