"And mew remembered to take mewr lunch right kitten?" Mollie nagged her sister as the orc carefully climbed down the rope ladder...well CHAIN ladder. The ropes unraveled ages ago. Since they were quite frayed, and very much NOT in a state for an-almost-mature orc to climb around on. (A fact that left Bulka very embarrassed.) As she made contact with the ground, the dust of the barren earth formed a cloud around Bulka's boots. Mollie was looking down from
the treehouse entrance. There was a frown on her pink, plump lips.
Bulka scratched the back of her head and gave a thumbs-up. "I'm good as gold Mollie! Don't let those pretty ginger pigtails turn gray before their time!" As insecure as Mollie's good looks made Bulka feel, she loved her sister too much to leave her in a state of worry. "Sheesh, I have two of them bloody first aid kits, an emergancy flare signal, a spare flare signal, and three meals not including the snacks you packed!" Mollie's face seemed to ease up a little. "All today is going to be is a quick registration form an' then a trip to the summoning chamber in the ruins! It's not that far into the forest, it'll be alright!"
"Mmm...Oki doki! I suppose I am going to have to prepare a place for the theif to sleep. Nyah! I just hope their mewt some creep! It gets my tail in a knot! Father had a good feeling though, so I guess we can trust this purrson! Just to be safe I think cleaning up the shed and turning it into a guest house is our best bet!" She rubbed her sharp chin with her cute paw hands and shrugged.
Bulka nodded firmly. "Sounds good I'd say! I'll help out if I can after my errends are done! Maybe our theif can too, asuming they don't have traveler's sickness!" Luckily the first aid kit should've had pills if she needed them for that. "Don't know much about cross-dimensional travel business o' whatever. Guess it would be rough! However Dad was never wrong, eh? He was made leader of the village for a reason! A better druid the guild could not find! " Too bad his reign as Shaman was a short one, but she thought it best not to say that part out loud.
Mollie's body language hinted that she agreed with the words. "Yes! Mew and me must trust Father! He said mew'd be heroes and certainly mew will! I'll bet my tail on it!" She pounded the air with her fluffy fist. Bulka gripped her overly stuffed messenger bag and pounded the air triumphantly. She waved her feline sister good-bye and was off to the start of her adventure. She made her way through the residential area in the barren forest they called home.
Like the sisters, most people lived in tree-house cabins. Though some opted to build igloo-like houses made from stone on the ground instead. Most businesses preferred the over-sized
igloo model, but there were a handful that preffered the more tradional treehouse. Especially since the trunks of the giant trees were as good as stone. They were genetically engineered by the ancients to be as hard as metal, have trunks that were over thirty feet-in diameter, and practically imortal. They were call steel-wood trees for a reason.
The only negative side was that they only bloomed once every hundred years, and spent most of their time in a leafless, hybernated state. The shiny, silver-trunked trees rarely produced seeds as a result. Meaning if they ever did meet some sort of foe they were weak to, they'd easily go extinct. Not that her late father thought it was much of a tragedy. He wasn't the biggest fan of corrupting the Holy Mother's work with genetic splicing. As much as the village depended on their trees, they likely threw off the balance of nature in some way. After all, the ground was made infertile to anything that wasn't them. Father said it was because of a poisonous root secretion, which made sense given how bad the roots smelled.
The errand continued quietly for awhile. The leafless shadows of the four-hundred-foot behemoths loomed over the path. Faint traces of green could be seen in the mountainous horizon, but the ground within the village was barren no matter where she turned . As she walked she noticed some young humans playing in the distance. As she approuched they gave her the usual greeting, they headed inside without even a short greeting. The Steel Stump Village considered her to be the bigest mistake her father made. Regardless of their rejection, he had always insisted she was destined for greatness. All the villagers saw was a primal creature, who should have long gone exctinct. Even when she occationally made trips to the tribe's other villages with her sister, it was the same cold reaction. Nobody liked her...
The quiet moment was interrupted.
