The golden orb the bard summoned flashes forward to a particular time as part of the guild.

William stood with Sindy where the task board was. Numerous papers litter the board with different payments listed. "Is there anything new?"

Her orange eyes scanned the board for anything that could tickle his fancy. "Oh, there is a case of a missing girl near the forest. Tiffany's parents asked us for our help since bears are out and about."

"I will do that then. Will you be coming along?"

"I can't. My husband has plans. Our daughter will be away for our romantic night."

"Have fun. I will make sure to bring a flower back for my niece," he smiled.

"Definitely. Yang and Yarlg are out of town so I'm going to ask around to see who's available. Be right back."

William sat down on the bench to wait. Heavy leather bootsteps approached him. 

"Hi, Sindy recommended me as your companion. My name is Bumva. Are you William Bennett?"

From her voice, he heard a growl similar to Yarlg's but more soothing to his ears.

"I am," he offered his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The dark green orc accepted the handshake. He felt her coarse hand against his, but she knew her strength as she didn't grip too hard.

She saw his white pupils. "I-I don't think you should be on this mission. I'm not doubting you. I just want you to be safe."

"I understand, but I'm more than just my handsome face. Just point me where to go and I will not let you down," he proudly smiled.

His sincerity and smile disarmed her concerns. "Okay. I trust you."

"What's your title, Bumva?"

"Oh, so you're aware of our culture?" she asked with surprise.

"I'm good friends with Yarlg the Terrible."

"Yarlg is a good friend of mine too. My title is Bumva the Brutal."

"More like Bumva the Beautiful," he slyly grinned.

Her jaw dropped. She knew bards were known for flirting, but her heart couldn't stop thumping.

"I-I know you're blind but are you trying to be nice with me?" she stuttered.

"My words are sincere. Describe yourself to me. I already know you're taller than me from your voice."

"Uhm, I have dark green skin. Like uhm-"

"Lush green grass accompanied by lilies?"

If her face could turn crimson, it would by now.

"Continue."

She played with her black box-braided hair topped with a neatly made bun.

"I have black braided hair with a bun on top. My biceps can squeeze a watermelon in two and I wield a two-handed battle axe!"

She flexed her biceps where veins struck across like rivers. "Oh, I'm flexing right now," she clarified to the blind man.

"That is poetic. Powerful and gorgeous. I feel safe around you already."

She took a few steps back. She never knew a human who would act like this. Especially towards an orc. She wanted to hear more.

"A-And I have green eyes."

"Like the shiniest of emeralds?"

"B-Bard, my voice doesn't scare you?" she asked while tilting her head. Her eyes stared at him for any sign of deceit.

He shook his head. "It would be a crime for me not to acknowledge true beauty when I sense it. Your underlying growl is soothing to my ears."

She was almost rendered speechless.

"Are you ready to leave, Bumva?"

The orc cleared her throat as she took the mission description with her. "I am. Let's go to my horse. Would you like me to lead you?"

"I will be fine. Lead the way."

She took several long stride steps and turned her head. She heard his musical notes as he followed behind without bumping into anything. A smile crept on her face. She didn't have to worry too much about him.

The duo got on her horse and made their way to the northwestern part of a forest one town away. He strummed a gentle traveling song.

"You are quite a surprise, William. You must be very strong from what you had to deal with."

"My parents gave me a great foundation. I couldn't have made it this far without them."

The orc smiled from hearing his humility. "What are their names? If you don't mind."

"James and Dorothea. They're both farmers. My mom could have been a singer with the talent she had. What are your parents' names?"

"Korgak and Bulfim the Brutal. My father was a War Chief when he fell in love with my mother. They were enemies but fell in love that same day. Shortly after, I came along. He taught me everything, including how to fight."

The bard stifled a laugh, but the orc heard it. "Sorry, I couldn't help but imagine you as a child training with a two-handed axe."

"I wouldn't have been able to lift it up at that age," she laughed without a filter. The air between them lightened from their laughter.

"Something more personal, William. Are.....you taken?"

"I'm single, but my heart has many loves."

"Like a bee going from flower to flower?"

"I mean, I have some standards," he jokingly inflected at the end. Her sandpaper laugh became smoother as it continued.

"Bumva, do you have someone?"

"I did," she somberly told him.

The blind bard stopped playing. He understood a deep sorrow from her words. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to-"

She gripped the reins. "His name was Urgan. He was from my clan. He.....died during his initiation."

He knew what that entailed from what Yarlg had told him. An organized hunt to slay a creature as a rite of passage. His hand found her shoulder to pat her back. A sense of strength flowed into her to keep going.

