The Journal of Khazak, Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Aerisday,  Piscea 20th, 4623

I must apologize, journal, for being away for so long. It has been nearly six months since my last entry, and I certainly picked an eventful time to stop writing. Let me catch you up.

In the days that followed our violent encounter with the Ragebloods, I and the rest of the Proudhunters prepared for the worst. We expected serious retaliation, and were even preparing to pack up and move the entire camp before they had a chance. Anything to protect the tribe.

But after days passed with nothing happening, I decided to be proactive about the situation and sent out a few scouts. But there was never any kind of attack, no run-ins in the forest, no sign of them at all. If I hadn't had our scouts verify that their campsite was still populated, I might have thought they abandoned the forest altogether.

Eventually I realized that the attack we had been bracing ourselves for was never going to come, and time moved on. I am very pleased to tell you that the attitude the rest of the Proudhunter tribe holds towards my partner Vakesh has only continued to improve. These days  he is treated as if he were a full member of the tribe - albeit one that is my subordinate.

That aspect of our relationship has not changed much. I am still the “leader” in our relationship, not that you would know from the amount of sass and backtalk he has become comfortable enough to give me. He might be one of the only people in the tribe who can talk to me like that at all - something the younger children in particular have enjoyed.

Not everyone has been  as welcoming. Bura, Mona, and a handful of others related to the orcs we lost in the battle, resentful that a Rageblood is being welcomed into the pack. No one has outright said anything, but it is clear as day on their faces when they see one of us.

As the months and seasons passed, there were bigger concerns for the tribe to worry about. Namely preparing for the upcoming winter. Now that we had lost several of our best hunters, the rest of us had to work overtime to make sure we had enough food stockpiled. Not to mention the firewood.

With the recent turmoil among our ranks, I wanted to be extra vigilant in our preparations, and it was a good thing I was. This past winter was one of the harshest I can ever recall. One day the temperature suddenly dropped, and then we had storms that would rage for days and nearly a full meter of snow! Even now, as spring approaches, the flora and fauna of the forest seem to be thawing much slower than they have in the past.

We may have been ready, but the other tribes were not as fortunate. It was not long into winter that we received a message from the chiefs of the Woodspirit and Swiftrunner packs, requesting a meeting. There was a designated location in the center of the woods that had been used for trade in the past, so I set out that afternoon with Vakesh and a few other orcs.

Both tribes were experiencing a particularly rough season, their food stores already dwindling. The Swiftrunners are known for their weaving and the Woodspirits their skill at making potions, but they did not have much to trade. Still, the desperation was clear on their faces. The Proudhunters were no strangers to requesting help ourselves in the past, and as we had ample food of our own, I saw no reason to say no.

It would not be the last time we rendered another tribe assistance. In fact, by the end of Aquaria, all of the tribes had begun to engage in regular trades. We have even begun to build a more formal tradepost, ensuring we all would make it through this and any future winters together. Everyone except the Ragebloods.

I assumed they had been keeping to themselves, still licking their wounds after our run-in. Vakesh and I had not spoken about his brother’s death since our reconciliation, but I knew it still weighed heavily on his mind. Which brings me to what drove me to pick you up and begin writing again today.

We received a messenger at our camp this morning - from the Ragebloods. That was not the most surprising thing though. What really shocked us was that it came from Vakesh’s brother Mojpat. I’ll let Vakesh’s reaction speak for both of us:

“He’s alive!?” he practically shrieked near the camp’s bonfire.

“It would appear so,” I replied, dumbfounded as I looked over the message that was just delivered.

“What else does it say?” Before I could answer, he snatched the letter from my hand.

“Excuse me?” I responded, taking the letter back.

“He’s my brother!” Vakesh argued, snatching the letter again.

“And the letter is addressed to me!” I grab it for what I hope is the final time. “Am I going to have to punish you over this?!”

“I just--” He cut himself off, seeing my face. “Sorry, Sir.”

