Richard Adams

I think Di'Rex thinks I'm a lot scarier than I really am. Yeah, I kind of hold his life in my hands, but I'm not going to just feed the guy to Mimi. He's sapient, damn it. I just need to figure out a reason to keep him with us. He's got that kind of smart-ass thing I dig. Calling me boss and shit, it was kind of funny. Plus he's less scary than Mimi but scarier than me. The kind of middle intimidation we need to get things done without people shitting themselves when Mimi lets loose. He's clearly experienced and he's traveled these lands before.

I sighed, looking at the bugs hanging out on the walls. Most of her escort was outside the frost forest, hunting. What was left was in here, just in case something happened. I think she expected me to free the orc, but here we are. He's still tied up, and I learned a lot about orc culture today. We've been talking for the last hour or two, mainly about how it actually kind of works. It's just so weird that they are all just cool with leaving their kids alone with one-night stands.

In some way, I do get it. The people get a promising bouncer or warrior to help with the farms until a tribe accepts them. They're great at physical labor, all orcs are according to Di'Rex. I just kind of thought they were supposed to be stupid or something. The fact that they are sapient and eat monsters, certainly swings how people look at them in their favor. Then there is the fact they can't do magic without a shaman. So, pretty easy to deal with when your own population can just use magic.

Orcs are a low-risk, high-reward kind of race. I was starting to understand why. Sure, he could probably crack my skull with a few punches, but so could anybody with a club. He's still going on about how he is honor-bound to serve me as the tamer of my monster. How we killed the wraith that slew his kin, and all that. Not sure what made him decide I was worth serving when he tried to fight me earlier. I really don't want him to serve me, but to him, there's a debt to repay.

In his mind, it was impossible for a monster to be reasonable. That, someone, had to teach it reason, which made me stronger than Mimi. I don't have to convince him to join us, I just have to convince Mimi. At least we had an understanding that he wasn't to talk down to her or fight against her in any way. It's the only thing about the guy that grated on me. The Kingdom of Fire was already going to be a trial in patience. I looked back at Di'Rex.

He was a six-foot (183 cm) tall orc, with a single tooth jutting out from his bottom lip. He had an underbite that made his jaw pretty pronounced. His nose was pretty flat with horizontal ridges going over it. Kind of like it was armored, while his ears were pointed up like a goblin's. He was bald, but not ugly. It fit in a way that almost made him handsome if a bit rugged and square. His face pretty much had edges to it, which made his eyes stand out. They weren't disproportionate, it's just they kind of were embedded under his forehead.

"Something wrong boss? You're staring at me." He smiled a little.

I shook my head, "Nothing, just thinking." He was burly, with bluish-white skin. I looked away, stirring the stew some more. Mimi might be hungry if she found something that helped her evolve. She wasn't going to do that in front of him, and I had to agree with her on this.

"Thinking about what?"

"Stuff, you know? Like how we're going to explain this to Mark in Luf'Fer. I mean does the deal still stand if your tribe has been wiped out, and the town has fallen into ruins?" I looked back at him.

Di'Rex shrugged, "For the honor of the deal, they should reward you as they would have rewarded my tribe. It is your choice on how you choose to go about it." It was nice that he was reasonable, and he only called me boss some of the time. He was on board with making people think I was his master, but boss worked better for both of us. Kind of a respect thing, and only broken orcs, or those enslaved from a young age held masters, apparently.

"Got it, anyway, when Mimi comes back you need to let me do the talking, okay?" I stirred the stew before looking back at him again.

He nodded, looking past me. I realized a second too late that she was already behind me. I shivered as her frost-covered hands picked me up. She giggled, "You kept dinner warm for me, thank you, Richard~" I nodded, as her cold hands stayed against my sides, coming down the neck of my quilt. Her lower ones went under me, grabbing the still-warm pot and moving it from the fire. "How are you going to convince me to not eat him? Besides offering me the rest of this food I hunted." She let out a light laugh, and I could tell she wasn't serious. She wanted to put on a show though, and this was our second day from the village.

Mimi said the purification of the well was going great, and the people of the town were impressed by how quickly her bugs were repairing their homes. "Well, I'm going to tell you not to eat him of course." She let out a small hiss, just loud enough for Di'Rex to hear. I could feel the circle she drew on my waist, telling me I was on the right track. I smiled, "Beyond that, he's going to be useful to us."

Mimi tilted her head, "Useful how, exactly?" She was playing her role, making Di'Rex think she wasn't as smart as she really was. Because of course, it was fine when she did it.

I fought the urge to shake my head, simply crossing my arms. "He's an orc, Mimi. That makes him more approachable than a monster, and you can't exactly fit in most homes with your size. I know our bond forces you to protect me, but this should help us since I'll be safe with him around."