"Before he went, we made love the night before. He had captured my heart before, but I was afraid of the event for him. He told me jokes that made me smile before we kissed."

"He sounded like a good person."

Bumva looked back at him from the last word. The way he said it with care. She suspected his upbringing and blindness had taught him to treat any species as equal to humans. Ba-dump.

She cleared her throat. "You mentioned standards. What are they?"

"Not a cleric since I don't want to disturb their devotion. She has to be kind. I can tell by her voice and how they speak to determine that part."

"Am I kind?" Her heart thumped, but she didn't have to wait long.

"Of course, you are."

The corners of her mouth spread wide from his response.  "What else do you look for? Oh, that was terrible. You're blind and-"

He laughed to her surprise. He clutches his belly while wiping a tear away. "Humor is another thing that I like."

She sighed internally that she didn't offend him. His easygoing nature was helping their conversation go smoothly.

"So, humor and kindness. What else?"

"Confidence is a plus. I want a woman who can take care of herself without me worrying about her. If she has low self-esteem, I can raise it up."

"With sex?"

"By listening and being there for her, you dirty pervert," he jested. "If it comes down to it, I will make sure she's comfortable the whole time."

"Very gentleman like of you."

"Thanks. Are you single, Bumva?"

"I am. Just been focusing on missions and collecting money. I might want to settle down afterwards after I get a nice house."

"That's a good goal to have. How many children would you like?"

"Five. Boys or girls, it doesn't matter."

"I bet they will inherit all their good looks from you."

Her jaw dropped again as she didn't know what to say to that. William sensed her uneasy silence.

"I think I want children too, but I'm not ready for that life yet. I want to have more big adventures before I get married. I do have Nerdeani as my niece. I promised to give her a flower every time I return from a mission."

"She's lucky to have you as her uncle. Any idea who you want to marry?"

"I don't care about the race as long as she meets my standards. I will respect her culture no matter where she comes from."

Bumva stopped her mind from jumping ahead. The hoovesteps stopped as well. "We're here."

They got off and she tied her horse to a tree. Will strummed as he followed her lead.

"Stop right here," she commanded. He listened and heard her crouch down. She checked the description note and the size of the shoe print matched. She saw more of Tiffany's footprints leading down the path.

"I found her steps."

"That's good. So far, I don't sense any bears nearby."

"Your musical notes are telling you," she guessed.

He gave her a slight grin for being correct. She followed the prints and went over a log. She then saw William leaping over the log with ease.

She later found the tracks have stopped and are replaced by larger footsteps. "She's been kidnapped."

She brought out her axe as Will prepared himself mentally. They moved further down. Bumva's green eyes didn't widen from seeing a mauled corpse. The man's intestines were sprawled out on the wet ground with butterflies drinking up the blood. Will's senses were reminded of that smell from that tragic night.

"D-Dead body?" Will stuttered.

"Yes, and it's fresh. Seems like a bear attack."

The creaking of the mandolin made her turn to him. He's holding onto it for dear life with short breaths. From her experience, it's not from fear of battle. She walked towards him.

I-I'm sorry. I-"

She placed her hands on his cheeks. Her coarse palms kept him steady with a finger on his jugular. She took her hands off of him once she felt his heart rate go back to normal.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Always. Let's continue."

Bear markings were seen on a tree. "We're getting close," she warned.

Will's nostrils picked up something. "Bumva, the description of Tiffany, did it mention a scent?"

She read it out loud. "Lilac. You have her scent?". She couldn't even smell a trace of that flower.

"Yes. This way," he pointed east of them. 

Their hearts rebounded against their cages as they wondered if Tiffany was alive. They came up to a mossy cave, perspiring with the morning dew. Will plucked some strings to do a perimeter check.

"Hello?" a little girl responded.

"Tiffany, is that you?" the orc asked.

"Y-Yes."

"Don't worry. We will get you out of here," William assured.

"What-What about the bear?" fear gripped her voice.

"My partner is a powerful orc. She will defeat it without a moment to waste. Can you come out?" he asked.

"I can't move my leg."

"Alright, I will be right there," while he walked into the darkness of the cave.

A deep throated sound of anger invaded their ears.

A brown Kodiak bear weighing over a 1000 pounds glared at the two strangers near its home. Its heavy footsteps rushed towards them!

The orc engaged the creature while shouting her battle cry. The bear lashed out with its row of sharp canines. She sidestepped and swung down into its left shoulder. The bear swatted her away, sending her into a tree. She grunted but she used that pain to keep going as crimson crawled down her protruding fangs.

William quickly plucked his strings.

"Restore and heal my friend,
Let her wounds mend!"

