---

---

It's been two days since we took off from Elysium where Luna and I have been talking to Grom about his homeland.

The orcs are surprisingly cultured. While their architecture mostly consists of huts and log buildings, they have a large library with the history of their lands and achievements. Very few orcs can also communicate with the elementals of fire, water, air, and earth. They are the village shamans who protect the land. The only reason they weren't at the battle of Elysium, is because there are only four of them left.

The orcs are mostly a warrior race who find death in battle to be the highest of honours. Lately, they're being attacked by a race of low intelligence called the croconaw, kind of like Equus' diamond dogs. They live in swampy terrain and are hunched bipedal reptile like people, but they make even the diamond dogs sound like they speak fluent Terran in comparison. Their homes are nothing more than crudely made mud and grass huts, they don't even have any form of clothing or literature.

Grom also tells us to stay beside him as the guards will attack anything not an orc.

---

---

Luna, Grom, and I stand on the deck and watch as the orc city of Yar'grith gets ever closer, fortunately the wind was in our favour. While it looks big, it's built mainly of logs and loose stone. The land surrounding it looks all dried up and withered.

The ship lands a mile away so not to have their warriors attack us. The crew extends the gang plank and we get off.

"Wait here for our return, we are not sure how long this shall take. We will remain in telepathic communication with thee, Captain," Luna tells the Captain.

"Alright, still getting used to that by the way," he replies and scratches his head. When Luna first did it, the Captain almost shit himself. Was amusing at least.

Once set, we start the walk to Yar'grith.

"Once we get to the gates. I need you both to remain silent until I can spread word that you are guests. Also, stay on your guard. Some orcs have developed a hate for humans after Orthos's betrayal," Grom tells us.

Wonderful.

After some time of walking, we arrive at the large log gates.

Grom yells something in orcish at the gates where an orc looks over the wall and nodded at him. The gates slowly open enough to let us in. I keep my mana flowing through my hands just in case I need to quickly defend Luna and myself.

I look around and see lots of huts around us, some with signs above the doors written in orcish and some images representing what they do or sell. I notice some of the orcs are baring their teeth at us, me specifically.

A male orc walks over with a furious expression and starts arguing with Grom in orcish. I share a look with Luna and just wait.

Grom sighs and turns back to us. "It would appear that you must undergo the Grim'mak Tou if you wish to earn the people's respect," he tells me.

I frown at him. "And what's that?" I ask.

"A battle to the death with our strongest warrior," he says seriously.

I stare at him shocked. "What?" I ask dumbly.

"It's an ancient tradition. It's a way for an outsider to be recognised as a warrior and welcomed amongst us," he tells me.

"Do I have to kill him, or can I just defeat him with a knockout or incapacitate him?" I ask.

"I'm afraid not, it's kill or be killed. Should you do that, it would be a great dishonour to the warrior as you would deny them an honourable death," he replies.

I frown at him. "Then what would happen should I decline participating in this fight?" I ask him.

"Then you would be seen as a coward and exiled from our lands," he tells me.

I smirk and huff. "Then I would rather be seen as a coward then needlessly take a life for no reason. If I'm to be exiled, then let us get on with healing your lands already like I promised," I reply and turn to head back to the gates.

The orc that argued with Grom growls at me. "You insult us by refusing the Grim'mak Tou?" he says to me.

I look over my shoulder at him. "It is my choice to accept it or not, I refuse to kill anyone without a solid reason," I tell him.

He snorts at me. "Just like all humans, cowards," he says.

"No, I just value life. What would happen if I killed the Warrior? What of their family? Friends? I just don't see the point in a senseless fight," I tell him with a frown.

"You dare speak ill of our traditions like that you puny human!?" he shouts at me and draws his right fist back to punch me.

I channel a teleport spell into my left hand while channelling a large amount of mana in my right. He thrusts his fist at me and I teleport to his right and I throw a punch of my own with my right hand into his ribs. I release the mana I gathered and with the aid of the bracelet, send out a blast of air on impact that sends him through a building.

I wish I brought my armour with me. I doubt Luna could teleport it from another world to me.

I stand in a fighting stance waiting for him to come back out. He groans and pushes the logs off of himself and yells in rage. He then charges at me with an axe that he must have picked up within the building.

