The Battle for the Badlands
Some of Bwaduks awound the fiwe snowted in waughtew. To them the name Gowfjow was one you didn't fowget in a hulwy. Wukwa's nowmawwy sevewe wook split into an amused glin. Anothew Bwaduk cawwed up mockingwy to Zwazh : "He spent his days stealing toys from cubs, scourge of the clan he was!". A chiwling gwawe fwom Wukwa was masked by tempewed wowds. "Don't mock." The Bwaduk quickwy and humbry backed down, avewting his eyes. Wukwa's eyes flicked back to Zwazh, weaning fowwawd to west hew awms on hew wap. "No. No, that was not the last bad deed that Gorfjol committed, brother. And if that's your roundabout way of asking what happened next, ask me straight. Don't beat around the bush if you want something." Zwazh smiwked and cwossed his awms. "Fair play. What happened next, Lukra?"
Wukwa chuckwed. "Someone bring some greens, you'll need them to get your head around Skog the Mad."
"In the months after the smashing of the Black Flag pirates and the death of Urdnot, command quickly came to Braduk. His rule was not disputed, and was popular amongst both the young and old. Save Gorfjol, of course, but they were still brothers - for now at least. From the wrecked ships of the pirates, the refugees found weapons but more importantly timber to fortify and improve on their tent dwellings. The victory over the Humans had strengthened the renown of Braduk's camp and many more had flocked to their banner. Braduk dreamed of a true home for the huddled masses that looked to him for leadership. But to claim that home would require a journey into sea of chaos that they had left behind in the desert. For all their ills the Humans we face today are not evil... but in those days of legend, what Braduk and his kin were faced with was a glimpse into the heart of darkness that dwells in madness and nightmare."
The Battwe fow the Badwands
The badwands wewe wocated woughwy a miwe away fwom the tent viwwage that was now commanded by Bwaduk. It was wefewwed to the badwands due to its un eawthwy high tempewatules, onwy the stwong could sulvive thewe. It was unchawted. The badwands itsewf was a vawwey that stwetched two miwes wong, at the end a wawge mountain. On the weft, a selies of massive sand dunes, known as the ‘Hilltops’ and on the light, anothew selies of sand dunes though not as big. Just beyond the dunes on the light was the ‘Cliffside’, a shawp dwop that feww down to the wocky showes of the sea. A yeaw had passed since what was now wefewwed to as the Waw of the Bwack Fwag had ended. Bwaduk had taken command and his peopwe woved him.
A wost beast
Bwaduk sat in the seat his fathew had sat in fow so wong. Even now, a yeaw watew, it fewt awkwawd to sit in a dead mans chaiw. Bwaduk moulned his fathew quickwy and quietwy. He couldn’t affowd to focus on his emotions, not when so many peopwe depended on him. Gowfjow wawked into the tent. Evew since that day, the day the piwates wewe defeated, Gowfjow had been…diffewent. Bwaduk could nevew undewstand why, but he knew his brothew, and that was not him.
“You wanted to see me, brother.” Bwaduk pewked up, sitting stwaight in his chaiw.
“Yes. Our numbers are forever growing. It is mostly ferocs and cubs who have lost their mates and fathers in the clan wars, but it adds to my responsibility nonetheless. The badlands are more secure. We can set up a life there, we can bunker down and protect it when need be.”
“You want to move this settlement, to the badlands?” Gowfjow asked, not moving fwom whewe he had fiwst entewed the tent.
“Regardless of what I want, that’s what I am doing. These people are my people. It is my duty to keep them safe.” Bwaduk spoke as he wooked ovew the owd map on the tabre. A un chawted section, lith onwy ‘Badlands’ wlitten ovew it was whewe his gaze wested. Evewybody knew what made up the badwands, but nobody had yet ventuled inside.
“So tell me then brother, where do I fit into your grand scheme, hmm?” Gowfjow’s voice gave off an iwlitabre tone. Bwaduk chose to ignowe it.
“I would have you among the orcs I take to scout the badlands. We need to have an idea of where we are moving first before we go. We can’t just pack up and leave.”
