Private Tales What Does Not Kill Us

[Hath Charosh]

He regarded her properly. His frown slowly melted away and he looked down at his arm.

"Fuck."

He knew how to swear occasionally in the human tongue it seemed. With a sigh he let his shoulders sag, let her see that this did distress him. Pern could have gone back. She had the magic to return through the portal stone. Her and her master had been under no obligation to help him and they had.

"It is," he agreed. "I am sorry for..." Hath trailed off, not for a lack of language but for a place to start with the current situation they found themselves in.

 

[Pern]

Pern sighed at the swearing, finding her fear of the orc beginning to abate as he returned to his normal self. The moment struck a chord with her and what she had thought to be anxiety in his presence. It was not he that caused her to worry, but the journey itself. She knew, now, she was not afraid of Hath ... not the real Hath, anyway.

But that stranger she had watched murder those gnolls ... that was not someone she wished to run into again, and not someone she wanted to share the road with. The idea brought concern to her expression as she moved to stoop down nearby. Pern wanted to reach out and place a hand on his arm, but he was still slicked with blood and quite naked. Physical distance felt appropriate at that moment.

"It'sh okay," she offered gently and nodded to reassure him. A breath, a beat, she wasn't sure what else to say on the matter and so decided to change the subject, "Do you think they will come back?" If so, perhaps it was best they found a new place to camp for the night.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"It is not okay," he replied, but there was no anger in his voice. It was tinged with regret and perhaps still a level of fear.

"They may come back. We will move the camp. Come down to the waterside with your bags."

Hath picked up his axe and stood up. He fetched his bow and equipment and carried it all down to the edge of the river. There Pern would have to turn her back of she cared more for his modesty than he did as he washed away the blood before getting dressed.

"Hitch up your trousers," he told her, holding his own boots under own arm. "We will head upriver with our feet in the water to avoid leaving tracks for them to follow."

You will grow, you will change. It cannot be stopped.

Hath tried to think of an answer to that, but as soon as the voice came he felt its presence melting away like mist to the dawn sun.

 

[Pern]

Pern did, indeed, give the orc his privacy. Treat others the way you would like to be treated, right? Eventually she'd have to wash up as well and she could only hope she wouldn't have to ask him twice to look away. The thought brought that knot of anxiety back and shoved it squarely, uncomfortably, between her ribs. Pern decided to think of other things, like some new notes on those beastfolk creatures.

"Hitch up your trousers."

The sudden words made her startle where she stood and for a split second she thought he'd just told her to strip off her trousers. "Wot?" Pern threw a look at him over her shoulder, finding relief in the fact that he was now dressed and clean of that prior massacre. As he explained their next steps she suddenly realized her mental folly.

Hitch up your trousers. Of course.

A nod, she stooped and did so, rolling them up above her knees. A few moments later and she was ready to move again. She stepped down into the water, wincing at the chill, and carefully picked her way out into a depth just below her knees to follow after Hath.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"No need to look concern," he explained nonchalantly. "If I wanted to fuck you I would make it clear."

That could be fun...

"Be quiet," Hath growled. "Not you Pern," he quickly corrected.

So dull. I hope something attacks you again. Cracks open wide when the violence takes you. And the boredom ends.

Hath shook his head and plodded on through the shallow water.

"We should...make good speed south. Sorry."

 

[Pern]

Pern felt her brow level low over widening eyes as she followed Hath. Cheeks growing flushed at his words, she minded her distance, tempered her discomfort, and a measured her amount of concern for his odd behavior. Could not help but eye him as he muttered to himself and shook his head.

After a moment her feet stopped moving and she stood there staring at his back as he continued on, a deep frown plying at her expression.

"Hath," she began, voice stronger now out of growing concern, "who are you talking to if not me?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"I...I do not know," he admitted. "Perhaps my imagination. Perhaps something else."

I am not something else. I am not your imagination. I am you. Or at least the part of you that is accepting the coming change. We could be harmony. We could be great. Do not look at me as a disease.

That was exactly how Hath looked at the scar on his shoulder. It seemed impossible to have looked at it and not seen the spread of corruption now. He had felt it, like fire in his veins when he swung his axe. He felt revulsion now, but at the time it had been enticing.

"I am...afraid," he admitted to Pern.

Pathetic. Hopeless.

