Later That Night...

Rudega, Raganf and the Serian Princesses stood watch in one of the manor rooms as the royal physician performed some tests on the unconscious Durst. The physician, an aging midi nodded as he removed his hand from Durst's body, and then turned to look at the Princesses.

"There are no traces of poison left in his system," reported the physician. "All he needs is some rest to recover and he'll be good as new."

'Thank you, doctor," Chu Ming said in appreciation, and then turned to Rudega and Ragnaf. "Please, rest here tonight. We will discuss what to do in the future following tomorrow's summit."

"Summit?" Rudega's ears perked up, intrigued by the word she used. Summits usually suggested a gathering of leaders. Who would a nation's king share a summit with except other kings? "May we know who is in attendance, or is that confidential?"

Chu Ming hesitated and turned to her sister, Chu Ling, who answered with a mischievous smile, "It is by no means confidential. I can sneak you in attendance if you want." The princess grinned as she glanced at Ragnaf, "It's the biggest summit of the decade – a meeting between Rosendun, Serisis and Aygorzi's kings. You wouldn't want to miss that would you?"

"Did you say Aygorzi's king?" Rudega questioned, eyes wide. He might not have been present for the naming ceremony, but any dwarf who spoke their mother tongue would instantly recognize Aygorzi to mean 'Aygor's Land.' Only the dwarfs would adopt that name. "Yes. I think I will take you up on your offer if it is not too much trouble."

Chu Ling nodded. "No trouble at all. Just don't make a scene or it's my head on the line." The princess winked as she drew a line across her neck, "And I am not one to go into the underworld without a party."

"Heh. I like her," Ragnaf, who had kept quiet until that point, remarked with a light chuckle.

"So he talks," Chu Ling stated with a bright gaze. "Does he fight too?"

Ragnaf exposed a toothy grin as he cracked his knuckles. "Always. When do you wanna go?"

"How about later," Chu Ming quickly answered before her overactive sister started an incident on this important eve. She grasped her sister's arm and said as she pulled her out of the room, "Please rest well. Someone will be with you shortly to warm the bath and serve some hot food."

"Heh. Now that I could use," Ragnaf stated as he sat down on a free bed. "See you tomorrow, humans."

"We're not huma—" Chu Ling started to protest, but Chu Ming pulled her out of the room and shut the door before she could say another word.

Ragnaf snorted and then looked at Rudega who appeared to be lost in thought. "What's with you? You that interested in this meeting?"

Rudega's brows furrowed, a pensive look in his eyes as he glanced at the orc. "...Interested? Yes, I suppose I am." He shook his head and then said as he walked to a free bed, "The dwarven king will be present at this meeting. To think I would get a chance to meet him like this. Perhaps everything happened according to Aygor's will."

"The gods are not interested in the lives of mortals," Ragnaf refuted as he sat on a bed.

Rudega cast a curious glance at Ragnaf. It seemed the orc had a story or two. There were not that many people who openly held the gods in contempt. However, this was neither the time nor the place to delve into that can of worms.

Shaking his head, Rudega replied, "Maybe so, but the truth remains that this is a chance I cannot afford to waste." Glancing at the sleeping Durst, he muttered, "For both our races' sakes..."

The night passed without event, with everyone too absorbed in their thoughts about the coming day to start any trouble. The nations' delegations, each ensured they got plenty of sleep so as to wake up sharp and at the ready for the summit.

And so it was that early the next morning, the first person to rise from his slumber was the once unconscious Durst. The orc groaned, massaging his aching head as he sat up and took in his surroundings.

The sun had yet to rise, so the room was primarily lit with candlelight. Perhaps because of his concussion, the orc's sight took a moment to stabilize, forcing him to wait a while until he finally recognized Ragnaf and Rudega sleeping on a pair of beds on either side of him.

"What?" Durst muttered as he rose to his feet. To his relief, his bracelets and neck beads had been left untouched. He could not find his war ax, but that could wait until he gathered his bearings. He walked over to Ragnaf and shook the younger orc's shoulders. "Ragnaf, wake up."

"Who!? Ragnaf shouted and launched a blow at his perceived attacker before he even opened his eyes.

Bam!

Luckily, even though Durst was a little groggy, his reflexes were as sharp as ever. He easily caught Ragnaf's punch and quickly called out, "It's me, kid! Relax!"

"Who, What?" Ragnaf questioned as he opened his eyes, quickly adopting an embarrassed expression upon seeing Durst. "Oh. Durst. It's you." He sat up and gave the older orc a quick once over. "You're finally awake?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Durst snorted as he held out his hand and helped Ragnaf to his feet. Durst gave the young orc a long, hard look, and then pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you, kid. I owe you my life."

"How about you start paying me back by not calling me kid?" Ragnaf retorted with a short laugh. He pulled away and then turned to look at the sleeping dwarf. "Can't take all the credit though. Wouldn't have made it out of Daggerfall without the dwarf's help."

Durst glanced at the brick walls and beautiful posters. "I thought so, but we are not in Daggerfall anymore? Where's this?"

"Serisis."

Durst and Ragnaf turned to Rudega's bed, surprised to see the dwarf glaring at the both of them. "You were awake?" Durst asked.

"Have you ever heard of someone who can remain sleeping when orcs are laughing?" Rudega complained as he sat up. He looked at Durst, relief in his eyes as he said, "Good to see you among the living, Durst. This world has lost too many good men already."

"I hear I have you to thank for saving my life," remarked Durst as he approached the dwarf. In respect, he dropped to a knee so he did not tower over Rudega and then said, "I owe you a life debt. One day, I will be sure to repay it."

"If it's all the same, I'd prefer you never paid it," replied Rudega and then said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I would shake your hand, but I am not about to kill my confidence on this auspicious day."

