By the time the last orc was reasonably well, the sun had fully risen above the valley, bathing us all in its burning rays. Part of me wanted to simply pull back the covers, so to speak, to conjure up enough mists and clouds to block the hateful light but sadly, I did not have that power, at least not yet. But it would be a worthwhile goal to aspire to, the ability to make myself comfortable. What better goal could there be, than the ability to change the world into something more to your liking?

Intellectually, I understood that my ideas were well past what most would consider megalomaniac, aspirations that would be impossible anywhere but on Mundus. But then, I had yet to find some great, overarching story-line in Road to Purgatory, Pantheon Entertainment had essentially given us a massive sandbox to play in and if I wanted to make myself the biggest sandcastle, who was to gainsay me?

Standing, I took a moment to stretch myself, getting rid of the kinks caused by being hunched over for an extended period of time. As I did, I noticed that the orcs hadn’t been idle, not at all, they had managed to dismantle half the centaur’s camp around me and were busily working on the rest.

It made me realise just how focused on my work I had been, not to notice the noise they made but then, the interaction between Blood-Magic, Death-Magic and living tissue was just fascinating, something I might have to study more in the future. Especially the interaction between Death-Magic and Miasma, there might be a way to improve upon my Blood Magic by using it in conjunction with Death-Magic to control the amount of Miasma I was releasing.

Control over that aspect of Blood Magic might be the most valuable ability out there, better efficiency would be nice, or the ability to draw more power from a single source but control over Miasma would allow me to scale up my working, to compensate for either problem. I would be able to do the same by learning to eliminate the generation of Miasma but then, I had learned that using Miasma as a way to create lasting trouble for my enemies was a working, worthwhile tactic. And that was with the small amounts of Nethersprites I had caused when working against the centaurs near the windswept plains, if I could cause monsters like the Devourer we encountered in the ruins of Tegi to appear, it would make an interesting tactical tool of area-denial. Maybe even a strategic one, depending on the size and effects involved.

“Your people should be able to travel tomorrow.” I told one of the orcs nearby, one that looked a little more certain of himself, hoping that it was an officer.

“Lady Sorceress, Warleader Firebringer asked that you attend her, once you are finished with your work here.” the same orc answered, sounding almost apologetic.

“Did she. Well, it wouldn’t be polite to let the Warleader wait, would it?” I mused, before giving Sigmir a short glance. Part of me wanted to play some sort of power-play, demonstrating that I didn’t come running just because the orc told me to, that she could come to me, if she wanted something. But I had always hated it when other people did such things to me, making me waste my time. And even if it were to work, it would waste time, time that I could spend on more useful pursuits, like the investigation of the Tear of Anguish or something similar.

“Thank you, I will go see her.” I told the orc, who had looked a little conflicted at my musing.

The orc took it upon himself to guide me, not that I really needed it, not in a half-dismantled camp with essentially one path out, but maybe he was afraid that I would make the shaman wait, causing him trouble.

Finding the shaman was even easier than I had thought, the large, brightly burning bonfire was something of a give-away, especially to me. Just seeing it made me want to smother it, bury it under an avalanche of Ice and Snow before covering the whole valley in Darkness again but, again, I decided against getting truly confrontational, instead I conjured up a cooling mantle of mist, letting it linger around my person. Even in the vicinity of the bonfire and it’s oppressive heat, Lenore and I would be able to keep up the cooling shroud for a while, at least if we weren’t magically pressured.

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“Warleader, the Sorceress you send me for.” my orcish guide announced us, causing Dura Firebringer to look over, her eyes flickering up and down my body for a moment.

“Ah, yes, thank you Kresh’nak, that will be all.” she nodded, sending the guide away before focusing on us.

“And you…” she paused, again eyeing me up and down, making a part of me tense, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

“Thank you.” she continued, giving a half-bow, before straightening back up. “When I realised just how clever a trap the centaurs had laid, I thought I would be forced to pull out all the stops, so to speak. We would have won but the cost would have been much higher. You turned what would have been a costly fight into a decisive victory.” she explained, getting a little more animated as she was speaking, gesturing towards the valley and the still blackened areas where her magic had struck.

“We suffered some casualties but mostly from the wolves, they are quite adept at the sudden attack and quick retreat. The centaurs were broken by you, a feat I hadn’t expected, certainly not in the manner you did. My scouts tell me that a few centaurs managed to climb the valley, escaping into the forest, but their assumption is that they lost almost eighty percent of their group, in addition to about half of the wolves.” she added, gesturing to a still-smoldering pile of ashes, what had to have been a massive pyre, likely fueled by her magic.

“Ah, speaking of casualties, there is one mystery you might be able to shed light on. Harms, the other Traveller, had a bit of bad luck. A wolf managed to blindside him and rip out his throat, the wound killing him quickly. But his body, it acted strangely, in a manner you might have seen before, when inside a dungeon of the system. Just like the beings inside a dungeon, his body faded away quickly, disappearing alongside the things he was carrying.” she paused, again, waiting for me to speak.

“You said it yourself, he is a Traveller. We wouldn’t be able to travel for long if Death would be the end of our journey, would we?” I asked, getting a slow nod in response, making me think that the shaman knew something but I wasn’t sure just what she knew.

“He will likely be back at your settlement before you. Or he might have continued his travels elsewhere, I do not know, it depends on the person.” I added, not wanting to give away too much about Travellers and our capabilities, not even in terms adjusted for this world.

“But be that as it may, I told you, we would do our part.” I continued, trying to get back to the earlier topic, the fight against the centaurs.

“And you did, with incredible results. I will gladly tell you that the agreement we had was fulfilled in full and you deserve the rewards promised.” she accepted my change in topic and her voice turned formal and solemn as she spoke. With her words, she reached into her pouch drawing a leather-pouch and handing it over. When I took it, a blue window appeared in front of me and I quickly scanned it.

Quest Completed!You completed the Quest: Support the Orcish Nightraid!Quest Reward 140.000 EXP

The pouch in my hand looked very much like a sack filled with coins but counting them would look untrusting and a little insulting. Instead, I gave a short glimpse, just to see if the promised magic artifact was inside, maybe some sort of necklace or ring, but there was none, neither had the promised information somehow appeared in my mind. As I put the pouch into my magical bag, I raised an eyebrow, looking at the orc with expectation.

“In addition, the magical artifact. I thought about what to give you during the night and decided on something but it is one of the items I don’t carry with me all the time. While I could give you one of the artifacts I’m actively using, I don’t think it would be suitable for you and your magic. However, I promised an artifact and will give you one, if you insist on parting ways before reaching the Brighthollow. It is up to you.” she explained, the expression on her face a strangely wide grin, that made part of me want to wipe it off, with attack-magic if necessary. It would be a bad idea, but the impulse was there, only to be quickly squashed.

“And let me guess, the Place of Power you mentioned just happens to be in the same direction?” I asked, wanting to remind her that there was more to our reward.

“Indeed, it just happens to be in that direction. So, will you insist on parting ways with us, or will you allow me to invite you to the settlement of my people?” she asked, the earlier grin still there, maybe even a little wider.