(Rated M) War of Orcs: Knight's Nymph .:Miss Ailis & Holeypaladin:.

[MxAvery]

Genre: Fantasy, Mature
Summary: Orcs are pillaging and destroying the forests and surrounding small villages. Nymphs and the forest creatures and beasts are quickly being captured and their homes destroyed. Unable to go up against the orcs by themselves, they are calling out to the knights and armies of the humans for help. Will the alliance of the Fae and the humans be enough to stop the orcs and save their home?
WARNING: This roleplay will contain mature/adult themes. Such themes could include: death, blood and gore, language, sex, violence, etc.

.:---:.

It had been a cool, peaceful night after a bright and relaxing day. The forest had been abundant with deer, rabbits, exotic beasts and full of green. The trees were dense around a small clearing that had held a small pond, a rocky stream emptying into it from a small ledge, tinkling soothingly. It wasn’t much of a waterfall but it had been high enough to enjoy a few jumps into the calming waters. The memory was so vivid that Noirin could almost smell the cool, crisp water mixed with the fresh leaves of spring. It panged her that the small clearing she had called home with several of her sisters was now a dark, depressing clearing. No green, the rocky ledge destroyed and no animals to call it home. Trees had been uprooted and the earth had been scorched by flames. She could still smell the smoke from her home being set ablaze, the cries and screams of her sisters and the wildlife echoing in her ears.

There were muffled cries now as her fellow sisters and herself sat huddled in a makeshift wooden cage attached to a rickety cart. They were all covered in dirt and had been given aa scratchy, torn blankets to cover themselves with to keep out the chill. A giant, black-scaled beast pulled the cart; an abomination likely contrived from some warlock who had thought to play god and created monsters by combining animals. This one looked to be a cross between some serpent, a horse, and a griffin. It was a shame that such beautiful creatures had to be used in creating this chimera, the thought sickening her as she warily watched the beast and her captors: orcs.

They spoke in a guttural tone, lumbering at a steady pace through the forest and destroying the plant life in their path. Her sisters that were with her silently cried and the youngest clung to her, shaking with fear. For some time now, orcs had been pillaging the homes of her kind: the nymphs. If there was money to be had, orcs didn’t care what they destroyed so long as they got paid. As it was, nymphs were useful to those warlocks looking to gain more power. As a forest nymph, her gifts lent themselves to helping the forest grow and live, including taming great beasts. She could feel the forest calling out in pain to her, even the beast pulling the cart called out and it was enough to make her weep. Nymphs were also known for their beauty and were often seduced by the satyrs or captured and raped by orcs and their related kin. She was glad that these orcs were more mercenary but still, she could tell, and knew, that they looked at them as if a meal was to be had. Even all the dirt and filth that covered them couldn’t deter their stares and it made her skin crawl.

As the sun began to set further below the horizon, the orcs slowed and began to set up a camp. One came close to their cage and poked at it with his giant club. The others screamed but she remained silent and glared, holding the young nymph closer to her. The orc laughed and shook the cart a few times before turning and going to help the others with setting up camp. She watched and silently cried as the orcs tore down trees to start a bright, blazing fire and broke some up to use as seats or pillows. A small, bright green bird flew into the cage and the girls quickly shuffled to hide it. Noirin got closer to it and briefly let go of the young nymph she had been holding to cup the bird in her hands, bringing it close to her face. She whispered a few words to it and urged it back out through the bars, knowing that the bird would take her message to someone who could help them. She just hoped that someone would come soon. After several days of travel and sending her messages though, she was beginning to become desperate and began to think of a way to at least get her sisters to safety.

[Holeypaladin]

Making his way through the forest, a lone knight rode a phantasmal steed, summoned through conjuration magic rather than bred through normal means. It was convenient, in a sense, as he didn't have to worry about proper care and feeding of the animal... yet many knights frowned on such steeds, as they were unable to form a proper emotional bond to them. Still, forming an emotional bond to an animal can lead to emotional pain as well, as war horses often ended up injured, and very few survived long enough to retire, considering how dangerous the current times were.

