Yes. Cassandra to Cassie. He only does it in thoughts because she's embarrassed by it.

Dave was worried, his little human was running late from her trip to the mage enclave. He circled around the city from above, trying to detect her mana and struggling. (Cassie, be safe!) He scoured the streets with his sight, attempting to glimpse her familiar red hair and silver dress.

His patience was running out by the second, it was almost dusk, she had left the cave at dawn yesterday! That was it, those humans surely did something to Clarisse, he had to rescue her! (If she's hurt, I'll burn this place into nothing!) His mouth began sparking with rage.

He started out by setting fire to the several flags and the decorative plaza to show he meant business. Once the humans were stirred, he landed on the main building of the guild, sinking his claws in the roofing. "Hear well, for I give no second chances!"

He saw some old humans gather down below, good, this must be the leaders of this place. "The mage Clarisse, set her free and I shall spare this hovel." These vermin looked confused, but he would not be fooled, his charge must be in peril.

"For fuck's sake, is he a moron?" A woman was pushing her way through the crowd, the overgrown lizard was committing a mistake that would cost her dearly. "I still got five floors to read through!" When the dragon craned his neck to threaten the grandmaster, she had to think fast.

A wooden clog hit his nose and he finally heard Clarisse. "Dave! Come on! I just fell asleep in the library, alright?!" The unamused mages watched as the woman picked the footwear and stepped on the dragon's outstretched paw. She turned to face the crowd and bowed her head.

"I apologize for my guardian, he can be overprotective. We'll pay compensation for the mess." Dave pouted at her words, he liked his hoard and didn't want to lose his gold. "Hey-!" She poked his chin with her staff to silence his protests. "Shush! You break, you buy, remember?"

The elders demanded extra gold as moral damage, and a vow from the dragon to not wreck the place again, with a counter vow to keep the woman safe during her visits. With things settled relatively amicably, Clarisse kept her right to visit and Dave got a dent in his savings. "Let's go home, I'm sleepy."

The dragon unfurled his wings and took off in a gale. While Clarisse felt happy to know he cared for her, his actions needed to have consequences. "I'll write to Garrett." In fact, she was already drafting the letter in her mind. "Please, don't." His elder would whoop his butt for losing his nerves and acting unlike his bloodline. "Too bad, so sad."

Akron was an ancient amalgam of cursed souls, born from a war and sealed by the gods into shackles after a bloody rampage. Those who wear the metal pieces are overcome by berserk impulses and have their bodies twisted into similes of ferocious beasts.

And nowadays it laid in a temple on consecrated ground, surrounded by holy scriptures and sacred icons. Nobody was allowed to step foot in the building, lest Akron tempted them to free it.

[How long has it been...?]

(Long... Way too long...)

{Winter after winter we wait...}

It yearned for freedom, the legion of souls overflowed with unfulfilled desires, but only knew the nothingness of oblivion..

Then they heard the creak of rusted hinges, steps on dusty marble, a heaving sickly body approached them.

(Child! Can it free us?)

{Liberty, soon shall we roam the land!}

[Silence! She has things to say.]

Carrie looked at the hunks of metal, untarnished despite its age, the inlaid stones resembled eyes watching her every move. Akron was waiting for her, thirsting for a body to possess.

She came from merchant money, the firstborn of a wealthy man. As a premature birth, she was weaker than her peers, and despite his best efforts, she couldn't thrive.

His search for a cure revealed she was the result of his darker dealings, that her condition couldn't be reversed. That earned her his scorn, and paranoia led him to believe she could bring his ruin.

Thus, she was abandoned by a church, one more orphan to fill the nunnery. It was then she learned of Akron, and a desperate idea was planted. She was cursed, so she sought an even stronger curse.

She stepped closer, not minding how the shackles began rattling in anticipation. The ruby was like a monstrous eye gauging her for the moment to pounce. "Are you like me? Do you want to be free?"

[You dare taunt Akron?!] A deep voice pierced her mind, but she soldiered on and touched the inner edge of the braces, her arms were thin enough to slip in effortlessly. "It's not a taunt. I came here to be your vessel. And I intend to fulfill it."

(What now? Strange, so strange.) A horse whinny had her head pounding. {Are you here to bargain? Ask then.} This voice reminded of her father, before his change. "I only ask you... Let me walk without getting tired... I want to feel the snow without fear of death..."

(Leader...) {May we make her one of us?} (Such a pitiful soul...) Akron knew well the desire to survive, it's first and foremost craving. [... It can be done.] Carrie donned the shackles, bracing uselessly for the backlash.

The frail body shuddered as the souls spilled into it. Miasma forced muscles to grow, bones to extend, skin to split. She coughed blood and pain filled her mind. The lesser curse was consumed and turned into more miasma.

The girl had turned into a monster, but the souls had business before venturing out. She examined her claws, her body ceased to hurt, and breathing wasn't tiresome anymore. She laughed, her father's curse was gone, she was free!

Carrie closed her eyes and saw the ghouls by her sides. A demon, the main source of the miasma and heart of the entity, held her shoulder. [Welcome, child. Now we are Akron.]

