Narrator
Driver
Gretchen
Guard
Chieftain
Leonie
Kyra
The morning sun peaks through the clouds onto the tree line of a thick, unkempt forest. A precarious faint blue glow quickly runs across the sky as if there was some mystical being flying just above the pillows of white. Gretchen stares at this curiously wondering just what kind of creature that could be.
Driver: good luck
Gretchen turns to him confused.
Driver: it just means I hope good things happen to you
Gretchen: but isn't luck already good
Driver:(rubs the back of his head) Well generally yes but there is such thing as bad luck. Funny thing really, whether you have good luck or bad luck you're still lucky. One cannot exist without the other I suppose.
Gretchen contemplates this for a second not fully understanding the meaning, then turns to walk away.
Driver: (calls out) you know, a thank you would be nice!
Gretchen disappears into the woods, shifting through the maze of branches and moss-covered stone. For the first time in a long time she actually feels nervous, worried about how she will be seen upon return. Suddenly she arrives at a large wooden gate that towers over her, a banner of stitched leather stretches across the entrance with a wyvern skull draped over it. A guard peers down from over the spiky top to see her approach and wait for entry.
Guard: Hold it! What is your name orc kin?
Gretchen: Gretchen, of clan wyvern. I got lost on my return from eagle's peak a few days ago.
Guard: Is that so? The scout team that went out to Eagle's peak returned a few weeks ago. (he spots Gretchen's mechanical arm) That armor you have on your arm there, looks too clean to be orc crafted.
Gretchen: I lost my arm in the hunt for wyverns this mechanical one was forged by an elf that…
Guard: You took up help from the elves!?
Gretchen: It wasn't by choice, they put this on me after I had fallen. If it is truly a burden, then hand me an axe and let me cut it off!
Guard: That will not do. You have been bested in battle and worse, relied on help from outsiders. You are no clan orc, just another city maiden.
Gretchen: What!? No, I'm a fighter and I'm strong. Hand me an axe and let me prove it!
Chieftain: (from behind the gate) That's quite enough. Thrax, open the gates and let me speak with her.
The guard nods silently at the chief then pulls on a rope with ease as the gate swiftly rises. An old yet still fit orc draped in an assortment of furs stitched together by bone steps forward dragging a large spiked club behind him. Several; strong orcs accompany him as he passes the threshold to speak with Gretchen.
Gretchen: (punches her chest as hard as she can) Chieftain let me prove my strength to you so that…
Chieftain: Gretchen, you have disobeyed the creed of the orc, by saving one who is weak. Your previous comrades told me of your treachery, how you saved the life of an orc that was about to be swallowed by a beast. We orcs survive by letting the weak die so that the strong may reproduce. You would dare not only, doom our species to extinction, but you would involve the orc clans in the conflicts of outsiders. For this I Agnar chief of clan Wyvern here by exile you from all orc clans.
Gretchen: (shaking in despair) N-no, I…but chief I am strong.
Gretchen steps forward as the chief's guards ready their weapons in defense. She retreats a step in disbelief.
Chieftain: This law has been upheld for centuries and of it, there can be no exceptions if we are to survive. Take pride in knowing that this is for the good of clan Wyvern and all other orc clans. I hereby order your execution upon return. Leave now and do not disgrace the orc name again.
The Chieftain's coat opens as he turns unveiling the numerous varieties of pelts from the beasts he's slain. Once he passes the threshold of the gate the other orcs follow leaving Gretchen behind. The gate starts to drop as Gretchen runs to it in a panicked frenzy. Blinded by her emotions her only focus is returning home. She reaches out at the gate as it lands, blocking her from the only place she called home. Tears well up in her eyes as she weeps aloud and falls to her knees.
Gretchen: Useless! Weak! If I am not strong enough then I have no purpose. (she remembers the boy she saved) What happened to him? Was he exiled like me? Maybe worse. No, why? Why do I even think of him? He is weak he's worthless to the clan, and yet…I guess…so am I now.
