<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F620230179902507583%2F&amp;hash=2d8f3e86f26acdbf52c8d27b4031ae12" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/620230179902507583/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Dregu</a>, clad in his custom forged<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F384635624408365952%2F&amp;hash=0ba016c72a65bdfff6107c8ae33d60a1" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/384635624408365952/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">armor</a>, stood in a fighters stance, balanced on the balls of his feet, knees bent slightly to keep him fluid and quick with his footwork. He had chosen twin blades as his weapons for this particular duel, twin blades against a single great sword that was hefted by his oppenent, a taller and bulkier orc that worked as one of the Deaavh Ukmile, a group of orcish mercenaries. His sky blue eyes, a rarity among his people, a throwback to his father's human blood, studied his oppenent carefully as they began to circle one another. His opponent had superior strength, no question, but he was slow and dim witted, at least in comparison with Dregu. Urgak was no friend of Dregu, even if they were comrades on the battlefield. They had, what most would consider, a blood fued. Urgak's family had been at odds with Dregu's long before either of them had been born, and Dregu's tainted blood gave his comrade even more reason to hate him, a fact that was clearly evident in the snarl curling the larger orc's lips.<br/><br/>Using his wits, Dregu offered his opponent a casual smirk, easily drawing a growl of anger from the orc, followed by a strong overhead swing as Urgak stepped forward, intending to cleave Dregu in two. Fatalities were common among sparring orc's, as they all trained with battle ready weapons, willing to put their lives on the line for a twisted sense of honor each time they hefted a blade. “Stupid.” Dregu's remark was followed quickly by deft footwork as he shifted his weight to the side and brought his twin blades up in a cross, catching and deflecting the overhead swing of the greatsword, causing it's tip to sink a few inches into the soil with the impact. As Dregu deflected the blow, he twisted his feet and spun, letting his blades trail behind him as they disconnected with his opponent's weapon. In the blink of an eye, both blades found their mark across the face mask of Urgak's armor, a killing blow had Dregu not turned his blades to connect with the flat planes.<br/><br/>The force of the double blow caused Urgak to stumble to the side, blood dripping from a split lip, yet the large orc did not loose his footing. With a guttural snarl, the larger orc set his feet and swung his blade in an upward arc, an attempt to slack Dregu from hip to collar. As the blade sliced through the air, Dregu planted his feet and leaned into the strike, using the flat of his left blade to catch the heavy swing, stopping it dead with a loud metallic ring that echoed throught the training yard. With a grin of his own, Dregu deftly slipped his free blade under the chin of his opponent's helmet, the point drawing blood as he pushed forward. “You're dead Urgak. Better luck next time.” Offering a nod of his head to his glowering opponent, Dregu turned from him and made his way to get some water from a nearby cask, a wry smirk curling the edges of his lips, revealing his undersized lower tusks.<br/><br/>Sky blue eyes studied the armor clad woman who approached him, an arched brow the only movement of his features as she called to him and introduced herself, claiming that she had a job for him. Ignoring her for the moment, he turned his attention to the cask and drew some water for himself, lifting the ladle to his lips a few times before dropping it back in the cask. “Mercy huh? You're that priestess that follows Gregorski, no?” Turning to face her fully, his arms crossed over his broad chest, he tilted his head to the side as he eyed her up and down. “This was no victory. Urgak is not worthy of facing me in real battle. Dim witted and slow like the rest of my kin. And neither am I the strongest of my comrades. I'm sure you meant well with your attempt at complimenting me, but I need no such thing.”<br/><br/>Taking a moment to consider her request, and to try and puzzle out why she would choose him, of all the orcs, to accompany her as an escort, Dregu turned from her made his way to where he had left his weapons. Laid across one of the many benches were a multitude of weapons, all of which were his. Two single handed, slightly curced blades, a single, long bladed dagger, a dozen or so throwing knives and his customary bladed spear. After a few moments of placing each of the blades into their respective sheaths, most of which were hidden from view, he hefted his spear and made his way back to Mercy<br/><br/>“I do not mind escorting you... and I'm ready now, though I can wait that hour if you need.” A slight shake of his head accompanied his words. “Yet I have to know why you've chosen me. As I'm sure you can tell, I am a half blood. Many of my comrades would serve you just as well.” He couldn't help but feel suspicious of her motives, much as he suspected everyone around him. In his mind, he couldn't puzzle out why he had been picked out of the bunch. Sure, he had bested Urgak, but that was merely a duel, not a real fight. He doubted that this human priestess had any idea who he really was and what accomplishments he had earned since first picking up a blade, as none of his kin would willingly give up such information. No kind words were spoken to him, or about him, from any of his orc comrades. Being a half blood, he was barely tolerated and usually treated poorly, none of which bothered him any longer. “If you cannot give me an honest answer to your choice, you can choose another orc for your services.”