The next day, Remoran was eager to find out what had happened to his family, so he rose early to check for any updates. Demoris was already in the kitchen, preparing a hearty breakfast for him. The smell of bacon sizzling in the pan filled the room as Demoris hummed a tune and cooked. He cracked a few eggs into the pan and watched them turn a delicate golden brown.

Remoran appeared in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Good morning," Demoris greeted him with a smile. "I made us breakfast."

Remoran approached the table and took a seat, his eyes widening at the spread laid out before him: a platter of crispy bacon, a pile of fluffy scrambled eggs, and a stack of hot buttered toast. "Wow, this looks amazing," Remoran said, his stomach rumbling with hunger.

"I figured you could use a good meal after everything you've been through," Demoris said as he dished up a plate for Remoran. "Dig in."

"I need to meet with my troops this morning," Demoris said between mouthfuls. "We're going to begin the investigation and head back to your farm."

A pit filled Remoran's stomach, and he suddenly lost his appetite, wondering about the well-being of his family. "I take it you won't be letting me tag along?" asked Remoran.

"I don't think that would be the best idea," Demoris replied with a smile that touched his ears. "You already did some of the work for us by dispatching that orc you found in the stable! Just hang tight here, and I'll bring back all the details and your family, God willing."

Remoran nodded in agreement and tried to finish his food. The rest of their meal passed in comfortable silence, with only the sounds of their forks clinking against their plates and occasional murmurs of conversation. When they finished, Demoris cleaned up the dishes, and Remoran went to get ready for the day ahead.

When Demoris left, Remoran followed him from a distance. Demoris weaved down the main street, waving at some folks and stopping to exchange a few words with others. When Demoris finally arrived at his destination, the main gate guardhouse, Remoran ducked behind some barrels off to the side of the road and waited.

He watched as Demoris and his four men went to the nearby stable to grab a horse each. There was one horse left unattended, almost as if on purpose. Remoran didn't think twice and rushed to take the brown gelding so as not to fall too far behind Demoris and his group.

When they arrived at the farm, Demoris and his men began investigating, and Remoran watched from the treeline. They seemed to find evidence that the orcs had taken his family and determined a general direction of where the tracks led. When they began following the tracks, Remoran trailed behind them from a distance. After meandering through the woods for about ten minutes, Remoran heard a commotion up ahead and the sound of men engaging in battle. He rushed forward to see what was happening and saw Demoris and his men surrounded by a group of orcs.

A brutal battle ensued, and Remoran rushed in to help. The orcs were larger and stronger than any of them, but Demoris and his men were well-trained soldiers, and Remoran was driven by his need to find out what had happened to his family.

The battle began with a quick hail of bolts from Demoris and his men's crossbows, which took out one of the orcs. Remoran looked on in shock as the two groups clashed. He had never been in a battle before and struggled with the fear hitting him.

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The first orc to reach the humans swung his axe at Demoris, but the skilled swordsman quickly parried the blow with his shield and retaliated with a swift strike to the orc's abdomen with the hilt of his sword, stunning the creature. As the orc was off-balance, Demoris swung his sword down with full force, striking the orc's head and killing it instantly.

Demoris and his guards faced two orcs each, their weapons clashing against each other in a frenzied dance. One of Demoris's guards was pushed back by an orc, but as the creature lunged forward for a killing blow, the guard quickly sidestepped and struck the orc with his shield, knocking the wind out of the creature.

The orcs continued to attack, their movements wild and unpredictable, but the humans fought with skill and precision. Demoris parried an orc's sword strike and then countered with a kick to the creature's leg, sending it off-balance. As the orc stumbled, Demoris lunged forward with his sword, piercing the orc's chest and killing it instantly.

Demoris and his men fought fiercely, their swords clashing against the orcs' crude weapons. One of Demoris's men was badly wounded, but he managed to take out another orc before collapsing. The remaining two orcs began to surround Demoris, who was defending against the relentless attacks with a display of extreme skill.

Fueled by his anger, Remoran saw an opening and lunged forward, his sword slashing through the air as he struck an orc's shoulder. The orc roared in pain and swung its axe at Remoran, but the young boy dodged the blow and retaliated with a swift strike to the creature's gut, using the full force of his sword. Realizing he was outnumbered, the final orc turned to flee. Demoris chased after him and caught up, driving his sword through the orc's back and ending the battle.

As they were catching their breath, they heard one of the wounded orcs laughing and speaking in his orc tongue. Remoran was shocked when he realized that he could understand the orc's words.

"Why can I understand him?" Remoran asked Demoris in disbelief.

Demoris eyed him strangely and quickly replied, "I don't know. But we need to find out what he knows about your family."

Demoris stepped forward and demanded that the orc tell him where Remoran's family was. The orc replied that the "farm family" wouldn't stop fighting and trying to escape, so they killed them and left their bodies to rot in the forest. Remoran was overcome with anger and hate as he translated, and made to plunge his sword into the orc's heart, but was stopped by Demoris. For a quick moment, Remoran thought he heard a whisper say, "cut him down too." Remoran shook his head and tried to breathe deep to calm himself. There was no way he would raise his weapon against Demoris.

Suddenly the Orc seemed to notice Remoran and even more so, his sword. The Orc had a look of amazement in his eyes and began to point toward Remoran and say something.

"Tha...," was as far as the Orc got as his eyes glazed over and he laid there never to move again.

"We need to focus and find your family," Demoris said, placing a hand on Remoran's shoulder. "This orc is dead. Come on, we'll search the forest together."

They searched the forest and eventually found the remains of Remoran's family. Remoran was overcome with grief and anger, and Demoris ordered his men to gather the dead and return to the farm to begin digging graves. Remoran helped lay his family to rest.

"I'm sorry, Remoran," Demoris said as they rode back to the town. "I'll do everything I can to help you through this."

"Thank you," Remoran replied, his voice shaking with emotion. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

When they returned to Sharil, Demoris left to report to the governor, Lord Mejia, about what had happened, and Remoran was left to ponder what would become of him now. Demoris returned later, and he praised Remoran for his courage and determination.

"I want you to come live with me," Demoris said. "I'll take care of you and help you through this."

"Yes," Remoran replied, tears streaming down his face. "I would like that."

And so, Remoran moved in with Demoris and began a new life. But as he lay in bed that night, grieving for his family, he couldn't help but feel a sense of hate and anger creeping into his thoughts. He looked around the room until his sight fell upon the sword propped up in the corner of the room. It calmed him, and only then could he find sleep.