but that does not mean we cannot find a way. More importantly, six of us were not going to stop the Turessian army without an army of our own…there may still be time and ways to remedy this.”
Grabbing the man by the back of his armor, Raeln spun him around and jabbed one of his long claws into On’esquin’s ribs where the gypsy had cut him. On’esquin did not as much as wince, meeting Raeln’s glare calmly. “You owe me answers,” Raeln growled. “I’ve followed you from Lantonne. I’ve followed your search for people that are already dead. Everywhere I go, I see more death and destruction, but I never get answers.”
“Do you honestly believe the best place to discuss our plans is in the middle of the mist clouds, surrounded by the dead? I will answer now if you wish, but from a tactical mindset, I would assume finding shelter where we will not be found might be prudent.”
Half-snarling, half-sighing, Raeln nodded and motioned toward the path. They set off immediately, their travels silent and brooding as they made their way down into the valley where the battle had raged hours earlier.
As they passed, Raeln could not help but look up at the dead children again, wishing he could so something to make everything right. Even giving them proper burials would change nothing, and taking the time to cut them down could put himself and On’esquin in danger of being caught by whatever had done it in the first place. Reluctantly, he continued on without saying anything, knowing he would regret it later.
It was dawn, the sky lightening to a deep purple, when they reached the path out of the valley toward the stream and the first bodies they had seen. On’esquin pushed on silently, steering them well clear of the dead and guiding them along the mountains as they left the pass, heading farther south and away from the way they had come. He paused several times, looking around and picking the route that took them deeper into the woods rather than out of it. Then, with the sky brightening quickly, he stopped and grunted at Raeln before unfastening his weapon belt and tossing it to the base of a tree.
“We should be far enough away to speak freely,” he said, unbuckling the second of his three belts that held all of his supply pouches and setting them down near his sword. The third Raeln had rarely seen him take off, as it held his heavy armor in place. “You have questions and I will answer them. Think carefully, as I do not make this offer lightly, nor do I intend to offer it again soon.”
Raeln thought on all the questions he could have asked while staring at the man’s belts lying on the ground. Both were as worn and cracked as his armor, and from the look of the pouches, he carried a month’s supplies or more at all times. He was always prepared, but for what, Raeln had no idea.
“How old are you?” he asked instead, drawing an amused smirk from the orc. “I probably don’t want to know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway.”
“A fair question.” On’esquin sat down and propped his back against the tree. “I will answer another question to answer this one.
“I have been waiting to hunt the Turessians and their leader, Dorralt, for a bit more than two thousand years. A hundred years before that, I served my lord Turess as his friend, and later his apprentice after my own master betrayed our trust. Likely, I was not much older than you when I began my service, chasing down Dorralt’s original generals.”
Raeln pointed at the gash in On’esquin’s armor. “That is what you mean by service? Are you one of them or not? You’ve claimed you aren’t, but you’ve referred to ‘mortals’ and you don’t bleed. Orcs don’t live any longer than humans.”
The orc touched his side and nodded. “That is part of my service and is also the mistake I made serving my original master. He sought powers that we were not meant to have. In doing so, I was his first experiment. In a sense, I was the first of
Grabbing the man by the back of his armor, Raeln spun him around and jabbed one of his long claws into On’esquin’s ribs where the gypsy had cut him. On’esquin did not as much as wince, meeting Raeln’s glare calmly. “You owe me answers,” Raeln growled. “I’ve followed you from Lantonne. I’ve followed your search for people that are already dead. Everywhere I go, I see more death and destruction, but I never get answers.”
“Do you honestly believe the best place to discuss our plans is in the middle of the mist clouds, surrounded by the dead? I will answer now if you wish, but from a tactical mindset, I would assume finding shelter where we will not be found might be prudent.”
Half-snarling, half-sighing, Raeln nodded and motioned toward the path. They set off immediately, their travels silent and brooding as they made their way down into the valley where the battle had raged hours earlier.
As they passed, Raeln could not help but look up at the dead children again, wishing he could so something to make everything right. Even giving them proper burials would change nothing, and taking the time to cut them down could put himself and On’esquin in danger of being caught by whatever had done it in the first place. Reluctantly, he continued on without saying anything, knowing he would regret it later.
It was dawn, the sky lightening to a deep purple, when they reached the path out of the valley toward the stream and the first bodies they had seen. On’esquin pushed on silently, steering them well clear of the dead and guiding them along the mountains as they left the pass, heading farther south and away from the way they had come. He paused several times, looking around and picking the route that took them deeper into the woods rather than out of it. Then, with the sky brightening quickly, he stopped and grunted at Raeln before unfastening his weapon belt and tossing it to the base of a tree.
“We should be far enough away to speak freely,” he said, unbuckling the second of his three belts that held all of his supply pouches and setting them down near his sword. The third Raeln had rarely seen him take off, as it held his heavy armor in place. “You have questions and I will answer them. Think carefully, as I do not make this offer lightly, nor do I intend to offer it again soon.”
Raeln thought on all the questions he could have asked while staring at the man’s belts lying on the ground. Both were as worn and cracked as his armor, and from the look of the pouches, he carried a month’s supplies or more at all times. He was always prepared, but for what, Raeln had no idea.
“How old are you?” he asked instead, drawing an amused smirk from the orc. “I probably don’t want to know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway.”
“A fair question.” On’esquin sat down and propped his back against the tree. “I will answer another question to answer this one.
“I have been waiting to hunt the Turessians and their leader, Dorralt, for a bit more than two thousand years. A hundred years before that, I served my lord Turess as his friend, and later his apprentice after my own master betrayed our trust. Likely, I was not much older than you when I began my service, chasing down Dorralt’s original generals.”
Raeln pointed at the gash in On’esquin’s armor. “That is what you mean by service? Are you one of them or not? You’ve claimed you aren’t, but you’ve referred to ‘mortals’ and you don’t bleed. Orcs don’t live any longer than humans.”
The orc touched his side and nodded. “That is part of my service and is also the mistake I made serving my original master. He sought powers that we were not meant to have. In doing so, I was his first experiment. In a sense, I was the first of
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