I winced as I stumbled in.

It was bright, and emerging from the dimmer illumination (though not enough to warrant Dark Vision) thrust into the glow of so many lamps was jarring. I was able to make out the general layout of the place, and I’ve got to say it was quite an impressive display of shit. Banners hung from fasteners along each of the fabric walls, every one the same black flower over a red field. There was a large basin to my right—probably a sort of bathtub—and behind it, a closed-off area with a large fur hung as if to separate the section for privacy. I was able to catch a slip of a large four-poster bed somewhere within, which made me feel bad for whoever had to lug that bad boy around through the wilderness. There were rows of bookshelves as well—equally as daunting to transport as the bed, I'd imagine, and right next to me was a wooden coat rack. A single black cloak was draped from one of the hooks, shimmering with rain.

In the center of the chamber was a massive table, forged from dark wood. I could see several shapes standing in front of it, surrounding a collection of papers, bottles, and likely long-cold food. I knew I'd made something of a theatrical—and possibly loud—entrance because I heard the unmistakable scrape of weapons being pulled from scabbards upon entering.

Well, I say unmistakable, but really, it could have been anything. If I hadn't seen it happen, the noise likely would have confused the ever-loving shit out of me. I was learning that swords being drawn do not sound like they do in the movies. It was a much more dull sound than the high-fidelity foley you get from fantasy action shows.

Anyway, I am going on a tangent—danger.

My eyes settled to the new light, and I saw two fully-armored soldiers with feathery-plumed helmets rush forward. Apparently, they were intent on cutting me down, which was something I was able to judge based on both their speed, angry-looking motions, and the fact that one said 'cut him down.'

Fortunately, I'm an expert on insight, so subtle things like that really stand out.

If it hadn't been for Chessit, I'd have likely met my end right there. But, my middle-aged captor stepped through the entrance at that moment, and my two would-be manslaughterers skid to a halt.

"Easy now, wains," Chessit said, his tone deadly. "I'll assume you weren't aiming to use them arse-pokers on ole Chessit."

The two soldiers froze, eyeing first Chessit, then each other before turning to look behind them. Then the soldier on the left, a male human, shook his head.

"We weren't attempting to assail you, S—"

Chessit cleared his throat, interrupting him.

"Good. Then see to it you point those needles in a friendlier direction. I gots m'self an orc needs reprimanding, and I'm confident the two o' you aren't capable of dolin' out any measure of fairness in this proceeding."

The soldier on the right was a woman. Though, considering the scant angular features I could see beneath her helm, I wasn't sure she was human. She nodded.

"Right," she said thoughtfully. "We were just briefing Commander F—"

"That seems like a bit o' 'need to know basis' information, Blueleaf," Chessit interrupted again and it was strange to think that this was the same man who’d only a little while ago been contemplating the end of his life. "My rank don't allow me ears privy to that sort o' fundamental knowledge. Best you let me speak m’peace, and I'll make meself scarce."

She nodded again.

"Of course," she said, turning to look behind her. "Commander?"

The party's remaining member was a tall, lean woman with short black hair and a face like thunder. She peered at the goings-on with a piercing, steel-colored gaze, her bulky-armored stature relaxed. I'd never before seen someone so terrifying in all my life.

"What have you brought me, Chessit?" She asked, in a more pleasant tone than I would've imagined she'd have.

"An orc, Commander Fawn," Chessit said simply. "Out a-prowlin' near my post. Claims to be from the Duchy."

"A spy," Fawn said. It wasn't so much a question as it was an accusation.

"Might be he is," Chessit said. "Can't say he's a very good'n though, were that the case. Bit of a weighted boot on him."

Commander Fawn looked at me, sizing me up.

Ugh. Fuck you, lady. Get the measure of someone your own size.

She didn't say anything to me but turned back to Chessit with a shrug.

"Did he have anything on him?"

Chessit shrugged.

"Just some common tools, a rusted knife, clothing in a bag—the usual mess," he said. "Though there was a purse full o' ears that I'd be wonderin' the purpose of had I not seen a bounty note tucked away in there as well. False goblins, seems."

