Orin The Great Ch. 06

"Here, put this in your mouth." Bartram mumbled, as he came up beside the couple. "It will be your fine for having woken me."

"You were already awake!"

"No, I was half awake and seeing what you were on about." Bartram corrected. "Now I am fully awake and I will have so much trouble sleeping that I will have to take Orin's turn at the watch. Open your mouth, Sundri."

Instead of complying right away, the sorceress turned her body around first. She took Orin's hard cock in her once again, but this time left her back and backside open for his hands to explore. This was a good position for Orin, as he could touch more of her, while his cock stayed strong and rigid in her warm, womanly place. He squeezed her buttocks repeatedly, because he enjoyed their texture, while the woman's upper body weaved back and forth to pleasure Bartram.

The archer's grunts were heard, leaving Orin to imagine that Bartram was spurting his seed out onto Sundri's face. Orin could not help but imagine the pearly drops running down her cheeks and chin, and leaking onto Sundri's pale chest. It thrilled him enough that when the sorceress was finishing up with the second man, Orin shoved her forward and onto her hands and knees. He took her in that position, bumping into her hard enough to jolt her cries out of her. Only vaguely did he remember there was a new addition in their camp.

Slaps of flesh against flesh induced Orin further into bliss, so that he too started expelling moans and grunts. Finally, that precipice of pleasure was found, coming to Orin in the midst of his thrusts. His climax was always incredible, perhaps because he was so young and inexperienced, but he did hope it would always be this way with him. The fervor seeped out of him with his expulsion, yet he did not want to let go of Sundri's warm waist, or pull himself out of her hidden place. He would keep that same spot for all time, if he thought it were possible.

It was Sundri who broke their intimate contact first, as she was a sweaty and worn woman thanks to them. "Well, what do you say about that?"

"It was good, Sundri." Orin answered, assuming she was talking to him. "It is always good with you."

"I was speaking to Miriam." The old woman said.

"Do you mean she's awake?" Orin asked.

"Of course she's awake." Bartram said. "Miriam has been watching us all this time."

Orin observed the girl, sitting up by opposite side of the fire. He hadn't seen her earlier because she was on his peripheral, and also because he'd been too aroused to care.

"I told Miriam that I could have you both, but she didn't believe me." Sundri explained. "It was Miriam who challenged me to come and wake Orin and to bed him. By pure coincidence Bartram came along to double my pleasure. Do you believe me now, girl?"

"You are a harlot, woman." Miriam said. "What woman can bed two men at once? It isn't natural!"

Sundri only laughed.

"Put your clothes on, Orin." Bartram was seen composing his attire. "Otherwise this new girl will challenge us to bed her next."

"I will not!" Miriam denied. "It isn't natural!"

"Natural or not, I'm certain the act provoked you into a woman's want. Go on, Orin. Tell her to take her clothes off again, and let us see how she responds this time."

"I am not a loose woman." Miriam stayed firm.

"Oh, but I am loose now!" Sundri laughed again.

"Who can sleep at a time like this?" Bartram shook his head.

"Be quiet, Bartram." Sundri told him. "And get to your watch!"

The southern lands were exotic and mysterious to all four travelers. The roads were not as well kept, and the villages further apart. Before Tooker's Ferry, one would only have to walk about two days before coming to some sort of settlement, or at the very least, a person could expect to encounter fellow travelers on the roads: merchants driving wagons, pulling carts harnessed to oxen, or simply leading mules packed with whatever goods the seller specialized in. In these new lands, they saw none of that.

"My feet are tired." Miriam complained, as they traversed a particularly thick section of forest, with only a minimal path going through it.

"We will stop soon." Orin attempted to console her. "Look at the sunny side. All of these trees are giving us good shade from the heat."

"You are used to walking long distances, while I am not."

"It is something you will have to become accustomed to." Orin replied. "I want to be a man of adventure, living a life full of perils and dangers. You've never heard of a great adventure coming to a man, have you? The answer is no. If a man wants adventure, he must go out and find it."

"Or a woman." Sundri mentioned. "After having spent so much time in one place, I have found adventuring with you and Bartram to be... rather stimulating. Miriam, when we come to the next settlement, I will buy you a new pair of shoes, a pair that is better suited to long walks than what you are wearing now."

