Open Chronicles Meat's back on the menu...

[Grigog Rogegror]

Grigog's first thought was about his head. Why was he having such a huge headache? Had he suffered a blow to the head? His head felt like it was throbbing with blood. That wasn't normal.

His second thought turned to his feet. Why couldn't he move them? And why were his wrists hurting so much as well?

These questions were answered when the orc opened his eyes.

Grigog groaned as he realized he was hanging upside down. His voice echoed off the walls of the cavern, mixing in with the dripping of nearby water. Glancing up, Grigog could barely see some rope and a metal hook dangling him a good few feet off the ground, his fingertips barely touching some water.

"Keep calm..." Grigog told himself out loud, taking a moment to listen to his voice echoed off the wall back to him. What happened? He remembered being on a boat. He was taking a trip to the Aina O Ka La islands. He had heard rumors of another Orc shaman on one of them. But then there was a storm? Yes, and the boat crashed and...

Grigog's eyes widened in fear. He remembered those faces. Those gaunt, almost skeletal faces underneath wooden masks. They were orcs. But unlike Grigog, they had ditched their humanity long ago. They were no longer the same creatures who were brutal yet cunning like him. They were savages. He saw the madness in their eyes. The hunger on their lips. And the blood on their hands. They had already killed someone when they found him on the rocks.

Grigog looked around. The cavern was huge. There was a crack of light above, leaking some of the sun's rays, as well as drippings of water, but it did little to illuminate the cave. Grigog could only see wet, smooth stones, a puddle of water under him, and the ropes binding his hands and feet. The orc beathed a little harder when he stared at the water. Cleanly washed bones of unfortunate travelers awaited under the trickling water, almost inviting Grigog to join him in demise.

Another groan came from the darkness. Grigog looked around. Was someone else tied up here as well?

"He...hello?" Grigog coughed out. "Is someone there?"

 

[Brock]

"You're awake," Brok said.

He had been awake the entire time. Brok had been raised among humans and didn't speak a word of any of the flavours of orcish that existed around the world. He hadn't been able to reason with his captors at all.

Brok thought he was the only one who had survived his own ship capsizing. The waters had been ferocious and it had been a long way to shore. Brok had kept swimming until the pain from his exhausted limbs had been overwhelming.

Brok wished he had been asleep when they had eaten one of the other captives.

 

[Gaia]

Pain rippled through Gaia's senses as she stirred awake. She stiffled a groan as she blinked in the darkness. She had a blanket over her, or, around her, something. She tensed as she heard voices, freezing as she was about to begin moving. One of the voices seemed weak, coughing.

"He...hello? Is someone there?" The weak voice gurgled.

"You're awake," another said.

She stayed frozen in place for a moment before moving just enough to lift whatever it was over her face so she could see where she was, and with who possibly but she could see nothing without moving more. She moved her hands to the ground beneath her, coming to the realization she was beneath a deep black cloak, and she was still fully dressed. That was a plus.

She moved to sit, lifting her hand to her throat, the strong metal collar still on her, buzzing slightly with the magic it held. She frowned as she pushed herself to sit and looked around. She licked her dry, bloody lip, realizing her entire mouth hurt, as did her jaw. She remembered her "owners" getting attacked by a group of Orcs and that was all she remembered until she woke here.

Her icey blue eyes scanned the direct area near her before slowly looking to those whom spoke, first, the one not hung, then the one hanging. The one hanging was no threat of course, but the other could be. She scooted back slightly towards the wall behind her, saying nothing.

Brock
Grigog Rogegror

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

Grigog struggled to turn himself around in anyway. The voice that spoke out was out of sight. Somewhere behind him. The orc grunted in his efforts, but only managed to shake himself slightly, causing his headache to hurt more.

"Yes I'm awake you..." Grigog growled. He sighed in annoyance and took a deep sniff of the air around him. Part of this was to help calm himself down. His old teacher had taught him that. But the other part was to get some information on the person nearby. It was his way of detecting the inner spirits in others. Though, the humans tended to call the inner spirits 'emotions'.

