Swamp of Death

CHAPTER 42

Tied to the wooden pillar in front of the cauldron filled with boiling water, Moorg looked in disgust at a wild tribe of orcs, surrounding him. They lived in poor, unhealthy conditions, seen by the state of everything that was surrounding them. They were dirty and malnourished. It was obvious, they turned insane because of that. Crazed in their singing and dancing, ecstatically awaiting for the ritual to end. For that would meant the feast was about to commence.

The orc chieftain jumped in between fire and goblin. He thanked the spirits pointing his finger towards the sacrifice they were about to offer in their honor. Necklaces and bracelets made out of teeth, claws and bones, rattled with his every move. Orc suddenly lifted his hand, as a sign for the music and dancing to stop. Deadly silence, which the chieftain used to raise the tension, lasted for a long couple of seconds. He grabbed and pulled up a rather large knife from his belt, eliciting several sighs.

He approached the goblin in a few light steps, but suddenly decided to stop just about five feet away. He laughed loudly, while waving and taunting at him. He did it out of some weird ritualistic foreplay they were probably accustomed to, while doing these ceremonial kills. This is the end, Moorg thought, as every hope disappeared. He was to become food for these awful, savage monsters. But in that moment, he felt some kind of warmth, emitting from the pocket of his pants. Goblin was fast to realize, it was the workings of his medallion. And sure enough, it turned out to be true, as a strong ray of light flashed out of it.

Terrified, the chieftain looked with his eyes wide open, as the ray struck onto his chest. Invisible energy jerked a string of his necklace, tearing it apart. Moments later, out of it, a shiny, round shaped stone, floated towards the goblin. Medallion started to transform, to Moorg's surprise, hissing and fusing, in a small cloud of vapor. A strong burst of energy, almost toppled orcish chieftain to the ground, as the strange metallic pearl merged with the amulet. Spherical flash of light surrounded the entire village, momentarily blinding everyone. Seconds later, in a loud crack, the light retracted inside of the medallion.

Petrified, orcs were looking around in panic and fear, while the chieftain tried to calm them down. He might have succeeded in doing that, but Moorg had different ideas. With the amulet's transformation, the goblin felt the new, unusual strength, growing inside of him. It felt good, and he liked it. Before anyone moved, or even noticed, Moorg managed to untie the ropes, and free himself with ease.

Beside this newest energy surge, goblin gained much more, as he suddenly realized what represented his father's vision. Clear as daylight, he could see in his head, all of the locations, where he could find other, hidden parts of the medallion. Moorg understood the power behind this object, and its enormous value. He was elated to no end, but managed to regain his composure. He was still in grave danger, surrounded by thousands of orcs. No matter how hard he was itching to continue with his journey, goblin first had to find a way out of this mess.

As chieftain turned his back to him, Moorg decided to seize the opportunity. To everyone's surprise, he knocked the chief down, with a single, precise hit to his nape. Couple of orcs charged at him, drawing their weapons, but goblin was faster. Lifting his hands, high above the head, he instinctively begin chanting some strange words, without even knowing their meaning. But they somewhat felt right. Moorg stretched both of his arms towards the approaching orcs, making them to stop for a second. That turned out to be a huge mistake, once the rocky ground underneath them gave away. Inexplicably, stone seemed to turned into liquid. Orcs suddenly begin to sink fast, deeper and deeper. Horrific screams of fear, petrified the rest of the tribe's folk, who watched the whole ordeal in complete and utter silence.

Moorg too was surprised by this, suddenly stopping his chanting. Mere seconds later, before orcs could even try to swim up, the stone returned to its solid state, trapping them just below the ground's surface. Intense pressure of several tons of rocks, instantly crushed their bodies. Several streams of blood gushed through the cracks and onto the surface, making small puddles, where the orcs stood, just a few moments before. Goblin was fast to turn towards still startled orcs, making similar moves towards them. He wouldn't give them a chance to recollect.

"Kneel before all powerful Moorg, and I'll spare your lives." Moorg yelled "I came here in peace, but you tried to kill me. Still, I'm willing to give you one last chance."

"Oh master, please forgive us." the orc chieftain crawled in front of the goblin, timidly touching his feet "We were blind, we made a mistake. Help us, show us the way."

More and more orcs bowed before Moorg, hearing their chieftain's words. This could still turn out to be a ruse. Goblin had to be sure they were genuinely ready to follow him. He couldn't help himself, thinking of something more, instead of just escaping from this cursed place. But now, everything looks different. Medallion had changed. And with it, he was feeling more confident than ever before. He felt braver, smarter. And then he realized he was not alone.

Eerie whispers, at first just incoherent blabber, drew Moorg's attention. It wasn't the orcs, he realized as he turned around. They were too scared to even look at him. Another whisper, a bit louder this time, and to the point, came about. Goblin figured out, it was just him hearing this. Surely, the medallion was now being able to communicate with him. Too bad it was completely incomprehensible to Moorg. It could take some time before he could be able to understand those words. He looked forward to it, but now was not the time. Orcs could soon become impatient, awaiting for him to speak.

"I'll leave you be, if one day, you answer my call." Moorg shouted.

"Everything for you master." orcish chieftain bowed before goblin "Whatever you need. We will follow you to the end of the world."

"Perhaps you will." Moorg said silently, so only the orcish chieftain could hear him.

In a short flash of light, Moorg suddenly disappeared. Loud sigh escaped from every astonished mouth. Goblin's sorcery certainly left the effect on the whole tribe.

"You heard the all powerful master." the chieftain yelled "We are to celebrate his mercy."

Cheerful screams echoed all over this filthy col. Orcs disbanded towards their lairs and huts, in the preparations for the upcoming feast. Glad he escaped, Moorg finally stepped from behind the small boulder, not more than forty yards away from the village, once every orc left his sights. He wasn't exactly sure how he was able to use these spells. But had some suspicions it was the amulet working through, and for him. To be sure, he knew he had to learn that strange language, as soon as possible.

Something pulled him to go even further north. Another part of the medallion must have been quite close. But before he could continue with his venture, he had to search for a shelter. Perhaps for the first time since he got this magnificent thing, Moorg showed restraint. No more risking, no more taking chances. Not before he could completely understand the amulet. Goblin went off the path, down the hill, putting some distance between him and the orcish village. Just a couple hundreds of yards from there, he set his eyes on his wolf. Happy to see the master, the animal was running fast, wagging his tail.

Climbing into the saddle, goblin ordered him back towards that same lair they spent the night before. He knew they would be safe in there, at least until he could find out everything there is to know about the medallion. Far back, from the village, loud orcish drums sounded the beginning of the celebration.