Attempt to capture the orc.

"No," he says back to Cerni, "we should take him to town to question him." He switches back to Norword and says to the orc: "Come now, drop the ax and turn around. We're taking you in to town for questioning."

"Human, that would be a bad idea. You don't want to do that, so I'm going to leave," the orc grunts.

"No! Stay where you are, we're taking you into town. Drop the ax!"

"Very well. I shall drop it!" the orc snarls, hurling the ax at Domic’s face.

"GUH!" Domic screams as the musket cracks and the ax slices his shoulder as it tumbles through the air. Off-balance, he falls to the ground, as Cerni whips out her sword and charges the orc screaming. He staggers to his feet, and clumsily drawing his sword, rushes over to where Cerni stands.

"It's dead," Cerni says, panting slightly as she sheathes her sword. Her face is locked in a grimace.

"He is? Oh...oh gods, he is," Domic turns away, retching at sight of the dead orc.

"Domic? Domic are you alright? Your shoulder!" Cerni is beside him, examining his wound, as he leans over, insides feeling like they're a whirlpool.

"Yes...uh...yes, yes. Don't think it's too deep, just needs to be wrapped up," he says, dazedly. "Can you...search the body?" he says through gritted teeth.

"I can," Cerni says, as he stumbles off to their packs and searches through them for a linen bandage. "What should we do with it?"

"Leave...leave it. It's tha forest's now, and we need to go," he says, wrapping the bandage around his arm. Cerni riffles through the dead orc's jacket, scrunching her nose, finding and taking a small roll of paper. "Come on, we...we need to get to uh, town," he says, as she runs over and picks up her pack and musket. Then they jog away from the clearing, back towards Pael, glaring quickly and anxiously at every weird shadow from a tree.

...

After jogging quickly through the forest, the masses of trees finally clear, and they reach the edge of the fields surrounding Pael, huffing and sweating. Cerni grips Domic’s arm. “Are you alright?” she asks. "Let me take a look at that," she says, examining the bandage as they stop to rest for a moment.

"Yes, ahh, I think so - I think it's stopped bleeding, but it still fuckin' hurts," he seethes.

"Come on then, let's get back to the commandery quickly," she says. It takes them a few dozen more minutes to cross the fields, walk through the winding, closed in streets of Pael, and into the grey granite mass of the commandery. A guard goes to get a doctor for Domic, while the sergeant on duty heads upstairs to fetch Captain Halle. Domic and Cerni sit on a long bench in the cold great hall of the commandery, as daggers of light shine through thin slits. Tapestries and paintings of old battles and heroes cover the walls. They wait for a minute or two, as Domic gingerly takes off his bandage, while Cerni looks on with concern.

There is a quick 'stomp stomp stomp' and then Halle, wearing a quartered black-grey doublet, enters into the hall. "Cerni? Cerni are you alright? What happened?" he says, rushing over.

"Yes, Father, I'm fine," she says, standing and giving him a quick hug. "We ran into an orc in the forest."

"An orc? You fool Domic!" he glares fiercely at Domic. "How far did you take my daughter?"

"Not far, not far, Father, we weren't that far away. Domic killed it, and he thinks it was spying on the town. We found this on it's body," she says, handing him the small roll of paper.

Halle unfurls the paper and scrunches his bushy brows. "Hmm, shitty orc script - sergeant, go upstairs and bring down Sergeant Torjo from his room," he says to the man who came in with him. He turns to Domic, face softening. "My apologies, Domic. I'm sure you can understand my uh, agitation about my daughter's safety."

"Of course, of course, Captain," he says.

"Let me take a look at that wound. Take off your tunic lad," he says. Domic nods, and awkwardly pulls off his tunic, trying not to aggravate his shoulder. Looking at him, Cerni's eyes quickly flick up and down, then return to their concerned position. "You're lucky, Domic. Very lucky this didn't go any deeper," Halle says, gripping his unwounded arm and smiling at him, pebbly eyes boring into his. "Let me get you something for the pain while we wait for the doctor and Torjo," he says, walking towards a set of doors at the other end of the great hall. A few moments later, a slightly stooped old man shuffles into the great hall, carrying a large calfskin bag. He spys Domic and shuffles over.

