text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy]
  
  You walk up a mountain, trudging through the harsh snow. You're cold despite being wrapped in furs and leathers, and you really need to piss, but you know that if you tried, your dick would freeze off. You lost three farmers and a dozen goats to a Frost Troll wandering down from the mountain in the cold, icy winter that's just started. You're taking a five war parties of twenty warriors each to wipe out any trolls up in the mountains. You lead the main war party of the best warriors who wish to target the cave system most likely to hold sheltering trolls. Wind and snow begins to block your view. You know you need to find shelter soon.
  
  > move to the nearest Cave system to escape the cold
  You quickly speed up, heading towards a cave. You manage to find it within ten minutes, managing to take shelter. You rush inside, heading quickly deeper into the cave. You eventually find a point where you're sheltered for the most part from the freezing winds and snow. You feel warm air behind you, and you turn. A massive bear stands in front of you. It swings its paw, smacking you into a wall, leaving massive scratches across your chest plate. The bear is quickly beheaded by the warriors, stabbed repeatedly through the body. It's fur is quickly removed and the Orcs wrap it around themselves.
  
  > search the cave for the Trolls
  You stand, brushing snow and some blood off your chest plate, and begin heading down one of the tunnels. The Orcs light torches, brightening up the tunnel walls. You raise your longsword, watching the walls. Shadows dance, but you see no trolls. Eventually, you come to an opening, where it opens into a massive chamber. Inside are four massive humanoid figures wrapped in bear furs.
  
  "Trolls!" You loudly whisper.
  
  The Trolls are eating several dead goats which have been brutally town apart. You slowly approach, your sword raised. When you get close enough, you swing. Your blade swings, slashing through the ankles of one of them. You stab the falling troll through the side, slicing open its organs. You pull out your blade and block a swing of a stone cudgel from a troll. The Orcs quickly attack, stabbing through the legs and groin of them, killing them quickly. The Trolls collapse on the ground, where they're hacked apart by the Orcs.
  
  "Good job, Orcs. Somebody start a fire. We'll take shelter from the cold, here."
  
  > Three Months Later...
  The Red Blades have survived another winter. Once again, Thraka Flameborn and Elder Dokt stand to give you an endless stream of tasks to sort out. The main three are the Farok Mines, the problem of excess warriors and the growing worship of Ka.
  
  "Chieftain! We have unearthed a massive iron and coal mine down the mountain, the Farok Mines. It was used by men to supply the war machine, but was abandoned because it was left undefended and abandoned by man. Still, you have excess Orc Workers who could head down to the mines to work, with only a small amount of the profits taken being given to the Kingdom of Man in payment for using the mine. It would mean working for the Kingdom of Man, but could prove very profitable for the village." Thraka says.
  
  "We still have mines up the mountain, Orc mines. We don't need to come crawling to the Kingdom of Man in order for a pittance of iron and coal. They'll be able to make more profit in the Orc Mines." Elder Dokt says.
  
  > send Workers to work in the Farok Mines
  You decide that sending the workers to work in the Farok Mines is the best idea. These Workers make a small profit, but this strengthens your relationship with the industrialization complex and the Kingdom of Man.
  
  > Continue
  The next issue is the issue of excess warriors. The Red Blades are producing excess warriors, all young, bloodthirsty warriors who wish to fight. You can send them to fight with the Raiders, the Orcs who fight against the Kingdom of Man's expansion into Orc territory and their taking advantage of Orc Tribes and Villages. You could also send them to work as Mercenaries for the Kingdom of Man in the Man-Elf War.
  
  > send them to work as Raiders
  You send your excess warriors to join the raiders. They'll fight for Orc honor and to defend the Orcs from exploitation and expansion by the Kingdom of Man.
  
  > Continue
  The next and final issue is the spread of a new religion. The worship of Ka, a monotheistic Creator God, has grown popular among young Orcs for reasons you're not sure. This is leading people away from the worship of the many Gods, especially Gorgok.
  
  > ban the religion of Ka
  You ban the religion of Ka quickly. Its spread is stopped, and although some villagers worship him in private, most abandon him in favor of Gorgok and many.
  