The raven-haired maiden considered her footwear. "I will not refuse you, Sundri."

Bartram had gone ahead of the others, scouting for a hill of a good height to have a look at whatever could be seen past the hundreds and hundreds of trees around them. The archer was heard whistling like a bird, giving the rest an idea of where he was. A few minutes later, he was seen stepping out from the forest.

"Do you have any news for us, Bartram?" Orin asked.

"There is a campsite a little less than one mile away." The man revealed. "I see a good many fighting men there, with horses, armaments and tents."

"Friend or foe?"

"Who can tell?" Bartram shrugged. "They have a number of banners and flags. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say they have come together from many different places, and probably are on some sort of hunt."

"I've never participated in a hunt before." Orin said. "Well, not an official hunt, at any rate. I wonder if there are many nobles there. Would you say they had expensive equipment? And were the horses of good breeds?"

"The distance was too great for me to discern any details. I saw a number of men, perhaps thirty or more. They might all hail from one kingdom, with a king or lord at their lead and the rest being knights serving that man."

"Did you see any women?" Sundri queried.

"I did not. Of course, I was not able to see into any tents, so there might have been some women present."

"Should we go there?" Orin began feeling excited. "I would very much enjoy seeing noblemen out on a hunt!"

"And what if they turn out to be bad sorts?" Bartram asked.

"No matter! Sundri can make us invisible and we can get past them all!"

The archer glanced at the sorceress.

"We should stop for a spell." Sundri spoke up. "Before Miriam's soft feet wear away into calloused stumps."

The camp had no guards around its perimeter, allowing the four travelers to walk in with little scrutiny. Once inside, Orin observed several colorful banners and flags, each of them posted before a specific grouping of large tents. The tents numbered at between two and four, and each bunch had a small clearing set aside for horses. This is where the few sentries were found, the young man noticed, as several armed men guarding those tents gave the travelers long looks.

"Are you lost?" One sentry challenged.

"Is there a hunt taking place?" The eager Orin asked.

"There is, but you have not been invited to join it."

"Do all of these tents belong to noblemen?"

"Forgive the youth." Bartram cut in. "He is very impressionable. We have been traveling on foot for a good number of days now. Would you allow us to rest our weary legs here for a time? We won't be any trouble."

After having taken stock of the two arriving men, the sentry fixed his eyes on the two women. Of the four, only Sundri might have passed for a noblewoman, but even her clothing was worn and soiled from journeying.

"We could use a few extra hands for cooking." The sentry motioned them forward with his head. "Since this was a hastily prepared hunt, our lords had not time to prepare a good entourage. This has left us shorthanded. Keep walking through the camp until you find a lean-to with several large pots in it."

Before they ambled off, Bartram questioned, "What sort of hunt is this?"

"Ogres." The sentry revealed. "Big ones."

The archer nodded, setting off right after with his friends.

"Did the man say ogres?" Orin asked in a low voice. "Do ogres truly exist?"

"No, they do not." Miriam answered first. "That guard was obviously lying to scare us from staying here."

Bartram chuckled. "Ogres are creatures that mothers scare their children with, when their children misbehave. That man might as well have said they were hunting dragons!"

"Ogres are real." Sundri divulged.

"What?" Orin sounded skeptical. "How can ogres be real?"

"Dragons are real creatures as well." The sorceress added.

"Come now, Sundri!" Bartram grinned. "You know better than that!"

"Do I?" She asked. "I have traveled to many strange places in my time, and I have seen many strange things. Dragons and ogres are only two of them. There are creatures so bizarre that they will cause your skin to crawl, if you only lay your eyes on them."

"But why haven't we seen them before?" Orin questioned.

"Some creatures will deliberately keep their faces away from men." The sorceress explained. "These creatures might live deep in the bowels of the earth, or roam across the highest mountains, or swim in the murkiest swamps, but they are found there, in these hidden places. There are other creatures that thrive on magic, or on blood, or on other ingredients. Dwarves, elves and trolls are among these, and also ogres. Do not pretend you know the entire world, any of you, if you have not traveled it like I have."

