The Baroness and the Orc Ch. 04

"What's happened?" she asked. "Was she killed during the attack?"

"No," said Ashra. "We suffered no losses then. And she would have been burned far sooner than this if she had died then. No, this was recent. A cowardly murder. There seems to be a rebel element hiding in the town. None of the thralls could be at fault, as they're closely watched. We believe some warrior humans are hiding somewhere inside or possibly just outside town, but we've been unable to find them yet."

Emily stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" asked Ashra ahead of her.

"I...I think I might know where they're hiding," said Emily. "There's a warehouse at the far end of town with a hidden trap door leading to a large underground cellar. A secret place with supplies and space to live in for just such a case as this. Oh, but I should have mentioned it sooner. Only a few know about it, mostly the heads of town. One of the ranking soldiers must have made it his base."

Ashra nodded. "I'll gather some orcs. Lead me to it."

Emily waited outside the warehouse as a compliment of orcs went in. She heard shouting from within, and the sound of men dying. When Ashra emerged, several of the orcs with her had smiles on their faces.

"You were right," said Ashra. "A good dozen warriors hid below. We've taken care of them. You've saved the lives of many an orc today, no doubt."

Emily smiled up at Ashra, and rocked on her heels.

* * *

Late in the day, they came to the wall. They climbed it, and Emily learned what Ashra did when not at the great hall. The orcs on the wall answered to her.

"And here we keep watch," said Ashra, looking out into the grey distance, the perpetual clouds dark and low. "For demons. Monsters. And humans, if they try to reclaim the town. What are your thoughts?"

"My thoughts?" asked Emily, feeling a bit strange at being spoken to like an equal, standing around next to other orcs as if she was one of them. "What do you mean?"

"You were a human leader. You must know their minds. Will they attack the city? From where? What are their strengths?"

"Hmm." Emily looked westward, toward the city of Brightmont. One of the two only remaining large cities in the world. "I don't think you'll have to worry about an invading human army. Several of these towns on the outskirts of our lands have been taken by orc tribes, and to my knowledge, not once have we ever attempted to reclaim one. I believe the human empire is happy with consolidation of their remaining lands. They write off whatever is conquered as a loss."

"There's always a first time, though. We must be wary."

"Yes. If an attack were to come, it would come from one of the cities. There's only two of them left. The capital to the south is too far away, so that leaves Brightmont to the west. It's not so far. Every other settlement is a town or walled farm. Roughly the size of Grimsfield. They wouldn't be able to muster a force. So it's to the west you must look."

"I see. It would prudent to send our scouts that direction, then." She nodded to one of her subordinates, who wrote something down on parchment. "And what of other nearby towns? Are there any that would make for good potential targets? Any who are not well-prepared for defense?"

Emily listed all the nearby towns in her head. The one that stuck out in her mind was Matthew's home barony, Liliton.

"Liliton is to the north," she said, and the orc scribbled more on her parchment. "About the same size as Grimsfield, but the walls are shorter, and the population is smaller. If you were looking to seize another human town, I would start there."

"Noted," said Ashra, nodding to her orcs.

Emily felt a thrill of giddiness inside her. She had always only meant to give over her own town to the orcs. She had never considered the possibility that she could help them conquer more human land.

"But also," said Emily, daring to provide advice. "I don't think you should think about conquest in only its traditional form."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean simply attacking and taking over towns."

"It's been working well so far."

"True, but eventually you'll come to the cities, and those are a different beast."

"Then what other method of conquest do you suggest?"

"Hmm. Well. Right now, if a human sees an orc in the wild, they run. And if an orc sees a human, they either kill or capture. But why not normalize other kinds of interaction between the species? I'm talking about trade. The trading of goods, and of services, too. There is plenty of demon-hunting work to be done you know, as well as traditional monster-hunting. Orcs excel at that. You could offer services as mercenaries."

"You mean you wish us to strike a truce. A treaty between our lands. Hmph. It's been discussed before, and it will never happen. We do no such thing that would put us as equals with humans."

"No, no, you misunderstand me. I don't mean anything official. No agreements. You can still do whatever you want. You just engage in trade as well. This town, for instance, provided crops from its nearby walled farms to the city of Brightmont. With it conquered, the city will no longer receive that food. So why not sell it to them? Or trade for it? You could take willing thralls in exchange, even."

