Sorry for the fairly late chapter. I got a new beta, zealousfreak27, who will be checking my chapters on here on out. I also got a new word processor and grammar program, so tell me if you noticed any improvements.

Now, onward to the chapter.

Chapter 2: Village of Oracles

Thankfully, the rest of the night passed without incident. The demons in Lloyd's dreams seemed to have decided that the boy had suffered enough for one night. It was fine by Dirk since he wasn't sure if he could take another night terror, and he wasn't even the one having them.

Despite the rude awakening, Dirk was able to wake up fairly early and keep his promise to cook a special breakfast for Lloyd. He found himself for the first time in a couple years cooking eggs, which he knew humans tend to like. He usually bought or found eggs for special mixtures to make for his work, but he had plenty to spare a few. They were just rot anyway if he didn't use them.

It helped that eggs were relatively easy to cook, and even he should be able to make them edible for the young boy. It seemed Noishe liked what he smelled since he was drooling over his floor.

"This is not for you." Dirk said as he glanced at the strange creature.

Noishe began to whine.

Dirk shook his head. "No means no." He then went to check on the toasts. He had to restock on bread once he got to village. He also had to talk to a doctor to see what kind of things a growing human boy needed to eat. It might also be best if he got Lloyd a physical examination. He didn't appear to be physically harmed from his ordeal, but it was better to be safe then sorry.

"Daddy?" The small voice of Lloyd asked as he stepped out of his room.

"No, it's just me, lad." Dirk said.

Lloyd put his head down. "Daddy still hasn't come?"

Dirk forced a small on his face. "Don't be so glum. I'm certain he is looking for yea. Remember, we're going to the village today and he might be there."

Lloyd's mood immediately brightened. "Yeah, daddy is sure to be there."

Dirk got his plate ready. "Before we go, you need to eat."

Lloyd made a funny face. "Not more soup that; taste liked metal."

"No lad, I made you eggs with toast." Dirk said as he set the plate down.

Lloyd walked over and climbed into the chair next to the table. He then began to pick at his food. "No bacon?"

"Sorry, I have to buy some." Dirk said quickly. He actually had no plan to buy meat from such a filthy animal. Boars were good to make weapons from with their strong bones and tusks, but he wouldn't dare to eat one. He personally couldn't understand why humans would put their health in danger just to eat one. They were also time-consuming to clean.

"Oh." Lloyd said as he began to steadily eat his food. He didn't complain like yesterday and ate everything on his plate. He didn't, however, seemed to enjoy his food.

Dirk frowned as he watched the boy. He had never seen a child so muted in their response. It was like a part of his soul was missing or trapped within a sea of emotion. He prayed that some of the boy's spirit would return.

He carefully took the plate once Lloyd was finished and put them in the sink. He could always wash it later. "Well, I guess we better get going. The stores should be open by the time we reach Iselia."

Lloyd's mood picked up again as he practically ran out of the cave. Noishe followed slowly behind him to keep Lloyd out of trouble. Dirk chuckled as he casually grabbed his coat and walked out. He made certain to grab his hammer.

When he got outside, he saw Lloyd riding on the back of his pet. He had a smile on his face. "Come on. We need to get to town so we can find daddy."

"Hold on, I'm coming, Lloyd." Dirk smiled. Soon, the trio was on their way.

Dirk was not sure if the Desians were still active in the area, so he chose to take the long path to Iselia. Until things calmed down, he didn't want to be anywhere near that Ranch. He also was not sure how Lloyd would react if he did see any Desians. Seeing them could cause his PTS to act up and that was the last thing Dirk wanted. Not to mention he might kill any Desian on sight out of retribution.

He then began to notice that Lloyd was staring at him. "What is it, lad?"

"You're just the way daddy described. He said dwarves were short and had funny accents."

"Well, I was born in the kingdom of dwarves, so my accent would be a little different from yours." Dirk said.

"Are all dwarves are short too?" Lloyd asked.

Dirk chuckled. "We maybe short to you, but I am about average size for my kind. We dwarves don't grow that big because we evolved to live underground, which doesn't have that much room."

"My daddy is tall." Lloyd suddenly said. "He stands this tall." He showed his dad's height by stretching his arms really wide.

Dirk smiled. "He is indeed tall."

