Chapter 1: A New Beginning (Part 3)

‘Ah my brother, what can I say about him except that he somehow got honour and the orcish way twisted in his mind. He was always quick to anger, rage and bloodlust but he kept his senses about him in that state which makes him a dangerous foe. He did however still wish to honour our father by becoming a Warchief in his own right and starting his own clan or taking leadership of the clan from me. He told me too of how he became the orc he was when we met last which I will share as well since as my brother, he too is part of my Heritage and though we are rivals; I still honour him as my brother and my father’s son.’

Draknathar Gargen, a name that will one day be feared by orc and man alike. ‘One day I will fulfil my destiny and become who I must be to defeat my brother. A mighty warrior, a leader, a Warchief by my own right!’ Looking into the lake he sees his clean shaven, green orcish face, his long red hair, and his red dragon wings that are a gift of his mother's dragon blood. ‘I will become stronger, earn my honour and fulfil great deeds that will make my Father proud of the orc I will become! I know that we do not agree and he prefers to be at peace, where I prefer the feel of the bloodlust, the fires of battle and the gain of conquered lands and wealth for THAT is the true meaning of what being an orc means. I know that this will still bring honour to my father for we share that orcish blood in spite of our differing morals and honour.’ He looks around at the world and wonders where he might go to start the fire that will forge his great destiny.

He leaves the lake and wanders into the forest. He knows what dangers lurk in there but his senses are heightened by both orc and dragon blood. No foe will surprise him. He hears in the distance a howl of a wolf, no werewolf for the moon was full that night. Smiling to himself, ‘a werewolf will be worthy prey.’ The orc is unarmed but he wants no weapon, he needs no weapon, he IS a weapon! Trained by his brother Galnorath who he had only been able to beat when his rage was full and when he was unburdened by such useless tools as weapons. The orc looks around him, using his heightened senses to track the werewolf and finally spots his prey in the distance. He leaps into a run, using his wings to gain momentum as he rushes toward his foe. He could have caught this foe by surprise but surprise attacks are for the weak and those who lack honour. A real fight is one fought on even ground, where you can stare down your foe and erupt in the dance of combat. The werewolf responds to the challenge in kind howling and charging toward the orc. The two clash with fist and claw, as Draknathar beats off its claws with his fists. The werewolf swipes again at his chest and the orc steps back so the swipe falls short, making the werewolf lose balance. He steps forward seeing his opportunity, and hits the werewolf hard in the head, stunning it briefly. While stunned, the orc uppercuts, sending the werewolf flying back. The strength of the blow breaks the werewolf's jaw but it is not out of the fight yet. It lashes out again with its claws but Draknathar breaks through its attack, landing another fierce blow to its head, knocking it out cold. He looks over the knocked out werewolf then with a grunt, stomps hard on its exposed neck, breaking it and killing the beast. ‘No enemy should be left alive!’ Satisfied with his hunt, he skins the werewolf and sets up camp. He wears the wolf's hide as a trophy and cooks the rest as his dinner for the night before falling asleep.

The next morning, he awakens again alert and ready for a fight. He packs up the camp and continues down the road. Hours pass before anything else dares cross his path but then sees an overturned and burning cart on the road. He heads toward it knowing full well that any valuables would have been taken already but he wants to know who or what is nearby. Draknathar examines the cart then understands as he smells the air for any remaining scent. "Orcs are in the area but these are not of my clan. Question remains, are they friend or foe or neither? I must be cautious and see if I can meet their Warchief for performing deeds for another Warchief should make me worthy enough to return home." He nods to himself as if confirming his own plan and heads in the direction of the faint but distinct scent.

He veers off the road, pursuing the scent with caution for he knows that he is also dangerously close to human lands and orcs are not welcome there unless dead or as captured slaves. He knows the orcs that attacked the cart are about a day ahead of him but they passed close to where he was. He continues to follow the scent keeping off the road in case any came to investigate. He knows an engagement may end up happening anyway but he wants it to be on his terms not theirs. Another hour passes before he meets up with anything else but his insight is correct that humans are coming to investigate what had happened to the cart. The group is small but there are still about half a dozen humans between him and where the scent is leading him. Two men holds crossbows, three holds swords and shields and one has a two handed sword strapped to his back. ‘The leader,’ He knows those crossbows will pose a threat if he does not deal with them first. He waits in the shadows behind a boulder not far from the road. He will wait for them to pass then he will make his move. He knows that a direct assault will get him killed being outnumbered so he must catch them by surprise to take out the threats and make it an even and honourable fight.

Moments later the group passes by him not noticing him yet and he springs into action. With speed and brutality, he grabs the first man's crossbow with one hand and fiercely punches him across the face, knocking the man right out and onto the ground. He then pulls the loaded crossbow's trigger and shoots the other crossbowman in the chest, taking him out of the fight before he could react. The four others drew their blades and scrambles to be ready for the orc's next strike. One man swings his blade and the orc dodges the blow as he grabs the man's arm, swinging the blow back at him, slitting the man's throat with his own blade. He knows the rest will be more ready now and the leader would be a deadly foe while the other two still lived. If he keeps a man in between him and the leader, picking them off one at a time then he will stand a chance. He ducks dodging another blow then tackles the man in front of him, knocking him into the leader and forcing them both to the ground. He quickly turns on the one left standing and charges. The man readies his shield and blade for the charging orc. The man holds his ground and bashes his shield into Draknathar's face stunning him briefly. In that brief moment, the man swings his blade thinking that he could wound or kill the orc. Instead, Draknathar recovers in that instant and blocks the blow with a blow of his own to the man's sword arm, disarming him. With another swift punch, the man falls just in time for the other two to regain their footing. He becomes more defensive, assessing the situation and planning how best to attack these last two. In an instant the men charge him and he ducks into a roll, avoiding the two handed sword and jumping up to strike the other man. The man lifts his shield in time to block the blow and swings his sword in return. He jumps back from the swing to try and catch the man off balance but another swing comes in, forcing the orc to jump back again. On the third swing, he jumps back then quickly lunges forward with a punch toward the man's face. Draknathar's blow connects sending the man spiraling back and with another swift but brutal punch, snaps the man's neck.

Only the leader remains as the two stare each other down, looking for the right time to strike. Draknathar charges first, rushing toward the man, fists raised and ready to strike. The man stands his ground, blade at the ready to meet the orc in battle. The two lock, blade and fist, each exchanging blows but barely causing wounds. Both warriors are skilled, focused and determined to defeat the other.

"You will pay for those deaths orc!"

Each blow becoming fiercer, Draknathar ducks dodges and fights back, taking the advantage as the man becomes off balance with his vicious strikes. A blow connects, as the orc punches the man in the gut, briefly taking his breath away. The orc follows with a swift kick to the man's legs, tripping him to the ground. He stops there, stomping his foot into the man's sword arm.

"In battle, never lose focus on your opponent human! The moment you let anything else in, is when your opponent gains the advantage and kills you!"

He moves his foot away from the man's arm and stomps his face hard killing him before moving on to catch the scent of the orcs that attacked the cart once more.

Brutal man! Love it! =p