Snak's Arc

Chapter 2 of 6

Snak stood in front of the bunker and crossed his arms. The walls were up. The roof was solid. Now he needed to figure out what came next. He walked inside and looked around the empty space. The training dummy stood in the corner, ready for strikes. But one dummy wasn't enough. Young orcs needed more than just something to hit. They needed to learn balance, timing, and how to move under pressure. He stepped back outside and scanned the field. The lifting stones sat in their circle, waiting. His training ground had bones, but it needed muscle. Weapons came first. Snak walked to the far side of the bunker where flat ground stretched out before him. He started hauling stones again, stacking them into walls. The forge would sit in the center where he could hammer out practice blades and shields. Young orcs broke training weapons all the time. He needed a place to fix them and make new ones. The brownish burgundy stone rose higher as he worked. When the walls reached his chest, he built a roof and set up the harpoon launchers he had promised himself. The armory bunker took shape beneath his hands. Inside, he would craft everything the trainees needed to learn their trade. He set up a sharpening station outside near the entrance. Two warriors could work there between drills, keeping their practice weapons ready. Snak tested the grinding wheel with his thumb. It spun smooth and fast. Young orcs would learn that a warrior maintains his own gear. No one else would do it for them. He placed whetstones on the bench and stepped back. The station was simple but it would teach them discipline. Snak walked to the edge of his training ground where water pooled in a natural depression. He dug deeper, widening the space until it could hold several orcs at once. The mineral water beneath the surface bubbled up, glowing puce green in the fading light. He ringed the pool with brownish burgundy stone benches. After brutal drills, the young ones would need somewhere to soak their tired muscles. Snak sat on one of the benches and looked back at what he had built. The bunker stood strong. The forge waited for its first blade. The recovery pool would ease their pain. His training ground was ready to receive its first students.