Warrior in the Shadows

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

After Hugh had finished with his little rant on Artos, it appeared Sana had a similar rant that she proceeded to throw at Artos. A very proud smile appeared on his face. He felt respect for her. He let the smile subside quickly so as Sana would not see it and get the wrong idea that he was somehow amused.

"Are all gypsies so outspoken? I'm not sure if I remember that many experiences with them to recall." He said, smiling warmly to her. He didn't wish to alienate Artos. He was certainly very learned and was good company. The man knew so much about his past, he had to find out if he had met other fugitive paladins from his order. Maybe the old order could be brought back, though that was something Hugh was not intent on. He was not so intent on reclaiming his paladin powers for the moment, either. He just wanted to be a fighter and he was plenty good at it.

"I know you don't dislike Ellyn. In fact, I should probably apologize for speaking so coldly to her earlier." He said, pondering aloud. He remembered that at the time, he was feeling like a father figure resolving a squabble between children, but he couldn't really look at either of them as children.

As a random spur of the moment by Hugh, he lifted his hand to her face and brushed a little of her hair behind her ear. The hair hadn't really been that far in her face, in fact it was just on the side of her face, but he had just suddenly placed it behind her ear. "Sorry, I just did that out of impulse."

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh glared at Artos, "You haven't seen what I've seen then, young one. If this orc is as good as you say he is and I think he is, he will know of what I speak when I say his kind are a selfish, brutal, and cruel race. The gods they pray to are the gods of fire, war, and blood. Concepts such as honor and loyalty are foreign to them. The only orcs I know of who stray from the flock are the ones that are raised by another race or the ones that are killed because of their weakness." He paused, the anger starting to build up a little, "So forgive me if I'm not too keen on being around them."

His frustration was starting to show on his face. "But, you," He said looking to the orc, "You're somehow different. I've never heard orcs speak of vengeance on the behalf of someone else who didn't hold power over them. Your father is dead, and you show loyalty to him. This is a new sight to me, and perhaps your kind are changing." He stood for a moment reflecting on all the things he'd seen. Paladins were like a force of heroes for the weak, who never asked for anything in return. He had seen his share of decimated villages and he had killed his share of orc kind. The cruelties he had seen were numerous. He had seen cruelty from all races, however. Humans were the ones, as far as he knew, who purged his order. Humans were the ones who decimated his adoptive tribe. Orcs, demons, goblins, any kind of people that would pick on the weak, Hugh had fought, but humans were the ones who brought the downfall of the order.

With Bjoric the Dwarf's admittance of liking the orc, Hugh relented. "I welcome you to the group, then."

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Great, we've successfully formed Master Blaster.

@Afina

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh nodded at Sana, and smiled. "Sorry to put you on the spot like that." He said, standing next to her. He didn't want to make Ellyn feel stupid, he just felt paternal instincts kick in. "I know she's worried." He said quietly to Sana. "But an orc? I've seen what they do. I've seen their culture." He sighed. If this orc was somehow different from the ones Hugh had met, he would have some atonement to perform, even though he still had many things to atone for.

Hugh glared at Artos, "Paladins don't exist in the wastelands, past civilization, and there are no paladin mercenaries." He said. "There is no survival for those who wish to do good for everyone they come across. There is no civilization out here and there is no justice and order." He had dropped his paladin ways to survive away from the purge. They had looked for paladins and the only way to lose their tail was to not be a paladin.

Just then, the orc woke to Hugh's great surprise and even greater was his surprise at how polite the orc was. He had never seen such a polite orc. The orc spoke with great honesty, telling of how he had encountered skeletons and was out seeking revenge. Hugh knew revenge all too well and would warn this orc against it, but he just stayed silent, figuring it best to head back to the wagon and ready himself to roll out again.

He was feeling a little pissed off with Artos and he disliked the hushed words he spoke into the orc's ears. It appeared to be distrust. Hugh figured at the moment that he had no reason to fight this orc as it appeared to be strangely polite. "I've never seen anything like this." He muttered as he walked along next to Sana. It was quite apparent that she was feeling very similar to Hugh, at the time being.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

I feel sorry for the orc....

@EWillden

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-orc The orcs had it coming.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh was surprised by Ellyn's sudden threat. He was put off a little. "Okaaay, it's not that serious. Just an orc. All you need is a little healing spell. If I had my paladin powers I could easily bring him back." He said with candor.

After Artos healed the orc Hugh looked on in wonder. "Well, that was a little underwhelming. Let's leave him now." He said. That was about the extent of his mercy, as orcs were very cruel creatures. He wasn't too keen on being around an orc when it was back to health and spotted humans, elves, and a dwarf. None of these races got along with each other all too well, and Hugh hadn't had any positive experiences with orcs, so he was alright with leaving it, now that it was healed. "Alright, let's get. That's all the mercy for the day. Orcs aren't very kind when they can walk and talk." He sheathed his weapon and motioned back to the wagon. "LET'S GET!"

"And Ellyn, don't threaten Sana like that ever again." He said in a very serious tone. "It's not polite."

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

@Salrynn Whoa, I really like that one. I think it's fitting.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

@Afina I like it.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

For the time being, I kind of want this to be my character's theme, but I'm probably gonna come up with a few thousand more.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh nodded to Sana, "So it seems." He said. He turned to see the orc. Creatures he had never liked, but his life had not been turned upside down by orcs, but by other humans. Orcs seemed to have a pretty bad reputation and there were some very good reasons for that. They were violent and had no respect for the weak. You would not find mercy at the end of an orc blade. They weren't all to intelligent, but they were magnificent fighters, and you could win their respect by besting them in combat. The one redeeming quality Hugh respected the most of orcs.

Hugh was honorable most importantly and he would provide healing for the orc, if he could. Although he was an ex-paladin, old habits always die hard, especially the ones you are raised with.

Hugh was suddenly taken aback by Ellyn's words, stating she would die trying to learn how to heal others. "Whoa! None of that! It's not that difficult. No selling your soul involved for this." He said aloud, possibly taking her a little more serious than she meant. "Just let me heal-" He stopped himself before he finished that sentence. He had let his tongue do too much talking, for it was almost as if he had forgotten his lack of holy powers. "Artos will probably be able to take care of it. Right Artos?" He said, giving a friendly grin, hiding his embarrassment.