FSE

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The trio watched the last of the fireworks, before coming down the building. They went back to the restaurant and picked up the extra potions, making sure the dwarven children drank theirs before thanking them and heading out. Despite having the extra money for it, they decided to camp outside the town once more. If they were attacked again, it would be safer for innocent folks to be far away from such a situation.

From another rooftop, a pair of eyes, hidden by a dark cloak watches the trio. White-furred hands interlock as they ponder their next move.

Gurak, Rulu, and Zamdor leave town and set up camp just outside near the treeline. The cloaked individual keeps their distance but maintains a careful eye on them.

Gurak set about making dinner, an especially big one, given their success in their mission today. Gurak would hit up the adventurers guild tomorrow and look for help enchanting as well. He needed to get a steady source of income, working for the guild and crafting his gear was a good start to that.

The root vegetable, he boiled and mashed. Added a hint of butter and milk to it, salt as well. Then started to mash it up. Zamdor and Rulu looked concerned watching him, but the result didn't look unpleasant. They ended up looking similar to mashed potatoes, light and fluffy in appearance. The meat, two large portions, and a smaller third one, for Zamdor who wasn't as big a fan of the stuff, sizzled in his new pan. It was similar to a cast iron pan, so he was excited to try it out.

He flipped the meat over a few times, making sure the spices on it didn't burn, but the meat had a nice brown color.

Once the food was taken off the heat and the trio ate, it was devoured, Rulu especially ate it ravenously, and Zamdor did too, though he was more interested in the vegetable mash. It was unlike anything he'd ever had before and it was incredibly pleasant. Gurak ate his own quite happily. After they ate, Rulu washed up the dishes and they got ready to sleep. Zamdor crafted a small stone enclosure for them, sort of like a dome with a doorway.

The fire was just outside the doorway. While in town, Gurak had bought a rather large bedroll and laid it out inside. The three climbed into it, all sleeping together in the same bedroll now, rather than three smaller separate ones. With Rulu cuddled up against one side and Zamdor on the other. Gurak was pretty much in heaven.

He turned and kissed Rulu first, then turned and kissed Zamdor with a smile. Both rumbled happily and they snuggled in close. Below the bedroll, Rulu and Zamdor even held hands, and naturally, Rulu led Zamdor's hand to rest on Gurak's groin, which stiffened slightly. The orc huffs and laughs. "I get it, you want to. When we wake up." He pecks several kisses over both men's faces before settling back and drifting off to sleep.

They slept rather peacefully, feeling a bit safer in the stone dome. The crackling of the fire, the quiet breathing of the pair around him. Gurak drifted off and his dreams were calm compared to the night before.

Hours later Gurak awoke, Rulu was awake before him, so naturally the lizardman was stroking his length under the bedroll slowly. He turns his head and kisses the lizardman gently. Zamdor snorts against the orc's neck, he turns and notices the bull is awake too. "You both woke up before me, huh?"

Zamdor grins and nods. "When Rulu started stroking ya, feeling your dick throb against my hand woke me up." The older bull rumbles out with a soft chuckle.

The orc blushes and laughs. "Fine, fine." He carefully pushes down the bedroll and exposes his groin, as well as Rulu and Zamdor's as well. "So uh, what exactly do you wanna do?"

Zamdor blushes faintly and smiles. "Well uh, I still wanna feel you under my tail." He rumbles out, massaging the orc's balls. "But Rulu gets first dibs." He nuzzles in against the orc's neck, huffing softly, stealing little bits of the orc's scent.

Gurak turned to look at Rulu, and the lizardman smiled. "I kinda wanna watch that." He rumbles out. "Kinda wanna feel Zamdor inside me too." He huffs and chuckles. The orc lays there a moment and rumbles.

"Mmmm, how about, you and Zamdor sixty-nine?" Rulu looked at him, confused. "Oh uh...." He chuckles and gets up scooting over on his knees. "Zamdor lay flat on your back here." The bull scoots over and does so. Then Gurak motions for Rulu to move. "You, climb over, your face at his groin." Rulu moves and nuzzles at the bull's dick. Already hard and leaking. The lizardman's lips seal around it and push down slowly.

The old bull moans and lifts his hips. Then his hands grip and take hold of the lizardman's hips, guiding that dick between his lips. Gurak watched with a huff. "Fuck that's hot." He rumbles. But he wasn't done yet. "Rulu, slow down for a moment." The lizardman stops and leans back just a little.

Gurak moves in closer and grinds his dick against the bull's balls. The old man moans louder as he sucks on the lizardman, who groans and hisses softly. "Gods...he's sucking me so hard."

Gurak laughs. "Wait till I open you up." He knee walks closer and lifts those legs slowly. Carefully aiming his length and pushing into the bull. He was a bit looser than the orc expected. But Zamdor had mentioned that he'd been practicing with constructed dildos for some time. The orc thought the bull could handle him, so he didn't hold back, sinking his dick to the hilt in one movement. The bull groans louder, making Rulu groan and grip Gurak's shoulders. For a virgin, the bull took a whole thick orc dick to the root in one go. Gurak was pretty impressed. Guess the toys he'd made for himself made it easier for the orc.

The orc laughs softly and leans in, kissing the lizardman gently, as he starts rocking his hips. Each movement made the older bull groan and clench down around him tightly. Gurak leans back from the kiss slowly and smiles at the handsome lizardman. "Show'm what you can do Rulu." He leans back just a bit, changing the angle of his penetration slightly and giving Rulu space to get back down around the bull's meat.

Zamdor was beyond words. His body lighting up with pleasure as the orc wasted no time hilting into him. The orc's grip on his thigh and hip was everything he imagined as he felt the strong orc warrior starting to pump into him, his cock throbbed and twitched, pre-oozing from it before Rulu engulfed it with his maw once more.

Gurak's thrusts shook Zamdor's whole body, and each hard thrust made the bull's cock throb in Rulu's maw, giving him a little more precum. The lizardman was enjoying the taste and scent of the bull, it was so much stronger here. His eyes lidded as he bobs his head quickly, eagerly. Felt each throb in the thick dick in his mouth, as well as the hungry maw around his lizard dick. Rulu's hips pushed down into that maw eagerly as he drew dangerously close to his release.

Gurak leaned back and hammered the bull's rump. The thump of skin against fur was audible enough to be heard and the movements rocked all three bodies.

Rulu groans loudly around the bull's dick and thrusts forward, his balls the first to empty into that hungry maw. Zamdor moans and thrusts upward, but no orgasm came. Gurak grinned hearing Rulu, knowing he'd finished first. The orc slows and hilts, holding still. The lizardman leans up and pants. "S...sorry...I didn't mean to cum so fast, but it felt so good."

