Working Out In Another World
Word Count: 35035
Story Synopsis:
Berd is an old fat office worker who reincarnates into another world. With his new found youth he begins a new work out and survival routine while becoming the best version of himself he encounters love he has never had before.
Images
Berd
Kragga
Story Genres
Action, Adventure, Magic, Isekai, Romance, Fantasy
1: New Place. New Life. New Me
The first thing I noticed was the smell.
Not the stale recycled air of my apartment, not the faint chemical scent of cleaning products mixed with instant ramen. No, this was a smell I have smelled before, when pushed into the ground, earth. Rich, dark earth mixed with pine needles and something floral I couldn't quite place, it was different from what I’ve experienced, calming even. My nose twitched, and I became aware of a gentle breeze brushing across my face, carrying with it the crisp coolness of air, pure and clean like mountain air. Mountain air!
My eyes snapped open instantly.
Above me wasn’t the ceilings I knew so well or the overhead of fluorescent lights, it was an endless stretching blue sky. The kind of saturated azure you only see in high-definition nature documentaries or heavily edited public posts. Clouds drifted lazily across my field of vision, and I could hear animals from all around. I hear soft echoing, distinct grunts and growls so faint they aren't even close, and chirping. Chirping? Birds? Yes, definitely birds. I’ve only ever seen smaller pigeons and tamed birds at pet stores, natural birds are unlike all the ones I've seen. Their songs were unfamiliar, almost melodic in a way that seemed deliberately composed rather than random chirping. This is like living in a nature documentary.
I sat up quickly and instantly regretted it. My body resisted me, like it always did, slow and lumbering my body moved forward in a shaky way. I began to look around.
"What the... Where am I?"
I was sitting in a small clearing surrounded by towering trees. I recognise these trees from my time growing up, pine trees. A species of evergreens, the pine tree makes for good celebration trees and many fake trees were sold to mimic them. These however were huge in size, making the trees back home look like saplings. Their trunks were easily ten feet in diameter, their bark a deep reddish-brown that seemed to shimmer slightly in the sunlight. Thankfully I was a curious child when I often visited my grandparents. I was smaller then, happy. Grandpa taught me all about these trees where their cabin was. Anytime I asked a question he would sit and talk to me, if he knew the answer he would tell me, if he didn't we would do it together. I learned all about the various uses of this tree aside from just fire wood. The needles can be used as a lattice to make mulch, woven together to make various things like barriers or baskets, or crushed for medicinal purposes, vitamin rich teas, or even into a fertilizing plant mulch. The excitement and longing for the past just gets my creative brain flowing.
"Well then. That is enough reminiscing. Where am I, what's around me?"
I pushed myself to my feet, my hands instinctively going to brush off my pants. Wait, these weren't my usual worn jeans. I was wearing some kind of sturdy brown trousers made of thick canvas. Leather maybe? I couldn't quite tell, I never owned these kinds of clothes. My shirt was a simple cream-colored tunic that felt like linen. This I'm familiar with, I got a shirt like this from the medieval era fair I went to with coworkers a while back. It was loose and comfortable, It was layered under a thick leather vest that had clearly seen some use. Was this supposed to be armor? I took it off and felt like the air was returning to my lungs. It may have been leather but it was heavy. On my feet were linen socks and brown leather laced boots. Taking a few steps was interesting, there wasn’t much in support of the feet and it acted more as just a covering over the feet themselves.
I looked behind where I laid, a massive cliff face rose high into the sky through the clouds. It was gray stone streaked with veins of what looked like copper or maybe bronze? It has a reddish and brownish tint so i’m guessing. Looking up the stone cliff, there is a natural overhang of cliff which acts as a barrier and right above it is a light mist that clings to the upper areas which I can’t see past.
“How tall was this cliff? This definitely wasn't my apartment. This definitely wasn't anywhere I'd ever been. Okay, Berd. Let's not panic. There's definitely a logical explanation for this."
Except there wasn't, was there?
The last thing I remembered was. What was it? Working? Yes, working. I was working late at the office. Instantly remembering the glow of my monitors and my dry red eyes. The glowing light always hurt my eyes, burning into my retinas as I processed yet another document or spreadsheet for the corporate conglomerate. My back had been hurting, every day the same fight, the same battle with my body. Aching back, dry red eyes, overweight, tired, and cranky. Cranky, really? That was just an excuse, I was mad every day, angry at everyone. I lashed out constantly due to innocent obliviousness or small mistakes, I became someone I hated the most, my father. The only difference was I didn't hit people or drink excessively.
After a hospital scare I had really been thinking. Thinking about how I treated people, about how I really needed to start taking better care of myself, even about how I needed to forgive and forget. I was fourty-two, overweight since college, and feeling every year of mundane office life in my body and mind. I needed a break, I needed a new me, a better me. I needed help beyond what was possible. So I changed.
I took a step back and reevaluated my life. What was it I wanted to do? Who did I want to become? I wanted 3 main things. First I wanted to become smaller, slimmer, more fit. Overweight is better than Obese. Big and Fit is better than Overweight. Second, I wanted to be kinder and nicer. No more lashing out, no more having an attitude. I would just be better and calmer, anger would not be my go to in every situation. Third, I would like to meet a nice girl and maybe get married. That dream always seemed to be a fantasy to me, especially as I got older and more bitter. Young me was popular with the girls, I was heavy and funny. I became a safety net and a go to comfort for many. I did have a few girl friends over the time but after they fell apart I blamed them. It was me, all me. I stopped going out, I stopped giving effort, I stopped being nice. The first and second goals I can do. I did start them. Years passed as I grew happier, cutting calories down and beginning to workout. I became a better person than I. What? Fell? No, I was in bed. A heart attack maybe? Now I’m here.
I feel better, more youthful and full of vigor. This is my time, with energy to do everything I want to. I will BECOME better, DO better, just BE Better.
"This is insane," I muttered, but even as I said it, a strange sense of calm was settling over me. Maybe it was shock. Maybe it was the clean mountain air. Or maybe, just maybe, some part of me had been waiting for something like this—some escape, some fresh start, some kind of adventure to break up the monotony of my life.
I took a deep breath and looked around more carefully, trying to assess my situation.
The clearing I was in was roughly circular in shape, maybe thirty feet or so across. It separated the vast stretching cliffside and the forest which seems to go forever in each direction. Within the area I can hear a trickle of flowing water and vibrant green lush plants, a stream must be in that direction. There is a large pile of rocks which has fallen from high above and shattered into many different sized chunks and shapes. Bright flowers fill the area in patches and moss stretches as far as it can. I began to walk the cliffside one direction and found sharp jagged rocks and thick fallen branches and scattered remains. They must dump things from the edge of the cliffs above. Following the other side of the cliffs, the sound of trickling water turns into a low gushing sound increasing in volume as I traverse through the lush greenery. I found the flowing stream coming directly from the cliffside winding down the sloping forest. There are small animal tracks, which look like deer and rabbits along the stream edge. The water pooled in a small pond-like area before continuing down its path.
“God, at least I won't die of some random large animal or thirst.”
I returned back to the area I started in.
Looking at the cliff face itself gave me an idea for planning the future home I plan to build here. I studied the cliffside for a few moments while I gathered my thoughts. It wasn't a sheer wall but rather a series of natural terraces and overhangs, with plenty of cracks and crevices the higher you go. There seem to be smaller cave-like hovels and entrances while the area around their entrances seem to be rough and jagged unlike the area at the bottom which is smooth where I am. About twenty feet up, there is a particularly large overhang that created a natural shelter protecting the area below from wind and rain. Right below the overhang, the area along the cliff side is smooth as it recesses into the wall a few feet. It isn’t a deep recess but it can be manageable for some time. This is where I will make my home. If I build it into the wall then less materials will be needed.
An idea began to form in my mind. I grabbed a sharp sturdy rock and began to scrape onto the smooth wall a bit off to the side of the cave recess. I drew a basic layout involving the area I am in and what I can do for the future.
If I was stuck here, and it was looking increasingly likely that I was. Then I'd need the basic survival things like securing food, water, and shelter. That overhang could be the start of something. With some work, I could probably excavate into the softer stone, create a proper dwelling carved right into the mountainside. If I can’t do that then I could build outwards into a small hovel or hut with cave recess providing basic protection and warmth. I'd seen pictures of cliff dwellings before, if they could do it with primitive tools, surely I could manage something. Maybe?
I scratched the soft stone walls and carved the phrase I will live by. BE BETTER DO BETTER BECOME BETTER. I also carved out a small image of the cave recess and a small area towards the water as a farm land. I carved a few farm areas, where houses would go and where production buildings would go. This is a good plan, now I just need to execute it.
I need to take stock of what I have and what I can scavenge from the dump area.
A quick search of my person revealed a leather belt with a few pouches attached. Inside, I found a tightly folded shirt and a few pairs of linen socks.
No phone. No wallet. No keys to an apartment I probably didn't have anymore. Nothing. Just socks and a spare shirt.
I searched the dump area. I found a rusty knife, a rusty chipped sword, a broken handle to something, a rusted chipped axe head, a shoddy knife and axe, leather bags, and some broken tools. I found some leather skins, bundles of linen, rope, and threads in a few sturdy crates and pieces of wood scraps. Along the ground were some pieces of metal and wood planks. It looks like a merchant carriage toppled over the cliffside maybe?
Just some basic supplies, rusted tools, and an entire world to figure out. What could go wrong? The best thing I found was a pouch of wrapped dried meat. I don’t know if it is still good but I need some food so I took it as well. I began dragging and carrying all the useful items towards my home base and began to take stock of what is there.
One thing I wish to get is these iron bars with a door. It looks like the front of a metal cage and it could be useful to protect me from animals while I sleep. That is more of a want not a need as I tried lifting it but it was very heavy. That will have to wait for another day, right now I need to begin to secure my area.
I looked up at the sun. It was maybe mid afternoon based on its position and made a decision. I'd explore the immediate area in the forest, take stock, and then start working on shelter before nightfall. Wherever this place was, wherever I was, I'd need to survive. And survival meant having a plan and also making it happen.
The forest surrounding my clearing was dense but not impassable. I spent the next hour or so carefully exploring, always keeping the distinctive cliff face in sight so I wouldn't get lost. The trees were thick and massive in size. I'd started thinking of them as Giant Pines in my head, because they were easily the largest Pine trees I'd ever seen. Between them grew smaller but still large maple, birch, and oak trees sprinkled throughout the area like seasonings on meat. If I can’t cut down the large pine trees, these trees will still do the trick.
I found berry bushes heavy with fruit that looked like blackberries but were a deep purple color, a few of them had a greenish stripe-like mid section. I tried a normal one cautiously. Sweet, tart, and juicy with no immediate signs of poisoning. I picked a handful and ate them as I walked, feeling absurdly pleased with myself for foraging food. I saved a good handful of the other berries for a just in case emergency food. The possibility of being poisoned but not starving to death is still an option, not a good one but a survival one.
I found the winding stream in the forest and followed it for a bit mentally collecting information of what is around and where things are. The stream met other streams and formed into a large creak. Surprisingly I found many smaller fish darting around, the larger fish had tons of sharp teeth and fought for mating and sport. As a few challengers passed away their bodies floated to the top of the creak and began to flow downwards. Not missing a beat I quickly flicked my hand into the water and grabbed the first fish. The others didn’t seem to notice me, so I grabbed the second one with ease. I readied myself as the next fish came into range and saw a few of them staring at me, to be safe I pushed a branch into the water at the same time the fish drifted by and grabbed the fish as the stick was completely torn apart. As I began to stand and lean forward a bit the fish lunged out of the water extremely high into the air with teeth ready to devour me whole. These piranha-like fish are aggressive, I stepped back and watched them land on the ground and flop back to the water. Interesting, now I have a hunting method. I took a close look at these fish, they had glowing scales down their bodies that seemed to radiate some sort of power like magic.
Magic. Magical. Magical?
The word stuck in my mind. Was this a world with magic? The thought should have seemed ridiculous, but given that I'd apparently been transported to another world entirely, magic seemed almost reasonable by comparison. If there is magic, can I use it as well? How would I begin to learn magic? How can I learn magic if I can’t read or write any of the languages? This thought crosses my mind as I haven't found another person and I don’t know if my writing or even my words will be understood. A larger problem now arises, this I can’t really do much about, but oh well back to my plan. I grabbed some thin vines from the ground and strung the fish from my belt. Next I began to grab a bunch of Pine needles as they make a good firestarter. I collected a large handful of thick sticks and fallen branches and headed back to my home base.
By the time I arrived back at my home base, the sun had climbed higher, and I was starting to feel the exertion. My shirt was damp with sweat, and my legs were reminding me that I hadn't done this much walking in years. Each step hurt and every step was exhausting. I dropped the stuff off and walked to the small pool of water.
I sat down heavily, well more like fell with a thud, beside the small pool and splashed water on my face. It was cool and refreshing, a calm washed over me for a moment before the hunger and thirst set in. I didn’t have any cups so I clasped my hands together and drank the water which took far longer than I expected.
"Okay, Berd. I got this." I said to myself again. "You've got a clean water source, potential food from berries and fish, and a location for a small shelter. Not bad for your first day in a new fantasy world."
Saying it out loud made it feel more real. A fantasy world. That's what this had to be, right? The impossibly large trees, the too-blue sky, the sense of loneliness that permeated everything. This was like something out of the light novels I'd secretly read on my phone during lunch breaks. The ones about ordinary people getting transported to other worlds and starting new lives with overpowered magical powers and god-like abilities living their best slow life.
"Well, if this is my isekai moment, I'd better make the most of it." A chuckle escaped me, a surprising feeling as I tried to make the best of this situation.
I stood up. It is time to change myself and no matter what I say or think, it starts with me. I rolled my shoulders back, opening them and feeling the familiar tightness in my lower back. My body might be younger, but it was still carrying too much weight, still out of shape from years of neglect. If I was going to survive here and really survive, not just scrape by until I die then I needed to get stronger, faster, better.
I needed to start taking care of myself.
The thought turned into determination. This was a fresh start, a literal new world. No more excuses about being too tired after work, no more putting it off until tomorrow. If I was going to build a life here, I'd build it right.
I cleared a flat space in the grass and got down on my hands and knees, positioning myself for a push-up.
It had been... God, probably ten years since I'd done a proper push-up. The muscle memory was there, not forgotten over all the long years of doing nothing.
I lowered myself down, keeping my back straight, my core engaged. My arms shook with the effort, and I barely managed to push myself back up. My form was excellent, slow and controlled, I did one.
I did another. Then another.
By the fifth one, my arms were burning and I collapsed onto the grass, breathing hard. I was unable to move for some time as I lay there breathing harder than I had in a long time.
"Five," I panted. "That's a start I guess."
I rolled onto my back and stared up at the sky, waiting for my heart rate to settle. The clouds had shifted, forming new patterns. One looked almost like a dragon, another looked like a group of horsepeople, I’m not one to believe in signs but this may be something.
After a few long heavy breathing minutes, I sat up and positioned myself for sit-ups. These were even harder than I expected, my core strength was practically nonexistent, and my belly got in the way. I managed three before I had to stop, my abdominal muscles screaming in protest and my back struggling to keep up.
"Three and five," I said, committing the numbers to memory then etching them onto the side of the cliff wall. "Tomorrow, I'll do six and four. Building up slow and steady. To achieve proper progression I need to do small amounts of core exercises instead of heavy lifting which will break the body down. If the military can do these everyday then I will also become stronger."
I remembered reading somewhere that the key to building a sustainable fitness routine was starting small and being consistent. Trying to do too much too fast just led to injury and burnout. Here I had time, all the time in the world so I could afford to be patient.
After resting for some time, I turned my attention to the cliff face and my potential home.
The cave recess was about four feet wide and three feet deep. It had completely smooth rock which was softer than the outer walls. Natural sections began to crumble away making for easy work later on. To test the survivability, I grabbed the rusty axehead and using it as a chisel I began to slam it into the cracks taking small sections of rock off the wall. After a half hour or so I was able to remove a large chunk of rocks from the hole, this is doable.
Shifting focus I leaned all the rock chunks from the area, sweeping them away with my feet. I found a flat area and began ripping the grass from a circular area. I ripped up the ground and made it bare, placed some coarse stones directly on top to create a barrier, and began to form a large circle with stones slowly stacking them and interlacing them on top of each other. I went to the pond with some pine needles and crushed them between some rocks as a paste to mix into rich clay I pulled from the pond. I brought over huge globs of it and smoothed it on all the rocks inside and out. It took far longer than I thought but once it is fired and dried it will become strong and sturdy. Once it was left out to dry I washed myself using torn rags and then hung them to dry.
I began to fill the entire thing with pine needles and loose sticks and branches and then I had a new problem, I needed fire. I took the rusty axe head and some smooth stones and began to strike it over and over. Nothing seemed to work and I feel like I’m wasting my time. I searched through the pile of stuff I collected from the pile and found a small black rough stone which looks like a large scale like it flaked off a giant creature. I used this stone and repeatedly struck it with the axehead as it fell into the pile with sparks causing a fire to start. I can’t get the axehead back now so I’ll have to wait until later. I used branches to cook the three fish and while I ate I thought about how I was going to expand this little hole into a proper cave.
What I needed was proper tools to survive. A fire axe, a pickaxe, a bow or crossbow, a garden hoe, and a saw would be ideal. Wishful thinking I know but at this point I would settle for just one of those things.
After eating I spent some time searching the area for materials. I found a few long thick fallen branches from one of the Giant Pine Trees. Dense and hard, it is as thick as my wrist and as long as my arm. Using my new knife, I stripped away the smaller branches and bark, creating a serviceable pole. I gathered some ropes and found a large flattened rock to make a shovel. Splitting the end of the stick a bit with the knife and a rock allows for me to slide the rock into the wood and tie it down. I also began whittling down the end of another stick to eventually place the axe head through and secure into a new axe.
Long after the fire died down, I removed the still warm axehead from the coals. The light rust had burned away and the wood in the axehead socket had turned to ash and fell out. I attached the axehead to the whittled stick and made a primitive style axe.
The next morning, I thought I was going to die.
My entire body hurts, it aches all over throbbing in pain I never thought I would experience again. I kept to my new routine. Wake at sunrise, do my exercise, scratch the numbers, forage for food and water, then begin the digging and excavating of the cave entrance. Over the next few days I began to clear the smaller trees and using some large nearby giant pine trees, I built a storage. I laid the smaller tree logs and the larger logs I split using many stone wedges, after getting the “walls” up I clayed the walls and left it to dry. The extra wood was used in firewood.
