It was a small miracle Grey hadn’t eaten his ork yet, but the elf was right, some people are valuable to have around. Saying that, the value was still in question, this ork was ill-suited to live in the city. There was so much she didn’t know or didn’t care to know. At least Grey knew that it was somewhat important to blend into human society, the ork however made no such attempts. In the end, the ork had to stay cooped up in Grey’s lair or else she was bound to make trouble.

However, this was the day Grey decided to take his rare pet for a walk. After all, today he was supposed to meet the two orks in the forest, so why not take the third ork with him for a walk? The reasons were many: maybe the ambushers will think twice seeing that he still held her as a captive, and maybe the half-ork will mediate for him. But the real reason was that he wanted to see if she had a use or not. This was a test of loyalty.

Grey came prepared, his trusty spear in hand. He was excited to see what these wild orks had prepared for him. But in the end, nothing happened. He just stood there awkwardly in the forest.

“Did they flee?” that was smart of them. “Or do I need to find them?” There was the smell of orks but it wasn’t that fresh.

“Awa-Awa. Awa-Awa-aa.” The half-ork gave a calling.

And in no time at all, another ork came rushing out of the overgrowth. It was a lone ork woman, the one of the two he has had let go.

But there’s the ambush? Grey stared at the filthy ork, she somehow managed to look even more haggard than he last saw her.

“Chief!” The ork spoke after she was done panting for breath.

“I guess you are here. But, are there any others?” Grey looked suspiciously at the lush greenery.

“Yes, chief come.”

Oh! So she will lead him somewhere they can ambush him. The orks sure were smarter than he taught. Grey followed cautiously observing his surroundings. He made sure to check both below and above, it would be embarrassing to be caught off guard since he knew it is coming.

They walked for a while, ever deeper into the forest. But the ambush never came and Grey was met with the sight of a shabby camp. A fireplace, monster hide tents, and a fence made out of branches. It was very primitive. The camp’s residents were the same orks who ran away from him. All of them gathered in the centre by the fire. Their bodies were stiff and their eyes downcast, if they had the courage to look at him Grey was sure he would see fear; he could taste it already. He didn’t expect much but even then he was disappointed. Then again, wasn’t he the one to blame for their misfortune? – Nah, they were just weak.

“So I guess you do want to trade.” If only he brought something to pawn off. “But do you have anything that I would like?” He strongly doubted that.

“Chief.” The ork pointed at the place behind the tents.

Grey looked at what he thought was a pile of refuse. No, it was something right beside it. A wooden cage and it wasn’t empty.

“Oh?” He was pleasantly surprised.

That lasted only a fleeting moment. There was no way they caught a mage, right? He smelled the air trying to ignore the unpleasant smells coming from nearby. That wasn’t quite working so he came closer.

No, after all, it wasn’t a mage. Just a stupid human teen caught in her poor decisions.

She looked at Grey with terror, not for a single second did she confuse him with someone civilized. With someone who was there to save her, someone who was an ally to humanity. He wasn’t one! It was the same look some humans in the city tried to keep hidden. At least her honesty was refreshing.

The girl scurried further away from him and made herself as tiny as possible in the furthest corner of the cage, but at best it was only a dozen inches further.

“Did she come with the company?” This morsel was just too tiny to be considered food. It would be better if there were more.

The ork dropped to her knees in an apology. “No. This is all we could get. Forgive us chief.”

“Yeah? And not even a mage.” He, however, wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.

All this showed was that the orks have potential, and even better, he will be able to use them.

“Well, she’s a female so well done.” Grey decided to cut them some slack.

These orks already were afraid of him, there was no further need to break them further.

The captive was staring at him, so Grey tapped at the cage. The girl flinched but kept staring at him.

“Next time, feed and water your captives. How long has it been, a few days? Yet, she’s just skin and bones already.”

The half-ork, the one who was silently accompanying Grey up till now, stepped on the still grovelling ork pressing her down even further and began barking at the one below.

“What were you thinking? How is chief supposed to eat that?”

“Sorry. Sorry!” The ork sobbed.

“Is she crying? I thought the orks are tougher than that.” Grey looked down at the ork and then up noticing that the other ork women had made themselves scarce.

“Stop crying!” The half-ork kicked at the woman.

And then she stopped crying.

“I… We…” She began to stutter.

“Stand up.” Grey grew bored of this pitiful sight. “Speak properly.”

Ork took a deep breath to calm down and then continued. “It’s just that we don’t have to eat that much ourselves.”

“Excuses?!” The half-ork raised her hand for a slap.

