"I mean, he did good with the hot blade... Why can't we just toss him into an oven...?"

"Hellie for the spirit's sake! We don't want to roast the orc! We want to make him better, what in the nine Hells of the Down Below is wrong with you today!?" Demze screeched as she flipped through another dusty tome.

Many books lay strewn across the floor of the hut surrounding Xa'Gun. Thankfully, Xa'Gun was breathing at a decent pace, though labored with a face twisted into pain.

"Damn metal blades 'bite' deep... Leaving a metal poison behind." Gorzoc folded his arms looking at his disciple. Xa'Gun wouldn't make it for the escort unless he healed. It was at the point that Gorzoc might have to lower his head to ask for a healing salve from the Blacktongue chieftain, just what the warchief would want... Morbash, clearly, had already sold his supply to the clan.

"Actually, Metal blades leave behind very tiny shards of metal behind... The body has to take time to push them out of the wound." Demze spoke as she flipped through another book.

"No offense, princess... But now I know how it works, does that help me cure him?" Gorzoc grunted afterward to show his disdain for being corrected, though he made a mental note to ponder later.

"It just means, that if we do this right, his wounds will heal faster! That might mean that it will push the metallic poison, you mentioned, out. Instead of two weeks, perhaps we can do it in two minutes!"

"No wonder the Burningfist clan was put to axe... Two minutes to heal..." Gorzoc shook his head. He was born too many generations after the most significant wars. A hero of the Bloody Gates, he still felt he had not shed enough blood.

Demze tossed another book to the side, Gorzoc wondered who brought all these tomes and books. He left to speak to his mother for an hour and came back to a mess.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I got it!" Demze squealed with glee.

"Find what?" Hellie crawled from the side of Xa'Gun to look over Demze's shoulder at the dusty pages that lay before her.

Gorzoc cast his gaze back to Demze.

"From the travel journals of Glamagh Saggerfang, listen to this!" Demze took in a deep breath and recited the page... It appeared to Hellie that the runic symbols were old and hard to read, but she marveled at her smart sister's ability to read them smoothly.

"Ahem, 'This orc has only seen the Burningfist clan's healing rites once... Yes, the shaman explained that any fire would work, but the best fire would be elemental. I watched as they stacked coal around the injured clansmen, with his labored breathing. It was then the shaman called a fire spirit and set the orc and coal aflame. I still am amazed that instead of the smell of charred flesh, I smelled tempered metal. Hot and suffocating." Demze read it all without stopping and now panted for breath.

"So we need a shaman to light him up and not a firestone?" Hellie tilted her head.

"Yes, and we know just the one!"

"Middy!" Hellie rolled to her knees and clapped.

"YES! Where is she?" Demze turned her head to look at Gorzoc over her shoulder.

"She went to lay down for the evening," Gorzoc grunted.

[Seems she's not worried, or doesn't care. Good.] Demze thought though she spoke to Hellie, "Hellie go bring her, and Master Gorzoc, can we move Xa'Gun outside and set up the coal?"

Hellie rose and dashed out of the front door.

"Are you absolutely sure this will work?" Gorzoc rose a brow.

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"No... I'm about eighty percent sure. Listen, Xa'Gun will be my mate, I will not roast him before he's mine."

*******

Midka rubbed her tired eyes, as she squinted at the work of her sister, Hellie, and Jukzuk. She found Xa'Gun lying upon a bed of coal. His breathing was stable, but harsh.

"You want me to set aflame Xa'Gun... On top... of coal. Do I understand you correctly, Demze?" Midka turned her face to look deeply into Demze's eyes.

"Yes. He's of the Burningfist clan. My readings tell of this rite. It should work." Demze spoke in short sentences, not sounding as sure of herself as the words conveyed.

Seeing Midka's expression remaining unconvinced, Demze brought out her secret weapon against her sister, "If we can prove this method works, then we will have an unstoppable warrior for the clan, Middy. For the clan."

Midka mouthed silently the words, 'for the clan.'

Midka reluctantly nodded. "Alright... My Firelord would be hot-headed. His flames are very powerful. Are you sure he won't be a crisp?"

