Introduction

Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.

If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!

Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE

The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found HERE.

Part 8

Noxus seemed to realize some of the tension that was in her body. She looked down at her hands as though realizing for the first time how wound up she had been.

"Yes my Queen." She replied. "Though I think I will need to learn as much as I can from these... Mawland tribes as I can. If they are three thousand years removed from the greenskins that the Temples have fought for a thousand years - there are bound to be differences."

Mary nodded. "Indeed. The Temples would have begun fighting greenskins a whole two thousand years after the disappearance of these Mawtribes, I mean Mawland tribes..."

"Mawtribes is a pretty fit name for them, your Majesty. The terms "Tribes of the Mawlands" or "Mawland Tribes is a bit of a mouthful."

"May I ask a question?" Derric said, waiting for a moment to speak.

Mary merely indicated with her hand that he should proceed. She did not like being in the dark and thought it would be best for others to ponder out loud and voice the parts of the situation that make a person seem unsure. She was Queen and everyone, even old Adiran, needed her to behave as one.

"You speak of greenskin and you called Zreld a Gobin. I saw different sizes of beings out there in that army. There were two kinds that were in the majority, with others that looked different to to them. One of the majority numbers were Gobins like Zreld, though dressed as warriors and fighters mostly. What were the other? The other kind are larger, about the same size as humans... well... large humans. But mostly seemed broader of shoulder."

"Were they muscular and very green skinned?" Noxus asked.

"Yes."

"Those would be Orcs." Noxus replied definitively. "They are strong, warlike and violent. I have never met one that could speak. They only ever charged at us and tried to slaughter us. That is why the Temple of Vallox Kai value them as an opponent, a trail by which the Acolytes can become honoured."

"And yet..." Mary interjected and heads turned towards her. "By what the Sporeseer said about giving council to the Chiefs of the Mawtribes, it seems that they are capable of speech as well as the ability to reason. How does that match up with your knowledge of Orcs today?"

"Those of the Temple of Hiral Kai often are sent to spy on the Orcs. We use magic to make ourselves invisible or undetectable. I never witnessed Orcs communicating with one another with more than a grunt and gestures."

"I think it is safe to say that these greenskins are very different then."

"Orcs and Goblins." Derric interrupted, this time, not asking for permission. Mary let her features show a flash of irritation though she welcomed his questions as exposition to mask gaps in her own knowledge.

"Yes?" Noxus answered blandly.

"But there were others." Derric pressed. “There were larger greenskins, bigger than the Orcs, few in number and there were other besides them that were different but I did not have the time or the luxury to observe for a long time.” Derric said.

“Indeed.” Noxus answered. “It its known that there are kinds of greenskins that are more rarely seen. If they were very large then they may have been Trolls or even Giants.”

Derric nodded and shrugged. “I guess there is a lot about them that we do not know.”

Mary surveyed those in the throne room silently. Finally she found the person that had the reaction she found the most out of place. “Adiran. I see that you have nothing to say about our guest. Usually I hear warnings and council from you. Or some sort of knowledge from your own time.”

The mage looked up at her suddenly as though he had not been paying attention. “Well, um… I…”

“He’s never seen or heard of a Greenskin before.” Another voice spoke out clearly. Mary turned in the other direction to see her own son, Prince of the realm stride into the throne room. His travelling clothes had been replaced by a comfortable looking robe not dissimilar to Adiran’s. Though he was in his teens, the youngster walked with a staff in hand. Mary could see by the way that he walked that this was not a walking-aid. This was something to do with her son’s magic.

Adrian came to stand in front of Adiran and looked up at him. “Isn’t that right uncle?” The last word was enunciated with some force. It was no secret to the people in the room that Adrian and Adiran were the same person. They knew that Adiran, the supposed brother of the late King Jonathan was actually a time traveller.

It took some explaining from her son, and if Mary was honest with herself, she still did not understand it, that Adiran was Adrian but also not. As much as Adiran had travelled in time, there were something things that were different. Also… it seemed quite possible that Adiran had done this before. This is something that the older mage had not admitted to.

A defender, a guardian, a guide. His main focus has been to prevent a future set of events that had destroyed his own family in his own time, or world or however it works.

“That’s not much of a question is it nephew?” Adrian said impassively through his thick grey beard. It worried her that there was… some sort of loss of something between these two. They used to be close. Adrian had idolized Adiran, even after finding out about his true identity.

But something had happened since that time. Possibly during their last adventure together.

“I suppose not. I made a statement. It is something that I have been studying and wondering about. I rushed over, just as you did when that little magical man arrived. But I kept myself hidden. Just in case. But I ask so you can confirm my theory.” Adrian spoke but did not stop to stand before Adiran aggressively. Instead he went to stand at a lower tier of the Throne’s dais as court etiquette dictated.

“Well, it is true.” Adiran said gruffly. “And I do not like it. It is a massive difference.”

“One small change somewhere in the past and this could be the massive difference later Uncle. We can discuss it later. Right now. I await the instructions from my mother the Queen. Or merely to witness what those decisions might be. Nothing more.”

Mary felt a bit proud of her son at that moment. What a fine young man. She thought. She realized then that everyone in the room was indeed waiting for her to give an order.

And now back to @lex-zaiya to decide how that goes!

Thank you for reading!

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