Shub looked at her attacker.

Like really looked at her.

She had cold amber eyes and dark red skin with a brown nose. Her ears were pointed and shot straight into the air, while her soft autumn hair was cut short.

Except, this wasn't how her attacker was supposed to look.

Just a few minutes ago she had been a completely pale human, now this?

Either Shub had found some sort of shapeshifting monster. Or she was going crazy.

The actual reason(Though her attacker, Breanna, wouldn't say. Was because the magic woven into her that allowed her to change had been damaged somewhat with the casting of blood magic).

Shub ignored her attackers changing appearance to focus on the more pressing issue.

Her magic, namely.

She had an accident, she didn't mean to cast blood magic. She just had so much, well, blood! How in the hell was she supposed to react. Especially when she was being attacked.

Her family would be so disappointed. Orc's had a hatred of blood magic, being indirectly responsible for making them after all.

Her family had made her swear an oath to never use the magic intentionally. Shub hadn't done so intentionally but still. Using the magic was very worrying for her. If she couldn't get this far without casting such a spell, was she even fit to be an adventurer?

Breanna looked at the orc's panicked state and smiled to herself. Now in the appearance of a tall goblin girl, Breanna looked like she was baring her teeth at Shub. Something which startled the poor orc even more.

Breanna had ample knowledge about most races. So she knew that blood magic was a big no-no for the orcs. If she could use this to her advantage. She may be able to get free and kill the orc!

"You know, your family won't ever accept you after this," Breanna said with an evil grin.

Shub turned towards the girl, now in the form of a squid girl with ten eyes. "What do you know about my family! All the people I've met don't know the barest thing about my race and culture!" Shub yelled.

"I've traveled to your lands before. Plus, blood magic is reviled across a lot of races, so it would make sense for your's to be as well."

Breanna smiled as Shub started to panic more. Good.

Less of a sound mind and a mistake would be made.

Breanna continued, now in the form of a seven-headed snake. "I bet they'll disown you even! They probably would call you so. Many. Names!" Breanna's voice had turned to a snakey hiss as she preyed on the fears of Shub.

"You'll be subjected to both ridicule and hunt!" Orc's hunted those who practiced blood magic.

"And your family will be cast out and die of shame!" That didn't really happen, but a stigma would be attached.

"You'll be all alone, rejected by a family who blames you for their misfortune! And your race who hunts people like you down!" Breanna had transformed into a howling lion now. Her fangs slicked with saliva as she taunted Shub.

"You don't know nothing about my family!" Shub yelled at the girl.

"But I know enough to rattle you, now don't I?" Breanna replied.

Shub twitched at her gauding, almost enough and she could get free. Breanna had been slowly gathering mana from inside herself. Readying herself to escape the moment the orc turned around.

Shub looked like a little frightened lamb, don't worry lamb, you'll be out of your misery soon.

Breanna soon felt something off. Magic was bleeding off of her. Her appearance was morphing back! Shit! She hadn't gathered enough mana.

The lion's face Breanna wore melted off like hot puddy, revealing that of a grey scaled snout. Scales wrapped around her body and deep white eyes looked at the orc.

Shub looked startled at what she just saw. The appearances usually changed in the blink of an eye, but she had felt mana bleed out and that disgusting illusion failure.

Shub carefully pulled out a nugget of gold she had gotten from her father. And placed it on Breanna's snout.

"Ahhh! fucking stop that!" Breanna yelled in pain.

Shub soon started to giggle and then let out a quiet laugh. She was facing a Dragonborn.

And Dragonborn's were extremely weak to gold. Ironic, huh?

They were kind of like werewolves in that regard. They both had a piece of metal that they were weak too. But that was where the similarities ended.

Still, having such a weakness now made her attacker easier to ignore.

"Hey, just because I'm Dragonborn doesn't mean I'm not a threat! I thought orcs weren't racist?" Breanna asked.

"We aren't, just can't believe that I was scared of someone with such an exploitable weakness."

"Why, err. I still know you cast blood magic! Your parents will forever be ashamed of their daughter when they hear it!" Breanna shouted at Shub.

"Yeah, when they hear it," she said menacingly. "What are you planning? And why the ominous tone? I'll have you know I'm harder to kill when I'm frozen with an orc to my face in the middle of a road!"

"Weird to know that, but I got something much better in mind," Shub said smiling.

"Oh yeah, what can you do that would do more than hamper me?"

Shub smiled. "Can you breathe dirt?"

"What in the hell's are you doing, no! Put me back plew-ack!" Breanna's shouting quickly turned to garbles as Shub threw the Dragonborn in the hole she had dug and started to put dirt on her.

Shub had packed a shovel with her always. You never knew when you needed to bury something after all. Shub should've felt sorry for the Dragonborn she would condemn to a horrible death. But she didn't.

One, if the Dragonborn couldn't get out. She would've died much sooner in these lands. The Wabombs lingered around the area even after all this time.

And they made sure any adventurer who wasn't ready died a painful death.

Plus, she was burying the evidence. Not sure if it technically counted, but when the Dragonborn did get out, Shub would likely be too far away to make spreading the rumor worth it.

"Wait-spew-stop! I have money, connections, powe-cough-stop throwing dirt in my face when I'm talkin-splat!" Shub ignored Breanna's shouting and cursing till when she was nearly done.

"Stop! I won't harm a hair on your head or tell you what I saw today. Nobody will ever know! Just please don't bury meeee!" Shub paused at that, before replying.

"Will you sign a Bond?"

"Yes, anything. Just please don't bury me!"

It seemed this Dragonborn suffered from claustrophobia.

"Fine. But on one condition."

"Anything!"

"You have to be my party member!"

"Are-are you serious? You want me to be your party member! What makes you think I'll accept-oh right."

"So, your response?"

"Fine," Breanna responded.

"Just make the party name bearable. That's all I ask," Breanna asked in a misery filled voice.

"Of course, what better name for a party than Super Awesome Sword Friends!" Shub said with joy.

Breanna released a groan of pain and disappointment.

This was going to be a torturous couple of months before she could break the Bond.

"You'll also have to be my legally obligated friend!"

Scratch that, it was going to be hell.