As the gate of the encampment opened completely, allowing the entry of the caravan, armed guards stood on both sides of the passage. Despite the initial surprise from the arrival of such a large group, which apparently caused quite a ruckus on the inside of the camp, the guards seemed friendly enough as Luna and Solo rode their wagon through.
“You’ll have to join me for dinner tonight!” - walking beside the moving vehicle, Yornush didn’t seem to mind the curious looks he was receiving from the members of the caravan - “There’s so much to talk about!”
“We don’t wish to impose…”
“Nonsense, I’ll have a hut prepared for you close to mine,” - delivering his weapon to one of the guards, Yornush continued to accompany the caravan as they passed the gate - “I insist!”
Having dealt with the Orc many times in the past, Solo knew that it was easier to agree in order to appease him. It was probably only due to his involvement that the caravan was allowed access to the Orc encampment, especially in such a short time. Being on Yornush’s debt for a little longer should not pose a problem.
Starting a few meters away from the inside of the walls, a large area seemed to have been cleared out, its space now occupied by a vast number of huts of different shapes and sizes. Despite their seemingly chaotic distribution, large roads and passageways seemed to divide the camp into multiple sectors.
“Quite a large group you have here…” - Solo pointed out, as the wagon began entering the largest path, catching the attention of many Orcs and humans in the huts - “Very diverse as well.”
“One of the largest in the area,” - lifting his head proudly, Yornush crossed his arms - “our clans decided to unite after the Leader’s marriage.”
Almost jumping with excitement at so many new sights, Luna’s eyes seemed to jump from one side to another, trying to take in as much as possible from the strange new world she had just entered. Besides the green-ish skinned Orcs, a few had a more reddish color, despite being otherwise identical.
Noticing a small crowd begin to form as the people saw the entrance of the caravan, more and more people started coming out of their huts to watch the commotion. Young human and Orc children ran after the wagons, carrying what seemed like improvised wooden weapons.
“Is that an elf?” - Luna whispered to the men, seeing a tall slender man with pointy ears walking amongst the crowd.
“Yes child,” - Yornush laughed at the girl’s surprised expression - “We do have some Elven refugees from the south. The ‘Red Elfs’ as they call themselves, or something like that…”
“Is that safe?” - being skeptical of Elfs from his former experience, Solo couldn’t avoid being worried for the safety of the caravan.
“As safe as one can be in these strange times!”
Guiding them to the edge of the camp, where a vast open area surrounded by a forest seemed untouched, Yornush instructed that the caravan could use the space to settle for the time being. As Imogen reached their camping area, she was accompanied by a couple of their guards to go and meet the Orc’s leaders.
“Well, guess today’s work is done!” - said Yornush, seeing the newcomers begin to prepare their camp - “Follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying!”
“Alright, let’s go…” - Solo complied, gesturing for Luna to gather her things and follow him.
Walking back into the main encampment, while this time moving further into the central area of the camp, the huts began to look bigger and sturdier. After walking for a few minutes, they stopped at an area where a few huts seemed to have been settled in a semi circle, surrounding each other.
“This is my wife, Kali.” - Yornush gestured to the strong looking orc woman waiting for them - “I believe you remember her.”
Being almost as tall as her husband, and almost as muscular, the woman seemed quite imposing at first glance. Her short dark hair neatly tied together, while her expression seemed pleasant despite serious.
“I do!” - Solo said, giving the woman the same greeting he had exchanged with Yornush earlier.
“Come, come…” - Yornush said as he pushed the two humans into one of the huts - “Let us eat and drink, we have much to talk about!”
The inside of the hut was rather bright, light coming from a small open space on the ceiling. Despite looking rather small from the outside, it was quite spacious inside, perhaps due to only having a couple cushions surrounding what seemed like a low table.
“Please, take a seat!” - gesturing to the table, the Orc picked up a jar sitting on top of it and began serving its contents on two small wooden cups.
“The camp is quite well hidden this time,” - accepting one of the cups from the Orc, Solo didn’t recognize its content, which seemed cloudier than an ordinary ale - “I had thought it would take us another day or so to reach it.”
Walking into the hut carrying a big tray, Yornush’s wife put in front of them three big bowls filled with a steaming hot soup, large chunks of meat floating on the surface. A fourth bowl had a pile of small bread rolls, their color darker than the ones Luna had seen before.
