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A fire crackled and spat out embers as two men sat around it talking quietly. The night was dark and cold, the grass was wet from a recent shower and the owls who'd in the distance. The moon shown clear through the sky and the tree tops, lighting the night and the tiny clearing. It was an eerie night, quiet, not like one would think a forest should be. It was very quiet.

"Do you think the fires safe?" Asked the younger of the two men.

"Its cold and we needed to eat, If that damned orc comes, your magic and my sword will take care of it." Said the older man.

"I suppose you are right.. But still I cant help but worry.." Said the young man.

The older man replied, "Don't worry, Gall is nothing against my fine armor and weapons, and you got that magic to defend us with."

The older man laughed a bit "Gall is nothing compared to us, we will hunt him down and take his head. The reward will be ours."

"I guess you are right.. So who gets to stand watch first Dimitri?" Asks the young man.

"I'll watch the first half of the night, your so worried you wouldn't do a good job any how. Maybe after you rest a bit you will be more calm and can keep watch better Gil."

With those words Gil laid out a thick fur and covered himself with another and laid down to go to sleep.
It was hard for Gil to sleep, in his thoughts he would always see the same thing, It was always Gall attacking that hunting party he was in. He tore through everyone so quickly, Gall nearly killed him accept he tripped at the right moment and fell. He was lucky Gall left him, if it wasn't for his feeling of dishonor at not getting up and fighting he wouldn't be out here. The horrible dreams, always haunting him, maybe if he fought Gall they would stop.... With those last thoughts Gil passed into his dreams.

Gil was awoken by Dimitri shaking him "Get up, Damnit boy get up I think I heard something in the woods."

Oh no Gil thought, it must be Gall.. He had second thoughts, he just wanted to run. But Dimitri was there and he couldn't just leave him, he hired Dimitri to help him, not to have him die in the woods, he couldn't let his cowardice add more pain to his life.. He would stay and fight.

Gil stood and cast a few protective spells on himself and Dimitri. He was a fairly good mage now, back then he would have been slaughtered by Gall but maybe now he will stand a chance. Gil readied a few offensive spells and Dimitri stood at the ready.

Everything was silent, there were no sounds anywhere in the woods or so it seemed. The only sound was the footsteps in the woods, getting ever closer. Gall must have known we heard him but he still snuck up, every crack of a twig and every quiet step was telling Gil to run, run for his very life but this time he had to stay if he could ever have any peace.

Gall came from the woods with his ax held high in the air. Gall struck at Dimitri but Dimitri was able to block the attack with his magic long sword. As Gall recoiled from the block Gil tossed a potent ball of fire at Gall, burning his chest badly.

Dimitri attacked Gall and cut his arm badly. Gall hollered in pain and lifted his ax and slammed the side of it into Dimitri, dazing him and knocking him to the ground. Gall held his ax high and spoke some orcish words and a blue cloud of magic enveloped Gall.

Gil was horrified, he didn't know that Gall knew any shamanistic magic. This was very bad for the two humans, they needed to kill Gall all at once if they were to have any chance, this couldn't be a long drawn out battle.

Gall screamed, "You stupid humans! Gall is different Orc! Gall know much! Gall kill you both!"

Gil replied, "You may have magic, and you may be skilled with an ax, but you are still nothing more then a dirty, filthy orc!"

Gil cast a spell of strength on Dimitri. Dimitri picked his sword from the ground and attacked Gall with renewed vigor. He struck at the orc with all his might, but Gall blocked every blow.

Gall brought his ax to the left and Dimitri took this chance to gash Gall across the chest twice. Gall brought the ax around and gashed Dimitri across the stomach. The ax tore right through the armor and into Dimitri's flesh, Gall struck again and cut across Dimitri's chest.

Gil stood back in frozen terror as Gall mad short work of his body guard.. His friend.. Again, Gall was doing it again..

Gall brought his ax down on Dimitri's arm nearly severing it from his body. Gall lifted his ax above his head and prepared to deliver the killing blow, but something broke his concentration, a human scream, one he wasn't used to.

"No more Gall! Ill stop you Gall, ill save my friend!" Gil screamed.

Something in Gil snapped, he wasn't scared anymore. He wasn't himself anymore either. Something in him snapped, he felt a well of power in him he could have only imagined.

Gall stood, frozen in terror as this human began to pulse and glow. Gall felt a tingle across his skin, like static. The hairs on his skin stood on end then he began to glow as well, but Galls glow was different..

Gil was reciting the words to a spell, given increased strength by his anger.

