|You are weak.|

A Voice snarled across the black marble and up into the impossible rafters, buttresses and arches black as sin and tall as the heavens. Pale light streamed from the unseen heights, filtering down and piling on the large form crumpled on the ground.

Cub blinked away the light as he slowly rose to a seated position, his dwemer armour glinting fractals of light into the otherwise pristine darkness. Wait, Armour? Cub lifted his hands groggily before his face, the familiar green of his Orcish gloves and faded red runes of Malacath.

|Rise when your betters speak.|

The same Voice boomed again as shadowed tendrils jerked the bewildered orc to his feet. The lights widened and dispersed across the vast expanse in every direction. Troughs of crimson snaked between the black marble tiles. each large slab swaying and dipping into the liquid beneath. 

Pulled to his feet, Cub struggled to keep his balance as the floating tiles beneath him rocked and collided against each other. "Where am I? Who are you?" Though he shifted with the bloodtide, Cub tried his best to keep his voice level. "I am Orsimmer, Son of Malacath. I demand you show yours-!" A crimson tendril leapt from the tide below and slammed Cub in the chest, nearly toppling him to the ground.

|You dare make demands of Me?|

The Voice hissed through the darkness once more, causing the beams of light to tremble in its wake. Widening their breadth again, even more of the vast expanse of tiles was illuminated. Tendrils of the darkness gathered on the far side of the room as the Voice spat disdain once more.

|You who would command Me, prove you are worthy of My gaze. Kill in my name and I shall grant you My favour. You are weak. I can make you strong again.|

With that, the shadowed tendrils bound themselves together and severed from the surrounding nothingness. The mass of shadow twisted in its own wake and took form. The form rose to Cub's height and took breath.

Before he had time to question what was happening, Cub was staring down the barrel of a giant Orcish Warrior skipping nimbly across the tiles with a battle cry and charging him head on. Pristine Orichalcum armour jutted from its body, painted in crisp familiar runes. The massive ebony hammer it carried was marked likewise and the Orcish helmet it wore couldn't quite hide the yellow Crown peeking beneath.

Steeling himself and lifting his hammer from his back, Cub balanced himself between two moving tiles as the Orc continued his charge. "Just a bit more..." As the Orc came within distance of tackling him to the churning below, Cub slammed his hammer against the tile in front of him sending waves through the bloodtide and nearly knocking the Orc off-balance.

Struggling to keep himself upright, the Orc was unable to block Cub's second swing up from the tile and into the side of his leg toppling him over completely. With a thud, more waves were sent into the bloodtide as Cub continued his assault.

"Your hammer's not a finesse weapon. Get it going and keep it going." Grobash was an adventurer before he came to the stronghold. Cub's father never officially sanctioned him there but seemed too busy with other things to care much. With his traveling years behind him and no family left in the city, he'd taken to teaching the Chieftain's son the tools of his trade. "We've been at this for hours, don't you think you should take a break? Even the best steel breaks if you don't take care of it. Your body is just like that."

"I can't...take a break..." Cub panted as he eyed the battered training dummy before him. "The fight is soon and I can't lose again. The Stronghold needs a Chief. I have to kill my father. I have to get better." With renewed vigor, Cub bashed away at the dummy counting his strikes in his head. [i]"Overhand, lead into the next swing, across the midsection, strike with the pommel, shoulder to the ribcage, back to first position. I did this last time. I did this and I still lost. What am I doi-"[/i]

"What good is a leader too tired to fight? The Stronghold has prospered beneath your fa-...the Chief." Gorbash stopped as the gargantuan Cub's eye cut from the dummy to him.

"That's right. He is your chief. I am his son. If I say I need to train, you train me. These are our ways, City Orc." Cub spat the words at Gorbash's feet. He was young. How could he have known the Frost Trolls would attack?

Cub's assault had left the Orc limping but far from dead. Catching the shaft of Cub's hammer, the Orc pulled himself to his feet and Cub forward into a grapple. With no room to leverage his hammer in such close quarters, Cub dropped the maul in favour of a swift punch to the Orc's gut. Seemingly unfazed, the Orc delivered an elbow to the back of Cub's neck making his eyes water and ears ring.

Still tangled, Cub swept his leg behind the Orc sending them both to the tile below. Landing atop the Orc, Cub threw several more punches to the same dismal effect. Twisting his body, the Orc managed to free a hand from beneath Cub and strike him hard in the temple. Momentarily blinded, Cub was pushed off the equally large Orc and dangerous close to the bloodtide surrounding the black tiles.

As his vision cleared, Cub saw the seething grimace above him as gloved paws latched around his throat. Eyes full of hate and jutting tusks stared into him as Cub tried desperately to fight back. Frenzied kicks to the stomach, flailing punches to the head, nothing seemed to shatter the bloodthirsty mirror above him. As the life slowly faded from him into the crimson rivers below, the Voice whispered.

|You need me.|

Cub suddenly felt a weight in his hand as tendrils of shadow gave way to a simple silver dagger. Without thought, Cub drove the blade into the side of the Orc's neck causing him to release his grasp and let out a garbled cry. With a gasp, Cub twisted the blade within the flesh as ragged air-filled his lungs once more. As he breathed life once more, Cub pushed the weakened Orc from atop him and pulled the dagger from his neck. Trying desperately to stop the gushing, the Orc wheezed. "Who are you?" With that the form once more returned to shadow and was gone.

Beneath the panting Cub, the bloodtide boiled. One by one the tiles were dragged into the angry liquid. One by one the lights fell away. As he struggled to his feet, Cub heard the tiles being sucked under growing closer. With no light to guide him, Cub dashed forth into the darkness until he too was pulled under. Tossed in the dark and unforgiving waves, Cub heard the voice speak once more before passing out.

|Remember this day, orc. Send their souls to Me and you shall rewarded. Betray Me and you shall know such exquisite suffering.|

Cub awoke with a coughing fit as briny coastal air replaced sea water in his lungs. Lifting himself shakily onto his side, Cub blinked away the blinding sun. In the distance he saw the Docks where his armour and friends resided. Lifting himself to his feet uneasily, Cub noticed a glint in the sand near his lone helmet. Donning his helm, Cub lifted the item from the sand; a simple silver dagger.