"Bloody corpse fucker!"

The dwarf swore as he gave the dead body of the necromancer a hard kick that sent it flying until it hit the stonewall. He glared angrily at the dead mage's boody. The more he looked at it the angrier he got. He picked up his battleaxe, and was about to go after the corpse, when a delicate hand gripped his shoulder firmly.

"Thorgrim, calm down. You won't bring her back by lowering yourself to his standard"

Thorgrim looked up at his friend, and his anger started to calm when he met the tear filled eyes of the elven mage. He looked away from the elf, not able to meet his gace. So he turned towards the ritual circle that took up most room. The room was quite big 5*4m or so. Everything was in stone, the walls, floor and ceiling. In the middle of the room where a big circle with arcane symbols drawn in blood. And in the circle lay Elaine, her body fast becoming cold. The human paladin on his knee beside her was trying to save the child.

"Aye, you are right Aldrin. Your sister would probably have given me an earful if I started to desecrate dead. I… I just feel so..."

The elf clenched his shoulder harder for a moment, then with a sigh he released him. His worries for the child were easily seen on his face.

"I know my friend, I know…"

They had been making good time through the small keep, putting down the undead that the necromancer had risen from the grave. There had been a small delay when they fought the animated bones of a dragon in the room just before the ritual chamber. But that was it, the idiot of mage had hastened the summoning and slammed a danger through the heart of the young elf, just a second before Aldrin's lightning bolt had hit him. The stun the bolt had generated was enough time for Alex (short for Alexander) to close the distance and return the favor by ramming his sword through the mage's heart.

But it was already too late, Elaine's soul had already fueled the start of the ritual. The only good thing was that the necromancer's death had disrupted the summoning and sent the energy somewhere else, nothing had been summoned from what the tree friends could see. A hefty price for saving them from a battle they would gladly have fought just to save Elaine and her baby.

"Aldrin… did your sister ever tell you wo the father was?"

Alex asked looking up at the elf.

" No she didn't tell anyone as far as I know. Why are you asking? Is there something wrong with the baby? Is the child dead?"

You could see Aldrin was having a hard time keeping his feelings in check. He wanted to run over to his sister's side but the paladin was far better at all matters related to healing.

" Well it is a boy… but the reason I'm asking is because he's half-elf. And that's not all you know I blessed the child to help with the dark energy from the ritual…."

Alex took a big breath, he didn't look sure in what he was about to tell his friends.

" Out with it, what's wrong with the blessing boy."

Thorgrim could no longer wait and the pause was killing the elf.

" Well it's not that there's any problem with the blessing… but it should already have ended. And normally this means that the goddess has taking an interest."

Alex didn't know what to tell his friends, it should be a good thing. But he really didn't know, and any guesses could give Aldrin the wrong impression.

" What does that even mean, surely it must be a good thing? You and Elaine serve the same God after all."

Thorgrim started to walk over to Alex, when he heard the cry. He froze in place, he knew that sound. His own boy had made the same sound when he came to the world. Memories surfaced that had been buried more than hundred years ago. Alex was fast to pick up the boy and wrap him in a blanket. He stood up and came over to his friends. Thorgrim pushed the memories a side, now was not the time to get all sentimental.

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" Everything seems to be good Aldrin."

The paladin held the crying baby out for the elf to take him. Aldrin was starting to get pale. With shaking arms he took the baby and looked down at his nephew.

" What… what should I do, is he hungry?"

The elf was trying to calm the child, he was about to start shaking poor boy when Thorgrim took the baby from him with firm but gentle hands.

" what in all the hell's are you trying to do, wizard. You fill break his neck if you start flailing the lad around like a mace."

He gave the elf an angry glare as held the baby close to his chest.

Alex was about to laugh, looking at the two mighty adventures. But he quickly whipped the laugh from his lips when he caught a glance of Elaine's body. With a heavy sigh that drew the eyes of His friends.

"Let's quickly loot this damn place and bring Elaine's body home. This is no place for a child."

Both his friends gave a nood, and within the hour they were on their way.

A teleport by Aldrin and a week of swearing about blind and retarded wizards, not knowing what they were doing. about 200 miles away from the moldy keep.The friend's were gathered around a table, at the small peaceful inn The weary traveler. They had just eaten and were nursing a cold ale.

