The Missing Dragon Ch. 05

Gregory focused on the nature of the spell, and as he did it seemed the population of enchanted orcs lit up before his awareness. It took him only a moment to break the spell, and when he opened his eyes the entire encampment was awoken.

Janette floated before him, having remained at his side for the duration of the battle.

"Greg? I think it's time to take off the ring. You don't look so good."

That was odd. He felt fine. Though when he looked over himself he immediately saw what she meant. The ring still radiated with light, but his own spiritual essence had faded considerably since he'd put the thing on.

"I can't take it off, Jan. I'd lose you."

"I don't think you can hold me here like this forever." She reached forward and ran her fingers down his cheek. There was no sense of actual touch, but he felt her spiritual energy making his skin tingle beneath his helmet.

"No. I can't," he stated simply.

It was at that moment that Algra shoved her way out of the crowd of moving green bodies and pointed one of her swords toward him.

"You! Halt right there! Do not move!"

- - - - -

Algra had sought out their strange ally the moment that the battle was won. To her, he was only a mysterious figure in dark armour unlike anything she'd seen before. Though her order for him to remain still seemed unnecessary, for he didn't even appear to be breathing as he stood like a statue looking across the square.

In all her years she had never even heard of such a display of power as the one the armoured one had shown. Not by any allied mage or shaman at any rate. Was he some sort of rogue demon? If he was then he could potentially be dangerous to them. He needed to be questioned.

Soon after she called out to him she began closing the ground between them, and he vanished in a blur. She stopped, and looked around to see him standing in the distance and immediately fell into a sprint of her own. It happened again when she neared him, and again he appeared before her in the distance. That time, when she ran to him she thought she heard him speaking to someone in a voice heavily muffled by his helmet.

In this time, she could only ascertain that he wasn't an orc, and that he was most likely male.

It didn't even occur to her that he might have been Gregory until it became clear that he was leading her toward Bolut's camp. No other orc had followed her, not even out of curiosity or concern. Couldn't they see him? A humanoid in full-plate wasn't exactly something that passed unremarked in orc society. Humans weren't generally allowed armour or arms of any kind.

Eventually, they passed into the camp and she felt a resurgence of sorrow at the sight of her home littered with the bodies of her friends and those she was supposed to protect. The human stood by the campfire, and again he disappeared toward the jungle before she could attempt to stop him.

To her surprise, it seemed the chase wasn't over. The black armour was difficult to spot in the darkness of the jungle, but she was able to spot the glowing red ruby that rested on her quarry's chest. He led her past the training glade, and she soon heard screams of familiar voices in the distance. The survivors!

With her breaths now growing heavy, she rallied her determination and bolted forth to protect whoever remained of her family.

- - - - -

When Gregory appeared before his friends, they screamed in terror at his presence. His only reaction was to passively look behind him in search of whatever it was that had troubled them. Finding nothing of any significance, he looked to Janette for any explanation she might have to offer.

"Take your helmet off, you dope. They don't know it's you, and in that armour you're intimidating enough to look like you've just jumped out of hell's butthole. It's scaring them witless."

Thankful for the explanation, he hurried to lift the visor of his helm before releasing the catches of the lower portion of the face-guard. Upon seeing him, a wave of relief swept through the scared cluster of figures.

When Algra burst out from the foliage a moment later, a fresh round of screams went up before they recognised her in the darkness. She had lifted the face-plate of her own helm up in order to get a better view in the dark, and when she saw Gregory's face she abruptly dropped her weapons in shock and stared at him like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Yikes!" Janette exclaimed at her friend's reaction. "If she thinks you've come back from the dead, then wait 'till she gets a load of me."

"She cannot see you," he said.

The wail of pain that lifted from Algra's throat proved otherwise. She hadn't seen the ghost of Janette, but rather her lifeless body. It now lay peacefully upon the earth, hands clasped at her belly with the arrow removed. Valise had made some kind of paste to close up the wound and halt the last of Janette's blood from seeping away.