Standing to her feet she walks over to where she once stood and turns to face the guard in the watch tower again. Wiping the tears from her eyes she begins removing her armor until she only has a cloth wrapping around her breasts and torn baggy pants.
Guard: (Blushes) Uh, hey, stop that! You can keep the armor just leave.
She looks to him with her arms out wide.
Gretchen: I have nowhere to go, and no purpose left to live…So go on, kill me.
Guard: Look lady you've only been exiled now put some cloths back on and leave before people start staring.
Gretchen: I do not deserve to wear the clan's armor. The chief said I'd be executed if I return…well…then I have returned! I have nowhere else to go so I will keep returning until I am accepted or killed!
Guard: (sighs) You're a stubborn one, I'll give you that…Ugh, fine, such a waist if you ask me.
The guard slings his bow around draws an arrow and aims his shot.
Guard: Gretchen the outsider, for returning to an orc clan after being exiled I Thrax of clan Wyvern sentence your execution.
Gretchen closes her eyes accepting her fate as the guard releases the arrow.
Leonie: Barrier!
Suddenly what seems like an illuminating blue wings reach around Gretchen shattering the arrow.
Guard: What!? What is this!?
Gretchen turns to see Leonie as her angelic blue wings retract behind her and she leaps into Gretchen's arms. Kyra follows up tackling them both as they fall to the ground.
Gretchen: Ouch! Leonie? Kyra? What are you two doing here? And where's your father?
Kyra: Oh, he doesn't know we're here.
Leonie: And what happened to your clothes?
The two girls quickly stand to their feet in front of Gretchen with their arms out wide to block her.
Leonie: Stop right there, pervert!
Guard: PERVERT!? I didn't tell her to take her clothes off!
Kyra: If you harm our friend, or demand she take off anything else, you will be declaring war against the adventures' guild Lyra.
Guard: Adventures' guild? When did she become part of a guild?
Kyra: as of about 3 seconds ago.
Guard: What? I was not told of this! Did you really just join a guild?
Gretchen: (Rising to her feet) Thank you girls, but you…are too naïve. You shouldn't involve yourself with me you could have really got hurt. Go home to your father and…
Kyra: Nope
Gretchen: child listen to me.
Kyra: (looks back with a smile) Nope. You might be older and the first warrior class in our guild but I'm still the leader, so I decide what we're going to do today. And if I say you're part of the guild then you're part of the guild.
Leonie: That's an order.
Gretchen: (looks away) Why? Why would you save my life? I am nothing, useless, I don't belong anywhere and yet…
Leonie: Cause that's what friends do.
Gretchen looks at the two again, now with great big smiles on their faces. There's that word again, friend, what does it mean? Whatever it is it's the reason these two girls would risk their life to save another. Is it connected to the feelings she had for the orc boy she saved? Whatever the case, in that moment she wanted nothing more than to hunt for the answer.
Gretchen: (looks to the guard) It is true! I, Gretchen the outsider, have joined their guild. I will now leave and never return.
The two girls light up even happier than before as they jump to either arm.
Guard: ugh, fine get out of here. We orcs don't get involved with any outsider guilds, but if you return again Gretchen, you will be killed onsite.
Gretchen salutes the guard as she did the chief, punching her chest as hard as she can. The two girls see this and try to imitate it but faintly wince in pain as they let out a small cry, slightly rubbing the bruise as they all turn to leave.
Gretchen: (looks over shoulder) Oh, and Thrax. Th-th-an-k you.
Guard: (stares for a moment then turns away with a slight blush) whatever.
The two girls cling to Gretchen's arm as she leads them through the thick forest.
Gretchen: so, how'd you know where to find me
Leonie: oh, I flew us here with my wings.
Kyra: I knew my dad wouldn't want you around, so we made sure to sneak out and follow you when you left.
Gretchen: You broke your father's law!?
