The next week or so goes by without much incident. One night a sailor aboard swore up and down he saw a ghost ship. No one except the superstitious cook, Finny, took much stock in it. He continued to rave down in the kitchen about bad luck and all that, suggesting alternate routes. It wasn't until another sailor saw a ghost ship that some of the crew started getting spooked. Sheila was having a time of it keeping them in line.
One morning dawns early with very little breeze. Out in the middle of the open ocean, it felt bright and stifling in the warmth. The kobolds didn't mind at all, and even some of the orcs--they took the opportunity to go swimming off the side of their ships, Kai Aata and Gogrog rather indifferent about it.
Kora takes the time to go check on her men, and Tak scrambles aboard the Annabel Lee after a while. He shakes the water off of himself, his scales looking far more shiny. It seems he's finished shedding, though it had no affect on his scars. He glances around, ducking under the legs of the pirates as they move about.
Atriox leans againt the side of the ship railing watching the comings and goings of everybody. When he sees Tak board the ship he waves him over
Tak scrambles around one last person, avoiding getting stepped on as he scampers toward you. He peers over the edge at the kobolds and orcs swimming down below, standing on his tip toes and leaning on his arms.
"Hi, Atriox. How are things going?" He glances up, his bright yellow eyes glinting in the sunlight. It's a bit uncomfortable out and your scales feel singed, but you feel tired from being below deck and the fresh air is nice.
Atriox smiles and looks down at his Kobold brother
"Hello little one. How are you doing today ?"
He shrugs, looking down at the others. "The light hurts, but it nice to get out. Tak glad ships slowed down for a day."
"Tak uh..." He paws at his scar a little. "Tak not mind staying on this ship a while." He smiles a big toothy grin, which looks a bit silly on him.
Atriox pays attention to Tak more closely
"Oh ? Did something happen? Your always welcome to stay in my room if you'd like. Your my brother there's always room for you."
Tak shakes his head, "Nah, nah Tak don't need take up space, just-- things fine. More than fine, I guess." His brow furrows. "Tak don't know."
He watches the kobolds below again. "Vrantvrak thirku," he mumbles, stretching and yawning. "Don't know if dragonborn have that?"
You've grown used to his broken common mixed with draconic, but the words catch you a little off guard. "Egg change". You definitely don't know that phrase when it comes to your own people; at least from what you remember.
Atriox looks confused
"What now ?"
Tak gestures with his claw down below. "Atriox not have as many davof slathalinar... male fighters now. Guess hard to tell." He tilts his head. "Few females came with, few males stay behind. Kurtulmak balance it, they say. More eggs to make that way, more fighters. Keep kobold clans alive longer."
"Kurtulmak surtlmak...." he grumbles mockingly. "Tak not sure about all that. But it does happen still."
Atriox takes a moment to think through what Tak just told him. He looks at Tak with an odd face
"Your not going.......to......right ?"
"What? Tak did." He raises an eyebrow.
His grin widens. "Karak, your face.... Mwahaha.. Tak kidding." He cackles a little and scoots back against the railing. The kobold shrugs. "I been... staying aloof enough that it not a problem. Also need to not fight change. Tak...... not want to lay egg." He scrunches up his nose.
"Already making nest there, group nest. Some orcs not happy, don't blame... kobolds get a bit..." He tilts his head again. "Don't know. Not nice? Blues not nicest anyway. But orcs wanting to take eggs to eat, joke a lot. A bit tense right now."
Atriox looks at Tak as he takes all this information in. Afterwards he scratches his cheeck and ponders this new information
"Hmmmm is that so now ? How interesting. Well I think I will go and check this out for myself. Check on everything and see if I can make it less tense. You want to come ?"
"Eeeh..." He hesitates looking over to the other boat he came from. "Tak is trying to... eeeh... yes, will come." He stands awkwardly, glancing at the plank between the ships. You can't quite tell what else is the matter, but you do notice you haven't seen Vele at all, nor heard him talk about her.
Atriox pauses it all making sense now. He turns at Tak with a knowing look and asks
"Whats going on with Vele ? Why isn't she here ?"
"She's..." he rolls his eyes. "Helping with nesting."
He kicks at some rope on the deck. "All the females are. It's a numbers game to the others."
Atriox thinks for a moment about that. Taks clan was a little odd in the way of finding one mate....at least amongst the kobolds. But Vele knew Tak was different and chose to start something unspoken with him. This does not sit well with him
Atriox looks at Tak with a mischievous smile
"Don't worry brother we will show her what she's missing. And once she realizes what she missed it'll be up to you if she deserves your attention again. Come."
He waves to Sheila at the helm
"I'm crossing over to another ship for a bit to do some inspections. Let me know if something is going on or happens captain."