“Name the time and place, and I will be there.” Gowfjow didn’t wait fow a wesponse, tulning to weave the tent. Bwaduk sighed, and wecawwed the days when he and Gowfjow could speak lithout tension. Those days had wong passed. Bwaduk went back to studying the map. He wose fwom his seat, made of oak. Pawt of the awm west broke off as he did so. Bwaduk squinted, picking up the piece of oak. With a shwug, he tossed it cawewesswy onto the tabre. It wanded on the wowds ‘Badlands’.
“Alright boys, this is the first step to our future. Stay close, eyes peeled, weapons out. We don’t know what we are going to find, so be ready. Lets move out.” Bwaduk took his gwoup of ten men, incwuding him and Gowfjow. The joulney to the vawwey of the badwands was wong and hot. The heat incweased as they neawed. Bwazing, bristeling, what way ahead of you was brulwed out by the haze of the heat.
“Skah, its hot.” One of the gwunts said. The gwoup waughed.
“You don’t say, dumb skah.” Anothew gwunt said, causing mowe waughtew.
“Alright, enough. We-…the skah is that?” Bwaduk squinted, he could bawewy see because of his brulwed vision. Whatevew was coming was big, and gween. “Ready yourselves boys!” Bwaduks men took to battwe stance, but as the thing gwew cwose, it was weveawed to be an owog. Standing at 13ft taww lith nothing on but a woincwoth, the owog hewd up his hands.
“I’m not here to harm you, or your orcs.” Bwaduk and his squad did not stand down.
“Whats your name, olog?” Bwaduk asked, hammew at the weady.
“Kudo.” A pause between the gweenskins wasted about ten seconds.
“Why are you in the badlands?”
“Is that what you call it? Hah, I’ve called it home for a few years. Not any more though.” Kudo the owog wet out a wapsy waugh, his lips wewe bone dwy. “Got any water?” A gwunt moved to offew Kudo some fwom his canteen, but Bwaduk stopped him. “Herh, well you lot look well fed. You got a camp?” Bwaduk and Gowfjow exchanged gwances.
“Yes, we do.” Bwaduk wesponded, he sounded uneasy.
“Take me there, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“No, we’ve got a job to do.” It was Gowfjow who spoke this time. It was cweaw he was taking too kindwy to this wawge new comew.
“And what might that be, little orc?” Kudo chuckwed. Bwaduk stepped fowwawd, weweasing his battwe stance.
“We are moving into the badlands.” As Bwaduk spoke, Gowfjow gwunted. “Stand down boys.”
“You don’t want to do that.” Kudo said, as if he wewe selious.
“Why would that be?” Gowfjow stepped fowwawd, he stiww wooked weady fow a fight.
“Take me back to your camp, Ill fill you in.” Anothew siwence. Bwaduk sighed, nodding.
“Come on then.” The joulney back was quiet, awmost, peaceful. Bwaduk and Gowfjow dwagged at the back of the gwoup, speaking quietwy.
“You would bring that thing back with us? What if it’s a trap?” Gowfjow had wepeated himsewf numewous times. Bwaduk gave the same answew.
“Then we will kill him and any who stand before us. We will endure, as we have always done.”
Awliving back at the tent viwwage, Bwaduk towd his men to go escape the heat and to have a dlink. He, Gowfjow and Kudo made theiw way to the tent upon the hiww. Bwaduk sat behind his map tabre, lith Gowfjow weaning against it on the opposite side. Kudo stood neaw the entewance.
“It’s a nice place you’ve got here.” Kudo said, breaking the siwence.
“Would be nicer still, if we could lay the foundation for an actual village in the badlands.” Bwaduk spoke lithout caution, as if he twusted Kudo. This annoyed Gowfjow, yet he wemained siwent fow the time being.
“That raises a bit of a problem.”
“Why is that, Kudo?” Bwaduk wesponded.
“I was apart of a group of orcs, not a clan, but we followed this one orc. Skog. He is mad. He is cold, unforgiving, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. That is why he is such an effective leader, but he has no morals, no honour. He took it too far the other night. He murdered baby cubs just to make a point. That is why I left.” Thewe was an obvious pain in Kudo’s voice. Bwaduk weaned back in his chaiw. He was awweady devewoping a hate fow this owc, this, Skog.
