By the council area at the outskirts of the settlement, I stood alone, watching as the precession of monsters came my way. There were a few familiar faces, but most were strangers. And those strangers specifically, were decently strong in their own right, yet I did worry about them at all. They were strong for what they were, but nothing more.

 

It was Ruela and Frenn, the two warchiefs who had welcomed in a friendship between all three of our clans with open arms. They were leading the group along with another figure who clearly had taken the lead. One huge female orc with an equally as large massive bow strapped her back, one that looked more like the bow-equivalent of an artillery ballista in size alone.

 

What really caught my attention was the fact that the bow was clearly made of bone, the very same bone that the Warlord Tol'zeroth's cleaver had been made of. From what I knew, the signifier of a Warlord in the lowlands was not just the power they wielded, but the keepsakes that certified their titles - weapons made of an ancient beast that had apparently fallen in the lowlands.

 

Greyish brown of skin, with distinctively tribal markings running the length of her tall body, from bottom to her long locks of braided hair that bordered on being dreadlocks. She looked very much the image of what you would imagine the archer of a tribe of savage jungle orcs would look like. She looked ferocious, yet the poise in her step bled through to reveal her status to be of high status. The highest of statuses.

 

This was without a doubt, Warlord Mordrenn.

 

-Codex!-

 

Ruler of the western lowlands, and lord over all the warchiefs who reside within her territory. She didn't even put up any defenses to my divination, a clear sign of either peaceful intentions or those of intimidation. But in comparison to Tol'zeroth, she wasn't all the powerful, so I was leaning towards the former. Sure, she'd be able to go toe-to-toe with the tyrant, but it was obvious who would come out on top. No wonder she had been losing the war. Yet, I had to give credit where credit was due, since she had still been putting up quite the fight, and the war hadn't been foreseen to end within the decade, probably continuing multiple years beyond that if they fought to the last man.

 

I had my answer as to how she had been able to beat back the other warlord by simply looking at the others figures following along. Each one almost as powerful as her, she obviously drew strength from allies rather than personal might. In stark contrast to Tol'zeroth. His followers hadn't even been close to his own ability, and none of them was even a match for a single one of Mordrenn's followers present here. Or at least, that was from what my brief gauging of each individual told me.

As they closed the distance, silence filled the space between us until Frenn's large form came suddenly rushing in my direction.

 

"Bwah! You're alive!" She bellowed, swooping me up into a crushing bear hug.

 

Of course, she couldn't actually hurt me, but she definitely put nearly all of her considerable orcish strength into this embrace. It reminded me all too much of one other bonehead.

 

"Ruela, Frenn," I laughed as I was placed down. "It's good to see you both whole. Or at least, it seems like Frenn you're healing well."

 

I looked the large orcish woman up and down, noting several new scars and wounds that had yet to fully mend.

 

"We wouldn't kick the bucket so easily," Ruela said, with a smile, the reddish tint of her skin an obvious indication of my blood having done work to change her physique and power.

 

-Codex!-

 

I had to say she had become considerably stronger than her previous self. 

 

"It's good to see you, Xavier. We had been worried after we had to retreat the clan back to defensible borders." She explained.

 

"Where's Bob?" Frenn asked excitedly, hopping in between me and Ruela and looking all around the settlement at my back with hawk eyes.

 

Giving Ruela a wry smile, I leaned in conspiratorially to Frenn. "He's hiding by the town hall, you won't miss him, he's grown quite a bit bigger," I whispered.

 

An almost predatory look taking over Frenn as she ran off to chase down her poor prey.

 

"She really has become enamored with him. Don't think I've seen her this intense before," Ruela said.

 

"It definitely does seem that way. I doubt he will have a say in the matter, though I kind of think he likes it like that..."

 

Reula fell into a burst of short laughter.

 

"I believe so..." She trailed off.

 

When Ruela suddenly realized the presence of Mordrenn to her side, she turned a shade even redder, having completely forgotten about her Warlord in our greetings.

 

"I-uh, ahem - Warlord, this is Lord Xavier. Xavier, this is Warlord Mordrenn," She said, stumbling over her words a bit.

 

Mordrenn merely gave Reula a look with a raised brow that bordered on amusement and curiosity before turning to me.

 

"Warlord Mordrenn, I've heard many things about you,"

 

"I wish I could say the same for you, but it would appear that beside Frenn and Ruela here, no one else knows of you."

 

"Who exactly are you, and what are you doing in the lowlands?"

 

She was straight to the point alright. But I ignored her as I turned on my heels and headed for the settlement.

 

"Come, I'll have some food, quarters, and beds arranged for you. We have some things to talk about I imagine," I called out without looking back.

 

"How dare you ignore the Warlord when she asks you a question!" One of the large orcs bellowed as he stepped towards, the other followers right behind him, all sharing the same glare pointed at my back.

 

But before the big orc could do anything, Mordrenn's hand was pushing back on him.

 

"Erak - behave. We are guests here." She said calmly.

 

"But this is your land - My Warlord! He isn't even greenskin," He protested.

 

Giving him a stare that looked to completely deflate the big monster, Mordrenn gave him a light pat on the cheek. "I said, behave,"

 

Turning slightly to glance at their precession, I said. "Let's get you all settled in first. We'll talk later. I'll have my trusted aide show you around the place as I have some things I think you'll find interesting."