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26. Oarus

26

OARUS

“Yvonne?” I call out in desperation.

Through luck, fate, or something else, I manage to find my way around the cave-in. Never have these tunnels felt like such a labyrinth to me.

She isn’t here, not even in ear shot. Just gone, but I hope she’s at least still alive.

The thought of her body crushed under all the rocks creeps back into my mind. I roar in frustration. She was supposed to be here! I was supposed to find her! Protect her! Instead, I failed her!

“Yvonne, I’m so sorry,” I say to the empty tunnel. “It was my duty to protect you. Now…”

My voice trails off as I look down. New hope for Yvonne’s survival surges within me. She could still be alive.

And it looks like she must be. I look down and see small human footprints have been left behind in the dirt around the cave-in. She wasn’t hurt. She is alive.

She must’ve wandered off somewhere, trying to find her way back to me. But we’re not out of danger yet. These tunnels are full of predators. I need to get to Yvonne before something else does. I need to hurry.

But where exactly did she go? The footprints are only around the collapse. They disappear deeper into the tunnel, but at least I know she’s alive.

Then, something else catches my eye, a little bit of torn cloth left on the ground. And deeper down the tunnel, I find another scrap. I’d recognize that beautiful fabric anywhere, it’s Yvonne’s dress. She’s leaving me a trail!

It’s a good thing I’ve fallen in love with such a smart woman. She knew I’d be coming to get her and left me the perfect map to follow.

It’s a faint trail. Some of the pieces of fabric are closer together than others, but I’m still able to find them. Eventually, I notice that Yvonne seemed to be keeping to the right of the tunnels, always taking the right turns when available.

With these clues to find her, I’m making a lot of ground. I’m racing through the cavern. I’ll be with her in no time.

That is, until I find signs of a struggle. I can see dirt has been kicked up and find another bit of torn dress. Yvonne was here… but something happened.

“Those bastards,” I roar to myself.

In the distance, I can hear the sound of the mine, the very same one Yvonne was escaping from when I saved her from drowning. The sound resonates through me, unleashing a chilling thought.

They came and took her.

I start sprinting towards the sound. Rage is building up in every inch of my body, and I won’t rest until I unleash it all on her captors.

When I reach the outside of the mines, I slow down at a fork in the tunnel. My instinct is to follow the path towards the sounds of the mine, but then I spot another bit of torn dress going the other way.

When I finally have Yvonne back in my arms, I’ll have to show her how grateful I am that she is this smart.

I sneak down the tunnel. In the distance, I can hear the chatter of the elves. I end up in an open cavern with dozens of rooms dug into the walls. Yvonne must be held in one of these.

But which one? I can’t afford to search all of them. I’ll get caught. A pair of guards are already patrolling the cavern.

My attention is drawn to a chorus of laughter at the far end of the cavern. The sound is coming from a room blocked by a metal gate. I swiftly get in position to spy in from a distance.

My vision goes red with rage from what I see. Yvonne, chained to the ground, is on her hands and knees, eating out of a bowl. A pack of the gray-skinned bastards surrounds her.

They are degrading her, humiliating her. Trying to make her seem like she’s less than human and unworthy of respect.

She’s already faced so much hardship. She’s been mistreated by everyone and never granted happiness.

I was supposed to keep her from ever experiencing that ever again. It was my responsibility to protect her. But I failed, and now she’s right back here.

But not for long. She will be freed through blood if I must. She will never know a moment in chains again.

“Eat up your slop,” an elf laughs. “Like the good little –!”

“How dare you!” I roar with anger. Stealth is no longer a priority, saving her is.

The laughing inside Yvonne’s cage stops. The two guards in the cavern look at me with weapons drawn. More footsteps start to echo towards this place, the sound of reinforcements.

I leap at the guards. They swing their blades, but I swiftly dodge the attacks. With ease, I’ve closed the gap between us.

I attack the taller of the two guards first. My claws slit his throat without a struggle. Blood sprays all over me and across the cavern as his blade and body crash to the ground.