"I still don't see the value in that. By cutting the city off and starving them, they only grow weaker for us to conquer."

"Yes, but you're underestimating the power of a conquest of culture. Right now, 'orc cultist' is a dirty word among mainstream humanity. I envision a future where it's an accepted option. And then ultimately, the only option. By normalizing the presence of orcs among humans, you will find that humans will be far easier to manage and manipulate. They won't run at first sight. You won't have to kill at first sight. Over time, you can create a new culture where it will eventually be clear to all that orcs are the superior species, and then you won't have to battle for the city. It will naturally fall to you, with humans barely realizing it. Imagine it. The Countess of Brightmont herself inviting your tribe in, bowing to you, willingly accepting your presence. And that presence will soon turn into rule before they know what happened."

"Hmm. Interesting ideas, Emily. You've given us something to think about."

There was some discussion in orcish, and then the orcs left. Ashra silently went to the edge of the wall, placing her hands on the parapet, and looked out into the distance.

Emily joined her, standing tiny at her side.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Ashra softly.

Emily considered it. "I've seen paintings of what the world looked like before the Ripping of the Realms. It was...sunny. Bright and colorful. I always thought it a shame what happened to the sky after the demons came. Always so gloomy and cloudy." She looked up at Ashra. "But now I think you're right. It's beautiful, in it's own way."

"This is the farthest west orcs have ever come," said Ashra. "We look into the border of our lands. That is our future ahead. Our birthright. One day we shall take the city of Brightmont, and then the capital too. All human lands will be like Grimsfield."

Emily just kept looking up at Ashra, her heart lurching in her chest, and she felt more in love with her than ever.

Ashra caught her, and they met each others eyes. The orc brushed Emily's hair from her face.

"Here," she said. "Stand on this."

Ashra indicated a small wooden box in front of her placed against the wall. Emily stepped up onto it and looked out. "I can see much better from here," she said with a smile.

"Yes," said Ashra, and she leaned into Emily from behind, her powerful arms gently holding it. On the box, she was more level with the orc, and it was almost like standing in front of a person. "Emily, I..."

"What is it?"

"It's just...I misjudged you. You've been a great help. Even at the very beginning, with the attack. We accomplished it without losing a single orc thanks to you. And then today, with the hidden warriors, and also the information you've given us about the cities and towns nearby. I was a fool to ignore you so."

Emily said nothing. She leaned back into Ashra as they looked out into the wild.

"I..."

Emily felt great anxiety coming from Ashra. "What is it? You can tell me."

"It's just...I have much pride, Emily. I believe in Atrix. I believe in the supremacy of orcs. I believe we were meant to rule the world, to subjugate it to our will. I believe humans are abominations that shouldn't have been created. I truly believe in all of that. It's just..."

Emily looked up at her, their faces close. She kept quiet.

"But the truth is...well. I...I fancy humans."

One of Emily's eyebrows rose.

Ashra took a deep breath behind her. "You're...appealing to me. Pleasant to my eyes. And that's...well, that's infuriating. And you...well..."

"Yes?"

"I've thought you were especially pretty this entire time. Adorable, even. And that made me even more angry. I should have a matriarch mate, a highly respected one. But there I am, glancing after humans left and right. It made me furious. It made me hate humans even more."

"And so you took it out on me," whispered Emily.

"Yes. You were just so...helpful. It was annoying. There was nothing I could do to hate you easily. And now here we are."

Emily stared straight ahead. Ashra didn't see her big smile.

"I'm glad I didn't go too far when I first mounted you," the orc continued. "I was in a frenzy. Blood drunk from the killing. I had no control. That can happen with us orcs."

"You mustn't apologize," said Emily. "Never apologize to me."

"I didn't apologize. I'm only stating a fact."

Emily swallowed. "I took it. And I would take it again and again."

Ashra breathed inward at her hair, her hands moving aside Emily's coat to touch her bare skin. "You took it, like a good human should."

Emily exhaled heavily, goosebumps appearing on her skin from Ashra's touch. "There are no good humans, remember?" she whispered.

"No, there's not," Ashra whispered back, and Emily felt her bare cock pressing against her leg. "But there's you."