The orc laughs and Zamdor pats the liardman's side. Neither seemed upset. Though the lizardman moved slowly, meaning to pull away, Zamdor let him slip from his mouth but did not escape. Instead, the bull moves the lizardman forward slightly and his tongue starts prodding at the lizardman's ass. Rulu grabs onto Gurak's shoulders and moans loudly as his ass was eaten.

The orc laughs and hugs the lizardman. His hips pumping slowly again, making the bull moan while his tongue was working the lizard's backside. Gurak's hand moves to wrap around the lizard's length, still hard, and strokes him as he pumps hard into the bull's backside. Zamdor groans and snorts louder than anyone else.

The trio kept this up for some time. The bull's cock twitched and leaked pre all over his belly, almost forgotten, while the bull's tongue works that rump, making the lizardman groan and hold onto Gurak. Rulu's body shudders now and then as he groans.

Gurak slows his thrusts again and chuckles. "Better slow down back there Zam, or he's gonna cum again." He chuckles and pats the lizardman's cheek. "How about you change positions again Rulu?"

The lizardman's eyes are almost glazed over, he tilts his head some and looks at the orc. "Turn around." The lizardman's face lights up, and he blushes.

"A...are you sure?" He asks Gurak, the orc nods gently. "As long as it's just Zam." He rumbles quietly and kisses the lizard's lips. Rulu slowly moves and turns around, so he is sitting on Zamdor's chest. He scoots back slowly and almost squeaks when Zamdor's thick bull dick bumps his thigh.

Zamdor huffs softly. "Take it slow." He rumbles out, his hands moving to knead over Rulu's chest.

Gurak helps Rulu scoot back, one hand on Zamdor's dick, stroking it gently, and lining it up, while the lizardman pushes back. Gurak helps guide the lizardman, till that fat bull dick pressed against his backside. Zamdor groans as did Rulu.

Gurak remained hilted and gently held Zamdor's dick and gripped Rulu's hip, pulling him back gently. The lizardman complied, pushing and after a few moments, not counting a slip to the side, Zamdor and Rulu groaned in unison as that meaty dick found its target.

Rulu pushes back slowly as inch after inch sinks into him. The bull beneath, just groaning as both sides of his body were used for pleasure now. Once Rulu is situated, the orc leans over and kisses Rulu's shoulder. "Don't get too used to this Zam, he's still

mine." He gives a sudden, hard thrust into the bull. The old man mumbled something, all the orc caught was 'both yours' before he was a moaning mess again.

Gurak reached down and carefully lifted Zamdor's legs, getting those ankles up onto his shoulders as he leans in and starts to fuck Zamdor hard now. With Rulu laying chest down against Zamdor's chest and the bull's arms around him tightly. It gave the orc a good position, and lifting his hips slightly made sure he was as deep in Rulu as he could get.

Zamdor and Rulu barely moved, they didn't have to. With as much power as Gurak put into his thrusts, both were moving plenty without any assistance. The orc wasn't gentle either. He leaned in and fucked Zamdor hard. Harder than he had Rulu. Not because he was mad, but because he got the feeling Zamdor wanted to be fucked that way.

Zamdor's groans only got louder and louder, with Rulu's ass squeezing down around him, and the orc pummeling his ass, he couldn't hold back much longer, and before he could even warn either, he shuddered.

Gurak felt it first, that ass clamping down around him. Zamdor's cock throbbed inside of the lizardman unloading days worth of pent-up seed. The bull's orgasm causes the orc to give in to his moments later. He didn't feel particularly close until those walls clamped down on him, then he was suddenly on the precipice and finally unloading deep into the bull. Zamdor groaned loudly and rolled his hips back and forth to milk their orgasms.

Rulu slumps against the bull's chest and Zamdor's arms. Both were panting. Gurak leaned back huffing softly too and chuckled. "Fuck...that was good." He watched Zamdor's dick slip out of Rulu slowly and huffs quietly.

That thick meat rested against the bull's stomach and he huffed quietly. Giving Zamdor a few slow thrusts. "Round two?" The bull laughs and shakes his head.

"I think I'm spent lad." The bull rumbles out. Rulu looks over his shoulder though, and gives a nod, he was still up for some fun.

Gurak carefully scoots back from Zamdor and scoots up, pulling the lizardman's rump back and sinking into him. Rulu's eyes widened as he felt the orc sink into him so easily. Zamdor blushed slightly, feeling the orc's balls drag across his dick, making it swell up slightly.

Gurak leaned over and slowly fucked Rulu, the lizardman groaning and holding onto Zamdor as he was mounted once more. The orc wasn't as long or thick, but somehow it was better, Zamdor was big enough that he hit those sweet spots accidentally, but somehow, Gurak targetted them like a practiced veteran. He pushes back firmly, squeezing around Gurak's cock a few times, before he gasps, and another splatter of lizardman cum streaks across Zamdor's chest. The orc chuckles and leans over, pumping slowly.

Gurak kept this up for a good ten minutes more. During all that, Zamdor got hard again and was stroking himself, albeit a little awkwardly under the orc's thrusts into the lizardman. He didn't quite have it in him for another load, but it felt good all the same.

A few last thrusts into Rulu and Gurak were moaning once more, another flood of seed pumping into the lizardman's body, before both the lizardman and orc all but collapsed on top of the bull. Zamdor's arms wrap around them both as he rumbles.

Gurak was the first to speak, his arms around Rulu and hands rubbing Zamdor's arms. "I love you guys."

Rulu and Zamdor took a slow hard breath.

The bull was first to speak. "I love you too Gurak, you as well Rulu.

The lizardman tries to hide his face against the bull's neck as he whispers. "Y-yeah, I love you guys too."

Gurak's heart fluttered a bit and he hugged both, making them groan. The trio lay like this for a bit before Gurak finally moved. "Okay, we gotta clean up. Or we're gonna smell amazing all day."

The other two laughed. Rulu rumbled. "You both smell amazing. Especially after sex."

Gurak stood up and stretched, Rulu was next and then they helped up Zamdor. The old bull made a basin, Rulu filled it with water and Gurak put a fire beneath it. They all three slipped into it once it was warm enough. The three cuddled up close in the water, nuzzling and kissing all over each other for a while before they started cleaning themselves properly.

With the soap Gurak had bought the day before, cleaning was much easier than just rinsing the day's sweat off, now they could scrub properly. The city of Whetstin was truly a marvel of trade. All three had their soap, and Gurak had bought more in advance as well. He didn't mind his scent, Zamdor and Rulu enjoyed it, but, not everyone was likely to feel the same. Also, now that he had nicer clothes, he wanted to smell a bit nicer as well.

