Picking the fifth mission has a second objective: Money. Darto kingdom currency consists of bronze, silver, and gold coins; Nobles possess gold ingots to replace large sums of gold coins.
One hundred bronze coins equate to one silver coin and so do silver coins to gold coins. Having one gold coin worth of wealth can be considered affluent in Darto.
Orcs collect jewellery and antique ornaments in their base. That's my goal.
The east of Piear is a large and dense tropical jungle. Featuring thick roots, towering trees and lush vegetation, humans feel like mere insects entering this complex ecosystem.
We carefully traverse through the unfavourable terrain, adventuring deeper into the woods to avoid the nobles.
"I think we are far enough! It will be too dangerous if we meet a large group of orcs." Aiden shouts amidst hectic galloping sounds.
"That's precisely our goal!"
"What?"
"Why? Are you not confident in taking down orcs?" I turn back and ask.
"I can handle one or two but more than that..."
"Don't worry, you can leave most of the numbers to me!"
"NEIGHHHH!!!" The horses halt their advance and jerk back. They felt something ahead.
I exchange nods with Aiden and we jump down the horse, tying them to a tree with a lead.
"Aiden, jog your memory. What are the weaknesses of orcs?"
"Joints...and uh...speed," Aiden replies.
"Good, strengths?"
"Uh...toughness and power."
"Nice. Follow my lead."
Aiden gulps and nods.
We draw our weapons and sneak ahead through a bundle of vines and bushes.
A muscular green humanoid figure twice the size of us emerges from the shadow. Unruly hair and prominent fangs. The solo orc wields a bloody wooden spear and bodies of wild animals over its shoulder.
"A hunter..." Aiden whispers.
Orcs usually hunt in groups of five. There are more around.
We stay hidden under nature to observe. Two more orcs join the spear wielder, wearing similar gears.
"Aiden, you will finish them off."
"What? Uh okay!"
As one walks closer, I bolt out and slash its knees.
"RARGH?!!"
In the short moment of confusion, I leap to the second orc and cut its tendon at the ankles to a somersault across the dirt.
!
I barely catch a glimpse of a shadow before jumping away.
*BANG!!*
The third orc slammed its fist, erupting an explosion of dirt and mud.
"Grr!!" the orc growls.
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However, as the dirt smoke clears up, I jump through it and attack the eyes, slicing a line across the face.
"RARGGHHHHHH!!!" The orc stumbles back and frantically swings the spear around it.
One orc lies dead behind Aiden as he battles with the second orc on its knees. The orc puts up a good defence despite the disadvantage.
Aiden goes for a thrust and the orc puts up its spear, yet his trajectory abruptly zaps into a slash across the chest.
Alright, Aiden is doing well.
I stare at the third orc still wreaking havoc, pummelling nature. It's afraid.
"RARGH!! HUFF HUFF...RAGH!!"
The orc depletes its stamina and executes a wide and slow swing, giving me the window to cut its knees. As it falls, I bounce back in and pierce the sword through its skull.
*THUD!*
"Phew...alright. Aiden, are you done?"
"Haah...yeah."
Aiden pulls out a cloth and wipes his blade. "Damn. How did you improve so much?"
"It will be weird if I didn't improve," I reply.
"Is that so? What training did you do? Your attacks are pinpoint accurate and efficient." Aiden blurts.
"What? You had the time to observe me?"
"Ah! Uhm...I caught a few glimpses."
...
"Pfft..."
I smile and shrug. Aiden returns the smile and shakes his head.
He hands me the cloth for my sword.
-------------
Fate: 100
Role: Background Character
Talent:
-Sword Tier 4
-Focus Tier 2
-------------
This is the secret behind Aiden's strength. He is quite a talented fellow but has the destiny of cannon fodder.
...
This time, I won't let you die.
Aiden cuts off the ears of the orcs as proof of kill and moves on. The group we met was a mere hunting trio, one of the weakest in the orc hierarchy.
When a hunting group fails to return, the orc clan will dispatch a few orc scouts to scrutinise the area, alerting the clan of potential invaders.
But that is what we want, we wait for the scouts to come and ambush them, picking them off one by one.
Aiden and I execute the same strategy on the scouts, tracing their steps in the mud slowly.
Time passes by and the strength and number of menacing orcs increases. They are also aware of an invader and are highly cautious.
But too much fixation on caution tends to cloud the intelligence of a being. They check every bush and nature around but forget to check somewhere. Above.
I exchange glances with Aiden. We both balance ourselves on a tree branch among the hundreds of intertwining canopies.
Seven orcs. One warrior carries a giant sword and six with clubs, six have fairly decent armour covering their weaknesses and the warrior has full armour.
"Can you handle the six orcs?" I whisper to Aiden. "Or would you want the warrior?"
Aiden chooses the latter.
"Alright. On my mark, three, two, one."
*swoosh!!*
Two sword missiles plunge from above, stabbing into our prey. My momentum thrusts through the eyes, killing one orc.
Five clubs smash down after I slide and cut a swirl of blood, immobilizing two orcs.
My agile feet hop back up and spin my body for the sword to pierce through one nape.
Four left.
Two orcs lunge forward and slam their club down. I duck and roll to the side. The remaining two attacks simultaneously, swinging for a devastating blow as I sidestep, narrowly avoiding it.
Their attempt to overwhelm me is futile. Their speed opens up gaps for a barrage of strikes to their legs.
Although their joints are protected, their ankle isn't. I slide under an orc's attack and slash the ankles.
"KARGGHH!!"
I quickly rise and deliver a spinning kick to the orc's back, crashing the orc into a tree dazed.
The nearest orc retreats when I approach it, aware of my tactics, yet oblivious to the consequences. I rapidly close the gap and surprise the orc with a thrust through its neck, killing it.
The dazed orc pushes itself away from the tree and tries to recover but I throw my blade through its nape, ending it.
The two orcs see an opportunity and jump in with a deafening roar. I elude it with a slide kick to the shin, stumbling one orc before I pull out a dagger from my belt and leap on the orc, pressing the knife deep into the skull.
The fatal attack drops the body, leaving one left.
The remaining orc stares at me with its yellow sclera, it drops its club and escapes with its tail tucked between its legs.
I pull out my sword from the corpse and throw it at the last orc, killing it.
"ARGHHH!!!" Aiden screams and throws his blade through the neck of the warrior.
From the looks of it, he had a difficult time piercing its defence as scratches sprinkled the armour. A trail of blood flows from Aiden's arm.
The warrior's blade protrudes from a tree, Aiden tricked the warrior into disarming itself.
"Hey, you alright?" I ask Aiden.
"Yeah. Just some wounds here and there."
He looks at the battlefield on my side.
"Oh what the hell, how the fuck did you handle six orcs?!"
"The advantage of agility and accuracy," I reply.
He sighs and checks the cut on his left arm. "I have enough orcs for one day. Let's return."
I help Aiden cut the ears of the orcs and place them in one small sack.
"Return to the horses first. I will continue to follow the footsteps to the orc's base."
"Hey! Are you trying to kill yourself!?" He grabs my collar.
"No. I'm just going to steal some jewellery and gold."
...
"We-"
"I don't plan to fight them at all. I have a plan to distract them. Just get ready to leave immediately after I return."
Aiden can see the confidence in my posture. He clicks his tongue and looks away. "Fine. But just one hour. I will come to find you afterwards."
I nod.