There were tears. That much was a certainty for the father and daughter. Hers were of relief; she had made it home safely, and was able to be a kid again. Gone were the responsibilities she had inherited on watch, now she could just be 13 again. That she had persevered this long, and seen her task to the end was than enough to make her father proud, and there was no shame in her tears as she was lost in his hug.

Djoor's tears were a little less joyful, but just as sweet. Blessed relief swept his body, but was countered be the horrible sight that lay grasped in his arms. His reason for life, his little light, bore the scars of her first real encounter with life, and it was a terrible sight to behold.

As he had opened the door, for a split second he hadn't realized who stood before him in the dark. The stench emanating from the diminutive and shivering frame was powerful, and he had flinched back for only a second. His surprise at the sight before him was large, for going to the door to greet his daughter, he had instead opened it to… what wretched thing was before him? It opened its eyes and look to him, and in a split second it all clicked. The little hazel orbs locked onto his eyes, and showed signs of wavering. Red from hours spent in tears and sorrow, Nula's eyes looked unsure as she stood before him in silence. Was she still welcome home after everything? A pang of very illogical fear knotted into her stomach. Was she somehow broken? Unwelcome? Had she disappointed her father-

Djoor burst in tears as the sudden horrific understanding popped into his mind. Relief and terror flooded in equal proportions as she quickly kneeled down and scooped his daughter into his embrace.

"My child!" he whispered into her ears as he held her tight. Protected by his warm embrace, Nula began to cry. "It's okay little one" he spoke gently. "It's okay." As she was held in his arms, the fear of rejection or of failure was obliterated in Nula. And both cried together in the moonlight.

"I killed an Ork" she sobbed into his chest. Nula felt his body recoil at the news.

"What?" came his reply. Djoor straitened his back to look her in the eyes. Placing a hand on each of her shoulders, they locked eyes.

Nula exploded into words as she tried to explain the events of the night in mere seconds "I killed one of those monsters It saw our village and I tried to kill it with your knife and it didn't die and then something weird happened."

"You killed a greenskin?" Djoor whispered. Nula nodded meekly. Djoor's eyes widened as he took in the news. His little girl… did what? His eyes scanned over her form, taking in the grizzly sight before him. Signs of her humanity showed where the tears washed away the Orkish filth. "You killed a greenskin…" he said, this time as a statement. His voice broke slightly as it expressed wonder at the thought.

"I think there was magic." came Nula's whispered response. She had no other way to explain it, and she had only begun to examine her experience during the fight as she climbed the mountain. What could possibly have happened was mostly lost on her, although she was fair certain it had something to do with the blade. As she thought back to the magical effect, and the experience of killing the Ork, a wave of emotion crashed into her and she broke into sobs again.

Knowing that his little girl was in her own little hell, Djoor easily picked up her petite body in his arms and carried her into the house. Firmly protected in his arms, Nula continued to cry softly.

" Let's clean you up" Djoor said as he walked through their house. He had no concern for the cleanliness of his own clothing as he carried her into the house. The putrid Orkish viscera was sure to stain his robe, but in that moment he could not care less. Realizing that what Nula needed more than anything else was to feel normal and clean, Djoor carried her to their washing area.

Each house in the village was masterfully planned and placed with purpose by Stone masons and quarry workers. Built around the massive waterfall which flowed from the mountains to their village, the workers had carved funnels and paths through the rocks which diverted the raging water continuously into hundreds of little culverts and tunnels. Each one snaked and twisted its way to a house, providing a fresh source of unlimited spring water to each dug out home. Each house possessed room for bathing in which a torrent of frigid water splashed from the wall like a hose and into a carved indent into the stone floor. The run of water was then led by another series of tunnels to one main column which ran through the center of the internally built village. There dirty and used water from every home collected as a torrent which eternally fed into the lake below.

