# Reincarnated as an Orc in a fantasy Land Ch. 21

Author: DemonDragon
Tags: Anal, Bull, Elf, Fantasy, Isekai, Lion, Lizardman, M/M/M, Monkey, Oral, Orc, Violence (Not In Yiff)

What're we gonna do? Zamdor and Rulu are in jail for a crime they didn't commit. Right? Zamdor would never murder someone in cold blood, would he? I guess it's time to put on our investigation monocle and solve this murder ourselves! Good thing Towen showed up to help us out. He's a guard and knows how to investigate these things! But who was that cloaked figure in the woods, what do they have to do with whats going on in town?

Gurak had a good idea of how the investigations went. Go to the scene of the&nbsp;crime,&nbsp;and&nbsp;look for evidence. Interrogate witnesses or suspects.&nbsp;He'd&nbsp;seen enough cop shows to know&nbsp;that's&nbsp;the jist of how it went. Just as Gurak had expected,&nbsp;that's&nbsp;how the events played out.&nbsp;

Towen, using his CFC&nbsp;privileges&nbsp;was allowed to participate in the murder investigation. He also used his position to&nbsp;allow Wukin&nbsp;and Gurak to help him in the investigation. Towen, Gurak, and&nbsp;Wukin,&nbsp;first went to the mage college.&nbsp;They were led&nbsp;to the&nbsp;archmage's&nbsp;room. The place was a mess, the body of the deceased notwithstanding, there&nbsp;were cracks in the stone all over the place, as well as clear signs of ice&nbsp;magic,&nbsp;still clinging to the walls and floor.&nbsp;

Gurak thought this odd at first.&nbsp;Usually&nbsp;magic dissipated when you stopped channeling mana into it, but the ice spikes all over the room seemed to prove that false.&nbsp;

Gurak was about to ask when Towen did instead.&nbsp;“Why is the ice magic still materialized?&nbsp;Wouldn't&nbsp;the killer have dissipated the magic?"

The&nbsp;archmage's&nbsp;attendant, a somewhat elderly human woman.&nbsp;“The&nbsp;mage's&nbsp;college is a special place."&nbsp;She spoke softly.&nbsp;“Mana is much more abundant here. It clings to the walls, to the air, and to the land itself. Magic persists for hours longer than usual. It makes for a beneficial place for mages to practice their craft. It is the nature of this place."&nbsp;She said softly. If Zamdor was a teacher here, he clearly knew that.

Wukin looked around, using&nbsp;his magic detection, he saw signs of&nbsp;battle,&nbsp;and different abilities used. Once he was satisfied. He nodded to Towen, who then approached the body of the archmage. Ice was lodged deep in his chest. The blood had frozen inside of the poor man,&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;fought, it seems, there&nbsp;were scorch marks and blasts of what looked like lightning as well.&nbsp;

Towen looked at the woman again.&nbsp;“I know&nbsp;it's&nbsp;frowned upon in this place. But can you tell me the&nbsp;archmage's&nbsp;blessings? You were likely the only person he trusted here if he trusted anyone&nbsp;at all."

She looked to Towen, then nodded.&nbsp;“I see no harm in revealing it now that&nbsp;he's&nbsp;passed. His blessings were fire, lightning, light, and water."&nbsp;Towen nodded his head softly.&nbsp;

He touched over the&nbsp;man's&nbsp;hands. There were no rings on his fingers.&nbsp;No bracelets on his&nbsp;arms,&nbsp;and no necklaces around his neck.&nbsp;

“The archmage wore enchanted items, did he not?"&nbsp;Towen asked as he looked at the woman.&nbsp;

She nodded.&nbsp;“He&nbsp;did, yes. We told the other guards they were missing when we found him."&nbsp;

Towen took special&nbsp;note,&nbsp;that the woman&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;shy away, nor seem upset that the man was dead. But that was something for later. She might have&nbsp;been involved&nbsp;in his death. So he&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;want to let on that he suspected her.&nbsp;“When was he found?"&nbsp;Towen asked.

She looked thoughtful.&nbsp;“Some time ago. Not too long after dawn. I came in, as I do every&nbsp;morning&nbsp;to bring him breakfast and tea. I found him like that. Alerted the guards&nbsp;and&nbsp;they contacted the town guards.&nbsp;The guards in the&nbsp;mage's&nbsp;college are&nbsp;a&nbsp;separate&nbsp;entity&nbsp;from the town.&nbsp;We employ them ourselves."

Towen nodded his head softly as he listened. That would certainly make things a little more challenging. A private guard force within the&nbsp;mage's&nbsp;college could have a wholly different allegiance than one in the town guard.

 

Towen nodded and checked over the archmage once more. No other wounds immediately stood out. He&nbsp;was attacked&nbsp;from the front&nbsp;and&nbsp;it seemed like the man did resist, so whoever&nbsp;it was approached&nbsp;him from the&nbsp;front,&nbsp;but also was arrogant to think they could kill the archmage head-on.

Towen stood up and nodded to Gurak, then Wukin.&nbsp;“Any other questions on your mind?"

Gurak shook his head. Wukin looked around, then nodded.&nbsp;“So you&nbsp;said,&nbsp;magic lingers here."

The woman looked at the monkey and nodded.&nbsp;“It does."

Wukin pointed to various places.&nbsp;“Fire magic was loosed&nbsp;there. Lightning there."&nbsp;He points to two&nbsp;places.&nbsp;“Magic is lingering here."&nbsp;He points to a corner.&nbsp;“But it&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;look like any scorch marks are there."

Towen walked over and looked it over curiously.&nbsp;“If&nbsp;magic was cast&nbsp;here, what kind was it?"

Wukin shook his head.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;know. My ability to see magic&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;discern that much. I can only see that&nbsp;it was cast&nbsp;here. The scorch marks of fire and lightning are easy enough to discern. But here.&nbsp;There's&nbsp;nothing to imply what&nbsp;was cast. No burns, no cracks, no ice. I&nbsp;can't&nbsp;imagine light or water had any effect here."&nbsp;Wukin rubbed his chin.&nbsp;

Gurak watched the pair, they&nbsp;were in sync, Wukin picking up on&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;cues and vice versa, the&nbsp;orc felt like an odd man out in the moment.&nbsp;“Well, if it&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;light, water, ice, earth, fire, or lightning, that narrows it to wind or darkness."&nbsp;

Maybe it was Gurak saying it out loud, but&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;eyes&nbsp;went large&nbsp;and&nbsp;he turned to Towen.&nbsp;“I know the killer."&nbsp;

The woman in the room looked at Wukin, surprised, Towen did as well.&nbsp;“What? How?"

Wukin looked out the window nearby.&nbsp;“It has to be the last Umbral Blade. The&nbsp;elf. Ice is natural to him. Darkness&nbsp;too."&nbsp;He points to the corner.&nbsp;“That's&nbsp;how he got in. But we have to prove it. Zamdor and Rulu are counting on us."

Towen looks to the woman and nods.&nbsp;“Please, keep this information to yourself. Revealing it&nbsp;unnecessarily&nbsp;could lead to you being in danger."&nbsp;

She looked&nbsp;genuinely terrified for a few moments, then bowed her head and nodded.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;know what you are talking about&nbsp;captain. I was outside of the room during this whole conversation."

Towen nodded his head lightly.&nbsp;“It's&nbsp;a&nbsp;shame,&nbsp;your hearing is so bad in your advanced age."

She smiled and nodded her head back at him.&nbsp;“Truly it is. If&nbsp;you'll&nbsp;excuse me.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;have the guards take Archmage&nbsp;Tovaldir's&nbsp;body to the mortician later today."&nbsp;She gently turned and left the room, leaving the three.

Gurak watched the doorway after&nbsp;she'd&nbsp;left, Gurak&nbsp;looked to Wukin.&nbsp;“The man from the cave? The one who got away?"

Wukin nodded his head.&nbsp;“I've&nbsp;been hunting&nbsp;him,&nbsp;I thought he was back in Macta&nbsp;so&nbsp;I checked in on the Umbral&nbsp;Blade's&nbsp;base every time I was there. He never showed up&nbsp;though."&nbsp;He sighs and looks around.&nbsp;“I guess if he&nbsp;was&nbsp;in Rolwood,&nbsp;that'd&nbsp;make sense as to&nbsp;why he&nbsp;wasn't. Maybe he was hiding here all this time."

Towen leans against the wall and looks at Wukin.&nbsp;“Can you use your shadow magic to follow the path he took?"

