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There are many places which one can be dragged into. But for my case, I was dragged to the merry land of Mordor.
Mordor is what you'd consider a heaven for those who were fans of the grim and the dark. Everyone else would just simply etch the label Hell onto it. And they would be correct in that regard. The earth was black and hot, the air was toxic and would destroy the lungs faster than a gang of chain-smokers. The sun's rays were blocked by the fumes of Mount Doom, covering the land in perpetual darkness. The denizens of Mordor were what you'd expect to see in a land that was hell for all right's and purposes. Trolls, Spiders, Bats and Wargs. Each creature much bigger and deadlier than the last. There was also men, all of them servants. The difference was that one was free but was chained in feudal servitude to a being they worshiped as a God. The other was simply someone who was in the wrong place in the wrong time. But overall, the most numerous that populated Mordor were orcs.
And to top it all, I'm one.
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The cracks of whips and the cries of men pounded my ears. Followed by cruel laughing and a body being thrown down the earth. I saw the whole spectacle and I tried my best to hide my disgust. In my new existence, I was called Thraka. To save my own skin, I had to live the life of my moniker. And I hated every single second of it.
Orcish society was in all cases, brutal. Each groups of orcs were divided into clans. Each clan was ruled by a chief. A chief was expected to lead the clan to spoils and glory. If a chief failed in his duty, then it might signal to an ambitious orc to take down the chief on a one-on-one grudge match. The winner gets to be the chief. The loser gets to be the next meal for the wargs. Or whichever end the winner might bestow upon the loser. Martial prowess was king and if one didn't match up to that standard either gets to be killed or bullied.
In my case, It was the latter.
Orcs can be fantastically racist. Especially to other orcs. If you were an orc from a different clan then you might be given a slur. If you were an half-orc like me, then good luck buddy. I had my fair share of fights all because of heritage. Sometimes I'd win, sometimes I'd lose. The only reason why I was alive was because I was useful to my chief. A brute named Uzdu.
He wasn't a 'bad' orc to be honest. Yes he might be a
little racist but he had an eye for '
shrakhs that can do more than swing a fucking sword'. It was thanks to his influence and humility aside, my competence, that I was able to become his lieutenant. Of course, it didn't completely save me from my own brothers but hey, I was still alive.
I had my back turned and I didn't notice an orc come up beside me until he opened up.
"What's your name, worm?'
I turned to him and saw an orc half my height. He had a grey-beard and a scar running down his right eye. His skin was weathered by years of combat, living in a hellish environment and simple old age. But his eyes....
It was still burning with the fires of youth and ambition. They spoke volumes of his age and of his strength and immediately, I straightened my posture and replied.
"Thraka." He squinted to get a closer look at me. I matched my eyes with his and I could feel the fire in his eyes intensifying.
"Thraka hm? I don't like that name. I'll call you Snowflake from now on. Tell me, Snowflake, what do you want most in your life?"
Not knowing if this was a test, I thought of an answer. I looked at my life and all I could remember were beatings, whips and nightmares of
him. I had no happy memory. No happy thought. Ever since I came into the world, I only suffered and saw others suffer. And so, I gave him my honest answer.
"I want to live."
He pulled back, satisfied. He took a deep breath then smiled.
"You'll do. You'll do a lot." Then, he walked off, laughing to himself, leaving me to scratch my head in confusion.
A few days later, Uzdu came marching into my tent and told me that I was going to be given to another chief. I hurriedly packed my things and went out of my tent, my eyes rose in recognition as I sighted a familiar orc amidst a party of them. It was the orc that I met a few days back. He seemed to be talking to another orc before he saw me. He waved that orc off before dismounting his warg and walked over to me. We clasped hands. I mildly flinched as I didn't expect a old timer to still have much in him. He smiled when he saw my eaction.
"I told you you'll do."
I looked over him towards the part of orcs that had ridden with him. They were all of different size but one thing I noticed about them is that they were decently armed and equipped, one of them even had a captured Gondorian chestplate as armor. With Mordor colors of course. I looked back to him, unsure of what to say.
"You're no longer part of your clan now. You belong with me. You will be my lieutenant and you will help me. Together, we will make all orcs something else. Something more than scum scraping the dirt."
I nodded. But still, I lingering question plagued my mind.
"I never got your name, chief."
His smile grew wider.
"Oddo. Oddo the Elder."
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A/N: Taking this from SpaceBattles. I have decided to open a SV account for well, I wanted to see the environment here. Hopefully you guys enjoy Now We Are Free!
Here's a link for the SB one:
Now We Are Free V.2 ( Lord of the RIngs SI)