There were reports of orcs in these forests, pillaging and destroying them. Most likely, they were remnants from several orc war bands which had been routed and scattered throughout the woods by the Empire's army. It would, of course, be ideal for the Army to slaughter every single green-skinned freak they found... but in practice, it wasn't possible, as there were far too many of them to chase down every single one.

He himself was one of many soldiers tasked with hunting down the orcs and exterminating them, but the forest was massive, and the orcs were elusive. Still, he had left many green-skinned corpses in his wake, and was on the hunt for more. He was at a loss for where to search next when a bird came and landed on top of his helmet. Definitely not typical behavior for birds.

On closer inspection, the bird bore a small message. Once the knight had retrieved the message, the bird flew off. After reading it a bit, he soon spurred his horse into a gallop. The phantasmal steed lifted off above the uneven forest floor, levitating and galloping across open air as if it were solid ground. It was faster than attempting to traverse the uneven terrain as well, and he soon found himself approaching a camp. The orcs certainly weren't subtle... the smoke from the fire would be visible for miles, and even if the bird hadn't delivered this message, it wouldn't have been long until the knight found this encampment himself.

But as the message had come from a captive, the actual slaying of the green-skinned brutes was a secondary priority, as rescuing the captives was more important. Thus, he charged straight towards a cage being pulled by a chimera, conjuring forth a cavalry sword through his own foundry circuit. As the orcs turned to face this new threat, he rode past them, lowering the blade until it was parallel to the ground, at neck level. The momentum of the steed did the rest of the work, severing two green heads effortlessly as he passed.

Turning the steed around, he found himself warding off the orcs as they approached. These brutes seemed more professional than most... so, rather than underestimating them, the knight relied on the mobility of his horse, riding circles around the footmen, closing down on isolated orcs rather than facing them all at once. It was a remarkable display of horsemanship, combined with precise sword skills... qualities that separated a trained knight from a common soldier.

[MxAvery]

As the night settled further and the moon became visible from their tiny cage, Noirin couldn’t help but wonder how much further they’d have to go before help came; if it ever did come. She knew that with orcs causing raids all over the continent, resources had to be stretched thin. As the other nymphs had begun to doze off, she remained awake, stroking the hair of the little nymph silently sleeping in her lap. Though it had been some time since she had last slept, she fought against it, not trusting the orcs one bit. The others had tried to get her to sleep, as she was very exhausted, but she had refused.

Despite her exhaustion, her senses were sharp as she remained alert, shifting slightly when she heard something in the woods. It was as if the air was coming alive and she was sure something was coming, even if the orcs were completely at ease.

Suddenly, she saw a knight quickly coming into the clearing and she readied herself as she woke the others. They began to stir and looked on as the knight took on the orcs, some already dead on the ground. The chimera was hissing and growled loudly as it began to kick and shake the cart. She could feel that the beast was upset and the noise of the orcs yelling and shuffling was exciting it to action. Not wanting to miss her chance, Noirin began to hum softly and closed her eyes. She reached out to the surrounding plants and some vines began to come to life and break through the wooden cage.

A few more cries were heard and she saw three orcs charging at once toward the knight. Her sisters were helping break down a space big enough for them to get through and into the woods. As they disappeared, she could hear them just a small distance away, hiding from the fight but not wanting to go too far. She wanted to follow them, to find the nearest village or some hidden cave to hide in but she found that she couldn’t leave the knight to fight off the orcs himself. Slipping out of the cage, the vines began to snake out quickly toward one of the orcs and wrapped itself around his legs, a loud, thunderous shake echoing out with his cries as he tried to pry the vines off himself. Her humming grew louder and with a flick of her wrist, more vines began to entrap the orcs. Sweat broke out over her filthy body, the exhaustion from having been awake for many nights taking its toll. It was all she could do to hold her concentration but her body and voice began to shake.

