When Blemish finally woke up, he rubbed his head in confusion. He glanced around, replacing his mask quickly. He felt a gentle relief in his joints and body and noticed his injuries seemed…better. The pain was not as great, and his bandages had been replaced. Had the doctor put him to sleep? He cursed himself silently for his stupidity; only a fool lets down his guard so easily. He managed to stand up for a few moments and walk around, but the sudden movement brought stabbing pain to his side and shoulder and he sat back down again. He groaned and shook his head, frustrated and fatigued.
“Well, look who’s up and moving!” Blemish looked up to see Titania walking in and smiling. The sunlight pouring in through the window added a lovely aura to her that made Blemish smile as he lowered his mask. It felt good to put down his mask around Titania. She knelt down and inspected his bandages. “You shouldn’t be moving too much though. Aynor did a good job on you, but he warned you should stay relatively still while the potions and stitches do their job.”
“Potions and stitches?” Blemish asked. Titania went into the explanation for what Aynor and Philip had done. Blemish listened intently and he smiled happily, glad he’d be well again in a few days. He was even more happy to hear he’d get another shot at Jessai’s life.
“Our biggest problem right now though is how we do it.” Titania explained solemnly. “That’s what we want your help with.”
“My help?”
“We’re going to help you take down Jessai…but we need to know the best way to do it. You’re trained for this kind of thing. It makes sense you might have a solution.” Blemish blinked and shook his head.
“No I…I should do this alone.”
“You don’t have to worry about us.”
“It’s not that I…don’t know what you would do.” Blemish replied. “I’ve always done these things alone. I don’t know how to best do this with a group.” Titania smiled and placed a hand on his knee as she sat next to him.
“Well then think about this,” she encouraged, “imagine how you would do it alone. Think about all the things you have to go through to get in…get to Jessai…and get out again. What are things that would make that easier for you? What are some obstacles and problems you face that you’d like solutions to? That’s where we come in. You come up with a plan, and we’ll do what you tell us.” Blemish paused to think, rubbing his head in concentration. He ran the scenarios through his mind again and again, and started thinking of all the complications…all the problems.
“I’ll need some time.”
“You have time.” Titania encouraged him. “I’ll make some lunch. You get your head on straight.” Titania got up to go make food and Blemish beamed at the prospect of food to quell his growling stomach. He then realized how empty the house felt now. Where were the elves? Where was Grognor?
“Where is everyone?”
“Jennifer and Meriel are getting herbs that Philip recommended. They’re not far from the cabin and they’ll be back soon. Grognor is back in town working on…well whatever he wants…and Aynor will be back tomorrow night to check on your condition. I imagine Philip will be with him.” Blemish detected the resentment in Titania’s voice when she spoke of Grognor and he fidgeted a little. He remembered the night the two had fought and wondered if perhaps he should ask about it. Before he could come to a conclusion, Titania returned with some kind of rice and sliced meat on top of it. She handed it to Blemish and sat down as Blemish wolfed it down, desperate to calm his howling stomach.
“Thank you.” He exclaimed.
“You’re welcome.” Titania smiled. She then reached for the bible on her drawer top and opened it up. She held it open and then looked carefully at Blemish. “You can say no to this…but would you like me to teach you how to read this?”
“You can teach me to read?” Blemish asked, nearly gagging.
“I’d like to try, if you’ll let me.” Titania shrugged. Blemish slowly lowered his face and fidgeted with his food. Blemish said little else, as if his mind was struggling to rationalize something within his own head. Titania gazed at him patiently. “If you don’t want me to, I won’t be disappointed.”
“It is…no, I do not know what to say.” Blemish finally confessed. “Miss Titania, I do not wish to trouble you further.”
“You’re not troubling me.”
“But you attacked your mate for me almost a week ago.” He pointed out. Titania paused and suddenly blushed.
“My what!?! You think Grognor and I are….oh no, that’s not the case at all!” Titania cried. “Grognor is my friend from before the Cataclysm. I knew him from a long time ago and we helped each other out with our changes and new life. He’s certainly not my mate.”