It was good that Lloyd was opening up to him. The hope of finding his father has done wonders to cheer him up. However, he feared that Lloyd would go back into his shell if they couldn't find him. He prayed to Origin that they wouldn't find the man's body today.

As they moved further in the woods, Noishe suddenly stopped in place and backed away.

"What's wrong, Noishe?" Lloyd asked.

Dirk stopped to look at the pet, before he turned to look ahead again. "I will check things out."

He moved forward and had his weapon ready. He sensed no danger ahead, but he would put that creature's sense over his own. It didn't help that dwarves' hearing tended to be generally weaker than even a human's.

He came out his thoughts when he saw what made that creature stopped. Before him, the ground was littered with monster corpses. They had been slaughtered fairly recently, but they were beginning to decompose. It didn't take him long to see that all the monster's stomachs were gutted opened, and their contents spilled.

Only one group had the gall to do such a thing. The question was, why? By the way this slaughter was carried out, they were looking for something. Something they thought a monster had devoured. He was almost certain it had something to do with that exsphere.

This also showed that the forest was even more dangerous than he originally thought. He briefly wondered if it were even safe for him to return home. Although he didn't think the Desians knew of his presents, since they haven't come to require him, they could easily stumble on his house if their search area were wide enough. He was thankful that he was paranoid enough to take that exsphere with him before he left the house. If the Desians wanted it so badly, he wasn't just going to give it to them on a silver platter.

In either case, it was best not to linger. He doubted the Desians would return to this area, but he didn't live this long by being foolish.

He walked back to Lloyd was looking around in wonder. Noishe was still shaking in place and whining constantly.

"If you are fearful of the monsters, they're all dead." Dirk informed Noishe, although he didn't really think he could understand him. "However, it is best that we go around.

"Noishe stopped shaking and gave a short bark.

This creature was proven itself to be more and more intelligent by the minute. What exactly was this creature?

Soon, they were on the move again and they took an even longer way out of the forest. Lloyd didn't seem to mind since he was in awe of everything he saw. From what Dirk could see, Lloyd was used to traveling. He wondered if his parents were nomads, or they had been running from the Desians longer than he thought. He supposed it really didn't matter now.

Although it took them almost four hours to reach, they were finally outside the forest. The sky was a little grayer, but Dirk didn't sense any rain in the near future.

It took only another twenty minutes from there to reach the entrance to Iselia. Despite it being a rather small, modest town, two soldiers guarded the entrance fiercely. Even with a non-aggression treaty with the Desians, the people of Iselia were still fearful of an attack. It made sense since they knew the Desians were not known for being honorable.

"Stop right there!" The guards ordered.

"Stand down, it's me." Dirk said in annoyance. Honestly, they should know him by now.

"What is that with you?" A guard asked as he pointed his spear at Noishe.

Dirk glanced at Noishe for a second before answering. "It's a dog. What's it looks like."

"A dog!" The first guard exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, a dog." Dirk almost mocked.

It was hard to stay convincing when he didn't believe his own words. However, he could hardly say he didn't know what this creature was since they might feel obligated to kill it. It was against the Dwarven Vows to lie, but the truth would not make things much better.

"Well, whatever it is, we can't allow it in the village." The guard said firmly. "I mean, what if it starts attacking people?"

"Noishe is not like that?" Lloyd said firmly, petting Noishe's side. "Noishe is a good doggy."

Noishe whined in agreement.

"The public safety is too important." The guard said with finality. "It has to stay outside."

Dirk sighed in defeat as he turned to face Lloyd. "Get off, Lloyd. Noishe can't come into the village."

"Why?" Lloyd whined as he hugged Noishe tighter. "He's my friend."

"Sorry lad, but they won't let him ." Dirk glanced disapproving at the guards before he turned back towards Lloyd.

"Dirk, what is that human child doing with you?" The guard asked, noticing Lloyd for the first time.

Really, these guards were a dense bunch. "He's a child I found in the woods. He was separated by his parents."

"I see, so you came to drop him off at the orphanage." The guard concluded. "Well come inside." The stepped aside to let him through.

Dirk rolled his eyes and he lifted Lloyd off Noishe. Lloyd was not pleased, but didn't say anymore on the subject.

Noishe whined sadly as he watched them walk away.

