"Please! Let go of the child! He is an innocent!" The soft orange glow of the campfire was not enough to reveal the faces of the robed men. 

"Gruhahaha! And what are a bunch of worthless monks going to do to stop me huh?" Ray was dangling by his shirt, to sleepy to realize the danger he was in. 

"Please sir...Master orc. This humble human convoy is no threat to you. We will do anything, just please don't hurt the child!" said the large robbed man upfront. 

"Anything eh?" chuckled the orc. "I think I have something in mind." His words trailed as the visions of the robed men began to fade. 




Ray found himself back in the smithy. The familiar heat of the furnace. Nostalgic clangs of metal. The smell of soot and sweat lingering in the autumn air. He was home. Ray followed the sound of the clanging till he caught his father working on a long silver blade. His broad back and muscles hard at work. 

"Dad?" His father looked up. "Dad! Its me Ray!"

 

"Ray? Ray it is you!" He turned around. The old mans face bold from years of smithing work and hair that framed his face with a scruffy golden beard. 

"Dad I've missed you so much!" Ray ran to his father who welcomed him in open arms. 

“Oh son. Son I've missed you too.” He held Ray tight and close. Ray began to tear up. The nightmare was over. “It's okay son. You're home. You did good. You've done me...proud. And now...I can show you what you've d-done...for m-me...ugh. 

"D-dad?" his father began to shake his arms becoming hot to the touch. Ray forced himself away. Alvar's arms reaching out for his son. 

"No...no not again! Father no!" 

"Uuuoooooh." Alvar moaned. He pursed his mouth shut, lurching forward and staggering back, hands cupped on his stomach and mouth. A soft crunch and his jaw swelled forcing his mouth open. His teeth popped out one by one, revealing sharp and jagged new ones forcing their way through. A single tusk forced its way towards his nose, his other teeth pushed to the side of his drooling maw. “Oooh son...this feels so good.” A long thick purple tongue slid around his lips. “Join meh shon.” he rasped though warping mouth. 

“No! Stop!” More cracking, the smith's stomach swelled and his chest blew up till it ripped his shirt, revealing tight skin. 

“Herlp shon. Herlp meh pur off dis weeeeak furm.” His voice had become monstrous, his words beginning to slur. Sounds of churning and snapping filled the smithy as his strong hands pulled and clawed at his inhuman chest. The skin stretching as he tugged and pulled, till finally it split, revealing the dark green skin of the orc underneath. “Ahhhh...” his father exclaimed as he continued to pull off the old human wrapping. His swelling human hands  rubbed and massaged his orcish belly and chest. “Nnnnoooh. Dis'wont dooo at'awl” His arms exploded with titanic strength, skin snapping and ripping. He grunted, grabbing one hand with the other and pulled. With a slurping sound, he took off the old skin like a long glove letting it fall to the ground with a disturbing slap. What remained was an arm glistening with unnaturally thick muscle. He gripped and flexed his huge orcish had. “Eeeeeemagunnn awll da wuuurk ah cewd'do'wit diiiis mit.” With a sharp grunt, he pulled the skin off his other arm. Flexing and feeling his muscles. The creaking of leather, huge feet bust from his shoes, already shed of their human encasement as they flexed and felt the fresh air. “Ahm shoooo stroooooong.” His eyes turned a deep red and as his skull shifted and swelled. With a slight whimper, he brought a meaty hand to his beard and pulled, lifting the stretching old face over his head with another slimy slurp. But what was revealed was not the face of his changed father. A towering Rolk stood where Alvar once was. "Look what ye've done te' me son." the rasp of his voice creeping into his mind. Rolk's twisted smile broke his face “Look how ye failed yer father!”


NOOO! Ray shot up in his bed, sweat covering his brow. He looked around in a panic and realized it was only a dream. Another nightmare that plagued his rest for the past week sense leaving the village. 

"Gods..."


Ray traveled a great distance but he was still far from Charvale. The village he once called home was far off the beaten path with only rare visitors, usually lost. This inn was the first sign of human (and thankfully orc) life he had seen. As pleasant as it was to sleep in a real bed, Ray was haunted by feelings of guilt and loneliness. He sighed and laid back in bed. The blue light of the moon falling through the small window told him it was still late. He would need all the rest he could get for the journey tomorrow.

