The Hunters attack, Rondo Succeeds (From Rondo's POV)

The village came into view as night was beginning to fall. From what Rondo knew, this was the village of Gisland. Formerly it had been a farming community, but the Conquest Legion was using it as their current base. Their tents stretched out for nearly a mile in all directions around the village. The stench of burned flesh still clung to the air from where the bodies had been burned after they had executed any villager that wasn't worth keeping as a ****. In the distance, Rondo could see movement. Mostly Orc warriors or scouts, but a few human slaves. From what he could tell, most of the slaves were female. One warrior suddenly grabbed a woman and pulled her to him and dragged her into a nearby tent. The werewolf shook his head, vowing to save her from her torment along with his wife.

He glanced over his shoulder at his fellow Hunters. They were nearly thirty strong and some of the best from different branches of the guild. His three most trusted were from Namina like him and were as resolute as he to get Venus and Rose back. He signaled to one, the mage Alice, and she nodded. She opened herself up to the flow of magic and suddenly a crest appeared on the ground with her in its center. She formed several balls of fire in the air and then launched them towards the village, aiming not for the tents, but for food and water supplies and what they had been able to identify as a barracks. Most of the fireballs struck, but a few were taken down by boulders thrown in the air by magic. So the Orcs had a mage in their midst? It didn't matter. Rondo called for their charge.

The fire quickly began to spread and by the time the Hunters reached the village, it was in utter chaos. The Hunters broke into small teams of five, their mission was to infiltrate and kill the leader Karuuk, as well as save as many of the human slaves as possible. His mission was to save his wife. But something struck him as odd almost immediately upon entering the first throng of burning tents. Many of the Orcs seemed to be protecting the women he saw. And those same women clung to their captors, crying out for safety. It was almost like they saw the Hunters as evil invaders. Rondo felt his anger rising and his form rippled and began to change. When the first unlucky Orc charged him, it was the claws of a werewolf that ripped him to pieces. The woman that he had been protecting screamed for some "Mistress" to protect her, but Rondo simply passed her by and let one of the other hunters grab her and lead her to safety.

The battle was going well for his small ****. The Orcs were obviously not used to being attacked and not reacting quickly. Rondo saw Jillia and Salvin cut through a group of warriors and lead their teams into what had already been identified as the harem. Almost as soon as they entered though, Salvin was knocked flying out of the large tent. The man was ok, but clearly dazed. The next thing Rondo saw was truly baffling. Jillia was backing out of the tent, dodging the blows of a stave as best she could. The young woman forcing the harlequin Huntress back was none other than Rose. She looked almost feral, screaming insults and battling with every ounce of skill and ferocity she could muster. From the tent emerged several young women calling out cheers for Rose. Did these women not want to be rescued?

He was pulled from watching the harem girls when Alice called out a warning and jumped in front of him. She called up an earthen barrier that blocked several blades of wind that would have shredded him. Alice rounded the barrier and began luanching fire spells at a fat she-Orc with a painted breasts and a skull tipped staff. The Orc returned the fire with magic of her own. Rondo could see that Alice had the upper hand when suddenly something wrapped around the mage's throat. She was jerked off her feet and was being chocked to **** by someone holding a whip. Rondo looked up to see who it was just as some of the harem girls cried out happily for their Mistress. Mistress was his beloved Venus. She was nude except for the golden chain about her waist and the cold and ruby choker she wore. Her full beautiful tits and arms were covered in tattoos and her stomach was swollen with child. And yet there she stood, a warrior queen defending her people. People he knew she would have fought against had he been able to save her.

He took off running for her and she loosened the whip and lashed out for him. He dodged it easily and as he reached for her, a large form stepped in front of him. A heavy sword swung for his head and Rondo easily caught the blade. He snapped it in two and slammed the broken tip into the Orc's chest. Venus screamed out "Master" and Rondo looked into the face of the Orc as he fell dying. It was Karuuk. Before Rondo could recover from his shock, the steel spike on Venus's whip lashed against the side of his face, cutting deeply. She was preparing to attack again when suddenly her eyes flutter and she fell forward. Rondo caught her and saw Alice coughing on the ground, her hand extended from casting the sleep spell. The She-Orc shaman screamed for him to release her and started chanting a spell when he called for her to wait.

"Orc, what is this woman to you?"

"She is my love and I'll die a hundred deaths before I let you take her from me."

Another young female orc was crying at Karuuk's side and the harem girls were all weeping and looking at Venus in Rondo's arms. It was then Rondo saw how to save them all.

"Orc, if I allow you to come with her, will you come in peace and allow the other slaves to follow?"

"The Mistress is no ****, but if you will not harm her I will follow peacefully. And so will they. She is their teacher and protector. Even the strongest of warriors feared her wrath when if one of her girls was harmed."

Rondo nodded. He had no doubt Venus could inspire fear when she wanted to. But it seemed like there was more respect and love for her than fear among those gathered hear. With the shaman's command, the harem girls, including Rose and Karuuk's grieving widow followed him and his hunters out of the village. When they were safely away from the flames and screams of the Orcs trying to stop thier spread, the group stopped to take stock. Of their number, eight Hunters had died in that battle. The Orcs had probably lost five times that many to the fire alone. They had rescued almost fifty women and ten men. The two she-Orcs were identified as Te'ran the Shaman and Venus's lover and the younger one as Reeva, Karuuk's widow.

Rondo wanted to be happy about what they had done but part of him wondered if he had really saved anyone. Rose was staring at the burning village in the distance with a look of horror as tears ran down her face. Reeva was curled into a ball sobbing miserably. And Te'ran and the other girls were gathered around Venus. Te'ran had taken Venus into her arms and was cradling her, snarling at any Hunter that tried to check her for injury. The girls were all begging their Mistress to wake up and be ok.

Rondo knew that it would be a long time before any of these women were ok. And unless he could somehow convince Venus she was better off with him, he didn't think they would every reach the hearts and minds of the women that had come to trust in her guidance.