She could already tell Videl was quick and clever on his feet - both of them knew how Frostgale snows felt, so neither had the advantage of terrain. The difference was in experience. Videl was probably used to only one-on-one battles, and Ak’ka’d once been a lord of these mountains. Had to know how to handle lotsa enemies at once with yer own two fists. Crowd control. Her fists pierced through layers of snow and ice and made the ground rumble, knocking Videl off his feet.

He landed on his back with a THUD - Ak’ka hoped he wasn’t too hurt, but she’d get the chance to bandage his wounds later - the half Orc had to press the advantage now. Battles weren’t won by honor but by givin’ your enemy no room to breathe ‘til they couldn’t breathe no more. And she was fixin’ to do just that - until Videl, desperate, slammed his hand on the ground and used her own damn move against her.

Well.

Turnabout was fair play.

Ak’ka was launched into the air for a second time, but not of her own choice. Smart choice. It limited the way she could move - couldn’t go nowhere but down, and that was under no one’s control but gravity. And both of them could read that plain as day. Ak’ka curled into a tight ball, minimizing the vulnerable parts of her that Videl could hit with that ice-cold spear in his hands. But as he hurled it, the weapon shattered, becoming shards in his grip. Momentum still carried the shards through the air, almost raining on her as she fell and hit the ground with an impact of the meteor colliding with the ocean.

“Ow.”

Ak’ka huffed, her back bruised n’ sore from the impact and her arms cut up from the ice shard. Videl’d done more of a number on her than she thought. Two could play at that game, though. Ak’ka pulled herself up, ten feet of muscle and anger rolling off of her, from the puff of cold air in her breath to the shine of frozen sweat on her face. She raised her fists, punchin’ the air in front of her with a shout - seemingly doin’ nothing… but the air around her rippled from the force of her blow, sendin’ a wave of raw force and willpower straight at Videl.^[1]

---

1. Monk - Art of the Soul (Post ⅓)

From what he could tell, in the moments that his ice spear had collapsed, the plan to land a blow on Ak'ka had been a fruitful one. What he hadn't accounted for however was what she would do next. In the moments that it would take for the half orc to hit the ground before rising back up, Videl would collect himself and rise to the ground himself. He had to think on his feet about what to do next, honestly unsure of what his best bet would be at this point, considering his limited arsenal. It was as he had been attempting to concoct a plan of sorts that Ak'ka would finally rise from the ground once more.

With a shout that had put the T'saya on edge, Ak'ka would proceed to thrust her fist in Videl's direction. The very force of her fist thrusting forward had been enough to formulate a shockwave, the very air rippling around her fist before pushing on towards the young man. Given how surprising the overall attack was, Videl hadn't anticipated the need to dodge at all. If anything, he had found himself initially confused as to what Ak'ka had been attempting. Before he could get his bearings and take action against the shockwave, it would collide with Videl and send him back several feet, blood spurting forth from his lips as the shockwave had shaken him to his very core.

It wouldn't take long for Videl to come into contact with the ground once more, blood starting to pool around his lips, coagulating from the frost with each passing moment. Pain had ran amok throughout the young man at this point, having taken a forceful blow to the back initially and this blow to the front here and now. It honestly wasn't looking great for Videl and yet, even despite that being the case, he had been willing to continue on. It was the only way for him to grow stronger after all. Through repeated failures. These experiences were what would form his future self.

Hoping to try and by himself a bit more time, Videl would call upon one of the few remaining spells that had been within his repertoire. Raw mana would exert itself from the T'saya's hand as he had raised it slightly from the ground. As this had occurred, the mana would manipulate the very moisture in the air, causing it to change form from moisture to snow. In the moments that would follow, a large storm of fluffy and fast-moving snow would blanket the area. The temperature in this area would drop severely but that likely didn't hold much effect over the pair. What was important was that the snow had obscured the vision of those within the area without some kind of defense against it.

There was very little chance that this would actually work against the formidable half-orc; in Videl's mind that is. He was more or less placing everything on this last ditch effort though, hoping to find a way to land a singular heavy blow from all of this. With that thought in mind, Videl would crawl along the snow-ridden ground and would attempt to make his way behind one of the massive walls of ice in the meantime.

