[coronatiger]

Thoughts on June 4th

Va’lyndra warned us that she had noticed movement in the forest when she woke Olivia and me for our watch, but all was quiet until morning. Once the others were awake, Va’lyndra and I went to look for tracks. That is, Va’lyndra looked for tracks while I provided protection. I’m no tracker. The elf, on the other hand, is a skilled one, and she found that half a dozen crocodile heads had been there. They were long gone by now.

We packed down our camp and headed downriver, looking for a place to cross the twenty-meter-wide stream. There was no ford between our campsite and the ruins, but a wide pillar rose from the water mid-stream. There was a bridge here, once, and some stone-work remained on either side of the river.

We decided to make a new bridge, so we could bring the animals across. With crocodile heads in the area, it might be risky to leave Olivia alone with the horses while we went exploring. Each of us undertook a task according to our skill set. Ilzo started chopping down trees. Va’lyndra shaped the logs so they’d fit together, and Leopold molded the stones remaining on this side of the river, so the logs would be secure. Olivia looked after the horses, and I wandered around on my hands, discovering cobblestones under the turf; a road had once started at the bridge and followed the river further south.

When the logs were done, I took a running start and jumped over to the pillar in the middle of the river. It towered three meters above the water, so I had to grab hold of the pillar when I landed on its side, and climb up. Ilzo and Va’lyndra toppled three of the six logs into the water with great splashes. They made sure the logs landed upstream from the pillar, so the current didn’t drag them away.

I made a loop at the end of a rope and tried to hook it around one of the logs that rested against the pillar. I had to drink a potion of strength to hoist the end of the log up to where I stood on top of the pillar. I repeated the feat with the other two logs, and held them as steady as I could while Leopold and Va’lyndra joined me on the little artificial island so they could fasten the logs to the pillar. We manufactured the other half of the bridge in a similar fashion.

When Va’lyndra tried to take Hungover across, the poor horse slid, and she was unfortunate enough to push it over the edge when she tried to help it up. Ilzo and I dove into the water to help the panicking animal. Ilzo discovered that he didn’t know how to swim, but managed to pull himself back to the shore without swallowing too much of the fetid water. Leopold ran downstream on the east side to find a good place to bring Hungover back on land. Va’lyndra followed on the west side, casting a spell to guide Hungover to Leopold. The frightened horse panicked even more, and it was all I could do to keep its head above water. Leopold had to find another landing site further downstream, for the current was strong and pulled us past the first one. I got us ashore there, and Va’lyndra hurried over the bridge to soothe the animal. Leopold and Olivia got the other horses across without any more accidents.

Olivia made camp, hidden among the trees outside the ruins, while the rest of us went exploring. All the buildings lay in ruined heaps. The statues outside had felt the ravages of time, too, but it was still possible to discern their motifs. All of them were shaped like orcs, and they were … inspiring. Each piece of art had two or more orcs doing exciting things to each other. I found myself checking them off on my mental list: “Done that … done that … hmm, what’s he doing? Ah, done that, too.” If we determined that the area was safe, I planned to bring Olivia inside when the others left, so we could celebrate our love.

Va’lyndra cast a spell to look for magic, and I fetched the pregnancy pills from Olivia to ask the mage if they were enchanted. Va’lyndra said no, which was quite a disappointment. I didn’t think a mundane herbal concoction could overcome my curse. Va’lyndra asked what the pills were, but I didn’t tell her. It felt too personal.

We searched through the temple, lifting some rocks and doing some digging, but we found no treasures, and no holy relics. Leopold used his magic to determine that there was no hidden cellar under any of the buildings, and sat down to make a sketch of how the temple might have looked before it collapsed.

We discovered a statue that seemed important, although it too had fallen into pieces. It was an orc with three faces exhibiting various moods, but its most interesting feature was that it had both boy parts and girl parts, proudly on display. Ilzo suggested that Olivia and I “did our thing” next to the statue, while the others retreated out of sight. That had been my idea, too, but I had no intention of blabbing about it. What Olivia and I do in private should remain private, although I’m aware that the others know exactly what’s going on; the walls of our tent aren’t very thick. We try to be considerate, at least most of the time.

The stupid orc decided to propose his thought to Olivia, since I didn’t reply. He didn’t tell me first what he intended, and subjected me to the most heart-shattering sound I’ve ever heard, the sound of nightmares that has torn me awake, covered in cold sweat, on several occasions: Olivia’s scream. This was a howl of anger, but the undertones of terror deafened all other sounds in my ears. I dashed back to camp, where Olivia was glaring at Ilzo. I stopped between them, protecting Olivia behind my back while I shrieked up at Ilzo, towering over us as he was, then I whisked Olivia away.

We found a hiding place among some bushes and sat down, clinging to each other. Once our hearts stopped racing, Olivia confessed she had tried to kick Ilzo in the groin. Her dress and lack of fighting experience had caused her to miss with both her attempts, before Ilzo overcame the surprise of her uncharacteristic behavior. Even while frightened and angry, Olivia knew that picking a fight with a ready Ilzo was a bad idea.

Va’lyndra tracked us down after a while and told me she wanted my unique perspective on things in the temple. With a protective arm around Olivia’s waist, I followed her back to the temple. It turned out Va’lyndra didn’t really have any ideas about what I should look for or give an opinion on, so we just wandered around haphazardly. Va’lyndra returned to camp after a while, having seen all the sights already.

Feeling inspired by the statuary, I found a secluded spot and appraised Olivia’s emotional state. She seemed to have put Ilzo’s effrontery behind her and responded positively to my careful probing. I held her hands tenderly and tilted my head up slightly, so I could reach her mouth. Her sweet lips met mine. I determined to go slowly, to let delicate Olivia set the pace. When her tongue darted out and her hands fumbled for the straps of my leather armor, my resolve dissipated. My last coherent thought was that I should let her remain in control, but I knew I couldn’t.

Olivia had the foresight to keep her cloak close so she could cover us while we lay resting afterwards. Other articles of clothing were scattered around us, and one of my shoes had taken flight, settling between two embracing stone orcs a few meters away. It took some time to locate, once we decided to return to camp.