58 Hellie's Peak

Hellie sat upon the third highest peak of the Blacktongue mountains. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Hellie gathered the last bit of elemental strength from the shear winds high among the misty clouds.

[Just a bit more...] Hellie thought and concentrated. She felt the spirits of the wind circulate around her, and she invited them to become her strength. These small minor wind wisps would take the invitation and then defuse their consciousness, relieving them of their burden of autonomy and in return becoming the strength of Hellie.

Hellie could feel herself nearing the completion of the necessary steps to become a Champion ranked orcish cultivator. Her muscles, tendons, and sinew were long ago strong enough to bear the burden of the power she was drawing... It was that she was not really favored by the elements, unlike her sister Midka, who was adored to the point of drawing their power directly and manifesting it as a shaman. Something that gnawed at Hellie for all the years she was compared to her sister's elemental prowess.

Midka might have been more inclined to the elements, but she would pale before Hellie's physical strength that was said to be Champion ranked though she remained at Warrior rank for these past two years.

Finally, her patience and persistence were to pay off. She felt the nearing of her heart becoming full of qi. This would allow her to begin her next step as a Champion, and to Circulate this power through her blood.

But one step at a time, as she concentrated.

It was at this moment that she heard voices below her.

Hellie furrowed her brows, as this peak that loomed just behind the Blacktongue stronghold, and was her personal cultivation space provided by the clan, specifically by her adopted father, the Blacktongue Chieftain. In fact, the orcs that did know of this site would call it 'Hellie's Peak."

[...] Hellie attempted to clear her mind, as she continued to beckon the will-o'-wisp of the winds to her heart.

"Garnak, you sure Hellie is up here?"

"Damn it, I told you I got sources."

"Orc, you got to be kidding me. The closest you have to a source is that orcess you string along."

"Hey, sources are sou... There she is."

Hellie's brows slammed together, as she continued her final push... If she wasn't able to fill the heart container at this moment, it was possible to receive a backlash by leaving her heart open to the elements... If she lost focus it was possible at this critical stage for the power she had long stored to rush back out the gate she had opened to allow the will-o'-wisp of the wind into her heart...

"Aye, yeah! It is Hellie. What's up, orcess. How come you never down at the bar?" The tall skinny orc wearing a brawler's harness called out to her.

"Yeah, as Slugga's closest friends and confidants, We need to know what in the fire plane is up with that wanna-be-orc slave."

Hellie desperately clung to her concentration, but the urge to break these two weighed heavily upon her.

The taller orc whispered, "What's a con-fi-dent?"

"Shhh... Look, Zarbak... I think she might be cultivating."

"Oh yeah? Would be a shame if someone broke her concentration."

"Nah orc, come on. We need to leave her be... It's not a good idea to disturb a cultivating orc, let alone her."

"Nah, as you said, We need to know what's up with that pissy slave and her."

A strong gust of wind blew past the peak, and within its folded currents a spirit of the wind noticed a madness calling out.

Curious, this wind spirit grew close and noticed an orcess cultivating. Being long-lived and unwilling to give up its mind previously, it saw many will-o'-wisp swarming around the orcess, but not entering within her heart.

Thinking to itself that if it was someone that was like this... Maybe it wouldn't mind not being sentient any longer.

With its mind made up, it dove into the heart gate of Hellie.

A gale force wind bore down on Hellie and the two orcs.

[AH HA!] Hellie's eyes snapped open, and with a rush of strength, she felt her whole body become light.

It was at this moment that, the Orc known as Garnak slapped Hellie on the back, "Come on girl, We need to talk. You can cultivate later."

Hellie's eyes swirled, as she turned and grasped Garnak by the throat.

"Zah-kac!?" The orc struggled to speak as Hellie's hand tightened quickly.

"Hel-Princess Hellie! Spare him!" Zarbak called out. He didn't even see Hellie move, and the next second Garnak was being held Helplessly.

Zarbak didn't understand why he called out for her to spare Garnak, as Garnak was Warrior ranked, just like Hellie... But the howling winds that now surrounded the peak drowned out his plea.

"..." Hellie's pupils had long ago turned into swirling maelstroms.

Finally, she spoke, as her voice cut across the howling mountain winds.

"I have long disliked you and your brother here... Now today you have the gall bladder to come and interrupt me in my place of cultivation..."

Garnak shook his head and rushed to tackle Hellie. He, too, was a warrior-ranked orc, so two-on-one wouldn't be a problem to get away with their life.

Hellie flexed her thumb, and a cracking sound issued from Garnak's hyoid bone. His throat collapsed within Hellie's grasp, as she turned her face to stare at the incoming Zarbak.

She took Garnak's body and slammed it into Zarbak.

Blood pooled in Zarbak's mouth, as he spat it out.

Hellie walked closely over and squatted down beside the downed Zarbak, who was now pinned by Garnak's body.

"You know... Being Champion rank feels great... Very freeing." Hellie smiled in a most wicked way.

"Spar-Spare me, Princess Hellie! If you kill me my Father General Zaagul will avenge me!"

"Really... That's what you have to say?" Hellie sighed.

She slammed her fist into Zarbak's face, causing it to burst like a melon.

"Ewwww... It's all over my hand!" Hellie stood up and stomped the body of Zarbak, which meant she stomped Garnak's body into Zarbak's.

Blood flowed, and Hellie puffed her breath a few times, as she took a few steps back and looked down on the two dead orcs.

[Well shit... You did it this time, Hellie.] She thought to herself.

Looking at the two orcs, she walked over and picked both orcs up. One by his harness and the other by his belt, and tossed both bodies over the side of the peak facing away from the Blacktongue stronghold.

She watched as the two bodies rolled down the mountains and into a cloud just below the peaks, disappearing from sight.

Hellie looked at both her hands, [This is very, very good... Master will be most pleased... But... I need to go find Demze.]

Hellie looked at the blood on the mountain and shrugged. She walked down the path back to the Blacktongue valley basin.

As she made her way back down the mountain, Hellie pondered why she felt so impulsive earlier... Though it wasn't like she had never been impulsive. Again, she shrugged and continued her path.