10. Guruk

10

Guruk

Guruk

No shred of doubt remained. Sammy and I had a fated bond. Although I'd never heard of it happening outside of an orc pairing, after sharing in the fires of passion last night, it was no longer in question. Nothing else compared.

As the sun rose on the horizon, specs of light creeping through the curtains, I held my little human close. I'd forever treasure the gift destiny had given me. Sammy would want for nothing as long as it was in my power to give. In truth, I'd move mountains to make her every wish, every desire a reality.

"Guruk?" She stared up at me, love in her eyes and it made my heart squeeze. Yawning, she asked, "You awake?"

"Yes, little one." I kissed the top of her head. "What would you like for breakfast?"

Humming, she scrunched her lips to the side. "Can we have pancakes? The fluffy kind with syrup and maybe some berries?"

I chuckled, a deep rumble that vibrated through my chest. "Pancakes it is, then." I reluctantly released her from my embrace, though the warmth of her presence lingered.

As I rose from the bed, I glanced back at Sammy, her hair tousled and a sleepy smile playing on her lips. The sunlight caught the glimmer in her eyes, and I felt a swell of pride. She was mine, and I was determined to protect and cherish her always.

I stood in the doorway with just one problem. I had no idea what pancakes were.

Sammy

Two hours and four tries later, Guruk and I figured out how to make pancakes from scratch. Having used only boxed mush before, I didn't think it'd be that hard to determine the flour to sugar ratio.

I was wrong.

With flour covering us from head to toe, we sat to a quite breakfast of pancakes and eggs. The latter being a far simpler fair to cook than the pancake fiasco. Even though it was closer to lunch time, I wouldn't trade the sweet hours beforehand for anything.

At last, I had a home, and a love to match. If only I could see my friends again, my life would be perfect. Sure I couldn't be a gamer in this world, although I'd bet the villagers might enjoy some tabletop fair. But I had so many passions I'd love to pursue that when weighed against the gift of finding Guruk, the streamer career seemed little trouble to give up.

Setting aside the meal, I rose from the table and stood beside his chair. Taking his hands in mine, I said, "Thank you for giving me a place to call home."

"It's always yours." He rose, tugging me into his chest. "I love you, Samantha."

"It's Sammy." I laughed and rubbed my nose against his skin. "And I love you too."

The sweetness of the moment rolled through me like the warmest of summer suns, until…

A crash from outside drew our attention. We looked at one another and then raced each other to the door. Our thief had returned, and this time, the creature was fully visible.

As we ran toward the pen, a small being no bigger than a rabbit was floating above Inara's head. It had a squat body and long limbs with a hooked nose and large eyes.

"An imp!" Guruk cried, grabbing his ax by the pen's outer fence. "I'd suspected as much."

The creature didn't halt its movement, even as Inara swatted at it with her horn. With a cry of victory, it wrapped its grubby hand around the alicorn's horn.

"No!" I shouted, hoping to catch the imp's attention. But it ignored me, fighting with Inara who bucked and whinnied her indignation.

"Get away, you!" Guruk hopped the fence and rushed toward the trespasser. With a yelp and a pop, the thief disappeared again. "Blasted, fiend. You won't be getting far this time."

By the time I caught up, the imp had vanished and my orc was consoling the alircorn.

"Don't worry, Inara." He patted her neck. "Now, we know what he looks like, Sheriff will be on him in no time."

Her horn glowed in what I imagined was agreement. The soft purplish light cascaded along the grass, highlighting sparkles in all the green.

"What's this?" I knelt to investigate, running my hand over the blades to catch the tiny specks and holding them to the light.

Guruk circled my wrist in a delicate grip. "Hmm, looks like alicorn dust. Hope our thief didn't run off with any."

"Alicorn…" My mind whirled. A churning kicked up in my stomach. "Dust?"

"Yes." He knelt beside me, rubbing the dust along my skin. "Its said to have magical properties."

