THE SECOND SERIES FEATURED IS BY THE TALENTED WALLLFLOWERART Tusk Love is Tal'Dorei's best-selling romance fiction novel series, first found by Critical Role's the Mighty Nein in the Chastity's Nook in Zadash. The story of the second novel deals with the beautiful romance between Mizara, a trans half-orc woman with taste for the exotic and strange and Vulri, a hard-hitting go-getter who will stop at nothing to protect the love of her life. They met on one of Hupperdook's many raves, and fell in love before the sun rose once more...

Excerpt no. XX of TUSK LOVE

Guinevere stumbled forward, hugging her side. She could still hear the clash of steel behind her, the grunts of the ones fighting and the screams of innocents running away from the spilt blood. Her eyes watched the blood dripping from her palms, the lines in her skin breaking the drying crimson apart like dried Autumn leaves. Elizabeth rushed to her side, sword in hand. She had blood on her shirt, the one Guinevere complimented some nights before. Her brow had been slashed and she was missing a sleeve.

“W-Where’s Oskar?” Guinevere panted between words, struggling to walk without holding on to the wall.

“He’ll follow us. We need to go for the harbour.”

“I’m n.. I’m not leaving w-without him.”

Elizabeth grabbed her arm and place it over her shoulders and picked up their pace. Guinevere protested as best she could, but only faint groans left her lips. They stopped. She looked up and saw two guards blocking their way to the harbour. They wore her father’s colours; his influence and coin reached far and wide as it would seem. Elizabeth slashed at the air, her first attempt at keeping them away from her bleeding friend. Guinevere straightened her back, wincing at the sharp pain digging into her abdomen. She let go of her wound and reached for her sword.

“She wasn’t supposed to be harmed, right?” said the bald of the two.

“I reckon she hurt one of us then. Oy, Ilyana, daughter of whatever his name—”

“Y’don’t even know the bloke’s name, mate?”

“You two! Stay back!” Elizabeth cut their argument with another slash of her blade across the air, snarling and baring her teeth.

They teasingly stomped closer. Elizabeth and Guinevere stepped back. The one on the left ran forward, body prompted to tackle Guinevere to the ground. Elizabeth struck down, meeting the other man’s blade, stopping her from connecting to the other’s flesh. Guinevere hit the stone hard, her pained scream drowned by the man’s. Her sword went through his gut, the cross-guard pushing against his tightening stomach.

“What the fuck? Gid—”

Elizabeth punched the one standing in the face and he fell to his knee. With one swift move, her blade cut the side of his neck, blood spurting through the freshly open wound. Guinevere pushed the other man’s body off her, leaving her weapon embedded in him as he tried to grab her feet.

“Ilyana! Elizabeth!” a rough voice called out from behind them.

Oskar and Gram closed their distance with difficulty, their injuries keeping them from running at full speed. They pushed past a worried crowd into an alleyway. Gram warned them about the townsguard that were now looking for the brigands spilling their blood on the once quiet streets of the town. Elizabeth thought wise to leave altogether and they all seemed to agree before Guinevere took a deep breath and began walking north towards the docks. Oskar grabbed her arm, silent pleas swimming in his eyes.

“I’m tired… o-of running, Oskar. W-We are going back. I… am facing my father. I am… going to reap vengeance. You are all coming with me, alright? Please.”

Oskar smiled a painful smile. They stood in the shadows of the alleyway, the seagulls screaming along with the guards looking for them. They embraced, ignoring Gram and Elizabeth for a split second.

“Oskar. Oskar! What are we doing, man?” spoke the other half-orc.

“You heard her. We’re going back. We’re facing her father.”

(Source: tusklovethebook)