Chapter Four: Ziri Blackrend

"Dayn... is...is that you?" the orc asked him, Dayn turned around to see the orc woman staring at him her eyes brimmed with tears, recognition suddenly dawned on him, that's where he had seen purple eyes before. "Ziri..?" he asked somberly, Ziri nodded, Dayn quickly freed her from her bonds, "I'm so sorry!" he apologized, "If I had known I would have never..." she cut him off before he could finish "I didn't recognize you either."

After he had given her back her equipment and let her eat she had calmed down somewhat, "You're so mean..." she said "It smelled so good when you made it I was dying of hunger, you have no idea how many times I almost caved and let you feed me." "If you had just spoken to me sooner we could have avoided that whole situation you know." Ziri pouted, "I was mad, you beat me so easily and I thought I had gotten stronger," Dayn laughed, he couldn't stop himself from laughing despite the situation. "You haven't changed a bit" he said when he got his amusement under control. "You have" she said shyly, she thought for a moment "You haven't as well" she said smiling at him, "Its been a long six years" Dayn stated, "Longer then you can possibly know" she replied anger in her voice.

Ziri explained what had happened, after she hadn't seen him for a few weeks she went to the village without her father's permission, it wasn't an issue, the villagers thought she was some traveler's child being mistaken for a half orc. When she asked around about Dayn they told her he had been taken to Kanyra, she asked where that was fully intending to go but when she learned the distance was forced to give up.

"I was mad you know" she said, "For months! why didn't you come and say goodbye?" Dayn frowned, "I wanted to, they took me away as soon as I got back from a trip, when me and Agni left the mines they had all my stuff packed up and I was made to leave that minute."

Ziri continued her story, it had been three years before the orcs came, her and her dad had fought well but they just had way to many goblins, they brought her father down under sheer wait of numbers.

"They laughed as they butchered him" she said, "They chopped away at his limbs while he was still alive, I tried to get to him but then everything went black."

After that when she woke up they had taken her captive, she managed to slip away while they were distracted and ran for Sartann both for help and to warn them. "That dwarf Agni ran me off, he knew I wasn't a half breed" she said, "I ran into the woods and found the camp you told me about, I lived there for a year till winter, then I had to follow the animal herds to survive."

That was the last she knew of what had come to pass, based on the fresh orc corpse and the lack of any villager bodies in the town they both assumed the attack had happened recently," "There may still be a chance to save them" Dayn muttered to himself.

"Are you joking!" Ziri shouted, "I told you, the goblin numbers alone killed my father!" "There were only two of you and you were still young" Dayn reasoned, "If we go to the gnomes Sieri can help and with her we may even be able to get the dwarves to assist us." "They won't listen to me! I'm an orc" Ziri shouted angrily, "We'll have to make them listen" Dayn argued back, "That's easy for you to say! you're a human they don't hate you for what you are!" she yelled.

"I won't let them harm you!" Dayn shouted back "If it comes to a fight I'll die protecting you!" he said. Dayn's declaration took all the wind out of Ziri's sail, she was to embarrassed to continue the argument, "Fine, do what you want" she said turning away from him to hide the color of her face as she was sure she was blushing, Dayn made sure there was several days of food for Whiskey then tied him in a stall before the headed towards the cave.

They were exhausted by the time they reached the doors to Gizmorock, the gnomes on guard duty eyed them suspiciously, "Who approaches Gizmorock" one called out, "I'm Dayn Kanara, and this is my friend Ziri." The guards talked amongst themselves for a moment recognizing the name 'Kanara' "Orcs aren't allowed in the city" the second guard shouted Ziri rolled her eyes "See" she said, "In that case send word to Sieri Sprocket, tell her Dayn is waiting for her at the East gate."

A few hours had passed Dayn and Ziri were sitting on the what was left of a giant stalagmite that had the top knocked off, one of the guards returned a red welt on his left cheek following next to him was a gnome woman.

The woman had short shoulder length pink hair, her big beautiful eyes shone in a golden brown hew a pair of tinted goggles on her forehead hid her eyebrows. Dayn blushed slightly when he saw her attire she wore a cropped leather vest that exposed her belly button it was tight fitted and accentuated her curvy chest. The woman's small stature made them seem all the larger, she wore a high cut leather skirt which exposed her shapely legs, she had what looked to Dayn like a pair of pistols tucked into a holster attached to a double belt around her waist.

"Y..Your hairs pink" Dayn said, Ziri pushed him off the rock, he hit the cold stone floor with a loud clang.