The emotions he smelled made sense. The Boar and the Weasal. The boar was weak, but there, and the weasel was quite strong. But Grigog swore he smelled from two sources. Was he being watched?

"Listen, can you move? I'm struggling to get loose and I fear falling headfirst into the water could be painful..."

Grigog calmly restrained himself from mentioning the fact that he could call on some magic to loose himself, but he wanted to see if he was with friends or foes.

Brok | Gaia

 

[Brock]

"I've tried, sorry," replied Brok.

His wrists had been rubbed raw by trying. Whilst he wasn't suffering the same way as Grigog he was well secured. There was a metal pin hammered into the rock and his hands and feet were bound to it with thick rope.

"Over here," he called, shaking his hands as much as he could. Brok thought he was probably right on the edge of the upside down orc's peripheral vision. Assuming after that much time his eyes still worked.

"A few hours I might be able to wear these ropes down..."

From the bloody state of his wrists Brok suspected he would wear them down to the bone before the pin rubbed through the rope.

 

[Gaia]

She lifted her eyes to the hanging being again, still holding her silence. Running her hands over her legs she felt rope around her ankles, binding her to the wall through a metal loop. She tilted her head slightly, looking around for anything she could use to cut the rope... a rock even but she found nothing.

She decided to speak but kept her voice low, hoping to hide any information about herself from the two. Since they had self admitted that they could not get free, she felt safe enough for now. They were not to be trusted, she'd yet to meet anyone that was worth of such a gift, but at least, for the moment they maybe of help to her.

"I am tied by the ankles." She said simply as she felt around in the darkness for a rock. Her captors apparently thought rope was enough to hold her. At this moment, they were right but if she could find something, anything sharp...

It hit her that she was born with teeth. She moved, thankful that she was pretty flexible and started to bite on the rope, grinding her sharp canine teeth on it. If she could only shift... but she couldn't... but if she could, whatever her animal form was maybe able to chew better through this rope. Unfortunately, she did not even know what form she'd take.

She said nothing else to the others, their mere existence made her incredibly nervous and on occasion she would eye them to make sure they were not coming closer.
Brock
Grigog Rogegror

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

Some movement to Grigog's right caught his eye. Just in the corner of his vision he could catch a glimpse of another being, the one who had spoken first. From what he could tell, it looked orcish. Grigog wasn't sure if that was comforting , but he didn't mind that he wasn't alone in this place. Besides, a fellow orc could be a useful ally.

The movement of the fellow orcish being also allowed Grigog to focus on something for a moment. With all the blood rushing to his head, he was getting a little dizzy.

Another voice echoed in the cave Grigog was in. To his left, barely visible in the darkness, Grigog could see the shape of a female. Grigog had to squint to see if he was seeing correctly. A human? A glint of metal on her neck revealed she was a slave. Grigog immediately felt a ping of sadness for her. Slavery was unheard of where he came from.

"Grah, we may not have a few hours..." Grigog growled, and moaned again as his headache worsened. He tried to think of a way out of this. His fellow captives were tied up and bound, but he was the only one upside down, and hanging over some shallow water. Perhaps these savages detected a hint of magic on Grigog, or perhaps they just guessed he was the most dangerous.

At first, Grigog was tempted to call on his magic in attempt to cut the rope holding his legs. But after a moment of looking at the situation, Grigog shook his head. It had been too long since he tamed the spirit of the Jackal. He couldn't summon anything to cut his own ropes without endangering himself.

But the others...

Grigog looked again at the water below him, where the bones of previous victims lay. Then a glance at the girl to his left. She wasn't hanging, and it looked like she could possibly use her hands. All she needed was something to cut her ropes, and then her fellow prisoner and her could get Grigog free.

"Alright you two, hold still, I have an idea."

Grigog then looked at the other orcish being and the stones that were nearby. Grigog closed his eyes, and with almost ritualistic practice, took sever deep breaths. It had been a while since he called on the spirit of the Rabbit. He grinned as he remembered how in the last village, there was a young couple, obviously just wedded. Grigog visited them privately to offer an 'orcish blessing', one that would ensure many strong children. In this, Grigog was also able to tame the rabbit that rode the two lovebirds.

