Chapter 55 The Ingenious Plan
Chapter 55 The Ingenious Plan
The last stage of his plan had been a simple concept that was wrapped in ingenuity and innovation. Even now, Xzavier still couldn't believe that it had worked so perfectly. It has all started with a simple thought, and like every great idea ever birthed, it had brought forth an extremely pleasant result after being acted upon.
Two very significant things had been utilized by Xzavier for the encore; a remote control bomb and a mini parachute. The flash bang was a mere ruse. It had served as a buffer for the real trouble that followed. The chief orc, (having congratulated himself at the time for successfully protecting his eyes from the vicious glare of the flash bang) didn't realize that he had shot himself in his foot with his own gun by deliberately robbing himself of seeing what was truly happening around him.
The ingenious plan by Xzavier had been to tie a remote control bomb to a mini parachute. With this in hand, he knew that he couldn't very well just toss it in the direction of the back of the chief orc's head. So, a distraction was necessary. That was where the flash bang came in. Thus, having distracted the chief orc, Xzavier threw the not so coveted package over the head of the chief orc.
The part about the para glider had been another fine touch to the plan. Xzavier didn't chose to glide at that moment just for the fun of it, it had been solely for the purpose of finessing above the chief orc. No. Xzavier's choice to glide at that time was strategic. From that height, he could actually afford to adjust the angle of the glide to get the full attention of the chief orc. This was necessary in order for the remote controlled bomb to detonate at the right time and place. In actuality, the bomb landing at the exact time when the chief orc turned his head was a stroke of pure luck. Like a hungry cheetah going in for the kill, Xzavier pounced on the opportunity without any reservation. So, when Xzavier's preparedness met the perfect opportunity, execution was perfect
By all count, the plan was not a perfect one, not by a long shot. But it was all he had to work with at the time and it had been a resounding success. In retrospect, Xzavier realized that there were so many things that could have gone wrong. As he recounted each one in his mind, he saw clearly in his minds eye that a lot things could have gone awry.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea to charge down the hillside on his armor motorcycle and climb the arm of the chief orc.
"Damn it! What in heaven's name was I thinking?!"
Xzavier thought to himself as he reflected on the past and ran simulations on what might have happened. The chief orc could have caught him midair and crushed him, his motorcycle could very well have skidded off track, there was a whole cascade of intangible variables that could have influenced the way things had worked out.
If all of his daring maneuvers, the issue with the bomb had been the most delicate one. That had been the trigger that had brought everything to place for Xzavier. If he had missed by even an inch, he would have been left with disappointment, and a very angry chief orc!
But the goddess of good fortune seemed to be on Xzavier's side. Everything had fallen into place for him. There had been no hiccups, no regrets. Everything had moved smoothly for Xzavier.
While Xzavier ruminated on the sequence of things that had brought him to this point, he noticed another oddity going down with the dead orc. Xzavier sighed inwardly;
"Even dead, he still continues to cause problems!"
Xzavier tensed and waited for the worst to happen. But the trouble he had expecting never came. The low rumbling which he had both seen and felt wasn't the vibration of an orc about to come back to life. No. It was the sound of the chief orc's body gradually becoming normal again.
Like a deflated balloon loosing its girth and pomp, the bloated gigantic form of the chief orc began to gradually reduce at a progressive rate. Xzavier hung back from a safe distance and suspiciously watched the reversal.
Slowly and slowly, just as nature intended, the chief orc's body soon returned to normal size after about sixty seconds. In place of the once majestic and terrifying humongous form of the notorious chief orc, now lay the cold decaying form of a regular sized beast. At this point, Xzavier truly that it was truly over.
So, Xzavier honed in on the direction of the deceased chief orc and forced his para glider down towards the corpse. Blessed with the timeless curse of finesse, Xzavier touched down gracefully. It felt good to have the feel of solid ground beneath his feet. It also felt good to have to look at the chief orc, and for once, see a regular sized beast instead of the ridiculous monstrosity that he had to contend with.
Like a victor going in to claim his kill, Xzavier casually circled round the corpse of the dead orc. There was no denying it, Xzavier wanted bask in the glory of this victory. Only a short while ago, in the heat of battle, Xzavier had actually contemplated turning his back to flee from the huge creature. But for some reason, he had persevered. This was the fruit of his perseverance and patience.
Having completed his objective here, it made no sense for him to linger any longer. All that remained was for him to snatch his prize. So, Xzavier scanned round about, hoping to find the perfect instrument for his next whim. Xzavier's wandering eyes seemed to be guided by fate, he didn't need to look to far before his gaze settled on the ideal weapon- the chief orc's axe!
Much like its original owner, the axe had also shrunk back to its original size. Instead of the fifteen feet axe with an enormous blade, Xzavier found himself looking at a normal sized axe with a regular looking blade. Even in its small form, it glinted wickedly under the pale silvery light of the moon! Xzavier smiled mischievously as he made his way towards it to pick it up.
As Xzavier grasped the heavy axe from the ground, he couldn't help but recognize the cruel twist of fate in this matter. After all said and done, it seemed fitting that the chief orc's head be chopped off by his own very weapon. As Xzavier brandished the chief orc's chief weapon with both hands, he wished blades could tell tales. If this axe could talk, it would sing day and night of the countless women it had made widows. It would weep as it narrated the numerous bone ligaments and skulls it had cracked open at the hands of its master.
The more Xzavier thought of it, the more convinced he was that this end was truly fitting for the chief orc. So, Xzavier approached the still corpse of the chief orc and positioned himself 'executioner style' above the neck region. Then, after pausing for a few seconds to savor the moment, Xzavier lifted up the heavy axe above his own head, and with all his might, he brought it down with full force upon the neck of the chief orc.
Xzavier knew a little bit about anatomy to know the exact point where the neck was vulnerable. Gravity augmented Xzavier full swing and brought the heavy blade of the axe onto the neck of the chief orc with a violent thud. Like knife slicing through butter, the thick fleshy neck of the of the orc split open. But despite Xzavier's full swing, it hadn't come off in one go just as he had expected.
Xzavier was a killer, but he detested wanton violence. So, understandably, despite his reservations about the dead orc, he was a bit disgusted at the thought of having to hack away at the dead orc's neck just to chop off his head. But unfortunately, he had already begun the tedious job and he had to see it through. Once again, Xzavier lifted the axe up, fling more like a butcher in an abattoir than an executioner, Xzavier brought down the blade a second time hoping that this second attempt would seal the deal. It didn't.
It was only at the fourth try that the severed head rolled off the neck of the corpse. In place of red flesh blood was now deoxygenated dark red blood that lined up the edges of the ugly neck wound. It wasn't a neat job. There was no doubt that Xzavier had botched the job of giving it a clean cut, but what was done was done already. It was now time to get out of there.