What first sounded like an animal's strangled cry soon raised into a scream of agony when Algra's shock was steadily consumed by a crusing wave of despair. Tears filled the orc's eyes as she ran to the side of Janette's body and fell to her knees. Her weapons were discarded beside her and she tore off her helmet and her chest-plate before pulling the pale girl's body up against her. She wept openly, and none tried to get between them.

"I... I didn't know she cared so much," Janette ran her fingertips over her own heart, wishing that she could give Algra a hug and tell her that it would all be ok.

"If you think she cares for you, then wait 'till you get a load of me." He echoed her words, and then he tugged his gauntlet from the hand that wore the ring.

"I've had a load of you, buddy. And as nice as that was I don't think-" She was rudely interrupted when he placed his open palm on her upper chest, and actually felt his touch. "Hey! Greg!? Greg, what are you doing!?"

Her spirit reacted as a human would in trying desperately to grasp onto his arm, but it could not break from his touch and her attempts at holding him simply passed through his body.

"I'm not sure if we'll find a happy ending here, Janette. But your story does not end here." He strode forth with grim determination.

- - - - -

Algra heard him, and turned to see him striding forward toward her. The ring on his finger flashed bright silver. He paused for a moment to shut his eyes tightly in concentration, and then he seemed to push forward against some resisting force. The ring actually brightened to the point where Algra had to lift her hand to shield her eyes. Something seemed to form out of its light; an energy that shifted and writhed outward into a humanoid shape. A female shape. When Algra recognised Janette's form within the light, she lowered her hand and simply stared in awe at the impossible sight before her.

Gregory struggled as the spirit appeared to resist being so rudely shoved around. It wasn't until Janette noticed that he was pushing her back toward her body that she stopped for a moment. Algra saw the dawning comprehension in the spirit's eyes, and the look of terror that followed. It renewed its efforts to try and claw its way free, but its hands and feet simply passed through him harmlessly. Yet there did seem to be some resistance, as Gregory's lips pulled back over his teeth and he had to exert his own strength to push her down toward her body.

The struggle continued, and Janette shifted her efforts to look directly at Algra. Her features shifted with restored hope, and she cried out to her friend. Algra couldn't hear what Janette said, for the spirit's words were silent. It didn't matter, for it was clearly read on her lips: Help! He's going to kill himself!

She released the girl's body carefully to set her back on the ground, and pulled up one of her swords. Help? Ok. How, exactly was she going to manage that? She certainly wasn't going to kill her mate. Maybe she could knock him out? Could Valise be of some assistance? It seemed that Gregory's effort to get Janette's spirit back in her body was taking everything he had, and it gave her a practically open shot at doing whatever she deemed necessary.

Then she looked down at the ring. He was holding out his hand in front of him. The spirit was still incorporeal to anything physical except its magic. She could simply cut off his finger and the power would no longer be his. Without thinking, she raised her weapon up over her head and spared his face a last glance with a silent apology. She was not expecting him to be looking at her. It made her hesitate, and in that moment he spoke.

"Trust me, Algra."

If he'd said almost anything else, it would have cost him at least two fingers. Yet when she heard him ask for her trust, she felt her Gregory speak to her and not some magical being within the ring. She only had an instant to decide, so she went with her heart rather than trying to process the situation fully. Then she lowered her sword back to her side.

- - - - -

Janette's spirit had stopped struggling and began pleading, its hands raised in an effort to hold his cheeks.

"Greg! Stop, please stop. There's not much of you left. We can't both die!"

He ignored her words, and she closed her eyes and decided that if she couldn't resist him then she'd damn well join him.

"I love you. I love you so much," she whispered the words upon feeling herself descending into her body.

That declaration seemed to empower him further, and he pushed down until his hand set upon the cool skin of her chest and her spirit was fully embedded within the body. Re-forging a person was no easy task, and he relied on the ring to do the heavy lifting whilst focusing every ounce of his will on maintaining the connection and simply holding the spirit within the body.