The three finally climbed out of the warm water, dissipating the fire, water, and earth basin one by one, then drying off afterward. However, Gurak always wondered, why did they remain wet, if the magical water was dissipated. Wouldn't it just disappear and they'd be dry immediately?

The orc thought to ask the older bull but honestly felt like he'd sound stupid if he did. But at the same time, he'd never know for sure if he didn't ask.

"Hey, Zamdor, can I ask something?" The bull looks over.

"Yes, it was everything I dreamed it would be, better even. I've never come so hard in my life. Though Rulu certainly helped with that too."

The orc blushes and laughs. "NO, not that." He rubs his forehead, trying not to get turned on again. "No, I wanted to ask. If...magical water dissipates when Rulu stops focusing on it. Why are we still wet when we get out? Wouldn't his dispersing the magic dry us?"

The bull blinks and looks at the orc, then at Rulu. "Oh." He laughs. "It adheres to you." The bull says simply. The blank expression on the orc's face made it clear Zamdor had to elaborate. "It's magic and, when the initial source of its energy is removed, if it has nothing to latch onto, no new source, it dissipates. Water clings to our bodies and once Rulu disperses it, that water magic then siphons magic off of us, but it's such a minuscule amount you wouldn't even notice it. It might put a normal, untrained person into a coma, after a whole day of being wet with conjured water. But, folks like you and me, with greater mana reserves wouldn't even notice." He chuckles. "It's the same with fire. If you launched a fire spell at an enemy, and it keeps burning after you ended the spell, cause it's siphoning off mana from who you hit."

The orc nods gently and smiles. "Okay, that makes sense. Magic becomes attached. Like a parasite." He taps his chin the orc smiles. Zamdor and Rulu didn't know that last word, but the bull figured the orc understood well enough now.

The trio packed up their stuff, got the wagon situated and back into Whetstin they went. The city was much different today than it had been the day before. Less lively, folks looked more focused on something than they had the day before as well.

Gurak and the rest went around checking out the stores, prices were a smidge higher than before, but otherwise no real change.

First, they stopped by the adventurer's guild. Getting Zamdor signed up was easy enough and Gurak gave the male goblin behind the counter ten silver for Zamdor's dues, it'd cover him for a decade. From there, they went to check out the quest board. Herb gathering, a lost kid, rat infestation in the tavern's cellar. Typical low-rank quests. They took all three.

Gurak looked at Zamdor. "Can you take care of the rats? Me and Rulu will handle the herbs and if you are done by the time we're finished gathering herbs we can look for the kid together."

Zamdor nodded and smiled. "Sure. I can have it done in no time. I'll meet you guys back here."

Rulu, Zamdor, and Gurak all hugged firmly, before parting. The two head out and leave the wagon behind. The herbs weren't too far from town and it was nice to stretch their legs after being on the road for so long.

Rulu had a real knack for finding plants. It made Gurak curious, he could use his appraisal skill, on both Zamdor and Rulu. But it felt like an invasion of privacy to do so. He might later, after asking them about it first. Zamdor hadn't had any qualms about doing it, but Gurak didn't feel right with the idea of it. He had in his youth, but orcs mostly had the same skills that overlapped with their race or element. Little in the way of variance existed in the village.

Gurak also wondered other things about the world, but, he didn't want to ask anything else at the moment. He was still reeling from the morning activities, a warmth in his belly that was calming in a way. It wasn't a feeling he knew. The orc could only surmise that it was love, or something close to it. A warmth deep inside of him, knowing that the two men in his life wouldn't abandon him, neglect, or abuse him. He didn't know how to put it into words, let alone how to thank either one for how they made him feel.

He'd have to make an extra special dinner for them, something they'd never forget. He was gonna make something they'd never enjoyed before. He set about looking for specific herbs in the woods while looking around with Rulu. While he didn't use Appraise on Rulu, he did use it on the forest and it helped him locate a few herbs, though not as many as he'd hoped for.

Once they'd collected more than enough they headed back to town. Thankfully the whole trip was pretty uneventful. Nothing came out of the woods to attack them, nothing got in their way. Gurak felt like their luck was changing, maybe the attack in the middle of the night was just a fluke, and nothing more would come of it.

Once they got back to town. They turned in the quest. With Zamdor taking care of the rats and the pair taking care of the herb gathering. Though, Zamdor was nowhere to be seen. They asked the clerk and she said she hadn't seen him since they took the quests that morning. He was probably just helping out a bit more. So they went ahead and started on the next quest. A kid had gone missing. So they started with the child's parents.

First, they stopped by the parent's home. After speaking to the mother, since their father was working. The young dwarven child often played with their friends, which was pretty common. They hadn't seen their son in a few days though. Guards had found no leads and given up.

So the pair went to where the kids often played. There were a few dwarven kids there, Gurak approached them and asked if they'd seen the missing kid. They said they had a few days ago, they'd all been down near the docks, there was a big outlet for sewage and they'd all dared each other to go in, but no one had.

They hadn't seen the dwarven boy since that day.

Rulu and Gurak nodded to one another and figured that was about as promising a lead as they were going to get. They got down to the docks and asked a few folks about the outlet for drainage from the sewers. They were pointed down a walkway and went about getting there.

It wasn't a long walk and the pair often gently bumped elbows or shoulders while smiling at each other. Once they got to the outlet. Rulu grimaced. His face said more than anything else. "Ugh by the gods, this smells awful." He looks at Gurak. "My sense of smell won't be useful in here at all."

Gurak nods and sighs. "Well uh..." He scratches his head. "Maybe a small wind barrier around your head, to try and....filter out the smell. I know your sense of smell is much stronger than mine and it's awful to me." His hand rubs the lizardman's back gently and he sighs. Definitely making a special dinner tonight, Rulu and Zamdor deserved it.

The pair went inside. Rulu with a small wind barrier around his head. It didn't stop the stench entirely, but it reduced it a fair bit at least. Rulu took some of the herbs from his pouch and put them around his neck, tucked just against his skin and chest armor to reduce the amount of sewage he smelled. This reminded Gurak of the plague doctors back home on Earth who'd use herbs in the helmets to mask the smell of the dead.

Gurak led the way, with a globe of light, illuminating the way before them. They explored each section of the sewers, using marks caused by Gurak's fire magic to keep track of where they had searched on the walls. It took hours, but the pair did eventually find the dwarven child. He was collapsed and unconscious when they found him. Gurak immediately performed healing on him, but it didn't wake him up.

