Caliber: The Pilgrimage

The Bear

A random chapter. I couldn't be inspired so I just wrote this. But no worries I have more.

    Lex woke up the following morning. The previous day he had not realized just how long him and the Elder Orc had been talking. It had been highnoon when the conversation had begun but it hadn't ended until much later in the day. At which point Lex felt too tired to stay awake. However he had not fallen asleep right away. He had spent several hours thinking about what the Elder Orc had told him.

    The Elder Orc said that Dwarves went instinct. They must have gone into hiding when the war turned against them. Now they've returned, and quite possibly they knew the ritual of hunting. They could be killing the Phoenix taking its blood preparing their ranks... Or it could just mean that the Phoenix was going to live a much longer life with the Monks gone.

    The Phoenix blood, it makes me afraid. If anyone but the Orc harness it chaos will result. I will keep an ear out to see if maybe the Phoenix is sighted. If it is I would personally have to hunt it with the help of the Elder Orcs son.

    First however I would have to learn to wield a sword. Maybe in the Elven forest they could teach me. I wouldn't want to learn among the Brutish Orcs. I could however just keep a pick axe with me. It would probably prove me time effective then learning to wield a sword. Or an axe, but an axe could prove too deadly. I've never killed a person and I never want to.

    Lex had thought all of these things before finally falling to sleep. He had been awakened by a Goblin. When he saw the Goblins face he yelled out. Immediately the Elder Orcs son came running in.

    "What's wrong?" He said truly worried.

    "This–This–GOBLIN! He touched me!" The Elder Orcs son looked at him as realization passed his face.

    "A Goblin hater I see. Most are these days. Get out of here little guy." The Goblin grunted and ran away. "I guess you find them disgusting to?" Lex shook his head.

    "No, just hate the little buggers. Killed my best friend." Lex said angrily.

    "Your mate?" Lex looked at him in surprise by the fact he already seemed to know the story about Raven.

    "You heard?" The Elder Orc's son nodded then extended his hand and nodded.

    "The name is Narl."

    "Narl, you mean like Carl?" Narl looked at Lex as if he was an annoying child.

    "Is Carl a human name?" Lex nodded.

    For the first time Lex looked at the Orcs closely. His entire visit to the Orcish city he had tried to not look at one. He was a bit disturbed by their size, and how brutish they looked. Narl was a small Orc by any standard but that didn't make him any less intimidating. His skin was a light green. His eyes were rather large compared to a humans eye they were also a dark black color. His arms appeared to be only muscle they bulged every time Narl moved. Lex didn't know how much damage Narl could inflict if Lex angered him. Better not to find out, Lex thought.

    "What a strange name..." He paused. "Get changed and get ready to leave. Once you're read tell me. Okay?" Lex nodded. As soon as Narl left the room Lex got out of bed and reached into his pant pocket and pulled out the knife that had killed Raven. He had found his weapon. However he still would have liked to take a pick axe or another better weapon. He walked out of the room and told Narl he was ready.

    After they exited the diplomats building they were escorted to the city walls. Lex and Narl would have to go down the road for approximately a day. At the end of the road they would encounter and Elven roadblock. They would be allowed through because of Narl. Even without him, Lex would have been allowed through solely because he was human. The Orcs were kept within their mountains because the outside races feared a repeat of the Orc wars. When Lex found out about the roadblock he feared that the Orcs were actually more violent then they had let on.

    Lex and Narl travelled for a day. Once they arrived at the blockade they were greeted with the tips of swords. The Elven were wary to allow them to pass but eventually they did make it through.

    Lex and Narl travelled several days without seeing the Elven Forest. And just when they were starting to lose hope and believe they were lost they could see green foliage off in the distance.

    Once they reached the forest Lex parted ways with Narl. He told him not to fear that they would meet on the other side because the Elven Forest would lead him to Narl. Narl grunted and walked in the opposite direction that Lex walked in.

    In seconds Narl lost sight of Lex. He thought the magic in the forest must be powerful.

    Narl walked on down the road for several hours. The same monotonous trees kept on passing him. He was starting to get annoyed with the forest, with Lex, his Father.

    They sent me on this foolish mission! I never should have come. Alone in the forest, with no way to know if I'm going in the right direction.

    He smashed a tree as he walked by it. It fell and when it landed on the floor with a loud thud. Birds fluttered and deer's ran from their hiding places.

    Narl finally looked around the forest appreciating it for what it was. A place of nature and magic. He saw squirrels running through the trees, deer running around. It was nice and relaxing. However this did not diminish his anger towards his father and Lex.

    After another two hours Narl noticed a distinct difference in the environment. They animals were no longer wandering. The forest was entirely silent. However he did not worry. It could just be the Elven's forest magic trying to work against him...

    A bear lumbered through the forest looking for food. He had not yet found any but he knew the forest would deliver as it always had. He took a step and another and again another. He stopped and looked around. He heard some distant creature walking.

    The forest has delivered.

    He thought. He began to walk in the direction of the food. He was very careful to be quiet as to not alert the prey of his presence.

    He walked for several minutes until he finally came upon his prey. It looked a lot bigger then most of the things he ate but he had no fear. He was the strongest thing in the forest nothing could beat him.

    The bear let out a growl and his prey turned to him. It had the features of a human just more monstrous.

    I have never seen a human like this.

    The bear thought once he identified what it looked like. He however did not relent. He charged the creature and it tried to yell but before it could do so the bear was on top of it. He was scratching its face. He however was not capable of drawing any blood. The creature pushed his arms against the bear and he was thrown into the air. He landed with a loud thud. The bear looked up in surprise.

    My prey is strong.

    He stood up. And once again the bear looked at his prey and thought.

    The forest always delivers.

    The creature charged him. The bear greeted the creatures attack with a scratch to the face. He was sure he had made contact to the eye but still there was no mark resembling an attack. The creature attacked the bear full force. Both of them fell to the floor. The bear once again scratched the face of the creature. This time however blood was shed.

    "Enough of this!" He heard the creature say. Then the bear felt his bones in his claw twisting. Then a crack came from where his hands should be. He no longer felt them. "Away with you bear!" The creature got off him and began to walk away.

    The bear laid on the floor, hand broken, pride destroyed.

    Narl had beaten a bear.