The Man Among Orcs

by Dakota of Raptors

Chapter 1

His steps were filled with determination and hatred, treading over the onslaught of soot and broken bones without so much as a glance. They were heavy, and were heard even among the other thousands of feet that sounded behind it. Today was the day, to cease the madness that has encircled his home, to ensure redemption - justify the blood spilt onto his sword, and avenge the dozens of lives taken in this millennial struggle. The air was scorching hot, as the ash from the burning mountain above spilt down like rain onto the earth below, covering Talion and his orc army in the dusty particle. Their faces stung, but they chanted wholeheartedly, swinging away at the
uruk stragglers whom fought to their last breath - Sauron's remaining loyalist. Mercy was not an option, as he cut the heads off of the relentless grunts and captains one by one, his tattered clothes became painted in crimson, making his appearance all the more formidable.

Then, came a calm. Not one blade clung against another, no tearing of flesh was to be heard; just a resounding silence. It was the calm before the storm. The cloaked man stared cold-heartedly at the fortress before him, where Sauron's henchmen lay in wait to protect their dark lord. A darkness resonated from the castle, in a gaseous form.

It stung at his nose, but would do little to deter the man from his ambitions.
He slowly turned around, stretching his arms out to their maximum length, and with the most commanding voice he could muster, spoke. "My army has grown indefinitely for countless decades, yearning for this day to come, to overthrow the tyrannical ruler and restore Mordor to its former glory! We will delight in seeing him at the end of my blade!!" He raised his sword triumphantly and marched to the gate, his army of orcs behind.

Abruptly, Talion rose from his unconscious state, rubbing his temples to quell the growing migraine that steadily pounded at his head. His right hand rested on the cold, bare ground as he tried to gather his thoughts. In his state of confusion, he wearily reached for his side, where his sheath rested, but was met with nothing but air, sending his brain to a state of panic and anxiety. He gathered his senses and observed his surroundings. Coal-black walls lay about every side of the small room, the only exception was a candle light that rested on one of the walls, providing a bit of relief from the eye sore that was his cell. The cell bars were crystalline in nature, limpid and dim. Outside of the cell seemed to fair a bit better, a lighter coating of black painted the walls, along with another unforseen candle light that glistened off of them, they were a contrast from where he resided. He took a step forward and shook at the bars, testing for any signs of instability or weakness, something that would give the man a chance of escape, but alas they stood firm and unyielding, like a newly-built castle. "Blast it," he swore under his breath, hitting the wall next to him with a resounding thud. He flinched inwardly at the frequency of his fist hitting the wall, and paused to see a response. No one. With a sigh, Talion made his way to his bed and layed down.

It was much too small, his legs hung at edges and he had to use his cape as an improvised blanket, barely covering the man's body, much less providing sufficient warmth. He tossed and turned, even falling off the bed on few occasions, but found sleep much too hard. The dripping of a nearby water source rang at his ears, while the pitter-patter of rain hit against the outside exterior of the alien architecture. But it wasn't the noise that bothered Talion; more lack there of. Usually guards stood watch by jails and would converse with one another, but that was not to be the case. He had not seen a single guard in this infernal place, and it really got to him, for whatever reason. "Something isn't right," Talion stated to himself, listening in for anything of suspicion. Clip-clop, clip-clop. Then there it was; the sound of a horse's hoof clanging against marble flooring. An oddly nostalgic feeling fluttered inside of Talion as he heard those familiar sounds, and he would've sighed in relief had he not seen what turned the corner. Two horse-like figures peered around a dark hall, their black carapace rendering them near invisible. They were plastered with holes, and translucent, bug-like wings were attached to their backs, added with a jagged and pointed horn. One also lacked a mane of any sort, maybe a disease?

"I'm telling you, Bugsy, this is no dragon, or minotaur for that matter... It's an entirely different species!"

With a scoff, the larger of the two replied in a vaguely masculine voice, "Whatever, I'll believe you when I s-see it..." The two stopped dead in their tracks, staring blankly at the hairless ape that stood well beyond their height. Either side remained unmoving, daring one another to move, as the tension slowly eroded, and ultimately diminished.