Standing on the box resulted in their hips being close to each other. The slippery orc cock head slid up Emily's thigh, finding its snug place low between her buttocks. Emily grabbed the stone parapet hard as Ashra's penis slipped inside her, taking her breath away.

She whimpered and flinched as it pierced into her sphincter, and she stood up on her toes involuntarily in response. Ashra's strong hands gripped her shoulders and pushed her back down, holding her still. "It's okay," whispered the orc as she slid inch after inch of her penis inside Emily's ass. "It's okay..."

They fucked, standing there on the wall, without a care of what the other orcs would think. They fucked, looking out into the word as the day grew late and early evening appeared. They fucked, the orc holding the human, their breaths quiet and quick.

Ashra didn't thrust quite so deep as she did before. She entered her smooth and slow, taking more care than that first time they were together, mindful of her large penis.

Emily's asshole clamped down tightly on Ashra as she came. Ashra grunted and squeezed Emily's breasts as she rode her ejaculations, cum flowing into and out of Emily's body freely. Together, the two welcomed the night in the midst of orgasmic bliss.

* * *

"You're quite correct," said Ashra at her table seat. "Thrella is the largest and strongest orc in the tribe. She is the champion."

Now that they were freely communicating, Emily was learning much about the tribe from Ashra.

Emily sat next to her. It felt strange to be sitting in a chair at a table like the other orcs. But Charlotte got to do it as well with Ohrgza, no longer beholden to stirring the cauldron. Matthew, meanwhile, still carried on in his duties as footstool for Shalla, and she hadn't bothered removing his collar and leash, even though he was her personal thrall now.

"And that hair," said Emily, watching Thrella at the main table. "It's red. She's the only orc with red hair I've seen."

"True."

"Such a unique orc. So she's second in command, basically? After Mag the Chieftain and her matriarch?"

"That's correct."

"Is she their daughter?"

Ashra laughed. "Goddess no. And thank Atrix for that."

Emily looked up at the orc, curious. "Why so?"

"If she was the daughter of Mag, then that would mean she'd be my sister."

Emily sat quiet for a while until realization washed over her. "Wait...wait a minute. Do you mean..."

Ashra nodded. "Mag is my sire. And the tribe's matriarch is my mother."

Emily's eyes went big. "But...but that means you should be the champion! You should be second in command, and you should be the one who takes over once Mag dies. You're like...you're like an orc princess!"

"Hmph. Orcs do things very differently than humans. There is no passing down wealth or title through family lines. Whatever you have you earn through might or seduction, be you sire or matriarch. I'm not the tribe's champion because I'm not the strongest orc in the tribe. Thrella is."

Emily couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Ashra was Mag's daughter. Emily had no idea this whole time. It should have been Ashra sitting up at the head table next to Mag, commanding the respect of all the other orcs. It felt wrong for Ashra's parents to favor someone not even related to them, shunning their own daughter.

Then she saw Thrella herself coming over to them, and she tensed, sitting up straight. "Speak of the devil."

Ashra looked at Emily. "Hmm? What about Etana?"

"What? No, it's just a human saying. Thrella is coming over."

Thrella stopped, looking as tall and thick as ever, and hooked her thumbs in her belt. "Well then, I see it's true. The good Baroness has been claimed after all. And by no less than everyone's favorite Chieftain's daughter."

Ashra scowled and didn't meet Thrella's eyes. She said nothing.

Thrella made a show of inspecting Emily. "But really, Ashra. This one? You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel. She's basically a cub human, made of sticks, she'll probably die within the week, what with your giant cock filling her every day and that temper of yours."

"She can handle more than any other human I've seen," grunted Ashra, still looking out into the crowd instead of up at Thrella.

"If you say so. But no. I think you claimed her because every other human found you too big a bore to be around, and they all fell asleep in your presence. I suppose your pairing is to be expected though. Quality matches with quality, they say. The high with the high, and the low with the low. Bottom of the barrel low, in your case."

For the first time, Emily actually found herself getting a bit angry at an orc. Ashra still didn't say anything.

"Here," said Thrella, and reached for Emily's coat, opening it up so her breasts were exposed. "You could at least let everyone see your only redeeming feature. Let out those big human teats of yours. Yes, that's right, like a prized pig." She gave one of her tits a few hearty slaps.

