Hungry, a voice whispered in my mind, a rippling sigh that rolled across the wrinkles in my infernal brain like clouds over the sky.

I opened my eyes and sighed. It was the beginning of another doozy of a day, and there was a fairly good chance that I was going to get killed. I got up, rubbed my eyes, then made my way out.

The chill of the early morning air rippled over my skin as I stepped out of my tent, Jeldorain sighing in devilish revelry. The camp was still, only the faintest hints of dawn peeking out over the horizon. A ticking, rasping noise came to my ears, and I looked about in confusion.

Some idiot is trying to start a cook fire. Better stop it, oh great champion, before these NPCs become lunch.

I quickly cast about, spotting a middle-aged man, his face doughy and tired, shivering under makeshift winter wear and putting flint to steel.

“No, no fires,” I said gently but firmly, dousing the flames with a handful of dirt. “We need to stay hidden, remember? Any smoke could give us away.”

The NPC stared at me with big, sad eyes. “Alright, yer infernalship. Didn’t mean to do nuthin. Just tryin to warm up,” he murmured.

I nodded and reached out one turkey-sized hand to place it reassuringly upon his shoulder, but as his eyes went wide and he moaned in terror, I thought better of it and patted him on the head instead. “I know, but we have to be careful. We're close to the orc camp. Any sign of us, and we could all be in danger.”

Turning, I addressed the rest of the NPCs, who were beginning to stir. “Everyone, remember, you need to stay quiet and hidden while we are gone. No fires, no loud noises. We're in enemy territory now.”

I turned towards Ike’s little tent, multicolored patch work affair of soot stained colors, just as he stuck his head out, glancing in my direction. “Speak of the devil,” he chuckled. “You woke up before I did.”

“Yeah. Jeldorain’s primal impulses make for a good alarm clock. Speaking of, when and where is breakfast?”

“Breakfast? Let's see what we've got,” he said, rummaging through his inventory. He pulled out a small sack and handed it to me.

“Here and now.” Ike grinned. Come on, let’s circle everyone together and hand out rations.

We roused everyone who was still sleeping and moved them together into the center of the camp, pulling from our provisions and handing out a portion of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and the king of the meal, chewing well-salted strips of venison jerky. Everyone took their share thankfully, but none more so than Jeldorain.

The salt is sublime. Frozen flesh is decent. Raw, steaming flesh is sweet and juicy. But the salted and dried meats of this prime material plane are tremendous. When I am released back to the Hells, I will find a means to obtain and trade these there, and become the King of my own domain.

I smiled, thinking of how he would react to the many, many jerky options available in my own world. The breakfast was good, and to wash it all down, we had flasks of cold water.

Suitably refreshed and fed, Ike, Kevinar, and Brandosyeus formed up with me, preparing for our journey. The early morning light cast long shadows across their faces, showcasing their eager preparedness and, thankfully, a lack of hostility on the satyr bard’s face.

“Are we good?” I asked him as we all prepped our weapons and readied ourselves for the journey.

“We are, Ryan,” he announced, and within me I felt a great sense of relief emanating from my infernal comrade.

Kevinar nodded, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest. “Good. Let’s move out. Remember, stay alert and stick to the plan.”

We left the camp in silence, moving swiftly but cautiously down the slope opposite the orc camp. The terrain was uneven, and we had to be mindful of every step to avoid making noise.

Brandosyeus kept his panpipes at the ready, his eyes darting around as if expecting trouble at any moment. While Kevinar disappeared to our fore and Ike kept to the center. I rolled up the rear, my icearigama in hand in case things got crazy.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

As we skirted around the edge of the orc camp, I felt a rush of adrenaline and surprise course through my body.

+1/10 Perception

I raised my weapon hand, watching in the direction that I was suddenly sure held danger, and Kevinar popped out of the bushes, a wide smile on his face.

“Good catch, Ryan. Surprised you saw me.”

“Yeah, me too!” I exclaimed. My other two comrades turned and were heading back in our direction. We came together, ready for news.

“Two orcs on patrol,” Kevinar said. “We can wait them out, but they are walking slow. I think it might be better if we skirt them.”

“With that elephant?” Ike asked, jabbing his pointy finger into my thigh.

Kevinar shrugged. “He’s got some sneak. If he makes the check, he’s golden.”

