Thief's Race (Horde)

The amount of alcohol in her blood had reached an efficient level after she chunked down almost all of the rum in her flask. The orc was standing near the entrance to the inn, casually chatting and having a laugh with those who came over to speak to him. He was obviously not just an orc. There was this distinctive aura of influence and intimidation about him, clearly the one of a leader. She would have easily spotted him from afar even amongst a hundred other similarly looking males of the same race. The brief conversation they previously had confirmed all her assumptions about Kozgugore, the Chieftain of the Red Blade tribe. He was not an easy target and not only because of half his tribe surrounding him as she observed him from a small distance. What she had in mind could easily get her in trouble if she failed to play her cards right, but the sensation of taking a risk was too alluring to resist, as was the prize.

She ruffled her hair and nodded to a reassuring thought crossing her hazed mind. Arriving to stand behind the Chieftain, she silently studied the broad shoulders, which looked even bigger by the leather armor covering them, the unmistakably well trained behind and the bow attached to his back. A redundant smirk formed on her lips, conjured by the thought of simply grabbing the weapon and making a run for it. She shook her head as she scoffed and then brought a fist to her lips to clear her throat before speaking.

‘You have a moment now?’ she asked, trying her best to keep her slightly unbalanced stance as stable as possible.

Kozgugore glanced away from the tauren and the goblins standing in front of him, before nodding back to the elf with a grunt. ‘I reckon I do, for a moment. What will it be?’

‘Walk with me if you may’ she replied, her hand swaying to the side towards the path leading to the north.

‘The goblin's... challenge require me to stay close to these grounds. If you can make it quick, I can take a brief walk.’

‘Just out of ear range’ she said reassuringly as they both began to walk. After leaving the market’s crowd behind them, she took a look around the path and smiled faintly. ‘Now.. it has come to my attention, due to the nature of my profession, that you have an artifact in your possession. One that.. many are after.’ She stopped walking to hook her thumbs on her belt and look at the orc as they arrived under a small palm tree next to the coast.

Kozgugore raised an eyebrow. ‘Such as? I be unaware of anything that be worth stealing from me.’

‘That specific one has a considerable prize upon retrieval and would be enough to provide any grunt or mercenary with enough gold to come by for a few months. It's the artifact related to Arathor if that’s of any help.’

‘It has been a long time since I bothered dealing with the likes of those.’

‘Aye, that might be, but the word is out there and many might very soon attempt to steal it from you. I'd have a proposition therefore.’ She paused, trying to figure out his reaction to the news by studying the parts of his face visible beneath the wolf mask.

The orc grunted. ‘I see. I might be listening.’

She nodded, taking a moment to choose her words. ‘I have already found a master in the arts of duplication. The difference of the replica will only be noticeable upon extremely close examination, which I doubt will take place. You give me the artifact, I duplicate it, I deliver the twin and you have the original returned to you’ she concluded with a smirk on her lips.

Kozgugore eyed her up and down, inquisitively so. ‘I don't see how I be supposed to trust you or this master of yours any more than these mercenaries you mentioned. What might this artifact be?’

‘I'm surprised you still can't tell...’ she said. ‘It's a bow.’

The orc perked an eyebrow, scratching the back of his neck in thought. ‘Me bow? I don't see how it be of any importance.’

‘Some Arathorian named Arador Dawnweaver was killed by an arrow from that bow.’ Kozgugore grunted again in surprise, as if suddenly remembering, and reaching back to haul the composite bow from his back. ‘Of course the announcement of the hunt was.. not open or public’ she added.

‘I remember that name. He was a worthy enemy’ he replied, glancing from the bow back to the elf. ‘However, I fail to see the use in this hunt. It be a simple bow. I can make others aplenty like it.’

‘The one who called out the hunt seems to think otherwise’. She paused briefly to the sound of another grunt coming from him before she continued. ‘I could live off the gold prize for a long time, although.. I respect your people enough to not steal from you.’

‘I see. So why should I be trusting you and this friend of yours?’

She chuckled, shaking her head. ‘Far from a friend. I don't even know who this is but it's irrelevant either way. I'm in it for the prize.’

‘So you don't know who this "master" might even be? Sound to me like you simply plan to take it and bring it to this crazy who be on the hunt for this bow.’

She smirked again, nodding in agreement to his words. ‘I can see why this may sound as a plot to deceive you, but.. the offer I'm extending to you should be a sign of trust and respect. Even if you refuse to let me duplicate the bow, you will be already warned about those who might come after it.’

Kozgugore revealed a fanged smirk underneath the wolf mask. ‘Perhaps I enjoy the thought of having some fools try and hunt me for a bow that be considered to be simple among me people.’

‘Perhaps...’ she replied, without adding anything more as she felt almost defeated by his words.

‘However, perhaps I can indulge you in this deal, simply because you bother to ask before you bother to steal’ he added not long after, nodding slowly. ‘Perhaps I can reward your "honor" to make a deal out of it, elf. Either you show me this future "master" you plan to take it to, or more preferably, you tell me why this individual be so keen to retrieve this bow. If you tell me the later, I might just give it to you without having to bother finding a duplicate.’