Mimi drank some of the stew, after putting me down. She was happy I was playing along with her game. Di'Rex spoke up, "I'll keep the boss safe, I owe him my life."

Mimi glared at him, her eyes glowing. "Oh? I was the one that killed the wraith." She bared her teeth, "I ate it, so shouldn't you serve me?"

Di'Rex met her glare with his own, "Orcs don't serve monsters, it's that simple. There is no honor in your kind." I sighed, kind of expecting this. I drew a line over my lips telling him to shut it. Thankfully, he did.

Mimi laughed, "I see, I see, how adorable. Richard, are you certain I can't eat him?"

I coughed, forcing my voice to be a little deeper. "No, I said you can't. I want you to try and get along, without fighting each other. Am I clear?"

Mimi pretended to scowl, "Crystal." She did a mock bow, impressing Di'Rex. Di'Rex himself just nodded in appreciation.

"Good," I walked to my sitting rock. "You can have the leftovers, Mimi. I want us back in town tomorrow morning. We'll finish building the wall, then we'll be on our way."

Di'Rex struggled in his bindings. The gray silk proving how strong it was. I tilted my head towards him, "What is it?"

Di'Rex smirked at Mimi, before looking back at me. "I'd like to be free of my bindings, boss."

I glanced at Mimi who discreetly gestured for me to go ahead. "Very well," I moved towards him, using some flames from my fingers to burn through the silk and free the orc.

He stretched, flexing his muscles and cracking his neck. "WAGH!" He charged at Mimi with both fists at the ready. This fucking idiot!

I could only watch as he punched at her stomach, the fuzzy wings nullifying the blows. Mimi stared at him with pity, then slight amusement. She let him continue as she dismissively drank the stew. I swallowed hard, "Why would you attack her?"

Di'Rex grunted, talking between punches. "Why *punch* would you *punch* lie to *punch* me!"

Mimi raised a brow, just idly drinking her stew. I watched as the orc's fists did nothing. "What do you mean?"

He let out a flurry, before turning towards me, "I know this creature means more to you than that display you just showed." He tapped his temple, "You say its name with warmth, you care for it. How did you think you could fool me into believing such a farce!" He went back to striking her wings.

"I thought it'd be easier for you to handle?" I tried, just glad this anger was mostly being contained.

He stopped after another ten seconds of punching, no damage was done. "What is your goal? Why did you save me from death!?" He glared up at Mimi.

She looked down at him, "It was Richard's choice. He asked me to not kill and eat you. You are his responsibility." She gestured to me with her lower hand.

Di'Rex turned, his voice coming out as a growl, "Why!?"

I made a terrible mistake, I just wanted everything to work out, all of us to get along. Now, I lied to someone that just lost their tribe. He saw them die, he burned their bodies to ash, all of it for the sake of honor. I was distracted by his words of repaying a debt. He must be hurting so much inside. I... he wasn't crying. "I didn't want you to die, I just wanted to talk, that's all there was to it." I couldn't meet his eyes.

"You are a coward!" He swung around striking Mimi's wings again and again. Until she finally grabbed his fists with her lower hands.

She looked down at him, a cruel grin on her face. "Do you want to die?"

He struggled, trying to rend his fists from her grip. "Mimi, wait!" I called out to her. "Please, don't."

She huffed, "You're too kind Richard. He clearly desires death."

I shook my head, "No... he has a debt to repay. He doesn't know what he wants right now, why..." I swallowed hard, "Why aren't you crying? You know what you did was suicidal, right? Help me understand, please!"

Di'Rex looked over his shoulder, emotions lingering there. "Orcs don't cry! Warriors don't weep! We just get punchy!" He tried to kick her, but of course, he couldn't hurt her. Mimi was far too strong for Di'Rex to take without weapons. He probably wouldn't fare much better with any, but I wasn't going to let him try.

"I'm sorry!" I called out to him, hoping to fix the problem with an apology. He stopped, before glaring at me.

"You're what!?" He struggled to get away from Mimi, but she wasn't having it.

I looked him in the eyes, "I didn't mean to lie to you like that. Look, your debt is repaid, we can take you back to your village, or you can live in Luf'Fer. You don't have to come with us."

Di'Rex let out a heavy breath, his ears flapping as Mimi grabbed his wrists. He couldn't take a single step towards me, but he was angrier now. What was I doing wrong!? I saw Mimi's lower arm sliding out from under her wing. "Spoken just like a child!"

How do you get mad at someone apologizing? I didn't get it at all, but this was my fault. I shouldn't have lied to him, not if I wanted him to go on this journey with us. Especially not after what he just went through. I wouldn't trust me, even knowing I had the best intentions. "Fine, we're fighting then." Mimi looked at me, tossing Di'Rex out into the snow outside.

