There were none that didn’t know the name of Yargul in the clans, he had bested all of their clan’s most powerful warriors in single combat, a feat that was unheard of. The orcs of the clans were not weak by any means, they were orcs who had tempered their strength in the forges of the wild, pitting themselves against powerful beasts and triumphing over them. Yet, all of these orcs who possessed the strength to slay magic beasts were all laid low by Yargul. But Yargul was not yet satisfied, he had heard tales of strong orcs in the cities, supposedly far stronger than the clan orcs and he knew that he had to get stronger to face them.

After he exhausted the supply of worthy opponents among orcs he delved into the wilds to hone his strength, arming himself with only the weapons Nature had given him, his body and nothing else.

—YARGUL—

I bid my goodbyes to my clan before heading out alone into the Northern Wastes. Orcs of old had long since ventured out here although the dangers it presented had claimed many of them. Entire clans had disappeared in the cold and barren wastelands which were home to a myriad of dangerous creatures, all of which who could wield magic. These creatures were also far more intelligent than their non-magical kin, their cunning having drawn many orcs into ambushes in which they lost their lives. Not only that but the magic beasts learn from battle as well, adapting to their enemies’ fighting style.

Thus I had to defeat them as quickly as possible to prevent them from adapting to my fighting style. They were powerful opponents, especially the denizens of the Northern Wastes, they were of a higher class than magic beasts which were near the orc clans. Orcs often slew these magic beasts in order to make a name for themselves so the population of these magic beasts have dwindled, leaving only those that were too weak to bring any fame to an orc. But there was also another reason why magic beasts were highly sought after, once eaten an orc would gain a few of their magical properties and become stronger as a result.

This was partly why I went out in search of magic beasts, not only would I test my strength against theirs, I would gain power from consuming their flesh. This was a win-win situation, I got to fight a strong opponent and get stronger just from eating, two of my favorite things! So I immediately began to search for a magic beast to fight, venturing deep into the forest which grew darker and darker as I walked. Looking at the inky blackness around me, I was reminded of tales the clan elders often told, of strange and powerful things which lurked in the shadows. These things could not be harmed by weapons and easily slew thousands of orcs although no external wounds could be seen.

Then I chuckled at myself, really, believing such superstitious, I am Yargul! I do not fear things that don’t fight back! Having cleared my mind of these baseless fears, I moved on, chewing on tree branches to ease my hunger if only slightly. Eventually, I had to stop to sleep, for even in the darkness of the forest I could tell that night had come. So I found a place to sleep and promptly did so, unafraid of some beast killing me. I hadn’t reached the Northern Wastes yet and all beasts here had learned by now to fear me. So I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.

When I woke, I began moving again, this time on the search for food as well as traveling to the Wastes. Branches were fine and all but only meat could truly fill my belly. Unable to use my eyes for hunting, I used my nose, smelling countless scents but none of them of animals that were good eatin’. Finally, my nose caught the scent of a Boulder Bear, given its name for its charge attack which was similar to a boulder rolling down a mountain. It was almost impossible to survive its charge attack but that’s only if it hit. A beast of this strength wasn’t that threatening and I could kill it easily.

So I immediately began tracking it, using a fragmented bear paw print and a day-old scent to do so. I made quick progress, my belly demanded to be fed and I had no intention of denying it. The scent soon grew strong, it was fresh and I began to search with my eyes in my murky surroundings, eventually spotting a bear-shaped shadow. I roared and doubled my speed, I needed to get meat into my belly as soon as possible! I rammed into the bear, the bear roaring in confusion which soon stopped as I swiftly broke its neck. Then using its own teeth, I slit its neck in order to bleed the bear while I went off in search of wood to make a fire.

I climbed some trees and broke off good-sized branches, carrying them over to the bear’s carcass, chewing on some of them as I did so. I was tempted to eat meat raw but I would get much more out of the meal if it were cooked. Therefore I was willing to wait to make a decent fire. I also looked for tinder, finally opting to use dead moss that had accumulated near the base of tree trunks, tearing them off in clumps. In addition to that, I added what dry leaves I could find but fungi and damp surroundings had ruined many leaves. Once prepared, I used my firestones to strike sparks onto the tinder, ready to add small twigs and branches once it was lit.

Once a spark took hold of the tinder, I began to blow softly, the tinder beginning to glow a small orange with each breath. Soon, a small flame burst into being and with that down, I added more tinder before placing small twigs and branches on the flame, watching with satisfaction as it grew. I added more and more wood until it was a nice small fire while setting some fresh branches near it to dry out the wood, it still had water in it after I tore it from a tree. A hissing filled the air as the water evaporated and satisfied, I turned towards the bear. Using its teeth, I skinned the bear, careful to use its skin as a barrier between the ground and the meat, just because I could eat anything didn’t mean I liked doing it.

