Heroes of the Realm chapter 2: First Fight

Hugo stood awkwardly playing with the ends of his braided beard in the second story room of the inn.

"Are you sure this is the best way?" he asked again.

"Yeah, believe me, it'll work" came Samantha's voice from behind the partition.

"I still don't like this," he said. "I would hate to be thought of someone who took part in lascivious activities."

Though to be honest if he even tried anything unseemly with Samantha Blacksmith he would probably find himself flat on his dwarven behind faster than he could call on Solaris for protection.

"Don't worry," she said as she struggled behind the screen. "After we're done I'll explain who you are and why we're here and it'll all be fine."

Hugo doubted it would be fine. Subterfuge was always a double-edged sword, and he feared being cut for no reason.

"I'm sure we can-" he said before something outside the window caught his attention. It was a gnome wearing a green cloak clinging to a massive ogre using two daggers as handles. The ogre was thrashing around trying to get him off while arrows appeared on his hide.

Before Hugo could say anything he was shoved aside as he saw Samantha smash through the window, sword drawn with a pink dress half pulled on over her armor.

Hugo regained his footing, brushed himself off and muttered "That works". He then picked up his mace, kissed the holy symbol around his neck, and calmly walked out the door.

***
Thayne watched from behind the bar as people crowded into the tavern. Shouting could be heard outside as well as the occasional roar. A man came up to the bar and shouted to nobody in particular "Ogre attack! Ogre attack!"

This was it.

This was the call Thayne had been looking for. Three months of working in a tavern in the big city and he finally had a lead. A call to adventure.

He saw a guest, a dwarf in shining armor and wielding a mace come down the stairs and push his way through the crowd to the open street. Thayne saw this as the final sign. He took off his apron, grabbed the pack he'd had ready since he started working here and his fiddle, and followed the dwarf through the crowd.

The scene outside was chaos. The ogre was nearly two stories tall and was currently trying to grab a small person on its back. Another small person, a halfling woman, was behind it knocking an arrow. An orc stood across the street with two axes, covered in blood and laughing. To his right, a tall man in a pointed hat said something strange before a ball of purple energy flew out of his hand and split in half before both balls hitting into the ogres chest. On his left the dwarf was trying to swing at the creatures foot with his mace. The oddest thing he saw by far though was a woman in front of him. Her blond hair spilled over her torn dress, which had bits of armor poking out of it. She held a massive sword with two hands and was sweeping it at the monster.

Thayne decided to help her so he set his fiddle and started to play. With the music he poured his soul, his magic, into the notes. It was his gift, to inspire others with his own personal magic. He focused the music on the woman in front of him who swung her sword and slashed the ogre across the chest. As the creature stepped back she glanced over her shoulder, met Thayne with intense brown eyes, and said "Thanks."

Thayne smiled and channeled his music towards the person on the ogre's back.

***

Gimini decided as he rode the back of the thrashing ogre, his twin daggers stuck in the meat of its massive shoulder blades, that this was not his day. He'd pictured himself having lunch, maybe a glass of wine to wash it down with. As it was he was just trying to figure out how to survive the next few minutes.

It was then that he heard the sound of a fiddle being played from somewhere near the street. He wondered for a moment why in the hells anyone would pick now to start playing, but the melody touched something in him that made him feel oddly stronger.

He suddenly had an idea. Planting his feet on the ogre's back he kicked off with all his might, performing a back-flip off the ogre and onto the pavement. He landed surprisingly well in a crouching position, both daggers to either side and both dripping with blood. The halfling he'd encountered earlier was standing next to him with an arrow knocked and looking at him with surprise.

"We really must stop meeting like this, my dear" he said with a smirk. She let out a laugh and fired into the giant beast.

***

Samantha was having a fantastic time. The ogre was a monstrous thing, looming over her frame despite the creature being hunched over. With the gnome off its back she redoubled her efforts to attack the beast, and noticed her companion, the shirtless orc, matching her fervor.

She'd been startled to see the orc fighting the ogre, as she was lead to believe that the two species usually worked together. This orc was far different than the ones she'd seen before. She usually saw them wrapped in animal furs with crude weapons, but this one had hand crafted studded leather pants and fine boots, and he wielded two well crafted hand axes. He was shirtless, which was something Samantha had never seen on an orc, but was something she decided she appreciated.

Samantha and the orc moved like dancers at the ogre. His swings were viscous yet somehow graceful,  like a cat mauling a deer. Hers were timed, well trained, and disciplined, yet somehow the two fighting styles flowed. He would attack then she would, both keeping their weapons from striking the other, both stepping in on their turns. When the creature would swing with its gangly arms to try and claw at her or the orc, they would parry then step back in, as though they had rehearsed this fight a hundred times.

Between their fighting and the others attacks, the ogre started to tire. It had over a dozen nicks from her and the ogre's blades, as well as a smashed foot from Hugo's mace, bruises to the face from the gentleman in the pointed hat's magic, shoulders bleeding from the gnomes daggers, and arrows sticking out everywhere like a partially plucked chicken. As it staggered, Samantha looked at the orc and he bowed his head, indicating that she could finish it off. She gave a small bow with a smile then put her sword through the beast's head, finally killing it.

The small crowds that had formed on either end of the street started cheering. Samantha hadn't even noticed their gathering till now as she looked at her companions. Most were exhausted and Hugo was using magic to heal the halfling who seemed to have taken a hit before Samantha had arrived. She turned around to thank the magic user when she saw several soldiers in full plate armor, swords drawn, push their way through the crowd. Each had a shield with the symbol of Lord Laurentus emblazoned on it, with matching symbols on their armor and helmets.

"You're all under arrest!" the first man shouted by way of greeting.

Samantha was taken aback by this. They'd just killed an ogre. She looked directly at the man who spoke.

"For what?!" she shouted.

"For causing a disturbance!" He replied. "Drop your sword!"

"Why didn't you get the ogre for causing a disturbance? He was the one who started it!"

"We'll see! Now drop your sword!"

Samantha swore as she threw her sword to the ground and was grabbed by the guards. This was definitely going in her report, though she was glad she didn't have to try the whole damsel idea.