28 The Story of the Ghost Berry

Time seemed to still, as the soft pair of lips that covered his own started to nibble. A little at first, and then a lot later. Hellie's lips continued to nibble on Xa'Gun's. She straddled Xa'Gun as he laid on the cool morning ground, as her lips began to wander from their initial landing.

Xa'Gun could feel Hellie as she kissed and playfully bit along his, now, stubbled chin and down his neck. His hands once again found their way to hold Hellie's firm rear.

Jukzuk greeted the Stonethrower brothers, as he walked through the burrow and to the backyard to witness Xa'Gun and Hellie.

[That boy loves ass.] Jukzuk shook his head, as he was more of a boobs Orc, but understood the appeal never the less.

Hellie bit into Xa'Gun's neck with a passion, causing a slight bit of pain, but it only caused Xa'Gun to use his weak hands to kneed the well-toned gluts of Hellie.

"..." Jukzuk looked to the small pouch in his hand, and back to the pair in the yard.

[Well, they're both sober... I'll come back when I hear talking...] Jukzuk turned around and went to the kitchen to make something to drink.

Xa'Gun's hands slid up along Hellie's curves up around her waist, as she shivered from the sensation. It was at this moment, that it seemed that Hellie woke up from her pink dream, as she lifted herself at the waist to see the bad smile of Xa'Gun and the mark she left on his neck.

"I-Ummm..." Hellie wanted to continue, but she made a deal with Xa'Gun... More importantly, she promised herself to never commit the same mistake she had before least she be teased and bullied to death by Demze.

Hellie's complex expression also woke Xa'Gun from his aroused state. It was a good thing that Hellie was straddled on his midsection and not his lower half.

"We should see where Jukzuk is... It should be about time for him to come back with the Ghost Berry." Hellie spoke, as she lifted herself off of Xa'Gun.

"Y-yeah..." Xa'Gun tiredly got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"Hoy, I'm here." Jukzuk walked to the backdoor, with a tankard in hand.

[That was faster than expected... I hope this isn't a quick shot problem...] Jukzuk thought as he stood in the door frame.

"Oh, f-father. Welcome back." Xa'Gun beat his chest.

Jukzuk took a drink of mead, no doubt brought by Hellie or her punks early this morning. His eyes quickly fixed themselves on the reddening bite mark on his son's neck.

"Ahem... Marked him so early, have we Hellie?" Jukzuk closed one eye, as he cast his gaze to Hellie to the side.

"I-Ummm, it just sort of happened, ya know, hahaha" Hellie forced a laugh, with her hands on her hips. Her act of confidence was lost on Jukzuk as he saw her green skin darken from blush.

"Uh-huh... Well, I wonder what Demze will think." Jukzuk laughed, as he fished out the berry from the small pouch he brought.

"What about Demze???" Hellie's eyes narrowed.

"You'll have to ask her about that." Jukzuk threw Demze under the carriage, instead of his son.

"Son, come here, and get a taste of madness." Jukzuk decided to move on, without continuing the wagon train wreck of a conversation.

Xa'Gun lumbered over tiredly, as it seemed lifting the full-Orc stone took more than he thought, though he shifted himself as not to expose his blood pressure.

"But before I give this to you, all Blacktongues must know the Origin of Ghost Berries." Jukzuk held the sinister berry in his hand. If one looked close enough at it, he would see that it had small wiggling vines, almost like it was alive. Around the berry also gave a strange wafting dark aura.

Looking at the strange berry, that was told to him to be the thing of most value among the blacktongue, Xa'Gun could only wonder who had the guts to eat this thing first.

"I want to hear it again too, Uncle."

"Alright, Lili, Gun-gun. Sit down and listen to a quick tale of Our ancestors."

Xa'Gun and Hellie sat on the ground, as Jukzuk took his sit in the door frame, as he continued to hold the wiggling berry of darkness.

"These blacktongue mountains were called something before We occupied them. There were the mountains of madness. Touched by a daemon spirit of the court of chaos itself! This daemon spirit has no name, no face, and no origin, but he was here all the same... We do not know his name, so We call him the anonymous daemon, or the Unknown Spirit. His madness seeped deep into these mountains, and for many years those that wished to pass the double mountain pass... ended as corpses to feed the flora..."

Xa'Gun's interest was peaked. It had been since Jukzuk told him of the Orc Calamity, that he heard a good story. Hellie listened with her own interest, even if she has heard this story many times before.

"The dead spirits of those that died to the madness of these mountains feed the plants, and it was one planet that grew plump and rich... Which would later be named the Ghost Berry Bushes. It was these berry bushes that took root into the soil and drank deep the madness and spirits that lingered. So much so, that these berry bushes made safer the passage of the double mountain pass."

Jukzuk looked at the wiggling berry in his hand, as it seemed it wanted to crawl off his calloused hand and back to the dirt.

"We were the first Orcs, the Blacktongues, that learned how to navigate the mountains safely. It was no longer the corrupting madness left by the anonymous daemon that slaughtered travelers but the ghostly vines that issued forth from the bushes on the mountain hillsides. At that time, We were not called the Blacktongues... We were called the Blackruined Clan."

Jukzuk nodded a few times, in thought before he continued, "We descend from the same mother clan as the Nightbone Clan, though no one today would admit it. So Son, you being of the Skullblade Clan of the Nightbone Clan, might be destiny.

Xa'Gun grunted in confusion.

"All things are one, son. Things tend to be a circle, even in eternity. A cycle if you will. Perhaps it's just your turn to come back to the fold. Well... Excuse this old Orc for thinking out loud."

Jukzuk went back to his story, "The Blackruined Orcs, so-called that, for their fall from grace due to the end of the Calamity... We were nomads until we came to the Mountains of Madness. So driven there by Our Orcess Seer... Ma'Tera. Your ancestor, Hellie."

"I know, uncle. Midka got her gifts, not me." Hellie said with a hint of sadness, but only she and her sisters knew why.

Jukzuk nodded again, "But her blood still flows within your veins, so does the blood of many warriors, lords, and warlords flow. You are gifted with strength of body... Never disrespect it."

Hellie grunted in agreement, as Jukzuk nodded knowing she understood, "We, the Blackruined tamed these mountains. Learned the secrets of the Ghost Berries. Ate of their madness, and grew powerful because of it. We great so powerful that We owned most of the east until our hubris was brought low by the combined efforts of the human nations."

"It was the human nations that learned the secrets of our Ghost berries, and Our weapon the Promise of Calamity. They soon cut our armies off from the supply of Ghost Berries, and with the weakness of withdrawal, did they fall before the human nations, again combined effort. One clan against all the human nations of the east... Glories and sad."

"Son," Jukzuk offered the berry with his hand outstretched, "Eat this berry and think of our clan. Know that what this berry holds isn't just power, but legacy and madness. Never believe the power delivered is forever, but only borrowed... Least you are cut off from it and weaken like Our armies of old. Use the power granted to strengthen your body and Cultivation... Make it your own. As when I am no longer, and no one is there to save you... Only you can trust your body and the blood that flows within..."

Xa'Gun took the squirming berry into his hand as it tickled his palm.

"Chew and swallow... Close your eyes afterward, and feel the effects.

Xa'Gun didn't have to be asked twice to close his eyes to these nasty little berries, as he popped it into his mouth. He felt it tickle, again, in his mouth, as his teeth came down.

A burst of juice, so sweet that it seemed to overpower him, causing to shake his head.

"Don't spit it out... Swallow quickly." Jukzuk urged as Hellie watched from the side.

Xa'Gun swallowed quickly and was left with a sour after taste, as he continued to close his eyes to feel the result.