“Surpriiiise!!!” As the orc came up uhe bridge, it pushed off the ground with both feet and swung its axe in a wide arc, cleaving the entire bridge in half.

  “Sh*t!” Max g to the pnks as the bridge fell into the water and was immediately snatched up by the current.

  “Did you miss me? I tell you did, since you even waited for me! Am I that irresistible?”

  The bridge cables did not e loose, so Max started quickly climbing up the pnks to read.

  “Those arrows really hurt; you know? Well, not much, but they still hurt a little.” The orc mocked him as it waded to reach the riverbank, “You’ll need more than a little peashooter like that to take me down.”

  “Why don’t you stand still a me shoot you for another minute; we’ll see if that’s true!” Max retorted.

  “What? You uahe orc appeared shocked for a moment. “Aha- Ahahaha, brilliant! That’s eveer! I’ve been craving a good versational partner for a while now. You give me adviy aim!”

  ‘Aim?’ Max turo see that the orc had already escaped the river and was now ripping an arrow out of its torso. ‘Oh, oh crap.’

  As if ohe orc threw an arrow aimed right at Max’s head. With quick reflexes, Max dropped down two pnks to evade it.

  “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Azrog; drill instructor and captain uhe honourable Vist Ta.”

  “Wait... you guys have nobility over there?” Max was surprised.

  “Well of course we do, did you think we were just savages?” Azrog threw another arrow, which Max avoided by kig against the bank.

  “Well yeah, actually. Why else would you attad imprison people just for looking around nearby? I’m pretty sure you eat us, too.”

  “It’s not my fault you’re tasty.” Azrog defended his as, “And it’s perfectly normal to kill trespassers on your own nd.”

  “Your nd? Since when was this your nd?” Max dodged another projectile.

  “Since about a week ago, when Lord Ta cimed it.”

  “Oh.”

  “Anyways, you know too muow. Sorry, but I ged my mind; we’ll have to end our little chat here.” Azrog took a pile of arrows in his hand all at once.

  Looking at the arrows, Max uatingly released his hands from the bridge and dropped bato the river.

  “Haha, you think the water will save you? It will only bring you straight to me! As long as you’re within my sight, you’ll never be safe!”

  Azrog winded up his throw. Just as he was about to pelt the arrows at him, Max ducked uhe water. Azrog waited for him to pop out again, ready to impale his head when he did so.

  “...”

  He didn’t e back up.

  “...Damn humaans!!!” Azrog roared in annoyance, “I just want to sleep! Why do you o make everything so difficult!”

  He ran along the bank following the river, but there was still no sign of him. Not knowing how fast Max was moving in the current, he decided to just jump bato the river himself.

  Spsh!!

  Water spewed out in all dires as he nded ier and started pursuing the annoying human.

  ...

  Max held his breath uhe water and watched as his health gauge slowly went down. It was clear that holding his breath too long caused him to accumute damage, but at the same time, going up for air too soon would allow that quasi-boss to see him and turn him into a pieodern art.

  Max perceived a slight ge in the darkness of the murky water ahead of him and hurriedly kicked to propel himself to one side. A sharp rock swept past his nose, narrowly missing him.

  ...After judging that enough time had passed, Max finally rose back to the surfad took in a long breath of air. Holding his breath for that lo really unfortable.

  Quickly sing the riverside, there was no sign of the orc. Max let out a sigh of relief.

  “Aha! There you are!”

  He flinched as a voice came from behind him. Swivelling around, the orc was only 30 metres away in the river-water

  ‘It jumped in after me?!’ Max was dumbfounded, ‘This guy is tenacious!’

  Feeling a sense of crisis, Max’s thoughts went into overdrive. The situation was really bad!

  It was impossible to shoot a longbow while being swept along a river, meaning he had no way to fight the orc, whereas the orc would be able to slice him open with its axe if it reached him; and he retty sure it was getting closer!

  “Damn!”

  Just as he po escape, he was wrenched uer by a strong downcurrent. Before he could rise back to the surface, the surface dropped to him, and he smmed into the water with a big spsh.

  ‘What?!’

  During this time, he noticed that the river had beuch louder. If before it was a low roar, now it was more like a cacophony of unending static hisses. Max turned back to check the river ahead, causing his expression to immediately worsen.