Dirk held Lloyd's hand as they made their way towards the doctor. It was best to make sure Lloyd was in good health before he shopped for supplies. He also hasn't decided yet if he wanted to return to his cave any time soon.

Lloyd was very jumpy. He looked at every person he saw, obviously looking for his love one. Dirk made sure to keep a firm grip. The last thing he needed was Lloyd running off.

"Dirk, I was not expecting you to come today." A man with bright blond hair and blue eyes said. He wore a brown vest with matching along with a yelled shirt.

"Frank, how have you been this fine morning?" Dirk asked.

Frank sighed. "Busy, that storm did a number on many of the houses. We weren't expecting it to be that bad."

"Always expect the worst." Dirk said.

Frank turned his eyes to Lloyd who back away from the strange man. "Who is this young man?"

Since Lloyd didn't seem too keen to speak, Dirk took up for him. "This is Lloyd. I found him lost in the woods."

Although he liked Frank, he didn't trust him enough to tell him the entire truth. If anyone here learned this boy was being hunted by Desians, he would be run out of town faster than Aska could fly. At worst, they may even turn him over to the Ranch.

Frank shook his head. "How terrible, he must have lost his parents in the storm."

"Afraid the mother was killed and we can't find the father." Dirk said. "I was actually wondering if anyone came by today."

"Sorry, no one new has come to town." Frank said. "Tourism is low at this time of year because of all the winter storms."

"I see." Dirk sighed. Although he knew the chances were low, he still hoped that they would find the lad's kin.

"I will keep an eye out though." Frank said. "Until then, do you intend to take the boy to the Church? I think the next set of orphans are not set to leave until another two weeks."

Dirk paused for a moment. "No, I attend to raise the lad myself if the father isn't found."

Frank's eyes widen in shock. "You'll raise him?"

"I made a vow to his dying mother that I would care for the lad." Dirk said. "I wouldn't feel right shipping him off to some orphanage."

Frank stared at the older man for a moment. "Dirk, I like you and all, but how do you plan to raise a human child? It is hard enough for us humans to raise our own children."

"I can learn." Dirk said. "Besides, it's not completely uncommon for a child to be raised by another race."

"Maybe so, but humans and half-elves share a common bloodline." Frank said. "Even elves, despite their origins, have many similarities to humans, which is why we can mate with each other."

Dirk's eyes narrowed. "What does blood have to do with anything? It is the heart that makes a family. You should understand that better than anyone."

Frank recoiled from that statement and Dirk knew he went too far. "I'm sorry, Frank. I didn't mean to say that."

"No, you're right." Frank said. "I was the one being closed minded."

"Frank, I hold no illusions that I can raise this child completely right without help." Dirk said. "I know nothing of human children, but I'm willing to learn."

"If you're serious about this, I can give you some of my child care books." Frank offered.

"Thank Frank, but I've got to get this lad to the doctor first." Dirk said.

Frank nodded. "I understand. Come to my house when you're done." He then walked away.

Dirk continued to make his way through the village and ignoring the strange stares he was getting from some people. Even Lloyd looked uncomfortable at being stared at by all the people. Obviously, this boy wasn't used to being around crowds.

It didn't take too long to reach one of the bigger houses in the village. Dirk was quickly annoyed to see that doctor was more crowded than usual. Given the storm last night, he shouldn't have been too surprise.

A nurse walked up to him with a clip in her hand. "What's the problem, sir?"

"I want this boy to be checked out." Dirk said as he looked at Lloyd. "Found him in the woods and I want to make sure he isn't hurt."

The nurse wrote his information.

"How long will the wait be?" Dirk asked.

"Since he is a child, he will be put near the top of the list." The nurse said. "But, you still have to wait at least two hours since there are more badly injured people to care for first."

"Fair enough." Dirk sighed.

"Have you seen my daddy?" Lloyd suddenly asked.

"Your daddy?" The nurse questioned.

"This boy lost his father during the storm." Dirk explained. "We were hoping he may have come into town."

The nurse shook her head. "Only the regulars have been here since this morning."

"I suspected as much." Dirk said as the nurse went back to her duties.

"But, daddy is supposed to be in town." Lloyd said, near tears.

"It's okay, Lloyd." Dirk said smoothly. "Maybe he just hasn't arrived yet."

