Run off alone

“Van, you wait here,” Helena abruptly stated, before gathering wind around her feet and sprinting off far faster than any athlete.

“What? Don’t just leave me here!” Van called out.

It took Helena only twenty seconds to reach where the other tree had fallen, set far enough back that the average person wouldn’t hear it fall. This ensured their retreat was blocked, but that didn’t matter to Helena. She was settling this now.

The orc brothers, who’d finished felling this tree, had begun heading up the road towards where Dav and Van waited. They each stood well over six feet in height, monstrously muscular chests left bare above ill-fitting trousers they’d likely stolen. “Hey Grod, it seems this pretty lady came to us!” one remarked.

“That she did, Grot,” the other answered. “She’s a pretty thing too. If she’s meant to be bait, I”ll be happy to take her. If the others leave before we finish with her, good on them, aye?”

“Sounds fair to me, Grod. Maybe they’ll let all their merchant friends know that we can be bought with offerings.”

Before either could say anything else, Helena swung her sword, a wave of sharp wind magic cutting through the air. She had aimed for the necks on the orcs, but they ducked below it. “Oy, seems feisty,” Grod remarked.

“Yeah, but maybe the babies we fill her with will be able to do magic too!” Grot replied, only for Helena to rush forward with the tip of her sword aimed right at his throat. The orc had his axe in hand, and hastily brought it up to block the attack. Although the speed was intimidating, the **** wasn’t. Grot shifted his feet, trying to step on Helena’s foot to mess up her footwork.

But wind blew around her and she floated back a short distance. She pointed her blade down, and then a burst of wind sent dust and dirt from the road into the air and straight towards the orc brothers.

The orcs instinctively went back to back, shutting their eyes and listening for the approach of footsteps. There was nothing…

But Grod felt a chill run down his spine and brought his axe up, the head barely blocking a strike aimed right at his heart.

Helena had floated towards them, but now dropped to the ground and delivered a sharp strike towards the orc’s thigh. The blade struck his leg, but it was a glancing blow. He brought his axe down towards her head, but she ducked back.

“This might be the toughest opponent we’ve faced, Grot,” Grod remarked.

“Right you are, Grod,” his brother replied. “But it means she’ll birth strong babies.”

Helena did not interact with their banter.

But someone did. “You’ll be too busy dying to father any kids!” Van called from further back, having caught up with Helena.

“Van, get back!” Helena ordered, even as both of the orcs began to run towards the new target. The dust cloud Helena had created had settled down, and they were experienced enough to know Van was far weaker than their current opponent.

“I told you I can take one! Maybe both!” Van argued angrily, drawing her sword.

“We’ll be testing that theory tonight!” Grot hollered, while reaching into his pocket and whispering something to his brother. Then, he pulled an item from his pocket and slammed it down, revealing it to be a smoke bomb that kicked up a huge cloud in an instant.

Helena waved her sword, a gust of wind immediately blowing the smoke cloud away.

Only for the blunt side of an axe to burst from the fading cloud right towards her face. Grod, as his brother had set off the smoke bomb, had turned and thrown his axe. Helena, focused more on Van than on the orcs, was unable to react in time as it slammed into her forehead.

She stumbled back, blood dripping from her temple, but was still focused on the fight.

The **** of the impact had knocked the axe away from Helena, and Grod expertly caught it and delivered a slash towards Helena. She parried it, but was unsteady on her feet and unable to control her mana properly.

Meanwhile, Van saw this as Grot reached her, blocking his strike. “You ain’t half as strong or pretty as the other one, but you’re a fine distraction. She might’ve skewered us without you, so thanks bitch. My brother and I prefer to spitroast our captives, but we’ll make an exception and fuck your pussy and ass as thanks for the help~”

“You bastard! I’ll take you down and you’ll regret saying that!” Van was skilled, at least by the standards of a merchant guard. But the orc’s words got to her, and she kept glancing over at Helena. That left an opening for Grot to knock her sword from her hands, kick her down, and stomp down on his chest. He raised his axe, ready to deliver a strike that would take off one of her arms, when he called out to Helena. “Hey pretty one! You’d better drop your sword or I’ll make sure your friend here can never hold one again!”

“Keep fighting Helena, don’t worry about me!” Van protested. She tried to **** the orc off of her, but he was far stronger than her.

Helena, in her concussed state, took a moment to notice the shift in events. But she immediately dropped her sword and raised her hands.

“Good girl,” Grod said, kicking her sword away and producing some rope to tie the woman’s hands together. Unfortunately for Helena, who’d been planning to use her magic to escape once Van was out of danger, realized she’d miscalculated. She instinctively sensed that this rope had some of the orc’s hair woven in it, and some sort of shamanistic magic was preventing her from using magic while bound with it.

Soon enough, Van was bound as well, and the brothers said, “Why don’t we see what sort of valuables your cart has for us…”