Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The dwarf's words raised a wave of tension among the group. Since leaving the Blood Ox Tribe, they had only encountered a few canine and marten-like creatures, which had fled upon seeing the large group of them, so they had not come across any large predators.
The cold weather couldn't stop Matthew's palms from sweating.
He gripped his flintlock tightly.
He tried to encourage himself, saying, "Haha, dwarf, you must be joking. At this time of year, large animals haven't woken from hibernation yet! We didn't see any fierce beasts on our way from the far north to the Blood Ox Tribe."
"Didn't see any?" The dwarf turned around and looked at him meaningfully. "Then you are quite lucky."
Just then, a rustling sound of birds flapping their wings echoed from afar.
These idiots can't keep the noise down a bit, the dwarf cursed the orcs inwardly.
"Light the fuses! Be ready to fire at any moment!"
Stanford shouted to Matthew and the other gunners.
The group pulled out their flint and began striking sparks.
The dwarf, Imar, was puzzled. "What are you doing? Trying to scare the beasts with fire?"
He then scoffed, "Haha, I suppose that's one way to do it."
He pointed ahead and said, "We're about to enter the mountains."
Sure enough, everyone felt that the terrain began to rise gradually, the trees grew sparser, and their visibility improved.
"Are we really going to climb the Rocky Mountains?"
Stanford was a bit excited, constantly surveying the surrounding scenery. They might be the first group to visit this mountain in hundreds of years, even if they were coming from the north.
"Sort of! This is a path up the mountain, but we'll have to cross several peaks to reach its main body."
The dwarf plopped down on the ground.
"I say, human, I think we should let the team rest a bit, eat some rations; climbing the mountain later will be tiring."
"Alright! I think it's time for a break. Matthew, inform the brothers to take a rest and regain some energy."
"Yes, Captain!"
The dwarf crossed his legs and began to gulp from his water bottle. Then his two eyes stared at the dense northern forest, as if waiting for something.
He noticed Stanford pulling out a cylindrical object, thick on one end and thin on the other, with crystal lenses embedded at both ends.
This human held the thin end of the tube up to his eye, while the thick end pointed forward.
Curiosity rose again in the dwarf's heart.
Stanford scanned the surroundings with the telescope. However, when he aimed it towards the forest they had just come from, his expression suddenly changed.
"Stay alert! Someone is approaching us!"
The captain's words hit like thunder, and the exploring team members, who were resting, quickly stood up and drew their weapons, looking around warily.
Stanford pointed to a higher ground to the south and ordered loudly, "Over there! Let's move to the back of that slope for defense."
Imar frowned and said, "You shouldn't be so alarmed; it might just be travelers passing by." He secretly mumbled, "Damn, can humans see that well?"
"Maybe somewhere else, but I remember you said orcs don't enter the mountains. I clearly see many orcs peeking out over there; they must have bad intentions." Stanford pointed to the forest they had just left.
"Ah… ah… you have a point." Imar replied evasively.
"Let's go! Get ready with us; you can't afford to mess this up, guide."
"Hey, hey!"
Without waiting for a reply, Stanford grabbed Imar's hand and pulled the dwarf behind the slope.
The place he chose was a long shallow dip on the mountainside, where they could completely hide themselves by lying on the northern side of the dip. The small slope on the north side acted like a natural low wall, providing them with good defense, and it also offered a commanding view.
The team members either crouched or lay prone on the sloping side of the dip, and from below the mountain, only their heads and necks were visible.
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"Oh! Damn it! They've found our tracks."
Gunther, the son of the chief of the Blood Ox Tribe hidden in the dense forest, slapped his forehead.
"I told you to keep it down."
He kicked one of the nearby orcs hard, making the other wince in pain.
"Oh! They've stopped, hahaha, humans, you're digging your own grave! Although it's a bit premature, it's fine to deal with you here; the way home is closer. Warriors, grab your weapons and charge in; leave no survivors!"
Gunther swung his massive fist, holding a spiked club, and charged out of the forest toward the target.
"One… two… three…"
Stanford held the telescope, silently counting the number of unwelcome guests. In the end, fifty orcs charged out of the forest.
From their demeanor, he had no doubt that these hairy creatures were coming with ill intent.
The orc squad stopped about a hundred meters away, then one of them advanced further, shouting from about fifty meters, "Drop all your belongings, including weapons, and we will let you go."
Stanford understood this message and flipped them the middle finger from a distance, shouting, "Get lost!"
The human's reply enraged Gunther; how dare these weak and outnumbered humans provoke him?
He no longer hesitated, swinging his club and leading his warriors to charge up the slope.
"You will pay for your foolishness!"
He shouted as he ran, targeting the human who had flipped him off.
Dwarf Imar lay calmly on the ground, planning to act after the humans and orcs got entangled in battle. Exposing himself now might get him killed by the humans.
The orcs charged within a hundred meters of the humans.
Imar suddenly heard a deafening roar beside him, followed by the frontmost orc collapsing to the ground and rolling down the slope.
Before he had time to think about why that orc fell, he instinctively turned his head to look for the source of the sound, but he only saw swirling smoke.
Then a second roar sounded, and this time the dwarf finally saw clearly; the sound came from the long object held by the humans, specifically, it seemed to be a long iron tube mounted on a wooden frame.
With the sound, a fierce flame erupted from the mouth of the iron tube, followed by a large billow of smoke.
And yet another orc warrior fell, his fate unknown.
The casualties among the orcs were clearly caused by that thing; the dwarf instantly connected the dots in his mind.
But… how on earth is this possible?
Imar was usually quite confident in his vision and reaction speed; he could even use a small round shield to block all the stones his cousin threw at him with all his might.
But he hadn't seen a single crossbow bolt or anything else shot from the humans towards the orcs.
What kind of humans are these?
(End of the Chapter)
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