The others were still pondering over Sundri's dire words, as they found the clearing they'd been sent to. A large campfire was set up in the center of it, and two lean-tos put together at the edge. Several logs were placed into a circle around the fire, marking it as a place for meetings and feasting. At the moment, two handfuls of men were seen spread out among the logs. Every two or three of them belong to the same clan, as attested to by their appearance, armaments and clothing. Most of the men had short hair and shaved faces, while a few were brutes with hairy heads and beards, their look as black and unruly as their attire.

"Good day." Bartram courteously nodded.

"And who are you?" One man in a knight's chain mail asked.

"Simple travelers. We've come to get away from the road for short while, and to rest our legs here, if we are allowed to."

"A good thing you did." Another knight nodded. "There is a band of ogres on the loose in this forest. They have been raiding the smaller villages and stealing away the women and children."

"But why?" Orin asked. "What do the ogres want with them?"

"They're hungry, of course!" One hairy man laughed. "Why else would they take them, you stupid boy?"

"Ogres eat people?" Orin showed a sour face.

"They eat the human flesh, and they dry out the bones and sharpen them into blades for their weapons."

Still unconvinced, Orin looked over at Bartram.

"Tell him the full of it." A knight encouraged the hairy man.

"Bah!" The unruly sort scoffed. "He'll find out soon enough, when he runs into a pack of ogres in the woods!"

The man strode off, with two others of his ilk following in his wake. This left seven men in the vicinity, from three different factions.

When no other man answered, the same knight spoke up. "These are not ordinary ogres. They are as intelligent as men. They don't wear skins and handle clubs like the rest of their kind. They fashion their clothes from leather, and they create better weapons or use what they take from humans. Simple villagers can chase simple ogres into the forest to kill them, but not these smarter ogres. The ones we are after change their tactics and lay ambushes for their pursuers. These intelligent ogres must be hunted down and killed, to the last one, before they become too numerous for us to deal with."

"What do they look like?" Bartram asked.

"Have you heard the stories told in the fables?"

"I have." The archer nodded. "The stories describe large monsters with hideous, deformed faces. They are said to have green skin, and are as strong as ten men."

"They are this tall." The knight held his hand up as far as it would reach. "They are hideous, but they have the same features as men. They aren't as strong as ten of us, but closer to three or four. It matters not, for the blows from their weapons are devastating to us. And they do have green skin, as the tales say."

"If you can bring one down," Another knight added. "The Church will pay you a handsome five pounds of gold for each head you lop off."

"Five pounds of gold?" Orin exclaimed.

"One pound for a stupid one, five pounds for one as intelligent as a man." The knight confirmed.

"Can the Church tell the difference from their heads?" Bartram asked.

"The stupid ones paint their faces and bodies. The smart ones wear earrings or nose rings, and use symbols in their tattoos. There is a rumor that pirates captured a band of dumb ogres and taught them as men are taught."

"For what reason?" Sundri wondered.

"No man can say." The knight replied. "Perhaps it is because they are bigger and stronger than human men. Whatever the reason, they are intelligent and they are on the loose. If you manage to kill one, you'll become a rich man or woman."

Orin looked to his friends. "This is the sort of adventure I have been searching for!"

At first, the knights didn't know what to make of Orin and his entourage. Seeing that the newcomers were largely being ignored, the two men from the Kingdom of Labacum were the first to welcome them officially. Their names were Auxin and Pantares.

"Do you see our crest?" Auxin tapped on the badge sewn onto the left side of his gambeson. It showed a growling bear on all fours, with large eyes and long claws. "If we do manage to smite an ogre, the reward will be split up among the lot of us."

"You had best not try to run off with an ogre's head on your own." Pantares warned. "You won't make it very far. Either we will chase you down your for your betrayal, or the ogres will find you and rip you to shreds. They can smell the blood of their kin from miles away."

"Are you jesting, man?" Bartram asked.

"Take a chance and find out." Pantares dared.

Auxin motioned at two tents, guarded by only a single man and both displaying the crest of Labacum on their banners. "I won't waste words. We came here with eight men. Two of them are now dead. Three are out hunting with another band, and the three of us that you see here are the last of us. You might think it odd for us to bring you into our clan so quickly, but these other bands had ten or twelve men with them to start with. By having so few of us, our chances of finding and dealing with an ogre are much reduced. We will take you out there with good weapons and armor, as long as you respect the agreement of sharing the reward."

