Will was halfway through the cave system when he realized the Orc leader was quickly catching up to him. He finally couldn"t stand it anymore and looked back. There he saw the towering Orc, slowly moving through the tunnels. The Goblins that came in its way were all crushed with one swing, sometimes two or three at a time. The defenses Will had set up, the stakes in the wall, all broke like twigs against the Orcs armor and muscles.[I was so naive, how could I think I had any chance, and it"s only one Orc. I thought I could defend against more? How stupid! Goblins are too weak, way too weak!] Will turned back around and picked up his pace, his couldn"t be bothered by the Goblins in the cave, most were dead anyway. He had only one last plan that could maybe help him survive, and if that didn"t work he would just have to accept his death.
Will ran faster and faster, not stopping for anything, until he reached his destination. It was the breeding room. He looked at the big figure at the end of the room. She was grinning! Will was stupefied by the sight. [Had she been conscious the entire time? Was she just biding her time until she was saved.] Will thought about all the suffering she"d been through, and sorrow slowly raised in him until it showed on his face. The female Orc saw this and was slightly surprised, she dropped her grin and looked carefully at the Goblin in front of her.
Will got back to his senses and rushed towards her. The female Orc growled at him and struggled a bit, thinking he was going to hurt her. But Will ignored her and started removing her restraints. Once she was free, Will tried to help the female Orc on her feet, but it was of no use, she was to weak. Will continued to try desperately, he even started crying as the despair in him built up. He didn"t want to die!
To his surprise, the female Orc waved her arm at him, throwing him across the floor. It wasn"t out of malice, because as Will got back up on his feet, he saw that the Orc leader had entered the room. He didn"t even glance at Will, his eyes were focused on the female Orc. Will could see the different emotions in the Orc leader"s eyes, first longing, then sadness, and then a burning fury. Will realized that the female Orc was probably his mate, and this made Will fear for his life even more. His plan was to gamble on the Orc leader letting him go as soon as he saw that the female Orc was free. However since it was personal, the Orc leader would probably want revenge, which meant that Will had no way out anymore.
The Orc leader roared in anger and lifted his weapon towards the tiny Goblin in the corner. Will slumped down on the ground and curled up into a ball. However just as he thought he would get smashed into a pulp, he heard a hoa.r.s.e gentle voice. The female Orc had said something to the Orc leader, which had made him stop his weapon a hair"s width away from Will. Will looked up at the Orc leader and almost p.i.s.sed his pants, the Orc leader was glaring at him, his killing "aura"⁽¹⁾ was overwhelming. But the Orc leader"s heavy breathing was calming down as the soothing voice of the female Orc kept talking to him.
The Orc leader lowered his weapon and walked over to the female Orc. He gently picked her up and held her tightly against his chest, they nuzzled their faces against each other for a while. After this tender moment, the Orc leader walked back to Will with his mate in his arms. The female Orc looked at will with pity, and the Orc leader was now indifferent instead of furious. He lifted his weapon and used it to point towards Will"s four limbs, one at a time. Will was confused, but when the Orc leader repeated his actions, Will finally understood. He had to choose!
Something inside Will cracked at that moment. All his despair, his fear, his sorrow and anger, evaporated in his mind. [I"m going to live!] Will thought. He didn"t know what the female Orc had said, but he knew she had given him a chance. Was it because he hadn"t touched her, or was it because he tried to free her, he would probably never know for sure. However one thing was certain, he had been given a chance to live. But he also knew he wasn"t getting away unscathed, the things done to her were too atrocious in the eyes of the Orc leader.
Knowing this, Will looked at the Orc leader with determination and the will to live in his eyes. He stretched out his left arm as far as he could, but before he could prepare himself, the Orc leader had swiftly moved his hamaxe in a fierce chopping motion. Will"s left arm was severed in a fraction of a second, but he didn"t scream. Will clenched his jaw, while keeping eye contact with the Orc leader. The Orc leader let out a dissatisfied grunt and looked at his mate, he said something illegible and then left the cave as fast as he had arrived.
After the Orc left, Will let out a pitiful scream. It wasn"t from the pain, or from the loss of everything he had known since coming here. It was a scream of despair out of his own helplessness.