Grigog opened his eyes and looked at the stones. Calling upon the rabbit, one of the stones jiggled around slowly and softly at first, then with no warning, fell across the cavern to where the girl was, as if gravity itself had changed direction for them for just a moment.

Grigog breathed out deeply, his headache suddenly worsening to the point that he could barely see momentarily. No matter how much of the inner spirits he had tamed, magic always came at a price.

"There..." Grigog panted. "Use...that stone....girl. And then free him."

Brok | Gaia

 

[Gaia]

Gaia flinched as the stone tumbled to her. She narrowed her eyes slightly, unsure about this trick, but then his words put things together.

"There... Use...that stone....girl. And then free him." the hanging man groaned through labored pants. She grabbed the stone, sharp edged threatening to cut her fingers as she began dragging the edge along the rope. It took only a few minutes, who ever had put her here really expected very little problems from her obviously. Once she was free she stood, looking to the hanging one before moving cautiously to the other. She was very unsure if this was safe, or a trap but she took to hoping it wasn't and moved to Brock's wrists. She began sawing at the rope quietly, saying nothing to him as she did so.

His ropes were far thicker and it took quiet the effort to cut through the first one, her hand bleeding from the sharp edges of the stone by the time she was done. Once the one rope was cut, he should be able to get free as it was only 1 rope, wrapped several times around his wrists. She slipped the sharp rock into his hands before backing quickly, he could cut himself the rest of the way free now that his hands were available, if he was even tied by the feet, she could not tell.

She put some space between her and the other two, slipping back into the darkness, hoping to somehow secure her safety in doing so, should they come after her. She brought her bleeding hand to her mouth, sucking lightly on the gashes left in the wake of the stone.

Grigog Rogegror
Brock

 

[Brock]

Brok wasted no time in bringing the sharpest edge of the stone to the rope between his feet. For now he left the rope tied around his wrists. He was free and that was what mattered.

The edge of the rock was almost serrated. With his weight to pinch the rope between the ground and that edge, he sawed through it within a few minutes.

The girl remained in the shadows. Brok went for the magician. He had never learned of the shamanistic magic of his people. This was the closest he had ever been to what he regarded as a 'wild orc.'

"Girl! Help me!" he called over his shoulder. The job was awkward; he didn't want to drop the orc on his head.

He struck the rope with the stone, but it made a much louder sound than he had expected. Still, it had bitten deep into the rope and gave him a starting place to start sawing.

 

[Gaia]

Gaia watched Brock silently, watching as he moved to the other quietly before calling out to her "Girl! Help me!" She frowned and headed to his side, there was no way she could catch the hanging man once he was cut down.

"Let me stand on your shoulders, I'll finish cutting him down, you can catch him, there is no way I can catch him."

She waited for Brock's response in silence, standing besides him quietly. Her ice blue eyes moving to him for a moment, then to the other. She was curious how they'd ended up here, she was a slave, so she found herself in this type of predicament regularly.
Grigog Rogegror
Brock

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

As the two went about freeing themselves, Grigog's mind drifted. He remembered the cool winds of the mountains at the Spine. He recalled the wet but firm ground as he ran through the wilds barefoot. The chanting of his fellow orcs around the campfire as the stars above revealed their futures and destinies. The smell of fecal matter as he covered himself in preparation for a hunt, or the smell of cooked pig over an open fire. Ah, how he missed his old home.

Grigog's mind came back as he felt the rope around his legs begin to get sliced through by the two around him. Now that they were close, Grigog could get somewhat a good look at them. The orc was a curious being. Or rather, orcish. There was definitely something that set him apart from the orcs that Grigog knew. He was much more handsome looking, at least from what Grigog defined as handsome for humans. For an orc, he was not as stout, though he definitely had a strong body to him. He would've made a fine addition to the tribe. Was he one of those rumored half-breeds?

