Accidental Healer

Morning was creeping on when signs from Aggard's camp came into view.

Thick darkness of pre-morning night fell away and the sky was shifting into a purple hue bringing the promise of impending sunlight.

Crunching pine needles and shuffling branches of shrubs sounded loud in my ears at each step lifted and fell.

There was an emptiness in the pit of my stomach that grew more and more as the night grew old, accompanied by a heavy weariness. Two days had passed since I'd slept at all, that combined with the stress of everything that happened was enough to compete with my stat enhanced endurance..

In the orc encampment it was much quieter than when I was here last. The quiet gave me a chance to really observe them all—they must number in the hundreds—I thought absentmindedly.

I walked between groups huddled around small fires.

In spite of my feelings towards their leader, the orcs seemed more reserved then I imagined they should be. For some reason I expected them to be louder, more boisterous. But instead, once they noticed me, they simply stood and followed as I made my way toward their leader.

Aggard was already waiting. She was standing exactly where I remembered her being, like she had never moved. Xander and Sadie kneeled, heads bowed away from her.

The cursed knife hung calmly at her side.

As I drew closer, a retinue of ten or so guards closed in between us, shielding their Matriarch with their powerful frames.

I stopped and peered around.

Just like before, the orcs fell in around us creating a loose oval shape that was large enough not to feel oppressive. At least they were giving us our space.

To be honest, I barely even noticed anyone except Aggard, Sadie, and Xander.

"Are you at least willing to tell me why?"

Aggard cocked her head to the side—but said nothing.

"I thought about what you said. That I'm no different than you." I shook my head. "It made me sick."

She smiled showing her sickly yellow teeth. "The truth is painful for the guilty."

"It was painful, but it wasn't the truth."

"Oh?"

"It wasn't the truth. Sure, I've brandished my power, but motivation is what matters."

She cackled. "And yours are so pure?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "But I know I want them to be. I'm trying."

"Oh shut up." She spat. "Enough of this, Corg is dead, and you're alive. I'm not interested in your moral dilemmas."

I narrowed my eyes.

She already knew that Corg was dead? How? Maybe she was just assuming he was dead since I came alone? Or maybe she really did follow me? Except that didn't make sense either because she would've known I returned to my faction.

Oh well. It really didn't matter much anymore.

"Fair enough." Tranquility fell into my hand, her now familiar blue glow signifying her desire to enact my judgement.

"I'm going to give you a single chance. Release your hostages, and leave this region with a promise never to come back."

She opened her mouth to speak but I wasn't finished.

"If you refuse, you and your entire faction will be wiped from earth. Those are your choices."

Her eyes could freeze hell and her stumpy red fingers twisted tighter around the knife, inching ever so closer to Xander's throat.

He looked up at me, tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes, lip twitching. His mouth moved by the word came out more like a croak. Xander had always been a complicated part of my faction. He was loud, arrogant, and self entitled at all the worst times.

But seeing him like this? It was all but enough to break my resolve.

If Aggard refused, was I really willing to let him die? I set my jaw—it wasn't going to come to that.

"I'm sorry boy, I'm not sure Layton heard you all the way over there. Speak up!" Spittle sprayed and I watched flecks landing on his already dirty and matted hair.

He flinched, but obeyed, meeting my eyes. "Please don't let me die here! Please!"

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Xander's voice cracked and he sobbed pitifully, head bobbing slightly.

Sadie didn't speak. Her eyes were closed—praying or bracing, I couldn't tell.

My jaw clenched and unclenched, as a storm of emotion raged inside my chest.

"Here is my counter offer." Here words oozed with contempt. "I'll release both of your friends—if you take that disgusting blue sword, and ram it through your own chest."

I closed my eyes. Her message was clear, and she had made her motives clear from the start, I just was too foolish to recognize it.

A wave of acceptance ran through me like a cleansing rain.

"If any surrender, take them alive."

There was no warning, no final words. A black arrow sprouted from Aggard's left eye.

I still had questions that nagged at me. Like, how had this complete stranger known so much about me? Why was she so intent on killing me?

If I ever did learn about her methods—it wouldn't be from her.

More arrows flew. Nick had secluded himself nearby—even I had no idea where, and he was taking full advantage of his spirit weapons perk that powered his shots while hidden.

Howls and lightning lit up the night as Daeven and the wolves joined in the fray.