The brilliance of the system was such that each home had its own independent water supply, completely cut off from every other home. The myriad of tunnels bored through the solid rock would be dazzling to any imperial architect had they the impetus to visit this tiny little village of several hundred. Djoor himself was one of the few who possessed the knowledge and skill to us the relic laser-bore possessed by the mason guild. He had carved the internal waste disposal chutes for the last ten homes built and carved from the Cliffside village, and had found the laser bore to be an amazing relic from the past, far superior to the chisel and mallets they so frequently used.

The older houses in the village, built several hundred years earlier had access to the hot springs which ran through the naturally occurring cracks and holes in the earth. Djoors was one such home, and possessed a natural pool of steaming hot water which constantly emptied and filled itself during the months. Luckily this night the pool was mostly full.

Djoor did not take the time to undress Nula. She was his daughter, and still a young child, but he respected her dignity. Truth be told in that moment she wouldn't have cared. Holding her exhausted frame in his arms, he stepped into the torrent of icy cold water and immersed the both of them. She gasped as the sudden change in temperature shocked her system. The flood of cold water was unpleasant, but unimaginably refreshing at the same time. Her personal tears mixed with the flood that sprayed down over their bodies, and she found warmth against her fathers arms as the frozen spray stripped the filth from her body. Offensive flakes of Orkish remnants were blasted from her skin, and washed form her clothing. Dirt and blood were rinsed from her frame, and collected in the basin at Djoor's feet. The independent design of each shower was important for just such an occasion, lest the putrid clots of dirt and blood visit the homes of the people below them.

Shivering from the sudden blast of blessedly clean water, Nula clung to her father's robe as she drew much needed warmth from his exposed shoulder. The water began to pool in the places where she pressed against him. As she shivered in his arms, she found the oddest sense of calm watching as the rivlets of spring water traveled over and around her body. In some places the liquid soaked into her clothing, and then gentle spilled down her exposed legs. Aside from overbearing coldness in her core, on her extremities the sensation of water had a calming effect. Djoor shifted his weight and pressed into her side. Nula let out a cry of pain and recoiled away from the pressure.

Holding her away from his body, Djoor looked down into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"It hit me really hard" she said through a grimaced face. Djoor apologized, and made sure to avoid any pressure against the injured area. Truth be told, It took everything in Djoors control to keep a calm veneer. He did not wish to trouble his little girl any more than she had already been, and he knew that flying into a rage would do her no good. She needed the comfort of home, and the sense of normalcy. However inside he felt a torrent of pressure building up. It wasn't as if he had no ill will before towards the monsters that threatened him home, but somehow this was the final straw. Something harmed his little girl, and in that moment he wanted nothing more than to kill every single Greenskin he could get his hands on.

Nula felt the sensation of her father trembling. Curled up in his arms, she looked to his face and saw something altogether terrible to behold. Djoor stared into space with something altogether terrifying to behold upon his face. She had only seen him this mad once before, and that had been the night her mother died.

"Dad" She whispered. "Are you okay?" Relief filled her as his face immediately melted from anger to compassion. With a warm smile he greeted her gaze.

"I am." Came his reply. "Now that I know you are safe". Seeing that she was clean, he stepped out of the torrent and carried her to the heated pool. "Warm up little one." Came his soft command. "I have some tea on the heating slab." Djoor gently set her down next to the pool, and urged her to warm up, before turning his back and walking away. He made a note to find some calming leaf for her pain as walked to the preparation cove.

Alone in the room, Nula stripped off her soaking clothing, and set them on the edge of the pool. She took extra care to set her knife on top of the mess, before slipping into the steaming waters. Her shivering stopped almost immediately as the welcoming spring embraced her body. Slipping down into the waters, Nula came to a rest with her face just above the surface. The warmth of the water on her freshly cleaned skin did wonders to replace the vile feeling left behind by her encounter with the Ork. Somewhat floating in the water, the weight was taken off the broken rib, and her pain was greatly diminished. There would be plenty of time for her to talk, to share her experience, and to ask her father what he knew about the magic of the blade. Right now however, aside from the pain in her side, Nula was at peace.