Ashra's hand snapped out like a snake and caught Thrella's by the wrist. Emily's eyes went wide, the two forearms flexing against each other in front of her face.

They both stayed perfectly still.

"I didn't give you permission to touch my thrall," growled Ashra.

"Careful now, Ashra," said Thrella. "This sounds close to a challenge. Are you challenging me? Me, Thrella, champion? Favored of Mag, above all others?"

Ashra stewed, her yellow eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

"I thought not," said Thrella. "Come, Baroness. Stand."

Emily was gently pulled up. Confused, she looked to Ashra, who didn't move. Thrella slid Emily's coat off, leaving her naked.

"The head table requests you for the evening," said Thrella.

"Ashra," said Emily, looking back as she was led away.

Ashra only nodded, allowing it to happen.

Emily followed Thrella, her hand held by the massive orc, and they made their way to the head table. She was ravaged all night, savagely, by several orcs of high rank. Thrella seemed to purposefully make sure it was extra rough for Emily, and often watched Ashra from across the room as it happened.

At one point, near the end of the debauchery, Emily looked up weakly at Thrella, tears in her eyes, gasping for air and covered in filth. Thrella looked down at her, glaring and sweaty and panting, her cock freshly spent.

"It's okay..." whimpered Emily. "I know...you're rivals...and you feud..." Emily swallowed, her body throbbing and in pain from the ravaging Thrella and her friends had given her. "I don't mind...being used...in your feud..."

"Hmph," grunted Thrella. "Ashra should teach her property not to talk so much. Ready up, girls, run another line on her. She thinks her mouth has a purpose other than sucking cock."

In the end, Emily writhed in pleasure from the treatment. Despite being the enemy of her owner, Thrella was still an orc, and a mighty one at that. And Emily was still a worshiper of orcs. She could look at the massive, red-headed champion and see only beauty.

When the night ended, Emily walked back to Ashra in a daze. She fell into her arms, and Ashra carried her back to their bed by the wall.

"I thought...I belonged to you now..." said Emily.

"You do," said Ashra. "But all belong to the Chieftain, and those close to her. When Thrella wants to use you, she can. There's nothing I can do about it."

Emily lay heavy in Ashra's arms, using her breasts as pillows.

"It's okay," said Emily, drifting to sleep. "It's okay..."

* * *

Emily hadn't been sure what being personally owned by an orc would entail, but she had assumed it meant the owner didn't want any other orc touching her thrall. That was certainly true regarding Ashra and Thrella. Ashra avoided the orc champion whenever she could, and after that night, Thrella mostly ignored them. But Emily was surprised to find that there was much jovial, short-term trading of thralls between the orcs in general. Sometimes it was done as a favor, sometimes there was an exchange of money, sometimes a trading of thrall for thrall, and sometimes it was just done on a lark.

Emily found herself reclining with Charlotte and Ohrgza one day. The two humans lay with their heads at Ohrgza's chest, the orc's breasts unbound for a change.

Charlotte was smiling. "So it turns out Ohrgza is one of the best sword-fighters in the tribe," she said. "Thrella may be stronger and ultimately more effective because of that, but Ohrgza is the most skilled. She's trained many other orcs."

"That's amazing," said Emily as the orc stroked both their hair. "It's not surprising she chose you as her thrall, then."

Charlotte toyed with the big nipple in front of her face, touching and tweaking it. "Yes, I suppose so. She was impressed with my sword. It's an old blade, when we still knew how to really make them from before the Ripping of the Realms. It's been passed down my family line." Her smile slowly faded. "I guess it ends with me. No one to pass it down to. Hey. Listen. Emily."

"Yes?"

"So...I just wanted to say...well. This is hard." She lifted her head, looking over the room. "All this. What's happened to Grimsfield. It's awful. It's a nightmare, I mean really, truly. So many people dead. So many enslaved now. But I just wanted you to know that I've found the silver lining in the clouds. That's what people used to say, you know. Before the Ripping of the Realms. On cloudy days, the sun would shine behind the clouds, but you could see the silver lining along the cloud's edges. It means find the good in the bad. And I think I've found it."

She smiled briefly up at Ohrgza, and reached up to caress her jaw.