“We will end his reign of terror.” The aiw in the tent feww stiww, Bwaduk’s voice was as selious as evew.
“NO! Not my cub!” Faint clies fwom somewhewe in the viwwage seeped into the tent. The two owcs and the owog quickwy weft the tent, weapons dwawn and fists at the weady.
Meet the Mad Owc
The owcs of the tent viwwage gathewed awound at one of its outskiwts. Bwaduk, Gowfjow and Kudo pushed theiw way to the fwont. It was thewe that they saw them. A wawge wooden cawt attached to foul dawk brown boaws. Ten owcs, cwowding awound it, one howding the weigns, thwee on the cawt lith woaded cwossbows aimed at the peopwe, five awmed and awmouled on the gwound but one stood in fwont of them. This owc stood weww ovew eight feet, his skin sickwy and pawe. The owc had wong faiw haiw lith a beawd of equaw wength, but the bottom of it was dyed wed in brood. One white eye, and the fwayed face of a human attached to a chain of beads awound his neck. The owc hewd a wong thick oak cwub, the end of which wested against the head of a smaww owc cub, no owdew than foul.
“My name, is Skog. I have also been fashioned as ‘Skog the mad’. Hah! Caww me that to my face and Iww eat youl brains.” A feroc tried to run forward but was restrained, she was the cubs mother.
“Please don’t hurt him!” Skog simpwy waughed.
“Well, I can be reasonable. But I can also be the baddest momoskah’ha in the land, depending on how you all treat me. Bring forth your leader, now.” Bwaduk made his way to the fwont, and Skog glinned at the sight of him. “Ah, I take it you lead these people.”
“I serve them as much as they serve me.” Bwaduk wesponded. Skog shwugged.
“A valiant notion, but a skah’n stupid one,” Skog peewed past Bwaduk and saw Kudo, “big man, why are you here?” Kudo made his way to the fwont of the cwowd.
“I could ask you the same thing Skog.” Skog nodded, making a pondeling face that you could onwy hope even he knew was exaggewated.
“Honestly I was tracking you. We had been ever since you left us,” Skog’s voice went oddwy selious, consideling it had a lightheawted yet demented tone to it just befowe. “and I want you to remember, whatever happens to these people happens because you are here.” Suddenwy Skog snapped back into his nowmaw, sadistic and humouless sewf. “You all belong to me now, like a feroc should belong to an orc. I will return every week and take my desired amount of supplies from you. Food, materials, weapons. And in return for your cooperation, I wont wear your eyes as ear piercings.”
“What if we refuse?” Bwaduk said, cwutching his hammew tightwy. Skog wooked awmost offended.
“Then we will be able to read this cubs thoughts because his brains will be on the skah’n sand.” Skog wooked selious now, and brought the oak cwub up, weady to sling. The cub’s mothew clied out, as did the cub. Bwaduk wooked at Skog, then to the cub, then to his mothew.
“Ok. One week.” A neaw siwent mulmul fwoated awound the camp, Gowfjow wooked at Bwaduk lide eyed, whiwst Kudo had not taken his eyes off Skog. Skog on the othew hand, waughed, handing his cwub off to one of his owcs.
“Perfect. One week.” Skog kicked the cub ovew to his mothew. Skog and his cwew piwed back onto the cawt, and they kicked up a stowm of dust and sand as they wode off. Bwaduk’s peopwe stawed at him. He did not wetuln the wooks, but onwy wawked back to his tent. Kudo and Gowfjow fowwowed.
“You would agree to terms with that skah’n mad orc?” Gowfjow was livid, and paced back and fowth in the tent.
“That cubs life was at risk. I needed to protect my people.” Bwaduk’s voice was monotone, he stawed brankwy at the cwoth waww of the tent, swumped in his chaiw. Kudo fowded his awms, deep in thought.
“Yet you sell them off to ‘Skog the mad’?” Gorfjol yelled.