 

[Pern]

Pern knew quite little about these sorts of things and at the orc's admission felt rather helpless for it all. She wished her father was here to help ... maybe he was?

She stepped forward to stand level with Hath, looking up at him and placing a comforting hand on his closest arm, "When we find a new playsh to make camp I will look to shee if there ish shomething that can help in my bag. My father packed away many thingsh."

If it was connected to the corruption, perhaps there were rememdies in there, or notes. Something.

"We'll figure thish out," she reaffirmed. That was why she was here, after all. To help him.

 

[Hath Charosh]

She will hold you back. She does not belong here. At best you will give up what I could offer you. At the worst she will get you killed.

The darkness seemed to flare outwards with a single throb as she touched his shoulder, but it was the far arm.

Hath didn't try and shield himself away from the voice because he realised something. It wasn't just trying to work its way into his psyche through his own anger. It was afraid. It was defending itself.

The voice found a new depth of silence to hide within, but he knew it was only biding its time. Whilst time was something he sensed he was running out of. This wasn't a fever he would burn off.

"Thank you," he said. He claimed his hand over the back of hers and squeezed it against the brawn of his arm. If he had been alone, he would not have had a chance of seeing the journey through. "I will...try..."

He didn't know how or what he was trying to hold in check and they had a long way to go.

 

[Pern]

Pern couldn't say how glad that small gesture made her. It was a proving moment for her that Hath was, indeed, a good orc. Scary at times, but good. She could see why he and Scabhair got along so well and it was good to feel as though she might call him a friend, for Pern's list of friends was not very long.

She followed him down along the river for another hour of trekking the shallows. The night was peaceful and they passed through many groups of prey creatures. There would be no need to make another kill tonight, but it was reassuring to know there were herds aplenty for the next day.

Hath finally chose to walk dry land, picking a clearing just off the river bank that was far more secluded this time. Surrounded by a small copse of plains trees and briar, the pair made a new campfire and settled in for the night. Pern took the time to pick through her bag, looking over the assortment of supplies packed by her father. There was no thing she could see that would bring immediate relief to Hath. She supposed if it had been so simple they wouldn't be on this journey, but after reading through a journal of Iggy's, she did find some notes of curious relevance. She studied and worked for several hours more, opting to take the first shift so that Hath could rest.

Come morning, Pern was putting the finishing touches on a small hand-carved stone amulet.

"It'sh ... uhm," she orcess held up the braided leather with the stone for Hath to see, "like a Masha Shtone that magesh shometimesh wear to keep their headsh clear. A very shimple one, but..." she shrugged her shoulders and offered it to him, "it can't hurt ... and it could help. Maybe."

Pern had never done work of this type before. Sure, she'd enscribed things before, but more for ceremony than anything meaningful, and never using the ancient runes she'd studied in her youth. What she gave to him qualified as a rudimentary artefact, and she had no idea if it would work, but she'd read and re-read and checked things to the best of her abilities. And her symbols were carved into the flattened stone with great care.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Do not touch that.

Hath was typically very nervous around magic he did not understand. That warning settled the matter for him. He gave a curt nod and took the masha stone.

The moment it touched his skin the presence within him howled and raged. The blanket of calm across his mind hardened into a wall and the demon struck at it. It struck over and over, the sound echoing through his head.

Hath dropped to one knee and cried out. He held a hand out towards Pern to keep back.

With a low growl he forced himself back to his feet. Over a few seconds the sound stopped thumping through his mind.

Bastard

But it was a low whisper now.

"It...did not like that. Thank you." What she had done might have been enough to see him through.

---

For the second day the rains fell. Hath stood tall, the water pouring from his chin and cross his bare chest. A cloud of steam rose from his shoulders. The rains were so ferocious that they were up to his ankle. The endless blue of the sky had been swallowed by dark clouds and the rain was so thick it was like an obscuring mist.

"Do you see them?" he asked, pointing his axe into the distance. Two orcs watched them back. It was weeks since they had started this journey and two days since he had seen the orcish rune carved into a true that marked his tribe's current territory.

 

[Pern]

To say that Pern was one puddle short of miserable amidst a monsoon would have been putting things lightly, but the orcess had been raised not to complain.

Make the best of every situation you can. Learn from the ones you cannot.