As the meal had been served, the woman gave the group a silent nod, before leaving them alone once again.
“You got here just in time you know?” - grabbing his cup, Yornush took a good swing of the drink, seeming more relaxed after doing so - “If your group reached the gate tomorrow, there’s no chance the Elders would allow you entry!”
“Is there something going on?” - Solo asked before taking a sip of the drink, deciding against smelling it first so as not to offend their host. The concoction tasted like herbs and spices, with only a light taste of alcohol at the end.
“Tomorrows the initiation for our young warriors,” - putting his cup down, the Orc began snacking at the bread, soaking it into his untouched soup - “their chance to prove themselves before Koynasi and the Clan.”
“Sounds fun…” - curiously playing with her soup, Luna was barely paying attention to the men’s conversation, overwhelmed by her surroundings.
“Oh, why don’t you let the child take part?” - Yornush’s voice became louder as the idea seemed to take shape in his mind - “Your apprentice must know how to handle herself, and she’s about the right age it seems.”
“She’s only thirteen…” - almost spilling his drink, Solo found himself shocked by the sudden proposal.
“The perfect age then!” - slapping his thigh as things seemed to all fit perfectly together, Yornush’s smile grew larger - “You know that not many humans get to have a chance like this!”
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“What?” - still trying to grasp what the two were talking about, Luna could sense that they were about to make important decisions without consulting her - “Don’t I get a say in this?”
“Of course you do!” - stated Solo, seeing in the girl’s denial to participate a chance to bury the topic easily.
“Think about it, child!” - grabbing the girl by the shoulder, almost causing her to drop her food, Yornush seemed to stare right inside her soul - “Being recognized as a warrior shall grant you free passage into any Orc Clan, forever!”
“That doesn’t sound…”
“But that’s not the best part,” - lifting a finger as Luna began to protest, the Orc continued - “the warriors who are recognized by the Goddess shall receive her blessing!”
A blessing from one of the gods. For many warriors it could mean the difference between life and death on the battlefield. Despite sounding like a far away dream, to have a chance to achieve something like that by simply taking part in some tribal ritual was too good to ignore.
“What do I need to do?” - turning to face Yornush, the girl’s face suddenly became more serious.
“Luna!” - Solo called to the girl, who didn’t even look at him.
“That’s the face of a warrior If I’ve ever seen one!” - clapping his hands in excitement, Yornush got up from his seat, finishing his drink - “I’ll make the arrangements. You try to rest well, and I’ll send someone to come pick you up in the morning!”
Without further explanation, the Orc left the tent quickly, leaving behind the confused girl. Looking at Solo in search of an explanation, the man was still in his seat, grabbing his face with his hand.
“What just happened?” - the girl inquired, feeling as if things happened too fast, and with too many unanswered questions.
“You, my dear,” - moving his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, Solo’s voice sounded stressed and tired - “just agreed to a duel to the death.”
***
“Luna, wake up!” - the girl felt her body shaking.
Having tried to sleep as early as possible, since Solo warned her to preserve her energy, Luna struggled to open her eyes. Judging by the lack of light coming inside the hut, the sun hasn't come up yet, but Solo seemed well rested and already ready to go.
“What now?” - she managed to ask, still drowsy from her lack of sleep.
“Yornush’s wife is waiting for you outside.” - the girl sat upright, suddenly remembering her situation - “She’ll help you get ready for the ceremony.”
The ceremony, or as Solo finally explained after Yornush left the night before, a series of one-on-one duels. Those who win get the chance to fight again, those who lose have their lives at the mercy of their enemies. Real weapons, in real battles, with the entire Orc clan watching.
“We better not leave her waiting then…” - struggling to find her boots, she picked her sword as she went towards the entrance.
“It’s better if you go alone this time.”
“Why?” - the girl asked, her anxiety growing by the second.
“Just trust me.” - placing his hand on the girl’s back, he began pushing her towards the entrance - “I’ll meet you before the ceremony, don’t worry.”
Feeling confused, Luna left the hut almost bumping into Yornush’s wife, who had been waiting at the entrance. With a simple greeting, the woman began leading her in the darkness, heading to the opposite direction of the caravan’s camp.
