Introduction
Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.
AFTER A LONG PAUSE I have finally returned to this story! Legends never die! We shall continue with this story now. As other posts on my blog will explain: I have been awfully busy irl. I needed to read 15 parts of this story consecutively to get back into the story... I must say, reading them like that was actually really rewarding! I love this story!
If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!
Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE
The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found here!
Part 96
Adrian felt excited. This journey was different from the other times that he had left the Castle and city. The time he had nearly died had been more his sister's adventure, and the urgent mission to his uncle, King Sebastian's lands, had been frightening and depressing.
In contrast to those times, this journey was full of possibilities. The mystery of the dangerous mage group known as the Seventeen and the possible liberation of a true God were both aspects of this mission that were the stuff of legend.
He did not worry about fame for himself. As a Prince that did not really even enter his head. Being well-known was a pain, especially for a magic user. He understood why Adiran had gone through such pains to keep his powers hidden in the past. Tiberos seemed to understand this more and more as they rode together and conversed.
It seemed that the two of them had many stories to share and review, things that had happened in Tiberos' time but that had not had a good explanation. Generally, nearly every one of those instances had had Adiran at the core of the real cause or something that Rhys had done when he had been acting up.
They had learned from Tiberos that the man had three sons and that those boys had all grown up and moved from home. Tiberos' wife had passed away during the Siege of Dragonshold three years ago but this had more to do with a wasting illness than something the war had brought. All that had happened was that the doctors were too busy to tend to an ill woman.
Tiberos did not seem resentful of what had happened; he had three sons who had all grown up and married. His wife's fate had been on the cards for more than ten long years.
Adrian had stopped listening to those stories after a while. Some of it was not really relevant to his own life and had happened too long ago.
There was another aspect of this journey that made it interesting and exciting. He glanced over at Gorma, who was riding easily in the saddle next to him. It was hot and she had opted for a lighter set of armor, while her steel armor was stowed in the packs on the horse. Instead, she wore studded leather armor on her body, legs, and arms and wore a steel half helm.
While the steel armor set made her look like the male Orcs in the camp, the leather armor accentuated the difference, and it was very apparent that she was a woman. Her Orc physiology made her a bit more muscular than any woman he had ever seen.
While her shoulders were broad and gave her a triangular shape that tapered down to get waist, it still filled out toward the hips again. Gorma had extremely muscular thighs. Her build suggested that she had no physical weaknesses.
Despite all of the musculature and calm composure she exuded as a warrior, she was still very much a woman. Her hair was long and straight, currently tied up behind her in a long single black braid. Her face was well-shaped and attractive. Her Orcish feature was her "tusks", the lower canines that were quite prominent. They only really showed if she had her mouth open, or when she laughed.
Above all, she had fantastic eyes. They had green irises that sparkled with curiosity and intelligence. When they looked at him, they seemed to hold mischief and interest.
He realized for a moment that he had been looking for a while and that her had been looking into those big green eyes for a while. Gorma was looking back at him.
Adrian quickly looked away, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He hoped that she did not think of him as a creep. She laughed softly at his discomfort and he glanced back and noticed that her face was also flushed slightly.
"So..." He began and realized he needed to clear his throat. "Are all Orc women warriors such as yourself?"
She seemed relieved to be able to say something and break the tension. "Most are." She nodded. "Though some never become warriors and remain in the village to care for the homes, children and crops. Men also help cultivate food and tend to livestock when there is no war and no hunting to be had. All are expected to bear arms should the need arise so most women are trained to handle a spear, an axe or a mace at least. Some of them carry bows."
"But you are not amongst those women. You are a full warrior."
The remark made Gorma smile wide enough to flash her small sharp tusks. She sat proudly in her saddle. "I have been serving in my father's army as one of his Captains! I had to win my place amongst his warriors and then my rank through skill and combat!"
"Impressive. No wonder you and Magna got along so well. Both of you are warriors born."
"Thunderhead?" Gorma barked a laugh and smacked her bracer against her helmet with a clang. "Indeed! She is a great warrior! Truly, she surprised me with that headbutt. Most admirable. She gained a lot of respect amongst the Orcs that day." She looked askance at Adrian. "You never took the path of the sword?"
Adrian smiled ruefully. "Not without due effort from my father. He wanted me, his son, to be a warrior. He trained me and drilled me but it is not something that I enjoy."
"So you know how to use a sword?"
Adrian shrugged. "The basics. I would not call myself a master swordsman but I know which side of the sword is the sharp part." He smiled and she chuckled at his remark.
"But you are not afraid to wear no armor and bear no sword." She pointed out.
Adrian shook his head. "I have already set up barriers around us that travel with us. This would alert me of any dangers. There are more barriers and abilities either active or reactive that I have ready to defend myself. As for attack... generally I wait until I know what manner of enemy I face before I use something."
"Why do that?"
"Well... imagine you battle against an opponent that is heavily armored with plate. What is the best weapon to attack them?"
"Usually a hammer or a mace to break the armor."
Adrian nodded. "And against a fast and agile opponent, do you keep using the mace?"
Gorma shook her head. "Of course not. Usually an opponent that is fast will be able to avoid mace and hammer strikes, unless they are wielded expertly."
Adrian nodded. "But if it came to a choice, you would match your weapon with the sort of opponent that you must face. I am the same. I choose the weapon that will be the most effective."
Gorma nodded and thought for a while. "I suppose I would not mind seeing you in action..."
"Well, as far as these journey's go, that is usually inevitable," Adrian said grimly. Groma caught the change in his voice and checked her axe at her side. Both of them ended up looking around the countryside for a bit without speaking, their minds on the possibility of battle.
"Whoah!" Adiran called up ahead. "We make camp here for the night!"
Over to you Lex!
Thank you for reading!
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