Brandosyeus nodded. “I can raise our stealth with a tune that will sound like bird song to their ears. Though if they make their saves or else resist by other means, it will instead sound like brazen insults against their families, and will almost certainly end in combat.”

We all stared at him with our mouths open.

“It’ll work,” he added.

Signaling agreement. we crouched low push forward under what we hoped was a cover of birdsong. We duckwalked on the other side of trees and bushes, blending into the underbrush as the orcish patrolmen walked by, their conversation carrying through the air.

Crouched in the shadows, we listened to two orcs, their gruff voices carrying a mix of discontent and worry as they talked in a broken common. We shared a glance; why weren’t they speaking the same language?

“Me say, we go now,” grunted the first orc, his voice rough like gravel. “No good, this fight. Goblins play us like drums in night. We dance, they laugh.”

“But chief families,” the other orc replied. “Them gone if we run. Goblins mean, they find new chief, one who nods and grunts yes to all.”

The first orc, frustration clear in his stance, scowled. “Not fair, not orc way. We Iron Tusk fight hard, challenge chief for lead. Goblins not, they steal and lie. I want smashing. Now we bowing to green-skins.”

The second orc growled. “Tribe AxeCleave same. But we smash, they burn. All families dead. And we leave, tribe breaks like twig. Then who strong? We wait, find right time to strike. Kill wizards, save families.”

The frustration was palpable in the Iron Tusk orc’s grunt. “Me hate waiting. Like sitting on sharp rock. But for chief, for family, for tribe, me wait.”

They stopped walking, and we followed suit, waiting in tense silence to see if they had discovered us.

The AxeCleave orc broke the silence. “Keep ax ready. Time comes, we show goblins Iron Tusk fury.”

“Yes. When drum beats, we answer. We show them Iron Tusk strength.”

The two orcs continued their patrol, and we shared a glance before continuing on past them, their conversation fading as they moved away, unaware of our presence.

In my vision, 3 notifications appeared.

+1/10 Perception

Quest Complete: Investigate Orcish Sympathies

Reward: +1000 XP

and

Quest Chain: The Orcs

Quest 2: Learn the Layout

Difficulty: Normal

Objectives: Discover the location of potential hostages and formulate a plan to rescue them

Rewards: Possible Alliance. 1000 XP

Penalties: The Annihilation of your people

After they’d been gone a while, I turned to my companions. “That was informative,” I whispered.

“It’s as we guessed, but more so,” Ike said. “It’s not just the chiefs. It’s all their NPCs as well. This isn’t going to be easy. We’re going to need to find out more about the layout and where everyone is at to have any hopes of springing them and freeing the orcs from the goblin command.”

“We might have to get the NPCs involved,” Brandosyeus muttered. Kevinar shook his head while Ike pahhed at the idea, and we continued forward.

The descent down the mountain's opposite slope was arduous. Thickets of dense undergrowth hid our approach, but also slowed us down, branches getting in the way more often than not. I found myself skirting around the clump of trees several times to avoid snapping wood or crackling through dead leaves. Above, the sun reached high noon, casting a golden hue over the rugged landscape. If we didn’t hurry, we were going to get there well past our time table.

Then, as we neared the northern edge of the camp, my foot caught on a hidden root. I stumbled, barely catching myself before I made a sound. My heart pounded in my chest, the close call reminding me of the deadliness of our situation.

We reached a secluded spot with a clear view of the camp. The orcish siesta was underway, the camp quiet with only a few guards on duty.

“Now’s our chance,” Kevinar whispered, peering through his modified goggles. The camp sprawled before us, a network of tents and fires, the orcs unaware of our presence.

I nodded, ready to make our move. This was it, the moment where we would find out if our plan could succeed, if we could turn these orcs from foes to allies.

Bunching together, we prepared to push forward and reconnoiter the place. But as we prepared to enter the camp, my foot snapped a twig. The sharp crack shattered the silence. An orc guard stopped, turning in our direction, his eyes narrowing and walking into the forest before us.

Quick as could, I lunged forward, seizing him before he could raise the alarm. My hands clamped over his mouth, muffling any sound he might make.

“Perfect! Genius! We need to get out of here,” Ike hissed, his eyes darting around for any signs of other guards. “We can interrogate him and find out everything we need to out in the thick!”

We retreated into the forest, dragging the orc with us. Strangely, he did not struggle, his eyes rolling over us in a manner that simply suggested resignation and helplessness. Carrying him in my arms, we moved out into the forest.