And the girl... as Grigog looked her over quickly, he wondered if she was a nervous and hidden soul. One who preferred the shadows over the light, or preferred to be just out of eyesight rather then the center of attention. If she was a slave, that would make sense.

"Come on, come on...." Grigog growled at the two. "I doubt we have all day. Who knows when those things will get hungry again."

Grigog spared a glance around the cavern again. It was impossible to tell where they would go from here, but still, progress was progress. Just needed to get down, and then the two could move where they could hide and get their bearings.

 

[Brock]

"Go on, get up there and finish the rope," Brok agreed.

It was awkward, trying to take the weight of two people as the sawing continued. Brok grabbed the hanging orc with his fingers digging into his legs between his thighs and knees. When the rope finally gave, the grip was enough to keep the orc pinned to the wall.

"Can you get down," he asked the girl, before slowly lowering the orc to the ground. It still wasn't comfortable but at least he was on the ground now and without his head having been bashed in.

Brok knew very little of the wild orcs. This one spoke well and he assumed was not one of those eating anyone that washing up on the shore.

 

[Gaia]

"Go on, get up there and finish the rope,"

She climbed up Brok easily, her light, lithe form balancing on his shoulders easily as she reached up and grabbed the rope, going back to once again slicing through the rope. When the rope snapped, Brok pinned him the other against the wall.

"Can you get down,"

he asked as he held the other Orc from falling on his head. Gaia jumped down, landing easily, lightly on her feet with barely a sound. She smoothed her cloak, sinking back into its ebony comfort easily as she stepped away from the much larger, stronger males before her. Her heartbeat throbbed in her bleeding hand, she looked to the wounds quietly before pulling the cloak slightly to grip it and hopefully stop the bleeding. She said nothing as she stepped back to lean back against the darkness of the wall once more.

As she remained back, out of the way she watched them cautiously. The muscles beneath her pale skin tense, ready to try to get away should their attentions turn to her. This could all have been a set up, in all honesty, to see how much of a troublesome slave she would be. If she was worth keeping. Though... she really wasn't sure if she was even here to be a slave, or a meal.
Brock
Grigog Rogegror

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

Grigog groaned slightly as the two lowered the shaman initiate down to the ground gently.

"Yes yes, thank you. Thank you both" Grigog utterred as he was set onto the wet floor.

Despite his aching muscles and still throbbing head, Grigog was able to cut the robes binding his wrists using his tusk teeth, and then his feet with his hands. He gently rubbed the areas of the rope burn. They would heal in time.

"One...one moment." Grigog said, as he rubbed his own head, trying to ease the pain. Now sitting upright, Grigog's head was starting to ease back into a more stable state. He wondered how long he had been upside down. More then a few hours, that was for certain.

After a few moments, Grigog opened his eyes and looked at his comrades, studying them again briefly. He did his usual greetings for almost any humanoid he met (a few deep sniffs of the air) and then smiled. "Good job you two. The spirits are still with us. Unlike them..."

Grigog looked down at the water towards the white washed bones.

"Now come on, lets move. I don't plan on waiting here till those beasts get hungry again. "

Without another word, Grigog jumped up, and began to work his way towards one of the cave's passageways. Introductions could wait until they were a bit safer. There were a number of passages, but Grigog figured that where the water was trickling downwards was the most likely place where an exit would be.

As Grigog moved through the passageways, he continued to sniff, like some kind of wolf. He did it for a few reasons. One was the keep track of the other two. If he could smell their inner spirits, then they were close by. The other was to try to detect any other beings, for the same reason.

Grigog stopped suddenly, taking another sniff. There was something. After a deep snort, Grigog growled slightly. "Boar and Snake are riding someone nearby. Hunger..." Grigog felt down his side for his knife, only to realize it wasn't on his person.

"Dragon's breath" Grigog cursed, as the sounds of splashing feet came from further up the winding passageway.

Brok | Gaia

 

[Brock]

Brok was beginning to think that the orc was losing his mind. Boars and snakes. He did not mention this. Brok was a pragmatic orc who had grown up in a city that didn't want to understand him at all. He made do, despite how everyone around him acted.

