Di'Rex

Richard collapsed from my punch, falling over as I caught his jaw. I let him hit the ground, my loins still sore. I took a couple breaths, calming myself. He was getting better, but what drove him wasn't a need for his personal growth. It was his need to be deemed 'worthy' in the eyes of that monster. I knelt down and picked him up. I carried him back to the wagons, tossing him inside the back one.

I ground my teeth as a bug crawled over him. It stung him, and he was probably going to sleep for a few more hours than he should have. The disgusting beast was taking advantage of this young warrior. I moved back to the front wagon, knowing I couldn't stop it from using him. It controlled when we traveled, it controlled when we slept. I begrudgingly grabbed the two axes and put them in the front wagon.

Not today! I crushed the bug it called a ghost. I pulled out the ax of my tribe, raising it towards the back wagon. "FIGHT ME!" The bugs began to move. Orcs were supposed to slay and eat monsters like this. It was our purpose, the duty given to us by our creator. It was too willful, too dangerous to be allowed to grow.

The bugs began to do their march, drumming their wings like a war drum. The first ones began coming towards me. "Not like this! If you have a shred of honor, you will fight me yourself!" I raised my ax, as the bugs came closer. The intent was clear, it was laughing at me. I couldn't beat its bugs, I wasn't a match for it. The bugs forced me back, "I will fight you for honor!" The bugs slowed, the small swarm bunching in the air. Countless tiny eyes watching me from all angles.

I raised my ax to the sky, "You don't know what that means? Then let me tell you. When one tribe meets another, we have fights. Our leaders battle or they have champions sent in to fight. We do this for territory and hunting grounds. We battle for honor whenever a leader is offended, and the loser decides what that honor means. Sometimes it's food, sometimes it's traditions. Are you starting to understand? This is your chance to shut me up!"

The bugs began to move away. Some stayed, spelling out the words, "Very well."

I thumped my chest, "Then come! No bugs, just you and me! I will break you!"

The bugs shifted in the air, spelling out, "Busy."

I tilted my head, "What!? You're too busy to fight me for honor!?"

"Yes," came the answer. "Hunting."

My hands gripped the handle, my teeth squeaking as I ground them together. "What beast can be so great you wouldn't fight me!? Show me, so I can claim your head!"

"Come," the bugs lingered in the air, before flying off. I let out a grunt and followed. An hour passed, as I followed the bugs. They spread out, claiming the life of small creatures that weren't prepared to deal with such insects. Just like a plague, devouring all that came before them. The monster was spreading out these bugs, it was making nests. If it was allowed to grow, then everyone in these lands was in danger of starving. A monster couldn't comprehend how important it is to let such things live.

Everything was connected, the flufftails nibbled at the shells of the nuts. These nuts would fall to make more trees, or feed the other beasts on the ground. The birds or other climbers would eat the flufftails. They would in turn be eaten by another predator. Such was life, but hardly anything could stomach black blood. These bugs couldn't be eaten, they invaded and killed. They offered nothing to the cycle of life. They were the end, or the beginning of a more disgusting cycle.

Spinetails instead of flufftails, ravenous and vicious. Their blood would taint the seeds themselves. The birds would become a festering flock, from weeping ravens to cancerous carrion. That same black blood seeping through their feathers as they just continued to bleed. Razor mouths would turn into abyssal toads. The boars would turn into spore poachers. Tainted forests were filthy disgusting places that needed to be cleansed, and each hive this creature left was a seed waiting to sprout.

There were countless other creatures, and how they might turn into monsters. This was just the local population, but why would a monster care? It wouldn't hurt them, they even made a purifier. They were a good monster, they cared about their blood influencing those around them. It was complete bew shit. The only good monster was a dead monster. Every tribe knew that, every orc realized it once they picked up a weapon. We may have the same creator, but our race was made to correct the mistakes of that god. What else could our purpose be, when we were made to eat monsters?

More time passed, as I kept following the bugs. I knew it was leading me in a circle. Gripping my ax, I still followed. It could take its time, but the more I learned, the closer I was to killing it. No creature was perfect, because even our creator was flawed. A mistake would be made, and I needed to be there to capitalize on it. It would hurt Richard, but that didn't matter compared to the lives this monster might claim. The bugs spread out, and the creature emerged from behind a tree. It was likely it wasn't close, and such a dangerous thing being able to go anywhere. It was the stuff of nightmares.

It tilted its head at me, "My apologies for keeping you waiting." It smiled, before doing a light bow.

