image [https://i.imgur.com/RCGrn1f.png]

“I was a young orc when my father and I went hunting in the Shade.” Kankraa reminisced as he walked down the street. His golden poleaxe hobbled behind.

“Shade?” Marina asked.

“The area directly under the Great Tree’s shade,” Drac answered. “It is the most dangerous section of the whole forest. Only merchants with balls, idiot adventurers, and masters of aura and magic ever set foot there. The Imago’s homeland. I have read that they gained their huge size from great fruit grown there.”

“Ah, I see. What meat did the hunt for, Orc?” enquired Marina

“It's Kankraa, gold hair. And meat? We farm that. We hunt for Great fruits! They grow at different times and places in the woods but the chance is higher under the shade. And so Father took a team of the best warriors in our horde and made the trek. The journey was hard and perilous for a young Kankraa. Wild beasts bigger than any horse you have ever seen, Vines move and ensnare the unsuspecting. Giant birds swoop in with claws larger than my young self. Members of the group often mumbled to themselves about going back but the prize was too great to quit. Fruits grew in our village and they sustained us well. However, the size and potency of the fruits by the shade was greater than you could imagine. The group struggled and endured. Days turn to weeks turned into months of searching, fighting, and killing. At first, battle felt glorious- my first taste of battle was with the Imago- but the cycle of searching and killing felt laborious. Then the day came. A radiant Great Fruit glowed amongst the bush, guarded by a battle bear. Its hide is thick with black hair that normal swords can not pierce. Claws sharp enough to slice into armour. Intelligence shone through its dark eye and it looked at father hunters. It stood up on its hind legs, making 9-foot warriors look small. Then I noticed something small next to the bear. A human lay unconscious. His breath was heavy. Covered in gashes and large scratches, blood covered his clawed armour.

“Father began his assault and I saw my chance. I ran as fast as man short legs could carry me and went over to the dying man.

“‘Leave the human alone!!!’ my father shouted at me as he blocked a claw with his sword. Ignore him like always and I picked up the bleeding human. The other hunters followed Father and began to slash their axes at the beast's legs, felling the bear. One flare of aura around his sword and father cut the beast's head. We still have the trophy back in the village! Anyway, with the beast dead, we finally got our prize. Cheers and roars shook the leaves as Father’s hunters celebrated. But a human bleeds. Close to death with no healer in sight. So I did something fucking stupid. I shared my aura.”

“You what?!” Marina said aloud on Mist. “Why are you here except for the Mage Tower?”

Kankraa grinned. "Finally, someone noticed my genius. But you already know why. I have read your books and know what kind of discrimination even a person like Drac faces. Anyway, back to my tale.

“I shared my aura. Giving him the energy to self-heal. Due to my awe-inspiring generosity, I carried him along as we travelled back to our village, much to the displeasure of Father. But I had a cute face so he let it go. Days go by and the human heals to the point of being able to talk again. His first sentence was ‘thank you’. His second sentence was, ‘Can I cook for you?’. We reached our village and were welcomed with celebrations. Although an outcast, with his cooking skills, he quickly became part of our town, culture, and our lives. A decade in the village and he had never said a word about leaving. Then, all of a sudden, he vanished. Weeks passed. And nothing. The village quietly mourned, as many believed he was killed out hunting. But I believed. I believed he would come back. It was his home.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"One day he came back. But…not without our doom in tow."

Kankraa hung his head low. “Slaughter it was. Just a slaughter. Like a devil, he flew above with strange wings and smiled as he always did as his bugs ravaged men, women… children. I screamed and screamed why as I killed Imago. Shouted for him to fight me. He buzzed above with a smile. Rage built up, and I crouched to jump at the wasp. Then, a rough hand grabbed my arm. ‘Horde first.’ Father said with cuts on his body. I made a cowardly decision. For the sake of my people, I evacuated every person I could. With my pole axe, I guarded the villagers as they ran toward a thicker part of the forest where they would be harder to track. The last of the villagers entered the bush and I looked back. En Hovered above, smiling. Then, with a burst of his wings, he flew upward. And disappeared into the clouds. The wrath that burned my heart told me to run after him but my mind sighed, knowing that if I fought with him, only my father would be able to take care of the horde. So I turned and followed my horde in search of a safer place. The Imago had kept chasing us for days. But I had not seen En until now.”

“Gaia…” Marina moved Mist closer and patted the orc on the arm. Kankraa smiled back at Marina.

A dear friend of years turns on you and butchers your village... I understand the orcs’s rage and I praise Kankraa's composure.

And many more towns will suffer the same fate. If you don't find En and the mirror.

“So he was human before? No wings?” Drac asked Kankraa.

“Nope. No wings. A regularly normal, boring human.”

“He must have been turned into a minion by the demon in the mirror.”

Kankraa stopped in his tracks and stared down at Drac with a piercing glare. “Turned?”

Drac nodded. “I overheard the beetle and the mirror talking about kidnapping new people because I killed their fighters. Very possible for En to be a previous victi-”

Kankraa's eyes fill with tears. His lips drew a line as he held back his anger.

“I don't know if he's the same person or if we can bring him back,” Drac said softly, looking into Kankraa's eyes with concern.

Kankraa continued walking, wiping tears from his eyes with his forearm. “I know… It changes nothing…”

“Hey, Drac!” A woman’s voice called. Flida waved from down the street, and her wolf followed close behind. Bob carried shopping behind her. Marina hopped off Mist and skipped over to hug the wolf.

“Gideon! Missed me?” she said while scratching the large wolf’s neck. Gideon barked as he licked her face.

“Hello, Flida. How'd you find us?” Drac asked.

“The green giant that’s scaring the folks away.”

With sniffles, Kankraa asked. “Who is the old man?”

Everyone stared at the green orc, who stood unaware of the insult that came out of his mouth.

“Old man!?” Marina shouted, “He is barely in his thirties!”

Kankraa scratched his head and said, “That’s an old man where I come from.”

Bob grunted and moved forward. Orc and priest face each other. Kankraa looked down at Bob, a foot above the already massive man.

“Well, this old man is your party member.”

“Party member?” Flida asked

Bob grunts. His eyes scan the Orc. “good enough.” He held up a hand and Kankraa cheerily shook it.

“Finally, someone strong!”

“Alright,” Drac said to everyone, their attention fixed on him. He looked towards the large Great Tree that towers above. "Today, rest, relax, train, drink, do whatever. For tomorrow, we venture out into the woods.” Drac looked back at the group and the determined faces. “Deeper into the lush jungle, filled with strange beasts and terrors, to complete our goal; rescuing the priest. With him lie hopes of freeing the forest of terror of the Imago. We will not have another Heartbrook razed to the ground because of these bugs. We will not let En devastate another town!”

Everyone in the party cheers with Kankraa’s roar the loudest.

“Ok. Confidence-building speech over, I am going to drink myself stupid. Who’s up.”

Marina and Kankraa's arms were up first.