The Flame Orc

  Ilarion looked at Stone and asked, "What are your abilities?"

  Stone replied, "You'll find out when the battle begins."

  Ilarion wanted to punch this fool for such an idiotic response, but he chose to remain silent. He knew he wouldn’t be able to change his way of thinking.

  Ilarion spoke, "First, we need to assess the orc’s strength. Numbers alone won’t guarantee our victory, and we might even lose. We need to lure the orc out of the cave to gain an advantage in open ground. The prince and the archers will be positioned on the rocks, while we engage the orc directly. The knights will handle any beasts attracted by the noise."

  Ilarion pondered, How do I lure the orc out? Should someone act as bait, or is there another way?

  Raising his voice, he said, "I'll be the bait! I'll draw the orc out!"

  The prince turned to him, shocked. "Are you insane? You could die!"

  Ilarion glanced at the prince and the knights, noticing their stunned expressions. Suddenly, Stone spoke. "Leave it to me."

  Ilarion frowned. "You're wielding a heavy weapon. You're not as fast as I am."

  Stone smirked. "Who said I would be the bait?"

  He gripped his hammer, dashed toward the cave, leaped above it, and struck it hard. Ilarion saw clearly as Stone’s hammer absorbed some of the rock, causing the cave to tremble.

  Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed. Stone immediately retreated, positioning himself in front of Ilarion and Thaid, standing firm.

  The orc emerged, furious at being disturbed during its slumber. The first ones to catch its gaze were Ilarion, Thaid, and Stone, and it charged at them.

  Ilarion steadied himself, gripping his twin swords, while Thaid maneuvered to a blind spot, as was the nature of assassins.

  The flaming orc lunged at Stone, who raised his hammer, waiting for the attack.

  The orc lifted its hand to strike, but Stone smirked, absorbing more earth into his hammer before delivering a counterattack. The orc’s instincts screamed danger—it dodged at the last moment.

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  Stone was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected the orc to evade so skillfully.

  Determined to create an opening for Thaid and Ilarion, Stone hurled his hammer at the orc, forcing it into a power struggle. Given the hammer’s ability to absorb rock, Stone could resist for a while—but not indefinitely. Meanwhile, the archers would rain arrows upon it, and everyone would strike while it was locked in battle.

  The orc, with a sinister grin, suddenly closed the distance. Stone braced for a punch, given the orc’s stance—but instead, a devastating kick sent him flying!

  Arrows immediately whistled through the air toward the orc’s eyes. Sensing danger, it dodged, unaware of the well-positioned archers atop the icy rocks.

  The orc sprinted toward the archer’s location, but Ilarion intercepted it, slashing at its arm to provoke it further. He knew killing the orc outright would be difficult due to its tough hide, so he avoided a lethal strike that might get his sword stuck in its neck—a fatal mistake.

  Ilarion activated Dawn’s Flame. The orc suffered only a minor wound, but in response, it unleashed a massive burst of fire, melting the ice into water that evaporated almost instantly.

  Ilarion needed to stall until Stone returned. Dual-sword wielders required immense strength—if they failed to block an attack properly, their swords could break or be knocked from their hands.

  He stepped back, sheathing his swords. Then, he signaled the archers before grabbing a set of small daggers he had purchased for five silver coins. These daggers had the unique ability to return to him after being thrown. Smiling, he coated them with venom he had harvested from a wretched spider, saving some of it for later.

  At his second signal, the archers unleashed a volley of arrows aimed at the orc’s blind spots. Though the orc evaded many, it hadn’t anticipated the dagger Ilarion hurled at its chest.

  Rather than avoiding it entirely, the orc took the hit in its shoulder, assuming it would be insignificant—but within moments, its body tensed, and it grew sluggish. Realizing something was wrong, it quickly discarded the dagger, but the venom had already entered its bloodstream.

  Ilarion grinned, moving swiftly to stab the orc’s shoulder. The beast struggled to grab his arm, but he had already bought enough time—Stone had returned.

  Stone roared, "Attack!"

  Raising his hammer, he swung it toward the orc’s neck. Just as the creature was about to collapse, it mustered its remaining strength and launched a fiery punch at Stone.

  Stone’s expression darkened—this was it. He and Ilarion hadn’t expected the orc to endure this much. This attack would surely kill him.

  But suddenly, Ilarion grasped the orc’s arm. This was their last chance.

  Activating his innate ability, he transformed the orc’s blazing body into one of ice!

  The orc was horrified—its body slowed, its limbs stiffened, and an unfamiliar sensation crept through it.

  At that moment, the archers unleashed everything they had. They knew this was their one shot. At any other time, the orc could have deflected the arrows effortlessly.

  The projectiles struck from every direction, piercing the orc’s body repeatedly. Its eyes were destroyed, and its movements became sluggish due to the frost—the perfect counter to the orc’s magic.

  Seizing the opportunity, Thaid dashed toward the orc’s throat, plunging both his daggers in rapid succession. He tore through its neck mercilessly, desperate to finish the job before it regained its balance.

  His face bore a grin, yet his body was tense—he knew that if he failed to execute this attack flawlessly, he could die. Though this was merely an illusion, everything felt real. No one knew what would happen to someone who experienced death within the illusion.

  As Ilarion’s ability faded, the orc reignited, though blind. It could no longer see, but its instincts remained sharp.

  Stone, despite his pain, prepared another strike. There was no choice but to keep fighting—his brief moment of rest had ended with the orc’s devastating kick.

  The orc, though weary, refused to surrender. Despite everything, it had fought bravely—yet it was being defeated by warriors weaker than itself. In a fair fight, it would have slaughtered them all.

  Its final resolve wavered, but it refused to die without a struggle. It attempted one last desperate attack, but the venom had already spread too far.

  Its fiery glow dimmed… then vanished entirely.

  The orc collapsed, lifeless.

  Like any apex predator, it had become prey. It had been hunted.

  Ilarion stood, panting, his body aching all over. He needed rest. Things could have been much worse—if the orc hadn’t lost its vision, Thaid would have suffered severe injuries, and Stone would have been killed.

  Thaid grinned. "We did it!"

  But Ilarion didn’t hear him.

  The deafening explosions and excessive use of his innate ability had taken their toll.

  He had lost his hearing—at least partially.

  ---

  Author’s Q

  uestions:

  1. Where did Ilarion stab the orc with the dagger?

  2. Why did Ilarion lose his hearing?