Fates of Grenora: Return of the Night

It only took an hour for the rest of the Terror birds to be converted, and luckily he didn't have to fight them since the first one he turned had told the rest that he was in charge. One didn't like that, and what followed suit was another beatdown between Aldrin and the bird monster.

During that time, Jared gathered up the rest of the Beastmasters and took a vote since they would be just as involved in training them as he was. The options were Duskmaws, Gravefeathers, and the Nightstalker's Hunters. All of which would be translated into the Orcs' native tongue.

Aldrin left them to debate while he sat among his new monsters, all of which huddled around him in a circle as they lazily eyed their surroundings. He looked to see what benefits they received from him, much like Hellix and Drellix did when they were converted.

"Two of the same as the others and two unique abilities. I need a notebook." Aldrin then closed it out when he felt Pierre and Evie along with Buramog-Kurdan approach. The monstrous birds surrounding him tensed until Aldrin sent a calming command through their shared bond, which immediately relaxed them back into their docile state.

Aldrin smiled at them as they approached. "You definitely can get some barbs from these guys for your potions. They are coated in necrotoxin." Aldrin told Pierre when they stopped a few feet out of reach of the long, beefy necks of the birds.

Pierre eyed one barb on one tail, then at the monster that was lounging in the grass and changed his mind about doing it himself. "You know, I think I'll pass. I'll see if Jared can do it for me."

Aldrin shrugged and stood, which earned a few grumbles and ruffled feathers from the monsters around as they let him pass. "Everyone alright?" He asked.

Evie looked at Buramog-Kurdan first, subtly shifting her head in Aldrin's direction. The Orc stood tall with his chest puffed out. "I want to attempt my claim," he said.

Aldrin looked at him and then back at the birds. "When we get closer to Ebira and set up camp, all will be welcomed to claim their new mounts. I don't know if any old memories of theirs still linger or if they even remember their rider, but they are still welcome to try." He moved to let them all get a better look at the monsters. "Is everything and everyone ready to move?" he asked, watching the monsters for any changes.

"They are," Evie answered. "They are eager to see how things go with the birds too." She said, turning to leave. Aldrin followed along, walking beside her in silence as they trudged to their carriage. Buramog-Kurdan and Pierre were walking in a pair behind them. Jared walked past them, giving them a curt nod as he was on his way to help get the monsters moving.

The surrounding Orcs started moving when Aldrin walked past. Most of them gave the salute Buramog-Kurdan came up with by thumping their fists against their chests. However, there were still a few who looked on with slight hesitation. Aldrin could tell by their scent when he breathed in to check for any dangers. He had to stop when he realized what he could do. It stunned him to know he could associate feelings with someone's scent now. Hesitation and anxiety had a tinge of underlying sourness when he pieced it together. In his mind, he was cursing up a storm because he desperately needed someone to teach him the ropes. So far he was flying by the seat of his pants, without ever understanding his potential and what he could do. He hoped that the Vampires on the other continent would be more inclined to teach; and from what Torvina hinted at, it was a definite possibility.

"What's wrong?" Evie asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Aldrin shook his head. "Nothing. Just a random thought occurred to me. Let's go." He said and walked past her to the carriage. He heard Evie let out a heavy sigh and walk behind him.

He climbed into the driver's seat along with Evie. Pierre opened the door to get inside, and Buramog-Kurdan went to do last-minute checks before finding his place in the column.

"Hey boss," Drellix, one of the vampiric warhorses, mentally said.

Curious, Aldrin leaned forward. "Hm?"

Drellix flattened his ears. "You… uh… you aren't going to replace us, are you?" he nervously asked.

Aldrin frowned. "Replace you? With what?" He asked, confused about the sudden insecurity.

Drellix hesitated as he dug his hoof into the ground. "With the birds?" He murmured, hoping not to anger Aldrin.

Aldrin blinked and then laughed as he sat back. "No. No, I'm not," he said ‌between laughter, which seemed to lift Drellix's mood.

"I told your sensitive ass," Hellix chided.

Drellix nipped at Hellix, "Shut up! You were just as concerned as I was!"

Hellix nipped back, "I was not!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Boys," Aldrin firmly said, cutting through their escalating fight.

"Sorry," they both said in unison, turning their heads away from each other.

Aldrin shook his head with a smile then remembered that Evie was sitting next to him, looking at him with a small smile. "What did they say?" She asked.

Aldrin chuckled, "They were worried about being replaced by the birds."

Evie laughed and looked at them. "You two are indispensable." She gently cooed.

That seemed to perk them up even more as they both stood taller and broader. "Hear that? Indispensable, Hellix. Us. Indispensable." Drellix beamed with pride.

"I heard, you hay for brains," he said, trying to play it cool, but there was a hint of pride edging in his voice too.

Aldrin smiled. "They liked that you called them indispensable," he told her, which she giggled at.

Buramog-Kurdan came back and stopped next to them, knocking on the wood of the carriage, pulling Aldrin from his conversation. Tar-Xuk stood a step behind him, still garbed in his tribal furs. Aldrin had decided to not let the chief get anything until he had proven himself loyal without being under his sway. That time would come when they were in Ebira.

"What's going on Buramog," Aldrin asked, leaning over.

Buramog-Kurdan looked at Aldrin with nervousness permeating him. "The birds.." he started.