Videl clearly wasn’t anticipatin’ the sudden force-blow, the only ranged attack Ak’ka had in her arsenal. The kid was tricky, and she needed to keep her space - and the attack had the added bonus of catchin’ him off guard. The shockwave collided with his chest like a wall of pure force, the young man hackin’ and wheezin’ from the attack. Ak’ka winced, but eh, they could patch it all up later once the battle was said and done. At least, that was what she thought ‘til Videl hit the ground, his blood painting the snow red. He didn’t move for a long, tense minute.

Oh, shit.

“Videl? You, uh, you alright there Snowball? Stay silent if no.” His chest was still heavin’, that was a good sign. Ak’ka lowered her fists, honestly more than a bit worried that she’d really overdone things. She wasn’t a healer, so if he was seriously hurt she’d have to drag him to the nearest village to get his ass to a medic. Guard dropped, she inched closer to him, tryin’ to figure out if he was really hurt or just playin’ opossum.

That was when the snow started to fall.

Cold didn’t really bother Ak’ka but the hit to her vision did. The snow covered them both in a blanket of white, smotherin’ her campfire and the scant light she got from the flames. And more importantly it made it difficult to see the kid’s snow-white parka. So it really wasn’t much of a surprise when Ak’ka made her way to where she’d last seen him, trekkin’ at a slow pace through the oncoming blizzard, she only found a pool of blood.

Oh, you clever little shit.

She had to hand it to him. Stealth was probably a really good idea right now, especially given she wasn’t the most perceptive of folks. She usually just tanked sneak attacks, too. There was just one small problem with his plan, and it was that blood was really easy to spot on the white ground. ‘Specially when one crawled on the earth to avoid being spotted. Ak’ka slowly followed the trail, havin’ an inkling of where he was moving for safety. There were a few chunks of ice in the distance… an ideal terrain for layin’ low and mounting an ambush. Not a bad plan. Problem was that Ak’ka had sussed him out.

Unfortunately for her just cus one knew about a trap didn’t mean they were immune to it. Confident she knew what to expect, Ak’ka trudged her way through the walls of ice, leavin’ bootprints in the snow, lookin’ for any spot of blood that might indicate where Snowball was hidin’. Blind to actually looking for any traces of life. As such, she walked right past his hiding place, utterly blind to where he was lyin’ in wait. Her back, completely exposed to the T’saya.

Every ounce of appreciation that the man could muster would find itself present as Videl had watch Ak'ka make her way past him and directly past the wall of ice that he had hidden behind. It was difficult for him to maintain a sense of silence as he had initially made his way over to the glacial wall, given the extensive damage that had been dealt to him, but he had successfully managed to evade the half orcs grasp. Blood still escaping from his maw, albeit much slower than before, Videl would call upon his mana one final time. As he had done so, he had managed to craft a single spear of ice ^{[Ice Spike]} with what little of his energy had remained.

That spear now in hand, Videl would attempt to make his way around the glacial wall whilst being as quiet as possible. This was made easier by the fact that the snow had been so fresh. Or so he had hoped! Either way, once he had rounded the corner of the wall, Videl would lift the tip of his spear up towards the center of the half orcs spine. He wouldn't push in on her with it, or even go as far as to gesture it in any other direction. If she were to turn around and attack right now, there was very little chance of Videl getting away with this. So long as she didn't turn around though, Videl would lightly tap the tip of his spear against Ak'ka's back and say a single word aloud. "Gotcha."

By this point in the battle, Videl had wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest. His wounds would recover in time, or he would get them tended to, so focusing on them could wait. His goal had been to attempt to get Ak'ka to declare his win. If she hadn't? Well that was quite alright as well. He was barely holding on at this point, every ounce of his energy being dedicated to appearing as though he could continue on despite his injuries whilst upholding this spear. In a few moments time, if he hadn't been allowed to rest, Videl would collapse to the ground.

