7th Century, 632, Mournful 13th
Elven village of Ramstead, Karle mansion
In the early morning Sayana and her friends arrived at Karle’s mansion. The large mansion had tall white brick walls, the road in had a beautiful garden on both sides. It was green with bushes, green and red leafed trees and flower beds in all the rainbows colors. Sayana was taken aback by the beauty of it. Fallon was right there with her on that point. Draak half-what agreed, but would prefer a more battlefield looking environment. Tali liked it but didn’t show much to it. Archon smiled and expressed that he deeply enjoyed the gardens beauty.
Inside the mansion they were escorted by four High elf guards. They wore the regular golden armor of the High elves. Plus the weapons of Elven steel. Elven steel was gold in color and quite strong.
Fallon looked at the decapitated head of a Rumbler. The pale skin and the giant creepy yellow eyes was unmistakable. The head was around three or four feet. Actually, for a Rumbler, it was a bit small. Rumblers was usually bigger than their cave troll cousins.
“Think this Karle guy killed that Rumbler himself?” Fallon whispered.
“Off course he did,” Draak said confidently. “Why else hang it on the wall?”
“Show off,” Tali stated flatly.
“Well off course he’s showing off,” Draak countered. “If he killed a Rumbler on his own-”
“I’m gonna ask him,” Fallon said.
Sayana looked over her shoulder to her human thief friend.
“Try acting professional. I promised him minion that we are very professional,” she said hopeful.
Fallon rolled her eyes.
“Ok, ok. Fine,” she sulked.
“He might enjoy telling a story about how he killed a Rumbler,” Archon decided to add. “Could be a good story.” He looked at Sayana and Fallon. Fallon cheered up and clapped her hands together excitedly. Sayana sighed and simply nodded.
They were escorted into a large room with a oak table with couches prepared. A man was sitting in a comfortable chair. He was human, with dark brown long hair and handsome dark grey eyes. He wore a black, brown and white soft silk shirt and dark brown leather pants.
“Ah, good day my friends,” he greeted them politely. He stood up and walked up to them. he gently grabbed Sayana’s hand and kissed it. She blushed. “You must be lady Sayana.”
She swallowed and cleared her throat quietly.
“Um, y-yes, very much so.”
Draak rolled his eyes as he glanced at her blush.
“I didn’t expect such a beautiful woman to lead a mercenary group,” Karle said passionately.
Sayana blushed even more.
“Oh, well…yeah.”
He smiled slightly wider and gestured to the table.
“Do have a seat, please.”
They sat down around the table in the couches. They were actually very comfortable. Fallon shifted in her seat and smiled. She could get used to this level of comfort. Karle gently held Sayana’s hand and gestured for her to sit down in the couch beside him. She smiled the entire time.
“Hmm,” was all she said dreamingly as she looked at the nobleman. She put her other hand on his as he held her left hand affectionately. He smiled pleasantly at her.
Tali and Draak glanced at each other.
He cleared his throat loudly.
Karle turned to them.
“Apologize gentlemen, ladies.”
Sayana glared daggers at Draak. She could just tell he had a giant smirk held back.
“Why I sent for you,” Karle started. “You see, I am a gatherer of artifacts.”
“Oh really?” Sayana said with great interest, leaning towards him. “How exciting.” She flickered her eyes.
The human noble smiled at her for a moment in silence.
“And?” Draak interrupted.
Sayana closed her eyes and cursed mentally.
“Apologize again. in short. There is an old ruin. Essence Hollow. A remnant from a time long passed,” Karle explained. “Deep inside is an artifact. A heart shaped ruby. Quite large for a ruby too. Red in color. My research explains that it will be on a pedestal in the main chamber in the ruin.”
“Do you know who built the ruin?” Archon asked.
“My research shows that it was High elves, but, travelers who pass it, including myself can say that there are obvious signs of ancient goblin engineering. There is also a Templar statue outside. I believe it was a used by the Templars of Truth at some point.”
“It was built by both goblins and elves?” Draak asked. “For the Templars?”
