Far across the settlement where she'd been sitting in peaceful demonstration, Grishka heard the murmurs rippling through the crowd that had gathered around her. The Stonehide Chieftess didn't move immediately, didn't react with alarm or surprise. She simply smiled—a cold, knowing expression that suggested she'd been expecting exactly this development.
She had known from the very start that this must be what Maui had intended all along. The young warrior hadn't come here for assassination or quiet regime change. She'd come to invoke the old ways, to challenge for leadership through combat that would be witnessed and legitimized by the community.
Grishka rose to her feet with deliberate slowness, her massive frame unfolding like something ancient awakening. Every orc present in her immediate vicinity panicked visibly—warriors who'd been edging closer out of curiosity suddenly scrambled backward, even the bravest among them felt their courage falter.