Atriox heads across the planks with deliberate and powerful strides. The boards of the plank creak under the force of his claws. He's got a very aggressive face on showing teeth and lowly growling as he goes
Tak follows after, skittering across the board with ease. He looks a bit more nervous again. "H-hey, Atriox? It's okay, really. Tak not want make them more irritated."
Once across and on board the Nightingale, you land on deck and Tak grabs your claw. He looks surprised at doing this and lets go quickly, not wanting to anger you. He's changed quite a bit from the kobold who first tried to run you through with a spear.
The green kobold talks in an undertone as a few others scramble by, happy and snickering as they make their way to swim.
"This normal for them. And they growing your kingdom. Tak the strange one." He fiddles with his claws. "You made me leader. Tak have power here now. More respect. It changing. They even willingly--uh..."
He trails off, awkwardly. "T-Tak COULD make as many eggs as he wants. They not complain. Some ask. It would not seem strange to them. Take could take all the females if he wanted. P-part of Tak think, what the hell? Bring back more of my clan. Make lots of fighters, be strong! Be like them." He gets rather heated for a second, then relaxes again.
"But then Tak think of Wren." He sniffs. "Even Vele try... try get Tak see that it fine, eggs normal. Young die all the time. Kobolds grow quick, fierce, die, and grow again. It always been that way. That is our strength. She not wrong."
"S-she offered egg with Tak." He looks away. "Tak was one who refused."
Atriox stops and growls his tail slamming down inti the boards
"Your clans way was no more right or wrong than there's. In fact if I had to weigh in on it Tak I'd put the question forth. Which child is stronger....the child with no parents, no family or tradition that is only born to fight for it's clan or the child that knows his parents, his family, his heritage, and has a personal connection to fight for. One real soldier who knows what he has to loose will fight harder than a hundred who are just doing what they're told. As for Vele......I'm angry because she knew you were different and yet chose to bond with you. Now she turns her back on that like it was nothing."
(Persuasion 15)
Atriox continues on
Tak stops in his tracks, the words hitting him like a mountain. He clenches his fists and grits his teeth to stem his unbidden tears. The little kobold watches you walk away, your imposing figure and powerful message leaving a very distinct inspiration on him.
You walk along the deck of the ship, the setup a little different than the Annabel. It's definitely a more traditional and simple vessel, but built well. Ducking down into the holding area below, you pass several other kobolds coming out on deck. Something interesting you've noticed about these blues from the north is that they don't seem to have the same irritation from the sun as Tak does. Perhaps from the bright sun reflecting off the ice and glaciers of the crags changed them over time.
You see a great area littered with mats and blankets, woven in and around the cargo for the ship like tunnels. It's all very intricate and well designed. Further down the halls you see the cargo as normal, leading into the areas the orcs are staying in. The kobolds definitely don't need as much room, enjoying being close together.
Further in the back against one send of the ship, you see a small clutch of eggs, perhaps a dozen or two, buried amongst a nest of hay and scraps. There's a few kobolds here sleeping among them, including Tepid and Vele. Tepid is fast asleep among several eggs, and Vele is moving about the others, turning them occasionally.
Atriox walks past Vele and the rest of the kobolds at first. When she looks at him all he does is growl in a bit of a louder manner. He continues walking to get to the orcs section
She tilts her head in confusion, stopping with an egg in her hands. Tak has followed you down and he spots her. There's a definite moment of awkwardness as they look toward one another.
You pass into the orcs section of the hold, which leads off down below into the belly of the ship. Whereas the kobold's area smelled of stale wet dog, this area is musty and like overly ripe fruit. The orcs relaxing, sharpening weapons, arm wrestling, gambling, and for the most part having a decent time. Several laugh together in a group, crass and loud in orcish. You don't see Dorokor anywhere here and can only assume she's over on the Clover.
Atriox growls loudly again slams his tail on the floor boards again
"Stand at attention! Get your asses up now !"
The orcs laughing around the table scramble back, standing immediately. A few fall out of their bunks, one struggling to dress himself properly. A few linger in the back, including a salty looking orc with a large scar across his chest. He seems to care the least, putting his feet up on a chair.
One of the other orcs nudges him, "Come on Shagrol--"
"Nah." He cuts him off, slapping his hand away. "I don't feel like it. I haven't eaten my lunch." He holds up an egg he's been holding on his lap, definitely a kobold egg. He spins it around in his hands. "
"This lizard mighta swayed the chief but he hasn't swayed me. Not sure why he's here and not her... she must be buuuusy..." He sneers, cackling. A few other orcs laugh along without thinking.
"Plus," he grunts, "He doesn't look strong enough to face a real fighter." He smells the egg, his sharpened and pierced tusks scratching against it. Any rougher and he would crack it in an instant. He's definitely one of the largest men in the room.
