Post by vendredi on May 12, 2006 23:36:13 GMT -5
The sun beat down mercilessly from its midday height, baking the already dry plains of Durotar. The troll crouched by an upthrust rock, her eyes scanning the tracks. Noiselessly, she circled the rock until her quarry was in sight - a insectlike creature covered in layers of glossy shell as hard as bone, its pincers waving back and forth as it shuffled along in search of food. The troll raised her hand, and brought it down sharply in a silent command. The boar that stood patiently beside her uttered an ear-splitting squeal, and charged the creature, raising a cloud of dust as it hurtled by its master. As the creature turned to face its attacker, the troll raised a bow, nocked an arrow smoothly, and paused, searching. The shell was too hard to pierce, but where two segments joined....she let fly, and the arrow flew truly, burying itself in a crack just behind the creature's head. It chittered once, and collapsed.
Vendredi grinned fiercely as she jogged toward her kill. "Good pig!" she exclaimed, pulling her skinning knife as she squatted beside the scorpid. With quick, practiced movements, she removed the stinger for cooking later, and began to strip the shell to reach the hide beneath. She was lucky today - the hide did not tear as she slit through it with the sharp blade. It would produce a fine piece of leather. She tucked it into her pack, and flopped down in the shade of the upthrust rock, pulling some dried meat from her belt pouch and tossing it to the boar, who wolfed it down eagerly. Once her pet was fed, she rummaged for something for herself, finding a cooked egg from her foraging in Sen'jin. She offered it to the pig, a bemused smile softening her features as the animal backed up, snorting in outrage at the egg in her hand. Suddenly she frowned, and brought the egg to her nose, sniffing. If the pig would not eat it, should she? She tossed it aside, and found another strip of meat for herself. Chewing industriously, she eyed the road west, wondering what lay ahead. When the meat was gone, she set the pig as a guard, and dozed.
The sun was lower in the sky when she awoke, the heat less oppressive. She stretched and rose, scratched the pig behind the ears, and began to run, not quickly, but with a steady, ground-eating lope that the pig could match, and that would take her quickly to the land across the river. There, she was to meet with an orc that could direct her to the Crossroads, a settlement much in need of strong warriors, and the place, perhaps, where she would meet her destiny.
"You mus' go to de Barrens," Ki'tala said, squinting into the flames. "Dere you will become much more dan what you are now....dere you will serve Her well, wit' ot'ers who undahstand."
Vendredi peered into the fire, staring until her eyes watered, but she could see nothing. "How can I serve Her well?" she demanded, glaring in anger and disappointment. "I can never see the things She tells you in the fire.....how can I know what She wants me to do?"
The old troll sighed, eyeing her and shaking his head slowly. "Firs' speak troll, chil'....I tell you dat always, but still you fo'get. An you ask me dis, ovah an' ovah, an' always I tell you; not all dose who serve have de Sight. Do you see me out dere, fightin' in Her name? No!" He rose, scowling down at her. "You are too rash, chil'. You have de fiah, but it not undah yo' control yet. Now heed yo' eldahs, an' do what has been Seen!"
Vendredi sighed, frowning at nothing as she ran. Her mentor had never explained more than what she was told that day, nothing more than where she should go. He was the one who had taught her about The Undying One, She whose fire never dies, and through his teachings, she learned where her strength, her courage came from. She would listen to him, though she did not understand, and it rankled that she could not See what he Saw.
Soon she reached a river, and the covered bridge that arced over the rushing waters. Across it lay a camp, the place she had been directed to. The orc in charge there gave her papers to take to the Crossroads, but others also had tasks for her. Ak'Zeloth, an orc with great spiritual power, set for her a task she knew she could not refuse - a mission to weaken the demon worshippers of the Burning Legion.
"I will do all I can to destroy their foul altar," she told him, "but I mus' have a momen' to prepare." She strode slowly out onto the baking ground, and carefully lit a small fire. When the flames were strong, she knelt before it, and prayed to the Undying One.
