Private Tales What Does Not Kill Us

[Hath Charosh]

Hath figured that if she could teach a group of orcs out here in the savanna with a language barrier between them then teaching an apprentice back at Gibbson's Smith would seem all too easy now. A slow nod was Hath reminding himself that he would get her back to Elbion.

"They said that it is a storm I am not strong enough to control. That they have no magic to remove it. They do not recognise the magic that put it there."

It would have been a very sudden end to the adventure. To find out that orcish magic was more than up to the task.

"The tribe will be grateful for this for a long time," Hath said as he stood back up to his full height. Once again he caught sight of Dathimm pretending not to watch them.

 

[Pern]

A thoughtful frown settled behind her tusks. He'd mentioned before, during their time walking the grasslands, that the Shamans likely could not help. Their powers were not of this nature. Pern had held a hope that maybe he underestimated them, but the clarity of the truth was a reassurance on its own. It told her Hath understood the way of things and her doubt had been misplaced.

Pern stood as well, a grateful smile on her face for his words. But the moment was fleeting as the expression dissipated with a blink. Pern leaned toward him, eyes narrowing as she peered at something just at his chest. Her hand lifted to prise the stone amulet out from beneath a leather strap. The amulet had cracked - not enough to break entirely, but its integrity was clearly compromised. Whatever relief it had offered him before was likely no longer in play, or minimized as to be useless. She tucked it back under the strap and leaned back.

"I will make a new one," she still had enough steel left to mix with the iron ore, make something stronger. It would be a good experiment to see if the material of the amulet made any difference in the power it contained. Or perhaps she was imagining things and the stone amulet had done nothing but offer a placebo effect. Cracked during his travels for the hunt.

"But firsht I musht report to the Chieftain. Would you like to join me?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath watched her hand as it came towards his chest, unsure why she was reaching for him. As soon as she tugged at the strap he felt the cool press of the stone and it made sense. It had been there long enough that most days he entirely forgot it was there.

Hath tucked his chin into his chest, the posture almost comical as he tried to get a look at the amulet.

He felt a tremor of fear, the emotion creeping onto his expression. The demon had been relatively quiet. Did that mean that it had been doing insidious work, setting its roots deeper? The thought of losing control of himself worried him far more than any other danger they had faced.

Hath steadied himself with a deep breath and gave a firm nod.

"I will come and observe. She likes to know everything happening within the tribe."

Hsth did not realising that being seen closer to Kardidua's business was only adding fuel to the slow burning resentment towards in in certain sections of the tribe.

 

[Pern]

Pern's expression brightened and even held a small amount of relief.

"She ...shcaresh me..." the orcess offered just above a whisper, "I can never tell if I have shaid shomething wrong." Kardidua was about as easy to read as a boulder, though perhaps Pern was missing out on a great deal of body language she was not presently learned on. Hath certainly knew how to interact with the Chieftain - masterfully so, she felt. He even seemed quite a bit like her, which was to be expected as her son.

"I hope she will like my gift..."

She'd not shown it to him. Didn't seem right for him to see before the person it was meant for, but the other smiths within the Circle had seen her working on it. Helped her as well. She'd used it as an opportunity to teach them how to work with steel, even when it was not readily available to them. They would be prepared in the future if and when it was.

"Jirra shaid she will be by the river."

So she followed the walking path and the flow of tribepeople into the heart of their encampment and then down a path that lead to the riverbanks. There she found the Chieftain inspecting nets and baskets used to capture fish from the river and she waited respectfully for Kardidua to finish her business there before approaching. After affecting the appropriate greeting to the Chief, Pern shifted the bundle in her arms, "I would like to show you what the Forge Shircle hash completed, if you have a few momentsh?"

 

[Hath Charosh]

"If you say or do something wrong then she will not hesitate to tell you so," Hath said as they approached the river. It would have barely been a stream a week ago.

There had always been such change through his life from season to season, yet it had also barely changed. The tribe had ranged far across the savanna, and yet his world had been small. Now he had been from the Spine to Elbion, seen giants and demons.

Yet Kardidua still felt like the greatest force of nature on Arethil.

Kardidua narrowed her eyes, but Hath recognised it as the mental switch back into the human trade tongue.

"Yes," she stated, waving for the shaman who accompanied her to continue on. Kardidua barely spared a glance for Hath. She was not as oblivious to subtle shifts in the tribe as her son.

