Ogre Tales: Chapter 3

   Dinner was quite successful, all ate to their fill; joyous stories were shared, and the mood was high. Roasted boar packed with herbs and vegetables, rum, and baked breads covered the table while these three families enjoyed each others company. When the evening had calmed, the room lit by a single flame, Jinn knew he had to break the news to them all, to prepare them for next mission sent from Kord.
   "I hate to bring the mood down," Jinn spoke as he stood, "Kuhma knows already what I am speaking of. This morning I received a vision from Kord, one that had been interrupted by your arrival." He motions towards his parents and Urga, then continues, "In this vision I experienced agonizing pain, but more importantly I saw the vision of green scaled dragon. It is my belief that this dragon was the source of this pain, a pain that shall be experienced by many if it is not stopped, and that we four are being guided by Kord to end this threat."
   All who listened showed degrees of concern, save for Mak and Torg who showed a small level of anticipation. Kuhma's mother looked to her son with an expression that seemed to beg him not to leave, but she looked away with a sigh and spoke, "You just be sure to get back here safely, I don't want to see you, any of you, be buried. None of us should have to outlive you boys."
   Helen reached across the table, patting Kuhma's mother and spoke just after, "Maria's right, but we know you're going to come back. You always do, and with Kord guiding you through I'm positive that you're going to be fine. Isn't that right, honey?"
   Knocking his hand carefully against the table, causing it to shudder beneath his hand, Gorn spoke slowly, "Son and friends make dragon hurt, dragon no hurt friends and son." Jinn chuckled lightly, the way his father stated things never failed to bring him into a happier state of mind. When seeing Jinn's elevated mood, the rest of them seem to lighten up as well. Confidence was filling the air, and while it was visible that there was concern, the evening was not soured by this news.
   The evening ended soon after, allowing for one last round of drinks before everyone else but Jinn's family went home. Jinn took a moment outside to make some decisions, his mind drifting between one last night of peace or diving directly into his prayers at the church. Staring into the night sky, seeing the stars dotting it, and suddenly feeling tipsy, Jinn chose to stay home. He carefully walked back inside, gave his mother and father a hug then made his way upstairs to his bedroom.
   His room held a small altar to Kord, the stand that held his armor and weapons, a bed, and a large desk. The space was cramped, but this was more due to the size of all the furniture than room dimensions. Jinn was quick to disrobe and enter his bed, his eyes felt like they were swimming in the darkness, and it wouldn't take long before he fell to sleep.
   Jinn's dreams were filled with dread; visions of undead shambling, vast quantities of gold, and so much that confused Jinn. In order to find guidance, Jinn began to pray in his dream, but shortly he found himself in the grip of the dragon's jaw. Pain shot through his body, enough to wake him from his sleep to feel the sweat coating his body, the low moon shined into his window. With some effort Jinn was able to return to sleep and finish the night without another dream.
   When morning came Jinn was early to rise, his mother and father hadn't gotten up from their bed yet. Not wishing to wait, Jinn made his exit and started towards the church to begin his contemplations for the day. The streets were empty besides a very small number of people, all of them were making their way to the church as well.
   Father Jackson stood at the shrine preparing for the services while the people coming in took up seats in the pews. Jinn walked through the center of the church to stand beside Father Jackson, speaking as he came up to him, "Father, I come to inform you that I shall be missing today's services. I'll be in contemplation."
   "Of course, Kord's blessings upon you my son." They give each other a handshake before Jinn exits to the right. There, tucked in the corner, Jinn enters a smaller shrine. Shelves line the walls of this room and carry figures, weapons, candles, incenses, as well as scrolls. So familiar to him at this point Jinn felt more at home in this shrine than he would in his own room.
   Kuhma, Mak, and Torg had entered the church shortly after Jinn tucked himself away, the three took up seats and listened to Father Jackson's sermon. Praised were the values of strength, honesty, and courage through stories of hard won glory. Once the services were completed and other people gone, Mak and Torg began to pray at the altar while Kuhma went to speak with Father Jackson regarding the visions that Jinn had.
   "Father, good services today, mind if I speak with you?" Kuhma asked, to which Jackson motioned for him to come sit in front of his desk. Kuhma's expression was grim as he spoke, "Did Jinn tell you of the visions he received yesterday?"
   Father Jackson shook his head, "I heard nothing. He only came in this morning, told me that he would be in contemplation, and has been in there ever since. What is going on?"
   "I expected as much from him, but that's okay. Jinn had an extreme vision yesterday, it involved physical pain and the sight of some sort of green dragon. None of us know anything about dragons, and Jinn is going to be in that room for a good while, I just wanted to get your thoughts on this and maybe learn something if you know about dragons." Kuhma leaned forward a bit in his seat, eager to see what would be said.
