Crimson Symphony [2]

Ransacking what they could, they lit the rest on fire. Alerting the rest of the orcs and possibly even the abomination. Without a moment's hesitation, the two swiftly made their way out of the storage room. Meanwhile, in the central hub of the orc cave, A massive black slime rests its body on the smooth cave floor. Two smaller orcs are seen tending to their every whim. From tossing a carcass of elk in its mouth. To kneading its body like fresh dough.

All was calm in the hall until billowing smoke came rushing in from one of the entrances. Waking up the relaxed monstrosity, appendages erupted from the slime as they grabbed the two orcs tending to it. Engulfing them both in its gaping maw, it proceeded to slowly chew, savoring its meal with deliberate movements.

"Pretty salty. The elk was better." Seeing the smoke beginning to fill the hall, it called out. "Uruk! Go check out what's causing this!"

Emerging from the wall opposite the source of the smoke, a disoriented orc shaman stumbled into view. "Right away your majesty." With unwavering determination, the shaman charged headlong into the billowing smoke, wielding his wand with expertise. With a swift motion, he conjured a powerful gust of wind, dispersing the smoke allowing him to walk towards the origin of the fire.

Shock quickly transformed into seething rage as the shaman's eyes fell upon the sight before him—the supplies they had raided were now engulfed in flames, reduced to smoldering ruins.

"You look familiar." Whirling around to face the source of the voice, Uruk's gaze locked onto a human figure leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed upon him intently. "Does the name Grommash mean anything to you?"

"That's my brother." Narrowing his eyes, Uruk's stance shifted into an offensive position, his muscles tensing as he prepared to charge towards the human, ready to unleash his fury.

"What a coincidence. I'm starting to suspect—" Azrael's words were cut short as he swiftly evaded Uruk's incoming ice spike, narrowly avoiding its deadly trajectory. "How rude. Do you interrupt people often?"

"How dare you burn the supplies! Do you not know the dire consequences you put me in!"

"Well yeah. That why I did it."

"I'll kill you!" Ice spears formed around Uruk, launching them with reckless abandon as he grew more enraged. Uruk became increasingly frustrated as he saw Azrael duck and dodge the incoming projectiles with apparent ease.

"Stay still damn it!" Uruk bellowed.

"Okay. As long as you promise to stop screaming. Its beginning to hurt my ears." Uruk screamed even louder in response.

Suddenly, Uruk's senses blared. In a split second, Azrael vanished from his sight, only to reappear behind him. Whipping his body around, he raised his staff using it as a shield. He watched in abhorrence as Azrael cut through it like butter.

"That was my favorite staff!" Screaming his heart out with a piercing scream, Uruk lunged forward, charging at Azrael with all his might. He tackled Azrael, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. But to Uruk's astonishment, instead of leaving an imprint, Azrael skillfully flipped in the air, landing gracefully on the wall with his feet. Uruk's heightened senses detected a surge of mana gathering around Azrael's feet.

The wall couldn't withstand the immense force that propelled Azrael back towards Uruk. It shattered into pieces as Azrael was launched from it, sending debris flying in all directions. Azrael swung his sword, hoping to bisect the orc in front of him. He almost succeeded, leaving Uruk's body with a massive gash stretching from his left eye all the way down to his abdomen. Blood flowed freely from the deep wound, staining his clothes and the ground beneath him.

In a panic, Uruk summoned a powerful gust of wind, hoping to blow back Azrael and create some distance between them. However, Azrael planted his sword firmly into the ground, using it as an anchor against the force of the wind. Although it managed to push him back slightly, it was not enough to deter Uruk. With a surge of fury, Uruk unleashed a relentless barrage of ice weapons, hurling them towards Azrael from all directions.

To his dismay, Uruk had failed to anticipate that his adversary possessed elemental powers akin to his own. As the barrage of ice weapons hurtled towards Azrael, a dome of earth erupted from the ground, shielding him from their impact. Emerging unscathed from the protective barrier, Azrael fixed his gaze upon Uruk, who now found himself depleted of mana, his last desperate attack having drained him completely. It was checkmate, and they both knew it.

Closing in on the kneeling and panting orc, Azrael inquired, "What is that slime's weakness?"

"Why would I tell you anything?" Uruk scowled. Feeling the weight of humiliation for losing to a mere human, let alone a human child, Fueled his scowl further.

Unlike his brother, Azrael was not as lenient this time. Stabbing him in the shoulder, Uruk grunted. Azrael asked again. "What is it?"

"Torture isn't going to work kid."

"I'll tell you where your brother is." Now that got Uruk's attention.

Looking at the boy with his remaining eye, he slowly said, "You're going to kill me regardless, his location means nothing to me."

"But you still care about him. I've seen that look in your eyes before."

"Is he alive or dead?"

Twisting his sword in the wound, Uruk groaned a little louder. "I'm asking the questions here. If you answer, I might tell you what you want to know."

"Fire. His weakness is fire." Azrael Pulled out the sword.

Azrael callously remarked, "Your brother is dead. And you're going to meet him."

Enraged, Uruk tried to get up only for a dagger to pierce into his skull, dropping to the floor with a thud. Without sparing a second glance, Azrael swiftly exited the storage room and proceeded towards the main hall.

As Azrael entered the hall, his eyes fell upon a colossal black slime, thrashing and attempting to swipe away Sam with one of its massive appendages. The hall lay in ruins. Small craters marred the ground, remnants of powerful impacts, while stalagmites from the ceiling occasionally detached themselves, crashing down upon the colossal slime.