Ak’ka had to hand it to him. For someone with still pretty fledgeling magic - which would only grow with experience - Videl had a pretty good idea of tactics and how to use ‘em. Ak’ka normally didn’t bother with strategy. She brute forced her way through things because she was strong enough to deal with it if shit went south. Videl was the kinda person, though, where safety mattered to him. He couldn’t take a hit the same way. So it forced him to be a little more clever, a little smarter. And the falling snow was pretty damn good. Obscured his footprints and had fallen over the blood, makin’ him harder for her to track.

Magic users. They were always so smart.

And she wasn’t the most perceptive gal, to boot. So she was pretty blind to Videl shufflin’ behind the ice, moving carefully as to stay in the spots behind her back she couldn’t see… and fists raised, she waited for him to pop out, still half-worried he’d keeled over, when she found the cold point of a spear pressed against the small of her back. Not driving in, not stabbin’ her - but a warning.

Woulda been a killing blow for any lesser fighter.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Ak’ka slowly raised her hands over her head.

She’d dealt some pretty devastating blows, but the damage didn’t matter for shit when someone was clever enough to get the finishing blow. Ak’ka turned around, telegraphing her movements to make sure Videl knew she wasn’t tryin’ no funny moves. Fair was fair. She’d been beat this spar.

“Good job, Snowball. Ya got me. In a real fight that would’a crippled or killed yer opponent. The win is yers.” She lowered her fists, noting how his legs were shakin’ purely from the effort of stayin’ upright. He’d held onto consciousness just long enough to claim the win, sheer grit and determination and stubbornness. And that - that was more impressive to Ak’ka than any fancy trick or clever technique. Those were good, yeah. But the will to live and the hunger to win, that you couldn’t train nowhere.

Leaning over, Ak’ka picked Videl up by the scruff, holdin’ him in the air before he could collapse to the ground. “Come on. Let’s get ya some food and rest. You deserve it.” She then walked his ass straight back to the camp, leaving no room for argument. She didn’t have much food or culinary experience but ya couldn’t go wrong with jerky and bread. She pulled some from her bag and tossed the food at him.

“Here. Eat. I’ll patch ya up when yer done. I ain’t a doctor, but it’ll stop ya from bleedin’ all over the place.”

Once Ak'ka had acknowledged that this was his win, the T'saya would find himself smiling, albeit rather weakly. He had been just about to collapse when the half orc before him had grabbed him by the scruff of his poncho. From there she would move him back over to where her camp had initially been, holding him like that of a kitten. It would have been quite the embarrassing ordeal for Videl if he hadn't been so worn down from the fight.

Having been sat down by the half orc and then offered some food, Videl would continue to offer her a smile. His hands would reach out to accept the food, graciously, and would soon bring that food to his mouth. What he had needed after all of that running around was energy. Some medical attention would have been nice as well but food was most assuredly his main priority at the moment. As such, he was sure to gobble down the jerky and bread with as much appreciation as possible.

"..thanks for all of that, Ak'ka. You're honestly far stronger than I thought you would be. I mean, how in the world did you even manage to push me back like that? I've never seen someone hit the air so hard that it bends to their very will. From what it had seemed like, it wasn't even magic. Just a punch.. from afar."

Given that she was more or less pure muscle, Videl could only assume that such a feat was accomplished through her strength. But what would one need to put their body through to achieve such a feat as this one? Videl had been honing his magic for as long as he could remember and even then, he could barely come close to such a level of power. If it wasn't for his mildly extensive array of spells, things would have come to an end even sooner. She was truly a marvel that he had hoped to understand.

Admittedly, Ak’ka probably had her priorities skewed ‘bout what was more important - the healing or the food. She wasn’t no doctor and had nothin’ in her kit to help with that. For her, medical attention was a half-baked, shoddy wrapping job and a bit of spirits from her flask to chase away the germs. Ster-il-zation, or whatever the word was in common for it. Still. She was glad to see a little more color in the kid’s cheeks while he ate what she offered. Much easier operatin’ on a conscious, energetic patient than a half-comatose one. When he was finished, she began her ‘treatment’.

Namely, rippin’ off a piece of cloth from a spare cloak, yankin’ the cork of her flask off with her teeth, and tellin’ him, “Hold still. We got a sayin’ in the mountains - pain hurts, but the treatment’s worse. Means yer not outta the thick of it yet, but you’ll feel right as rain after.”

