I'm going to copy and paste my author notes from chapter one, in case anyone stumbles across this chapter without reading the first one and wonders what this series is about.
The Baroness and the Orc is grimdark erotic fantasy. Very grimdark. It takes place in an unhappy world and unhappy things occur in it. Demons have infested a once peaceful land, and orcs—once humanity's greatest enemy—are now turned to by some desperate humans as saviors, despite their brutality and insistence on enslaving humanity.
The specific kinks included in this story mostly revolve around orcs dominating humans and all that entails. Humans that willingly enslave themselves to orcs are called thralls, and the eroticism is built from that relationship. There is non-consent (orcs fucking humans initially against their will, the humans eventually enjoying it), lots of extreme anal sex, large breasts and cocks, and big, muscled, green orcs doing whatever they want with conquered humans. The story features a very masochistic main character who gets off to everything done to her. There is much debauchery and wanton fucking and degradement, as well as unhealthy relationships. Bad or depressing things are presented as good and beautiful through the main character's masochistic world view.
Quick note on the orcs: they are dual-sexed orcs. Meaning their species has one sex with both male and female genitalia. Basically, they could be viewed as futas, but more in a biologically accurate and serious light. They present as large, muscled females with breasts, and have both a vagina and penis and balls, and even a social system based around the roles a dual-sexed species would develop.
Note there is death, NOT sexualized. Orcs and human soldiers fight, and humans are killed in battle.
* * *
The sun had retreated, and night had fallen. Emily still had yet to be touched again, and a part of her was actually disappointed. An orc she didn't recognize moved through the room, unlocking humans, leaving them free but with collar and leash still attached. Emily was one of them. She stood and looked down at her chain leash hanging between her breasts.
Experienced cultists fell in with every freed human, giving them instructions. "Do not try to run, you will be killed. Follow the commands of any orc that are given to you. When not given a direct order, walk the room and focus on refilling drinks and bringing food. Some of you will be given certain simple tasks, such as stirring the cauldron or helping to prepare food."
Charlotte nodded at Emily when she was freed, and held her hands. "Now is a good time to look for escape opportunities," she whispered. "We are untethered and the night will be full of drink. Keep sharp."
And then, like a light shining through impenetrable clouds, Emily saw Matthew standing a few feet away. He was naked like everyone else, and just as ragged. His penis somehow seemed so smaller than before. It was like she never noticed just how little it was. His eyes were red and raw.
"Emily," he sighed, and came to her. They embraced, holding each other tightly. Emily's heart fluttered in her chest, and she felt tears at her eyes. It felt good to hold her love again. She hadn't directly seen what kind of treatment he'd undergone, but it was the same as everyone else, apparently.
"That's enough," grunted the orc in charge, pushing them forward with the rest of the small group.
"Oh Emily, it's awful," he whispered as they walked. "This is a nightmare. What's happened to everything? What's happened to Grimsfield."
"Just do as they ask and things will be fine, my love."
"Do as they ask? Have you gone mad? They're
monsters
, Emily. Barbarous monsters. Look at them. Look what they've done to us. Oh, this is a nightmare..."
More orcs began to crowd into the hall, filling tables. To Emily's surprise, there were some musicians among them. They played strange stringed instruments that resembled harps, and also beat on quiet drums that gave a bit of life to the room. More smiles came over orc faces, and drinks filled hands, and voices and laughter filled the rafters above. Pipes were brought out, and smoke began to cloud the air. It was early, but the celebration was slowly starting to come alive.
"Food delivery duty," whispered Emily to herself, holding a platter of bowls filled with stew. "That's my given job. Focus, Emily. Do good. Feed the orcs."
She set her platter of bowls onto a table, and began handing out the stews to the orcs sitting there. They seemed to respond positively, and spoke orcish with smiles as they dug in.
"Hungry?" said Emily, smiling awkwardly. Nobody paid her any attention.
She went back to the cauldron with her tray and grabbed more bowls. Charlotte was on stew duty, her athletic shoulders and arms stirring a giant wooden spoon around the black cauldron over a fire. She was working up a bit of a sweat, the firelight glistening off her slick skin, her small, bare breasts shining. Emily held out the empty bowls and Charlotte filled them.
"The exits are all heavily watched," whispered Charlotte. "And the ones watching them don't seem to be drinking. Perhaps you could offer them drinks? Get them drunk and maybe they'll pass out. That would be our chance."
"Matthew is on drink duty."
"Tell him to try, then."
