Play it cool.

“Play along. Let me do most of the talking.”

“Fair enough if I can do most of the killing,” Sura replied.

“Morning.” I smiled and hopped off my horse. Now that we were closer I could see mud on the two kobold guards' feet and their horses tied nearby were the same. No cart but deep tracks leading up to the mine.

“What do you want, human?” the head kobold replied.

“I am here to inspect the mine. Some guy sent me. What was his name? Runs the kingsforge?”

“Vignar,” Sura said. I was playing this out of my ass. As long as I looked like I didn't know what the fuck I was doing the least they would suspect.

“Right. That guy. I am terrible with names. He sent me to check the other mines. I don't know if you heard but the orc mine got robbed.”

“We heard. Why are you checking our mine?” The kobold nodded and dropped his guard as he took his hand off a knife he had on his hip.

“Just to make sure no other mines got robbed. Personally, I could care less but you know how it is. Least got to make it look like I am doing something. I ask a few questions and I get paid rather I find anything or not.”

“Clever. No nothing missing here,” he said grabbing his coin purse off his hip and pouring out some coins. “This mine is a coal mine anyways. Winters over so no one will be stealing coal. I am selling it to the goblins here. Between you and me they don't know there is nothing inside. It's dryer then my grandmom's pussy but they think they are getting a steal but really I stealing from them,” he said, leading me away from them and putting a couple of silver in my hand. That all but confirmed we were in the right place. Why pay me if he had nothing to hide.

“Smart.” I smiled and turned toward my horse putting the silver in my satchel and took it off hanging it on my horse. The kobold walked back towards the others. Nothing else I just got paid by the asshole who stole the ore. “This is the place,” I said softly as I looked at Sura. She nodded and drew the greatsword on her back. If we left to go find other orcs they would try and move the ore before we could get them here.

“One more thing. I still need to check in the mine just to be sure.” I spoke up.

“Why? It's abandoned like I said.” The Kobold turned.

“To make sure there isn't a wagon full of iron ore inside. No one needs to get hurt. You and your men can walk away.” I said as I grabbed my bow. Guess it was time to see if Kobolds were more smart or more greedy.

“Kill them,” the lead Kobold screamed and drew his knife. He didn't get more then a step as Sura came at him swinging her sword upward and cutting him open from balls to brain and sent his lifeless body flying. I slung my bow around catching one of the kobolds in the eye through his open helmet, a third wearing a closed helmet and chest plate ran at Sura with an ax. I aimed down and caught him in the foot stopping him from charging. Before I could get another arrow knocked, Sura swung her greatsword cutting off his head at the neck in one clean slash sending head and helmet flying into the air. His body stood for a second before hitting the ground with a thud.

Sura cut down two of the goblins with a single swing of her sword. I drew my bow and fired and hit a goblin running at me. A swirling sound filled the air as two goblins hit the ground with knives sticking out of their head and chest. I looked back to see a dark elf Trow woman with dark grey skin and hair black as night dressed in black leather coming toward us. She had her arm raised at me with a small crossbow on her bracer pointed at me. She smiled slyly and moved her arm hitting a goblin coming at my flank in the neck. He fell to the ground and began to convulse and thrash about from some kind of poison. I turned back toward the others putting an arrow through the rib cage of one running at Sura as she decapitated another. She was tearing through them fast. I saw one aim a crossbow at Sura and fire. The bolt flying through the air at her.

“Ventus,” I yelled and threw up my hand doing the only thing I could think of. The gust of wind throwing the bolt off course which missed her but just barely. She glanced at me and nodded before turning back and threw her greatsword at the one who was reloading the crossbow. It speared through him and sent him flying backward before it stuck into the ground facing upward. The goblins body sliding down it. The rest of the goblins ran for it as fast as they could while she drew the swords on her hip, some even running into the mines where they had no way out most likely. Others up the hill as fast as they could scurry up it to flee from her.

“Come back and fight you fucking cowards,” she yelled but didn't give chase. Their employer was dead and they had no hope of winning so they had no reason to stay and die anymore. Hell I was surprised that hadn't ran in the first place after the kobolds were killed.

“Who are you?” I said turning back to the woman who had joined us.

