Chapter 10: The Rescue
Lucas crouched behind a rock, watching the orcs drum and chant around the fire pit where his friends were tied. The smell of roasted meat and burning wood filled the air. His heart raced. He had no sword, no backup, and barely any time.
But he had a plan.
He spotted a lone orc wandering near the back of the cave, separated from the group—grumbling with a piece of bone stuck in its tooth. Lucas waited until the orc turned a corner, then quickly crept behind it. With a swift strike using a heavy branch, Lucas knocked the creature out cold.
Without wasting a second, he dragged the unconscious orc behind a pile of rocks and began tearing off the filthy armor. It smelled worse than anything he'd ever touched, but Lucas forced himself to endure it. Moments later, he stood disguised as one of them—helmet pulled low, shoulders hunched, and body reeking of orc stench.
He stepped into the chaos of the celebration, unnoticed. The orcs were far too busy singing and smashing bones against their drums.
His eyes locked on Leo, Eline, and Eric, still dangling above the unlit firewood, wrapped tightly in ropes.
Lucas approached them slowly.
None of them recognized him—until he leaned in toward Eline.
"It's me," Lucas whispered under the orc mask.
Eline gasped softly. "Lucas?"
"Keep your voice down," he hissed. "I'm going to tie your ropes together—don't resist. I've got one shot."
Eric blinked, still half-dazed with fear. Leo, furious, grumbled, "What's this orc whispering about?"
Lucas whispered again, this time to Leo. "It's me. Lucas."
Leo's eyes widened, but he didn't speak. He nodded once. Lucas wrapped a rope around their three bindings, pretending to tighten it further—but in reality, linking them together.
Then, he stepped back, took a deep breath, closed his eyes—and focused.
Teleport. All four. Now.
A flash of light shimmered around them—just for a moment—and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.
The drums stopped.
The orcs stared, stunned. The meat they were just about to roast—was gone.
"THEY ESCAPED!" roared the lead orc, foam spraying from his mouth. "FIND THEM!"
They reappeared in the forest, tumbling onto the ground in a heap of limbs and rope.
Lucas quickly untied the ropes from his friends, his hands shaking.
Eline gasped for air. Eric sat up, pale and breathless. Leo sprang to his feet, fists clenched. "I swear, if I ever see one of those ugly things again—"
"Run," Lucas interrupted, eyes scanning the trees. "They'll come after us."
And they did.
A horn blew in the distance—deep, guttural, and full of rage.
The jungle roared with movement. Leaves shook. Branches cracked.
The orcs were coming.
The four of them ran through the jungle, pushing past vines, ducking under fallen trees. Lucas led the way, his senses on full alert, guiding them away from the chasing horde.
Just when their legs could barely move anymore, they reached a wide river, flowing fast and loud.
"We'll never make it across!" Eric shouted.
But Lucas grabbed a thick branch and threw it into the water to test the depth. It floated. "Follow the edge. There has to be—"
"There!" Eline pointed.
Behind the cascading river, barely visible, was a small shadow—an opening behind a waterfall.
They rushed toward it as the orc roars echoed behind them.
One of the lead orcs saw them and raised his weapon—but the moment the four of them disappeared behind the waterfall, the orcs stopped.
They growled and roared—but none dared to enter.
The lead orc snarled. "No… not there. Not that cursed place."
He turned back, raising his axe, and signaled the others to retreat.
Inside the waterfall cave, the sound of rushing water echoed through the cavern. The walls glistened with a soft blue light. Moss covered the stones, and strange crystals pulsed faintly from deep within the cave.
The four of them collapsed on the floor, panting and soaked.
Lucas looked back toward the entrance. "Why did they stop?"
Eline stood slowly, glancing around the mystical cave. "They were afraid of this place."
Leo chuckled weakly. "Ha. Cowards."
"No," Lucas said, stepping deeper into the glowing cave. "This isn't just a cave. Something… lives here."
The others looked at each other, worry creeping back into their faces.
Eric shivered. "We're not safe yet, are we?"
Lucas shook his head. "No. But maybe—just maybe—we found something stronger than the orcs."
And with that, the four walked deeper into the waterfall cave, unaware of what awaited them in the glowing silence ahead.
The roar of water behind them faded slightly as they stepped deeper into the cave. The inside was dark—darker than night. The moment their feet touched the stone floor, a cold gust of wind brushed past them, as if the cave itself had exhaled.
Eline quickly pulled a dry stick from her bag and whispered a few words under her breath. A small flame sparked at the tip, bursting into a steady fire.
"Stay close," she said. "This will help us see."
The dim firelight flickered across the damp cave walls, revealing strange carvings and claw marks. The deeper they walked, the more bones they found scattered across the stone floor—orc skulls, broken tusks, rusted weapons, and cracked shields.
Eric stopped suddenly, his face pale.
"Are those… orc heads?" he whispered, pointing to a pile of skulls near the wall.
Leo snorted. "You want to go back out there? Be my guest. I'm sure the orcs are still hungry."
Eric swallowed hard. "I'm just saying… whatever killed these orcs wasn't us."
Eline looked to Lucas. "Can you sense anything? Any danger?"
Lucas paused. He closed his eyes and let his breath steady. His ability had grown stronger, but it still required focus. For a moment, there was nothing—no tremors, no strange scent in the air, no heartbeat except for theirs.
He opened his eyes. "Nothing. It's quiet… too quiet. But I think we're safe for now."
They kept walking, their boots crunching over old bones and brittle leaves. The cave seemed to twist and breathe around them, like a living thing—pulsing softly with an unseen rhythm.
Eventually, they found a small chamber tucked into the left side of the cave. The walls curved gently, almost like a nest. There were no bones here—just smooth stone and a small natural pool of clean water dripping from the ceiling.
"Here," Lucas said. "Let's rest."
They all sat down, exhausted.
Leo dropped to the ground with a grunt. "I can't believe we made it out of there alive."
Eline nodded, sitting beside him. "Thanks to Lucas."
Eric rubbed his wrists, where the rope burns still stung. "Yeah… that teleport saved us."
Lucas stayed silent, his eyes still scanning the darkness beyond the torchlight.
They rested in silence for a few moments, listening to the slow drip of water echoing through the cavern. The flame on Eline's stick cast dancing shadows across their tired faces.
"I don't get it," Leo finally said, breaking the silence. "What is this place? Why did the orcs run from it?"
Eline spoke softly. "Something lives here. Something the orcs fear."
"And we're just going to sit here?" Eric asked nervously. "What if it finds us?"
Lucas looked at them all. "We don't have a choice. We rest now, recover. If anything comes… we fight. Together."
The others nodded.
They didn't talk much after that. Instead, they let the silence fill the space between them—grateful to be alive, but still unsure of what lay deeper in the cave.
The fire crackled softly as the cave listened.