To Kill a War Leader Pt 6 - Proving My Mettle

With all that's been going on with my health I haven't been doing a ton of writing. I have done some, just not a lot.  I was looking at the blog posts and realized it's been almost two months since I put up anything story related. That cannot stand.

There are a couple of pieces of news to share:

First, I've decided to focus on one book until it's done at least as much as I can. I've decided To Kill a War Leader will be the first one I finish as it happens first in the chronology. So there's that. There will still be short stories along the way because my muse is totally eaten up with ADHD.

Second, thanks to everyone who's picked up the stuff I've put on Amazon. I really appreciate that you'd cough up actual money for my drivel.

I've changed the way I'm formatting my stuff as I write so I don't have to go back and redo it all for publishing.  It's almost like I'm trying to be a writer or something.

Well, that's enough blather out of me.  Hope you enjoy it.

-Wayne

Proving My Mettle

The next morning found me in the village's Great Hall in front of Na'Guk, War Leader of the Deep Valley Tribe. I just thought Valsh was big. If I had to guess, I'd say Na'Guk was close to eight feet tall and probably weighed around four hundred and fifty pounds. His skin was slightly darker green than Valsh, and he had a slight gut, probably from age more than anything else. Don't misunderstand, he had muscles on his muscles. I would not want to find myself facing this fella in matched combat. He'd belch and kill me. Lucky for me I had no intention of fighting fair.
When Valsh told the story of my arrival on Orta'ahn, he conveniently left out the part where he came to The Bar to get me. His story started with the ambush in the jungle. He told them that he was caught off guard and couldn't use his magic, so he prayed to the god of the jungle for help. Then he told them how I seemed to just appear from the foliage and help even the odds. He told the gathered audience that I single-handedly bested two Desert Reaches warriors in hand-to-hand combat never mentioning that I poisoned one of them. He didn't say I fought fair. He didn't say I didn't either, the crafty bastard.
Na'Guk stopped Valsh with a raised hand at this point and Valsh lowered his eyes to the floor. My eyes were already there just like Valsh had told me to do.  NO eye contact unless spoken too and then only briefly. Lowering your eyes in deference is expected. I'm not used to deferring, so I'm hoping I can pull this off.
"Why would the gods send you such a small creature? I doubt he could best a pup much less a warrior...even a Desert Reaches warrior," he scoffed.
My first reaction was to stick something pointy in his arrogant ass, but Valsh had prepared me for this. I have to prove myself to the War Leader. Valsh extended an arm in my direction indicating I should approach, so I stepped around him and held out my hand. In it was the tusk rings I had taken as trophies, little gold beads and all. A whisper spread through the room.
"You claimed these from the slain?" Na'Guk asked.
I raised my head and looked him in the eye saying one of the few orcish phrases I had managed to learn, "I did." Then, as Valsh had instructed, I lowered my eyes to about his chest level and waited for the War Leader to acknowledge my victories.
"Impressive...IF those are yours by right...which I doubt," he said and then spat on the ground at my feet.
Valsh rose with a roar, "You doubt my word? I have served this tribe since before you were born! You insult my honor!"
"I have no doubt you saw what the gods wanted you to see and you believe it all to be true,” Na'Guk replied with an edge of danger in his tone. "I just doubt it happened the way you saw it. If this being wants to claim honor for those kills and in the eyes of this tribe, he will have to prove his skill just as any new warrior...in combat. Let us have a test in the training ring!"
An approving roar went up from everyone gathered in the Great Hall. This wasn't totally unexpected. It just wasn't the optimum outcome. It means I'll have to face a warrior of Na'Guk's choosing to prove my worthiness. It's not a fight to the death, but someone (likely me) is going to be bleeding before it's all said and done. Why can't things ever be easy?
I walked back to Valsh and gave him a look like I was considering just stabbing him and going home. As we left the Great Hall he took me aside and said, "Tole, we knew this was a possibility. Do not worry, very rarely does anyone die in these rites, and I can heal whatever injuries result. Just try not to kill whoever it is Na'Guk chooses for you to face."