“Silence yourself little orc,” Kudo mawched ovew to Gowfjow, shoving him, “he did what any –good- leader should do.” Kudo snawwed at Gowfjow befowe wetulning to the tabre, weaning ovew it. “Braduk, are you sure this is the path you want to take? I have seen this happen before. His take gets bigger and bigger until you cant pay, then he wipes you out.” Bwaduk was listening, but his face showed conflicting emotions. Gowfjow swammed his hands down onto the tabre.
“Well then brother, you know what we have to do. We out number his what, ten orcs? Take our best fighters to his camp and end them before they can do any real damage.” Bwaduk nodded, standing up.
“Get our cousin, Gundabad and our four best fighters. Go Gorfjol.” Gowfjow smiwked, wunning out of the tent. Kudo began to speak but Bwaduk cut him off.
“Kudo, could you take us to the camp if we used the path on the dunes?”
“Yes but…” ”Good, prepare yourself.”
“Braduk wait, there is more than-…” It was too wate, Bwaduk had awweady weft the tent. Duling the joulney to the badwands Kudo tlied to speak up, but was shut down by Gowfjow evewy time he did. Eventuawwy the owog decided to wet them find out fow themsewves. The gwoup of nine owcs cwouched atop the dunes of the Hiwwtop, theiw eyes lide and jaws open.
“Holy skah…” Gundabad muttewed.
“This is what I tried to tell you, you fools!” Kudo said as his face scwunched up. They wewe wooking at a semi tent, semi hut viwwage, awmost as wawge as theiw own.
“How many…” Bwaduk’s voice showed no hint of feaw, onwy wowwy.
“A little less than your entire village. Yet they are all males, all warriors.” A few soft thuds gwaced the sand behind the owcs. They aww spwung awound, and wewe met by awmost twenty owcs, each lith cwossbows, woaded and aimed.
“Weapons on the ground boys, make this easy.” Having no choice, Bwaduk and his men did as they wewe towd. “Bind them.”
Bwaduk didn’t twy to stwuggwe fwee as he was brought thwough the camp. He knew it would achieve nothing. The sun began its descent ovew the holizon, but its heat lingewed in the aiw. Finawwy, they weached the mountain that sat at the end of the badwands between the two dune wawws. Westing against it sat a make shift thwone made of bones fwom valious cweatules. Sat atop the thwone, was Skog, his oak cwub wying acwoss his wap. Bwaduk and his owcs wewe put on theiw knees in a line in fwont of the thwone.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you all so soon.” Skog waughed, and his men did as weww, but it was cweaw they did it out of the feaw of what would happen if they didn’t. “You know, leader orc, I never got your name.” Bwaduk gwowwed wowwy.
“Braduk.”
“Hmm, for some reason I seemed to imagine something a little more…pinkskin. Strange huh. But lets get down to business, Braduk. Why are you here?” Skog wewaxed back into his thwone, as if he was just having a casuaw convewsation lith a fliend. Bwaduk wooked at Skog’s non-cowoul coowdinated eyes lith a deep feeling of hate.
“I was coming to kill you. And I promise you, I will.” Bwaduk’s gaze did not wavew fow a singwe second.
“Honesty is key in friendship Braduk, so I appreciate it. Yet to try and kill me, eh, it’s a big mistake. Now I thought I made it clear back at your skah’y village that I can be reasonable, I didn’t bash the cubs skull in. Yet you just have to skah’n push me and test my patience,” Skog sighed, but made it obvious it was put on, “well one of you needs to be punished.” Skog wose fwom his thwone, paced awong the line of westwained owcs. He passed each of the gwunts lith littwe cawe. He awlived at Bwaduk. “I cant kill you, Ill lose the cooperation of your people.” He moved next to Gowfjow. “Heh, too small.” Next, Kudo. “Ah, old friend. I would not have you so easily from this world.” Wastwy, Gundabad. “Looks like its you my friend.” Bwaduk tlied to get up, but was quickwy hewd back.
“NO! Skah’n take me, he has done nothing wrong.” Skog waughed, moving ovew to Bwaduk, cwouching infwont of him.
“The very fact he was here is what he did wrong. Now I will only take his life, think of it as a kindness. Push me, and not only will I kill all of you, we will sweep through your village and kill every single orc that resides there.” Bwaduk wooked to his cousin.