Wukin shook his head.&nbsp;“It&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;work like that,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;that'd&nbsp;be useful."&nbsp;

Gurak watched the room.&nbsp;“Towen, go stand where the Archmage is."&nbsp;He then looks to Wukin.&nbsp;“You stand in the corner and move like you just came out of the shadow&nbsp;there."

The two moved and stood there.&nbsp;“So&nbsp;what's&nbsp;the first move?"&nbsp;He asked as he looked at the pair.&nbsp;“Did the elf or the archmage act first?"&nbsp;

Towen looked at the corner.&nbsp;“If I was facing this way when Wukin came in, I immediately struck."&nbsp;He puts his hand forward and pretends to throw a fireball. Wukin rolled forward, and right where he stopped was the scorch mark.&nbsp;“So the archmage had good instincts. But he was just slightly&nbsp;off,&nbsp;likely the&nbsp;elf's&nbsp;training saved his life."&nbsp;

Wukin nods.&nbsp;“If I&nbsp;was&nbsp;in that position, I would have thrown a dagger."&nbsp;He makes the motion&nbsp;and&nbsp;Towen looks to where the archmage was.&nbsp;“He&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;dodge&nbsp;it,&nbsp;cause he was standing here."&nbsp;Towen and Wukin looked behind the lion. Gurak walked over to inspect the area more closely.

“Given his knowledge of you&nbsp;Wukin, he&nbsp;wouldn't&nbsp;have enchanted the&nbsp;dagger,&nbsp;since he knows&nbsp;you'd&nbsp;find it."&nbsp;The orc looked around and pointed to the drape on the wall near one of the windows.&nbsp;“There's&nbsp;a cut here&nbsp;and&nbsp;the fabric is stained."

 

Gurak was about to touch it when Wukin shouted.&nbsp;“DON'T"&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;hand stopped immediately&nbsp;and&nbsp;he&nbsp;scooted&nbsp;back.&nbsp;

“It is trapped?"&nbsp;He asked, the orc looking over his shoulder.&nbsp;

Wukin shook his head.&nbsp;“No,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;the poison can be absorbed&nbsp;into the skin.&nbsp;If you touched it,&nbsp;you could be out of commission for hours."&nbsp;Wukin pointed to the curtain.&nbsp;“But you can see the cut where the blade sliced into it, and the poison stained the fabric,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;slight, but&nbsp;it's&nbsp;there,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;the same stuff we used."&nbsp;

Towen nods his head.&nbsp;“So it must have gotten hung there. The elf probably&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;anticipate us going so thoroughly over the crime scene."

Wukin looked at the wall, then back. He points to the archmage.&nbsp;“Towen&nbsp;check&nbsp;the&nbsp;man's&nbsp;neck. Careful you&nbsp;don't&nbsp;touch the skin."&nbsp;

Towen blinked and looked at the monkey, then down at the archmage. He knelt and tilted the&nbsp;man's&nbsp;head slightly, on&nbsp;his neck was a spot that looked discolored, it&nbsp;was no bigger than a copper coin in size.&nbsp;“There's&nbsp;discoloration."

Wukin nods.&nbsp;“The blade&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;sink into him, but it must have scratched his neck, or some of it splashed off when thrown. Something like that."&nbsp;Wukin stood up and walked back to where he was before.&nbsp;“I threw my dagger. The mage throws lightning, and&nbsp;then&nbsp;I follow up with ice in his chest. Since the poison slowed his response time, the ice hit."&nbsp;

The monkey looks around.&nbsp;“So why all this?"&nbsp;He asked as he regarded the shards of ice all over.&nbsp;The stones were created&nbsp;and cast all around the room.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Gurak came back over and looked around.&nbsp;Finally&nbsp;speaking.&nbsp;“Because it looks like a fight, not an assassination when done this way. Zamdor is well known for his ice and earth&nbsp;magic,&nbsp;due to his career as an adventurer. Zamdor being in town, this murder, the clues of ice and earth magic like this?&nbsp;It's&nbsp;the elf setting Zamdor up."

Towen sighs and nods.&nbsp;“True, but we have evidence that it&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;Zamdor. We&nbsp;just&nbsp;need to catch the elf now.&nbsp;If we can catch him,&nbsp;we'll&nbsp;have enough to&nbsp;get&nbsp;them&nbsp;set&nbsp;free, right?"&nbsp;He looks around the room and rubs his chin.&nbsp;“But how?"

Wukin looks around the room.&nbsp;“He wants to hurt me. I should be the bait.&nbsp;He'll&nbsp;want to get his revenge on me."

Gurak looks at Wukin and nods.&nbsp;“Are you sure? What do you have in mind?"

Wukin looks around.&nbsp;“Well, we know the weird beasts are&nbsp;out there&nbsp;in the forest. Maybe he has something to do with that&nbsp;too? So&nbsp;let's&nbsp;head there. It would give him opportunity, at least."

The three agreed it&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;a sound plan, but it was something. If&nbsp;they&nbsp;could lure the elf out,&nbsp;they&nbsp;could catch&nbsp;him. It was something.

The three of them headed out of the&nbsp;mage's&nbsp;college, through town, making sure they&nbsp;were seen&nbsp;as they did, and headed out through the gate, then west to the forest. It was longer to travel by foot, but they&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;want to bring the wagon and risk&nbsp;it&nbsp;being spotted&nbsp;by the elf.&nbsp;

They arrived at the forest as the sun was overhead,&nbsp;they'd&nbsp;spent hours walking, almost twice the time it took by wagon. But that&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;important.&nbsp;There was still&nbsp;half a day of daylight left, and they were at their destination.&nbsp;It&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;too far off from where they faced the unnatural wolf.&nbsp;

Wukin&nbsp;set himself&nbsp;in the middle of a few trees, sitting quietly, and waited. Gurak and Towen were quite some distance away. Keeping tabs as best they could. They waited what felt like hours before something came lumbering towards Wukin.&nbsp;

&nbsp;It&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;an elf&nbsp;though.&nbsp;

Wukin was on his feet when he heard the brush&nbsp;being moved around&nbsp;by the&nbsp;beast's&nbsp;aggressive rush in his direction. It was a bear, large and ferocious, too large in fact.&nbsp;

This time, Wukin was more observant. He shouted out first.&nbsp;“Beast, two crysts."&nbsp;He yelled out.&nbsp;

This&nbsp;caused Towen and Gurak to come rushing, they&nbsp;hadn't&nbsp;heard the&nbsp;beast's&nbsp;approach like Wukin had. The monkey shouted out still.&nbsp;“Chest,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;red."&nbsp;He dodged to the side, avoiding the&nbsp;beast's&nbsp;incredibly strong&nbsp;attacks that ripped through the tree&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;jumped behind.&nbsp;

Gurak was too far away, but Towen was rushing in fearlessly. His blade unsheathed, his shield out, glinting with sparkles of unnatural ore&nbsp;speckled&nbsp;across it. His voice is loud and deep, Gurak&nbsp;was a little weak in the knees&nbsp;hearing&nbsp;the lion speak so valiantly.&nbsp;“Blessing of Thuellor, spark of genius and carver of the earth. Strike my&nbsp;foe,&nbsp;and stun it so that we might see tomorrow! Paralysis Bolt!"&nbsp;From his blade&nbsp;shot&nbsp;the lightning attack. The bear reared back, but the paralysis&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;work.

Gurak never thought he could channel it through his weapon,&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;only&nbsp;ever&nbsp;used it as a lightning rod before. Thoughts of how this could&nbsp;be adapted&nbsp;to his fighting style came to mind as the lightning arced from the&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;blade and singed the&nbsp;beast's&nbsp;fur. It&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;seem too bothered.&nbsp;

Gurak then&nbsp;took that to mean&nbsp;that the bear must have been an Earth-element blessed beast.&nbsp;This&nbsp;made the orc grin. He unclasped one of his axe heads. He held it in his hand and focused.&nbsp;'Blessing of Anamabe, please heed my call. Surround my blade, empower and sharpen the axe in my hand. Let it bury itself deep in my foe. Galeblade Axe'&nbsp;The thought was&nbsp;maybe&nbsp;a split second, and the magic reacted just as quickly&nbsp;sheathing&nbsp;his axe head in wind magic.&nbsp;

Gurak held it in his hand and readied his attack. Wukin looked over at Gurak, seeing the magic channeled into his axe, fear&nbsp;overtook him, and he dived for Towen.&nbsp;Grabbing&nbsp;the lion and hitting the ground. The monkey grabbed&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;arm, the one with the shield, and held it over them as best he could manage it. He saw the power that was about to be unleashed. It was unlike any spell the orc had ever cast before.

