Chapter 3: Best

“Don’t trust the elves,” Conquer commanded. “They will only seek to trick you with their words. They twist your words around and form them into a maze which you will be unable to escape from.”

Whelp looked at the elf, beaten half to death. Its face was blackening, the ever-present fae curves ballooning into hefty, fresh bruises. It looked up at Whelp, and locked its canted eyes with his. Its mouth moved, quietly, so that Conquer was unable to hear it or see it speak.

“Please…”

Whelp didn’t dare to move. His father’s temper was renowned, and if he showed any semblance of mercy here, he was as like to be beaten to a bloody pulp as the elf. Instead, he shook his head lightly, to the left, then the right. The small bit of light in the elf’s eyes dimmed, and it squeezed its eyes shut.

“Give it a try, Whelp,” Conquer spat. “Try speaking to it, see how far you get.” He handed Whelp the axe that was ever-present by his side. “Just remember how this will end.” Whelp took the blood-darkened handle, which settled comfortably into his palm. The wood was still warm and slightly damp from its earlier work.  

“Why did you come to our desert?” Whelp asked. Conquer rested a heavy hand on Whelp’s shoulder, looking on proudly.

“I… I’m a cartographer.” The elf responded. It managed to get its knees underneath it and lift its body up, hunched over. Blood dripped from the open wounds on its face. “I make maps. This area is uncharted, so we came to map it out.”

“It’s uncharted for a reason,” Conquer answered.

Learn looked out at the veritable army of bandits swarming in front of the caravan. Probably fifty or sixty, total. He was the front line of their defenses — he and the goblin that was monkeying off of his arm. He would have to get the creature’s name later, if they made it out of this. So far, Learn managed to make it unscathed — the bandits weren’t professional arms men, and their weapons were far from sharpened. But a blow with enough power behind it would do some serious damage. He could only take so much punishment before it started to show.

The caravan behind him had formed a small semicircle, with the youngest, most vulnerable members inside it, protected by the armed caravaners and the large wagons in back. It was a decent formation, but Learn assumed that the bandits would have more tricks up their sleeves.

In front of him, Learn noticed the black mist started appearing once again. Yet again, it coalesced into a black shape, a cloak with a hood that the figure pulled back, revealing its face. Dark black hair fell straight down one side of the figure’s head, with the other side shorn short. The person was wearing a mask that covered their brow, eyes, and nose, but left the pale skin just above and underneath their mouth uncovered.

“My friend shot you,” Learn said.

“Your friend is quick on the trigger, yes.” the masked Tasked’s lips quirked. “But it takes more than that to knock me out of commission.” The masked figure swept their cloak around. They weren’t wearing a weapon, but access to magic was… concerning. Learn did not have much experience with Tasked mages, he went out of his way to avoid them on the battlefield. Those who hadn’t… well, most often they needed a helping hand or two from then on.

There was a twang from behind Learn’s shoulder and he felt a whisper right next to his ear. The goblin on his shoulder yelped, and he grimaced. Someone, likely Celeste, had fired another bolt at the leader. The figure bedecked in black crumpled to the ground. As they hit the floor, the cloak went up in a puff of smoke, and the body disappeared again.

“This is a fight, not an occasion for you to grandstand,” Celeste shouted. Learn heard the telltale click of her crossbow being loaded with another shot. “And the rest of you?” She started, speaking to the bandits, “Are you just going to let her do that? Or are you here to fight us, beat us, and steal our things? Are you bandits, or what?” The crowd of shrouded men milled around, and Learn took it as an opportunity to throw himself back into the fray. With a roar, he ducked forward and bashed two men away, knocking one flat on his back and flinging the other into a pressed group of bodies.

The goblin on his shoulder leapt off, using his momentum to power its jump. It flung a small sphere forward, and it cracked on impact with the ground, blossoming into flame. The goblin landed on top of a bandit who had her hair tied back, and clawed at her eyes from its perch. It pulled out another orb from somewhere in its folds of clothing and shoved it down the front of the bandit’s shirt. It jumped off back toward the protected area and cackling, yelled out “Best!” as the bandit went up in flames.

“I saw, darling,” A voice that Learn didn’t recognize answered from just off to his left. Then — a swift flash of color, bright in the darkness. A blur of motion in front of him, a crimson cloak flickering, accompanied by the sound of a flute, of all things. The shape swept through the bandits, zig-zagging as something swung out from beneath it — a thin sword, Learn couldn’t make out what kind. Too small to hurt. He was wrong. The thin sword twisted and turned, leaving scores, cuts, devastation in its wake.

He managed to get a closer look, palming the head of a bandit that was standing just in front of him and pushing him backward, off of his feet. The bandit landed with a sickening crunch and lay still. The elf — and it was an elf, Learn saw now, was fighting off one pack of bandits all by itself. One hand playing a thin woodwind instrument, the other grasping the ornamented sword, the elf played the bandits swings against them masterfully, driving them against one another, parry after parry, after parry. Then, apparently done playing with its food, the elf swung harsh, and blood sprayed into the dark night air.

Within moments, the bandits dispersed, their morale broken. They ran, leaving the wounded and fallen behind. The colored blur stopped, a tall figure in a red cloak standing tall where it was.

“Tasked.” One of the humans in the caravan said, awe in her voice.

The figure had long black hair, woven tightly into a braid that fell all the way down to the small of …his? Her? Learn had to learn gender markers for the smallfolk soon. They were all so confusing. The red cloak they were wearing was resplendent, gold trim creating woven patterns all the way up. With a swish and a flourish, the figure sheathed their thin sword at their waist.

“I know you’re still here,” The elf spoke, words ringing in the darkness. “You’re not nearly half as good at drama as you believe yourself to be.”