The energy around Gall started to drift into the air. Gall got a hold of his senses and jumped over Dimitri, lifted his ax and swung at Gil. The ax made contact with the energy surrounding Gil and through Gall back a few feet. The energy around Gall had drifted high into the air. Gil lifted his hands in the air and brought them down in a powerful motion.

Lightning connected with the energy drifting off of Gall and shocked him. The electricity burnt gall and cooked his skin. Gall was thrown into the air from the power of the blast and into the woods.

The energy around Gil dissipated, Gil quickly cast his strongest healing spell on Dimitri then passed out.

Gall landed in the woods some ways from the fight, he was badly injured and was barely conscious. He was to injured to cast a spell, Gall moved his hand to the pouch around his waste and pulled it off his belt and up to his face. He looked in the pouch only to find all his healing potions broken.. Gall dropped his arm down and it landed on a glass bottle, it was tipped on its side. Quickly as Gall could he brought the bottle to his face, it was a healing potion half spilt on the ground but it was something. Gall quickly drank down what there was. Gall to the pouch that had the potions in it and packed it into his mouth to get whatever healing potion he could from it, with that Gall passed out and into a deep sleep.

Dimitri woke first, the healing spell had kept him alive, but was too weak to fix his arm. It was to late for that, it was infected and wouldn't last. The wounds on his stomach and chest weren't infected but they were still painful. Dimitri moved to Gil, slowly trying to minimize his own pain. Dimitri wasn't gentle, and just whacked Gil one in the head to wake him up.

Gil woke up, with a pain in his head. He looked around to find Dimitri sitting on a log taking off his armor.

"Your alive! I wasn't sure if that last spell was enough, I'm glad it was." Gil said in a confused voice..

"I'm not entirely sure what happened after I passed out.. You must have had something to do with it, so thanks for saving me Gil." Dimitri said.

Gil stood up and cast another healing spell on Dimitri. "Your welcome... There that should help with the chest wounds, but your arm doesn't look good and I don't think there is anything I can do."

"I feared as much, well do you have any herbs or spells to numb my arm up?" Dimitri asked Gil.

Gil nodded and cast a numbing spell, it was usually used as an offensive spell to numb enemies to the point where they couldn't move, but it would do the job here too.

"Gil use my sword to hack off my arm. Raise it high and come down hard, I don't want it to be horribly mangle, OK?"

Gil picked up his friends sword and lifted it over his head, he brought the sword down on his friends arm severing it completely from his body.

"Yuck.. I don't know how you warriors can stand this blood." Gil said as he cast a spell to heal the wound.

Dimitri replied "Its an acquired tolerance, I don't care for it much either. Being a mercenary is just a well paying job, and I just happened to be good at it, now I have an excuse to stop... no right arm."

"Well, atleast you can look at the bright side.. Its almost morning, ill pack up and we'll get you to a healer and make sure this is all healed." Gil said.

"What about Gall? Did you kill him or did he get away?" Dimitri inquired.

"I would think him dead, he got hit hard and blasted into the air.. But I don't know, I suppose we will find out eventually. Even if he is dead, I'd prefer someone else find it and get the reward, I just wanna go home.." Gil replied.

Gil finished packing up what survived the fight. Gil walked to Dimitri and gave him a hand up.

"Lets go Dimitri, I've done what I came to do, now I can live with my self again..." said Gil in a sorta cheery voice.

"I'm glad for you... Maybe the healer can do something with this." Dimitri holds out his severed arm as he talks.

"Thanks for coming, I know I paid you.. But thanks." Gil said.

Gall wakes up in the woods, covered in morning dew. It felt as if his entire body were a flame. Gall pulled the pouch from his mouth and slowly stood. The pain was nearly unbearable, slowly and with great pain he walks over to his ax wedged into a tree. Gall uses what strength he has and tears the ax from the tree, this topples Gall over and he hits the ground. Gall roars in pain and stands back up, slowly he makes his way through the woods and to his home.

Gall comes to his cave and goes inside, inside Gall sat on a stone slab and grabbed some healing ointment he found off a previous camp he raided. He applied the ointment to his body and laid on the stone slab. He grabbed a dead rabbit off the floor and used it as a pillow and went to sleep.

Gall slept for three days, and when he awoke he was in pain, and a lot of it.. It made Gall consider giving up raiding.. He didn't know any other way to live.. Perhaps Gall will go and try and find an orcish tribe he can join, or maybe Gall become mercenary, work for humie money... Or maybe Gall will get drunk forget all this and raid again.. At any rate Gall will get drunk.

Gall started brewing up some of his personal brew and went to take another nap with his rabbit pillow.

Gall started to sing an old orcish song about clubbing things and fell into a deep sleep. By the time he woke up there would be much beer to drink, and much pain to forget.. Then perhaps Gall will raid again.