"WAGH!" He shouted, from outside.

Mimi approached me, "Let's just end it here, I might get something if I eat him, Richard." Di'Rex came rushing in, and Mimi grabbed him before throwing him back outside, "If you're fighting, it's outside!" She turned back to me, "Truly, you don't have to."

I rolled my shoulders, filling my arms with the fire we used to cook. I looked up at her, "No, I made him mad, I'm going to fix this. He's angry, and I think this is the only way to talk sense into him."

Mimi scowled as Di'Rex shouted wagh at the top of his lungs. "If he comes close to killing you, then I will end him. You understand this, correct?"

I nodded, heading outside into the sunlight. Mimi was going to take her nap before we went back, it was almost sunset, but not quite. Di'Rex was out there, clenching his fists. I could see him frothing at the mouth. Orcs had a kind of berserker state and given everything that happened it was easy to get him there. He gestured at me, "You come at me with armor and magic! You are a coward!"

I rolled down my quilt after some adjusting, my stomach and chest exposed to the elements. I pulled one arm off, before slapping it back in place. "I can't turn off my magic right now, or I can't fight you. Got any problems?"

He growled, understanding glimmering in his eyes. "A talent then!?"

"I don't have one, but don't worry, I won't use fire unless I need to. You're almost twice my size and weight, I think that's fair."

Di'Rex snorted, "Fine, come at me. Prove to me you aren't a child!" He thumped his chest, throwing off his furs.

I wondered how in the hells it came to this, but if he needed an outlet for what he was feeling, this might be better. I walked towards him, my dukes up in a defensive stance. I knew it'd be easy enough for him to out-punch me. I wasn't even sure I could punch him and leave anything more than a bruise. Though if the Underground taught me anything, it was that you cheated in a fight if you couldn't win fairly.

Di'Rex snorted his frustration, deciding my slow approach wasn't to his liking. He was quick, but Mimi taught me one thing before we entered the Arena. I tilted my head as his fist just barely missed me. I smiled because barely seeing her out of the corner of my eye. She taught me how to dodge. I drove one fist into his gut with all the strength I'd muster if my arms weren't controlled by magic.

Di'Rex went for an uppercut, forcing me to sidestep. I didn't get a lot of force behind my blow. He was faster than me, but I could read him. I tried again, striking his gut before jumping back when he tried to grab me. Yeah, just like I thought, I couldn't really damage the guy. His skin was too thick, and he was pure muscle.

Di'Rex lunged forward, reeling his arm back for a powerful punch. I put my arms up to guard, before tilting back. I didn't have explosives to worry about as he committed to the strike. I focused on my arms, twisting as they turned to fire and smoke. His strike went clean through them, leaving him open. I jabbed his hips twice, before jumping back as he came in with an elbow.

He was off-balance, so I crouched low and tackled his legs, my arms gripping his knees from behind. I hefted with all my might, yet he didn't budge. I felt both fists come down on my back as one. I fell to my knee, gasping at the pain. "What made you think that could work?" He asked, raising his arms high for another strike.

I uppercut a weakness every male had. I knew it was dirty, but if I let him beat me he was as good as dead. Di'Rex grunted in pain, bringing down both fists as I rolled behind him. He was probably used to his strength stunning people with the pain. Too bad for him I had to burn through my nerves every time I wanted to use fire. "You bastard!" He grunted, trying to recover.

He leaned forward, expecting me to attack his boys again. His hands going to cover them through his loincloth. I tackled his knees from behind this time, using his weight against him to throw him over my shoulders as I stood up. "Fuck you!" I cried out as he landed on his back a few inches into the snow. I hopped forward, barely avoiding his kick.

Okay, he's on the ground. I turned to face him as he spread his arms out to try and get himself back up. He was waiting for me to do something. "Do you yield!" I stepped forward, ready to move if he tried getting up. To my surprise, he threw himself at me, one leg below mine. I rose an inch off the ground unable to jump on top of him fast enough as he returned the favor. "Bitch..."

It hurt, but it didn't stop me from jumping on top of him. I slugged him in the face, while his arms couldn't get a good angle to hit me. He tried to grab my arms, but I just let out some fire and smoke to slip free. I kept punching his nose repeatedly, finally making it bleed. It felt bad that I wasn't able to do much harm, and even though I had him pinned I doing much damage. Orcs are kind of bew shit.

Di'Rex grabbed my waist, throwing me off him. I rolled back onto my feet, as he stood up. "Enough, you clearly can't hurt me." He put a finger over one nostril and blew out the blood I managed to draw. Regeneration was bew shit. He had the gall to call me out on using magic.

