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Post by Zak on Oct 17, 2022 11:08:04 GMT -5
The white sand beaches of Crescent Isle were pristine and calm that morning. Sun glistened off the water as waves crawled gently toward the shore. Nature at its most serene resonated with the tall human who walked barefoot along the beach, boots draped over his shoulder. Zak took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, reveling in the elemental forces humming throughout his being. His intense green eyes flashed with renewed energy as his mana regenerated after the daunting and draining encounters of the last few weeks.
A grin spread across his face as Gray, Zak’s pet wolf, darted in and out of the surf, yipping at the waves. The large canine was Zak’s balm at times like these, tempering any feelings of stress and anxiety. Zak laughed at the wolf’s antics. Too often Zak had to resort to sending Gray to a pocket dimension in his special pouch whenever Zak visited crowded cities, but today they were both free to play.
Up ahead, what appeared to be a fresh group of Starlight militia recruits practiced their drills in the shade of a copse of trees several meters back from the surf. Zak smiled at their young faces, wondering who was responsible for moving their activity to the beach on that fine day.
Zak found a shady spot nearby, sat down and pulled on his boots. Leaning back against the tree trunk, he settled back to watch the cadets in action. Zak had not yet learned the martial arts, relying strictly upon his magic, but he couldn’t help but admire the strength, finesse and dexterity of those who excelled at the skill. Perhaps there was something to learn by watching.
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Post by Narsha on Oct 18, 2022 9:49:23 GMT -5
Narsha was not used to beaches. The whole idea of beaches were an entirely new concept to the orc. There were no beaches in the Marshflats, and certainly no sand as fine and white as the one in the beaches of Crescent Isle. The white sand was so fine that could hardly take a handful before the powdery texture of the sand flowed through her fingers. It was a stark contrast to the sticky and sludgy mud that was usually a dark shade of grey. The sight of the sea was also something new to her. She had never seen such a big expanse of clear water this blue before she had arrived on the island. The sound of the waves was also an entirely new experience for her. There were no waves in the rivers and swamps back at home. Scooping a handful of seawater in her hands to drink, she spat it out immediately as she realised how salty it was. The water was undrinkable! That made things very different from the clear refreshing drinkable water in the rivers back in the Marshflats which were the main water source for not just her own people but for the other races living in the marshes as well.
All her life, all she knew was swamps, marshes, bogs and rivers. Leaving her clan’s territories in her homeland had proven to be a great learning experience for the young orc. Finished exploring the beach, Narsha decided to head towards a shady spot inland. Spotting a group of people training, she set herself down onto the warm sand beside a tree trunk, noticing that she wasn’t the only one intending on watching the group. There was a young human male with dark hair and a trimmed beard who seemed to be intently watching the group as well.
Deciding not to disturb the peace, she remained silent for now as she continued to watch the group of soldiers practicing their drills.
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Post by Zak on Oct 23, 2022 15:03:55 GMT -5
Zak chuckled as he watched the recruits. Any thoughts that he might learn something by watching them were quickly dismissed. Their commander barked out orders, his frustration evident at the fresh cadets who looked inept as they tried to follow his instructions.
Zak had no weapon and no plans to ever acquire one. He liked that his magic allowed him to travel light. Carrying those heavy weapons around felt like a burden Zak would rather live without.
At his side, Gray let out a small yip causing Zak to notice an Orc taking a seat nearby. Gray’s reaction was more of a welcome than a warning. Interesting, Zak thought. Of course, his wolf was probably used to seeing Orcs, having grown up in the Kingswood close to the Marshflats where many Orcs called home.
Zak turned and smiled at the Orc. “Hello there. Enjoying the slapstick entertainment?” Zak chuckled, waving his hand in the direction of the practicing militia unit. “With the Starlight militia’s excellent reputation, you’d think the newbies would show a little more promise.” Zak paused. “I’m Zak by the way. And this is Gray,” he added, petting the wolf’s head.
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Post by Narsha on Oct 27, 2022 7:07:40 GMT -5
Narsha found the sight of the group of soldiers amusing. She had expected the group to display skills worth watching, but it seems like she may have overestimated them. Instead of having anything worth learning, these recruits seem to be so fresh, that even an orc child would have no problem defeating them in a fight. Instead of getting to watch a demonstration worthy of decent skills and abilities, she had ended up with something like a comedy of sorts.
She was used to comedy, although not really performed by humans. Back in the Marshflats, the slapstick performances were usually performed by goblins and whoever the little green ones had managed to con into performing with them. Devious little ones they were. Not long after taking a seat, her attention was brought to a wolf nearby who let out a small yip in welcome, and Narsha replied in a grunt as she raised a hand to convey her own greetings to the wolf. The wolf’s companion, a human, smiled at her as he asked if she was enjoying their entertainment. “Hello to you. I have seen better. I had hoped for a different kind of show, but maybe this group will do something even funnier yet and make this performance into something worth a deep laugh. Until then, this is a piss poor performance.” Shaking her head, the orc continued. “This is the Starlight Militia? The one many had said how good they are? Either this is the worst of the lot or their reputation is worse than it actually is. Orc children can do better than this.” The human introduced himself as Zak and his wolf companion as Gray. She jabbed a thumb at herself as she introduced herself. “I’m Narsha”. She moved over to the wolf, letting it smell her scent for several moments before she moved to give it a pat on the head.
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Post by Zak on Nov 3, 2022 20:58:52 GMT -5
Gray nuzzled Narsha’s hand. Interesting, Zak thought. Gray wasn’t always friendly to strangers, but somehow the wolf welcomed the female orc’s attention. Zak chuckled. If Gray approved…
“Nice to meet ya, Narsha,” Zak said with a smile. “Gray agrees, it would seem. He usually ignores strangers.” He chuckled. “Or growls at them.”
With a wave of his hand in the direction of the cadets, he said, “the Starlight Militia is a legacy organization, each generation joining no matter their skills. These must be the ones that don’t measure up. Daddy’s hopes dashed, I would think.”
“So, what brings you to the neighborhood? Of course, that’s assuming you aren’t from this neck of the woods. I’m a bit out of my element with the folks here in Moonglade, being from the plains of King’s Valley. I have to say though, I do enjoy spending time near the sea. Something about the fresh sea air…”
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Post by Narsha on Nov 9, 2022 9:13:58 GMT -5
Zak was surprised that Gray quickly took to her, but Narsha did not share the same surprise. She always had a way with animals, especially wolves since her time back in her clan’s lands. She had a certain affinity with beasts and got along well with the wolves in the clan and therefore she sought to seek the same with Gray here, and the wolf here had acknowledged the same. Perhaps he too had sensed what the wolves back home had sensed and had reacted accordingly. “I’ve always got along well with animals back home, especially with wolves.”
She explained to Zak, although she did not really owe the human any explanation. The orc then listened to Zak as he explained about the recruitment criteria for the Starlight Militia, and how shoddy the process was that even substandard recruits could join the organisation.
She wondered if that was the case for many human military organisations or if the Starlight Militia was just different. This sort of thing would never pass as an acceptable behaviour back in the orc society, no matter the clan. No matter what purpose they served in society, all orcs had a standard to abide by, and being able to fight well was an important part of orcish culture, no matter their gender or role in the clan. Zak seemed curious enough, and asked her what she was doing here in the Crescent Isle, and that wasn’t strange at all. Orcs were not at all that common a sight, so seeing one must have been quite the interesting encounter for him. “I’m exploring. Seeing the different parts of Charon. Since I was born in my clan’s lands in Marshflats, I had never left the marshes. I’m taking this opportunity to take in new sights, experience new things and meet new people regardless of species. What about you?”
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