Hours later, dawn broke. The light of day pulled Ray from his restless slumber.
He awoke from foggy dreams of orcs, men and flesh. It left him as troubled as it did every day he had them. Groggily, he pulled himself up and made his way to the wash room to care for morning business. The washroom was empty this morning, not surprising. Last night it seemed he was one of the only visitors besides a traveling human mercenary and a dwarf merchant. He removed his clothing to let it soak in the basin as he moved to the cleaning pool. The water was warm and inviting. Ray soothed himself in the bath taking time to gently scrub the dirt from his travels. For the first time in a week, he felt relaxed. 

"Room for one more lad?" asked a gruff voice. Ray looked up. On the edge of the bath was a short man, little more than a meter tall. The piles of thick stout muscle gave him a very stubby look. His kind blue eyes rested on a exceptionally large nose and the rest of his head was hidden under a bushy red mane matching the small hairs covering his body collecting on his chest, back, and his exposed lap. 

"Oh. Yeah. Come on in." Ray was accustomed to bathing with other men, but this was the first dwarf he had ever seen in real life. There was something strangely charming about him. The dwarf slid himself into the bath, the water reaching his neck. 

"Aye, that's sum lovely water today innit? Name's Raferrök, but most human call me Rolf." he stretched an oversized hand out in greeting. Ray shook back. The stubby hand encompassed his. The roughed calloused texture and firm grip reminded him of his father. 

"Smith work huh?" Ray blurted out without thinking. The dwarf look surprised. 

"Why yes! Most people make me out Te be a merchant. How did ye catch on?" 

"O-oh." Ray stammered, embarrassed by his own directness. "Well...my father had a grip much like yours." Rolf's eyes lit up. 

"Oh ho! A smiths son! What's the old man specialize in?" 

"well, he was just the town blacksmith, but...I don't think he's going to be making many horseshoes anymore...the...orcs came to my town a week ago you see. I'm...I'm the only one that made it out." He carefully left out the more traumatizing parts. It was far too disturbing to share with a simple stranger.

"Oh...oh lad I'm so sorry. Do ye have a place to go any family or..." he trailed; his expression was one of genuine concern. 

"...I guess that's what I'm going to find out. Before my family...passed, my father told me to take that sword and head to Charvale" he pointed to the wrapped blade under the tub where his clothes where soaking. 

"Charvale? Oh lad, why would you be wanting to head right into the orc capital? Yer not-" Rolf leaned in and whispered “Yer not plannen' te...join a certain group of eh...'unsatisfied customers' are ye?” Ray stared blankly, completely unsure as to what Rolf was meaning. “Eh...what I mean te say is...Yer not thinking of...'acting up'...or...Ah sod it. The rebellion lad? Are ye planning on joining the rebellion?” Ray's expression changed only slightly. 

“All I knew was to bring my fathers sword to Charvale...It was...All he could manage to say before...” 

"Ah...sorry lad. Don't mean te be bringin' up bad pasts... So, ye said ya had a sword lad?" Rolf questioned, clearly trying to steer the conversation to a more comfortable topic. "I'm a sword smith myself, I'd be well honored if ye would allow me te take a gander at your families blade. If I can be bold, there's somfin bout the metal that smells outstandin" Ray hesitated, but then took the sword from under the basin. 

"My uncle told me my father apparently worked on a blade for a full three days without rest, before I was born. I'm guessing this is it. I'm not sure why they wanted me to take it to that city, but its the only thing I know to do." He carefully unwrapped the blade. A blueish white reflection on the exposed metal shone like the sun. 

"Gods!" Rolf yelped, nearly shooting out of the tub. "That weapon! That's-" He again forced himself to a whisper. "That's pure silverite!" Ray was caught off guard by the Dwarfs reaction. 

"Is...that rare?" 

"Huf! And you're a smith's son! Not only rare, but extremely potent to the greenskins! What you have in ye hands may be one of te only weapons in te world that can hurt orcs!" 

"What do you mean? So iron can't hurt them?" 