To take breaks from making the storage I started by widening the natural recess, digging back into the softer stone to create a proper cave. The axehead allowed me to not only cut trees but also scratch and chip away at the smooth stone.
2: Orcish Warrior
Three weeks. Three whole pain filled weeks.
That's how long it took before I stopped feeling like I was going to die every morning.
My routine had become something sacred. I wake with the sun and do my morning workout. I head to the stream and relax looking at what I’ve built. I’m at twenty pushups and fifteen situps in a single setting and I’ve been able to do them 3 times a day before every meal. I found a smooth pole from the pile awhile back and thought it would make for some good swinging practice. As I spent all day mining and still fought the occasional animal for food, I began to train my swing. Remembering back to the schools which would train young warriors and all the shows I watched, I began to do training swings each day starting with one hundred working up to completing one thousand swings every morning.
My useful pickings from the pile have included a blank strung bound notebook, a few writing sticks made of graphite wrapped in wax, assorted pouches some of which had broken bottles and loose money, and my favorite thing, a nice wooden box. I’ve been using it as a seat around the fire and it has been the absolute best find. Well that and the notebook I guess.
I took the standard stance, grounded myself and controlled my breathing. I stepped forward raising my sword and struck downwards. Still, controlled, straight, and I stepped back. One. Then I did another, two, and another, three. I counted out loud keeping my form tight and breathing in slowly on the step and exhaling on the downward swing. The first few days I did this I didn’t feel anything, a little while after I realized each mining swing I did became better and more efficient. I was training myself and working my cardio and stamina all to become a better miner and explorer. Each day I kept the number at one thousand as it still took an hour or so each morning after my push ups and sit ups but still allowed me to have tons of energy for the day.
I grabbed my axe and headed into the earthen cave I’ve been expanding. I have a shoddy wobbly rope secured table featuring all the useful materials and stones I collected over the times in the cave. The black stones which start fires, copper and iron ore chunks, some gemstones encased in earth but visible, and coal which burns easier and longer.
The mining I did had become my favorite part of the day and what I looked forward to each day. It was long and hard to expand the cave inward but rewarding with things I have but have no need for, well no need yet.
There's something meditative about it, something that clears your head in a way nothing else can. The rhythm of the swing, the impact of metal on stone, the careful examination of each section of rock face before you commit to breaking it down. I'd learned quickly that wild swinging was a waste of energy and didn’t help my overall goal. You really had to make an effort, you had to read the stone to find the natural fracture lines, and work with them rather than against them. It was a slow progress at first but then became much more enjoyable over time.
I made an effort to slowly but surely each day bring those Iron Bars over and I finally did. I spent half the day putting it up and it is the nicest thing I have. I sleep behind a closed gate which is wedged into the cave entrance with stones and clay making for a strongest door. I have been slowly trying to make wooden panels for it, but generally I use a large wooden plank as a door to prevent the cold from getting in.
I began to work on other projects to take up different times of my day. The caves got hotter during the day so I would do other things in the mid day while I mined in the morning and in the evening.
I have this eerie feeling that I’m always being watched. Like I don’t know if its the animals or plants or some hidden being but I feel like everything I do is being examined. I tried to recall how I got here, did I meet a god and be reincarnated here? Was it a freak accident or a twist of fate? So many questions left unanswered. The watchful gaze doesn’t happen all the time, but it doesn’t seem to be hostile.
The hardest thing I’ve done so far is make log tubes to get smoke out of my home. It took some trial and error but I've gotten it down pretty well. I found a carriage wheel in the pile and took a large steel spike from it. I heat until red hot and place it in the center of a large freshly cut log and allow it to burn the inside. I placed some coals on top of it and slowly forced it downwards which scorched internal wood and slowly hollowed it out. I scraped the insides and began to overlay them to make a tunnel to allow smoke to easily escape my cave.
This allowed me a new idea. I began to dig and create my own fields and waterways as I used these new water pipes to transport water from the stream into my own well with an overflow stream which connects back to the stream.
My cave had expanded into a proper dwelling. I have an area to use the restroom where the overflow goes into a natural purifying system to allow it to be used in the fields. I'd carved out a main living area about ten feet deep and seven feet wide, with a separate alcove for sleeping and another for storage. The ceiling was high enough that I could stand comfortably, and I'd smoothed the floor as best I could. It wasn't perfect but it was my home.
And the mountain had rewarded my efforts.
I planted seeds from the various foods I found rotting in the area. A few spoiled potatoes turned into a sprouting field of potatoes. I plan to eventually harvest them, let them sprout into eyes then cut them up into chunks and grow them into more potatoes as a never ending cycle. It is slow growing but it is moving.
To protect the area I began to split logs and using the inner strait chunk made primitive fence like areas strong with clay. The rounded ends I used as firewood. My stockpile of firewood constantly grows as I can’t process anything else other than super basic wood planks.
The physical changes were undeniable. My clothes fit differently now, still tight, but not painfully so. I could see the beginnings of definition in my arms when I flexed, my muscles had more definition. My face looked different in the reflection I saw in the stream. I was still heavy, still had a long way to go, but I was moving forward day by day.
I pondered what to do for the day, I just finished working out and wanted to change my pace a bit. It becomes very mundane and monotonous doing the same things day in and day out. It makes me miss the old world, things to read, things to watch, things to do, and things to play. Technology is a wondrous thing, hell at this point I would even take some playing cards or a few books. I would be less bored.
A low growl came from the tree line. I stopped instantly, this wasn’t the occasional wolf I dealt with or the random animal trying to sound like a predator. This was something different. I heard another growl, louder a bit more, how would I describe it? Rawr, not a grr? I instinctively grabbed the rusty sword I had found but had never used.
The growl came again, closer this time, fearsome and much louder.
And then she stepped out of the treeline coming into view.
I'd never seen an orc before, not in real life, anyway but there was no mistaking what she was. She stood at least six and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders and arms thick with muscle. Her skin was a deep green, darker than the forest leaves, but hat hints of brighter green. She had a stern battle scared face with glaring brown eyes. She had small tusks and large piercings from her ears and a large bone-like nose bull ring. Her hair was long and wild blowing in the gusting winds. It was red, not bright red like an apple but red like blood.
Her body was armored, the top wrapped in thick linen cloth while the bottom wore thick furs and leather armor. She had a large thick leather pauldron with spikes attached by a single leather strap which connected at her side where a large horn was stored. From her back rose the head of a massive battle axe which was the size of my torso.
And she was looking directly at me and began to speak a language I didn’t understand. Her voice was powerful and filled with vigor, she seemed used to all the fighting and yelling in battles.
“I don’t understand!” I yelled back towards the orc.
She studied me for a moment and pointed at the area behind me, my home.
She said something else I didn’t understand.
“I’m sorry but I don’t understand! What do you need from me?” I yelled at the orc.
She drew her battle axe and began to walk towards me. I entered into my battle stance, well training stance but I tried to look tough at least.
She studied me for a moment before charging at me. She was fast, much faster than I expected. It took everything I had to just lunge out of the way of her furious charge and even then her swing connected with my sword and still pushed me downwards. Blocking almost knocked me down. Thinking back, being knocked down by an opponent in training is fine, but in actual battle that means death.
She charged at me again, the only thing I can do is use creativity over speed or power. I stepped forward and closed the gap as best I could. I began to swing at her as she turned to defense, my blade caught her thick wrap and cut her. A single shallow slash was all I managed before being distracted. She charged me with much more aggression and blocking a few hits caused my arms to go numb. If I can't hit her, block her, or block her attacks without taking damage, I’ll need to be more creative. I stepped back and taunted her a bit. I looked at her and tilted my head and smiled at the sight before me. She glanced down then looked at me for a moment before entering into a frenzy. She released a loud bellowing growl before charging me even more wild than ever before.
Not thinking I dashed towards her. I immediately went into a low tackle trying to take out her legs. Instead I took out her legs but also got slammed into the ground rolling with her because of the momentum. I recovered first and got on top of her and began to hit as hard as I could. She defended for a moment then looked directly at me as my hardest hit connected with the side of her face. I hit her again and the dawning realization that I was dealing almost no damage to her appeared on both of our faces. Mine was stunningly shocked while she just chuckled before hitting me once knocking me off of her. I was dazed for a moment, as my eyes began to focus I felt something heavy on me and I looked up. Her fist connected to the side of my face, hard. It hurt so much I could feel tears well up. I began to block her hits as each hit seemed like it would break my arms. I struggle desperately kicking and flailing under her weight taking the hits. I feel like I’m going to bass out, I need something, anything. MY vision blurs as I look next to me, a fire. I quickly grabbed the wet clay and then reached into the fire grabbing a fist full of hot molten pine needle paste which seared my hands as I threw it into her face.
She let out a loud deep roaring scream as it burned her face. This gave me enough time to make a fist and slam it into the mud then into the hot molten paste. I punched her in the face as hard as I could, causing her to stumble and I pushed her off of me. She began ripping the molten paste off her face.
I slipped behind her and grabbed her into a choke hold. This is going to be all or nothing. If she recovers from this I am definitely dead. I used all my strength, everything I had. She was slow to react at first as her grip began to pierce into me but it slowly waned as her consciousness faded. After a very long time she was out. I checked for breathing signs as I listened to her chest, she was alive. Wounded but alive.
I drug her into my cave behind the bars. Using pine needles and fresh water, I mulched them to use as an antiseptic. I can’t have her dying on me with no answers. I brewed some pine needles with some large oak leaves and let it steep for some time while I added a small amount of clay and ash to make a recovery tonic. While the tonic was brewing I cleaned her up. I used a cloth rag and cool water to make the molten paste harden as I pulled it from her face, ripping the skin as I went. I sewed up her wound using the last of my thread and treated the wounds on her face and chest with pine needle mulch since it is an antiseptic. I wrapped her face and body with her linens that I washed and tied back together. I even used some of my own to wrap her shrapnel damaged face and to fit her large bulky beautiful body.
Wait, don’t get distracted by beauty. Right now I need to fix myself. Who knows what will happen next.
I treated myself then went to hunt some of the fish in the stream. I’ve gotten good at using a drop of blood and grabbing the fish as they lung to eat me. Cooked fish will help get me back in shape and I returned and started cooking the fish. I did my workout in more pain then I would have ever expected to but I was committed to this and I won’t stop unless I die.
I noticed half way through my slow steady pushups that the Orc was alert watching me. I didn’t stop, instead I finished my set and did my situps. I grabbed the cooled tonic, drank some and gave it to her to drink. I figured I would show some good faith and it would not be poisonous. She looked down at her wrapped body for some time before taking the tonic and drinking it. I handed her one of the cooked fish on a stick, my specialty as of late. Cooked and roasted mouth wide open with all the teeth you would expect staring at you wanting you to take a chance, but I’m too used to this. I bit the head right off and continued to walk away leaving her the fish.
She stared at me for some time before finally eating the fish. I kept doing my thing, except I couldn’t mine due to her being inside my house. I began to trim many long logs, and using the very hot spike I began to carve through the wood and burn the insides, doing each one one after another. You know that one guy who started the whole automation industry was a smart guy, this makes it very quick. After finishing all the pieces I moved on to scraping them all out and placing them in the finished pile.
After finishing the large pile, the sun was beginning to set. I set out and foraged some berries and nuts, filled some water skins with water and gave some of them to the Orc. I sat by the slow burning fire pit finishing my berries and water before getting the journal. I walked over and sat down by the Orc notebook ready.
I need to find out if the language is compatible or if I can learn the language of the Orc people. I looked at the Orc for some time, although she is wounded, covered in dirt, and roughed up she is still attractive. Time to find out her name.
I pointed at her for a moment. I then pointed at myself and spoke as clearly as I could. “Berd” I pointed at her for a moment and waited. I then pointed at myself once more, “Berd”.
“Kraggatha Ironhand. Kin Of Morgatha Ironfist. Kin Of Frogath Ironclaw.”
I nodded and smiled. “Kragga. Berd. Kragga, Nice to meet you.” Her words were broken and scattered like a greeting she recited to memory over and over.
She looked at me puzzled but listened to me speak and learn words. It took some time as I was able to get a few different words from her in Orcish. After some back and forth I got the words for fish, food, eat, drink, water, tree, stick, walk, run, jump, axe, sword, attack, plant, and wolf.
We talked, or well I mainly talked to her for some time just about me living here and doing stuff to survive. She just stared at me. I don’t know if it's just from being lonely or not having anyone to talk to, even if she can’t understand me it still felt good. Relief and personal acknowledgement, I know it's selfish but it was good to have.
I did my normal workout before I turned in for the night. At sunrise I woke like always and began my morning routine. I did my workout, slow and steady trying to push through the pain. I then took my training stance and did my thousand swings. Slow and steady counting each one, if it didn’t feel right or was sloppy I did it again. I totally forgot about the Orc until I wiped my face and went to get something inside my home.
I got some things ready as I made some more of the tonic for her to drink and while that cooked I scavenged and hunted the area. I was able to hunt the mighty fish, and the berries of the great bushes. I brought them back and gave them to the Orc, she took them and ate them with no hesitation. Took a whole night but it looks like she somewhat trusts me.
I gave her the tonic and began to prepare some more of the pine needle paste, I gestured to a cut on my arm and rubbed the paste into my wound and then bandaged it. She seemed to understand as she then took off the wrap. I was stunned for a moment and immediately turned around handing her a large amount of the paste. As I glanced at her she had her head cocked to the side for a moment and took the paste from me.
I went about my day. Today I planned to make some very simple but useful bricks. Well, I say bricks but they are more like cinder blocks as they are mainly large and hollow. I have a wooden frame I tied together with loose boards and rope, all of which came from the almighty dump pile gifted by the heavens above, I clasped my hands in thanks. I began to take some thick clay mixed with ash, some loose dirt, water from the stream, and more pine needles which I crushed into a loose semi paste. I mixed all of this into a thick mud and put it in the mold and pressed it with another piece of wood. I then took the brick out and placed it off to the side. I will need to make a kiln at some point but I can at least air dry these for now.
After the sun was at its peak I did the next part of my workout before returning to make bricks to air dry for the next few days.
As the sun began to set I foraged once more and fed us as I worked out before turning my attention to the Orc again. I sat my box down near her and we began to spend time together. Well I say spend time but in reality it is me trying to get new words in Orcish out of her.
After the night waned on for a long time I learned many new words before turning in for the night. I miss sleeping in my cave.
The next morning started the same as always. The Orc woman watching me while I work out, swinging my sword a thousand times, making us breakfast, making the tonic, and spending the day making bricks. As the sun set I wanted to do something different. The door to the cave doesn’t lock and in fact has been unlocked this whole time. I don’t know if the Orc knows that, or how she feels about it. I also don’t know if and when she does find out if she is going to make a run for it or try to fight me. Who knows, I'm ready for anything at this point.
Instead of moving my box over to the cave, I instead brought over a large broken somewhat wobbly crate to sit on. I put the box on the other side of the fire and walked over to the Orc. I opened the door and smiled at her holding my notebook. I gestured at her to come and I sat down on my new shifting box seat. She was hesitant at first but came out after some time and sat by the fire. She must have been cold because she was warming herself up. The silence lasted a very long time before she pointed at the fire and spoke the word for fire. She began to gesture at the fire making motions with her hands opening and closing like something moving. I tried to mimic her and I stepped back far and I took a stem with my hand out to the fire and said “Warm”. I then stepped closer and said “Hot” loudly like I was hurt. She was puzzled for a minute then realized what I meant as she mimicked my actions with the words for warm and hot in orcish.
We went over many different words and greetings. She talked for a bit in Orcish and I jotted down notes on how it sounded. I then began to read from my notebook mimicking the words and sounds of the Orcish language. She seemed thoroughly surprised and even clapped when I was done. The night seemed to go on forever. She would say some phrases and then I would repeat them, badly but I tried.
She eventually gave me a nod then stood and went back to the cave closing the door. I turned in for the night. The next morning passed the same as before, my ever growing pile of bricks grew even larger taking up almost all the space of my area as they dry out.
A few days and nights pass as I spend tons of time learning Orcish from Kragga and greeting her each time I see her. Morning Kragga, Afternoon Kragga, Evening Kragga. All in Orcish the best I can. She always greets me back and in Orcish with some extra sentences I can’t seem to piece together.
I have slowly gotten better at communicating with Kragga and even open her door every morning after working out. We had this routine where she would follow me around and even help me do things and we would talk in very simple phrases. I would talk like a child to her, slow and stumbling on the words I knew but building speed and understanding. Kragga always smiled when I spoke, whether that be out of pity or acceptance but I was happy.
The next morning I made some of the paste for Kragga and handed it to her. She looked at me and took off her linens. I turned around quickly but she grabbed my arm and pulled me in close. I turned slowly, respectfully, and looked at her chest. The area was healed but scarred deeply. She was all better now. My grasp of the Orcish language needs some work but I think its actually time. I got some fish and put it on the fire while I gathered some supplies. I made more paste and put it in a pouch. Kragga watched in wonder as I ran amok. We ate and then it came to the final meeting. I calmed down, I took some deep breaths holding my sadness and panic in the best I could.
“Kragga. Better. Kragga. Go Home.” I said it as clearly as I could. I fought some tears as I handed Kragga her axe and the pouch of medicine. I smiled the best I could, I felt water? Tears, I felt a few tears but I stood strong. Kragga looked at me and gave a small smile. She grabbed her things and looked at me.
“Kragga Go. Kragga Come Back Again.” Her words lingered in the air for a long time as she walked through the forest, her back slowly getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the trees.
I was devastated, all day I couldn’t focus. I spent the next few days more lonely and in and out of a daze. At least I had my routine.
3: Merchants and Buildings
I’ve been here for so long I can't even remember. When did I get here? What is my goal? What is my objective? Ever since Kragga left I've been filled with all these questions. After looking around at my mass amount of dried bricks. I really need to make a kiln to fire these to properly build.
First things first, I dig out a large round well mostly round area and dig in some extra channels for air flow. I use some of the super dry bricks and build a large round structure to support the newest addition to the large pile from the high heaves which woke me from my slumber in the dead of night with the loudest thunk I’ve ever heard.