Atriox growls over a evil smile. He clenches and unclenches his claws several times before responding
"That's fair. I have no problem kicking your worthless ass.....BUT if you damage that egg in any way. There will be no fight there will be no fairness. You will die. Slowly and painfully! Now my brother Tak here is going to walk over and take that egg which you will gently and I mean gently put into his possession or I will scoop out your balls and eat them infront of you ! Is that clear ?!"
(Intimidation 13)
Atriox growls again to finish that thought and then continues
"After which you will all get on deck to watch me kick this mangy muts ass. Is that understand?!"
Shagrol grunts, scoffing. "Yea whatever... You got no sense of humor." He roughly sets the egg on the table but it remains unharmed. Tak fumes, moving to pick it up. The orc smirks, taking his hand off of it and letting it roll away to the far end of the table. "Oooh, sorry... butterfingers. Runs in my family."
The kobold yelps, scrambling to catch it in time. (12 dexterity check) It barely makes it into his claws. Clutching it to his chest he hisses at the orc, his eyes glowing bright yellow. The orc growls back playfully, not intimidated at all. Tak continues staring at him viscerally, and he speaks a gravely, strange tongue you haven't heard from him before--orcish.
"Lat ayh an foshan ro bur! Mat shal ul pafund ar kurat kuus."
Shagrol's eyes turn horridly dangerous. He stands immediately, shoving the table out of the way with a loud KATHUMP. He towers almost as high as the ceiling in the hold, a good 9 feet at least, and squeezes his fists, cracking all his knuckles at once.
"KARUTH BUR LAT!" He spits. Tak stands his ground, whether out of bravery or not you can't quite tell.
"Bonebreaker made this dragondung her bitch," he growls through his fangs at the others, gesturing roughly to Atriox, "And now he and his little worms think they are in charge of us?! Saying shit like that? And you aaaaall just pissin' yourselves to please them... Sick. The only ass getting kicked today is his scaly white one, right off the side of this ship!"
He shoves past the orcs, heading on deck to get ready for the fight.
Atriox motions to Tak
"That was impressive brother. We will talk about it after but first make sure all of our people amd eggs are safe. Then join us on the deck."
After that Atriox resumes his fearsomeness and heads to the deck
Tak nods, adjusting the egg in his arms. He has a strange look in his eyes. "Understood."
The orcs remaining look around at each other. There's a momentary pause, and then they all scramble up out of their seats and out of the corners, up the stairs and to the deck above. They are a mix of excited, anxious and interested in what's about to happen.
You arrive on the deck, the bright light burning your eyes and blinding you momentarily. You see Shagrol standing on the other end of the deck, pacing and growling at those still on deck.
Gogrog leans on the railing up above, his eyebrow raised and watching the proceedings with interest. He might be Sheila's first mate, but he seems familiar with this type of brawl.
The other pirates stay out of the way, cheering and jeering more as the orcs show up. A few kobolds climb back on deck, staying back along the sides of the ship and out of the way.
"There's the runt now," the scarred, pierced orc laughs, pointing at Atriox. "Ready to feel what a real fight is like?"
Atriox grunts and blows a billow of steam out his nostrils hot enough to make his peircing glow from the heat
"You have no idea how ready I am. One way or another this doesn't change anything. So this should be rather fun. Do you have any last things you would like to impart ?"
As Atriox ask he's taking off some of his unnecessary gear and takes a wide aggressive stance
Shagrol lets out an ugly laugh, taking off his plate armor and tossing it roughly against the railing. He undoes his sword belt, a pair of greatswords at his sides likely wielded as one-handed weapons. He shoves them into the arms of a waiting orc who staggers back with them.
"Rules are for pussies," he grunts, cracking his muscular neck from side to side. "And in fights like these, so are weapons. Anything goes other than that. Or is that too difficult for you, pretty boy?"
Atriox growls and his eyes swim black with pent up rage
"No......sounds.....excellent"
Atriox charges at the beast of an orc. As he runs he fully extends his razor claws preparing them to strike true. When Atriox feels he's close enough he switches from running to sliding torwatds the orc. Once in range Atriox slashes full strength at the Arterie in the orcs leg.
(19 to hit and 7 on damage)
As Atriox finishes sliding by the massive orc he jumps in the air and slashes again down the Orcs back
(13 to hit and 8 damage)
(First hit with ongoing bleeding damage, second miss)
Shagrol roars in rage as he barely misses grabbing you, surprised by your sudden slide past his leg. The blow on his back glances off though, hitting a mass of scar tissue and barely scratching the surface. Blood flows freely down his trousers now and he smiles wickedly, whipping around to face you. Several orcs back up, trying to stay out of reach of his massive swing.
(Unbridled fury Reaction: In response to being hit by a melee attack, can make one melee attack with advantage-- rolled a 17 then 27 (crit) against you with... bite attack, 10 damage. Can't use again until I recharge it. Then normal attacks.... multiattack. Bite again (23, 11) then unarmed punch (21, 7) ...