Gurak's&nbsp;hand let loose&nbsp;and&nbsp;the blade sailed faster than it ever had before, the&nbsp;weapon cleaved right through the&nbsp;bear,&nbsp;and the trees behind it. Several trees, over a dozen...and kept going.&nbsp;A large swath of the forest was suddenly exposed&nbsp;to sunlight as the axeblade carved out a massive section of the forest.&nbsp;

Gurak blinked at the absolute destruction&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;wrought. He&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;even notice the bear as it melted away like the wolf&nbsp;had before. The damacite glowed powerfully as the magic-enhanced weapon spun by.

 

Gurak severed the mana connection and called his axe head back.&nbsp;“By the gods...what did I do?"

 

Wukin and Towen looked out from behind the shield, seeing the thirty odd trees felled by the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;magic-infused attack.&nbsp;Wukin stood up and held Towen&nbsp;as&nbsp;well,&nbsp;before walking over to the orc.

Towen looked at Gurak.&nbsp;“What in the&nbsp;god's&nbsp;name did you cast?"

 

Gurak blinked.&nbsp;“I...I&nbsp;dunno...I saw you…"&nbsp;He pointed at&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;sword.&nbsp;“You channeled the...the lightning...I did the same thing...but with my axe."

Wukin nodded to Towen.&nbsp;“It's&nbsp;true, he did. I could see it. But the mana around it? It was massive, larger than anything&nbsp;I've&nbsp;ever seen you do before. You&nbsp;weren't&nbsp;pissed off, were you?"

 

Gurak looked at Wukin, then shook his head.&nbsp;“No, not at all. I just channeled magic as I would have for a normal wind-blade spell.&nbsp;That's&nbsp;all."&nbsp;

Wukin blinked and looked from Gurak to the&nbsp;felled trees, going back&nbsp;at least&nbsp;2&nbsp;dozen trees.&nbsp;“Well, that axe, that weapon, must have bolstered it&nbsp;something fierce. Have you ever done that before?"

 

Gurak shook his head softly.&nbsp;“No.&nbsp;I'd&nbsp;never considered it till just now."&nbsp;

Towen looked worried.&nbsp;“That's...too much power&nbsp;Gurak."&nbsp;He said&nbsp;simply.&nbsp;“You're&nbsp;a dear friend&nbsp;and&nbsp;I love you deeply. But you can never do something like that again. The collateral damage is too significant."

 

Gurak nodded.&nbsp;“No,&nbsp;you're&nbsp;right. I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;mean to cause so much harm. I just wanted to&nbsp;make sure&nbsp;I felled the beast in one strike this time."&nbsp;He looked down at the ground.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;want what happened with the chimera to happen again."

Wukin stepped in closer and hugged Gurak tightly.&nbsp;“You big stupid strong orc."&nbsp;He laughs.&nbsp;“I'm&nbsp;fine. Thanks to you. You&nbsp;don't&nbsp;have to worry about me."&nbsp;

Gurak sighs and nods. He locked his axe head back into place and looked at the weapon.&nbsp;“Just what did the gods give me?"&nbsp;He asked as he looked at it. Light from the sun reflected off of it, and&nbsp;as he lowered the blade, he stopped, not&nbsp;only the sun reflected, but so did the forest behind him. He turned and pointed.&nbsp;“There!"&nbsp;

Someone in a cloak suddenly darted into the forest, far from the destruction that Gurak had caused. Wukin slipped into the shadow of a fallen tree and was gone before&nbsp;more was said. Towen gathered up the mana crysts&nbsp;and&nbsp;Gurak ran in that direction, hoping that Wukin had caught the elf and restrained him, that he was okay. The lion followed shortly after.

Wukin had pinned the person, whoever it was&nbsp;on&nbsp;the ground, chest down.&nbsp;“He&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;even put up a fight. Now,&nbsp;let's&nbsp;see what you&nbsp;have to&nbsp;say for yourself&nbsp;elf."

Wukin pulled the cloak off and was surprised to see fur. While it was a familiar face, it&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;the face&nbsp;he expected to see.&nbsp;

“I&nbsp;know you."&nbsp;The monkey said softly. Gurak and Towen caught up just as&nbsp;the cloak was taken down. Towen&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;know the man, but Gurak knew him immediately.&nbsp;“Darion, you...how did you get here? I thought you were in Whetstin….wh...when."

The man snarled and struggled in vain against Wukin.&nbsp;“...r fault"&nbsp;was heard faintly.&nbsp;

Gurak moved in closer, and&nbsp;Wukin loosened his grip as Gurak got in close. The man&nbsp;on&nbsp;his stomach, rolled over and looked at Gurak. Snarling and lunging at him, swinging like a beast possessed.&nbsp;“YOUR FAULT."&nbsp;He shouted as loudly as he could at the orc.&nbsp;“THEY'RE&nbsp;DEAD AND&nbsp;IT'S&nbsp;YOUR FAULT!"

Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;even&nbsp;try to stop the&nbsp;man's&nbsp;fists as they connected with his face and body. Wukin was the one who grabbed and restrained the wolf beastfolk as he howled in anger and sobbed. Gurak sat quietly, looking down.&nbsp;“It is."&nbsp;He says softly.&nbsp;“I thought I was doing a good thing, giving that information to you. I had no idea what the elves would do when they found out.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;so sorry."&nbsp;

Darion roared in anger and&nbsp;struggled in vain against Wukin.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;give a damn about your apology. My family is dead, everyone I knew, everyone I loved. I went to get more ore, I was going to make all kinds of new things, and when I came back, my home was gone. My family was gone! There&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;even anything left to bury, you damned monster!"

 

Gurak winced, the words causing more damage than the&nbsp;wolf's&nbsp;fists had. Gurak looked to Wukin.&nbsp;“Let him go.&nbsp;Don't&nbsp;stop him."&nbsp;

Wukin let the man go, and he lunged at Gurak again. Punching the orc till his hands were bloody, till the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;face&nbsp;was swollen. Till&nbsp;Darion's&nbsp;hands&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;swing anymore&nbsp;and&nbsp;he just fell to his knees sobbing.&nbsp;

Gurak knelt beside him and sat silently for several minutes.&nbsp;Once&nbsp;Darion's&nbsp;crying had abated.&nbsp;Gurak spoke.&nbsp;“I'd&nbsp;do anything to&nbsp;give them back&nbsp;to you if I could."

Darion growled.&nbsp;“Doesn't&nbsp;matter. You&nbsp;can't.&nbsp;I'd&nbsp;kill you if it meant anything."&nbsp;He snarled as he stood up, his&nbsp;hands were bruised and bloody. The orc looked at them and went to heal them, but Darion pushed his hands away.&nbsp;“Don't&nbsp;you dare!"&nbsp;He growled out.&nbsp;“You&nbsp;won't&nbsp;take this from me&nbsp;too."&nbsp;He said as he pulled away and started to walk off into the forest.&nbsp;“Don't&nbsp;look for me either."&nbsp;He shouted as he took off into the trees.&nbsp;

Gurak stood up slowly and, with&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;help&nbsp;walked where they intended to set up camp, just outside of the forest, the&nbsp;attempt to goad the elf into coming at them&nbsp;certainly&nbsp;failed, at least for now. It was a quiet walk back, no playful banter, no warm words, just the three walking&nbsp;silently&nbsp;while Gurak looked down at the road. Thankfully&nbsp;it&nbsp;was a short walk since it&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;going back&nbsp;to Rolwood.

It was hours later&nbsp;after&nbsp;their camp was set up, and the sun was starting to sink over the horizon. Wukin spoke up.&nbsp;“Can I…"&nbsp;Towen was setting up their tent&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;brought, as well as a collapsible tub. It only took about thirty minutes to set it up, so the lion did that after the tent was up. Next was the firepit for dinner. While he did that, Gurak&nbsp;was sitting, with Wukin not too far away.

Gurak looked at Wukin and then nodded.&nbsp;“You can say it.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;a monster. Worse than a monster."&nbsp;

Wukin shook his head.&nbsp;“No,&nbsp;that's&nbsp;not it. There was something wrong with Darion."&nbsp;

Gurak shook his head.&nbsp;“No, he was in his grief still,&nbsp;that's&nbsp;not abnormal by any means."