The night chuckled, and cloudy darkness rose. “Lucky for me, my Command doesn’t give a shit about the drama.” The voice of the masked figure wafted up, followed by the black mists. Unlike the previous times, no figure appeared. The mists continued to rise, swallowing up the landscape, the people, until Learn was by himself. He heard several of the caravaners shout, then the mist overtook him, bringing utter silence with it.

“Celeste!” He tried to shout, but the words didn’t escape his mouth. Then, a whispering chuckle from next to him. He swung a fist wildly, but it didn’t impact. Learn couldn’t see, couldn’t hear.

“You. Pebbleskin. You’re interesting.” The masked figure spoke, voice echoing through the mist. Learn’s heart was pounding. If this stranger wanted to execute him right here, right now, there was nothing he would be able to do about it. “You’re Tasked, yes?”

Learn stayed silent. He didn’t want to give an enemy any information he didn’t have to. He went to a stance that he was comfortable with, arms up and bent, loose fists, balanced lightly upon his toes and the balls of his feet. Ready to react. He breathed in, then out, centering himself.

“Relax, orc. If I wanted you dead you already would be. My Command makes it oh so easy. All I have to do is hide and you’ll never see me coming.” Learn noted an oddness about the way the masked figure said hide. A Command? Maybe something about these mists is letting me learn things I wouldn’t be able to, otherwise.

“Hide,” he guessed, ignoring the fact that he couldn’t hear his own words. “We won. Leave, and I won’t kill you.” Another obnoxious chuckle. He looked around. There — a section of the shadows that was somehow more there than the rest, more solid. Learn had nothing else to go on, so he edged closer, his arms out in front of him, looking for purchase on something, anything.

The masked stranger — Hide — hissed. The shadow moved, and as it did, Learn lunged for it. He got a grip and sent a punch into the largest mass of the shape. As he did, it dissipated, and along with it the rest of the black mists. Learn toppled to the ground, his balance relying on the unseeable figure.

The battle had taken longer than he assumed — light was just beginning to peek out over the tree-line, the sky a deep, bruised purple. They had won for now.

—-

As Learn rested, Alvin and Celeste were attending to the rest of the caravaners, making sure that nobody had sustained any lasting injuries. Learn himself was covered with small cuts and bruises, but fortunately, none had made it through his thick hide. He had, however, been forced to sit through the entirety of the caravan coming up to him and thanking him. Many had made introductions, and he now held dozens of names in his mind, most of which failed to match to faces. They seemed to think that he had held the line for them, and managed to scare off the Tasked by himself. Truth be told, he had been itching for a combat. He was thankful that the bandits had come to give him an excuse to release some pent-up aggression.

Alvin approached, followed by the goblin and elf who had partaken of the battle. In the breaking light of day, Learn could see that the goblin was a girl — the elf still confused him. But the elf was wearing clothing that he could tell were traditionally male. That would have to do.

“You fight well,” Learn said to the pair, “You use your Command like an orc.”

“Darling, why hide what the gods gave you?” The elf said. He smirked, and flipped his braid over his shoulder. “By the good graces of Satisfaction of a Job Well Done, I’ve been granted my abilities. I’m not about to fail Her by not living up to them. You have it right, I should think.”

Learn nodded. It was a very orcish way of looking at the world. He appreciated that about the elven man.

“And you,  goblin girl.” The goblin’s ears perked up, and she looked up at him with surprise. “You were brave. Warn me before you want a ride, in the future.” He chuckled, and the goblin giggled. She reached out an uncannily long arm to him, and he shook her hand.

“Lgthpt,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” Alvin interrupted, “your name is Lick Spit?”

“No! Lgthpt!” Lgthpt yelled back, voice increasing in pitch. Alvin raised his hands in an equivocating motion.

“Lgthpt. I am Learn.” Learn said.

“That’s a weird name,” the goblin responded, then cackled as if it were the funniest thing in the world. She leapt up onto the elf’s shoulder, seemingly effortlessly.

“I am known as Best,” the elf said. “Best Dappling Sunlight through Wet Branches.”

“Nope,” Learn grunted, “too long.”

“Okay, okay. You all have special names,” Alvin said, “Learn, let me get a good look at you.” Learn obliged, and the dwarf looked at Learn’s wounds, patting them and looking at his face for any signs of pain. When he didn’t get a response, he held out a small metal amulet. It flashed a bright white light, and Learn wheeled backward.

“Mage!” He hissed. He grasped for a weapon.

“What? Oh, no. No, no, no. This is just an heirloom,” Alvin said, gesturing to the amulet. “My great-great grandfather was commanded to Keep, and he imbued this with some of his magic. It can keep people healthy.”

Learn relaxed slightly, though the battle was too fresh in his mind to lose all of his tension. He forced his fists to release. But it was true — the cuts dug into his skin had closed up, the bruises lightened in color to a yellow-green hue. His feet even felt better.

“Useful trick,” he said. “You two. Best and…” He waved his arms in a circle.

“Lgthpt,” Lgthpt said.

“Yes. I’m new to this. Talking to other races. My clan didn’t talk with non-orcs. I want to learn. Would you help?” His response apparently surprised the elf. Lgthpt was long past paying attention, tinkering with several small metal bits that had appeared in her hands as if from nowhere.

“…certainly, but I must be clear,” Best responded. “Once we get to Shrike, I will have much of my time taken up with my adoring fans. Performances, concerts, and the like. I will be glad to accompany you and teach you of the Elven path, but know that our time is inherently limited.”

Best really likes talking about himself, Learn thought. He grunted, and let out a “‘kay.” Best looked annoyed for a split second, before covering up his emotions with a neutral expression.

“What would you like to learn,” the elf asked. Learn let out a chuckle.

“Everything.”