"Um, okay." Emily bit her bottom lip. She would say no such thing to Matthew. "You know, Charlotte, we don't have to escape tonight. We can...we can just follow along for a while, get them to trust us."
"A good plan, but one I'd rather not resort to. We should try to escape tonight."
Emily continued on with her job, delivering and refilling bowls of stew to hungry orcs. They ate much more than she expected. Every once in a while she'd look out into the hall of chained humans. They were still mostly undisturbed, with only a couple orcs here or there mounting someone. The untouched ones looked at the feast with thousand yard stares, eyes empty.
"Look at us," said Matthew as they passed and stopped together for a moment. "We're nobility, Emily. I a lord, and you a baroness. I was to become a baron soon. And here we are, playing maid servants! This is humiliating. And I don't like the way some of them are looking at me. That one laughing a lot with the spiky hair has been staring at me all evening."
Emily noticed the jester orc who had stood out before, throwing back mugs of ale and making the orcs around her laugh. "It's going to be okay," said Emily, and then someone shouted for Matthew to refill her cup and he jumped into action.
The feast was moving along in earnest now. The great hall was loud with the din of talking and laughing orcs having an all-around pleasant time. Emily noticed one of the serving girls was grabbed by an orc as she gave her a mug of ale, and pulled onto her lap. The orc molested her, feeling all over, and brought her cock out.
To serve food and drinks, and provide entertainment, the cultist told me
, thought Emily.
I suppose it's no mystery what kind of entertainment we're meant to provide. I should be on guard, ready to pleasure any one of them.
As Emily passed by the head table, she heard a shout in common tongue. "You there! Girl-human." Emily turned to see the red-headed champion waving her over, sitting next to the Chieftain and her matriarch. "I need another bowl, and this table's servant is dallying, it seems. Give me one of those."
"Of course, my lady," said Emily, setting her tray down at the head table and offering the massive orc a bowl.
"Come around here to this side of the table, girl-human. Let's have a look."
Emily's heart raced as she moved around the table, standing with her arms at her sides. The three most important orcs in the tribe all looked at her. Emily's eyes went wide when she noticed Raines kneeling at the Chieftain's feet, hands on the orc's thighs, cock in her mouth, her head slowly bobbing up and down. When Raines' big green eyes fluttered open, her full lips popped off the cock and she smiled up at Emily.
"Emily!" she gasped, flashing her brilliant teeth. She looked aglow with pure happiness.
"There, there," said the Chieftain, guiding Raines' mouth back to her penis. Then she considered Emily again. "What is this, Thrella? This human isn't grown yet. She's only a pup. What's she doing here?"
"Ah, you're wrong there, Mag," said the champion, Thrella. "Her body may be stunted, but you must look at the teats on humans. This one is fully grown." Thrella lifted a single breast of Emily's, as if demonstrating, and then let it drop.
"Hmph," grunted Mag the Chieftain, hand on top of Raines' bobbing head. "Could have fooled me."
"In fact, you look upon none other than Baroness Emily Lawford," continued Thrella. "She was the ruler of this fine town, and she was the one who arranged for us to easily take it."
Mag raised her mug and inclined her head. "Then I give thanks to you, Baroness Lawford. Not a single orc was killed in the assault. You're an admirable human."
"Thank you, my lady," said Emily, bowing her head. "I've worshiped orcs and Atrix ever since I learned about you. I've been looking forward to this day."
"Look at that," said Thrella with a smile. "The Baroness needs no breaking. A true thrall if I've ever seen one."
Mag's matriarch considered Emily. She had similarly grey hair, but was slightly less intense than the Chieftain, with a bit softer look about her. Wide hips and larger than average breasts. She tilted her head. "Shall we take her on as a thrall, then, my love?"
"What, the girl-human?" Mag looked unconvinced. "She's tiny, and she'll break."
"I don't know," said the matriarch. "I think she's sort of cute. We don't have to have her for mounting. She could just be a pet. We could keep her in the room to warm our feet at night."
Emily's heart jumped in her chest.
The head matriarch's personal thrall? Wouldn't that be something. That could be a wonderful fate.
"No, no, we have too many humans already," said Mag. "And I'm happy with this one." She patted Raines' bobbing head.
"Very well." The matriarch looked away.
Thrella grunted loudly with a grin at the edge of her lips. "Well then," she said, standing up and unbuckling her belt. "I at least want to sample what the former ruler of this town can offer. These humans make a big deal about nobility, you know. They're supposed to be the best humans around. Come on now, Baroness Lawford, let's see if that's true."