“Raven, The kingsforge guild hired me to find the ore the orcs hadn't delivered. You were hired by the orcs?” She smiled and sheath the throwing knives she held.

“Yes.” I nodded lowering my bow.

“Then we are on the same side it would seem this time.” She smiled and walked past. She bent over to pick up the coin purse off the ground from the head kobold showing off her ass in her skin tight leather outfit. I was surprised I couldn't make out her pussy.

“How did you know to look here?” Sura said. I was curious myself how she came to the same conclusion as me.

“I didn't. I followed you,” she said slyly as she passed me and took an arrow from my quiver. “It's funny. I was hired a while back to hunt down some goblin bandits. Someone beat me to it. A few had been killed by arrows just like yours. digging them up was a real bitch but at least they still had their ears so I still got paid for each kill.” She shrugged and tossed the arrow back to me. Seems we had missed each other on that one.

“Sura. You want to go...”

“Check the mine. You watch her.” Sura nodded.

“Lovely friend.” Raven smiled and bent over a goblin and pulled out a knife and started cutting off his ear.

“If you're going to do that at least help me lay the bodies in a pile so we can burn them. That old cart should work,” I said and nodded with my head. The last thing anyone needed was wolves or something else to catch wind of dead corpses.

“Very well,” Raven said, grabbing an ankle of one. I walked over to grab one of the bodies when I heard a sound behind one of the buildings. I drew my sword and came around as a goblin jumped backward and fell onto the ground. He crawled backward in fear.

“Please don't kill me.” He shook his head and put up his hands. He didn't have a weapon and was trembling in fear. Hell, he looked pretty young. Old enough to fight maybe but still. He was scared shitless.

“A straggler?” Raven asked behind me.

“No. I want this one alive. You can have the ears of the others.” I shook my head.

“Thank you human. Good human.” He turned and crawled on his knees toward me.

“I want you to give a message to the others of your kind. You saw what happened when one orc tore through your people. What will happen if more then one orc came to your village or humans such as myself.”

“Goblins all dead.” He nodded.

“Yes. Every last one of you. No more goblins. No more goblin town. All dead. Don't rob or steal anything else from the orcs, humans, gnomes, elves, unless you want someone like her to cut off your ears.” I said with a nod toward Raven.

“No. Want to keep ears do. Tell I will. I will.” He covered his ears with his hands.

“Good. Now run. Tell the others.”

“Yes. Me tell, Thank you human. Good human” He said and got up and ran for it almost tripping over his own two feet.

“Think it was smart letting them go?” Raven asked.

“He and the others will tell other goblins what happened. Maybe keep some of them from trying something like this in the future. least for a little while”

“I wouldn't count on it.” Raven shook her head as she threw a body on the pile.

“So you're a mug half-empty kind of girl.”

“No. I don't give a fuck until my mug and coin purse are empty. As long as there are things need killing both will stay full for a long time to come. You saved him today but I may end up killing him tomorrow when he ignores what you said,” Raven replied. She was probably right but I could hope not.

“You were right. The ore and the wagon are just a little ways in,” Sura said coming out with a smile on her face.

“I don't think the Kobolds will mind us borrowing their horses,” I said looking over.

“Think we need the kobold's body?” Sura asked as she looked at the head kobold.

“Wouldn't hurt.” I shrugged. I threw some coal and lantern oil from the mines on top of the pile of bodies and ignited it with a spell. We road for the orc camp where we found several gnomes talking to the orcs.

“Thank the maker. You found it,” one of the gnomes said as he came forward.

“Vignar?” I looked at Sura and she nodded.

“Where was it?” Vignar asked.

“Thieves had it hidden nearby,” Sura said tossing the body off the back of her horse.

“Andrus. Should have known. Greedy son of a bitch. Hope you rot in hell.” Vignar spat on his body. I was surprised he could recognize the dead guy. He then looked up at me. “How did you get involved in this, sir?”

“I am a tracker. Sura hired me on behalf of her tribe.”

“And a damn good one at that it seems. What do you want for this?”

“That her tribe see no punishment and continue to do business with you in the future.”

