Chapter 20

“Needs more light, torches maybe”, Osgur grumbled as his orcish eyes were straining to adjust.

“Bear with it, I know its hard to adjust from Arbell”, Veve responded, concern in her voice.

“Whew!! After today I am ready to relax, and drink some Elven wine, especially because we’ll be back in the shit tomorrow!”, Shatira exclaimed.

“You’re drooling! Troi oi!! gross!”, Amy said with a side glance and a stoic face.

“No I’m not!”, Shatira retorted with a rebellious look in her eyes as she wiped her chin discreetly.

Amy giggled. Was she shy? Yes, Amy was still opening up to her new friends; however, after being saved by Shatira and with time, her expressions became more vibrant. She could not restrain, nor contain her thoughts that would surface. Her natural playfulness began to display itself, as she grew comfortable with the companions around her.

Lorenn snorted as he nudged Osgur, “Look at the soft orc. So, when will you meet her parents?”.

Osgur’s face became dark; Veve’s face became darker.

“Ummm you see, it’s best not to see them”, Veve responded her pale face turning blood red, touching her index fingers together, “There’s a reason I stay in Arbell, annddd my parents are a bit much so…”.

‘That’s a cute expression’, Amy thought. However, Amy could sympathize with, and perfectly understood Veve’s suffering, without hearing a single iota of a detail. She felt a familiarity with Veve, who the males worshipped as a goddess of beauty, but to her she was just Veve.

The elven town seemed like it was built out of growing wood, to accommodate a garden; or maybe the weaving winding garden was built to accommodate the town. Amy viewed her map briefly, then she glanced ahead to see the blue dot marking the waypoint in her vision. She was pleasantly surprised when she looked ahead to confirm. There was a wide thick three-story tree with a rough sphere-like protrusion from living wood at the base of the tree and an opened circular doorway. Many elves were leaving and exiting the building. ‘Or is it a tree?’, Amy thought to herself.

Amy was grateful that they let her lead so she could experience the ethereal sight, the captivating sounds, and the savory smells of this elven domain.

“Ahh the Dwendy Inn!”, Veve was pleased, caught in reminiscence, “My friends and I used to skip primary school here in the village, and go here to drink and dream about visiting Earth one day”.

These words sounded strange together drink, primary school, it gave Amy the vision of a group of elven children swigging beers or wine in wooden mugs. However, Amy knew from talking with Veve that elves didn’t start primary school until they were twenty. Like humans, elves physically matured around 18-20 years old, then school started. Though in their society because of their long lifespans they were still considered babies. So, it wasn’t really a case of underage drinking. Still, it took a while for Amy to comprehend that statement.

“Are you gonna keep gawking, or you gonna move”, Shatira said.

“You don’t have to wait for me, you’re welcome to go”, Amy responded curtly, yet still Shatira didn’t move.

“I’m not waiting for you or anything”, Shatira said still faithfully maintaining her tsundere role; which Amy now realized was used as a defense mechanism.

“Gwyneveve, my dear girl why didn’t you come by your parent’s house? Our hearts are pierced with sorrow and suffering…”, A voice was heard from the procession of elves carrying on with their own personal business.

Up until this point Veve had maintained a regal, aloof, and proper bearing at all times, yet now she couldn’t maintain her serene expression, “Shit!! It’s my parents!! Everybody run!!”.

As Veve put her shapely leg out to run, Osgur grabbed her wrist, and spoke in her ear softly but still loud enough for the party to hear, “They’re already here, we can use them as a vehicle for introduction to the mayor. It may help us secure more rewards from the request he sent to the guild. Don’t worry Veve I’ll handle your parents”.

Veve looked up at Osgur with hearts in her eyes, her own prince charming on a dark horse.

Osgur really was dependable, he had changed remarkably during the training. The once boisterous typical orc, his expression became more thoughtful, his actions more methodical, his responses calm and collected; the once strong fire of orcish temperament was refined into a piercing blue flame. Amy nodded in agreement; for they had recognized him as party leader. An they entered the end leaving Osgur alone with Veve and an approaching confrontation

Osgur eyed the two elves approaching: a male and female, white as a sheet of paper in the soft glowing light, finding no shadows or wrinkle upon the faces of what appeared to be Veve’s siblings; although, Osgur knew they were much older.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were here honey? Come give us a hug! We missed you!!”, Veve’s father enquired, giving a disdainful look towards Osgur.