Following their trail back to the entrance, Rulu dissipated his wind barrier once far enough away, and they brought the child out and to the town healer first. Once he was there, they went and contacted the dwarven child's parent. The mother came with them to the healer's clinic. By the time they got here, he was already conscious. He'd passed out from hunger, most likely, the healer had said. Some soup had roused the younger dwarf.

The young boy had gone in after it was dark, he'd run into some rats and gotten scared, then gotten lost down there. He'd passed out from hunger and dehydration. The woman said she'd stop by the guild after she'd spent a little time with her son. The pair nodded and headed back to the guild.

Zamdor should be done by now, it'd been hours since they separated.

When they got to the guild and asked, no one had seen him. Rulu and Gurak became concerned and went to the tavern Zamdor was meant to clear out.

When they arrived, the man was happy to see them. "Are you the adventurers sent by the guild? I've been waiting for someone to show up all day." The dwarven man said. Rulu and Gurak immediately knew something was wrong.

"A big blue bull didn't come before us?" Gurak asked, the bartender shook his head.

"No, I've waited a few days, but no one's taken the quest till you fellas. You are here to do it, aren't you?" The pair knew they had to find Zamdor. But their standing would falter in the guild if they took a quest and it went unfinished. They went down into the basement and cleared out the rats. It was a few dozen, Gurak's fire magic made short work of them. After about ten minutes, they came back upstairs. The dwarven man looked confused but smiled.

"Oh, done already?" He asked. "Lemme go double-check." He takes a few steps then stops. "A fella stopped by while you were down there. Looked the adventurer type. He wanted me to give you fellas this." He pulls out a piece of paper, already crumpled slightly by the dwarven man's pocket. He headed down into the cellar.

Rulu and Gurak looked at the paper confused, opening it up, a tuft of blue fur was with the paper, Gurak couldn't read it, but understood the implication, thankfully Rulu could. He read it aloud for Gurak.

"I have your companion. Meet me near the myshroomid cave you cleared out the other day, don't keep us waiting." Gurak's heart started pounding in his chest, his face grew hot with anger. Rulu noticed and put his arm around Gurak gently. "Slow down. Deep breaths." He cups the orc's cheek. "Zamdor's probably fine. The old man isn't likely to be down long, you saw how he handled those shrooms. He's fine." He nods, and Gurak takes a few slow steadying breaths and nods. Zamdor was a tough old man. Gurak did not doubt that. He wanted to ask the bartender who left the paper, but he was more concerned about getting to where Zamdor was.

The pair left the tavern, didn't even stop by the guild, and went straight to get their wagon and horse, heading toward the cave they'd been to the day before. They got there a few hours later, as dusk was settling. There was no sign of Zamdor, no sign of anyone. They settled their horse and wagon as best they could, before walking around the area, looking for any signs of their friend.

Rulu shouted about something before he toppled over. Gurak turned to check on him, an arrow had grazed his arm, likely a paralytic or sleeping concoction. Gurak turned and looked around. "Where are you!?"

Slowly, the shadows wavered around and finally curled together, someone wearing a cloak stepped out of the shadows, whoever it was, had a slimmer frame than the orc. The individual finally spoke. "Are you Gurak, son of Naguk and Murbol?" The voice was plain, masculine, not very deep, but not feminine. This person was male at least.

Gurak nodded, his axe coming off his hip and his shield expanding out, he was ready to bust someone's head. Gurak grunted. "Where is Zam? If you have harmed him, I swear by all the gods, I'll make you suffer beyond words."

The other individual laughed, he pulled his cloak back and it was a....monkey? White fur with black bits of fur on his face, like the beginnings of a beard, about the same height as himself, but somewhat slimmer build. "Zamdor is unharmed. My contract wasn't for him, nor the lizard. That's why he's just asleep." He smiles and puts up his hands. "Zam is in an inn back in the city. I knocked'm out and put him there to sleep it off. He'll probably be waking up soon" The monkey chuckles softly. The laughs turn into deeper louder hoots.

Gurak snarled. "So what do you want with me?" He asked, freeing one of the axe head chakrams. Then keeping it in his hand with the shield on his forearm, he was ready.

"To capture you if I can, kill you if I have to. Paid ten gold coins. That's almost double the usual rate, you should be honored. They sent me, their best to fulfill the contract." The monkey pulls out a long bow and an arrow nocked in it.

The orc nods. "By who? Gar'Sha? The elf with them, or the demis who helped them flee?" The orc shouts back. All the while channeling his wind barrier, it wasn't large, but it was practically invisible, it still only covered about the size of his shield, but if he could keep it like that, or just a bit bigger he had a plan already in mind. If it worked, anyway. The monkey watched him and tilted his head curiously. Looking directly at the orc's shield, where the wind barrier was focused for now.

The simian man shakes his head. "Who?" He tilts his head. "Man, you have a lot of enemies, huh? I don't know anyone like that." The monkey man pulled back the bowstring, Gurak took a slow breath and readied his counter. It was a bit of a gamble, but he believed he could do it. "I was sent by an archas. I can't give you his name, of course, would be bad for business if I did. But, it was an archas."

Gurak's face took on a perplexed expression...archas? The.... angel-like people? He'd never run into one of them, why would anyone among them want him dead?

Before Gurak could open his mouth again. The simian loosed the arrow, it sailed through the air directly at Gurak.

Gurak watched carefully, he threw the axe head first. Aiming low, so if it connected, it'd take the monkey-man's feet, or legs, then he held his wind barrier around his shield, pushing magic into it. It expanded slightly and the arrow veered off course when his shield was raised, landing in the dirt at his feet. He glanced toward the man, but he was gone. Gurak looked up, thinking the man jumped over his axe, but he wasn't there.

Gurak instead felt a blow to his back and he stumbled forward, rolling with it and turning to face the attacker, did the monkey have companions, if he did, this was about to go bad for him.

To Gurak's surprise, it was the monkey. He'd somehow slipped behind the orc. "Leather, thick enough to stop some damage." He puts his foot down and laughs. "Good. It's been a while since I faced someone who gave me a proper challenge. Let's have fun, yeah?"

Gurak couldn't believe what he saw, the monkey slowly leaned back and instead of impacting the ground, the monkey...just disappeared into the shadows, sinking into them like meat dropped into the water of a stew. Gurak was beside himself with concern. He disappeared into the shadows, and it was getting dark, the simian could disappear and pop out anywhere....

Gurak needed a new plan, and quickly. He kept on the move now, since he couldn't trust that the enemy would always be in front of him. He deflected another two or three arrows, each of them landing on the ground. That's when Gurak got his next plan and started enacting it.