I bring the large rounded metal grate over using all the strength I have. It’s ;to heavy to just lift it on top of the brick structure, and I’m worried it would collapse right now. Instead I gathered tons of sticks and branches to create a large roaring fire while I plan my next moves.
As the fires rage my only hope is the bricks are dry. If they are not, well then mini explosions will make my day more interesting I guess. I need to get the grate up on top of these bricks so I can build the rest of the kiln but I can’t lift it by myself. I need Kragga to come back, she was just all muscles, all strength, all power, and all assets. I miss her, I need to practice my Orcish.
I really need to get use out of all these bricks I’m making. I found a large log to roll the grate onto and used some ropes on branches to act like a crane as I hoisted it up using my entire body to help maneuver it on top of the bricks. It wasn't pretty but it worked decently well. After I got the top on the grate made out of bricks, I fired up the new kiln and got to work making hardened bricks. I was making them 10 at a time and after each batch was done letting them dry and cool for days. This takes so much time, I never thought it would take this long for a simple brick.
A few weeks later after I dug out and flattened areas with crushed stones making layouts for buildings and a simple wall, a new encounter happened that surprised me greatly.
I began to hear some rustling in the nearby tree line, I’ve been seeing some smaller rabbit-like animals wandering about. I’m about to eat real good tonight. I grabbed my rusty sword with a linen handle to protect me at least and began to head over.
3 figures appeared from the tree line and began walking towards me. They stopped at the end of my territory line, a small shallow trench I began digging to mark the start of my future farm.
They were elves.
At least, I assumed they were elves. They had the pointed ears, the graceful movements, the otherworldly beauty that every fantasy story had taught me to expect. There were three of them, all wearing mottled green and brown clothing that blended perfectly with the forest. Two carried bows, and the third had a sword at her hip. None of them seemed hostile but the last time that happened I was attacked by a large Orc woman so I readied myself for battle.
The one with the sword stepped forward, raising a hand in greeting. "Peace, stranger. We mean no harm. Lower your weapons. You do not need to feel threatened"
“The last person to stand over there charged me head on. I’ll keep my weapons thanks.” I tried to be snide but honestly I’m scared. There are three of them and two of them are armed with bows, I don’t know if I will pull through this one.
“We mean you know harm truely.”
"That's good to hear I guess. Why are you here?" I said, lowering my sword but not putting it down. "Can I help you with something?"
"We are scouts from the Deepwood Enclave." she said. Her voice had a musical quality to it, like wind chimes. "We patrol these borders regularly. Your presence here is... new."
"I arrived a few months ago I think." I tried explaining in a calm demeanor but man I’m excited, it has been so long since I’ve talked to anyone out here. "I've been building a home here away from the world. I'm not looking for trouble."
One of the other elves, a male with silver hair, stepped forward and spoke up. "We heard you defeated an orc warrior in single combat. Is this true?"
Word traveled fast apparently, more importantly how did they even know about that. "Uhm Yes. Her name was Kragga. We fought, and I won. She said I'd earned the right to stay here." I’m lying as much as I can trying to stay neutral and keep face but I hope they don’t know I’m a sham and falling apart on the inside.
The three elves exchanged glances. The leader nodded slowly. "Interesting. Very Interesting. Well if Kragga Ironhide acknowledges your claim, then we will respect it as well.”.
So they know of Kragga, she must be a big deal. This may make my claim more valid, now how do I make my claim stronger? Let me remember her full title, that way I sound more friendly with her.
“You know of Kraggatha Ironhand. Kin of Morgatha Ironfist and Frogath Ironclaw.” I said with piqued interests. I wonder what they know of her.
“We know of the great mountain slayer and forest raider Kragga.”
“It was a hard fight but I won and she gave me the right to live here. That won't be a problem with you all right?” I slowly shifted my weight dropping into a combat position.
“The orcs and the elves have, well we have an understanding. We do not interfere in each other's territorial disputes." Her elven voice was less fluttery and more stern now.
"Good to know." I said.
"We will report your presence to our elders. As long as you do not harm the forest or its creatures, you will have no trouble from the Deepwood Enclave." She sternly responded.
"I'm just trying to live peacefully here." I assured her. "I'm even planning to grow a garden. See?" I gestured to a large area of freshly tilled soil.
The third elf, a younger and smaller female with auburn hair, actually smiled at that. "You tend the earth. That is good. The forest will remember your kindness."
"I see, well I forage for food and hunt the fish in the area but generally keep to myself.". I thought that was a good response but they all glanced at each other in the way you do when you need to talk and they began to leave.
"We are going to leave and make our reports." They said as they began to melt back into the forest as quietly as they arrived.
I needed to do something about the lack of territorial presence and the arrival of unwanted guests. I have about 50 bricks cooled so far, time to get to the building. I began with the house near my cave. Ideally I would like a real house to live in and the cave can just be a mine since I have all these guests coming and going. I need to make a good impression right?
I had enough bricks to just do the bottom layer. I made a mud brick mixture and poured it into the ground, using a large plank I leveled the area smooth and allowed it to dry in the sun. It will make for a good strong sturdy floor as it dries, for now I need to make some bricks. The firing process takes so long but at least I’m making some progress.
While the bricks were drying and being fired in rounds, I scavenged the forest looking for vines. I remember my grandpa teaching me how to make very simple rope with vines. I found some vines wrapping around the super huge pine trees from the ground climbing all the way around them heading up to the top. I began to take my box and other stackable items so I could climb up to the highest point and cut the vine and unwind down the tree.
I spent far longer than I would expect to do that as I began dragging over massive 20 foot plus sized vines and pile them up near my cave. I spent all day dragging over sections that were around 20 feet to make sure when I make the ropes they are generally the same length.
The next day after my workouts and in between the brink firing process I began to process the vines. Grandpa said there were 3 main steps to handling vines and making ropes. The first step is to crush the vine with a rock. So I took each vine and began slowly crushing them with a rock breaking their strong outer core. I spent the entire day getting through the massive piles of vines and I even went back to harvest some more to fill the day.
The next morning after working out and swinging my sword, I went on to step 2. Step 2 involves separating the outer fibers from the inner core. I did my best to keep the pieces the same length as I peeled the fibers from each of the inner cores.
The inner cores are extremely strong and can be used to tie stuff up with. I began to take the inner cores and wrap around the trees around my stream area blocking it off from the rest of the forest. It was only 2 strings, not really a fence or anything, but it was deliberate. The first one was chest high the second one was lower around the waist, it still allowed you to step through easily but at least it marked my territory.
The next few days were a blurred cycle. Making bricks, drying bricks, firing bricks, and making rope with workouts in between. Going from step 1 to step 2 leaving the strands of fibers in the cave while I used the inner core to make strings to mark my territory. I left a large gap in the area where I was approached by the Orc and Elves since it seems there is a natural path or road of some sort there. It can’t be a complete coincidence that both races approached from the same spot.
After I finished marking my territory and laying the completed bricks up to the 3rd layer high I started on the vines again. Step 3 involves the easiest yet hardest step, the twisting of fibers to make rope. I readied myself with 2 strips of rope fibers after my morning workout and began the mundane process. I began twisting the fibers in opposite directions with my handles until the rope eventually became so tight it binds up on itself. This is the beginning of what I’m about to do.
The reverse wrap helps the rope stay strong and tight while also stopping it from coming undone. To do this I pinch the end, then with my free hand I twist the fiber away from me then pull back, twist away then pull back, twist away pull back then pinch it. I repeat this over and over until the fibers get shorter on one end. I grab a new fiber and use the same methods of twisting it away from me and pulling it back to lock it into the long rope.
I continued on day after day making huge large lengths of ropes wrapped up for future use. When I need to use it I knot it twice and cut it in between the knots allowing it to hold its strength and shape without becoming undone. Now I have eight layers of bricks in my house with the frame of the door looking good. Here is the tricky part, I need to put a roof on the top to allow rain to not get inside. For this I began to make thin brick shingles. After the mud was pressed thin into large squares I left them to dry.
While the brick shingles were drying I left my area for the almighty dump pile. I found a few large square beams, although broken, they will do the job. I dragged many of them over and used them as a frame to allow the bricks to slot on them and hold the roof.
The next day I made the roof slightly slanted as I used a single row of bricks to lift the mountain side of the house up a level. This allowed me to use all the scrap wood planks and pieces with beams running through the edges and middle to create a thin room.
After my workout the next morning I began the process of placing the semi-dry roof tiles. From the Inside I would climb on top of everything I had to place the stone bricks layered with mud to hold them. Going from the lowest edge towards the highest edge, I overlapped the tiles as I went. This took many days to carefully carry and place the tile after moving the pile constantly. I really wish I had a ladder. Even the smaller six foot ladders are easy to move around and set up, man It would make this so much faster.
Finally, it took a whole week but its finally done! I'm so excited. I now have a proper house, well an open door and walls with a roof. No windows, no furniture, just a place to store things. I began to move my valuables into the cave and the other tools and items into the house. If I can't use it now, I'll at least use it as storage until I get proper furniture like a bed. A bed! Oh man I really miss laying in a soft bed. I want to be cozy and comfy. I’ve been roughing it out here the whole time. I really need a hot shower. I've been washing myself with cold water from the stream but now that I’ve been making pipes I should be able to start a wash area and a bath. Oh future plans I can’t wait.
The beast people arrived a few weeks later, and they were impossible to miss. I heard some trees splitting and sticks breaking around my stream. I heard voices I couldn’t understand. After some time the group of people walked down the hill following the stream for some time as I could barely hear them. I kept going about my day, making bricks and pipes as I began to make a bathing area. If I use the run off of the house I can get more water into the bathing area.
I stopped making the log pipes as I saw the group of beast people standing in the entrance of my territory.
There were six of them, and they were unlike anything I'd seen so far. They walked upright like humans, but they had animal features. They had fur instead of skin, tails and ears of the beasts they evolved or changed from, one even had a snout.
The one leading the group was clearly a wolf, with gray fur and bright yellow eyes which can seem to pierce the soul. Behind him stood someone who looked like a fox with brownish red fur and a large bushy tail and a smaller rabbit person with ears as large as their head. There were two others who might have been cats of some kind looking around in a curious fashion. They kept looking at my cave and that made me uneasy. A huge bear-like fellow stood in the back and he towered over all of them. He was big, far larger than Kragga was.
Instinctively I grabbed my sword and stood to ready myself for battle.
The wolf looked at me for a moment then realized. "Ho there, friend please wait! We are traders, we are not here to fight!”
I stared at them for a moment, I tried to look intimidating but it was six on one and I really don’t want to fight. I put down my sword.
“Please come in. Sorry for the hostilities, I’ve had many guests and most have tried to kill me.”
“No worries, we are very sorry for trespassing. I’m Fenris. The fox is Myrie and the rabbit is Forn. These two are Searia and Tearia. The large bear doesn’t speak much but is known as Rogar. What's your name?”
“I’m Berd. Nice to meet you.” They seem friendly, they must be traders like they said.
"Berd! Excellent name!" The wolf grinned, showing sharp teeth. "This is my trading company. We travel the region selling goods and buying whatever interesting things we find. You wouldn't happen to have anything to trade, would you?"
I thought about the collection of crystals and ore I've mined over my time in the cave. "Actually, I might. I've been mining. Found some gems and metal ore. I’ve also been making wooden pipes to move water and some ropes."
Fenris's ears perked up. "Pipes, ropes, and gems, you say? Now that's interesting. Mind if we take a look?"
I led them up to my cave, and they browsed my wares and looked at my territory. They said a few things in their language before returning to speak to me.
“We haven’t seen you before. Most humans tend to stick with each other.”
"I like the quiet." I said, which was true enough.
We went back and forth on the prices of goods and what they would purchase but eventually we settled on selling the ores and gems I had for some proper tools. I received a large variety of vegetable seeds, an iron pickaxe, an iron axe, an iron shovel, a metal saw, a few more notebooks, a few common books, and a few mortars and pestles.
They were intrigued by my simple inventions. The twisting rope and cord, bricks and shingles, mulching and crushing pine needles into an antiseptic paste, and the wooden pipes to move water. I asked if they wanted to trade information since I can do this by myself and others may need it. They agreed and I told them how to make each thing and showed them how to do it.
"What would you like for your trade of information? Fenris said while the curious group looked at me.
“Honestly, I would like notes on your language. It will help me in the future.”
They glanced at each other and laughed as they settled in for the night. We talked and went over all kinds of phrases and words in one of the empty books. I speak what they all Common, and the Orcs speak Orcish. They speak what's called Beastish and the elves speak Elvish. As we talk I write down the words in both common and Beastish.
“Oh that word is like the word for house in Orcish.” I just blatantly said it without thought.
“Wait. You know Orcish?” The group stared at me for some time.
I explained how I was attacked by and defeated the great Orc warrior known as Kraggatha. I patched up her wounds that I inflicted and learned some Orcish from her before she left. As I told the story they seemed less interested, well interested may not be it. They seemed like they didn’t really care cause they didn’t really believe it. After a moment of silence Fenris looked at me, really looked at me.
“Kraggatha Ironhand. Kin of Morgatha Ironfist and Frogath Ironclaw. A name known to most races as a fearsome and powerful warrior. Kragatha, defeated by a human. Interesting.” Fenris seemed rather humored by this but didn’t seem to push it.
He gave me a look like he understood that I wasn’t lying but maybe that I changed the facts. But oh well, if that is what he believed then so be it.
We kept going over the words until everyone settled in for the night. I did my routine in my cave and the next morning I also worked out in my cave. I started my day as the group said their farewells before setting off to trade with others. I wished them well and told them they were welcome back anytime.
It has been a wild ride, ever since I got here, I’ve been doing the best I can living the life I can, just surviving by myself. But it has been extremely fulfilling.
4: Blooming Relationships
I awoke with new goals and tasks. Today I would actually till the lands and plant the seeds. I began to mark the area and dig it up with my new shovel. It became so much easier than I expected, I almost cried tears of joy. I dug up the entire area and began to mix crushed pine needles and some rich dirt from the streams into the large pile of dirt. I began to spread the dirt around the area and used stones to create different zones for the various seeds I now have. I planted four zones of crops. Tomatoes, Potatoes, Cucumbers, and Corn. All of which I know how to use and prepare. Grandpa taught me all about corn. From the husks to make things with or to wrap things in. The cobs which can be boiled into stock or shredded and crushed into animal feed or used in the ground as nutrients in the soil. So many things are coming I can’t wait.
After I finished all of my planting, I returned to the bathing area I have been working on. I already dug out the bottom and placed rows of much thicker brick tiles. I left them to fire for much longer and let them dry and cool for much longer. This allowed me to create a large pipe carrying water from the stream to the area but a cap prevents the water from coming out. I’ve thought about what I want to do with this area. My goal is a shower and eventually a tub of some sorts. For now this will be just a shower but a problem I’ve run into is that it's just cold water.
The phrase beggars can’t beg yet choose what they want while begging fits this situation since I want a shower but I want it to be hot. This has caused me to search far and wide around the great dumping area.
I am going to need some way to heat the stream water for the shower when I get to that point. To this effort I've built another kiln, although it has a second level to put a fire closer to the top, for future goals, right now I just use it to fire more bricks. My brick empire has spread and become a huge thing. I've begun to make a few more buildings, this time I’ve left holes for the doors and windows since I don’t want them to be all dark and dreary. I will need some glass for windows but right now I can use wood planks to keep windows shut and cool.
I traveled to the greatest of places in all the lands, in all my territory, the great almighty dump pile. No matter what I need, when I need it, or how I will get it, the almighty dump pile always makes sure I get what I need when I need it. Searching the pile I found something I didn't expect. As I'm rummaging through the small piles scattered around the area I began to venture down the forest slope in the hope I’ll find something of interest. It was buried under a massive pile of vines and dirt but the dark black caught my attention. It was large and heavy and as I began to rip the vines off of it and trying to move it I realized exactly what it was, well not exactly what it was but close enough. A boiler basin, a cauldron, a kettle, whatever this thing was it was large, made of metal like iron, and it boiled water. I examined it and couldn’t find a crack in it so it must be good. It did have a fist sized hole out the side near the top so I can use that to funnel water through it. I want this, I need this. But how do I get it? I’ll figure that out later, first I need to go back home. I found many nice and new items for future uses. I began taking back home and returning for more items. It took a few trips but I’ve pretty much cleaned all the piles out and taken anything that was useful or needed. Tomorrow I will make plans for all my new items, for now I'll just turn in for the night.
As I’ve gone about my routine and have been jotting down notes for all the new items I have acquired from the godsend that is the dump pile. I heard some more rustling in the woods. At this point I’m not even surprised anymore. Are they friendly or hostile? Have they come to take my land or trade their goods with me? At this point all I do is wait.
Emerging from the tree line is a friendly silhouette, one I personally know. A familiar face I’ve longed to see.
Kragga stood at the edge of my clearing, arms crossed, watching me with those intense amber eyes. Her axe on her back was the same, but she wore different armor this time. It was something lighter with smaller leather pieces that showed more of her green skin. Her face was scarred, marked with the damage inflicted during our fight.
“Welcome back Kragga.” I did my best, I’ve been practicing Orcish almost everyday for the hope of the future.
She smiled at me, that smile I saw a few times when I struggled to speak Orcish. “Kragga is back.”
Kragga looked around slowly, seeing the ropes around the trees, all the changes. “Berd is busy. Berd works hard.”
“Thanks Kragga. Glad Kragga Back. Berd speak Orcish to tree to use more.” I tried getting the words out but Orcish is difficult and I haven’t talked to anyone in a long time.
Kragga chuckled and clasped my shoulder. She nodded and looked at me smiling.
Kragga looked around at what I was making. “Kragga help Berd.”
I smiled at her, she's here to help. That's great. I am working on making a shower and I need some help. “Kragga strong. Kragga help carry Berd.” She laughed but went with me following me to the large metal dome.
We approached the large dome and I gestured for her to help. We lifted the heavy cauldron dome and slowly began to make our way back to camp. It took a good deal of strength to get the cauldron high into the sky with the hole facing outwards. Once we had it placed I opened the cap on the pipe above allowing water to begin to fill the large pot. While that was filling I got us some fish and sat with Kragga. It has been so long.