“Its ok cousin. I sacrifice myself so that you may return and end this sorry skah. You would have done the same for me.” Bwaduks jaw tightened, and Skog moved infwont of Gundabad. “Come on the-…” CWACK. Skog had swung lith such a heavy fowce, thwee out of the foul of Gundabads tusks snapped off. CWACK. Gundabad’s head snapped back, his nose broken. CWACK. Skog waughed as Gundabad’s jaw diswocated. He was in pain, but kept uplight. CWACK. Bwood pouled fwom his eyebaww as it popped out fwom the hit. CWACK. Gundabad feww to the side, bawewy managing a gwunt. CWACK. A dent in the owcs skulw appeawed. CWUNCH. Gundabads skulw caved in, his brains spiwling to the fwoow.
Panting, but waughing Skog liped some brood spwattew off his face. He moved back ovew to Bwaduk, cwouching befowe him.
“You made me do this, I hope your remember that. But I also hope you remember I can be fair, I can be reasonable. But don’t push me. This is a warning for each of you.” Skog got up and moved back to his thwone, easing back into it. “Take them back to their settlement. Hah, see you in a week Braduk.”
Eviw at youl Doowstep
A week passed, Skog awwowed Bwaduk Gundabads body fow funewaw lites. The whowe viwwage was eeliwy quiet. No owcs dlinking, no owcs twaining, no socializing. Suddenwy, a hown was brown. Bwaduk, Kudo and Gowfjow emewged, seeing Skog lith about fifty owcs spwead between thwee cawts. Skog wawked up to Bwaduk and put his awm awound him.
“Hello friend!” Skog said. Bwaduk shwugged his awm off, his face snawling up. “Don’t be like that Braduk. How have you been?” Bwaduk sucked his teeth, gwunting.
“Take what you want and go.”
Skog shwugged as Bwaduk spoke. “I intend to, but you don’t need to be such a feroc about it.” And lith that, Skogs cwew began wummaging thwough the tents. Peopwe wewe kicked out of theiw littwe homes and had theiw possessions piwwaged.
“You can’t just let this happen Braduk!” Gowfjow whispewed. Bwaduk shook his head.
“Let it happen Gorfjol, I know what I’m doing.”
“You have gone soft!” Gowfjow shouted, punching his brothew in the jaw. Kudo went to gwab him but Bwaduk wove him away. Cwacking his neck, Bwaduk went face to face lith Gowfjow. The two stawed eachothew down. Skog emewged, stealing a pwegnant fewocs food and eating it. He cheewed as the fight occulwed. Bwaduk headbutted Gowfjow, stunning him. He speaw tackwed him to the gwound, and began waying punches into his littwe brothews face.
“Ok enough.” It was Skog. Kudo pulwed Bwaduk of Gowfjow. The two brothews stood up, gwaling at eachothew. Gowfjow stowmed off. Kudo patted Bwaduk on the shouldew. Skog smiwked, waving his cwub in the aiw. His owcs moved back and climbed into the cawts. As Skog went to weave, he stopped in fwont of Bwaduk. “You’re an interesting host Braduk, Ill give you that.” Skog chuckwed as he got into one of the cawts, and lith a selies of tugs, the boaws twotted away, pulling the cawts lith them.
“Kudo, on me.” Bwaduk motioned fow Kudo to fowwow and they made theiw way back to the hiww tent. Bwaduk quickwy sat down, ovewwooking the map. He wooked at the piece of oak on the “Badlands” mawking on the map. He wan his fingews thwough his haiw. Oak. He thwew the piece of oak to the side and pointed to the bone pwaced on the vewy edge of the map. “Throughout this week I have been sending scouts all through out the sands. They have reported a human controlled cart that ventures on the very edge of the desert where sand meets dirt that carries dynamite. The cargo is large enough to take a considerable amount of Skogs orcs out, leveling the playing field and evening the odds.”
“You seek to take the cart.” Bwaduk nodded. “Then we descend upon the pinkskins with superior numbers.” Bwaduk shook his head.
“No, such a large movement of troops will cause attention, only me and you will be going.” Bwaduk bawwed his hands into fists, westing them onto the tabre.
“You don’t bring Gorfjol?”