Fawn nodded.

"You can leave the pack by the entrance, then," she said. "I'm sure we can redistribute anything salvageable."

Chessit nodded and hoisted my satchel from his shoulder and set it down gingerly next to the coat rack.

"Aye."

"He has a better nature than most of his kind," she said. "A strange look too. Odd to see an orc with such… qualities. Might be half orc, maybe? Does he speak?"

She was now looking directly at me.

"Uh, I do," I said. "A little."

"Probably more than ye'd like," Chessit interjected.

"You use the common tongue well," Fawn said. "For an orc, in any case."

"You aren't half bad yourself," I said. "You know, for the leader of a bunch of assholes."

The human man pointed his sword at me.

"Mind your manners, orc," he threatened. "Or I'll open your throat so we can't hear your prattling any further."

I sighed.

"See? Assholes."

"It's alright, Sir Penheart," Fawn said, sounding almost amused. "Let him speak his peace. It's all he has."

Sir Penheart seemed to consider her words, and—still scowling—lowered his blade. I noticed he didn't sheath it, though.

"Are you an agent of the Duchy, orc?" Fawn asked, moving around the table to get closer to me.

"Perhaps I am," I said, eyeing her carefully. I couldn't help but shoot back indignation—just part of my charm, I suppose. Still, there was something dangerous about this woman—you know, other than the fact that she was the commander of this whole camp—and pissing her off might not be the best course of action.

Think, you stupid moron. Use what little bit of intellect you have left in your soft fucking brain and try to talk your way out of this.

"So. Are you a spy, then?" Fawn asked. She was now just a few feet from me, close enough that I could smell her perfume. Something registered in my mind, and I knew it was lavender. It was pleasant, which really seemed inappropriate for someone so threatening.

"Not a spy," I said carefully. But what?

"Then an assassin?" Fawn posited.

Chessit chuckled. "I can guarantee he ain't no hired killer."

Fawn glanced over at him but seemed to accept his comment without question. Her eyes found mine again, waiting for an answer.

When in doubt…

"I'm just an adventurer," I said.

Fawn didn't say anything for a moment; she simply stared at me. Then she did something astonishing: she laughed.

It was a short-lived thing, but it actually sounded like she found my statement very funny. I didn't react—a firm show of strength and all that.

"I'm sorry," she said, gathering herself and standing to her full height. "That's just… such an antiquated term! You sound like my nan telling me about her youth."

I wasn't sure how to react to this, considering I'd thought it was as close to the truth as I could get. The main characters were always referred to as adventurers in games, so what the hell else was I supposed to assume?

What had that idiot fucking orb called me?

I cleared my throat.

"Sorry," I said, attempting to try again. "Bad, uh, translation maybe—the Duchy and all— I meant to say that I am a… sojourner."

That halted the party immediately. Midway through her mirth, Fawn's face suddenly turned to ice, and it was as though all of the air left the room. She glared at me, wild-eyed, and suddenly moved so close to me I could have licked her eyeballs.

"Say that again, orc," Fawn demanded. "I want to make sure I heard you correctly."

Based on her reaction, the last thing I wanted to do was repeat myself. However, I've always been—apparently—a bit of a dumbass. So I did.

"I'm a sojourner," I stated, before quickly adding, "from the Duchy."

Fawn kept her eyes on mine—a difficult endeavor considering I was a lot taller than her.

"When did you arrive?" Fawn asked.

"Not long ago…" I said but was interrupted by Fawn's snapping tone and a raised hand.

"Leave us," she commanded.

Her subordinate tried to speak up, her voice pinched.

"Commander Fa—"

"I said, leave us," Fawn hissed, her gaze unmoving.

The two soldiers turned and left hastily without another word. Chessit remained, but Fawn addressed him sternly.

"Thank you, Chessit," she said. "I'll call for you when I'm done here."

"Aye, Commander," Chessit said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see he was looking at me, but I didn't dare turn away from the bizarre staring contest I was having with the commander. After a moment, he also left, leaving the two of us alone in the yurt.

Fawn waited another moment, and then her entire countenance relaxed, and she smiled wide.