I stopped the water once the pot was a little over half way full for future use. I had Kragga use her strength to bend a metal sheet inwards wrapping around a tree log. Once it was formed around the log I had her roll the ends inwards a bit. The metal is flimsy enough that I can squeeze it hard enough to slide it in the hole and it will naturally open outwards locking it into the pot hole. This will be super important later but for now I had Kragga use the iron axe head to make small holes in a metal sheet. I drew a small picture of the round metal sheet and the small holes. She mimicked the hole placement poking holes all inside the metal.
While Kragga was busy poking the holes, I ran the thick corded rope from the brick storage to a nearby tree. I ran another cord from the other side of the brick storage to a post I dug into the ground. A third cord connected the post to the tree. A fourth cord was tied directly to the cords to connect right under where the water will come from. Kragga kept looking over wondering what I was doing but this is just as important. I had large pieces of pelts, linens, cloths, and other mismatched goods that I began to make small cuts into and using some rope tied them loosely to the cords. I was trying to make a shower curtain to keep the privacy of those who are bathing. I finished using all the material I had but I came up short. I was able to do both the forest side and home side and the side which faces the entrance. There is just a wide open section where the pot is but it's not too big. When I was done I lit the fire under the pot.
Once she was done I used all the strength I had, I squeezed the metal edge to fit it into the pot. This allowed the metal cylinder to jut downwards a bit after some finagling and be useful in a bit. Once the water was at a soft boil I opened the cap on the pipe above allowing semi cool water to flow into the pot. Kragga stood next to me looking at this entire contraption with amazement and awe. Then the real magic happened. The pot filled to the top where the hole was and then it came out the cone shaped shower head.
“Kragga hand. Berd hand.” I said in my best Orcish. I took her hand and mine and stuck it under the steamy water.
Kragga’s voice was filled with excitement. “Hot. Water hot. How water hot?” I actually understood everything she said. Woo go me!
I looked at her. Her amber eyes filled with life and joy. I smiled at her. “Kragga wash hot water.”
She looked at me for a bit then nodded. She immediately began stripping. I looked away as fast as I could as she stepped under the hot water. She scrubbed and scrubbed with a linen rag I gave her and she washed all the dried blood, sweat, dirt and grime off her body. She watched me as I placed a few logs inside the fire to keep it hot while she bathed.
“Berd come. Wash Kragga.” I looked at her, did I hear that right? She wants me to was her. I looked at her trying not to stare.
“Come come. Berd come wash Kragga.” She said in such a sweet way, or at least that's how it sounded to me.
She had the wash cloth and gestured for me to come so I did. I stripped down and stepped into the warm water. She stared at me for a long amount of time with a smile before she handed me the rag and turned around. I scrubbed her back and she scrubbed mine.
I just melted under the hot water. Nothing matter for I was in a state of bliss. I looked at Kragga, naked before me, I felt the hot water hitting my head, neck, and back, I closed my eyes breathing in steam mixed with the fresh air of the mountains. This was bliss and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
We stepped out of the shower and stood before the fire to dry ourselves. I was so excited to make the shower and just take a shower that I totally forgot to have cloth, linen, or towels ready to dry ourselves. After we air dried and got dressed in front of the warm fire we sat around the fire.
We talked for the entire day catching up. I jotted down notes constantly with new words and phrases Kragga was teaching me while gazing at me. As the sun set and the moon filled the sky, the fire was dying out. I didn’t know where we would sleep, it may be better to sleep in the cave together since now the cave has heat and a door.
We went to the cave and laid down on the bed I made from discarded fabrics, it was much softer than the ground but still uncomfortable. We continued to talk for some time before Kragga rolled to her side looking at me, not that I can really tell in the dark.
“Berd big happy now. Why?”
“Kragga back. Berd happy. Berd own Kragga. Kragga like tool Berd use. Kragga make Berd kin.” I tried telling her that I’m happy that she is back and she is welcome to stay. Kragga is my equal and that I was sorry. That's what I tried to say however her loud bellowing laugh and excitement at what I said seemed to make her happy so I must have gotten close to that right?
Kragga calmed down and was quiet for a minute. Kragga reached towards and held my face. “Berd make Kragga happy forever now.”
Forever now? What does she mean? “Kragga what you say?” My voice was rushed and panicked. I felt my chest get tight.
“Humans stay together and make kin no? Kragga stay with Berd. Kragga make kin with Berd.” Now that I hear her talk and say the phrases back to me, I realize the words I said to her earlier were definitely not what I expected.
Silence filled the air, I was nervous and anxious. Kragga was beautiful even though I kinda messed her pretty face up but she is still the same strong powerful woman.
Kragga reached for me and pulled me to her. We embraced in a passionate night and became something more.
The next few days were a complete blur. A blur of happy bliss I never thought I would feel. I appreciate and enjoy everything that has become of us and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Kragga began to do all the workouts and training I did every day and I did some of the exercises she did. We began to spend all of our time together, each day we worked in tandem knocking through all kinds of tasks while we spent the evening eating and showering together, and each night we spent intimate time together.
I guess she was inspired by workouts since she did something similar with her axe. She mainly did lunges with her axe high above her head and she just held it straight out in front of her for long periods of time which helped build her arm and wrist strength.
We followed our new routine of working out, eating, and working on our home. We spent the day doing work like gardening, brick making, brick laying or building pens for future animals. Kragga is so strong she can fell entire trees far easier than I can. I had her fell some of them on the outer edge of our territory line as we dragged them to our home for processing.
I showed her how I use wedged shaped stones and the iron axe to notch the wood and hammer in the wedges slowly. Then once I had all the stone wedges in I tried to look as cool as possible as I leapt high into the air bringing the axe down hard on the new center line. The massive log split in half falling on the ground. I can’t believe that it worked on the first try! Kragga just stared then after wedging the next log she tried my method of jumping and slamming and it just didn’t work out. She just did it normally with a few hits getting the same result. The little victories are the most important.
With our new split logs we began to use the saw together and some guides to cut the straightest planks we could from the long logs. Since the tools we're using aren’t exactly useful to what we are doing, we only got four thick somewhat straight planks from each half of the log. The end cap we just chopped for firewood. The entire time we worked we chatted in Orcish and I got better and better. She began to speak the small bits of Common as well and we built a complete system of going back and forth.
I got good enough and understood enough Orcish that I was able to not just talk but also understand the meaning behind words allowing for actual proper communications. As we spend our days working the farm plots and tending to making planks for future use, we chat about her time away.
“Kragga you were gone a long time. What did you do?” I asked while building the fire to burn the planks. The planks are large so I have to push it across the kiln top with the fire raging below to burn it evenly. I wish I had a blow torch, it would be so much faster.
“Well Berd. Wounded, I returned home.” She stared at me with piercing eyes.
“Again, I thought I was going to die. I’m sorry. You're still beautiful.”
“Thanks. So I returned home back to my clan. I met with the leaders, my father, and my den mother and explained what happened. I fought for my honor against other Orc warriors who challenged my words. Then I returned home to my parents. My father said nothing but my mother helped me care for my wounds since they were still fresh. I told them of you and how you healed me and what you used. I then left it with my parents when I left and began the return home.” Kragga explained as she easily lifted the logs onto the raging fire and pushed them at me.
“They weren't mad that their daughter returned from battle scared?” I asked as we changed sides to begin pushing them back through burning the other side.
“In our culture Orcs do battle all the time. Scars happen, which makes you stronger. My father didn’t have an opinion nor did he say anything. He once lost to my mother and they soon laid together and made kin. My mother was upset that I lost to a male who healed me then let me leave instead of laying with me and making kin.”
“Interesting. Is that also a part of Orc culture? Not just fighting but making kin?”
“Yes. We battle at young ages and train to be warriors. When one is an adult we fight other adults to become the strongest of the strong. Many people challenged Kragga and all lost. Well all except you Berd.”
“I fought for everything I had. I’m glad I did.”
“Good. Now you will bear kin with Kragga and Kragga kin will be strong. Kin will lead the people who follow you once you leave.”
“I don’t plan to leave Kragga. Well I won’t unless you come with me.”
“Berd, all things leave. They travel, they fight, they die. When that happens the strong must lead. That is the Orc way.”
“Oh, I understand. That is fine Kragga our kin can lead.”
“What has Berd done?”
“Besides making bricks and this storage, nothing really. I was visited by elven scouts who were looking at the area.” I guess they were worried that someone was living on the land.
“Elf people. They didn’t cause you harm or damage did they?”
“No, I just talked to them. I told them of my fight with you and that I had permission to live here from you.”
“Berd. I did not say that.”
“I know, I lied and I’m sorry for it. Good news the elves left me alone so that's something. They said they have agreements with the Orcs.”
“Oh yes the elves agreed to not come into our territory and we agreed to only kill them if they do. We still fight them outside.”
“Interesting. Violent but interesting."
“Anything else besides meeting elves?”
”I did meet some traveling beast people. We traded and I got some better tools.”
“Interesting. So that's how you got the shiny things.”
We finished the logs and piled them up near the storage. A good hard working day and a wonderful night allowed us to rest greatly.
The beast people returned a few weeks later, and that's when things got interesting.
Fenris and his group came up the path towards the cave early in the morning. They stopped mid conversation, dead in their tracks as they saw Kragga. Kragga walked from the cave to me and greeted me with a human greeting I told her about, a kiss. I was desperate and now I get kisses all the time so win win I guess.
"Uh Berd? What do we have here?" Fenris called out, his hand moving to his sword.
"Hey, Fenris! Yeah, everything's great. This is Kragga. I told you about her last time. She's, uh, well she's living here now."
The fox-man's ears twitched in confusion. "Living here? With you?"
"Yes." Kragga said calmly. "Is this a problem?"
"No! No problem." Fenris said quickly, though his tail was bushed out in alarm. "Just... unexpected."
“What. Berd and Kragga can’t lay together now?”
“Lay together? Oh I see. Ignore us, you may be how you are Kragga.” Fenris seemed to back down rather quickly. And the others seem to be very on edge and quieter than usual.
"So." I said, trying to break the tension. "Do you want to do some trading?"
We discussed what I had and what goods they wished to trade. When it came to what we wanted I looked at Kragga. This beautiful woman who I spend all my time with and we are greatly lacking necessities.
“If we could get some extra clothes and bedding that would be great. Eventually I would like some furniture.”
While Fenris and I talked and Kragga just went about her day making bricks since she doesn’t understand Common fully. Myrie the fox and Forn the rabbit kept glancing at both Kragga and I before they slowly began to piece the situation together.
“Oh you two are together, together.” “A couple.” They didn’t think and just blurted it out which stopped everything for a moment.
I looked at Kragga then turned to them. “Yes we are a couple and are together. We do sleep together frequently.”
Everyone kinda chuckled and the tension broke as we continued on with our negotiations. I shared more knowledge with them and traded the minerals we have been mining while the bricks dry. We got some more tools to use and more seeds to expand our vegetable garden. Seeing our future capabilities they said if they came across anyone who needed a fresh start they would send them our way. I agreed since more people will make this easier but the territory is small. We had tons of time talking, they even spent time talking to Kragga in Common. I had them spend the night and we fired up the shower for them to relax the same way we do.
We awoke the next morning to find many extra goods left in appreciation of our shower. Using our new tools we began to harvest, replant, and start true mining operations. Our routine continued for quite some time before a new experience occurred.
I was standing over the fire while Kragga sat on the box warming ourselves from the cold dark cave we mine in when I felt a familiar feeling, the hairs on my neck stood as if I was being watched.
“You can come out now. I know you are there.” I called out towards the entrance.
“I don’t see anyone.” Kragga said. But when she saw me slowly reach for my sword, she grabbed the axe which she left by the fire and readied herself to stand at a moment's notice.
Three figures emerged from the tree line, moving with that impossible grace that made them seem like they were floating. Elves just like before. They were tall, elegant, and had features so perfect they looked almost unreal. The two elves on the sides appeared last time, the one in the center radiated a courage and leadership that can be seen in those who follow her.
"Greetings. Human male and Orc female." the woman said. Her voice sounded like wind chimes fluttering in the wind. "I am Lyria. We have been observing you for some time."
“Observing us. Well that isn’t creepy at all.” I muttered at them and looked at the battle ready Kragga. “What do you all want?”
"We wished to understand your intentions. Scouts reported a single human living in these mountains alone with no supplies." Lyria explained. “Looking at your land there are many buildings and even another living here. Our council has tasked me to find out if you are hostile or pose a threat.”
"And do I?" I asked as I was ready for anything.
Lyria tilted her head. "You grow vegetables and mine your cave. You seem harmless enough. Though your companion is another matter."
Kragga stood slowly, axe at the ready as she began to tower over the fire. “Kragga.” She lowered her axe a bit.
The elves tensed immediately.
“Kraggatha the destroyer.” The second elf remarked as he immediately drew an arrow for his bow.
Not thinking I sternly told Lyria. “Control yourselves. Hostile Elves on my land is not a good idea.”
Lyria immediately raised her hands to her companions and they stood down. “Sorry for their hostilities. We have lost many in our long battles with the Orcs. Especially to Kragga herself.”
“If you are so weak you need to scout the area looking for single Orc’s to take out then that is your problem. Don’t raise your weapons to Kragga or I. I am more forgiving than she is.” I stepped in front of Kragga separating them.
“Berd fight. Kragga fight. Kragga protect Berd. Kragga protect tomorrow kin.” Her Common may have been simple but it proved a point.
“You two are bonded?” Lyria asked calmly.
“Bonded? Like as a couple?” I’ve never heard of it asked like that before.
“Yes, bonded. Like a couple as you humans call it. Human and Orc?”
“Yes we are bonded. Kragga is mine and I am hers. Why is that a problem?” My voice must have had some hostility in it because Kragga gripped her axe harder ready for battle.
"It is no problem. I don’t mean anything by it. It is just unexpected and unprecedented." Lyria said. She looked at us for a long moment, then slowly smiled. "But perhaps not unwelcome in any way. The world could use more bridges between peoples."
"We're not trying to make a bridge here. We like each other plain and simple. No other agendas needed here.”
"Sometimes the best bridges are built without intentions." Lyria said. She bowed slightly. "You have our blessing to remain here, Berd of the Mountain. And Kragga the Destroyer, the slayer of our people. May your union be fulfilling and strong." There was definitely some kind of hostility in her remarks but oh well, they promptly left.
After they left Kragga embraced me, her strength felt like it would crush me. “Kragga fights with Berd especially against the weak elves.”
“Thanks Kragga. The elves have no claim or power here. It is just you and me.”
5: Roaming Bones
The skeletons came on a night when the moon was dark. First it was the shambling and creaking of something unfamiliar. Then the noises grew louder. The rubbing of metals and wood against bone and each other woke us. We peered out of the cave into the moonlit night.
Skeletons. Actual, walking, animated skeletons. They are shambling and stumbling through the trees toward our clearing. Their bones gleamed white in the starlight, and their empty eye sockets burned with a sickly green glow. There were maybe a dozen of them, armed with rusted weapons and they began to approach us with a run.
We immediately left the cave dressing ourselves for battle when the first shambling skeleton armed with armor and weapons charged at us and slammed into our closed gate. Kragga bursted out of the cave slamming into the skeleton and grabbing her axe.
Kragga met the next skeleton head on by crushing it into a pile of bones as her axe broke them apart and a brightly green colored mist left the bones. They instantly fell apart when damaged, one approached me and my sword met theirs with the sounds of metal hitting metal. I thrusted my sword into their bones causing no damage as Kragga's axe smashed them apart.
“Don’t try to cut them. Just hit them with a rock or stick.” She yelled as she went between them, easily bashing them apart.
I grabbed a club like stick and slammed into one hard, it fell apart. Now I can fight, now I can protect Kragga. I went behind her, back to back and we crushed through the entire horde of these roaming skeletons.
After we cleared the entire area we lit our fires and I began to make some torches. Kragga began to gather all the equipment from these undead bone warriors and pile them up. We out fitted ourselves in thick leather with armor pieces over top.
“What is going on? What is happening?” I asked, panicking about everything that was happening.
"Something is wrong. The forest is sick again." she said quietly.
“Sick? Again? This has happened before more than once?"
“Shhhh, they may still be around. Here take this mace, it is stronger than that stick. Here is a shield, it's small but it will protect you from a small blade.” Kragga was handing me different equipment and dressing me in armor.
With our torches raised we started our journey in the darkness of the woods. It feels very different, wrong even.
“So what is going on?”
“There is a legend about those who long for life and will serve anyone so long as they get to walk the earth again. We Orcs make sure to bash the heads in of our dead before we burn them when they fall in battle. The forest is sick so we need to cleanse it. Dark magics infect innocent people and make them do bad things so they spread the infection.”
“So someone is doing this?”
“Someone or something is. But it is really easy to deal with.”
“What do you mean it's easy to deal with? There are skeletons everywhere!”
“Easy. Just bash the source of the infection in the head.” Kragga smirked. “Not hard at all.”
“Okay, it sounds great Kragga. But a quick problem. How do we find the source of the infection?”
“Simple Berd. Follow the endless skeletons. They have to be coming from somewhere!”
We began cutting our way through the skeletons. They have rusted equipment but a few of them are using tools as weapons. Me and Kragga started carrying all the found tools on our backs which has become crazy. Seeing Kragga charge an enemy with her axe in hand and tons of pick axes and wood axes dangling about makes me laugh so hard and I don’t even know why.
The air became thick and dry. The smell of death began to grow the deeper we ventured into the woods. The trees look like they are melting away from an invisible corrosive flame. There is some kind of shimmering mist-like substance lingering on the trees.
“What is this?” I go to touch it but Kragga slaps my hand away instantly. “Oww.”
“Some pain now will prevent your death later. Don’t touch that. It’s Black Mist.”
“What’s Black Mist?” I was curious and excited at the same time.
“Black Mist comes from the breath of the dead. It comes from the decomposing body as well. Some people use Death Magic and create Black Mist to help them spread their influence and power.”
“Scary stuff. I definitely won't touch or go near this Black Mist. I don’t want to become a skeleton.”
“Good because I don’t want to have to fight Skeleton Berd.” Kragga chuckled trying to lighten the mood.
We kept venturing deeper as the mist around the trees grew stronger, so did the skeletons we fought. They stopped shambling about and actually acted like people. They began to use their weapons with great skill and efficiency.