You are the fire in my heart, the strength in my arm. You are the rage that fuels me, the courage that sustains me. Bless me on this journey, as I burn the corruption from this land. She did not bother to mimic other trolls as she spoke to Her; She knew who her servant was, inside and out. Vendredi stared into the flames, longing to See something within them, but as always, Sight would not come to her. Then the fire flickered, and seemed to swell, and she felt a tingling heat that washed the fatigue from her bones. She smiled and bowed her head; she was not, never would be a Seer, but She sent her approval of this mission.
Vendredi turned to scoop sand onto her fire, and found an orc standing before her. He was not one of those stationed here; by his stained and worn leathers, he had travelled as far as she to get here. A frown creased the orc's face as he peered at her.
"I know you," he said, his frown melting into a satisfied smile. His eyes gleamed with a strange light Vendredi had never seen.
"I...." she had been about to say, 'do not know you', but something about this orc was familiar, something not from her memory, but deep within her. "I do not...remembah....you."
The orc grinned, his eyes flashing again. It was a fierce grin, and suddenly Vendredi saw something she had never seen before. It was as though a fire burned within this stranger, a fire she could somehow see, and without knowing why, she knew that the fire was pure and strong, a fire only the Undying One could bestow. Her eyes widened.
"You are blessed of the Ancients." It was not a question, and he simply nodded.
"I am Yagrek, follower of the Skyfather," he said, the last word tinged with reverence. Vendredi drew in a sharp breath as the teachings of her mentor flashed through her head. The Undying One was only one of the four Ancients; the others were The Deep One, spirit of the water, She Who Endures, the spirit of earth.....and the Skyfather. Others who understand.....
"I have Seen you in a vision," Yagrek said, each word filled with a passion that left no room for doubt or denial. "You follow the Ancients, and together we can find others like us."
"You not have to look far," another voice said. Vendredi turned to see a male troll approaching them from the bank of the river, his clothes dripping as if he had been swimming. For the second time that day, she saw the fire within, and recognized a kindred spirit.
"I am Salthair, of de Deep One," the troll said, bowing, and she marvelled at the workings of the Ancients. "If you are goin' to kill de Burning Legion, I would ver' much like to come." He produced a number of silvery fish from his pack. "But firs', we can share de bounty of de Deep One, an' talk."
Vendredi nodded, letting the sand meant to put out her fire sift through her fingers. There was much to talk about.
Vendredi grinned fiercely as she jogged toward her kill. "Good pig!" she exclaimed, pulling her skinning knife as she squatted beside the scorpid. With quick, practiced movements, she removed the stinger for cooking later, and began to strip the shell to reach the hide beneath. She was lucky today - the hide did not tear as she slit through it with the sharp blade. It would produce a fine piece of leather. She tucked it into her pack, and flopped down in the shade of the upthrust rock, pulling some dried meat from her belt pouch and tossing it to the boar, who wolfed it down eagerly. Once her pet was fed, she rummaged for something for herself, finding a cooked egg from her foraging in Sen'jin. She offered it to the pig, a bemused smile softening her features as the animal backed up, snorting in outrage at the egg in her hand. Suddenly she frowned, and brought the egg to her nose, sniffing. If the pig would not eat it, should she? She tossed it aside, and found another strip of meat for herself. Chewing industriously, she eyed the road west, wondering what lay ahead. When the meat was gone, she set the pig as a guard, and dozed.
The sun was lower in the sky when she awoke, the heat less oppressive. She stretched and rose, scratched the pig behind the ears, and began to run, not quickly, but with a steady, ground-eating lope that the pig could match, and that would take her quickly to the land across the river. There, she was to meet with an orc that could direct her to the Crossroads, a settlement much in need of strong warriors, and the place, perhaps, where she would meet her destiny.
"You mus' go to de Barrens," Ki'tala said, squinting into the flames. "Dere you will become much more dan what you are now....dere you will serve Her well, wit' ot'ers who undahstand."
