Chapter 41

"Your highness some citizens have asked to see you" Kane had finally gotten back to the castle when Alfred headed over to him. Looks like Kane still had some stuff to do before he got to rest.

"Who are they?" asked Kane as he and Alfred started to walk to the throne room where the group was waiting. "They are hunters. Apparently, while they were hunting in the forest they saw a group of orcs camping out. The camp had many beast corpses in it and so they assumed they were hunters. They think it could be some of the orcs that you were looking for because of their big size."

"If it really is them then that would be ideal. I want you to go get someone to fetch Hogar. I will meet with these hunters" responded Kane. "Yes your highness," said Alfred.

Kane walked into the room and sat upon the throne. Below him were 5 dirty-looking hunters. They looked tired and their clothes had definitely seen better days.

"What are the specifics of the group you saw?" asked Kane. One of the hunters who seemed to be about 40 and the leader stepped up. "Your majesty the group seemed to be about 10 strong. They were huge and very strong. They were grumbling about other orcs so we assumed they could be the orcs that you told us to watch out for."

Kane thought about what the scout had said. It was likely that it was them. They were bigger than most orcs and even Hogar would not have been as big or strong as them if Kane had not used an upgrade voucher on him. He would wait for Hogar and then gather some men and leave for the camp. This may be his only chance.

"You all have done well. You may rest now. I will have some people send some gold to you and your families as a reward." Kane was impressed with the hunters. He would have expected them to run away instead of investigating the orcs. "Thank you sir we really appreciate it." The hunters bowed before Kane had then escorted out.

Kane waited until Alfred returned with Hogar. Then informed him of what the hunters had said. Hogar agreed about the orcs being the ones they wanted. So Kane called over some men and they all rode out into the forest.

In the middle of the forest, a large orc was pulling out a spiked mace from a deer-looking creature. He had an angry expression on his face and was grumbling about something. Another orc with a missing ear came up to him with another deer beast over his shoulder. "Grat you alright?" asked the one-eared orc. "I am sick of this! We could easily kill any other orc from any other tribe. But they use us as wagons! The only fighting I have done in recent times is when we hunt." The one-eared Orc nodded and said "I understand. But this is the punishment for not surrendering. Our chief is dead and now we must work or we all die. Soon things should get better. I am sure we will have a chance to fight soon."

Grat looked at his friend Urg. "I hope you are right. Hopefully, this coming war kills that stupid chief for us. Then maybe everything can go back to normal."

"You may get that chance sooner than you wished," said an unfamiliar voice behind them. The orcs all quickly turned around and raised their weapons. "Who are you?" asked Grat. In front of him was a strange man in full plate armor. He held a beautiful-looking lance and was followed by a diverse-looking group. It consisted of humans, kobolds, goblins, and even an orc was seen. All the orcs around Grat tensed up.

"I am King Kane of the Deus Beli Empire and the Iron Rose Kingdom."

This sentence made the orcs even more warry. "You are the leader of the kingdom. You destroyed our food!" said Grat angrily. "It was necessary. You orcs always attack my kingdom. You were raising an army to take it anyways. I just let you know that I do not appreciate it." Grat was visibly angry and was about to attack the man when Urg stopped him.

"Is that you Hogar? Why are you here with this human? Weren't you banished?" asked Urg. Grat looked at the orc who accompanied the human. "Yeah, why are you with him!? Where are your brothers?" asked Grat.

"My brothers are fine. I am here as I serve Lord Kane. He is my chief. He is stronger than any orc and his kingdom may be new but it is already striving. We are actually here to talk to you about your problems and even offer a way to fix them" said Hogar.

Urg and Grat looked at each other before Urg said "What is it? Do you wish for us to betray the tribe and join this pink skin?"

"We yes I do. After all, it's not your tribe, is it? They may be fellow orcs but they are led by a terrible leader who killed your old chieftain and made you into a bunch of pack mules. With Lord Kane not only can humans live better but so can any other race whether it be the lowliest goblin to the strongest orc. He even made me stronger with magic. He is more than a leader but something more special. You will not regret joining us. That I can promise."

Urg and Grat stared and Hogar. "What is the offer?" asked Grat. "You are right! I am sick of this! If your new chief offers something better then maybe it is worth the risk."

Kane smiled before saying something. "I am glad you can see that. How about we discuss things over dinner?"