Gorrak walked into the tavern. He felt really out of place, as he was a monster trying to fit in with all the humans there.
He walked up to the counter and rang the small bell there. "Uhh... Hello?" He asked, his voice low.
A waitress walked up to the counter and shot him a wide smile. "Hello! Is there anything I can help with?" She asked kindly.
"Uhh... I am searching for..." He rubbed the back of his head. "What was it... Oh...!" He looked into her eyes. "I'm looking for a woman called Electra! She has purple hair, and I was told that she comes here with a grey-haired guy almost every day."
The waitress nodded, taking a moment to think about it. "Oh! Yes! The beer woman!" She flicked her fingers.
"Beer woman?" Gorrak asked in confusion.
"Yeah! She donated a lot of beer to us!" She pointed at the table where Electra, Bellatrix, Layla, and Fenric were. "There she is!"
Gorrak bowed softly to the woman. "Thank you." He then started walking towards the table.
Electra groaned, counting everyone. "I, Bellatrix, Fenric and Orion who fuck knows where he is! That's still four!"
Bellatrix was sitting next to Layla and constantly staring at her.
Layla frowned and pushed the girl's face away, irritated by her behavior. "Can you stop staring at me like that, you damn child?! Who the hell even are you to begin with, huh?!" She yelled at her.
Bellatrix's horns suddenly popped out, and she smiled widely. "I am Bellatrix, a demi-human, or a half-monster, you can call me however you want, Mistress!"
Layla was taken aback. "M-Mistress?"
Fenric raised a brow, and he looked at Electra. "Where did you get a slave from, Electra?" He asked.
Bellatrix leaned over the table and pinched his nose. "I am not a slave, stupid impudent lout! I serve my Master because I want to! He saved my life and gave me a beautiful name!" She yelled at him.
Electra sighed, trying to gather some thoughts. "Calm down, Bellatrix. It's not his fault that he's stupid. Everything must've gone into strength instead of intelligence."
"Alright!" Bellatrix smiled and leaned away, sitting. Fenric scowled.
Layla stared at the girl for some time until she decided to speak up. "If you are the reason why Orion lost his hand, then I don't know how I should feel about you." She said coldly.
Gorrak poked Electra's shoulder from behind. "Uhh-"
She turned around and glared at him. "What do you want, scum?! If you want beer, then quickly go away before I permanently damage you." She scowled, her voice filled with disdain.
Gorrak shook his head, slightly afraid of her. "No, not really!" He took a step back. "I was sent here by Ma-... Orion. He said that I might be able to help in some game."
Electra stood up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Orion sent you? And I am the fucking Sage Taurus!" She yelled at him.
"I'm honest! I am Gorrak!" Gorrak smiled nervously.
Electra's grip loosened, and she leaned in closer, lowering her tone. "Gorrak? The intelligent goblin?" She looked him up and down. "You don't look like a goblin to me." She said coldly.
Gorrak showed her how his hand changed from a human's to a goblin's and then back to a human's. "I can shapeshift! And I obviously can't walk around in my true form! I don't have a death wish!"
Electra sighed and pushed him onto a chair.
She sat down and hit the table with her head a couple of times.
"Who's that?" Layla asked, looking at Gorrak.
"That's someone Orion sent, the last team member." Electra rolled her eyes.
Gorrak smiled at Layla. "Long time no see, you may not recognize me, but my name is Gorrak."
Layla's eyes widened. "Gorrak? The one from the cave?" She asked curiously.
Gorrak nodded.
Electra's attention was shifted to Layla. "Wait a second... She was supposed to not remember anything from the cave and the day they were retrieved..." Her eyes widened as she realized another thing. "Now that I think about it... She calls me Ellie even though I told her to call me that on the same day they were retrieved... That means... That her mean attitude towards everyone was nothing but reality... So why has she decided to act like she doesn't remember it?"
Fenric nudged her shoulder. "Oi, Electra, you here with us?" He smirked.
Electra looked at him and also smirked. "No, I shouldn't think about it. It's not the time nor the place for such minor things. Let her be, I will always look after her no matter what she does or says, after all, she's a sister."
"Yeah, just got lost in my thoughts, because unlike you, I like to think from time to time~!" She said playfully.
Electra then looked at Gorrak. "Since Orion had sent you, you must know where he is, no?"
Gorrak nodded. "Yes, I do know, but I can't tell any of you."
"Huh?! Why?!" Layla yelled in disbelief.