“Oh, wise and great wonderful parents of Veve, we are here on a mission from the Arbellonddaryn to participate in the raid”, Osgur said as Veve shrunk behind him, embarrassed, “It is good fortune that we have met you. We require an introduction to the mayor; we have business to discuss. As I am just an outsider, if you would kindly be willing to help us, it would please your lovely daughter”.

Veve had stood behind Osgur, and his natural protective instinct kicked in, seeing his hard-won girlfriend, the beauty he had worshipped as an idol since he started in the guild academy. He acted for her. It was only thanks to the raid crash course that he spent time with her, and he had protected her many times in the simulations, which still made him shudder, still made him sweat. A high hanging fruit he would never have a chance to encounter. Yet thanks to the opportunity that had presented itself, which he suspected was because of Amy’s existence.

Playing to their pride, was always an effective way to handle elves without drama. His family and clan would rather spend hours arguing with the elves, until both parties got tired. But Osgur no longer had time for such laborious methods; he had learned in the depths of whatever hall Radim had concocted, that quickness and surety were vital.

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Osgur could sense a hint of jealousy from Veve’s mother Sairein, after all he was the ‘scandalous’ taboo: prince shining on a dark horse a hot fantasy for many female elves.

And she responded excitedly, quite unusual for an elf, clearly Veve was her daughter, “You have good manners! You can depend on us! We will do anything and everything in our power!”

‘Was all this drama really needed’, Osgur had thought to himself, his hopeful parents in law were stalking Veve ever since they arrived to the village. Indeed, they were too much, but he found it endearing. Elves did not have many children even though they were long lived, each one was seen as precious beyond measure, so he could understand; his mother would constantly forget his name. After all he did have twenty-five siblings, with one on the way.

“I’m not so sure, my little baby girl is gonna go fight the scary monsters. I wish she had consulted us first”, her father grumbled nervously.

Osgur held his hands together in front to showcase his rippling muscles, emphasizing his next line, “Fear not honored mother, I will protect her. There is no safer place than behind my back. Besides she will bring great honor unto your family by participating in the raid”.

Sairein’s eyes had stars, as she responded, completely ignoring her husband, “I believe a big strong person like yourself is capable of such. I will be at peace knowing that you will protect her”.

Osgur knew he had solved Veve’s predicament, as she grasped the hem of his shirt tightly. Veve’s father sighed as he felt left out and unheeded, meanwhile Osgur felt like he was living a dream. Indeed, just a little bit of cultural consideration, and the long-standing distance between elves and orcs could be shortened.

Meanwhile, in the wine bar of the Inn. A wry smile spread across his face, Lorenn very much enjoyed the atmosphere. Upon entering Lorenn headed straight to the sommelier, clunk, a large bag of minted gold landed on the bar. A rarity in the digital magic age.

Lorenn grabbed a glass of wine from a standing fellow elf and emptied it with one swig, “Ahhhh”, Lorenn shouted, “Free wine for everyone drink until you cannot stand!!”.

“Yeahhh!!!”, Minerva shouted as she ran to the bar.

“Let’s fucking do this!!”, Shatira shouted as she followed Minerva.

The faces of the patrons were pleased, at the rowdy disturbance, for they were wood elves, much different than the high elves that inhabited the large dense forest cities of Fluendil and Garthun. They weren’t as haughty as the high elves; they liked to dance and make merry when beverages were plentiful. The Elven bartender, and owner of the establishment nodded as he began to count the real gold in front of him. Like they were there to begin with four goblets appeared on the bar, as Satriana, Lorenn, Minerva, and Shatira clung desperately close to it.

“Paaahhh!”, a purely satisfied sigh was heard in unison with the banging of four goblets assaulting the dark supple wood.

Another round.

“Paaahh!!”

Soon the bartender hands were moving hurriedly as he tried to keep up with the pace, motivated by the large amount of money he had just acquired. Another round then another.

Glyn and Sean sullied up to the bar.

“You wanna see who can drink the most?”, Sean said glaring at Lorenn with a challenging gleam in his eyes, a lit cigarette in his hands.

