An Orc's Journey - by Uglutz

[Balandar]

2004-03-26 18:28:23

Darkness crept over the mountain hills of Gre’goth pass. The impending storm blocked all attempts by the sun to shed light over the blighted land. Thunder boomed in the distance, foreshadowing the downpour of rain to come. Uglutz pulled his man-skin cloak tighter in a vain attempt to keep the cold wind out of his bones. Tired and hungry, he picked a spot to set up camp beneath a large glade of everwood trees.

Hours later, a small campfire provided warmth as Uglutz ate the few rabbits he could find raw. The glade of everwood provided little shelter from the rain, as the fall season had already claimed most of the covering foliage the trees could provide. The flames of the campfire danced about, as if attempting to dodge the impending assault of rain. It would not be long before the flames would lose its battle with the wind and rain, and dwindle away.

Sitting down below one of the great everwood trees, Uglutz propped his staff across his lap, and closed his eyes for some much needed rest. Thunder continued to boom overhead relentlessly, magnified by the glade of trees in an almost endless echo.

Evening past into the pitch blackness of night. The small campfire had lost its battle against the rain, leaving only a few dimly lit embers of its memory. The thunderstorm had passed taking most of the rain with it. Only a small sprinkling of rain continued.

The sound of metal armor clanking against itself and boots trampling through mud began to pierce the still of the glade, though the night masked their approach. Seeing the dim embers of the fire, the convoy changed direction towards where Uglutz slumbered.

The two heavily armed knights stood directly in front of the slumbering orc with swords drawn, examining him with great scrutiny. It would be an easy kill for the experienced warriors, and orc ears gave at least two crowns in any village.

“Wake up horde slime!” stammered one of the knights as he pointed his sword in the orc’s direction. Without so much as stirring, the orc continued to snore mildly beneath the tree.

“Here now orc! Awaken so you might see the means of your dispatch!” sneered the other knight, growing impatient. Uglutz opened one eye to examine the two men and ceased his snoring.

“Gu way. Leeb me be. Me sleep,” replied Uglutz. Without so much as another word, the grizzled looking orc closed his eye, and returned to his snoring slumber.

The two knights looked at one another, with something between a laugh and a curious expression on their faces. The orc must have been mad! No matter, they would dispatch him in his sleep if need be.

Taking a step closer to the orc, the two knights raised their swords. This time, both of the orc’s eyes shot open. In only a second, both knights were frozen in place as vines from the earth grappled around their feet, prohibiting their advancement to the orc.

“Lat nub leeb me be. Wuy lat hab tu wayk me?” growled the orc as he continued to sit beneath the tree. Rising to his feet, the orc lifted his staff to the sky, the black crystal adorning the staff’s top appeared to generate some sort of light.

Franticly trying to cut themselves free of the vines, the knights began to panic. It was to no avail. Uglutz swirled his staff in the air in a circular motion, and then dropped it to the ground with a thud. Strangely, a loud boom of thunder hit at precisely the same time the orc’s staff touched the ground. Moments later, two great bolts of lightning shot out from the heavens to strike the vine grappled knights where they stood. Uglutz sneered as the smell of burnt manflesh filled the air.

The first rays of the morning sun began to peer over the horizon, illuminating the glade. Uglutz crouched over the newly set flames of the campfire, and bit deep into the charred leg bone of the dead knight. Ripping a large piece of burnt flesh off in his mouth, Uglutz chuckled to himself, “Dis be bedur dan dat lil wabit. Dem tupid oomies shuld nub hab wayk me.”

Stacking the remnants of the knights armor and weapons near the campfire, Uglutz put the remaining body parts of the men in his sack. Rubbing his full belly, he continued on the trail through Gre’goth pass, humming quietly to himself with content.