An unexpected ally

"YOU TRAITOR! DADDY IS GOING TO HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!" The raging orc teen loudly gasps, clenching her fists in anger. Samuel simply rolls his eyes and ignores her.

"Now, I guess you two rascals are here for princess Gina, right? ...Take her, she's yours." The mature orc serenely speaks, crossing his arms over his robust chest, looking up at you... so her name is Gina...

You and Rhea gaze at each other in confusion. "...Why are you helping us?" You ask with an eyebrow lifted up. Your longbow, though not being pointed at the monster man, is still firmly cramped on your clenched hand.

The ex-bodyguard shrugs his shoulders, a little grin on his green face. "Maybe I just like you guys... Or maybe I just want to see Forius fall... Or maybe I'm just going crazy. Haven't decided it yet."

You take a deep breath. "Alright... I... I trust you." You sigh after a few seconds of silence, placing the homemade longbow on your back. "...Weird day at work, huh?" You dryly joke, beginning to assimilate the weird situation that's happening at the moment.

"Heh, absolutely." Samuel snorts.

"I... you... him... Daddy, save me!" Your hostage desperately screams, holding up the hems of her long, blue dress and starting to quickly run away into the forest, stumbling over her impractical high-heels.

"I'll get 'er!" Rhea angrily says, chasing after the teen princess; maybe feeling the need to prove herself to you again after that humiliating defeat from just a few minutes ago.

"...Damn." Samuel whistles, eyeing the minotaur's ass as she runs after Gina. "...I'm glad you appeared when you did, it would have been a shame to kill such a fine lady like that..." He grunts, combing his greyish goatee with his thick, sausage fingers, his eyes fixed on Rhea's rear as she hunts the orcess. "You got my respects, you lucky son of a bitch. I saw that bell." Samuel flashes you a toothy grin, you simply chuckle and roll your eyes.

"Stop squirmin', ye little maggot!" Rhea says, effortlessly carrying the yowling Gina over her shoulder, a triumphant smirk plastered on her face.

"Get me down! Y-you big, stupid cow!" The orc princess cries out, kicking her legs uselessly, trying to escape the strong grip.

"Thanks for the help, old man. And, for the record, I want a rematch... ya simply got me off-guard back there." The minotaur says to Samuel as she walks closer to where you both are standing.

"It would be my pleasure. But it will have to wait until things calm down, I'm a traitor now; and you don't want to know what our dear orc chief does to traitors."

"You know..." You start speaking, thinking if it would actually be a good idea to tell him about your hideout. "...We are living in some kind of cave, close of here. It's a safe place, you are totally invited to stay there if you don't have any other place to go." You finish, the old orc scratches his chin again, meditating about the offer.

"Samuel! No matter where you go, my daddy will- eeppp!" Gina starts screeching, but Rhea cuts her short with a gruff spank on her shapely butt.

"Bad girl. Quiet." She orders, shutting the orc down, at least for now.

"...So?" You ask Samuel. "Food is decent, and it's actually pretty cozy for a cave."

"...That's... tempting..." He softly says, making a small pause before starting to talk again. "...But I'll have to refuse. I don't want to get too fond of you guys, in case something bad happens... I think I'm heading up to the northeast, get a cabin somewhere cold and dark... my kind of place."

You say your goodbyes, shaking hands with Samuel. "Maybe our paths will cross again, kid." He says.

"Under better circumstances, I hope." You add, smiling at the friendly orc.

When it's turn to say goodbye to Rhea, Samuel courteously bows and kisses the minotaur's hand that is not holding Gina over her shoulder. "Ha! A gentleman! Watch 'n learn, Theo" ...You spent enough time with Rhea to know that she doesn't enjoy being treated like a lady.

"Uh-huh, I'm learning a lot." You sarcastically grunt.

And in a blink of an eye, the orc bodyguard is gone. Lost between the thick, green trees of the woods. "Let's go back home, we-"

"You fucking, dumb human pig... you don't know what my father is capable of... imagine what he is going to do to you, haha, I bet-"

"Enough." Rhea shuts the teen off, making her voice even more raspy and gruff than it already was. "Ye talk to him like that one more time and I'll use those pretty shoes of ya to gouge yer fecking eyes out and make ye eat them. Are we clear, little princess?"

Gina gulps in fear and immediately stops talking. In fact, she doesn't even dare opening her mouth again in the whole way towards the den... Thanks, Rhea.

"You are lucky Theo likes you. If he didn't... so small, so skinny... You wouldn't really make a good meal, but I would hunt you just for the thrill of it..." Kara slowly talks to Maggie, looking down at her with a mischievous smile, her tail wagging like crazy behind her.

"Whu- What!? I knew you were evil! You heard what she just said, elf-girl?!" Maggie nervously stammers, looking back at Agis, searching for a potential ally in her fight against flea-infested hounds.

"Maggie, grow up." Agis annoyedly grunts, sitting cross-legged over one of the many rugs around the ground, her eyes closed and her hands relaxed by her sides. "She is clearly joking... and you started it, I heard what you called her earlier. Now, keep silence and let me meditate in peace ... and, elf-girl? You really don't remember my name?"

"S-she wants to eat me! Look at her!" The catgirl points her finger at the puppy girl, who is now making a silly expression, crossing her eyes, letting her tongue fall down, pressing her caramel cheeks together with her hands, mocking the scaredy-cat. "And of course I remember your name! ...It's Abby, right?"

"...I don't think Theo would care about a bite or two, Kara. Have fun." The elf jokes in a very stony-faced way. Not a single muscle of her body moving, remaining on the same position as before as she tries to concentrate.

"Yum!" The wolf girl giggles, licking her lips and teasingly taking step after step towards the little sorceress.

"Hey, cut it off!" Mathilda says, quickly stepping in the empty space between the cat and the dog. "I know you two can be friends, Lola and I used to hate each-other too, just... find something you both enjoy!" Your cheerful, positive sister says, trying to calm the waters between the pair. They simply look at her with a confused expression, then at each other with a hating one.

"...Leave it, Mat. Dogs and cats, you know how it is..." Agis grunts, finally giving up on the meditation thing, standing up and stretching the muscles of her slender limbs.

"Well, I don't think I could ever have something in common with this..." Magnolia begins talking, but she interrupts herself when she sees Rhea and you entering through the long, dark tunnel. "Theo! You won't believe what Kara said to me!" She exclaims, skipping towards you, "She said th- ...who's that?" She softly asks as she notices the fancy-dressed orc laying over Rhea's shoulder.