Fists clenched, he rushed to the shaman before his companion's widening eyes.
"What does it an?" He asked, his voice almost pleading.
"Humph. Do you think this beast can answer? Forget about it," Morris snorted before his voice took a playful turn. "You know what? You fought well, Elliot. I think you should give it the coup de grâce."
Elliot remained silent, his watery eyes locked on the shaman. This damned word and their smiles... Was it the orc's thod to torture his mind? Perhaps. But age, courage, or frailty didn't matter. He had a mission and a confidence to reinforce. This upsetting mystery wouldn't ruin three months of hard work.
As he wrenched his hamr overhead, the shaman coughed, then whispered. "We seek honor when we hunt, eat, fight, and mate, but not once in its life, an orc says Drahk'mar. Young human... you've given us... an honorable death on the battlefield instead of a fate of rotting away. We... thank... you."
A shiver jolted Elliot's shoulders. As the shaman's breathing turned into ugly gurgles, he grasped its gnarled hand. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "Rest in peace, shaman of the orcs. I'll rember your last battle."
"Zul'Vrog... my na..." The shaman's hand stilled in Elliot's, and its eyes turned glassy.
Morris sighed. "Ahh... you took so long that it died on its own. Well, doesn't matter. With that village, we've passed Teacher Diane's class. Any wounded?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. We can raid another village to score so extra points since we still have ti, right?"
"Let's raid two villages!" Elliot's answer got him arched brows from his team.
"Mister doesn't rank number two in points for nothing." Karen giggled. "You're right, though. This field trip is on the easy side. I an... oldies? We'll be damned if we don't make the most points out of it."
"Two's doable if we split to scout the villages." Morris nodded, then turned toward Elliot. "You're taking your first battle better than I could have hoped. Makes wonder if you were always this talented, or if Adam played a role in your new performances."
Elliot's chest ward as he thought about Adam. How many villages had he already raided on his own? Did he also discover the orcs' plea for one last honorable battle? If not, he could perhaps be the one teaching him for once.
He answered with a bright chuckle. "Adam showed a path to grow, and I'm working my way on it."
Morris wrapped his arm around Elliot's shoulders, laughing. "You definitely have to introduce us after the trip. I an, I could do it myself, but it feels wrong. Rember how we isolated him at first? But now that he's ranked first, I want to make friends. He'll definitely think I'm trying to profit from him."
"Hey! Introduce , as well." Karen joined them, puffing her chest out in a pout.
The other two rolled their eyes, but asked anyway.
"Mhh." Elliot tucked his fingers around his chin. "You'll have to prove yourself to his sister first, not to ntion endure Desmond's shenanigans. If you can, I'll tell Adam how well you took care of ."
"Thank you, Elliot." Morris patted his shoulder, then pointed at the village. "I bet you're all dying to sleep on sothing else than rocks. This is our base for the next few days."
As they quelled the fire devouring the walls and roughly buried the corpses, Elliot let his mind wander to the college. Did Quintella miss him after three short days, or was she having fun with Sarah and the other girls? He could imagine her grimace each ti Desmond showed up, or her bright smile as she fed the cute Bao. Sohow, he realised that he didn't want to disappoint Adam but equally wanted to impress her.
***
As his thoughts drifted to her, Quintella sighed in her room. She lay over a blank piece of parchnt on her desk, ignoring her quill to poke the cheek of Adam's plushy.
"I'm dying of boredom, big brother... But I can't disappoint you. Training, training, I'm coming!" She cheered herself up, smoothed her uniform, and walked to the door.
She tilted her head when she saw Sarah leaning against the wall of the corridor. Before she could ask, Sarah waved at her. "I knew you'd go for training now. You're so diligent, Quintella. Adam must be proud of you."
"Mhh. Mhh. Am I not the best sister? Here." Quintella handed her a macaron from her pocket. "You deserve a treat."
"Hahaha. How many sweets do you even carry with you?" Sarah unwrapped the handkerchief and savored the salted butter caral macaron.
"That's a secret." Quintella placed a finger over her lips, chuckling. Then, she gestured for Sarah to accompany her out. "Were you waiting for ?"
Sarah nodded. "I wanted to show you sothing I discovered. It only happens at night, so I wondered if you could perhaps delay your training."
"Mhh? Is it a new spot like the maze of flowers in the gardens?" Quintella's eyes lit up.
"Sothing like that. it's—"
She interrupted Sarah by putting a piece of lemon tart in her mouth. "Hehe. Keep it a surprise. Let's go!"
She dangled her head impatiently through the frozen gardens, wondering what wonderful scenery Sarah discovered until she stood in front of the ugliest buildings on the campus. Her eyes darted between Sarah and the dusty stone doors of the crypt in silent question.
"It's inside." Sarah pushed the doors, her dark eyes curving like knives. "I promise you've never seen anything... like that."
Quintella hesitated for a mont. "Are you sure Teacher Marcellus Noct Virein won't scold us if we enter his classroom... We'd better co tomorrow morning."
"Fine. I thought I'd share my most precious spot with my best friend, but she's doubting ." Sarah let out a long, disappointed sigh that made Quintella lower her head. "It's okay. Forget about it."
---
AN: Sorry, Quintella...
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