Chapter 6: The Orc Chieftain

The massive tree canopies blocked out the sunlight, casting shadows over our path. We moved through the jungle like ants, dwarfed by the towering trees. Strange plants surrounded us, some blooming with blood-red flowers so vivid they were almost blinding, while others were thick vines twisting and curling around tree trunks. The fallen leaves beneath our feet were soft but not too thick, making walking relatively easy.

"Are we going the right way?" I asked doubtfully.

"Probably..." Lu Xi scratched his head, looking uncertain.

"There's no danger here, right? This place feels creepy." Zhang Yi's voice carried a hint of nervousness. He quickened his pace, catching up from behind. Suddenly, a towering plant, over a person's height, sprouted from the ground. Beneath its lush green leaves hung several bright red fruits.

"What the hell is that?" Zhang Yi jumped in surprise and instinctively stabbed at the fruit with his ebony sword. To our astonishment, the plant twisted slightly, dodging his attack as if it were alive.

"Hah!" Zhang Yi, unwilling to back down, struck at it again and again, but each time, the plant deftly evaded.

"See? That's what happens when you slack off on sword training. You can't even hit a plant." I chuckled, realizing the plant didn't seem dangerous.

"If you're so good, you try!" Zhang Yi retorted indignantly.

"No thanks." I eyed the short dagger in my hand and muttered under my breath. Who knew if that thing was poisonous up close?

"Lu Xi, I'll distract it while you cut it down from behind!" Zhang Yi was now fully engaged in a battle of will against the plant.

Without hesitation, Lu Xi dashed behind the plant and swung his bronze sword. On the third strike of his "Triple Slash," the plant's thick stem snapped, collapsing onto the ground.

"What are you doing?" I sighed. Zhang Yi really was a handful. The moment the plant fell, he rushed over to pick the red fruit. "Aren't you afraid it's poisonous?"

Just as I spoke, he froze for a second, thankfully stopping short of touching the fruit. He quickly pulled out a piece of cloth—usually used for wrapping dry rations—and carefully plucked two fruits with it.

"What do you know? Maybe we can sell these for a good price when we get to Baiqi City." He grinned and stuffed the fruit into his bag.

"Doo... Doo... Doo..."

A low horn sounded from deep within the forest. Rustling noises followed soon after, something moving rapidly through the trees. The three of us exchanged uneasy glances, momentarily unsure of what to do.

"Why are you looking at me?" I said helplessly. "What else can we do? Go check it out. You guys didn't hesitate back when we saved that girl."

We quickened our pace, heading toward the source of the sound. The horn sounded again—this time, much closer. By the third blast, we had reached an open clearing, revealing a shocking sight.

Before us lay a small orc village: around twenty to thirty stone houses encircled by hide tents. At the center of the settlement stood a larger stone building, in front of which stretched a small plaza packed with orcs—the same kind we had seen lurking around the forest's outskirts. They were massive, draped in beast pelts, some wielding wooden clubs, others empty-handed. It was clear they had gathered in response to the horn's call.

"Did we just stumble into an orc gathering?" I muttered, crouched behind a large tree. "Should we leave?"

"Look!" Zhang Yi suddenly pointed toward the camp. I followed his gaze. Emerging from the largest stone house was an even larger orc. He was towering and burly, gripping a short-handled battle axe. Unlike the others, he wore not just beast hides but also heavy armor, giving him an imposing presence. Two slightly shorter orc guards flanked him, each carrying axes but lacking armor.

"That must be their chieftain," I whispered. "Let's get out of here before we're spotted. If we get caught, we won't even be a mouthful for them."

"Oh, come on, we're still pretty far away," Zhang Yi said, still fixated on the scene ahead. I, on the other hand, was more concerned about our surroundings.

"Wait! Look over there!" Zhang Yi exclaimed again. "It's that girl!"

In the middle of the orc crowd, a commotion broke out. An orc stepped forward, carrying a girl in blue clothes over his shoulder. She appeared unconscious, showing no signs of struggle. He set her down on the ground before stepping back.

From this distance, we couldn't hear what they were saying. For a moment, we were at a loss.

"What now?" Lu Xi finally spoke.

"Rescue her? How? Even if the three of us fought together, we could barely take on a single orc, and there are dozens of them." Zhang Yi spoke before I could.

"Let's sneak closer first. If we can't save her, we'll retreat immediately," I suggested. The orcs hadn't killed the girl outright. Instead, they placed her on the ground, which meant things might not be as dire as they seemed.

We carefully crept toward the plaza, using the hide tents and small bushes for cover. Eventually, we reached the back of a small stone hut, just ten meters from the orcs. From here, the situation became clearer.

The large stone house in the center was obviously the orc chieftain's residence. Hanging on either side of the doorway were two massive weapons: on the left, a broad-bladed greatsword, thick and heavy, weighing at least fifty pounds; on the right, a long-handled battle axe, just looking at it made my arms ache.

The orc chieftain stood at the doorway, now even more intimidating up close. He was a full head taller than his guards, who were already taller than the average orc. Compared to us, they were practically giants.

He raised his short-handled axe high, and the gathered orcs instantly fell silent. Then, he began speaking in a guttural orcish language. We exchanged glances—none of us understood a word.

"Let's get out of here. This is pointless," I muttered, turning to leave.

"Look out!" Lu Xi suddenly shouted. His bronze sword flashed toward me just as a flying axe whizzed through the air. The weapon struck his blade with a loud clang, knocking it from his grip. Blood dripped from his palm—his hand had split open from the impact.

The axe, shockingly, spun back through the air, landing perfectly in the orc chieftain's hand.

Within moments, we were surrounded and dragged to the center of the plaza. The unconscious girl lay at our feet.

"Shit, we're screwed," Zhang Yi cursed under his breath.

"You... who are you?" The orc chieftain's deep voice rumbled, his human language crude but understandable.

"You speak our language?" I asked in astonishment. Even Zhang Yi and Lu Xi looked surprised.

"A little. What's so strange about that? Our tribe often trades with humans," he replied, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.

"That makes sense. Like your axe and armor, they don't look like orc craftsmanship," I said, attempting to find common ground.

He ignored my comment and continued, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

I was still thinking of a response when Zhang Yi blurted out, "We followed her in. We heard her screaming for help and chased after her. We didn't know you had captured her."

I sighed inwardly. Our fate now hinged on this blue-clad girl.

The orc chieftain narrowed his eyes. "Do you know her?"

"No," I admitted honestly. "We just heard her cry for help."

"This is our land. You humans trespassing into the Greatwood Forest is a death sentence," he declared, repeating his words in orcish. A low growl rippled through the gathered orcs.

"Damn it, how did this escalate so fast?" I thought.

"Chief, we didn't mean to intrude. We'll leave right away," Zhang Yi quickly said.

The chieftain raised his axe, and the crowd fell silent. His gaze darkened. "Leaving? Not so easy."

"Isn't that what the Trial of Honor is for?" a crisp voice suddenly cut in.

The blue-clad girl had woken up. She sat up and looked directly at the orc chieftain, her eyes filled with defiance.