Aldrin frowned. "What about them?" He crossed his arms.

"They won't move," he stated and stepped back, allowing Aldrin to step down.

Aldrin sighed, "Jared still with them?" He asked, feeling for the bundled strands of the birds through the bonds he shared.

"Yes, and even he is having trouble with them," the Orc said, following Aldrin as he walked to where they were.

They rapidly closed the distance to see the fifteen bird monsters having a standoff with their Beastmasters. Jared stood in the middle trying to calm down both parties.

"What is going on here?" Aldrin bellowed, incensed that the birds still refused to follow directions.

Jared groaned, "I told you to do what I said before he came. Now we all are in trouble." He cut his eyes to the lead bird monster, the one Aldrin first turned. "I blame you, Steven." The lead monster jerked its head back and squawked in surprise like it had been hit.

It went on a tirade of sharp thrills and whistles as it fussed at Jared, who only pretended to understand what it was saying, then turned to Aldrin. "What did it say?" He asked.

Aldrin glared at the bird monster, who shrunk under his gaze, before addressing Jared. "I don't know. I couldn't understand it. So I'm guessing it takes a little while after the transition for me to understand them."

"Ya hear that, Steven! You aren't that sharp yet!" Jared mocked the monster.

The monster stomped its foot and started another tirade, mostly directed at Jared and the Orcs, but it took extra care not to look Aldrin in the eye. The bird quieted down when Aldrin stood in front of it. It looked everywhere but at him. He grabbed it by its neck and pulled it down so they were eye level.

"Are we going to have problems again?" He threatened the monster. The monster shook as it looked into Aldrin's eyes. "Good. Behave. Do what he tells you," he pointed to Jared. "And don't make me come back here again, otherwise you'll be fried chicken. Got it?" Aldrin waited, letting his point sink in as the implications of becoming food settled into the monster's brain.

The monster nodded its head, and Aldrin released it, turning back to face Jared, who had his arms crossed. "I told you, Steven." He shook his head. "I'll get them moving. See you up front?" Jared told Aldrin, who nodded, and they shared a fist bump.

"And get your herd or whatever you call it in line!" Aldrin warned the monster bird, Steven, over his shoulder.

Jared and the others easily roused them up and moved as some monsters gazed back at Aldrin in case he turned around. He felt their eyes on him but paid them no mind. When he arrived back at the carriage, Evie was busy chatting with an Orc elder, going over how to combine the runes she showed them to see how they could improve their lives with it. Evie saw Aldrin approach and the Orc elder turned, giving a respectful bow to Aldrin and bidding farewell to Evie.

"Ready?" she asked when he climbed up, settling into the seat.

Aldrin shifted around until he found a comfortable position, lounging with his feet propped up on the curved lip of the carriage. "Yes. I think so. No, I hope so," he grumbled.

A horn blew, and the column of Orcs in front of them started moving, and then it was their turn to start trudging along. For three days they traveled, stopping only twice a day, once in the afternoon for lunch and once at night to rest. It was uneventful for the most part, and soon enough the grassy plains gave way to sandy dunes.

Aldrin breathed in, smelling the salt in the breeze and also a buffet. There were too many scents of food to place to understand what was predominately there, and he knew they were close when they crested the last sandy dune revealing the bustling town of Ebira.

Most of the town was built on docks. Some buildings that were further out in the sea were made of dark woods, while the rest of the town, closer to the coast and built along it, were built of stone. Out in the distance, hundreds of ships anchored themselves. The town itself was sprawling, traveling up and down the entire coast the closer they got. It was no wonder the crime syndicates vied for power. It was a perfect base of operations with such a big town, easy access to the sea, and far from the reach of the Queen's law.

Aldrin called for the tribe to stop before too many crested the sandy dune. While a few Orcs wouldn't cause any worry, an entire tribe of them would, and he didn't want any bloodshed yet, not without first scoping the atmosphere. He hoped Torvina's contact had done their job with the intel he needed.

Aldrin read the system prompt with a discerning eye. It no longer warned him but encouraged him, which meant that whatever system governed the world was recognizing his growth. It pleased him but also made him wary, wondering if the system became more alive with those who were destined to make waves in the world.

"Did you get a system prompt?" Aldrin asked, wanting to confirm something.

Evie looked at him for a minute then shook her head. "No, no, I didn't. Did you?" She asked.

Aldrin nodded. "I did…" he sighed and stood up. "Has the system ever done anything weird? For you? Like personal things?"

Evie shook her head again. "It's always been very black and white for me."

"Great…" he muttered, then hopped off the carriage, leaving a confused Evie, who hopped down not a second after.

Aldrin gathered the Orcs that were still looking at the port town as most had never seen the sea before. "Gather up!" he called, and the Orcs formed a circle around him, awaiting his next set of instructions. "I know we have traveled far and away from the home you have known, but down there will soon be your new home." He waited as murmurs circulated through the crowd. "For now, I will only take a few of you into town to get a feel for it while the rest of you set up camp. Elders set up the defenses and camouflage. Buramog-Kurdan, Tar-Xuk, Jared, Pierre, Evie, with me. We are going into town," he ordered.

Buramog-Kurdan spat in the sand and cracked his knuckles, which impressed Aldrin that he could do it through the metal gauntlets he wore. "Time to see what a bunch of weaklings hiding behind wealth looks like up close."