"Holy shit," she said suddenly. "I can't believe it!" I was shocked to find her stately, formal tone had evaporated, and now she sounded… modern.

She turned away from me and walked casually over to the table where she plopped down and slung a leg over the arm of a chair. Then she chuckled and tossed her head to indicate I should approach.

"Come on, you big idiot," she said. "Join me."

"Uh…" I started, but Fawn stuck a leg out and nudged the chair next to her so that it turned to face me.

"Come on, sit."

I shuffled toward her, clinking all the while, and when I reached the chair, tried to find a comfortable—or rather—balanced position to sit in. I defaulted to a slight lean against the edge of the seat and turned to face the bizarre woman. I couldn't help but wonder about my luck at having been bewildered twice now in a matter of an hour by someone's duplicitous nature.

Fawn smirked at me.

"So, how long have you actually been here, then?" She asked, plucking an apple from the tabletop. She bit into it with a crunch and looked back at me, smiling through the mouthful and chewing loudly and openly. It appeared all sense of decorum had been dismissed. Now, I was looking at someone wholly unfamiliar from the stern and severe Commander Fawn I'd just been interacting with.

"Uh, maybe a day?" I ventured, still not sure what was going on. "Maybe less. I'm not sure."

"Damn," Fawn said, still chewing. "That is crazy. You're like, really fresh, then. What Level are you?"

"Two," I said quietly. "But that's a recent development."

I didn't like this new line of questioning and almost preferred our dynamic earlier, when she was still intimidating. Now, she was scary in a new way.

Has she gone crazy?

"Wow," she said, her eyes lighting up with surprise. "You weren't kidding. You're a newborn, basically."

"I'm sorry, are we talking about what I think we are talking about?" I asked.

Fawn chuckled and tossed the remainder of her apple back on the table. It made a wet smack against the wood and rolled, coming to a stop against the spine of a large book.

"You can relax," she said. "What's your name, anyways?"

I hesitated, not sure how to proceed.

"Hey, man, I said you can relax. What are you called here?"

What have I got to lose? I thought to myself, except maybe my life.

"Loon," I said.

"Weird choice—but okay," she said. "Obviously, I'm Fawn. There, that's better, right? We can now converse like two beings of conversational intelligence."

I had one burning question taking up brain space, so I decided it might be best to just spit it out before it killed me.

"How—uh—what is with the sudden change of personality? Did I say something strange?"

"You said 'sojourner.' Nobody would use that term around here without having heard it from the management."

"The management?" I asked. "Like, say… a weird, sentient cloud monster?"

"Oh, maybe," she said, seeming as though she hadn't thought about it. "I always sorta figured that thing was just like a servant or a tool, not really any of the head honchos."

If I recalled correctly, the orb had said it was something of a messenger. In any case, it was clear we were talking about the same subject.

"So, are you—"

"Like you?" Fawn interjected. "Yeah, I suppose I am."

My heart could have hammered a diamond into a meteor. Someone else from my world was occupying this strange place! This was amazing news. I usually hated to connect with other people on any level. Still, considering I was apparently in some alternate world… maybe I could break a few of my old traditions.

I had half a billion questions I wanted to ask, but Fawn continued her monologue.

"...though, I'm surprised anyone chose an orc. They aren't exactly the most likable race around."

"Well, I didn't really have anything to go off of," I said. "Plus, it was either that or human, and I had already been one of those… so it seemed a little boring."

Fawn nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "If I could go back and do it over, I'd have picked something a lot cooler. Maybe an elf or a vittra. Oh well, no point in worrying over it. Humans are nice enough—not that I'd know the difference."

"What's your Level?" I asked, very interested to know anything she could spare to tell me.

Fawn scowled.

"One thing you need to know is that asking someone that is considered extremely rude," she explained, then winked. "Don't just give that information out to anyone either, or they are liable to use it against you."

"But you just asked me that same question!"

"Well, I took advantage of your ignorance," she said with a wink. "Sue me."

I sighed. Guess that was one area I wasn't about to have explained to me. So, I decided on a different tactic.

"You mentioned that I was new. Does that mean you've been here a long time?"