A hard fight ensued from a few heavily armored skeletons and a giant skeleton with a tree as a club. I haven’t run around this much since I was a kid. If this happened right when I came here I wouldn't have the survival skills or the stamina to even stay alive, let alone cut down even one of these things. I would have stayed in my cave and cried, I would have died in there. But now I have trained, gotten stronger, and I have Kragga with me. This gives me the hope to do anything and everything in this world, so long as I have her by my side I am unstoppable.
I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. Kragga came over to me and hit my back hard. I coughed extremely hard in intense pain. I was super mad but that stopped in a moment as I say thick black mist leave my mouth and I felt better. She handed me a thick cloth she found.
“Here keep this in front of you when you breathe. Try to breathe slowly and as steady as you can to prevent the buildup. Black Mist is fatal.”
“How do we stop this Black Mist?”
"We must find the source of it. Could be a magic caster, a catalyst of death magic, or something infected. If we are really lucky we will find all three together.
We made our way though a dense swampy area and made our way into an abandoned village.
“There that house. Go go go fast fast fast.” We silently made our way into the first house we came across to rest.
“Thank god, a place to rest and catch our breaths.” I gasped out the words.
“Don’t get too comfortable Berd, we need to get this place ready to survive what's to come.”
“Whats to come?”
“Dark magic not just corrupts the land but also changes the wildlife. We're close due to the eerie silence as everything around us is changing.”
“Like the center of a violent storm. It's calm before it gets worse.”
“Yes, exactly. A lot worse. For now let's get this human house secure.”
Everything was nice, exactly how it had been before everything went downhill. It was a standard 2 bedroom human house with a kitchen and dining area for smaller families. We easily barricaded the windows and secured the house. As the night grew longer and the sun wasn’t far from rising we made a plan.
“Now that everything was sealed up we are going to sneak out of this house and go into the woods. We need some firewood and some food to survive the day. Let’s forage around and grab any loose sticks or logs that aren't infected.” Kragga’s plan is good, we got right to it.
We got some food and got some loose wood as we made our way back into the house before the sun began to rise.
“Alright the sun is almost up. Berd you build the fire, make it small and slow burning if possible. I’m going to push the bed close enough to the fire and flip it so we can get through this.”
I began building a slow burning fire keeping the logs far apart so the fire will slowly spread from side to side in the fireplace. Kragga laid all the bedding down on the floor while she flipped the bed and tables forming a small wall trapping us in this small bright space.
“Why do we need to avoid the sun, Kragga?” I don’t understand. Like won't the dark death magic be weakened in the sun?
“The light from the sun causes the Black Mist to thin out, becoming less dense and mixing with the air and then it travels by wind. This makes it hard to even see.“
“Oh god. How do we even see it let alone make sure it won't affect us?”
“The only thing which can and will stop it is fire. So during the day we will stay here burning the wood which will protect us. At night we will leave to go on the hunt for the source.”
“Sounds like a plan. Here we might as well relax while we can.” I began to take off the heavy armor and thick leather pieces to just sit and relax in my normal clothes.
Kragga stripped down to her normal clothes and pulled me towards her. We laid for a while and just breathed, relaxed, and talked about what's to come.
Needing to kill many hours we ate, spent time exploring each other, and then slept for the rest of the afternoon. As the sun began to set we armored back up.
“It will be very dangerous. You should stay here, Berd. Protect the house while I’m out. Ill be back.” She sounded so confident but I am not weak anymore.
I grabbed her hand as she began to walk away. “Kragga, I am yours and you are mine. I am strong now that you are here. We will do this together from now until the end!”
“Well said, Berd. Well said. Let's go.” Kragga opened the door to a village full of skeletons roaming around and a large bug-like swarm of thick Black Mist slowly floating as if it had a mind of its own.
As we made our way bashing through the skeletons from common foot soldiers to armored knights, we grew closer to the source. A dark eerily lit dungeon entrance with braziers down the long walls glow green and purple with pulsating flames. A thick scent of death fills the narrow corridors as we make our way through these winding tunnels.
“What is this place Kragga? I’ve never seen this place before.”
“It is known by the humans as a Dungeon. It…”
“A Dungeon? A real Dungeon!” I cut her off with my excitement sky high. “Excited are you, Berd?” “Oh sorry Kragga.”
I cleared my throat. “Continue. A Dungeon.”
“Dungeons are places where monsters live and become strong. There are many traps and treasures, all of which we don’t need or use but apparently humans like yourself enjoy what they have. I don’t know why humans enjoy Dungeons so much, many of them die in them easily. I just can comprehend humans.”
“It is very simple. Dungeons are full of the unknown and treasures far beyond us. Humans tend to naturally be curious people and want to find, see, and understand the unknown.”
“Interesting. Do you want to find the unknown Berd?”
“I don’t need to find the unknown. I have Kragga. That is all I need.”
“Well said. Ready yourself Berd. We are at the main stairs. Down we go.”
We made our way down the spiral staircase which went level after level towards the bottom. The skeletons grew more numerous and powerful the deeper we went. We hit the last area before the boss door and rested. A powerful fight awaits.
6: Powerful Undead and Making a Village
The doors creaked constantly as we pushed the massive thick stone doors open. A large blast of stagnant pungent air filled the area in a single moment I thought I would pass out. The nearby sconces on the walls exploded in green and purple flames raging like they had gasoline dumped on them. Inside the large blood stained room were many bloody cages with a few people laying in them. The center of the room was a large demonic altar pulsating with blood and death magic runes which radiated powerful energy. Far behind the altar at the end of the room is a massive throne guarded by powerful armored skeletons and a skeleton in robes sitting on the throne.
The lich before us snapped his bone fingers and all of the torches and braziers in the room exploded lighting in green and purple flames. His boney mouth rattled before casting powerful telepathic magic to allow words to enter our minds.
“Greetings travelers. Welcome to my humble abode. I am Treshit Forestwalker, a dark elf of the Deepwood Enclave. Well former dark elf as I am just bones now.”
“I am the Orc known as Kraggatha Ironhand. Kin Of Morgatha Ironfist. Kin Of Frogath Ironclaw.”
“Kraggatha. Kraggatha. Where have I heard that name before? Never mind I can't remember it now, I'll remember it later. Who are you human?”
“I am the human known as Berd. I am bonded with Kragga. Nice to meet you I guess?”
“Kragga? Kragga? Kragga the Destroyer! You, Orc. I know of you personally! You slayed many of our elven brethren in the battles of old. Why are you here? Go back to your home with the Orcs!”
“Kragga will not go! Kragga is here because you attacked Kragga! You attacked first. You will pay.”
“I have done no such thing! I have not attacked the Orcs and I have not attacked you personally. You however have destroyed my servants and my home. I have done nothing to you yet you attack me. Why?”
“Your Black Mist has spread outside of this Dungeon. It has plagued the forest and area we live in. Your servants have attacked Kragga and Berd's home. You have struck first, lich.”
“A fight with you would not be advisable. What is it that you want Kraggath the Destroyer, Slayer of the Elven People and Human Berd?“
“Stop your Black Mist and stop your servants outside. Your invasion outside the Dungeon is not good. You stay here. You're safe here so stay here. You can kill anyone who comes in here, not out there.”
Kragga and the Lich stared at each other. The silence stretched and stretched and stretched. It felt like hours passed in this eerie dreadful silence. Surprisingly the Lich spoke first to break the silence.
“If I stop the mist and the servants will you leave Kraggatha?”
“We will leave right now if you do. Otherwise we can fight right here right now lich.”
“The damage from the mist can’t easily be restored in the majority of the areas around the Dungeon.”
“Why would I care about other regions around this Dungeon? Stay out of our home and our land. It is that simple.”
“Fine, leave this place. You have my word.” The lich was stern and serious. It looks like a battle would ensue.
“Break it and I’ll break you.” Kragga barked at the lich.
“UInderstood. Now leave this place at once.”
The Black Mist begins to be sucked into the Dungeon as we make our way out. We walk in silence as many skeletons and servants to the Lich watch us leave with no hostilities. Many skeletons which were out in front of the Dungeon either died where they stood and feel apart or went into the Dungeon itself.
Bright afternoon sun filled the area as we emerged from the Dungeon. Stepping out of the Dungeon being hit by all the fresh air was something I didn’t know I needed. Kragga looked at me and smiled hard tusks gleaming in the light as if she won an entire war.
Looking around us as voices filled the area surprised us both. On one side is Lyria with a small army of Elven people armed with the finest of Elven Armor and Steel. The other side was a small detachment of powerful Orc warriors led by someone who looked like the chieftain of the clan. Both parties met this new issue head on, each group standing by ready to enter war at a moment's notice.
Kragga without skipping a beat grabbed my fist and held it high. “The Lich will no longer leave the Dungeon!” She said it in Common without a single stumble.
Cheers exploded from all races and we left for our home. Each group left for their respective areas, or so we thought. As we returned to our home a strong female Orc woman riding a huge wolf walked up the path behind us and into the camp.
“Kraggatha. You are safe.”
“Yes mother. I am safe.”
They talked with the sternest faces I have ever seen. I would have expected them to be complete strangers and not family. Both turned to face me. The silence stretched as the Orc woman stared at me. I decided to speak, maybe my Orcish will earn some favor.
“Morgatha Ironfist. I am the Human known as Berd.”
“Berd. You speak Orcish. Not that well but you speak it.” She was not amused or impressed in the slightest.
“Yes I have learned from Kragga.” She looked at Kraggatha. Then turned to look at me.
“Are you two Bonded?” Her voice was cold and stern.
“Yes we are bonded.” I tried to sound hopeful but its like talking to a wall.
“And you gave her the wounds?”
“Yes?”
“Interesting for a Human.” She looks at Kraggatha. “Take care.” And she just turns and leaves riding her wolf as it steps with power as they leave.
“She seems nice?” I say trying to judge the situation and that interaction.
“She is stern. Most Orcs are. From a Human perspective she may be cruel but this is normal.”
“Interesting. Well I guess that is true from the different races. I bet Elves coddle and love their children extra.”
Kragga laughs. “They probably do. They probably live a comfortable life in groups protected from the elements and get to learn to read and write without the constant need to fight or survive.”
“That sounds like Humans in general.”
“Not like normal Humans. Berd is not a normal Human, Berd lives in the wild like Orcs.”
“Huh, I guess I do. I live in the wilds with Kragga.”
We had a good laugh before settling back into our routine.
Over the next few months we built many things. We have completed a few standard single, double, and triple family homes. A large storage building. We have a large dining hall, and a nice outhouse secluded from the elements. I really would like to build an overhang pavilion of some sorts to connect everything to allow for easy access during the rain.
We began the process of carefully digging out the stream which comes from the cliffside as we get ready for future plans. We dug a few distinctive sections into the stream. First we dug out a deep section right against the cliff where the water starts. This will act as a small basin to build extra pressure. The next section is wide and shallow which focuses into a semi-deep narrow section to push water much faster. The last section is a bit further down which acts as a few small pods which then leave our area further down the hillside deep into the forest towards the Elven lands.
I had Kragga go to the Orc land and instruct them to dig their own area which will flow downstream. She was gone for what seemed like a few weeks before returning. Her return was faster and she had a few helpers with her. They would come into camp and take the pipes I made and carefully carry them to Kragga. They didn’t speak much and stared at me watching what I did before leaving. The pile of pipes dwindled fast and I was doing everything I could to make more but I eventually ran out. When the Orcs came to pick them up I didn’t have any. I told them in Orcish I need more of the logs the same size, shape, and length. They just stared and left. Oh well, back to making bricks.
The next morning I awoke and found an entire pile of tree logs processed and ready for making pipes. I guess they do understand me. I kept firing off thick large paver stone bricks and building bricks. I laid the large paver stone bricks into the ground making walking paths once they were fired and cooled since they are just larger thicker shingles. The building bricks I stacked up once completed in my brick material pile. We can process and build pretty much anything but we lack man power to do so. Now that Kragga has been gone for so long, it is more apparent than ever that we need people, we need the manpower.
I saw Kragga far off in the distance. Her figure, her silhouette, I recognised her instantly even though her back was turned and she was working on laying and interlocking the pipes. Securing them with some fresh mud pushing them into each other overlapping them and also keeping the pipes secure and steady. Using whatever she had around, with the two Orc helpers they would flatten the area, dig a small notch into the ground for the pipe to set then cover it securing it with rocks and dirt. After they made it all the way to the stream and into the pocket where future water will flow We had a quick embrace before she left to go back to the Orc villiage.
I finished the last pipe and put it in place then when it was firmly secured I slowly opened the area removing the blocking stone and the water started flowing. I dropped 2 large paver stones into the water to quickly raise the water line allowing for the water to flow faster slowly taking each stone out as the water level was naturally high enough.
Kragga returned with no escorts a day later and told me that as she arrived at the Orc village she heard screams and cries. She found the largest stick she could and charged into the village. She soon discovered it was not under attack, just very appreciative. They feasted long into the night and the next morning they sent her out with a message and tons of dried hunted food. When she got back we embraced.
“Here these are dried meats. My mother gives a message.” I gulped hard. What could it be now? “Take care of our kin.”
I smiled at her. “Understood.”
“Here she also gives this red ash form the southern red trees.”
Confused, I look at her. “What is this for?”
“Hmm how to word this. Mother says to put it in the water if you need her and she will come. Each handful means more seriousness.” Kragga explained.
“Okay. That’s good to know. If we need her we will call her.”
We spent the day planning the next steps.
“There is one large issue I see coming up from our manipulation of the stream.”
“Manipulation? What does that mean?”
“Ah, uh manipulation means to use and change. Like how a merchant will manipulate someone to buy expensive items because they have more money.” I have her grab her axe and follow me, we need to find a specific size and shape for a large pipe. “We will talk as we go, we need to find a large tree for a large pipe for later.”
“Ah. I see. Well what is wrong with us changing the stream? It is in our territory so it is ours. Why would it be a problem?” Her curious question allowed me to understand that we think very differently.
“It may be ours because it is in our territory but we are not the only ones who use it. It trickles down our hill and goes far away towards the Elven lands. If we change it too much they might have an issue with us because we are at its source.” I explained.
“But why would that affect them? It's just a small stream.”
“Well, think of it like this. Let's say you lived where they did. There was a small stream of water that entered your land but then one day it became much bigger. So it destroyed some of your land but more water is a good thing so you might be a little mad now but it would be better later. Then one day all the water you use just stops because the land above you stopped the water for whatever reason. Military or accidental reasons can now cause you to lose all water. How would you feel in this situation?” She looked at me slowly explaining it with carefully chosen close but not perfect Orcish words. Although she was confused for a bit from the words I used she did get the bigger picture.
“I see. I understand. It can be used for bad purposes.”
“We can also supply water to them and tax them for it. If they fail to pay then we stop the water. A Water Tax if you would.”
“What is a tax? Is it something you eat?”
“No tax is a payment of sorts for goods or services. Normally when you purchase something in Human lands you use a currency of some kind. Out here we trade and barter goods for goods. The traveling merchants we trade with will buy their goods for cheap then trade us for our gems then sell those gems for a huge amount of currency.”
“Isn’t that a bad thing? Like if we sell them won’t it be better for us?”
“Well yes it would but we have no currency, no means to transport it, and no way to get into places to sell them. To us the gems are worthless, but to others they are very expensive. That is why the traders give me whatever I ask for, since they will always get a huge profit for them.”
“I get it. So the more things we need the more ore and gems we need to mine.” We find the large tree, it is long enough to do what we need and wide enough to not cause problems later on. We begin the process of chopping the large tree. My axe strikes do little compared to her hits. We begin the process of chopping down the tree.
“Exactly. The largest issue we have is the need for people and manpower as well as fixing the stream problem.”
“How do we fix the stream? What's wrong with it?”
“Right now the stream flows down the hill over the main road. This will cause more problems later and it can stop the traders from getting to us. So we are going to use this giant tree as a pipe to go under the road allowing it to flow naturally without causing damage.” The tree is down and we begin to carry it back. It is about three times the size of our pipes and will be used with a second tree for some sturdy construction.
“Are we going to make the pipe the same way or will we do something different?” We plop the trees down near the firepit.
“First we will treat the large one like we always do. You can start that process. For this smaller one make some dense clay and hang the covered log high above the kiln. The hot air will dry it out and we will rotate it every day a quarter of the way.” We started using the top of the kiln where the heat comes from to dry bricks much faster than just leaving them outside on the ground.
“I’ll leave it to you Kragga.” She gestured at me to come over to her and made her face, that attention seeking face she began making more and more lately. I kissed her before heading to the road where the stream runs rampant in a small trickle.
I went down the hill side and began shoveling the dirt on top of the road. I began digging a small area out the bottom and then using my sword I began to thrust at the hillside in an upwards diagonal manner cutting the grass. The steep part of the hill is easy to manipulate as I slowly dig into the hillside and pull the dirt out slowly. I need to keep the hillside completely intact without the road collapsing later on. Carts and horses won’t break it but if and when cars are introduced the ground may fall through. Gotta plan for a thousand years from now right?
Kragga walks over to me having finished her tasks. “Im done over here. What now?”
“I want to put up a wall or well and a fence along the side of this hill. Can you make some of those paver stones? Once they are formed just cut them down the middle so you get 2 long pieces then poke a hole in them using a thin log with a whittled end.”
“Okay! How many do you think?”
“I stood looking at the ground and measuring my foot steps as I added a small amount of extra space and walked the edge. Thirty Steps. Kragga, go ahead and make thirty large square paver stones and cut them all down the middle. ” Kragga heads back to camp, she works really fast so letting her handle that task lets me handle this one.
We work all through the day and relax at night, showering together and spending time together, it has been a long time. I've missed this.
It took us tree strait days of working before we finished the main tasks. She fired the clay wrapped log and when it was completely cool we removed it from the kiln and carefully carried it over to the giant hole I dug. It slotted in easily as we packed excess dirt all around it, dumping water around it and pushing more and more dirt into the edges, really keeping it in there. The clay acts to protect the pipe and give strength to the main road. We then carried over the pipe and secured it with some dirt and mud into the clay cylinder in the ground. Once the pipe was fully secured into the log and connected to the edge of the stream we laid the inside with some extra paving stones to allow the water to flow into the pipe and not the entire clay cylinder. Finally we opened the water allowing it to flow from the lower pond into the lower section and the water began its path flowing under the main road and into the shallow area I dug connecting it to the old path. This allows for nearby animals crossing the main road to still get water, now it is completed.
