Chapter 73: Northern Orcs (2)
“I refuse,” replied Crockta without even a hint of hesitation.
Tiyo—who was by Crockta’s side—snickered, obviously amused by the whole situation.
The Kapur chief’s face turned red with anger.
Then he roared threateningly, “Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!”
All of the orcs near him trembled in fear. When the chief looked around him with a fierce gaze, the tribe members quickly averted their eyes.
Then the chief raised the huge axe that had been leaning against his chair and shouted, “I’m Chief Kapur of the Kapur Tribe! This is my last warning. Kneel!”
Chief Kapur glared at Crockta with red eyes. He looked like he would charge at Crockta any minute now.
“Inexperienced warriors reveal their emotions on their faces.” Crockta remembered this was what Hoyt had said some time ago, and it was exactly as Hoyt had said.
Right now, the chief was expressing his anger over being insulted in front of his tribe, and he was asserting his strength to regain his sense of authority. However, in doing so, he was also exposing his weakness. He didn’t even deserve to be called an inexperienced warrior. He was like the orcs in storybooks who were indistinguishable from monsters. As a fellow orc, Crockta felt embarrassed.
Crockta replied again, “I refuse, Kapur.”
“You little—!” Kapur was about to charge at Crockta with his axe.
However, Crockta roared. He used his Essence-tier skill, the Army Crushing Roar! The battle cry tore through the northern sky with its physical force.
“Bul’taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
The earth shook and pushed away the Kapur orcs. The Kapur chief standing at the front even dropped his axe to cover his ears and took a few steps back. When Crockta’s cry ended, a deadly silence swept over the tribe.
It was so quiet that one could hear the sound of someone swallowing their saliva. When the chief came to his senses, he hurriedly picked up his axe. He tried to shout at Crockta, but words refused to come out of his mouth, and he just seethed.
“Kapur, I don’t want to fight,” said Crockta.
Chief Kapur’s face contorted into a scowl.
“That’s something I decide, not you! Die!” shouted Kapur.
Then he charged at Crockta with his axe. His huge body cast a shadow over Crockta, but Crockta remained calm. He knew he was in total control of the situation, so much so that he felt as if he could grasp his opponent’s movements in his hands. Crockta had been on the brink of death many times in Elder Lord, and all of the enemies he had fought had been stronger than this orc. Likewise, during his fight with the Behemoth, Crockta crossed the boundary between life and death many times while dodging the Behemoth's gargantuan feet. Moreover, he had stood side by side with a great hunter like Shakhan. There was no way that someone like Kapur, who swung his axe haphazardly while relying on his natural strength, could harm Crockta.
Kapur thrust his axe diagonally toward Crockta, but Crockta retreated. Then Kapur swung his axe again but from the other side. Crockta swung his greatsword at the axe, and the two weapons collided. Although the axe didn’t break, Kapur’s hand was flung back by the greatsword’s strength. The throbbing pain in Kapur's hand made him too startled to move.
Right then, Crockta leaped up and kicked Kapur's face.
“Ahh!” screamed Kapur.
Kapur fell and went rolling across the ground, but he got up immediately after. He glared at those around him, and the tribe members who had been watching the fight looked away.
Crockta’s expression turned grim as he observed how the tribe members reacted to Kapur. He could tell how Kapur usually treated them.
‘Respect can’t be earned through force,’ Crockta remarked inwardly.
Crockta walked toward Kapur, who stepped backward until his heel touched his chair. With nowhere left to run, Kapur proceeded to lash out in a fit of rage. He was still the chief of a tribe after all. He couldn’t show his weak side!
Kapur charged at Crockta with frightening force.
He thrust his axe downward with a roar, “Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
Crockta simply turned and dodged Kapur's attack. Then Crockta unleashed his strength in response, swinging his greatsword and delivering a powerful strike to Kapur.
Without any chance to retreat, Kapur could only let himself be struck by the greatsword. “Ahhhh!”
The greatsword cut into his shoulder blade and made its way to his side. Blood gushed out as Kapur dropped his axe and clutched his injured side. He hunched over in pain while panting.
“You, you!” Kapur muttered angrily.
He tried to grab his axe while swallowing the pain, but the axe slipped from his grasp because of the blood running down his hand.
Kapur gasped for breath as he groped the floor for the axe. “You, you...”
Crockta kneed Kapur in the head, right where his temple was. Kapur couldn’t even scream from the pain and just passed out.
After that, Crockta looked around him. The Kapur Tribe members were looking at him with fearful eyes.
“This can’t be...” muttered one of them.
The warriors who had been standing behind the chief trembled in fear. They weren’t sure whether to attack or to stay put.
Crockta shook his head. “I will say this one more time. I don’t want to fight.”