"Hey Muscles! Long time no see!" She looked up to see a pale-skinned teenager with shaggy dark-blue hair. He was looking down at her with his snake-like red eyes, which were the only things giving away that he wasn't a normal human. He was dressed in dark clothes, littered with spikes and chains. Overall he had a very brooding way about him that many girls reluctantly found attractive. Something she learned via Mollie's habit of eavesdropping. A blush formed on her grayish cheeks, and she nearly scraped her tounge on her second row of teeth as she tried to communicate.
"Oh he-hey! Kobra!" She tried to choke back a few giggles. Normally she could act-well-normal. At least that was the case if she knew she would be seeing him in advance. Sadly this random encounter caught her smitten heart off gaurd. "Just going to get my adventurer to go licensing! I mean your hair...looks nice today! Love the sweep-side thing...haha! I mean side-swept! I-I love how you swept it to the side!" She knew there was no reason to be nervous, they had been each other's only friends since forever.
After puberty though, things changed hardcore for her. She hoped it was only a matter of time before they got together. It was a perfect match, they were both the adopted outsiders in the community. Their parents were also the closest of friends. Sadly that wasn't enough to save their reputation from slaughter. She had heardthe housewifes gossip, but at least she knew that they practically saw them as a couple already...a couple they hated, but still!
"You still spaced out Muscles?" At some point he hopped from the treebranch down to the ground as he was waving his hand in her face. She could see her saucer-eyed reflection
looking back at her, via his black nailpolish.
"Oh sorry! Sorry man! Lost my marbles, I did! Bwahaha!" She backed away, face still flushed. "It's just that I'm excited to get my start as an' adventurer! Slay some zombies, find some loot an' all that! Can you believe we might finally get to start a party together? Crazy eh?Just you, me, and...maybe somebody else?" She kept the summoning chip secret, afterall, who knows what kind of person might listen in and steal it. The aforementioned housewives were a nosey bunch that could not keep their mugs shut. She looked down to make eye-contact, only to see him look at his feet and shift his hands awkwardly. This wasn't uncommon for him, he was shyer and awkward around people who were not her. The cuase for alarm was the fact that he was acting awkwardly around HER. A sudden thought made her heart skip a beat. Maybe this was the moment he would confess to her. She had to ready herself emotionally. Unfortunately her soothing deep breaths sounded like a wild hog about to rampage.
"Listen...Bulka...I noticed you got an axe tied to your back..."
"Yeah...I know! Bawhaha! So lame right? An orc with an' axe! Like that hasn't been done to death an' back when my kin were walking around right? I was personally hoping to get the druid's
spear! You know, be like my old man!" A tear slid down her cheek as she said so. How many times had she prayed to the Mother to change her fate? Just the thought made her shook up inside.
"Well yeah, but you are not!" He took the weapon strapped to his back, and presented it. "You know I have a scythe, being a reaper and all." She was well aware of that, reapers were swifter, more precise compared to beserkers. Of all the tanks, they were the weakest defense wise, but had speed and stealth to make up for it. In the right hands, it was easily a better alternative to a beserker...like her... "Since we are both in the tank familly...I think us becoming a party is a bad idea!"
Bulka's leathery skin formed goose bumps, and her blush went from rosie red to sickly green within record speed. "Hhh-huh?"
"Yeah sorry! No hard feelings, FRIEND, but a second tank would slow me down. I am better off as a solo type of man y'know!" Even though his head was a few inches beneath her shoulders, she felt heads smaller than him in that moment.
"Oh I see...I just figured the more the merrier! Ya' know?" She figeted with the unshorn side of her hair, which was styled in a cut HE recomended.
He pat her on the bicep and smiled coyly. "Don't worry my lady! We'll still see eachother around! I might be a single-player type of guy, but when I am just hanging around I could always use the brawn to my brains!" He tapped his temple with his pointer finger. She responded with a flex of her arm, wich was pretty much their secret handshake. He winked, and She blushed again, so maybe they were not going to do quests as a duo but he was right! They could still share stories over a cup of ale and talk about their journeys. Besides, she wasn't going to be alone anyways. She had the theif waiting to be brought over.