The sound of their captors coming down the tunnel was very real. Brok wanted to be a Knight, despite how rediculous the idea was. He was no nearer to that goal, but he'd been in a few fights now.

Fighting uphill, unarmed in this narrow tunnel was a bad idea.

"Back down, to where several tunnels met?" he hissed under his breath. At least they had a chance of hiding, or attacking from behind.

 

[Gaia]

She followed, against her instinct to not. She didn't know what following them would get for her, but she knew not following would get her likely killed, where are these two at least didn't seem to want her dead. She had no doubt she'd be dead if that was their intention. She had no idea where to go, she kept her mouth shut as she had no grand ideas to give them.

She was truly of no use against anything that would attack. the tight collar around her throat prevented her from shifting, and even if the collar came off, she had never shifted before, so she did not know what she'd even become. Her icy eyes scanned the area, watching the 2 closely as she pulled the black cloak tighter around her as a shiver ran through her. She could hear the footfalls running around and she too could smell better than an average person... but that was the extent of her greatness. She had no weapons to fight with, nor no true knowledge of fighting. She only knew what instinct told her. That in itself had helped her live this long, but wasn't much use right now.


(Sorry it's short but... She's exceeded her usefulness for this moment...LOL)
Brock
Grigog Rogegror

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

Grigog gave a quick glance at the two, and thought. He desperately wanted to keep going forward, and take on whatever was coming towards them. Maybe it was his nature, or maybe it was stress, but Grigog wanted to let the Bull ride him into combat, and be met with combat, not by surprise.

But the half-breed was correct. The shaman nodded and gestured back the way they came. As the group moved, Grigog chose a side passage and ducked into it. In it was just another tunnel, leading ever downwards, but Grigog smiled at seeing that a small cave-in occurred here long ago.

"Here..." Grigog growled to the female, as he grabbed a rather large stone with both hands and handed it to the girl.

"We grab the foe. Knock him down. You smash his head in with that." The choice of giving the rock to the girl wasn't just a spur of the moment idea. He doubted he could wrestle and take down one of these savages alone. He would need help. And if they wanted to prevent any callings for help, they would have to permanently silence their foe.

Grigog didn't even wait to see if the girl agreed to his demand. Instead, he listened for the splashing of footsteps getting closer.

"You..." Grigog grunted to the half-breed. "You lead charge. You try to surprise him. We trip him. Let her end him."

Even as Grigog spoke, the sound of splashing got louder and louder. The foe had no idea what was in wait for him. Soon the foe would pass by, and no doubt go to the cavern where it's next meal was suppose to be. The group had only one shot at this. If they failed, Grigog feared an alarm would be sounded, and more would come rushing for their skins.

Brok | Gaia

 

[Brock]

Brok nodded firmly. He didn't know if this was a good plan, but it was definitely a plan. He welcomed any semblance of order in the situation.

He lowered himself until one hand rested on the ground. His gaze remained focused ahead towards the main tunnel. Whilst he had been raised by humans, some orc instincts remained. Brok was very still as he waited.

The silhouette splashed past and Brok launched himself forwards as waist height. His shoulder slammed into the orc's lower back, knocking the air out of him. Brok wrapped his arms around the orc's waist to try and drag him down.

 

[Gaia]

Gaia followed them silently, just doing whatever they thought would be the wisest idea as she for one had no idea what to do. Their footfalls were loud, hers almost silent, she noticed. The sounds of other footfalls did hit her ears and she tensed.

"Here..."

She was handed a large stone that weighed, likely as much as she did. She stumbled slightly but was able to keep hold on it. She was lucky she was a shifter by blood, the added strength she was born with was the only reason she was able to keep a hold on the large stone.

"We grab the foe. Knock him down. You smash his head in with that."

She blinked slightly, had she agreed to this? The idea of smashing someone’s skull in did not sound appealing at all. She held the boulder, standing in place as she watched them with a frown.

"You… You lead charge. You try to surprise him. We trip him. Let her end him."