Gurak waited for the next arrow, deflected it, and jump-rolled forward. He then unleashed a blast of light magic behind himself.

Expecting the monkey to pop up there, his plan was on the money. The monkey was pulling back another arrow and hit with the light. Gurak didn't rest on his laurels though and unleashed several orbs of light around the area limiting the monkey's options for trying to escape into shadows, then gathered up the arrows that he'd managed to deflect. Gurak didn't have a bow, so he improvised. Since he couldn't get a wind barrier, he tightened it up. Made it cylindrical, and held it against his forearm. He put one arrow inside, the arrow wobbled slightly but spun rapidly inside.

The orc grunted and focused hard now. Shape it, smaller, tighter, like a gun barrel, and the magic obeyed, smaller, tighter, almost barrel-like, then he loosed the arrow back in the monkey's direction. One arrow after another launched in the man's direction, of the five, only two hit the target. Gurak had never tried this before, but he was still happy with the results. The monkey's expression was complete confusion. It wasn't a perfect win, but he didn't care about that, he'd survived and was a little worse for wear.

"W...what the fuck did you...d..." Then he collapsed back. The arrows, one in his thigh, the other in the monkey's shoulder. Gurak rushed over, he didn't mean to kill the monkey guy! He checked him over and after a few moments of using his healing magic to detect wounds, there was no dangerous poison in his system, it was a sleeping agent. He hadn't meant to kill Gurak, at least, not immediately. Whoever wanted him, wanted him alive.

Gurak set about making camp since there wasn't much that he could do right now. First, he brought the light orbs around the monkey man, then using the idea that Zamdor had shared with him of shaping objects of magic, like the stones, and the wind barrel he'd made not too long ago, created restraints of light, wrapping them snugly around the monkey's arms, legs and chest. He pulled the arrows from the guy's body, and healed the wounds, by the time he was done, there wouldn't even be any scars.

Gurak then took care of Rulu. Carefully setting laying him out in the bedroll. He tried to heal the lizardman but there was no real damage, and no way to counteract the poison, there was little else he could do but wait for it to wear off.

A few hours passed as he sat there, a fire going, the horse tied to a makeshift wooden plank between two trees, so he wasn't stuck hitched to the wagon all evening. The orc focused on the monkey He'd looked him over, and removed every weapon he found on the guy, nearly two dozen in number, daggers, hidden blades, all manner of bottled concoctions, cloak too, leaving the monkey in just his undergarments.

Gurak hated to admit it, but he was incredibly handsome, for a man who intended to capture him or kill him.

Some time passed before he heard something coming at him rapidly. He took a defensive position near Rulu as the rumbling approached from the south. He didn't see what it was, but it leapt into the middle of the camp.

When the dust settled enough for him to make it out, he immediately recognized Zamdor. The bull looked -furious- and ready to kill someone. Gurak shouted and waved. The bull's expression softened immediately. He ran over and hugged the orc, picking him up and spinning him in place. "There you are." He carefully set Gurak down and then looked around. "Is Rulu okay?"

Gurak nodded his head softly. "He was hit with some sleeping poison...or something. Same as you I bet. He's okay. Just asleep." He nods toward the bedroll behind him. The bull sighs and nods.

Zamdor smiled and checked over the orc. "Are you okay? I dunno who it was. I never even saw them, I was walking toward the tavern after we'd parted, and then I suddenly felt so heavy then I was on the ground." He grumbles. "I woke up in a tavern bed. The lady said a room was paid for, but they never saw me come in, so they were surprised when I came down from the rooms. I didn't know what to do. I went to the guild, and they said you'd gone looking for me, so I went to the tavern, a lot more cautiously. The tavern master said that you got some paper from a stranger. To meet you at a cave." He sighs softly. Gurak surmised the dwarf must have read his missive, but he didn't care, he was kind of glad, if he hadn't, Zamdor might not have found him.

"I ran here as fast as I could. Using earth and wind magic to speed me up. Where is the attacker?" Zamdor asks. Gurak nods behind the bull. The monkey in just his small clothes effectively tied to a chair made of light. There were no shadows to sink into.

Zamdor was about to step towards him, but Gurak caught his arm and shook his head. "It's okay. He's asleep, I used his arrows against him. Probably the same stuff he used on you and Rulu." He hugs the bull tightly. His face presses into the bull's chest as he holds back some tears. "I thought he'd hurt you. I was so scared I'd lost you, old man."

Zamdor smiles and puts his arms around the orc, holding him and squeezing his slightly smaller body against his big bovine chest. "Hush now. I'm fine lad." He squeezes the orc and both laugh softly. Gurak sniffles once as he pulls back.

"He said he was sent by an archas, I haven't met any, so I don't know why they'd send someone to capture me." The orc finally manages to say.

Zamdor nods and sighs. "I fear there are machinations in the darkest places we'll never be privy to, but they mean to interfere with us." The bull's hand rubs up and down the orc's back.

They stayed like that a few moments before they separated and Gurak went about making dinner, it wasn't the big meal he'd planned, but it was delicious, or Zamdor said as much, anyways.

After their meal. Zamdor and Gurak carefully weaved a light and stone cage for the monkey. The light shone on him from all directions, while the thick stone reinforced the light. They settled in to sleep beside Rulu, Zamdor set about making a wind barrier around the monkey as well so that if he escaped, they'd be alerted as soon as possible.

Hours later, the pair woke up. Rulu was still asleep, so they didn't go about their usual morning ritual, It felt wrong to exclude him. Gurak started breakfast, and the scent was stronger than the toxin used, or at least, stronger than it was now, at least. Since the lizardman stirred when he smelled the breakfast being cooked. Rulu, Zamdor, and Gurak embraced, holding each other firmly as he sighed happily. "I'm so glad you're okay Rulu." The orc rumbled out.

The lizardman nodded back. "Sorry, I sensed the arrow, but, I wasn't fast enough." He sighed. The orc shook his head.

"It's okay." He holds the lizardman when he moves in close. Zamdor hugged the lizardman tightly as well. "I'm just glad you're okay. I tried to heal you, but whatever was coating the arrows wasn't something I could counter."

Rulu nods and snuggles into the pair. Several feet away a cough is heard. When Gurak glanced over, the monkey seemed like he'd had a blue glow about him. "You guys are real cute, but do you think you could get me my clothes back?" The three turned towards the monkey still bound in light and stone.

"Not likely," Gurak replied. "You're lucky I let you wake up at all." The monkey laughs softly and then shakes his head.