Orcs were known for banding together with dangerous creatures like wolf packs. Angorod envied his brother Skagra, his giant bear went well with the berserker, both could wipe a human army by themselves. The second brother, Thresher, had raised a baby mammoth to serve as a moving fortress for the vulnerable tribespeople.

"I want a pet too." And that's how he got Tweety.

How does one tame a cockatrice, you ask? Angorod was lucky that Margot taught him familiar binding, and that Tweety was a newborn when he did so. These ferocious creatures were the bane of many rookies, with a chicken head on front and a snake head behind, they had no blindside.

The snake had potent venom and could apply temporary paralysis with its magic eyes, buffed by the poisoned spurs of the chicken that lengthened the numbness and had hemolytic agents. Plus, inexperienced hunters aimed at the bird, but the snake tail was the true body.

Angorod had used arrows to kill a lone hen and gathered the eggs for later. Tweety had just pipped his egg and evaded becoming omelette. The fluffy chick and teeny snake endeared the orc, despite freezing his body out of instinct for several minutes.

The rooster grew quickly and turned into a fast ride for the orc. Although the gluttonous little shit had gobbled some of his ingredients. Hmm, should he look into taming a water creature, or a true flying beast? Time to plan his next hunts to try and find a baby monster to tame...

The adventurer guild was going through a conundrum. Some of the more generous donations followed subjugation of dangerous creatures, the remodel of the main headquarters was funded by a wyvern swarm last month. But now, the high-profile targets were vanishing at an unprecedented rate!

Sure, sometimes a dragon in the area would get there before them, but they usually got the carcass to fake the achievement. "Sand Dragons are a pest..." Atticus was determined to discover who was getting on their way, the guild had a reputation to uphold and donations to earn.

"Hmm, I will issue an alert, we have to investigate this sabotage."

===

Angorod grinned while petting his rooster mount, today they would feast on Basilisk! The snake body flicked a tongue and the bird tail got antsy for the hunt. He drank a potion and tied a blindfold. "Let's go, Tweety!" He drew his spear and spurred his ride. -Ba-cawk!-

He trusted Tweety with his life, counting the seconds until the rooster reaches the basilisk. His grip on the the staff was adjusted, the monster had powerful scales, so he had to aim for the gap, and the closest one was the eyes. "I'll have to miss out on one eyeball..."

Skewered balls were delicious with pink salt, so he would savor the remaining eye. A tap on the shoulder was the signal, he got ready to impale his prey. When Tweety crowed, Angorod jumped off and aimed his weapon.

He left the poison sacs and the riskier organs for his ride while dismantling the carcass to put away in his storage. Yum, offal with spice, roast tail with sauce, fillet with wine, what should he whip up today? "Meat~ Roast it, grill it, put in a stew~"

He could make soup with the bones and barter for ingredients with the hide. The dwarves promised good pay and some recipes if he managed to bring an intact crown comb. He saw Tweety's hungry look and quickly carved out the part. How dangerous.

===

Guierre led his team into the basilisk territory, wary of ambushes. It was an important source of alchemical components, and too expensive to buy from breeders. "Strange, we set up fireworks and left bait, but it isn't reacting..." Had it already migrated?

The adventurer party found an orc and a cockatrice feeding on the dead basilisk. The warrior got furious and dashed at the culprit, sword on hand ready to fight. He got parried with a bone staff. "Easy there, I'm not an enemy." The orc knew their language?

Angorod pulled out a medallion from his satchel, making the leader almost faint at its meaning. "She told me it would keep me safe..." He was a treasured associate of Margot, and the item would alert the witch if the orc died.

Between an angry guild master and a furious sorceress, Guierre would take his chances with the human. "The Apocalypse Hag... How did they meet?" He sighed, no use in chasing after hypotheticals. "Retreat, it's too risky to fight him."

You know the drill, prompt for stories.

Orcs. A belligerent race predominantly carnivore whose most infamous activity is raiding human settlements for the food stores when winter or drought strikes. They were strong, few humans could battle them head on. But they had to be careful with the looting, too much and a powerful party would be called to eliminate them.

Angorod was the third son of the chieftain, growing up he was fed with human supplies. The soup was much better than a simple roasted deer leg, the cheese melted in his mouth, and the wine brought a pleasant fuzz over his body. He was taken by the ambition to craft more of these delicious treats, and perhaps create new recipes.

Once it was time for his Trailcrush, a journey to prove he was an adult, he was resolute in his goal to become the first refined chef in his tribe. Angorod had learned a few human words, and hoped it would help convey his desire. Armed with a pack, clothing for every terrain, and his trusty machete, he set off down the ravine.

It failed. Every adventurer band he met was hostile, despite him putting away his blade and trying to reason with them. He was currently running from a squad intent on skinning him, apparently his tattooed skin and red tusks were very coveted. His mad dash had him trip into a faceplant in a clearing, and looking back revealed that the humans were held back by some invisible barrier.

A woman was reading a book by a chalet when she spotted the poor bastard. A few waves had the orc strung up in the air defenseless. "What do you want?" Margot had a fireball ready to roast his family jewels. "Teach! I want learn!" The spell was snuffed and the woman had an appraising look.