 

[Pern]

The narrowed eyes were cause for hesitation. To Pern it looked as if the orc were perturbed by the interruption ... if only to accept it anyway. It was disorienting, but Pern offered a nod, took a deep breath, and found a large, flat boulder to unravel the leather roll.

The iron tools, blades, and arrowheads within were of quality construction, certainly greater and more cleanly crafted when compared to what the tribe had made before. Stronger, too, now that their new forges allowed them to work with hotter and more consistent temperatures. Pern explained this to her.

"I have alsho shown them how to work with shteel," the last piece she produced from the roll was a finely crafted dagger that she pulled from a leather sheath and held out flat across two palms to present to the Chieftain, "I brought a shmall variety of ingotsh from Elbion to craft with. Thish dagger ish my gift to you ash a thank you for welcoming me into your tribe."

 

[Hath Charosh]

Kardidua was not a person who could be bought off with gifts easily. She lifted the dagger and ran her had down the side of the blade. This steel, well made and created for her. Not a stolen heirloom like Hath's axe or so many of their weapons but produced here with the Tribe.

"You have done good work," Kardidua stated, sheathing the knife. She raised her hand to her throat and then swept it downwards and across the front of her thighs. It was not quite a bow or a salute, but it was a gesture that showed the greatest respect.

"When you return form the woods you should meet us at Penteth Charosh. I would know what happens to my son. One way or the other."

She did not even make eye contact with Hath as she said this.




"Did she just salute Hath?" Glith asked. He was crouched on the far side of the river.

"It looked that way to me," replied Jarshi, his mate. "We should tell him." The two scouts had been watching Hath from a distance from the day he arrived.

 

[Pern]

Pern did not understand the gesture nor the apparent meaning behind it, but she did understand gratefulness in the Chieftain's words. A small smile appeared on her face, a nod of agreement, "Thank you, yesh of courshe."

It was, perhaps, the first indication that Kardidua cared about the fate of her son. It wasn't a gesture of warmth in Pern's eyes, but it did show that Hath meant something to her.

"In the neksht few daysh I will begin inshtrucshun on the large forge for bigger weaponsh. Shwordsh, axesh," her gaze dropped briefly as she thought on how to word her ... was it a request or a suggestion? Formally, it was the latter. As one who had done this work in a professional setting, Pern knew the needs for such projects and that, presently, the Forge Circle wasn't meeting them. But coming from a city that looked down upon most non-humans with disdain, diplomacy and tact was something she had a great deal of practice in.

"For the Shircle to do itsh besht work in the large forge, another two apprentishesh would be of great help."

 

[Hath Charosh]

"I will consider it," replied Kardidua. She took her time to make such decisions. They were always fewer hands than there was work. A handful of males who spent too much time getting large and fighting each other instead of doing work as well. They were allowed such a position because they kept the tribe safe from other tribes.

"We have a...village...in the south. For the dry season. They will build a more permanent forge there to your instruction. You will check it on the way back."

From his experience of Kardidua, Hath thought the meeting went very well indeed.

---

Hath felt a great deal of reassurance from the weight of metal around his neck. He did not know if it truly blocked out the corruption as it had gone quiet of its own accord in the weeks before. However, he didn't feel it entering his mind.

He had his bow and plenty of spare arrows, dried meat and water. The shamans had given him a blessing. Hath had noticed that Kardidua wore her new knife with pride on her belt.

"Jarshi and Glith will see you safely East," Kardidua instructed Hath. He stood before her and the shamans near the centre of the tribe. "Pern?"

"Final instructions to the team," Hath explained, casting a glance towards the larger forge. She had been provided with more orcs to work with.

"Travel well," Kardidua said with a firm nod.

That was that. Hath turned for the forge, the two scouts falling in behind him. It was a strange feeling to leave his home behind again. It wasn't not something that became easier with each time he did it.

 

[Pern]

Pern had squeezed in as much teaching and mentoring as she could in the last few days, even going so far as to burn the forges well into the night with those that deigned to stay and learn. The two new apprentices were young but had willingly volunteered for the role, having taken interest in the advancements of the forge area from afar. Pern had missed the majority of the gossip and talk within the tribe, but apparently her work with the smiths had become a hot topic. She was blissfully unaware how close one or two males had gotten to making advances on her - so busy had she been working iron with the others.

