The Mage/Witch Regrets

Chapter 7: ORCS

Valleria's POV

The aura was so strong and heavy, it sent chills down my spine. I've felt this aura many times in the past, I’m sure of it. This is the Orcs King.

I quickly stood up, with how thick the aura feels, I'm sure the Orcs King already reached the gate. "Everyone, the monsters are here! There’s a chance they’ll break through and attack the city. Hold the entrance as long as you can. I have to go back, the prince needs me!"

"Yes, your highness. Please be safe!" they replied as I rushed outside.

Anger building up inside me, those filthy Orcs, the audacity of charging through here the moment they sensed a healer. They’re still the same. I’ve seen them kill and eat many of my healer friends before, just to make themselves stronger. And now, they've mistaken me from a healer, I’ll make sure not a single one of them makes it back to that cursed forest alive.

I froze the moment the main gate came into view. Screams of the soldiers echoed, metal clashed, and the ground shook with the force of the Orcs slamming against the gates. Knights rushed to block the entrance with whatever they could find. Archers above the gate fired arrows non-stop, their hands moving in a blur as they aimed at the monsters below. Chaos was everywhere.

My eyes darted around while searching, I need to find Yuri.

When I spotted the general from earlier, shouting commands while pointing his sword, I sprinted straight to him, dodging soldiers and debris along the way.

"General Hans, where's Yuri?!" I yelled, my voice almost lost in the deafening noise of the battlefield.

He turned, his eyes widened when he saw me. "The prince is outside the gate! What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Go back to the main building, it’s too dangerous!"

I didn’t answer. "Let me borrow your sword!" I said, yanking the blade from his waist without waiting for permission.

He shouted something after me, but I couldn’t hear it anymore while running away. My heart pounded as I ran toward the ladder hanging on the gate and climb it. The screams, roars, and crashing wood roaring in my ears like thunder.

As soon as I reached the platform where the archers stood, I aggressively pulled one of the Archer's longbows from him.

"Hey!" the archer snapped, turning to yell at me. But the moment he saw my face, his anger vanished. His eyes went wide in shock. "Q-Queen? Why are yo—?!"

"Put fire on the tip of your arrows!" I shouted over the noise. "You can injure the Orcs faster that way! Tell the others, now!"

I shoved the bow back into his hands. "Go! Hurry!"

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!" he responded.

Without another second to think, I turned and jumped outside the gate.

"YOUR HIGHNESS, NO!" someone screamed behind me.

The wind rushed past my ears as I dropped. My eyes widened when I saw what's below me, the ground was swarming with Orcs. They are huge, green beasts, twice the size of a man, with hulking muscles, massive hands and feet with only three fingers, and blood-red eyes that glowed like fire. Their noses were flat and wide, and their mouths filled with long, and sharp teeth that looked ready to tear through anything.

Some of them looked up. Snarling, growling, and reaching for me. They were ready to devour me, it's like I was diving straight into the heart of hell.

I landed hard a few steps away from Yuri and the ten soldiers fighting beside him. Without wasting a second, I charged forward and swung my sword straight at the nearest Orc’s neck. The blade sliced through its nape cleanly, and its massive body crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud.

The noise get the attention of the soldiers and some Orcs nearby.

"Aim for their nape! That’s their weak spot!" I shouted, already charging at the next one, ignoring the stunned looks on the soldiers’ faces when they saw me.

"What took you so long?!" Yuri yelled as he drove his sword into an Orc’s neck. The Orc's body falling beside him with a loud slam.

I grinned, preparing for another blow. "Come on! seeing you're still alive and scolding me is the proof that I'm just right on time!"

"The Orcs King is breaking through the gate!" a soldier shouted, swinging his blade as the Orc's blood sprayed across the ground.

"I’ll handle him!" I barked. "The rest of you, focus on the others!" Without waiting for a reply, I sprinted toward the monstrous figure.

"Val, be careful!" Yuri yelled from behind, his voice strained. "Fighting that one is like facing five hundred Orcs at once!"