The woman shrugged, which was an interesting maneuver in a full plate of armor.

"Eh…" she began, gazing up as if trying to tabulate the correct amount. "Maybe ten years? I'm not sure exactly."

"Ten years?!" I shouted.

"Easy there, Megaphone," she warned. "Some of my soldiers are trying to get some shut-eye. Plus, they don't need to know what we really are."

That was worth considering. Until now, I kind of figured it would be obvious to the natives that I wasn't from around these parts, but if she hadn't even told her own men...

"So no one knows you're actually—"

"Right," she said, shifting forward in her seat. "No one knows, and no one needs to know. Better to keep that to yourself, for safety's sake. There have been whispers of people like us who have appeared from time to time, and it is treated as though we are demons."

I sighed.

"Great. So, that means that I have to keep a low profile?" I asked. "I'm not exactly the most subtle person."

Fawn touched the side of her nose.

"Exactly," she said. "Better get a backstory whipped up, or people are going to get suspicious. Do you even know where the Lion Duchy is?"

I shrugged.

"East?"

"Lucky guess," she said, rolling her eyes. "Though farther than you may be thinking. Even so, there's a lot of tension between the Kingdom of Arlo and the Duchy, so maybe stick to a spot that's within the nation's borders."

"Wait, is that the name of where we are? I thought it was Re…"

I couldn't quite recall the name the billowy bastard had told me when I arrived. Luckily, Fawn was ready with the assist.

"Regaia," she finished. "Yeah, it is. But, Regaia is the name of the world. The Kingdom of Arlo is the country in which you currently sit your gigantic orc ass upon. Look."

She sat up fully and snatched a map from the table, holding it up so I could see. It depicted the borders of a country that was kind of oblong in shape. There were a bunch of crisscrossing lines and various dots spread all over its face. Written in a fancy marquee across the top, it read 'The Territories And Counties Under The Realm Of The Kingdom of Arlo.' I noticed a red 'X' situated near a terrain rise labeled apparently hastily with the word, 'Shalewinter.'

"This is the Kingdom," Fawn began, gesturing vaguely at the whole thing. "The most western nation in the charted world."

"...of Regaia," I confirmed, still unsure if I could remember all this new information.

Fawn rolled her eyes and pointed to the left side of the map beyond the border.

"This is the Idalous Sea—and before you ask, I don't know why it's called that."

I closed my mouth, prepared to ask that very question.

"To the immediate east is Hathburia—think of it kinda like medieval Russia. It's mostly clans and mountainous wilderness—and fuckin' huge. The Kingdom likes to take land bit-by-bit from there—now and again—which the locals don't really appreciate. But, since they are more of a loose-knit group of tribes, they can't really organize well enough to stop it."

I was not a fan of that piece of information. Seemed awfully conquest-y for my tastes, but I didn't say anything.

"To the north is Umbra. They are the Kingdom's allies—for now. To the south are Triyet, and the Mighty City-States of Acharan—but most people here just call it 'Atch.' Both are neutral with the Kingdom... but Atch likes to fight with them over sections of Hathburia since it shares a border with it. Those are the immediate neighbors."

I nodded. I planned to follow up with a few questions, mostly things like, 'why the fuck should I care?' but Fawn was already continuing her history lesson.

"Those are things everyone knows, to varying levels. So, you'll want to learn it as well."

She pointed to a star symbol near the Idalous Sea.

"This is Regis," she said, winking at me. "The capitol. Everyone knows that's where the Royal Family lives and the seat of power. Now..."

She tapped a triangle marker all the way on the other side of the map, right on the eastern border.

"That's Palandis, the second-largest city. It's also where the next-biggest chunk of His Majesty's Army is located since they need to be near the action at the border."

She traced her finger along the line, indicating the shared division.

"There's a bunch of fortifications along here to keep an eye on the wretches over in Hathburia, and—of course—to make sure they aren't getting too confident. There's always skirmishes, so unless you really wanna join in a pointless fight... steer clear of that section."

"Where are we?" I asked.

Fawn smiled and tapped an unmarked spot closer to the right side of the center of the map.

