The Thief and the Heart of Stone

Chapter Four: The Kingdom Below

Caught in the midst of a practical war for food and the breath of an Executioner class dragon, the group shuffles behind Grogg's protective rock armor on his back. Grogg stood tall knowing he was defending his dearest friends, and although he could not feel pain, his rocky backside began to glow red hot from shielding the heat. Grogg feels overburdened with sorrow as his favorite piece of clothing, his tattered pink night gown from the cyclopes camp, burnt into ash within seconds.

The hell fire halted with most of the warg pack gone and slim to nothing left of the animals. The dragon splits the silence once more, giving a vast roar across the plains. As the lesser drakonids steal their rations, bicker over food, and kill the remaining wargs, the group hurries away from the colossal slaughtering... More and more beasts from all across the plains pool into the battlefield with one thing in common; hunger. Everything from hyenas and boars to saber-toothed tigers and mongrels, as well as more wargs and even ox all come to this vicious arena. With Chase's shoulder-long hair and his green cloak vigorously rushing in the wind, he strikes his arm out casting a spell. The group, with an assembly of hungry beasts after them, teleport miles through the plain in an instant while still running. Chase grows weak and plummets about the muddy floor, tumbling and dirtying his cloak and leather apparel. Van stops and turns back to pick up Chase. The young man's eyes are terribly bloodshot and his veins pop out red all over his body.

"Abracadabra." Chase roughly muttered to Van

"That was one heck of a spell, kid. By the looks of it, it was too powerful for you!" Van states.

Promidicus yells that they're still not in the clear and goes running ahead. The centaur picks up Chase and continues with the man in his arms. Their legs wobbled from exhaustion, stops to catch breath were swift and short-lived, but the group kept running until the dragon amidst battle grew small and blended with the far horizon...

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                          Meanwhile in Vetzaar Krag, capital city of Ögmor - "land of the Orc"

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"So you're trying to convince me, Ozzogg the Defiler, war-master chieftain of the orc, that after some know-it-all intrudes my command tower, in my province, after killing all of my guard, to give up all I have and submit before him? Hah!" the iron-armored orc laughed, finding the whole conundrum humorous.

"...Bow." Azrael commanded.

"HAHA! You'd have better luck swallowing an ogre!"

Azrael, with an immobility spell casted on the war-master, took the Orc's sheathed blunt sword, not prime for stabbing, and slashed the monster's legs off to make him bow. Then forcefully gouged the bar of metal into its helmeted head.

"I applaud you for your co-operation." The Dark Prince uttered. At the top of the sky high command tower, Azrael made his way to the balcony to face the tens of thousands of Orc armies on standby, waiting for orders to attack a nearby human city from the war-master. Azrael, standing atop the balcony, casted a voice-amplifying spell.

"Mighty Orcs!!..." The fallen Angel called "You are leaderless! Your orders come from me, lord Azrael!"

The orc armies all laughed in denial and reassured themselves that no one can kill Ozzogg the Defiler! Azrael then threw down the severed head of their master, it took some time before it pounded against the blood soaked dirt ground, at the foot of the army. "Ozzogg is dead... you submit to me now, and anyone who opposes me shall die and will be replaced." Azrael commands "These are times of reform, my friends. The earth will bend her knee to us!! The world shall know pain, the humans shall see the dark of extinction and the orc shall rise up and live like kings! Heed my order, first we will kill and plunder the outer cities of the Oracle's Crater, then we will burn every settlement until we crush their capital and overthrow the human throne! We will watch every lord across the mortal plane burn!" The armies stood in silence not knowing what to do.