She cried out as her knees buckled, panting heavily as fell to the ground with trembling limbs. There were only a few orcs left and her vines had trapped two and had at least tripped the third one. She could hear an angry cry as another from her right realized that they had disappeared, the chimera still fighting against its restraints. The orc was coming nearer to her, a club raised in its hand and she began to panic. Taking a deep breath, a shrill whistle echoed in the clearing harshly, the chimera breaking free and charging at the orc, a move she hoped would buy her some time to get away as she began to crawl toward the destroyed cage to hide behind the broken pieces.

[Holeypaladin]

As the knight began to cause chaos among the orc slavers, he noticed the plant growth as it began to aid his endeavors. The nymphs in the cage were using their power over nature to assist him, which served to hamper the movements of the orcs while allowing his own highly mobile steed to move freely between them, evading the larger groups and singling out orcs in smaller numbers, riding past them and swiftly dispatching them with sword strokes that he made look easy.

With this sort of power, he wondered somewhat how the nymphs had been captured in the first place... but he figured it didn't have enough offensive power to kill them, and would only serve to make the orcs angry should they have used this power prior to his arrival. Still, it was helpful, and in the middle of the fight, he noticed the nymphs had managed to open their own cage and were slipping out. Some of the orcs gave chase, of course, but the knight aimed for them first, riding them down and sending green heads rolling with the sword strokes of his orcslayer sword.

One of the orcs seemed to have cornered a nymph, and the knight turned his horse to assist. As he did so, the chimera also began charging in the direction. Not realizing that the nymph was the one who had called the chimera, he assumed that it, too, intended to eat her... and so, the knight charged, swiftly slicing the head off of the orc as it prepared to strike the nymph, before glancing in the direction of the chimera.

For some reason, this particular nymph had been run out of energy before she could escape into the forest with her sisters. Seeing as how she would be an easy target in this condition, the knight made a pass at the chimera, swinging his sword to draw its attention, delivering a deep gash which served to annoy it quite a bit. As the beast unleashed its fire breath at him, he evaded the breath weapon with skilled horsemanship as he made another pass in the direction of the exhausted nymph.

Reaching down, he wrapped an arm around her waist before pulling her up onto the horse with him. "Are you alright?" he asked her as he noted the orcs had begun to realize they were outclassed and had lost control of their chimera, which began to indiscriminately attack everything around. "Bear with me a bit longer, I don't want to let any escape." The orcs had begun to flee and scatter, but knowing that they'd simply regroup and proceed to continue their vile activities later, the knight continued to ride, dispatching as many of them as he could with his sword before the only thing left was the chimera, which he was content to let rampage off into the woods on its own.

[MxAvery]

The nymph watched as the knight came and the orc’s head was cut clean off before he had turned to the chimera. She had wanted to let him know that she had charmed the chimera but then the beast was cut and her hold on it broke. She watched and allowed herself to be pulled up onto the horse, clinging tightly as her arms wrapped around his waist to keep herself from falling off. She nodded her head against his back and closed her eyes as he took care of the rest of the orcs. It wasn’t until he was done that she opened them and loosened her grip just a bit.

“I am fine. Thank you,” she said to him, her voice light and airy as it seemed to tinkle like a running stream. “Please. I need to find my sisters. Did you see where they went?”

Although all the orcs were dead, she still feared for her sisters. She knew they had gone into the woods but she didn’t know just how far. She was also afraid that they’d been hurt while the orcs had been fleeing if they hadn’t gone far enough. Though they wouldn’t intentionally leave her behind, they had promised, after much convincing, that they wouldn’t come back if one was left behind, unless it was a young one. She was far from being young and while she had been leading them, she knew the others her age would step up to ensure they were all safe. Still, part of her hoped that they were near enough that she could find them and make sure they were alright.

[Holeypaladin]

The knight certainly didn't mind the way the nymph gripped him, as her kind was indeed quite beautiful by their very nature. Eventually her grip on him relaxed, but didn't let up entirely. She had obviously been terrified throughout the carnage, despite the fact that she had shown great courage in breaking the other nymphs free. "I'm glad you're alright," he commented. Most orcs wouldn't have bothered to capture her, but he didn't feel any pressing need to describe what they would have done instead.

