Talina hunched down behind the tree as the wind began to howl, carrying a depraved Laughter with it. She watched Valise's white gown whipping around her body, and immediately focused her attention away from the sight of her friend in such obvious distress. Instead, she drew her attention directly to the presumed cause of that pain and bolted around the outskirts of the scrying pool. With well-practiced movements, she remained utterly silent, shifting from cover to cover. The darkness the entity had brought with it worked in her favour, and she rounded behind it. The glow from the pool focused its light upon Valise in a single focused beam.

“Encorcha!"

The word was brought forth from the foaming pool, a noise of victorious glee that sent shivers down to the bone. For a moment, it seemed Like some word of magic sounded out to obliterate Valise. Talina saw a thick overhanging branch of a nearby tree and decided to do something foolish, and fast. Yet it seemed the word wasn't the sound of any incantation but rather a form of address. No, more than even that. It was a name.

A name that Valise answered to.

"I have returned to you, my master."

“After so long? And at the font of another of my servants? No, Encorcha, I think not."

"I have only ever served you, master of all.”

Another gust of wind passed across the clearing, carrying a spiteful laugh upon it. Talina made it up the tree and braced herself upon the trunk whilst she found her footing on the branch. The field of death had crumbled away most of the overhead branches, and it would be a considerable jump for her to get there, but she didn't want to go running straight at the thing with no cover in sight.

“You are a whore for whatever creature should offer even a sliver of power, Encorcha." The voice mused. "I should rend your flesh, but I think I shall have use of you. Come closer."

Talina inhaled a deep breath and then began to run along the Length of the branch until she felt it beginning to flex beneath her weight. Beneath her, Valise was pulled through the air as if by the throat toward the pool until she was hanging directly above it. She choked on the fumes rising from the bubbling liquid, and her eyes started to roll before something happened that almost made Talina lose her footing. A hand emerged from the pool, with mottled blue flesh and sharpened, black fingernails. It lifted up to wrap its fingers around Valise's throat and slowly started to pull her toward the bubbling liquid.

Without a moment to spare, Talina leapt in a single smooth dive through the air and toward the ground. She took most of the brunt of the fall onto her arms before rolling smoothly to Let the momentum carry her forward until she came to stand directly in front of the pool. Two bottles appeared in her hands, and the voice in the water cried out with rage.

“What!? What is this!" The fingers around Valise's neck tightened and the woman gurgled as she was strangled.

Talina quickly shoved the empty glass bottle into the Liquid, ignoring the immediate scalding sensation with a mere wince. She then un-corked the second vial and dumped it, along with its contents inside the pool. It seemed that whatever in the dark realms that the hand belonged to saw it, as it quickly released Valise with a scream of outrage. Having hoped for that outcome, Talina rushed around the pool and grabbed her floating friend by the shoulders before hauling her backwards. Whatever held her in place weakened, and the darkness that had descended on the clearing faded against the natural tropical sunlight of the jungle.

Talina yelled when she saw the pool starting to bubble in

"Time to g a much more violent manner.

She slung Valise's arm over her shoulder and hauled the woman, still coughing and spluttering after her ordeal, toward the biggest tree she could see. Valise found her legs half way there, and just as they rounded the mighty trunk a deafening bang was heard behind them. Bits of blackened stone were sent hurtling into the jungle, smouldering with dark smoke. Once the shower of stone had ended, Talina peeked around the trunk to see the remains of the scrying pool. Instead, she found herself looking at a sizable crater where the foul thing had once stood.

With the danger dissipated, and the blue grass apparently not shifting back to the dangerous black hue, Talina took a moment to rest up against the trunk and catch her breath.

“Did you get the sample?" Valise asked; her voice hoarse and her hands nursing her bruised throat.

In response, Talina reached into her own cloak and Lifted from it the bottle of green liquid she'd stolen from the pool. Her hand was reddened and sore, but otherwise didn't seem to be harmed. She wiggled the bottle in front of Valise's eyes, and the fair-haired woman quickly took it.

“Was that an old friend of yours?" Talina asked with a side-glance to her comrade.

“It was. A long time ago. Now an enemy." Valise kept her responses short, largely because it hurt to speak.

“I'd never have guessed. The next time you plan on introducing me to any old pals of yours, please Let me know in advance. I'll see if I can get a few thousand orcs to come with us to even things out.”

Valise didn't reply, instead she looked victoriously into the green Liquid and smiled with no small degree of viciousness.

Talina thought it suited her.

With Ulag's apparent blessing of the training glade, a number of other orc packs began to show up. Some were genuinely interested in alternative ways to fight, some just wanted to see what the hell all the fuss was about, and some just liked the beer.