Wukin shook his head.&nbsp;“No, I know grief, this&nbsp;isn't&nbsp;what I mean."&nbsp;He reached out, touching&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;face gently. The orc had a black eye and a busted lip. His nose looked broken&nbsp;too. But the&nbsp;monkey's&nbsp;touch was a gentle salve.&nbsp;“His mana...it was….off, it was wrong."

 

Gurak looked confused.&nbsp;“What?"&nbsp;His face tilted in confusion.&nbsp;

Wukin nodded softly.&nbsp;“His mana was like those beasts with the mana crysts.&nbsp;Warped, like an aberration. I can see it when I look at them, two kinds of mana&nbsp;fighting,&nbsp;rather than working in harmony.&nbsp;&nbsp;It's&nbsp;faint on most people, monsters too. But with the bear, the wolf, it was radiating off of them. Darion too.&nbsp;&nbsp;He's&nbsp;done something...awful to himself."

Gurak looked back over his shoulder.&nbsp;“Oh, by the gods….Darion, what are you doing….what did I teach you…"&nbsp;He slumped his&nbsp;head,&nbsp;as the three of them made their way into the tent. They&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;go back&nbsp;to Rolwood, they&nbsp;needed to lure the elf here. It was too dangerous to fight in town.

 

Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;heal his wounds, he&nbsp;felt he deserved them&nbsp;and&nbsp;the others&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;heal him. So they had to endure watching him put himself through the suffering he was.

Towen cooked that night, but&nbsp;he&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;very good at&nbsp;it,&nbsp;at all,&nbsp;one&nbsp;side of the beast steak was burnt&nbsp;the&nbsp;other was almost raw. The stew ran out of water and burned on the bottom as well.&nbsp;

The three of them had a soft laugh about it.&nbsp;But,&nbsp;they&nbsp;weren't&nbsp;too invested in the meal. They ate it, Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;like the&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;cooking. If they spent more time out here, he&nbsp;was going to&nbsp;cook next time.

Gurak got into the large bedroll he shared with&nbsp;everyone,&nbsp;but by himself. Wukin and Towen joined him in&nbsp;it,&nbsp;after some time. The two wrapped their arms around him.&nbsp;

Wukin leaned in and kissed the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;cheek as he held him.&nbsp;“You&nbsp;aren't&nbsp;to blame. The elves are."&nbsp;He nuzzled in against the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;shoulder gently.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Towen then pressed his head in against the orcs neck and nodded.&nbsp;“He's&nbsp;right. If I can say anything at all,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;that&nbsp;you've&nbsp;never acted maliciously, even in the forest earlier. You&nbsp;weren't&nbsp;trying to do that. Your power is&nbsp;just….beyond your understanding. Beyond your control sometimes. You&nbsp;can't&nbsp;be responsible for everything that happens in the world."

Then Gurak heard those familiar words.&nbsp;“You've, from what&nbsp;I've&nbsp;seen, at least. Always acted with love."&nbsp;&nbsp;The&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;voice was soft, but it carried a lot of warmth in it, somehow.

Gurak's&nbsp;eyes teared up&nbsp;and&nbsp;hugged&nbsp;Wukin and Towen tightly. The pair returned the fierce hug, squeezing the orc and holding him tightly. The three of them held each other tightly until they fell asleep. Wukin had erected a wind barrier around them, something&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;learned from Rulu and Zamdor. He hoped they were okay back in Rolwood.

Miles away, in Rolwood, the pair were sitting in separate cells, but&nbsp;beside each other at least.&nbsp;

Rulu was leaning against the wall closest to Zamdor, the&nbsp;bull was the same&nbsp;way,&nbsp;the bars blocked their ability to comfort one another fully, but they held hands as they lay together like this.&nbsp;“Do you think Gurak will find a way to get us out of this Zam?"

 

The old bull nods and smiles.&nbsp;“You know&nbsp;he&nbsp;will&nbsp;Rulu. That orc can do anything. Even stuff he&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;know he can do, I bet."&nbsp;He smiled and kissed the lizardman on the forehead as they sat together.&nbsp;“We just have to be patient.&nbsp;We'll&nbsp;be out of here in no time. And you heard the guards, some&nbsp;fancy captain is in town too,&nbsp;he's&nbsp;investigating our situation on top of everything, I&nbsp;bet&nbsp;we'll&nbsp;be out by morning."

 

Morning came, the&nbsp;sun's&nbsp;rays shining through the window, waking Zamdor first,&nbsp;who&nbsp;when he looked over,&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;see Rulu in his cell.&nbsp;He looked all around and shouted for the guards.&nbsp;“Where's&nbsp;my friend!?"

The guard,&nbsp;yawning&nbsp;came over and looked around the room.&nbsp;“Your….FUCK. We got an escapee!"&nbsp;He shouts.&nbsp;“Rulu the Blackscale Swordsman has escaped!"&nbsp;Zamdor looked around the room, there&nbsp;were no signs of escape, no clear route he&nbsp;could've&nbsp;gotten out. Where had the lizardman gotten off to? If Rulu escaped, why&nbsp;hadn't&nbsp;he helped Zamdor do the same? He feared that there was something darker at work.

Gurak awoke to warmth around him. Not in the usual place,&nbsp;just,&nbsp;all around him. The&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;eyes opened slowly to see Wukin on one side and Towen on the other. He smiled and went to nuzzle the lion when pain shot across his face,&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;forgotten he&nbsp;was still busted up&nbsp;from the day before. He smirks and sighs.&nbsp;Leaning&nbsp;back and hugging the two men around him. He went to get up&nbsp;and&nbsp;he felt a hand on his chest. It was&nbsp;Towen's.&nbsp;

The lion looked at him and very gently touched his face.&nbsp;“You should heal that up."&nbsp;He whispered.

 

Gurak shook his head softly.&nbsp;“I know,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;I deserve it, Darion&nbsp;lost so much."

Towen shook his head.&nbsp;“He did, he&nbsp;lost his family and his home. Just like you did."&nbsp;He looks into&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;eyes.&nbsp;“Did you beat the life out of the next elf you met?"

Gurak blinked, then shook his head.&nbsp;“You&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;send the inquisition to Whetstin, no more than Darion did. Someone else is to blame, and&nbsp;they'll&nbsp;get&nbsp;what's&nbsp;coming to them."&nbsp;He rubs his hand over&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;chest slowly.&nbsp;

Gurak huffed softly and looked upward.&nbsp;“I'm&nbsp;not really in the mood."

Towen nodded.&nbsp;“I figured. But, I think you need&nbsp;this,&nbsp;this morning. Your head is&nbsp;so&nbsp;clouded with mixed emotions and uncertainty about what to do. Let me do&nbsp;this,&nbsp;for you."&nbsp;Gurak&nbsp;blushes,&nbsp;and&nbsp;huffs,&nbsp;but nods softly. He&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;deny the lion, not when he asked so kindly. He did, deep down, want to,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;his self-loathing was loud and hard to ignore after seeing Darion the day before. The orc hated himself this morning.

 

Towen slowly slipped down and pulled down&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;undergarments. The lion licked up along his length, nice and slow, before his lips wrapped around the orc. His eyes shut&nbsp;and&nbsp;he slowly bobbed his head.&nbsp;

Gurak leaned his head back and huffed softly.&nbsp;Wukin slowly stirred and rolled over, opening his eyes and&nbsp;letting out a soft laugh.&nbsp;“Looks like the morning festivities already started."&nbsp;Wukin went to get out of the&nbsp;way,&nbsp;so&nbsp;the pair could have privacy. But Towen stopped him, a hand on the&nbsp;monkey's&nbsp;inner thigh as he went to move, and pulled him back over. The lion leaned back and grinned.&nbsp;

“My two favorite men in the world together with me? Why would I want you to leave?"&nbsp;He moves his hand to rub&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;inner thigh, making the monkey squirm just a little.&nbsp;

Towen rested his face on&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;thigh and nuzzled his dick and balls while smiling up at Wukin, who could only blush. Towen nuzzled the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;balls and&nbsp;gave them a lick&nbsp;before he sat up slowly.&nbsp;“Did you want to do something, Wukin?"

The monkey looks at Gurak and blushes.&nbsp;“If&nbsp;it's&nbsp;okay with Gurak."&nbsp;He looks up at Towen.&nbsp;“I've&nbsp;always wondered what you tasted like."

Towen blushed at that and laughed.&nbsp;“Really?"

