"Tax time. We're here to collect tribute. Tax time." the group of small Halflings sang as they marched up the trail toward us.
The eight of us women looked on as the Halflings started to approach. We were headed up from the river with trade goods to take to the market and had not expected any tax collectors for another week or more.
Nefeli, Iasonas, and I each pushed wheelbarrows loaded with rolls of cheese. The others carried jugs of wine or baskets of goods. A group of local men followed along behind with the rest of our wares, they had offered to help us, no doubt for the chance to check out our behinds as we walked. Any time a group of us young women, clad in our best togas, were out at the market, we could expect male attention.
Oh shit, is it that time of year I thought to myself. Every spring for the last few years Halflings had come demanding taxes. Every year our men folk had to drive they off our land. At one time, in the age of my grandfather, the Halflings had lived on this land, but our priests had long ago decreed that our Gods had given this land to us. Since the Gods had decided that this land really belonged to us, we had done the right things and driven the Halflings and their false gods away. By the time of my father, our people had driven the last of the Halflings completely off the island so we could use our land as the Gods had always intended without any Halflings polluting it with their existence.
"Get outta here, you stupid half rats. Your kind isn't welcome here." One of the men snarled.
"Gold and blood, you will pay what you owe." The Halfling replied simply.
"I'll bend you over my knee and spank you like a child. Maybe it'll teach you some sense." Another yelled as the men angerly stormed up to the small Halflings. I almost feel sorry for them. Why couldn't they understand that as humans we were bigger and stronger and therefore had every right to drive them away and take their things. It was the natural order of things.
"We will have our taxes in gold or blood...NOW" The Halfling yelled. The invisibility spell was broken, standing next to the Halfling were pair of giant Orcs. Their gray green skin shining as the spell wore off.
"Oh shit, It's an Orc raiding party, run for your lives." One of the men who had approached the Halflings suddenly screamed out in terror. Before he could turn to run, a group of Orcs hidden behind the Halflings sprang out, tackling him to the ground.
"Gold and blood." The Orc yellled at us. "Remember Castle Blackrock!"
Some of the men in our group immediately tried to draw knifes or axes to fight as others raised their hands in the air in surrender, their cowardice clearly showing as the rest of us women bolted for the river. If we could make it to the water, we could use our boats to escape the foul Orcs.
Nefeli, Iasonas, and I had been in front of the other women giving us a head start.
As we raced down the path to the water we ran passed a cluster of trees. I noticed there were already women hiding up there. Nefeli reached for a branch to try climbing a tree only for the women to stomp her hands away. "There's no more room. Find somewhere else to hide."
In reply, Nefeli pointed to the women in the trees and screamed to the Orcs who were closing on her fast. "There's single women up there, cuter than I." Then she turned and ran into the meadow. Clearly, she hoped to escape among the cows. "Iasonas, Acantha, run this way."
"No way," Iasonas yelled back. "We're running for the water." Iasonas and I were almost out of breath but also almost to the waters edge. I looked back and was horrified to see a large group of the filthy Orcs surrounding the trees. They were using snares on long poles to pull the women from the branches. I watched as one woman was pulled down by three Orcs a snare around her foot. I could hear the pitiful cries of another who had been snared around her neck but refused to let go of the branches. Other Orcs stood by with nets in case a woman tried to drop from the trees and run for it.
Many of the Orcs were almost naked. As soon as the woman fell from the tree the Orcs were on her, each trying to be the one to put a slave collar on her neck and a baby in her belly. The poor woman screamed and tried as hard as she could to get away.
Iasonas was fleeter of foot and reached the boat first only to be ambushed by a Orc hiding under a tarp. As she tried to break free more Orcs sprung up in ambush. Some were naked from the neck down, some clad in furs or feathers. All were wearing a stylized tiger head over their heads like a hood or cowl. Many had necklaces of severed penises, teeth from wild game, or other trophies from their hunts. They were everywhere, some jumped down from the top of the shed at the waters edge, others were hiding in the hay stack in the back of a wagon, more had mats of grass on their backs and had been lying in wait in the meadow. Many more were pouring from the town to search the other trees for any women who might still be hiding. I said a silent prayer that the others might escape the Orc raiding party.
I realized that Nefeli's plan of escaping into the meadow was folly. She was likely already captured and getting fucked by one or more horny Orcs. "Gold and blood." The Orcs chanted. "Remember Castle Blackrock!"
The Orcs all had snare-sticks, bolas, and nets. More Orcs advanced on Iasonas, throwing nets over her. There was no escape from such a large and well equipped raiding party, those damned Orcs were well organized to capture all the Humans of the village!
By night fall all of us might be bred and enslaved, I shuddered at the thought.
I had one more trick up my sleeve. Unlike most people here I knew how to swim. I screamed out "I'll never be a slave, you can't make me." then dove into the water and swam for the old homeless man who was cooking fish on the far side of the river. I knew they would follow in the boat, but it would take time for them to paddle across. If I could make it to the caves I would be safe. The old man might be able to give me some directions.
