Iall, spacious tent, twe monsters were pushing strenuously against something oher side of a small wooden table. Despite using their full strength, their biceps bulged as they grunted and groaned in pain. All the while, the source of their exertion tauhem with a twisted grin on its face.
“Is that all you’ve got, worms? Two o enough for you?”
A giant orc wearing a set of spiked bck metal pauldroed one hand on its in apparent amusement as it arm-wrestled the two orcs simultaneously. After holding its wrestling hand in pce for some time, it savoured the despairing looks on their faces, before eventually deg to grant them mercy by smashing their hands down into the table. The table smashed upon impad crumbled into a pile of debris.
“Pathetic. Bring a third ime.”
The defeated orcs stared at the broken table momentarily, with mixed looks of reverence, frustration and envy, before quickly stepping back.
“Yes, Drillmaster. We still too weak.”
“We bee stronger before ime.”
The drillmaster waved them out and moved to lie down, not particurly g about the splintered wood in the surroundings. However, before he could do much else, another orc came running into the tent.
“Drillmaster!”
“What is it now?” The orc leader growled with irritation, “I was just about to rest.”
“I am sorry Azrog, but we spot fire mist in distance! We need your orders.”
“Fire mist?” Azrog stood up and spped the tent fp aside as he went to check for himself.
Indeed, a rge plume of ‘fire mist’ was surging out from the forest opy about half a cliorth-east. Rather than feel exhiration at the prospect of another hunt, Azrog groaned with annoyance. He was tired, and he already had enough prisoners.
His inal orders were to take some warriors he was training to go hunt down and execute the human trespassers who dared spy on their stru to the north, then hold this position afterwards to kill any further intruders. The weak humans were outnumbered, so he easily defeated them and brought half their number back to his camp.
Why did he take them as prisoners? Well, that was obvious; they made freat eai. The only thing more satisfying than watg a disciplined subordinate follow his orders, was, rather, to watch a disciplined enemy do so. The beautiful myriads of emotions which ran through their faces as they acted in direct travention to their own values and wishes. Ah, what a glorious sight that was. Especially that one girl in the group. The look of absolute vitriol in her eyes when he ordered her to chop her friend’s leg off; priceless! Azrog couldn’t help but chuckle a little remembering the se. As for his men, he just told them that the humans would make good food reserves sihey could be kept fed with pnts.
Those same subordinates were actually looking his way right now, s quickly returned his attention to the issue at hand.
Hmm... Sure, there were more intruders, but he was tired and didn’t really feel like going over to them.
Upon thinking for a moment, he had a brilliant idea. Why not just send his men to catch the intruders, while using the prisoners as an excuse to stay here himself?! Perfect! He was so smart!
Inwardly patting himself on the back, he addressed his men. “Okay, I decided. Here are the orders:” Actually, on sed thought, he had 50 men. He wouldn’t need all of them to capture what should just be some more puny humans. The rest could stay at camp to guard the prisoners. Yes, that pn made more sense.
“Squads Togra, Jukha, Gog, Urbul and Krok, go to the fire and kill any humans. None should escape. I will not be going with you this time because you need practice doing it on your own. The rest of you will stay here.”
“Yes, Drillmaster!” His subordinates accepted the orders ao collect their ons. Shortly after, they assembled into an armed group of 25 and bouoward the fire in long strides. Azrog did not wait to see them off. Instead, he retreated to his tent and kicked aside the remnants of crushed table, before removing his pauldrons and lying down.
A minute passed, and Azrog exhaled in satisfa. Finally, he would be able to-
“Agh!” A muffled scream could be heard nearby. It was one of the humans.
“Dammit!” Azrog bellowed in fury. He’d nearly fallen asleep. So close!
...
...
Max waited until the orcs all had their attention on the smoke before quietly dashing to the tent, brandishing his dagger. After throwing a small rock to the far-side roof of the tent, he flung the fp open.
