Leaves crackled under my feet as I ventured deeper into the forest. My head swiveled from side to side. I was looking around aimlessly as they did not give me any information on where to meet them.
"Grald just said that they would find me. How are they supposed to do that?"
After fifteen minutes of searching, I was now wondering if they just wanted to get rid of me without killing me. I was about to lose hope and head back when all of a sudden, branches began cracking and leaves started rustling around me. My body dropped into the stance that I had just learnt. My eyes narrowed in anticipation and my fists were tightly clenched. I was now prepared to defend myself.
"What a scary stance," a voice said from afar.
That voice, however, was familiar. Out from the dense vegetation emerged three figures. It was the three orcs! I subconsciously put my guard down and greeted them with a warm smile. A simple question plagued my mind.
"How did you guys find me?"
"Its quite simple actually. We picked up your scent last time and used that to find you today. Orcs have a very refined sense of smell," one of them replied.
After a brief explanation about how orcs' sense of smell work, we moved on to the more important topic.
"What did your tribe say?" I asked.
"Well they were a bit apprehensive at first, but after I explained your situation, they were more understanding," Grald said.
"It's also because you're young that they made an exception. If you were older, they would have refused. A long time ago, a human killed a lot of our tribesman you see," he added.
"Fortunately for you, Grald is the chief's son," one of the other two said humorously.
"Oh I forgot to introduce the two ugly orcs."
"The serious one is Jasper and the talkative one is Quincy. Even considering their numerous flaws, they are quite decent friends," Grald added.
"You really do have a way with giving compliments, don't you," said Jasper.
"Before we go there are a few things that you should know," Grald said.
"The Beast kingdom has four prominent species. There are other animals that wander around, but they are not organized and they are not very intelligent. But be careful, your average animal is stronger here than in the human kingdom."
"The four prominent species are, the orcs, the goblins, the slimes and the dragons. The first three are currently at a standstill. We are about equal in power."
"What about the dragons?" I asked.
"They are more reserved and for a long time have not engaged in any battles. We no longer know how strong they are," Quincy replied.
After this explanation, we ventured deeper into the forest. The orcs purposefully slowed their pace down so that I could keep up with them, but even then, it was quite a challenging task. Each of their step caused the ground to shake. The wind whistled through the trees and the smell of damp wood permeated the air. Even with their large bodies, they were still freakishly agile and avoided every single branches. Me on the other hand, it was a whole other story. My head kept bashing against branches and sometimes, I even hit tree trunks.
"How did you manage to hit a tree trunk? Did you also lose your eyes along with your arm?"
"How do you guys do that?" I asked.
"Don't rush. You'll learn everything step by step."
The journey was so long, yet the orcs seemed completely unphased. My legs were burning and cramping. I was constantly trying to catch my breath.
"Ho-Hold on a second."
"That's quite pathetic you know," Quincy said while laughing hysterically.
"Let's take a break here so that Luke can recover his strength. Get him some water as well."
"Why not carry him?" Jasper asked.
"He will need to get stronger. You won't always be there to carry him like a baby," Grald replied.
"Haven't orcs invented carriages yet?" I asked.
"Stop being so lazy. That's why you're in such bad shape. For someone so young, you lack vigor," Jasper said.
My body crashed and I fell on my ass which caused a loud thud. I drank some water and rested for twenty minutes before we set off again. A gentle breeze stroke my face and guided me.
"How come we haven't encountered any other animals?" I asked out of curiosity.
"The animals will not come here as we are close to the orc tribe. They are smart enough to stay away from us," Grald replied.
"Must be because of your ugly face," said Quincy which prompted Grald to slap the back of his head.
"Are we lost, we've been walking for what feels like hours-"
My sentence was cut short as right in front of us, beams of light penetrated the forest and blinded us. There was a clearing ahead. The light engulfed us as we ambled forward. I blocked the dazzling rays using the palm of my hand.
"Welcome to the orc tribe," Grald proudly said.
My eyes got adjusted to the light and the scenery was picturesque. This clearing must have been ten or even twenty times larger than my village and it was filled with large wooden buildings. The grass around the structures was long and luscious. The fields were packed with all different sorts of flowers. The orcs had perfectly fused their tribe with nature. This made my village look crude and plain.
"I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly was not this," I exclaimed aloud.
"Did you think we slept in caves?" Jasper asked sarcastically.
"Not everyone, just you," I jokingly replied.
I was now more comfortable with the orcs and the jokes made me not focus on the massacre that took place in my village. But my only mission is to kill everyone involved in what happened.
"Let's go, we will show you around your new home," Grald said as he picked me up and put me on his broad shoulders.