The Heavenly Host

Leftenant Trig Bioblast caused the most confusion among his commanders, Tom had noted. The shaman had made several technology references that went right over the heads of the D’Orcs present. Tom was at least familiar with science fiction versions of the things Trig had mentioned. He was definitely going to want to visit Gormegast as well as Visteroth, if they made contact with it. He wanted to see a world where technology and magic worked side by side. It seemed extremely implausible, but then at this point he was not in a position to define possible and impossible.

“Zelda, you mentioned wanting to get the first party out with dawn?” Tom asked the steward.

She nodded. “I think it’s going to take us a few days to gather enough game and butcher it. Hezbarg and his team have been cleaning up the kitchens. They told me that power has reached the freezers, so we should be able to store our game.”

Tom nodded. Yesterday morning Boggy had asked him to make sure the freezers’ runes got activated. He had been surprised that the mountains had several large kitchens with cold storage. Apparently, Orcus had been known for throwing parties. In fact, the party they were planning used to be normal for major events. He had suggested that they might make these hunting expeditions routine. To his surprise, Vargg had later mentioned that in the old days, the D’Orcs used to stage hunting expeditions with the various tribes, clans and hordes that had paid homage to Orcus.

Tom found himself a bit disturbed to find that several of his suggestions had been routine operations under Orcus. It was more than just a bit disconcerting. He knew for an undeniable fact that he was not Orcus reincarnated. For one thing, he knew firsthand what that dagger did. If everyone said it had killed Orcus, then it had utterly killed Orcus and destroyed his soul. While not an expert on reincarnation, it seemed logical to believe that one needed some sort of soul to actually reincarnate into a new body.

Tom shuddered, thinking about Orcus’s fate. Of course, to be fair, that was what true death was. Therefore, the ritual the Rod had been preparing for all of them would have done the same. That seemed an unbelievably evil thing to do to someone. Of course, back in Jersey, he had not really believed in any sort of afterlife, so why did a true death seem so much more horrible now?

The answer, Tom reflected, was that now he knew that there was, at least for believers, the chance for life after death. Antefalken had stated unequivocally, and the others had all agreed that if Talarius died in the Planes of Orcs/Planes of Men, that he would go to Tierhallon to be with his god. Others had said similar things. That was the thing: heaven and hell were real. Maybe not what his grandparents believed, but there was something. There was also the possibility of nothing. That was what made the difference. Gods were real, and of course; so were demons.

“As I recall, Astlan time in jötunngard and Doom Time were pretty close,” Arg-nargoloth said. “Etterdam and the lands of the Nart were about a period or so behind. I am not sure of the others.”

Roth Tar Gorefest nodded. “While obviously I am anxious to return to the hunting grounds of Romdan, I do think we should go in order of shaman. Thus, we first send a band to Astlan, followed by one to Etterdam with its dawn. We move on to the others tomorrow.”

Vargg nodded. “We will need the time to process the kills in the kitchens. Everyone is out of practice.”

“Some of us have never gotten to practice,” Zelda noted somewhat bitterly.

“The price of being fourth generation.” Darg-Krallnom laughed, slapping her on the back.

The thought of Zelda being fourth generation D’Orc, born in the Abyss as many of the younger D’Orcs were, made Tom suddenly realize that something was fishy. Demons were immortal, so how did they age? He had just assumed that Rupert had aged because he was half-human, yet clearly he was every bit as powerful, every bit as much a real demon as any first, second or third-order demon. Except, Tom suddenly realized, Rupert stopped aging when he started to show signs of being a demon. He had shape-changed into his younger self and stayed that way. Everyone thought he was younger than he actually was.

Tom shook his head; this did not make a lot of sense. He needed to sort this out, probably with Antefalken or someone else who understood demon physiology. Clearly not Tizzy, though. However, this was not the time; they had a hunting trip to plan.

∼

Bess took a sip of Denubian Choco-Coffee^TM and sighed. “Complications, complications.”

Astet chuckled. “Who was it that liked to warn everyone about how lies and deceptions end up entangling one more than chains and ropes?” Astet was drinking iced tea, which she had to work to keep cool in her hand as they were sitting in a rooftop “garden” in the outpost. The plants that would grow in the Abyss were extremely odd plants.