Into the Forest

After weighing up her choices she decided it was best to head for the forest, it was closer than heading down to Tiran and hopefully they could help her defend the village before the Orcs left. Taenya knew there was a slight chance there might have been some Orcs camped out in the forest but she assumed all the Orcs would have gone to attack the village, she had to hope there would be some adventurers there.

She made her way through the thick undergrowth, **** to get help as quick as she could, as she **** her way through the brambles she felt the barbs cutting through her cloth robes, she felt a few cutting her skin but she pressed on.

As she got further through the forest she could smell the strong scent of smoke, she heard people talking and they didn't sound gruff like she knew Orcs sounded, quite the opposite they sounded jovial, her heart skipped a beat as she pushed her way through the last of the bushes stumbling out into the open area.

"What have we here?"

Taenya looked up happy to feel the heat of the fire on her face, she looked around the camp noticing there were three people looking at her, she was glad to see they were all humans, all males. She pulled herself up to her feet.

"My name is Taenya, I'm from the village of Brightan please help we're under attack by Orcs."

The male that first spoke walked over to her, walking around her. Taenya only now began to worry, the men weren't dressed like soldiers. The one next to her was dressed in fur armour, he had tattered trousers and scuffed boots, when he smiled she noticed he was missing a few teeth, his hair was ruffled. She looked around the other guy sitting down near the fire was a bald overweight man, he was digging into a large piece of meat the fat grease covering his hands and lips, his fur armour barely covered his stomach. The last man was sitting in the dark, his face covered by the shadows, all she could see was he was a very thin man he was sharpening a knife with a stone.

"Orcs....and do you want us to come and save your village.....is that what you want."

The man put his hand on her shoulders slowly rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"Please they're going to kill everyone."

The thin man stood up walking out of the shadows letting Taenya see his face, he wasn't an attractive man, he had a long thin nose and very thick bushy brown hair. He placed his knife into his pocket and walked closer to her standing before her pushing the man's hands from her shoulders.

"Leave her alone Sthal, we're all gentlemen here."

Stahl muttered under his breath moving his hands going back over to sit next to the other fat man.

"She's all yours Seth....just remember to share."

Seth shot him a glare back and Stahl shut up looking down at the floor, Seth smiled at her motioning her to sit down on the log next to him, Taenya did so hoping this Seth was at least a kind soul.

"I understand your village is under attack by Orcs but there is only three of us here. We can't really stand up to a group of Orcs it would be a **** sentence for us. Now the best thing we can offer you my little Elf girl is to let you join us here, we're always on the move and we'll keep you safe."

"But the village....the elder.....I can't leave them."

"They're already dead love, dead and eaten. These Orcs don't leave anyone alive."

"Quiet Aamon don't scare the girl."

The fat man grunted going back to eating, Seth turned back to Taenya.

"Listen I'm going to be honest with you, if you go back to your village, they'll kill you, if we go back to the village they'll kill us. That's just the truth of the situation."

Taenya knew they were right, she need more people if she wanted to stand a chance against the Orcs. Maybe she should just catch her breath here and make her way down to the village of Tiran, get the knights there to come and help out at the village.

"You're right......thank you......I'll head to the village of Tiran and get the knights to come back with me, thank you for your time."

Taenya stood up and gave a little curtsy taking a breath ready to make her way towards the village. Seth stood up looming over her a smile on his face.

"Come now Elf, we wouldn't be gentlemen if we let you go alone. Honestly by the time you got to Tiran your village would have been wiped out, the buildings burnt, your elder dead, your friends probably eaten. We let you leave now you could be attacked by wolves, goblins, and those so called evil bandits you here about."

Saying bandits the other two men laughed.

"Your best bet would be to stay here with us, at least till the morning, I mean you can go if you want, but we couldn't be held responsible if anything was to happen to you, of course if you stayed here we could keep you company till the morning then escort you to Tiran."