The Wandering Path: New Horizons

Vord stood at the anvil, sweat dripping off his face. He hammered at the blade he was making, remembering what he could of his clan's techniques of blade crafting. He stopped and looked at it, deciding to fold the steel another time. This would be the five hundredth time he would fold the steel, all a part of a set tradition. As he hammered it out, forming the blade again, he thought of the reason again, galvanizing his resolve to finish his task. "She's worth it." he thought, hammering more carefully. 'What if she says no?' replied the doubting voice in his head, 'What will you do then?' He stopped mid-strike, thinking of what could happen. He hadn't thought of that, and felt a sinking pit of fear grow in his stomach. "I've got to trust her." he said, trying to convince himself it would be fine. 'She could still say no.' the voice responded, 'What will you do then?'

He stood there for a time, and finally looked down to see his steel cooling down, taking a dull red color. He realized how long he had been standing there and stuck the steel back in the coals, heating it again to finish his work. "I won't believe she'll do that." he could feel the essence of his doubt gloating, 'It's not as if you've been hurt before.' He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the voice and work through it. He started again to form the blade of the tant?, making the pinholes for the handle. "I've got to trust her, that's all I can do."

He sat at the bar, having finished the tant? and stowed it in the kunai bag at his waist, and stared into his ale. His fears had only increased, and he was now nearing his breaking point. "You gonna drink that or just stare at it?" Drak'nora asked him as she sat next to him. He looked at her, trying to erase the doubt on his face as Drak's look turned from joking to concerned. "Have you ever known what your life was missing, to know how to complete yourself but know you are in no control over it, that it all rest on someone else?" Drak'nora gave Vord a confused look, and Vord continued. "There's something I need to know, and it's something only you can tell me. I need to know if you feel anything between us, if what we have has any meaning to you."

Drak'nora looked Vord in the eyes, "I followed you to near death. I watch you, wondering what you're going to do next. I've told you I want you in my life. What more do you want me to do?" Vord's face lightened, and thought briefly, choosing his words. "Drak'nora, you've told me everything I've wanted to hear from you, save one. My life after avenging my family has been just one fight after another, I had no purpose, no reason. If I had died, there would have been no tears. If I had left, no voice to speak out. You changed that, you gave me meaning. You have made me find parts of myself I thought long dead." The grot Adallia sat in the corner, ears perking up and sighing at the conversation dreamily. Drak'nora places a hand over his, studying his face "You give yourself too little credit. There are more people here who care than you may ever know. Some are just more obvious about it than others, like me." Vord smiled, "You mean more to me than anything before. I might have friends, but you know that is nothing compared to what we all search for. I believe I've finally found that, which leads to my last question."

Drak'nora looks at him, her breath catching, as Vord reached into his kunai bag and pulled an object out. "Drak'nora Skullsplitter, Daughter of Drak'nor, sister of Thyrog." Vord knelt down, holding a tant? out. "Would you complete my search, complete myself, and be my Life Mate?" Draknora takes the tant?, admiring the craftsmanship, then looks back at Vord. "Yes, Vord. Yes!" Vord jumped up and grabbed Drak'nora in his arms, shouting with joy while Adallia ran over to Vord and Draknora, bouncing in front of them. "Yay! There's gonna be a wedding!" Adallia ran over to the bar, grabbed a couple of drinks, and dashed back and offered one to each of them as Drak'nora buried her face in Vord's neck, hiding the tear that escaped.

For the first time in a long while, Vord was truly happy. Grimface was less than enthusiastic, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. The last few days, he had been speaking with Urja for much of his spare time between his duties to the Grin and to those of Drak'nora. His contacts had been reached and the intel he could get had been gathered. Vord sat outside Stonard reflecting on what was to come next, and stared at his tant?, thinking of the matching blade and it's owner. He smiled, thinking of the wrath he was soon to bring upon himself. He looked stood up and started walking towards the inn, where the sounds of raised voices and a scuffle were emanating from. He walked in to see Londra cursing Urja, who lay writhing on the floor in pain while Cailos stood to the side, a strong smell of alcohol wafting from him. Londra closed in to beat Urja with her mace when the troll displayed a surprising comeback, quickly bringing Londra down to him and, to the surprise of all but himself, kissed her hard. Cailos broke them apart with a swift kick to the trolls head, then dragging him upstairs.