"Right around here," she said. "In the Aglands—more or less."

I tried to mentally calculate how far away we were from either of the large cities, but without any point of reference for distance, I knew that would be impossible and gave up.

Far, that's what.

"So, where should I say I'm from?" I asked, looking at the dozens of markers indicating what I assumed were towns. "This is kind of confusing."

Fawn gave me a curious, almost hesitant look and then smiled, looking back at the map.

"Maybe somewhere over here," she said, stabbing at a spot to the northeast. "Territory of Kursk. There's tons of small hamlets and no-name villages in this area. People won't bat an eye if you tell them you were raised there. Plus—there's a few orc tribes as well."

I resisted the urge to over inundate her with the bevy of questions I had boiling over inside my skull and tried a calmer approach.

"Won't—uh, will people think it's weird that I'm an orc and can speak—what did you call it—common tongue?"

Fawn shrugged. Then she dropped the map on the table again, snatching up her apple and taking another bite.

"That's extremely helpful," I said sullenly.

"Hey, man," Fawn said through pieces of rind. "We all have to figure this stuff out for ourselves."

"Well," I started. "Sorry, but I just think it's weird that you are willing to share a bunch of boring-ass political intrigue about this place without telling me what directly applies to me."

"Jeeze," Fawn said, shaking her head. "Listen, I'm not an orc. I don't know much about what they can or can't do. If you were to ask me, I'd say it would be very rare to hear one speaking plainly, but keep in mind, this is a magical world. Things work differently here."

"Great," I said. "So, now I can make sure to tell people where Polaris is while they are stringing me up by my neck."

"Palandis," Fawn corrected. "...and a beast your size, they wouldn't even bother trying to hang. You'd break the whole damn scaffold."

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," I said, but then thought about something that was itching at the back of my mind.

"So, what was with all that talk about your grandma?" I asked. "Don't tell me she was here too?"

Fawn let out a loud guffaw and let the husk of the apple fall onto her lap before throwing her arms behind her head to rest against them.

"Absolutely not," she said. "I never met either of my grandmas. One died way before I was born, and the other lived in a different part of the world. That was what we call, 'playing a part,' my dear orc. You should do the same."

"Invent a grandma?"

"Invent a whole family lineage," she said. "Siblings, parents, cousins—hell, create a childhood bully that used to beat your ass so bad you couldn't sleep at night. Whatever it is, memorize it, and use it only when you need to."

"Oh, strange," I said. "I was planning to tell everyone I ran into about my past. 'Hey there, I'm Loon, from the Territory of Kursk. Ever heard of it? I have, cuz I'm from there. Wanna hear about my favorite childhood terrorist?'"

Fawn clicked her tongue disapprovingly at me.

"No one likes a smart ass, Loon."

"Yet here you are, in defiance to the will of the world," I said.

Fawn rolled her eyes.

“You’re a bit touchy, aren’t you?”

"So, what," I said, ignoring her jab and looking around the yurt. "You guys are just some of the Kingdom's henchmen? What are you and your loveable band of shitbirds doing hanging out in the hills, instead of fighting on the border with other soldiers?"

What I really wanted to ask was how—and why—another… sojourner had moved up the ranks when it seemed rather mundane in a world as wide and open as this one.

"Oh, Loon," Fawn said, shaking her head. "We aren't an arm of the Kingdom."

"You're not?"

"Nah," she said with a grin. "We are actively fighting against them."

I didn't know what to say. Well, for a moment, anyway. But then I remembered I didn't give a shit. It was irrelevant to me what the socio-political dealings of the realm looked like. I was just glad I wasn't getting knifed by a rat-man.

"I see," I said. "Well, give 'em hell, I guess."

"Oh, don't worry," Fawn stated. "We will. In fact, just before you were so unceremoniously thrust into my tent, my buffoonish captains were informing me that another order of our men has just reached the Olteid Pass."

"Where's that?" I asked.

"Not far from here," Fawn said with a smile. "If they decide to march through the rain yet tonight, they'll be here in a short while."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked. "You know, slippery hills in the night and all?"