They were left with instructions and drawings that depicted the plan for the permanent forge at the village. That one called for more durable construction and would be made out of brick and mortar - or the village equivalent. She looked forward to her journey back through and seeing what the Circle would have created.

Pern was presented with her own gifts: a well-made iron dagger from the smiths and a necklace of riverglass and ivory from Jirra. Jirra had helped prepare rations and supplies for her departure. She was ready to go by the time Hath and the Scouts showed up at the Circle. Pern said her last goodbye and turned to join them, feeling breathless and somewhat lightheaded from the whirlwind the last several days had been.

Admittedly she was somewhat sad to be leaving.

"I didn't think I would make any friendsh..." she revealed to Hath as they took their leave of the tribe lands, giving it a last glance back before giving Hath a warm smile, "thank you for bringing me here." Her eyes might have been just a wee bit misty.

 

[Hath Charosh]

A deep roll of thunder rolled across the savanna. It was heavy enough to reverberate through his bones. Hath looked up to see the clouds on the horizon. They were as dark as the ocean.

"I did not...expect to hear you so glad of being brought to the tribe," Hath said. She had been so concerned - terrified - at their behaviour when they had arrived. He had expected Pern to be thankful for the chance to put distance between herself and the tribal orcs.

The two scouts jogged on ahead of them towards a curtain of rain.

"We will see them all again on the way back north," Hath stated, feeling more confidence that it would be the case.

 

[Pern]

Pern wasn't sure if she felt embarrassed or ashamed, but whatever it was it seeped into her smile.

"I ..." her initial impression of the tribe had certainly been overwhelming and, in some instances, terrifying. But over time, once she'd settled into a niche and found herself a routine, other things had fallen into place.

"... everyone wash sho nishe." Everyone she'd had direct interactions with, anyway. There was a large portion of the tribe she'd not met or spoken to, but Pern was caught on the fact that no one treated her like a leper. In Elbion most humans looked upon her with disdain or disgust, some even refused to speak to her or allow her to craft their orders at the smithy.

She was looking forward to the return trip, to seeing what the Circle had accomplished. She felt the confidence in Hath's word and let it calm her worry. He seemed to be feeling better. Perhaps the new amulet was working better than the last? Whatever the case, even the ominous thunderclouds ahead did not dampen her mood.

It did, however, dampen her hide.

Several hours had passed and they had been following the trail blazed by the scouts in a downpour. Thunder boomed overhead, flashes of lightning mingling between the burdened clouds. It was daytime, but the sun had been blotted out, leaving them in a landscape saturated by both shadow and rain. Pern adjusted the straps of her pack at her shoulders as she carefully picked her way down a slope, Hath several feet behind her, the Scouts a few yards ahead where the ground leveled out. They'd never been much out of sight, but she found it odd they had chosen to wait for them where they could easily still be in view if they had pressed on.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath took short strides down the slope. The unrelenting downpour had made the ground treacherous very quickly. If there had been much shelter to speak of he might have recommended a stop to the scouts. They would have to soon anyway. The sun was setting into a bank of thick clouds and it was almost completely dark already. Only the formidable night vision of the orcs kept them pressing on.

A flash of lightning seared the shape of the terrain ahead into Hath's vision. It caught the scouts, mates who he did not know well. It caught the trees leaning with the wind and a series of rocks.

A second flash of thunder and Hath stopped abruptly. Pern bumped into him from behind and he didn't give an inch.

It took his conscious mind to the count of three to realise why. The second snapshot scene had been different. He blinked his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness..

Like a statue, the silhouette of a third orc blocked their path. The two scouts turned their backs on him and started to walk away.

"Hath." A deep rumble that could have been the thunder itself.

"Bathyr?" Hath called out. His brother managed to fit the sound of regret into that one syllable. "Pern, stay back," he hissed.

 

[Pern]

Oof.

Pern braced herself against Hath's back, still standing halfway up the slope and trying to keep her feet from sliding out from beneath her in the mud and rubble.

"Wot-" she began, hearing what sounded like a rumble of thunder, and then Hath's hissing words. Despite being utterly soaked through, Pern still felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. Proverbial hackles flaring in alert.

Peering around Hath her eyes instantly fell upon the massive form of Hath's brother, then flickered to the receding forms of the scouts. What...what was happening?