Gorrak shrugged. "I don't know, I didn't ask why, he just told me not to tell anyone about it, so I won't."
Layla was about to take the information out of him with force, but Electra nodded in approval. "Yeah, it's better that way."
"B-But!-" Layla clenched her fist.
Electra looked at her with annoyance. "No buts, blackhead! Do you trust him? Do you trust Orion?"
Layla nodded furiously. "Yes, I do! But I-"
"But you what? He told you that he can't work around you! If you're honest and you really love him, then you won't ask about it anymore and trust him, otherwise, you won't see him ever again!" She yelled.
"Ellie..." Layla said quietly.
"I hate to admit it, but hatchling may be the weakest out of all of us, even weaker than his servants, but he is also smarter than all of us combined!" She yelled again. "Just believe in that stupid brat and everything will be alright!"
Layla shook her head. "It's not like I am afraid that he will fail or anything like that..." She teared up. "I'm just worried that someone might steal him from me... steal what's mine... no one is allowed to do it... They're only allowed to be jealous!"
Fenric chuckled. "Okay, you two, stop arguing with each other. Let's get straight to the thing that matters, shall we?"
Gorrak nodded. "That man is right. I want to help Orion with my entire being, but I still don't know what I need to do."
Layla looked at Bellatrix. "You called me your mistress, that means that you will do anything I want, right?"
Bellatrix nodded. "Yes. I'm loyal to Master and his lover."
Layla patted her lap. "Sit down in here. I need a stress reliever."
Bellatrix sat down on Layla's lap without any hesitation.
Layla wrapped her arm around Bellatrix's slender waist and caressed her hair and horns, using her as if she were a toy.
Electra sighed. "It annoys me, but if it's the way she shows affection to people around her, then be it."
She then stood up and adjusted her voice. "Bellatrix, Fenric, Gorrak, Orion, and I. A team, that's what we are, everyone." She looked at all of them and smirked. "We will be facing the Prince of this fuckass kingdom in a 5v5 game."
"Why would we fight the Prince? Isn't this a little dangerous since we've destroyed The Bleeding Crown?" Bellatrix asked curiously, a hint of worry in her voice.
Layla grabbed a sausage from the table and stuffed it into her mouth. "Princess Morgana has mentioned that the Bleeding Crown is a form of entertainment for the lower class. The whole Royal Family seems to hate that Tournament and the Hollow Vein itself."
Electra leaned her chin on the table. "So that means they must know that we were the ones responsible for destroying it... Fuck..."
Layla grabbed another sausage. "This is so good!" She said with a wide smile, still caressing Bellatrix's hair.
Gorrak spoke up. "Isn't fighting futile from the start? I mean, it's the Prince! He will probably put some mind-blowing team together!"
Layla nodded. "Yup! He's right! The Queen said that it's impossible for us to win."
"Does everyone here know how to play The Fight For The Throne?" Electra asked.
Out of all of them, only Fenric nodded.
She groaned. "Oh, please!"
She spent the next ten minutes explaining the rules and how to play the game.
Gorrak leaned back on his chair. "This isn't too complicated, but we would need to work as a team to win. Has any of you fought in a team with each other?"
Fenric nodded. "I used to be at a party with Electra for six years."
Bellatrix smiled widely. "We killed the nobles who were in the Bleeding Crown together!"
Electra shook her head. "That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about whether you, Fenric, and I were fighting together." She sighed.
Fenric looked at Bellatrix. "No, of course not! I have never seen this brat before!"
"Nether did I see this old fart." Bellatrix pouted.
"That's the point!" Gorrak said. "Fighting with a partner is different than fighting alone. Fighting in a duo is different than fighting in a trio, and it goes like that. We barely know each other!"
"Gorrak's right. We need to get to know each other's abilities and skills better to fit our styles perfectly." Electra stood up and looked at all of them.
"Layla, stop eating those damn sausages when everything is about you." Electra rolled her eyes.
Layla shook her head and pouted. "No! They're too good!"
Layla grabbed the plate and threw them into one of her portals.
She adjusted her voice. "It's decided. Tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, we will meet up under the clock tower and head to the dungeon, understood?" She said firmly.
"But should we practice if Master won't be with us? Won't it cause a lot of trouble in fighting together during the game?" Bellatrix asked curiously.
"He'll be fine. I spar with him almost every day, so I can assure you that he will fit in. That shithead is a monster of adaptability, he'll adapt to our teamwork before you could notice, Bellatrix~" Electra smirked.