left upper arm and another protruding from her right chest above her breast. Those bastards were torturing her.
Without hesitating Wollfen sprung up clearing his sword in one movement and ran down the hill towards the orcs screaming madly as he went. The other two followed suit, both of them running down and fanning wide to the sides. The orcs turned and looked not too concerned but curious at the noise. When they saw the three running toward them and realized they were being attacked they barked out loud in a rally cry preparing for the clash of arms. The orc holding the crossbow having already reloaded raised his weapon making a bead on the fast approaching Wollfen and firing. The bolt flew fast but Wollfen saw and was already swerving, the bolt passing over his left shoulder.
Then they were on them, the orcs standing legs apart with swords raised. Wollfen swung down hard with his own sword at the nearest orc, their blades clashing with a loud clang. He hadn't stopped running when swinging and now he bowled the orc over as he collided and the two tumbled to the ground. He was up first swinging hard again as the orc raised on one elbow trying to parry his strike but the thing was too slow. Wollfen's blade sliced through the creatures exposed neck and a gout of black blood sprayed out across the ground.
Meanwhile the other two had been busy as well, Solynne had flung a dagger at the orc with the crossbow catching it in the upper chest causing it to scream and run off. Kane too was doing his part, he had struck down at the closest orc to him from above and then at the last moment pulled back and shoved in hard with his blade as the orc had raised his sword to deflect the blow from above. The orc's blade had been lifted too high and couldn't be brought back down fast enough to defend. Kane buried his blade in the chest of the creature and it went limp before crumpling to the ground.
Solynne had her own blade out and was sword fighting with two more orcs but they were slower than her and she overpowered one with swift swings taking the creature in the belly, it fell back clutching and shrieking in pain. The second orc hesitated seeing its partner collapse and Solynne didn't hesitate swinging hard and taking the orc's head clean off.
“To me!”
Wollfen called out and the three closed ranks, side by side facing off with the orcs that were left, there were four of them. The creatures stood braced and ready but Wollfen could see they were unsure of themselves and he screamed at them in a war cry lunging forward with the other two following suit. It was enough for the orcs and they turned tail and ran.
“Let them go, we are here for Dark.”
He turned and ran over to the tree Dark was still tied to. Cutting the bonds away with his dagger he gingerly lifted her arms back around to the front. She cried out in pain, the crossbow bolts had her pinned to the trunk.
Solynne knelt down beside Wollfen preparing to help while Kane stood guard watching the surrounding woods, knowing that the orcs may try to double back and attack. Dark looked up with pleading eyes, her mouth trembling with pain and fear,
“Please help, it hurts so much.”
“We will get you free in a moment Dark, there may be moments of pain as we prise the bolts free of the tree okay?” She nodded in understanding and took a breath.
Wollfen looked very closely behind her back, checking to see how deep the bolts had gone into the trunk, it didn't look good. The metal tips could not be seen.
“Kane, come and have a look at this.” The man turned and knelt down giving a close inspection. “What do you think?” Kane sighed a little before answering,
“I don't think we can pull those bolts out, they will have barbs on the end and will be stuck firm in the tree.”
The three of them continued to check the situation for a moment and then Kane spoke again,
“You know I brought my tools from the forge with me, I think I have pincers that we can cut