"Wotsh he-" she stumbled back, half falling into the slope trying to regain her footing and some distance. She'd not seen Bathyr much up close and that had very much been on purpose. The orc scared her in a much different way than Kardidua did.

"Hath?" she shook her head at him.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"You need to..." Hath had been about to say run, but he caught sight of the two scouts circling around back behind them. "Stay here."

Hath took four strides forward, letting his bag slide into the standing water on the ground. There was not time to take his bowstring from its waterproof pouch. Nothing but his words and his axe would help him now.

"What are you doing?" Hath called out. Another flash of lightning. Further in the distance. Bathyr's shadow stretched out to touch Hath.

"What Dathimm knows is best for the tribe." Bathyr slid his greatsword from its sheath. Death, it whispered softly. He lifted it up and pointed it towards Pern. "She stays. You do not return."

 

[Pern]

Pern reached out for a small group of saplings growing out of the slope, the mud beneath her feet continuing to give and give. Their words were both muffled within the downpour, drowned by the thunder, and nigh incomprehensible in the orcish tongue. Pern could rely only on her eyes to gauge the situation and, as the gigantic male raised his sword to point at her, she felt a great knot of fear grow in the pit of her stomach.

But where had the scouts gone? They'd disappeared from sight and she'd not noticed them circling back.

She didn't know what else to do. It seemed Hath was ... being challenged by his brother? How could he hope to survive? What would she do if he was killed by the beastly orc? The idea of losing Hath now, after they'd gotten so far already, hit her squarely in the chest like a molten fist. Pern thought she'd felt out of her element before with the gnolls, but it paled in comparison to this now. She was at a loss of what to do, but thus far listening to Hath had gotten her through. Maybe he knew something she didn't... maybe she was misunderstanding the situation.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Any confusion was dispelled by the first swing. Bathyr rose the sword high and brought it down in a down on an overhead chop. There was a hiss as the air itself parted for the blade.

Hath didn't have to move far to avoid the attack. Water was thrown up into the air as the sword stuck the ground.

Stalking away Hath drew his axe up to his shoulder and bared his tusks. There was no way around this. He swung from the hip but Bathyr recovered quickly and avoided the swipe.

Hath had forgotten how quick Bathyr was to go with his raw power. If it had been dry, if he had a shield he could have tired him out. The footing was treacherous, Bathyr's greatsword could easily into the haft of his axe.

The two scouts stalked towards Pern slowly. There was no anger on their faces. Just a simple order to make sure she came back to the tribe.

 

[Pern]

"Hath! No!" Pern yelled to them but her voice became drowned in thunder and the constant din of the downpour. She felt her heart catch in her chest, eyes pinning as the two beastly males went after each other below. There was nothing she could do on her own, she had no chance of breaking apart this fight. She needed help, she needed the -

The scouts! They were back!

Pern grunted as she heaved herself back up the slope, mud caking her forearms and lower legs by the time she reached them at the top, "Help him! Help Hath - pleashe!" but she had no idea if they spoke common, so she tried to plead with them in orcish.

 

[Hath Charosh]

"It over soon. You go back to tribe," said Glith. He stepped in close and clamped his hand around her upper arm. With a vice like grip he yanked her around to look back down the slope.

Hath was trying to keep some distance between them. He circled and watched, a more observant fighter than Bathyr. The conditions were not in his favour and the large orc new it. Bathyr was patient as he followed, probing strikes and thrusts never letting Hath rest.

"Place for you. Not him."

 

[Pern]

"What....what do you mean?" Pern shook her head at him, "No, I can't, I have to help-" and suddenly he had her arm and she realized all too quickly just how much she paled in comparison to normal orcs when it came to brute strength. Pern was strong, he was much stronger. She gasped, stumbling as he turned her about and looked down at Hath and his brother through the rain.

It began to dawn on her what was happening.

"No," she shook her head again, "No! You don't undershtand, I have to help him - I can't go back! HATH!"

 

[Hath Charosh]

He heard her call. Hath even looked up the slope towards her, but his gaze could not stray from Bathyr for long. His brother thrust straight. Hath used the haft of Biter to push it aside and smoothly transitioned to a swing for Bathyr's calf.

"You learned to fight little brother," Bathyr growled in respect. There was a touch of frustration in his voice, but he still had a well earned confidence.

