Chapter 44: An Intresting Secret

​Cassian looked out toward the distant northern horizon, his eyes narrowing to sharp slits.

​"No."

​The Bone Worm’s mental signal froze.

​"Your sister will not die," Cassian declared, his voice ringing with absolute certainty.

​The worm’s soul flame trembled, a sudden spike of desperate hope surging across the link.

​Cassian slowly rose to his feet, his gaze locked onto the dark clouds looming over the Kragmar Dominion.

​"She will not die... as long as you execute my next command to perfection."

​The Bone Worm’s eyes widened in realization.

​A slow, sharp grin spread across Cassian’s face.

....

Morghanna stepped into her personal tent and exhaled slowly.

​Unlike the crude hide shelters occupied by the other Orcs, her quarters resembled a proper residence.

The floor was covered with woven beast-hide carpets, and bone-crafted shelves lined the perimeter walls, while several polished weapons rested neatly upon a weapon rack instead of being carelessly scattered across the dirt.

​Furs from powerful Mana Beasts decorated the interior, and enchanted lanterns bathed the space in a warm, amber glow.

There was even a faint scent of dried herbs lingering in the air.

​To most Orcs, such things were unnecessary, decadent luxuries. To Morghanna, they were baseline standards.

​She had always been cleaner than the rest of her kind, perhaps it was her human half, or perhaps it was simple common sense.

Either way, she found the average Orc’s complete lack of hygiene unbearable.

​Her crimson eyes narrowed.

​The image of the Umbral Mothkin surfaced in her mind once more.

​That gaze... those glowing violet eyes.

Even while bound in heavy chains and facing immediate death, the creature had looked at her without fear, without submission, and without hesitation.

​The memory irritated her more than she cared to admit. She had broken countless enemies, forced legendary warriors to kneel, and reduced entire defiant tribes to absolute obedience.

Yet a mere summon had looked at her as though she were entirely insignificant.

​Morghanna clicked her tongue in annoyance.

’Annoying. Very annoying.’

​Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, she pushed the thought aside. "Prepare my bath."

​The order was barked to the guard outside. Moments later, one of her personal attendants stepped into the entry flap and bowed low. ℯℯ𝑙.

​"Chief Morghanna, the bath is ready."

​"Good."

​The attendant quickly retreated.

​Morghanna waved her hand toward the entrance. "Do not disturb me."

​"As you command, Chief."

​The flap fell shut, and silence returned to the space.

​Only then did Morghanna begin removing her gear, piece by piece, shedding her heavy armor, reinforced leather undergarments, and hidden weapons.

​Soon, she stepped into the large stone bathing pool occupying the rear section of the tent.

​Warm water embraced her skin, and a soft sigh escaped her lips as the pleasant scent of herbal soaps drifted through the chamber. Her tense muscles slowly relaxed beneath the surface.

​This was one of the few methods she had discovered to calm her volatile temper. Otherwise... she was fairly certain she would have massacred half her own tribe by now.

​Living among Orcs was exhausting. They were loud, violent, filthy, and possessed all the natural grace of a charging boar.

​Settling deeper into the warm water, Morghanna scanned her surroundings carefully.

Once she confirmed she was completely alone, her cold, regal expression softened.

​A moment later, gravity subtly stirred above her. A small cloth sack hidden high among the roof supports slowly descended.

​Morghanna caught it before it touched the water, carefully unwrapping the coarse fabric.

​Inside rested a doll.

​It was a crude thing made from dried hay and stitched together with monster sinew.

Its stuffing consisted of preserved beast guts that had long since been treated and dried, while several mismatched bone buttons served as eyes.

The mouth had been crudely sewn into a crooked, lop-sided smile.

​It was hideous by most standards, yet Morghanna held it with surprising, delicate care.

​The fierce, terrifying Orc Chief immediately looked years younger.

​She leaned back into the edge of the pool, hugging the ragdoll tightly against her chest, before she started talking softly.

​"The Starbound Intruders showed up again..."

​Her voice lacked its usual booming authority. Instead, it sounded quiet, almost childish.

​"They keep appearing everywhere... and now they’ve conquered three whole territories already."

​Morghanna frowned, pouting slightly. "It’s annoying. They don’t follow any rules, and they just appear out of nowhere."

​She hugged the doll tighter against her collarbone. "And the tribe keeps expecting me to have all the answers..."

​Her lower lip twitched. "I don’t even fit in properly anyway. The Orcs think I’m too human, and the humans think I’m just an Orc... so which one am I supposed to be?"

​Silence answered her, as it always did.

​Morghanna buried her face into the damp hay of the doll. "...It’s so unfair."

​For several moments, she remained still, simply floating in the warm water as her heavy burdens lifted. Eventually, she relaxed, a small, genuine smile gracing her lips.

​Then, a voice echoed directly inside her mind.

’Should I pretend I didn’t see that?’

​Morghanna froze.

​Her eyes widened in pure horror, and every single muscle in her body locked up.

​Then—

​BOOM!

​Suffocating bloodlust exploded from her frame!

​The entire tent shook violently as a geyser of water erupted from the pool. Her head snapped toward the source of the voice near one of the central support poles.

​There, clinging to the wood, was a tiny Bone Worm.

​Several panicked thoughts flashed through her mind simultaneously: ’How did it get in? How long has it been sitting there?! Why didn’t I sense its presence?!’

​But above all else... ’How much did it see?!’

​The child-like telepathic voice sounded again:

​’I didn’t know the mighty Orc Chief had a little—’

​The sentence never finished.

​CRACK!

​An overwhelming gravitational force descended like a falling star.

​The tiny Bone Worm instantly exploded into a mist of bone and flesh fragments, not a single piece remaining intact.

​Dead silence returned to the bathhouse.

​Morghanna stared blankly at the splattered remains on the pole, her face completely expressionless.

​Then... a bright, furious blush flared across her ears.