It only took a few moments to start working, and it felt unlike anything he'd ever known. With the enhanced senses of the ring, he could see her body begin to come alive again. It almost seemed as if silver fire was being pumped through her veins, cleansing the poison as it did. The ointment that had sealed up her wound fizzled away and soon the flesh was regrown until not even a scar was left to show for it.

Fixing the problems that had led to her death was relatively easy compared to actually bringing life back to her again. A great deal of magic poured forth from the ring, and he could see inside her when she once again began to shift and move cell-by-cell. The power was so great that the light of the ring could actually be seen running through her veins and arteries beneath her skin, using her own circulatory system to re-invigorate her body.

Even then, it wasn't enough. It seemed Gregory's part in the act was over, and in truth he didn't feel much of anything anymore. The ring took complete control of his body as he stood upright over Janette. Her spirit was once again bound to her body, and her body was alive once more, but the connection needed to be much deeper if she was to function as she once did. The ring once again began to shine, and this time it became so bright that none could look upon it without falling blind. It lifted Gregory's hand over his head, controlling his movements entirely and bringing forth a magical energy that the world had not sensed since the time of dragons.

Then the ring brought itself down hard at the centre of Janette's chest, and that light pulsed through her body until she too radiated with the glow of silver. It sent a shockwave through her entire being, and in that moment she was remade whole again. Air filled her lungs to bring out a deep gasp, her back arching with glorious pain and her eyes opening once again to see the night sky above her.

Algra rushed to her side when the light died, leaving the girl convulsing and trembling on the jungle floor. The orc took the human girl into her arms and held her tightly.

Standing above them, Gregory looked down with a slightly glazed expression. Apparently satisfied with his work, he lowered his gaze further to look upon the ring. With his still-gauntleted hand, he plucked the ring from his finger. The moment it left his touch, the light died into the polished silver band, and he fell to the ground with a clattering thud of metal against dirt.

- - - - -

He awoke to daylight, and a splitting headache. Sitting up in his bed, he clamped his hands to the sides of his skull in an attempt to ease the thundering pain. A groan lifted from his throat, and he tried to ask anyone who might have been nearby for water. His throat was so dry that the only sound he could manage was a hacking wheeze.

"He's up!" Algra's voice called from nearby.

Though he couldn't see anything more than fuzzy blobs just then, several more figures soon swept inside the tent. Each time they did the sun poured in between the canvas flaps of his tent and half blinded him. The bright light seemed to make the stabbing sensation in his skull burn hotter each time it flashed.

Rather than requesting water, he reached out to where a jug of the stuff was usually kept. A pale figure swept around the bed and helpfully filled a cup to give to him. The cool liquid felt incredible against his dry lips, and even after several gulps his throat still didn't feel right. Another cup was offered once the first was gone, and by the end of that one he'd started to feel somewhat like a human being again.

"Look at me. Look here," Valise commanded as she turned his head to face her. "Follow my fingertips."

He did as he was told as she waved her fingers before his eyes to test their focus. A note of relief followed in her expression.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've just been fucked by an elephant," he croaked the words out and went for another cup of water. "What the hell happened?"

"You don't remember?" Algra's tone was sharp.

"Last thing I knew, I was... Aaaargh!" He dropped the cup in his hand to lunge his head forward to once again press his hands over his ears. It seemed like he was trying to keep his head from exploding.

The moment he had tried to recall what had happened, the memories flooded back almost immediately in painful flashes. When he had worn the ring, the world made so much more sense. He'd been aware of almost everything around him down to the last minute detail. Now his mind was trying to recall those memories and they were proving far too overwhelming for him to process properly without the ring to assist him.

The cup was swiftly replaced by a large empty bucket placed beneath his head. He vaguely wondered what in the hell such a thing might be for, shortly before he vomited into it. Oh. Well that explained that then.

Once he was finished, some more fresh water was put into his hand and much to his relief the sharp pains in his skull dulled to heavy thuds every few seconds. It was far from pleasant, but at least he felt like his head was once again his own. Much like waking from a dream, the overly detailed memories of putting on the ring and everything that happened thereafter began to fade. He was left with a few scraps that he was able to piece together.

