The following is an excerpt from a story I'm working on. Writing fiction is a lot harder than blogging. Writing interesting fiction even harder still... so take this for what it is. A rough, first attempt. enjoy (or avoid... your choice.)
Lathan swung his axe for what felt like the thousandth time that day, turning, ducking and swinging as blood and gore flew past his head. For every orc the warrior took down, it seemed as though another stepped in to continue the fight.
“Where the hell is Shawna?” he cursed to himself, more worried than angry. She wasn’t much good in a fight and the tenets of her faith prevented her from wearing armor. If she had fallen… well, best not to think about that now. Without the halfling’s divine healing on their side, mending wound and spirit, Lathan wasn’t sure how much longer they would last.
Shaking off thoughts of his own mortality, Lathan threw himself back into the fight. He had felt it was hopeless before the first swing, but they had been caught completely off guard by the ambush and he didn’t have time to think about that now. Ducking under a wild swing, spinning around and slicing the orc in half from behind, he stole a glance across the battlefield, where he could see Durok’s dwarven helm shining in the moonlight, the dwarf fighting from atop a steadily growing pile of dead orcs.
Behind him, he heard the reassuring song of the elf Azura, getting closer and closer. Every note served to bolster his confidence and renew his strength. How she could sing like that and fight at the same time, he would never understand. Before long he was taking orcs down two at a time and the gaps weren’t being filled quite so fast.
“Just maybe, gods willing, we’ll make it through this day after all.” Lathan barely had time to finish his thought as he felt the searing heat of a firebolt spell flying past his head. “Damn that wizard if he doesn’t kill us all before the orcs do.”