Our next big plan would come much later since it will be tough with just the two of us. We are going to expand the small layered ponds we have into a proper sized pond allowing for us to fish less wild teeth filled aquatic beasts. For our current plan we started our harvesting, enhancing the size of the plots, and replanting all the plots. After a few days of this our storage is stocked with food and now we are eating well, mostly roasted vegetables and dried food but we are making progress.
We finished the fence by stacking each half of the cooled brick on top of each other and whittleing down sticks to fit in the stacked holes. After they were around chest high we wrapped them with cords wrapping around sticks and tying them every few sticks. This keeps the fence small but allows it to be more of a visual guide.
7: New Residents
A carriage traveled by our lands and immediately stopped. Out stepped a small group of people who were just staring at our fence and bricks. They were about to get back in their carriage before the young male adult looked over the ledge and yelled. They got out and ran into our territory to look at the road. They are examining the large clay cylinder with a wooden pipe flowing water through it.
Kragga and I stood by our campfire atop the large area with a good view of the area now that we began to cut down the trees blocking our view. Smaller trees keep trespassers from seeing us first, but we just watched to see what they would do. They examined our wooden pipes which carry water from one pond to another and began to walk through our territory. Kragga stood axe high at the ready as we listened to their voices slowly get closer.
“Meke-sama we shouldn’t be here.” The maid girl said.
“But I have to know. Who made all of this? Where are they from?” The young noble man said.
“Meke-sama.”
“It’s fine, let's go. A place like this and there is no one to be found.”
“Master there seems to be a brick path leading up from here.” The dark skinned butler said.
“A brick path? Let’s follow it! Follow the yellow brick road.”
“Meke-sama, these are brown not yellow.”
The red head dressed in robes threw her hands up stopping them in an instant. “We got an angry Orc in front of us.” They stopped their light hearted chatting and immediately looked up seeing us watching them.
“Kraggatha.” I began speaking in loud Orcish. “Stand down. Let’s see what they want.” Kragga lowered her axe and placed it down and continued to make bricks.
I approached the travelers and spoke in Common so they would be able to understand me. “Welcome travelers. To what do we owe this unexpected visit?”
“Our master, the great Meke-sama, wishes to view these lands.” Instead of saying anything I just stared at them. Let them dig their own grave and talk away.
The young noble spoke. “I am curious as to how you have made all of this.”
“You take clay and mix it with ash and water and let it dry. You then..” Kragga spoke to answer their questions in Common before she was rudely cut off by the butler. “No one asked you Orc.”
I don’t know exactly why that set me off and made me so angry but it did. I moved faster than they or even I expected sliding down the hill stopping just before the butler. ”Control your people, little noble. Disrespect my wife again and I will definitely kill this one on the spot. That little magic caster will fall before you take a breath.” I don’t know if it was my eyes or the anger in the calmness in my voice but the bluff was believed.
“Sorry. Guys let’s leave. Sorry for the hostilities, we do not mean any disrespect. Once this village is prosperous, let's trade some knowledge.”
“The Elves in the south, the Undead in the east, and the Orcs to the west are more respectful than you travelers. Why would I waste my time doing that?” I sneered.
They raised their brows ready to fight as they were told to stand down and they walked away. I wanted to test a theory and called out to the young noble. “What do you call triangle shaped rice?”
The young lord stopped instantly, eyes wide, as he slowly turned around to look at me. His party looked confused before he yelled back. “Onigiri?” His eyes widened with realization.
I called back. “Next time you visit make sure to bring soy sauce and sake!”
They got in their carriage and continued on their journey disappearing into the treeline. We went back to doing what we normally do when we got a visit from Fenris and his traveling party.
“Fenris. Welcome.” Kragga called to them as they made their way up the path. Behind them were many people of different races. Humans, Elves, Orcs, and even some Lizardmen.
They stopped and began to set up their wares. Fenris approached us. “I have returned. I have new goods to trade and I have brought many people who need homes.”
“I don’t want to trade people for goods, I’m not that kind of Human.” Fenris looked at me and just bursted out laughing. “Well said, Berd. Well said. These people are here for a fresh start and a new life. We told them about this place and gathered who we could.”
“Thanks. That is very helpful.” I looked at the people before us and spoke loud and clear. “I am a Human known as Berd. This is my wife, my bonded partner, an Orc known as Kragga. All are welcome to live here with us but let me be clear. All races are welcome, and we treat all races fairly. If you wish to live here you may, we don’t have much but everything you see was made by us. If you wish to live elsewhere then so be it. We are on good terms with the Elves in the south, the Undead in the east, and the Orcs to the west. Here is a simple place, but a place full of fun and hardwork.”
People cheered and people cried. Many people lost their homes or families so this is a fresh start for them.
“Well said Berd! May you lead these people well.”
“Me? I can’t.”
“You must. You make the plans, you lead the group. Even Kraggatha the Destroyer yields to you.” I look towards Kragga for support.
“You will do fine, Berd. I am here with you as well!” Her hopeful voice filled the air around me lingering in my soul. If Kragga thinks I can then I will do it.
“Fine. I'll do it. But I’m going to need supplies and furniture to get it done.” I told Fenris sternly.
“We brought everything you will need. At no extra cost!” Fenris smiled and responded to my declaration.
What more could this world bring? What more could happen? These questions flashed in my mind quickly but looking at Kragga, my mind was clear. We would become a home to many, a small village which could support our new lives.
Although there seemed to be looming tensions between the various people Fenris brought to us, we welcomed them with a lavish feast.
“Welcome to our small home. Kragga and I are glad you joined us in this feast of welcoming. Please enjoy yourselves and mingle with one another. After a night of merriment we will get to constructing your permanent homes.”
We made our rounds chatting with people and welcoming them personally with Fenris and his crew breaking the ice for us on some individual chats. We met with Fenris and the representatives of each of the 4 new races that are joining us.
The Humans are led by an older man called Mayor Hiraku. Although his background is that of everyone else in the village, recent attacks have forced his people to flee. They exchange many glances towards the Lizardmen and Orcs.
The Elves are led by a soft footed agile ranger of the deep woods Trah’Mar who lost their homes to conflicts involving demons and those who take their woodlines. Although I believed they would live more simplistic and nomadic lifestyles, they made sure to correct me at every comment I made.
The Orcs are led by Gorenga or Gore for short. He and his people are larger, more brown in color, who have decorative bones that adorn their bodies. They use power and skill to fight each other for supremacy and to lead the clan. They lost their previous village to a large force of humans and fled to the mountains.
The Lizardmen have no names and just follow others around. They will bask in the warm sun and thrive in shallow waters. They are very good with their hands and will become essential workers and assistants to both Kragga and I. As no one speaks the language of Lizardmen, we gesture and they seem to somewhat follow conversations.
The next day we had a large conference held between the group leaders and us. I called it the Fenris Conference to really stick it to that guy. We began the conference after we all had breakfast.
“Let us formally establish this conference with Fenris here to watch over us.” I said.
“Thanks for inviting me. You did not have to.” Fenris said.
“No worries, it is only right. Since you yourself brought all the new people here I figured it is only fair you are part of the leadership of this soon to be village.” I sneered, his companions fought their laughter.
Fenris glared at me and Kragga but we ignored it and continued on.
Kragga stood and addressed the large group of people and their leaders in her simple common. “Welcome to our home. As you see, we do everything here ourselves. We expect you to act friends with each other.” She looked at all the people and then said sternly. “Follow rules or leave. You want to fight then I will fight.”
“Well said Kragga, well said.” I turned to face the others before us. “The rules are simple, everyone works, everyone eats. The children, the old, and the sick can do small jobs. Everyone else can help us build and grow the village. Does anyone have any questions? If so, speak them now in common for all to hear.”
“Do we have to live together with the other races here?” Mayor Hiraku asked for his people who have long been preyed on.
“What is that supposed to even mean? ” Tram declared.
“I don’t want to live under weak Humans." Gore responded.
Kragga stared at Gore intensely “You can fight me first. I was beat by Berd. Know your place Orc.”
“Kragga the Destroyer. Beat by 1 human. Weak.”
“Come. My axe knows no rust.” Kragga jeered.
“Everyone please. Look I understand the Humans have destroyed your lands and homes. That is done by large empires of people with soldiers. The Humans don’t care about this little village of people. They trample over them every time they war with your people.” Berd tried reasoning and calming the growing tensions. “I do understand your position as mayor and leader of your village, but you all will have to live with the Orcs and Elves. No one is saying you all must live together, or even like each other. But, you will all have to live and work together.”
“Or you can get out and not return.” Kragga barked at the restless faces of those who do not know the struggles of building something with your own hands.
“Kragga. It is okay. It’s a choice they must make. Feel free to stay a few days and see if this is the life you want to build. Kragga and I will keep doing what we always do.”
“But Berd. This will waste us time and us materials.” Kragga protested the best she could.
“Kragga it is fine. We do what we always do. We will plan out and begin building the new houses. Come let us begin while they sit and watch.”
8: Choices
Kragga felled some trees for me while I processed them with our standard methods using the knowledge we cultivated along our journey. While I did that Kragga continued to make bricks. While the clay dried before firing she moved onto construction tasks and we split the work well. That night I did my workout and spent time with Kragga before we got the news in the morning. The next day Fenris told us he and his company were going to leave to continue their trade route, although it was saddening it was an enjoyable celebration which had to end sometime. I gave him a list of goods to procure while we would gather what ore and gems we could in the meantime. We said farewells as Fenris and his party ventured out of the woods leaving this village behind and once they returned they will be shocked by what they see.
The first house began to take shape as we finished the frame and walls with planks. The new tools easily completed the job. Man, I wish I had hammers and nails earlier, this is a godsend to us. I do realize and understand nails are pretty expensive so we do most of the securing with ropes and a special bonding mixture using our clay. Fenris left us this powder and instructions on how to use it and it’s the best thing ever. We’ve been using the nails to mainly add pressure while they bond together.
As the houses slowly came up and began to take shape many of the people began to join us and help us with our many plans. The humans found us hard working and determined as we accomplished each task day after day. The Lizardmen always helped us but this has caused the Orcs to begin assisting us with the heavy lifting and gathering of materials. They have been mining the stones from the cliffside near the stream collecting and turning them into powder to enhance our clay strength. The elves were the last to join us but after some discussions we had them do some hunting and use their illusion magic to assist us in clever ways. We made a massive stone walled area and covered them with clay and bushels of pine needles for their scent. The elves casted an illusion based magic on the walls causing them to appear as dense endless woods to those caught inside. Only following a small clay pebble trail allows some to get out. The entrance to this place is on the main pathway causing many visitors to take this path and get lost before our people can assist them to the village. Although it hasn’t happened yet this is the plan and trap we have set. The elves then caught many large Horned Rabbits for us to domesticate and hunt in our lands.
We have discovered some interesting facts about these Horned Rabbits. First, they have a thick strong steel like horn which comes in various shapes allowing for the use of sharp points to spears and tools. Second, they have both sharp claws and fangs which allows them to easily tear apart smaller animals. Third, they breed quickly and reach adulthood quickly due to their omnivore diet and their ability to eat anything and everything. They seem to even forage for berries and would occasionally eat pine cones. Knowing this we made a new food for the rabbits. We created a thick sludge gloop which we hardened in the sun as square shaped blocks before we placed them around the rabbits territory. They are made of ground pine needles, processed fruit husks, and ground pinecones. We began to take the bones and leftovers from the fish or other hunted game and ground it up to put in the mixture to allow for more vitamins and minerals. Although the others didn’t understand and questioned me every step of the way, Kragga always did what I asked without question. A few weeks later the results were normal for us and very surprising for the others with us. The rabbit population exploded and they grew slow and fat. The slow influx of calcium increased their bone size and this causes them to enlarge into even larger creatures. They went from the size of wolves to the size of bears over many iterations. They will hunt and eat each other if we do not provide them with enough of the food bricks. While their size and aggression was higher, their yield was greater and the meat was more tender. Their fur made great clothes once processed and by the time Fenris and co returned they found an entire village fully sustainable with more clothes and tools than they expected.
I don’t remember exactly when everyone came to join us fully but it did happen. First they mocked mine and Kragga morning and nightly work out routines but eventually many began to join us. The orcs and humans especially engaged with us and realized the gains they were making day after day. The horde of people grew as we began to incorporate more sparring into our exercising. It was then Gore and the other orcs realized our strength as me and Kragga spared everyday at full force trading blows and hits using a variety of weapons to train our skills and abilities. Some days she would win. Some days I would win. Some days we would even tie landing powerful blows simultaneously. The important part is we always fought with a high level of power and aggression, never holding back but always relaxed and were friendly with each other afterwards. When we fought we were not lovers or friends, we were warriors and this has allowed us to grow even closer surprisingly.
Soon we were visited by l the nearby groups. Kragga’s orcs came to visit us as well as the Elves from the deep woods who were both presently surprised by our inclusion of more people. They began to send us people who no longer fit their own lifestyle to live with us. Everything began to fall into a unison of moving gears allowing us to grow quickly and efficiently. The more trees we felled and cleared the better everything became. While I had Fenris leave to find me some wheat seeds we began to cultivate a large field reading it for the upcoming spring as winter was looming far off the horizon.
We have new plans to prepare ourselves for the upcoming winter season. I met with all the heads of the village. I had previously briefed Kragga on the complete plan as I used the sparing paper to draw intricate plans for the new layout.
“Thank you for gathering here today. I know everyone’s schedule is busy at the moment but this will be our plan going forward to prepare for winter.” I said realizing the expressions on most faces changes sour with the forgotten doom looming. Winters generally mean rationing, starvation, and other issues which crush smaller villages.
“How much food do we need to ration for the winter?” Mayor Hiraku asked the group and he got curious looks.
“Why you need to ration food? Just hunt.” Gore declared proudly.
“Why hunt when you could just dry meat for winter and bake.” Tram nonchalantly said.
“What is bake?” Gore asked.
“Bake or baking is to cook dough inside an oven. This can make hard brick-like rations to save on other food.” Mayor Hiraku said quietly to Gore.
“You eat bricks. Elves are odd.” Gore declared proudly.
“God no you stupid orc. We don’t eat bricks. Bake foods. Tram stammered.
“Why eat bricks. Hunt meat. Hunt easy. Gore teach you to hunt Tram. Gore stated friendly yet aggressively.
This back and forth was funny to Kragga and she ended up laughing at the group for a moment before collecting herself.
When Kragga speaks all people seem to stop and heed her voice. This makes it easy for her to speak to the others.
“Mayor, your people will not starve. The Orc way is to hunt game. During the winter we hunt rabbits and deer so food is always high. Tram your methods of baking will not happen yet. We have no oven. But we will have an oven soon. When that happens we will eat bread and other baked food. Gore the elves can hunt fine. Remember they got us the rabbits. Now these are the new plans going forward. Each group will have a main responsibility while the Lizardmen will support as needed. ” Kragga explained and the others listened intently.
“Berd go ahead and continue elsewhere, I’ll explain the plan. Kragga called over to me.
I left to begin mixing clay with some of the other villagers while they discussed the plans.
Kragga gestured to many people to come in close as she pulled open 2 large pieces of fabrics. The first had a detailed drawing of the current area. The second had a list and drawing of new things to be done.
“For the orcs, you all will fell all the trees in this area and move the logs over here for processing. Roughly dig up and chop up the stumps out of the ground and burn them down to ash. Once done you will till all the soil mixing the ash into the ground with all the pine needles in the area. Any questions?” Kragga asked after she explained the plan to the orcs and got only grunts and war noises.
“For the elves, you all will begin to construct the ovens you are all so proud of. We are going to need a large communal oven which can fire up to 30 loaves of bread at one time. Any questions?” Kragga asked.
“How long do we have? What materials are we using? Where do you want us to put it? I have many questions.” Tram questioned and stated.
“Those details are left up to you since you want and need to bake. Figure the details out then come and get either Berd or I to assist you. ” Kragga stared at him intently then answered him which caused him to squirm a bit at the thought of needing help.
For you humans, you all will begin to ready fertilizer and seeds when we get them. We are going to store them and ready the soil over winter. Berd says to cover the ground with large cloths and skins then after the snow ends and melts we remove the covers then sow seeds. At that time you will direct everyone on planting wheat. In the meantime you can assist Berd and I in constructing the mill for the grain.” Kragga was explaining before the Mayor responded excitedly.
“A mill! I can’t believe it. A mil, really, here? Where are we going to store the oxen?” Mayor Hiraku asked.
“Yes here.” Kragga answered.
“Mills are very large. Where are we going to put it? I know the wind plays a part but we get little to no wind here.” The Mayor cautioned Kragga.
“We are not using a wind or oxen based mill. We are going to use a water mill.”
“A water mill? How does that work? Won’t the grain get washed away?” The Mayor questioned.
“The mill is normal but it is hooked up to a gear which spins as the water flows through it. This allows us to use it at all times. The pipes can carry water and spin many wheels allowing us to do many different things. Get everything ready for me and Berd and we will show you some crazy things” Kragga explained to a shocked and perplexed village Mayor who could barely believe they had running water through pipes which takes it to the vegetables growing in the village, let alone the ability to build a mill which doesn’t need animals or wind to function.
Everyone begins their tasks as we prepare for the winter. Trees were felled and stumps partially dug out as piles of pine needles began to be laid traveling from trunk to trunk in a weaving pattern connecting each pile under the trunk to the rest. Once the entire area was ready the orcs dug a shallow ditch and laid simple bricks and large stones to act as a natural barrier. It was then that the last large bricks were completed and placed into the oven completing the large communal brick oven and the smaller elven ovens for their special foods. I finished the mill earlier than expected and the large stone is still being chiseled by Kragga. Just the spinning motion is enough to excite the humans while the elves and orcs don’t seem to care much. However this is a large technological step forward as new things can loom on the horizon. Once the orcs were ready we gathered for a celebration as we all watched the blaze ripple across the pine needles and slowly connect each truck in a dance of flames. We drank and made merry all night watching the ashes smoulder. The next day we finished the large grinding wheel by stopping the water then releasing the flow to test its ability to roll the crushing stone. Finishing the oven, watermill, and farm lands the last few days as the frost began was tilling the soil then covering it with large furs.
As winter looms toward us we spend time in our new homes and caves burning the gathered wood and enjoying the time of our friends and families. I created small wooden and stone games I enjoyed in my previous life. This allowed everyone to enjoy the peaceful winter while we baked and roasted meats delivering them to caves and homes. It was a blissful time I wouldn’t trade for anything.