Hath shifted suddenly into the offensive. He stepped closed, trying to get inside Bathyr's guard. This fight would end swiftly when a mistake was made and he needed to force Bathyr to make it.



"Go, watch closer," said Glith. A firm shove would send Pern sliding back to the bottom of the slope.

 

[Pern]

A yelp sounded as she scrambled down the incline, slipping onto her side and landing in a mess of mud at the bottom. Pern gave a dry sob of alarm - far from crying, but deeply disturbed and more than a little terrified. With the gnolls it had been very clear they were the threat and the enemy. Now she was lost in a game of tribal politics she hadn't even been aware of.

Covered in mud and soaked from the rain, she sloshed a hand through her hair pulled loose from its tie in the tumble, and looked up to where the Scouts stood at the top of the slope. Pushing herself to her feet she next forced her gaze to follow the forms of the two males not quite a handful of meters away and stood there watching, helpless and dumbstruck by fear.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Hath kept forcing Bathyr back but never quite finding the opportunity. The larger orc was comfortable in his reach and keeping hath at bay.

Hath growled in frustration, making the mistake he had hoped to force Bathyr into. As he over committed Bathyr brought his sword into a vertical guard with a hand on the blade to brace.

The head of Hath's axe was caught around the sword. Bathyr lunged forwards and slammed his head into Hath's driving him to the floor. He landed heavily with a splash. The world span.

"Up," growled Bathyr. "Up!"

 

[Pern]

Watching Hath get headbutted to the ground was something of wonder. Hath was big, he was strong, and he could take a beating - this she already knew. To see him crumple like that, as if simply a toy to Bathyr, sent a chill up her spine. A chill that shot a sudden surge of molten steel into her veins.

Hath was in trouble, real trouble, and she had to do something about it.

Her hands moved before she knew exactly what they were doing, pulling the straps of her back from her shoulders and reaching for the gifted iron blade now hanging at her waist. Her feet were next, moving through the mud and water, claws gripping into the firmer soil deeper down and pressing her into a run. Bathyr's back was to her and vulnerable and, damnit, if she could gain Hath a few moments to regain his footing she would do it. If she managed to stab this behemoth in the jugular ... she'd apologize later.

Dagger firmly clamped in a downwards grasp, Pern launched herself at Bathyr's back, throwing one arm around his neck and slamming the dagger down into his chest with the other. She might've snarled, but if she did she wouldn't remember and it was drowned out by a crack of thunder anyway.

 

[Hath Charosh]

Bathyr roared in pain, a hand clamping around her wrist in a flash. Dark blood welled up around the wound, turning into black streaks down his chest as the rain carried it away.

He yanked her hand and dagger from himself. Bathyr barely strained to lift her entire weight with one hand.

"Restrain her or put her down!" he shouted at Glith. The scout was stalking down the slope, drawing his sword. Bathyr snapped into motion, flinging Pern by her wrist towards him.

Hath roared as he charged in, swinging wildly. Bathyr lost his footing and the clash of axe and sword rang out to the time of another roll of thunder. He finally connected a strike. Biter finding its mark. The axe head bit several inches into Bathyr's shoulder.

Bathyr punched out with his left, sending Hath staggering back. He didn't let up, recapturing the offensive and driving Hath back. A horizontal swipe left a gash across Hath's chest and severed leather straps. Yet Hath still stubbornly held his ground. This resolve was why he had to go. The last of his line, between Bathyr and leadership of the tribe. That was what Dathimm had made clear. That was why this had to be done.

"Kill her!" Bathyr cried out. He saw Hath caring for the outsider. He only needed a brief distraction.

Wounded, exhausted, Hath turned. He saw Glith stalking towards Pern with his sword drawn. He raised his axe.

"Pern! Run!" he cried out. He lunged into the overhand throw. Biter flew through the air, turning end on end. It struck the scout in the chest, killing him almost instantly.

Hath's gaze met Perns. He felt the impact as a dull pain, caught sight of something glinting before him. Hath slowly looked down at the blade protruding through the front of his chest.

No.

Hath dropped to his knees. Bathyr's boot connected with his back to pull the blade free. Slowly, he toppled to one side, feeling the cold kiss of the water. As darkness encroached on his vision he saw Bathyr step past him towards Pern.