   "Ahh, from my own days of exploration I did learn some about dragons. I do know that green dragons are similar to black dragons, which black dragons are known for making lands toxic for people to live in, and spewing liquid that burns flesh. The men I traveled with and I managed to take down one black dragon, but it certainly wasn't an easy task." With a slight groan Father Jackson stood, Kuhma did the same. Father Jackson walked around the table to pat Kuhma on the shoulder before continuing, "If Kord is directing you to slay a dragon, you four shall have a long journey ahead of you. I know with certainty that you are not up to the task, but Kord will guide you in a method that shall grant you the strength."
   Kuhma was slightly dumbstruck by this, almost all of them were stronger than any human, but they needed to become stronger? He didn't question it long, instead he accepted the guidance and smiled while stating, "Thanks Father, I'm gonna go train with Torg and Mak." With a short farewell from Father Jackson, Kuhma returned to the main room of the church. There he saw the brothers already in a brawl, Torg would reach, grasp, and take large steps while Mak slipped between his arms and around Torg's legs.
   Mak was attacking Torg with some hard hits to wear his larger brother out before finally getting behind and putting Torg into a sleeper hold. Torg attempted to pull Mak's arms from around his neck but had gotten too tired in the match, he had to tap out. With an excited reaction, Mak released his brother, "I'm finally starting to win more matches against you, huh big bro? You might be able to move boulders, but you're getting slower."
   "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you sure are getting good at this. Just wait until I grab you next time, you won't be so cocky then." Torg went and sat against the wall, then Kuhma stood and removed his coat. Kuhma began to flex, giving his muscles a quick warmup before he entered the circle at the center of the church.
   Mak grinned when Kuhma entered, "Sure you want to wrestle? I got Torg over there to tap out, bet I could get you in less than a minute."
   "Torg's too bulky, he gets tired faster, while I don't get tired that quick. I'm tougher than you," says Kuhma while taking up a stance, "Your squirming around won't take me out." The two wouldn't wait long before starting their match. Mak and Kuhma rarely wrestled, but it was always a defeat for Mak when they did. This time was no exception, Mak attempted to out manuever Kuhma but the tactics he used on Torg proved fruitless. Eventually Kuhma managed to get a hold of Mak into a solid pin which caused Mak to tap out this time.
   The three decided to dress and return home, all of them did work for their families to pass the time. They all knew that Jinn would take at least three or four days to come to a full decision regarding the vision, and so on the third day they kept themselves ready to adventure on short notice. Jinn only returned home for dinner and rest during his days of contemplation.
   The dreams he had became progressively clearer, he would find himself traveling through frozen lands and coming to battle with a horde of undead monsters. Each night the path became better understood, and each day he was able to further comprehend the meaning of his dreams. Tandem to this, he came to know the threat this dragon posed by the continued agony placed upon him through his dreams and visions.
   On the sixth day, Jinn finally knew the purpose and path that was laid at his feet. Jinn extinguished the incense and candles around the room before exiting and making his announcement, "I have seen where our next journey shall take us, follow me and I shall explain in further detail." Torg had to lower his brother Mak from being lifted above his head due to having caught hold during their spar, but it took very little time before they were able to leave and start on their way to Jinn's home.
   "To the East should be a mountain pass. It had previously been a trading route, but since an infestation of undead took hold of one end of the pass there has been no safe passage for many years." Jinn spoke with certainty in the matter, it was a tone that was very familiar to the other half ogres. The four turned a corner and were not far from Jinn's home now, "Kord wishes us to go through and cleanse this pass of the evil that chokes it, but our true goal lies beyond in the other lands. I'm still unsure how far we shall be traveling, but it is in the lands beyond that the dragon waits for us."
   As they entered Jinn's home, the four bid a good morning to Helen. Jinn relayed the details to his mother, and she wished them all good luck and sharing a hug for each. Torg, Mak, and Kuhma then returned to their respective homes to say farewell to their own parents while Jinn donned his gear. Following his preparations, Jinn waited for the brothers outside of his home, it was there that they would rendezvous before making the walk towards Kuhma's home to pick him up.
   Gathering the gold they had from the previous mission, they hit the markets and purchased for themselves some warmer clothing to make the journey more tolerable. They were also sure to gather more rations and water, and with this they felt confident in their preparations for this expedition to the east. All four of them were too large to ride horses, but they were also sturdy on their own, able to travel long distances with ease.