By the end of the winter we began to plan what our main focus of the spring. It was then we realized something important from our morning sparring. Kragga has slowed down and is easily winded. Her aggression is higher and she has become more sluggish with dark eyes.
“Kragga what’s going on?” I asked as she is barely moving while resting.
“I don’t know Berd. I feel different. Slow. Like a wounded animal.” Kragga responds in a faint voice.
“Rest Kragga. I am going to send some red ash.” I walked over to the declarative bag and pulled a large handful of it. I carried over to the stream where the orc land water pipes begin and add the ash. I had Kragga rest until word came. The next day wolf riders led by Kragga’s mother approached the village from the cliffside forest line in a hurry.
She glanced at the changed village in an instant before her bellowing voice called out. “Berd. Where is Kraggatha?”
I gestured to the cave frozen in fear. She dismounted her wolf and growled, causing the others to be alert with weapons drawn. The villagers not knowing what’s happening have mostly hidden as a few grabbed weapons in response.
“Berd. What are we doing?” Tram called out as their bow was drawn ready for a tough battle.
“I’m ready to fight. The North Orcs are strong.” Gore responded with his axe ready gathering a few warriors planning on fighting just 1 rider.
Tensions are high and thicken every moment. Kragga’s mother leaves the cave and growls at the riders as they put away their weapons, easing the tension. Her voice boomed across the village.
“Berd. You were right to call me. Kragga is with kin.”
“Kin?” My voice cracked as it felt like I haven’t said a single word in years.
“Yes. You and Kraggatha will be with kin by fall. When fall comes I will arrive again. Hold out until then. Orc women are aggressive and need food.” She then mounts her large wolf and they ride off.
“Wait. You and Kragga are having a baby!” The Mayor's voice cut through the silence filling the area as the humans erupted in cheers.
“It must be hard. But power through it Berd.” Tram's voice had a small bit of confidence which boosted my spirits.
“I fight Kragga when you need Berd.” Gore declared.
Spring begins and every project is rolling full steam ahead. Our food and water supplies are solid, now we just need to finish the remaining larger tasks. We open the large farmlands ready for seeds to sow.
It took a bit for Kragga’s new routine to form. Our sparring was much more intense and Gore fought her a few times but after being hurt seriously a few times he now cowers and leaves it all to me. This aggression has carried over into our night time life as this new passion is something which I never knew the joys of but each battle is a struggle of who is on top in every situation. Kragga will pummel hard making sure you keep your blocking power high. My arms were swollen and bruised but day after day they grew stronger and more resistant to every slam of her body and fists.
The elven scouts reported we are going to be visited by an interesting bunch. I thought it was going to be Fenris and co but instead we have random faces approaching the village and Kragga and I hid in the brush to observe.
A party of adventurers have begun to climb up the trail from the main road following the stream. 2 of them are elves wearing robes and cloaks using staves. 1 is a dwarve with leather armor and a bow. 1 is a huge brute in heavy armor. The last person is a human with a large sword on their back.
“Who are they?” Kragga asked.
“They look like adventurers. Looks like a full party. I wonder if they are on a quest.” I replied.
“Full party? Quest?” Kragga asked.
I began to explain not realizing many gathered listening curiously at first but intently as i explained what these people are.
“They have a full party, meaning a heavy tank warrior with a shield and weapon to stop and lock down an enemy. A warrior who uses a large weapon to deal damage and cut down smaller targets. A ranger skilled with a bow who can snipe and kill at long range. They pick off smaller enemies and can disable who the tank locks down with a few well placed arrows to the legs. They generally have 2 magic casters. 1 is focused into combat magic to hit targets at range. 1 generally acts as a healer and enhancer of the party using spells to buff their members making them stronger. That is a full party. While many can fill 1 or 2 of those roles by themselves, if you can focus on 1 role it is much stronger.”
I turned to look at Kragga and saw everyone just staring at me.
“What?” I asked the entire group.
“You are very knowledgeable about adventurers. You must have been one long ago.” Tram called over the crowd of impressed comments.
“Nah, I was never an adventurer. I just know a lot about them. I lived here even before Kragga.” I shouted over the crowd.
We all quieted down and watched intently as the group wandered into the trap. From above we can see into the illusion. They encountered the first large horned rabbit which towered over them with each hop shaking the ground when they aggressively hopped about. The party entered into their battle formation as the first large rabbit approached to consume them. It charged the party as the large tank dashed in front screaming and bashing the rabbit with its large shield breaking the horn and enraging not just the rabbit but us as well since they are great tools. The healer had buffed the tank right at the impact as the other mage and ranger swiftly hit the rabbit from the sides. The warrior charged and swung his large sword but the rabbit jumped back before studying them and reading itself for the next engagement. They readied themselves as the rabbit charged them repeating the same plan however as the shield was swung forward the rabbit darted around hitting and headbutting the tank knocking him to the side. It then spun and kicked the warrior, launching him back into the dirt as it charged the ranger and slammed its body onto the ranger dying to an arrow held by the ranger. The party collected themselves and pulled the rabbit off the semi-dead ranger and the healer began to heal their party, bringing them back to around 30% of their starting power. They were then surrounded by a few rabbits ready for revenge. The rabbits charged the fleeing party who feared the worst.
“Move.” Kragga bellowed as her axe slammed down, cutting a rabbit's head clean off.
“Follow the magic path I laid. It leads to the village.” Tram said as he fired arrows in quick succession blinding the rabbits as Kragga cut their heads off.
Kragga grabbed both by a foot each and drug them behind Tram who was using all his strength to carry one out of the trap and into the village. The adventurers were stunned at the existence of the village. It had humans, elves, orcs, and even some beastfolk as Fenris and co were there. The adventurers stayed the night and recovered before they were escorted through the trap then down the road where they came from. After they left I held a meeting with the chiefs.
“Do you think they will be back?” Kragga asked the group as her eyes continued to linger down the path.
“We fight when they come back!” Gore bellowed in happiness.
“Gore, why do you always go straight to fighting? We need to talk to them before we fight them.” The Mayor explained to the simple minded orcs. Even Kragga was leaning towards combat if they returned but quickly changed her mind when she saw me glance at her, changing her expression to more stern and less excited.
“I do worry if they return.” Tram said which caused the rest to stop talking and stare.
“Yeah. It is definitely a worry. They are adventurers, they get paid to report what they find.” I replied to Tram causing the group to think.
“Why would that be a problem?” Kragga asked.
“Let me keep it really simple. Kragga. How would you feel if you see a few humans looking at the orc village and when you see them they leave by carriage.” I asked.
“Humans are evil people who will tell other humans and we will be attacked. Many wars between humans and orcs happen because we are attacked first.” Kragga said.
“Now think about it like this. A group of people get a job to investigate a place. They then discover a village of many races they war with gathered in a single area. What would you do if you were them?”
Kragga thought for a moment as the silence stretched onwards. No one wanted to think or talk, maybe it was because their idea was bad or maybe it had to do with not wanting to do anything.
“We fight them!” Gore bellowed, breaking the tension.
“Exactly. That is the worry. Will they attack us? Will they ignore us? Will they leave us alone? Many questions come to mind but a decision must be reached.”
“What is it you want to do, Berd?” Kragga asked.
“We can either go on the defensive and plan for them to eventually come back. At that time we can talk it out or defend our lands. Or we can go on the offensive and attack the nearby adventurers guild and try to stop a city. What do you all think we should do?” I asked the group.
It was silent for a moment before Gore commented.
“Wait and Defend.”
“I didn’t expect that from you Gore.” Kragga jeered.
“I fight. We attack then it over. We defend then we always attack.” Gore smirked.
“How does everyone feel about defending and talking through it if they do come back?”
“The humans will follow Berd.” The Mayor commented.
“The elves will follow the group.” Tram said.
“The orcs fight anytime.” Gore yelled and laughed.
I look at Kragga. “Kragga. What do you want to do?”
“We will defend. We will try to talk to them but if that is not an option then we go to war.” Kragga said.
Kragga looked at some unsure faces before she war chanted, setting the orcs and Gore off into a rhythmic chant for a bit. “Forgor Orgor!“
“Forgor Orgor! Forgor Orgor! Forgor Orgor!” Gore and the orcs chanted.
After a small morale boosting war chant she raised her hand stopping the war chant. We all took our newfound morale boost and began to plan. Fenris would bring us weapons and armor and we sent word to both the elves and orcs about the situation. As I sent Kragga off I told her I will get extra help, her puzzled look lasted a moment before she nodded and then we all parted ways leaving the village to fend for themselves for a bit.
9: Looming Disaster
I arrived after some travel to the ruined village seeing new life. I waved and greeted many new people who wished to converse with me about the changes here. I swiftly answered their questions and then headed down into the dungeon. Surprisingly the dungeon was clean, too clean. There was no dirt or grime anywhere, the dungeon itself smelled of fresh grass and soft earth. This was a clean place yet I see no people here and those up above in the village refuse to come here.
What is happening here?
I begin to think to myself for a moment before I see a skeleton wearing an apron in the distance gesturing for me to follow.
What the hell is going on here?
I just sighed, I don’t even know how to feel about this. Surprised? Confused? I really don’t understand what is going on here. If this is how I die, I swear to god. The apron wearing skeleton approached me and seemed to smile yet all I see is their jaw opening slowly then closing quickly in succession. Ugh. I began to follow this Skeleton in an Apron who is trying to communicate.
I am led into the familiar chamber where we once met with the Lich of this place. Sitting on the same throne, is the Lich I was once terrified of. Remembering how scared I was in the midnight air then coming into this place where the air was stagnant and full of death is still something I awake from nightmares of. Now I realize I am truly alone here in the place which scared me almost to death. Seeing Kragga standing before it was a very soothing thing which I now realize was something I really needed now more than ever yet I have come here alone. I began to run through the various scenarios in my mind of running or fighting before I saw the Apron wearing Skeleton standing next to the Lich.
“What is this?” My mind was blank and barren as all the scary thoughts immediately vanished as the situation is something born from silly impractical problems.
“This is Gerold.” The Lich replied.
“Gerold?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Gerold the Apron wearing Skeleton.”
“No, it’s just Gerold. Gerold the Skeleton.”
“Stupid.” I responded blatantly. The Lich did not seem to like that reply.
“What are you even here for Berd?” The Lich bellowed in anger.
“To inform you of something important. But now seeing this farce, I am just bewildered and ready to leave.” I am so done with this. I just turned and began to walk away. If I die then so be it.
“Wait!” The Lich called after me, stumbling off the throne.
I turned to the Lich. “Why? To think I was terrified and thought to inform you of the impending doom. Even if I sounded like a senile hermit on the streets I figured making you aware of what is to come would have me repay the favor of sparring me and Kragga from before. Now all of this is happening. Like what even is this, a dungeon home or something? I will leave here and let you deal with whatever this is by yourself!”
“Wait, Berd. Just Wait. Tell me what is going on.” The Lich pleaded with me.
“Some adventurers made their way into our village recently and fell into an illusion based trap. We were able to help them out but I fear they will be reporting the large Horned Rabbits we have been breeding for food as a threat.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
I stared blankly into the Lich’s eyes. “The humans will begin to march on our lands. They will destroy the land and take what they want from anyone who stands in their way. I have gathered both the Elves of the Forest and the Orc Hordes of the north and east lands to aid us in a defensive line.” I began to sweat as it is a lie but a lie that is somewhat true in the sense of a village.
“If you have gathered a large force yourself, then Berd why are you here?”
I stared at the Lich for a moment allowing the silence and information to stir. “I come to you now, Lich of the Dungeon who hides their face down in the deepest of the earth doing little. For you live in my lands and I require you to pay a tribute to my defensive cause.” I replied with no cares in the world.
“I have nothing to offer you Berd.” The Lich responded coldly.
“You must have something you can give me as aid.” I declared.
“What is it you seek? Treasures. Wealth. Honor. Glory. I have none and own none of it.” The Lich cheekily said sternly.
“Power.” I said.
“Power? Just power?” Curious, the Lich amused my request.
“Yes. I want power.” I said.
“Why do you want power, Berd? To become strong and powerful?” The Lich asked.
I pushed my chest out far and stood proud. “I want the power to protect my lands and those who live under it. If I need to bear the responsibility of the lord of these lands then I need to be strong enough to protect it.”
“Very well then Berd. You do not seem to lust for power like the others who wander my dungeon. I will give you the power you seek. It is a power so strong it will make you far stronger and more powerful than ever before.”
“I do not want instant power Lich. I wish to grow and develop my own power, I will not just use your power as my own. It defeats the entire purpose of becoming strong.”
“Interesting. Very interesting. Fine then, so be it. What would you give me in exchange for a power you can make your own?”
“What is it that you would want from me?”
“Your soul.”
“Fine. But after I live my fullest life and accomplish everything I desire then I will give you my body and my soul.”
“Very well. Let it be so. By my powers I will grant you the ability to control magic and the elements around you. As the power will be tied into myself we will fight to see how much of the power you can claim if you survive.”
I swallowed hard. “If I survive?”
The Lich approached me and grabbed my arm. Power began to enter my body first burning me from the inside before slowly turning into a cold chill which ran down my shoulder to my arm. I winced in pain as the Lich let go showing runes etched onto my arm.
“Hold your arm or hand out and image either using an inner power to manipulate the elements around you or you can image creating and using elements.” The Lich’s voice echoed in my mind as I raised my hand and began to create a small ball of rotating flames which as I increased the heat the power of the flame grew brighter turning from a red and yellow ball into a blue flame. Amused, the Lich stared at me as a wicked smile began to form on his face not reaching his eyes.
“Now Berd, we will fight. If you can defeat me then you will gain this power permanently. If you can’t then I will take your body and soul right here and now.” The Lich demanded.
“Come at me!” I called back.
The Lich dashed back giving me some space as it began to build spells and begin launching them at me rapidly. It took everything I had to increase my speed and evade the spells as the shield I created was able to block a single spell but was destroyed in the process. As the spells homed in on me the creation of my shield increased and began to match the Lich. The Lich began to incorporate more attack spells launching elemental infused dense bolts while also shooting knives towards me.
I parried the knives while shielding against the bolts and learned the harsh reality of physical weapons slipping past my shield slicing me up easily. I boosted my natural healing and began to harden my skin but doing too much at one time made me drop the strength of the shield. Instead I focused everything into the shield and used my Kragga trained skills to parry the blades when they are flung at me.
The Lich used magic to grab them mid air and throw them back at me giving me much needed parrying practice. I began to focus on building powerful dense versions of spells I think would be effective but it didn’t seem to do much. As I kept blasting the Lich with blue flaming bolts and bolts of intense light, it began to dawn on me that the Lich was merely playing with me and enjoying the hunt.
The Lich became more aggressive as I began to mix sharp earthen spikes into my attacks, as the earth pierced the Lich’s shield and injured him, his fury grew even more. It was then I thought of a solution, I would have to really focus on building my powerful attack but that would require me to not have to shield. I am going to have to trust everything in my tenacity and skills. I can’t win this fight using normal methods. I’m going to have to do something insane to win, I’m going to have to do something possibly unknown to this world. When I was building the earthen spells I created a small amount of metal in the earth which hardened it allowing it to pierce the Lich. I can do something far greater but it is risky and a gamble.
“You are a tough opponent, Lich.” I yelled. “I think it is time for us to stop this simple game of warming up and actually get serious.”
The Lich looked at me puzzled and confused but there seemed to be an unknown amusement in his eyes.
“Warm up? Game? You think this is a simple game, Berd? I will kill you here and now and take both your body and your soul! Your soul is mine!” The Lich screamed.
“What. Are you scared of my special Lich killing magic?” I gently asked the Lich who seemed to flinch in anger.
“Use your best spell, Berd I won’t even move from this spot. Here hit me right in the chest. You can’t wound me, let alone even scratch me.”
“We will see. Don’t complain as you die.”
The Lich laughs as he watches me intently build the large spell before me. I began to create a massive ball of fire which began to rotate rapidly. Inside the fireball I took a large mass of earth and slowly compressed it into a sharp hardened molten spike. The Lich smiled and commented on my unique use of the magic but he can see the earth spike in the fire and would still block the attack with his hand taking a scratch or two.
I finished my magic spell and the Lich gestured to me to hit him with it. So I shot it at the Lich. The Lich raised his hand outwards projecting a massive shield. The spell made contact, the fire slammed into the shield being stopped as the earthen core slammed into his hand ripping through it and most of the arm before shattering into large fragments which were engulfed in blue flames. The Lich screamed as he shielded himself from the flames and the shards of molten earth pierced into his leg, arm, and stomach. After a moment the Lich began to claim his victory before the shards exploded with light based power and burned the inside of the lich with a small white flame. In an instant the smile of the Lich faded as my eyes felt heavy and I hit the floor exhausted.
I suddenly woke up in an intense pain with many injuries, my right arm was burned and gashed deeply as I saw large rat creatures darting around the area. I use my magic to heal myself slowly closing the wounds and reducing the burns but the scars will be visible. I began to fight my way through the large rats and other monsters which began to flood into the chamber. After I cut down many of the creatures the howling and sounds grew stronger. I locked myself into the Lich’s room behind the throne to see an altar. I grabbed the ceremonial war axe and drank the various colored bottles of liquid which shimmered with power. I felt myself grow stronger, the power began to rapidly flow through my body being created even faster than before. I felt rejuvenated and invigorated, I was ready to fight my way out of this dungeon or die trying.
The monsters flooded into the room bashing through the locked door. I easily boosted myself making me faster and far stronger, I dashed and evaded the various creatures as single clean strikes with the axe separated heads from the necks. It was then I realized that the Lich was the dungeon’s boss and main figure, once he was killed they all came after me. During my fighting I saw my reflection in the pooling waters of the sunken dungeon which has been slowly drowning in the waters above.
I had snow white hair and scars across my arms and body, I had these runes going down my arms which glowed in a mystic blue when I used magic. This new look was super cool and using magic feels great but if it was all worth it has left me thinking in between the waves of enemies I fight. I miss my wife, I miss my home, I miss my routine, I miss it all and this is not the place I belong. I hope I can get home quickly as this place is crawling with giant rats and monsters and it seems to be never ending. Every moment of the day is moving a few feet through the ever changing dungeon mapping the paths, camping in an end cap while feasting on charred rats, and sleeping a few hours before moving again. The wounds may heal with this magical power I have, but the scars of battle and the longing desire to return home remains. I need to get home, I don’t even know how long it has been.