The other guard doesn’t even have a chance to react before I kill him, too. My thumbs jab his eyes. He screams as my thumbs dig deeper into his skull.

With all the commotion, the elves in Yvonne’s cage come pouring out. Four new victims of my rage.

I quickly pick up one of the guards’ blades and throw it. It sinks directly into the face of a particularly ugly elf, killing him instantly.

The next elf lunges at me. Without much effort, I catch him by the throat. My fingers dig into his skin, coating my hand in fresh blood as he struggles.

The third elf tries to attack me, thinking I’m distracted. I use his friend as a shield, protecting me from slice after slice of his blade. More blood sprays everywhere.

I toss the now dead second elf aside. With my now free hands, I grab the third and slam his head into the ground. I stomp on it until nothing but red paste is left.

The fourth and final elf from Yvonne’s cage smartly stands at a distance. He smirks at me, lazily swinging his blade in the air.

“Are you here for the slut?” the elf asks. “Did we steal your property? Don’t worry, we’re just breaking her in for you. You should thank us. Such a pretty little –!”

I lunge at him. He swings his sword, successfully slashing me across the chest. I don’t let it slow me down, not even for a second.

I swing a single claw at him. It connects with his jaw, severing it clean off. With a plume of blood, the jaw clatters on the ground and his body falls over in a slump.

The rage still courses through my whole body. I could cut through an entire army if I needed to.

The fresh elf blood drips down my body. Hardly a spot on my body is a color other than red at this point.

The cavern has fallen into a still silence. I’ve killed them all. And I’m ready to kill more. Those reinforcements must be arriving at any moment now. I’m ready. I can–

“Oarus!”

The gorgeous sound of her voice cuts through my thoughts. It’s the most perfect sound in the world. All the rage drains from my body, replaced with joy that she’s still alive.

“Oarus? Is that you?”

I sprint into her cage. I don’t waste a single moment. Every breath that Yvonne spends in chains is a reminder of my failure to protect my love.

“Yvonne!” I roar.

“You found me!”

I grab her collar and tear it off her. Once free, Yvonne wraps her arms around me in an embrace. I mirror the action, enveloping her small frame in my massive arms.

As she sinks into me, everything else fades away. It’s just me and her, forever.

“Of course, I found you,” I say before kissing the top of her head. “How could I not? You left me a trail.”

Yvonne pulls away from the embrace. She grabs my face and pulls me into a kiss. Our reunion is cemented by the pressing of our lips. Nothing else will ever tear us apart again.

“I did it because I knew you’d be coming after me,” she says. “I knew you’d save me.”

She buries her face into my chest again. I hold her tight.

“No one will ever hurt you again.”

“I knew you’d save me, Oarus. But… I was also so afraid. I was worried you got hurt in the cave-in, or wouldn’t be able to fight all the elves. I was afraid you’d get hurt or killed. If that happened trying to save me, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Oarus… I… I love you.”

The words hit me like a song. Any lingering adrenaline from the fight fades into a distant memory. All I feel is my overwhelming love for her in return.

I am shocked and glad to know she feels the same way. But part of me wouldn’t let myself believe that she could love a creature like me. I also never expected her to say it to me while I’m soaked in blood.

“Yvonne, I… When the cave-in happened, I was so worried that you were hurt. Then when I found the trail of your dress, proof you were alive, I was so relieved. Then I saw what these elves were doing to you and I… I… I couldn’t control myself. Yvonne, I love you, too, and I promise you, I’ll never let anything like this ever happen to you again.”

Yvonne pulls me in for another kiss. We hold our lips together for a moment, absorbing the calming taste of each other after such a harrowing experience.

Until the echoing footsteps get louder and louder.

“More elves are coming,” I tell Yvonne. “A lot by the sound of it. I might be able to fight them off but –”

“We should run,” Yvonne pleads. “Get out of here, back to the lair where we can be safe, together.”

I grab Yvonne’s hand, and we run out of the mine. Back to the tunnels, ready to disappear into the safety of the twisting maze of the cavern.

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