She then waited ‘til he obeyed, assessin’ his injuries from the fight. Most of it was blunt damage from her fists, so where had the blood come from? She grimaced, wonderin’ if she’d accidentally punctured something important. Folks didn’t call her the Bonegrinder for nothin’. The best she could probably do was wrap his torso to make sure everything stayed still and prevent further breakage, and get him to a healer. Nearest village was ‘bout half a day from here. She didn’t have no horse or cart but she could carry him on her shoulders no sweat…

She paused, realizin’ the kid was asking her a question. His eyes were alight with curiosity, wonder. Likely already thinkin’ bout how he might accomplish somethin’ like that. Ak’ka stared down at the injuries, explainin’ while she worked.

“Rugga. That’s what they call it where I’m from.” Courage - a strength of will so powerful it was made real. “Down here, humans call it the art of the soul. They ain’t exactly the same, but the basics are the same. When ya fight, ya do it with your entire heart and soul. Takes a bit of practice to understand how to bring that will from inside yerself to the outside, but…” She shrugged.

“If you want my opinion, you could probably learn Rugga if you really wanted. It ain’t about being good at punchin’ or usin’ little ice spears. It’s about that raw, burnin’ passion in ya to stay standin’, to be the one to survive. And obviously, you’ve got that in spades. I don’t give a fuck about training or discipline or all that nasty shit like the ‘art of the soul’ says you need. Rugga’s about raw willpower, and I just watched ya best me with a little ice spear and a couple of nifty tricks, all cus you had the hunger in ya. If you ask me, I think that you could learn just about anything ya set your mind to. Ice magic, polearm tricks, monk arts, whatever. You’ve got the spark.”

She clapped him on the shoulder probably harder than she should’a, given his injuries.

“Uh. Speakin’ of, yer probably a little more busted up than I thought. Think ya can hold on ‘til I get ya to a village? I’ll pay the healer’s fees and shit.”

While continuing to chow down on the food that had been provided to him, Videl would watch as Ak'ka moved around him with a torn cloth and some spirits in hand. He had assumed that this was the part in which she was going to extend medical care to him. What he hadn't understood though was why she was going about it in such a manner? From what he could tell, his injuries had been external for the most part. Perhaps she was simply going to down the spirits themselves? "Okay, okay. Do whatever it is that you need to do." Placing his trust in the half orc, Videl would refrain from moving.

As he had patiently waited for her efforts to come to fruition, Videl would do nothing more than ask her a question. A question that she had gone on to answer, all whilst staring at his wounds. "The art of the soul..? I think that I've heard of something similar to that from the elders in my tribe. They described it in a way similar to how you have but.. I don't think I've ever heard of it having such pronounced effects?" Of course there was no way for him to know that the two concepts within his mind had been light and day. The art of the soul that the elders had mentioned to him had been more of an ideology. A way of fighting that his people would attempt to exhibit. When compared to Ak'ka, whom had practiced it in all actuality, the differences were starkly different.

"Either way, I really like the sound of that. I may not be able to bring it out in a manner similar to yourself, given that I have the most practice with spears than anything else, but I'll definitely try and live up to that ideal." It would have been great if he were to someday achieve this goal of his. To achieve the capabilities that often accompanied being a monk. Ak'ka had even gone on to mention that he could achieve this goal of his if he had truly wanted to. But there was something that neither of them had known that would ultimately prevent him from doing so. Rather than focusing on the internal and external energies that had resided within him, Videl had been exceedingly prone to making use of his magics. So much so that his energies had been skewed. He could never take on the mantle of a monk. He was destined to be a spellblade.

All of that is for another time however. Here, in the present, Videl had found himself still waiting for the medical treatment that was being offered to him. Treatment that was yet to come. Treatment that he was going to have to receive elsewhere from the looks of things. "I'm fairly certain that I can hold on until then.. My lungs are killing me but.. I should be fine until we get to the next village." So long as it wasn't one of the villages that had contained his tribe. "If you can.. Please aim for one of the Bjorn Tribes."