Sure enough, the rock ploy worked as it always did. Ihe tent, an orc was fag the other way while staring at the roof like an idiot, not even notig the widened eyes of the human prisoners. Max crept up and sshed its neck from behind, making sure to ssh several times for assurance. A darkened damage indicator showed that the stealth kill was a success, so Max wasted no time and cast his eyes over the tent.
Matg Edmond’s information, there were 8 survivors. Each of them was fully awake, staring back at him with surprise. They were fully bound, except for the ones missing limbs, so Max quickly cut their bindings with his dagger. “Stay quiet.” He freed the first person with little difficulty, “Whie of you is vice-captain Parker?”
“That’s me.” A uniformed woman with long, blood-soaked hair called back.
[ Human: ‘Alyssa Parker’, Level: 29 ]
‘Eh? The vice-captain was a girl?’ Max suppressed his surprise as he cut her wrists free. He hadn’t heard aion of this from Ken or Edmond. She was higher level thahers, too.
“Use this.” He tossed her a spear. “Let me expin. Ke me here after you, Edmond made a diversion and is now esg, while I’m here aloo break you out.”
“I uand.” The young offiodded and used the spear to free a guard o her. “Do you have a pn?”
“Not a good one, unfortunately. You have two options: You either try to sneak out of here with me now or stay here and wait for reinforts. Edmond was nearly eaten a short while ago, so I reend the first option.”
“First option it is. All right, Rod, Lambert, Donovan, you guys carry those three. We o move. Now!”
Max appreciated that she was qui the uptake. Two of the men looked to have broken legs, while a third was missing legs altogether. Those three were not in any dition to move on their own.
Just as Parker moved to opeent fp, Max pulled her back. A flurry of footsteps passed nearby, which robably a group of orcs leaving to check out Edmond’s fire. Briefly waiting until the sounds receded, Max did a head-check for enemies.
“Clear. Let’s go! Now!” Max whispered urgently as he held the fp open and ushered them through.
Just as the st guard came through carrying his rade, he actly bumped their broken leg against the woode frame.
“Agh!” The injured man couldn’t help but cry out in pain, as he quickly covered his mouth. However, it was already too te, as an orc yelled loudly from aent nearby.
“Sh*t.” Max cursed quietly. “Go, go, go!”
The group ran into the forest at full tilt. An orc spotted them along the way, so Max quickly acted, sg two perfect shots to the forehead to sile before disappearing behind the treeline.
...
...
Azrog stormed out of the tent, insed at having been robbed of his sleep again. He’d given the men strict orders not to torture the prisoners, as it would be too loud and impede his sleep, a, a loud noise had awoken him mere moments before he could drift off.
Ready to give the offender a piece of his mind, he smacked the tent fp aside and cracked his knuckles loudly.
“...?”
The tent was... empty? Where were the guards? Where were- THE PRISONERS!
“ROAR!!” Azrog howled, “MEN AT ARMS! THE PRISONERS HAVE ESCAPED!”
As he waited for his men to assemble, he spotted two pairs of mangled arrows on the ground nearby. Pig them up, he gnashed his teeth in rage. None of his men used bows.
Sniffing the air, he could sense nearly a half-dozen distinct sts, all still strong. They must have escaped only a minute ago or less.
Just 23 of 25 men respoo his summon. As he suspected, 2 had been assassinated. “Qog and Dromar, take your squads and bring back the prisoners. They are weak and injured, so I expect you to be done in five minutes or less.”
“Yes, Drillmaster!” The two squad leaders thumped their chests in aowledgement and ran to ehe forest without dey.
“F*g is.” Azrog cursed the humans and grumbled angrily.
He didn’t really care that they tried to escape; any animal with a shred of intelligence would try to escape in that situation. He didn’t really care about the two dead subordinates either. If they died so easily, it only meant they were useless in the first pce.
What he was really mad about was the fact that his sleep was disturbed AGAIN!
Could he not get a shred of f*g pea this sh*tty forest?
He went to grab a brokeo heat in the firepce, a hot poker which he would use to take his frustrations out on the prisoners when they returned.
And then... then he would SLEEP. He would have his f*g sleep!!
