Dukagsh Pt 2

The hunt continues...

“Captain, there!”  An orc sergeant cried.  He pointed to an escaping 
wreckboat that was moving away from beneath the crippled man-o-war, under the 
shielding wing of the ship.
	“After them!”  Dukagsh leapt to the far wing and began to climb its 
wood-like surface, he dug in his spiked boots and clung with his strong hands 
until he obtained the peak of the wing.  Beneath him under the curve of the 
wing was the escaping vessel.  Without thought he leaped out on the wing and 
slid down gaining momentum and then landing unceremoniously on the deck of 
the flitter, behind him he could hear the shouts of his bravest orcs as they 
followed him slipping down the wing.  Soon four more landed about him. 
	The small vessel had little space to it, but on the deck standing by 
the hatch that led below was a single tall elf who seemed to be quite 
undisturbed at facing them, bearing a single halberd in his crossed arms.  
Dukagsh studied him closely, he did not have the look of a mage, nor was he 
engaged in any spellcasting that he could see.  But his easy manner put 
Dukagsh off.
	Choices were made by the other orcs who charged forward to swamp the 
lone elf.  Too late Dukagsh called them back, and as they moved that short 
distance the elf suddenly warped and twisted, spiny plates and claws 
protruding from his body.  The bionoid met them with a matching fury.