"Ah, not just iron. Nothing hurts an orc, they heal almost immediately, but they can't stand the touch of silverite! Those wounds don't heal easy. Somehtin' about it dulls their magic, weakens them, keeps them from being able to heal. Gods...your old man must be wanting to get that to the..." He looked around his shoulder and pressed his voice even quieter. "The Mortus Domina." Ray was confused again. 

"What's the Mortus Domina?" He asked in a whisper matching Rolf. 

"It's a league of male humans devoted to the gods will of mortal rule. The belief humans where created to overthrow the orcs as punishment for their defiance of the gods rule. They lead the rebellion in Charvale. You must be extremely careful with that thing lad. If you're discovered with silverite, the orcs will kill you on the spot..." Rolf went silent, a somber look crossed his face. Ray was lost in his own thoughts. The village. He never really questioned why they where all men. He learned about women from his uncle but never considered that most towns would mix sexes. Could they have been part of the order, on their way to Charvale to deliver the sword till Rolk interfered? Then a chilling thought entered his mind. When his father asked to be stabbed with the blade, would it have killed him, or would it only kill the orc form infesting him. He felt sick. "Lad? Lad!" Ray looked up. Rolf had apparently scrubbed their clothes clean and was putting them on the slates of stone used to dry out cloth. Ye ave been sitting there for a while. Will ye be alright? Ray was sitting on the side of the bath closely holding the wrapped blade. 

"Sorry. I was just thinking about my family." 

"Ah...yes I see." Rolf flipped the shirts to be dried on the other side. "You know lad, I've been looking for a place safe from the orcs meself. If ye wouldn't mind, maybe ye could use a companion on the road to Charvale.” Ray smiled. 

"Thank you Rolf. I'd like that. Very much."

-----------

Rolf and Ray headed down to the tavern below the rooms when they heard a booming voice. 

"Listen here Human slug. We got reports of a red haired dwarf passing through here. He's property of high chief Gruloc and a traitor to the state. Now where is he?!" Ray and Rolf stopped immediately. Orcs. And they where clearly looking for Rolf. 

"Oh lad. Oh lad I'm so sorry, I thought I lost them. Look. I'll turn meself in and ye take your chance to leave. They got no interest in a random human grub." 

"What? No!" Ray said strongly. “I won't! I can't! Please don't go with them!” Rolf was a bit shocked at the human's outburst. “I'm sorry. I just...I don't want to loose anyone else to them.” 

“...Aye. Sorry for the scare lad.” the dwarf responded. Ray caught himself. He was getting too emotional again. The only way out of this was to be rational. He had to remember Miles' teachings. He had to calm down. 

“Okay...Okay I got this. You check to see if there's a way out back, and I'll keep an eye on them up here. If I give a signal, find a place to hide. Worst comes to worst, I...I have the sword." he gripped the weapon tightly. He hardly knew how to hold a sword let alone use it in a real fight, very possibly to the death. 

"Yer a good man Ray. I'm sorry to tie you up in me troubles." The dwarf snuck his way to the back rooms. 

"Please sirs. Your lordships, I swear I know nothing!" Ray looked around the corner. There was the old innkeeper, balding and fat from a life behind a counter. He was pleading before two massive orc soldiers clad in thick leather armor. They wore no shoes so that Ray could see, tough he was sure the padding protecting the bottom of their enormous feet would be ample protection. Curiously, they also wore no sleeves, likely as a way to intimidate by displaying raw natural strength. The one looming over the innkeeper looked especially daunting his hairy arms coated in sharply defined muscles, his hands big enough to rip the counter out of its place. He seemed a good deal stronger that Rolk. His face graced two sharp polished tusks. His jet black hair was slicked back to accompany his short beard. His eyebrows where exceptionally large and bushy, shaped into a scowl above his fiery red eyes. His companion was a bit more portly, but intimidating all the same. His hair was swooped upward to the side and his stubble covered his ample jaw. His tusks where not as large as his companions, but they where just as polished. His dark red eyes expressed a mixture of boredom and mild frustration as the human building was not quite tall enough to meet standard orcish height. In a booth nearby, the human mercenary was cowering, trying his best not to be seen. 

"Don't you dare play dumb with me you garbage. I smell dwarf meat near here and I have all the reason I need to search you!" 

"It's all I know sir, I swear! I've only had t-two visitors in the past three days. Just h-humans on travel!" The muscular orc snorted. 

