Bruna watched the sundown over the western shore as they flew across the sea.

The journey to Krognar was unusually quiet. No shouts, no roars, neither of Wyvern nor from Orc. Only the waves that crushed and danced below and the constant wind that was coming from the west while they had to fly south. Over the sea and to the rotten isle beyond the horizon.

Bruna had been there, not that long ago. When he stole the very scroll that was now in the centre of so many minds. He had ridden there along with the Bladelands Watcher. A quiet and older man that paid many respects to the shamans and the waves. He liked him. And still he returned alone. Not because ogres had taken the watcher’s life, but because he started to question the signs on that very scroll. The plans any good orc could have with them. So he died by the beast’s cold hand once they had returned. So did its wyvern. A good mount and like so often in the Bladelands a Wyvern of the sea. One that could both dive and borrow into the mudflats. Yet it needed to end.

Now Bruna started to understand the old man and his warnings, yet his mind still tried to fight it. For without Aru’Gal, who was left?

He thought of his girls. Of the sister he had to raise like a father, and the daughter that had none. It was no use, for whenever his mind tried to escape the memory of his daughters lifeless body, it also went back up the oak. To his sister's words. To the strike of her axes. And her tears during it all. His heart was aching to see her again, to just continue the quest their father had given him. Protecting her, yet how could he hope to do such, when he couldn’t for his very own daughter? She should have grown old enough to beat him. They should have had a fight on top of the mountain, once he was old and grey and she the fierce young woman he saw her to be. He deserved to be beaten by her and nothing would have made him happier than to lose to her. One distant day, that was never meant to be.

Maybe Aru’Gal was right and it was all his sister's fault, maybe all the anger for her would be just. But all he could see was the girl that had to act like a mother because he wasn’t there. And now he never would be.

Once the rotten Island of Ogres was cast among the Horizon he looked up. There was no storm. No rain, no giant waves that were threatening to crush them down. The rain would have been a great excuse for his eyes, yet with the missing threat his mind was forced back to reality. He saw Aru’Gal in front of the riders on his sleek beast of poison. For a moment he wanted to blow his horn for attack but the closer the land came, the emptier it seemed. Last time there had been legions. There was scarcely a single spot on this land of rotten flesh that was not filled with Ogre. But now. It was all empty. Even a flicker of the sun was casted through the clouds above and reflected the darkness of the tower in its centre.

Despite the anger the Khan still must have felt for Brunas disobedience, he turned to him with a raised brow. Bruna just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. This was not how their arrival here was meant to be.

Aru’gal landed on an old stone tower at the edge of the high cliffs around that land. While some riders dashed by to scout the land ahead Bruna and Sha’Raph took their places on the wall next to him.

“This is not how it was last time.” Bruna said, which made Aru’gal nod. The Khan's eyes darted the land while his mind went through their options.

Sha’Raph looked up to Aru’Gal. “They must have left for the mainland.”

“I know.” He barked back. His mouth twitched at the thought. “We need to follow and quickly.” He commanded.

Bruna looked over to a huffing Dustfang. The great desert beast had been on the flight for days now, longer than the rest of their wyverns who had their rest at the mountain. Before Sha’Raph could say anything he did. “We can’t beat an army when the beasts are barely able to cross the sea.”

Aru’Gals angry burning eyes darted at his friend before Sha’Raph’s voice cut him short. “Aru’Gal…he is right.”

He looked down at her mask and huffed a few times. “Let the beasts rest for a moment then. We will watch what her tower has to offer.” He ordered and flew ahead to find an entrance into the obsidian tower in the Islands centre.

It stood at the top of a very small mountain and had entrances both down to caves as well as up where the actual tower began. They went with the entrance at its top while others were ordered to take to the dungeons below.

Once inside they needed torches for the tower seemed to drown any hint of light that was granted by the hint of the sun outside. Even though it had no signs of the rotten flesh that was infesting the land, the stench of it was even worse inside.

“What are we looking for?” Bruna asked cold and plainly.

Aru’Gal was leading the way through a gigantic gate that was protected by statues of beasts they didn’t know as Gargoyles and spikes that grew from the Obsidian like hair. “Artifacts, weapons…” The Khan answered distantly while raising his torch high. “Scrolls…” He said with a wicked grin and turned to his two companions. It vanished again as both just stared motionless from their hidden faces.

Not far inside and the tower turned to an open space of winding upward paths that circled the inner tower wall. Both up and down was free to gaze while spikes of obsidian made an unpleasant protection against falling from the paths. The walls itself were the most clean obsidian they had ever seen and casted their reflections in a twisted fog of darkness.

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“I don’t like it here…” Sha’Raph stated.

An amused huff escaped Aru’gal to that. “And you live in caves of ash..”

She remained silent, instead Bruna spoke. “I fear this is far from the worst here.” His gaze had turned to some entrances along the circling upward paths.

Aru’Gal turned to him. “Where did you find the Scroll last time?” All the amusement was gone from his words and his fiery eyes demanded an answer.

“We didn’t.” His words took Aru’gal back and for a mere second panic was seen in his eyes. “Greenskin striders had snuck into this tower and stolen it before we could. Ancestors know how they escaped…”

Sha’raph took word behind them. “If they can turn into beasts they might be able to turn into fish..” She said but regretted her words, they sounded stupid herself.