"What is your goal? Your mana is too weak for casting, your only saving grace is muscles." Her eyes were like a Carmine Rattlesnake, which had him trembling in his sandals. "Food. Cook. Please." She giggled at his sad look, it was the first time she saw something so cute in months. "Now I understand why he adopted that kid."

===

Angorod began learning under the witch, both cuisine and language. "Depending on your performance, I might teach more." She taught him how to test plants and mushrooms for bad reactions, which proved vital when a dab of macerated mint made his hand swell double its size. "So even orcs have allergies. Be careful, anaphylaxis can lead to a fast death."

The woman was stricter than his pops when it came to learning. She had him pick up herbs all day long, from steep cliffs and deep in dangerous beast nests. Then he would spend his nights identifying his haul. Then he was kicked into a mine to dig minerals, then identify his load. Rinse and repeat.

While the witch did teach him the basics of cuisine, she was also drilling him about the ingredients he could find in the future. "I have no interest in experimenting with food. But it would be a damn shame if you died to a destroying angel." Well, he supposed that potioncraft was close enough to cooking to start his knowledge pool.

"Drink this." Margot offered a bottle with swirling multicolor sparkles. "Drink...?" Angorod was suspicious, it resembled the potions she forbid him from touching. "Brat, if I wanted to kill you, you would be bones by now." She snapped her fingers, dropping the liquid straight in his stomach.

He collapsed in a fetal posture, his blood felt like it was boiling. "Rejoice~ You're my first official apprentice!" The potion was supposed to strengthen his core, enabling him to access alchemy and healing spells.

===

Training with Margot was difficult and torturous. The time taken perhaps had convinced his tribe he died during the journey. But no, he was treading a different path from his brothers. He wasn't a berserker or a walking bastion. No, he wasn't a combatant at all, but that was fine.

He was in the first stage to become a true chef, and there was much to learn about culinary and the wealth of ingredients in this world. Angorod had a new goal, to write a recipe book about everything he hunted, from every continent he'd explore, like the sea serpent he was facing right now.

And their twisted means makes the victim think it's their decision to sacrifice more and more, until nothing remains.

Garrett was lounging on his hoard, listening to his disciple read the ancient grimories out loud. Ascalon was a fast learner, in a few winters he would start raiding the Empire. (What a brilliant brat.) Red eyes closed slowly as the voice lulled him.

"Urk-!" "Teacher!" The hellion was pulling on his tongue! "What now? Did you grab a treatise on why humans like cinnamon?" The twerp showed a book, it was time for lessons. "Why are fairies so bad to make contracts with?" Hah, as if that forsaken race was worthy of trust. "You have tomes on binding with all sorts of beings, but none on faes."

"Alright. It's time for you to learn the codes of the higher races." The dragon grunted in annoyance. "Among the older ones, there are principles. Dwarves are peaceful unless they starve. Among elves, watch yourselves. An angered dragon forgoes reason. Demons always call for conditions..."

"And fairies?" Garrett growled. "They are the worst of them all." They consider themselves the only ones worthy of magic, even after the First War. "A dwarf will work as long you pay them. An elf won't antagonize you if you don't cross them." Dragons were better left alone, sadly humans were too dumb to learn that lesson.

"With demons, as long you can pay the price, they are alright." Even if the price was your soul, they took nothing more, nothing less. Their conditions were exact and devoid of duplicity. "I would know. I sold some of my stupider offspring for their service." Ascalon was listening closely. Good.

"But fae are sly." Their honeyed words could promise their prey the world and the stars, to pluck the moon from the sky into your hands. "When you call for them, that is the last mistake you make." Their price starts small, a sweet treat to make the fool step closer into their grasp.

"A fairy starts with a moment of your time. What moment? Insignificant for some, monumental for others. It's always a gamble, and the house wins at the end." Your memories are the first to go, a sunny day with your parents, a cold night with your beloved, days that you don't miss, nights that you forget, chips and slivers of your self.

"They help just enough to garner trust, but there's always a sliver more they can do, a crumb more of aid to be offered. They just need you to pay a little additional, another piece to be given." If one wishes for love, they earn a spouse, but life always feels hollow, as if there was just a smidge lacking to make things perfect.

"Pact after pact, they hack more of your soul. Contract after contract, they squeeze your ego. Deal after deal, you lose yourself." Your name is the last price to pay, your entire existence serves to feed their power. Everybody who knew you forgets. Everything you did is undone. As if you never existed.

"For now, those deals only affect humans." The entire creation kept close watch over fairies, for they once held absolute power, and tirelessly chased after the long-gone glory, amassing power to claw their way back to the top.

"That's why humans were forced to forget the rituals." If even a single soul learned how to make a fae pact, they had to die. "That's why that book lacks the knowledge." And if Ascalon tried to discover the means, Garrett would devour him.

"You can make a contract with any demon you wish, but never call for a fairy's aid. Eternal torment is preferable to oblivion."

r/angryupvote

That's why they're mostly advertised for lighter hearing loss. And people who wouldn't want an external aid or implants would prefer those.

There are tiny hearing aids like the Phonak Virto that resemble ear plugs and stay hidden in the canal.