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Sha' Grun and The Beast
321ownage
Year-956  :: Chapter 1 Sha' Grun ::Where Sha' Grun came from is uncertain. Stories of his origin range frome a wizard bringing to life a sculpture, to a magical union of the dersert wind, and stone. Almost everything else about Sha' Grun is legendary. He stood 8 feet tall, a full foot taller than most Orcs. His strength was such that, when denied entry to the town of Bao' Thun, he grabbed the city gate and ripped it from it's very hinges. With a single bellow, birds took flight for 3 miles aroung. He was indeed a testament to the greatness of his forefather Krug, and was the pride of Orc kind. ::Chapter 2-The Discovery ::Sha' Grun wandered the lands constantly. Though honorable, no town would keep him for more than a week, for fear of what he could do. So Sha' Grun came to a town. Weary, he headed for the tavern. ::Sha' Grun opened the door and a creak drew the eyes of all the patrons. the clamor of mugs and conversation died quickly, and all eyes went to Sha' Grun. Undeterred, Sha' Grun strode to the bar and tossed his coinpurse on it. he sat, and the stool creaked from the weight of his enormous figure. He turned to the barkeep and spoke,"Bring me a flagon of ale." By this time conversations were beginning again and the tavern began to return to its usual state. The barkeep placed the flagon before Sha' Grun and collected his due. Sha' Grun dranks slowly and savored the ale, and began listening to the conversations around him. The convesrations were mostly commonplace, but one particularly caught his ear. He strained to listen. ::"Oy, did you hear about Nal' hattal?" said the Orc. ::"Yeah, sacked I heard, not many escaped. Probably bandits." replied the other. ::"No, no that's just it, all the survivors insist it wasn't bandits. They say it was some kind of  creature. Funny if you ask me, no kind of creature could do that to a town." ::Sha' Grun pulled out his map and laid it on the bar. he located Nal' Hattal not even a day's journey from the town he was in. he resolved to go there, rented a room, . ::The following morning Sha' Grun set out early, and arrived at the gates of Nal' Hattal at mid-day. The gate was made of wood, and were it not for the damage, would have been unremarkable. Upon seeing it, Sha' Grun knew this was no bandit raid. The  gate was not smashed in, as it would be with a ram, but rather had gouges, and chunks missing. Cautious, Sha' Grun entered, setting his hand on his axe. Inside, the town was carnage. Rubble from buildings, stains from dried blood, and an ashen smell, overpowered by the stench of  rotting death. As he investigated, Sha' Grun went found that many of the buidlings had the same marks he had seen on the gate. As he went to leave, he noticed something about the marks on the town wall. These were not the random, haphazard gouges he had seen, but rather a pattern going up the wall. Sha' Grun exited the town and ran to where he had seen the marks on the other side of the wall. Sure enough, they were there again. He examined the marks then turned to contemplate what could cause them, when he saw it. Almost so faint it was invisible in the sand, easily mistakable for tiny dunes created by the wind. A trail. :: Chapter 3- The Cave ::Sha' Grun followed the trail for several miles, leading him to a cliff face. There on the face, he saw the same marks as on the walls, only more numerous. Needing to know what made them, he began to climb. When he had nearly reached the summit, he clambered into a cave, with a lip below, so that it would be impossible to see from the base of the cliff. Sha' Grun peered inside the cave, making out stalagmittes and stalactites, their points as  sharp as a blade's, and their size was such that the cave appeared to be the gaping maw of some carnivorous monstrosity. Sha' Grun cautiously entered the cave. ::Chapter 4-The Beast ::When he could no longer see, Sha' Grun felt along the walls with his left hand, and firmly gripped his axe with his right . He walked for what seemed like an eternity before he heard a rustle. Sha' Grun stopped abruptly and listened. Again he heard a rustle. He reached down to the ground and felt around before finding a stone. Another rustle. Sha' Grun stood and threw the stone towards the noise as best as he could figure. The stone hit with a thud, then a clatter, and Sha' Grun knew he had found his mark. Slowly, what seemed like a light appeared, then two. Sha' Grun realized they were eyes. They were two large orbs of yellow, somehow glistening in the darkness like gold in torchlight. below them a jaw opened, revealing a row of white teeth, every so slightly reflecting the light from the eyes. Sha' Grun put both hands on his axe and drew it back. The eyes dashed to the side with blinding speed, catching Sha' Grun off guard. Something hit him in the chest with atounding force, tossing him into the wall and sening his axe fl ying. He heard a rapid patter, and turned to see the eyes rushing towards him. Quickly he leapt to his feet and lashed out with his foot, catching the thing in what seemed to be t he jaw. It reeled backwards, and it's eyes seemed to express surprise at the force of the blow. Sha' Grun knelt and felt for his axe, but found nothing. Again hearing the the patter of feet, he rose, but this time too late. What seemed like a tree trunk struck the side of his legs, sending him crashing to the ground, and knocking the breath out of him. The eyes appeared in front of him, and a slight glimmer moved throguh the dark. Sha' Grun rolled away, just as the glimmer flashed downward with incredible speed. Sha' Grun saw the enormou claws of The Beast, and immediatly knew what had made the marks. But the thought was short lived, as they were wrenched out of the ground and brough back to bear. Sha' Grun scrambled to his feet and began to run, but tripped, hearing a clang. Quickly realizing it was his axe, he scooped it up and turned. The Beast once more rushed at him. Sha' Grun let out a cry of defiance and The Beast stopped, hesitating it seemed. But then once more, The Beast resumed it's onslaught. Parrying the swipe of The Beast's claws, Sha' Grun struggled to gain the advantage. No matter what he tried though, The Beast always managed to keep the upper hand. On the duel went, each trying to make, or stop the mortal blow. But Sha' Grun's stamina was failing. The Beast withdrew for a moment, assessing him. Sha' Grun knew he had met his end, and drew his axe above his head. He drew his last breath, and with all of his might let loose his final roar. His bellow sounded as loud as the blast of victory trumpets, and reverberated throguh the cave. The Beast cringed, and crumpled, pained by the sound. Sha' Grun saw this and took his only chance. He rushed forward, his battlecry roaring, full of ferocity. The Beast tried to stand and fight, it's golden eyes fiery with rage, it's teeth bared. Sha' Grun leapt into the air and brought his axe down with all of his might and weight, directly between the golden orbs. A warm spray of blood splashed onto Sha' Grun and the last echoes of his battle cry could be heard dying out. With labored breath Sha' Grun wrenched his axe from the head of The Beast. The Beast was slain.