After beating down the orc, I paid my bill and tipped the waiter generously. The young orc accompanied me to the exit.
"My name is Ralph. Thanks for helping me."
With a gentle smile, I extended my arm and shook his hand. The sky was already a canvas of black and blue. The moon shone brightly and illuminated the tribe. I returned to the house where the three orcs were seated in the living room. Their faces wore bored expressions.
"Did everything go well?" Jasper asked.
"About that..."
"I may or may not have beaten two orcs," I added.
"YOU WHAT," Quincy yelled.
"I beat up the security guard who showed favoritism and who disrespected me."
"Who else did you beat up?" Grald asked.
"I have beaten an aristocrat's son who disrespected me and who hit a waiter."
"Can you describe him?"
"Uhm, he was dressed like a fool and his belly was the size of a boulder," I said.
The orcs went into deep thinking, trying to figure out who I had beaten up. Grald face lit up as he had an eureka moment.
"OHHH I know who you hit," he said.
"Are you guys mad at me?" I asked.
The three orcs stared at me with straight faces before bursting out in laughter. They were laughing so hard that they had to battle tears. Quincy was almost rolling on the ground.
"Of course not you idiot. You did what you thought was right. That's all that matters. As long as they are not dead, we will cover for you," Jasper said.
"Did you tell him that you were with us?" Grald asked.
"No I did not. His wife only asked what my name is."
"That will be fun. His father will probably bring it up in tomorrow's meeting. He was not present when you introduced yourself, so he is not aware of who you are," Grald said.
"You may not know, but our group has the reputation of being troublemakers," Quincy said with a smile.
"The group or just you?" I replied.
-----------------
[At the aristocrat's house]
"I patched him up to the best of my abilities. His arms will heal in two weeks."
"Thank you. You can leave."
An orc was laying on a luxurious king size bed with his entire body wrapped in white bandages. His eyes were full of tears. His wife and an elderly orc were next to the bed. Their expressions were grim and the elder's face was red out of anger.
"P-lease a-venge me father," the injured orc said.
"Don't worry son. I will make sure that he is punished."
"What's his name?"
"He said that his name is Luke. He was extremely arrogant when speaking to us," the wife said.
"That mere human dare to infiltrate our tribe and act all mighty with my son. A peasant must have brought him in!" the elderly orc yelled.
---------------
[Inside the chieftain's meeting room]
The aristocrats were standing in front of the chieftain who was seated on his iron throne. His presence alone filled the entire hall. Grald and Axel were by his side. They were talking about simple matter that concerned the tribe's wellbeing. After the main points were discussed, the elderly orc raised his arm with an ominous grin on his face.
"Yes, you may speak," Harold said.
"My son was viciously attacked by a brute. I don't know what imbecile allowed such a vile specimen to enter the tribe. I would like to punish both the culprit and the orc who welcomed him."
"Who is this attacker?" the chieftain asked.
"He is a human called Luke," the elder replied.
The other aristocrats faces went pale. Grald began howling once again and even Axel was fighting the laughter. Harold was astonished and started chuckling.
"What's funny sir?"
"You wish to also punish the orc who let him inside the tribe?" the chieftain asked.
"Yes that's right."
"Grald brought him in and I allowed him to stay in our city."
The orc's face was drained of blood and he was white as a ghost. He had trouble even formulating a sentence.
"I-I am sorry for my impudence. I did not know that he was invited by you."
"B-But his actions cannot go unpunished," he added.
"And what are you proposing?" the chieftain asked.
"A duel sir. I will bring a fighter of the same age as him and they will battle in the arena."
Harold turned to Grald who simply nodded.
"That's fine then. They will fight later today," the chief replied.
"If your fighter wins, you can punish Luke in any way that you like, but if you lose, you must relinquish your role as an aristocrat," Grald said.
As the meeting was adjourned, the elder walked out with a large smile on his face.
"Luke will pay for his mistake," he thought to himself.
"Are you sure this was a good idea? The aristocrat will probably bring one of the top twenty youngsters in the tribe. Will Luke be able to handle himself," the chieftain asked.
"Don't worry father and don't be shocked by the outcome," Grald replied with a grin.
-------------------
"Luke, you have a fight later," Grald said.
"A fight? Against who?" I asked.
Grald explained what happened in the meeting and the solution they came to.
"This will be good for you. If you beat the fighter, father may place you in the advanced class at the academy. The school separates students into two batches. The advanced class consists of talented orcs who will be the pillars of the tribe in the future," he said.
"Get some rest and recover your energy for the fight," Quincy said.
"Do you think that I will win the fight?" I asked.
"Well it's too late to have doubts," Jasper said.
Jasper was right. I was confident in my skills and I was going to fight to the best of my abilities. This was going to be a true test of my battle prowess!