Fleas - Songs of the Gnolls I

WORLDS COLLIDE 8.10

"How much do you know about orcs?"

"I admit that I know little or nothing, hyaenid," Dannke replied grumpily. "Get to the point, I am tired of riddles."

"One thing at a time, Your Majesty. Will I get what I seek?"

Dannke sighed.

"What you will lose if you continue to waste my time is your life."

The hyaenid crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in resignation.

"They are interesting creatures, the orcs. Their savage side is far more dominant than that of the rest of the rational species. So much so that they can barely control it. And they do this thanks to a root that is sacred to them. If they do not drink a concoction made from this root every three days, they completely lose their judgment and attack anyone who crosses their path. Apparently, this root causes them to have no emotions and to never be happy, sad, or angry. I was able to steal all of them and replace them with similar ones. This means that they will soon start attacking any non-orc that crosses their path."

Dannke had not expected someone so devious to inhabit the savannah. Had he learned that from the humans? In a way, that justified the war.

"Yolti, prepare the catapults and the crossbowmen. Keep the men as hidden as possible. I don't want them to be suspicious. Once the orcs lose control, throw everything we have at them."

"What about the hyaenid?"

Dannke looked at Huauau.

"Lock him in one of the rooms. As soon as he proves his words to be true, we will discuss his reward."

Huauau nodded and let himself be led without complaint.

"Why not lock him in the dungeon?" Yolti asked as soon as he was led away.

"That gnome, Pli, has been watching them ever since I locked Fleas up. I'm afraid he'll find out and interfere. We could say he's our guest now, it would be rude to keep him in a dirty, smelly cell."

Dannke had not expected such a convenient turn of events. Everything was going too well. And if their enemy were the Solar Army, he would have been celebrating his victory by now. But these creatures were unpredictable. Fleas had taught him that.