   For six days they traveled eastwards, and each day the cold became stronger. By the fifth night, snow began to fall during the early morning hours, pushing the four to greater limits in these wastelands that lacked proper burning materials. It was a great boon when they finally reached a large city, a large trading post between Dwarven and Human lands, surrounded on many sides by mountains and the beginnings of a fair forest.
   This was the Kingdom of Verland, whose current ruler was King Ceral, founded many generations ago as an outpost of a nation. When that nation's capital fell, they relocated here and on a successful defense from the continued attack they chose to make this their new head of state.
   As the four half-ogres approached, the guardsmen at the gates took a defensive stance and called out, "Halt! By the authority of King Ceral, we shall not allow malevolent creatures to pass into our city!" The four immediately held their arms up as a sign of peace, causing some confusion from the guards. Kuhma took a few steps forward, stopping just within range to make speaking a little easier.
   "I assure you that we are wholly of good intent, we come from a village to the west named Karnos. We have been raised there since birth, we are all followers of Kord, and as his followers we serve as protectors of the weak." Kuhma spoke in a peaceful tone, this was visibly changing the attitude of the guards. Kuhma continued, "If you need us to, we will let you cell us in your prison while you send messengers to Karnos. Just make sure you don't forget to free us when you know we aren't evil, okay?"
   With a shocked look, the guards stepped away and the nearest one spoke, "Uhh. Sorry about that, didn't realize that some of your kind could actually be nice. Some ogres wander in now and again and try to start a problem." There is a definite expression of confusion and relief on their faces, but once returned to their posts they would stand very combat ready.
   The four begin to walk into the city, Jinn speaking to Mak as they do, "It seems that not all ogres have adopted the plan for peace and prosperity. It shall take many generations, but I believe that there is true potential for a worldwide shift in the cultures of our ancestry."
   Mak grinned and nodded, "Got that right, but there's a lotta people out there. After we finish this job, we're gonna have to actually work on spreading the idea among ogres and humans, think you're gonna be able to walk outside the church long enough to handle that?" Mak grinned, showing that he was teasing Jinn, but he still received a flick from Torg which caused him to groan in pain.
   Jinn smiled, both at the poor humor and at Torg's punishment for it. He would then continue, "If it is Kord's will, I shall spend the rest of my life without stepping foot into a single one of his temples. For now, I remain contemplative on his plans for how I must use my time on this world."
   The interior of the city was very well developed; with stone walkways, brick buildings, and most of those walking the streets wore fancy clothing. Most obvious about this city was the great variety of races doing trade here, from the many smaller races, to the races whose heights even came close to the height of the four half-ogres. While there were some obvious looks of disapproval, none of the people here were becoming more forward regarding such distaste.
   Passing by three inns, a blacksmith, and horse stables, the four stopped before what appeared to be a library. Jinn spotted rows of stocked bookshelves through the windows and motioned for them all to head inside. The door to this building glided open with surprising ease, given its size, but the bell inside alerted the owner of the establishment to their entry. From behind a counter popped a small woman's head, her hair a large curly mess of black where only the pointed tips of her ears came through.
   She eyed the four and began coming around, revealing that she was a halfling woman that stood just shy of three feet. The small woman wore a brown and Burgundy dress, with a small black cloak around her shoulders. In a hurried tone she spoke, "I guess you are here for some magic spell, right? Follow me upstairs and don't any of you knuckleheads knock over my books. You do, and I'll be sure to give you a lesson on magic you won't soon forget." As she spoke, she moved her hands about, calling them forward towards a set of stairs.
   Jinn cleared his throat, "Forgive us, I had presumed this to be a library. We came to research a matter that we are currently stuck in, we'll go find what we were looking for."
   The woman's eyes seemed to pop when Jinn spoke intelligibly, "Oh, you aren't all idiots. Most of you Orc types are dumber than a sack of bricks. If you want to read a book you're welcome to do so, just remember where you got it, put it back, and don't knock over the shelves."
   Mak started to giggle a bit, whispering to Torg, "This lady is pretty funny," and kept his smile before continuing loudly, "Actually, we aren't Orcs. We're half-ogre and half-human."
   Staring for a moment as her face twisted into minor confusion, then she retorted, "Whatever, you all look like big green morons. I'll be sure to not remember that though, I have more important things to focus on." With a bit of a huff she returned to her place behind the counter, she could be heard mumbling to herself, but it was impossible to understand from the distance.
   Each of the four looked to one another, taking a moment to judge the situation before shrugging and accepting that she had a point. Jinn turned and stepped towards the counter, "Forgive the continued distraction, but I do not know your library so well as to identify the tome I should begin with. Can you show us where I might be able to research dragons, most specifically a green one?"
