Blood Hounds

[Kraex]

Clad in his finest armor the orc lord, Kraex'Ju, makes haste toward the open desert east of Cadomyr. Anyone found in his path will be ignored, unless by chance the irreverent self proclaimed knight, Guy Mitchell, were to be so unlucky. He doesn't appear to be bloodlust, but there is certainly a clear focus and determination set in his eyes. As he sprints along you may see a set of ropes dangling from his belt. With his impeccable conditioning Kraex may be hard to follow as he runs at full tilt. Before long he is crossing the eastern bridge and then into the open desert. His eyes search ravenously until over 50 meters away they lock on what he searches, orchounds. He quickly unravels one of the ropes at his belt and darts right toward the accursed beasts.

For an unskilled warrior these wild dogs could kill a man in mere seconds, but in a pack even the experienced skirmisher could get overcome. Kraex, however, was far more dangerous and ruthless than these massive hounds. Nonetheless, this feral pack saw the threat and tore after Kraex with snarls and deep rumbling growls. Kraex didn't even bother to draw a weapon as he balled his free gauntlet hand into a fist. The alpha lead the pack and Kraex's eyes trained on him, and not even these fiendish creatures born to hunt could sense the danger they were in. Kraex's fist changed the mood dramatically when it met the Alpha's jaw with enough power to break it sending the boorish mass of fur into a yelping fit. The two hounds that flanked their alpha immediately peeled off to the side and reached a safe distance to howl and growl at Kraex trying to threaten him into submission.

Kraex ignored them and lept at the alpha who was now writhing in the sand moaning over its broken jaw. Without mercy he snapped the creatures neck and turned on the two remaining hounds and roared with guttural ferocity. They both yelped and Kraex whipped the rope through the air and both hounds approached with tails tucked and heads low yelping inconsequentially. He tethered the first ochound with the rope in his hand and the other with a second rope from his belt. Once insuring they were properly secured Kraex wrapped both sets of rope around his left arm and reached into his bag with the other to pull out a sword Guy had recently given him. He yanked at his new pets' ropes and they reluctantly came forward. Kraex held the sword down toward their snouts expectantly.

Not even needing a command the two orchounds sniffed as their new master wanted. With flared nostrils and teeth bared they pulled against their constraints to lead the way. Gods help the prey should Kraex have evil intent. To and fro Kraex and his new pets seek Sir Guy Mitchell.

[forty]

The sellsword was far away from home this time around. He was making camp on a flat top of a cluster of cliffs, protruding out of the body of the desert. Seeing a cloud of dust in the distance, he killed his bonfire and finished the mutton leg he was eating. Seeing the moving green mold of muscle that was undoubtedly Kraex, he followed him in the distance along the cliffs for a while without disturbing the orc's task. He witnessed the quick taming of the hound pack, and had to admit to himself it was quite masterful.

Interesting. Why does Kraex need hounds? Ah, perhaps Guy Mitchell's courtesy time on accepting Salathe's invitation has ran out. I wonder if there is a bounty involved. I'm a lot better than a hound at finding people, he thought to himself.