Fawn chuckled, shaking her head.

"Well, they were waylaid at a prior engagement, and we've got an important… function to attend tomorrow—one we'll be leaving at first light for. So, knowing Captain Voder, he'll probably try to make it back to camp so they can get a bit of rest in before everything pops off."

I decided not to ask about the particular motivations behind such an insurrection since it was one-hundred-percent not my business. However, there were a few other questions that pertained—more importantly—to me.

“So, what’s next?” I asked, looking around the room. It was very large.

“For me, or for you?”

“Well, either. That’s assuming those two destinies aren’t intertwined,” I said. “Or are you planning to kill me, like Chessit said?”

Fawn seemed to consider that.

“Chessit’s a bit of a drama queen,” she finally said. “Sure, you might have been kept under watch while we figured out your motivations, but even if you hadn’t been… special we likely wouldn’t have killed you. I mean, you weren’t sent here to cause us a bad time, right?”

“Just the ladies,” I said with a wink.

Fawn blinked at me.

“You’re going to hurt women?”

I tensed up.

“No!” I exclaimed. “I was trying to imply that I’d be breaking their hearts!”

Fawn regarded me with a baffled expression. Then she shook her head.

“You’re not the smoothest talker, I am noticing,” she said.

I shrugged.

“Whatever, I’m a great talker. It’s just at a higher level than most people understand, so there’s always confusion. I’m basically a genius.”

Fawn cackled.

“Yeah, I’ll bet! Genius with a capital ‘j.’ Listen, lover boy, you should drop some Points into Charisma the next chance you get. Especially with you being an orc, you’re going to end up getting gutted the first time you open your mouth in front of someone with some pull. Unless of course…”

“What?” I demanded, seeing a strange look on her face.

“Oh, nothing,” she said mysteriously. “I just had a thought, is all.”

“It looks like you’re having a moment of constipation,” I returned. “Why do you look like you’re trying to figure out a math equation?”

Fawn relaxed her face and smirked at me.

“What was your idea?” I asked, when she didn’t say anything further.

Fawn gestured vaguely around her tent and flashed me an even larger grin than before.

“How do you like it here?”

“Well,” I said. “So far it hasn’t been too bad. You know, getting slapped in chains and dragged through your camp just to listen to you give me a geography lesson. Actually, is killing me still on the table?”

Fawn dropped her legs from the table and leaned forward conspiratorially. I caught a whiff of her lavender scent again. It wasn’t half bad.

“You could join the Redmark,” she said quietly.

“What do you mean?” I asked, shocked that she’d even suggest such a thing. “I’m not a soldier!”

“That’s true,” she continued. “But you’re not really anything, yet. You’re only Level Two, and you haven’t hit any of your Milestones or subs or any of the other things ahead of you. We could train you, Loon. We could help you with your progress, and mold you. We’ve all been through it already and you’d have access to a bunch of resources. You could learn how to fight, and not just the basics. You could learn to fight well. We are very good at it.”

“I suppose you could teach me how to be more Charismatic as well?” I mused, though the idea seemed ridiculous.

“Damn straight,” she said. “Chessit could teach you.”

“Chessit?” I actually laughed at that. “How is he going to do that? Everyone here seems afraid of him.”

“Exactly,” she said. “Charisma isn’t just likability, you know. It affects how people respond to you, and how you want to be perceived. Chessit can put someone at ease in an instant, but he can also intimidate an entire room full of seasoned soldiers.”

I thought about how quickly he won me over with his manner at the crossroads. It was wildly inconsistent with my usual behavior to respond that way to someone, and now I was very suspicious if that wasn’t what was going on here as well.

“So Charisma is just magic, then?” I said, allowing my disdain to shine through my words a little bit. “Mind control?”

“Not at all, Looney Toon,” Fawn said cheerily. “It’s a lot more complicated than that. But you’ll learn all about that if you join up with us. I promise, it’ll be a blast. Plus, the pay’s not bad, either.”

I felt anger building up in my chest at her words. Looney Toon. Before I knew it, I’d dropped my voice to a deep hiss. I even surprised myself with how low and dangerous it sounded.

