An Orc’s Life, Part 12: The Fellowship of the Verse Part II

Below is my narration for this entry.

Not wanting to keep Ghorbash and Jenassa waiting any longer than I have to, I hurriedly throw on my armor, and eat my breakfast as I’m walking out of the Bannered Mare. I bump into the door frame on my way out on account of my eyes still being half shut from having just woken up. Once outside, the brisk air succeeds in opening my eyes the rest of the way, and my mental fog rolls away as well. I can’t believe this day has finally come.

I find Ghorbash and Jenassa still loading gear when I make it down to the stable where I left Karinda. I silently pitch in as I warm myself up from Jenassa’s fiery gaze. How her eye sockets don’t catch ablaze is no small wonder. I avoid looking in her direction anymore, and instead, make small talk with Ghorbash till the last strap is in place.

“Well, I hope you enjoyed your beauty sleep. We’re getting off to a late start, and won’t be able to reach Dead men’s respite tonight.” I guess Jenassa was lulling me into a false sense of security, not chastising me till now, when we’re about to leave. I’m not going to let her ornery demeanor ruin this moment. Ever since Viarmo assigned this task to me ages ago, I didn’t know how I was going to feel when the time came for me to actually do it, or even if I would do it. Well, the time has come, and I feel anxious, nervous, scared, but positively thrilled all at the same time. I’m ready.

Not your typical road trip.

A moment like this deserves an offering from a bard, or at least a prospective bard. While we travel, I think I’ll try and come up with something to commemorate this moment. I lead Karinda out, and we are on our way.

My mind is being flooded with waves of different emotions, but I can’t help but laugh at this very bizarre and motley traveling party I have assembled. I feel that if a wayward traveler were to observe this odd procession, he might honestly believe it a coincidence that these three people, plus a dog, were all headed in the same direction, and not a cohesive unit. And hey, I wouldn’t blame him.

There’s Meeko, my lovable, if not a little dim-witted, dog.

You have my bark.

Ghorbash, the proud Orcish warrior, who literally can’t have a thought without expressing it out loud.

And you have my ability to sabotage social interactions.

And Jenassa – a Dark Elf mercenary who I’m sure would much rather kill me than protect me.

And my indifference whether you live or die because I’ve already been paid.

Yep, we’re a pretty diverse bunch, but I’m thankful for all the help I can get. And maybe by the end of this, we can all call each other friends. I think I’d like that.

Four companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Verse.

Of course, maybe I should stay focused on one thing at a time, namely surviving. While I was busy musing, I didn’t happen to notice a rather gruff looking Argonian fellow sneak up on me. He demands gold, which I do happen to have plenty of, but on principle alone, I refuse to give him any. I tell him I don’t have the amount he is seeking, which was the wrong answer I guess, because he takes out his dagger and moves to attack me.

His name is Steals-a-lot.

Everything happened so fast, that I was completely caught off guard, and not prepared at all to defend myself. I throw up my arms to try and block the dagger strike, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I hear a whistle of wind by my ear, followed by a dull thud. I put down my arms and see that the would-be thief is laying dead on the ground with an arrow protruding from his right eye. I turn around to see Jenassa calmly putting her bow away.

“Wretched people, thieves. Can’t make money themselves unless they steal it from helpless travelers.” Jenassa continues walking, passing me where I’m still standing. Ghorbash comes up to me, puts a hand on my shoulder, and says, “I think she just called you helpless, mate,” and follows behind Jenassa, chuckling to himself.

“I’m not,” I shout to Ghorbash’s back. “I’m not helpless! I was just taken by surprise, that’s all!” Without turning around, Ghorbash lifts an arm, and makes a downward waving motion, as if dismissing me. Alright, Ghorbash, see if I put you into any of my ballads. Come on, Meeko, let’s catch up. At least you’re not judging me, right boy? Hey, why’d you look away!?

My apologies for the very short post. Instead of taking more time to add to this post to make it longer, I thought I’d end it here just so I could say I posted something. I may actually start doing shorter posts like this in order to post more regular content. So, if I find a spot in my writing that feels like a natural ending, like this post, I might just post that bit instead. Hope no one cares too much.

Also, if you’re an author, and you have not contributed to my post about Writing Process, and you would like to, I’m still planning on turning it into a page of its own that people can reference whenever they need inspiration or insight.

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