Lloyd was beginning to sniffle, but refused to let his tears fall. Instead, they both sat quietly down and waited for their number to be called.

Time seemed to slow as they sat in the waiting room watching people walking in and out. Lloyd watched everyone, hoping that one of them would be his daddy.

Dirk wished Lloyd could describe the man he was looking for. It was odd he didn't seem to have strong memories on what his dad looked like. Maybe it was the faulty memory of a child, or maybe it was part of his mental block. It was just impossible to say.

Two hours marched by so slowly, but eventually their number was called. The doctor's room was not big at all. It was about the size of an average bedroom, but it managed to hold all his supplies.

Dirk felt Lloyd cringe when he saw all the instruments on the nearby table. He tried to calm Lloyd by gently patting his back. He was really getting used to doing stuff of this nature.

"Dirk, I'm not surprise to see you." The doctor said as he entered the room. He had the standard white coat with a button down blue vest underneath. He had well groomed white hair with some streaks of black left in it and wore large glasses.

"William, I'm not here for myself." Dirk said with slight annoyance. "I am here for the boy."

William looked down and stared dispassionately at Lloyd. "He doesn't appear to be injured."

"I need you to give him a standard check out." Dirk said.

"Very well, put him on the table." William ordered as he over to get his latex gloves.

Dirk did what he was told and picked Lloyd. He then set the boy on the table that had a cushion like a bed.

Lloyd stared at the doctor anxiously as he walked up to him.

"Open wide, kid." William ordered as he stuck a wooden stick into Lloyd's throat, causing him to gag. He pulled it out after a few seconds and then began to feel around Lloyd's throat and stomach. He checked Lloyd's reflexes, temperature, and eyesight. The entire check up took about thirty minutes to complete.

"Well, this kid seems healthy." William said as he wrote on his chart. "His reflexes, eyesight, and hand eye coordination are some of the best I've seen."

"So, he's fine." Dirk said. That was one less thing he had to worry about.

"I can't find anything physically wrong with him." William stated. "Except his temperature seems a little high and his eyes are slightly red. Has he been sleeping well?"

Dirk lowered his eyes. "He had a night terror last night, and I think he is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress."

"Kind of serious for a child." William noted as he glanced at Lloyd.

"This boy lost his mother during that storm and his father is missing." Dirk explained.

William bit his pencil. "Well that could cause night terrors. I don't usually like giving drugs to kids, but if he continues to have them, I do have medical that would allow him to sleep through the night."

Dirk nodded. "I will keep that in mind."

"Until then, let me give him a shot." William said as he loaded a syringe. "I don't know whether he has been guarded against diseases, but it is best to side with caution."

Lloyd's eyes widen to the side of saucers when he saw the shot. "No, no, no!"

William sighed. "Please hold him down."

Dirk attempted to comfort Lloyd. "It's okay, lad. It will just be a prick."

"No shot, no shot!" Lloyd's voice screamed with untold terror. His entire body began to shake. In his mind's eyes, he could see the figure of the bad man.

Dirk turned Lloyd away from William, so he wouldn't see the shot coming.

William grabbed Lloyd's arm and gently stuck the needle into his arm. Lloyd screamed as if he were being burned as the medicine entered his veins. William quickly withdrew the needle and cleaned the wound with a rag.

"It's over now." Dirk whispered. "It's over. You're fine now."

William shook his head. "I've seen kids afraid of needles, but not to this extent. There is certainly some deeper trauma connected to it."

Dirk shook his head. What has this child been through?

"Well, he should be fine, give and take the mental trauma." William said as he threw the needle away.

"How much do I owe yea?" Dirk asked.

"Given all the work you have done for my wife in the past, I still owe you money." William half joked. "For now, let's just call it even."

"Fair enough." Dirk said as he picked Lloyd up. He was still sniffling, but was much calmer. "I see you later, William." He then carried Lloyd out the door.

Although Lloyd's physical health came out healthy, he still had a long way to go before Lloyd would be truly okay.

Yeah, long is having a really long day. The same with Dirk too. I'm glad you all are enjoying my interpretation of him and agree that he's not given nearly enough credit for rising Lloyd. Not to say Kratos is a terrible parent, but he really had no involvement in the person Lloyd become until fairly late in his life.

Until next time, take care.