 

Wukin nodded.&nbsp;“I...enjoyed what we did before. I always wondered what you tasted like."&nbsp;The&nbsp;monkey's&nbsp;face was red with embarrassment.&nbsp;“The...night we fooled around, I&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;tell my own from yours. It was pretty much everywhere."&nbsp;The lion chuckled softly.&nbsp;

Gurak grunted at the pair, and they smiled. Wukin spoke up.&nbsp;“A few weeks ago, just before you came back, I visited Towen&nbsp;and&nbsp;we fooled around a little."&nbsp;He put his hand on the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;chest.&nbsp;“Neither of us gave ourself to the other.&nbsp;We're&nbsp;still yours, body, heart, and soul."&nbsp;He sticks out his tongue at the orc.&nbsp;“We just...needed each other that night."

 

Gurak pretended to be offended, turning his head. Wukin and Towen suddenly got nervous and started apologizing. The orc rolled over and was laughing softly.&nbsp;“Sorry, sorry, it was a cheap shot."&nbsp;He moves one hand out to cup&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;cheek&nbsp;and&nbsp;his other ruffled&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;head fur softly.&nbsp;“All I want is for you all to be happy. Nothing else matters to me."&nbsp;He looks aside.&nbsp;“I DO like being the only one who tops you&nbsp;though….cause&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;selfish and greedy."

Towen chuckles and slowly sits up, leaning over the bedroll to kiss up&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;body.&nbsp;“Well,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;been&nbsp;a&nbsp;long&nbsp;time&nbsp;since&nbsp;you've&nbsp;had me in your bed.&nbsp;How about I remind myself of how you feel?"&nbsp;He moves his hand down and strokes the orc slowly, causing Gurak to moan and squirm, pre-oozing from his tip down onto his hairy belly.

 

Towen scooted up and rested his knees on either side of the&nbsp;orc,&nbsp;before lining him up and pushing back. The orc grunted.&nbsp;“You need to stretch a bit first."&nbsp;He warned.&nbsp;

Towen grinned and shook his head, slowly easing back, taking the orc&nbsp;nice and slow. Gurak was a little impressed. Wukin was as well, from the look on his face.&nbsp;“I've&nbsp;only ever seen Zamdor do that."&nbsp;&nbsp;He&nbsp;of&nbsp;course&nbsp;saw Rulu do it as well, but he&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;about to tell the&nbsp;lizardman's&nbsp;brother that in the middle of such an intimate time.

Towen laughs softly.&nbsp;“I might not have had the tools for taking care of it,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;I did dabble a little with my&nbsp;fingers,&nbsp;till I got used to it.&nbsp;You're&nbsp;bigger,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;I like that."&nbsp;He sighs and wiggles his hips, making Gurak tense and shudder, the&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;arousal fully upward and leaking his pre.&nbsp;

Wukin moved in and engulfed the&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;arousal. Gurak reached over slowly and wrapped his fingers around the&nbsp;monkey's&nbsp;arousal. Stroking him nice and slow with a low huff, Towen wasted no time in rocking his hips, pushing back around Gurak and thrusting into&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;eager maw.&nbsp;

Gurak lolled his head back and just enjoyed the feeling. Towen wanted this, he&nbsp;was rocking his hips hard and fast, so much so that Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;even need to thrust up to meet his movements. The lion knew what he was doing, whatever&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;been doing to practice on his&nbsp;own,&nbsp;clearly taught him a lot about what to do.

Gurak's&nbsp;hand gripped and stroked Wukin rapidly, matching&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;pace of movement, the&nbsp;orc was enjoying everything when he felt the&nbsp;monkey's&nbsp;hips thrust forward a few times and heat streak along his&nbsp;arm,&nbsp;as Wukin came first. Gurak was surprised by this. But groaned softly, his free hand moving to rub the back of&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;head as it bobbed on&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;length.&nbsp;“F-fuck&nbsp;Towen, he just came, shot all over my arm."&nbsp;&nbsp;The feel of it causes the orc to get riled up faster.

Towen blushed and opened his eyes, looking down at Wukin, whose eyes&nbsp;were shut, but his face was darker. The lion huffed and pressed down, grinding on&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;length as he felt his building release. The orc leaned his head back, the&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;hips gyrating on his groin, making the orc squirm before he shuddered and his orgasm hit him. Heat flooded&nbsp;into&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;backside as the lion bit his lower lip with a soft growl.&nbsp;

“That's&nbsp;my big strong orc."&nbsp;He groans out as he feels the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;seed shooting into him. He leans back and thrusts his hips&nbsp;slightly,&nbsp;into&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;waiting maw. It was only a few movements before his body shuddered, his backside clenching up around Gurak, making the orc moan loudly before his seed flooded into&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;awaiting mouth. The first few spurts&nbsp;were lost&nbsp;down his throat, but the last bit&nbsp;of it&nbsp;was swirled around with his tongue so that the monkey got a good taste of the lion&nbsp;beast's&nbsp;seed.

 

Wukin finally released the leonine length and laid his head on the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;chest, panting. Towen and Gurak were catching their breath as well. The orc spoke up first with a rumble.&nbsp;“Fuck that was hotter than I expected it to be."

Wukin rumbles out in agreement.&nbsp;“Can't&nbsp;disagree with&nbsp;ya&nbsp;too much. It was just as hot as I always imagined."

 

Towen chuckled.&nbsp;“My ass is gonna be sore, but I missed feeling you like this Gurak."

The orc blushed, his hand coming up to rub&nbsp;Towen's&nbsp;side.&nbsp;“I missed you, just you. Too Towen."&nbsp;&nbsp;The implication&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;lost&nbsp;on the lion. It&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;the sex he&nbsp;missed,&nbsp;but the&nbsp;lion's&nbsp;company.

 

Towen rumbled out and smiled.&nbsp;“Thank you, Gurak."&nbsp;The three of them stayed like that for a little&nbsp;longer,&nbsp;before Wukin got up, and each other the others followed suit slowly.

After Gurak, Wukin&nbsp;and&nbsp;Towen cleaned up, using the collapsible&nbsp;tub,&nbsp;filled with the unlimited water&nbsp;canteen,&nbsp;and heated by&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;fire. The three stayed close, nuzzling against one another, and despite their protests, Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;heal up the wounds&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;received the day before. So&nbsp;his&nbsp;face was still&nbsp;rather&nbsp;sore and bruised up.&nbsp;

After&nbsp;that,&nbsp;was breakfast, which Gurak cooked. He loved Towen dearly, but the lion&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;cook to save his life, and Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;want another burnt meal.&nbsp;No special buff or skills triggered this time&nbsp;around, likely because the&nbsp;heart of the orc&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;in it like it should have been.&nbsp;His worry for Zamdor and Rulu outweighed his desire for an expertly cooked meal.

 

After breakfast, they broke camp&nbsp;and&nbsp;Gurak set about using healing magic to try and repair some of the damage&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;caused the day before. The healing magic&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;restore the trees to their original state, of course, but the magic did cause the stumps to grow a new tree sprout from the center, it&nbsp;would take years for it to regain its size,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;it was at least a start.

After that, Gurak, Wukin, and Towen started exploring the forest.&nbsp;Their initial goal of trying to find the elf was&nbsp;still on their minds,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;also&nbsp;Darion's&nbsp;fate,&nbsp;hung in the balance.&nbsp;Gurak felt it was his responsibility to save the wolf if he could.&nbsp;

They spent quite some time in the forest. The sun was almost&nbsp;overhead,&nbsp;before they picked up his trail, finally.&nbsp;Wukin's&nbsp;ability to track was pretty exceptional. However, with the odd mana coming off the man, it must not have been too hard to pick out the odd magical energies.&nbsp;

Wukin tracked the distorted mana and&nbsp;tracks&nbsp;back to a cabin in the woods. Gurak had the others wait some distance away as he knocked on the door gently.

When no one answered, Gurak stepped inside and looked around. It was empty,&nbsp;there&nbsp;was&nbsp;a bed, a chair, and a hatch leading down. Gurak opened it and stepped&nbsp;down&nbsp;into the basement, lit by a few candles, burning brighter than they should have, he&nbsp;found creatures in various states.&nbsp;

 

Some dead, some alive, a few in cages, the living ones looked terrified to be stuck inside of these cages. None of them looked like they had mana crysts grafted to them. The dead ones looked like there had been attempts to fuse the crysts to them, and it had resulted in their death if the orc had to guess.&nbsp;

On the table were a dozen different mana crysts.&nbsp;Various&nbsp;elements,&nbsp;of everything but light and dark crysts.&nbsp;Come to think of it,&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;never&nbsp;seen a light&nbsp;or dark mana cryst. Such a thing must be rare, rarer&nbsp;still would be a void cryst, if any ever existed&nbsp;at all. He looked around a bit more, finding nothing of value or interest here, he&nbsp;came back up. Finding Darion sitting on the bed as he did.&nbsp;

Darion jumped at&nbsp;first,&nbsp;but then noticed it was Gurak and&nbsp;just&nbsp;snarled at him.&nbsp;“Why are you here?"&nbsp;He asked the orc.&nbsp;

Gurak looked down at the ground at first, then he came up and walked towards the doorway, looking outside to make sure his friends were still out there, he&nbsp;saw Towen and Wukin, they&nbsp;were okay&nbsp;at&nbsp;least. He then turned to look at Darion.&nbsp;“I'm&nbsp;sorry I brought all the destruction to your home. It was never my intent. I just wanted to share the knowledge I learned with you, like I promised."