I cast a three element stone armour spell covering myself in a thick two inch layer of stone. Just as he reaches me, I hold my left arm up and the axe hits the stone, making me grunt from the force and chipping the stone. I repeat the same punch and send him back through the hole.

"Grom, you better get him to stop. I said I only kill when I have to. Right now, he's getting close to giving me a reason to," I tell him and channel four water elements in my left hand.

"I cannot as this is a fight between you two. Besides, he is our strongest warrior and this is your Grim'mak Tou test," he replies.

Wait, what? Oh you son of a bitch!

I turn back to see the orc rush out of the hole holding a bigger axe now and throws the smaller one at me.

I bash the axe away with my right forearm where Luna catches it with her magic and I thrust my left hand out and release my spell. A forceful spray of water hits the orc, sending him sliding across the floor and into a wall. This time though, the wall held. I continue to spray him for a few seconds and then cancel it. I don't want to drown him after all.

I groan in frustration as he gets back up and runs at me again, this is getting old fast. He swings his axe at me and I use my stone covered arms to deflect his attacks.

My arms are starting to get sore so I channel a single lightning element and cast it at him for only a second. The electricity is drawn to him and the water around him, shocking him.

He tenses up and then drops to his knees as the battle axe drops from his grip and he then collapses onto his chest, twitching now and then as small sparks of static dance off of him.

"That should keep him down this time," I say and turn to Grom. "As I said, I refuse to kill him needlessly," I say and walk back over to Luna.

I hear a grunt from the orc as he picks up his axe. "If you won't kill me in combat, then I shall give you a reason to!" he says and hurls the large axe straight at Luna with surprising speed and force.

"LUNA!" I shout out and teleport in front of her. The axe impacts my back and I can feel the stone break away and the axe embed itself into my left shoulder blade. "GAAAAAHHH!" I scream out in pain. I grit my teeth as my expression then turns to anger and rage.

Bastard wants to die that badly? Then so be it. No one attacks my wife and lives to regret it!

---

---

I cover my muzzle with my hands as I look at the large axe buried into Adrian's shoulder. "Adrian! Thou needs to heal thyself now!" I tell him with fear, but gasp as his eyes open and turn black and red again with a black mist seeping out the sides of his eyes.

His stone armour drops off and he takes on his life aspect form, but this time, instead of the vines I'm used to seeing, he's covered in what looks like a suit of very thick bark like armour. Leaves then come out of the wooden helmet like a flowing mane. The axe is pushed out of his back and the wound heals instantly. Two spikes come out of each of his elbows at least two feet long and with very lethal looking tips. Even the tips of his fingers look more like claws now.

He turns back to the orc and roars his anger to the sky before charging at him, the sound of his distorted roar is enough to give even our guards nightmares. The orc now has a look of fear on his face and before he could even react Adrian digs his left clawed fingers into the orc's left shoulder and with his right hand, he grasps the orc's left wrist and pulls his arm clean off. Blood splatters all over Adrian's bark like armour and the ground from the orc's shoulder.

"GRRAAAHH!" the orc shouts in agony. I stop myself from throwing up as Adrian then uses the arm like a club and slams it into the orc's head.

The orc stumbles and grunts in pain as he clutches the stump that used to be his arm. Vines then extend from Adrian's arm and ensnare the orc as he then pulls his arm back, sending the orc over his head and slamming him into the ground where the sounds of bones breaking fill my ears.

I've never seen Adrian this aggressive, cruel, or angry before!

Adrian stands over the orc who's coughing up a large amount of blood. "Any last words?" he asks the orc in a calm, neutral tone while holding one of his elbow spikes above the orc's chest. His voice doesn't have it's usual echo, but a cruel and distorted tone.

The orc only grins at him.

"So be it," Adrian says and thrusts the spike through the orc's heart.

The orc has an expression of pain before he goes limp and his eyes close as death takes him.

Adrian then pulls the spike out and walks over to Grom'Thak Tar. "I hope you're happy, because I'm ashamed and disgusted. There was no honour in this," he tells him in a cold tone that sent shivers down my spine and wings.

He walks over to a clearing and digs his fingers into the ground as a green mist engulfs him and flows into the earth. Grass and flowers start to grow all around him slowly and begins to expand away from him. He stays like this for an hour before pulling his fingers out and the bark armour breaks away from him. No pony went near him or said a word the whole time, whether or not from respect or fear, I'm not sure.