The other orc nodded, apparently she was the only one who disliked the idea of this plan. She stepped forward a little as the footsteps came closer. The boulder was burning her muscles as she held it watching the other Orc in his silent stance. Something ran past and the perfectly still Brok jolted forward, slamming into that which had slipped past. Brok’s arm wrapped around the other’s waist as he attempted to pull the other to the ground. She stumbled slightly forward, readying herself for what she had to do, waiting for the enemy to be fully down before she dropped the boulder, letting go of it and quickly and bouncing backwards, turning her head away, she did not want to see the damage left in the boulder’s wake.
Grigog Rogegror
Brock

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

As the half-breed charged, Grigog followed suit. Grigog reached for the enemies' arm and pulled him down with the half-breed, the three crashing into the ground with a crash and a splash. The struggle was brief. The foe, despite clearly being an orc, was no match for these two. Grigog reminded himself to compliment the half-breed afterwards.

When the stone fell, it slammed its weight into the thing's head. While it didn't have the full force of a projectile, its weight alone was enough to render the foe unconscious.

Grigog breathed heavily for a bit before he got back up. He pushed the stone away and took a quick glance at their enemy, Definitely an Orc. Had the stone been any lighter, it may have only given the thing a light headache. They were lucky he didn't screech or roar for help.

"Good job." Grigog growled to the others. As he did he moved his hands over the body, seeing what it had. Dried skins over green painted skin, dangling bones pierced into the skin, and a wooden mask. The being carried very little.

A smile emerged on Grigog's face, showing all of his teeth breifly. He raised up what looked like a knife. An animal tusk strapped to a piece of bone. Too big to be an orc tusk though.

Without a second thought, Grigog drove the knife into the corpse's neck. It squirmed and squelched a bit, but became motionless quickly. It wouldn't be getting up again.

"Here..." Grigog held out the knife to Brok, then wiped some of the blood that squirted onto his own face. "The Boar rides you well Half-breed. "

Grigog spared a look at the female. She was scared. Understandably so. She would be lucky to recover from this mentally. But then again, that could be true for any of them.

"You...I don't know your story, but you have strength as well. We will make through this." Don't let the weasel ride you to the grave."

With the best kind of confidence Grigog could fake, Grigog then stood and made his way back up the passage, towards where the water was flowing from. Perhaps the entrance was close by now.

Brok | Gaia

 

[Brock]

"The Boar rides you well Half-breed. "

Brock frowned (partly because he'd been spelling his own name wrong all thread) at the dagger. He had a mental image of what it meant to be a knight. It was honour and duelling and brightly coloured banners. Since he had left home he had found violence and blood.

The orc had slit the other's throat without hesitation. The stench of blood was not unfamiliar to him, but it seemed different when it was a person and not an animal.

Brock took the blade. He knew that his mother had known wild orcs. He was the evidence of that, but she had never told him much about their people. Instead his opinion was formed purely by the humans around him back home. It was a low opinion of murder and savagery. He was beginning to agree with them.

"The boar...rides me?" he asked as he followed. There seemed nothing better to do than follow.

 

[Gaia]

"Good job." Grigog growled to them as he ran his hands along the unconscious ones body. He lifted his head and smiled slightly at one point, his teeth glistening in the darkness as he lifted a knife which appeared to be made of a bone. She tilted her head slightly as she looked to it, then flinched when he drove the knife home through the corpse’s neck. She watched it move for a few fleeting moments before it became still and she looked away for a moment.

"Here..." Grigog’s voice cut the silence and she turned to look to him as he handed Brock the knife, then wiped the blood onto his face. She trembled faintly at the sight, but hid it well.

"The Boar rides you well Half-breed. "

She rose a brow at the sentiment, not understanding what he meant by it but it wasn’t aimed at her so it really didn’t matter too much. Then Grigog turned to her and she forced a faint smile.

"You...I don't know your story, but you have strength as well. We will make it through this." Don't let the weasel ride you to the grave."