" So what are you going to do with the baby, now that he won't starve to death in the forest.

Thorgrim was still not letting the wizards blunder with the teleport rest.

" For the last time, it was a mistake the kid peed on me while I was chanting and I lost my concentration for a moment"

" Let it rest Thorgrim, everything turned out okay at the end. But it was a fine sneak attack I must say. And I also want to know what will become of the child before I return to the capitol."

The paladin was smiling, he found it amusing that the wizard lost his concentration. He had seen Aldrin taking a sword through his stomach and still cast harder spells, but the pee attack had brought the mighty wizard down.

"Haha very funny Alex…" Aldrin's voice dripping in sarcasm. He paused with a sigh and his face got all serious.

" To be honest I don't know what to do with my nephew. As you both have pointed out more then once, I don't know how to take care of a baby. And even if I could somehow learn to take care of him, my guard duty on the island is about to begin. And I don't think it's a good place to grow up there."

Both his friends nodded in agreement. Sure it was probably no problem to visit the mage, but to grow up at the elven guard post was a big no.

"My parents are not in the elven duchy, and won't be back in at least a year. Otherwise I'm sure they would have loved to take care of him. So I'm not sure what to do with him."

" Well I'm not sure, but I know the church would take him. His mother was a follower after all, or maybe I could maybe take him to the court in the capital to live there. But since he is not of a human noble house I would not recommend it, but it is an alternative."

Thorgrim looked in silence as the paladin was trying to help, then he turned his sight down to the little boy sleeping in his arms. His feelings for the child had grown over the week they had traveled. His fatherly feeling's coming to surface, and it was something he had surely missed.

His heart broke when his child had died in a raid by green skins a hundred years earlier. In his dreams at night he could still see the orc's mace cave in his beloved son's head. Since then he and his lovely wife Helga had started to drift a part. He knew he was part of the blame, but he didn't know how to tell her. So instead he went on longer and more dangerous trips. Some people called him a hero, but he knew he was just a coward refusing to face his feelings.

This was a chance he knew it, he felt it in his heart. looking down on that small innocent face he didn't want to let go. And from what he was hearing, the boy's future didn't look too bright. He made up his mind, the child was not gonna have to grow up at a guard post or surrounded by human nobels.

" I will take care of the child"

The two adventures looked at him in surprise.

" Are you sure Thorgrim? A life on the road fighting orcs and bandits can't be better than the church, or are gonna send him to the dwarves mines dooming the kid to a life in the dark?"

" What are you two goblins talking about, I will take the kid with me to Helga. And if you guys have anything left between those ears of yours, you might remember that I'm a fucking grandmaster in smithing. I will teach the boy a good profession if the way of the sword is not for him."

" But he is not a dwarf Thorgrim, what will the dwarven council say about you teaching the boy?"

Both Aldrin and Alexander knew that the dwarves guarded their secrets to smithing almost as fierce as a dragon guarded his hoard.

" Well we don't know if the lad has any talent for metal working so we will cross that bridge then if we come to it."

Thorgrim gave them a hard look.

" And if the boy has talent and wants to learn, they sure best remember who is their rightful king. I might not have worn the crown for some time, and I am content with their decisions so far. But if they overstep, I will make them remember why they gave me the moniker orcsbane, mark my words."

He slammed his fist so hard on the table that the legs of the big oak table gave out and fell to the floor with a loud crash, the baby woke up and started to cry. His eyes became soft and with a low voice he started to calm the boy.

"You have nothing to worry about lad no harm will come to you, and if someone tries to make you an alter boy or a jester at some noble court they will have to walk through me."

Aldrin looked at the dwarven hero sitting across from him. He saw something in his friend that had been missing for a long time. A small fire was burning in his eyes, it was small but it was there and maybe with time it would grow back to the inferno of life the dwarf had possessed. He knew the dwarfs threat's were no idle boosting, he had been over level 50 before the orc war and his mad adventures, and only the gods knew what level he was at now. He was one of the strongest warriors in the west, probably the strongest. Nothing short of a small army would stop the dwarf if he set his mind to it.

"Well if you are sure and Helga are okay with it, I don't see any problems with it."