[Nydardomond]

Afternoon, 37th Brightening of Kalendryas, Winter, Era XIII (pf)

Having spent his first morning in Nexus Prime gathering clothing and supplies, Nyd explored more of the city up until the early afternoon. During that exploration, he quickly got the distinct impression that he wasn’t very well liked in any form. Most people went out of their way to avoid even walking near him; others wouldn’t change their path but would of course give him foul stares and even fouler comments. City guards stopped him many times informing him that if he started trouble he would be sorry. All of this he took silently however each stare, every comment, affected him even if only in minute amounts. How could so many people be filled with so much hate he thought to himself. He knew that orcs were by nature, evil; beings to be feared and loathed. Although he was not fully of orcish blood, all who gazed upon him cared not. They only saw the orc and with that came the hate.

As the morning turned to afternoon, Nyd had just finished nibbling some travel rations as he wandered about the area of the city known as the Docks. He wasn’t very hungry and placed the dried food back into his pack as he rounded the corner into an alleyway. The winter chill was settling into the city and in it, he felt comfort. It was the first bit of comfort that he had felt since arriving in the city earlier that day and it had taken great effort to keep his anger in check after the treatment he had endured so far.

In the past, in the icy peaks of the mountains, he would often spend hours sitting amidst the cold pondering his existence. He found the cold to be comforting, mirroring the emptiness that he felt. Although he had his guardian and mentor, Gri’Tai, his soul felt lost. His orcish blood allowed him to withstand the freezing wind for a few hours at a time during which he would let his thoughts wander and dream of a time where he would be greater than what life had dished out. He often wished he could return to the isolation of the mountains, to the comforting chill of highlands but he knew that those days were over and to realize his dreams of greatness he would have to endure this new realm of life.

Fatigue; mental, emotional and physical began to slowly take their toll on him. As he entered the alleyway in the Docks, the snow began to fall and the wind started to pickup. He walked to where several stacks of crates were positioned behind an old warehouse. He sat down between a couple stacks, hidden from view of most casual passerby’s. Lowering his head, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore everything around him except for the chill air; he tried to just relax. As he sat there, snow beginning to cling to him, the cold blanketing him, he found his thoughts wandering toward those he passed along the road to the city. He saw their necks, each one of them, with his massive hands wrapped around them. He could feel their struggling and smell the fear in their gasping breath. His own breathing became ragged and heavy. Then his eyes flew open and his head shot backward, smacking into the wall behind him.

Cursing at the sudden pain, he rubbed the back of his head. Gri’Tai had spoke of teaching him how to properly meditate and calm his mind but alas was not able to before passing. Now more than ever, Nyd wished he would have received that teaching as he now found it as difficult as he had in the past when he tried on his own. He vowed however to learn one way or another, no matter how long it took him. He always had that strange feeling that by learning how to control his anger and focus it, he would be able to take that next step toward becoming more than he was.

Still rubbing the back of his head, now showing signs of a lump, he stood up and walked from the alley, feeling no more at ease than he had before entering. With a deep sigh, he walked back out into the city.