“But…even if he’s not…you still…” Blemish’s voice trailed off. “I am a blemish on your life…as I am in existence.”
“Stop that.” Titania snapped, gripping Blemish firmly. “You are not a blemish on my or anyone’s life!” Blemish felt a shiver run down his back at her touch and he bit his lip forcefully to stop himself from crying again.
“But you and Grognor…”
“We’ll work it out ourselves. It’s not because of you, I promise. You are not the reason Grognor and I are upset. We’re just two…two friends having an argument.” Titania choked on the word friend. Were they still friends? Yes, she reasoned, yes they had to be…even if it didn’t feel like it. A part of her couldn’t bring herself to think that she’d lose a friend over this. Blemish was trembling slowly and with discomfort. “What’s wrong?”
“Miss Titania…may I…may I ask a favor?” He asked. Titania nodded.
“What do you need?”
“I saw…I saw Meriel and her mother doing something very warm and intimate with each other where they wrapped each other in each others arms and held each other in a sort of embrace…and so I tried to imitate that after you defeated the orc.”
“Yes?”
“…I am not certain how but…could…could you show me how to do that?” He asked. “I would…like to share that feeling with…with you…please.” He stammered and stuttered like a shy child telling his parents why he’d done something wrong. Titania simply smiled with a blush on her face and nodded.
“You want a hug.” She reached her arms around Blemish and gently pulled him into her breasts, squeezing him against her gently but with enough firmness that he felt her. Blemish’s eyes began to water as he wrapped his own arms around Titania, his hands trembling. He’d never felt this before; he was sure of it. And yet…despite that assurance…there was a familiarity to it. Did he once have this before…before the Inquisition?
The Inquisition! What would they say if they saw this!? It’s shameful enough that he was rescued by non-humans, but to actually exchange intimate physical contact with one too!? To actually…what did Titania call it? Hug? How would they feel about him HUGGING a demon!? The fear drove him to start to resist…to start to push away…but then he felt her warm body…the relaxing sensation of her skin. And for the first time in a very long time, Blemish put aside any thoughts of the Inquisition as he nestled himself into Titania’s embrace.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Jessai’s eyes were closed, but he was not sleeping. He was sitting on his throne, his fingers resting on his Warhammer and he was thinking. Normally, an orc’s mental capacity is limited. They are designated to very specific and assigned tasks because it’s difficult for orcs to handle more than one or two tasks or roles at once. For example, an orc that is taught how to cook will specialize in that field and do it to the best of his abilities…but the likelihood of him learning another skill is slim to none without him giving up his mental understanding of cooking. For this reason, orcs are often called the most stupid of races…but they make up for this mental deficiency in other ways. They are impervious to magic, all orcs have a natural affinity for combat, and they are a fertile race that can reproduce rapidly and easily. They are by no means weak, despite their weaker minds.
But Jessai, like all High Orcs, is special. A High Orc has gifts in leadership and planning. They are on a higher mental level than their peers, capable of rationalizing, plotting, and thinking things through. In Jessai’s case, she’s even outwitted some very clever peoples. How else has she expanded and maintained Orcshire’s lands for the past 8 years? He has pushed back the Kingdom of Kal’Eron to the South. He was continuing to press further North into the Valimar Republic, and despite the Queen of Khatan Tengeree beyond the North Western mountains had expressed severe desire to eliminate him and his warband, she’d not pressed into Orcshire. Now with Serindal across the sea waiting for him, Orcshire was poised to grow even larger. With more sex slaves to take to increase their numbers…more resources to replenish his armies…and with more people to dominate, his orc world was growing ever stronger.
So why did this Inquisition brat bother him so?
Why did knowing he was guarded by the mountain demon unnerve him?
“It makes no sense…” He sneered.
“You wanted me?” Jessai opened his eye to see Grognor standing in his hall, glaring up at him darkly.
