Tusa stepped quickly over the sandy ground, her stomach churned with a mixture of worry, confusion and a bit of hope. She had always made sure to give the hoard's main camp a wide berth, Goblin's were normally barred entrance from even the camp slums unless they were slaves, or there to offer tribute and trade. Even then, they made sure to conduct their business quickly and leave as fast as possible, otherwise they risked the ire of the camp residents.
Having been born into the Rotted Blood Tribe, little had been offered and less expected of her, she had been deemed to live and die in obscurity in this backwater excuse of a horde. Tusa had been considering the idea of seeking out another tribe and horde to join when they next reached the oasis, one with more resources where she could more readily flourish and nurture her skills. But their visit was not for another two months, she would have to be patient, as much as she disliked her current living situation attempting to run now would cause her to be hunted down and banished. Tusa knew what punishment would be in store for her if that happened, she could not suppress the shiver that ran through her body.
Weaving through the camp Tusa took some solace in the fact that, standing amid her armed escort, no one would dare try to stop or lay hands on her. For the moment at least, she was safe. As the escort approached the inner circle the small shaman made sure that all her magical items were well concealed. While the practice of rites and shamanism was a bit of a gray area, the languid piles of putrid flesh called the Ograsi, who led the hordes, still punished the use of magic severely. Only those few who were brave, or perhaps stupid enough, performed magic in secret. Tusa was among those few and she certainly did not want to advertise it.
After an unbearably long time of weaving through crowded streets and ignoring curious glances, the group finally reached the northern temple. The massive bone structure was one of the largest in the entire camp and housed the head shaman of the Dieing Sun Horde, most would look upon it with reverence. Tusa gazed at the structure and cursed under her breath, annoyance took up residence where awe should have been.
The goblin was more concerned that whatever duties the High Shaman had brought her here to perform, hopefully, would be the push she needed to complete her last milestone. Doing that would allow her to reach level 20 and her first Mythonic Rite. It would change everything for Tusa, her standing within the horde and she would even be able to stay at an oasis, as she would no longer have a set clan. The prospects would be even better if she managed to get to a breeding oasis, she could already imagine herself surrounded by young hoblin men at her beck and call.
Tusa forced herself to focus as they entered the main hall of the temple. That daydream would only be possible if she completed her milestone. The Goblin's final hurdle to a new life: 'Teach the rites and knowledge of the Fire Mythos to the scions of an Influential family'. Tusa couldn't help but snort at that, it might as well have been 'Cross a field of Giant Desert Mantis without being seen', by Ignis, that might have been easier in comparison.
All the families of influence were in the camp proper, Hoblins and Orcus who would rather be made into cheap blood whine than allow their offspring to be taught by a Goblin. That left the burrows, where the only people of importance were her and other burrow shamans. This led Tusa to begin conquering whatever males she could, which wasn't difficult, as it was a right afforded to her as a burrow shaman. Her hope was to sire her own brood and teach them in order to reach her last milestone. But the plan had yet to bear fruit, she was unsure if it was due to the males she conquered's manhood being as weak as they were, or if she was infertile. If it was the latter the remedy would be very costly and difficult to acquire. But, if she performed well for the temple, perhaps Gooblis would be willing to help her with that.
The Goblin Shaman was roused from her musings as the withered plague bat herself appeared. Tusa's hands moved briskly, retrieving her wand and ceremonial dagger from beneath her robes, and presenting them to the High Shaman. She knelt before the old Hoblin, speaking in her best reverential tone.
“I, Tusa Emberblood, have come by your command High Shaman. To teach the Goblin children as commanded. Where am I to go to perform this task? I will report to the burrow immediately.” Tusa braced for the beating she assumed was coming. Goblins were always greeted with a closed fist, regardless of how well they behaved, but she still wanted to show respect to the High Shaman. While she may not have cared much for the crusty old woman, she did respect her abilities and did not want the shaman to think less of her for being disrespectful. But much to Tusa's surprise, no beating came, only the sound of Gooblis's gravelly voice.
