"Cullen! The trees are attacking us!" Tarzul screamed as he swings the dagger randomly to fend himself from their attack. His brute strength was more than enough to cuts the vines before they were entangled.
"Just keep attacking them! This is not your first time fighting against the Purple Vines Parasites." Cullen Azog said.
While in comparison, Cullen Azog was much weaker as he struggles to cut apart them. The dagger in his hand felt like a blunt piece of stone as he tried to cut the vines apart.
They eventually managed to fend off the animated trees around them before going deeper inside the Forest of Wailing. On their way to search for some iron deposit, they've been attacked four times by the same type of parasites.
"I hate them. We can't eat after cutting, so fighting is useless," said Tarzul. But to Cullen, his opinion is different from Tarzul. To a craftsman, the remains of Purple Vines Parasite were as essential as firewood due to their long burning life.
It was also the second fuel option for a blacksmith if they're planning to melt the iron ore.
"We've finally found the deposits. Bring the bag out." Cullen Azog said. Following every word of his without asking further questions, Tarzul opened the bag and filling them with the ores.
As for Cullen Azog, he sat down somewhere nearby to make some preparation. A makeshift forge is soon ready with a graphite crucible sitting in the middle of the flames. Using a chantless magic at his disposal, Cullen Azog lit the forge up as he started to put the ores inside the crucible until it was filled.
"Tarzul tired. Tarzul wants something to eat." the Orc Warrior started to complain as soon as it stopped working.
"Sigh... Take this. Go collect more of the ores after you're done." feeling that he should give in to Tarzul's demand after using this guy for so long, Cullen Azog fed him a piece of meat jerky.
The orc warrior was easily satisfied and worked even harder while chewing on the jerky. After working hard and moving most of the movable deposits to where Cullen Azog is, Tarzul went around randomly while still chewing on the jerky in its mouth.
It was all depending on Cullen Azog now.
By supplying some magical power into the flames, the heat intensifies. It gets to the point the iron particles were melted within the deposits. And through repeating the process a few times, more and more granules of iron sand were created and left aside to be brought back to their village.
'Just a little more to go...' Cullen Azog repeated the process multiple times until there were more than enough for him to creates the ten swords. And each time he did something like this with Tarzul, he'll make a little extra in case of emergency.
"Urgh!" a kick came to his head out of nowhere.
"Who the hell did that?" turning his head around at those attacking him out of the blue, Cullen Azog's expression changed. It was the four human youngsters from the village.
'To think that they'll follow us to the point of coming into the Forest of Wailing!' he was shocked.
"Damn orc... How dare you make us follow you until we have to step inside the forest? Can't you just be obedient and handed the obsidian coins the moment we followed you on your way home?" one of them said as he took his dagger out.
"That's correct. Look at now... We have to listen to those wailing screams all the way as we look for you. Furthermore, we got attacked few times by the trees when coming in, and one of us was injured. How are you going to compensate us?" another guy tried to add some interest on Cullen Azog's head for making them put of all the effort.
Fifteen obsidian coins...
It was not too much. But at the same time, it wasn't little. Fifteen obsidian coins would be enough to purchase fifteen rolls of bread. Of course, that price is only given if the buyer is a fellow human. In the village, all merchandise sold to the orcs was three times more expensive.
"Why do I have to willingly offer the coins I've earned to you guys? That's my wages for... Urgh!" Cullen Azog replied. But before he managed to finish what he's going to say, another kick arrived from his back.
"Damn orc. Why are you talking so much? Shouldn't all orc be stupid like the others? Do you think you won't get picked because you speak our mother tongue fluently?" the attacker from Cullen Azog's back continued to step on his head as he speaks.
As he can't win against them, all Cullen Azog could do was protect himself from further harm. Furthermore, with the blessing of "Immortality" he inherited from the father who banishes him here, no grievous harm would come to him anyway.
"Cullen!" Tarzul shouted. His loud voice frightened the four youngsters immediately as they quickly pulled their dagger out from its sheath.
To them, Cullen Azog is an easy pick, but Tarzul is a piece of bad news. Not to mention four, even ten of them weren't Tarzul's match if they were going to fight.
But his next word made Cullen Azog sighed.
"Cullen! Where are you???" that foolish Orc Warrior actually lost in the forest after walking randomly by himself. Only finding out that he's unable to return to where he first come now, his only option was to scream loudly for Cullen Azog's attention.
Although he's dense, he's not totally stupid for not knowing what to do next.
As for Cullen Azog, this was what he's been waiting for. After giving out a sigh from listening to Tarzul's amusing antics, he reached out for the hammer on his waistbelt and knocked the metal piece on the floor.
**Dang! - Dang! - Dang!**
It was like a call from the clocktower.
"Shit! This damn orc is trying to tell that brute where to go!" noticing Cullen Azog's action too late, they panicked. Afraid that he will knock the metal piece again, one of the youngsters kicked it away.
"Teach him a lesson!" they ganged up on Cullen Azog as a rain of kicks came at him ruthlessly.
'I'll endure... Tarzul, you fool... Quickly come back here!' Cullen Azog hugged his head as he tried his best to protect himself from their bullying.