System Break

The short captain had brown skin, hair, and eyes. His chain shirt hung almost to his knees and he wore a small breastplate over it which covered his upper chest. His unimpressed eyes peered at me from beneath his kettle helm. 

"Just you," the mayor said with disappointment.

The captain shook his head. "He's a protector. Maybe he is useful."

The mayor glared at me. "How do we know you speak the truth?"

The captain stepped forward. "Sir. We don't care. He's a Svartalfar they are mortal enemies of Orks. He will fight for us, I'm sure of it."

A whistling sound reached our ears. It was loud and it sounded like hundreds of tiny whistles blowing all at once. 

I saluted, turned, and ran. Carney yipped as she tried to follow me. It was in vain because I didn't use the stairs - I scaled the wall directly.

A hundred tiny fireballs flew through the air towards the fort. They hit, splattered, and continued to burn while stuck to the walls, gate, and corner towers. I sniffed. They had a foul smell, but it wasn't a fuel I recognised.

"Shit," a man shouted.

I looked around me and saw a straw broom. I picked it up and while I inspected it Carney arrived. 

"Get me a flat blade shovel and wait here," I said. I took the broom and scaled the outside wall. I ran laterally across it and used the broom to whack the burning blobs. I must have looked a sight because the ferals tried to target me.

They swung slings around their head and the speed caused them to whistle. They weren't very accurate, but they were good enough to hit the side of a fort. The smell and the look of the burning brown muck - then I realised what it was. It was feral shit. They were literally setting their shit on fire and slinging it.

I was fast, but the broom slowed me down and there were hundreds of burning blobs. I ran back to where Carney was waiting and grabbed the shovel from her hands. Her wide green eyes and open mouth expressed her surprise. I handed the broom back and said, "Thanks."

It didn't take long for the city folk to help by pouring buckets of water down the wall. Many of them shouted encouragement at me and I'm sure the Orks were watching. The back and forth went on for an hour or so. And despite the thousands of shit fire blobs we kept the wall intact. I was glad when the ferals finally ran out of fuel. I hoped the lack of food slowed them down from making more.

I'd been hit a few times, so I made my way to the lake and dived in. While I scrubbed, l looked around. It was dark except for the fort itself where torches were arrayed along the walls. I noticed a couple of small fishing boats tied to a dock.

When I was all clean I swum under the wall and dried myself next to a firepit. Carney must have had eagle eyes because she found me in minutes. 

"Do you want a towel?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I'm good."

"You're already making a difference. We couldn't bring water quick enough to douse all those fires."

"Do you want to work for us?" I asked.

"What?"

"After we take care of this mob. We need someone here and a local would be perfect."

She peered at me. "What would you expect me to do?"

"I don't know. Manage trades, look after our warehouse and goods. Stuff like that."

"I am not a trader," she said.

I waved my hand in dismissal. "Someone else will help you. You can learn and until then follow their lead."

"Why me?" she asked.

I cast a sidelong glance at her. She was young, healthy, and good looking. Her skin was pale and covered in freckles which made her green eyes stand out. 

"You weren't afraid of me and you spoke up. Which makes me think you're not prejudiced."

"Prejudiced?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's when you think bad of others just because they're different."

"Oh," she said. "Most people are like that."

I nodded. "That's why I chose you."

"How much does it pay?"

"What do you make now? And what do you do?"

"I work in the kitchens and I clean," she said. "I make a silver each week and an extra during festivals."

"Okay double that," I said. "More if you do well. Plus you'll have board and food covered." I rubbed my hands. "All dry, let's go see the captain again."

"Do I start now?" she asked.

"Sure." I handed her a small qi core. "Sell this for some silver."

She looked at it open mouthed. "I'll need to tell the butler that I resign," she said and chased after me.

The captain nodded at me as I approached. He'd set up a command station behind the wall and his soldiers would bring down reports at regular intervals. 

"Your help is appreciated," he said. The mayor had disappeared, probably into his manor. The leaders of the city folk were unimpressive from the dukes down to this mayor. I'd put the captain in charge if it were up to me.

"You've got a few problems," I said, and he peered at me.

"If they're smart they will attack just before dawn. At least half the people on the wall need to sleep now and get up before dawn."

"And?" 

"It's dark on the lake. I'd attack from that direction with fifty orks. They'll take your town before you know you're under attack. I suggest you place guards and put the fishing boats out on the lake and light them up with anything you got that will burn all night."

He peered at me. "Are you a Svartalfar or a soldier?"

"I'm a protector. This is my job."

"I have word that you killed my men at the mine. One of the workers said they recognised you. Although they said you didn't have antlers at the time, but you otherwise look the same."

I nodded. "That was me. Your men trespassed. We didn't kill any civilians and this issue has been resolved with your duke.

He sighed. "I will not inform the mayor but that doesn't mean he won't find out from the same people who spoke to me. Help us repel the Ferals and the Orks and this can be forgiven."

I laughed. "Sure. Fix the holes in your defence or my help won't matter. I have friends on the way, you just have to hold out for a few days."

"We have twenty soldiers and five hundred civilians. We're severely outnumbered."

"A bolt in the face will take care of a feral. Each person just needs to kill two each. It's the orks that are the problem." I looked up towards the wall. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"Will you rest?" he asked.

I looked at Carney then back at him. "Sure. Later." I pointed to the top of the gate tower. "I'll be up there."

I walked to the wall and climbed straight up while they watched. I stood on the ramparts and searched for the larger cores of the orks.

The captain peered at Carney. "What are you doing?"

"I work for him now," she said and smiled. She left to find her way up to the top of the tower before he could interrogate her further.