Grolfir pointed to the south-eastern corner of the map, in the jungles where he saw the small illustration of a camp next to arger drawing of a city in the mountains to the south.


    “This is Embervine. Our camp for the hot months before we walk home for the winters.” He moved his finger to the picture of the city to the south.


    Gregory nodded and looked further up the map to point out the central human province.


    “And this is the centre of the Empire.” His own fingertip tapped the image of the enormous city in the centre of that province.


    Grolfir nodded.


    “So these are the five territories.” Gregory tapped on each of the provinces surrounding the borders of the empire. “What’s this?”


    Grolfir lowered his gaze to where Gregory had indicated to the northern most part of the map. The young man was chilled at the sudden look of hatred upon Grolfir’s face. “They are the Northern Mountains. Home of the ck Orcs and the demonic lords. They are also said to be the Forsaken Lands. Humans and my people fight along the northern border to keep them at bay. Many armies rest there. Manyy dead on the killing fields.”


    “Oh. I see. So it’s a constant war?”


    “It is an unending fire for the flesh of my people and of yours.”


    Hearing the orc talking about a fight like it was hell was definitely un-nerving. Orcs lived to fight. They based their entire society around it. A fight that an orc wasn’t happy about was not a fight that Gregory wanted to get within a hundred leagues of.


    “And what about the people here…” Gregory quickly pointed out the south-eastern human territory that had its borders along the Embervine Forest.


    Grolfir’s response of a low, thundering growl didn’t really instil a great deal of confidence.


    “Not that good then?”


    “The High Lord of that territory thinks us animals and his mind has been split. The humans in hisnds suffer and starve. Yet because he sends troops to the north he is ignored by the Emperor. Better a foaming madman than one with cunning and ambition. He has stayed away from us and our warrior caravans are not disrupted on the Emperor’s orders.”


    “Oh.” That wasn’t exactly encouraging news.


    “The High Lords always vie and battle for power, young one. All want to be Emperor or want for independence. It is an Empire of shadows and knives. You would be better off here in the arms of my niece.”


    “Well from what you’ve told me I think I’d rather go strangle some of these idiots. But thanks for the offer.”


    Grolfir grinned downright wolfishly and took another swig of his ale. Then Gregory did the same and braced himself for the impact of the orcish brew. The two men shed their metal cups together and leaned over the map to speak of the world and its state.


    Humans, it turned out, were the most prolific race in the world but in past centuries they had grown less aggressive toward the other races and more prone to infighting. No human was ordinarily given the right to challenge an orc but if a human was challenged and emerged victorious then he or she was considered a member of orc society and could do as they pleased. Gregory found out that he was the only such human currently in existence. It was both aforting thought to know he had a ce here and yet something of a burden for he realised that he not only represented himself but all humanity to these green giants.


    Gregory had finally worked up the courage to ask about the ck orcs and learned that they had been splintered from the southern orcs long ago. A group of demons had once offered Grolfir’s people unimaginable strength in exchange for their service and many had epted. Those who refused fled south and made their home in the mountains there. The orcs who epted the demon’s gift found it came with a price and warped themselves into a horrifically deformed and wretched species that had be little more than animals. Even then the hatred in Grolfir’s voice was so vicious it was unnerving when he spoke of The Lost Ones. Though they had been named ‘ck orcs’ by the humans, Grolfir told them that their true colour was a wretched pallid white. They only appeared ck because they spent so much time in amidst their furnaces and within the ck ash of the northern volcanoes. The mutual threat of these monstrous creatures had improved rtions between humans and the southern orcs and so they fought side by side along the human kingdom’s northern border.


    After two hours of conversation with Grolfir they were interrupted by a messenger. Gregory turned to see a young male orc wearing hardened leather armour standing to attention like a soldier as he awaited his warchief’s permission to speak.


    Grolfir turned and barked something at the young orc in the orcishnguage to which the messenger replied in kind. It wasn’t a very long message and once it was finished the young male was dismissed and Grolfir turned to Gregory.


    “It appears we have talked longer than I had intended. My presence is needed at the great hall. I am d Algra found you Gregory Hopkins. Tell her…” Grolfir paused and then shook his head. “Be good to her.”


    “May I ask something of you warchief?” Gregory stood, the nerves of speaking to the great orc returning somewhat given what he was about to ask.


    “You may ask but I may not give.” It didn’t seem like being asked for favours was anything new to Grolfir.


    “One of the humans I came here with is being held in the pits. He attacked one of the orcs that brought him here with great dishonour. I would ask that you release him into my care.” Asking the question wasn’t exactly easy for Gregory. He was asking to free the psychotic lunatic that had bullied him for most of his life after all.


    “And why, by the First, would I do something like that?” Grolfir raised a suspicious brow at the request.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    “He means something to the girl I came with. They are no longer close but I don’t think she’d befortable knowing someone she knew so well was slowly rotting in the pit. I also feel kind of responsible for him. He came here with me. If you refuse then I’ll understand but I’ve got to ask you to free him into my care all the same,” Gregory exined.


    “I see.” Grolfir studied Gregory carefully. “If he is released to you and he causes any further danger then you will be held ountable.”