An unlikely rescue

"Now,” the lead orc said as he held the knife to Lauren’s throat, “come along and no one –“

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the forest, making everyone jump in surprise as a large shadow flew overhead. As Lauren looked around in fear, she caught a glimpse of Marlis looking up and smiling; almost as if he knew something the others didn’t.

“Was that a –“ an orc asked in terror.

“It couldn’t be!” another fearfully replied, “They’re extinct in these parts!”

Before Lauren could even ask what was going on, a large figure crashed down with a mighty thud, shaking the ground as it’s talons dug into the earth. The little woman couldn’t believe her eyes as she saw a dragon the size of a semi-truck and the height of a three-story building glare down at the orcs.

“Captain! What are your orders?!” one of the orcs called out.

“That’s a Northern Imperial Drake, boys. The largest, venomous, and bloodthirsty beast on the continent!” another orc explained, “This beast can shoot flames up to seven hundred meters away. There’s only one course of action to survive an attack… RETREAT!”

“No! Stand your ground!” The lead orc shouted to his men, tossing Lauren to the side as Vaniss grabbed her and ran a few feet away with Marlis and Berran. The orc unsheathed his sword and said, “The Shadow Queen is thousands of times more dangerous than what this overgrown lizard can dish out! We will not let a stupid, hideous, and primitive animal get in our way of – “

Before the orc could finish, the drake opened it’s massive maw and expelled a jet of flames upon the orc, reducing the villain to mere ash and soot as the sword fell to the ground with a clatter. The other orcs looked at the pile of ash before gazing back up at the drake, the beast glaring down upon them.

“As I said earlier… RETREAT!” the other orc cried out as the beast men ran for their lives.

Lauren, for her part, quivered in terror at the beast in front of her, doing all that she could to neither cry, pass out, or wet herself in fear as her knees knocked together. The fear finally subsided when a loud and boisterous laugh echoed through the forest, getting the attention of Lauren, the drake, and the three warriors.

Out from the woods came another woman, this one human with long, auburn hair, blue eyes, and dressed in a green and brown tunic with chainmail. The woman appeared to be on the chubby side, having thighs and a butt that would give Lauren a run for her money. But with a 5’11” frame and breasts the size of watermelons…?

Lauren definitely felt the pang of jealousy.

The woman looked over to the dragon and gave a smile as she approached it, petting it’s long snout.

“Ah, Belle. Ye pure shawed they hooligans how come ye'r Queen o' a' Creatures, haven't ye, lassie?” the woman cooed in a thick accent as she spoke to the dragon like one would a dog.

“Ah, Hilda.” Marlis greeted the woman, bowing with a smile as he took her hand. “It’s so wonderful to see you again.”

“Marlis! A've missed ye awfy much, laddie!” Hilda replied with a laugh, embracing Marlis in a hug.

“How in the world did you find us?” Marlis asked, breaking away from the hug.

“Weel, ah wis in th' neist kingdom ower helping Belle hear wi' her... Ahem, special problems, whin an eagle mukker o' mines cam by 'n' alerted us tae an orc pairtie near th' kingdom ye wur in.” Hilda explained, “Ye bein' in danger wis ill enough fur me, bit whin ah heard that thay wur efter Th' Sacred Bairn...”

“Um, who is that?” Lauren asked, obviously confused by this random woman as she continued to banter with Marlis.

“Who is THAT?!” Berran asked in shock, looking at Lauren as if the little woman had grown a second head. A second later, he chuckled sheepishly as he said, “That’s right. You’re not from this world. That is none other than Hilda VonStorm, the legendary beast master and communicator, and world renowned adventurer! They say there’s no beast alive that she can’t tame!”

“Huh…” Lauren said, uninterested as she eyed the woman suspiciously.

“She also happens to be Marlis' childhood friend…” Vaniss added, rolling her eyes impatiently, “And his fiancée.”

“What?!” Lauren barked as her eyes went wide. That got her attention!