Chapter 56 Vrooommmm!!!
The first thing Xzavier did after grabbing the head of the dead orc was to scour the environment for any signs of his trusty armor motorcycle. Getting out of here and back to the others without the armor motorcycle would prove to be a real arduous task. It was imperative that he found it.
Xzavier began his search. In due time, he traced his jump from the slope on the hillside and found the motorcycle. Apparently, when the chief orc grabbed the motorcycle and saw that it was devoid of Xzavier\'s presence, he angrily tossed it a short distance away as if it had been nothing but wood. Such had been the strength and anger of the entity that Xzavier had faced in battle for about two nights.
In spite of the fact that it had been a collateral damage during Xzavier\'s joust with the chief orc, the armor motorcycle somehow retained its full functions. There wasn\'t even as much as a dent on the armor motorcycle. Xzavier was impressed.
Like a Protagonist in a motion picture film, riding off into the sunset at the epilogue, Xzavier mounted his trusty motorcycle and turned on the ignition. Xzavier welcomed te comforting hum of the powerful engine. He revved the engine so more to ascertain its stability, having satisfied his curiosity, Xzavier throttled down hard and surged forward, in the direction of the nearest exit. Turning his back on the sprawled form of the deceased chief orc which lay on the ground, Xzavier surged forward at full speed.
Vrooommmm!!!
Xzavier zoomed off, sprinting down the hill with the wind rushing to meet him and swooshing behind his ears like an airy waterfall. The taste of victory was in mouth.
The chief orc had done a good job of leveling the terrain with his collapse, so, Xzavier didn\'t have to brave through too much obstacles in order to get to his destination. The loudness of engine announced his presence as he forged ahead without fear or concern as to what might creep out of the woods and Rocky hillside before and behind him.
The night was almost over. Xzavier could see that based on the signs of dawn in the eastern part of the sky. He hadn\'t slept in almost thirty six hours and it was beginning to tell. The rush of adrenaline from the battle which had kept him going was now wearing off, and in its wake was now a fatigue that was more mental than physical. Xzavier shook off the feeling and focused instead on the steady dependable humming of his armor motorcycle to keep him in line.
In no distant time, the armor motorcycle covered a significant amount of ground, bringing Xzavier to the place of rendezvous which the group had agreed on meeting if all went well. Considering the fact that he had the head of the chief orc bobbing up and down in his bag, it was safe to say that all had truly went well.
When Xzavier\'s headlight sighted a familiar landmark up ahead, he slowed down a bit and steadily made his way to the large Boulder sitting in a very peculiar enclave. Stopping a few meters away from it, Xzavier disembarked from his motorcycle. He then took out his prize with one hand and swaggered over to the Boulder.
If the blaring sound of his roaring engine hadn\'t announced his presence already, Xzavier coughed awkwardly and called out assertively;
"It is I Xzavier. Reveal yourself old man. Enough with the cloak and dagger stuff."
There was a short pause, and then came the shuffling of feet and then finally, the dignified form of the old man in robes appeared like a ghost from behind the Boulder. He sneered at Xzavier as he approached him;
"I just had to be sure it was you. One can never be too careful at a precarious time lie this."
Xzavier nodded slightly in agreement and asked.
"Where are the women?"
Kadin raised his voice a little higher than was necessary and called out both of them. When he turned back his gaze to Xzavier, a cloud of shocking disbelief eclipsed his dignified face. For the first time, he saw what was in Xzavier\'s right hand and turned pale white.
"Xzavier…don\'t tell me…is that…?"
The orcs who had been cowering in fear spotted the ominous sign in the night sky, and instantly, their terror tripled. It felt like they had been handpicked for destruction by the fates. Like a bunch of wolves howling at the full moon, the remaining orcs began to howl pitifully. All around them, the different notes and volumes of the screams clashed against each other, rolling into one colossal wave of a mournful funeral dirge. It was a cacophony of fearful cries.
Kadin, Tacy and Adalia watched as a race of beastly creatures (who were notorious for their savagery and cruelty), cowered at the presence of Xzavier. It was a sight that they would never forget. In that moment, Xzavier looked like a deity. Clad in his all black garments, his hand which held the flare gun held up high and suspended in the air, with the other three posed in formation behind him like vassals, Xzavier resembled a scene right out of a legendary fable.
With the bright red flare in the sky came the coveted gift of illumination. The plains and the surrounding regions had been clothed with a blanket of the bright, blood-red flare, inadvertently bringing all hidden things into the light. And with this blood-red illumination came the opportunity for the orcs to see the horrible sight that was the decapitated head of the chief orc.
The first set of orcs who were brave enough to lift their heads out of their hiding places looked towards the object that had been expected to detonate. The chilling fear that had enveloped them was abated for a while. When they saw that the explosion was delayed, a part of them held on to the hope that maybe it wouldn\'t come to that. For the first time, they looked closely at the object. The dead chief orc\'s head which by all count was monumental and stunning in proportions gradually came within the full scope the sight of the remaining orcs.
All at once, like a simulation that simultaneously envelopes an entire assembly, a sudden wave of realization washed over the orcs. Along with it, the stubborn rage of doubt contended against the truth that was gradually dawning on them. The razor sharp eyes of the orcs which thrived in the darkness, immediately discerned the facial expression of their beloved leader whom they all believed to be invincible. In his lifetime, the powerful orc had been well respected. So, for his subordinates to come to the knowledge of his death in such a crude manner, it was an earth shattering revelation of an insane proportion.
The first shrill cry came out of the already sore throat of a tired orc, another followed, and another until the whole valley was encased in the mournful cries of the remaining orc. Unfortunately for them, the amputation of their chief\'s head was only the first of the many deaths to follow.
Up above, positioned at a vantage point that was elevated above the mass of bitterness and anguish in the valley below, Xzavier stood with his friends. Every single one of them, including Xzavier was fixated on the commotion that was unfolding in the valley below, all except Kadin.
Kadin\'s stare was one of shock. These days, when it came to Xzavier, this pattern of shocking disbelief seemed to have become the norm. Time and again, the young man had proven himself to be something of an enigma, and each time, the old man was left in the dust as he struggled to understand the source of Xzavier\'s strange power. Right now was one of those moments.
The old magician was perpetually in a state of awe. Baffled, he wrestled with his own mind in his bid to understand just how Xzavier could have unleashed such a magnanimous, high-end explosion and magic. Even Kadin couldn\'t deny the fact that the end result was nothing short of breathtaking. The lightning effects were ethereal, sublime, and almost heavenly! Kadin very nearly drove himself mad in his struggle to grasp the concept and hidden mystery behind the vivid display of magic.
"Xzavier…" the old man quietly thought;
"You are the true embodiment of the word \'mysterious.\' One day, I will get to the depths of the mystery you have so artfully shrouded yourself in."
The magician in Kadin had been so distracted by the aurora above him, that he completely lost interest in the chaos unfolding beneath him in the valley.
Several feet below the cliff where the group stood, in the orc valley beneath them, the orcs had systematically descended into a state of lawlessness.
Logic was nowhere to be found in their midst, pandemonium and commotion ruled in its stead! Like a bunch of fickle minded toddlers running wild, the orcs went into a kind of chaotic frenzy, scampering about aimlessly, without direction and in absolute fear.