He pants heavily and starts wobbling so I run over to him and catch him before he fell. "It's done..." he says and looks at me. "Let's get out of here. I don't want to stay here any longer," he tells me before passing out, a single tear rolling down his right cheek.

Grom then walks over to us. "I am sorry about this, but it is tradition and must be honoured," he tells me.

I frown at him. "That may be so for ye orcs, but Adrian isn't an orc and has his own morals and beliefs. Thou shouldn't force thy traditions on others who do not wish to participate. You have most likely lost his respect, as well as ours. He has healed thy lands as we agreed, we shall now take our leave. We will wait for thee to return to the ship," I tell him with a hint of anger, making him at least wince slightly.

I pick up Adrian and take flight away from the city. Tears begin to fall from my eyes as I hold him close to me, under all that anger and rage, I saw the shame and hurt he was feeling.

I look at the land that Adrian and Gaia has healed. From a once barren wasteland, to fertile green plains with plants and saplings growing everywhere.

'Captain, we have done what we came to do. Prepare to take off once the the orc Chieftain returns,' I tell the Captain telepathically.

'GAH! Bloody hell! Queen Luna? Please excuse my choice of words, you just startled me is all. The ship is ready to go at your command already,' he replies.

'We thank thee, we shall be arriving shortly,' I tell him.

'Understood ma'am.'

After a few minutes of flying, I land on the deck and head into our cabin. I place Adrian down on our bed and kiss his forehead. "Rest well, our love. We shall be here when thou awakens," I tell him and walk out the door to wait for Grom'Thak Tar.

---

---

I open my eyes to Gaia's little forest pond and see her sitting by the water.

"Hello, Gaia," I greet her as I stand up.

"Hello, Adrian. It seems you have gained our combative form," she tells me. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."

"Combat form?" I ask her.

"The form you are used to is more for magic and energy based abilities. The form you just used is our more physical side of combat. Using plants and bark to inflict damage," she replies.

"I see. So do I just think of what form I want to take to use it?" I ask her.

"Correct. I was planning to ease you into it, but your emotions evoked it early. Please take better care from now on, you almost lost yourself and me to your rage. We could have ended up just like Luna and Umbra did," she warns me.

I sigh and sit next to her. "I'm sorry, but I just got so angry at being forced to fight and then have Luna put in danger because of it," I reply.

She then wraps her right arm around my back. "It is not your fault. The orcs have been isolated from the other races for so long, they hold on to their beliefs tightly and are not used to another's point of view," she says. "Now get some rest, you'll need it after the strain we went through healing the land," she tells me and my vision fades to black.

I wake up in the soft feathery embrace of my wife making me smile and lean into her, but my smile fades as memories of the fight I was forced into fills my mind. Is honour really worth that much to die over? I would rather be called a coward and shunned then take a life for so called honour and acceptance.

Luna stirs beside me and I gently stroke her back. "Hmmmm, that feels nice," she says. "Are thou feeling better?" she asks me.

I sigh. "A bit, I still feel bad about taking a life that didn't have to die, but the moment he threw that axe at you... I just couldn't bring myself to care about it anymore..." I tell her.

Luna gently kisses me and smiles. "Thou art still our kind and loving husband, and we know thou did it to protect us," she tells me.

I return the kiss with one of my own. "So, I take it Grom is on board again?" I ask her.

She frowns slightly at that. "Yes, he still needs to talk with Vortigan about trade and agreements," she replies. "Once we return home, we shall all go on our honeymoon together for the week," she says.

"But what about court? Your duties?" I ask her.

She rolls her eyes at me. "Pfft, we don't see why our subjects need us to deal with every single little squabble for them. Court used to be for important matters of state and international affairs," she replies with a shake of her head. "They can live for a week without us. Besides, Prince Blueblood can take over court for us... Now thou be silent and rest, we have not had our fill of cuddles yet," she says and holds me tighter against her.

I just chuckle with a smile. "Alright," I reply to which she just 'shhhh's' me.

I wrap my arms around her and just relax.

Next Chapter: Chapter 62: The Honeymoon Part 1 Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 55 Minutes