"I do appreciate you not killing me in my sleep, however, it doesn't matter. If I didn't return with you by dawn, my life is forfeit. I'm in much the same boat as you now. They assume I've been killed, failed, or joined you." He sighs. "So now my life is yours. They'll be sending, everyone." The monkey states simply. "Granted, there are only thirteen of us. But, if I couldn't do it solo. They'll send everyone else. To ensure I'm killed, and you as well. Your companions too." The simian sighs softly.

"So, first things first." The monkey went to bow and instead tugged against the restraints. "Oh, uh...anyway. Wukin, assassin extraordinaire. Usually, anyways." He sighs. "You can undo my restraints. I won't attack you. I no longer am part of the umbral blade." He leans back and sighs. "My contract was to capture you and bring you back by dawn. You saw what I can do. If I'd succeeded, we'd be there in no time at all, I can step through shadows quite easily. When the sun rose and I wasn't back, my name was stricken from the roster and the other twelve dispatched."

Gurak grunts. "You expect me to believe you?" The orc grumbles out, and the monkey shrugs.

"Doesn't matter if you believe me. It's the truth. You can look in my pouch and see the missive yourself." The monkey adds.

It was true, Gurak could have, but, he couldn't read, so it didn't mean anything to him. He finds a cluster of papers and offers them to Zamdor, the bull looks it over and nods. "What he said is more or less true." The bull rumbles out. "There are a few contracts here. Mostly similar wording. They are given a period to complete their job, if it's not met, they are considered lost, and will be removed along with the target on a follow-up." The old bull sighs. "So we're in for a bad day."

Gurak grumbles and looks at the monkey. "How do I know I can trust you?" He watches the simian.

Wukin tilts his head. "Well, clearly I can't beat you in a fight. So that's out. Even if I did, times up on my contract. If I showed up with you now, I'd still be executed. So the only option left to me is to ingratiate myself among you kind gentlemen and ready for war."

Gurak sighs and rubs his nose bridge. "How long?" He asks the monkey.

Wukin replied. "A day, two at most. By noon, they'll be in the town, within the day, they'll have found us, if we remain here." He watches the trio. "If we run, it'll take another day or so to track us down, but they'll manage it."

The orc nods his head a touch. "Then we have time." He looks to Rulu and Zamdor. "We're gonna have to face this, front and center." He sighs softly. "So if we have to do this, no matter what, let's do it on our terms." He turns to look at the cave behind himself. "So we'll hole up in there, set traps, lie in wait, and pick them off." He turns to look at Wukin. "Tell us everything about who is coming. Their strengths, weaknesses, and skill sets."

The rest of the morning was spent talking about the upcoming attack. Zamdor and Gurak eventually dissipated the restraints and the monkey, true to his word, didn't attack. He did put clothes back on. Though no one was eager to see the handsome well-built monkey cover his body back up.

Wukin began with, "There are twelve of them, as I said. I was the thirteenth. All of them are adept with shadow magic. But only one is a demis, he's skilled in lightning magic as well. One other is a beastkin, a bearish lady, adept with wind and darkness." He continued. "Two are goblins, twins, no less, dudes are vicious, and love their tech too." The monkey moves to sit with the group, sharing their breakfast without asking. They look at him annoyed, but he just smiles. "Hey, I'm hungry too." He grins, then continues speaking.

"Two orcs, unrelated as far as I know." The monkey was about to continue when Gurak interrupted.

"Gar'Sha?" He asked.

The monkey looks at the orc and shrugs. "Dunno. We don't share names, most of us forget them before we're adults." He states simply. "When we're found to have darkness element, we're usually sold into slavery, it's a bad omen in most communities." The monkey states.

Gurak looks to Zamdor and Rulu, both nod lightly. Gurak looks down at the fire in front of him where the food is keeping warm. Would that explain why he never saw anyone in the village with darkness element, they were....thrown away? Gar'Sha didn't have that element, he was sure of it, but no one did, not when he was 13 and able to use appraise. Had....had any of the kids he was with when they had their yearly appraisal as children of 5 or so, had darkness? Thinking about it wouldn't change it, but it hurt his heart to think about it. He sighs, then nods to the monkey "Continue."

Wukin nods at that. "There are two female archas, they're sort of like, the handlers, second in command, right and left hand of the leader. Then there's the human and dwarf. I dunno what their deal is, but they're chummy. Human's female, dwarf is male. The last two are a pair of elves. Mother and son. She leads this branch of the umbral blades." He looks at the group. "I dunno how long she's been in charge, but she's hundreds of years old, and been head of the branch long before I was bought and sold to the blades as a kid."

They then considered their options. They'd have to have the cave lit up with light orbs to prevent any shadow teleportation. That seemed an important part of the plan. Otherwise, they'd just pop in behind everyone and it wouldn't matter at all. So they had to make them trudge through the cave step by step, it would be taxing on Gurak to maintain a number of them, but he'd find a way to muddle through.

So they set about putting the wagon aside, the horse was brought into the cave for safety and led to the room with all the fallroot, it was okay for the horse to eat, and it was relatively safe in there now. The group began setting up traps. Zamdor lowering sections of the ground and making spikes here and there. It wasn't ideal but it was better than nothing at the very least.

Overhead, he created spikes as well with narrow bases so they would fall easily with a little magical push.

They laid similar traps all through the cave at various points, it wasn't ideal, and honestly was kind of crude. But it was to lure them in with a sense of overconfidence. The obvious traps were intentional. The more intricate ones. Were set up to trigger after the simple one. A thick slab of stone would fall after the spikes were avoided, a thin line of strong twine was used to hold the slab in place.

Gurak was glad to have seen Home Alone as a kid, this gave him a litany of ideas. From various kinds of fire bombs made of alcohol to electrically charged floor traps. Gurak had charged up some metal and did his best to keep it from dispersing. The spell was maintained much like the light orbs. It was rough for him to focus on so many things at once.

After hours of preparation and trap setting, they were as ready as they were going to be.

The globes of light throughout the cave were keeping all shadows to a minimum. Any shadows that were cast were too shallow and illuminated to be of any use to Wukin and likely any of the other assassins as well.

The four sat in the back, ready and waiting. Wukin sat the highest back on a perch near the top of the waterfall's beginning, overlooking the whole room as well as camera-like spells cast throughout the cave itself. Rulu and Zamdor were against the wall, with a shield of Myshroomid bodies between them and whoever might come in the passage. Gurak was near the water. Gurak planned on asking about that magic later when things weren't dire.

They waited quietly until Wukin spoke up. "They're here. Beastfolk's leading the charge.

