Loss

He didn’t know why water ran down his cheek, all he knew was he wanted to hold tree forever, keep it safe, no fire or axe would touch its lovely wood.

“FUCKING BULLSHIT ASS EATING CUNTS!”

He looked up, little beautiful thing was yelling again. He liked her, she was angrier than captain, but she wasn’t loud, her yelling was nice.

“TAKE YOUR FUCKING CRYSTALS AND BURY THEM IN YOUR FILTHY FUCKING EYE SOCKETS YOU WORTHLESS SHIT SUCKING GODS!”

He also liked that she yelled at gods, not him. He was sure she wasn’t yelling at Gorgug, he was god of the Western Orcs, she wouldn’t be angry with him. Did little pretty things have their own gods? Did those gods want sacrifice?

“AAAAAUUUGHHH!!!!”

He looked over again, the pretty thing was laying down on a branch, she looked tired. It must be hard for little things to yell like that. Captain could yell all day, he was big and strong. Of course, to small pretty things he must seem big and strong, maybe he could help. After all she had given him his own wood, pretty wood, not for cutting. And for only a shiny rock. He walked over to where small pretty thing was.

“Help?”

“What?” the small pretty thing asked.

He tapped his chest. “Help.”

“You want to help me?”

“Yes. Help.”

The small pretty thing laughed. And then the tree exploded in fire.

“Yeah, what’s up now?” yelled a familiar voice.

“That’s the fairy and orc that killed you guys?” Another voice asked.

“Shut up, he hits hard as fuck.”

They had attacked the tree, he would not let that go unpunished. He roared and charged.

Between him and the fire player other player suddenly appeared.

“Hey there, try fighting me, orc scum!” it yelled.

He chopped, but the player used his shield, it was big and metal and axe wasn’t for chopping metal.

“Seriously Ned, you died to this thing?”

“Shut up Peter, the fairy kept binding me.”

“I mean, I don’t even need to use my abilities, it can’t hit me.”

He chopped with all his might, but the shield just stayed there. He tried to move around the shield, attack the other player.

“Whoa there, Your fight lies with me!.” The player said, and it made him angry, he needed to fight this one, the shield one, needed to chop the shield one first.

“Where is that damned fairy?”

“You said damaging the trees would force it to come out, that’s not working Ned.”

“I know Sam, it worked last time, it should work, I’ll have to burn them all.”

He watched in horror as the fire player walked around, burning all the wood. If only he could chop this shield guy, he could protect his trees or respawn trying, but he had to fight the shield guy first.

Then it happened, his tree, the one the fairy gave him, it was on fire, he watched it burn, if only he could finish fight with shield guy, he could go to his tree. He chopped harder.

“Why haven’t you killed that orc yet?”

“I think it’s funny.”

“What’s funny?”

“That this guy killed you.”

The shield guy turned away from him, walking toward wood destroyer. Finally shield wasn’t in the way. He chopped the player’s armor.

“Dude, it does so little damage.”

“You are such an asshole, Peter.” The destroyer yelled. The destroyer walked up to him, pointed his hands, fire, pain, darkness.

. . .

He stood up. He was at the outpost.

Sub-faction territory re-entered.
New sub-faction: Fenmoore Swamp Orcs.

“Get back to work you maggot.” Yelled Captain.

He walked out toward cutting wood, he had failed his tree, lost it and small pretty angry thing. He started chopping. He didn’t know what else to do. Gorgug still needed a sacrifice.

He chopped mindlessly, trying not to think of burning trees or small pretty angry thing, but it was hard. Every time his mind would show him his tree he would chop harder, sometimes water would come out of his eyes, and he would chop harder, chop faster, kept his head down, look at base of the cutting wood, and the ground.

Then he saw it, the sun cutting through the uncut wood, touching the ground. He looked up, the uncuttable tree was back. It had burnt, but it was back, it had respawned, just like him.

He looked at it, it was pretty, but it didn’t feel the same as before. He liked other tree better, his tree, tree small pretty angry thing gave him. But it was gone, just like uncuttable tree. Except uncuttable tree respawned. Maybe his tree would respawn too.

He didn’t even have to think about what to do next, he just turned and started walking. If his tree could respawn then he would go back to it. He had failed to protect it, but he was a woodcutter orc, and orcs did not stop, they respawned and rebuilt, he would respawn and return to his tree.

It was a long walk back, and when he got there, he saw one of the worst things he’d ever seen. All the wood was burnt, the ground was burnt, everything was blackened and scorched.

In the middle of the glade sat the small pretty thing, cross-legged on a blackened stump. Tiny drops of water falling from her face.