Oh, wow, the half-ork really did take that role upon herself – the pet and the executioner. Not that Grey wanted to complain. Yet still, he stopped her arm in midswing. The shivering ork’s incompetence was understandable since Grey had killed all their warriors, which must have included hunters and other competent orks. So naturally, these orks were only the scraps that remained after he had cleaned the ork encampment. He had dealt these cards himself, so he will play them.

“It’s fine. I am sure she will do better. How is it I could help so both of us can get what we want? Which is decent food?”

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The woman seemed reluctant to speak so the half-ork came to her rescue.

“Chief, I saw weapons in your…” She was looking for a word. “Lair. They could use that. Also ropes and other stuff for traps. Since there are no warriors yet, I think trapping would work best.”

That sounded about right. “Okay. I will let you borrow the items. Let me go back to the city and fetch them.”

The captive yelped at Grey’s last sentence. After all, she was listening intently the entire time. Then she spoke shyly for the first time.

“City? You’re a beastkin?” it came out as a reluctant guess.

There was a slimmer of hope in her eyes.

Grey didn’t want to play with this morsel. She wasn’t a mage and he wasn’t that hungry. The orks can eat her if they are so hungry. So instead, he ignored the question and turned to leave.

…

The half-elf must have sensed that the chime on her clock was almost counted and spent. That would have been true if the orks produced the mage. Regardless, she did the right thing.

Once Grey was in his lair he found a welcome surprise. A locked-up prisoner in one of the basement cells. And a half-elf with a smug grin plastered on her face. Ignoring the she-devil Grey rushed to the cell. There was a young woman, bound in rope and gagged. A bit excessive Grey thought since she was already secure in the cell, but you can’t be too careful with mages. The woman was wide awake and staring daggers at him, Grey repaid the look in kind.

The woman was young and tiny. Her black hair was loose and had gotten disheveled by the rough handling. Her plain clothes, a blouse and a skirt suffered the same fate. Tiny in a frame or not, her fragrance betrayed that she was a mage. And mages often packed quite a punch. It was good she was restrained. It was even better that she didn't get to spend her mana yet. In other words, she was just about ripe.

“But how?” Grey wondered out loud.

“I’ve gotten lucky. She’s a student at the university. Fresh from the province and too naïve for her own good.” The half-elf gave Grey her best smile.

The naïve woman in question stirred.

“Oh?” Grey was under the impression that the university students were untouchable. “Won’t they come after us now?”

“I did it right. No one will suspect a thing. She’s all yours.”

The elf stood up from her chair and left the room. Grey smiled at the news. How long has it been since the elf delivered – too long. Almost too long. A day or two later and… He licked his lips already salivating. Yet a sigh escaped then he thought about it more.

Grey took the key from a nearby table and unlocked the cell to let himself in. The woman stared murder at him. He liked her will to fight. It might even be fun to break her spirit, but first, he had undone the gag in her mouth.

She didn’t try to chant a spell, wise on her part since he would have punched it out of her. However, she spat right into his face.

“Bandit!”

“Worse.” Grey shook his head to correct her.

“What do you want of me, you scoundrel?”

“Do you really want to know? Ask me nicely and I’ll tell.” He tried to play a bigger person.

She spat at him again. Grey found it cute so he made a smile. “I won’t tell then. I’ll just do.” He grabbed the neck of her blouse and ripped it in half exposing her modest chest.

“Oh, no bra. It’s almost as if you were expecting this.”

The woman struggled against her bindings, her face red either in shame or anger.

“Stop! The ransom will be better if you do!” She shouted with panic in her voice.

“The ransom? Are you rich?” Grey looked at her ripped blouse and the plain skirt. No, she wasn’t, and it was unlikely her family was either. “I don’t think so.”

Grey brushed his fingers past her cleavage towards her belly. The skin felt silky smooth and pleasant.

“My uncle is!” She tried to crawl away from his invading touch.

“It ain’t the money I want.” Grey smiled at her again pulling at her skirt with his index finger.

“What then?” She asked in horror her face pale, the rage in her eyes gone.

“Your body.” It sounded almost cheesy. Grey knew she will misunderstand him.

“Anything but that. Anything but that!” She repeated with more resolve.

The spice of terror radiated from the terrified woman enhancing the flavour of her blood. Grey lowed that fragrance. He smelled the air greedily and tasted her neck. It was pleasantly salty.

“Money? Anything! I’ll do anything! Please! I don’t want to die.” She looked in horror at Grey’s crotch.

“It’s the teeth you need to watch out.” He play-nibbled at her neck.

“Thunder Arr… Ah!”

