Walking up alongside Gashka, hidden knives already within reach, Anyka cocks her head to the side in surprise as the orc mentions Gashka's parents. "Who the hell are you?"
The Orc looked at the young woman addressing him, "Druuth of Gothos, and I assure you I mean no harm." He then looked back at Gashka awaiting her answer.
"How does he know your folks, Gashka?"
Hearing Flynt's confirmation of his suspicions, the Orc dropped to one knee and bowed his head, "Mae fy wraig, mae'n fraint i fod yn eich presenoldeb."
With the most confused look on her face she responds, "I have no bloody idea what he's on about. Look...I don't know who you are, or what you're talking about but we've had too many people after us to just go around taking people at their word and shit....you better start explaining and speak so we can all understand you. Anything you have to say to me, you can say to my friends." Feeling her frustration and anger rising she says, "Let me make one thing very clear to you...if anything happens to my parents...if they are hurt in any way and you have anything to do with it....I will make what you did to them...look like child's play." Taking a deep steadying breath as she tries to control the rage she feels building inside of her she asks, "Are we clear?"
"I hope we are clear or somebody's about to get their ass kicked."
Druuth placed his spear and shield on the ground and stood up in a non-threatening manner, "But of course my Lady, I understand completely. I would never even dream of harming a single hair of Lady Kealey of the Silver Garden or Thrainn the Iron Underdog. Or their child for that matter, if your stance is any indication, you are more than capable of handling yourself, not to mention your companions. What would you like to know?"
She shakes her head, "I want to know why you keep referring to me by that title for starters and what are you talking about, Silver Gardens and underdogs? I have no idea what you're talking about. My father is a hunter and my mother came from a small village where they didn't like her being with papa so they left, went to Freeport where I was born and then when things started getting...complicated there...we moved to Swampwood. Those are my parents names....but I....I have no bloody clue what you're talking about! And stop calling me a Freaking Lady! My name's GASHKA, Gaaaashka...got it?" She says, her hands seeming to turn into fists of their own accord as she stands there shaking.
Druuth paused for a moment, "Of course my......Gashka. Allow me to explain. I hail from Gothos, a land ruled jointly by the twin cities of Saneth and Tarpas. Your mother, Lady Kealey, is a princess of Saneth, third in line for its crown or was to marry the crown prince of Tarpas if no other suitor caught her attention. One did, Thrainn the Iron Underdog, Champion of the Tarpas Arena. The best Golem Gladiator ever seen, past or present. When they started courting, the royal families of either city had no qualms about it, but the Arena Lord know as The Viper, wasn't ready to give up his best fighter just yet. After several failed attempts on his Thrainn made a deal, he would leave Gothos, never to return leaving his old life behind. As to why they told you different, I do not know, but that is the truth of it."
She shakes her head, "That's insane....this whole story is crazy and I'm crazy for listening to it."
She squints her eyes at him and in an exasperated tone asks, "And why in all the hells should I believe any of this? So you know my parents name and made up some crazy story about them....we have had to deal with assassins, crazy looking dudes that travel in large glass boxes, large weird talking some kind of bug, one very sorry mother f**!er if we ever catch up to his stupid ass who calls himself the carver, some body swapping crazy who goes by the piper, not to mention a host of other crazies who all seem to want a piece of us....I've heard mention of this Gothos place before but none of this...none of what you're telling me makes any sense. My Papa wouldn't lie to me, he doesn't believe in lying." She takes a deep breath and turns away from him, taking a few steps away to clear her head a little bit as her hands remain clinched at her sides, small droplets of blood dripping from where her nails dig into her rough calloused hands. "It's not true....it can't be."
"Maybe he didn't want to burden you with his past." Flynt suggests before turning to the warrior. "You have any proof of any of this?"
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"Other than my words, no I do not. You can choose to believe me or not, but it will not change the truth," The Orc responded to Flynt. "I am rather curious though, why are you here?"
"We could easily ask you the same thing." Anyka says studying the orc.
"Fair enough," Druuth conceded, "I travelling on a pirate hunter ship is search of one last glorious battle. Three months in, a vicious storm came out of nowhere and sank the ship. I awoke on the beach and have been here ever since, fighting these and other creatures native to this island." A smile crossed the old Orc's face, "It's been glorious."
Having trouble taking in everything that was being said she just stands there with her back to them as she wills her body to relax. Taking a deep breath she says, "Okay...so how is it that you know all this stuff about my family, other than being from this Gothos place? How do you know about Momma and Papa? How did you know who I was? We are here searching for something to help us against the one who gave all of us this." She says lifting up her sleeve to show him the mark on her arm, "It was given to us when we were children by the one we seek to destroy. Since we got landed on this island, a voice has been calling to Terra...drawing us inland, which is how we came upon you. There are actually multiple a&*~!$@s that we seek to destroy...but I'd be happy if we could just tear one of them apart at the moment." She takes some deep breaths willing the rage she feels surfacing back down.
"Well, the engagement of Lady Kealey and Thrainn was quite the celebration. As for how I recognized you, you look quite a lot like your Father when he was younger, so I guessed." Druuth answered.
Anyone could be making up these stories...it could be a trick to try and lull them into a false sense of security. She turns and looks at him again. Feeling a bit skeptic still she says, "So....how did you know my papa?"
Druuth chuckled, "Because he had whipped me in the arena once or twice back in the day. And a couple of tavern brawls on top of that. He wasn't called the Iron Underdog for nothing, he always managed to find a way to win no matter what."