She'd been putting her mind to this exact thing since the rains began and promised herself that everytime she thought of something negative she should then thing of something positive to counteract it. Keep things in balance. The last few hours this had become increasingly difficult.

How many times could she say she was exploring the world beyond the walls of her home and have it still count?

She'd thought to don her traveling cloak, the one that had been treated for rain, but decided against it nigh immediately as the rains quickly turned from pattering to torrential downpour. If nothing else, she was glad to be out here with Hath and not on her own, the orc seemed to know the way and had the lesson of life to keep his wits about him out here. So when he stopped and lifted his axe, asking if she saw them, Pern could help but feel rather dumb.

Through the gale and sheets of water constantly dropping from the sky it was nearly impossible to discern one mass or blob from another in the distance. Pern lifted a hand and, pointlessly, wiped the water from her face before attempting to shield her eyes from the sting. She looked, searching in that direction, and managed only to make out two figures that looked like nothing much at all.

"I shee..." she yelled back to him over the rain, "shomething."

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath laughed, turning his head towards the sky to enjoy the rain falling upon his face. He managed to open his eyes just a crack and look up at the storm.

It made him feel alive. The unbearable savanna heat broken in moments. It was associated with his memories of year after year of wet season. The good times for their tribe were always ahead, the gathering of food to heat south and then the Great Rites.

They would leave well before that ceremony. That was probably for the best. Pern wasn't ready to be anywhere near that condensed few hours of raw, unfettered primal orc behaviour.

Hath felt a sudden pang down in his gut. He missed Scabhair. It was too easy to picture here on the night of the Great Rites. A flare in the blaze they had set freezing her in time for an instant, highlighting her past in every scar etched into flesh, catching her present in the ecstasy playing out on her face.

Let go of the past. Take what you want.

Occasionally it still worked its way through. It's words seemed to get less traction on his mind than they had. Just words.

"In days this whole land will be bright green," Hath said. "A complete change. There will be more prey, new lakes and rivers. Do you not enjoy the rains?"

 

[Pern]

Pern supposed she could appreciate the rejuvination and metamorphosis the rains beget upon the lands, but, she frowned upwards into the grey skies from beneath the cover of one hand, she'd appreciate it a whole lot more if she were dry.

"I like rain," she admitted, moving to continue walking next to him. In the distance the blobs of them were growing larger, more distinct in their blobbishness. Orc-shaped blobs, perhaps.

"Thish...ish shomething elshe entirely."

It was like swimming through the air. A humid summer day made manifest. The heat didn't bother Pern in the least, but she'd like for her clothing to stop clinging to her skin.

"What should I do," a more pressing question now that it seemed his tribe was closer than it appeared, "when we reach your tribe?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath dealt with most of Pern's current issue by not wearing much. His leather breaches were uncomfortable to walk in, but it was bearable.

"Not much," Hath explained. "Stay close to me at all times. Few speak any common. They may sniff you when they reach us. I will explain that you are with me, that you may show them how to improve our forging and that we are headed south east."

It all seemed very straightforward. Hath still didn't entirely appreciate quite how alien this world was to Pern.

Three orcs approached them. Hath brought his right hand, empty and open to the middle of his chest and then turned his palm towards them. They approached carefully, spreading out to surround them. They didn't sign back, still unsure what action they were going to take.

"Hath?"

"Yes J'Gaath," Hath replied in his own tongue. The three lowered their bows. The female in the group was first to approach Pern, sniffing the air close to her. She wore no more clothes than Hath.

 

[Pern]

Not much.

"Right..."

That was terribly helpful. Pern wasn't entirely sure what not much consisted of, but she would endeavor to do just that. She stayed just off Hath's right, slightly behind him but not out of view, and decided to keep her hands loosely at her sides. Just in case it wasn't obvious enough that she held no weapons.

Yellow gaze shifted carefully from one face to the next, peering through the deluge of rains to try and make them out. Wasn't until the female was nearly next to them that Pern realized she wore no coverings up top and so immediately averted her gaze out of proprietary instinct. The sort that was taught to you when raised by the upper echelons of humans, anyway.

