--The silhouette partially emerged from the watery curtain, revealing supple, feminine curves. The onlookers’ thoughts began to cloud with lust. All except Aidan, who had already noticed what the others were about to. The young, muscular and luscious body the voyeurs were all beginning to drool over carried a head featuring pointed ears, and a somewhat jutted jaw with small tusks protruding between the girl’s lips. In fact, her skin was grey. At first, they thought this was an illusion created by the steam, as it made all of the colours seen through it appear more pale than they actually were. But there was no mistaking it, this girl had something inhuman about her physique. Something… Orkish. The men felt disgusted with themselves, shamed of the lust that burned in them. As they did not immediately know the true nature of the object of their desire, they began feeling confusion and anger towards the young woman. Their faces changed from those of dazed monkeys to angry Chihuahua’s, for in their minds, she instantly became a vile temptress, defiling the “purity” of their cause. People were funny that way. Whenever they ran into something they didn’t understand, they’d first react with fear, then anger. Always.

--Just as Aidan assumed, the men started plotting what was to be done with this alien. Howell voted that they spill her guts immediately and be done with it. The young, eager Ravi agreed with him. Styx suggested “torture and interrogation”, but his true motives were most questionable, as excitement was evident on his face, despite his attempts at concealing it. This is why Aidan, no Zarak, preferred working alone. In his experience, everybody has a dark side that comes up, sooner or later. And man, was it ugly. It made him sick to his stomach. Even the young, idealistic boy was unable to see this girl as a person right now. Indeed, Ravi’s eyes gleamed with hate, as they once again welled up in tears. Zarak suddenly remembered who he was. A man with a bloodied sword. Not some frilly village hero. The illusion that he was playing the part of the good guy with a kind heart out for vengeance had obscured his reasoning ever since he spoke to the smoker. He adopted it because he needed it now more than ever, now that his mother was dead, and his sister was sleeping in pieces. But he was done with that. He grinded his teeth and walked straight out of the bush. The other men froze, interrupting their discussion, and fixed their eyes on him. What was Zarak doing?

--Zarak walked out into the open.

-Hey. You! – He shouted.

--Yes, this is it! Howell thought. Draw and slice her open like the pig that she is.

--Damn, just when I thought we’re gonna have some fun he’s gonna spoil it all. - were the words resonating in Styx’s hollow skull.

--The woman jolted a bit as she opened her cat-like eyes, but they quickly found Zarak and focused on him, glaring through the waterfall. She seemed unusually calm. Did she understand him? She took a few steps towards him. There was something regal about how she moved. She stood proud and waved her head at him, as though she was demanding an answer. A naked woman. Standing in front of an armed man. Demanding.

--Her confidence made Zarak question whether she was truly alone for a moment. But, he felt his senses were sharp and on the mark. No one else was there. “I guess Orks know how to die.” He thought. His main hand moved. The humming of the water had become eerie, as the tension was eating away at the rocks that surrounded this chance encounter.

--Zarak grabbed the hilt… Of a dagger lying at his feet. It was there with some bunched up leather, possibly belonging to the woman. He tossed it all closer to her, to the edge of the pond. She looked at him quizzically, but he motioned for her to pick them up. The crowd at the mound above them was baffled.

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-What the hell are you doing? Grab her before she bolts! – Styx shrieked.

-Have you forgotten why we’re here? – Ravi asked.

--The others were shouting something as well, but Zarak didn’t seem to notice them. He was instead keeping his eyes locked in a battle of will with the Ork girl. She was undaunted by his gaze. Some angry shouts later, the crowd’s fury had temporarily subsided, and the girl had apparently assessed that she can pick up her belongings without Zarak’s interference, so she proceeded to clothe herself.

Her animal skins on, and her ornate, bone dagger strapped at her belt, she asked with a smile -- So what now, human? You prefer killing an armed woman? Makes your manliness feel less compromised?

Zarak, unusually relaxed, replied -- No... I have no intention of hurting you.

--Zarak didn’t expect her to speak any human tongues, but he knew he wouldn’t learn if he didn’t try and ask something. He wasn’t sure how he’d deal with the situation if this weren’t the case.

-Oh? Don’t you know that all humans kill Orks? The opposite can be said as well. – The girl replied, with a tease.

-I don’t care about any of that.

-So what do you care about? – She asked, examining him akin to a fox.

-Nothing, really. I was just wondering if you happened to know where the Horde was. You know, point us in their direction.

-You must be tired of living, to ask me such a thing? Turn back and return from whence you came.

-I can’t do that.

-Then, you will die.

--The crowd atop of the plateau had once again burst into rage. Her arrogant behaviour did nothing to quell their discontent. They yearned to “put her in her place” now, even more than before.

-You gonna take that? That’s an open threat. -- Howell shouted.

The Ork girl turned towards them -- It’s not a threat, it’s a fact.

--The crowd and its clamour were beginning to get on Zarak’s nerves, so he gave them a stern stare. To them, he was Aidan. A heroic swordsman who came from the big city, wielding his sword in accord with the benevolent will of The One God. But now? His aura changed, and it’s as if a malicious blackness emanated from him. It chilled the blood of the onlookers; and they suddenly went silent.

Zarak, now looking at the girl -- Let me worry about that.

-Alright, let’s say you find the Horde. Then what?

-That’s when I let my sword do the talking. – He replied, unnervingly calm.

The girl scoffed at him and replied -- What, you’re going to single-handedly massacre the entire Horde?

After thinking for a moment, Zarak replied -- No, that would be pointless. All I need is one head. The head of the beast, so to speak.

--The words came out on their own, as Zarak hadn’t really thought about this much. He had already exacted his vengeance upon those who hurt his mother and sister, but it didn’t feel like it was enough. He felt the need to do more. He needed more enemies, or the senselessness of it all would overwhelm him. But, why wasn’t she his enemy? Why was she the enemy of his companions? They would be happy to slaughter anyone and anything Orkish. Maybe they’d even butcher women and children, just like the Orks did to them. An eye for an eye. Maybe even ten eyes for one eye, if they could. To Zarak, making the entire Ork race suffer simply seemed to be a ridiculous prospect. It would be very impractical to try and eradicate all Orks. After all, the kingdoms of Gothica and Wurzan have invested entire armies in this task and failed to complete it for about a decade now. But more importantly, his gut told him that killing this girl was wrong. It would be an excuse to vent his anger on someone who seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with the pain that was in his heart.

-Head of the beast… -- She repeated in disbelief -- You mean Kord? You aim to kill Kord, the king of all Orks?

-I guess so, yeah.

-Do you have the slightest idea of what you just said? Of how powerful he is?

-All the armies of the world won’t save him when my blade is at his throat. – He replied, with a knowing smile on his face, and then mumbled to himself -- Whoever that is...

-I’m not talking about armies, I’m talking about HIM. Do you have any idea how he became Ork king in the first place?

-No. Tell me? – Zarak asked, intrigued.

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