Unexpected Visitors

[DoF Archive]

Date: 7/16/2001 10:06 PM Central Daylight Time
From: JakeThrash



Unexpected Visitors



Though the hour was late, the half-orc had not yet closed the doors of the brewery. Instead he worked at the front counter, marking a piece of slate with chalk, calculating quantities and volumes of supplies to order. His work was brutally interrupted when a group of full-blooded black orcs, their dusky skin covered in hardened leather and scraps of chain or plate, stormed through the front doors of the brewery. Quickly, they began filling the room. In their grasp they held nets and ropes clearly intent upon capture. Upon spotting the half-orc, they growled or shouted and rushed towards him.

Jake reacted with warrior-born reflexes, hurling himself back from the counter behind which he worked and bolted through the door into the warehouse portion of the brewery. As he leapt through the doorway, narrowly escaping a cast net, the half-orc yanked on a lever located just past the warehouse door. With a rush of chains and a loud clang, the metal bars of a small portcullis fell, separating the front office from the warehouse. The sound was quickly followed by the rattle of a larger set of chains and another clang as a stronger iron portcullis sealed the front entrance, trapping the full-blooded orcs.

The giant orcs rushed the portcullis, slamming into the metal bars, snarling with rage and striving to break through. Jake wasn't sure how long the small portcullis could hold them out of the warehouse, but Jake didn't need it to hold them forever, just long enough for him to turn the advantages more towards his side.

The tall, narrow windows of the warehouse were already shuttered, and since they were situated high upon the walls of the brewery, they could not be opened from the floor level. With a yank upon a second lever, the wall torches were released from their sconces and dropped into ready buckets of water, quickly bringing the large warehouse into complete darkness.

Dousing the lights of the warehouse would not hinder the orcs in finding Jake with their darksight, which allowed them to see sources of heat, but the darkness would make using their nets and ropes more difficult. Unable to see obstructions like barrels or brewing vats clearly, they would not be able to cast their nets safely and would have to rely upon grabbing the half-orc themselves.

Jake darted in between a collection of stacked barrels and crates, and, as he did so, he pulled free one of his many knives. It was a sharp blade the length of his forearm, just long enough to be useful for close quarters combat, without being too long for the narrow "passageways" amid the improvised maze of barrels and brewing supplies. He could hear the larger orcs pounding on the metal portcullis. Already, Jake could tell the portcullis was tearing free. It hadn't been intended to hold out against determined assault from orcs, trolls, ogres, or other large humanoids.

The half-orc considered the back entrance for a moment, but suspected there would be orcs covering that entrance as well. Smarter than average among orcs, the savage, ashen-skinned, black orcs would have certainly thought of that. If not, whoever had sent them might have given directions to cover the back.

Unfortunately, the lever controlling the portcullis trap of the front office did not control the one for the back entrance, which meant that at any moment, a second party of orcs might gain entry to the warehouse. Even as he thought that, Jake could hear a pounding on the thick oaken doors. They were barred and would hold for a while, but eventually the orcs would bring out axes and chop their way in.

Jake needed another way out. As he moved deeper into the maze of boxes and barrels, he also moved closer to the giant brewing vats. Moving amongst their giant shapes, the half-orc peered into the darkness, looking to see which entryway would give first. His gaze was rewarded by the sight of large warm shapes pouring through a bent portcullis ripped free from the doorway to the front office. The enraged orcs had fought their way through the wrought iron and were moving into the warehouse.

Frustrated by their initial failure to capture the half-orc, the full-bloods began pushing over crates and barrels. The half-orc scowled to himself, but as much as he desired to kill them for the invasion, he was badly outnumbered. Too outnumbered to consider battle. That was the stuff of the cradle tales told to human whelps. Instead, Jake moved back amongst the brewing vats where their heat would help obscure his location.

The full-bloods had erred in attacking Jake within his own brewery. Built by the mind of a warrior, it was a battleground where he held the advantage, though in this case, their numbers dictated that a retreat was needed, at least until he could increase his advantage against them.

Moving carefully, the half-orc found one of the large metal drainage grates. Moving the grate would make noise, but with all the noise the full-bloods were making as they thrashed about looking for him, Jake suspected they would miss the noise of the grate.

Jake put down the long knife and gripped the iron grate, grunting with effort as he heaved against it. At first, it refused to budge, obstinately staying in place as the black orcs crashed and hunted their way closer. Soon they would reach him. The half-orc redoubled his efforts, hard muscles straining as they yanked free the circular iron grate. Jake fell backwards as it came free, but was able to keep the grate from striking the floor and creating a clatter. Quickly, he set aside the grate and grabbed up his long knife. Dropping down through the opening into the drainage tunnels beneath the brewery, Jake immediately set off through a darkened tunnel. If they were all as big as the ones which had come in through the front, they would never fit through the drainage hole into the tunnels. He was safe for the moment, and hidden from their view.

They would thrash about and trash some of his brewery he was sure, but orcs were not well known for their patience and would soon give up hunting for him. In fact, once they realized the half-orc was gone, they'd probably get drunk on his black ale, at which point Jake would extract some revenge, but until then, he had a few hours to kill, and figured a visit to Badside might be in order to see what the skulks there might know about a band of black orcs, and why they might be in Rhydin.