Renkka - Part IV
For weeks the orc known as Renkka had been unavailable.
Hiding her talisman deep in her bag, she had packed up her
clothing and meager possessions and took the boat to Booty Bay.
---
Inhaling the sea salt smell of the air, she balked slightly,
forcing herself to step off the boat and onto the dock. Biting
on her lower lip and slowly taking in the sight of all the
goblins and humans, she visibly quivered, lowering her head and
making her way to the inn where she had booked a room for an
undetermined amount of time.
She felt their eyes on her, the goblin bruisers, just as she had
every time she had visited the place. Since she had woken up in
the Silverpine forest, she had visited the place a few times on
business. The first time, she ran from the boat to collect some
part that was required for someone back in Ashenvale, and ran
right back onto the boat, in an obvious state of panic.
At first, she wasn’t sure if it was because of the tiny gnome
female hugging at her leg, or the familiar feeling in the air,
and the bazaar looks from the goblins that stood guard. But as
time passed, she came more and more certain that Booty Bay held
the answers to some questions.
---
Times had changed since she spent those months with Mathias. She
had become a part of a Tribe filled with Orcs and Trolls who
longed for the old ways, the ways she wanted to know more about.
She was shy, at first, often stumbling over her words, often
times pausing and thinking as she spoke. But the Witch Doctor of
the Tribe had taken her under his wing, and was teaching her all
he could about what it meant to be an Orc and what it meant to
be part of a Tribe. He was also able to clear her head from the
nuisance of her continual headaches, for which she was eternally
grateful.
There were others in the Tribe who had helped her as well, with
different aspects of herself. Ezrah, another orc female, was
actually in a similar predicament. She, too, had lost her
memories, although she had recently rediscovered this.
Renkka was desperate to find out her feelings on what she should
do. She was lost, and confused, and not sure if she should dig
too deep into a past she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. So she
invited Ezrah over to her house, and they chatted.
Though the details of their conversation had gotten muddled in
Renkka’s mind over the past few days, she knew that Ezrah
thought that even bad memories are things that were worth
having. And so, a few days later, Renkka sent a letter to her
Master, Zij, explaining the situation, and sailed off.
---
The room was small, but suitable for what she needed to do. She
didn’t have much gold to her name, having spent several dozen in
the past few weeks for her alchemy training, but she hoped she
had enough to pay for what she needed.
It wasn’t until that first evening she got there that she had
her first peculiar experience. A human, with golden, shaggy hair
and a heavy set body sat next to her in the tavern. When she
raised a questioning eyebrow, he winked at her. In broken
orcish, he even managed to speak a few words. “You back?”
Puffing up her chest, she stared at him in shock. “What?” “Same
before?”
She stood, quickly turning her back on him and walking to the
bartender. “That man just spoke to me, do you know who he is?”
The goblin let out a sour laugh, “they all look the same to me.”
Frowning, Renkka returned to her room, running the four broken
words over and over in her mind. She fell into a restless sleep,
familiar smells wafting up to her room causing her vibrant and
colorful dreams.
She knew after that night, for better or for worse, she would
eventually find her past in this place.
---
It wasn’t until many days later that she was able to find
someone else who knew her. A scraggly goblin, Glazgo, had been
looking at her constantly whenever she walked by. She was
accustomed enough to the look of desire in his eyes, and she
resented it. After being unable to sleep one night, she went for
a walk on the dock, sitting and staring up at the moon when she
heard footsteps behind her. Shivering and wishing she wasn’t
wearing her thin top, she slowly turned, letting her eyes adjust
to the absence of light.
And he stood there, glowering down at her. “You should have
stayed away, Nabaza.” Stumbling to her feet, she turned to face
him, looking down at the tiny, green figure. “I think… uhm… I
think you might, uh, have me confused with someone else,” she
stammered, her eyes trying to make contact with the few dock
workers that worked the night shift as they avoided the
confrontation. “I know who you are. There is no way I would not
recognize that pretty little face of yours.”
She gulped, fumbling in her pockets for something that would
help her protect herself, coming across a small vial. Grasping
it in her hand, she continued stammering, “I’m just an orc, here
on business. I… I don’t know you…” His eyes widened, his mouth
breaking into a toothy grin. “You know, I almost believe you
with that cute little stutter you developed. You should have
used that before. Might have gotten us some more gold from
certain types.”
She let out a tiny whimper, “I have to go back to my room, Sir!”
she cried, trying to side step around the little goblin who only
laughed. “Now that you’re back, you can start making me some
gold again!” he cackled manically. “That forsaken you ran off
with, ran off with quite a tab. Never paid his rent. Way I sees
it, you owe me for that plus interest.” His mouth grinned wider,
“and I’m sure you’re eager to get back to work, aren’t you?
Always were so eager to please your client. That’s what made it
such a shame when you ran off.
“Now, come along, Nabaza. I lined up some men for a return to
work party,” he cackled manically, grabbing for her arm.
The waves lapped behind her, voices on a boat arrived. She
quickly pulled out the potion, throwing it in his face. Running
through the crowds of people, she jumped onto the boat, locking
herself in the bathroom. She sobbed all the way back to Ratchet,
her cheeks red with shame.