Aggard clutched at her face, surprisingly somehow still alive, fingers prodding at the exit wound. The guards that had stood as a shield to their matriarch moved to protect their leader, but they put up little fight, falling quickly to either arrows or Tranquility.

I hardly paid them any attention at all, my target was set on the knife Aggard still held tight in her fist.

Her constitution must be higher than I expected, because even with the arrow cleanly through her skull, she was wrapping her free hand around the exposed shaft and was attempting to pry it free.

Her mouth was moving, but it was just a garble of noise.

It wouldn't matter much longer. Tranquility was nearly at her throat when I finally understood what she was saying.

"My baby, my baby."

My eyes grew wide. Did I really forget?

Aggard was pregnant.

It was already too late though. She was carrying the dagger at her face, near the other hand that was attempting to pry loose the arrow. Without even thinking, I'd brought my sword down to cleave off the hand holding the blade.

The glowing blue of Tranquility's blade parted the red skin of Aggard's throat, dark red blood spurted and the hand holding the dagger fell a moment later.

Aggard's one remaining eye sagged, all traces of contempt gone.

I stepped forward, the hostages scrambling away. Just as Aggard's leg's gave out I caught her in my arms and lowered her softly into the dirt.

There was no love lost between her and I in this life. In my heart, I knew that this was my only real path forward. If I had let her live, me and my faction would forever be at risk. I'd made the right choice.

But, I wasn't a murderer.

***

The smell of gore and scorched skin filled my nostrils. The dead had been looted, bodies puffed away into who knew where, but it didn't mean the battlefield was clean.

In the end only a handful of the Orc's had given themselves up. The thirteen that had were already being herded home by Daeven and the wolves.

Just more prisoners who would have to be watched. What kind of path would they have to follow for us to trust any of them? Even if they did seem to assimilate well, what if they were just biding their time for the right moment to exact their revenge?

At every turn more layers to our kingdom were added, and not all of them were good.

"I think I've picked everything pretty clean here. If we wanted to, there were more than enough UBC's in the camp to set up a teleporter."

Nick, sat down next to me on the felled log, keeping his eyes fixed on the fire pit where the embers were still clinging to life. A light breeze stoked them softly, bringing out the bright orange, but no flames.

"You don't really plan to carry that thing for twenty miles do you?"

I looked down at the ball of fabric. Surprisingly, it was Daevon that had helped me swaddle the tiny red body cradled snug against my chest.

My body was spent and my mind felt fuzzy. This was the most ragged I'd felt since the trial dungeon.

What was he asking? Something about a teleporter?

"Yeah, alright, that's fine." I mumbled, swaying a little where I sat.

A second later my eyes popped open. The embers were completely out and the sun was peaking over the mountains.

Had I dozed off? I lurched to my feet.

Where was the baby?

I spun frantically searching the woods around me, only to find Nick with the wool bundle bouncing in his arms.

He looked at me confused.

"Good morning." He teased, with a light grin.

I massaged the back of my neck, groaning as I stretched away the lingering bleariness.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Couple hours."

A couple of hours? Sitting on a log? Apparently I was more worn out than I originally thought.

"Can I see her?"

I asked, holding out my arms. Nick didn't put up a fight, carefully passing me the Orc child. Even swaddled as she was, her small form felt so fragile.

The bundle rose and fell as the child breathed in and out. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her chubby red face. Somewhere nearby a bird called out, startling the baby, her eyes popped open.

Her irises were so light blue, they bordered on white, like clear blue snow runoff.

"So…are we dads now?"

Nick's voice made me jump, I'd forgotten he was there.

"I mean, it takes a village to raise a child and all, but I can't help but feel some responsibility for the little tike."

Looking down at her, I understood what he meant. Together, it was the two of us that had killed her mother. Ultimately, I knew Aggard had to go, she was a danger to ours and every faction around us.

But looking at the child I couldn't keep my heart from aching. Not because of the choice I made, but because I had to make the choice at all. That this little innocent creature was born into the world through such violent circumstances.

In my arms, I held yet another reason why we needed to keep building, keep growing.

"This poor thing has already been through enough." I chuckled, trying to ignore my somber mood. "Maybe we can be cool uncles or something?"

"Yeah, probably right." Nick nodded sagely. "What should we call her?"

Now fully awake, she was starting to fuss, pushing against her bundle. I searched her clear blue eyes—

"Let's call her Aggy."