   Her head popped up once more, this time with a wide smile, "Dragons you say? Those, I like to talk about. I can tell you all sorts of things about green dragons, or most any type of dragon, so what do you want to know?"
   Jinn quickly replied, "What are their combat capabilities, and why my god has sent me to track one down?"
   "Oh, you're one of those priests, huh? Never understood why you folks had to go around asking to use magic, there's plenty enough to go around without that." She rolled her eyes before speaking louder, "Anyway, green dragons are real tough suckers, they'll cover you in acid and laugh in your faces while your skin melts off. As for the god thing, they tend to stick their snouts in the affairs of anything that they can charm, which means it's usually a human. They like to make other people go around and gather treasure for their hoards, but I like to think they also have fun making people do everything they ask, I know I would."
   The small woman strolled around the counter while speaking to them, she had started walking over to one of the further bookcases while the group followed. She looked up, then turned around and pointed towards Torg, "You, stick your hand here." As she commanded, she pointed behind her, to which Torg followed the order. With a plop, she sat down and further ordered, "Straight up, I got just the book for you boys."
   Lifting her, then lowering her once the book was retrieved, Torg was surprised at how light the woman was. Once down she hopped off, strolled over and handed Jinn the book. Jinn examined it for a moment before speaking, "Thank you, what exactly is in this book?"
   Sighing and rubbing her forehead, "Dragons, and how to protect yourselves from them. Aren't you priest types supposed to be all wise? Can't you gather the slightest bit of information based on simple conversational context?" She then shook her head, "You know what, just forget it. Go play with your dragon, the book returns in one month. If you need more books, or want some magic spells just come back. The name is Toni, by the way."
   Kuhma then piped in, "We might not be here in a month, what if we can't bring it back right then?"
   Toni's patience was visibly running thin, "The book. Returns. In a month. You don't have any say in the matter, it's a damn spell. Just get out you morons, come back if you need something, I have things to do!"
   The four jumped a little. Mak decided he had best drop a few gold coins on the counter before the group made their way out of the shop. Once outside, they all heaved a sigh of relief, and decided their next stop would be to find a meal and place to sleep. This lead them back on the path they had already taken through the city, into one of the inns.
   Inside they found the environment to be  dark, while smoke filled the high altitude their heads were situated in. Each of the four ducked slightly while making their way to the bar, the barman looking nearly as hulking as the four of them, minus a couple of feet. He had grayed skin, and one jutting tooth, he nearly spat as he spoke, "Whaddya want t' drink an' eat?"
   Kuhma responded, "Yes, I am sure we could all use with some good steak, and perhaps some rum?"
   With a snort, the man retorted, "We got mead an' beer, whaddya want?" He didn't wait for the response before shouting something the group didn't understand, a return shout could be heard from the back room.
   "Beer it is, sir," replied Kuhma. They were each given a glass and motioned to sit at one end of the bar while being ordered to pay seven gold each. The seating was awkward, so they all opted to stand in place, leaning against the bar while they kept under the smoke layer. Once served, they discovered that while the meat looked appealing, it had hardly been cooked and was nearing a questionable taste. Hunger and the desire to have something besides rations goaded them into finishing the meal.
   With their stomachs full, and thirst quenched, they left this inn and sought out a better place to spend their evening. The search took them to a previously unseen inn, one that was much less active, and had a far smaller entry area. It appeared that this place only served as a place to sleep, with no bar or dining area in sight. Behind the desk sat an old man, he had a balding head and a pointed white beard.
   Kuhma walked up and spoke to the man, "Hello, good sir, we four would like to rent a room for the evening. What might the cost be for each of us?"
   Without opening his eyes, the man smacked his lips while replying, "I reckon it'll be a gold for you."
   Kuhma looked at the other three before turning back, "One gold each it is, you wouldn't happen to have rooms with beds large enough to fit us?"
   This time the man wearily opened his eyes and looked at the four before he smiled wide, "Nope, but at least it's just your leg's that'll be hanging off. Each room has a big wide bed, suitable for two regular folks. Want some keys?" As he asked, he had stood and shuffled over to the wall behind him, grabbing four keys and made his way back.
   Kuhma agreed to the deal, dropped four gold coins on the counter and they all made their way to their rooms to get some rest. Jinn had stayed up for a while longer than the others, reading his way through the book he had been given, learning what he could about dragons. All he was able to get through was the first chapter that detailed the general growth cycles of the many races, and following that he sat down to have a prayer before laying down for the day.
