Gylessidra Origins: Debauchery Von Drekk

Chapter 4 - Factionally Functional

"God, this place is such a shithole."

"Yup, dunno why Drekk even bothers with it, Jer we at least get ore from the mountains there, what exactly do we get from Rius?"

"Not a clue, Siesha, but at least it's an easy patrol."

The half-orc woman nodded. "True, it's easy, but it's fucking boring, nothing ever happens. No fights, no civilians stepping out of line, no ambushes from rivals..."

They stop along a small street in the ramshackle town, between two houses, and Siesha pulls out her waterskin, taking a swig from it before offering it to the Elf next to her. He looks at her, confused. "Water?"

"Fuck off no, it's liquor."

He grabbed the waterskin from her, chuckling. "Thought you'd gone mad there for a minute. What liquor?" Taking a swig himself, his face scrunched as he lightly shook his head. "Whoa that kicks."

"Not sure, does it matter?"

"Not really, no."

Siesha put the waterskin back in her pouch, and they each pulled out a ration pack, tucking in as they watched the area. There didn't seem to be many people around at this particular time, so they agreed to relax for a little while here before moving their patrol on further.

"Hey Nat, did you hear what happened down near Bhrul a few weeks ago?"

The Elf shook his head, his dark blonde braid whipping back and forth with the motion. "Why, what happened?"

"Alright so you know Wrycher and his patrol?"

"You mean Piel'thren and Carver?"

"Yeah, well the three of them were apparently found practically in pieces around a tent just North of Bhrul."

"Wait, what?" Nat turned to fully face Siesha, his eyes widening. "What do you mean 'in pieces'?"

"Like..." she frowned at him. "Like literal pieces, Nat. I mean Wrycher already lost his eye and all to that loner Nurtha a few years ago, but apparently his other eye was found further from his body than it should've been, Piel's tongue was cut out and a bunch of his scales were everywhere like they'd been sheared off him, and Carver's whole head was just... not even there."

As she spoke, Nat's expression seemed to drop and he stared at the ground listening as Siesha recounted the information to him. "And the Silver Blades think it's Nurtha of course, after the whole Wrycher thing, but I don't know Nat... I think it's someone else."

"... Who else? It's certainly not the Silver Blades killing off their own, Zachary treats them all like his family."

"So you seem to think, but that's just not what Nurtha would do. You know she'd sooner knock someone out than kill them, she's gone soft like that in her old age."

Nat fell quiet, and they stood in silence for what felt like an age.

"Hey Nat... You good buddy? Sorry, didn't realise how insane it all sounds until I said it. Maybe it's just rumours after all."

"Yeah..." Nat straightened himself up, and sighed. "Probably just rumours. Wrycher and his gang are probably getting shitfaced somewhere in the wilds for the hell of it. I heard he's a heavy drinker, no match on y-"

Suddenly his sentence was cut off as a crackle filled the air, and his body was pulled back as if on a rope through the gap between the houses on either side of them. Siesha turned to see his body move ten feet back, then hang there, his body turning rigid and shaking, lightning coursing through his body as if struck from an invisible storm cloud. He fell limp, groaning as he dropped, ending up on his back in front of a man with his hand out looking down on the Elven raider, having just let go of Nat's neck. As Siesha instinctively lowered herself, drawing her mace from its holster and baring her teeth aggressively, she examined the figure to get an idea of the potential threat. He seemed to be a tall, slim-built Tiefling man roughly 6'8 and in his mid-20s (a few inches taller than her in fact) with lightly orange-toned red skin, two horns protruding from his head that curved back and darkened towards the tip, scruffy unkempt dark wavy hair showing between them, a long thick tail ridged with slim black spines that flicked in agitation behind him, a scar running horizontally across his face and over his nose, and glittering red eyes which now narrowed towards her as he looked up and caught sight of the Half-Orc.