Seemed like Videl had put his complete trust in Ak’ka, probably thinkin’ that her battle experience meant she at least had an understanding of patching up wounds. In reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. She had an understandin’ of the mechanics of healing the way a colorblind person knew the sky was blue. She knew some things had to be done, but she was just so used to shrugging off most small injuries that she had no idea what the hell to do when someone had a big one. Especially when she was treatin’ Videl like he had a puncture wound when in all actuality he was all bruised and bent outta shape from the blunt of her fists instead. One thing was for certain, though - she wasn’t gonna let him get seriously hurt on her watch.

Once she had his permission she’d bend down to shrug him carefully over her shoulders, like she was givin’ the kid a piggyback ride. While he was up there, the tattoos on her shoulders would begin to glow, goin’ from coal-black to a pure white. From her torso sprouted an extra pair of arms, lettin’ her bend down to snuff out the campfire and pick up her bag.^[1] It was clear she wouldn’t be hurtin’ on this trip.

“Right. Everyone’s got a different path when it comes to battle. Some folks choose not to even follow it at all. Some put their brains into it, some put their bodies into it. But the smart ones put their heart into it first n’ foremost. You do that, and the rest will follow. Whatever you decide, you got the hunger for it.”

She paused, thinkin’ bout his request. To be honest she wasn’t as familiar with the outlander tribes as she was Orc ones… there were the dwarven families of Bleakfort, the closest to Orc-kin. Then there were the Bjorn that Videl was talkin’ about, and…

“You not on good terms with the T’saya?” She asked, the name eventually clickin’ after a moment’s thought. He’d mentioned he was from a tribe, but there so many that it didn’t really narrow it down for her. The two main ones, though, were different as night and day. It sometimes led to… conflict. Usually didn’t matter all that much, but if Videl was tryin’ to avoid them for whatever reason - his reasons were his own, and if he didn’t wanna share, Ak’ka wasn’t gonna pry - then it just meant bein’ careful about what settlement she stopped at.

And that was about where her knowledge ended. The tribes were distinct and kept to themselves, but both were pretty united in the fact that they didn’t trust ten-foot tall half-orcs whose broad shadow darkened their doorstep. They kept their distance from each other - Ak’ka kept her distance from everyone.

“… Shouldn’t be a problem, I don’t think. Last settlement I was at was some outpost run by the expeditionary force. It’s mostly surrounded by anti-poachers protesting stupid shit. Most tribesmen keep their distance from those places unless they want something.”

---

1. Extra Arms Tattoo

Once again treating him much like a kitten, Ak'ka would proceed to throw poor Videl over her shoulder. As she had done so though, she had managed to place him over her shoulders in a manner that was reminiscent of what some would call a piggyback ride. The only reason that Videl had even known this was due to the fact that he had seen other mothers treat their children to the act. His own mother had performed the act as well, of course, but never with Videl himself. To have found himself placed in such a manner atop of the half orcs back had left him feeling odd. Confused even. Was this.. Indulgence? Indulgence in something that he had yearned for but never obtained perhaps. Honestly unsure of what the feeling was, Videl had chosen to ignore it and simply ride things out. Quite literally as Ak'ka had called forth a pair of spectral arms to hold him upright.

It would seem as though this half orc had been full of surprises. Not only was she large in both size and muscle but she had been a fully capable warrior. Every time he had thought he had her figured out, she would pull out another piece of her arsenal that had been hidden away. Something to consider were the two to ever come to blows again. In a practical sparring sense of course. Although the time that he had spent with Ak'ka might seem rather confusing to some, it had been enough for the T'saya to place his trust in her. Especially considering how she had seemed to of placed bits of her own trust in him.

Eventually the topic of the T'saya peoples was brought up, to which Videl would anxiously cough. It wasn't exactly that he hadn't been on good terms with the T'saya perse.. There were those amongst his people that he was sure would welcome him with open arms. It was more so that his particular unit of tribesman had been rather toxic towards him. In ways that had molded his mind to be wary of others that were outside of his tribe. Even if it meant running the risk of falling into danger with the Bjorn people, Videl was more comfortable interacting with those outside of his tribe.

"..suppose you could say that. A story for another day perhaps.. In the event that you are willing to.. meet up with me once more after all of this. I can understand if you find yourself.. a little more than unwilling to interact with this little snowball again." His words had been laced with an undertone of self-deprecation. A feeling that he hadn't even realized he had outwardly displayed. A tone that hadn't been there until the mention of his tribesman.