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With that done, I tore off a leg and held it over the fire, my hunger conquering the boredom of the task. I would impatiently take bites out of the meat to see if it was done from time to time but other than that, I waited, my eyes watching the meat slowly cook from the heat. Finally, when I couldn’t bear it any longer, I hungrily devoured the meat. I also broke the bones and sucked out the marrow, I especially loved the marrow. With my hunger somewhat alleviated, I went off in search for suitable sticks to use as spits, finding a few y-shaped branches which I broke off and trimmed down for my usage.

I then spit the rest of the bear’s limbs while hanging the ribs over the fire on a rough stand I made out of branches. As the ribs and other legs cooked, I began to eat another leg, taking my time eating it. It was still a bit raw so I wanted the other meat to be fully cooked. I especially was methodical when sucking out the bone marrow, making sure to get as much of it as I could into my stomach before I turned my attention to the remaining pieces of meat. Seeing that most of them were done, I did not hold back any longer and began to eat, this time eating the bones themselves, crunching them in between my teeth. Soon, most of the bear had disappeared into my stomach with the exception of its head.

It possessed the brain of the bear and that I would be using to tan the hide of the bear. I would need clothing in the Northern Wastes and in my confidence, I was sure in my ability to procure some along the way. This would take me a few days before I actually would make my way into the Northern Wastes but that was of no matter, I had the time to do so. That’s why I had rejected the mantle of clan leader, I would just be too busy and wouldn’t have the time to devote myself to being the strongest orc I could be.

Anyways, I began to tan the bear’s hide, mashing the brains of the bear before I began to apply it to the hide. Having done so, I reversed the hide so that the area which I had applied the brains to would be facing outside. I then slung it on my back and broke out into a jog, heading towards a mountain off in the distance. It was Jagged-Tooth Mountain, given its name because of a powerful creature that resided there, one that possessed teeth, one of them being jagged after breaking against a powerful weapon. It was against this creature that I was determined to hone my strength against, challenging it day after day until I either defeat it or die trying.

This time, however, as I had a full stomach, I continued to jog for three days straight. I could have gone more but I was getting hungry and I stumbled upon a wolf pack. I had to hunt them for I didn’t know when I would encounter food again. This time, I ate them raw, there was enough meat here to satisfy my belly and a little bit extra which I could eat while on the move. The wolves made the first move, surrounding me but I wasn’t afraid, their teeth would leave nothing more than scratches, they weren’t threatening at all. It wasn’t long after I had killed all of them, killing two in the first few moments of our fight. The remaining three were more cautious but that didn’t prevent me from killing two more when they attacked in unison, crushing one’s skull and breaking another’s spine.

The last one turned to flee but I was able to kill it quickly, a wolf may be agile but it wasn’t as fast as me in a sprint. After killing him, I didn’t bother with properly skinning them, I just tore off the skin while keeping the meat intact and began to eat, consuming both flesh and bone alike. Once three wolves were inside my stomach, I grabbed the other two and continued to jog, this time continuing for seven days straight, stopping briefly to skin and eat a wolf before I returned to jogging. But I eventually had to stop, my body still needed sleep so I once more found a tree to lean against.

I woke in the morning and continued to jog, the once distant mountain now twice as large as I had first seen it. I was close, just ten more days and I would be at the foot of the mountain. I grew excited and to burn off the excess energy, I broke out into a sprint, unable to wait the ten days that it would take for me to get there.

Nine days passed and I stood at the base of the mountain, donned in my bear hide. I had long since entered a region devoid of plant life, only grey rocks and white snow to be seen. Everything here seemed hostile as if the very land itself didn’t want living things walking on it. Having reached this conclusion, I burst out into laughter, this land may not want living things on it but it was gonna learn that I don’t ask for permission, I go wherever I want whenever I want. With a confident grin, I marched up the mountain, beginning my search for the master of Jagged-Tooth Mountain.

It was a fruitless month search for the beast, there was nothing but snow and snow and fucking more snow! I couldn’t track it because a particularly nasty snowstorm had hit, making it so that the beast’s tracks were covered by snow and wiping away any scent that it might have left. And on top of it all, I had to descend from the mountain often to hunt for food, for hiking through waste-deep snow ate up valuable energy, requiring me to eat more often. And the beast wouldn’t answer to my challenges either, only the howling wind greeting my roars, demanding that the beast come fight me.

Ten more days passed in this manner until I stumbled upon a cave. By this time, I was starving and without energy, I was unable to keep up my body heat, my skin covered in frostbite. I immediately entered the cave, heading deep inside before falling asleep, my body barely maintaining its heat in the shelter of the cave. I soon awoke much to my surprise, I thought I was surely dead. I sat up and looked around, seeing an empty cave that had no signs of life. I smiled, I could use this as my home for now, that is until I find the creature. But I was beginning to have my doubts about its existence, after all, it surely would have answered my challenges by now.

Just as I thought this, I heard a thunderous roar coming from outside, it was distant but it was still deafening to the ear. My heart began to beat uncontrollably and my blood began to boil, surely, this was the creature!

I immediately rushed outside, roaring in answer, “Now that I know you exist, I will never leave until I find and kill you!”