"Greg!" Doug shouted to get his friend's attention. "We're heading into town to check out the festival. Want to join us?"

Greg smiled, "Yeah, I'm heading that way, too. My dad needs help with the festival. We run the tavern and help with town security."

The two friends joined a group of Orcs gathered on the road. Rose and Rick held hands, smiling. Richard and Bob animatedly discussed ways to make more money. The twins laughed at the two arguing Orcs while George, standing beside Rose, looked embarrassed.

"George," Greg grinned, "that coffee you made today was something else. What was in it?"

"It's a blend of different coffee beans. I'm experimenting to make it more potent," George said, visibly relaxing.

"Well, it definitely was potent on me," Doug said. "I felt like I could take on an army after drinking it."

"Me too!" Greg interjected, "Had my heart racing. I need a cup of that every morning."

The group started walking in the late afternoon sun. The weather was pleasantly warm, with a breeze keeping them comfortable. They chatted idly as they walked.

"Greg," Richard called out, "what's the festival like?"

Greg glanced up at the clouds lazily drifting across the sky. "There are storytellers, and at the end, a play about the Elder God Judy—lots of screaming. There's music, performers, vendors selling all sorts of things, and of course, food. My dad never set up a food booth; people usually ended up at the tavern at some point."

"What kinds of food?" Bob asked.

"All kinds of food. Mutton on a stick, various roasted vegetables, cookies, cakes, you know, fun, easy-to-eat food." Greg said.

"Hot dogs are easy to eat and fun," Bob grinned, his fingers twitching at the thought of more gold.

"Hmmm," Richard mused, "not a bad idea. And coffee. Greg, do you know who we should talk to about setting up a food booth?"

"Uh, well," Greg kicked a pebble. "That would've been Fyistone, but since she's in jail, maybe the Mayor."

Richard and Bob nodded to each other. They launched into a plan of what they could serve. They both agreed that hot dogs and fries would be a hit.

As the group neared the town, they noticed more people. Soon, a crowd bottlenecked at the gates came into view. The guards spotted the Orcs and waved; the group waved back.

"Hey, Great Orc Bob! You should open a restaurant in town," one of the guards shouted.

"I'm working on it!" Bob called back as Richard slapped him on the shoulder and glared at him.

"What," Bod asked in surprise.

"We can barely run the one we have. Don't start opening up more locations," Richard teased. Bob laughed.

Once inside the town, Rose spotted Batty waving from the town fountain, and the group headed over to her.

"I thought I might see you here," Batty said.

"We just found out about this today," Richard said. "We're interested in setting up a food stall."

"After everything that happened this morning, I think the Mayor will be glad to give you one," Batty replied.

"Bob, you and I should talk to the Mayor," Richard suggested. Bob shrugged as they headed off to find Mayor Hamilton.

"What should we do first?" Batty asked.

"Doug and I are going to check out the vendors," Greg said. "We'll meet you back at my dad's place later."

Rose, Rick, George, and Batty made their way down the main street, where vendors and performers were setting up for the festival. The air was filled with the smells of different foods, and Rose wondered what else they could cook.

"Hey, that's tea," George said, pointing to a vendor with stacks of herbs. "I wonder if he has Blackberry Hibiscus tea? Sam used to make it at night to wind down after battles."

"That sounds nice," Rose said, and Rick nodded in agreement.

"I'll get some, and we can brew it when we get back," George said, heading toward the vendor.

Batty, Rose, and Rick continued walking together, with the Orc and imp holding hands. Few people seemed to notice them.

"Oh my gods!" came a shout from behind them. The three friends turned to see Derrick, a human. "You two are the cutest couple," he exclaimed.

Rick recognized the human and began to growl, but Derrick quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey! I'm friendly!" Derrick said, taking a step back.

"Friendly?" Batty scoffed, pointing at Derrick. "You abducted her!" A small crowd started to gather around them, watching the scene unfold.

Derrick kept his hands raised. "Well, the mayor called it 'accessory to abduction,' but I'm a cooperating witness."

Rose patted Rick's head to calm him. "I guess I should thank you for freeing me," she said, extending her hand as humans do.

Derrick shook her hand. "It was the right thing to do," he said, looking down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," Batty mumbled.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Why did you help them?" Rose asked, staring intently into Derrick's eyes.

Derrick lowered his hand, looking down. "I'm not sure. I used to listen to their ranting about humans being better, but it never felt right." He touched his chest. "I don't know."

"I think we're all getting second chances," Rose said with a smile.

"Thank you," Derrick said, waving at the three friends before heading off.

George walked up. "Who was that?"

Rose smiled at him. "Maybe a new friend," she said, then noticed what George was holding. "What's that?"

"Oh, the vendor was just setting up for tomorrow, but he sold me some samples to take with us," George replied, holding up the bag.

The four of them wandered through the bustling marketplace, where vendors were setting up their tents. There was so much to see—food, weapons, jewelry, armor, and trinkets galore.

"Are they really going to leave their wares out overnight?" Rose asked, surprised.

"Mostly, unless it's small valuables," Batty replied.

"Couldn't a thief just steal everything?" George asked, still surprised.

"We've got added guards who patrol 24/7. That's why Dad wants all the Battleaxes home—we take shifts with the guards," Batty explained. "We have little crime in our town, thanks mostly to the Mayor and my dad."

"I get your dad's role, but why the Mayor? Does he hire extra guards?" Rose asked.

"Well," Batty hesitated, "from what I understand, the Mayor has some... special skills. I don't know the details, but Dad always says never to underestimate him."

