I jolted awake as water splashed over my face, gasping for breath. 'I guess nothing wakes people up faster than a little waterboarding'.

Dripping wet and disoriented, I tried to sit up, but all I managed was to sit upright. I wiped water from my eyes, trying to comprehend what had happened.

Another splash of water hit me, and I realized Alira was standing next to me, preparing to do it again.

I managed to raise my hand out of sheer desperation for it to stop.

"Are you ok? You were pretty out of it" she said.

I wanted to say more, yet all I could manage was a nod. Glancing right and then left, I sighed in relief, the portal had vanished.

"I'll create some illusions of us to fool the orcs from a distance," Isla said. "You get ready for the road."

I watched with fascination as she weaved light with dancer-like movements. First, she gave a rough shape to the illusions, which looked more like mannequins.

Then, her movements became more focused. What started as a dance transformed into precise, surgeon-like gestures, adding little details here and there—a mannequin grew long hair, then a semblance of clothes. They were still translucent.

Finally, she stopped and closed her eyes. The mannequins began to move. At first, their movements were random, but gradually, they became more lifelike, looping in a believable manner.

She turned to us. "The illusion is done. Let me know when we’re ready to depart, and I’ll create a shield to prevent others from seeing us."

"Couldn't you have done this before?" I asked.

"Unfortunately for three people the distance at which it will be believable is considerable, like we have now."

I stood and took a few steps. My legs were still a little shaky, though it should be enough for now.

Nodding at being ready, Isla waved both hands, and the mannequins became fully visible. They wouldn't fool anyone up close, but the shapes were accurate. I assumed a field of some kind surrounded us, as she kept one hand raised while we walked.

-----

It took about a week, but we were finally certain the orcs were behind us in every sense. The plains were now far behind, replaced by endless hills and forests. Our only respite came during clear evenings, when we could see tall mountains in the distance. Since the quest mentioned "where mountains touch the sky," we took it as a good sign.

The forests were a mix of conifers and deciduous trees, yet the main difference from those that came before was the abundance of ferns. Not just small ones, either—there seemed to be dozens of species, in various shapes and sizes, even to my untrained eye. Half of the greenery consisted of ferns, giving the landscape the appearance of a primeval forest.

"I've found some tracks," Alira's voice broke through my thoughts.

After a week of solitude, I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. They might be aggressive, but finding someone who actually knew the place would be amazing.

"What kind of tracks?" I asked after she didn’t say anything else. She was beginning to copy my annoying traits.

I expected a smirk or something similar, but her expression was serious.

"One set of orc tracks, followed by something big—bigger than orcs and much heavier. And there were three of them."

"How long ago?" I asked.

"Half a day, maybe."

"Well, I say we follow, we'll meet the inhabitants sooner or later, might as well meet them while they are just three." I said.

"How about we don't tempt fate" Alira's voice was steady despite the obvious tension, "and not go looking for trouble."

"I agree" Isla added while I shrugged.

"They might even not be intelligent, they were moving on all fours." Alira said while we were moving away from the tracks.

"Oh they were intelligent, primeval forest far away from everything, with ferns that look million of years old. It's definitely an intelligent race you never even heard of."

She rolled her eyes but kept quiet. The rule was talk less, walk more.

So we walked in silence like always, relying on Alira's superior hearing to prevent potential issues. However, in the end, trouble found us.

---

"Something is coming" Alira said.

We crouched and waited, the rustling of vegetation growing louder with each passing moment. They were drawing nearer. Amidst the noise, I could discern a high-pitched sound. I anticipated many things, but the sight of two orc children was not among them. They appeared to be around seven years old, and were surprisingly cute, with classic chubby cheeks. Alira and Isla seemed equally stunned, allowing the children to approach even closer.

They were play running from each other, and soon they would be upon us. Deciding might as well reveal us now while they were a little further, I stood up.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Hello" I managed to say awkwardly.

The orc kids froze, and after a second starting screaming and running in the other direction.

"Well that happened" I said while Alira gave me a disapproving look "Scaring kids, really?" she said.

"They were coming even closer. What was I supposed to do?"

She smiled, "I was kidding, let's go find out where the kids went."

I glanced at her, puzzled. "But I thought we were avoiding trouble."

"They were kids, meaning not a war party, and in these woods with creatures chasing orcs they wouldn't have built a permanent settlement" Isla added.

"Alright, let's go. Kids don't stray too far. They should be nearby," Alira urged, already setting off.

Indeed, the camp was not far off. Since the kids had arrived, there was a lot of commotion inside. Camp was an exaggeration, there were some tents, a hut or two and no defensive structures, there were a lot of women and children and even old orcs. Their clothes were ragged and patchy. Honestly, they looked more like refugees.

That actually gave me hope. "Maybe they would be willing to talk. They don't seem the warlike type."

"Let me do the talking" Isla said as she was heading for the open path leading to the entrance.

We stood behind her, slowly walking towards the camp. By now we were spotted, and a silence descended upon the forest.

There was no gate or anything at the entrance, just a tree that was repurposed as a tower. Two female orcs could be seen with bows up there.

"I think the guy with the shield should go first" I whispered to Isla.