	“The sounds have ceased.”  The Grand Admiral Leofolan Therolas noted 
to his remaining bodyguard, another bionoid that went by the name of Elrin, a 
name the Admiral found distasteful, because it seemed so very human and brief 
to the tongue.  He shifted in the small chair that functioned as a guidance 
for the furnace helm that powered the wreckboat.  “It lasted longer than I 
had expected in any event.  Georalal is normally very quick and thorough.”
	Although he supposed that the admiral spoke to him, out of politeness 
he remained quiet because he knew it was a sign of the Admiral’s nervousness. 
 The pompous fool had insisted on this undermanned voyage and now the axe had 
fallen.  They were lucky to be alive, and they would be lucky to make it back 
to the outpost.  Why the admiral had insisted on leading the attack on the 
lone scorpion was beyond Elrin, such things are common of young elves not-
	He stopped as his enhanced senses heard the sounds of the hatch 
opening and a body dropping down through it.  Before he could tell what it 
was his magically tuned reactions had placed him in front of the admiral and 
he had assumed his combat form.  He saw now what had fallen sprawled on the 
deck, just as he saw the large figure that dropped after it to stand over his 
fallen foe.
	The admiral gasped, having risen from the seat and turned to see the 
dead bionoid.  “Georalal, no!”
	The bionoid was dead, and the largest orc either had ever seen was 
standing over the body which had in death resumed elven form.  The orc 
carried a large axe which he placed at his side, he had a few small wounds 
that bled freely but the orc appeared unaffected. 
	“Who are you?”  Admiral Leofalan demanded in broken orcish having 
felt it useful to learn a bit of the language of their enemy.
	“I,” Answered the great orc in fluent high elven, raising the 
Admiral’s eyebrows, “am Great Captain Dukagsh.”
	The orc named Dukagsh began to move his shoulder as if going for a 
weapon.  Elrin leaped forward covering the distance inside the wreckboat 
easily, but the orc simply stepped behind the ladder and completed the 
movement, unslinging the long arquebus and snapping it forward between the 
ladder rungs.  Elrin had never seen such a weapon before and simply lunged 
for the barrel of the weapon.  It exploded before he touched it and the blast 
caught Elrin full in the chest, knocking him back to where the admiral stood.
	Dukagsh walked back around the ladder and held the arquebus up before 
him training it on the downed bionoid which was struggling to its feet.  He 
looked at the admiral and smiled a toothy tusk filled smile.  The admiral did 
not flinch.  “That is the difficulty with your bionoids, their shells make 
them rather tough to kill.”
	“That is why I have two barrels on my gun.”  Dukagsh stated with 
finality as he pulled the trigger again and the arquebus erupted with a roar 
that deafened the now defenseless Admiral as it spattered him with the blood 
of his loyal bodyguard. 
	“Now we are alone.”  The orc finished in near perfect elven.  He 
slung his now empty arquebus upon his back again and produced the axe that 
was still red with the sparkling blood of the elves he had slain. 
	“How did you know I was here?”  Leofalan asked matter of faculty, he 
did not fear death and he certainly felt that it would come soon so his 
natural curiosity was unleashed.
	“Know that our great god Gruumsh told me of your intentions, he 
delivered you to me so we can turn this war around.”
	“Surely you don’t believe that killing me will do anything but enrage 
us further and expedite the war against your kind?”
	“Of course I don’t.  Your life is far more valuable to me than your 
death.”  Dukagsh shrugged.  He went to the porthole on the side of ship, 
seeing his own ship he grasped the symbol of Gruumsh he wore about his neck 
to alert Karzat that he had the admiral and to pick him up.
	“You are most unusual for your kind Dukagsh.  Most of your brothers 
have fled the stars and yet you engineer this daring plan and capture me with 
little difficulty.  I almost believe that your god did lead you here.”  He 
glanced out the forward view and then smiled.  “But it appears my god has led 
others here also.  The Armada Soul’s Light arrives early.”
	To his dismay Dukagsh saw that Leofalan was right, but what disturbed 
him more was that his own ship, the Burning Spear, was fleeing the 
engagement.  Karzat was abandoning him!  Cursing loudly he surged to the 
viewport to see better, forgetting the admiral behind him.  The armada was 
closer to the outpost than the wreckboat.  It would be easy to swing around 
and pick him up and still flee before the armada could discover what had 
happened.  But they fled instead, because Karzat wanted him dead.  He 
remembered the elf at the same time that he felt a hand rest upon his 
shoulder.  He whirled about to face the short elf who remained unarmed. 
	To his surprise Dukagsh saw that the elf pitied him. 
	“They have left you to die, and to take your place.”  Leofalan shook 
his head sadly.  “This is why your people fight, Great Dukagsh.  They care 
little for the elves.  They fight for the pleasure your gods.”
	“What do you know of my gods?”  Dukagsh reverted to orcish.
	The admiral also changed his language, then thinking better of it 
continued in elven.  His orc wasn’t really very good.  “I have spoken with 
them.”
	Dukagsh frowned and his hand went to his axe.
	“You may doubt me of course, I know you are taught to disbelieve 
anything an elf might offer or say, but it is true.  As the Grand Admiral I 
have communed with Corellon personally on some occasions.  I have met various 
incarnations of your gods as well.  Not all of them of course,” he waved 
aside the orcs axe as it cleared his belt as if it were a fly, and the orc 
let it be pushed aside, mesmerized as he was by the elf’s words.  “But I do 
remember Gruumsh in particular.  He’s built rather like you know.  Larger and 
uglier.  Only one eye.  Spear and torch, the whole bit.  But do you know that 
he couldn't care less about your success or failure here in mortality?  He is 
in constant war with Magubliyet of the goblins in the planes of Archeron, and 
he only cares that you grow up to learn to fight and then die so you can aid 
him in an endless battle on the fields of Archeron over a cause that is now 
long forgotten.”
	Dukagsh was confused, some of these things he knew were true from the 
legends and stories of the shamans and witchdoctors told as he was a youth.  
The stories were the same wherever he went among all the orcs.  But the rest? 
 “You are an elf, you cannot understand the ways of the orcs or our gods...”
	“But it was Gruumsh One-Eye that told me this.  Surely even an elf 
can proclaim the truth as he has heard it from he-who-never-sleeps.”
	“I have always wanted to ask this question of an orc chieftain, but 
none have ever been interested in parleying with an elf.  But you are 
different, very different Dukagsh.  I believe that is why you were led here, 
and that is why you were left here.  You are a threat to the way of life for 
the orcs.  I am a man of military background and education.  You understand 
strategy and tactics very well, I can see that from this raid alone.”
	“Consider this, I am willing to guess that you often have tried to 
change the way your leaders arranged their warfare, or challenged their 
thinking or strategy.  You are like what alchemists call a catalyst, a 
substance that causes a reaction and a change to occur on any other materials 
that are near it.  You are able to do more than the others because you 
already understand that you are more than what your gods allow.  This is the 
biggest difference between my race and yours.  This is why we always win.  We 
see all that we can do, we allow ourselves to grow beyond our expectations.  
The orcs unlike you, act on what the shaman says and live by the legend and 
stories which are told around the campfires at night.”
	“You seek to crowd my mind with your lies.”  Dukagsh barked, but the 
sinking realization of the fact was shaking him to the core.  It was 
something he knew to be true because he had been living it every day of his 
life.  He had been fighting to put a voice to it since he had first become a 
warrior and seen the way their gods demanded and manipulated their lives so 
much, kicking the orcs down whenever they might have gained an advantage to 
themselves.  The final proof was the fact that he had pulled off the greatest 
victory of this war for their cause and he had been betrayed by those gods 
and left to die.  Now the elves would assuredly defeat the remains of their 
fleets and there would be no more orcs in space.  There would be no orc 
empire among the stars as the shamans had promised.  It was never their 
intention to do so.  At every chance they had to establish themselves, the 
shamans had moved them on and the opportunities had been lost.  It was not 
the orcs fault!  It was their own gods!  They were as greedy and jealous as 
any of their shamans. 
	It was as if lightning had struck his head.  Dukagsh reeled with the 
possibilities.  Then he crystallized with a new purpose, or perhaps it had 
been his original purpose all along and he hadn’t known it.  But he had not 
lost yet, he still had the admiral.
	He reached for the admiral only to see him twist a ring on his finger 
and begin to fade from view.  Dukagsh snarled and struck out with his axe 
only to strike the chair as Leofalan faded to a mist, then disappeared.  A 
voice remained behind.
	“You are a worthy opponent Great Captain Dukagsh.  It is unfortunate 
that you were born to a side that was never interested in winning the war.  I 
would have enjoyed having you at my side.  I wish you luck, but I know you 
will not survive.  May you at least find rest in death.”
	The voice echoed and then was gone.  Dukagsh sat alone on the furnace 
helm, the wreckboat continuing its slow forward course.
	He raised his head.  He had not lost yet.  He brought the small wreck 
boat about and headed for the last orc hammership that was now also fleeing 
the outpost at the approach of the armada.  “I will survive, if only to enact 
revenge on those that betrayed me!”
	He swore an oath to Gruumsh to that effect then, but a thought 
crossed his mind that halted his speech.  The Admiral’s words ‘Your gods 
couldn't care less about your efforts...’
	Gruumsh had betrayed him too.  How does one exact vengeance on a god? 
 Dukagsh did not know.  But he had not lost yet, and he would have more time.