He grabs your arm roughly with his meaty hands and bites--hard--it instantly breaks the skin and crunches down on your muscles and bone, bruising them deeply all the way through. Biting again he wrings your arm, trying to throw you to the side and hook you in the side of the head with his free fist.
(28 damage)
Atriox is panting a little bit amd and quickly trys to recover from his injuries and ignore his arm
Atriox looks at the orc and growls before turning into mist. He reappears behind the savage beast and claws at the intact legs Arterie with his good arm
(20 critical, 7)
After he feels his claws slice through the orcs legs he vanishes again and this time he reappears infront of his enemy slamming his open paw into the orcs chest and letting loose a Eldritch blast
( 17+3 yeet Two beams 9, 8 so 18 damage)
Atriox is panting a little bit and quickly trys to recover from his injuries and ignore his arm
Atriox looks at the orc and growls before turning into mist. He reappears behind the savage beast and claws at the intact legs Arterie with his good arm
(20 critical, 7)
After he feels his claws slice through the orcs legs he vanishes again and this time he reappears infront of his enemy slamming his open paw into the orcs chest and letting loose a Eldritch blast
( 17+3 yeet Two beams 9, 8 so 18 damage)
The crowd was starting up a chant for Shagrol, but the sudden, viscous onslaught from Atriox catches them off guard. The kobolds began yipping and cackling, starting up their own chant for their dragonborn.
Still trying to recover from the bleeding arteries in his legs, the smack in the chest throws the large orc off balance.
He didn't expect the Eldritch blast at all.
His eyes grow wide as the black, acrid beams of forceful energy crush against him, throwing him backward a good ten feet into a group of other smaller orcs. His chest and shoulders singed, blistered and bleeding, he rolls over onto his hands and knees with a loud exclamation of wrath.
His eyes scan over Atriox and land on Tak, now up on deck with the others. Shagrog spits bloody bile from his mouth, grunting as he stands up. A fresh wave of blood gushes from his wounds.
The beast roars and rushes toward Atriox again, his fists balled together to make a bludgeoning weapon of their own. Swinging it down and, with enough force to crush a lesser being's skull, he misses and stumbles to the side. He makes two more sharp punches, one toward your head and another uppercutting into your stomach. This connects right under your ribs and practically lifts you off the deck.
(He recharged his unbridled fury; 12, 16, 23 as attacks, only the last one hits. 7 damage total.)
Atriox rolls away from the orc and grins also spitting blood away.
"Your a big one......and very strong. It's a shame you were so stupid and had no common sense. I'm using past tence because soon you will be dead."
Atriox raises his hand again and Eldritch blasts the orc one more time
(18 attack and 17 damage.)
As the two black bolts of energy race torwards the orc Atriox is already charging him. As they connect and knock the orc off balance Atriox slides again and this time with all his strength slams his claws upwards into the orcs nether regions
(17 attack 6 damage)
He grits his teeth, the energy slamming into his face and tearing apart his skin. He doesn't see the dragonborn coming toward him and isn't prepared at all having his loins attacked.
Letting out a howl of pain and rage, he staggers backward even more, tripping over his own feet as kobolds scamper out of the way. He hits the railing and slides down to his knees, wheezing and breathing heavily.
The crowd is going wild, kobolds jumping up and down with glee and orcs cackling with laughter and cheers. The deck is smeared with the blood of both combatants.
Gogrog grunts, waving his arm at someone on deck. Between the Nightingale and the Clover a plank has been placed down, a few people coming over including Dorokor. She watches, amused, having perhaps seen some of it from the deck of the other ship.
Shagrol growls, rushing on all fours toward Atriox like a beast and charging into his waist to knock him down and grapple him. (20 strength atheletics check against either atheletics or acrobatics, your choice)
(Used 1 inspiration point. Got 10 the first time 16+4 the second time so 20 athletics)
(Ok so you match it! you barely wriggle free, go ahead and explain your turn then)
Atriox manages to escape the orcs grip and pins him in his own through heavy breaths. To disguise what he's about to do as just an attack he roars in a very dragon like way befor biting down on the mans shoulder hard
(Deception 15 vampiric bite twice 19 total damage and heal)
Shagrol bellows in pain, the teeth digging into his flesh and releasing a torrent of hot, syrupy blood. It pours down your throat and, in the heat of battle, you almost forgot how hungry you were. The strong drink is a welcome taste, especially in such a life or death moment; his kicks and punches to try to get you to let go feel dulled as the healing flows into your veins.
The kobolds go wild, adoring their leader showing off a fierce, draconic display. They're completely fooled, but at least one person isn't; Kora most certainly knows what you're doing. She doesn't intervene, merely keeps her arms crossed. There's a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Shagrol punches you in the jawbone but the force of it just isn't there. He's panting heavily, gasping for breath, his face turning pale from blood loss.