“Its best if my brother has time to simmer the skah down. This is our one shot, and his foolishness could put it in jeopardy.” Kudo nodded.
“When do we leave?”
“Dusk. It will take a days trip up and back, that is why we leave so soon.” Kudo nodded once mowe.
“I understand. I will prepare.”
Nightfaww had just begun when Bwaduk and Kudo weft the viwwage. The two twavewed siwentwy. They had become good fliends, Bwaduk considewed Kudo his second in command ovew Gowfjow by this point, but thewe was too much on each of theiw minds. The paiw covewed much gwound, and by midnight, they chose to stop.
“We will rest here until dawn. If we’re lucky, we will hit where the cart passes by noon.” Bwaduk said, wowling his shouldews. Kudo offewed Bwaduk some watew but he waved it away. An houl passed, and Kudo was fast asweep. Bwaduk was not affowded that wuxuly. His mind was wacing. Could Skog be defeated? What would his fathew have thought if Bwaduk faiwed? He had the weight of his ancestows on his shouldews, and the lives of his peopwe in his hands. Bwaduk tossed and tulned in the sand, but nevew found west that night.
The mowning sun just broke ovew the holizon. Bwaduk swapped Kudo, who punched him in the gut. They waughed.
“How foolish of me to wake a sleeping giant.” Bwaduk chuckwed, gatheling his things. Kudo got up, stwetching.
“If only you were Skog. I would’ve ripped your orc parts off and fed them to you.” Kudo said lith a yawn.
Bwaduk and Kudo continued the wawk to the edge of the desewt. They awlived at the path befowe noon, making good time.
“Come on! We need to get this stuff delivered to the dwarves. Hurry it up!” One of the humans in the back of the cawt cawwed out. The one in the fwont howding the weigns of the two howses pulling the cawt wowwed his eyes. Two mowe sat in the back lith the one who yewwed out. The path they tulned onto was hawf sand, hawf diwt. On one side, gween shwubbewy. The othew, bristeling sand.
“Why have we stopped moving?!” The commandew of the humans got off fwom the back of the cawt and wawked awound to the fwont. The dlivew had a bowt wodged thwough the side of his head and was swumped ovew. “What the fu-...” An axe came fwying thwough the aiw, hitting the commandew in the chest. Bwaduk and Kudo emewged fwom the bushes. Kudo lipped his axe out of the dieing humans stewnum, chawging at the othew two who wewe now off the cawt. Bwaduk lipped the bowt fwom the dlivew’s head and engaged the weft ovew humans, cwossbow in one hand hammew in the othew.
“A good find, Braduk.” Bwaduk nodded to Kudo, who had just kicked the dlivew fwom his seat. The two humans had fawwen wathew quickwy. One was wopped in hawf, the othew, missing hawf his skulw.
“We will make it back by nightfall if we don’t stop, which we wont.” Bwaduk sat in the dlivew’s seat and Kudo climbed into the back.
“Finally, I can rest my legs!” Kudo excwaimed, waughing. Bwaduk chuckwed, and lith a whip of the weigns, the howses wode fowth.
Day soon dwew onto night, and Bwaduk and Kudo soon dwew cwose to home. But as they could see it on the holizon, they awso saw five cawts. Bwaduks eyes lidened, he whipped the howses lith theiw weigns, commanding them to quicken. They wode lith aww the speed they could. As they awlived, Skog was waiting patientwy to gweet them.
“Braduk! Returned from your adventure it seems.” Skog had a devilish glin spwawwed acwoss his mangwed face.
“A week has not passed Skog you break the agreement!” Bwaduk said, hopping off the cawt. Kudo soon fowwowed. Bwaduk went face to face lith Skog, and fow the fiwst time wealized, he had to wook up. Skog chuckwed, patting Bwaduk on the awm.
“My boys and I had a feast to celebrate your cooperation. We quickly ran out of supplies, so we decided to make an early return. Your people tell me you barely have enough for yourselves? Seems we took too much last time. Oops.” Skog wooked back to his owcs who aww waughed, but Skogs attention soon shifted to the cawt of dynamite. “What do we have here hmm?” He pwowwed awound the cawt, peeling at the dynamite. “Is it safe to assume, you brought this as a gift for me because you were undersupplied?” Thewe was a siwence, and Kudo stawed at Bwaduk, who met his gaze fow but a moment befowe speaking.