Whatever sight he saw made him wince and he laughed. "Well, was. She found the spike trap, one down." Gurak looked up at Wukin. He didn't understand the magic itself. Using darkness to see other parts of the cave. The lack of shadows didn't allow for popping back and forth, but it seemed to give him just enough to see through them in places. The monkey laugh-snorted softly.

"Goblin walked into that swinging log trap. Lil guy was thrown across the cave, hit the far wall, machines didn't do shit to help you lil guy, two down." The monkey's attention focused. "They're getting better at spotting the traps now." He points at Zamdor, then whispers. "Now." The monkey's attention focused, but elsewhere.

Zamdor nods his head, severing the stone holding the spikes up above the invaders. "Ovearhead earth spears got the dwarf. Three down." Wukin sits up and points at Gurak. "Channel.....now..."

Gurak focused on what little magic he had left and sent electricity shooting through the water that was the creek winding through the cave. It wasn't directly in the room with them, but further down, someone was walking in it and Wukin was watching, waiting for it. The monkey nods. "The demos and two archas were trying to be smart, walked through the water, all the flyers are down now."

Wukin sighed in relief. Honestly, those three were his biggest concerns. Mainly because the two archas could heal, but also because they had flight advantage if they'd made it. Thankfully the cave's small interior forced them to walk more often than not, and they chose the water path, making it easier for the group overall.

"That's almost half," Wukin whispers. "We have four more traps. Zamdor, the next set.

The monkey grunted. "They dodged it." Then he points at Rulu. "Go." He whispers, the lizardman focuses on the trap he'd been holding in place. It was a wall of stone with little slots for arrows in it. They'd launched forward, much like Gurak had done with the arrows the night before. The monkey grins. "That got two more. I dunno how you set up those little....arrow traps, but they were not expecting them."

"That was the leader too. Good job Rulu." He whispers. The lizardfolk felt a flush of confidence at the words.

Wukin pointed at Zamdor again. "Last one for you.....now." He grunted and sighed. "Damn, missed." He then looks to Gurak. "Last trap, the electrified floor. Give it all you got green skin, there are still four left, don't hold back."

The monkey continues to look into the distance and nods. "Shit, well, you got one at least, both orcs are down now. It's just the human woman, one of the goblins, and the leader's son."

Wukin hops down beside the group. "Extinguish all the orbs except for in here, that should lessen your burden. Be ready, they'll be coming through any moment now."

Gurak sighed in relief. Holding so many spells at once was taxing on him. He wasn't sure how Zamdor and Rulu managed to maintain spells so long as they had. The number of spells wasn't the issue, but the prolonged use of them wore him down significantly.

Gurak took up the rearmost position to catch his breath. Rulu and Zamdor were on either side, with small wind barriers around themselves, and both encompassed Gurak, to ensure his protection. Finally, Wukin was up above, feet holding the stalactite overhead, bow drawn and arrow nocked. The monkey is at the ready.

The first one through the tunnel was the goblin, his hands were sparking lightning and sending blasts of it all over the room.

The goblin rushed forward, channeling lightning all around him. Zamdor focused carefully and whispered. "Blessing of Balanos, goddess of earth. Move the earth, and crush my enemies so that we may see another dawn. Stone Coffin." The earth beneath the goblin parted suddenly, the goblin shouted something, and then the stone slammed back together, turning whatever was caught inside into little more than paste.

Wukin watched carefully and loosed an arrow at the entryway when he thought he saw movement, but the arrow clattered uselessly to the ground.

Rulu focused on his water magic and blasted a gout of it through the entryway. As much water as he could muster. With the goblin gone, water wasn't the impediment it was previously.

A wave of frost went through the room and all that carefully laid out water froze in place, spiking up in places. Any attempt to channel lightning through it was lost now. The human carefully walked out and had several spears of water readied.

Thankfully, however, Gurak was already prepared for the next person to walk through. He'd been in the back focusing on his next spell, probably his last of the day.

"Blessing of Thuellor, god of lightning, strike my enemy and send them to their grave. Let nothing remain." He opened his palm and pointed it toward the entryway. "Lightning Arc!" With the area frozen over, the mist of the waterfall was dissipated, so the only water he'd hit was what the human was channeling, which exploded and covered her in her liquid, the magic of course arced, hitting his target and taking her down as well.

Wukin watches the entryway. "The elf is the only one left."

They waited and waited, but nothing came through. "Gurak, if you have any energy left, a flash of light in the entryway, I'll go." The monkey states.

The trio looked at him, confused. "You don't have to go alone," Gurak said between ragged breaths. He was focusing on trying to ready the spell, but it wasn't coming. He didn't have enough mana left in him. He felt like he was going to pass out.

"I know. And I'll probably die." He states plainly. "However, you could have killed me. Had every right." He says. "My life is yours, and I chose to give it, protecting you." He jumped down and, noticing the orc wasn't able to conjure any light magic, disappeared through the entryway without another word. Prepared to give his life for the man who'd spared his.

Zamdor and Rulu weren't in much better shape mana-wise. Despite his exhaustion, Gurak got up and followed behind. He still had physical strength even if his mana was nearly depleted. Zamdor and Rulu were only a few steps behind.

With the lack of light orbs in the whole cavern, they couldn't see well, so Gurak moved one of his last remaining orbs with him to light the way. They heard the clash of metal, the flurry of magic, wind cutting, and ice crackling as it formed.

Gurak used the orb to try and see where the two were, he undid his axe and loosed not one, but both axe blades as best he could manage. He could barely see, but he heard a man scream in pain, then silence.

Wukin slowly approached, seeing the orb, and knowing where they were. The monkey laughed softly. "You nearly took my tail." He rumbled out, his tail missing a patch of fur on the side, but he was smiling. "You got him though. I dunno if he's dead, but, you got him." Wukin mumbles something and slumps forward.

Zamdor went ahead and picked the monkey's smaller body up. Rulu went back to get the horse from its safe shelter, and the four of them slowly made their way out of the cave. Using the last of Gurak's light orbs to lead the way. They left the dark cave and came outside. It was a night out, so they set about making a fire with flint and steel. Gurak let Rulu cook this time while he rested. Wukin was asleep nearby. Zamdor keeping watch over both.

When dinner was finally finished, only a little burnt in a few places, Rulu splashed Wukin with some water to wake him up, unconcerned for his well-being, and the four of them ate. Mostly in silence, as it had been a hellish ordeal, despite their victory, they were exhausted.

The trio, after dinner, settled into their big bedroll and cuddled up. The monkey watched on, a little jealous, but he climbed up into one of the trees and settled there. The trio didn't expect him to stick around, and figured by dawn he'd had left. They no longer had any reason to stay together, and the branch of the umbral blade was wiped out now. They were free.