Grey bit at the neck stopping her chant. He had only pierced her skin a few millimetres.

“Foolish wench, your hands are bound.”

She would have just exploded her wrists casting that spell on herself.

“Thunder A… Ah!” She couldn't finish by getting a slap on her face.

There was that fire of fight back in her eyes.

“Thund…” *Slap*

“Thu…” *SLAP*

“Stop!”

“Pha!” She spat the blood out of her mouth “I’ll kill myself before I let you do this! Thunder arr…” She was unable to finish.

Grey grabbed her by the throat stopping the flow of air.

“You know. For this, I don’t need you alive.”

The pupils dilated betraying the shock and terror, yet it didn’t last that long. She resolved herself to death anyway.

“You're no fun… No, you are fun!” Grey contradicted himself.

Grey took his arm away from her neck and jumped a few steps away. It was wasteful to have her spend precious mana but he was kind of interested.

“Go ahead.”

“Thunder Arrow.”

But there was no bang coming from her bound hands, hence no spell. She had the power, but in the end, decided not commit to it.

“Go ahead.” Grey mocked her hollow incantation in a knowing tone. Yet he knew that if he pushed her further she would probably do it.

The woman glared at him menacingly instead. “You don’t want me dead do you?” It was more a statement than a question.

“I do. And I don’t.” Grey indulged in her silly game.

“I’ll do it you know. I’ll kill myself if you touch me.” She spoke with resolve.

“Okay.” Grey nodded.

She looked at him suspiciously.

“So take the money and set me free.”

“Ah… This again, I don’t need money.”

“So what else?”

“I want mages.”

“Mages? For what?”

“What else, their flesh and blood.”

“No! I thought such experiments were fairytales told by the University to scare the newbies.”

She was still misunderstanding something, but whatever. Grey inched closer to the woman just to test her.

“I… I might get you mages.” She stuttered.

“Might?”

“I’ll get you mages, just let me go.”

“Ha! Do you take me for an idiot? I heard this before.”

“I promise!”

“How would you even? Do you have the skill to capture a mage alive?”

“I could lead YOU to some of the people I know.”

“And then what? I would need to do all the work?”

“Am… I would help?”

“More like join them in the fight against me. No, this would be too risky.”

“I could trick some newbies into coming with the elf.” There was some hesitation in her voice. “Just like I was tricked.”

“But then I don’t really need you. The elf can handle it on her own.”

“Then…”

“No.” Grey interrupted. “I just can’t trust you. And I am hungry.”

The charade was over, whatever hope she had will be taken from her once again. Grey grabbed at her blouse ripping it off completely.

“No!” She protested.

Grey pressed her down by the chest so that she would stop squirming and began to explore her body with his tongue.

“No!” She tried to escape “No. No. No. Thunder arrow! Ahh!”

This time she had meant it. Something crackled behind her back. There was a jolt of electricity coursing through her body. Grey rolled back in his numb tongue, he felt that jolt, but that was it. The mage, however, fared much worse. The spells were not meant to be cast in this position. Her bound palms were now likely a charred mess.

Tears pulled in the corners of her eyes and she was taking deep breaths likely not to scream in pain.

“Wz.. W-done?” Grey asked. He would taunt her more but his tongue was still numb.

“Thund…” She winced in pain. “Thunder arrow!” Nothing this time. “Radiant Blast!” she tried another spell.

“Oh, dear, that won’t work. You broke your hands.” Grey stated the obvious.

This time there was only dread on her face. Whatever fate she expected now there was no way out.

“You know. I think you misunderstood me. I only want to eat you.”

“What?”

Grey put her neck in between his jaws.

“What?” She repeated.

Grey closed the jaws. Sweet, sweet blood leaked into his throat. It tasted sublime.

…

“More.” Grey demanded.

“In due time.”

“More!”

“I need to be careful in who I kidnap!”

“Just get me more university students. You got this one so easy.”

“Not everyone is this naïve. Also, too many and the university will catch wind of this.”

“So get me someone else.”

“I will! I swear you get greedier and greedier each time. Slow down or you will get burned.”

“I have fire resistance, no problem.”

“You do?” The half-elf gave a curious look. “That makes sense…”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get me a mage.” He didn’t want to argue with someone always full of excuses.

“And the ork? What use do you have of it?”

“Not your business.”

“Okay, be like that. But don’t come back begging for my help.”

There wasn’t a time Grey had to beg so he growled at the she-devil. She’d gotten the message and disappeared promptly.

His belly was full but the day was far from over. There was the half-forgotten matter, the deal with the Succubus House.