It was kinda weird for Ak’ka to carry someone like this. She usually wasn’t close enough to folks for it to matter. The half-orc had devoted her strength to protecting the weak and the small, but that usually happened from a distance. Where folks were comfortable with her hangin’ around.

To be honest she was still a bit surprised that Videl trusted her enough to carry him to safety after the damage she’d done to his body. How he could let her hold him in her hands and not worry she would crush his bones again like a fragile bird. As she walked, she shifted, cradlin’ him like a glass package - not cus Ak’ka thought he was weak but because she didn’t wanna be the one to hurt him again.

Her grip wasn’t meant for people to find solace in.

She huffed, movin’ to wipe a bit of sweat from her brow. Videl wasn’t heavy, but she didn’t wanna accidentally move the wrong way and crush his already fragile ribs. She focused on his words - he was pretty cagey about his bad experiences with the T’saya, but Ak’ka wasn’t gonna pry if he wasn’t ready to speak. Her eyes widened, though, when he doubted she’d even wanna see him again. Hell, that was supposed to be her line after she’d turned him into mincemeat in what was s’posed to be a friendly spar.

“What? ‘Course I do.” Ak’ka angled her head to get a better look at him. “I don’t give nicknames to people I don’t like, ya know.”

She wasn’t good at them emotional speeches or kind words of reassurance and whatever. But she meant what she said. There was no point in fuckin’ around and being polite with people she didn’t care about. Videl had impressed her, and he was one of the few folks she’d met in Frostgale who treated her with kindness and respect and took her seriously. Orcs had a reputation up here. A bloody one. But Videl wasn’t afraid.

Ak’ka moved to pat him on the shoulder with one of her free hands. It was a little awkward, and she didn’t know how to do it without breakin’ a limb, so it was more like she was reaching over and brushing snow off his shoulder.

“Yer a good kid, Videl. Got a lotta heart in ya. Don’t let other people crush your bravery.”

Then she continued her trek towards the nearest healer, boots stomping through the thick snow.

A soft, dopey smile would overtake the T'saya's cheeks at Ak'ka's words. The fact that she had held some kind of appreciation for him, and had wanted to encounter him again in the future, was something that he had greatly appreciated. There weren't many that he could actively call his friend at the moment. Even well into the future, the amount of people that could hold such a title were few and far between. Videl might not know it yet but this was something that he would hold onto for quite some time. Something that would empower him in the darkest of his moments.

He would find himself nodding as her words would continue. Her request, or demand, to not let others crush his bravery would stick around with him for sure. "Much like all of the events today.. I'll be sure to keep all of this in mind. Still.." Although it had hurt to do so, Videl would lean forward a bit and rest his chest upon the back of the half orcs head. It was an act that some might consider to be rude but that wasn't something that the T'saya would have realized. "..I really appreciate everything that you've done for me. I'd honestly.. I'd be real lucky to count you as my friend.." Aside from the short breaths that he would have to take between each of his sentences, Videl's pauses weren't intentional. If it wasn't for the injuries that he had sustained, Videl was certain that he would have expressed his admiration of Ak'ka to herself all the more.

Thankfully, for Videl, their trek to find a healer would come to an end sooner rather than later. While it might have taken some time for the pair to traverse here, the time itself had passed by much before Videl had really even noticed. For all intents and purposes, the injured pair had found themselves not too far off from a gathering of the Bjorn people. "..we can head in.. whenever you'd prefer. Or, if you would like, I can try and head in.. on my own. Whatever you feel.. the safest with." While he might not come out and admit it, Videl had understood that there were those that might not quite enjoy having Ak'ka around. Her people had caused quite a bit of trouble for those of the tribes after all.

Ak’ka couldn’t see the Snowball’s smile as she walked - but his silence had to be a good thing, she figured. She wasn’t good at knowin’ how to help when it was needed. But if someone as monstrous as her could ease his hurts then maybe she wasn’t doin’ all bad.