Darion growled at him. The&nbsp;wolf's&nbsp;robe was loose&nbsp;and&nbsp;Gurak, for the first time, saw the glint of mana&nbsp;crysts,&nbsp;embedded in the&nbsp;wolf's&nbsp;chest.&nbsp;“Darion, what did you do?"&nbsp;He asked, having seen them.

Darion stepped back and covered his chest up, pulling the robe tight around himself.&nbsp;“That's&nbsp;none of your business."&nbsp;He growled at the orc.&nbsp;“I'll&nbsp;finally be strong enough to protect everyone like you&nbsp;couldn't.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;go to Lofroayae,&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;siege Ayholenor by myself if I have to&nbsp;and&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;wipe out every last one of those damn elven zealots."

Gurak shook his head and stepped inside.&nbsp;“That&nbsp;won't&nbsp;soothe the pain in your heart."&nbsp;

Darion looked at Gurak and shook his head.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;want to soothe it.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;not concerned with my happiness anymore. I had my chance, I&nbsp;enjoyed that life. All I can do now is&nbsp;make sure&nbsp;they never hurt anyone else again. Maybe&nbsp;it's&nbsp;the soldier in&nbsp;me,&nbsp;from Earth, but I know when a group has to&nbsp;be stopped.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;bring down hell on them like&nbsp;they've&nbsp;never known."

Gurak frowned softly.&nbsp;“It&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;have to be that way. You can love again. You can find another life path that&nbsp;you'd&nbsp;still enjoy."

Darion shook his head.&nbsp;“I tried for the last two years.&nbsp;All I can think of is&nbsp;the look on&nbsp;my wife and&nbsp;children's&nbsp;faces&nbsp;when they met their end&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;there.&nbsp;If&nbsp;I&nbsp;hadn't&nbsp;shared my secret with the smithing guild. None of this would have happened."

Gurak blinked a bit.&nbsp;“You told the guild?"&nbsp;He looks at Darion, the&nbsp;wolf's&nbsp;anger abating&nbsp;slightly&nbsp;as he looks at the orc, confused.&nbsp;

The wolf nodded.&nbsp;“They were the first ones I showed the product of my first attempt&nbsp;to. I then went out into the mountains nearby to look for more ore cause I was going to come home and use all the crysts I had to start making all kinds of new weapons, armor, and trinkets."

 

Gurak looked at the floor.&nbsp;“So it was the guild, they told the elves."&nbsp;He says softly, looking at Darion.&nbsp;“There's&nbsp;no way they could have known so&nbsp;fast,&nbsp;without something to get that information to them quickly. They were in town within the week.&nbsp;That's&nbsp;a lot of people to move all at once suddenly."

Darion's&nbsp;anger had all but dissipated by this point.&nbsp;“What are you saying?"

The orc looks at Darion.&nbsp;“I'm&nbsp;saying,&nbsp;they had to have had someone get this information to the church fast enough to mobilize their inquisition within a week, either&nbsp;the guild has a means of direct communication with the church, or someone from the guild went and told the church in Ayholenor.&nbsp;&nbsp;It's&nbsp;also&nbsp;likely,&nbsp;that I&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;the first to discover the secret.&nbsp;&nbsp;They've&nbsp;probably done this before, to other places that discovered the secret to dual enchantments."

 

Gurak leaned against the door frame, the&nbsp;others kept their distance. He could barely see them behind some trees quite some distance away.&nbsp;“The odds of them having an agent in every single smithy seems unlikely, so there must be another means by which they can monitor all the guilds."&nbsp;

Darion blinks.&nbsp;“You….you&nbsp;don't&nbsp;know about the guild?"&nbsp;

The orc looks up, then shakes his head.&nbsp;“Not really. I only joined it recently before meeting you."

Darion blinks.&nbsp;“All the guilds employ a set of enchanted books.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;not sure of the specific enchantments.&nbsp;&nbsp;But,&nbsp;they are all linked. The books, there must be hundreds of them. They always have an empty page&nbsp;and are&nbsp;linked with every other guild book. So when you join, in say...Rolwood, the information is added to the books in every other city&nbsp;around the world."&nbsp;

Gurak blinked.&nbsp;“That's…. convenient and complicated at the same time. So...the guild in Ayholenor must have seen the update...and immediately mobilized the inquisition."&nbsp;He looks at the wolf and sighs.&nbsp;“I sincerely meant no harm to your home or family. But I swear&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;do something about the inquisition. That was always my goal once I came back."&nbsp;

Darion was confused about&nbsp;'came back',&nbsp;but he&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;in the mood to ask.&nbsp;“So you plan on going after the inquisition?"

Gurak nods his head to the wolf.&nbsp;“Yeah. I have my reasons, but our goals are the same,&nbsp;aren't&nbsp;they? To stop the&nbsp;inquisition,&nbsp;so they never hurt anyone else again. They mean to cause harm to everyone I love, so we should work together."

Darion sneers at Gurak.&nbsp;“You are going to say that to me? After what you cost me?"

Gurak nodded.&nbsp;“I am."&nbsp;He said softly.&nbsp;Standing&nbsp;up fully.&nbsp;“Because you know I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;do it.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;just an easier target for your anger. I might have given you the information, but they are the ones who destroyed Whetstin. They killed everyone."&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;fist balled up tightly for a few seconds.&nbsp;“So I killed all of them."&nbsp;He said softly.

Darion blinked and looked up at the orc as he spoke.&nbsp;“I went back to Whetstin when I heard they were there. I lost control of my anger, and I killed them, left and right, I&nbsp;went out of my way to obliterate every single fucking elf."&nbsp;

Darion watched Gurak, surprised.&nbsp;“The reason there was only a crater left, that&nbsp;was me."&nbsp;He said, looking down at the ground.&nbsp;“I...lost control of my mana, my anger took hold of me&nbsp;and&nbsp;it just...erupted from my body.&nbsp;My void element just spread outward and destroyed everything in its path."

Darion watched the orc, void&nbsp;element? The rarest one, the one that only showed up once every few generations, he might have&nbsp;been reincarnated, but even he knew that much.&nbsp;“You killed them, all of them?"

Gurak nodded.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;let a single one escape alive. You saw the crater left behind. There&nbsp;weren't&nbsp;even any boats left. Nothing remained of them. I made damn sure of it."

Darion nodded.&nbsp;“Then, despite everything, I owe you my thanks. I was going to avenge my family, but you already ha-"&nbsp;But before the words could leave his mouth, a sudden blast of ice cut through the cabin. Darion and Gurak&nbsp;were thrown&nbsp;backward as the cabin turned to splinters. Gurak&nbsp;was thrown&nbsp;against the wall&nbsp;and&nbsp;it collapsed against his weight, so he managed to avoid the brunt of the damage. Darion was closer to the&nbsp;center of the cabin&nbsp;and&nbsp;the ice had impacted him almost directly. Gurak lost sight of the wolf and turned&nbsp;his gaze&nbsp;to look where the ice had come from as he rolled and stood up, shield extended and battle-ready.

There,&nbsp;stood an elf with crystal and ice for an arm, beside&nbsp;him,&nbsp;was Rulu, sword raised, and his eyes had an odd purple hue&nbsp;to them&nbsp;that seemed unnatural.&nbsp;“Rulu&nbsp;hurry, get over here, away from him."

The lizardman&nbsp;however&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;move, he&nbsp;looked to his side.&nbsp;“He even sounds like Gurak."

