Just a quick note before we start.

Whenever I check my emails lately a certain kind of dread fills my heart when I see an un-opened email titled [NEW REVIEW] or [NEW PM] or whatever. I'm like: Oh sweet geezuz! Someones gunna hate it, they want to tell me I suck all the D and I'm just a failure at life and I should crawl in a hole and shrivel and die with my laptop and never write again!

But with trembling hands I build the courage to open my electronic mail and a new type of fear grips my heart because it's all: OMFG! *gargle gargle, rabid frothing, gargle* WRITE MORE! WRITE TILL YOUR FINGERS ARE NO MORE THAN BLOODY STUMPS! IMUSTKNOWWHATHAPPENS!

And I wish this was Tumblr because I have a really appropriate fan girl Gif. that would suit it perfectly.

What I'm trying to say is thank you for the support and I'm glad you are all enjoying it so much :D

Now, we better find out what's happened to that Thomas guy. You reckon Vorstag's gunna save him in time? Of course he fucking will! Ah, but how and what will he have to sacrifice to do so…DUN DUN DUN.

sorry.

The boat bobbed in the thick waves mercilessly towards the rotten dock just visible through the heavy mist. Vorstag clung to the rigging and stared forward sharply, ignoring the salty spray flicking up on to him. The towns ships stuck half out of the water of only just barely held together by the thousands of barnacles covering their hulls. Carved stone once stood proudly either side of the dock, now it lay hunched and crumbling. The town was small and long abandoned, he couldn't make out much but he could tell that.

"Are we going to be able to dock?" Vorstag swung around to call out

A strong gust of wind suddenly pushed him from the way he had been facing and he turned back, squinting against the howling wind. Just as quickly as it came it left, rolling the mist away with it. The town stood clearly before them and they came in to port. Vorstag hitched the strap of his pack further up his shoulder and took a tentative step onto the rotten wood. It held his weight so he stepped off.

"I'll weigh anchor off shore a little, I'll watch for your return" The captain called

Vorstag shouted his thanks and turned, carefully testing his way over to dry land.

The sun had only just risen when Vorstag realised he had no idea where to go from here. He wandered the empty street and felt a sudden stab of loneliness at the utter desertion of the place. Not even stray or wild animals roamed here, no birds watched from the dead trees or soared through the sky. He came to what he assumed was the town square and spun around slowly to take in his surroundings of dead shops and frames of burnt houses. He went over to the well sitting in the middle of the area of cracked, faded tiles. Even the algae that once lined the dry well stuck shrivelled and long dead. He looked up and out of town and beyond and headed in that direction. Fine carved tombstones of nobles and mass graves of peasants were crammed into every available plot of land in the barren outskirts but he passed them all and headed towards the small mountain to the east and what looked like a small settlement under it. The settlement was also deserted but for nowhere near as long. The town was a dusty skeleton; this place was still just a corpse.

Miner's huts and a tavern made up the buildings; Vorstag trudged up the hill and found the smelter he had expected to see. Someone must have seen the opportunity of placing a mine here but whatever they had dug, it was gone and they had left. Someone else had been using it now. Vorstag reached the hastily constructed doors and reached for his pack. He stood at the door of the mine with his map out. The rune he had hastily copied, scrawled in the corner matched the delicate but huge rune covering the entire door in thick black tar. He lowered his map and breathed out slowly. There was only one thing in the world that truly scared him, mines. But the thought of losing his husband…He pushed open the doors and strode inside.

.

Vorstag hadn't even been creeping along the dark passage for long before his torch cast its yellow illumination over skulls. Orc skulls. Hundreds of them.

The thick bones at first lined the passage neatly in rows on either side but as he went further whole skeletons lay scattered along the passage carelessly and the deeper down he went the stronger the smell of death became. The rotting stench was so thick Vorstag almost gagged on it, and then he found its source and actually did. The first ones he came across were so far into the process of decay he just assumed they were all orcs. But as the tunnel levelled off he noticed something that made his skin crawl. They were, indeed all orcs, but they were also all red haired and blue eyed. His breath shuddered out of his lungs as he held his torch to their faces. As he moved forward he noticed they started to resemble his orc more closely and a few even made his heart jolt in fear that they were in fact Thomas. He prayed to the nine that he wouldn't find him but at the same time he knew he wouldn't. There'd be no point bringing him all the way here just for that. He almost fell down the steps when he came to them. They were so steep and unexpected and his gaze had been on the enormous cavern so tall shards of light like stars shone through holes in the roof. Vorstag's stumble caused him to lose his torch in the sheer drop to the rocky, dirt floor either side of the carved stairs. The tiny holes above him allowed only the outlines of the room and its objects to be seen. He crept cautiously down the stairs, rummaging through his pack for his matches. He had seen cages lining the walls and a larger one in the middle of the room beside a kind of stage carved into the stone, a long table stood on, covered in objects. He crept over to the small cages against the walls. He came to the first cage and saw a figure laying inside, he looked around in silence to make sure he was alone before lighting a match. He gasped as the light spewed a small puddle of light around him and on to red haired orc and his freshly slit throat. Vorstag's heart hammered in his chest violently, his stomach churned. But the orc's eyes were too dark a blue as he lay in his own blood, eyes glazed and forever staring into the face of death. He moved to the second cage. This orc had fought back; defensive wounds had claimed some of his fingers and mangled his arms. But he too had blood spluttering from a wound along his throat, his hair far too long to be his husband's. Vorstag moved over again to see a similar story again but no Thomas. The match started to burn his fingers so with shaking hands he took out another and moved again. This time he threw himself at the bars and let out a cry. The being, gagged and tied, bruised and bloody, sagged against the far corner opened his ice blue eyes groggily and looked up, squinting at the sudden light.

"Thomas!" Vorstag sobbed stretching his arm through the bars and straining to touch him. Thomas looked confused and wriggled to sit up as much as his restrains would allow. His eyes widened when they finally adjusted Vorstag filled his vision. He began to cry and pull against his ties but could only manage to make muffled sounds through the cloth filling his mouth.

"I'm going to get you out of there, don't worry!" Vorstag said jamming a lock-pick in to the tiny key hole. The lock clicked and he wrenched the door open and bundled Thomas into his arms. Thomas managed to kneel and bury his face into Vorstag's neck.

"I'm so sorry, my love," He said reaching around and removing Thomas's gag "Let's go home" Vorstag breathed in relief

Thomas suddenly glanced over Vorstag's shoulder and his pupils shrunk.

"Vorstag, look ou-"He started to scream

Vorstag felt the cold, dull object strike the side of his head, but nothing more.