Rhakt sits under cover of the low branches of the trees all around him. A nice spot on the edge of this copse of spruce. The heat of the nearby fire barely felt upon his acid etched skin. He watches the sparks and the light playing amonst the embers keenly aware of the white bones that litter the camp.
Lying too close to a fire is a deathwish. Who would lie in the light? The body may be warm but both the cld and the darkness protect the orc. Darkness and darkvision are his allies.
Rhakts deep set red eyes constantly flick from tree to tree around him. In the trance like state between waking and deep sleep he can watch for hours. Watching, waiting for the intruder to step within his sphere, his world of pain. He waits for the villain, the bandit, the murderer, the unwary, the hunter................all become the hunted.
On many such a night he has watched the embers smoulder and hear the crunch of leaf or twig under foot. natural traps for the heavy footed. Slowly rising from his stupor with wicked grin and laughter almost bursting from his chest e trails the victim to the fire, his camp, his pit, his web for the unwary. Casting his magical daze he stuns the victim like the spider and then looming over ts paralsed form he casts flame after flame from his gnarled fingers until the human flesh crackles and the screams die down.
Hiis thoughts return to the past few days in this strange land and his encounters. He ponders the white clad gnome, too small a morsel to satisfy his thirt for blood, who wandered the crypt of Vehl with him healing him without threat or torture. later that day the same small man came to his aid in the gloomy forest only to run off after the prize cloak was won and Rhakts gazes and drooling jaw turned to concentrate on him. His little legs a furry of activity as Rhats laughter filled the forest wth foreboding.
He reflects upon his trip into the settlement of Krandor. Sneaking from house to house under the cover of dark he had followed his nose as it led to a find. Drawn to the aroma of death and dying floating on the early morning breeze he had cret into the hospice and eyed its inabitants with longing.the door had not even been bolted. following the smell of blood he had found a basket of the limbs emoved that day ( no doubt in an effort of th ehelers to save one or two that day)and had helped himslef to the brawny arm he found there, almost war and still bearing the toranite symbol of its former owner. Food packaged and eady to go he thought. What wonders the world provides. He had almost laughed out loud with joy.
Finding the chest deeper in the building had made the journey worthwhile. It had been filled with an assortment of human instruments. Stealing a set of Pan pipes prooved an easy task and just now thinking about them he looked down in the dark to review the bloodstains on his arms.
In the early hors of dawn that followed he had snuggled dwn into rhodadendron bushes on the outskirts of Wayfare. playing a slow orcish tune with haunting meoldy he had, half unseen, waited for the children of the tented vllage. Minutes later they appeared on the edge ofthe forest and he played to them. playing the forest fawn he had thrown them berries but they came not closer, quickly loosing interest in him and wary of the wod they had turned and ran off laughing. Rhakt too laughed as the strong amongst them ran fast but the pale little one could only run slowly. Too too slowly for Rhakt.
Rhakts eyes returned to the crackling bones in the embers and picked the grissle from his teeth.