She shakes her head, "He was always against me fighting though...even if other kids started it...I wasn't supposed to fight back. That's all kind of gone out the window now....but, I just...I don't know what to think. This is all a little bit too much at the moment to take in when we're supposed to be finding something...or someone...I don't know...it's not very clear at the moment what we're supposed to be doing."
Terra let the "orcs" talk. she listened to what they had to say but she was also checking the creatures that were killed.
almost out of habit Terra tries to get a sense of this Orc, Druuth. feeling the vibrations through the ground. Listening to his breathing, his heartbeat, everything she can.
She tries to keep her abilities hidden, she acts as though she isn't even paying attention but sensing for possible danger.
She shakes her head, unsure of what to believe. There was only really one way of knowing for sure whether or not he was telling the truth. So, taking her time she studies everything about him from his body language, pupil dilation, breathing, heartbeat, whether or not he's sweating as he's telling her this far fetched ridiculous sounding story, and tries to determine if he's attempting to deceive her or not.
She sucks in her breath as she realizes that he is being truly honest with them. Taking a couple steps back her legs give out on her as she sits down hard on the ground, "I don't know how or why they would lie to me all these years.....but he's telling the truth. I just....it doesn't really matter now anymore though does it? They left that place and swore never to go back....so, she's not even a princess anymore...and neither am I."
"I'm sorry to say, that isn't true Gashka. The Royal Family of Saneth did not disown her, so she still retains her status, as do you." Druuth replied.
She shakes her head, "Fine...whatever...stupid princess or not I'm still gonna do what I want to do and be with who I want to be with, and there is nothing that is going to change that. I'm Gashka....just Gashka."
Feeling frustrated, confused and overwhelmed all at once she turns away from him again and starts to walk off a bit so she can clear her head.
Terra stops she tries to get her bearings. the voice again, where the heck is it coming from.
Terra looks in different directions hoping to see or even sense which way to go.
she glances at the Orc, wondering if the voice meant him? That wouldn't make any sense though.
soon Gashka walks off, Terra immediately tries to keep tabs on her and look out for danger. something seemed quite wrong here, and this is making Terra nervous.
Flynt looks at Tikkle. "If you don't go cat, I will."
Chris, silent up to this point, looks at Druuth. "Would you like something done about those wounds?"
Her long legs carry her a bit away from the group before the weight of what she's been told has her sitting down heavily on a rock. How could they have lied to her like that? Why would they lie about something that doesn't even matter anymore? This didn't change anything right? It's not like she's going to have to go back to that Gothos place....so did it really matter who she was or where her family came from? The only thing that really bothered her was that she had been lied to her whole life.....by her parents that she loved more than anything. If she couldn't trust them...how could she trust anyone else? Was there anything else they were keeping from her?
Sitting on the rock away from the others she just puts her head in her hands and starts to cry, as she finally starts to release all of the pent up frustration, anger, fear, and sadness that she had been carrying around with her for the past couple of weeks or so. She just didn't know how to feel about anything anymore.
Giving the orc a final glare, Anyka follows her sister, coming up behind her and just letting her cry it out for a bit, releasing the build-up of emotions, before gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
Feeling Anyka's hand on her shoulder she tries to suck it all back in and stop crying, "It never did do any good to try and run away from the lot of you. No matter where I went....you, Terra...one of you always found me. I'm so tired of feeling toyed with Anyka....it's stupid to cry over something so ridiculous."
"No it isn't. What he just dropped on you is pretty @#$%ed up. Crying seems a pretty damn normal response to me. And when this is over, we'll go home, and we'll face your folks and they'll tell us the truth. The one thing I'm sure of is that if your parents lied, they had a good reason." Anyka says quietly.
She nods and sniffs a little bit, "Okay....I guess we better get back so they don't worry too much. I can't even imagine what's going through Tikkle's mind right now. I mean...it shouldn't change anything. I'm still me....right?"
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"You think your pirate is gonna be scared off by you being a princess? If anything it'll inflate is ego...though I doubt that's really possible." she responds with a grin.
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She looks at Anyka with a wry grin on her tear streaked face, "Well of course that's what I mean. Now he's a pirate with a ship, a crew, and his princess lover....how much bigger could his head get?" She shakes her head, "I swear on everything sacred to me....if anyone starts calling me your highness or anything else remotely stupid...I"m gonna smack the skin offa their bones."
Terra walks about a bit, she avoid Gashka for now, Anyka is with her so she should be fine.
She eventually becomes frustrated at not understanding this voice, she takes a seat trying to figure out what to do.
at a total loss she decides to do something she never thought she had the patience to do, she closes her eyes and tries to empty her mind of all the outside distractions. she concentrates on the land , the earth under her.
feeling everything around her. much like she first started to learn her skills.
The Orc turned to Chris, "Don't trouble yourself boy, I've suffered worse. Besides, I've got a rather helpful hot spring at my home, it does wonders." Then an idea strikes him, "Matter of fact, how about a bite to eat. I've got a cave nearby."
"Let's wait and see what the others think," Chris says absently.
Gashka takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, "Alright...I think I'm okay even though it still kinda feels like my head is gonna explode. We better head back before they send a search team.....wait...who am I kidding? Let's just get back before anyone....well, let's just get back. I still don't know what to make of this Druuth, but he's definitely not lying...that's the only thing I do know....doesn't mean I completely trust him though either." She says conversationally to Anyka as they head back to the others.