Even after fainting, Kapur’s body twitched on the ground. He seemed to be regaining consciousness. Crockta mercilessly kicked Kapur’s head to knock him out completely.
Kapur’s tusk broke from the kick, and he sprawled out on the floor as he fainted again. Crockta turned his gaze away from Kapur and looked at the Kapur warriors, who quickly averted their eyes.
“Your actions do not match your words...” muttered Tiyo.
Crockta shrugged and pointed at the Kapur warriors who had brought him and Tiyo here. Those warriors exchanged surprised glances among themselves.
“Weren’t you the ones who invited us?” asked Crockta.
“Uh, um...” The warriors were hesitant to respond.
Tiyo, agitated by their fumbling behavior, shouted, “We are hungry!”
At Tiyo’s words, a warrior stepped out. He seemed to be the one who took the lead when the chief wasn’t present.
The warrior said, “Understood. We will prepare a place for you to rest and prepare some food for both of you. Follow me.”
After knocking out the Kapur chief, Crockta and Tiyo were finally treated like guests.
***
The Kapur Tribe killed a karuk and cooked it for their guests as a welcome meal. Crockta and Tiyo weren't sure whether the tribe was serving them to welcome them or if it was out of fear, but they decided to gladly accept the meal since the tribe had already cooked the karuk.
“How is Kapur?” asked Crockta.
Rakuta, the warrior who was serving them, replied, “He is recovering.”
Unlike the warriors that Crockta had first met in the north, Rakuta had a calm demeanor. He had come forward on his own and expressed his desire to serve them, saying that he wanted to get to know Crockta, who had come up from the south.
Crockta took a bite of the meat. It was a bit tough but really flavorful. This was his first time eating meat that tasted like this.
“So, you plan on heading to the Temple of the Fallen God?” asked Rakuta.
“Yes,” replied Crockta.
“I’m not sure why you are trying to visit the ruins, but it won’t be easy,” warned Rakuta.
Crockta stared at him for further explanation.
“It’s in the human and dark elf territory. You will be attacked,” explained Rakuta.
In the continent, certain species disliked one another, but they didn’t prohibit the entry of other species or attack other species because they disliked them. However, it was different in the northern region. According to Rakuta, war sometimes occurred between different species, and there was also division among the same species.
“Can you explain more about the north?” asked Crockta.
“The north is...”
Rakuta explained that this wasteland they were in was on the outskirts of the north, and a bit farther up was official orc territory. He said that several tribes had gathered there under a chiefdom and that the chieftain’s tribe was a militant tribe that enjoyed looting and slaughter. The chieftain’s tribe always craved war and deliberately provoked other tribes in the northern region. They even carried out slave trafficking, which was prohibited on the continent. Although the northern region was smaller than the main continent, various species occupied the northern region and quarreled with one another.
“I understand,” said Crockta.
His head started to hurt from what he had just heard.
Right then, he heard Tiyo’s voice coming from outside the tent. “So, I raised the gun, and the huge monster went ‘Geuoooohhhh!’ Then my General ruthlessly struck its eyes!”
“Wooow.”
“Amazing!”
The young orcs in the tribe were intrigued by the small gnome from the continent and his magic long gun. Tiyo described hunting down the Behemoth and enthralled them with stories of his adventure.
He even asked Crockta to chime in, “Crockta, come out and tell them! Tell them what a cool gnome I am!”
Crockta chuckled.
Right then, an orc went past Tiyo and entered the tent.
He spoke to Rakuta with a tense expression, “Rakuta, it’s an emergency.”
The orc then nervously glanced over at Crockta. He was afraid of Crockta, who had knocked out his tribe's chief in an instant.
“What’s going on?” asked Rakuta.
“The chieftain suddenly sent a messenger. Out of all the days...”
Rakuta furrowed his eyebrows. Crockta didn’t understand what was going on, so he looked at Rakuta expectantly.
“A messenger of the chieftain’s tribe that I mentioned earlier is here. That tribe doesn't usually get involved in matters related to this area, but Chief Kapur wanted to join their chiefdom. We have been sending them tributes and said we will give our final answer soon, but we didn’t expect them to send a messenger for our answer today...” Rakuta explained before pausing as he fell into deep thought. “Stay here for now with your friend. Don’t come outside.”
Then Rakuta went outside the tent and pushed Tiyo inside.
“Ah, I got cut off at an important part!” exclaimed Tiyo.
Crockta laughed and took another bite of the meat.
***
Hammerchwi, who was riding a karuk, looked at the Kapur Tribe’s village. It was bleak as always.
“Can’t believe they sent me here...” he muttered.