‘I’d be more than willing to do this, only if it weren’t for the details.. You see, the only way to contact that person is by offering the artifact, or so the instructions say. I doubt I will be able to establish contact without it.’

‘You seem to be the kind of intrigue. You might surely find a suitable way, eh? If anything, you can tell this person that it will have its precious bow if it will dictate its reason. Then you may be the third party through which it be delivered.’

‘I could attempt this, yes... although that would directly position me in a doubtful light.. Questioning the client's motives is never a good idea in my field.’

‘See things my way. I would lose little by parting from this bow. But if it be used as a means of glory by claiming this individual will have achieved a certain victory over me, my honor might be stained. If it be a mere.. prize, it will be my pleasure to hand it over and laugh knowing a grand sum of gold be handed out for a simple weapon.’

‘Sooner or later it will become clear that it's not your bow that lies in his possession’ she said, slightly wincing to the thought of what might follow this. Kozgugore grunted in amusement and placed the bow on to his back again. ‘But by then... It won't matter. Both you and I will have our victory.’ She grinned at the orc, trying to convince herself that this is how the whole ordeal would end.

‘Whether you be giving the real thing or the duplicate, I reckon it indeed would. So one way or another, you find out his or her motives, and I will give it to you.’

This was turning out to be more challenging than she first had thought. The Chieftain was definitely not a fool and he was very much aware of the downsides of her offer. She felt frustration making its way to her throat, applying a choking sensation of defeat around it. She couldn’t give up now though. Not after coming this far. She had willingly exposed herself to him, she had revealed her profession, the existence of the hunt and she surely wasn’t ready to let it be just yet without the slightest reward for her actions.

Mastering all her courage, she forced a weak smile. ‘I only need it for a day at most. Then I can return it to you and track said person down. But without it.. I stand no chance. I at least need the duplicate to bait the master’, she said reluctantly while trying her best to keep a steady tone in her voice as she lied, not even sure whether she’d be able to manage what she claimed.

‘If you plan to give it to this person right away, the point of me knowing will be in vain. I don't plan to hand it over so easily if it be a means to stain my honor. So, I can only give it knowing you will not hand it out.'

‘Honor and honesty, Chieftain..’, she replied calmly. ‘I wouldn't have warned you about the hunt if I didn't believe in them.’ She offered another smile to the orc, secretly hoping for a miracle after playing the very last card she had left, the one meant to reach one of his highest principles.

Kozgugore grunted again, momentarily thinking to himself. ‘Very well’, he said shortly after. ‘Since I have other matters to attend to, I will indulge in this little deal of yours.’

She smiled at him, keeping the great relief concealed behind the friendly expression on her face.

‘I will hand you the bow. In return, I will require something from your possession that be of equal meager means’ he said, glancing down the elf's frame and noticing the leather satchel attached to her belt. ‘Such as that, and its contents’ he added, nodding down to the small container.

Following the orc's gaze down to her satchel, she blinked in surprise after realizing what he meant. ‘That.. is very valuable..’, she said quietly. The satchel was actually worthless, but the fact that it was the only thing her parents left behind gave a great significance to it, at least to her. There was nothing of value to be found inside it either, apart from her beloved deck of cards she had spent hours painting herself and a few other objects that would never reach a high enough price to even be worth trying to sell. She looked up to Kozgugore in a moment’s hesitation.

‘It will remain untouched as long as me bow be returned in time’ he said, as if noticing her concern.

She eventually nodded, unstrapping the satchel from her belt and extended it over to the orc. ‘It’s a fair deal’ she murmured, still not entirely comfortable with the idea of parting with it.

Kozgugore grumbled to himself as he lifted the bow again, handing it over to the elf whilst accepting the satchel. ‘Very well’ he said, ‘Should I fail to see me bow in time, I will put its contents to me own use. And make meself a better bow. I could use one.’

Peral accepted the bow, a small inclination of her head and a smile followed, the satisfaction of achieving her goal filling her as her fingers wrapped around it in a firm grip. They arranged to meet the day after, provided all would go well with the task awaiting her. She gave her satchel -now strapped on the Chieftain’s belt- one last glance, before parting ways with the orc to travel to the Undercity, where the forger was already expecting her.

A nice read

That was a fun bit of RP! And an interesting read to boot, being able to see the other side's perspective. No idea it would end up to be so big, even. Haven't been able to get a hold of you in-game any more, but do feel free to let me know if you need anything arranged or such. o/

So. Very. Ace. Was fun to read the RP that led to Koz giving away his bow, and you gave a great depiction on how your elf viewed the situation. From an IC point of view it's most likely a good thing Morgeth doesn't know about this yet. She's a bit more romantic when it comes to item of "legend" than Koz, and would horribly maim and flay him did she know he gave his prized bow away!

I enjoyed the rp as well. Sorry for not getting back to you but I've been busy IRL. I'll have time to rp in the weekend though so I'll try to contact you then.