Atriox feels amazing all things considering. He stands up as his opponent hangs on for dear life.....for all the good it'll do him
He paces around the orc slowly in a circle while looking at the crowd assembled
"This happened today because of a miscommunication from what I understand. This (points at opponent) savage here thought he had an idea of how things work around here. I would like to clear the air so we never have this problem again."
Atriox stops directly behind his opponent grabs his head and straightens the man out on his knees. With the orcs head in both hands Atriox looks out over the crowd silently before looking down at his captive now. He opens the orcs mouth and says
"Goodbye little bitch"
With a smile
Suddenly Atriox opens his mouth and baths the orc in flames. He doesn't stop until the now dead orc is a crispy black hunk. Atriox lets go and listens to the relaxing thunk the corpse makes against the deck
Atriox paces again for a bit before roaring as loud as he can. Afterwards he yells to everyone
"I am nobody's bitch ! Is that understood ?! My name is Prince Atriox and you do more than work for me. This is not some contract ! You are with me or you are my enemy ! Now apparently some are confused on me and Dorokors relationship on the food chain. As far as I'm concerned she and I are equals.....nay.....we are one and the same ! She is your cheiftes and I am your prince ! And from this day on I will Be known as Atriox.....The White Flame !"
He goes up to the orcs specifically
"Under mine and Bonebreakers leadership your clan will grow to one of the mightiest on this planet. Orcs from all over the world will rally to you. And together we will slaughter and burn our way through our enemies. And from this day on there will be no more harrassment torwards the kobolds especially with they're eggs. You are brothers and sisters in arms now. The start of an empire. The likes of which this world has never seen before . Now.......are you with me ?"
(Charisma 22)
Aside from the lulling of the waves against the ships, there is utter silence on board. Many orcs are staring, open-mouthed, completely taken aback. Some watch the still smoldering corpse as it lays on the deck of the ship. They'd never quite seen a display of power like that.... ever.
A ripple goes through the crowd, nods and cries of agreement as they rally behind you. You're sure you got through to them--every one of them--and word will definitely spread to the other ship as well. The kobolds look around, eyeing the orcs with nervous excitement. They obviously aren't used to working with other cultures either, aside from greater dragon beasts and the like.
Your new title spreads among them, and you know they will not forget this any time soon. Despite the intense pain in your arm and your sore ribs, you made a stark example of one of the strongest among them. That was worth more in their eyes than anything else probably could.
Dorokor steps forward and the orcs cheer her with great enthusiasm. She eyes the corpse with distaste, the look not leaving her face as she's surrounded by little kobolds hugging and patting her legs, encouraged to work with her and her kin too.
She rolls her eyes and lets out a heavy sigh, the distaste now mostly stemming from awkwardness and discomfort. "Yes, well, thank you." She tries to placate them and shoo them away, a little too crowded.
"You men," she addresses the soldiers on board, who stand readily at attention for her--faster than they first did for you when you entered their hold below. "You are to treat his word as law, just as clearly as mine! You are to treat your fellow soldiers in kind as your own! Your brothers on the other ship went through a harsh lesson just like you did today. Don't dare make it a repeatable offense."
Her eyes glow brightly and a growl escapes her throat. She glances at Atriox for a moment before turning and stalking away to the far end of the ship. For a time you see her speaking quietly with Gogrog up above at the helm, then she goes and fumes quietly at the back of the ship, savoring a bit of shade from the sails.
Atriox is completely confused.....he thought he elevated her and tried to say that they're a thing.....a pair. Now feeling spurned and already in a mood Atriox stalks back to the Annabel Lee with Tak in tow
Once there he looks at Sheila
"May I use your cabin for a bit my dear captain? It's for a private meeting I need to have with one of my soldiers."
Sheila glances up from her work, looking between you and the kobold. "Certainly!" With a flourish of her hat she pats you on the shoulder on her way out. "Need ta speak with Kai Aata anyway, need some information from him about this area of the sea. Heard he dealt with it recently and ran into some trouble..."
The door clicks behind you and Tak glances around unsure of his surroundings. He looks up at you, a strange expression on his face.
Atriox heads torwards the desk to sit in the captains chair feeling rather exhausted
"I will get to your praises brother but fetch Vele first and bring her here."
He raises an eyebrow, looking rather... worried. "A-alright. Tak go fetch her."
It's not long before they're back. Thinking about it now, hearing that you were summoning her would probably be one of the few ways she would listen to Tak at this point. She enters, looking around, and he lingers back by the door. There's a look on his face like he'd rather be elsewhere.
Atriox looks at Tak
"You may leave us brother. But don't go far. Ill speak to you once this is done"
He exhales a very grateful sigh of relief and makes his way out. The door closes behind and Vele looks at Atriox with a confused expression. "Hello again, sir. Is the trip going well for you so far?"