"No worries mate, I've got to head over to the guild, but I'll see ya' later man!" She waved before marching off.
"Later!" He waved back and leapt back onto the branch, he took another bound to the next branch, and the one after. To have the esteemed dragonoid blood in his veins, he was so lucky! Bulka wondered why the village hated him so much.
She sighed and walked off, eventually finding the gravel path that led to the rotund, stone guild building. She flatly placed her hand on the wooden door. Her whole arm was shaking as she redied to go inside. With a half hearted push, she found her way in. The dimly lit guild hall was quiet, as most adventurers in the village were off on a big hunting quest left by the current Shaman leading the village.
Chairs were stacked across the round tables with a not-so healthy coating of cobwebs, and the chandleir candles went unlit. The only sign of life was behind the reception desk. A pointy hat stuck-out behind a stack of paperwork. She approuced catiously and tapped the lobby bell.
"Ping!"
The body attached to the hat stiffly rose up like zombie popping out of its grave. The mousy-haired, four-eyed, human woman adjusted her hat and clapped her hands together before saluting. "Howdy ho! Guild Master Kaster! Reporting for duty-" She dropped the polite act when she saw who it was. "Oh if it's not Kobra's friend...what a wonderful surprise..." She sighed while slumping down, clearly more relaxed now that she knew it wasn't one of her prized senoir members. She reached for her pipe, and took out her wand to use a firespell to light it. "What's your beef kid?" The dark circles under her gray eyes made her look just as tired as she sounded.
"Um...registration?" Kaster blew a smoke ring as Bulka spoke, and this made Bulka tense up even more. "I turned sixteen today! I am now a full fledged legal adult!"
"Mgh, is that so? Honey I am twenty-five, and I hardly feel fit to call myself one! Not that a whelp like you will listen to me." She hand waved as she began rummaging through some drawers. "Let me guess you are joining Kobra's party?" She tried to pass a party-registeration clipboard to Bulka. The orc waved her hands to signal a reluctant refusal.
"N-no...we're both tanks so...uh...WE decided to do things on our own...f-for now! Don't ya dare ask questions! 'Kay?" She crossed her arms and tried to glare intimatingly. Kaster simply
ignored her and sniffed hers oki g pipe. The rugged mage wrinkled her nose before shrugging it off and putting it back into her mouth.
"Yeah, I am sure it was the tanks sweetheart..." She opened up a scandelous looking romance novel and began flipping through it. "So I am going to put you down as a solo act, okay?"
"Th-That's right, but I've got somebody else who's going to be joining me soon! So get ready to change it!" This caused Kaster's eyes to widen.
"Oh has she spoken to you already? I thought that she was hide-" Kaster looked over her shoulder while Bulka's face twisted into a confused expression. Was that mage high on something?
"Huh, who and what now?" Bulka stared, slack-jawed, at Kaster as she scribbled away on her notes like she said nothing unusual.
"Let's put a pin in for now, so judging by the axe you're a beserker right? Shoulda seen that one coming!" Bulka rolled her eyes as the mage rubbed her glasses against her argyle sweater. Not that it helped much, Kaster's lens still looked incredably smudged yet the humans thought Bulka was a slob! Kaster just kept on taking notes. "So what kinds of mana do you have kiddo?"
Bulka crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Earth...and shadow."
"Uh-huh! Classic Primal Orc...Good stuff..." Kaster's almost monotonous voice was really starting to grate on Bulka. She wanted to take that quill out of that smartass's hands and snap it in half.
"Good luck trying to fight the plague monsters like that! It'll be like fighting fire with fire! If I were you, I'd invest in some mana charms as soon as possible." The mage tookout something from her pants' pocket. Bulka leaned in closer for a look.
It was a watch on a chain, with a circle of colorful gemstones around the face. "Each one here represents a different type of magic: earth, water, air, fire, electric, life, light, shadow, psychic, and chaos. They all have streangths and weaknesses. If you want to be well rounded, you'll have to gain the means to use them all...well all save for one..." Bulka snorted, knowing very well where this was going.