Took a long time for Videl to speak - kid seemed real careful about pickin’ his words before he said ‘em, a reservation Ak’ka lacked. Still. It was real nice to know that he was takin’ what she said to heart. As blunt as she was it was hard to find words that mattered when softness was needed. But she meant it all - her kin were bloody. Any other tribesman woulda run screamin’ for the hills. Some had even gone to members of the W.E.F claimin’ to see a monster.

Meant a lot, to be treated just like a person.

She opened her mouth to protest the kid wrigglin’ around on her back, ‘til she felt Videl settle his chest against the back of her skull. The position was probably more comfortable for him, she reckoned. Felt a bit like a piggyback ride. She smirked to herself as she slowed her pace just a bit, to keep from jostlin’ him. “‘Course. Friends. I ain’t got many of those, ya know.” It probably meant more than Videl realized. As fiercely as they hated, though, orc-kin also cared with equal intensity. Loyalty that burned. “You ever need me, you just call on the Bonegrinder, and I’ll come runnin’, got that?”

That was all she knew how to offer. Care through violence. The strong had to protect the weak. Videl was no pushover, but he was still learnin’. The snowball before the avalanche. Least she could do for him was to watch over him as best she could ‘til he was strong enough to do so himself. Especially if he was gonna be out in the world, lookin’ for answers as to what he was.

Ak’ka frowned.

She knew shit about this Midwinter Child blessing, but the cold was one thing in common. Maybe she should ask around, see if there was anything like it in the Pale City. At least she could keep an ear to the ground for anything similar.

She was still troublin’ over the kid’s predicament when they finally found the Bjorn camp. When they saw plumes of smoke and the telltale tops of tents in the distance, Videl mustered the energy to speak again. Ak’ka felt a bit of her ice-capped heart at his words. “You don’t gotta worry about me.” She promised. It was true she didn’t always like dealing with others, but what were they gonna do if they didn’t like her? Attack her? The thought woulda made her laugh if she weren’t still worried about the kid on her back. “I ain’t bothered by them. If they got somethin’ to say, they can say it to my face. I’ve got more important things to deal with.”

She gave a second’s thought to the fact that the Bjorn folks might not look too kindly at Videl for bein’ wirh brutal orc-kin, but that was a problem they could deal with later. Gettin’ him treatment was more important, and if anyone looked at him funny she’d just deal with them, too.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Without offerin’ any more argument, she stomped his ass straight to the healer, and wouldn’t even consider lettin’ Videl pay for the fees. The tribe healer near about shit himself when he saw the ten foot woman outside his tent with an injured kid, and for a minute, Ak’ka thought she was gonna be attacked, after all. But he only beckoned them in, and pointed to the cot for Ak’ka to put Videl in. He warmed up considerably when she gave him a pretty damn generous offering in a coin purse and growled, “Patch him up, whatever ya gotta do.”

Hey. It got results. Didn’t take long for the mage to press his hands to Videl’s arm, enveloping him in a soft light, and the bruises and broken bones from Ak’ka’s wounds began to heal.

An imperceptible nod would be offered to the half orc as she continued to speak on about how little friends she had had. The same could be said about Videl, if he were being honest with himself. At this point in time, there was really only one other that he had gone as far as to consider a friend. Someone that his feelings would continue to feel muddled for at best. Whether he enjoyed her more than the average person, he honestly couldn't tell. But to Videl? These two people were the closest to him. Closer than anyone from either his family or his tribe.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mama Ak'ka." While he couldn't help but tease her for the way that she had treated him, it could certainly be said that this was the closest maternal relationship that he had. Given how his own mother had barely showed affection for him, at the behest of his father, the current predicament that he had found himself in had truly left the T'saya feeling as though Ak'ka was a decent enough substitute. Even going as far as to say that he could learn just about anything that he set his mind to. This was something that his mother had never told him. Thus far, the only people that seemed to have faith in him were this half orc beneath him and the vampiress that he met with previously.

Thankfully, once the pair had arrived outside of the Bjorn encampment, Ak'ka had gone to show that she wasn't afraid of those within. Even if they were to stir up trouble, she was likely capable of taking care of it on her own. And if she wasn't? Despite his injuries, Videl was more than willing to work alongside her to smooth things out. If it came to a fight than he would fight by her side. And if he just had to find a way to calm everyone down with his words? He would throw his all into doing so.