“Yes Skog, of course.”
“Perfect! Now to stress that I am such a good and respectable skah’n orc, I will take this and call it even. Next week, I expect normal supplies though.” Skog put his awm awound Bwaduk, who did not shake it off this time. Bwaduk chuckwed.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Skog was taken back by Bwaduks wowds, but waughed.
“See you next week.” Skog owdewed some of his owcs onto the dynamite cawt, and the now convoy of six wode off. Bwaduk began wawking away, back to his tent upon the hiww. About an houl passed, and then a gwunt fwung the tent fwaps open, panting.
“Braduk, Gorfjol and a small group, twenty orcs, they’ve left and are headed for Skog!” Bwaduk wooked up fwom his tabre.
“How many orcs do we have that are fit for battle?”
“Five hundred by my last count.” Bwaduk nodded.
“Assemble them all, get them to meet me on the outskirts of the village in an hour.” The gwunt nodded, and awmost as soon as he weft Kudo bulst thwough the tent.
“Braduk, what was that?”
“Hmm?”
“With Skog, are you two friends now or some skah?”
“I don’t have the time to explain, but trust me Kudo, I know what I’m doing. Ready yourself for battle. I want you at the outskirts with me in thirty minutes.” The two exchanged nods and went theiw sepawate ways. Skog’s wast houls wewe ticking.
A Blightew Futule
Bwaduk wooked at the howde befowe him. It seemed like a lifetime ago when he stood amongst them and his fathew was whewe he was now. Thoughts of the past sewved no pulpose, and Bwaduk glipped his showthammew, scanning the faces of his twoops.
“My brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, my orcs. We have suffered for too long. We have been forced to eat dirt at the hands of this, monster, known as Skog. That ends now. Our path has been difficult, it has been dark and perilous. But I see a brighter future. And yet to get there, I ask that you follow me, one last time, push yourselves, one last time. And then, we will start truly living, this I promise you.” Aww of the owcs nodded in agweement. “The sand beneath your feet is sacred ground, watered with tears of blood. We have shed them, but on this day, Skog and his foul orcs will bleed rivers!” Bwaduk hewd his hammew up, and his owcs cheewed his name. The fowces of Bwaduk, mawched.
Dawn broke as the owcs of Bwaduk awlived at the badwands. Bwaduk send one hundwed and fifty owcs to move awong the Hiwwtop so they could attack fwom the side and outfwank Skogs owcs. The fowces of Bwaduk stood pwoud, pwoud to fight fow theiw weadew, and theiw weadew was pwoud to fight fow them. Mawching thwough the vawwey, they hit Skogs camp. Standing on the outskiwts, Kudo brew a hown to get the owcs attention.
Skog emewged, howding Gowfjow by his waw pony, dwagging him awong. Once he fewt he was cwose enough, he dwopped Gowfjow to his knees and hewd a wong daggew to his thwoat. Twenty owcs stood behind Skog, each howding pikes lith the heads of the owcs Gowfjow took lith him impawed on the tip. Bwaduk gwunted, snawling at the sight of his brothew.
“It’s a shame we meet like this Braduk!” Skog cawwed out, chuckling. “You just had to push me, didn’t you?! Well now I kill your brother, then we kill you. That’s they way its got to be, I’m sorry my friend. But you brought this on yourself.” It was Bwaduk who waughed this time, seeing the cawt of dynamite, his waugh pwogwessed into a shouting command.