  > One Month Later...
  You walk through the village, watching the villagers. You're tired of fighting and making decisions, so you're heading home. You reach the large chieftain's hut.
  
  > go inside
  You walk inside, and are met by a small, thin figure in a dress that is far too fancy for an Orc.
  
  "Ah! Mazkil! You're home."
  
  "Sarunt! Good to see you!"
  
  You pull him into an embrace, almost crushing the figure.
  
  "So? How goes work? Did you sort out the crop rotations for spring..."
  
  "If you mention crop rotations I kill you."
  
  Sarunt laughs.
  
  "OK then. What about the Kingdom of Man?"
  
  "What about them?"
  
  "Do we fear invasion?"
  
  "Perhaps."
  
  "Well, enough sad news. I have some news of my own."
  
  "Go on."
  
  You raise an eyebrow, beckoning for her to continue.
  
  "Mazkil, I'm pregnant."
  
  A rush of emotions hits you immediately. Confusion, annoyance, fear, joy, exhileration, and many more. You realize she's staring at you, so you pick to express the emotion that won't make her start crying.
  
  "That's fantastic!" You say. "This is great! Have you visited the Shaman?"
  
  "Yes, Mazkil."
  
  "What do they think, boy or girl?"
  
  "The Shamans don't know shit, Mazkil. They just guess and get it right half the time."
  
  "Ah, well this is..."
  
  You hear screams outside. Fuck. You grab your blade, and raise it.
  
  > head outside to investigate.
  You walk outside, and are met with an Orc child lying on the road, his face bloodied. A large Orc stands above him, who spits.
  
  "Pickpockets. I fucking hate them." He mutters loudly.
  
  "Who the fuck are you and why shouldn't I kill you?"
  
  "I am Grung Deatheater. I am part of the honor guard for Chieftain Pike."
  
  "Chieftain Pike? Why the fuck is...?"
  
  "Chieftain, we have a visitor. Or visitors, I should say." A voice cries.
  
  "Yes? Who is it?" You ask, turning to Elder Dokt.
  
  The old man brushes dust off his armor, and struggles to stay standing under the weight of it. Perhaps you should suggest he replace his heavy armor with some nice silk robes.
  
  "Chieftain Pike of the Vengeful Wolves is here, with Chieftain Sozin of the Burning Rage and Chieftain Gorgutz of the Evil Suns."
  
  You look back at the massive honor guard member. and shrug and head quickly back to the Main Hall. A group of twenty Orcs, with three massive figures at the front, are waiting for you.
  
  "Ah! Chieftain Mazkil! We're preparing a war party to launch a raid on the Kingdom of Man's army stationed at Rubgard. They recently launched a raid against three nearby Orc Villages to take any weapons of war. They're castrating our people. We need to wipe them out to the last man. End their stranglehold on our people. We would like you and your warriors to join us."
  
  "Sir, this is the perfect chance to fight and fend off the brutal grasp of the Kingdom of Man and free our people." Elder Dokt says, with more bloodlust than you'd expect from the ageing man.
  
  You wonder if you should enter the war that's about to begin on the side of the Orcs. Perhaps you've already integrated into the Kingdom of Man far too much to allow yourself to attack them. Perhaps it's best you don't attack.
  
  > Don't join the Orcs in rising up against the Empire of Mankind
  A week later, a regiment of soldiers for the Kingdom of Man arrive, led by a large man in plate armor with a red cloak with a golden dragon on it. He enters the Main Hall, bowing as he approaches your throne.
  
  "Greetings, Chieftain Mazkil. I am Sir Ignate. I was chosen by our Royal King Alexander to thank you for your refusal to attack the Kingdom's towns, cities and men. I am happy to offer you a proposal, that if you give troops and support to the Kingdom's counter-attack to wipe out the aggressors. If you accept this proposal you shall be taken on as a vassal for the Kingdom and receive our full financial and military support to allow for your expansion into aggressor territory. Will you accept our proposal, Chieftain Mazkil?"
  