"Ah, yes, hello young man. Let me see, let me see," he says, examining the oozing wound.

"Oh not you," Halle says, stomping back with a jug of some liquid and two cups.

"Not him?" Domic thinks, looking fearfully at Halle. Halle responds by overflowing the liquid in a cup and handing it to him, and then he pours a normal cup for Cerni.

"I still know what I'm doing, Captain," the doctor says, smiling broadly at Domic before rummaging in his bag. Domic, not entirely reassured, downs a swig of the liquid, some sort of rich and heavily alcoholic spiced wine. "May I?" the doctor asks, motioning at the cup. Domic absentmindedly hands it to him.

"Murh," he grits his teeth, as the doctor dumps the rest of the wine over his wound, before wiping it away along with fresh and coagulated blood.

"There there," the doctor mumbles, taking out a bone needle and some thin string.

"Captain? You wanted me?" Torjo says, appearing in the great hall. He is a tall, balding man, with a salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a battered old leather jerkin. Halle tosses him the roll of paper and he holds it close to his brown eyes. "Hmm. Ghuk. Go watch...uh, stone humans, three days. Then to cavern, uh...three rocks. Tell...Kuhg all see. Boss. Where did you get this?" he finishes, looking at them all.

"From an orc in the forest, about uh-" Cerni says, before looking at Domic.

"About - ow! - a uh, mile and a half from the south gate," he says, downing more of the wine as the doctor sews up the wound.

"Mile and a half, mmm, concerning. There was only the one orc? You didn't see any others? Or signs?" Torjo says. Domic and Cerni shake their heads.

"What could they be doing?" Cerni asks.

“Who knows? Not us,” Halle says. “But the fact that they’re watching us and are seemingly organized is bad. With harvesttime soon, they could be planning to attack us or outlying farmers while we're all busy, and the guard spread thin.”

“Or raid grain caravans coming north,” Torjo suggests.

“Aye…aye,” Halle says, darkly. The fields around Pael and amongst the small farmsteads and villages in the surrounding forest rarely produced enough foodstuffs for the town each year. So, the rest was bought in the south, traded for with the furs, rare timbers and other goods the forest provided. “The orcs hit those, the town half starves through the winter, and the orcs sweep in the spring while we’re still weak and finish us off,” Halle scowls.

“Maybe,” Torjo says.

Halle nods. “Maybe. We need to know more. Get a grasp of their numbers. Where does this cavern sound like it is?”

“Uh, it sounds like the cavern with three old menhirs near its entrance, sir,” Domic pipes up, as the doctor spreads some pungent brown goo over the wound. “Maybe half a day to the southwest.”

"Keep this on for a week," the doctor says, as he gathers his things.

“Uh, that is all doctor. Many thanks," Halle says, as the doctor shuffles out of the great hall. "Mmm, yes, good,” Halle says, his gaze boring into Domic. “Domic, you can go to this cavern, yes? You don't have to fight any orcs, just find out how many there are."

Domic gulps. "Can I really say no? My shoulder doesn't feel that bad, I guess," he thinks. “Umm, yes, of course Captain, sir,” he says.

“Good man. Finish the wine if you'd like, then go to the armories and take anything you think you'll need. You’re free to go at first light tomorrow, no need to tell me. Come back in two days and report what you’ve found.”

“Yes sir,” Domic says.

“Alright," Halle clasps Domic's hand. "Good luck. Cerni, my dear, I'll see you at home tonight. Torjo, come to my solar - we have much to discuss," he says, leaving the great hall as Torjo bows politely and follows him. Domic downs another swig of the wine and sighs.

“Um so, where are we meeting tomorrow?” Cerni asks, as the steps of Halle and Torjo disappear.

“What? Meeting?” Domic replies.

“Yes. I’m coming with you.”

“But your fa-“

“My father said I was to follow and learn from you. He didn’t say not to tomorrow, so I’m going to,” she says. “Besides, um, you're shit with a blade. So I'm going to train you in swordsmanship, like you're training me. And keep you alive until you're decent with it," she smiles.

“Fine. The south gate, at six. We travel light, like today.” he says.

"Alright, I'll see you then," Cerni says, waving goodbye as she leaves.