My family had always been proud of their military service, and we’d seen many wars over the centuries. They were my father’s greatest passion in life. The old man would brag about his time-fighting humans on the front lines until he was blue in the face. I didn’t believe half of what he said, but I loved listening to him tell war stories. When he got too drunk, however, that meant trouble for someone.That night it was me who took all the lumps.“Don’t be such a pussy,” he snarled at me. “It isn’t as if they’re going to come and arrest you.”“They will not arrest me, Dad,” I repeated. “But they might shoot me if I get close enough. It’s not like this is the first plague that has struck our people. “He tried to hide his fear behind a scowl. He was supposed to be the tough one. Even an orc can have a moment of weakness. “They wouldn’t do that. You’re just being paranoid. Just go talk to them.”I sighed, then stepped outside. My father followed me with his sword drawn. I didn’t know whether he thought he could protect me from anything. None of them would be stupid enough to attack an orc warrior. I wondered briefly how many other orcs were watching us out of their windows, wondering if they should come down to help.The humans didn’t look at me any differently than they did at anyone else. That was a surprise. I am a big orc.I was always self-conscious about my body, but I have learned to embrace my curves. Ten of them stood around the main entrance, holding weapons and wearing full body armor. None of them looked thrilled to see me. What were they doing if they weren’t here to arrest me? Maybe they were afraid of catching something from me. I wasn’t sick, but I still felt tired, and my throat always hurt.“Excuse me,” I said politely, walking up to the group. “Are you looking for a doctor?”
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One of them glanced at me, then spun away. They obviously hadn’t expected me to speak, let alone speak, English. All magical creatures talk to English. Get over it. Their lack of respect made me angry. Why were they acting like this? They came to my home…what do they want?
“I’m sorry, sir,” the soldier finally spoke, “but we are looking for The Orc Druid.