"The stronger the elemental flames, the better." Demze nodded back, folding her arms.

Hellie finished packing the remaining coal around Xa'Gun, as she rubbed her blackened hands on the sides of her fur skirt.

Midka pointed out to Hellie, "That's going to be hard to wash out. Ask for a cloth next time."

"I hope there will not be a next time." Hellie frowned.

Midka furrowed her brows, but she agreed within her mind, if not but a little.

Gorzoc and Jukzuk stood to the side and listened to the conversation between Midka and Demze. Though neither spoke, their eyes communicated with each other. Gorzoc was shocked, inwardly, at how much he came to care for this orc named 'Xa'Gun' in such a short time, though he kept his heart's voice to himself. He spoke, "Alright, let's do this. Midka, if you will."

At the words of Gorzoc, Jukzuk, Hellie, and Demze backed up. Gorzoc had already instructed his family to leave the area. His wife and children already knew too many secrets about this orc. It wasn't that Gorzoc was worried that they would betray those secrets, but it was better the less they knew until it was no longer a problem.

Midka nodded to Gorzoc, as she walked to the feet of Xa'Gun. She rubbed the skull on her side and then brought both her hands up into the air.

"Ya'Sar the Fire Tyrant heed my call!"

The ground shuttered and cracked. Flames danced around the coals, but neither lit them aflame nor burned anything in its wake, but a disembodied voice rattled out.

"Aaaa..." A searing piercing sound carried the voice through the air and into the ears of those present.

Midka blinked hard, as her mind scrambled, [Why is the Firelord showing up in person?!]

Gorzoc and Jukzuk's eyes quickly met. They would not dare to speak before the spirits, but why in ALL the hells of the down below did Midka's patron show? It was widely known that while shamans were contracted to the spirits, it was rare that they would come forth. It just showed just how strange anything surrounding Xa'Gun was...

In the back of Jukzuk's mind, a small thought arose, [Gun'Dunah.]

Gorzoc, Jukzuk, Hellie, and even Demze dropped to one knee, as they all knew they were now in the presence of an elemental spirit, one that was Tyrant rank!

"It has been many moments since the last sworn was laid to bless." The Fire Tyrant's voice hissed and steamed. The air in the area rose in temperature quickly. Hot, humid, itchy.

Midka's mind raced, [What? What does that mean? Blessed? Cursed? Xa'Gun blessed by fire? But...] It was known that the word blessed in the Orcish language also meant cursed, as blessings are curses and curses are blessings, just as drugs were equal parts poison and medicine.

"What's this? Why is this blessed one marked by the world...?" The voice was listless, but firey... Almost angry, but seething calmness.

"This shaman wishes to know what her patron means?" Midka steeled herself and asked.

The voice seemed to all but disappear. If not for the tiny flames and hot air rising, those present would think that the spirit had receded.

After a period too long to be considered thought, the voice spoke again, "...I shall honor the pact of his ancestors and lend my power. He will be healed in flames, but know this, my shaman..."

Midka held her breath.

"His strength is not in my domain, but in the domain of Terra."

Finishing this, the flames roared around the coal, lighting the bed as the form of Xa'Gun disappeared into a torrent cascade of various hues of combustion. The flames grew in intensity. Gorzoc and Jukzuk girted their teeth, while Hellie and Demze inched back on their knees. They felt the air in the area being sucked up from them as if the breath held in their chests were being pulled from their being and sent into the pillar of light turned fire twister erupted.

High into the sky the pillar of flames roared in its cavalcade of multilocus colors punching into the clouds, as those clouds turned dark and rolled above with thoundrous intent.

In a rainbow of flames, the pillar-shaped inferno engulfed Xa'Gun, as thunder poped above. Those in the clan stopped and pointed to the Hellhar District in awe.

Uloth ran across her study and almost shattered her wooden window shutters to see the thunderclouds rolling above the Hellhar district, as she watched the elemental powers exercise with restraint and fantastic control.

As quick as the firestorm rolled, the flames died leaving only thunder to rumble above. In a crater, an orc bare and naked lay upon ash.

"For Terra and Pact, I will always lend my power for as long as this blessed one draws breath..."