Arthur was pulling along a few dryads with him when he heard the second roar.
"Why is an Orc all the way here?!"
Orcs are generally stupid but they knew better than to try and cross the Forest of Luminescence. They were at least 10 meters tall and at least half as wide and they knew that they were sure to cause an ecological catastrophe if they set even one tree ablaze by accident.
The dryads were breathing raggedly and even if Lara was carried on the brigand's shoulders, she felt her heart pounding through her chest.
Arthur could feel Lara's fear and he didn't blame her for it. This side was generally free of the Orc presence because the Orcs preferred to stay away from the white trees that made them explode. They were also pretty accustomed to eating human meat and enjoying human females so they were generally happy to be stuck on the other side.
The presence of one Orc might seem a minor threat when it comes to a military standpoint but to a single unit with injured medical soldiers and one scout cum ranger, no matter how exceptional he was, it would be considered suicide to try and engage such a monstrous creature.
Orcs were notoriously strong against magic casters because their thick skins are blessed with a charm that negated most magic-oriented damage and they were also strong against melee attacks because their hides were just so thick so humans generally hunted down Orcs with specialized ballista bolts that were smithed by dwarven craftsmen.
The only problem with that is that it was practically impossible to source these specialized bolts. They were commissioned specifically by the Second Cavalry who were known to be the monster hunter army corps.
The Orcs were mainly the reason as to why these specialized soldiers were deployed near this area to begin with but they were instead galivanting and fucking around.
Arthur shook his head as he ran with all of this might. His breaths were starting to get ragged but he knew that he had to keep running. Orcs were large creatures but they could move extremely fast. It might be funny to imagine a 15-meter pig creature parkouring and sprinting as fast as a horse through an open field but it isn't so funny when the pig creature is chasing after you.
After seemingly standing in a daze, the orcs finally set its sight on the brigand and the dryads who were a good distance away from the East entrance of the Forest of Luminescence. No matter how fast they ran, however, they were still in an open-field and Orcs were stupid but they weren't blind.
"ME FOUND YOU HEHEHE"
The creature had a deep voice that sounded like rocks were being scraped together down a flesh throat and it was a horrible thing to hear.
Arthur could feel goosebumps and fear but he picked up the pace. He could run and hide better if he wasn't carrying Lara but he couldn't just drop her.
He didn't have a moral obligation to save her but he could feel it in his gut that he shouldn't let this person die.
'The rest however…'
The brigand swallowed his words and wiped the sweat from his eyes. He was starting to feel parched and the fear that the dryads around him oozed suffocated him.
Arthur looked back and he saw the Orc lowering its body as though preparing to long-jump. He didn't have the time to laugh because when the Orc released the tension it charged through its legs, it immediately blotted out the sun.
The world started to look darker and as a dryad was about to look back –
"DIVE! DIVE!!!" Arthur shouted at the hapless dryad – but it was too late.
The Orcs landed on the dryad who exploded like a meat balloon. Her innards splashed around the open fields and her blood splattered all over the other dryads who were running with her.
Time slowed down to a stop and the brigand's heart started beating faster and faster. He was being overcome with adrenaline but he knew that once it stopped, he would suddenly feel a burst of lethargy and exhaustion.
He patted Lara in the buttocks and said "No matter what happens. You need to keep running." Arthur put Lara down and blinked towards the East entrance. He was preparing to go back into the Forest of Luminescence.
The Orc beamed with joy at Arthur as though he found a new toy. Arthur felt alarmed but he maintained his composure.
The brigand raised his middle finger towards the Orc and provoked it by making faces at it.
The Orc roared and turned towards Arthur's direction, completely ignoring the dryads who were running as though their life depended on it.
Arthur threw one of his special knives towards the Orc and the creature just dully took the knife head-on. The creature knew that it wouldn't harm him but it was wrong.
The knife pierced through its chest and as it burrowed deep into the flesh of the orc, it suddenly expanded from the inside and the blade exploded into hundreds of tiny fragmented pieces that pierced through everywhere.
It wasn't extremely fancy looking but it was a horrible weapon that worked well against creatures that bled.
Arthur clicked his tongue. "I missed its heart." And he turned towards the East entrance and started running.
The Orc howled in pain and rolled around the ground in despair but it wasn't dead yet. It wasn't even close. Its eyes immediately reddened in anger and it prepared to long jump once again.
"HEHEHE. ME HURT. ME HURT YOU BACK HEHEHE."
The Orc lowered its body once more and started charging its legs.
The brigand started running and as he looked back at the dryads, he realized only one of them was looking back at him.
The brigand smiled wryly to himself and disappeared inside the Forest of Luminescence once more.