“It appears so. My personal theory is that the temple was built during the 2nd Demon Wars. It is possible that elves and goblins worked together to construct it. Why it was built, I do not know. It could be that the temple was abandoned by the elves and goblins and later the Templars moved it, or they simply occupied it or bought it from the elves.”
Sayana gently put her left hand on his right hand affectionately.
“That’s really interesting. I’d love to hear more later my lord.”
He turned halfway to her.
“I’d be happy to discuss it with you over…say dinner when you return?”
She nodded excitedly.
“Sounds fantastic.”
He gave her a smile before waving a male wood elf servant over. He handed Karle a scroll. Karle accepted it and handed it to Sayana and they locked eyes. She blushed and accepted it.
“This is a map to Essence Hollow,” he said softly. “I tried gaining access myself but, you see there was too many enemies for me and my guards inside. Nothing you can’t handle. Simply a Cave troll and Scratling’s.”
“Thank you, m-my lord.”
“Call me Cedric, lady Sayana,” he requested.
“C-Cedric.” She flickered her eyes, glancing at the others.
“Gold,” Fallon whispered.
“Eh, w-we s-should…discuss payment, if-if you don’t mind, lord-ah, I mean…Cedric,” Sayana stuttered.
“Off course,” Cedric nodded. “If you agree, I will firstly give you a horse each and as much supplies and weapons you can carry. A house is being prepared inside my walls for you. You can stay here whenever you want.” He looked specifically into Sayana’s eyes as he spoke. Her smile rose to become even wider. “There will be one-thousand gold coins for each of you.”
Draak and Fallon both grinned excitedly. That was a lot of gold, not to mention weapons and horses. They only hand two horses and they used them mostly to carry things or if someone of them was injured.
“This is acceptable,” Archon said with a nod.
“I’ll happily await your return,” Cedric said and rose up.
He offered his hand to Sayana. She accepted and he assisted her in standing up from the couch. He offered her companions a friendly smile and a bow before kissing the auburn elves hand. She giggled.
“You won’t have to wait long, Cedric,” she assured him.
7th Century, 632, Mournful the 13th
South of the Elven forest, Dark elf village
Verena looked out at the road entering the village from her window. Her black skinned hands rested on the window frame as she raised a hand to wipe a tear away. As she hung her head, her black hair hanged down on both sides of her face. Her mother watched her from across the room. The older dark elf looked at her daughter, holding back her tears.
“Honey,” she began.
Verena didn’t reply.
“Honey.”
Nothing.
Her mother walked closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Verena flinched and shoved her mother’s hand away.
“Don’t touch me!”
“Sweetheart,” her mother started. “Listen to me.”
“No. I don’t care what you or dad has to say.” She turned around and glared at her mother. “You’re selling me like a potato or something!”
Her mother shook her head defensively.
“The elders-”
“Dad suggested it! And chose me! Of course no one argued, no one else wanted to sell a daughter or niece to a wolf!”
Her mother wiped some tears away.
“There’s no options left. It’s for the good of the village. My baby, you have to-”
“I’m being sold like a slave! Even worse, it’s my own parent’s idea to sell me! Me!” She clenched her fists hard, narrowed her eyes on her mother. “To what? A fuckin’ wolf!”
“Don’t call them that, sweetie,” her mother tried, tears still dripping. “They-”
“They what?!” Verena demanded. “Might hurt me? I might as well be dead already.”
Her mother shook her head.
“No. Never say that baby.”
“Don’t call me that. You lost the right when to sell me into slavery.” She turned to look out the window again. “You’re dead to me.”
Hearing her mother’s sobbing, she refused to turn around. She didn’t want her mom to cry, but she hadn’t protested at all. Not a word in protest when her daughter was supposed to be sold as a slave. Not even seeming to be angry with her dad for coming up with the idea, and nominating their own daughter. What parent would have no issue with that? She deserved to be heartbroken. She hoped her dad would regret this until the day he died. Which hopefully, was very, very soon.