“Very well.” He gave a shrug. “It be getting dark soon and I rather not be on the road. I will get a room in the inn for the night. Two of your men will escort the ore in the morning personally to make sure it arrives without further incident,” Vignar said looking at the orc chief.

“Agreed.”

“Come Raven. I will see you are paid.” Vignar smiled. Raven gave me a smile as she passed. That was one woman I hoped I never have to cross blades with.

“Thank you, daughter,” the chief said as he came over.

“No matter how far the tribe may be it will never be far from my heart. But you owe thanks to this one more then to me,” Sura said as she hopped off.

“Then you have our thanks stranger. You are welcome to come and eat with us this night.”

“And Sura. Would she be welcome as well?” I replied. I wasn't going to turn my back on her now.

“The traitor bitch has no place at our...” Gorn said stepping forward though never finished what he was saying as the chief threw a punch that sent the younger orc on his ass. The old man had some fight in him it seemed.

“My daughter fought for us, saved our honor when many showed her none, any orc who speaks ill of her deeds again shall have no place in this tribe and walk the long road alone. As chief I say this. It is spoken, it is law,” he replied. “Come. Let us feast tonight as we may die tomorrow.” Feast we did as they cooked a large wild boar over the fire and served a drink strong enough to make me go blind if I drank too much. I was caught a little off-guard as several of the orc women came out dressed in loin cloths and war paint, their large breasts bouncing as they moved to the beat of drums.

“Well, there is something you don't see every day.” I smiled.

“Do orc women appeal to you human?” The chief laughed.

“I like all women. Just not used to them running around topless.” I shrugged.

“It is our way from the time of old before meeting the first of your men as it is told. We remember our ancestors in this way as it has been before word took shape,” the old orc said. I knew by 'word took shape' he was referring to the writing. No one knew what had come before that except for stories passed from generation to generation.

“If only all civilization was so wise.” I smiled and raised my cup.

“Ha. Agreed.” He laughed and drank.

“Though there would be very little civilization left if all races thought as we orcs,” an older orc woman said as she came over and sat. Not bad looking for her age or that she was an orc.

“This is Gova, our master blacksmith.”

“Thank you for your help today.” She smiled.

“It was just a couple of goblins and kobolds.”

“Maybe so but you helped my daughter. For that, you have my thanks.”

“Your Sura's mom?”

“Yes. She came from me. There are many who still do not wish her here but they cannot defy the chief nor what she and you did for the clan. At the very least she will be allowed to visit us as she likes though I know she has no wish to live among us after her own tribe scorned her for so long. It is a hard road she must walk alone. Being of two tribes but never being fully welcome by either. Luckily she is strong. She will endure.”

“That she is.” I nodded as I watched her dance. After a while, she took a seat with a few of her friends on a long log by the campfire. Sura nodded for me to come over.

“Human,” one of the girls said raising a cup.

“This is Wren and Shel,” Sura said as she slid over giving me a place to sit beside her.

“Ladies.”

“Don't think I have ever been called that before.” Wren laughed.

“Ha. Wren is no lady. The only thing more open then her mouth is her pussy,” Shel responded.

“You know if the human was one of us, you would be expected to fuck him, Sura.” Wren gave her a look.

“You are so profane, Wren.”

“Why is that?”

“Orc men and women who fight together fuck together. It is not law so much as tradition. We orcs are driven by our passions. Feasting, fighting, and fucking like there is no tomorrow.” Wren smiled.

"We know which Wren most prefers. No offense to the human but I don't think he could measure up to orc men," Sura said and took a drink of her mug. She seemed a little on the defensive.

"How do you know, Sura? Have you ever seen the human naked?" Wren replied and reached over putting her hand on my dick and balls and giving them a squeeze through my pants. “Feels like he measures up pretty well to me. If he were orc, I would fuck him.”

“Speaking of fucking,” Shel said as she looked up and one of the male orcs came over. Wren stood up and went to him and grabbed his ass as they walked away. “Well, I am going to go dance.”

“You know I wouldn't say no if you asked,” Sura said as she glanced over at me.

“Asked what?”

“Fucking. Nothing like a good fucking after a fight. That is if you think you can handle me, human."