The sun was barely beginning to show its first signs over the trees in the distance, when they reached their destination, a row of small tents neatly organized outside of the camp. Despite the darkness, a small crowd seemed to move in and out of the tents, men and women leading children inside, to be prepared for the coming ceremony.
“We are here!” - the woman pointed to a tent where a younger looking Orc woman stood - “This is Aisha, the second wife.”
Looking rather younger than Kali, Aisha had the same black hair despite being longer and more well kept. Unlike the other woman, her body was leaner and curvier, despite still being quite muscular.
“We must hurry, come.” - gesturing for them to move quickly, Aisha entered the tent ahead of them.
The inside of the tent seemed almost bare, except for a few scattered containers around the edges. A strong floral smell filled the air, most likely coming from the incense burning all around the inside. Being led to the center spot, where a lone wooden plank laid on the grass, Luna began to wonder what kind of preparations could be done in a place such as this.
“Take your clothes off.” - sounding like an order rather than a request, Kali had her arms crossed, looking unfriendly.
“What?” - the girl blurted out, surprised at the sudden request.
“We need to cleanse your body,” - Aisha began undoing Luna’s clothes, seeming to recognize how confused the girl was - “so that you’ll be ready to stand before the goddess.”
“No one told me about this…” - the girl began to say, quickly remembering Solo's insistence not to accompany her before.
“We have no time to explain everything,” - moving quite nimbly despite her size, Kali joined Aisha, the two quickly leaving Luna completely exposed - “we must get you ready!”
Before the girl even had the time to feel embarrassed about her sudden situation, Kali picked a large jar from the floor, filled it with water from a nearby container, and dumped its contents directly on the girl’s shoulders. Luna could feel herself fully awake now, the cold scented water starting to make her body shiver, as the orc continued to throw more at her.
“Poor, poor thing,” - sounding pitiful while looking at the girl, Aisha began blowing the incense at her body- “at this age, and not a single sign of pride on her body!”
“Pride?” - confused at the woman’s words, Luna tried to question their meaning, as another jar of cold water was thrown on her back - “What do you mean?”
“Yes child, pride!” - lifting her dress all the way to her neck, Kali exposed her body. From her legs, to her torso, and even her breasts. Her entire body seemed covered in scars, some spanning entire limbs, while others looked only inches long - “A warrior’s pride are his scars, the proof he achieved victory against all odds.”
“A warrior with no scars has never seen real battle…” - the younger woman continued, picking a cloth and beginning to dry the girl’s trembling body, as Kali covered herself again - “Not a very worthy partner in the battlefield.”
“So you’re saying I need to gain a few scars myself.” - trying to put the pieces together, Luna received an agreeing look from the younger.
“Maybe we should send you off with no chest armor!” - the older Orc gestured to her own chest, where Luna saw she had a rather large scar - “A nice long swing across the chest always works!”
“The child’s still growing,” - throwing the now wet cloth on the floor, Aisha pulled a pile of nicely folded white clothes - “Maybe no protection on the legs, a good place to start!”
“Why don’t I go normally, and we let the goddess decide?” - afraid of being sent to fight with no protection, Luna decided to try to use the women’s beliefs against them.
“True!” - guiding the younger Orc as she dressed the girl in a smooth, light fabric, Kali began picking pieces of leather armor from the walls - “You’ll win some pride if Mother Koynasi wishes you to.”
“Hopefully she’ll be in a good mood today…” - happy that her plan seemed to work, the girl watched as the younger woman picked a small container from the floor.
“You don’t need to worry!” - she dipped her fingers inside, before stretching her hand towards the girl’s forehead.
“What’s this now?” - Luna asked, feeling the cold concoction being spread on her skin.
“War paint,” - the woman continued to draw lines on Luna’s face - “to make you look more dangerous, and honour the warriors before you!”
“I’m not sure if there were many warriors in my family.”
“As you take part in today’s ceremony, you’ll become one of our clan’s warriors!” - the older Orc carried a smaller set of armor, clearly not made to be worn by an Orc - “By fighting, your blood is mixed with ours, and we’ll all be your family.”
As Aisha finished painting her face and moved to her arms, the older wife began helping the girl to wear the strange set of armor. With the sunlight now already noticeable even from inside the closed tent, sounds of movement could be heard around the area. Somewhere nearby, a constant sound of beating drums started becoming louder and louder.
“It has begun!” - Kali stated, placing the girl’s silver sword on her hand.