I moved my ax in front of my chest. "Save it, you aren't sorry. You're apologizing to piss me off."

The monster crossed its arms, "Not really, it was fun to make a point about it the first couple days. Now, it's just boring." She waved her hand dismissively. "I apologized because it was rude to make you walk around without telling you what was going on. I also realize you won't accept me doing anything to prove there was no disrespect. Thus it is pointless, and I have only words to give." It ended its little rant with a shrug.

"Right you are, monster. Your very existence is a blight upon the world. The best apology you can make is lowering your head and letting me hack it off for you. Lay down, and I'll make it quick." I let the shine of my ax reflect what light came through the branches.

It just laughed, slowly shaking its head. "I feel like a noble mother coming home to deal with a particularly stubborn child." It chose every word to be as demeaning as possible towards me. "I can kill you in so many ways, and yet you still don't get it." It fell to its knees as black ichor flowed along their pale skin. The monster spread their arms wide, "Come then, make it quick. I haven't got all day."

I didn't have to be told twice, I charged throwing all my weight behind my strike as the monster formed its wicked armor. I struck its neck, I threw everything into my attack. Then I attacked again, then again, and again, and again. It didn't budge, only lightly tilting from each of my mightiest blows. "Impossible!"

It caught my next strike with its thumb and index finger. "Is it sinking in yet?" It cruelly taunted, "I need to be very direct with you, it seems. Di'Rex, I don't like you. If it were up to me, I would have eaten you in that cave. Had I traveled alone, you wouldn't be here." The monster stood up, still holding my ax's blade. It loomed over me, "You can say what you want about me, you can taunt, you can strike as many times as you wish. The second Richard is done with you, is the second you die. If you play along, then I'll give you an honorable death after a week. I'll fight you wherever you want to die, then I'll eat your corpse."

I tried to free my ax, "I'm sensing a 'but' here."

The ichor receded as its smile stretched unnaturally. "If you hurt Richard, I will drag you back to the village you were born in. I will grab everyone you loved, and bring them into my Hive. They will be a part of me, and I will break their minds. Your mother was human, right?" I froze, unable to respond as the creature let out a low hiss. "Perfect, I will make her carve you apart, piece by bloody piece. She will die from eating your flesh, and she will thank me with every bite." That grin grew more sinister, "I will grant you the blessing of my undivided attention should you kill Richard. These thoughts are just idle musings, you don't want my full attention. Am. I. Clear?"

It let go of the ax, as I slowly nodded. "Crystal..." I hated that I had to back down from this monster. I glared at it with all the defiance I could muster.

It chuckled, "Good! Now apologize for wasting my time." They clapped their hands together, the lower set on its hips.

I lowered my head, "No." I looked back up at the monster, as it slowly clapped.

"I'm reasonable, see? I don't care that you won't apologize. I get that it goes against your culture. You're still here, and I won't hurt anyone you care about just because you defied me. I won't even hurt you, because I said those words to hurt you. Words have power, they hold meaning. The threats I told you only hold weight because you know I'll do it." She covered herself with her wings, "Oh, you know I will in a heartbeat. I'm a terrible monster in your eyes. You aren't wrong about me."

I flinched as she grabbed my shoulder. I glared at her, "I will kill you."

She gave me a thumbs-up, "Wonderful! You're welcome to try as hard as you want whenever Richard isn't watching us. That's what this all boils down to. I can tell that you're helping someone I care about. You're doing something I can't because he's on your level in a physical way. You might be more mature emotionally, but I only think that from the glimpses I see during you two sparring. That said, you calling me a monster in front of him has been voiced. Call me by my name, or something less harmful in his eyes. I really don't care, but he does." It gripped my other shoulder, forcing me to look at it. "I want to pretend we went on a little hunting trip, and let Richard think we're getting along. You aren't doing it for me, you're doing it for him, your mother, and everyone else you ever cared about."

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I grunted, looking into the monster's glowing eyes. "Why allow this? What are your goals with the boy? What is it that you seek to do?"

The creepy smile was back, "As I said, you're capable of something I am not. For lack of a better explanation, Richard is my moral compass. It's quick and easy for you to understand. Complex things are made up of many simple parts, so to help you understand more, I'll explain just a bit. I like Richard, there are reasons for that. I like him enough to keep him happy. He's more than cover for me infiltrating a kingdom full of bigots. Even you should realize he's unique compared to others. I heard a part of his answer while you were sparing, and it touched me. I feel there is more, and I want to see how it develops."

"What do you mean? What answer?" I narrowed my eyes.

