Chapter 505

The clearing reeked of blood and feathers. Torn remnants of Owlbear plumage littered the ground, interspersed with splintered wood from shattered trees and the scattered remains of broken weapons.

Galum'nor, a hulking orc, lay propped against the base of a large rock, his breath ragged. His armor, once gleaming, was now a tapestry of rents and tears, stained crimson.

Multiple lacerations crisscrossed his arms and legs, some deep enough to expose muscle and bone. His face, swollen and bruised, bore the imprint of a claw, a jagged furrow running across his cheek. He groaned, a low guttural sound, as he attempted to sit upright. Aro'shanna, a ferocious woman of her own right, leaned against a tree trunk not far away from him, efficiently cleaning a deep gash on her forearm with a strip of cloth soaked in a dark, viscous liquid.