Verena’s eyes widened when she saw several riders approaching on the road. There was no elves on those horses. No. Warg’s. The one up front was a huge male with jet black fur. He was taller and more muscular than the others. There was six more with him. They had grey fur and two of them had black fur spots covering them. They were around 7.5 to 8 feet. The black furred one, without a doubt the leader, was 8.3 feet in height.
Verena stepped away from the window. They looked absolutely terrifying. She turned around. Her mom had left. She turned back and looked out the window as the Warg’s rode into the village. When the black furred Warg looked in her direction, she quickly hid behind the side of the window.
She hurried into the main room, finding her crying mom sitting at the wood table. She slowly looked up at her daughter. To her surprise, Verena ran over and kneeled in front of her.
“Mom don’t force me to go, please, please!” She begged, putting her hands in her mother’s lap. “You’re my mom. You’re supposed to protect me.”
Her mother swallowed and patted her daughters black hair gently and hushed her.
“It’s going to be ok honey, I promise.”
She gently helped her to stand up and led her to the door. Verena looked pleadingly and desperately at her mother.
“Mom I’m sorry for everything I said, help me please!”
Her mother hugged her caringly. When she moved away, she opened the door and force her to walk out of the house. Verena stared at her with horrified eyes.
“I’m sorry baby.”
Her mother closed the door behind her, leaving Verena standing outside. Verena stood 17 feet from the Warg’s. They were met by three village elders. Two dark elves and a wood elf. Her dad was nowhere to be found. One of the elders pointed in her direction.
“Verena’s her name,” he explained. “All yours Bloodlord.”
The black furred Warg grinned widely, showing off his large white teeth. He looked at her for a while. Then, he licked his lips. Verena felt her stomach turn. Every part of her body shivered with fear. He wore leather armored pants over his fur, but otherwise he had no clothes on, apart from the sword attached to his left side. It had a bone handle.
One of the elders waved her forward. She didn’t move a muscle. That made the Warg Bloodlord walk over to her instead. He looked down at her, as she stared up into his frightening yellow eyes.
“Hello little lady,” he greeted her, giving her a frightening smile.
She swallowed hard and tried to speak.
“I presume you have a name.”
She managed to nod, but said nothing.
“Well?” He glared softly at her, getting annoyed already. “What is it?”
She opened her mouth, but couldn’t get a single word out.
“I’ll go first,” he conceded annoyed. “I am Kashk. Bloodlord of the mighty Blood splatter Clan.”
He then waited for her to speak.
“V-Ve-Verena,” she managed to blurt out.
“Verena,” he rolled it on his tongue. “Verena? Yes, it’ll do. I like it.” He then grabbed her arm, making her flinch in panic, but maintaining control to some extent. “Come. We ride to the camp now.” He pulled her back to the horses.”
He grabbed her hips tightly and lifted the light dark elf up on his horse. Verena looked pleadingly at the three elders, but they looked back at her with cold emotionless stares. Suddenly she saw her father. He stood thirty three feet away, looking at them-her-with an equally emotionless expression. As if he felt nothing about this. About what he was doing to her. What was going to happen to her? His only child was going to get violated by a Warg. A slave to obey his every whim.
She froze when Kashk mounted the horse too, sitting right behind her. She felt her skin against his soft fur. A part of her wanted to lean against his soft and warm fur, but then she remembered he was a Warg.
“Remember the deal,” the wood elf elder reminded. “The girl against aid.”
Kashk nodded.
“Do not fear little elf. I shall deal with the threat to your puny village,” he assured with his rough voice.
The group started riding away the same road they had come in on. Verena felt his arms around her as he steered the brown horse.
“How old are you?” Kashk asked as they rode.
“S-s-seventeen,” she stuttered.
“Hmm. You have no reason to fear,” he looked down at the trembling elf. “You are mine now. My mate. No one in my clan will hurt you. If they do, I shall skin them alive and give you there pelts for warmth in cold nights. After we feast on their flesh, I will make a weapon from their bones and present it to you.” He had a proud tone in his voice.
Was that something that was highly regarded in Warg society? Verena was both confused and disgusted. She felt him let go of the reins with his right hand and put it on her hips.