"The others seemed to scatter in all directions," he said. "I'm not sure if they ever regrouped or not. Nor could I tell which direction they were headed." He paused. "Some of the orcs may have escaped," he stated. "So if you wish to search for the others... then allow me to accompany you. It's my job to kill the green-skinned cowards, anyway."

Well, he was content to let her hold on to him anyway, so he wasn't about to kick her off his horse anytime soon. "Do you have a name?" he inquired. "My name is..." he paused as if trying to remember something, "Viktor. Viktor Riker. And I'll be rescuing you today," he added in a slightly teasing tone.

[MxAvery]

“Viktor,” she repeated, giving a small smile even as she shook her head at his words. “I am Noirin Daire. Thank you for helping my sisters and me. I would appreciate any help you can give me in finding them. It may help to let you know that there was a stream not far back that they may go to. We are quite fond of the water. They would find it comforting.”

Her grip had loosened more, her hands resting comfortably on each side of his waist as she took in his armor and the magical steed they were on. While she would much rather prefer a living beast, there was something comforting in the magic she felt beneath her; it was warm and strong. As much as she tried to occupy her mind, her body would not obey her silent commands. She felt lethargic and her head fell forward to rest on the knight’s back, eyelids fluttering. The adrenaline that had kept her going for so long was beginning to wear off and she could feel the impending crash her body was going through. While worried for her sisters, they were free and she knew she would find them as those worries were replaced with thoughts of sleep. She yawned as her arms went more securely around the knight’s waist.

“I do not think I will be able to stay awake much longer,” she practically whispered, the effort to speak any louder too much for her. “It has been days since I last slept. I will just close my eyes for a moment…”

Her voice trailed off as her eyes had shut and she had begun to sleep, her breath evening out and her body slumping against his back though her arms never loosened.

[Holeypaladin]

"A pleasure to rescue you, Noirin Daire," said the knight, chuckling a bit at his own words. "I'll see if I can't re-unite you with your sisters." Still content to let her hold on to him, he began to make his way back towards the stream that the nymph had indicated. The orcs seemed to have scattered or died, and he wasn't in any particular hurry to part with the woman he had rescued. Though it seemed inevitable, he made his way slowly, and soon heard her breathing steady as she mentioned closing her eyes.

He chuckled as he realized the woman had fallen asleep on his back. By the time they had reached the stream she had indicated, Noirin had long since fallen asleep. Sure enough, there were several other nymphs present, and though they expressed some alarm at the intruder, they soon relaxed as they saw it was simply the knight and their other sister.

"Greetings," Viktor said to one of the fae women that approached him, "Noirin told me that I could find you here. She wanted to make sure that you all had managed to escape safely. Unfortunately, she fell asleep along the way, and I don't have any particular desire to wake her at the moment."

"Noirin?" The nymph glanced from Viktor to the woman that was holding on to him. "I see.... she told you her name, did she? And she thanked you, as well?"

"Well, yes," the knight said, curious as to what the nymph's point was. "Is it not normal to introduce oneself in such a situation?"

The nymph merely regarded him with a smile. "Take care of her, won't you? And feel free to camp with us for the night... we're too tired to travel, and could use the protection. And if we're gone by the time Noirin awakens, then give her our regards. We'll leave her in your care from now on."

Viktor was somewhat confused by this all. Was there some sort of significance in what had happened with Noirin? The nymph almost seemed surprised that she had said her name... and indeed, she hadn't said her own name either... but there was no point in worrying about it for the time being. He could always ask Noirin in the morning, after all, and was a bit tired himself.

"Very well then," said the knight, managing to work himself free of the nymph's grasp long enough to climb down from his horse, lifting her up in his arms and setting her down to rest as well. With the incantation of "Arcanisstok thesek bikil di Mordenkaiden," he summoned forth a hound similar to his horse in nature, who would alert himself and the nymphs to any orcs who happened to stumble upon them throughout the night. Then, finding a comfortable spot near Noirin, he too settled down to sleep the night away.