Atriox grunts
"Your joking right ? Have you listened the last hour ? Pleasant is not the word I would use. Now......a....shall we say delicate situation has come to my attention. Any guesses as to what that is ?"
Her brow furrows and she looks nervous. "The egg...?" She hazards a guess, looking ashamed. "I don't know how he got it, I've been in the nest since the eggs from the others started, and..."
"B-but Tak brought it back safe, I thanked him profusely for doing so. He looked rather... I haven't seen him look that way before. I felt terrible for that situation..."
Atriox clacks his claws on the desk gently as he's aware that its not his
"This is not about that Vele. I'm not mad at you for an egg being stolen. The orcs are much bigger than you after all. No....this about you and Tak. First of all Vele tell me in all honesty how would you describe hoe you feel about Tak my dear ? It's ok."
Vele seems to withdraw a bit. "O-oh... I..." She looks more confused. "I think he is a fairly competent leader? Good, honestly. He is firm when he has to be, although I think he is still growing into his... confidence." Tilting her head she fiddles nervously. "W-why do you ask?"
Her brow furrows suddenly, as if she's a little frustrated now. "Does he think I'm not following his instruction? Am I insubordinate? I-" she whistles a little in irritation, "I've followed what he's asked! We've talked quite a bit lately, and he--" She glares at the door, quiet.
"I'm sorry... Forgive me sir for speaking out of turn." Staring at the floor, Vele reaffirms her first comments. "He is a good leader. Perhaps a little focused on the small pictures. But he has a... good heart?"
Atriox snorts again this time in slight amusement
"He hasn't said anything about insubordination and I'm not asking you for a professional profile of his leadership skills. Im asking Vele how you as a individual and a woman feel about Tak as a man and individual. I've noticed you two were ........very close."
"I... we..." She slows down, and you can see the gears in her brain clicking. She gives you a strange look, knowing exactly what you mean.
"Atriox? I... that's not our way, though." She looks down at her claws, as if trying to figure out how to explain it. "I know he likes me. More than others." She pauses. "To him it is not about just eggs, is it?"
Vele shuffles her feet, kicking at the fine rug on the floor. "He told me about your kingdom. And what he knew about what happened." Vele looks up, her eyes piercing but sincere. She still deeply looks up to you. "If you were able, would you not wish to make many eggs? Sire many children? Build up a kingdom, a nation with the strength of your blood running in its veins?"
"He has none of his clan left... It's sorrowful. It's... I feel his ache. I lost my family! But I'm doing something about it." She looks a little angry again. Her arms cross across her belly, and you realize she's probably due to lay an egg herself soon. "He declined me. His focus is so small... it's... why just one person? Why just me? That's so... impractical."
Atriox looks angered a little bit. His eyes flash red for a second and he stands abruptly from behind the desk
"What happened at my home could not have been prevented by merely more soldiers. My home and people fell because of a lack of insight. And it is none of your buisness ! Not unless I share it with you."
He growls a little bit but sits back down and takes a moment to calm himself
"As for the rest.....you say it's your way but you are all going to a new home. A new start. You are free to forge your own paths. If you wish to continue your old traditions very well. But you should know it is more than just laying an egg to Tak. Tak lost his partner that was for life ! And they're child. That's a great deal of pain he's going through Vele. When I met Tak he was.......so broken.....so lost. He thought he'd be alone forever. Now he's finally coming back together and you two met. Despite his best intentions you two bonded on some level. Do not deny it."
Atriox stands up again but this time slowly and walks around to look at her
"You knew his past, his tribes customs. Where I find anger and even disappoint in you Vele is that knowing all that you allowed the bond to grow in the first place. That is on you. And now he is hurting again. Yes he turned you down but that's because to you an egg is a sense of duty, a must. Were as he sees it as a honor, a honor only given to someone you would die for, someone you love. The fact that he would think of maybe having a egg with you is beyond any honor or duty elsewhere. And the fact that you have an egg inside of you right now from someone who doesn't even matter to you, that this child is just a soldier to you, it angers and offends him I suspect."
He turns to look at some things in the room while talking
"As for me. No. I have no doubt I will have my share of children. But only with someone I feel is worthy of that and it will be out of love not duty. Vele times are changing. Soon no longer will your people need to breed out of survivals sake. My kingdoms and armies will take care of themselves."
He goes back to sitting down
"This is what will happen. You will think on my words. Whatever you decide is fine. Your free to breed how you see fit. But if you choose to hold on to your current ways you will release Tak so he may find a mate that deserves and wants the same thing's as him. You will only talk about things in your position as he is your leader. For now I think some distance between you to is wise and he has asked to stay aboard this ship for the time being. I am granting him that."
