"There are orcs and kobolds in the camp."
"What?" Thyra had read about them. The creatures that could be seen in the Earth's literature, games and mythologies are real things in this world, however…
"How can that even be possible? They shouldn't be here." Piet asked the question Thyra wanted to ask. "For the years I have been here, I have never encountered them even once."
It wasn't that these creatures were not seen on this continent. Instead, they are rare. Most of their population can be seen on other continents and islands.
Most of their populations are deep in the mountains or on the slave market.
"I know they aren't supposed to be here," Rika said, still not believing what she had seen. Even the young members of tribes are ordered to avoid them if they meet one in the deep mountains.
And it was also what had confused Rika more. If the orcs and kobolds really came from the mountain's other side, the first interaction should have been with the tribe.
Seeing that no one had come to inform her about the situation, Rika was sure that wasn't the case. She couldn't help wondering, "Where did they come from?"
Contrary to the others, Thyra could think of one reason. The Eder empire.
Although the viscounty was to the west of the Ardour kingdom and the empire was to the south, this area was still relatively close to where the empire would eventually penetrate once the war began.
No one had expected that the empire had already started to import orc, kobold, and goblin slaves from the other side of the sea.
Thyra, however, could not fathom how the certain knights, who had established communication with the bandits much before, had gained access to such slaves.
"How long did you know about them?"
"Yes?"
"How long have you been dealing with the knights?"
Piet hesitated for a moment, saying, "I joined the group about four years ago. The chief knew about them before that."
'It might not be the empire.' Thyra was sure about it. 'All that is left are the kingdom's aristocrats, who will either join the empire or have already done so.'
"Those bastards." Thyra cursed. "Gag him and tie him to the tree."
The soldier did as ordered and tied Piet to the tree. Thyra looked at Rika, ordering, "Take a group of soldiers and hide. Only come out if you see any knights trying to attack. If the situation looks dire, escape."
"What about the orcs and kobolds?"
"I will take care of them," Thyra ordered a group to follow before cautiously moving towards the camp. Although the soldiers had started training in military strategies, Thyra had a better plan.
They cautiously moved through the trees without making any noise. Soon they reached near the first group of kobolds.
As they were about 30 meters away, Thyra ordered, "Use the slingshot to hit the kobold. Don't miss."
Two soldiers who were confident about their aim pulled out the sling from the waist, grabbed a shaped rock from the pouch and…
It was a group of seven kobolds. Two were satisfying their carnal desire on what looked like a dead body, while three were feasting on another dead body. The last two stood guard. And they were the first to shoot down.
'Oh! At this range, it is no worse than a Glock.' Thyra didn't expect the slingshot to be so successful. Their heads blasted off like unprotected watermelons.
*Howl*
One kobold, which was eating, raised its head and howled. Except for the one with its member inside the dead body, the rest were actively searching for the enemy.
But before they could, another barrage of shots was fired. Another head exploded, while the second shot hit the chest of another.
It howled in pain as it glared in their direction while the rest of the three charged at them with their weapons. Thyra didn't need to give another order.
Before the kobolds could reach them, four more shots were fired. It took out one more and injured one more. Only one was unharmed while it reached them.
"Shield," Thyra ordered. Thyra could see the shield bearer was afraid, but she didn't care. "They are not even humans. What are you worried about? Hold your shield a little lower."
Although he was afraid, he was well-trained. The shield bearers are trained against hanging logs to simulate the shield bash. Naturally, the pair of kobolds didn't have much strength to push him back.
As he thrust his shield forward, the injured kobold fell while the other one stepped back. He was about to charge at them, but…
"Hold the line." Thyra's order was absolute. With her signal, the other three rushed forward and took care of them without any problem.
"You are in charge of fending off their assault from now on. When they are out of range, you two will use slingshots, and when they get close, you will switch to swords. And you will protect the rear."
Thyra's order was clear and concise. Receiving their nod, Thyra moved towards the fallen kobolds and severed their heads. Although she knew they might be dead, she still didn't take the chance.
After the first group, they met two more. Although they were too close to use slingshots multiple times, those small animals posed no threat to them until…
"Gahhhhhh!"
The orc was over two meters tall, with a body similar to a sumo wrestler's. To Thyra's utter surprise, the orc was more agile than she had expected.
"Took care of the kobolds first," Thyra said as she noticed four kobolds come running toward them with the orc.
Thyra, on the other hand, quickly pulled out the longsword. She ducked as the stone club swooshed over her head and slashed its waist with the axe.
Thyra did not manage to make a deep gash in its stomach, and she was not sure why. Either the creature's skin was too thick, or the axe had dulled due to the grease of skin and flesh.
She didn't get the chance to confirm. The orc roared, shaking the ground beneath them. Thyra frowned as she escaped the path of the stone club it brought down on Thyra's head.
Unlike the kobolds, the orc's howl was loud. Thyra was worried it might alert the other orc. Although Thyra wanted to fight his soldiers, she didn't dare waste time.
Thyra simply avoided the strike and slashed its leg. The orc turned around and attacked Thyra. Or it tried…
Unlike the axe, her longsword was much sharper, sharply slicing off the Achilles tendon. The orc struggled, only to fail and fall down. Thyra plunged the long sword directly through its throat without giving it any chance to make any sound.
It still threw its arms, only to miss catching Thyra. It didn't take long to stop moving. Thyra only noticed that it was wearing a skull necklace around its waist. Some were still dripping blood, while one had its eyes open.
It wasn't the first time Thrya had seen something gruesome. However, seeing a freshly severed human head hanging from the waist of a beast still made her shudder for a moment.
And she wasn't alone. As the other soldiers moved in, they also noticed it. Thyra knew it wasn't time to be afraid.
"Are you afraid?" Thyra asked. They looked at Thyra, not knowing how to answer. Thyra smiled, adding, "Fearing them would only give you a better position on their trophy belt. If you don't want that, fight and kill them all."