Bruna shook his head. “That's not how their beastforms work~” “Unless they had the utmost aid from their own master..” Aru’Gal cut him short and was gazing up the inner tower now. “Come.” He ordered and they started to take their way up the tower. Many of the rooms were far more simple than they had expected. Barracks for Legionnaires, a big kitchen with food from far places, and a throne room. None of it to Aru’Gal’s interest and soon Bruna could see him grow more and more restless. Finally as they reached the higher places the rooms carried more than caves.

There was one full of maps, some of their continent and home, others from places they didn’t know and written with languages only one of them spoke. That same room’s roof carried shaman chains and was adorned with totems as it was tradition by the clans. Bruna found an old bronzen coin, long rotten with green rust. A sun lion was carved into it. A long forgotten beast from the Savannah and its isles. “Is this a mockery?” He asked with barely contained anger. Aru’Gal shook his head as he gazed at one of the totems that were placed around the room. It had the height of a cat and was made of bone. At its very top was a bronzen bowl held by bones, for oils and fires to be lit. “Only one who believes takes such effort.” Aru’gal answered and then looked over to Sha’Raph. She was standing over the old maps. As he walked next to her looked down at them himself. His brow raised. He shoved away a map of their own continent to gaze properly at another. Bruna followed and looked down at the map. The words were written in runes he had never seen and it was drawn with the finest of hands. Many symbols on it carried far more finery than any orc would ever cast for a map. Without a question Aru’Gal ordered her “Take them.” And left the room once more. She and Bruna shared a glance of their hidden eyes before she did as she was tasked.

Once they raised higher they reached a room that seemed far more in line with the rest of the tower. Spikes and darkness and many rotten pieces of flesh were in there. Some of the flesh was burned, other pieces seemed to be stitched together. All while but a single window glanced up at where the storm once had been. Crystals and potions littered the shelves that were forged into the walls. All of them strange, and none of them with any sign of what they might do. “Don’t touch them if we don’t know.” Aru’gal said.

“I am not that much of a fool.” Bruna answered with barely contained disdain. The Khan just huffed again before they went higher to reach the highest room the tower had. It was protected by a small gate that stood wide open and behind it the most lavished room any of them had ever seen laid bare. Despite the tower's obsidian it seemed almost warm. In its wall a once cracking fireplace was set. The windows in its back carried many colours and showed pictures of what was meant to be a human woman. In one picture she laid bare, the sun behind her. In another she raised a hand to command an army that was only shown as helmets. And in the last one she carried feathery wings and was rising towards the sun. She was slim yet shown with curves. Even on the two windows that showed her with clothing her attire was still very loose.

“What a disgusting creature..” Bruna said and made Aru’gal nod. Sha’Raph remained silent.

Before the windows a wide thing with pillows, none of them knew as a bed, was set wide with the most comfortable and lavished sheets not only an orc had ever seen. Aside from it a grand table adored with many foods and wines from the furthest places was set. It was not rotting, yet Bruna could see how it started to dry. The scent in the room carried a strange sweetness and two other doors led even further inside. Aru’gal went to one of those while Bruna went to the other. Sha’Raph however, still had her gaze taken by the windows. She gazed at them long and when Bruna glanced over his shoulder to her he could even hear her heavy breathing. “Is everything well?” He asked, not touching the wooden door in front of him yet. A moment longer and she was taken back by his words.

“Yes..yes..” She said distantly and nodded. He asked no further and was about to open the door.

Aru’gal already did and found a bath. Fresh water casted into a pool that was set right into the obsidian. More coloured windows lit the room as the sun shone brightly into it now. Reflected a second time by the water the room carried a light none of them had witnessed before.

When Bruna opened the door on the other end, he found not another piece of grandeur, but a long line of cells. With a raised axe he journeyed along them. Five of them. While he walked past four, they were empty but littered with strangely weak bones. Whatever creatures had been captured here were long dead and neither orc nor beast. For their skulls seemed so round and simple.

Finally he reached the last cell and gazed inside. A pigskinned creature with grey hair and beard was kneeling in its centre. It was gazing out into the sun with folded hands and whispering in words that were but noise to him. There was armour in there as well. Even that was crafted in a way he had never seen it be crafted though stranger to him was that a prisoner would be cast into a cell with sword and armour. For the sword laid next to the man and reflected the sunlight in ways that were blinding him. He made a whistling sound and brought both Sha’Raph and Aru’gal to him. All three glared at the creature, yet none of them knew it was called a human. It was far smaller than Bruna, and would have been smaller than most orcs. Yet Aru’Gal and Sha’Raph were of similar height to it. Slowly it stopped its whispered prayer, grabbed its sword and looked at them. It spoke, yet no orcish word left its mouth.

Bruna shook his head. “One of the many horrors she created here no doubt.”

Aru’Gal nodded. “We should end its suffering.”

Sha’Raph however shook her head, while her breathing remained heavy. “No…” She almost whispered and came closer to the cell. She took the iron bars of the cell as she stared at the creature inside. “I know its tongue…”