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Taking a smaller drink from his tankard, Gregory began walking amongst the bustling encampment and was immediately applauded when he stepped into the circle of bodies around the central fire. A large unidentifiable pig-like animal had been skinned and prepared to roast on a spit over that fire. Although he couldn’t guess at what exactly the creature might be, it certainly smelled fucking delicious enough that his stomach immediately growled its approval.
The Runts were all seated there waiting for their dinner whilst being entertained by the workers of the camp. Valise was seated beside Frun, tending to the bruises and cuts he’d incurred in the proving match. Torren and Talina were also in attendance, with the latter seated comfortably in the former’s lap whilst slicing up an apple and feeding it to him. Although a part of him missed her, he couldn’t deny that the pair of them looked extremely happy together. He couldn’t remember Torren without that dreamy look in his eyes ever since the day that she’d first been with him.
Emmet was also nearby, talking with two of the human slaves who were preparing the upcoming little feast. Everything that went on in Bolut’s camp seemed to go through the filter of the old man, and despite his advanced years it was hard to deny he kept things running like clockwork around there.
Seeing his friends greet and applaud his success brought an unexpected clench to his gut. It had only been two months, but these people had taken him into their lives in a way he’d not known on Earth. He’d had some friends back home, but there had always been a distance between him and the rest of his world. There certainly hadn’t been a group of people who had taken him into their homes, shared everything they had, and even fought alongside him.
It was starting to feel more like home every day.
Wrut stood up and bashed his fist to his chest to greet Gregory’s return.
“You were right, brother. The shield worked,” he said.
“Worked? You were lethal with that bloody thing. You barely moved an inch when they charged us.”
Wrut shrugged modestly. “I’m old and stubborn.”
“I’m glad. And you!” Gregory looked down at Frun who was having a sweet smelling creamy substance massaged into his lower leg by Valise with a look of relief on his face. He turned his attention to Gregory when the human rounded on him. “You were brilliant! I think their fucking grandchildren will be feeling that opening blow you gave them back there.”
Frun grinned at the offered praise, despite a few painfully swollen features.
“It felt right,” he said; then shrugged before letting Valise run a swab of cloth across his bruised cheek.
“It was right. The four of us had a hell of a fight on our hands here, until these two maniacs showed up,” Gregory looked over to where Frelki sat, and where Nullik had returned to sit beside her carrying a bottle of fire water. “I knew you two would be dangerous, but I didn’t think it’d be over that quickly.”
“We had their backs to us,” Frelki’s tone was modest enough. “Any warrior could have done what we did. Your falcon allowed our attack, Gregory.”
“My falcon was an idea that completely relied on the enemy ignoring you both because they figured you for a couple of weaklings. You can bet your ass they won’t make that mistake again.”
She smiled at that, and Gregory saw her cheeks flush a slightly deeper shade of green.
“We are a pair of drakes with those new weapons, aren’t we?” Her smile then broadened into a grin.
“Damn right.” Gregory wasn’t sure what the hell a drake was; but from her tone he guessed it was something suitably fearsome and agreed wholeheartedly. “Right then, I’m going to go find out where the hell my mate and my girlfriend are. I’ve started on my path to becoming a proven orc, and earned the right to brag about my deeds to ridiculously attractive ladies. Excuse me.”
With that, he bowed to his companions before going in search of those he loved. Guessing that they might be residing in his tent, he made for that direction and couldn’t quite wipe his own grin off his face as he walked.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
“Do you think he’ll be back soon?” Frelki asked Nullik, her eyes fixed on Gregory’s ass in his trunks as he departed.
Nullik took a big gulp of the fire water, choked only a little at its potency and then laughed at Frelki’s question.
“Did you see who went in his tent before he did? We might never see him again.”
She had indeed seen what Nullik was talking about, and felt a slight pang of sadness beating in her breast.
– – – – –
Gregory walked into his tent whilst rolling out a kink in his shoulder; his attention was focused on it as he felt a light stab of pain on the bottom of each roll. Wanting to make certain it was only a minor problem; his eyes were fixed upon the movement as he stepped inside the tent where he suspected he might find Janette or Algra.
“Hey guys, looks like we’re all set for a party out there if…” He stopped speaking the moment he looked up and saw them.
Janette, Algra, Lydia, and Fiona were all in attendance. They were all sat up on the furs of his large bed, waiting for him to notice their presence and each wearing a thoroughly naughty smile. Seeing those four exceptionally beautiful, sexy women hanging out on his bed would have stopped him mid-sentence at any given time. The fact that those naughty smiles were all that they were wearing added to his stunned silence to the degree that he forgot to breathe for a good thirty seconds.
“Hi, Greg!” Jan lifted her hand to wiggle her fingers at him in greeting.
His oxygen depravation became apparent when he tried to reciprocate the greeting and instead found himself almost choking on a single gasp.
“Girls, I think we broke him,” Lydia said; her smile lighting up with amusement.
He managed to pull air back into his lungs at a somewhat steady rhythm whilst his eyes ate up the glorious sight they presented.
“What’s… Um… How are…” After several failed attempts to speak, he finally gave up. Instead of speaking he opted for the simpler route of standing on the spot and blushing furiously.
Janette giggled at the reaction, and then swept her legs beneath her to crawl over to the end of the bed. He watched her and saw her large, creamy breasts swaying gently beneath her as she approached to lock her fingers on the end of the bed and rise up to greet him.
“It’s ok, baby. See, we figured you deserved a celebration after your first big win in the provings. So, we got together and asked ourselves: What does Greg love doing more than anything else? Then we came up with the answer: Us!”
His rise in tension dissipated with a laugh at Janette’s summation. “You’re sure as hell not wrong, Jan. When it comes to things I love, spending time with you ladies sure beats the hell out of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.”