"Fine. That's the way you want to play it. I have ways of collecting the information I want. Grolg!" he shouted at the fatter orc. Grolg nodded and made his way toward the old man. 

"Should we take him to the fort first Ulrug?" Grolg asked grabbing the old man who began to panic.

"We don't have the time" Ulrug responded frankly. Unlatching his armor, revealing massive pecs and abs making his powerful wide frame seem even more intimidating. 

"Should have time enough to eat." Grolg spoke back as he casually ripped the clothing from the begging man. 

"Not fair you're the only one that gets to eat." 

"Last time we let you try this, you took him too quick, you didn't have a single memory left. If you're so hungry, grab whatever they have in the back" Ulrug removed his pants. His bulbous orcish cock growing fully erect in a matter of seconds. 

"Human food? I bet there's hardly enough meat to satisfy a thrall." Grolg forced the innkeeper on his hands and knees. 

"Then don't bother to complain about it. Soon as we find that dwarf runaway, I'll take you out for a raid. You can have as many humans as you like." He crept above the screaming old man and slid his massive orc penis into his ass with strange smoothness. 

"Huh huh huh. You haven't asked me out on a raid in a while." Grolg smirked. 

"Unhg. Well. You deserve it." Ulrug responded as he began to rhythmically hump the old man. 

"And afterward, we can have a nice long fuck, just you and me." The old mans cock began to expand and lengthen. 

"Huh. I'd like that." Grolg rested himself against the wall watching his companion continue. The mercenary had passed out from fright.


"What the hell are they doing?" Ray thought to himself. As Ulrug continued to hump, the old mans back seemed to attach to his stomach. 

“No! No please!” The man shouted as he looked down at his sinking gut, muscles digging the way outward, his skin becoming tough and green. 

"Oh hey." Grolg said. "You hear about Rulk? Say he converted a whole town into thralls. Even made one of em his second in command." Ray became alert. 

"Please. The only thing that pleasure seeking idiot's interested in is his own cock. I doubt he'd have much use for a thrall army outside his orgies." He shoved a massive arm into the arm of his victim. The old mans fingers exploded into massive green sausages and his palm grew to the size of a skillet. Every bone and muscle in his arm grew and grew till it matched the form of his assailant. 

“Gods! OH Gods!” The man tried to tear away but it was clear their flesh was connected. Ulrug was merging with his victim. Absorbing him. 

"You best not be saying that bout the King's brother. You know how he gets about him." The old mans shrieking continued. 

"That's why...oh one sec" the orc began to bury his face into the back of the mans head. "Aaaaauuuoough! Uuugh!" the mans face began to distort and snap. "Huuuogh!" as his jaw widened his teeth became jagged and tusks slowly forced their way up his face. "Grrrooogds Neerooooogh" the voice of the old man and the orc became one for a moment. His tongue stretched out his mouth his skull cracked and snapped. His nose became fat and hooked. "Huh! Oooooh. Y-Yeeeeah." his ears became pointed and he gave a toothy grin. "Ahh. Muuuuuch better." he cracked his neck as his face turned green and his eyes turned red. "hehehur. Oh...so yeah. That's why we don't tell him that to his face." The hair on his head grew to the length it was before taking on the orcish raven hue. His body covered in sweat, he raised himself on his feet, popping his bones as he stretched. It was Ulrug. Down to the last pore. He grunted as he started to put on his armor. "Yep. He was a rebel liar. Dwarf's still here somewhere."

Ray was totally bewildered. That large orc had just melded with innkeeper. The orc's dark magics where more extreme than he expected, and it came so easily to them. Like second nature. "Alright. I'll check the rooms downstairs, Grolg you check upstairs." Ray panicked. He ran as quietly as he could down the hall. Behind him he heard heavy creaking as each foot climbed the steps. 

"Rolf! Rooolf!" he whispered. 

"Who's up there?" The orc bellowed. 

"No!" Ray thought. Those pointed ears weren't just for show. He jumped into the rear most room locking the door behind him. Rolf was trying to unlatch the window. 

“It's stuck lad! Ah canut get it te budge!”


"We've run out of time. The O-" He was interrupted by the sound of the door behind him ripping from its hinges. 