Durst's confused expression prompted Ragnaf to explain, "Apparently, the kings of Serisis, Rosendun, and Aygorzi will be meeting today. We've been invited to join the meeting."

Durst's brow furrowed. "Serisis and Rosendun I know. What nation is this Aygorzi?"

"Remember the [Apparation of the God's] a few weeks ago?" offered Rudega. "That was formed through the creation of Aygorzi." Glancing at Durst, he added, "If my hunch is right, that daeben kid is probably responsible for the apparition."

"Daeben?" Durst muttered, brows furrowing in thought. Moments later, the orc exclaimed with a loud shout as his memory fully restored, "That blasted daeben!" Durst covered his mouth, an apprehensive look in his eyes as he muttered, "That daeben... He's dangerous."

"Yes," Rudega agreed with a pensive nod. "I saw the power behind that blow for myself. There aren't many on the continent who can contend with that kind of strength."

Durst, however, shook his head as he refuted, "It's not his strength that terrifies me, but his mind." The orc gazed at the door as if seeing something beyond it. "That blow—if it had only been about strength, I would have withstood it. It would hurt for certain, and I might have required a few days to recover, but I would have withstood it."

Ragnaf's brow rose, intrigued by the older orc's revelation. "Then why did you faint?"

Rudega swallowed hard and cast a nervous glance at Durst, but the older orc did not seem at all affected by Ragnaf's brashness. Orcs were a direct race. They said what was on their mind without concern for petty things like emotions.

"The mind," Durst explained as he tapped his skull. "The daeben's attack focused solely on my mind. He must have realized I was still mentally weak from the poison, and so chose to attack my mind." He let out a rueful smile as he confessed, "If he attacked me at full strength from the beginning I would have been fine, but he incrementally went from weak to strong, shattering my expectations and filling me with fear. Add a healthy dose of nightmarish illusions, and it's no surprise I fainted before his fist ever reached me."

"Wait," Rudega called with a hint of disbelief in his eyes. "So what you're saying is this daeben already had everything planned out before he challenged you?"

Durst nodded. "Not only did he think up a quick solution to force me to stay, but he also did so by recognizing, and then successfully exploiting my weakness. A man like that is to be feared and respected." He tapped his chin as he looked at Rudega and asked, "You are certain he will be at this meeting?"

"I have no doubt," Rudega confirmed with a nod. "Why? Are you interested?"

Durst sighed as he looked at Ragnaf and the Rudega. "We cannot return to Daggerfall as we are. That would be no different from committing suicide." The orc groaned as he rubbed his face and then admitted reluctantly, "We will need help if we are to save our people. If we are lucky, we might find some here. At the very least, the daeben does not appear to be a foul hume so far."

"I think the same," Rudega agreed with a nod. "The Serian royalty also appear to be decent people, if not a little crass. They were willing to risk their lives to help a couple of injured strangers. I would say that qualifies as a good character."

"Mm, so we are in agreement then?" Durst stated, glancing at Ragnaf for confirmation. "We attend this meeting and judge whether we can ask these people for help, or not?"

Ragnaf shrugged, responding in a careless tone, "I don't care either way. I'll follow your lead for now."

Durst's eyes narrowed as he observed Ragnaf's expression. He could sense that the younger orc really did not have any particularly strong feelings. Perhaps he did not even care that his fellow orcs were possibly being sent to their deaths right now. Durst released a sigh and then shook his head. This was not the time to delve into that.

"Good," Durst stated with a nod. He then looked at Rudega and asked, "When is this meeting supposed to hold?"

"Early in the morning," Rudega answered, and then clarified further, "An hour or two after sunrise. A servant will be by to summon us when the time comes. We just have to ensure we are ready."

"Is that so," Durst muttered as he walked to the window, and then pulled the curtains open to reveal a long red line in the night sky. The red line slowly expanded as the sun began to rise over the horizon. The orc turned to look at Rudega as sunlight slowly spilled into, and then filled the room. "I suppose we should begin preparations then."

Rudega let out a wry chuckle as he nodded and then said, "You are indeed correct." The dwarf stretched and then headed for the bathroom to quickly wash up. On his way, he noticed Durst staring at the rising sun with a listless expression and could not help but ask, "Is something wrong?"

Durst's brows furrowed as he stared at the sun. "It's nothing... I hope. I just have a bad "You're recovering from certain death," Rudega offered in consolation. "It's probably nothing."

"Yes... I hope so."

Ragnaf's eyes meanwhile, narrowed as he glared at the rising sun, his fists balling into tight fists.

Hundreds of kilometers away, an orc's balled fist opened and reached for an axe that lay on the ground. The orc's hands tightened around the ax's handle as he rose to his feet, his back to the rising sun.

The massive, imposing Renark Ragelock, clad only in hide shorts as was customary for uruk-thai, grasped a pair of massive twin axes in both hands, gaze filled with vigor and determination as he stared at his foe for the day.

Grimlock, chief of the orcs for many decades sat on the ground with a single orc-sized ax set on the ground in front of him. The orc's remained shut, but that did nothing to reduce the sheer terror that oozed off of his very being.

As both men waited, a flood of red light slowly washed over the field, bathing it in the first rays of the morning sun. Grimlock remained still, not moving a muscle until the sun's rays slowly washed over him, rising from his knees to his chest.

Slowly, but surely, the light advanced up his neck, until it reached his eyes, which snapped open, releasing with them pressure enough to send the orcs in the bleachers tottering.

Grimlock's eyes focused on the orc opposite him, carrying in them a bloody ruthlessness and desire for murder.

This was Uruk-thai...

Only one orc would leave this place alive...