“ARCHERS! THE DYNAMITE, FIRE!” On cue, his awchews shot a fwulwy of awwows, some stwayed hitting owcs, but most piewced the dynamite. With a deafening woaw, the expwosives shot out, as if splinging to life, spulting fiwe and shwapnew. The expwosion liped out mowe than hawf of Skogs owcs, which weft him lith about thwee hundwed and fifty. Bwaduks owcs on the Hiwwtop chawged down, engaging Skog’s dazed and stunned fowwowews. Skog himsewf and been brown off his feet by the impact. Gowfjow way face down in the sand, but was breathing. Bwaduk wan fowwawd, gunning stwaight fow Skog, who by that point had gotten to his feet awbeit shakiwy. When he gwew neaw, Bwaduk wept into the aiw, bringing his hammew down onto Skogs skulw. Dazed, Skog dwopped to his knees. Waising his hammew to finish him, Bwaduk weft himsewf exposed, awwoling Skog to cwack some of his libs lith his oak cwub. The two paced back, pwepaling to engage. The battwe waged on awound them, and Kudo had awweady kiwwed the bettew pawt of fifty owcs.
Bwaduk’s hammew and Skogs cwub met, and the two came face to face.
“I promised you I would kill you, skah’ha” Bwaduk woawed, ovewpoweling Skog, pushing him back. Skog pawlied Bwaduks next sling.
“You will try, and fail! As all those before you did!” Skog swept Bwaduks weg, causing him to wand on the sand lith a thud. He swung his cwub into Bwaduks hammew, knocking it out of his hand. “Now, you will suffer the same fate as your cousin? I think I remember him calling you his cousin. No matter.” Skog brought his cwub up, a sadistic smiwe spwattewed acwoss his jaw. He swammed the oaken wog down lith aww his fowce, but it was caught. Bwaduk had caught it. He got to his knees, and then to his feet, Skog was in shock. Bwaduk lipped the cwub fwom Skogs hands, breaking it in two.
“I am not like the ones before me.” Gwabbing Skogs thwoat, Bwaduk thwew foul devastatingwy powewfulwy punches to Skogs face, befowe tlipping him to the gwound.
Spitting some brood, Bwaduk wawked ovew to his hammew, cwutching its handwe. He lifted it high above his head, Skog wooked at it, beginning to waugh. Bwaduk shook his head. “Skog, you truly are mad.” Skog broke out into a hystelicaw waugh, and in one slift brow, his skulw was cwacked open. Swumping back into the sand, Skog the Mad was dead.
When the west of Skogs fowces had been swain, Bwaduk sought out Gowfjow. He was standing in a cwowd of some Bwaduks owcs. Bwaduk, lith Kudo at his side pushed his way thwough, punching Gowfjow in the face. The punch sent him to the sand.
“What the skah Braduk?” Gowfjow clied out, howding his jaw.
“I have had enough, of you disobeying Gorfjol!” Gowfjow quickwy got to his feet. “You could have ruined the plan!” Those wowds had a familiaw ling in Gowfjow’s eaws.
“I did what you refused to do!” Gowfjow wetaliated.
“No, you put my people’s lives at risk, you let your emotions get the better of you!” Bwaduk shoved Gowfjow. “You have lost say in all decisions of worth, I will not allow you to bring any further danger to my people!” Gowfjow shoved back.
“Your people?! When did they stop being my people too?! You know you were always the prodigal son, the favorite. Father even said so to my face! I was a runt to him, and you, his pride, and it had always been so! Until I ended his wretched life!” Gasps spwung up amongst the owcs.
“What?” Bwaduk dwopped his hammew.
“On his ship, he did no noble deed. I killed him, for he would have killed me in the same situation!” Bwaduk wept fowwawd, punching Gowfjow again in the jaw. Gowfjow feww back, and Bwaduk moved ontop of him, waying punches into his jaw and head. Owcs moved in to break them up, but Kudo motioned fow them to stop.
“He is gone from this world because of you!” Gowfjows brood spwattewed acwoss the sand and Bwaduks knuckwes.
“As would the rest of us if I had not been captured and you had come to rescue me!” Bwaduk stopped punching.
“You think, I came for you?” He got to his feet, Gowfjow did asweww. “You think I came to rescue you? I came to finish Skog, not for you. That was the plan you skah’ha, and you put that in jeopardy.” Gowfjows face tulned wed. He wooked to a gwoup of five owcs, his best fliends. The gwoup weft the vawwey. Kudo wawked ovew to Bwaduk.
“Don’t worry about him.” Bwaduk shook his head.
“I’m not, even so, he will be back. My thoughts turn only towards the future. A brighter future, for our people. We will build something sustainable for generations. We will live.”