“You failed to bring me the boy.”
“I tried reasoning with her, but she was immovable. If you think you can get better results, you go see her yourself.” Grognor snorted darkly.
“Hmph…I’m not sure if you did everything you could.”
“What do you want from me, Jessai?” Grognor finally snarled. “There’s nothing else you could do to me at this point. You have my family. You have my business. What else can you take from me!?”
“Nothing else?” Jessai asked curiously. “I highly doubt that. I’m sure there’s more that I can wrench out of you if I just find the right way to twist.” Grognor grimaced, but he himself felt rather confident that Jessai had done all he could. What else could he do now?
“Hija! Moorgah!” Two large orcs, one being Grognors own father hurried over to Jessai’s side. He shouted something at them in the orcish language and the two grunted running off to go do as told. Jessai then glared at Grognor who was utterly confused. But before he could ask what had been done, there was a loud scream. Grognor looked up to see a lovely elvish woman being dragged into the hall, with long blonde hair and rags for a dress. She was exhausted…dirty…and her face was filled with fear. In Hijah’s clutches was a younger girl with large feet for her size, with hairy toes and large ears. She was screaming and kicking but to no avail.
“MOM! SARAH!” Grognor cried, trying to go to his mother and sister.
“ETHAN!” Sarah screamed.
“You said a moment ago that I’d already done all I could…there was nothing more I could take.” Jessai explained. “I’ve made your sister a mine worker with other slaves…and your mother, though a sex slave for reproduction, she has yet to be bedded with any of my underlings. Trust me, keeping them off of her has been difficult.”
“Y-you bastard…” Grognor snarled furiously, his fists trembling.
“But that changes tomorrow night. I will take her to my chambers tomorrow night. As for your sister? A halfling child isn’t much good for mine work…too needy and just another mouth to feed. I’ll just remove her…the executioner has been getting bored lately. All of this I will do…if the boy and the demon are not brought to me by then. I don’t care how you do it, but you will bring the boy to me.”
“I tried! I swear to you, I’ve tried! But Titania won’t be reasonable!”
“Then KILL her! Is that monsters life worth more than theirs!?” Jessai demanded. “It’s time for you to decide what’s most important to you, Grognor!”
“DON’T LISTEN TO HIM, ETHAN!” Ethan’s mother cried, fighting the restraints around her wrists. “IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT HAPPENS! DON’T GIVE THIS PIG WHAT HE WANTS!” Jessai turned and grabbed the frightened elf by the jaw and yanked her to face him.
“You run your mouth well…I can’t wait to try it in other ways.”
“GODDAMN YOU JESSICA!”
The whole room fell silent at the name Grognor had roared. Jessai’s eye twitched and he rounded on Grognor with a look of loathing, his fangs bared. Hija and Moorgah both stepped back in fear as Jessai was spitting with mad rage.
“What did you call me, you fat bearded old fool!?”
“I said your name, you bastard…your real name. I know you’d like me to just forget…for the world to pretend that was never who you were…but guess what!? I haven’t forgotten, and I will ALWAYS hold that truth over your head!!” Jessai roared and threw his hammer at Grognor who threw himself out of the way fast. He fell on his hurt ribs, but managed to roll back up to his feet. Jessai was on top of him in an instant, grabbing him by the throat with his fist raised.
“Never say that name in my presence…don’t you EVER call me by that worthless name again! I am Jessai! JESSAI THE DEVOURER!!” Grognor couldn’t even choke out a response as he was held down by the venomous and furious Jessai. “For that little stunt, I’ll be sure to pay your mother and sister in kind with no short degree of lashings. And as I carve that lesson into their hide, maybe my real name will sink in for you too.”
“You’re a monster…a goddamn monster…” Grognor whimpered through tears as Jessai dropped him to the floor.
“Tomorrow night, Grognor. You have until tomorrow. Now get out of my sight.” Without another word, Grognor picked himself up and weakly hobbled out of the palace, now more broken and scared than he’d ever been before.