Nine orcs emerged from the jungle. Two wielded bows with spear-like arrows, while another held a staff topped with a green gem, likely a healer. One orc carried no visible weapon but given his position between the archers and the healer, he was probably a mage. Leading the frontline were two orcs with massive wooden clubs and another with a giant battle axe. They were smaller than the ones Thalion’s group had spotted the night before.

Thalion reacted instantly, allocating thirty points into Vitality, bringing his health up to 400. He put the remaining twenty-two points into Agility. Quickly, he stored the shadowstalker in his spatial ring before using Telekinetic Dash to flash over to Mike and store the glowhorn in his spatial ring as well. He then cast an Identify spell on the frontline orcs.

Orc Level 16

Orc Level 14

Orc Level 15

He didn’t bother identifying the rest; it was clear they needed to run. Thalion chugged a mana potion, restoring 100 mana and bringing his total up to 160 out of 380. He quickly downed another, raising his mana to 260.

“We need to distract them while the others run,” Mike whispered. “We’re the only ones who are fast enough.”

Then the orc mage spoke, his voice a deep rumble of malicious glee echoing through the clearing.

“Look at you, fragile little creatures, trembling like leaves in the wind. You thought you could survive in this new world? Pathetic! You’re nothing but prey, scurrying in the dirt, hoping the predators don’t notice. Well, guess what? We’ve noticed.”

He laughed, a harsh, guttural sound that made the humans flinch.

“You probably had plans to find your loved ones, and instead, you end up here, at my feet, begging for mercy that will never come. I almost pity you, but I’ll enjoy watching the light fade from your eyes too much.”

He straightened up, his mocking grin widening as he raised his hand, a fireball forming in it.

“You face Brakor of the Iron Jaws, a mage of unmatched power. Your pitiful magic is nothing compared to mine. Don’t worry, this won’t take long. I’ve got more humans to hunt today.”

With that, he hurled the fireball at Mike and Thalion and all hell broke loose. Mike quickly dodged to the right, shouting to the others, “Run! We’ll hold them off!”

Thalion used Telekinetic Dash, dodging the fireball entirely before it had even traveled halfway. He took a different approach from Mike, taunting the orc leader with a mocking tone.

"Oh, mighty Brakor of the Iron Jaws, you’re definitely the strongest of all the mages. If you actually managed to hit those spells, we’d really be in danger.”

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“What?!” Brakor roared in anger. “Kill that human first!”

Four orcs activated some sort of rage skill, their bodies glowing with a dark green light, and charged at Thalion. He dashed to the left while Mike circled right, drawing the rest of the orc group with him. With all the attention on Thalion, Mike engaged the lone orc, easily dodging the hammer aimed at his face and cutting deep into the orc’s leg. Emily fired arrows at another orc while David buffed the group, though Thalion had already moved too far left to be within range.

Thalion flicked a fireball at one of his attackers, who was turning to help his comrades, and then, in his usual sardonic tone, offered the orc leader some advice. “See? Hitting your target isn’t that hard. Remember, keep your hand relaxed and your hip loose. It’s impossible to miss then.”

Brakor, seething with rage, conjured another fireball and hurled it at him, but Thalion dodged easily.

“Come on, that was nothing! You really need to work on your technique before you throw around such powerful spells,” Thalion teased, laughing as he dodged yet another fireball with Telekinetic Dash. “Maybe try an overhand grip next time.”

Brakor lost all composure, furiously throwing fireballs at Thalion while shouting commands to his fellow orcs. Thalion was near the forest now. If he could just make it, he might be able to escape.

Mike, meanwhile, had to abandon his efforts to kill the orc due to the healer mending every cut he inflicted. He also had to dodge the giant arrows from the orc archers. With the whole group now sprinting toward the forest, they narrowly avoided the arrows, only to have two orcs leap out of the trees, cutting off their path to safety.

Thalion faced a similar issue as an orc jumped out ahead, forcing him back into the open grassland, with the river at his back.

“Haha! You didn’t really think we wouldn’t have a backup plan, did you?” Brakor mocked. “It was obvious you weak, feeble humans wouldn’t fight us. Now, you and your friends will die.”

In the distance, Thalion saw Lukas and James shield-bash the two orcs blocking their way, allowing the group to escape. His party was safe, leaving him alone in the grassland. He smiled beneath his dark mask. At least they got out, he thought.

His situation was getting worse by the second. With two archers closing in, he needed a plan. Shapeshifting was too risky. What if it took too long, like in the movies? He couldn’t afford to lose his speed. Stopping meant death.

Thalion had one option left: the river. As he ran, an arrow grazed his side, causing sharp pain. Redoubling his efforts, he sprinted faster, but another arrow cut deep into his leg. He instantly downed a healing potion.

Then he felt a wave of dizziness. The arrow had been poisoned. Using Telekinetic Dash, he narrowly avoided another arrow and kept his distance from the melee orcs. Thank God they didn’t put many points into Agility, he thought.

“Oh, the little rat is going for a swim!” Brakor jeered.

Thalion reached the riverbank but wasn’t planning on swimming. The water was crystal clear, and he spotted mudwallers, almost camouflaged beneath the surface. He conjured a mana barrier in the middle of the 20-meter-wide river. Ensuring no mudwallers were nearby, he leaped into the air and used Telekinetic Dash to land on the barrier, then dashed again to the other side of the river, sprinting toward the undergrowth of the jungle.

“No!” Brakor roared in fury. “I will find you! You will not escape me!”

An archer stepped into the river to get a shot, but a massive, worm-like maw burst from the mud, where a mudwaller lay hidden. The beast grabbed the orc and dragged him underwater, sucking the orc down like a tasty snack.

Thalion entered the forest and, after taking another healing potion, traveled roughly three hundred meters before climbing a large tree. Nightfall wasn’t far off. After arranging leaves to camouflage his hiding spot and binding himself to the tree with a vine to prevent falling, he downed his last healing potion. The poison had brought his health down to twenty percent, but the potion raised it back up to seventy. His mana was almost depleted, with only 12 points remaining, and his stamina was down to 16.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes. Moments later, he was asleep.