Leonie: Mr. Ortiz can be scary sometimes but he's really caring once you get to know him.
Kyra: Yeah, we'll probably be grounded for a few weeks but it's worth it.
It seems this guild is much different than the orc clans. Kyra is the leader, but she can still be punished by her father.
Gretchen: so, this guild. How many people are in it so far?
Kyra: well there's Leonie, my dad and I make up 3 so that makes you the 4th
Gretchen: 4 members? And half of them are children?
Kyra: yeah! And with your strength, my brains, and Leonie's magic, we'll be unstoppable!
Gretchen: That's another thing. Leonie, I've never seen magic like that before what is it.
Leonie: oh, that well you see it's uh kinda hard to explain.
Kyra: you forgot how it works didn't you.
Leonie: I forgot how it works.
Kyra: Ugh, fine I'll explain it again. Just about everyone in Dorell has a kind of life energy called mana inside them. Magic is simply the manipulation of this life energy. The more mana one has the more powerful they are and the type of magic someone can use is tied to their personality. Passionate people often use fire, those who use water are often serene, and kindhearted people often radiate healing light.
Leonie: negative emotions like stress and depression can also affect ones magic as well, making it uncontrollable and lash out.
Kyra: Leonie's magic works a little different though. Her wings are made out of pure mana itself and even have calming and healing capabilities. While most mages have to build up their mana overtime, Leonie is overflowing with it and regenerates almost instantly.
Gretchen: Hmm, sounds complicated. I just swing my axe a few times, or at least I used to. (she looks down at her mechanical arm) Hey Kyra, how do you know so much about this magic stuff, I heard you can't cast spells.
Kyra: oh, you know about that? I guess it's not too surprising, everyone in anvil knows me as the Ortiz girl that can't do magic. You see, my mom is kind of known as Anvil's head sorceress. She's truly brilliant, a hero to all mages. It's because of her accomplishments that many guilds seek out elves to be their group magic users. So, when she found out that her only daughter couldn't use magic, she was furious. I spent most of my life studying it with tutors all across Dorell. I learned that it was because I didn't have any mana, but my mom thought I wasn't trying hard enough.
An eerie silence falls over the three as Gretchen tries to understand this feeling of sorrow for her new chieftain.
Exiting the forest, they find a horse drawn carriage waiting their arrival. The driver is the same odd man from before but when he looks to them, he is taken aback.
Driver: Kyra? Leonie? What are you two doing out here?
Leonie: Hey Alfieon, (climbs into the carriage) you mind taking us home? I don't think I can carry Gretch.
Driver: I'm pretty sure a normal girl would be offended by that, but I can certainly take you home none the less. I'll just let your father know so he can compensate the travel expe…
Kyra: (drops a sizable bag of coins next to him) Or we can just keep this between us.
Driver: (looks to the bag with starry eyes) Very well, to Anvil we go.
They start off down the dirt road leading away from the forrest.
Gretchen: So why were you waiting out here? Wait, did you know they were going to reject me!
Driver: Ah well you see I know how the orc clans can be, so I figured I'd wait a day and see if you came back. If you didn't, I would just assume you died, and I wouldn't get to hear more stories.
Gretchen: I already told you what happened with my arm.
Driver: Ah yes, but I can tell just by looking at you that there will be many more adventures to come.
Suddenly a strong gust of wind sweeps clouds of dirt into the bed of carriage. The back wheels shake as they lift up and immediately drop back down with an abrupt crash. The four brace themselves as the horses become startled and toss them side to side against each other.
Leonie: What was that?!
Gretchen steadies herself as she glares fearlessly at the ensuing mountain range she knows as Eagle's Peak.
Gretchen: It's a wyvern.
Sure enough, swooping around from behind the rocky peaks is creature twice the size of the carriage and thrice as fast. Tough grey skin, wings that reign over the land, curved claws on its feet, and a scar across the right side of its jaw. Gretchen knows this wyvern, it's the same one that took her arm.