“Don’t ever call me that,” I said.

Fawn froze, gaping at me suddenly and putting her hands in the air.

“Woah, chill,” she said. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

We sat in an awkward silence for a moment while I wrangled in my own temper. Logically, I knew that she had no way of knowing that the name would be off-limits. Hell, I didn’t even know that was the case until it happened. But something about someone else, someone not my mother using my childhood nickname felt like a burning betrayal. It belonged to her, and only her.

I took a deep breath.

“I’m just… tired,” I said.

Fawn regarded me carefully, waiting a few moments after I’d finished before speaking.

“Well, you should get some rest then. I can have a bed ready for you in about twenty minutes if you like. In the meantime, what do you think? I know we just met but it would be great if you’d consider becoming a Redmark.”

I sighed and looked around the room again. There were all sorts of little trophies around the pavilion that I hadn’t really paid attention to beforehand--spoils of war, most likely by the look of them. There were several valuable-looking knives in an open glass case resting on a tabletop, displayed proudly. On a stand near the far side opposite me I saw a breastplate and a helmet that looked far too large to fit on Fawn’s frame. They were warring people. I wanted to be someone feared and respected, right? That was my original goal when I started down this path.

“So, you train me, give me food and shelter and I do what? Die in a blaze of glory for your cause? What’s in it for you?”

“First of all,” Fawn said, smiling wide. “I didn’t say anything about feeding you.”

She saw my expression and rolled her eyes.

“You really need to lighten up, buttercup. Listen, of course I gain something from having you squad up with us. You’d be instructed in combat and strategy, just like the rest of these lot. But, the benefit would be that we’d be able to target your training to help us specifically. We’d be able to exercise your specific strengths and build you into one of our best. You’re raw and unformed, Loon. Like a lump of clay with explosive potential.”

Then she slugged my shoulder lightly.

“Plus, you’re an orc,” she continued. “Do you know how demoralizing it would be to enemy forces if we rolled up with a creature known far and wide for destruction? You’d be a goddamn terror.”

That was worth considering. I did like the idea of appearing at the head of a huge group of warriors and being the one that the opponents were most frightened of. But, I thought I was also picking up on something else.

“Are there any other Redmarks like us?” I asked. “From, you know, the old country?”

Fawn shook her head.

“If there are, they are hiding it well. I don’t think so, though. It’s been a while since I’ve come across anyone else with our particular… origin. I have my suspicions about others in the world, but I can’t really prove anything.”

“So, you’d also gain someone who knows a little bit about what you’ve been going through,” I said quietly. I reasoned that it couldn’t be easy to have no one else to talk to about who you really were. Hell, I experienced that every day on a minor scale, and that was miserable.

Fawn’s demeanor changed to a more reserved one.

“There is that,” she said. “Might be nice to reminisce about certain things. You know, like Keith Urban or Kenny Chesney.”

My heart dropped.

“What the hell?” I said. “You’re a fucking Country fan?!”

Fawn brightened, almost rising to the challenge.

“Hell yeah, I am!” She said. “What, do you listen to techno, or something?”

“Fuck no!” I exclaimed, bristling at the very idea of it. “Metal music all the way!”

Fawn nodded sagely.

“Ah, like Nickelback?”

I felt the anger in my throat.

“If I had a gun right now I would literally shoot you.”

“Easy, easy!” She said, laughing. “I’m just messing with you. You know, I actually like some Metal. My dad was a huge Slayer fan.”

“He sounds very intelligent,” I said. “Too bad you never grew out of your rebellious phase.”

I paused.

“Nickelback?”

Fawn continued laughing.

“I couldn’t help myself,” then she straightened up a little. “So, what do you say, pal? Wanna sign on with the crew?”

I shrugged.

“Can I sleep on it?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Absolutely! Like I said, we are moving out in the morning, but you’re welcome to hitch a ride with us while you mull it over.”

Actually, that didn’t sound too awful. After some rest and some food, I think even my mood might improve. Plus, it would actually be pretty beneficial to know what the hell I was doing in this place. I looked at Fawn and gave her a curt nod.