Rose laughed. "Well, he's a wonderful little man—very organized and gentle-natured."

Batty beamed at her friends. "Where to next?"

Rose pointed ahead. "Let's go that way."

—

"I'll gut you. By the gods, I swear I'll slit you open stem to stern, use your guts as rope, and hang you from the town gates!" The red-faced Mayor pointed his finger at a heavily muscled man who was twice his height. "If you pull one more idiotic stunt, pray that Battleax gets to you first. He may show mercy. I won't!"

The large man stared down at the furious little Mayor, feeling fear like never before. "Um, yes, sir. Uh, sorry, sir. I promise to behave."

"Good, now leave," the Mayor growled. In his hurry to flee, the man nearly tripped over his own feet.

Richard glanced at Bob, who gestured for him to speak. Richard took a breath. "Mayor Hamilton?"

"What?" growled the Mayor as he turned to them. But once he saw Bob and Richard, he relaxed, laughing nervously. "Sorry about that. Yes, yes. Uh, how may I be of service?"

"We were hoping to discuss setting up a food booth," Richard said, suddenly feeling nervous around the Mayor for the first time. This was a new experience for him.

"Oh yes, yes. With everything that happened this morning, I completely forgot to talk to you about it," the Mayor said, looking embarrassed. "I've reserved a food booth for you."

"What? Really?" Bob said.

"Yes. Fyistone is notorious for only catering to human vendors, so I've sneaked in several she would never approve of," the Mayor said with satisfaction. "You're listed as vendors of exotic dogs—the HOT new trend in the capital."

Richard and Bob laughed.

"If you want it, of course," the Mayor added.

"Yes," the two orcs said together.

"Good, good," the Mayor said. "You'll be next to Piezza and the two gentlemen who make those amazing baked goods." The Mayor smiled broadly. "You need to get there early; they always sell out."

"What's a Piezza?" Bob asked.

"I, uh, I don't actually know," the Mayor admitted. "This is their first year here, but I've heard it's delicious."

"We look forward to trying it," Richard said. "Is there anything else we need to know or do?"

"Oh, yes, you'll need to pay your fee," the Mayor said after a moment. "Uh, twenty-five gold. Set up your tent and whatever you need to make your hot dogs and coffee. Be ready by noon tomorrow; that's when the festival starts."

Bob counted out the money—he was good at it now—and handed it to the Mayor. Giving it away felt odd, but he knew they would make much more in return.

"Thank you, Mayor Hamilton," Richard said as he and Bob left. They hadn't gone far before they heard the little man yelling again.

"He's, uh, pretty intimidating for such a small, happy man," Bob said.

"Yes, he is. Let's not piss him off. I'm not sure which is worse—being on the bad side of Battleax or Hamilton," Richard said. "We should talk to Sootie about getting another stove."

"Good idea," Bob said.

–

Ruby woke to find two large nervous Orcs standing in her shop. She had dozed off again as she often did on a slow day. The day before the festival tended to be slow unless a vendor needed utensils.

Ruby yawned. "Ah, yes, one moment. I can't seem to see much without my glasses. Now, where did I put them?" She felt around and found them on her head. "Ah, ha, ha! There they are. Now, how can I help you, dears?"

"Uh, hi. We wondered if we could talk to the blacksmith, Sootie?" Richard asked.

Ruby blinked a few times, her rosy cheeks growing plump with a wide grin. Without warning, she bellowed, "SOOTIE! CUSTOMERS!"

The store rumbled as the reply came, "Who is it?"

Ruby shouted back, "AN ORC COUPLE!"

Bod whispered, "Couple?" Richard elbowed him.

The room rumbled once more. "What do they want?"

Ruby blinked again. "Oh my, yes. So, what do you need, dears?"

"We need another stove," Richard said.

Ruby bellowed again, "IT'S THE NICE ORCS AT THE LOVELY CAFE. THEY NEED ANOTHER STOVE!"

The Orcs felt their bones rumble, "What's wrong with the ones they have?"

Richard said, "We have a food booth at the festival."

Ruby's eyes twinkled with delight. "Oh, really? Lovely!" Then she shouted, "THEY HAVE A FOOD BOOTH!"

An enormous reptilian head snaked through the door, and slitted eyes peered at the two Orcs. Richard and Bob were startled to find themselves face-to-face with a red dragon—it was their first time seeing the blacksmith in his dragon form.

The dragon's deep voice rattled their souls. "I have just the thing. I've been thinking about your cafe. Come by tomorrow." With that, the enormous head snaked back into the forge.

"How, how much?" Bob stammered, thinking of gold even as his body shivered with fear.

"Ah, that would be my department," Ruby said with a comforting smile.

Ruby had inherited more than just the earth spirit from her father; she also had a dwarven knack for haggling. After an intense back-and-forth with Bob, they reached an agreement. Richard was amazed at how well Bob negotiated with the plump little woman—and even more impressed by how well she handled the large Orc.

"Well, that was... interesting," Richard said as they left the blacksmith.

"Yeah, she's good," Bob said.

"I think we need to find the others and get back to the village. We have a lot to do before tomorrow, and the sun will set soon," Richard said.

"Sure, but what else do we need to do? We've got a tent, right?" Bob asked.

Richard thought for a moment. "I mean, nothing really. We can talk to the baker and the butcher in the morning and get supplies as needed. I'm sure we have a spare tent. Maybe a table?"

From the shadows of the blacksmith, purple eyes watched the two Orcs. A smile spread across a hidden face—this was going to be the best festival in centuries.