   Jinn's dream had him deep in prayer, nearly oblivious to the world around him. He saw the people moving around him, but his body was locked so tight in contemplation that he could hardly react. This was until the dragon he had come to know entered his vision, this causing him to spring to his feet, only to find that all his weapons and armors were gone. A stream of yellow fluid shot out of the dragon's mouth, coating Jinn and causing him agony. This caused him to wake in a sweat.
   To Jinn's surprise, there was a heavy pounding on the door to his room. Following this he could hear shouts muffled down the hall, and a louder one immediately behind his own door, "By decree of King Ceral, we have come to bring you to audience before his Majesty." Jinn answered the door, nodding to them and explaining how he would dress himself and make himself more presentable.
   Each of the four dressed to be fully presentable, donning their armor but keeping their weapons packed tightly to show a lack of hostility. They would then be gathered and lead out of the building, guided towards the nearby castle. It was dark outside, indicating that they had only slept about four hours, but the moon hadn't yet risen.
   Once in the castle courtyard, an argument can be heard up ahead. A woman is seen shouting towards a pale man, "You know nothing about trade! After my father's passing, I spent my life rebuilding my family from nothing, nobody can say I have no head for business! These concession you propose would only damage our trade with other, more stable, countries. What makes you qualified to advise the king in this?"
   Near the pale man stands a muscular man, obviously a bodyguard. With a smile, the pale man speaks, "My dear, I'm qualified in many areas. You've opposed me before in these matters, and it always turns out the same. It seems the king if just more interested in progressive politics, rather than sticking to your stale practices."
   By the end of the pale man's response, the four half ogres were already inside the building, leaving them out of earshot. After being brought inside, the group was ushered into a large central hallway and made to wait there for nearly twenty minutes. The floor was made of fine stone, the center of it covered with a blue carpet, and the door to the next room being a set of large wooden doors.
   Finally the order came through to bring them in and the door was opened. Without a hint of violence, they were beckoned into the king's courtroom, where he and his advisers sat. King Ceral was a rugged looking man, his face almost holding an angry expression as I sat forward, his wavy brown hair going passed his shoulders. Ceral's inner circle had several military advisers, and a large number of noble looking men and women, included in which were the woman and man who had been seen arguing.
   In a loud voice, the king addressed the group, "I heard from my town guard that we had a group of non-combative ogres strolling about our streets. Pray tell, why would an ogre, let alone four, come to my city and just peacefully walk around?"
   Kuhma spoke out, "We walk around peacefully because that is who we are, we do good deeds, your Majesty. We're half-ogres from the town of Karnos, I think that our towns are on good terms, right?"
   King Ceral sat back and stroked his chin, "We do, but remember that this is a kingdom, not a town. Let me get to the point; we're sick of having to fight with ogres every time they meander up to my kingdom, and to be frank I'm getting to the point where I might just try to clear out any nearby settlement. I'm telling you this because if there are ogres that don't act like bastards, I can't really feel right in trying to wipe a batch of them out. So can you see about some sort of peace deal with them? It'll just look stupid if I send a human messenger over, but you could stand a chance of getting through to them."
   Jinn stepped up and spoke this time, "We have to decline this request right now, as we are on a quest handed down to me by Kord. I suggest you send riders to Karnos; the only way that an ogre settlement will be changed is by the hands of other ogres. There are two ogre settlements that operate peacefully with Karnos, and they have a few strong fighters in their ranks. If they go to other settlements they would be able to establish dominance, force the group into being more peaceful with humans, and after seeing the benefits that they gain it will likely stick. Remember that ogres are a greedy lot, if they want something they tend to try to sweep things out of their way to get it. Being showed the rewards of peace will turn them to be less aggressive."
   Visually accepting the plan with a nod, King Ceral spoke, "It's finally good to have someone who knows what the hell they're talking about with ogres talk to me. As a follower of Kord myself, you have my blessings on your journey, and you're always welcome in my kingdom so long as you don't start wrecking things. Take a look around the castle if you like, just don't try to go through any guarded doors. Naturally, don't pick up anything and try to walk off with it, but I doubt you need me telling you that if you follow Kord."
   Following this, the group was allowed to leave the king's court. The king could be heard speaking loudly to his guards and advisers, but behind the doors it was impossible to tell what was being said. When the four had neared the entrance to the castle, the muscular man from before ran into Torg's side and fell to the floor.
   Each of the four turned to look at the man who was on the floor, and to their surprise he was curled up on his knees. He mumbled and groaned to himself, "No, not now! I can't do this now!" As Torg leaned down to try and help the man up, there was a surprise in store as the man's body began to convulse, his muscles twitched and grew.