I wandered into town today. Left the river side for a short while to see how everyone was doing and what the market had to offer me.
Trestlebridge is a sad sight to behold these days. Most of the town has been burned down after many orc attacks. The villagers are scared of what is to come and the guards are young, unexperienced and with few.
Though they give no sign of surrender to the enemy that lurks just north-east of the bridge.
A couple of small front camps to a larger main camp lay not to far from it.
As I wandered into town I came across a sight that always breaks my heart.
It was a mother is tears, begging for someone to go to the orc camps and find her missing daughter. A father who had clearly suffered enough sat by her side trying to comfort her.. It was no use.
The woman was beyond the point of calming and only wanted to see her child again. The father was to struck by the faith that his family had befallen to even speak properly.
It was a sight I could not stand and so I walked up to them.
I offered my help and at first they looked confused. They knew I was ''that weird hunter'' who dropped by every couple of months after he returned from the north but they had no idea that I would be willing to fight for them as well.
The mother pleaded me to get her child back and it did not take much for me to accept this task.
She discribed her daughter as a young blonde woman from around 14 to 16 years old. She and her has a fight and the daughter had run off north to calm herself by some flowerfields. She did not return....
I readied up my gear and went out to the north, over the bridge and into the wild I had just recently returned from. I left Aronath by the cabin. He had already done so much the past few days. He disserves a good rest.
With my bow in my hand I went out towards the North-east where the orcs had camped out. It was quite clear that the orcs were behind her abduction. They would either eat her or use her as a slave.. both horrible fates that can befallen someone. It did not take me long to pass into the flowerfield that the daughter might have been at.
As I thought..... Track. Someone has been sitting in the field before being dragged off after a struggle.
The tracks led me to a small orc camp just east of the field. Four orcs were sitting around a fire probably eating some poor deer.
I calmly sneaked towards them and readied my bow for combat. One arrow for the large one near the fire. He was my first target.
A quick shot and a fatal blow to the head. I saw the orc collapse into the fire and slowly catching flame due to the nasty grease on its body.
The other three panicked and tried to figure out where the shot had come from.
I nocked another arrow and shot down the archer as second to make sure he would not come for me first.
As the archer fell to the ground the other two came running towards my position.
I dropped my bow and pulled my blade from its sheathe.
The first one came in swinging a rusty sword. Its attack was sloppy and reckless. I parried the blade and cut its head of. The second one was smarter and kicked be back. I managed to hold balance and as he came rushing for me I moved to the side.
The orc passed on my left and with a quick spin toward him I managed to slice open its back and end its life.
Slowly I approached the camp. It was clear she had been there.
Pieces of her clothes as her mother described them were laying near the fire.
At first I thought they had eaten her but the meat on the fire-pit was that of a boar.
I started looking for more tracks and found out they had taken her closer to the main camp.
So I continued my path....
I wandered onwards. Closer and closer to the main camp.
Suddenly! Screams!
They came from the west wall of the large encampment. A smaller camp was placed just outside the walls.
There was no doubt in my mind. It had to be the girl!
I reclaimed my bow and rushed towards the camp, keeping my eyes open for any guards along the way. As I approached the camp of which I heard the screams come from, I saw it.
The young girl was being used as a slave. She was whipped by a Big orc with a large axe.
The poor thing must have been in a state of fear beyond anything I can remember.
I did not hesitate and pulled out two arrows. I moved forward towards the encampment and shot down two orcs that were standing rather close to one another. A clean kill on both of them.
Once more I dropped my bow as two other orcs had noticed and came running for me. Sadly for them they were just as sloppy as the once I had battled at the other camp and so I made quick work of them.
Their leader however was a bit tougher then I expected.
He was angered and came rushing for me with a large axe. Him and I engaged in combat and it took me a good lot of effort to break through his defense. Eventually though he made a mistake and with one clean swing of my elvish blade I managed to cut off his head!
The girl looked up, shaking from the events that had befallen her.
'"It is okay'' I said to her...
''I am here to save you''. She looked up at me and smiled with honesty and relief.
I picked her up and quickly ran back towards the town.
As I entered the town I saw her parents waiting near the bridge. They ran over to me and took her into their arms.
The tears that were shed by the mother were no longer of pain but of happiness and relief. I was thanked and offered allot of coin for what I had done but, of course I refused. I have no need for coin in such a situation and I was glad that I had managed to reunite the family.
I went with the family to a local healer and helped an elder woman to treat the young girls wounds.
And so ended another day in Trestlebridge. A small feast was thrown in honor of the return of the girl and of course I could not deny a drink with the father.
A good ending to a long and adventurous day. Who knows what the upcoming days will bring me.
Only time can tell....
