Awareness: Part 3

[Smaw 2376]

"The ebb and flow of life will persist. Fighting the tide will only wear you down."

 

 

 

Kharak awoke into a lifeless, dust ridden expanse. It seemed akin to the desert in many ways, but was plagued with dark winds of soot and ash. The Orc quickly rose to his feet, instinctively reaching to cover his mouth. As he looked around, he noticed a large seed embedded in the ground not far from him. It would appear and disappear as the winds fluctuated. 

 

Curiosity would propel Kharak toward the seed. He continued to look around for anything else as he made his way closer. When he arrived at the seed, he knelt down to inspect it, brushing an accumulation of dust from its side. Suddenly, roots began to sprout from the seed as it embedded itself into the ground. It began to twist and contort, and Kharak jumped back in astonishment. The seed began to sprout upward, a contorted and leafless tree growing before his eyes. Eventually, it came to a pause, a great, pulsating blue light filling the cracks along the bark.

 

The wind suddenly came to a halt, yet the dust seemed to remain stationary in the air. Kharak was surrounded in all directions by darkness, the only comfort radiating from the tree before him. Despite the Stygian nature of his surroundings, Kharak felt unusually at ease amidst the madness. His journey thus far had been strife with confusion and horror, and yet he remained alive despite some alarming circumstances. He edged closer to the tree, holding his palm out against the bark. The tree continued to pulsate with a great blue, and the Orc could feel an intense shift within his core.

 

Amidst the silence of the land, the Orc detected a distinct sound in the background. Someone was walking along the grayed sand and dust, rattling the air with the clanging of bones. Kharak slid his hand from the bark, turning to face the source of the noise. As he squinted into the darkness, an old man broke through the clouds of dust, accompanied by an arched and gnarled walking cane. He was adorned in a number of fetishes, bones scattered around his body in the form of jewelry; especially prevalent within his long and white beard. He seemed akin to a traveler in many ways, one of a great many adventures which would bring about a level of confidence unseen in most.

 

Kharak hummed in suspicion, keeping his eye on the man as he walked closer. He soon brushed past the Orc, slapping his palm on the tree as he sniffed heavily. 

"Ah. Seems you found my old friend." He remarked, looking into Kharak's eyes. The Orc stood back slightly, inclining his head as he crossed his arms.

 

"What? Who are you?"

"Me?" He said with a chuckle, wiping his nose against his sleeve as he sniffed once again. "Me and this tree go way back." He said, patting it a couple of times as he leant in, seemingly whispering to it. "Sorry about that, ol' pal." He said, squinting at the glowing crevices of the bark. Kharak frowned, shaking his head as he glanced over his shoulder for a moment. 

 

"Where are we?" 

 

The old man let out a huff of air, as if relaxing himself. "Damned if I know. It's just where he likes to be." He said, standing back from the tree as he continued to inspect it. "Seems like you've already been in contact, hmm?" He proceeded to say, looking back to Kharak as he played with the bone charms in his beard.

 

"What is it?" He said, pausing for a moment as he reached to the back of his head, feeling for a wound. "A-am I dead?"

 

The aged man chuckled to himself, walking closer to Kharak. "O-oh, no, of course not. You're just on a bit of a journey." He said, pointing to Kharak with his cane. "Here, follow me." He said as he walked into the clouds of dust surrounding them. The Orc followed suit with precaution, morphing into a defensive stance as he edged behind the man. The two seemed to be lost in a great cloud of dust, encompassing them in all directions. Regardless, they continued to press on.

 

"Never been a fan of this place." The Old man said. "The whole point of going somewhere is to see something, right?" He added. Kharak offered little response, bar a slight nod. "There's nothing like an Oasis." He paused, tripping slightly over something on the ground, grumbling slightly. "Warm, secluded." He continued, looking over his shoulder to Kharak with a slight grin. "That's where we're going."

 

"Right." Kharak said, squinting in the darkness as he tried to maintain his sight on the man. "And who are you, anyway?"

"Most people just call me "Old Man", which I don't appreciate very much." He said with a sigh, continuing to press on through the dust cloud. "Ghorza is the name." The Old man broke out of the darkness, Kharak quickly following suit. A piercing light attacked the Orc's eyes as he closed them in response, feeling a crunch of snow beneath his feet. As his eyes began to adjust to the light, he saw the figure of the man flailing around in front of him. "No, no, no!" He yelled out, pacing around in the snow.

 

Kharak blew out some air, looking down to his feet as he kicked away some of the snow. The pair appeared to be in a mountainous region, blanketed with snow in every direction as the wind pushed against them. "You call this an Oasis?"

"This always happens!" Ghorza exclaimed, swatting the snow with his cane as he continued to grumble to himself. Kharak began to glance around the area, inspecting the surroundings. As the Old man calmed down, he approached the Orc from behind, resting his hand upon his shoulder. "I guess things don't always go as you expect them to."

"No." Kharak remarked, continuing to look around at the icy peaks that surrounded them. 

 

"Whatever. You just have to flow with these things." He said, removing his hand from Kharak's shoulder as he stood beside him, following the Orc's gaze along the jagged expanse around them. "If you spend your whole life fightin' things out of your control, you'll end up impatient and frustrated." 

 

The Orc rose a brow in response, looking back to the man. "Didn't you ju-"

 

"Enough about me." Ghorza interjected, wafting his hand toward Kharak. The Old Man's energy shifted suddenly as he looked to the Orc with a more serious expression, Kharak taking notice of this and returning his stare. ''Your life has been full of tribulation because you have resisted us for so long. We are here to help." He said, patting Kharak on the back lightly. Suddenly a great gust of wind blew an enormous amount of snow around the pair, encircling them completely. Another twisting spiral formed within the first, splitting Kharak from Ghorza. He called out for the man, but heard no response.

 

When the snow settled, Kharak found himself in the old Raguk fort. He was in an enclosed smithy, the stone flooring and walls offering no contrast to one another. The room appeared tarnished and abandoned, as it had been so many years ago. At the end of the room was an enormous anvil, a figure sat behind it wielding a hammer of awe-inspiring design. It was a large man, hammering near incessantly against the anvil before him. It was the image of an icon well known to those of the Uzg; especially of the Raguk. It was Gentharuz, the Immortal Spirit of Forging and Industry.

 

He looked up to Kharak from across the room, nodding to him for a brief moment before looking back to his work station. With this, Kharak suddenly felt a warmth against his chest. A sensation he had not felt in quite some time. The view around him began to distort once again, rays of intense light piercing through the walls of the room. The stone began to crumble as more light broke through, until Kharak's entire focus was encompassed in a sheet of blinding light. Kharak sat up, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness.

 

He was back on the mountainside of the Raguk fort, overlooking daybreak upon the Uzg.

[HedgeHug 2049]

((awsome read keep this **** up

[Trenchist 864]

Good read, keep it up!

 

[Angmarzku 1251]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.