Hours later, as the sun broke through the trees, Gurak woke up. Rulu and Zamdor are at his side, sleeping soundly. He carefully got up and stretched, he was a bit sore still. He went to the edge of camp first and relieved his bladder, something he often did in the mornings. Afterward, he looked up and saw that Wukin was gone. The orc sighed softly but nodded. "Probably for the best. Thanks for helping us through Wukin." He said to no one in particular.

Behind him, a soft chuckle. "First of all, nice dick. Then secondly, aww, you missed me?" The orc turned around, hands at the ready for hand-to-hand combat, the monkey was standing by the wagon, loading up some of the gear. He turns to look at the orc. "I wasn't going to steal it." He said, then grins. "But, I figured if I'm going to be sticking with you guys, I should get my gear too." He puts a backpack onto the wagon and grins.

Gurak looked confused. "You don't owe us anything. Any debt was repaid last night. You're free to do whatever you want now." The orc rumbled out.

Wukin nods. "I know." He walks over and puts his hand on the orc's shoulder. "Free to choose, right?" The orc nods his head softly. Wukin then kneels, head bowed, one leg behind him, one bent. "I pledge my life, my death, and all the time between to you." The monkey keeps his head bowed.

The orc looked down at him confused. "Why?" Was all he could muster.

The monkey smiled softly, unseen, as his head was still bowed. "The archas who hired us, he lives with the elves. I don't know why he wanted you dead. He gave us your name and general location. Even a vague description." The monkey lifts his head. "Redhead orcs with a mohawk aren't common, ya know?" He grins a little. Then stands. "I could leave if you don't want me." He motions to the road. "None of you could stop me if I truly wished."

The monkey smiles though. "But...." He looked back to Rulu and Zamdor. "I...." He hesitates, then looks to Gurak. "I want, what you have." He states softly. Then looks down at the orc's feet. "My life from childhood was about magic training, assassination training, killing, improving." His hands bunched up into fists. "My whole life." He repeats. "I've never even been hugged...held, kissed, loved." His eyes start to water up.

Gurak watches quietly, listening. "I saw it, of course. When we follow a target. Their families, and the love they had. The warmth they knew....I hated it. I hated them." He scowls now. "But, I wasn't mad at them. It took me a while but I wasn't. My hate wasn't for them, it was for the life I was denied."

The monkey's facelifts. "If you truly don't want me, I'll go, you'll never, ever see me again." He whispers. "I'll obey your orders, my life is yours, if you do not accept it, then I'll figure something else out." The orc felt a tug at his heart and got the feeling the monkey meant to do himself harm, not as a threat if the orc denied him, but rather, because the monkey had no other plan, it was this or nothingness.

The orc noticed his own body glowed, ever so slightly, at the realization. Had...something happened to him. Did a skill trigger? He'd check his status screen momentarily. He steps forward though, his big green arms wrapping around the monkey who almost squeaked in surprise.

His arms squeezed the monkey man gently. "I accept you." Is all the orc said before squeezing the monkey in a tight hug.

Wukin was lost for words, lost for....well everything. Just slumped against the orc. His face pressed in against the orc's neck, and tears welled up, then escaped his eyes, the warm tears landing on the orc's shoulder, but Gurak didn't seem to mind, holding the monkey and squeezing him affectionately all the same.

Wukin's arms slowly moved, from his sides, to around Gurak. His hands were on his lower back as he pressed into the hug. Feeling something...kind, something loving for the first time in his life, and he wasn't sure how to process all the emotions in him right now. But he knew this was what he wanted.

Gurak holds Wukin a few moments longer before he leans back. "T-thank you, Gurak." The monkey whispers as he holds and hugs the orc firmly still.

The orc shakes his head. "It's okay." He saw it, dead on this time, the blue glow came off the monkey now. He moves his hand up and cups the monkey's cheek. "You are more than welcome to stay with us. Your presence would be a great boon, and we'd be happy to have you." He smiles. "I uh...I dunno how the sleep situation will work out." The orc laughs softly. "Or the...intimate...situations...either."

Gurak chuckles lightly, looking at the monkey. Wukin nods. "It's okay. You don't have to do anything with me if you aren't interested. I've never done that sort of thing, we were monitored at all times during training to the point that we suppressed those urges entirely. It was only in the last few days, watching you three that I felt those....emotions welling up in me suddenly."

Gurak nods and smirks. "Damn, another virgin?" He chuckles. "I feel like I'm winning the lottery and I didn't even know I was playing." The monkey's expression was one of confusion, and the orc shook his head. "Ahh, sorry. Just...something from back home." He forgot, that Wukin didn't know who he was.

The monkey scratches his head but shrugs. "Oh, well, okay. But I won't be a bother. I'll keep my distance in camp, sleep in trees, and give you three your space." The monkey glances aside. "After watching you three the other morning, I...wasn't sure how to feel."

The orc blinks. "Y....you watched?" His green face turned darker green.

The monkey nods slightly. "I tailed you since you got to town. Seeing you save those dwarves was kinda weird, but, it wasn't my business. Then uh...yeah." He laughs softly.

The orc huffs. "And you just....watched?" He repeats.

The monkey nods again. "Yeah. I uh...I didn't...I mean I got excited. But, I didn't know how to...express it. I just ignored it. I mean I couldn't just join you guys, right?" The monkey laughs nervously.

The orc sighs and rubs his face. "Gods, I feel like such a pervert."

The monkey smiles. "No no, you were handsome. Sexy even....and there was that white stuff, everywhere, I had a weird feeling in my stomach."

The orc shuts his eyes. "Oh, yeah, gonna die of embarrassment." He laughs though and hugs the monkey gently.

"For now, let's get breakfast started, we'll figure out the next steps after we've all had a good meal." The orc's arm slips around the monkey and they walk over to the fire pit. Gurak lit it with his magic, now that he'd rested properly, and they started cooking breakfast. Rulu and Zamdor woke shortly after that. The exhaustion from the night before is likely to blame for them sleeping in. It had been a busy day after all was said and done.

They were surprised to see Wukin still there, and the orcs arm around him, but both understood the implication and smiled. Zamdor sitting beside Wukin and putting his arm around the monkey as well, and Rulu sitting beside Gurak, leaning against him.

Gurak felt incredible, not one, but three amazing men, all of them having a deep affection for him in some manner.

His thoughts then went to the elf, back in Vrose, the one whom he caught from falling to his death and the blue glow resonated off of. Whatever happened to him?

He also thought about Towen, where was the lion now?