What A Pendant Is Worth

Gremkarc had served the Warchief, and the Horde, many times before. Once, the Warchief himself had asked for him to go to the Ragefire Chasm, and deal with the Shadow Council's presence there. This task had been completed, and for it the orc shaman received the Staff of Orgrimmar. A loyal servant to his leader, Gremkarc had vowed to do anything to keep his people prosperous.
And that was why he was currently rapidly riding through the Uplands. Riding, that is, on his new wolf. He had named it Horn. A dire wolf, it was an improvement on his Ghost Wolf form, which, when being compared to the pace he was travelling at now, seemed really rather slow. The wind danced through his hair in a furiously quick waltz of resistance, and Gremkarc narrowed his eyes as he came to his destination.
He had been to Dandred's Fold once before, but had not stayed long. It had been a hostile place to visit, and the attacks of the assassins had put him off. But today was different. He was wiser, stronger, and was under the order of the Horde itself. Today, no sneak attacks would cause him to retreat.
Confused yells came from the entrance of the house as Gremkarc descended from the hill. He leapt from Horn, and used his hearthstone to summon the mount away, back to the den in Orgrimmar. A sentry rushed towards the invading orc, a sword in both hands, a glare in both eyes. Despite the human's rage, it suddenly turned into a yelp of pain as Gremkarc sent forward an Earth Shock, rattling the man to his core. He regained his composure, but by that time Gremkarc's staff was making way for the rogue's head. He gave a short look of dread before the staff knocked him flying, head cracking against the heavy weight of the weapon.
Two more members of the Syndicate rushed out of the house. Summoning all the totems he could muster, Gremkarc braved himself against the pair, as he once again used his trusty Earth Shock. This time, the troops were more resilient, and had a chance to strike against the orc. One began to cut into Gremkarc's leg, against a weakly armoured area. Pain erupted in Gremkarc's mind, but these flames of agony were soon doused by a swiftly cast healing wave. Strength renewed, Gremkarc decided to go on the offensive. The fire totem he had called began its tricks, as fire continuously surrounded the wooden instrument of magic. Burning into wherever it wasn't welcome, the two rogues gave their own cries as the earth itself rebelled against their villainy. Giving Gremkarc ample time to complete the job, the orc once again unleashed his staff, striking the ribs of both defenders in one fell swoop.
Casting another healing wave for good measure, Gremkarc entered the house. He looked around, and then noticed the same orc that he had seen the last time he was here. At first, Gremkarc thought he was a prisoner, but that time, the orc had charged at him, swiping with his powerful axe at Gremkarc's form. The shaman had barely escaped alive.
'Lok'tar,' said Gremkarc, saluting the orc. He didn't really know what to expect. But all the bracing himself in the world couldn't stop the frenzied charge that his fellow orc gave when he realized the presence of another greenskin in the room. A brutal shoulder charge sent Gremkarc flying, back outside the house. It was pretty clear that the orc wasn't interested in a friendly chat, and Gremkarc had barely gotten to his feet by the time the vicious orc had also came speeding out, this time of his own accord. Like before, he used his axe with speed and precision, and while Gremkarc was skilled at blocking blows with his staff, he couldn't hold out for long. Either a crushing blow would send it out of his hands, or it'd just break.
A wide, powerful downward thrust left the Syndicate-aligned orc well open for a counterattack. Using all the strength he could muster, desperate not to waste this chance, Gremkarc sent his staff up, up to the chin of orc. A satisfying crack, a departure of teeth, and an exposed front followed immediately after, and Gremkarc stabbed the end of his staff into the orc's stomach. His adversary toppled forwards, clutching his damaged chest, and then fell silent as Gremkarc sent the same end down to the skull.
Walking back into the house, Gremkarc started to climb the stairs. There. He was in the right place. A man, clad in the tabard of Stormwind, and a woman who, judging by the limited knowledge of the human anatomy Gremkarc suggested, was no more than twenty, were in the bedroom. The male was holding his arm out, shielding the woman from the approaching force of Gremkarc. But Gremkarc had no desire to inflict harm to this girl. The man, however...
Seemingly finding it too difficult to tolerate an orc in his household, the apparently veteran of war charged Gremkarc. Although not as ferocious as the orc now lying in a heap of broken bones in the doorway of the abode, this warrior certainly knew a great deal about fighting. Holding the shield he carried up to Gremkarc's face, he attempted to lay into the shaman's lower body. Again, Gremkarc's legs were cut open, and again the servant of the Horde was forced to go on the defensive, healing himself while the human sought another advantage, and the female, now huddled in a corner, shivered and blubbered herself into horrified pleading.
An Earth Shock ripped into the defender's body, disorientating him from his assault. Gremkarc was just about to knock him over with his staff when the human was suddenly encased in a bubble of light. A paladin. This was new.
Slamming his staff into this Light-spawned shield did nothing, so Gremkarc decided to use other measures. He had only recently learned Purge, but casting it seemed to have the desired effect. The human took on a look of horror as he realized his defences were gone, and then an uppercut from Gremkarc's weapon busted him wide open.
Stumbling about the floor, he raised his hands in the air, and again Light came to him. But this time, it wasn't a case of being invincible; it was a case of disappearing his wounds, and regaining his tough composure. This seemed to give the human renewed strength, as again he charged at Gremkarc.
'A worthy foe,' Gremkarc grunted between clenched teeth, as he used his staff to spar with the man's sword. The human replied in something indecipherable, before losing the exchange of pushes, and falling back. Again he summoned forth a bubble before Gremkarc could act, and again Gremkarc used what was left of his depleted mana to remove this irritating magic. But this time, the man hadn't taken on the role of cocky adversary, and while Gremkarc used his spell, was already readying a strike. It cut into the flesh of Gremkarc, causing blood to seep from the wound.
Normally, this would be seen as a good thing. But Gremkarc looked at the blood. He looked at the man, who was now breathing heavily, using Gremkarc's period of disbelief as an opportunity to catch some breath. He looked at his staff. And then...it was his turn to charge.
Not even a hasty shield block could save the man. He had reacted admirably quickly to Gremkarc's sudden burst of violence, but the orc's strength won the battle. Knocking the shield sideways, leaving his foe wide open for a follow-up, Gremkarc raised his staff high, and then in a perfect vertical decline, he smashed it down onto the human's head. He crumpled to the floor. Dead.
Gremkarc grunted. The blood had given him the rage he needed to see the battle through. He turned to the girl, apparently trying to climb up the wall backwards, and approached her. He looked at the pendant dangling down her neck. He pointed at it with a green finger.
'Give,' he said, in his orcish tongue.
The female seemed to get the idea. She reached round shakily to the back of her neck, and unclipped the pendant the Warchief had desired for years. He took it from her open hand, and nodded to her. Nothing more was to be said.
Category:Story