"Eldritch?" That was the name of the Dark Sister's curse, a dangerous type of magic only controllable to those with hearts of darkness. "Believe it or not, I am keeping my hands off that filthy stuff! Just becuase I am the same race as the people who brought the world into this mess doesn't mean I am evil! I am my father's daughter! I will be a hero!" She pounded her fist on the desk, her mouth was foaming at the corners from pure anger. Even as the desk looked like it was caught in an earthquake, Kaster was unfazed.
"You know I have seen some unspeakable crap, your teenage temper tantrum doesn't faze me in the slightest!" It had to be handed to the cranky witch, facing off against a furious orc wasn't for the feint of heart. "I'll have you know that I am not telling you anything I haven't told the other brats that come waltzing in here like the own the darn place." She calmly stood up and rolled up one of her white sleves. Unveiling that her left arm had a patch of flesh that had been warped into a twisted, abominable nightmare. It was covered in bubble-like growths, knotted flesh, and bony spirals. It looked like a case of the Plague that was healed in the nick of time. "You may be an adult to the law, but to me you're still a kid who is capable of making mistakes. You don't want your career over before it starts. Then you'll end up as a wash-out stuck in the boonies."
Why was Kaster being so open suddenly? Didn't she hate Bulka ever since she came to the village? Then again...Kaster wasn't ever around much at all. Bulka fliched as she realized the mage had reached up, and put the hand of her good arm on the orc's shoulder. "Word of advice, if you want to be a hero, stay away from that punk you call a friend. You'll be suprised how much of your troubles will be gone with him out of your life!"
Was that prick implying what Bulka thought she was? "Kobra's my best friend, like hell I am going to just ditch him because ya' said so lady! He's given me all sorts o' advice on how to deal with the bloody snobs in the area!" She was expecting some epic debate, but Kaster merely shrugged as she sat back down.
"Okay, but I promise I won't rub it in your face if you ever change your mind. You are one of my adventurers now, so I am here to assist...unfortunatly." She rolled down the sleeve so it covered her corrupted arm again. "All we need to make it offical is a test of streangth. Some sort of task with little risk. Just to show me you won't get yourself instantly killed. Can't have you dying before you even learn what it's like to have some respect, huh? So let's see what I-"
"Well can I make a suggestion?" Bulka dipped her hand in her pocket.
"Don't see why not, go for it." The mage lit her pipe, and slouched as she reached for her novel.
"I want to go activate this!" Bulka placed the card on the desk and Kaster's eyes became as round as her glasses.
"My my, you are full of surprises brat, but that's not unexpected. You are the last full-blooded orc afterall. I do think this'll suffice. Just tell me who is your teamate and we can get this started!"
"Uh...teamate? I don't have a party. Kobra and I are doing things solo, remember?"
Kaster snickered and pulled out a seconbd clipboard, "again, not unexpected, but we are only send rookies out in pairs. Lucky for you, I have got somebody who has waited a month for another
new recruit. Falla, you're up!" Bulka had no time to react, did she just hear the name of...
"Hi there! I can't beleive we are getting an actual chance to hangout! An archer with fire and light mana, and a beserker with earth and shadow mana! I think we'll be an awesome fit!"
Bulka just stood there speachless, but she could see Kaster smirking out of the corner of her green eyes.
Before her stood a slim, short elf girl with auburn hair and eyes that seemed to always be squinted shut. The girl's smile was beeming with playful innocence, while her pointy ears twitched. She excitedly twirled around so that her pleated shortskirt moved with her. "You have no idea how glad I am! It's been such a long two months of waiting for your to be ready!"
All Bulka could do was groan in disbeleif. What had she gotten herself into? The very snob she wanted to prove herself to, now forced to be with her on her first quest? What sick joke was this? There was no way this day would get any worse... If only she could hear the ghostly honking in the great beyound.