"If you are ready for it, we should go now, while the sun is up high." Pantares added. "The women can stay here, or they can return to the campfire and give a hand to whoever is there starting up the cooking. Truly, the cooks are shorthanded. They are having trouble catching enough for us to eat, since all of us are out on the hunt for most of the day."

"Well, as it happens..." Bartram started up.

"I know a bit about catching animals in the wild." Sundri finished off quickly. "I have lived alone in the woods long enough to, let us say, have found the knack of it. If my friends Orin and Bartram are willing to go off with you, Miriam and I will stay here and make our selves useful with the cooks. You do need the rest, don't you, Miriam?"

"Praises to God, I do!" The girl looked greatly relieved. "My feet are so full of blisters I can barely stand!"

"We also know something about working with herbs and medicines." Sundri said. "When we finish helping with the cooking, I will prepare a salve to soothe the tired feet of any man."

"A good salve?" Pantares asked.

The sorceress asked Miriam to remove her shoes, so that the two knights might have a look at them. "I promise you that the inflammation will be gone come morning."

"Us men from Labacum, don't you charge us for it." Pantares confided to her. "But the others, you charge them half a shilling at least. Those bastards took an ogre's head away from us, after we maimed that monster but couldn't chase it down fast enough."

Sundri grinned back. "I will consider that. Orin, Bartram, I will have a word with you both before you go."

The three walked a short distance away, where the sorceress warned the two men not to mention her mastery of magic. This done, they returned to the knights, who whisked Orin and Bartram into the tent that held their equipment. Because the knights were eager to leave, the two men quickly donned cloth gambesons with the Labacum badge on them. Orin checked a polearm from half a dozen of the long-handled weapons, selecting one with a good balance for use as both a thrusting spear and a hacking axe. Bartram nearly filled up his quiver with arrows, all of which had wicked arrowheads with serrated edges and a length nearly as long as his thumbs.

"We'll be running at a medium pace." Auxin informed them. "With any luck, we will catch up with the horses."

Orin thought he had an idea of what to expect an ogre to look like, until he actually set his eyes on one. The four men had been moving deeper into the woods by over an hour, when the sharp and short sound of a horn was heard in the distance.

"War horn!" Pantares shouted, shifting from a trot to a run.

Climbing the nearest hill revealed nothing but a sea of tall trees. Descending that hill at least brought to their ears the sounds of a raging battle.

"Stay close at our backs." Pantares warned. "And keep your mouths shut!"

Orin expected to see tall men with green skin, when they closed in on the fray. What he saw, what the ogres really looked like, was monsters with no hair on them, ears thick and with their ends pointed, and wide, square jaws. The ogres had incredible shoulders on them, and arms as thick as an athletic man's thighs. Their arms were long on their bodies, and their legs slightly shorter than when proportioned on a man. Most unnerving of all were their heights, they truly were as tall as the highest reach of a typical man, and their eyes that were black slits such as those of cats or lizards, on golden yellow eyeballs.

Three men from Labacum, and four others from some other faction, were tangling with three of the large green menaces. It was true, Orin realized. The ogres were as smart as the humans, for the seven on horseback were having much trouble maneuvering in the closely packed trees, and the ogres were continually shifting back or to their sides to keep from being surrounded.

Orin considered what the ogres wore: brown, leather tunics with fur visible on them, short trousers that ended just past the knees, black cloth belts and black boots. He was standing there and not moving for so long that Bartram pushed him behind a tree. The two knights from Labacum were already concealed nearby.

"They haven't seen us yet." Pantares said. "Auxin and I will go after that one on the end. You two," He pointed at Orin and Bartram. "Are to flank us. With any luck, we will split the one away from the other two. Are you ready, Auxin?"

"Yes, yes!"

When Pantares nodded, the knights left their cover.

"Those creatures are hideous." The archer said, his hands nervous as they pulled an arrow from the quiver. "They must have very thick skin to be needing such long arrow points. You be ready with that polearm, Orin, as I think their green arms are long enough to pluck me from a mile away!"