“You will not be going to a burrow young shaman, but the inner sanctum. You are to indoctrinate and instruct the children of Sadash and Urana.” Tusa's head shot up in surprise and she looked at the old woman, her mouth no doubt hanging open. Thankfully the High Shaman ignored the stupid look on the Goblin's face and continued. “Urana's children will soon perform the Rite of Life, their mother has already completed the Rite of Uthal and the Forbearance of Ignis.” At the mention of 'The Rite of Uthal' Tusa felt her lower belly go numb, it was the rite that removed a woman's ability to bear children completely. It was a powerful and old enchantment, one so strong no known magic or medicine could reverse its effects. But the second right 'The Forbearance of Ignis', was not one she had ever heard of, which was odd. Tusa had thought she knew all of her Mythoi's sacred rites and rituals, she was a shaman after all.
“The Forbearance of Ignis? I've never heard of that rite before, what does it do?” Tusa knew it was petulant to be asking questions of the High Shaman but she couldn't help herself. Gooblis gave only a raised eyebrow at the goblin before she responded.
“It allows one to give their racial rank away to another of their choosing.” The Hoblin woman stated casually. Tusa thought her jaw might actually hit the floor. Was Gooblis being serious? There was such a rite that let someone give away their racial rank?! How had she not heard of this before?! Although thinking about it, it made sense she hadn't, it was exactly the kind of information that would be kept secret by those lumbering Ograsi meatheads.
Tusa was so lost in thought that she completely missed when Gooblis resumed speaking. A fact that did not go unnoticed by the High Shaman. Tusa was broken from her thoughts by a firm backhand to her face, it definitely hurt, but compared to the other beatings she had taken in her life it was practically a love tap. The little Goblin mumbled an embarrassed apology and Gooblis gave a tired sigh, resolute that at least the Goblin was paying attention now.
“As I was saying, you are to mentor Urana's eight children until all have completed their milestone,” Gooblis cast a side-long glance at Tusa, a smile dripping with smug satisfaction plastering her face. “Once their indoctrination is complete, you will then spend your life here as a shaman of my tribe. We have long been informed of your final milestone, since you have been sold to us by your debtor, you must repay the amount of sixty roe for your servitude.” Tusa stared blankly at the old woman. What the hell was it about today?! She would have released a stream of curses vile enough to curdle blood whine had she not been where she stood.
The first thought that came to her mind was to run, but this was quickly quashed as she saw the runes beneath her feet, rooting her to the spot. The Goblin should have expected as much, while magic was forbidden, everyone knew that Gooblis and her shamans practiced the old arts. It was a widely known secret, one everyone ignored, a fortune granted to the Hoblin due to Taruuk being her blood brother. The fact that this withered old Hoblin woman was blood with the Ograsi chief of the horde was a rare marvel in itself, and one she reaped many benefits from.
With nowhere to go and no other options, Tusa's only course of action was to submit to her newfound fate. The shamans of the temple made quick work of performing her rite and officially bringing her into the clan. Tusa's muddy red hair was shaved from her head and burned in their fire pits, the ashes were then mixed into a blood whine that one of the shamans informed her was brewed from the blood of their ancestors. Tusa drank the wine, like a puppet on its strings she followed the directions she was given for her rites. Speeches were made and she was granted a new name for her clan. The Goblin barely heard a word though, all she could do was stew bitterly on her fate.
With the formalities out of the way, it was time she got to work for her new clan. The newly christened Tusa RotBlood was brought to the inner sanctum where she witnessed the Rite of Life being performed on the children she would be teaching. All the young shaman could do was regret every choice she had made that could have possibly gotten her to this point. Her regret soon soured into a white-hot rage, aimed at the one responsible for her predicament. Raul that slimy bastard!
Tusa had been tempted to rebuke Raul's lies and reveal that he was in fact not her debtor, he had no claim to her and no right to sell her. But that thought was quickly squashed, she knew better, revealing the truth would only insure the eradication of her burrow. Its residents would be held accountable for his lie. No, she would be patient, once she reached her Mythonic Rite and gained the resources she would show that worthless piece of filth. Tusa contented herself with the thought of purchasing Raul and fulfilling his wish for her to conquer him. She would show him what it was like to be at the mercy of a woman and insure he found no pleasure in it.