“We’ll have to find something warmer and more practical for you to wear. Unless you prefer going naked?”
She rapidly shook her head. He laughed, sending chills down her spine.
“Well, I don’t mind either way. None of my warriors would touch you if you decided to be naked, I assure you. It’s only Mournful, so you’ll have plenty of time before falls comes.”
She managed to nod.
The group rode for several hours, across fields into thick forest and villages at the horizon. The sun managed to rise to its peak in the sky before they arrived at the Warg camp. They rode into a deep part of the forest. It must have been midday when they stopped, finally. Verena had gotten used to having the furry Warg against her, but didn’t mind getting off. She could see dozens of round leather tents in sight. At least forty or fifty Warg’s was visible to her right now. Every tent looked to be able to inhabit ten Warg’s or so, she knew this wasn’t all of them, not by a long shot. She saw a fence with twenty or so horses inside. A small stream ran on the edge of the camp, it ran out into a larger and deeper stream of clear water.
When Kashk got off and lifted her down, she saw a fireplace. Some piece of meat was grilled there on a stick over it. It was a quite large piece. Wondering what it was, she looked carefully to see if she could see anything specific. That’s when she saw a wood bucket on the ground. Inside it laid a head. The thick brown head of a Drakken. It was covering in blood, with a trail of blood towards the fireplace. Verena’s eyes widened and she felt like throwing up.
A Drakken. They were eating a sentient being. Not a cruel animal, a living, thinking, intelligent being. The rumors about Warg’s she had heard was true. She knew they were true, but not, it felt so real. Would she spend the rest of her life here? With Warg’s? Feasting on Drakken’s, Boars, elves even? She would rather starve then eat a Drakken’s flesh.
A female Warg came and brought the horses into the fenced off space.
“This way,” Kashk told Verena.
She quickly followed him. He walked towards a tent.
“Get her something to wear,” he told a female Warg. She had a double handed axe on her back. The handle was made entirely out of bones, but the blunt parts was regular steel.
“Alright, Bloodlord,” she responded.
Verena walked inside the tent, after Kashk. Inside was two dark brown thick pelt bedrolls on the grassy ground. There was also a wood oak table with three bottles of wine on them. One of the bottles was half empty. Kashk pointed at one of the bedrolls.
“You’ll sleep there.”
She looked at it. It looked kinda comfy. Not nearly as comfortable as her bed, but it would do. She looked at the other bedroll. That would he his then? Great. Sharing a tent with him. How long until he decided to make love? Those words didn’t seem to fit. How long until he decided to violate her? A horrifying though struck her, in the middle of already being horrified. Was Warg’s and dark elves even compatible to have a baby? She would rather die than try.
“You must be tired,” Kashk said plainly. “Sleep.” He walked out of the tent.
She wouldn’t say no to some sleep. She gently laid down on the pelt and pulled it over her body. This was it than, the end of her old life. The beginning of her new life as a slave to this Kashk beast. As he said, she was his property. She already wanted to escape, but he would surely kill her if-or when-he caught her. Then he might eat her and her village would be destroyed by him. She started frowning. Fuck them. Fuck her village. Let them all die. Every single one of the fucking bastards. They deserved it.
She slept for several hours, only waking up when someone pushed her with a furry grey foot. She snapped her eyes open and looked around. A Warg walked out and beside her laid black leather skin skirt and a revealing black tight leather shirt, with no sleeves and a cleavage and revealing her midriff. At least she wouldn’t get to hot. Although she preferred something…less, revealing, but she had little chose really. On the table she saw a plate with ribs.
She got dressed in the new clothes and threw the old grey clothes away in the grass. She was hesitant to touch the ribs. They looked tasty, but for all she knew, it was from a Boar or a dwarf.
“It’s from a Dire wolf,” Kashk’s voice told her from the entrance.
Verena turned around of out pure fright.
He chuckled at her scare.
“Didn’t mean to scare you so badly.”
Verena nodded slightly and looked at the ribs.
