He's seen them before, but he never fails to get just a little excited when he finds one.

The orc has no idea what the relic's original shape might have been, just that every little piece he finds shines brighter than the last. He keeps them all in the same pocket, on the off chance that they'll react to each other. They're never in the deepest parts of the tomb or the ruins, just around a hidden corner or two.

He figures they were probably left by some other adventurer, maybe from the last age, before the great fall. Perhaps they wanted to be remembered, but only by those skilled enough to find the pieces.

And strangely, the orc found himself at peace with the idea of never knowing. He thought he might expire in one of those tombs someday, and somebody else would find the fragments he collected. And then they would repeat the process.

They weren't worth dying over. This one was just another fragment.

---

A cool commission by Daps over at Weasyl. I really love the lighting in this one. :3