"Kuna, moment, plea-ss-e?" the larger equine - which Talion assumed was male, spoke, "You you could have been a little more descriptive, I didn't know it was this deformed!" The aforementioned person was in earshot, and he took offense to that, "I mean look at it! Those tiny eyes, that tuft of fur on his head, those...clo-eths," 'Bugsy' spat.

"You never asked. Besides, Doc Rad had estimated 'it' to wake up at least by tomorrow. This-" she motioned towards the hulking beast, recieving a few amused stares from the latter, but she didn't notice, "has came up unexpectedly... I would've told you sooner, but you were busy..."

With that, Bugsy, through means unknown to the human, leisurely levitated two bowls to him, each containing water and daisies respectively. Wait... Talion did a double take as his brain registered what he had indeed seen, and confirmed that there was indeed a bowl stock full of shredded flowers and various other plants. He looked questionably at the bug-horse as to confirm he was being serious. Bugsy, unable to conjure what the human was trying to relay to him, shrugged.

"S-sorry, big guy, make due with what you have."

Kuna sighed and prodded at her blue mane. "If only you spoke Equestrian, we would have figured out what your species ate."

Talion chuckled inwardly. Though a proper meal would do more than enough to suffice his growing belly ache, he opted to wait till absolutely necessary. Better to look like a dumb animal than to give too much attention to yourself, he reasoned. Political agenda was not his strong suit. The duo left him to recollect his thoughts while he ate his bowl of mushed-up plants - which were surprisingly tasty.

---

Rip! Tear! Zrrrt! He had been imprisoned once of twice in his life, by human and uruk alike, and though he wouldn't like to admit it, had learned alot from those experiences. He tore a hole through the matress' thin sheets and yanked out a large chunk of its wooden frame, grinding one end against the wall while simultaneously watching for any movement in the corner of his eye. He repeated the process until the end of the wooden chunk was sharp to satisfactory, sliding the thin piece into his leather boot and ignoring the chafing. Clip, clop, clip, clop - they were near...no, it was only a single individual judging by the rhythmic clop of one hoof after another, and he seem distressed. Then, came one of the changelings, that he gathered, peering fearfully out of the entrance way, before recoiling in fear as he realized he was being watched. Boy, were these things disgraceful...

It finally trotted into full view, and his appearance definitely matched his personality: the poor thing was scrawny beyond compare, looking like a stray dog that he had seen back home - bones visible through his carapace hide. Talion couldn't decide weather he pitied the creature, or despised it, probably both. The bug was visibly shaking, and it became more apparent and sporadic the closer he trotted to the human, he even recalled hearing teeth clattering against each other.

"Dang it, Bugsy was right; this thing is scary," the changeling exclaimed as if it wasn't in reach of said person. It hadn't even dared to look directly at the human's face, as it dropped his bowl of food and water. "On no! Why am I so clumsy?"

Now, Talion thought, reaching through the cell bars and grabbing the beast by the neck, his other hand rested firmly on its horn. The animal struggled, making futile attempts to call for help whilst it wiggled and squirmed in his grasp. The horn shredded at the palm of his hands and drew blood, running down the changling's face, much to his horror and disgust. Talion dragged him closer and whispered menacingly into his ear, "Now you will release me from this infernal prison, and you will not notify anybody else - do you understand?" He loosened his grip slightly to let it speak. It gasped for air before replying.

"B-but The Queen, there's no telling how she'll punish me-"

"And I have reason to assume you would rather pay with your life?" With his hand fixated on the changeling's horn, he took hold of the wooden dagger and gestured it towards his neck.

After a quick pause, he eagerly shook his head and even whimpered.

"Now, open my cell."

He did just that, running to a corner of the room and holding himself in a fetal position, speaking incoherently as he rocked himself back and fourth.

With that, Talion made his leave, tearing off a bit of the beedsheet and using it as a make-shift gauze for his bleeding hand. "Maybe I was too hard on him." With that, he made his leave, taking a steady pace through the maze that had imprisoned him for over two days. "Where's the exit?"

Comments

[TheOPcharacterWriter]

I had plans to do one too,gonna say i'm impressed.
P.S if you are hyped for Shadow of war reply to this comment

[Scorch909]

Yes. YESS. MOAR I NEES MOAR.

[Dakota of Raptors]

8387319
Why of course!