I didn’t slow down. My heart thundered in my chest, but my grip on the sword only tightened. Suddenly, the sky lit up. Flames blazed above, streaking like shooting stars. I looked up just in time to see the archers’ arrows burning brightly in the sky. The arrows raining down looks so deadly.

A proud smile tugged at my lips as the Orcs below howled in pain. What a bunch of brave souls.

I turned back to the beast. The Orcs King stood massive and towering, its fists slamming into the gate with brutal force, bending the iron gate like paper.

"Hey, filthy moss-head!" I roared and with all my strength, I leapt and swung the sword straight for its nape. But the moment it struck, my blade shattered on contact.

"What the—?!" I gasped. The impact of my attack barely left a scratch. Its nape was as thick and solid as stone, just like its grotesque face.

It slowly turned its head sideways, red eyes locking onto me. I stumbled back, gripping the broken hilt of the general's sword.

"Damn..." I whispered.

I dodged just in time as the Orcs King’s massive hand swiped at its own neck, trying to crush me like a bug. I rolled quickly and hit the ground hard, the dust flying around me. And when I looked up again, it was staring straight at me, its eyes glowing red, rage boiling in its every breath.

I was now face-to-face with a living mountain, twice the size of an average Orc, its moss-like covered body pulsing with brute strength.

My heart pounded like a war drum, but instead of fear, I felt a spark of thrill racing through my veins.

"That body..." I muttered with a manic grin, "is just my type." I laughed, maybe I was losing it.

It roared angrily. A blast of wind followed its scream, kicking up dirt and smoke, shaking the ground beneath us. The air trembled as I gritted my teeth.

"Shhh! you'll scare the people inside the main building with that scream!" I shouted, spreading both hands as fire ignited at my fingertips. I shaped two long, thin blades using my fire, it burned bright and glowed like molten lava.

I dashed forward.

It takes my hits directly using its arm and my blazing blades only left a faint scratch, it was like striking steel with a stick. I snarled, aiming for its eyes, but the bastard moved fast. Too fast for its size. Every time I thrust, it twisted or ducked with beast-like reflexes.

I poured more heat into my fire. My blades gleamed brighter, blinding red and searing the air around me. But even then, my attacks barely sank deeper into its flesh. This filthy beast!

As its arm blocked my hit again, I twisted mid-air, and with a burst of my flame, I turned my sword into a blazing crossbow.

"Let’s see if you can dodge this." I whispered as I fired.

My arrow successfully struck straight into its left eyeball.

It let out a harsh scream that rattled the bones in my chest. Blood sprayed like black oil from its eyes, and it thrashed wildly, crushing everything in sight.

"Everyone, move! Stay away!" I yelled.

Blinded and berserk, the Orcs King charged forward like a rampaging titan, trampling its fellow Orcs and killing them instantly. Its every step shook the ground like an earthquake. I ran after it as my flames rising higher.

This fight wasn’t over.

I sprinted straight for its nape. With a roar, I drove my flaming sword into its thick nape, putting everything I had into that final strike.

But my fire blade didn’t go deep enough. Before I could react, I saw its massive hand move too fast.

Its palm slammed into me like a boulder, and in an instant, I was flying. The sky spun and my back hit the rocky ground with a bone-shaking crash. Pain exploded through every inch of my body. I felt stone cut into my skin, and my blood leaking from my fresh wounds.

“VAL, NO!” Yuri’s voice cracked through the chaos.

“YOUR HIGHNESS!” the soldiers screamed, voices full of panic and fear.

I coughed, blood spilling from my lips as I pushed myself up with trembling arms. My whole body throbbed in pain, my skin were torn and bruised, but I wasn’t done. No, I was furious.

Fire surged from inside me, flames are escaping across my skin as I stood slowly. I didn’t care about the gasps around me, didn’t care about the fear in their eyes as they watched my body glow with blazing heat.

I could feel my fire overflowing, it's wild, and alive. My lips curled into a grin. This pain. This thrill. It lit something deep inside me.

A worthy opponent. Finally.