"No fucking promises." I really wasn't in the mood for this shit. My response might have come out a little hotter than I intended; because, Valsh missed a step when I answered him. I stalked the rest of the way to the room where he had me staying in his hut and pulled the drape across the opening behind me.
Valsh gave me about twenty minutes or so to calm down, and I used all of it.  I was still a little irked when he finally knocked on the door frame, so I took my sweet time getting around to answering him. If I'm being totally honest, I was looking at my new tattoo work wondering if the job was worth the trouble and giving serious thought to just opening a portal home. That deep bass voice snapped me out of my contemplation.
"Tole," Valsh said his voice carrying a slightly frantic note. "We must prepare for tomorrow. There are things you need to know. This is not something to be dealt with blithely. The entire plan now hinges on you winning this contest."
I took one last look at the tattoos and left that thought behind.  I took the job. I'll do the job. That's how it's done. Fuck it. Nothing to it but to do it. How hard can it be? I walked over and opened the door to find Valsh sitting cross-legged in the floor in front of his altar.
"What do I need to do?"
Valsh rose from his seat and motioned to the stacks of pillows he used for chairs. I went and sat down while he drew us a couple of flagons of orcish beer. I only call it beer because that's a close as I can come to anything to compare it to.  It's sweet, foamy, and packs a hell of a kick. I never have learned the drunken master techniques, so if I've got to fight tomorrow, I'd better take it easy on this stuff. 
"Normally," he began, "when this situation arises the warriors will spend several nights before the combat in meditation, so they will be as focused as possible. They will only leave their meditations to eat and train. This situation is different in so many ways, and maybe it is the gods smiling on you that has made it so. This is the third night of the celebration of the Warrior's Moon. Every orc who can fight has been drinking and carousing for two days and will likely carry on through the night tonight. That may work in your favor."
"Hungover idiots are always more fun," I agreed.
"Therein lies the problem," he continued. "Since you are going to be taking part in one tribal function, you will be expected to take part in ALL tribal functions."
"Fuck me running! I have to go party like an orc and then fight tomorrow?"
"Exactly. Shall we?" he asked and rose from his seat motioning to the door of his hut.
Great, this is just fucking great.
We had no sooner stepped outside than a very large, very muscular orc female shoved drinks and food in our hands. She was wearing a skin cut into what was basically a long tank top that was open to her navel. It barely covered the tips of her breasts and was barely past the place where her legs met. The length wouldn't even qualify as a mini-skirt back on Terra. It was tied with a leather belt with a very impressive dagger attached at her waist. She looked at me like I was the next thing she was planning to eat. Her tongue shot out of her mouth and licked her tusk. It was frightening and exciting all at once.
"Hey Valsh," I asked. "What does it mean when a female licks her tusk like that? Doesn't mean she's trying to decide if I'd taste good does it?"
Valsh laughed and clapped me on the back. "Not exactly. She is curious how you would fare if you were to mate with her. I would not recommend it.  Shala can be...enthusiastic and you need to be fully functional in the morning. Oh hell, I could heal you if you are interested in her. Just know that orc women have to be conquered. They will fight you even if they want you. It will not be easy, but it is definitely worth it." He said that last bit with this tone to his voice that sounded like he'd like to knock her down himself.
I'll be honest. It had been a long time since I'd been with anyone. My wife had been gone almost two years. She would have been the first to acknowledge that there are drives that must not be ignored. She was a very earthy woman in that respect. We are, after all, just animals that learned to think. Sometimes we overthink, and in spite of the tusks, this woman was something to behold.  
Fuck it. Nothing to it but to do it.
"What do I do?"
Apparently, I caught him in the middle of a pull on his drink because the spit-take was epic.
"What?" he asked turning his head to look at me. "Oh. You are serious. Idiot. Well, take her some meat from the beast on the fire, make solid eye contact, and snarl a little. A soft grunt might also be appropriate. If she returns the grunt, nod slightly and let her lead you to wherever she wants to go. Orc men are warriors, but we do defer to our women on occasion. Sex is their domain and they rule it with an iron fist."
