The cold gets worse than yesterday. A thin layer of frost covers everything now. People are bundled up in warm furs, and only those who absolutely need to work are doing so. Mr. Juniper told me he would be fine once again. I ordered him a months worth of sandwiches from his favorite baker for him. Gred had begun work on the frame of the printing press, and occasionally the day would be interrupted by the faint cracking of gunfire.

After a week of Anise diligently training I decided that we should take a break. I think she was still secretly training with her undead, but I wasn’t gonna bug her.

I sat at a table, and sipped at the delicious coffee. Marnie couldn’t believe that I wasn’t ringing my hair out with how crazy it made some people get. That's what an addiction gets you at least a resistance to it. I’ll have to right that on my character sheet from now on. +5 to saves vs. Caffeine. I chuckle to myself. Thelia sits at my table flanked by really big guy I didn’t remember the name of and Thud? Thug? Thog, that was his name. I lock eyes with Thelia.

“Yes? I’ve had my coffee, or tinker brew, so I should be fine.”

I give them a smile.

“I just can’t seem to figure you out dragon slayer. You are apparently merciless, ruthless even from what the townsfolk say what you did to the goblins. But you help out a child. You know more about how the body functions than the most trained healers I know. But don’t seem to understand simple things like magic. You come from a land of myth, and legend. But are an average man. By my tusks you couldn’t slay a dragon, but here you sit.”

She scratches her chin.

“You!”

She points at a barmaid

“Bring me what he is drinking.”

The barmaid scurries off. I take a sip of the warm coffee.

“I wouldn’t recommend it you’ll be bouncing off the walls.”

I tell her.

“I could out drink you in a second.”

She says.

“I can take your drink. Tinker brew the gnomes call it, bah.”

She waves her hand. The barmaid comes in the mug in hand. She places it on the table, and darts away. She takes a sip, and cringes a little.

“It’s bitter.”

I smile.

“Yes it is.”

She places the mug down.

“You are a walking contradiction. Truly.”

She shakes her head.

“Which is what makes what I am about to do a huge risk.”

She stands up, and looms over me.

I turn my head notice that her two other big guys are standing behind me. And the woman she brought are making a passage to outside. Standing in such a way they could take care of anyone that comes close.

“Is this necessary?”

I ask her. She frowns.

“Yes,”

One of the guys place a firm hand on my shoulder. I definitely can’t move. It doesn’t hurt but I’m stuck now.

“Really? Really?”

Thelia pushes the table out of the way. She stands in front of me. Then drops to a knee,

“I Thelia of the great clans, daughter of the Great axe do so pledge my tusk, and claw to Jonathan Johnson the dragon slayer.”

She moves her hand up to her face and with a sickening crunch rips her right tusk out. She pulls a small metal ring from her pocket, and clicks the tusk into place. She gingerly lifts my hand, and places the ring onto my ring finger.

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“Okay what in the actual FUCK just happened?”

I ask. Thelia stands, and looks me in the eyes. Blood Pours down her lip.

“The left tusk in Orc culture represents allegiance,”

She lifts her bangle.

“Each tusk here represents an Orc that has chosen me to be their leader. And believes in my decisions.”

The taps her gap now.

“The right tusk is different. The right tusk has two uses. It is removed when an orc dies to be passed down their bloodline. Or to make a blood pledge to someone. The blood magic has taken effect now. When you die so shall I, for our fates are now intertwined.”

I chuckle a little,

“That's kinda extreme. What happens if I get attacked in the bathroom or something when you aren’t around? It's not your fault.”

She looks at me straight faced, then at the orcs around. They all burst into laughter.

“Not around that's a good one. No, I will be with you always.”

She raises her tusk bangles slightly.

“I will send Relic, Farley, and Sentusa to tell my clan of this. They will return within a score of days with the rest of my tusks, and any others who would swear allegiance.”

Thelia looks at me seriously.

“You needed more of a workforce for this city, and you will have one at your full disposal. I have nearly 600 tusks at my back.”

She says. I look at her again,

“And they are coming here?”

She nods. I let out a sigh.

“Well I’m sure Damien will be thrilled to hear that.”

I sigh again.

“Come on Thelia we have to go get yelled at by Damien.”

I start walking to the door Thelia is right behind me. I grab a little cloth from my bag, and throw it at her.

“Use the cloth to staunch the blood.”

I tell her. The walk is painfully quick. I knock on the door to the constabulary.

“Damien? I-We have something to tell you.”

After a moment the door swings up.

“Yes…”

Damien replies. He already looks ready to cringe.

“Well you see Thelia enacted a..." “Blood pledge" “Yes that, so now 600 orcs are coming in like two weeks.”

Damien looks at me and then Thelia, then back at me.

“I really really hate you.”

He says to me.

“Why couldn’t the dragon have just eaten you? Then I could be sitting nice and cozy waiting out the inevitable day, with dread, that I die in dragons fire.”

He gestures to everything around him.

“Now, NOW I have to deal with your shit.”

He continues. Damien walks over to his desk, and sits behind it. He pulls out a large ledger, and an amber bottled filled with a slightly murky liquid.

“Alright then do you have an exact figure on how many people? How many women, and men? How many of age?”

He says. He uncorks the bottle while waiting for an answer, and begins to drink.

“Just around 600,”

Thelia says.

“Two thirds female, less than half of those children. Less than a quarter of the males are children.”

Damien nods, and scribbles down the figures. Taking a moment to do some mental math. He lets out a sigh.

“Well we have 100 houses in town available. If we squeeze everyone in we can fit them. If they work we should have a house per family before, or at the start of, winter.”

I smile.

“I owe you one for this.”

I say to Damien. He glares dagger at me.

“I better die old, and fat. When my piles of gold collapse on me.”

He waves his hand at me,

“Shoo now. I have work to do.”

I say farewell, and head out the door. We head back to the inn. A little bit of cloth wadded up into her lip. I make a detour and head to Greds smithy. He’s sitting out in the same spot as always. Smoking his pipe.

“Hey Gred I need some help.”

I tell him. He looks towards me, then towards Thelia.

“Sorry closed today.”

He replies.

“No, I don’t need anything commissioned, just where a potter, or ceramics maker is.”

He gives me the stink eye.

“I said I was closed. Good day to you.”

He stands up off his chair, and heads inside loudly slamming the door. I pull my lips back, in a mock frown.

“Well something's got his nails bent.”

I jab Thelia lightly in the ribs, to see if she gets the joke. She takes the opportunity to grab me by the armpits and practically suplex me.

“Ow what the fuck.”

I groan. She looks at me oddly.

“Were you not trying to start a training fight?”

I sit up, and dust myself off.

“No… That wasn’t what I was trying to do.”

I stand up, and stretch my back to try and alleviate the pain.

“Well I’ll guess I’ll have to ask about a potter in the Inn.”

I say. Thelia looks slightly confused at me, but doesn’t say anything. If this was a manga I would classify her as the cool girl. But it just made her seem kinda awkward. Orc culture perhaps they didn’t seem the most chatty people to those they didn’t know intimately. That was a conversation for another time though.