Vele looks spurned and blank by the end of the conversation, taking a small step backward in shame. She looks down at her feet again, talking quietly.
"I-I understand. I was just... trying to do what was right, t-to do my best... that's all I ever try to do. I'm sorry to have caused that kind of injury to Tak... " She stammers, quite unlike how she usually is. "He... he does not deserve that... I'll do as you say, sir..."
She bows her head, trying to keep her eyes averted. She doesn't dare wish to look at you at the moment, guilt weighing on her from your words and your initial anger with her. "I am sorry too for assuming things about your own life, your own family... T-that was shameful of me. I..." she quiets again, struggling and failing to finish that thought. She takes another small step back, as if trying to shrink.
Finally daring to look up, you can see her eyes stained with tears. "W-will Tak be staying aboard this ship for the rest of the journey?"
Atriox struggles to keep up his tough act. In many ways he admires the little female kobold and her and Tak are so near to his heart. He clears his mind and throat and replies to her
"That will be up to him Vele. Now that is all I have for you. You may go."
He dismisses her with a gesture from his hand. But as she is about to leave he calls her name
"Vele.......before you go. I do not regretvwhat I have said nor should I. You were at fault. But I hope you still know that I KNOW what you've given for your people. For our cause. I know how hard you try everday. And that is why you are still second greatest amongst all your kind in my Empire. I do not see that ever changing. I hope you know that. Now go."
She closes her eyes against the tears as she takes in the words you've spoken. They strike her just as deeply as before. Giving a curt nod, she fumbles with the door handle and swings it open, wincing against the light.
She scampers out, accidentally running into Tak who was waiting outside. There's a moment where you see her stumble and stare at him, wide eyed, before she sobs and rushes off. There is no plank up at the moment nor does she care--the sails beginning to unfurl with a fresh wind, she leaps to the water and swims back to her boat.
Tak blinks, stunned. He keeps staring at where she ran, a look of confusion and guilt on his own face. He turns to look at Atriox. There's almost an anger there for a moment, as if he was worried for her and whatever transpired in the cabin. But he bites his tongue and steps inside, softly closing the door behind him.
"Tak was just walking back... she not get hurt, did she?" He flicks his tail a little, trying to keep his politeness in check as best he can. He's definitely confused as to why she was behaving the way she was.
Atriox nods to a guest chair on the other side of the table
"Tak you are my brother. In every sense. And Vele has quickly become family as well. That being said she was selfish in a way and it hurt you. As the head of this family and akso your boss so to speak I couldn't just let this go. I made her aware of the situation and what she had done. Even if it was unknowingly. She is saddened by what she has done to you and potentially your relationship. I did not hurt her. You both need time and that is why for now you are staying on this ship and her on that one."
Tak blinks and slowly climbs onto the chair, letting his feet dangle off the edge. He seems contemplative of that answer, a little worry still in his eyes.
"Tak understand. You always do say what you need. That admirable. She do that a lot too." He coughs, glancing away with embarrassment. "Tak appreciate the break. Though... Tak know he their leader. Need to be there for them, be strong and there so they see. Not make them think I hiding. Tak make use of his time here to work on some things... then go back?"
He ends the statement both as a point and also with a bit of a question, as if asking for your blessing on the point. You can tell he's trying to be mature about this. He knows it's not just about him, but all the kobolds he is now in charge of.
Atriox thinks this over
"Very well. Permission granted. Your starting to talk like a leader little one. I'm very very proud of you Tak. I hooe you know that just as I also let Vele know that despite this situation. You two are some of the greatest people I know. The true meaning of Tiny but Mighty."
He grumbles a bit, but there's a small smile on his face. You can tell he's appreciative. "Tak trying. You set good example. Like earlier... coming aboard and solving things. And in very orc way. They responded so well to that."
Tak shifts in his seat, trying to get more comfortable. "If you weren't there we would have lost the egg. Probably more eggs..." His eyes grow hard. "If you didn't kill him Tak think Tak might have."
Atriox laughs hard at that
"You know I don't particularly blame you. He would have made a fearsome warrior for our cause but.....something tells me he won't be missed and were better off." (cough cough)
After they talk for awhile Tak decides to gi explore the new ship and Atriox actually falls asleep in Sheilas chair
****
You wake up to a tapping on the desk. As your eyes refocus, you see Sheila standing over the desk looking at you with a chuckle.
"Hello sleepyhead. I know me cabin is comfortable but rest assured, I gave you the 2nd nicest room in the house! Well, ship. Well, it's one of like, four of the same kind of room..." She turns with a shrug.
"Hope things worked out for what ya needed though! I got done speakin' with Kai. Also had an interesting conversation with Gogrog..." the captain chuckles. "You'd make a bloody fine pirate, Atriox, from the tales I be hearin'. Oh," she cuts off, a funny look on her face. "That one soldier woman of yours, with the strong grip... she be lookin' for ya. Said she didn't know where ye was, didn't think to check in here."