The elf grinned and nodded.&nbsp;“It's&nbsp;all a trick. The only way to find the real Gurak is to kill the imitator."&nbsp;

Rulu nodded&nbsp;his head&nbsp;and lifted his&nbsp;sword,&nbsp;in a ready&nbsp;position,&nbsp;before charging at Gurak.&nbsp;

Gurak&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;know where Wukin and Towen were. He was sure the sound of the cabin&nbsp;being destroyed&nbsp;should have been loud enough to alert them. Meaning either they had been&nbsp;incapacitated,&nbsp;or worse.&nbsp;

Gurak lifted his shield to catch the sword as it came down at him. He channeled wind into his hand, not enough to&nbsp;harm,&nbsp;but certainly enough to push his attacker back. His wind magic unleashed a stream of wind that threw Rulu back almost to standing beside the elf.&nbsp;

The orc looked at the elf.&nbsp;“What did you do to Rulu?"&nbsp;

The elf just grinned.&nbsp;“Helped&nbsp;him&nbsp;see the truth of your lies.&nbsp;Don't&nbsp;worry, Wukin&nbsp;isn't&nbsp;dead. Not yet.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;saving him for last. I want him to suffer the most of all of you."&nbsp;&nbsp;That set his heart racing, what&nbsp;about Towen?&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gurak growled in anger and readied for a prolonged&nbsp;fight, a&nbsp;fight in which he&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;harm his beloved lizardman.

 

From under the mess of broken&nbsp;wood,&nbsp;came an angry howl. The elf must have thought the orc was in the cabin alone because he was surprised to see Darion practically burst out from the remnants of the cabin.&nbsp;“Damn, another one?"

Gurak looked over at the wolf, whose robe&nbsp;was shredded, he&nbsp;was bleeding from a wound on the chest, and Gurak could see several mana crysts set into his chest, each&nbsp;of them&nbsp;glowing faintly.&nbsp;

Rulu lept at Gurak again, and the orc stepped backward, but there was so much of the cabin&nbsp;underfoot,&nbsp;that&nbsp;he lost his footing and fell flat on his back. Rulu was overtop of him with the blade made of ice raised. Gurak, lost for&nbsp;words&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;even think of a spell to defend himself.&nbsp;

“Blessing of Anemabe, spreader of wind and ruler of the skies. Please&nbsp;don't&nbsp;harm this man, only&nbsp;knock the wind from his lungs. Gale Punch."&nbsp;Rulu suddenly stumbled forward as Darion shoved him away from Gurak with a punch in the back. Wind magic swirled around the lizardman as he&nbsp;was thrown&nbsp;over the orc. Landing on the ground&nbsp;feet&nbsp;just a few feet away, with the air knocked out of him, reeling and trying to catch his breath.

Gurak smiled as he went to get up.&nbsp;Darion's&nbsp;hand came down to help him stand up. His grip was firm until it&nbsp;wasn't. Ice was suddenly sticking out of his chest, the faint trickle of red liquid around the wound as he coughed&nbsp;and&nbsp;more of his lifeblood came with it. Gurak stood up, and behind Darion, he saw the&nbsp;elf,&nbsp;looking furious. Ice magic from the ground spiked up through the&nbsp;wolf's&nbsp;chest from behind.

Gurak knew the wound was fatal. Even if he used healing magic right this second,&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;only prolong the&nbsp;wolfman's&nbsp;life by a few moments. Darion knew it&nbsp;too. He looked to Gurak and turned his&nbsp;head,&nbsp;towards the elf. Gurak understood the meaning behind it. He patted Darion on the shoulder as he moved around and focused his hand outward. Every cell in his body craved to kill this man. To rip him apart piece by piece. But without someone to take in, to set Zamdor free and clear their names, Rulu was as good as back in prison&nbsp;as well. He&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;sure what magic had&nbsp;been used&nbsp;on Rulu, but&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;find a way to counteract it.&nbsp;

His hand extended&nbsp;and&nbsp;blades of light erupted from it.&nbsp;Though rather than cleave&nbsp;the elf, they encircled him, binding him in light. He even&nbsp;made sure&nbsp;one encircled the&nbsp;elf's&nbsp;mouth,&nbsp;so&nbsp;he&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;encant any more spells.

Gurak&nbsp;turn&nbsp;turned and saw Rulu come at him, a clear threat in his eyes. He raised his hand and focused on his void magic, a&nbsp;small blast of it unleashed towards Rulu, not enough to harm him, the orc hoped, just enough to dislodge whatever spell had the lizardman without his senses.&nbsp;

Rulu put his shield up, not that it helped at all. The spell still overtook him, and the odd coloration of his eyes dissipated. Rulu looked&nbsp;around&nbsp;confused.&nbsp;“W...where am I?"

Gurak came up to Darion immediately and rested his hand on the&nbsp;wolf's&nbsp;chest, focusing the healing magic he&nbsp;had,&nbsp;to try to save the wolf.&nbsp;

Darion looked at him and pushed his hand away.&nbsp;“D-don't&nbsp;waste your energy. Look at the size of this wound….my whole chest&nbsp;is torn apart. J-just promise&nbsp;me,&nbsp;you'll&nbsp;go to Ayholenor,&nbsp;you'll&nbsp;stop them."

Gurak moved his hand to&nbsp;Darion's&nbsp;own and locked their hands together.&nbsp;“I swear it on my life.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;make them pay for the harm they caused."&nbsp;He looked at Darion a moment.&nbsp;“I dunno what sins you committed in this life. But tell them, when you cross over, if they deny&nbsp;you,&nbsp;the right to spend eternity with your wife and children.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;come.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;fight&nbsp;my way&nbsp;through hell, heaven and any boundaries in between.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;see you spend eternity with your family."&nbsp;The conviction in his voice was enough to convince the wolf of his words in his last moments.

Darion nodded and smiled softly. His eyes drifted closed, and his body went slack, moments&nbsp;after doing so, his body melted away, like those of the beasts he must have created in his lab under the cabin.&nbsp;&nbsp;The faint sound of the mana crysts falling from where they were, hitting the ice and then landing on the ground at&nbsp;Gurak's&nbsp;feet&nbsp;was the only noise.

Gurak felt anger well up in him as he looked at the elf. He wanted to tighten the bonds around the elf, to squeeze the life from him. But he resisted the urge as it welled up within him. He looked to Rulu.&nbsp;“Do you know where Towen and Wukin are?"&nbsp;

Rulu shook his head. Gurak nodded and focused, creating a wind barrier and expanding it around them. He could sense both Towen and Wukin nearby. He rushed to Towen first. The fear that he might have&nbsp;been&nbsp;hurt,&nbsp;weighed heavily on him. He found the lionman lying on his back, a dart in his neck,&nbsp;he'd&nbsp;only been knocked unconscious. He feared Rulu might have&nbsp;been coerced&nbsp;into harming the lion.

Gurak then went to check on Wukin&nbsp;and&nbsp;he had the same, a dart sticking out of him, likely the same poison that the Umbral Blades. He&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;want to imagine what dark designs the elf had for them. He carefully created a gurney of light and carried them both on&nbsp;them,&nbsp;as he headed&nbsp;back to where Rulu was sitting.&nbsp;

The lizardman was looking down at the ground.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;remember anything after I fell asleep in the&nbsp;cell,&nbsp;beside Zamdor."

Gurak nodded.&nbsp;“We'll&nbsp;head back to town. For now,&nbsp;let's&nbsp;just...give him a funeral as best we can manage. He deserves that much."

 

Gurak laid the others on the ground gently, and using the pieces of the broken cabin, he set a cross for his grave marker. There&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;much else the orc could do for the beastfolk.&nbsp;Gurak then went down into the basement,&nbsp;and&nbsp;one&nbsp;by one,&nbsp;released the beasts there.&nbsp;Most were glad to be free and&nbsp;made a run&nbsp;for the hatch, getting lost in the forest after that.&nbsp;Gurak then gathered up the mana crysts there and, after leaving the underground lab,&nbsp;set it ablaze with his fire magic, burning it all till nothing but ashes remained of the cabin and the terrible things done inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 

The only remnant was a cross-shaped grave marker in front of the cabin.

 

Gurak then carefully lifted the others back up&nbsp;and&nbsp;they made their way towards Rolwood, carried on beds of light. Towen and Wukin slept the whole way there. The elf was bound in light magic, and his mouth gagged so&nbsp;that he&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;cast anything else.&nbsp;The restraints were used&nbsp;to keep him held aloft as they made their way to Rolwood.&nbsp;It took the rest of the day&nbsp;and&nbsp;it&nbsp;was a little awkward&nbsp;to explain to the guards.&nbsp;

Rulu was taken back into custody when they arrived. The elf was as well, not&nbsp;only that but he was cuffed in Damacite so that he&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;escape. Gurak told the guards Towen would report what had happened the following morning,&nbsp;to not let&nbsp;the elf loose, as he was the&nbsp;true&nbsp;murderer of the archmage, Towen&nbsp;and Wukin all slept in an inn. The orc used his magic to carry them&nbsp;up&nbsp;to the room and beds. He slept in a bed all on his own that night.

