Warhammer: Story of Ashenhand

Chapter Three

Ashenhand opens his eyes and looks around. Pain shoots throughout his body as he moves. Looking over himself Ashenhand finds that his chest hurts the most, probably due a few cracked ribs. His arm that had his shield is bruised, and somehow one of his legs has a gash in it.

Looking through his bag, Ashenhand finds a few rolls of bandages, and a pasty salve. He applies the bandages to his leg and takes his shirt off wrapping some bandages around his chest. After he puts his clothes back on, and empties his bag, seeing what it’s contents are.

There is a month worth of rations, and a week’s worth of water. Now there are three bandages, as well as the strange salve. Also there is a small pickaxe, a whetstone, his sleeping mat and thin blanket. As well as a carving knife and strong rope (about 25 feet worth).

He also has his short sword that is still sharp, but has remanents of blood on it from the events that occurred last night. After putting everything back into his bag, Ashenhand decides to use the cave for his shelter.

Going out into the open he sees that not 100 feet away is where he killed the orruk. He decides to go over to it, to see if there is anything of value or useful on the orruk’s person. As he gets closer he sees that the orruk has already been eaten, with no meat left on its bones, and it’s armour scattered everywhere.

Though his weapons and armour remain Ashenhand decides to use them for his own advantage. He takes piece by antagonizing piece back to the cave, and starts making a furnace structure. By using the small pickaxe to get stone, and laying it against a wall. He is half way done when the sky begins to darken.

Ashenhand takes this opportunity to search the armour for anything that would fit on him. Finding that both of the orruk’s shoulder plates can serve as a chest and back plate. Ashenhand uses rope to bind the armour together using the pickaxe to puncture holes in its sides and top.

Once that was done, night had fallen. With no noise made, so Ashenhand decides to lean his back against the wall next to his half constructed furnace. Having his short sword across his lap. As the hours went by, Ashenhand drifted off to sleep.

When waking, Ashenhand notices that that sky is only just brightening. With nothing out of the ordinary around him or outside the cave entrance. Ashenhand decides to get to work with his furnace, carefully constructing it block of rock by block of rock.

About half way through the day he finishes the furnace, and leaves in search of some wood. But finding nothing but bones and rock. While walking back towards his shelter, Ashenhand sees a figure dressed in a dark cloak walk into the cave entrance. He walks towards it, drawing his short sword.

He then stands next the entrance with his back against the wall. Once the stranger walks out of the entrance, Ashenhand swings his short sword down onto the cloaked figure. Though, not until the figure turns with a drawn long sword and blocks his strike.

Ashenhand let’s go of his sword due to the force of the strike. But the strangers one arm doesn’t even move an inch. Knowing that this is his demise, Ashenhand falls to his knees.

“End me then, just end me.” He waits for the death blow, but it never comes. The figure starts to laugh.

Ashenhand looks up and sees that the cloaked figures hood came off revealing Vendell. Who offers him his arm to get back to his feet.

“How? How did you find me?” Ashenhand's face dropped, as he got to his feet.
“Well you can’t run from a seasoned hunger for long.” Vendell smirks then walks back into the cave, “come on then, talk to me, why do you run?”

Ashenhand took a seat on the floor, right in front of Vendell. “Well, to be honest with you, I only came out here to find Ghur's realmstone, and use it to fight the forces of Chaos."

Vendell observed Ashenhand, watching for any lie, he found none. "Well, if what you say it true, then I'll tell you something. Me and Skyrin came here to mine the realmstone found in this god forsaken land. Also, I will tell you that I will help you in this quest of yours, for the others will likely think that you and I are dead."

Ashenhand smiled, for he knew he had a worthy allie with him, whom he could trust fully. "Thank you, Vendell, truly."

"It's ok kid, now, take that ridiculous breast plate off, or the orruk's would think your backwards!" Vendell reputed in a fit of laughter.

Taking the breast plate off, Ashenhand layed it beside the furnace. Which Vendell looked at critically.

"Does that thing work, and also what are you going to use it for, looks like a waste of time to me."

Ashenhand smiled, "ah, the furnace, well I have a use for that. I haven't told you but I know a thing or two about making items from metal. It will only take a week or two to craft my armour, and then a few days to craft two pickaxes for mining."

Vendell smiled, "well I wont hold it against you, but I'm starting to feel an alliance here. Also, you might need a better sword, for I'll treach you the ways of the sword. Starting. Tomorrow at first light."

Ashenhand thanked Vendell, looking outside he saw that only half the day was used. Ashenhand then used what parts he had to light a fire in the furnace.

"Well Vendell my friend, now it better time than any to start with my armour."

Ashenhand started heating the fire that was burning within the furnace, when Vendell pulled out a seperate bag.

"Here you might need this, to speed up the process a little."

Ashenhand took the bag and looked at its contents, the bag was heavy and large, roughly 50 kg. Within it, it contained a large amount of coal.

"Thank you Vendell, this will indeed speed up the process. Now do you mind looking for something I can use as an anvil?"

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Thank you for reading this far and I hope you have enjoyed, I will try to create chapters as fast as I can. Have fun reading.
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