They walked briskly upwards through the tunnels.

“Why do you call me Kesh?” Shae asked the orc.

“We prayed, and you came. Who else would you be?” it replied

“Is Kesh a female?”

“Aehh… uhm no… but kesh is all powerful like you. He could be?” The orc replied with a bit of a wince.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not Kesh. You should be careful of who you call upon. Gods are not what they seem. They offer you gifts, then tear your life apart.”

“We prayed and you came. Our lives are no longer being torn apart. We will have our vengeance.” The orc said refusing to relent.

This caused Shae to stop in her tracks. The orc stopped short and turned to face the young woman.

“What does your god look like?” Shae asked her voice becoming icy.

“Like us. We are made in his image. He is a mighty warrior that knows no fear. Refusing to bow to the will of repressors.” The orc stood tall swelling with pride in his god. “Maybe you are not Kesh himself. But you are surely his fist come to save the last few of us that survive.”

Shae took in his answer staring into the orc’s eyes. Looking for the truth or lies in his words. Had the gods played her? Was she sent here for some game they were playing amongst themselves? Was she merely a pawn in those petty games? Anger once again began to take hold of Shae’s conscious mind. What good reason could that weaselly god have for sending her to this world? What was his game? Was it to save these orcs? No, that would be Kesh’s doing.

“Your god Kesh,” Shae almost whispered dangerously, “Does he have friends amongst the gods?”

“Kesh is Kesh. Beholden to none. He gives us strength to fight against the other gods’ chosen.”

Shae calmed just a bit. So, Kesh was not in league with that god. Lucky for these orcs then.

The orc in front of Shae was starting to tremble a bit under the pressure of her presence.

“Please savior. I mean no disrespect. I beg for your help. Even if you are not sent by our god, then maybe your god wishes you to aide us?”

Shae’s eyes almost bulged out of her head her anger flared so high. “The only god who sent me here will die by my hand!” She growled as the orc bent under the strain of her powers.

“pllleasse. grrreeeat lady. Please. forgive…” his voice strained, barely able to get the trembling words out. He was on his knees before the girl now, feeling as if his bones were being pulverized within him.

Shae calmed a little. “Take me to this being who is killing you. I will see this finished then I will move forward toward my goals.”

At least she could save a life now, where she failed only days before. She started to see these orcs as she saw her only companion in the dungeon, undeserving of the cruel fates of the gods’ whims. She would take matters into her own hands. She would save those that the gods themselves had abandoned. She would not play into their hands. Shae promised herself that she would get revenge for all who were left to die at the hands of these undeserving gods. If Kesh was a solo player, she would help his followers. Hoping it would throw a wrench into that scheming gods plans. There was nothing left in her heart but revenge, hatred, and a desire to have a certain gods head on a platter. She knew she wasn’t thinking very well. There was no planning, there was little thought put into her actions. She just needed a release. And very soon she would get one. It would be good if nothing else, then to rid the world of someone she saw as that gods equal. A scheming pile of shit unworthy of the skin they were born into. Yes, she would become the avenger. She would place herself between all those who seemed his ilk. She would end them, as if they were him. Then when she had enough power, she would end HIM that shitty sneering god.

The two came to a blank wall. The orc pointed at a spot that felt slightly of magic. You wouldn’t even think to notice such a small change if it were not pointed out to her. This Unq’Rul, who’s name she learned while they walked the last few minutes to get here, had done well hiding his lair.

“He should be there. In the world of his creation.”

Shae pressed her hand against what should have been the door. She could feel… something.

It was as if there was an astral lock in place. She envisioned a lock with tumblers that needed to be released. Slowly at first, she probed at these “tumblers”. She needed to work this lock in a certain order. It was like a meta-physical puzzle she pictured in her head. She slowly began to feel how work each tumbler up and down in faster and faster rhythms. She pulsed her magic across them causing them to vibrate up and letting them release down with a speed reaching boggling speeds after just a minute. The locking mechanism, while magic, was being torn apart by Shae’s own magic. It was as if she was causing it to shake itself apart. Them without any fanfare it broke down, leaving Shae free to open the doorway to Unq’Rul’s dimensional space. She pushed with her mind against the hidden doorway, as if pushing a normal door open with her hand.

Shae wrapped herself with her protections, both her soft and hard armors. Though her hard armor around her body was no longer a rigid thing anymore. Shae could easily catch and slow impacts now with much greater ease and efficiency. While she had been lost within herself, she still had come to feel new control over her powers. She remembered how she had been able to use that control to tear into that giant orc thing, even with this Unq’Rul fighting her for control over the things body. He seemed to approach it wrong, however. Maybe Unq’Rul was fooled into thinking she was trying to control the things movements through its mind. When she was forcing her will against its body instead. Which is what made her able to pull it apart with such ease.

She would do the same to this Unq’Rul.

Without hesitation Shae boldly stepped into the dimensional space. Immediately she was bombarded with an explosive force and searing heat. However, Shae was ready for this. Even in her world mages in stories loved fireballs. Or some kind of flaming projectiles. She was already pushing against the explosion as she had entered. Really it was the only thing she had to do. Whatever this creature threw at her, other than mind attacks, she would easily be able to push it away and around her with her hard armor. She was the eye of a flaming storm for all of three seconds as the spell expended its energy around her. Once free, she was able to see the sneering visage slowly fall off the little skin that still hung to Unq’Rul’s face.

“How!” The thing before her screamed.

Shae looked to her left. “You… stay right there. I will be with you in a minute.” She said to the air, using a small portion of her power to encase whatever was trying to sneak up on her flank invisible.

Unq’Rul began casting another spell. So slow, Shae thought. The need to chant is such a waste of time.

Shae reached out with her power and halted the undead orcs mouth and tongue in her iron grip. Then once again she was surrounded in a blaze of fire. This spell lasted a bit longer and was much hotter. Almost hot enough that she felt it to be like the warm morning sun playing upon her skin.

She could hear laughter outside of her flaming prison. It seems stopping the things physical body did nothing to stop it from using its magic. It seemed, as a being of magical nature, it did not need its physical body to control its power. Or even its voice. She would change her tactics. There was no more time to think about gloating or even asking why. It was time to enact justice.

Once the flames consumed their power once again the lich looked flabbergasted. “HOW!? I cannot feel any protections about you!” it screamed at her even though it could not move its mouth.

Then Shae gripped his entire being with her power and pulled him apart in roughly three cm. splinters. “Feel my power now?” she said to the small corpse pieces as she felt… the power? Or life force maybe? in the corpse fade away. All she knew for certain was this thing was well and truly inert. Dead. She stared at the bits, hoping to feel anything. Yet she was still empty inside. This was obviously not enough. It was just the beginning of her crusade.

“Now my little dagger in the back.” Shae said turning to the being she felt hovering in the air with her soft cover. “What shall we do. To. You.”

The imp became visible and began to plead for its life. “Please! I was forced to do it! He made me! I could not stop myself! I was being controlled, you saved me!” it babbled at Shae.

“Please, you’re a demon.” she said then removed its head from its body with a tearing crack. “That was surprisingly easy.” She said as she looked at her right hand flexing it, as if her muscles had done the deed.

Shae turned and left the now collapsing space. With the creator dead, the magic that held this space together was breaking down.

“It’s done.” Shae said simply as she passed the round orc. Which bowed to her as she passed.

“Please. You have saved this life. Let me follow you that I might repay you with it should the need arise. For myself and for what is left of our tribe.” The orc spoke bravely while keeping its head low.

Shae turned to look at the orc. “No.” Then she walked away, heading upward, toward the surface. Toward her crusade.