  > join the Kingdom of Mankind in repelling the Orcs
  The March of Progress
  
  "Yes. Yes, I will join the Kingdom of Man in their fight against the aggressors."
  
  "Good. Fantastic, even. I'll bring this message to King Alexander. I'll make sure you''re rewarded for this, Sir. I promise you, this will help your people. Our first military action is to lead an attack on the village of the main aggressor, the Vengeful Wolves. I assume you'll help us wipe out the Vengeful Wolves' miitaryforces?"
  
  "Yes, of course."
  
  "Good, I look forward to fighting with you on the battlefield."
  
  > The next night...
  Your stand at the edge of the Vengeful Wolves' Village, next to Sir Ignate.
  
  "Storm the camp. Don't kill children at any cost, nor the non-combatants." You say loudly to your allies. "Sir Ignate, what's the plan for the village when the fighting has finished? Long term, I mean."
  
  "The village and its surrounding territory will become a conquered territory for the Kingdom. We'll have a small fort built here to maintain control, but otherwise we'll try to make sure the transition of power is as smooth as possible."
  
  You nod.
  
  "Alright. Everyone ready?"
  
  "Yes, Chieftain." The chorus of voices come back from your Orc, while the Men exclude the chieftain part of the reply.
  
  "Alright. Let's do this. CHARGE!" You roar.
  
  You begin moving as fast as you can, your longsword raised. The Warriors of the Vengeful Wolves are clearly unprepared, having spent the previous night drinking and feasting to celebrate their recent victories in the spate of ambushes and assaults of the Kingdom. Still, Orcs are Orcs, and Orcs are always ready to fight. There's a rush of Orcs, some missing armor or only fighting with daggers or even fists, from the buildings. You swing your blade, catching one in the head and tearing his helmet off. You stab, going straight through the throat. You headbutt another Orc, sending him sprawling to the ground, where you quickly hack him apart. You thrust your blade, going though the belly of one of the Orcs. You swing, hack, slash, stab, thrust, parry block and behead for a good few minutes. The Orcs are aggressive fighters, which only means they're prone to more mistakes and leaving themselves more open to blows. You and your forces and allies use this to your advantage, quickly wiping out the militant population there. After the fighting has ceased, the Men begin searching from house to house for any soldiers to capture and weapons to be confiscated, as well as presumably anything to be looted. You see a bloodstained Sir Ignate walking among the carnage, laughing.
  
  "Well done, Chieftain Mazkil. You warriors preformed admirably. We'll have this war finished in no time and I'll be able to head back to the Elves. I'm sure they miss me, and they definitely miss my blade." He laughs.
  
  You nod, barely listening. You feel a pang of guilt for killing your fellow Orcs, not even in self defense.
  
  "We have a few fights left, Chieftain Mazkil. After that, you can settle down to your village. Then, we'll be finished our work together."
  
  > Continue
  Over the next few weeks, the Orc Aggressors begin raiding and striking against the Kingdom's Forces. As Orcs, your forces are used to counter these raids and ambushes, with mixed success. Eventually, one of your scouts succeeds.
  
  "Chieftain! I've found where the main Orc force is staying." He says proudly.
  
  "Where?"
  
  "The Fields of Gorgok."
  
  "The Fields of Gorgok? Ha! A fitting place for our final battle to take place. Send a message to Sir Ignates. We're going to war."
  
  > wage War!
  You march forward accompanied by a massive force of Men and Orcs. The Royal Army, Red Blades Tribe, River-born Tribe, Dusk Hunters Tribe and various Orc, Human, Dark Elf and Dwarven Mercenaries heading forward to wage war. You have the main force of footmen accompanied by your best warriors and the Knights from the Kingdom of Mankind. There are also large groups of archers and a calvary of horse units, moving forward towards the enemy. After a few hours of marching, you see them. Hundreds of massive tents dot the field. You hear their lookouts blow their horns, waking the Orcs in time to prepare for the upcoming assault. Their will be no surprise assault today, you know. You raise your longsword. The blade is freshly sharpened.
  