I kept my dukes up, "Can you regrow an arm?"

Di'Rex raised a brow, "No, but I want to see you try taking one from me." He smirked, "If you manage it without your fire, then I'll yield." He took a defensive stance.

I frowned to myself, knowing I couldn't do it unless he was hitting me with enough force. My shoulders had a channel of fire connected to them. I briefly wondered what happened to the last guy I did this to, his name was Kyle if I remembered right. I hated that I wasn't sure, I don't even know if Mimi fixed his arm. I might have ruined the guy's life and now here I was ruining another's. I took a deep breath, it was this or death for him. I needed him to attack me, so I whispered, "I'm sorry."

His ears flapped as he heard it, anger swelling on his features. He bellowed out his cry, as I put all my concentration on his next move.

Wagh!

thump

thump

thump

Three steps, he drew his arm back. I met his eyes, letting him know I wasn't going to back down. He was fully committed as he leaped towards me to throw all his weight into this punch of his. I shifted my foot behind me, my fist aimed right at where he would have struck me. He didn't think about it, deciding he'd break my arm or go through it because of the smoke and fire from before.

I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth as his fist met mine. Then he stopped moving as I took every ounce of force he gave me through my arm. It compressed the fire inside it as I helped the momentum move through me to my shoulder. The fire had been compressed, and I focused on controlling it, keeping it from moving anywhere but my arms. I opened my eyes, letting out a quick breath as the force exploded back the way it came. All of this was within a single second before Di'Rex's feet could even hit the ground.

The hardest part came when the force wanted to explode out of my knuckles, an inferno of fire threatening to burn if I let my focus slip for even a blink of the eye. My fist was a wall that wouldn't allow the heat or fire to leave. Just the kinetic energy that was created from his punch. It worked, as Di'Rex was blasted back, his heels digging into the snow his shoulder barely hanging there as it was dislocated and partly torn. His fist mangled.

Black tufts of smoke rose, from the force, I failed to hold inside. I grit my teeth, as the flames had spread around my shoulder blades, the nerves fried. It hurt more than the kick I took just a few moments ago. Di'Rex looked confused as he held his mangled arm. We were both breathing heavily, staring at each other. "That wasn't fire." He said more to himself than me.

I nodded, "I don't want to kill you."

Di'Rex started laughing, "You've been holding back then!? What do you call the fight until now?"

I looked down at his feet, "Pity..."

Di'Rex looked up at the sky, laughing as he ran his good hand over his face. "Such is the privilege of the strong! We decide what the weak deserve." He rolled his good shoulder, looking at me. I met his eyes, "I'm tired of being weak, Richard. Do not apologize for this, never apologize for anything. If you didn't mean to do something, then don't do it in the first place. This is why Orcs don't like the other races, you apologize for every little thing. You make the very word mean nothing. You think you can fix anything with an apology. We demand action, we desire proof you have learned from your mistakes."

I frowned, "So you'd throw your life away just because someone apologized to you?"

He rubbed his jaw, "I might, there is no honor in apologizing. To apologize is to admit regret when you are supposed to live your life without such. I regret not being strong enough to save my tribe or kill the wraith you both destroyed so easily. It hurts my pride, but I do not begrudge you for doing such. I was upset you lied to me, but that was a good fight. I understand that you were trying to make it easier for me to understand what I was getting into. You tried to help me with your lies, and I was realizing that until you apologize."

I blinked, "I don't understand."

"When you apologize you try to take back what you did, you spit on the idea of what you tried to do. You can't take back what was done, you can't bring the dead back to life, you can't prevent actions that have already been done. If you made a mistake, then own it. If the mistake makes you feel awful, then do what you can to make it right. Apologizing just shows you are unwilling to do anything but speak words. That is disgusting, and every orc worth their honor will fight you if you have truly offended them." He spread his good arm out, the mangled one slowly fixing itself.

I think I got it and nodded my head. "Then I'm not sorry for kicking your ass." I pointed at him and winked.

Di'Rex chuckled, "That fight was sloppy from both of us. I'm much better with a weapon than my fists. I'm also recovering from almost starving to death and frostbite. Maybe we will get along, boss."

"Fuck, I hope so. I'm actually really interested in your ways now. It'll give me something to do while Mimi is dim." I looked to find her carrying the ax we found Di'Rex with.

She clapped her upper hands, "Glad you two are getting along, but we've spent enough time here. The wraith population has been taken care of, and I want to get back on our journey" She tossed the ax in front of Di'Rex. "Will there be any problems?"

Di'Rex picked up his war ax with one hand. "Nope, lead the way, flesh." He bared his teeth at Mimi.

She showed him her teeth, before grabbing me and jumping, forcing the poor Orc to run after us. We're off to a great start.