“I know he is your brother,” I softened just a bit. “Just let me finish reading.”

The Rageblood messenger stood awkwardly at our side, just wishing for the argument to be over. His head bounced back and forth between us, forced to watch as we went through our back and forth. No doubt he just wanted to get our response and leave.

“He is asking to meet,” I explained to Vakesh while reading more. “He wants to call a truce between our tribes. And he has asked that you be there.”

“He did?” Vakesh sounded confused and perhaps a bit hopeful. “He’s not... I almost killed him.”

“Almost is the key word, I think,” I told him softly. “You said it yourself - he is your brother. Perhaps he does not want to lose that.”

“I just don’t...” Vaeksh looks down confused. “What are you going to do?”

I thought about it. The winter had been harsh but we had made it through alright and though slow, the forest was already beginning to return to normal. Our relations with all of the other tribes had only improved, and I knew none of them had been in contact with the Ragebloods either.

But what pushed me over the edge and agree was simple: Vakesh. All of the hope and worry I could see on his face were like an arrow to my heart and reminded me that it was my own tribesman that caused Vakesh to nearly kill his brother to begin with. I had to try, for Vakesh and for the tribe.

“We agree to his request for a meeting,” I told the messenger, Vakesh’s head shooting up in surprise. “Give me a moment to pen a response with the meeting location.”

“Uh, okay,” The messenger nodded, clearly waiting for this to be finished as soon as possible.

“Are you really going to discuss a truce?” Vakesh asked as he followed me into our tent.

“I am willing to hear what he has to say,” I told him as I picked up a quill and began to pen my response. “We won’t be going alone, we will be bringing plenty of protection.”

“Of course.” he nodded to himself. “I just... I can’t believe he's alive.”

I watched as hope once again filled my boy's face, and I found myself feeling the same.

Terraday,  Piscea 21th, 4623

We met with the Ragebloods early this morning. I set our meeting location as Plantar’s Throne, a fairly well known rock formation about four kilometers north/northwest of the new trading post. I brought Vaeksh, as well as Trees and Yurga. Both men had stepped up since Ritkal’s passing, unofficially acting as my second and third in commands.

Things were tense as we approached the meeting site, the Ragebloods already in attendance. There were four of them, as I requested in my response, but I only recognized one of them: Mojpat.

Mojpat looked... There is no other way to say it, he looked bad. Barely a shell of his former self, he was hunched over, using a cane to keep himself upright. His injuries seemed to age him almost ten years, and at one point one I saw of his supporters catch him by the arm to keep him from toppling over.

Just behind me I heard Vakesh’s sudden intake of breath as he watched his brother hobble forward. I felt immense guilt in the pit of my stomach, knowing it was my tribesmen that lead to this. But that was nothing compared to Vakesh, who did the actual deed.

“B-Brother...” His voice cracked as he spoke. “I am so sorry.”

“It is good to see you, brother,” Mojpat replied with a gentle smile.

“I...” I thought better of apologizing myself. “Are you alright, Chief Gorecrash?”

“He is fine, Proudhunter,” one of Mojpat’s men spat at me.

“Watch your mouth!” Yurga spat back. “Or do you want us to finish what we started?”

“Yurga!” I immediately reprimanded.

“That is enough,” Mojpat said to his men at the same time.

Both groups immediately settled down, though it was obvious they would turn this into a brawl if given the chance. The last thing we need would be for a fight to erupt while trying to discuss peace.

“Vakesh,” Mojpat says, smiling at his brother. “It is good to see you.”

“It is good to see you too, brother.” I could hear the hitch in his voice and knew he wanted to rush to his brother's side - but he held back.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet, Chief Steelrun,” Mojpat addressed me with a small bow.

“It was quite the surprise to receive your message,” I responded, not knowing what else to say.

“I am sure it was, given our last meeting.” Mojpat actually chuckled at that. “It has been a particularly difficult winter for me and my tribe.”

“Yes, it has been a difficult winter for us all,” I replied.