Urja could hear the females squabbling downstairs, but that didn't concern him. Cailos passed his "test" and now it was time to fill him in, or pay the price. Cailos reached for a blade and began his interrogation, "You have my thanks for bringing me to my senses, for that you will keep your life. However, I want to know what you were up to down there." Urja craked his neck with a pained look and sighed. "'E be sayin joo wos good, Ah just be wantin' ta be seein' fo mahself. Joo passed da test." Cailos looked questioningly at the troll, "Who is this, 'He'?" Urja glanced downstairs, then back to Cailos. "Dis not be da place, if joo be wantin' to know da truth, den we be needin ta go someplace moah...quiet."

Cailos let the troll go and nodded to his door. The two went inside, Urja closing the door while Cailos took a seat and tossed a throwing dagger in the air calmly, watching the troll. Urja looked at Cailos and knew he'd have no problems in the morality of killing a troll outsider here, and decided to start choosing his words more carefully. "Ah not be one ta give joo da run around, so Ah be tellin' joo now. Joo been chosen ta keep someone who be of interest to mah boss. Ah did what Ah did ta test joo, and joo did bettah den Ah thought joo would." Cailos snorted, "I don't care what you think of me or my skills. If I knew your master wanted a demonstration I'd have sent you back to him in a body bag, and I don't feel like working for someone who's not man enough to show himself to me or have a competent fighter represent him." Urja smiled at Cailos, "Dat be what Ah been expectin' ta heah, da one joo be chosen ta watch ovah be da elf Ah been talkin ta down da stairs." Cailos paused, almost dropping the knife before continuing. "And why me? She's married now, let her husband worry over her." he said with a bitter tone in his voice. Urja shook his head, "Da one named 'Shad' not be right in da head. Since he be gettin' back from da plaguelands he been worried 'bout da death knights. 'E knows he be weak to dem, he not be one ta trust. Joo still be carin' fo' da she elf-" "Londra." Cailos interjected. Urja nodded and took care to pronounce it right, "Lllonndrah, so joo be da best one fo' da job." Cailos narrowed his eyes at Urja. "Then what do you know that I don't? Why do I need to protect someone who's safe here anyway?" Urja thought for a moment, feeling the tip of his tusk before starting again. "Because da one who be askin' dis of joo be Vord, he be tinkin' when he leaves fo' his "mission" she be goin' aftah 'im, an he be wantin' someone ta watch her." Cailos stowed the knife while watching Urja. "Where is the orc going that she might follow?" Urja shook his head, "Ah not be tellin' joo dat yet, joo just be needin' ta know what be asked of joo, and to follow it to da end. Dat be all Ah have ta say, joo can go back to wallowin' in joo drinks, oah joo can keep dat which mattah ta joo safah. Joor choice."
Urja stood up and nodded to Cailos before slinking out the door to keep from being seen by Londra, leaving Cailos to sit in his room alone with his thoughts.

Vord looked out over Desolace. Yagyu had asked him to scout the area and assess the enemy's strength there, and so here he was, watching Nijel's Point, looking for anything out of the ordinary. His thoughts drifted back to Drak'nora, with whom he was soon to be bound as her life mate. Then came the realization of the new action the Grin was taking. It was a set back, yes, but it might give him the chance to learn what his "masters" had been hounding on him to retrieve. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a group of human riders heading swiftly to the Point. Vord grinned and mounted Sakumo, and started to intercept.

((during the campaign Vord's rp is going in the Veco. forum thread.))