“Should eat it before it gets cold.” He took a chair and placed it at the table. In a surprisingly gentlemen way, he gently shoved it in and made sure she sat comfortably. She was surprised that he was capable of being nice. Warg’s was nothing but brutal savages. She had never heard anything else about them. He grabbed one of the wine bottles and put it closer to her. “Centaur wine, from 801. Pretty good year.”
“Th-thank you.”
She had never been drinking wine before.
He looked down at her as she started eating. He said nothing for a while.
“Hmm. You know little Verena, you don’t need to worry about eating an elf or Boar. I won’t force you to eat anything like that. You aren’t a Warg after all.”
“A-are you g-g-going to save the village?” Verena managed to ask with minimal stuttering, changing the subject.
“Off course. I agreed to it. That’s why you’re here, remember?” She nodded and he chuckled. “The three Warg clans isn’t a problem. I’m meeting one of their Bloodlords tomorrow. I am killing him, than I absorb his clan into mine. I will attack and slaughter one of the other two the same day, or the next at worst. I will demand that the last clan join me or I turn on them too. They’ll happily kill their Bloodlord for me.” He straightened his back and stretched his arms out. “Leaving those packs of raiders. I’ll kill one or two, the rest will scatter for the hills. Sounds good?”
She nodded slowly.
“I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I-I don’t really care what happens to my village.”
He chuckled.
“Why not?”
“The sold me to-” she shut herself up and froze.
She stared into the tent wall in front of her with horror. She didn’t dare turning around to look at him. Her hands trembled. Surprisingly, she heard an amused snort in response.
“I could let them die too, makes little difference to me. It would be good farmland at least.”
She didn’t say anything. She looked down at the oak table with eyes closed shut hard. She wasn’t sure what he meant by good farmland. Warg’s didn’t farm. They traveled around and caught their food by hunting or raiding some caravan or village.
7th Century, 632, Mournful 14th
South of the Elven forest, Blood splatter Clan camp
Verena slowly flickered her eyes, opening them and looking up at the tent ceiling. It was somewhat bright outside, should make it early morning still. She looked across the tent. Kashk wasn’t in his bedroll. He’d gone up already. Thank the gods. She didn’t have to see him naked. Again. She shivered at the thought and desperately tried to get him out of her mind. Having seen that big-no, push it out. She tried pushing the picture out of your mind.
Supposedly at least she knew what she was dealing with. She had no doubt, one day, and soon, he desired her enough to just take her. She couldn’t stop him. At least she knew he wasn’t big enough to hurt her. She could-probably-handle it. The thought of it was almost painful, bringing a tear to her eye. She held the rest in and quickly wiped it away.
She slowly stood up and got dressed. She heard fighting outside and peaked out. Two Warg warriors was fighting. They were fighting with their claws. Cutting and slashing. One of them grabbed the other and threw him to the ground. He stomped down on him hard twice. The other then managed to grab his foot and make him lose his balance. He kicked him in the back and stood up, punching him four times before slashing him across the face.
Both male and female Warg’s cheering, growling and roaring. They seemed very entertained by the fight.
“Enjoying the fight?” A rough voice asked.
Verena jumped and turned around, wide eyes looking at the Warg male.
“Sorry,” he apologized, to her great surprise. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Eh, I…no,” she mumbled in response, her hands shaking slightly in fear. “I-I-I-”
He raised a hand. She looked closer at him. He looked rather old. He had dark grey fur and several of his terrifying teeth was broken off in half and he had a walking stick of bone.
“I am Shaman Grrechk,” he introduced himself. “You have nothing to fear from me. Too old to find a mate. Too old to steal you away from, Kashk.”
Verena’s eyes went wider. As if that was possible.
“C-can that h-ha-happen?!” She asked desperately.
He titled his wolf head.
“Occasionally. But only if someone challenges the Bloodlord. No one has ever challenged Kashk and even been close to winning. Never. He’s young. Thirty-six. Been Bloodlord sense he killed his father in combat.”
Killing his father? What a barbaric way to change power.
“I know what you think.”
“W-what? How?!” She panicked.