Atriox stands up with a chuckle
"If ruling doesn't pan out I'll let you know and join your crew. And thanks for letting me know. I just needed some time alone I suppose. Needed to recover fully."
She nods knowingly. "That's understandable. Very much so. Seems like you have a lot on your plate, I can promise ya a pirate's life is faaaar simpler." Sheila winks with a grin.
"Kai warned me of something though, and I need to explain. In the coming weeks we will sail closer to the northernmost island off of Komodori. Half way through our journey, really. The closer we come to that, the closer we get to where his ship was sunk. Somethin' bad out there in the waters, but with the firepower we have on the ship now--" she pats the wall fondly, "I think we can more than handle anything that comes our way. I just in the spirit of lettin' my passengers know is all. If I find out more I'll pass it along."
Atriox nods
"I appreciate that Sheila. I wish we knew more but all well. We will face it no matter what."
Atriox shakes her hand and heads torwards his room and Kora
As you make your way down the stairs, you catch sight of her glowing eyes as she leans against one of the walls of the hold. It's surprising seeing her out of the room, but down here the light is still rather dim and pleasant--at least more so than the deck of the ship.
"There you are... surprised you could hide so well in a place out in the middle of nowhere."
Atriox grunts at her
"I wasn't hiding though. I was taking care of some buisness with my kobolds and then I fell asleep in the captains chair in her office."
Atriox nods to there room and heads torwards it
"Apparently I was more worn out than I thought."
She prickles a bit at the mention of the captain but follows nonetheless.
Entering the room last she closes the door, watching Atriox closely.
"I liked your declaration to the soldiers earlier... White Flame." She smirks a little. "Fitting name after what you did to Shagrol."
The smile fades and the orc looks a little perturbed. She grunts. "I... Apologize... On behalf of his behavior toward your other men. Rather shameful behavior."
Atriox sticking to his mood even though he has some energy back into him.
"And I apologize that I was unable to warn you before hand and that I didn't discuss with you about the situation. There wasn't exactly time though."
"Right..." Kora raises an eyebrow. "I trusted you had a good reason... It was a bit hard for me to stand back and watch as you incinerated one of my men, but..."
She walks to the chair and sits down to relax, the sassy, cheeky tone in her voice apparent. "I didn't like the bastard anyway. He was more of a Tanarukk lacky."
She looks at you with a keen expression. "What's biting you? You're moody."
Atriox stops and looks at her
"But they're not just your men. You've pledged yourself to me. For better or worse we are now in this together. That thug disrespected you and me. Now it wont happen again."
He turns away and shrugs his shoulders
"A lot of things are on my mind."
Her brow furrows. She seems to mull over your words. "Yes... That's true, you're not wrong."
She crosses her legs, staring at the back of your head. "Does my little fledgling want to talk about about what's on his mind?" You can feel her eyes on you. "Not to sound so pompous... I'm not one to talk much."
Atriox grumbles a bit as he moves about the room
"Just the burdens of leading.Orc problems, Kobold problems, they never end. I'm also finding......truth be told....that as I finally get closer and closer to my home, the more scared I get. It's been so long Kora. I ran away from my home in flames at 8 and I've never turned back. That's not very princely."
Kora can sense the vulnerability in your words and is a little taken aback that you wished to share something like that with her. She is quiet for a long moment.
"But you survived."
She shifts, recrossing her legs and leaning on them with her elbows. "The survivors are the ones who write the history, Atriox. You did what you had to to live."
Atriox thinks on her words while looking at the floor
"Did I ? Running away at I wasn't my decision. Amd its it's not like there's much I could have done to help. But never going back before now......I don't feel good about that. I've waited so long......do I deserve to go back now ?"
She stands and approaches you, grabbing you by the horn gently. She tilts your head back so you're looking up at her.
"You deserve what is yours." Her eyes glow red. "And you deserve what you take. That's how orcs see it."
"You left. But you took time. You took cunning. You took power. You took armies. And now you're going to take back your home. Your fear is just the flame that ignites your courage." Dorokor's eyes narrow. "White Flame."
"You deserve that mountain more than anything."
Atriox looks at her for a moment. There's a look of gratitude on his face
"I hope your right. We will find out I suppose but for now we can't do anything but wait. And thank you Kora. I know those words were not easy for you to muster up....knowing you they probably burned coming out"
Atriox chuckles a little bit
"Yeah, it did a little." She sneers, tugging your horn more playfully and letting go. "Pretty painful indeed. So no more of that 'do I deserve it' crap, understood?"
Atriox grunts and looks at her sassily.
"Bite me"
Her eyes turn fiery and she pushes Atriox on the bed. "Is that a challenge or a request?"
** Fade to black **
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