  He was entering a se of rapids.

  “Nooo! Why now?!”

  This was aremely unfavourable situation for Max. The orc had tough skin and would be fine even if it was tossed around. Max, oher hand, was just a frail human. With the speed of the river increasing several magnitudes, hitting his head on even a single piece of debris might cause his skull to crack open. In video-game terms, he’d entered what was essentially a ‘bullet hell’.

  One of the logs from earlier was caught on a ro front of him. Max ducked to move u. Right after that, there was a series e rocks, which he moved hurriedly to dodge. Unfortunately, not every obstru was above water and visible, as his already-bruised leg was cerated by something uhe surface.

  While kig off another obstacle to avoid a jagged stick, Max saw a ft-topped rock ahead of him and noticed it was fairly close to the riverbank.

  ‘Jackpot!’

  He immediately set about positioning himself to collide with the rock, waiting until he came close enough befrabbing hold of it tightly.

  Climbing up, he prepared to leap to the bank. Bending his legs, his eyes went wide as he suddenly saw a wet log flying toward him. Jumping up to avoid it, he tucked his knees into his chest and the log whizzed by under his feet. Landing unsteadily ba the rock, his feet slipped, and he plunged bato the surging river.

  “Haha! ry, human!” A voice bellowed up the river.

  ‘F*ck! He used the log from earlier!’ Max inhaled water as he betedly realised what happened.

  While he’d been fighting for survival, the orc had closed half the distaween them. Using the shaft of its axe to propel itself forward off the rocks, it wore a sadistic grin as it chased after him.

  Max looked around for another spot to jump from, but there were he riverbanks had gradually risen higher from the water as time progressed; even if he mao somehow kill his momentum by stabbing into them, the quasi-boss would reach him and bisect his torso before he could climb up.

  Max’s eyes darted around; there had to be something!

  Cheg every characteristic of the riverscape in front of him, his eyes flicked between ead every objed terraiure until momentarily resting on a break in the riverbank.

  ‘There!’

  It was oher side of the river from where he was, but there was a low spot in the bank where he’d be able to climb up. Without much time, he threw his arms and legs into motion and began swimming toward it.

  ...It only occurred to him now, but when he was looking around, the river looked as though it ended shortly ahead. Only, that couldn’t be true. Especially not after a se of rapids, rivers don’t just cut off into air suddenly and call it a day. But then, why couldn’t he see the se of river beyond it?

  fused, he thought about it while he swam.

  ‘...Ah!’

  In an instant, his strokes became faster as he hurriedly kicked toward the riverbank.

  “Did you know, human? I haven’t slept for nearly four days. A, yet... just when I finally find time, when I am finally about to embark on my most imperative slumber... you RUIN IT!” The orc bellowed angrily as it edged closer to Max. “Are you the same? Is that what this is? Are you a selfish insomniac, who feels that if he ot obtain sleep, he must also deprive others?”

  Although the orc was angrily spouting nonse was watg Max’s as closely and keenly noticed he was moving off to one side. Its eyes followed to see where he was going.

  “No matter the reason, you have robbed me of my preinutes, and for that, I will ehat you sleep eternally!”

  As Max reached the bank, he caught sight of the orc drawing its hands behind its head, gripping its battleaxe with both hands.

  “NO!”

  It hurled the axe with overwhelming force at Max’s escape path. Max arched back to avoid it and was forced to miss his opening, letting go of the ledge and falling bato the river’s cold embrace. The riverbank blurred in his vision as it raced past.

  Instantly, Max took out his dagger and stabbed it into the bank. The river ulling him strongly, so this carved a long gash in the earth as he scraped past.

  Azrog smirked evilly as he saw that Max was slowing down. He was only a few metres away now and would be able to grab Max right at the moment he ran out of riverbank. Huh? Out of riverbank?

  Max hugged the bank closely as he was washed over a ledge. Gripping his dagger tightly, he thrust behind him with all of his strength, embedding the bde deeply into the earth. Holding on for dear life while his legs dangled in the air, he watched as the look in the orc’s baggy eyes turo one of shock, and it plummeted forty metres into the depths below.

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