Rude Awakening

Cackling laughter pierced the air. Varian’s eyes snapped open, focusing on the grotesque faces peering down at him. Goblins. A dozen of them, at least, crowded around the net.

“Look! The mice are awake!” One goblin jeered, its voice high and grating.

Varian twisted in the net, fighting against the bonds that held him. “Let us go!” he demanded, his voice hoarse.

A spear point thrust through the netting, stopping inches from Varian’s face. He went still, heart pounding.

“Quiet, meat,” a goblin snarled. “Or we start carving early.”

Into the Unknown

Rough hands seized them, yanking them from the net. Varian’s legs buckled as he hit the ground. Before he could regain his balance, a foul-smelling cloth was shoved over his eyes. Darkness enveloped him once more.

They were prodded forward, stumbling over unseen roots and rocks. Varian lost all sense of time and direction as they marched. His throat burned with thirst, his stomach a hollow pit. How long had it been since they’d left the Rusty Axe? Hours? Days?

Despair settled over him. He’d failed. Failed his duty, failed Elric, failed the town he’d sworn to protect. And for what? A moment of misplaced heroism?

Grim Revelations

An eternity passed before rough hands tore the blindfold away. Varian blinked against the sudden light, his eyes watering as they adjusted.

A fortress loomed before them. Crude watchtowers dotted the walls, manned not by goblins, but by hulking orcs. Their captors prodded them forward, through a yawning gate that seemed to swallow them whole.

The stench hit Varian first. Blood and smoke and something fouler still. As they were marched through winding corridors, he caught glimpses of horror. Cages packed with gaunt prisoners. Altars stained dark with old blood. Pyres that crackled with green flame, giving off noxious fumes.

An Unexpected Encounter

They were shoved into a grand chamber, so at odds with the squalor they’d passed through that Varian wondered if he was hallucinating. Plush carpets. Gilded furniture. And at the center of it all, a figure that made Varian’s breath catch in his throat.

The half-orc lounged on an ornate throne, one leg draped casually over the arm. He was dressed in fine silks, jewels glittering at his throat and fingers. When he smiled, Varian saw that his teeth had been filed to points.

“Welcome, gentlemen,” the half-orc purred. “I am Korgath. And you are now my honored guests.”

Varian exchanged a glance with Elric. His friend’s face was pale, jaw clenched tight.

A Difficult Choice

Korgath leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “I have a proposition for you. Your freedom, in exchange for some… information. Nothing too onerous. Just a few details about your city’s defenses.”

“Go to hell,” Elric spat.

Korgath’s smile didn’t waver. “Now, now. Let’s not be hasty.” He gestured, and two burly orcs stepped forward, cruel instruments glinting in their hands. “I’d hate to see you suffer unnecessarily.”

He signaled to the guards. “Separate them. We’ll speak to each… privately.”

Varian’s heart raced as he was dragged away from Elric, their eyes meeting one last time before a door slammed shut between them.

Alone with the Enemy

Alone with Korgath, Varian’s resolve wavered. The half-orc’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m not like the others, you know. I’m half human, after all. I understand the value of… civilization.”

He gestured to a robed figure lurking in the shadows. “My druid here has prepared a special potion for you. You’ll forget everything that’s happened – a kindness, really. We’ll leave you near your village, none the worse for wear. No need for your fellow guards to come looking for you, is there?”

Relief washed over Varian. They would live. They would forget.

“But first,” Korgath continued, “we need that information. To ensure its accuracy, you understand.”

Varian’s mind raced. He thought of the cages they’d passed, the altars slick with blood. And unbidden, the memory of that woman’s desperate cries for help echoed in his ears.

“I’ll… I’ll tell you what you want to know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The words spilled out of him, a torrent of information about guard rotations, weak points in the walls, secret tunnels meant for evacuation. Korgath listened, a satisfied gleam in his eye.

When Varian fell silent, Korgath clapped his hands together. “Excellent! You see? Cooperation makes everything so much simpler.”

The Truth Revealed

He gestured, and Varian was led away as Elric was brought in. Through the closing door, Varian caught a glimpse of his friend’s face, twisted with anguish and uncertainty.

Time crawled by as Varian waited, alone and terrified. When the door finally opened, Elric was shoved in beside him, looking pale and defeated.

Korgath’s smile widened, showing those sharpened teeth. “And now, my friends, I believe our business is concluded.” He turned to the druid, whose face was hidden beneath a hood of matted fur. “Here you are, two more subjects for your blood rituals. Use them well.”

“The greatest deceptions often come wrapped in the guise of kindness.”

The words took a moment to penetrate the fog of Varian’s mind. When understanding dawned, ice flooded his veins. He lunged forward, a scream building in his throat, but strong hands seized him from behind.

The last thing Varian saw before a hood was shoved over his head was Korgath’s face, still wearing that satisfied smile. And in that moment, Varian understood the true meaning of despair.