Day 65
Dashade arrived early this morning and dragged us out into the Barrens. He told us he wanted to destroy the seed far from others to keep it secret from the masses. The actual storm of shadowy flames he encased the demon seed in made all of us back away several feet even before the twisted screams echoed out from the magic. Dashade simply sent more fel infused fire and the wailing ended shortly before the flames died down.
A six foot circle of land had been burned black by the magic but it felt a bit different around the small stone altar where the seed has rested. Dashade muttered several unkind words as he shoved the small altar into his bag with yet more magic bullshit. He said something else about like calling to like and chaos magic being fun but I kind of ignored crazy warlock moments for mental health reasons.
I got to speak with Battlemaster Gargok and report the destruction of the seed. My firsthand experience with the wailing it produced was more than enough to convince him it was a job well done. Taliaa mentioning how awful being around the thing felt might have also helped. Either way we got a nice bonus and the rest of the day off so it was a definite win.
Extra bonding time with Nyx was fantastic. We managed to hunt down a plainstrider and I got to take it out with my bow. Butchering the thing is going to suck but it is good food for Nyx while stored within the stasis of my bags. At least I think that is how it works, I would hate to discover meat had leaked on everything so I wrapped it up. Good thing I keep all my writing and books in my second bag though, just in case.
I didn't luck out on hunting down anything a bit better tasting for myself so I settled with having some of the stored soup I'd packed away. I'm still kind of wondering how living things can survive in bags, eggs can hatch, and yet food stays fine for long periods? It is probably a good thing I'm not magically inclined in this life or I'd probably be in trouble figuring those kinds of problems out.
Day 66
Back into training under Captain Shatterskull who, of course, made damn sure a couple of easy days didn't ruin his work. The extra special surprise? Carrying logs while disabling traps. If this wasn't training for carrying heavy comrades out of hostile areas while noticing key details I don't know what is. It was also one hell of a workout when we sometimes doubled our load to allow a member both hands to disable a device.
But did he end our torment in the afternoon after we'd completed our challenge and needed a rest? Nope! We were marching back to the Mor'shan Base Camp with the logs and heading to evening combat practice. I'm kind of surprised that Argan actually did this stuff with us, mostly because he's still technically a mercenary working with us since he hasn't given a blood oath to the Horde to join the military.
There had been a bit of a grumble about it from some officers but Argan has followed all the rules and the talk quieted. I've been considering an offer to sign my guild charter to him but I'm still not sold on things. He's settled down in challenging Taliaa but now he seeks to show off his prowess by personal deeds to regain his honor. That went a bit far from the simple thumping she originally gave him but he was really determined to prove himself again.
He got along fantastically with Mugga once the life debt was explained. The two could often been found training together, the smaller more nimble orc dancing away from the giant tauren totem. Argan had recently found himself some bracers and greaves to protect himself though he mentioned saving up for some proper armor sooner or later. For now he was just being chipped away by Mugga's knife and magic though his speed and power presented a constant threat and demanded a lot of focus to defend against. He's a real powerhouse and if we can get him into something a bit tougher than leather he'd make a huge difference.
Taliaa seems to have developed an interest in copying the Holy Light text into Thalassian or whatever for her people. I was curious enough to copy out two more in Orcish for my future library. It'll take a little bit of time since I've also acquired another copying job from Dashade. Zylam wants a history book about Alterac translated into Orcish and I've got permission for my own copy of it.
I always get a few curious or confused looks by writing in this Journal all the time, but I get even more curious looks when I write something else. Apparently an orc enjoying writing was a true novelty to everyone else. Just you wait Journal I'll be in history before you know it, as the orc who copied a thousand books for our people! I do get to sign my name to a lot of translations so one day if I get another name it'll even create interest in my own work beyond writing. That is how things work around here still, isn't it?
-Borgin