“Alright, yeah. Maybe I’ll do that.”

I didn’t even realize I’d been tense during our entire conversation, but now I relaxed. Then I felt the tug of my restraints and shook my head, looking back to Fawn. She was scratching an area under her arm, and I could see that there was no armor there, just cloth. That was probably pretty smart, both for mobility and itching’s sake.

"I'm assuming I'm not your enemy now, right?" I asked, lifting up my bound wrists. "Could you get these shackles off me? I think I'm having an allergic reaction to whatever discount ditch-rope you guys are using."

Fawn chuckled.

"What a whiner," she said and reached down to her belt, removing a ring of keys and lofting it through the air and into my lap. "It's the dirty, circular one."

"Wow, thanks," I said, scowling.

I began fiddling with the ring—a tremendously tedious task because of my binds, but paused, considering that I'd overlooked an important detail. I looked back to the map.

"Do you know where Tallrock is?"

Fawn grabbed a fresh apple from the table and bit down, keeping it in her mouth to free her hands up. Simultaneously, she grabbed the large parchment again, displaying it with one hand, and searched for a moment before pointing with the other. Her finger rested on a marker slightly to the west of where she'd indicated we were at.

"Ri' heh," she said, then dropped the map again and removed the apple from her mouth. "Why do you ask?"

"I've got a Quest I need to finish there," I said. "Though, I'm still new to this whole thing. Just gotta get there and find… what was it, Jasper?"

"Yosper," Fawn corrected once more. "If you’re talking about Tallrock, anyways. That’s where the Mages Order is. It's maybe a couple days' ride from our current location and is still technically in the Aglands."

"Aglands," I muttered. "That's where the false goblins were supposed to be at, too."

"Yeah, those little bastards are a fucking nightmare to deal with," she said. "How you managed to kill any by yourself is a wonder."

"Well," I said, smirking mischievously. "Let's just say someone else did the bulk of the work for me."

"Seems I'm not the only friend you've made here."

"Well, they were less of friends and more of… conveniently incompetent rat-faced dipshits."

Fawn raised an eyebrow at me, looking concerned.

"Greloks?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said, returning to fumble with the keyring. I found the right key and busied myself with my legs first. After a moment, I felt a sweet release as the rudimentary lock fastening it all together fell to the ground. I kicked off my fetters.

"I don't suppose there were four of them?" Fawn asked quietly, adjusting in her seat. "The Greloks, that is."

"Yep.”

As I tried to work the key into the lock around my wrists, I dropped the whole set on the ground.

"Ah, shit," I said and stooped to pick them up.

I saw Fawn stand out of the corner of my eye and move away from the table. I could hardly reach the ring where it fell, but luckily, I was able to brush it toward me with my fingertips and began trying to find the correct opener again.

"You said you just achieved Level Two," Fawn said, her voice sounding a bit distant.

"That's right," I said, studiously trying to slip the key in the lock, but, truth be told, I was having a miserable time with it. "Happened right after I killed them. That was lucky, too. They almost got me."

"Did you pick up anything special afterward? Like cool gear, or a resource?"

"Nah," I said. "Just a bunch of shit that got burned up or melted when they exploded."

Fawn seemed surprised.

"Exploded?"

"Yeah, you know… kaboom. Eruption. Inferno. Other generic synonyms for a fiery death."

"That is curious," Fawn said quietly. "But nothing else? No artifacts or glowing orbs?"

"Oh, like the nodes?" I asked.

"You got nodes?" Fawn asked, and I felt her shadow fall over me as I sat fiddling with my constraints on the ground. "How many?"

"Four, I think," I said, finally looking up. "Emerald ones…"

I trailed off. Fawn was standing over me, an odd look on her face. Something like… desire. Most importantly and confusingly, was that a sword was in her hand. It was a startling brilliant weapon with a golden hilt and a perfect, silvery sheen along the blade. Though, I'll admit my appreciation was somewhat blunted by the predicament I had found myself in.

I really should have seen this coming.

"What—"

"I'm sorry, Loon," Fawn said, biting her lip and raising the sword high. "Try to forgive me for this next part."

Then she swung.