 

Gurak was sure that&nbsp;they would have slept in the bed with him&nbsp;given&nbsp;the choice.&nbsp;But he needed the space for himself tonight.&nbsp;Darion's&nbsp;last moments were fresh in his mind the rest of the day and that evening. The wolf must have endured so much grief that he was mad with it. So lost&nbsp;in his grief&nbsp;he&nbsp;was harming others, including animals&nbsp;by&nbsp;experimenting on them with mana crysts. Such things were unheard of, but the potential it presented was unprecedented as well.&nbsp;

Gurak sighed and rolled over in his bed. Sleep was hard to reach that night. He managed to rest, somehow, though it was&nbsp;little, his bouts of being awake were far more common. He was glad when the sun finally rose&nbsp;and&nbsp;he sat up in his bed. Towen and Wukin roused shortly after him.

 

Towen looked around.&nbsp;“Weren't...we in the forest?"

&nbsp;Wukin huffed angrily.&nbsp;“Damn him, he got away."

Gurak shook his head softly.&nbsp;“No, me and Darion managed to capture him.&nbsp;He's&nbsp;in the&nbsp;guard's&nbsp;custody.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;need you to tell the guards what happened&nbsp;Towen."

The lion looked at Gurak.&nbsp;“But,&nbsp;I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;know what happened."

Gurak nods.&nbsp;“I know.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;tell you&nbsp;everything,&nbsp;and,&nbsp;let you decide what you want to do with the information."

Gurak took in a deep breath.&nbsp;“Darion was the one grafting mana crysts to animals.&nbsp;He'd&nbsp;done the same to himself. He planned on attacking Ayholenor&nbsp;all on his own&nbsp;to try and do something about the inquisition. The elf kidnapped Rulu from lock-up, used some spell to confuse him, and Rulu attacked us.&nbsp;I&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;bring any harm to&nbsp;Rulu, and he was about to kill&nbsp;me,&nbsp;when Darion intervened, saving me, but in doing so, opened himself up to the&nbsp;elf's&nbsp;attack.&nbsp;Darion&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;survive. I bound the elf in light and&nbsp;then&nbsp;freed Rulu from whatever spell&nbsp;was used&nbsp;on him."&nbsp;Gurak chuckled.&nbsp;“Asshole never knew I could use void magic to negate whatever he did."

He sighs softly.&nbsp;“Anyway, I need you to tell them. My word carries no weight here."

 

Towen nodded his head softly and got up.&nbsp;“Alright. So, Darion gave his&nbsp;life,&nbsp;to save you and Rulu?"&nbsp;Gurak nodded&nbsp;his head in reply&nbsp;and&nbsp;the lion patted Gurak on the shoulder.&nbsp;“It'll&nbsp;be okay."&nbsp;He headed out and to the prison.&nbsp;

&nbsp;It was several hours later before Towen returned, Rulu and Zamdor in tow. Gurak hugged both of them tightly and squeezed them. Unwilling to let them go for some time.

Towen finally spoke&nbsp;up,&nbsp;once Gurak let the others go.&nbsp;“I spoke to the captain here,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;told him, after my investigation&nbsp;that&nbsp;the elf was responsible for the odd mana cryst monsters.&nbsp;A man named Darion&nbsp;was caught up&nbsp;in the whole situation. He died, giving his life to protect me and the rest of you.&nbsp;He'll&nbsp;be remembered&nbsp;as a hero here. Not a monster."&nbsp;

Gurak smiled softly.&nbsp;“Thank you, Towen."&nbsp;He nodded at the lionman.&nbsp;

“But, I got a&nbsp;missive&nbsp;from the capitol.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;needed back&nbsp;in Macta. So&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;heading that way shortly."

Gurak nodded.&nbsp;“Well, how about you travel with us then?&nbsp;We're&nbsp;heading there as&nbsp;well,&nbsp;and then northeast after that. To the elven port city."

 

Towen nodded.&nbsp;“You're&nbsp;heading for Sikadi then?&nbsp;There's&nbsp;a&nbsp;road,&nbsp;not too far from Vrose that heads that way. Or you could head to Varkrol,&nbsp;there's&nbsp;not a road there,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;if you follow the coast,&nbsp;you'll&nbsp;reach the city in no&nbsp;time&nbsp;I bet. I dunno where&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;headed&nbsp;after Macta,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;travel with you as long as&nbsp;I can."

 

Gurak nodded and smiled.&nbsp;“You're&nbsp;welcome to travel with us as long as you&nbsp;want,&nbsp;or can."

Towen nodded.&nbsp;“I'll&nbsp;need to make a few arrangements.&nbsp;Let's&nbsp;get breakfast after&nbsp;and&nbsp;then&nbsp;we'll&nbsp;head out.&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;meet you downstairs when&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;back."

 

Gurak sat back on the bed, Rulu in one arm and Zamdor in the other, hugging the pair tightly.&nbsp;“I'm&nbsp;sorry it took so long."

Zamdor had his arm around the orc and shook his head.&nbsp;“You're&nbsp;fine&nbsp;lad. I knew&nbsp;you'd&nbsp;sort it out and get us out of there."

Gurak nodded his head softly.&nbsp;“I still&nbsp;can't&nbsp;believe Darion survived, but he still lost his life because of me."

Zamdor's&nbsp;hand rubbed his back gently.&nbsp;“You&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;do that."&nbsp;He says softly.&nbsp;“A man with anger in his heart did. Darion saved you and Rulu both. He died a hero, even if&nbsp;the last few years of his life&nbsp;weren't&nbsp;lived&nbsp;the best."&nbsp;He smiles gently.&nbsp;“His final moments were the real him, the him&nbsp;that he&nbsp;always wanted to be."

Zamdor's&nbsp;hand rubbed still as he leaned against the orc. Gurak rested his head on&nbsp;Zamdor's&nbsp;chest as he sighed.&nbsp;“I hate that I&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;do more."

The bull nodded and patted the&nbsp;orc's&nbsp;neck softly.&nbsp;“I know&nbsp;lad. But you&nbsp;can't&nbsp;save everyone. You can try, and should try. But, you gotta accept that you&nbsp;won't&nbsp;always be able to."

 

Gurak nodded.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;know,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;not&nbsp;an&nbsp;easy&nbsp;thing&nbsp;to accept, but I do know it, at least."

 

Gurak got up and got dressed. He had slept in his underclothes, and everyone had seen him naked by this point anyway, so he&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;worry about covering himself like he had in the past.&nbsp;Once dressed&nbsp;he&nbsp;gathered&nbsp;up&nbsp;his things and headed&nbsp;down&nbsp;into the inn proper.&nbsp;He and the others got a table, only drinking water for now, while waiting for Towen. He&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;too long&nbsp;though&nbsp;and&nbsp;was there shortly.

 

The five of them had a lively breakfast, talking and joking. Towen shares a few stories from his time in the academy. Rulu and Zamdor&nbsp;talk&nbsp;about their stay in the&nbsp;cells,&nbsp;and the weird habits of the guards there. Towen talked about how Gurak had almost cut down the whole forest with his wind-empowered axe blade.

 

The group laughed and had a good time together before&nbsp;they paid&nbsp;for their meal and&nbsp;set about&nbsp;getting their wagon and horses.&nbsp;The stable and feed fee was paid, their wagon hitched, and they were on the road fairly soon. Gurak, Towen, and Zamdor&nbsp;sitting&nbsp;in the back, under the cover of the stretched fabric, while Wukin and Rulu sat up front, guiding the horses down the road towards Macta. It was only a few&nbsp;day's&nbsp;journey, and&nbsp;they'd&nbsp;be there before too long.

They traveled the day, and&nbsp;Towen shared many stories from his time in the academy. About his group of friends, his rivalry with a woman named Azile, and&nbsp;all the things&nbsp;they'd&nbsp;been through. How he spent time with them to help improve their combat abilities.&nbsp;How&nbsp;they'd&nbsp;all passed the first two months by the skin of their teeth.&nbsp;The trip&nbsp;was looking&nbsp;like&nbsp;it'd&nbsp;be a lot of fun with Towen along for this portion of the journey.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/dmWP5Mvn
Part of the series Isekai
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