Exhausted, I looted the dungeon and the monsters which spewed forth growing restless as the Lich which once acted as the core of the dungeon had died and the dungeon itself began to collapse. The monsters were violent and aggressive and stood in my path at every turn, slowly they became tougher and larger with the humanoid ones using equipment and armor. I began to fight through them taking many injuries but the practice of using my magic was worthwhile. Once I got through the labyrinth which became the final stretch the light of the doorway gave me a newfound hope.
I emerged into the light as the entire dungeon collapsed behind me. I camped out with the villagers and took stock of my new equipment. I was able to score in the dungeon. I have a new cloak, pouches, leather armor, leather bags, a dagger which glows when enemies are nearby, a sword encrusted with gemstones, a large assortment of gems and jewels, and the best piece of all is a medallion and super shiny rock which glows when I use my magic. After camping out for the night I enjoyed the fresh air and the starry sky. In the morning I began the long walk back home with every step filling me with joy to see my wife Kragga and the people who I left behind.
When I returned I discovered some interesting changes. The first thing I saw was a powerful wall. Far up the pathway. The main path had the trap so I followed the stone walkway carefully to not enter into the trap which disorients all who enter. Once I passed the trap I walked into the large wall and into the open gate. The village seemed larger with many new faces I didn’t recognize. Those who saw me froze in an instant, I seemed to be a thug or a vagabond to those unfamiliar. I was greeted by new people I’ve never seen while I headed towards a familiar voice I heard in the distance.
Gore with a large orc child. While Gore looked the same if not a bit battle worn, the child had small tusks and other orc features but their skin is the color of humans and not orcs. Interesting. As I approached the gasps of some of the villagers caught Gore's attention and while I expected him to raise his weapon at my new presence he instead smiled large and patted the Orc child on the back.
Gore looked me up and down before nodding. “Berd returns!” Gore loudly called. Some of the people nearby stopped and looked.
“I have returned.” I responded as the crowd gathered. I looked at the Orc child who stood proud in front of Gore. “What are you called, child?” I asked the half human half orc child.
“I am called Tok by mother.”
“Hello Tok. I am Berd. Your common is good.”
“Thanks. The Mayor teaches the kids of all races.”
I looked towards the Mayor in the distance as he was sitting with the smaller children. He saw me and gave a single nod up and I responded with a nod up. It was then I saw Kragga emerge from the cave. Larger, tougher, more ferocious. I smiled at her for a moment before I saw her approach rapidly. She stared me down which led to a thick tangible tension to build as the talking died down to mere whispers and the crowd gathered at the sight of an angry Kragga.
“Berd returned. Berd fight.” Her voice was loud and boisterous as she declared with intense emotion.
She looked at my gear and the large ceremonial axe on my back before tossing me a training sword. We always used them before during our routines and skirmishes. Before I could speak Kragga dashed at me with her large training axe and swung violently.
Her hits were not like before, they were full force and it took my using magic to enhance myself to withstand her heavy hits. Each hit that slammed against my sword released a loud thundering crack and the area shook as the air violently popped. She was strong and fast, but so was I. I met her swift attacks with parries and a few swings of my own. I jumped and slammed down using the strongest force I had causing her to defend, dropping her to a knee and slightly cracking and cratering the ground beneath her feet. The fight seemed to drag on forever, each one of us exchanging blow after blow where a single non perfect parry knocked me far to the side while my enhanced dash kept me putting pressure on her. This seemed to drag on forever until I knocked her back with a heavy kick to the chest knocking the air out of her and sending her to the ground.
“Let’s end this.” Kragga bellowed and pounded her chest as the crowd began to cheer and go wild.
As she readied herself and charged I stepped forward and threw my weapon at Kragga. She parried it to the side and continued the charge blindly. My body began to radiate an aura of power as the runes along my arm began to glow. I used my magic to stop the weapon mid flight and then to come flying down towards Kragga from behind her. I used my magic at the same time to super boost my steps allowing me to dash rapidly forward closing the distance. Surprised, Kragga swung and I slid out of the way, catching my sword and grabbing her from behind the weapon at her throat.
The fight was called with me as the winner as Kragga excitedly turned around and embraced me. Her strong arms wrapped around me as we hugged and the feelings rushed through me. Her eyes, her scent, her kiss, I’ve missed this so much.
“Berd is back. Berd is much stronger.” Kragga exclaimed to the entire crowd.
“Thanks Kragga. I don’t know how much time had passed when I was gone. Things seem very different around here.”
“The child grew big and the groups united against the humans in the west. That’s about all the changes with us. What happened to you?” Kragga more or less demanded.
“I met with the Lich when I left. We talked for a bit and I explained what happened. It was then that the Lich said he would support us if I defeated him in battle. So I did. It was a long hard fight but I did it. Since then I can use magic. I fought through the dungeon and looted all this new equipment. Now I have these runes which glow when I use my new magic powers and apparently that has caused my hair to turn white.” I explained to Kragga but the entire crowd heard.
“They look really powerful. Now you are not just Berd. You are now Berd the Rune Wearer.” Kragga declared.
“Rune Wearer. I like the sound of that.” I replied with a smile.
“Berd. Come to the war room. We have much to catch you up on. Kragga said.
We talked about the upcoming war as elvish scouts have seen the humans amassing armored troops. We began to formulate a plan long into the night. I embraced Kragga once more and after a long cuddle time I sat by the fire with Tok. It was quiet for a long time, the fire gleamed and the wood cracked. Some people were living their lives in the background but it all seemed to fade away as it was just Tok and I.
I looked at Tok for a moment taking in the fact this is my child and I am a father. Tok looked at me for a moment holding my gaze before looking away.
I collected myself and took a breath. “I don’t really know what to do or say Tok.” I said to the Fire.
“That’s okay.” Tok said, staring into the Fire.
“I’m sorry Tok, I don’t know any Orc customs. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here or how to interact with you. Do we talk, do we fight, do we sit in silence? What do Orc children do here and now?” I asked Tok and the Fire.
“I don’t know any Orc customs either.” Tok laughed to me and the Fire. “Mother said to be Orc and Human. I spend time with the Mayor and Gore so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do either.”
Silence sat for a bit before we both laughed.
“I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” I said looking deeply into the Fire. Kragga has told me it has been many months since your birth.
“Yeah. It is fine. Mother always said you were strong. When I asked around, many people also said you were strong for a human. I’m glad it's true.” Tok said to the Fire.
“So am I Tok, so am I.”
We sat by the fire for some time before I walked back to the cave and was surprised to see Kragga awake.
“You're still up Kragga.”
“Yes. I hoped time with Tok would be good.”
“It was. Tok is big.”
“Orcs grow fast. Tok is half so Tok still grows fast.”
“That is good. I’m glad to be back.”
Kragga stares a lot at my scarred body. At first she would just touch them and the runes but it seems to be more than just curiosity. Joking, I figured I would poke some fun at her.
“What Kragga, you like battle scars. You like what you see?” I jeered with a playful smile.
Kragga looked at me with a fiery passion in her eyes. “Yes I do, Berd, Yes I do.” We were aggressive throughout the night and the next morning came. As both Kragga and Tok were joined by Gore and many others for the morning routines, I stepped back into the vacant square and retook my place. We sparred and worked out and then we showered before heading to the war room. Everytime I raise my shirt or remove it, every time I bathe or move around the village chatting with people I can feel Kragga’s lustful eyes on me watching like I am her prey.
In the War room we took stock of the equipment, and a newer member of our village came to speak with us.
I introduced ourselves to the beast girl who stood before us as common pleasantries. “Hello there. I am Berd, this is Kragga. Who are you?”
“I am Famey.”
Kragga glances at me for a moment. “What can we do for you, Famey?”
“I found out recently I have the ability to communicate with animals. I was told that since I am living here I should inform those in charge.” Famey explained.
It took me a moment to process what that could mean as Kragga was asking Famey questions. I immediately broke from my silent thoughts towards Famey. “Wait, you can talk to animals!”
“Yes?” Famey said while Kragga chuckled. “Berd always does this.” Kragga said to the confused Famey.
“Famey come with me.” I looked towards the cave and saw Tok. “Tok grab Gore and some Orcs and come with us into the trap!” I yelled startling Tok and Gore who were nearby.
I took both Kragga and Famey into the trap to find some large horned rabbits with both Tok, Gore, and the Orcs.
“What are we doing here?” Tok asked as Gore looked confused.
“We are going to find a horned rabbit. Famey will negotiate with them for us.” I said.
A horned rabbit approached as Famey began to talk to it, calming it down, surprising all of us watching this unknown sight before us.
“What will we do then?” Kragga asked as the rabbit was allowing Famey to pet it. All listened quietly as I looked at the rabbit then at the group.
“We will ride them into battle as war mounts.” I said.
The silence seemed to stretch for eternity until the Orcs began to warchant.
Famey began to talk to the rabbits and more gathered. She talked for a long time with them explaining where the rabbits were and how they grew to the massive size. She told them about the invading humans and how they will lose everything. She then came to us way later in the night as we were in the war room preparing for the impending doom.
“Welcome back Famey. What's the word?” I asked.
“They request more food and a larger space with flowing clean water. They just want better treatment and less hunting. They only want to be hunted once a week for a single day so they can increase their numbers. Food is scarce for them so they will need more of it to increase their population.” Famey told us.
“So be it. Let them know we are going to do some work and would appreciate it if they didn’t attack us while we are working. Lets expand their territory to 3 times the size and we will run natural streams using the pipes into the northern part of the trap and we will dig out a small creek and a few watering holes. It can run off into the road heading towards the village where the dungeon used to be.” I replied.
Everyone split into teams and began to change the land for the Horned Rabbits into a paradise allowing them to breed quickly and expand their numbers. It was slow going at first but once the harvests were good and we were making animal feed with the help of Fenris, it all slowly came together.
10: Retribution
It happened on a hot summer morning. The sounds of marching boots thundered across the lands. The first to know of the impending doom was the Elven scouts posted far past the woodlines deep in enemy territory. It was then the scouts began to move into Orc and Elven territories to spread word. The Elves sent their army to meet with the Orcs as the Orcs began to sound the Horns of War. The first horn sounded in the Orc Warcamp, the second was from the Orc lands, the third was from the peaks of the cliffside.
“Gore man the horn.” I called as the Horns blew one after another.
The fourth was from our village to carry the horn into the surrounding areas.
The horns of battle sounded and echoed across the land as more horns began to sound alerting the land of approaching enemies. Our village like many others began to scatter into action as everyone went into either civilian or warrior roles. Slowly panic set in as people flailed about in a frenzy which began to take on dangerous actions as people were shoved about. I took to the middle of the village and began to loudly clear my throat.
“Warriors grab your gear. Civilians get inside and lock down the village. Mayor, make sure to keep everyone tucked away. Famey release the rest of the Horned Rabbits if we lose the village and get the rest out.” I said my voice was shaken but loud.
“Okay, I understand Berd.” Famey said, voice shaken and weak.
“Will do, Berd. We will hold down the village and get the people out if it comes down to that.” The mayor responded.
“Good. Kragga, ready our equipment and mounts. Gore, ready the troops. We march to the frontlines in a few hours.”
Everyone raced around gathering equipment and arming themselves as we mounted up on our large Horned Rabbits and began the slow trod towards the frontline staying in formation as the sounds of battle were slowly coming into earshot. We arrived at the meeting location and waited for the signal to charge the flank.
I raised my fist ordering the troops to stop. “Everyone hold.”
“What now, Berd?” Kragga asked from her armored rabbit beside me.
“We wait until the twin horns ring. Then we smash into the enemy line.” I said. “Gore, check the troops. Make sure they are ready to go anytime.”
“Will do!” Gore went down the line checking equipment before returning swiftly. “Good to go.”
“And now we wait.”
The sounds of battle fill the area. Steel on steel, the ching of heavy weapons hitting plate armor, screams and shouts. The Orcs held the main lines while they chanted as they fought. The Elves stuck to their hit and run tactics, sending wave after wave of arrows into the Human lines diving into the trees to avoid incoming fire. Slowly but surely the defensive line or Orcs shrunk and they fled into the woodline. With the Elves deep into the woods they began to pick off the invading Humans one after another but the Humans were tenacious. They kept coming as a sheer mass of never stopping power as their front lines were made of heavy armor and for each that fell in battle a new one would take the rank with less equipment or armor each time. While the Orcs and Elves would use the weapons of their fallen comrades, the Humans seem to not touch or loot the dead even if it would have helped them. After their deaths, the Orcs took their weapons and armor and became an even tougher fighting force of power.
As the main Human force began to penetrate deep into the woods with their main line being supplemented by adventurers and supply groups the Warchief sounded the twin horns.
“Ready weapons.” I said my voice stern. I looked at both Kragga and Gore, then at Tok. I turned with my ceremonial axe raised. “Charge!”
My voice broke the silence causing everyone to lurch forward into a mad dash. We bursted from the wood lines from the south and headed north. The first group began to flee as we approached but we swiftly brought them down before slamming into the next group taking them by surprise. The rabbits pierced the enemies while our weapons cleaved them in half as we passed by as an abnormal but highly effective calvary-like unit.
A larger detachment with various tents and guards saw us coming and called for reinforcements. As the adventurers from before joined in I raised my axe high and chanted Forgor Orgor! The others joined the war chant as we approached the enemies before us. I took the lead as a large spell charged up and shot towards our group.
“Single File!” I yelled behind me as the group began to use me as a shield.
I raised my shield high and used my magic to use it as a spell shield blocking the incoming blast from the adventurers. As we charged forward, every meter we covered the more desperate they became, they fired off a wide variety of poorly built spells as I blocked them all.
“All Silent! All Scatter!” I called out as I created a dense ball of sand and ash.
I shot a ball of dense smoke forward blasting them with some smoke for cover, they immediately used wind magic to clear the area. We vanished before their eyes, by time they realized that they should look up. We were already coming down on top of them. The heavy tank and warrior blocked our charge. The rest of the rabbits pierced through the guards and random magic casters in the area.
Kragga leapt off her rabbit slamming her axe into the defender's shield. She was immediately targeted by spells to which I shielded her with my magic as I rolled off my rabbit dodging the warriors swing then I slammed into the warrior stopping his raising strike. Gore and Tok took on the mages and ranger while they darted around and evaded attacks, not realizing I was not just boosting them but also stopping spells. It took a lot of focus boosting them while evading and parrying the warrior before me, Tok got a lucky hit and gashed the healer which stopped the enemies boosts and buffs giving us the advantage. Kragga and I were fighting relatively close back to back letting the enemies get the upper hand on us as we used our training to our advantage. We rushed towards each other swinging and dodging each other while our weapons landed hits on the enemies before us. I used powerful wind magic to blast the defender back as I stopped the warriors swing leveraging myself and my axe into the ground blocking and pinning the warriors raising strike as Kragga raised her axe high then leapt bringing the axe down slamming into the warriors knee armor shattering the metal and crushing the bone.
His scream brought back my senses and I realized there were many people around me wailing in agony as our weapons pierced and cleaved through them. The sounds of crunching bones as rabbits ate the corpses left a sight I wished I never saw or even heard.
Tok was able to strike down the healer as Gore finished both the magic caster and ranger of the group. I turned to look towards Kragga but she was currently standing with her Orcs holding down and ripping the arms off the heavily armored defender. I just looked away. We began to hear more screams as we took out the rest of the Humans along the rear as many of them began to flee the woods from the combined might of both the Orcs and Elves. As they rushed and fled we met them head on taking many of them out. Once their army pulled out and retreated to their camp I ordered the troops to gather with a few Elves and Orcs who were in chase.
“You there Orcs follow the humans and fight them however you can. Later in the night cover yourselves in dirt and brush and lay in the fields in front of the main camp in the dead of night. I will blast a blue flame into the sky when it's time for you to emerge and take them out. You Elves track their movement and find a weakness in their camp. My squad will be going to sleep and will hit them in the dead of night.” I looked to Gore and Kragga who both nodded as we headed into the woods passing the plan to the war leaders and making a quick camp by the water. We ate quickly and washed up fast before removing our armor and falling asleep. I didn’t expect to sleep so easily but the strain of battle took a far greater toll on me than I expected.
As the moon was rising to its peak we quietly armored up and readied ourselves for battle. We silently made our way towards the enemy camp with a few guards on alert. I whispered to the Elves who accompanied us.
“Silently kill the guards who are on alert so we can swiftly enter the camp. I’ll fire a signal of flame into the air which will become bright, once that happens torch the tents and flee quickly into the night. We are going to hit them and flee so take out the stragglers.”
The Elves nodded in agreement and took their positions.
We readied ourselves and the Elves began taking out the roaming guards. By the time the enemy began to question where everyone was we rushed into the camp easily cutting down the warriors in our path. We took a few of them out as they awoke but we were quickly overrun. I shot a blast of fire into the sky and we began to rush out of the enemies main camp as torches flew past us and into the enemies tents and around their camp. They charged at us in a mad dash as Elven rangers picked them off at range and we began to make quick turns and hit them from the sides.
“Corner small groups and take them out! Don’t get separated!” My voice echoed into the area as we began to make large circles passing through the enemies killing those we can reach entering and exiting combat in a swift movement. The Elves fled into the deep darkness hiding in the brush as the Humans began to corner us with sheer numbers. We became surrounded being outnumbered 10 to 1.
“We're outnumbered. Everyone, gather around us going back to back. Close the center.” I yelled as the Humans began to cheer and smile at their victory.
Except I fired a blue flame into the sky. Orcs emerged from the brush covered in mud screaming and chanting as they tore the Humans apart from behind and around. Seeing them burst from the ground, weapons swinging as they charged forward. It was, well it is a terrifying sight to behold. The Humans began to flee at a rapid rate and this allowed us to bask in our victory. We met with the war council and made merry celebrating our victory against the Humans forcing them out of our lands. We wrapped our wounds, we sang, we drank, we made merry and finally we returned home to a safe village and an allied nation of smaller territories against the Humans of the north.
Our routine returned, our life returned, our family was wounded but stronger than ever. And me, well now I spend my days traveling as an envoy between our lands building powerful nations using technologies stored in my mind. While many still think us primitive in nature, this flintlock powdered rifle allows us to fight our enemies at a range they can’t understand or comprehend.