I muttered aloud as a memory rose to the surface, "You need to collect the magical dust from its horn to achieve your mission."

"What's that, Sammy?"

"The game!" I cried, jumping to my feet. "I was supposed to collect the dust."

"Whoa now." Guruk gripped my shoulders. "What are you talking about exactly?"

Inara nudged my side as if giving me support. I pet her neck, the dust from her horn glowing on the back of my hand. Excitement tore through me. "In the game I was playing with my friends, the mission was to find an alicorn and collect the dust from its horn."

"Then, you think…" He stopped, a strange expression falling over his face.

"If I collect the dust, I might be able to go home!" The idea of figuring the mystery behind my strange journey to this world clouded the reality of my words.

"Oh." The frown coupled by the sorrow in his eyes snapped me back.

"No!" I dropped my hand from Inara, sending the dust flying, and clapping his cheeks between my hands. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to leave you. But, my friends, and the mission, I was just… I…"

Words failed me.

But not my orc. With infinite care, he tugged my hands from his face and held them to his chest. "You'll always have a place here, with me," he said, a tight edge to his words, "but I'll never trap you. If you need to do this, Sammy, then collect the dust from Inara."

I stopped breathing. "I don't want to leave."

He stared at me, searching for something. "But, you do want to see your friends, right?"

"Well, yes." My heart picked up an unsteady rhythm.

"And you want to see what happens if you complete this mission, yes?" He brushed my hair back behind my ear and the movement brought tears to my eyes. "Gather the dust, and let's see what the fates have in store for us, little one."

Torn in two by his sweet words, I didn't even bother gazing at the sparkles in the grass. I swiped viciously at the remnants of it on my hands. "No."

"Sammy," he said, halting my furious movements. "You have to try. If you don't, you'll always wonder."

"No," I said again, but with less conviction. Would I always wonder?

The thought haunted me. As the dust twinkled like a tempting treasure, I both hated it and felt drawn to it. But I couldn't give up my orc, my love for curiosity.

Then, he whispered as if afraid I'd hear, "What of your friends?"

I imagined what Mako, Abby, or any of my friends, even Raine would say if they knew the choice I had to make. And it was with a smile, I said honestly, "They'll always be with me, but you're my home."

My friends would support me. No matter what, and no matter how far we were from each other. With that thought, as if I had conjured the creature to my side, the florin from the council popped into the pen. Sitting atop Inara, he began to twitter and tweak at a rapid pace. Then, he hopped down from her great height, landing on his tiny feet and stomping over the glowing dust in the grass.

"Easy, slow down, my friend." Guruk waved to get their attention. "I can't understand if you go to fast."

The next minute was the longest of my life. It was as if a spot inside me, an important piece, was shifting with the florin's every word.

When his twitters quieted, my orc turned to me with a curious expression. "Sammy, you know what the alicorn horn does?"

"Um, something like wishes, right?" I couldn't remember if that was from the game, the book Thad had given me, or something Guruk said. Everything felt so jumbled.

"Inara, like all alicorn, can grant a person's most fervent desire. It's not simply a wish." He took my hands, steadying me. So quickly, he'd become my anchor in the storm. "It's the greatest secretest, most sacred part of one's heart."

"Yes?" My world was typing on its axis.

"And that's how you must have come here, my little human." He placed my palms to his chest. "You touched Inara's horn in your game, but she heard your heart through the veil. And granted your dream."

I swallowed, the truth rising too fast. "Which was?"

"Your friends, they're not in your world, Sammy." The florin patted my side in support. Guruk held my gaze. "You wanted to live in a fantasy realm, a game to you, but real for all of us in Havenlore." He kissed my cheek. "And you didn't want to come alone. You wanted your loved ones, your found family to come with you."

Thank you for reading! This novella is a part of the Orcs Unbound collection. However, it deserves more story, don't you think? So, this will be worked into a FULL LENGTH NOVEL with lots more slow burn and deep dive into the world of Havenlore!

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