Hammerchwi was an old orc warrior. He had slaughtered countless dark elves in the old days, but his body wasn’t what it used to be. He was tired now, but his hammer always missed the battlefield. It was still confident it could crush any enemy.
“I guess they had no choice,” he mumbled to himself.
The new chieftain didn’t like him. There was nothing that could be done about it. Youngsters, especially those who had obtained authority at a young age, didn’t like receiving advice from their elders. Thus, the young chieftain kept sending Hammerchwi away, forcing him to meet and interact with tribes who wanted to join the chiefdom.
At present, he had just arrived at this small tribe located next to the wall of darkness. However, he noticed that the atmosphere here was a bit odd. The tribe seemed to be in disarray. There was even a spatter of blood at the center of the public square.
Hammerchwi got off his karuk to inspect the site closely. Then he discovered something on the ground. It was a broken orc tusk.
“Hmm...” His eyes widened in surprise.
Hammerchwi asked the Kapur Tribe member accompanying him, “Did something happen here?”
“Ah, n-no,” the Kapur Tribe member murmured.
Based on his startled response, it was apparent that something had occurred here.
Hammerchwi smiled and asked, “Where is the chief?”
“He will come out soon,” replied the tribe member.
At his response, the warrior behind Hammerchwi opened his mouth and said, “Don’t make Hammerchwi wait.”
The warrior had an eerie voice that caused the Kapur Tribe member to freeze up.
Hammerchwi had journeyed to the village escorted by ten warriors from the chieftain’s tribe. The warriors were all clad in quality armor and carried steel weapons that didn’t exist in the wasteland. They were on a whole other level compared to a small tribe like Kapur, who stole other species’ weapons because they couldn’t make their own.
“You don’t have to threaten him. I have lots of time,” said Hammerchwi.
“Understood.” The warrior bowed his head.
Chief Kapur hurriedly came out of his tent. It did not come as a surprise to Hammerchwi that Kapur was the chief, seeing as he had a massive build. Appearance-wise, Kapur didn’t pale in comparison to the chieftain’s warriors, but his movements were a bit odd.
Hammerchwi squinted his eyes, scrutinizing Kapur's appearance. Kapur was wrapped in cloth that was stained with blood. He looked terrible. Even his face was swollen. The tusk that jutted out of his mouth was half-broken.
“Funny,” laughed Hammerchwi.
Kapur approached Hammerchwi and bowed his head. “You have come a long way. I’m Kapur.”
His attitude was completely different from how he treated his tribe members. It was then that Hammerchwi noticed a bloodstain running from Kapur's shoulder blade to his side.
Hammerchwi asked, “Did something happen?”
“No, sir! Nothing happened,” replied Kapur.
“It doesn’t seem like it.” Hammerchwi bent his knees and looked up at Kapur’s bowed head.
Kapur flinched.
“It seems like something happened here,” Hammerchwi said.
“Nothing...”
“Are you lying to me?” asked Hammerchwi.
Kapur thought about what to say and then raised his head. “To be honest, something did happen.”
“Explain,” commanded Hammerchwi.
“An orc suddenly appeared and threatened us. We fought against him, but he defeated us with his strange-looking weapon! He said he planned to kill me and take over my chief position.”
Hammerchwi caressed his chin. “Hmm...”
“I said I had the chieftain on my side, but he didn’t care. Please get rid of him!”
Hammerchwi nodded. He didn’t know the exact situation, but two things were clear to him. First, this chief lost to another orc. Second, that orc was stronger than this chief.
“Interesting,” muttered Hammerchwi as he got up.
He had grown tired of doing the same old thing, but something exciting was about to happen.
Hammerchwi looked around the area and asked, “So, where is that orc?”
Kapur glared at the tribe members around him. They pointed at a tent.
Kapur said to Hammerchwi in an earnest voice, “He is inside that tent.”
Hammerchwi nodded. “Let’s go.”
He led the chieftain’s warriors and walked toward the tent. The entrance of the tent was closed, so he couldn’t see inside.
“Be careful! The guy is huge and wears a frightening belt and has tattoos all over his body!” warned Kapur.
Indeed, if the guy had defeated that massive Kapur chief, then he wouldn’t be just a regular orc. Hammerchwi’s lips curved upward. He was excited to see the frightening orc who would show him a good time. He felt exhilarated as if he was about to enter battle. Although orcs in the outskirts hadn’t received formal military training, they had a wildness to them that was fun to take on. Would this orc be like one of the wild ones?
Hammerchwi pointed his chin at the tent, and one of the chieftain’s warriors opened it. Hammerchwi’s eyes grew wide at the sight of his opponent.
A cute young gnome was frowning at him.
“Who are you?!” the gnome shouted.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om