Chapter 67: Murkfang’s Whereabout.
Murkfang was strung up in the village square for all to see; he was like a sight attraction as humans all looked at him with both disgust and contempt.
The children spat on him, and a few even urinated on him. He was incredibly malnourished, and the heat of the sun made sure he was dehydrated as well.
It was torture, and Murkfang realized how much the outside world hated them.
The orcs’ hatred toward them didn’t even come close to this.
The humans did enough to keep him alive, but he could find some reprieve when the sun set.
The cruel weather and mocking humans were nowhere in sight.
He understood one thing — these creatures were vermin because the hate they expressed had no logic.
He understood why the orcs hated them, but there was nothing for the humans to hate to this degree.
Murkfang was on the verge of giving up, but he heard a whisper originating behind him.
It was late into midnight at this point, so there was no reason for anyone to be out here.
Murkfang had nothing to lose, so he tried to tilt his head to see who was calling him.
"Don’t turn! They are watching!" the voice warned, because they weren’t sure this thing could speak or understand English.
It had shown no response to their language so far, but Murkfang froze the moment he heard this.
He had no reason not to listen because even death was a better fate than this.
"Oh? Do you understand me? Good, I will cut you free," the voice said, and Murkfang could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.
He missed his home and understood why a snake could never soar the sky unless it became the prey of one who could.
He had become prey to these humans and got a glimpse of the outside world.
This world was beautiful; the humans had things he had never seen in his entire life, nor could he comprehend the mechanics of most of these things.
A paradise ruled by demons — but there was no way for him to get into this paradise. All he could do was dream.
Murkfang knew this might be a trap, but he was too desperate. The ropes were slowly burrowing into his skin as well.
The humans tightened them at the start of a new day, and it would only be a matter of time before it reached the nerves in his hands.
The only thing saving him was his thicker skin. It made it harder for the rope to accomplish its work because if it was as thin as that of the average human, there was no doubt it would have sawed through his hands and merged with his skin at this point.
Murkfang was shocked when he could feel hands on his wrists, cutting away at the rope holding him in place.
Murkfang wanted to thank them, but words couldn’t escape his lips; he was far too weak to do so. His limbs had become brittle; they looked like they would snap if any weight was exerted on them.
This put him in an unfavorable situation — he couldn’t even run if he wanted to because his body wouldn’t let him.
Murkfang’s exhausted body nearly hit the ground, but he was caught like a ragdoll midair.
This person was strong, and flashlights immediately shone in their direction.
"Hey! Stop right there!" the guard screamed, but the person took off.
It was the voice of a boy, and Murkfang couldn’t stop crying. Byung had warned him against his plan, and he realized the truth.
The goblins weren’t confined because they couldn’t explore the world; they were confined because the world would rather have them gone.
They were like worker ants, but maybe there were some good humans after all.
Murkfang was taken away, and the boy, despite carrying him, managed to outpace the guards due to his smaller size but also the path he took.
It had twists and turns that made it difficult for bigger people to pass through, which meant they could only follow him after a certain point.
"Fucking hell! Find them!" the guard cursed as they spread out to find the boy.
And Murkfang had escaped — for now.
--
Kraghul and the orc kept track of Vrognut. They had numerous chances to close the distance, but they didn’t.
The orc wondered why he rode on the same horse as Kraghul right now, so there was nothing he could do but listen to him.
Kraghul’s decision to sever the limb of his horse ultimately proved to be life-saving, as the food they had brought was barely enough, seeing as they also had to feed the horse.
There were no grasslands in these parts either, so they couldn’t feed the horse with the meals provided by nature.
This meant they had to dig into their own meals to keep their mode of transport fed.
However, even Kraghul wasn’t cruel enough to feed the horse alone.
He shared the food with the nameless orc with him and didn’t engage much in conversation.
For an orc so young, he sure was intimidating, but that was to be expected considering where he came from.
"They will soon arrive," Kraghul informed the orc upon seeing the footprints of the goblins.
"How can he tell by just looking at that?" the orc thought to himself.
But there was something he also realized in that moment — the footprints had gotten thinner, like their numbers had been cut down.
"We have been flanking them!?" the orc thought to himself upon realizing they weren’t chasing the main party.
They were behind the party meant to scout the area, which meant by default, they were ahead of the goblins.
It would have been strange with how they traveled; they rarely rested, and the goblins couldn’t match them when it came to stamina.
And they also had a larger party, so resting was vital in their plans, and all along, he wondered why Kraghul had no interest in overtaking them.
He wasn’t going to attack from a place they expected; he planned to do so from a place they wouldn’t.
The goblins that were sent forward to scout via flanks would return in a more central position, which meant they wouldn’t run into one another.
Kraghul and the orc were safe to stop an exhausted party, and the element of surprise was one thing they wouldn’t anticipate.
And it had to be within the position in which the other goblins had already scouted, which meant they could not "overtake" them in that sense — move past the footprints.
Vrognut had excellent survival instincts, and he made sure they were covered in the same dirt as the environment.
Kraghul had to admit his intellect was capable of adapting, so he had to give him an experience he had never encountered before.
This would leave him in the dark, as he had no data, and the orcs had been using the same strategy because they had no reason to take a goblin that seriously — because he was a necessary existence.
But Kraghul understood they were only making him stronger with each failed attempt, as it allowed him to adapt to a similar situation in the future.
Ugar might not have cared that he killed three orcs, but it didn’t change the fact that goblins were now capable of killing three orcs simultaneously.
This was unheard of and shouldn’t be a regular occurrence, or the fear the goblins felt toward the orc would disappear.
The one thing keeping it in place was fear, because what would happen if they decided they wanted more?
That day would no doubt come, and Ugar sent his son personally to have the glory of taking down the orc who had slain three of his people.
Vrognut was at his pinnacle in terms of fame, and this was the perfect time to kill him.
"We will wait for them here," Kraghul said, and the horse came to a halt.
Kraghul knew they had a few minutes to prepare for the ambush, but they had to find a way to cripple them — especially the other two goblins on horseback alongside Vrognut.
They were unknown, but for them to be given horses, the same privilege as Vrognut, they had to be strong.
"He is taking this so seriously..." the orc thought to himself, and this was the problem with his race.
They saw goblins as mosquitoes that could infect them with a bite, but they were just as easy to crush — yet Kraghul was treating them like he would a predator.
Because that was what Vrognut had evolved to be — he had learned how to hunt down orcs.
They hid their horse and bound him to a tree a couple of paces away, but they lay stationary in the muddy terrain. Kraghul placed his ear to the ground to hear any faint vibrations that would alert him when they came within proximity.
The orc with him didn’t say a word; he was amazed by the potential the young orc showed, because at his age, he was nothing like this. But that was proof of the vast difference in their realities.