"Orcs know of elves, they might be willing to talk" she maintained her slow but steady approach.

Finally, she stopped when she reached near the tower, opening her hands wide maybe to show a lack of weapons she said "We are not here to bring war, Please send a representative or more to discuss terms."

Guess this was elf diplomacy and by the lack of arrows it might just work. That, or the orcs are out of options.

The silence was interrupted by muffled murmurs, indicating the orcs were discussing their response. Before long, two elderly orcs, a male and a female, began to approach cautiously.

"I am Isla, my companions Alira and Tiberius. We are passing through these woods. If we offended you in some way, we shall leave." she leaned her head forward just a little at the end.

They looked at each other and the female answered "I am Draga, eldest of the clan, this is Durak, second eldest." motioning to her companion.

"You did not offend us, but in these difficult times we are wary of strangers" she continued.

"I understand, we only wish to know what else lives in these woods, as we have to get to the mountains south." Isla said.

"We also wanted to escape south from our brethren, but the furred monsters stopped us. I doubt they will be more forgiving to you"

I knew they looked like refugees, maybe this could mean the orcs were not a solid unit, but still fractured.

"On our way here, we found track marks of three creatures walking on four legs in the pursuit of an orc. Are those the same creatures you speak?"

The elder orc male lowered his eyes, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Indeed, each day our numbers diminish as we send out foragers. The creatures fail to understand that we are not like our kin; we seek only a place to exist."

"Why did you flee from your kin?" she asked.

This time Draga answered, "We do not all follow the warrior ways, but the red demon forced all to follow it, those that did not had to run away or be killed."

They seemed so sincere, I was actually feeling sorry for them. I had tried to let Isla handle the question, but when a little silence fell, I couldn't resist and voiced my concern "We have met the red demon, and I'm afraid we've raised his curiosity, they may come searching for us,"

To my surprise, they both seemed more cheerful. "If you've encountered him and yet stand here with no apparent injuries, you must possess great power indeed. Please, join us in our village," they invited warmly.

The guard on the tree relaxed their bows, and we slowly followed the elders inside. The children appeared behind their mothers to get a peak at us, immediately hiding back if I made eye contact with them. They stopped when they reached a circular formation of rocks with a fire in the middle.

They sat on those stones, and we sat beside them.

"We would offer you food, but the forest is not bountiful. We barely have enough for ourselves, so we apologize," Durak spoke.

"We also would offer food but as well the provisions we have are very limited" Isla was back in diplomat mode.

Isla and the orcs started talking, even so Alira leaned and whispered, "The kids look so thin, they look more like troll kids we saw once."

"If the orcs are right we have entered their territory, we have to meet with them anyway, maybe we can work something out."

"I wish I had your optimism" she said.

"Hey" I said while wrapping my hand around her shoulder and giving her a small hug, "It's going to be OK. Things have a tendency to work out in the end" I smiled.

She smiled as well, "I have noticed that, you have a god watching over you, there is no other explanation."

"It happened back on my Earth as well, and there are no gods there" I wanted to say more, yet something was happening as the noise level increased dramatically.

A dozen or so orcs entered the village, they had weapons, yet the state of the weapons did not indicate warriors, maybe the foraging party that was mentioned earlier. They practically ran to the elders, ignoring us.

"We spotted a column of furred monsters coming this way, we tried to divert them, but they were steadfast. We must evacuate the children."

"Where would you go?" Draga interjected sharply. "If you perish, we will soon follow, be it from hunger, the elements, or hunted by those monsters."

She then addressed us directly, her tone urgent. "You should depart. If they spot you with us, they may see you as enemies as well."

I really had a soft spot for honorable people, and the contrast between the other bloodthirsty orcs and them only made it more remarkable.

"Let me go and to try and talk to them or something..." I said.

Isla wanted to say something, but I cut her off, "from the description, I don't think they will respond to your kind of diplomacy."

"Why would you do this for us?" the lead orc hunter spoke.

"Perhaps one day we'll need aid, and I see this tribe as honorable, unlike the other orcs we encountered."

He patted me on the shoulder, "You will die with honor, then."

I had to suppress a laugh at his seriousness, however a smile still escaped my lips, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Guess we find out if your luck still holds" Alira pulled me over and kissed me.

I wanted to leave, but she pulled me closer once again "Don't be too brave, if it looks bad ease back into the village together we might have a chance to save them"

"Sir, Yes Sir" I said in a playful tone.

"Be careful" she said as I headed out.

I made my way out of the village and waited on the forest path, night was still an hour or so away, so the visibility was good. I walked a little further and I thought I saw movement with my peripheral vision.

It might have been nothing, though better I look like an idiot talking to trees that miss the chance for them to hear me.

Clearing my throat I said "I come in peace, I wish to negotiate with your leader"

I waited and waited and nothing happened, maybe I was talking to the trees. Sudden noises came from the other side made me turn and watch as a silhouette appeared from the trees.

It was big, twice the size of an orc, and was indeed walking on four legs. It had brown fur and as it came into the light its features became clear.

It was a bear, a giant grizzly bear, and it had some sort of clothes meaning they were intelligent.