Then Gregory saw the old orc looking at him and instantly knew that the creature beneath all that scarred and battle-worn hide was still keen of mind.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    “I, uh, I guess I’m here for the training?” Gregory ventured after a few moments of what he considered to be very tense silence as the old orc sized him up.


    “No proving for you, pup. Too small. Too skinny.” The bulky old orc snorted and dismissed Gregory by simply turning his back on him to walk around arge wooden table in the centre of the tent.


    Well, that was unexpected. It didn’t matter, of course. Gregory knew what was at stake.


    “I have to. Grolfir has ordered it.”


    “Grolfir? Hah! Then he is a coward or a fool. If you have ailed him so, then he should have killed you himself, not sent you here to be beaten to death.”


    Gregory gritted his teeth. Why was everyone so certain that he was going to get his ass handed to him on a tter? He paused, examined the anger and decided he preferred it to fear.


    “He is neither a coward or a fool, and I don’t care if I get hurt. Now, put me out there.”


    The old orc suddenly bashed his massive fist upon the table in a way that made Gregory realise just why it had to be so sturdy. Those fists looked like they could splinter tree trunks.


    “Do not order me, pup! You aren’t even kin! Fine! Go out there now and find one who will honour you enough to fight with you. Find a pack that will take a human dog.” The orcughed in a way that felt like a warhammer smashing at Gregory’s ears. “Begone.”


    With that, Gregory was well and truly dismissed.


    He found the two guards waiting for him outside the tent and one immediately moved to stop him from leaving on the journey back towards Bolut’s camp. It came as something of a shock, then when Gregory instead stormed right into the heart of the proving grounds instead. Not even bothering to snatch up a metal chest bracer, he grabbed one of the single handed clubs from a weapon rack and stumbled to the side when he felt the weight of the thing. Yet still, it didn’t deter him from marching between the sparring young orcs and standing before those who were seated and resting from their own training.


    “Fight me.” Gregoryid down the challenge to all of them at once. In hindsight it might not have been the brightest thing he could have done.


    Yet none of the orcs stood to take up the challenge and he found many of them turning their heads to look at him as if he was barely worth their time.


    “I said fight me!” Gregory lifted up the club into the air, readying himself for any attack that might descend upon him.


    No attack came.


    Things were getting awkward when finally, one of the orcs lifted himself from where he had been crouched. Sitting away from the others with a smaller group of five of his kin, Gregory was surprised to find himselfing face to face with Ulf. He remembered meeting the young male orc shortly after his visit with Grolfir. It hadn’t connected that Ulf was young enough to not yet have passed the provings until he’d shown himself.


    “Ha! Runt fights human dog!” One of the orcs bellowed, much to the amusement of those around him.


    Gregory kept his eyes on Ulf, who imed his own twin clubs and readied himself in the orcish battle stance. Holding his one club in two hands, Gregory held the weapon out in front of him and suddenly felt very much out of his depth. Hand to hand fighting was one thing, it was what he was used to. The club felt unwieldy and alien in his grip and he knew just by holding the thing that it would grievously unbnce him if he wasn’t careful.


    The orc way was to rely on attack so much that defence was almost a quaint notion, and Ulf definitely didn’t disappoint as he let out his own ritualistic war-cry and then charged. In moments Gregory registered what was important, the clubs of his opponent were lowered by his side, upper body leaning forwards to put as much momentum behind him as possible. Ulf was also much faster than Bolut had been and smoothly slipping out of the way was definitely out of the question as the orc’s reflexes were bound to ount for it and stomp him into the dirt if he tried.


    So instead he did something slightly out of character and flung the club directly at Ulf’s legs. The orc sure as hell hadn’t expected the move and stumbled to get out of the way of the rapidly spinning weapon as it flew over the ground toward his shins. Ulf was fast enough to dodge out of the way but not quite fast enough to do so without unbncing himself and Gregory took the time to give the orc an education in the basics. A simple lunge forward and he smashed his foot into Ulf’s chest, just above the metal bracer and below the cor bone. The move almost sent the orc sprawling to the ground and would have seriously winded him if it weren’t for Ulf’s own training.