"Is Janette alright?" he asked.

"She's recovering better than you are." Algra growled.

"Am I going to be alright?" he addressed the question to Valise.

"I believe so. Although I wouldn't make any plans for the next few weeks. What you did? I had thought it to be impossible. The powers that shift as life becomes death are far too great for even the most potent mages to wield. Bringing someone back like that?" She shook her head, still clearly disbelieving. "I've never even heard of it happening in the old legends."

He felt something else then, a slight hint of smug satisfaction that pulsed across the room. Looking for the source, he saw the ring resting upon a blue pillow atop the table. It glinted independently of the sunlight. No one else in the room seemed to have noticed the feeling, but it was strong enough that Gregory couldn't merely dismiss it.

"Do we have any idea what that thing is now?" he asked; looking at the silver band.

"It is powerful. Unimaginably powerful. And it seems to be content with you as its wearer." Valise summed up the only things she could surmise of the mysterious trinket. "Though if you value your soul I would not wear it again unless the circumstances were truly dire. What in the world made you put it on?"

"I was ambushed at the glade. Rolk and his lackeys had gone there to look for you guys. They'd somehow slipped past Ishka. There were too many of them, and I only had a knife and the ring. I figured that if I was done for, then putting the ring on might let me take them with me if it did what it did to Freddie."

Hearing this softened Algra's somewhat aggressive stance considerably. She hadn't known that he'd put the ring on as a last resort, and assumed he'd worn it somehow knowing that it would give him an advantage in battle.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"Two weeks," Valise replied. "Your spirit has recovered a little, but if you had held on much longer then there wouldn't have been enough of it left to restore itself."

"You mean that the ring uses my soul to power itself?"

"No," the pale woman shook her head. "It's more like holding a candle against a raging inferno. It would be consumed with the force of its power."

"Right, ok then. I don't plan on putting it on again any time soon anyways."

"I am glad to hear that, Gregory. That kind of power is not easy for most men to resist."

"Yeah, well it's easier to resist when you know the damn thing makes you feel like your skull is hosting a fucking brass band after you take it off." The world was getting awfully spinny again, so he closed his eyes to prop up his brow with his hand whilst taking another drink of water.

"There are other things you must know." Algra stepped forward and took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him.

"Now is perhaps not the-" Valise began, only to fall silent when Algra gestured to her.

"What's up?" he removed the bucket from beneath his head and placed it off to the side.

"Gregory, many orcs are suspicious of the part you played in the battle. Elder Wren has created a following of orcs who want you placed before the council to answer for just how you managed to do what you did. What's more, the camp was infiltrated by black orcs hiding within our trade caravan. You have been accused of colluding with the enemy."

"Well, that sounds about right." He laughed mirthlessly and shook his head.

"That is not all." Algra paused, and looked to Valise hesitantly before taking a breath and coming out with it. "Gregory, Frun is dead."

The remnants of the smile on his lips faded entirely upon hearing that.

"How?"

"He fought bravely. But we were outnumbered with no real weapons or armour. He took up one of the torches from the great hall and used it to great effect." Algra paused here, and smiled sadly at the memory. "He used it like a long-staff. It kept the enemy at a distance and allowed us room to manoeuvre into position. But he was a damned beacon, and it didn't take the enemy long to see that he was having an effect. They wounded him with arrows and overwhelmed him after he was weakened. Talina killed the archer, but by then it was too late."

"Frun, Lydia, and Torren." He said the names of the fallen to no one in particular. "Were there any others?"

"No. Wrut was injured without his shield to protect him, but he recovers well. The others have a few new scars and bruises, but nothing serious. Three human slaves were killed here in the camp, but they weren't ours. They were visiting their friends here when the caravan rolled in to ambush them."

"I need to see Talina." His voice was dangerously quiet.

"I am here, master."

She stepped out from behind him, having evidently entered the tent alongside Valise and quietly disappearing just out of his sight before his eyes started working properly again.