  "Charge!" You roar, in unison with Sir Ignate and several other leaders of the army.
  
  You rush forward, moving forward with immense speed. The force of military wrath that you and leading storms forward as the Orcs appear, weapons drawn and enshrined in their armor. You charge into them, an unstoppable force smashing into an unmovable object.
  
  "DIE!" You roar, swinging your blade.
  
  You swing your sword, hacking off a limb that goes flying. You knee another figure and smash your hilt repeatedly into his face until it's nothing but pulp. You swing again, cutting open an Orc's stomach after it breaks through the chain mail armor. You swing again, opening a massive gash in the side of an Orc's face. You parry a strike and block another, before charging into battle with ferocity. You elbow an Orc in the face, smashing open bone and gristle with the force of your strike. You block an axe swing and remove the arm of the Orc holding the axe. You swing again, hacking off a leg and dropping an orc to one knee, allowing you to behead the Orc. You hack and swing, roaring with anger.
  
  "Chieftain! Orders?" One of your Orcs screams.
  
  Time to take command.
  
  > attempt to regroup and target the Chieftains
  You blow a bone horn, and the Red Blades regroup around you.
  
  "Target the Chieftains!" You roar, charging forward.
  
  You sprint forward, dodging spears and arrows. Eventually, you find the Chieftains, clustered together defending against an advance of enemies approaching. You roar as you and the Red Blades strike. You find the leader of this entire army, Chieftain Pike. Chieftain Pike roars, swinging his blade at you. You block the blow, ducking under another swing. You get in under Pike's reach, and headbutt him, before leaning in. You bite his throat, tearing it out. Blood flows from him as he groans, falling backwards. You roar, turning and stabbing the next chieftain through the throat. You swing again, beheading another Chieftain. Within a few seconds, the entire group of Chieftains are dead. You pick up Chieftain Pike's horn, and blow it. A loud noise erupts from the horn, and you begin to roar.
  
  "Orcs! Your Chieftains are dead! Flee now or be wiped out!"
  
  The Orcs begin to panic, turning and rushing off. They drop weapons and armor in favor of the much needed speed to flee the area. The Orcs armies are routed and quickly leave. The few that remain are quickly struck down by the soldiers.
  
  "Victory!" You roar.
  
  > The enemy is vanquished!
  You stand on the field of battle, the bodies of Orcs and Men all around you. You wipe sweat from your brow. Sir Ignates rides up on horseback.
  
  "We've done it!" Sir Ignates laughs. "This land is all now King Alexander's! No one can oppose him! Hail the King! Don't worry, Mazkil. I'll make sure you're rewarded. Your village will benefit from this, I swear that to you."
  
  You look upon the corpses of your former allies, a feeling of betrayal in your mouth that you haven't tasted since Gruzub's death. You spit and shake your head. No, you did the right thing. You fought to give your tribe a future. You have succeeded.
  
  > Five Years Later...
  The Village has grown in the past ten years. Sir Ignates and King Alexander kept their word. The village is three times as large, although it has quite a large human population. It's the capital of the massive territory of Orc land, and is the Centre for a massive trade empire. The Red Blades have taken massive amounts of power, being essential components of the Kingdom of Man. The village is prosperous. You've done some great work for the Empire. You're now Lord Mazkil, Sir Mazkil, Chieftain Mazkil and Mazkil the Light-Bringer in response to the massive round of innovation you've brought about. That makes you laugh. You've only been on this Earth twenty five years, and look at all you've done. The World is good. You've heard rumors of a Necromancer rising and Orc rebellions that could occur, but those are small annoyances. Hell, you're glad for them, for it'll keep you busy. You sit on your throne, and the door is pushed open by a small figure cradling two tiny figures.
  
  "Sarunt!" You cry.
  
  Sarunt, your wife, carries two small children towards you; A five year old human and a three year old Orc.
  
  "Mazkil! Gruzub and Durzul miss you."
  
  You smile as you pick up your children. You look out through the open Main Hall and smile. You've saved the Red Blades and made your own future. The World is in your hands.