"That given a choice, Richard will choose to accept anyone or anything until it does him harm. That's what I'm doing here, Di'Rex, I'm giving you a chance. It's a concept so foreign to me, that it took him uttering the words before I realized the principle. I was controlling others through fear or using what they wanted to make them loyal. I am a monster, and I only pretend I'm not because I want to learn about those that will try to kill me."

It pushed me back, and I stumbled but kept my feet beneath me. "What's the point? What is your goal behind all this?"

Mimi let out a soft laugh, "To eat, sleep, and reproduce." The monster used my own words against me, "Just like every other living creature. You can't accept that notion, because you feel I want to corrupt and destroy. That's fine, but I'm the only one of my race capable of reproducing strong offspring. My daughters are sterile as far as I can tell, sure you could say the bugs of my Hive are my children. If they are, then I'm a mildly disappointed mother, I'll exist as long as they are around so good luck killing me. The problem is that I will be struggling as I try to regain a fraction of the strength I have with this body. I want to live, and I'm willing to be called selfish for such."

The monster spread her arms wide, and I shook my head. "What about the other monsters? The other races? What will you do to the beasts of this world? You taint everything you touch!"

It rolled its eyes, "As if anyone else is better. I'll humor you though, here are the honest answers. Other monsters will be eaten or used, most likely both if they are useful enough. Just as the other races and beasts. It is no different from raising cattle beasts to do farm work, or keeping slaves if you want to stand on some moral high ground." She waved her hand dismissively at the notion, "What I do is neither better nor worse, I just understand how far I'll go to get what I want. I know where my lines are, and they are closer to human morals until I get tired of Richard or he dies."

The creature wasn't wrong, but it still disturbed me. The more I thought about it, the more I found it hard to disagree. I wanted to claim my race was different, but some tribes did hold slaves. Every tribe offered a service in exchange for the chance to copulate with the women of another race. How were her methods different? I laughed, realizing I just called the monster a 'her' in my head. "I see."

She clapped her hands, as I smiled at her. "Wonderful! That's great, it really is." This was the answer Richard held, the one she saw. I had been a fool. My calling her a monster wasn't helpful in the slightest. "It's a shame we need to pretend to get along. I know you can manage it after all your family depends on it. I'll have a hive close to their village, it might protect them, well if the village isn't destroyed already."

"What do you mean?" I looked at her.

She tilted her head, looking at me as if I was incredibly dumb. "We've been following the trail led by the vampire army for weeks, and Richard wanted to make sure it was alright. Perhaps we'll find a few survivors, perhaps not." She shrugged, "That doesn't matter to me, but it might matter to you." That's not what I was asking, I was a hypocrite!

I grunted, "That's not what I meant."

Mimi let out a small sigh, "Naturally I'll leave a hive there if the people are fine. Don't worry, I'll tell Richard it's there to purify the water, or just fight off beasts like the town we left. That's all it'll do even after you die. Just don't hurt Richard and I won't need to make you suffer." She shrugged, before walking back towards the wagons. "That's all there is to it."

I took a slow breath, "Thank you." I spent weeks demeaning her, and she still made plans to keep the village safe. It was a kind gesture and I saw that there was no way of knowing what she did until we visited again. It wasn't my place to ask for forgiveness, nor could I think of anything to repay her. The least I could do was give her my trust in this. If I accepted her threats as promises, then I must also accept the kindness she offered.

I followed behind, deciding to spend the next few hours honing my ax. I couldn't even leave a scratch, and she showed me just how much farther I needed to go. Fighting her when she was on the attack would be worth it, just not today. I decided to ask something instead, "Will you stop putting Richard to sleep?"

She tilted her head, "You don't seem to understand you're in no position to ask anything from myself."

"I do get it, but forcing him to sleep when you want him to isn't good. You want me to help him, then you need to listen when I suggest something." She turned to look at me after I finished talking.

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Because having no control over something like when you sleep isn't good. It's emasculating, and cruel. How would you like if I told you when to take a shit, and gave you no choice?" Richard was right about her being more than a monster, but I wasn't sure about her being more than a person.

To her credit, she considered it, "Very well." We made it back to camp and I gathered wood for the fire. I started to hone my ax, still trying to wrap my head around it. Orcs were supposed to be better than monsters because we could eat them. If that was true, then monsters would be better than the races they ate, because they came from them. Then there was the fact that orcs came from the other races. It was a circle, like the cycle of life.

