Ghorza

"Stand down." Marcus calls out as he and Amelia approach the orc woman.

The orc woman simply scowls at them and readies herself for combat.

She charges towards them, her axe held ready for a wide swing.

Marcus readies his sword and channels magic into his arm to strengthen himself as he prepares to block. Amelia darts to the side, trying to position herself to flank.

Gorza sees Amelia moving but she's already carrying too much momentum to suddenly stop and turn. She commits herself to taking down Marcus first. She swings her axe. Marcus feels his arm shake with the **** of the blow as he raises his sword to block. Even with his magically enhanced strength, blocking it made his arm ache.

Gorza seems surprised but not deterred by his ability to stop the strike. She hears Amelia coming behind her and turns around just as the hobbit leaps at her, she punches Amelia, sending her sprawling back onto the ground.

Marcus sees his chance and thrusts his sword towards her neck. She dodges in time but her helmet is caught on his sword and **** from her head, clattering to the ground.

Marcus can see her more clearly. For an orc she is surprisingly normal looking. She doesn't have tusks protruding from her mouth like others he'd seen. She has the green skin, stature and tribal tattoos of her people but she looks almost human-like. She is visibly frustrated but has a sharp determination.

With surprising strength and speed she turns to face him and swings her axe. Marcus barely reacts in time and it manages to meet his flesh but thankfully only a glancing blow. She follows it up by headbutting him.

He is disorientated briefly but it isn't the first time he's been knocked around like this. He quickly regains his composure and sends a wave of magical **** at her that knocks her onto her back. Amelia rushes forward to capitalise on it. She kicks Gorza's axe from her hand while Marcus approaches and aim my sword at her throat.

Gorza looks across the field at her army, quickly being crushed by a dwarven resistance she hadn't expected.

She sighs and looks up at Marcus resentfully. "Go ahead. Kill me." She says with acceptance.

Marcus is happy to oblige. He is about to thrust his blade into her when a hand finds his shoulder and a familiar voice.

Angel appears beside him, now visibly pregnant, much more than she should be considering the timeline but she was an angel of fertility.

"She has a role to play yet, Marcus." She says. "Orcs are not as mindless as you are led to believe. I cannot decide for you but I can tell you that she can be an ally. If you allow it."

Marcus looks at Angel, then at Gorza, who was looking up at the newcomer with a raised eyebrow in confusion.

"She led an army against us." Marcus says. "She can't be trusted."

"Because her people need a home that isn't a wild land that cannot support them. And because the orcs see the humans as a cruel people who seek their extinction."

Marcus looks down at Gorza. "Is this true?"

Gorza looks even more confused. "What else are we supposed to believe? You kill us on sight, **** us to live at the edge of the world in a land where, even if we clear the trees, we don't have seeds for any kind of extensive agriculture. Even when we do build something more than a village, you send men to burn it down." She growls. "How would you take that?"

Marcus had to admit, there was some truth to her words.

"Even so, those like you are rare, most of your kin are barely more than animals." Amelia says.

"Only because we are more focused on survival than education." Gorza retorts.

Marcus considers his options. With a sigh he turns to Amelia. "Call our men to stand down. Gorza, you do the same with yours." Marcus says as he drags her to her feet but keeps her close and weaponless. "We'll discuss this further and peace terms but only if your men stand down. There will be no more **** today."

Gorza nods and allows herself to be led to the battle.

It takes a while to get both sides to stop fighting but finally an uneasy peace forms. Both sides begin collecting their dead, neither trusting the other.

A tent is raised in the centre where Marcus and Gorza can discuss peace terms.

Author's note: Sorry for my disappearance for a while and for a shorter chapter now. Long story short, some dickhead drunk driver fucked me up, I ended up in hospital and don't have great control of my hands right now. Typing is slow. Updates will probably be less frequent than they were for a while but I still plan to continue the story.