Vendredi peered into the fire, staring until her eyes watered, but she could see nothing. "How can I serve Her well?" she demanded, glaring in anger and disappointment. "I can never see the things She tells you in the fire.....how can I know what She wants me to do?"
The old troll sighed, eyeing her and shaking his head slowly. "Firs' speak troll, chil'....I tell you dat always, but still you fo'get. An you ask me dis, ovah an' ovah, an' always I tell you; not all dose who serve have de Sight. Do you see me out dere, fightin' in Her name? No!" He rose, scowling down at her. "You are too rash, chil'. You have de fiah, but it not undah yo' control yet. Now heed yo' eldahs, an' do what has been Seen!"
Vendredi sighed, frowning at nothing as she ran. Her mentor had never explained more than what she was told that day, nothing more than where she should go. He was the one who had taught her about The Undying One, She whose fire never dies, and through his teachings, she learned where her strength, her courage came from. She would listen to him, though she did not understand, and it rankled that she could not See what he Saw.
Soon she reached a river, and the covered bridge that arced over the rushing waters. Across it lay a camp, the place she had been directed to. The orc in charge there gave her papers to take to the Crossroads, but others also had tasks for her. Ak'Zeloth, an orc with great spiritual power, set for her a task she knew she could not refuse - a mission to weaken the demon worshippers of the Burning Legion.
"I will do all I can to destroy their foul altar," she told him, "but I mus' have a momen' to prepare." She strode slowly out onto the baking ground, and carefully lit a small fire. When the flames were strong, she knelt before it, and prayed to the Undying One.
You are the fire in my heart, the strength in my arm. You are the rage that fuels me, the courage that sustains me. Bless me on this journey, as I burn the corruption from this land. She did not bother to mimic other trolls as she spoke to Her; She knew who her servant was, inside and out. Vendredi stared into the flames, longing to See something within them, but as always, Sight would not come to her. Then the fire flickered, and seemed to swell, and she felt a tingling heat that washed the fatigue from her bones. She smiled and bowed her head; she was not, never would be a Seer, but She sent her approval of this mission.
Vendredi turned to scoop sand onto her fire, and found an orc standing before her. He was not one of those stationed here; by his stained and worn leathers, he had travelled as far as she to get here. A frown creased the orc's face as he peered at her.
"I know you," he said, his frown melting into a satisfied smile. His eyes gleamed with a strange light Vendredi had never seen.
"I...." she had been about to say, 'do not know you', but something about this orc was familiar, something not from her memory, but deep within her. "I do not...remembah....you."
The orc grinned, his eyes flashing again. It was a fierce grin, and suddenly Vendredi saw something she had never seen before. It was as though a fire burned within this stranger, a fire she could somehow see, and without knowing why, she knew that the fire was pure and strong, a fire only the Undying One could bestow. Her eyes widened.
"You are blessed of the Ancients." It was not a question, and he simply nodded.
"I am Yagrek, follower of the Skyfather," he said, the last word tinged with reverence. Vendredi drew in a sharp breath as the teachings of her mentor flashed through her head. The Undying One was only one of the four Ancients; the others were The Deep One, spirit of the water, She Who Endures, the spirit of earth.....and the Skyfather. Others who understand.....
"I have Seen you in a vision," Yagrek said, each word filled with a passion that left no room for doubt or denial. "You follow the Ancients, and together we can find others like us."
"You not have to look far," another voice said. Vendredi turned to see a male troll approaching them from the bank of the river, his clothes dripping as if he had been swimming. For the second time that day, she saw the fire within, and recognized a kindred spirit.
"I am Salthair, of de Deep One," the troll said, bowing, and she marvelled at the workings of the Ancients. "If you are goin' to kill de Burning Legion, I would ver' much like to come." He produced a number of silvery fish from his pack. "But firs', we can share de bounty of de Deep One, an' talk."
Vendredi nodded, letting the sand meant to put out her fire sift through her fingers. There was much to talk about.