Then came the sniffing. Pern didn't exactly go rigid so much as she fell completely still, caught in a weird place of uncertainty. She couldn't recall ever being sniffed by a humanoid before. Dogs, certainly, cats ... animals in general, but that wasn't a comparison she thought very polite to make. Clearly they weren't animals. A glance was given in the direction of the sniffing female. Should she sniff back? No, that seemed weird.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"What are you doing?" Hath called to Tissi. He stepped towards her and waved her away. The female orc fronted up to him. There was a round of snarling which looked far worse than it was.

"She smells like humans."

"Away with you," Hath grunted.

"Are you going to bring a new female back every time?" she hissed.

Hath bared his tusks. The dark veins on his right shoulder seemed to darken. Tissi realised she had spoken out of turn. He was out on the social fringes of the tribe but he was still the the son of the chieftain.

"Come," he said to Pern in the trade tongue. "We will to the rest of the tribe."

 

[Pern]

A deep, flat frown plied at Pern's face, though she was trying very hard not to make any expression that might be construed as the wrong thing. She recalled what he said about bearing fangs and tusks - to not smile with her teeth, which was just as well as she didn't feel particularly smiley at the moment. There were a lot of other tusks flashing about, though, and a lot of growling, snarling words she did not understand. By the time he managed to clear off the three Pern was feeling quite misplaced.

"Ish..." she watched the others go, moving to follow Hath as he lead the way, "ish everything ok? What wash that all about?"

Was she not welcome? Oh hell, was this a mistake to come here?

 

[Hath Charosh]

"Hmm?" went Hath. "You will...see worse. That was almost friendly," he said. Two of the three kept their distance but Tissi ran on ahead.

"She is the niece of the chieftain's mate," Hath told Pern. "Tissi thinks she is very important."

Hath clearly held a different view on the matter. His place had never been central to the tribe. When his father had died Kardidua Charosh had taken control of the tribe. To strengthen the group she had taken a mate from outside of Charosh. Dathimm was not a particularly bright orc, but he was powerful and had many strong orcs in his group.

Hath had been deliberately kept at the fringes of the group so that Dathimm didn't kill him. Everyone understood that Bathyr, his son with Kardidua, was the one most likely to take over the tribe.

The rains came to an abrupt end, steam rising from the ground water as the sun struck it. The assembled core of the tribe could be seen now. There were only a few tents, most huddled under a patch of trees for shelter.

 

[Pern]

Pern paused, a look of deep concern washing over her face with as much welcome as the rain, "Worshe?"

Worse? How could it be worse? What did that even mean? Niece of the Chieftain's mate? Did that make her nobility? Was that how things worked in an orc tribe? So many questions and definitely not enough time. Pern prioritized them by standards of safety - primarily herself, "Are you shure thish wash a good idea to come here?"

Then her feet scrambled to catch up with him again, mindful not to fall too far behind less she give someone the wrong sort of look. When the rains abruptly ended she blinked, looking around in a mild daze. Was this how it was going to be? Feast or famine out here?

 

[Hath Charosh]

"If someone is threatening, lower your eyes. You will be fine. It looks worse than it is. Fighting, threatening is all..."

"Hath!" an orc that was nearly twice as broad across the shoulders called out. He was approaching at some pace.

"My brother," Hath groaned. "Hold this," he said passing Pern his axe. Just in time for Bathyr sprint the last few yards and dive tackle Hath to the ground.

 

[Pern]

"Threatening?!" Pern was beginning to feel a very large amount of regret. She'd been equal parts excited and terrified to see an actual orc tribe, but now that she was here the excitement suddenly vanished. Was this how her father felt during his travels? Had he ever come across orc tribes? What did they-

Oof. Hath's axe hit her squarely in the chest broadside, knocking the wind out of her just moments before his ...bigger brother knocked him off his feet. Pern watched them, bug-eyed, axe gripped to her chest by both hands. She'd thought Hath was large of stature - hadn't imagined they'd be quite this big.

There were others approaching now, too. Curious, varying sizes and shades of skin but none quite the color of her own. None quite the build of herself, either. If she was really an orc, and she was pretty certain she was, it wasn't of these people.

"Mmm..." Pern made a worrying sound as another unknown and barely-clothed female approached her, grumbling something at her and leaning in to sniff her.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"You brought home another stray?" Bathyr growled as he pinned Hath to the ground. It always had to be like this. A show of dominance to ensure that his older half brother knew who was in charge.