"Oh ho. This is where you've been hiding." Grolg stooped under the doorway, an angry grin on his face. 

"Oh hells! Ray! The blade!" Ray shook himself from his shock and clumsy haste, unwrapped the sword. It shone like the sun against the dawn light. Grolg raised his harm to shield his eyes. 

"W-What?" In a state of fear Ray charged forward eyes shut. And then a slice. Ray looked up. The hilt was touching the orcs armor. He pierced clean through. 

"I didn't even feel it" he thought. 

"Uh...guh..." he looked up at Grolg's face. The orc looked back at him with shock and pain. Ray's stomach tightened. He released the hilt baking away, the orc still looking into his eyes. The blade softly slid out and made a light ding as it hit the floor. The dark red blood smoking off the gleaming metal. "A-aagh....AAAAAAAAAGH!" The orc fell forward clutching his chest. "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!" Ray was shaking. Terrified of what he did. *snap* the window flew open. 

"Oh finally! Hurry lad! Grab the sword and lets go." Ray was frozen his eyes stuck on the sobbing orc. 

"ULRUG! HELP! ULRUG IT HURTS!" tears flowing down his pained face. It was bizarre to see a creature so large look so scared and helpless. Heavy foot steps where heard rushing up the stairs. 

"Ray now! For the sake of the gods! Wake up!" clarity came to him. He tumbled over to the sword, grabbed it and the cloth he used to hide it and dashed over to the window. Rolf had jumped into a straw pile below signaling him to do the same. Ray took one final look behind him to see Ulrug, kneeling above the wounded Grolg, staring directly into Ray's eyes with an expression was one of raw hate. Ray leapt from the window into the pile, a feral roar echoed through the forest. "This way!" Rolf yelled. He ran them to the stable where the innkeepers horses where resting. "There's no time fer saddles! Hop on and I'll do the rest!" As Ray approached the a horse the dwarf whispered a quick chant. The steeds immediately stood attentive and steady. Ray mounted the first horse and Rolf leapt onto another pulling its mane as he forced himself up, something that would have greatly angered it if not for the spell. "Now, Go!" the horses immediately charged out the stable down the road, leaving only a trail of dust and mud.


"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS HUMAN!" Ulrug shouted at the top of his lungs out the window. Panting and stricken with worry he ran back to his companion. 

"W-why am I not healing? Ulrug I'm not healing!" Grolg whimpered. 

"The bastard had silverite." Ulrug sneered, removing the armor to inspect the wound. "RRRAG! Your body won't survive merging. You think you can do that?” Grolg nodded weakly. "Hold on. I'll find you a host". Ulrug fled through the hallway leaping down the stairs with a thud that shook the building. There was another human here. He could smell him. There! He saw the mercenary passed out in a booth. Without a moments hesitation he grabbed him and rushed back up the stairs, ripping off the simple armor and clothing as he returned to the room. “We don't have time to do this clean.” he muttered placing the unconscious man on Grolug. 

“When have I ever been a clean eater?” He responded with a weak chuckle. He placed his hands on the unconscious human and began to push, panting softly. Grolug did not have the time or strength to fully remove his armor and pants, but his stomach was exposed enough to begin absorbing the poor man. “Ugh. It's a lot tougher when you don't line yourself up.” His gut and the human where throbbing in unison as the skin began to attach. 

“Don't complain! Just focus!” Grolug groaned as he shoved the man deeper and deeper into his body, his features and forms melting into his stomach. The hole in the orc's body began to seal up and within moments Grolug had completely absorbed the human, rubbing the last patches of human skin until they turned as tough and green as his own. There was a scar on the puncture wound. Something that would usually only appear on an orc with very large wound, and would still not one nearly as clear.

“Ah...oh...thank you Ulrug. What'd I do without you?” Grolug still shaking and out of breath. 

“You idiot.” Ulrug said, as he came in and held his partner tight. “Cryn' over a little cut like that. What would the captain say?” His voice notably shaking. 

“We...we need to tell Gruloc. We need to warn them about this.” Grolug said as his strength was returning. 

“Yeah” Ulrug cleared his throat and let go. “We're heading directly to the fort and we'll send a letter to King Lothrok. He will want to hear about this.”