It was then that I realized just how much the rest of the Rageblood tribe must respect Mojpat, to continue following him while he is in his current state. Normally someone would not hesitate to challenge an injured chief for his position. It also may speak to just how difficult the season has been for them.

“We have attempted to reach out to the other tribes, and you are the first ones to respond positively,” Mojpat continued.

“You can hardly blame them, given your reputation,” Tress pointed out unhelpfully.

“Because your tribe is so honorable after what you did to us,” one of the Ragebloods growls back.

“I said that is enough,” Mojpat repeated, silencing his men. “They are correct, it is our own actions that have forced us into our current situation.

 “We are running low on both food and medicine,” he continued, looking at me pleadingly. “I know you are a good man. The fact that my brother has been taken care of the way he has is proof enough of that. Please, Chief Steelrun, for the sake of my tribe - our children, our sick, our elderly - would you help us?”

The Rageblood chief’s pleading tone only served to increase my guilt. When Riktal attacked their tribe, we no doubt slew some of their fiercest warriors and hunters. At the very least, we greatly contributed to their difficulties surviving the season. But the Ragebloods had been our rivals for as long as I can remember - I still could not agree so readily.

“Give me a moment to discuss this with my tribesmen,” I requested, stepping away with my men at Mojpat’s acquiescence.

“Sir, please, we have to help them,” Vakesh was the first to speak in a low voice once we are far enough away.

“Are you crazy?” Yurga instantly started to argue. “They may be your former tribe, but they are also our sworn enemies! If anything we should be thankful they are doing so poorly.”

“We are talking about children here!” Vakesh argued back.

“There is no pleasure to be found in other’s suffering,” I replied cooly to Yurga.

“I understand how Yurga feels,” Tress started,” but I am with Vakesh, Chief. We cannot allow innocents to suffer like that. And like they said, it is not as if we can speak from any place of honor after the way we attacked them.”

“Thank you, Tress.” I did not expect such a strong answer.

I was taken aback by how fiercely he seemed to believe his own words. It gave me hope that others in my tribe would feel the same. I had to say yes.

“We agree to your truce,” I tell Mojpat as we rejoin the group. “And would be happy to offer what aid we can.”

“That is wonderful to hear,” I could hear genuine relief in the man's voice. “We have prepared a list of our needs - if you could help with even a fraction of it, we would be grateful.”

I take the paper and look over it briefly, not seeing anything extravagant before handing it to Tress.

“We will provide whatever we are able,” I tell him honestly - I cannot put my own tribe at risk for his. “And I will ... attempt to speak to the other tribal leaders - but I cannot promise that they will be willing to listen.”

“Thank you, Chief Steelrun,” Mojpat was still relieved. “I understand you cannot control what the other tribes may decide for themselves, but I still thank you for trying.”

Our final piece of business was working out what the truce between our tribes would mean. All existing tribal hunting boundaries are to be respected, but should our respective tribe members run into each other by chance, caution is to be exercised and violence avoided at all costs. Scouts are also to remain off of our opposing tribes territory - no more spying.

Before leaving, I gave Vakesh a moment to speak with his brother, alone. Yurga did not seem pleased by that, still not trusting the Ragebloods, but I know I can trust Vakesh. I do not know what they spoke about, but he seemed conflicted on our walk home.

I cannot say that the rest of the tribe was entirely pleased to hear the results of our meeting. Several of them questioned why we would help someone who had been our enemy for so long. A few even felt emboldened enough to accuse Vakesh of manipulating me, but I was very quick to silence those naysayers. Still, I know it will not be the end of it.

After going over our food stores with Tress and medical supplies with our mother, I found we had ample supplies of both and should be able to supply the Ragebloods with what they need without issue. Despite my reservations, I hope this is the start of something positive and constructive between our tribes.

After everything I have been through with Vakesh and how much he continues to surprise me in the best ways, I know I can trust him. And if he has faith in his brother, then I need to have faith in him.