1 Chapter 1

"Wakey-wakey! Mew don't want to sleep mewr first day of adulthood away, mau do mew, Miss Bulka?" The young orc's green eyes popped open and her torso bent upward to greet the morning with a stretch. Faint sunlight flickered through the round window by her straw matress. Yawning, she rubbed her sandy eye and took alook around her attic room. Same usual clutter, complete with old magic books, labratory gear, and jarred up potion ingredients. Everything an aspiring young alchamist could want. What she didn't see was...

Her head perked up as she heard the sound of a ladder being slid down to the floor. Then there were footsteps, which led to the trapdoor on the brown-carpeted floor popping open.

"Supuuuurrrrise!" In the doorway was her adopted sister, Mollie, who was carrying the most sugary looking plate of waffles possible. The smell of fresh cream cheese, candied strawberries,

and coconut sprinkles was makeing her mouth water. The young woman carrying the plate was even more sweet. While Bulka was adopted, Mollie was the biological daughter of Bulka's adopted father.

Unlike their dad-a human-she was a quater demibeast, a cat-person to be precise. Luckily for her she got the most endearing features from her mother's annesestors. That included

the cute ears, tail, and paw-like hands. Combine that with her ginger hair, blue eyes, freckles, and peteite stature, and you have the most sought after bachelorette in the Mossy Boulder community.

Didn't help she was also the head baker at the local cafe, and the uniform was some filly pink dress and bonnet. Her natural charm really made the almost seven-foot Bulka feel self-conscious. Not that she held anything against her wonderful sister for it, especially if she made her breakfast in bed like right then. Mollie was looking just as chipper and upbeat as always, and she cheerfully skipped over to Bulka's beside. "I hope mew like it! I had to make the purr-fect treat for the dawn of mewr epic legend!"

Bulka smiled weakly, she wasn't so sure she was going to get very far in the adventuring ranks, even if that was the dream. Not that it wasn't nice to hear her sister's overwhelming support. "Thanks Mollie!"

The older sister placed the tray she was carrying onto the birthday girl's lap. Bulka's four-fingered hand reached for the tin mug of tea. She could see her gray-ish reflection

look back at her. She sighed before taking a sip. She didn't nessisarily hate her apperance, but being the only orc in the tribe was a nightmare. Her skin was leathery like a crocodile, then her muscles that looked like they were chissled from stone, and two rows of sharp teeth in her mouth. Oh and the horns, she had three horns on both sides of her face. The middle horn was in the place of where her ears would go, and had gill-like structures that were used for hearing. Totally not something the village boys were into. Compared to the russet beauty by her beside, Bulka was a freak.

Not that she ever took it out on Mollie, it wasn't like her sister could choose her biology either. All that ment was that Bulka would have to try harder than most to win the villager's approval, and she would finally do so by being the best adventurer yet! She prayed for as much while giving thanks for her meal.

"Oh Bulka, what am I going to do with mew? Sixteen years since Dad brought ya home and mewr still way too serious! Maybe if he and Mom were still around mew'd be better off..."

Mollie crossed her arms, her padded finger twitching against them. Seeing her sister pout like that almost made her choke on a generous bite of waffle. "At least mew know how

to kick your feet up for a good mewl!" Mollie took out a hankercheif and wiped the creem cheese dripping down Bulka's chin.

"Ugh, Mollie it's fine! I've got to train if I am going to prove myself to those stupid snobs! There's no time for being a child or whatever!" The only thing immature about the orc was

her table manners, as she spoke with her mouth full. "I want to be a hero! I want to prove to that damn elf that my inventions are just as awesome as her stupid arrows!" bulka flexed

her muscular arms and grunted as she spoke. As if she was trying to intimidate the figure in her mind's eye.

Mollie just sighed and shook her head as she picked up the empty tray. "Mew better grow out of this phase sister, nothing good comes from surrounding yourself with negativity and hate!"

The older sibling turned around to leave but stopped herself when a crimson and gold envelope fell out of her apron pocket. "Mreew! Whoopsie daisy! I forgot your gift! Dad told me

if anything ever happened to him I needed to give this to mew! It's such a shame he wise to take such precautions!" Bulka somberly nodded and took the envelope. The first thing

to come to mind was money. She already knew that she'd be given her inheritance soon, now that she was of age, but she doubted that her sister would present it as her birthday present. She did something gently-for once-and opened up the letter neatly. Inside was a thin, folded peice of papyrus. She pinched the corner of the page and pulled it out with her talon-like fingers. When she unfolded it, something fell out of the letter. Immediately, the fallen object began to glow radiantly.

"Mew goodness!" Mollie's flattened hand pressed against her open lips as she stiffened from shock. Bulka crawled out of her sheets and reached for the flat, glowing object that was lying on her quilt. She picked it up, and grabbed her goggles nearby so she could inspect the strange thing laying across her palm. It was almost like a thin slice of marble, with colorful etches scratced into it that glowed a magnificent light. She recognized the hyroglyphics, and knew this was clearly ancient technology.