It wouldn't quite come to all of this though. While some of the Bjorn might have held hostile thoughts towards the pair, they hadn't gone out of their way to cause the two any sort of trouble. Once Ak'ka had presented them with coin, this had lightened the air a bit as well. Not too much longer after the exchange of coin had been made, Videl would find himself splayed out onto a cot nearby. And in that next instant? He would watch as a warm light had enveloped his body, coating him in a layer of healing magic that would patch up even the deepest of his wounds. Despite this warmth, however, Videl had still remained as chilly as ever.

His flesh and bones would stich back into place before the spell would come to an end, leaving Videl feeling much refreshed. This was a sensation that he wasn't all that used to but he had at the very least appreciated what the Bjorn healer and Ak'ka had done for him. In order to show this thanks, Videl would raise himself up off of the cot before taking a deep bow before the two. After a moment of this, Videl would rush up to Ak'ka and pull her wait into an embrace. It might not have felt as awkward if he had been any taller but.. When compared to Ak'ka's own size, Videl's head was just shy of the top of her waist. It was more akin to him hugging her lugs.

"I appreciate everything that you've done for me.. I'll be sure to call upon you in the future.." While he wouldn't show it, his face currently buried into the cloth that wrapped around her waist, Videl's cheeks had burned a bright red. He was especially thankful for the wisdom that Ak'ka had imparted upon him, in addition to the assistance that she had just given him. All in all, this encounter was one that he would remember long into the future. Once he grew stronger, he would have to come back and show her everything that he had accomplished. "I'm thinking of heading into the Pale City for a bit.. You're free to come along if you wish but otherwise.. I promise to come visit sometime in the future."

Didn’t take long for Videl to get patched up. Ak’ka kept an eagle’s eye on him the entire time, wary of the caster treatin’ his wounds. Weren’t nothing personal, but she came from a place were magic was revered at best and distrusted at worst. Folks in the mountain didn’t always understand it - until she pulled herself from the ice, she hadn’t had any to her name at all.

Didn’t mean she hated folks who had it, but old wounds lingered, like frostbite.

Ak’ka figured it meant she was worried about the little snowball. He was a magic user, too, but in the same way as her. Born, or reborn cold, with the ancient energy of the frozen tundra in their veins. And he was a good kid… so the natural instinct to make sure he was safe was a weird one. She ground her jaw, didn’t relax until the moment his cracked ribs were fixed and he could stand without pain again. At ten feet tall Ak’ka couldn’t fully stand in the healer’s tent, but the muscles in her shoulder relaxed, a toothy grin on her face.

“Not too shabby lookin’ there, eh, Snowball? Doc patched ya up real good-”

She was cut off by the feelin’ of something fierce throwin’ itself around her torso for dear life and not letting go. She was being hugged. He was huggin’ her. She froze, unable to move. Wasn’t sure what to do here… rough fists and murder was more her style. Wasn’t sure how to hug folks. Still, she wrapped her arms around him, careful not to break his spine - and as he thanked her with a warm embrace Ak’ka tried to remember the last time she was ever hugged.

Even though his body was cold, she still felt warm.

The hug was a bit awkward, probably because she was twice his height and pretty fuckin’ big. She didn’t make any move to pull away, even when he started to speak, voice muffled by the fabric of her clothes. She shifted her arm and patted him on the back, gentle as if she was holdin’ a little glass bird. “Good. You just say the word and I ain’t far behind the echo.” Most merc groups in the northern part of Charon knew of the Bonegrinder, and when they learned who was under her care they usually didn’t fuck with those she cared about. Sometimes havin’ a fearsome reputation made things easy to keep an eye on the few folks she cared about.

And if Videl ever needed her help, or another spar, she’d come runnin’.

“I’m goin’ south.” She grunted. She’d just left Pale City, movin’ wherever the wind took her. Supposedly there were rumors of dangerous monsters in the south, and they were only gettin’ more bloodthirsty. “Unless ya want me to escort ya to town before I head off…” She wouldn’t mind takin’ a detour if he asked, “This might be where we part ways until next time.”