“You’re an elf. My race is quite barbaric in your eyes. Don’t deny it.” He smiled, looking slightly less terrifying with a few cracked teeth. “It’s history. You kill us. We kill you. We eat you. It’s all history. When you become a Shaman at my age, you think of these things.” He stepped up on her side, looking at the fight. “You are quite lucky, you know that?”
“H-how, S-s-shaman?” She stuttered.
“Being an elf. Elves live for six-hundred years. We? Warg’s live for around one-hundred and seventy. If we’re lucky that is.” He turned to her. “You only need to live with us for a little more than a century. Or, until you die in childbirth. You never know. Or, someone kills Kashk and doesn’t want you. Then you die too, likely you’ll be eaten alive if that happens. Or a rival Bloodlord will kill you to hurt Kashk, his status, family and honor.”
“You have honor?” She asked amazed, forgetting herself.
When she realized what she asked, she gasped. But Grrechk just snickered.
“Yes. Our own off course. Our own culture, honor system, just like elves and Aeyaen’s are different. Just like humans and Arachnids,” he explained.
She nodded slowly.
“I am so, so sorry, Shaman. Please, I beg you not to tell Kashk.”
Grrechk looked at the scared and pleading woman’s eyes. He stood silently. Then, he nodded. She breathed out.
“Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to know our culture. Not at all. Kashk will teach you, just ask him and I’m sure he’ll be happy to help you. As an outsider, it will raise his attraction to you.”
Verena just lost all will to ask him anything about their culture. But she did want to know. She couldn’t survive here if she didn’t know anything. Maybe she should risk it. He would take her sooner or later anyway.
“Will you join us at the meeting with the Bloodlord from Dark stone-face Clan?”
“T-those Kashk wants t-to kill?”
Grrechk nodded.
“Yes.”
She shrugged helplessly.
“I-I don’t know.”
He smiled, showing his large teeth. As always, it sent chills down Verena’s spine. One of the Warg’s was victorious, winning the fight. The other was lying dead on the ground. The cheers and growls continued for a moment.
“You’re not scaring her are you?” Kashk’s voice asked.
Verena jumped slightly. She hadn’t seen or heard him come.
Grrechk looked at the dark elf.
“I’m fairly sure, I am, actually.” He bowed his head. “I’ll depart.”
Verena looked up at Kashk.
“I hope he didn’t scare you too much. He can do that to slaves and outsiders.”
“H-he explained h-how many w-wa-ways I c-can die a-and how horrible,” she admitted. He had scared her nicely. She was a lot more scared now than before.
He growled slightly disapproving.
She couldn’t help but smile at how he was upset because the Shaman scared her. She hadn’t expected a Warg to do that, not for her. Could there be more beneath him? Maybe? Question was, did she want to find out.
He put a hand on her shoulder and led her to walk with him.
“You don’t need to worry about anything happening to you. I won’t let you be harmed. No one in this clan will hurt you. I swear on that.”
She felt a little better when hearing that.
“What did he say, exactly? I can disprove him.”
“W-well…h-he said that if someone challenges y-you, a-and don’t like me, they’ll eat m-me…alive.”
“That has happened, but it’s rare. It’s only if someone who’s weak needs to show force. And if they are weak, they can’t kill me.”
That actually made a lot of sense to her.
“He-he also said that other Chief’s or whatever-lord m-might kill me to hurt you.” She looked up at him.
He shrugged.
“Could happen.” He looked down at her. She immediately looked away. “Anything else?”
She shook her head.
“N-not really…I guess. Just childbirth I think. C-can elves and Warg’s even have a baby?” She hoped he knew and would say no. But it was just her hopeless wishes thinking, hoping.
“Yes, and babies,” he corrected her.
She blinked.
“Babies,” he said again.
She blinked again.
“What?” She asked confused with grave worry.
“You said baby, the right term would be babies. For us anyway.”
Her eyes widened and she stared forward. Oh my god.
“If the gods let you die in childbirth,” he started, looking down at her. “I’d kill them. They won’t dare cross me.” He grinned at her.642Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpE37NDDF0s
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