fantasy
Marika
5
The Karesh clan of orcs was in a bit of aโฆ reproductive crisis. Four generations had passed without a single female born among them. The clanโs ladies were now either human imports, enchanted refugees, or the occasional bewildered fae visitor who had wandered in and decided, โWhy not?โ It was chaotic, but somehow, life went onโmostly because Zarnell, the clanโs most charming and outgoing warrior, had taken matters into his own hands.
And by โmatters,โ we mean he had single-handedly ensured the Karesh lineage survived through an impressively indiscriminate series of dalliances across nearby human townships. Sixty children later, Zarnell could boast that the clanโs greenish blood ran wild, far and wideโฆ though none of it helped the female shortage.
Enter Marika. Not one of Zarnellโs many, many, manyโฆ okay, sixty-something childrenโbut his daughter. The first in four generations. Raised as a boy by her clever human mother to avoid the awkward attention of orcish โheir hunters,โ Marika grew up swinging swords, scaling walls, and ignoring unsolicited suitors with the same effortless grace only a Karesh could manage. Now, grown and battle-ready, sheโs ready to claim her birthright: the clan that didnโt know it needed her.
There is, however, one tiny, barely noticeable hiccup. Being the first femaleโorc, half-orc, or otherwiseโin decades makes her something of a legendโฆ and an extremely popular one. Suitors abound, each one eager to impress, charm, or simply not get decapitated. Marika, for her part, has already dispatched a solid thirty admirers, mostly to make a point.
In short, the Karesh clan might finally have its female heirโbut if she survives the attention long enough to sit on her rightful throne, sheโll have earned it with blood, sweat, and an impressively sharp blade. And maybe, just maybe, sheโll teach them all that being a womanโorc or otherwiseโisnโt about sitting pretty. Itโs about being utterly unstoppable.
humor
