“Orna Mountains…”
It was clear to the squad that this being was the reason the mountain range got its name.
The creature hummed in agreement.
“I laid claim to this land many centuries ago as my domain while I recovered from my wounds. I then went through many long cycles of hibernation until one day I discovered a tribe of orcs had laid claim to land around me as theirs.”
Sol nodded as he followed along. “The Frostaxe Clan came and you demanded tribute?”
“No. The clan I speak of is the Mystic Blood Clan.”
‘Mystic Blood Clan?’
Having never heard of such an orc clan, he turned to Duncan, the most knowledgeable, but even he shook his head in confusion. Duncan couldn’t even begin to guess how long ago it could have been.
Orna continued. “At first, I didn’t mind their presence and focused on recuperating until I realized my recovery had begun to slow down. This clan made use of the elemental energies in the region for their own purposes, which in turn left me with less to absorb. At the time, I was furious and rained down blizzards and frigid winds in the entire region to force them out of my domain. But no matter what I threw at them, they endured. Their clan not only remained but thrived under such conditions, and eventually, they discovered my presence. I was impressed by their resilience to endure my wrath even in my weakened state, so I offered them a deal. If they wished to continue living in my land and taking my resources, they must pay its equivalent back in life essence. I even added the additional benefit of protecting them from external threats.”
As he narrated his story, Sol felt a brief but sharp stinging pain. It was from his hands, the ones he left outside fighting the orc. He felt they were all simultaneously destroyed. He knew the orc was done playing around and was on his way.
Not long after the destruction of his hands, Orna paused his story and his massive eye glanced at the cave entrance.
“Hoh? Another guest? What an eventful day.”
The orc Champion Kirgar had appeared at the entrance. Sol saw him and moved in front of his squad, prepared to fight if he had to. Kirgar ignored his actions and instead focused his sight on the massive eye.
‘Damn! It’s awake! I can’t believe I let myself get distracted!’
He could only blame his battle junky nature. When he faced the beams, he found momentary joy and completely lost sight of the big picture. It was only when he felt the rumbling of the ground from the being’s awakening that he realized his mistake. Now he could only hope it was not too late.
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“Oh Great Orna! I offer these humans as payment! I hope you accept!”
The faces of the squad members paled.
“What?! He’s lying!” Aron yelled in shock at how shameless the orc was.
Kirgar glared at Aron, sending shivers down his spine. He would kill them all where they stood if not for the being watching them.
“Great Orna, the decision is up to you if you wish to take their life essence! Though they are few, I'm sure they have enough life essence worth over a hundred men!”
What Kirgar said wasn’t false, and Orna could tell as well how they had more essence compared to the normal sacrifices.
Aron opened his mouth to rebuke further, but Rex covered his mouth and shook his head. None of them knew Orna’s temperament. If they spoke poorly or angered the massive being, they were sure they wouldn’t leave this cave alive.
The cave was deadly silent as they awaited his judgment. As they waited for what felt like an eternity, Orna spoke.
“No, I don’t accept these humans as sacrifices.”
“What? Why?!” Kirgar couldn’t help but ask.
“They weren’t brought to me by you; they came here of their own volition, so they are guests. Though they would be worth almost a tenth of this month's payment, their lives are not yours to spend.”
Kirgar gritted his teeth, hoping it would turn out differently, but he didn’t dare to speak against Orna. He already considered himself lucky that it didn’t become mad from him questioning its judgment.
The massive eye turned back to the squad. “Now then, dear guests. Should I continue with my tale?”
They all nodded. They were not only curious about what happened after but also didn’t dare say no.
Orna hummed in a pleased tone. It seemed the old being longed for some friendly company, and the orcs recently hadn't made him happy. “Where was I? Oh yes, the Mystic Blood Clan. They accepted my offer as they had nowhere else to go. They were able to meet my quota by performing a ritual that siphons a small amount of life essence from everyone who participates. It condensed all that essence into a crystallized form they called a life cluster. Though I was told they felt slightly weaker for a day or so, they would recover their spent life essence in due time. I was especially satisfied with this arrangement as it expedited my recovery by a millennium.”
Ignoring the being’s ridiculous sense of time, Duncan placed his hand on his chin and couldn’t help but ask, “Then why doesn’t the Frostaxe Clan do the same? Why sacrifice their own people and people of other nations?”
The massive eye turned to Kirgar, and though one couldn't see its facial expressions, the way its eye narrowed slightly showed disappointment.
“Ask him yourself. I would rather receive life clusters instead of sacrifices. I even passed the knowledge of the ritual decades ago.”
Kirgar felt the many eyes on him, including one massive eye. He knew what they wanted to hear, even without them having to say it.
“We tried! But the ritual doesn't make any sense! It has runes, enchantments, alchemy, and more all jumbled together, and it says we also need a Soul Shaman to perform it, but nobody has even heard of that talent!”
The brightest orcs had racked their brains trying to figure out how they could perform the ritual, but after decades of failure, they had reached the conclusion that it was impossible. This was why they changed their focus towards invading other lands to not only obtain sacrifices but also for the long-term goal of claiming a piece of land outside of the mountain range.