After stopping the fire with help from the other cadets, many of us went inside the cavern where the orc hideout was based. The sun was about to set soon, and the orc hideout was the perfect shelter for now.
Everything had been fine until now, but something kept bothering me... Why were there no children here? There weren't even any shamans or female orcs.
Is this a branch of their main hideout? That would mean the orcs we came across were just a small part of their power... Rejects...
"There's going to be an ambush tonight... Are you going to eat that?" I wanted to explain something but got distracted by the scent of the barbecue Tom was cooking, sitting opposite to me on a log.
"Well, that's a stupid question. Why else would I be cooking it?" Tom asked, taking a piece of meat hanging above the campfire on wooden sticks and putting it in his mouth. "...Messed up the spices."
"You messed up a lot more than just the spices," I replied in disgust. "I thought I had eaten almost every dish in the world, but now there's a new one on the list. How does it taste? The orc meat, I mean."
"Try it. It's not as disgusting as you might expect," Tom said, tearing off another piece from the meat bone and offering it to me.
I accepted it reluctantly. It wasn't to gain his trust—I just wanted to know what it felt like to live like a hunter. I took the piece and held it like jerky before taking a small bite.
To my surprise, it wasn't bad. The outer layer was chewy, with a lot of spices sprinkled on top to make it sweet and spicy, while the inside melted in the mouth like butter.
"This is... actually better than I thought," I said in surprise as I continued to eat the rest. "You're a good cook, Tommy."
"I'm more surprised that you ate it, heh. Wait a minute... did you just call me Tommy?" Tom asked, realizing what I had said.
"I give nicknames to all my friends. Get used to it," I answered as I cut off another piece from the meat bone.
"I'm sorry. When did we become friends, exactly? I tried to kill you!" Tom argued.
"And then you offered me food. So we're friends. Plus, you didn't mean to kill me. It was a test you put yourself through to know your level, and I respect that. Even though you held back a lot, for some reason," I said calmly, chewing on the jerky-like orc meat. "I mean... I didn't use my meta abilities, other than my activation ability, but you didn't even activate your aura enhancement."
"Is this how all you Allens make friends? Sharing food and getting into fights?" Tom asked jokingly. "I'll call you Raymond then, since you added two unnecessary letters to my name to make it a nickname."
"I never stopped you," I replied, laughing it off. "That aside, there could be an attack tonight. I'm not sure if they'll use all their forces, but it's likely a shaman will be in the mix."
"You mean those green parasites that talk of a false god are going to offer their lives to us?" Tom asked, cutting off a big piece from the meat bone.
"Why can't you just call them orcs? It's a simple word," I reasoned.
"'Tom' is a simple word. Why do you complicate it?" Tom looked at me as if I were the hypocrite.
"That's fair," I sighed, getting up. "I'll check the surroundings. Warn the others, please."
I slowly walked out of the cavern and looked up at the moon, which had started to rise. There were a lot of stars in the sky tonight—more than there should be.
"Stellar path... might be one of the shamans. Wally, scan the entire perimeter around the outpost," I ordered, activating my ability.
My current goal was protecting this place. It was necessary to gain Tom's trust. I couldn't compromise the trust of a future asset by letting some shamans get in my way.
"Also... contact the others. Give them our location in case we need backup. Tell them to hide their location and engage only when I say so," I added, still with my ability active.
Wally had to slow down my second command, as I had given the order at the speed of sound to not let anyone who might be near us to understand my words.
I didn't want to call in everyone I had hidden among the cadets, but if there were more shamans than I expected... they would become variables too. The absence of shamans in this outpost already meant at least one variable was present, and the number of stars in the sky just confirmed my suspicion—a prophecy maker.
"Sire, I have lost contact with one of the cadets. I have reason to assume they are deceased," Wally stated, presenting me a picture of a young man. "One of the old recruits. His last known location was at the center of the Zone before I lost connection."
"Cooper... he had a sick father... Hah... that idiot. We'll confirm his death before we call it. If we find his corpse, send a check to his father and make sure he lives the rest of his life without finding out what happened," I sighed, looking at the image. "The kid had potential..."
"Wouldn't all this be over if you just killed the old man? Why waste so much money on him?" Ryuk asked, looking at the picture.
"I have a duty of care," I replied with regret.
I couldn't read Ryuk's expression because he always maintained his cold demeanor without issue, softening it only when necessary. However, at this very moment, I could tell he felt joy—for some reason.
"The kid is alive," Ryuk whispered, looking off into the distance.
"...Thank you, Ryuk," I smiled, staring at the back of his head. "I'll make sure he can meet his father."
I didn't know why he helped me this time. Maybe he liked my answer. Maybe Cooper was important. Or maybe he just felt like it. His reason didn't matter to me right now—the only thing that mattered was securing the safety of my people.
"I have detected twenty-three hostile lifeforms around the perimeter, sire," Wally reported, climbing onto my shoulder.
"Don't alert any of them. They're probably scouts. We need to let them think they have the upper hand," I explained, walking back into the cavern.
Once inside the outpost, the situation I saw was different from what I expected. Tom had managed to explain everything to the rest of the cadets and had gained some of their trust.
"How can we confirm you're not lying? What if you're just trying to make us tired to get ahead in the exam?" a young man asked from within the crowd.
"Because I've just checked the perimeter. There are twenty-three orcs surrounding us. I believe they're scouts, which is why I haven't alerted them," I said with a smile as I walked up to them. "If you're still suspicious of the information I've provided, feel free to risk all our lives by walking out of here."
The gazes of the crowd turned toward the one who had spoken, pressuring him to shut up.
"Good. It seems we've all agreed to work together, then. I assure you I'll get you through this. I can't guarantee your lives—I hope you understand that—but if any of you die in the process, I'll do everything in my power to take care of those you treasure," I announced as the faces in front of me darkened. "However, I know none of you will die to mere orcs. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be qualified to enter this exam. Tell me... are you so small that you can be crushed to dust by these green pests who walk the Earth only to dirty it? Are you willing to end your life in a pathetic place like this?"
All of a sudden, a united shout came from the crowd in front of me: "No!"
"Then we fight until every single one of them has been exterminated, so that no more souls will be harmed because of them. That is the reason we fight," I said as the crowd erupted with excitement.
"They have a name," Tom whispered, standing beside me.
"Really? I forgot," I replied sarcastically.