“Hoh!! Competitive like any dragon! You’re on! Let’s see who can drink more!!”, Lorenn shouted back.

Glyn snorted, as she was smoking a long thin cigarette fashionable amongst female dragons, “You don’t have a chance!!”.

Minerva said nothing but increased her pace.

Shatira cackled as she immersed herself in the revelry.

Soon at the owners gesture an elven band broke out in a merry tune, as a fierce competition erupted. The servers were busy bussing large amounts of wine and roasted fowl to the tables, as everyone started clapping and joined in with their voices singing a cover of a elf folk music group single.

Lorenn enjoyed the company of the wood elves. His father was a conglomerate executive, and Lorenn was a secretly rebellious young elf. They were high elves who valued prestige, pride, and dignity. In tense moments, he would set his spectacles aside, and disappear into the fantastical urban jungle of the sprawling Arbellon. He allowed himself to forget his burden for a brief night. He would dance to the booming bass of a pixie rave, then visit a Orcish pub, and get involved in the frequent fights. He hadn’t told his father he had expressed to Radim and other staff he wanted to participate in a raid during winter. On the surface, he was a proper respectable dignified, high elven son. But he yearned for something different. It was a common story amongst the current generation of high elves. Like Veve who wanted to be like the high elves in the cities, he wanted to be like the wood elves away from it all.

Then came the two-week hellish training, his personality changed, or rather he stopped hiding himself. Now he lived for the moment without a care; his glasses were nowhere to be found. His father would certainly be angry, being caught unawares by it all, but elven parents were elven parents, and he was an only child. They had no choice now that he had started down this road.

Soon Lorenn was dancing with Satriana, in the middle of the table; and on cue elves and their partners started dancing too.

“This is our new son-in-law, oh venerable mayor, and you remember Veve”, Sairein, Veve’s mother enthusiastically introduced them, clinging to Osgur’s muscled bicep.

Veve looked at him with pouting eyes. Yet still he was calm, had it been two weeks ago…, ‘no’ he thought as he shook his head inwardly, he wouldn’t have even been here two weeks ago without the raid and Amy. This felt like cheating, but completing a guild mission in the middle of a competition was still considered fair, it was just proper use of intelligence and information. Just over the mountain standing in the distance behind the town, a pack of kobolds had taken up residence. They appeared from the northern tail of Dduradum travelling through the space between territories to come in close proximity to Dylandil.

The elf mayor was seated in her lofty treehouse, her keen eyes bared down upon Osgur silently, causing Osgur’s brow to furrow. Her regal silver hair was proof the she was very long lived. She had the regal bearing of a high elf.

Then she launched from her raised seat, and suddenly pushed Sairein out of the way and began to cling to Osgur’s unoccupied arm.

She said with her still young blemish free elven face nestling into Osgur’s triceps, “So firm. I sent out that request specifically so I could see our little star Veve again. I hoped she would visit us if there was an extermination request. To think she would be in the party accepting the request. I was so worried, but I see she chose a strong warrior to protect her. My old shriveled heart has been rejuvenated! I feel like a young maiden again! I’ll give you an extra one hundred points if she is safe! I want a taste!”.

Osgur remembered, elves mutually consumed blood from their closest relatives and lovers to sustain themselves and their looks. It was one of the physiological reasons for their long lives.

In a frenzied response Veve bared her fangs, her simulation of high elves had all but corroded, “You excitable hag! Don’t try to steal my man!”.

Osgur had sweat dripping down the back of his neck, he clicked his tongue inwardly; indeed, her parents were a bit much. Hell, even the entire clan here was strange. No wonder it was rarely visited. Osgur understood Veve’s plight now. Still one hundred points on the second day, it was a large chunk of the required five hundred points to earn in a month from completing quests. This had to be endured.

Later Osgur and Veve were silent as they walked; feeling as if their souls had been drained. They were hearing a loud commotion from the inn. Only to find all of the party members passed out, sprawled over tables and chairs, along with a large number of the local regulars. Amy was the only one not inebriated

“We were gone for only an hour and half the village is like this!”, Veve said still tense from their previous encounter.

After all the tension, Osgur would have snapped two weeks ago; instead, he walked over and kicked Lorenn, who he knew to be the instigator, to awaken him from his drunken stupor.