I kept thinking about it, honing my ax the entire time. Mimi was still using Richard, but I had been wrong as to what she was using him for. I had assumed a monster was no different than a beast, and that was a mistake. There were always stories about clever monsters, and I pondered where people and beasts ended. Was it because we could talk? There were corpse drinkers that squeezed the lungs of dead people to make them cry for help. It had to be something else.

My head was swirling with ideas, and I kept trying to figure it out despite the headache. I was finished honing, and let the ax rest on my lap. The sun was going down when Mimi sat across from me. The bounty of her hunt was sitting in the pot. The furs were already cleaned, the bones picked from the meat with surgical precision. "What makes you different from a beast?"

She looked down at me, "I swear if this is because I make Richard cook. He enjoys doing it, he gets upset whenever I don't let him. Don't tell me that it's hurting him somehow, I know you'll be lying." That isn't what I meant...

I shook my head, "No, I mean what do you feel makes people different from beasts. I keep wanting to say it's talking, but there are corpse drinkers. They use others to talk, but it's the same."

She raised a brow, "Culture." She stated as a matter of fact. I just stared, waiting for more. She sighed, "Beasts and simple creatures can recognize patterns. They act on those patterns, like a bee going to certain colors and scents to find nectar. A corpse drinker recognizes if it squeezes the lungs of a dead body in a certain way it can get a fresher meal. What they lack is culture or sapience as some might want to call it. The idea that they can break the pattern recognition to use tools or try new things. That's when minor souls start to grow to lesser souls."

"Lesser souls?" I looked at the wood, "You can see souls?"

"I can, and it is helpful. Most of my bugs have minor souls, they act on instinct and I can direct them because I am their Queen. Others like the breeders and most tier two develop lesser souls. Their souls share the same sound as my own, like how fire crackles as it burns wood. Souls have sounds, but I know from the banshee I ate that they also have smells. I can't smell them, so I believe how they are perceived depends on the person 'viewing' them."

I gave a curt nod, "Then you know what makes the races different? The difference between people and beasts?"

"To an extent, I'm searching for those answers. I've seen my personalities develop from lesser souls to regular souls if that makes sense. I'm using regular people as the baseline." She shrugged.

I smirked, "You're using Richard as the baseline."

She paused, then laughed a little. "I suppose I am. The people races are rather common. It's strange since children have lesser souls and those develop into regular souls. My answer to that is simply culture. It could be a greater understanding of the sense of self, but I only have my personalities to base that on. It could be understanding one's purpose, but I don't have all the answers. It's a shame I still don't like you, I might have told you when I figured it out." She shrugged.

I chuckled, "As if you could get those answers in the first place. I'll find them myself."

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Richard Adams

I woke up on the bed, stretching my legs. I sat up with a yawn, rubbing my jaw that still felt sore. Guess Rex knocked me out. I wasn't mad, I kind of remember fucking up. I'd get mad too if he hit me in the boys. I did a few more stretches while I checked the daylight. Yeah, the sun was setting. I poked my head outside, and nearly fell over when I saw Mimi and Rex talking to each other.

I blinked, just staring at them. The guy barely spoke to her before, and she was always short with him. What happened? No, don't question it. Just act natural. They didn't light the campfire, and Mimi has the pot next to her. They're waiting on food, I kind of wish I didn't sleep so much, but can't fix that.

Hopping off the wagon, I walked towards the two. Rex was still talking, "As if you could get those answers in the first place. I'll find them myself."

Mimi smirked, as she put the pot on top of the stand for me. "I'd like to see you try, orc." The usual edge was missing.

Rex glanced at me, he hesitated before grunting. "Whatever you say, monster." Even that held less venom, am I dreaming?

I knelt over the firewood and lit it with my flames. "So... something happen between you guys?"

Mimi leaned back, "We fought, we hunted, it's out of Di'Rex's system I believe. He challenged me, and I made it very clear where we stood."

"Oh really?" I looked at the guy in question.

Rex nodded slowly, "Crystal clear, there's nothing I can do to her." He shrugged, "After I spar with you, I'm going to spar with her. Battles with her are, enlightening."

Mimi tsked, "If I feel like it. Did you sleep well, Richard?" She smiled at me.

I let out a small laugh, "Kind of feel like I'm still dreaming, I'm glad you two are getting along. Any idea on how long until we reach the village?" I looked at both of them while I poured in some broth from last night's meal. Slowly the juices and heat started to saturate the meat, while my magic broke them down and made it more tender. It wouldn't take too long to cook, and both of them were always hungry.

Rex looked up at the sky, "Maybe a couple of days. We'll get there soon."