"Mollie! Th-this is pricless! It's a summoning chip!" She could not beleive the thing in her hand was such a rare peice of ancient technology, how did her father get ahold of this?

Her nose dived deep into the letter in hopes of an explanation.

"Dear Bulka,

I remember when I found you out on my adventures, I had the same feeling in my heart as I did the day Mollie was born. I never doubted for once you were my child, even though

the blood of your mother and I doesn't run through your veins." She cursed under her breath as she was forced to wipe a tear from her eye. "I know you plan on being an adventurer

now that you are a grown woman. Honestly, I was hoping you would grow out of that phase by now. Our world, Mangle, is a broken one. Left in ruin after a war, thousands of years ago,

and plagued by the undead. The hardships a life on the road brings are too numerous to count. Between trecking the ruins, fighting monsters, and competing with enemy tribes you'll

have every fiber of your being tested. Which is why I suggest you use this. This chip was what I orginally was after when I discovered you in that stasis chamber. It has the ability

to summon the most skilled theif ever to exist. This is reguardless of dimension, time period, and any other sort of natural boundary. Who knows what kind of magnificent being this device will

produce? I knew from the start you, and this thief, were destined for greatness, thanks to my gift of prophecy. Now go my daughter, journey to the nearest summoning device and bring this

genius bandit to our world. I wish you well and have a good life my dear, I am sorry I was unable to be there..."

Bulka hugged the note while tightly gripping the chip. "Rest well old man, you bet your dry bones I'm going to make something of myself!" She felt her sister's hankercheif slide

across her cheek. She smiled ernestly and drew her big sis in for another hug. After the breif embrace, she lept out of Bed and streached. She grabbed her comb from one of the piles

of clutter and began to brush the voilet strands of hair away from her face. "Suppose I better be off then, huh sis? I'm going to summon this theif and we'll be the best damn avdenturing

duo in the world!"

"Meow! You go girl! Just curious though, what class are your going to pick? Mew've built and practiced with so many different weapons, but mew haven't picked a favorite yet did mew?"

Mollie made a good point, Bulka had learned her father's craft of alchamy. That was the noble art of learning the anceint toungue and reverse engineering anceint technology.

Through her experiments she built many weapons but like most people, she found she had affinity for only one. She begrudingly eyed the axe in the corner of her room. An orc with

an axe, a lowsy stereotype if there ever was one. Why did she had to syncronize with the beserker's dumb weapon? Mollie seemed to notice the death glares towards that paticular weapon.

"Oh shucks! Shoulda seen the one coming! When mew came in the other day and tossed mewr muddy boots an the wall while crying, that was why!" Bulka felt a fluffy, paw-like hand

tap her shoulder. "Being a bersker isn't something to be ashamed of. They are the strongest, toughest, and most powerful class. Just becuase they get a bad rep doesn't mean squat!

Mew are a good girl, going through a phase but still very good! Show the world the pride of both orcs an' berserkers! Be the one to denounce steryotypes!" Bulka lifted her head

in realization.

"You're right sis! I am going to be the most powerful beserker ever, and the most noble too! I will summon the best the theif class has to offer, and togeather we will be unstoppable!" She flung her fist into the air, and then bolted into her dusty wardrobe. From the outside Mollie could hear lots of loud thumps as her sister clumsily putting on her adventuring attire. She then crashed through the doors, like a jack-in-the-box suddenly popping out. With a hard thud she landed on the floor and swiped the axe.

Being two-hundred-plus pounds of muscle, the poor girl made such an impact that a box of tools tipped off the wardobe and crashed onto the floor.

"MREEEOOOOW!" Mollie leaped ontop of the bed, her claws digging into to the quilt while her back was arched.

"My bad, but that remindes me!" Bulka bent down and picked up the dagger, the weapon of the theif-class. "When I summon the theif, they might not have a weapon. So I'm going to bring this just in case!"

"Nyat a bad idea, but I do wonder what the theif will be like! If he's a dashing young man mew ought to introduce him to me! Purrrrleeeasse! Hehe!" That was classic Mollie, always

having boys on the mind but being too scared to make the first move. Too bad her striking cuteness made most of the local men feel the same way about her. Until somebody crazy

confident came along, her sister was doomed to be a one-cat act. Not that things were any different for Bulka, but for very different reasons. "Anywho! I'll go pack a lunch so

get mewr things togather! Oki doke?" She winked and headed down the trap door.

Leaving Bulka to her thoughts, the young orc threw herself across the hay-stuffed matress for one last second of relaxation before the day truly began. She held up the ancient chip and thought about the magnificent person connected to it. Whoever it was, she could sense their amazing potentail. She might not had prophetic abilities like her Dad, but she knew that this hero had the ability to strike awe and respect into the hearts of even the most imposing threat...

At that very moment, realms away, that epic, soon-to-be hero, uttered his triuphant catchphrase..."HAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWNK!"