"What if we've misread her intentions?"
"HAH! You'll know...and quickly too."
I was still kind of on the fence about the whole thing, but my hormones had already made up their mind. I was halfway to the cook fire before I even realized I'd started to move. Once I got there I grabbed a carving knife from a table near the fire and separated a large chunk of a forequarter in one neat cut. I put the knife back and stalked to where Shala was seated.
She turned to look at me as I approached with a look of satisfaction on her face. (I found out later she won a bet with some friends that she could attract the small, white skinned visitor.) I behaved just as Valsh had instructed and was truly surprised when she responded affirmatively. She took the meat, took a bite, and then fed some to me. When it was gone, she got up and led to me a hut just outside of the light of the fires.
Orc females aren't as tall as the males, but she was still a solid six to eight inches taller than me. That put my face just slightly higher than her chest.  No complaints here. Once we were alone she untied the belt from around her waist and let her clothing fall to the floor. I was pleasantly surprised to find that other than being green and completely hairless, all of her parts were in the same places they'd have been on a human woman. Only difference was that once she dropped her clothes, she broke into a fighter's crouch. Conquered...right.
She stood up a little and said, "Well? What are you waiting for? Lose the garments and let's see what you're made of white skin."
Oh, this should be interesting. I stripped down and took a fighter's stance at about the same time she got back into hers and we began to circle the room. After about the second time around she came at me. The sight of this naked, muscular woman charging me caused me to hesitate, and it cost me. She caught me with her hands under my arms, lifted me up, and pinned me to the wall. I was well and thoroughly pinned. I should have asked Valsh how rough I was supposed to be. I could get out of this, but it might hurt her.
"That is truly disappointing," she said. "I had hoped you would put up more of a fight. If that is the best you can do, you will not last long tomorrow."
"I'm new at this. Don't want to hurt you," I replied.
"I do not think you can little man, but you are welcome to try."
I kicked my legs up between and then over her arms breaking her grip. Once I felt it loosen, I rocked up and forward onto her arms and hit the brachial plexus on both sides of her neck. I rode her to the ground and rolled forward over her head. I whirled around to face her taking my fighter's stance again.
She rolled over onto her hands and knees shaking her head to clear the stun I'd given her saying, "Better." Then she charged again.
An hour or so later we were both exhausted, and I don't think there was a piece of furniture intact. We both fell asleep on her floor. Enthusiastic he said.  Worth it he said. Man, was he right. I hurt all over, but I hadn't felt this alive in over a year.
I got up to leave and Shala pulled me back down. "If you have the energy to stand, you have the energy to do that thing with your tongue again." 
Apparently tusks eliminate the possibility of oral sex, so she'd never experienced it before.  There was a slight anatomical difference for her, but once I figured out where to lick, she was thoroughly "conquered." The party was still going on outside. No reason to end the one in here, but goddammit I was going to be sore. Valsh was going to have some heavy healing to do before I go fight later in the day.
I finally emerged from the hut about an hour and a half after. When I stepped outside I was greeted with a cheer from everyone still conscious at the party. Shala followed me a few minutes later. When the crowd noticed she was walking with a slight limp and her legs were a little unsteady, another louder cheer went up.  I looked over to see Valsh sitting where I had left him with a huge shit-eating grin on his face.
"What?" I asked him when I got to where he was sitting.
"Nothing," he said with a chuckle. "Nothing at all. Are you injured?"
"Just sore man. Nothing that a tub of hot water and a couple of hours of sleep won't fix."
"Looking at Shala, I do not think sleep is in your future. Once she has eaten, I believe the rest of your night is spoken for."
"What?!?" I asked turning to look back only to find Shala headed our way with food and drink in her hand. Once she got there, she grabbed me with the other and walked me back to her hut. Valsh just sat there laughing. I'll admit, I didn't fight her.