Hath managed to plant one foot above Bathyr's hip as the larger orc tried to use his weight to hold him in place. A swell of anger rose from deep in his gut. Strays.

He should not treat you like this

It was an easy chink in the defences to exploit. The darkness spread across his shoulder quickly.

Bathyr's arms shook as he tried to contain Hath as he twisted away. It was always like this. Bathyr always relied on his strengths and never learned. Females threw themselves at him for his size and position and he never truly learned how the tribe survived.

Hath broke Bathyr's grip as he felt his strength grow. He used his knees to create space and then struck Bathyr's temple with the back of his hand.

Hath rolled away and drew himself up to his feet. Bathyr was still on one knee, touching the gash over his eye. He looked shocked.

Kill him. Take his place. Take the tribe.

In trying to widen the crack the demonic precence caught Hath's attention and was quickly forced back. Hath breathed heavily and tried to calm himself.

"Hath! It is good to see you little brother!" Bathyr called out, though he still looked shocked.

Hath's chest rose and fell quickly, steam swirled around him. The dark wound glowered but no longer burned.

"This is Pern," he said in common. "She does not speak our language."

That raised a few heads. Most didn't know the language. Bathyr had wrapped his head around a little. Slowly. Those orcs who scouted for the tribe spoke the most. They were mostly likely to encounter other races or to have to barter at settlements.

Bathyr frowned, unsure of what to say. Usually, Hath thought to himself, he had too much to say and little worth listening too.

A hushed silence fell as Kardidua Charosh approached the group. To Hath's eyes she had aged somewhat since he had last seen her. More lines around her face. Yet she still carried herself like a chieftain. Her twin swords hung easily from her waist.

"And why is an orc who cannot speak the orc tongue traveling this way?" she asked Pern directly. She spoke the language more clearly than her son. Hath moved to interrupt, but a glance moved him to silence.

 

[Pern]

Pern stood, glued to the spot, utterly bewildered by the scene before her. Nearly so that she'd completely forgotten about the other orcs that had approached her in their own curiosity. One of them picked at her backpack and she quickly scooted sideways beyond their reach, turning the pack away from them. If there was one thing they weren't going to have it was that bag and the contents within.

Yet back to Hath and his ... brother and she found her eyes honing in on his shoulder and the emergence of the black veins. "No - Hath," he seemed to be losing himself again and she watched as he disentangled himself from the bigger male, feeling equal parts concern that the corruption was rearing its head again and fear that he might lose control of the situation. Couldn't help but think back to the campsite and the gnolls. How quickly he'd seemed to unravel.

As luck would have it (though maybe it wasn't luck at all) a proudly sort of female strode forward who seemed to command control of those around her. Pern made a very educated guess that this was his mother, the Chieftain. The sudden sound of common tongue from her was cause for surprise - Hath had never mentioned that she spoke it. Fortuitous for her, but it begged the question of just how much she should reveal. Pern glanced to Kardidua, being sure not to hold her gaze, before looking askance at Hath with a frown.

"I ... do not shpeak your language becaushe I wash raished by a human in Elbion. I wash shent on a mishun to find a Healer in a faraway land, Hath volunteered to take me..."

Perhaps it was best not to reveal that he was afflicted by corruption incurable but by only the most powerful of Healers and Apothecaries, "and in exchange I agreed to share my knowledge of forging and blackshmithing with your tribe."

 

[Hath Charosh]

There was a collective round of frowning as those that understood passed on the message. An orc that was raised by humans was a peculiarity. There was little in the way of outright hostilities. At least there was nothing of any great concern beyond the look exchanged between Dathimm and Bathyr, who was still rubbing his bruised head.

Kardidua nodded slowly and spared Hath a glance. It was obvious to all that most of the weapons they had that had not been stolen were of a poor quality. She did not take long to make decisions.

"My shamans tell me that it will be dry tomorrow. We have some ore. Tomorrow you will appraise how they create and work iron. I will observe."

"Hath," she said sternly, switching to orcish. "You did not tell her where we find our ore?"

"Of course not. But she can be..."

"Very well," she interrupted before repeating the next message in both languages. "Then she is welcome here."

Kardidua walked deliberately close by them both. "And we will speak of this mission later."

Hath turned towards Pern. His expression suggested that it had, by his expectations, gone well. "Come, there will be food."