Bumva felt the pain melting away as the bleeding stopped.

"Music, protect Bumva as her shield,
Don't let her defense yield!"

The orc warrior felt the conviction in his words as she glowed. The bear swatted at her again, but it hits an invisible wall that wouldn't let it continue. She used this chance to swing her axe up, down, and diagonally into the bear. However, the thick fat prevented her strikes from going deeper.

William's playing intensified to uphold her defenses. Bumva glanced over to see that he's not providing an additional spell. She pieced it together from the verse that he couldn't afford an interruption. She had to end things quickly.

She swung upward and her axe cuts into the bear's giant torso. William kept playing as he ran into the cave to be by Tiffany's side.

He then heard the bear's footsteps charging towards the entrance of the cave. Through Melody's eyes she saw Bumva had tackled the bear with her amplified defenses. The cave shook from the force of it and collapsed inward as Will ran towards the girl!

He covered Tiffany with his whole body to protect her as the rocks fell on top of them. He blacked out from a hit on the back of the head. The golden orb then shifted to Bumva's perspective of things. Her heart almost stopped as the music came to an end.

"WILLIAM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. The bear narrowed his eyes at the orc.

Bumva gripped her weapon as tears flowed down her face. Despite not knowing him well, she charged to avenge his life and her broken heart. Her anger fueled her attack as she swung and cuts into the bear's raised paw. The bear swatted with its other paw, but she evades the near fatal swing. A gash tore on her left arm.

Her blood boiled with each swing. More of her blood dripped as the bear's claws went into her arms and legs.

She swung her axe, but the bear bit around her ankle and tossed her near the cave. Bumva fought to get back up on her good leg with the axe ready.

Her ears perked up as something trapped is trying to get out. Her heart thuds louder than a drum along with a wide smile. The bear charged and raised its good paw to tear through her flesh. She rolled out of the way as the bear continued with the attack. It managed to push away a couple of rocks, leaving an opening.

That's all William needed. The orc warrior's body emanated a glowing scarlet as adrenaline shot through her entire body. The warmth of her blood caused veins to strike across her forearms and calves. She bared her teeth as her rage was elevated to a new level.

She charged as the bear tried to bite her. She sidestepped and swung downward with newfound strength.......The head of the bear landed with a heavy thud followed by its body.

She didn't want to waste the strength, so she started tossing rocks out of the way. "William, hold on!"

Her body stopped glowing red, but she persisted against the battle fatigue.

"Heal our wounds so we don't suffer,
Compared to death, we are tougher."

All of Bumva's wounds healed over from the soft pleasantness of his voice. She saw William's body over Tiffany's. He was more caked in dirt than she was. 

"Bumva?" he asked while lifting his head.

She choked back on tears as she carefully pulled them out. Tiffany's leg was healed to perfection as she stood up. William's mandolin had cracks from the debris that fell on it.

"Tiffany, are you alright?"

"I am. You both saved me!"

The short blonde girl embraced William and then Bumva with tears streaming down her face. "Thank you!"

"You were very brave, Tiffany. For now, close your eyes until we get you home," Will interjected.

Bumva then embraced the bard with a trembling body. "I thought I lost you," while she wiped the dirt off of him.

"It was getting close for us, but something woke me up."

"What was it?"

"I will tell you later. Let's bring her home."

"Are you okay to stand?" she asked out of concern.

"I don't think I can walk at the moment," he genuinely replied. He then felt his body gently lifted up and over Bumva's left shoulder.  She picked Tiffany with her right arm and walked away. The gentle walk lulled him to sleep.

"I'm glad Will kept you safe," Bumva told Tiffany.

"I was so scared when the cave collapsed. Even under that rubble, he said things to help me not be afraid."

"Like what?"

"That the most beautiful and strongest orc warrior will slay the monster. He was right."

Bumva looked over her shoulder and grinned at the sleeping blind bard. She dropped Tiffany off at her home where her parents were waiting for her arrival. They held her tight.

"Thank you! What is your name?"

"Mine is Bumva the Brutal and this is William Bennett. He helped me save your daughter. It's too bad he's not awake to speak with you."

"Thank you so much. Take this to the guild so they can pay you," the father handed her a token and she put it away.

"You both look so tired. Rest up at the inn nearby. I heard they have mineral baths," his wife mentioned.

"That sounds lovely. Thanks."

"Will I get to see you again?" Tiffany asked.

"I will make time," the orc replied with a smile. She rode her horse with William on her shoulders to the inn in question. After getting a room, she laid the bard to rest and sat in a nearby chair to check on his condition. She reached to hold his hand but stopped herself. She took his cracked mandolin and left the room.