Another statement which made little sense to her. But she smiled meakly and said “thanks” to the compliment before following them up stream.

“The boar...rides me?" Brock asked as they walked. She was curious as to the meaning so she listened closely, hoping Grigog would explain, if he did perhaps she would have some idea what the weasel riding her would mean.

Grigog Rogegror
Brock

 

[Grigog Rogegror]

Grigog grunted as he made his way forward. "Yes, the boar. We all have the spirits ride us from time to time. But us orcs, well..."

Grigog shrugged, thinking back to what his shaman had taught him.

"The Boar likes us especially. We share a bond with that spirit. He rides us often. Drives us to fight with rage. To forget all fears and to just love the battle."

Grigog then remembered who he was talking to, and realized a lot of context was missing. But he didn't have time for a full lesson. He would teach these two about the inner spirits later. Up ahead, Grigog could see light breaking into the cave. An exit!

"Ssshhhh" Grigog held a finger up against his lips glancing back at the others. Who knew what was out there.

Grigog moved towards the entrance and looked out. The light blinded him momentarily. He had to take a moment to let his eyes adjust.

When they finally did, his stomach dropped.

Across the way was a cliffside, with a large waterfall flowing water into a rather large pond. The water flowed from the pond to the cave, where it washed over the three being's feet into the cavern. Around the pond were several structures set up. Conical tents made of wood and dried skins propped up, with several firepits scattered amongst them. In the distance past the tents, Grigog could see some trees in every direction.

There were a few orcs around. Some elderly beings were tending the fires, some younger ones working on a variety of corpses, and some femine ones working with what Grigog assumed were children. Grigog counted about 18 in all. The young males must have been out hunting, it this was anything like a typical orc tribe.

But the things that made Grigog's stomach churn were the effigies. What hadn't been completely eaten by the tribe, they had been opened up, hallowed out, propped with sticks, and stuck onto spears around the tents as if to ward away ghosts.

Grigog had to turn away and hold back a gag, letting the others have a look out of the cave. Never had he seen his people do this to other beings before. He needed a moment to recompose himself.

Brock | Gaia

 

[Brock]

"The Boar likes us especially. We share a bond with that spirit. He rides us often. Drives us to fight with rage. To forget all fears and to just love the battle."

The love of battle didn't seem like something a knight would have. Surely a knight would fight when someone was in need, but they would not enjoy it. His view was that of a naïve child.

Thoughts of his ambitions and his own nature were quickly put aside as they emerged into the sun. Brok held up his hand to shield himself, but the sky itself was blindingly bright after their spell in the caves.

Brock was not as shocked by the propped up spears and the remains they carried. This was exactly as orc tribes had been describe to him by humans.

"If we make for the trees we stand a chance," he hissed. "But then how do we get off this island..."

 

[Gaia]

Gaia listened to what Grigog said quietly as she followed the two, a few steps behind. She had nothing to say, she’d seen more than enough death and struggle through her life, adding to it was never pleasant.

"Yes, the boar. We all have the spirits ride us from time to time. But us orcs, well… The Boar likes us especially. We share a bond with that spirit. He rides us often. Drives us to fight with rage. To forget all fears and to just love the battle."

.oO(“Interesting) she thought, then he held up his fingers with a “SSSHHHH” and she skittered to a stop as he looked back at them for a moment before looking out. The light was blinding, but her feline eyes adjusted quite easily, more easily than a true human’s would at least. She saw what he saw and she winced at the horror, but little else showed on her features. She saw the orcs all around, but she did not care about their presence, she instead focused on where to go as Grigog looked like he was going to vomit and Brock was scanning the area.

"If we make for the trees we stand a chance, but then how do we get off this island..."

She looked to him, she could offer to shift but as she’d never been allowed, she didn’t even know what she would become or if she would be passive. They didn’t need some wild animal on their asses on top of their current issues. Her eyes scanned the area quickly, looking for a boat or something.

“We may have to swim…” She said absently. If it was possibly die swimming away, or stay here and definitely die…. She was down for dying as she swam.
Brock
Grigog Rogegror