[Kara] Chapter 36: Leader (Patreon)

When Kara arrived at the center of the encampment and saw Caius standing there atop some boxes, she thought she knew what was going on. After all, she had given him a small pep talk a few days ago, telling him to tell the truth about the Dreamers as well as his relationship with Adam to the rest of the survivors of Alyona, just as she had told the truth to her.

And that was mostly what had happened, until the elf started going on about needing a new leader to unite them all. She was taken aback by that. But what she was even more shocked by was what he had said next.

It was the last thing she had ever expected. Certainly, it wasn’t even something she wanted. But the elf had said it loudly for everyone to hear.

That Kara of all people should have become the new Dark Lady of Alyona.

Everyone gathered there— from the ordinary dark elf citizens to even the captains of the companies— were shocked by what Caius had said. But none of them were as shocked as Kara herself.

She pointed at herself as she stared at the elf. “You want me to become the new ruler of Alyona?”

Caius just nodded as he proffered a hand at her. She was standing about a hundred feet away from him, trapped in the middle of the gathered crowd. But he wagged his fingers at her like he was ushering her forward.

“That is right, Kara,” the elf said. “You should be the new Dark Lady of Alyona.”

As he spoke, his words finally seemed to reach the crowd. Dark elves, trolls, minotaurs, and orcs alike all snapped out of their stupor. It was such a large crowd, there had to have been enough people here to fit into some of the largest sports stadiums back on Earth. And when they broke out into a babble of voices, it was hard to make out anything they said. But they all turned their gazes towards the human in utter confusion, making their thoughts clear.

Everyone was gathered here, but no one had expected that. Not Hayder, not Tashia, not Bushra, not Arjin, not Dammir, not Issa, not Uzbug, not Kurg, not Angel, and certainly not Kara herself.

That was why she couldn’t even blame them for their reaction. She saw the way they pointed at her. And she emphatically pointed at herself too.

“Me, a human,” she said flatly.

Her voice was almost drowned out by the crowd. And perhaps it was because of his elf ears, but he heard what she said as he smiled back.

“Yes, you,” Caius replied simply.

Kara pursed her lips at him. “Me, someone who has literally only stayed in your city for a few months.”

“Yes,” he repeated himself. “And the fact that you have only been here for such a short period of time makes you a perfect candidate as the new Dark Lady of Alyona.”

“I—” Kara started, but caught herself. She didn’t even know where to begin. The elf’s logic made no sense to her, and she was utterly befuddled.

However, it was clear to even Caius that everyone was taken by surprise by what he said. So he began to explain his reasoning.

“I can tell you’re all confused by my decision.” He looked down at the Helmet of Alyona, before looking back up towards her. “But right now, more than ever, we need someone who is strong— someone who can get us through this mess we're in. And you’ve all seen how powerful she is, right?”

The elf gestured at Kara as he turned to the rest of the crowd. Many dark elves exchanged hesitant glances, and she could hear their hushed voices.

“That is true…”

“Wasn’t she the one to bring down that human thief?”

“And she saved us from the forminac attacks!”

Hearing that, Kara bit her lower lip. She saw a few faces nodding, before she looked back towards Caius.

He grinned as he raised a finger in the air. “Exactly— Kara is the strongest person in this entire camp, and I know that for a fact. But more than that…”

Taking in a deep breath, Caius looked towards Hayder and the other captains. Kara watched as a serious expression washed over the elf’s face.

“As I said earlier, we also need someone who wasn’t responsible for perpetuating the lies we told you about Catherine— someone who wasn’t involved in keeping the Dreamers a secret from all of you. And the only person who fits both criteria is… Kara.”

All heads turned to Kara once again. And this time, there was no susurration of confused voices. They didn’t wear quizzical gazes. Instead, they seemed to consider the human. They heard the elf’s words, and they were almost persuaded by his argument.

But it still looked like many of them were on the fence about whether or not this was the right choice. There was some apprehension there— a sense of hesitancy which Kara could feel in the air.

And she opened her mouth as she felt their gazes all boring into her.

“I…” But she simply trailed off.

Looking down at herself, Kara closed her eyes. There was a pressure on her shoulder, almost telling her to accept this offer Caius had made for her— to assure the rest of the survivors of their safety, and to placate their expectations of her.

But then she thought of the times she had spent in Alyona. There were many memories she had of the Sanctuary City. From the time she first arrived and met Koros to the weeks she had spent training Arjin.

She had made quite a few friends since arriving there. And it was the first place she had ever felt safe since she was summoned to Xantos. And something was off. There was a feeling in her chest that she couldn’t shake off.

A feeling that stopped her from accepting the elf’s proposal.

Kara raised her head and spoke softly.

“No.”

Only those who were standing closest to her seemed to pick up on what she said. But they quickly whispered amongst each other, and her answer spread throughout the crowd like a raging wildfire in a forest.

Caius blinked a few times as she met his gaze.

“This isn’t right,” she said, louder this time.

And the elf definitely heard her as he opened his mouth. “But Kara—”

“I cannot be the Dark Lady of Alyona.” Kara swept her gaze over the crowd as she interrupted him. “Because as much as I liked your city, it was not my home.”

She felt the unsettling sensation in her chest ease, and she knew that she had made the right choice. After all, she had wanted to leave Alyona, right before the Sanctuary City went into lockdown.

How could she possibly be a good Dark Lady if that was how she behaved when her city was in danger?

The only reason why she didn’t leave was because she saw the Soulmaster’s machine waiting for her outside the barrier. And because of that, she had stayed behind.

Kara dismissed her thoughts as she heard the confusion spread throughout the crowd. She felt bad for those gathered here, because they were definitely trapped in an emotional rollercoaster, from the big reveal about the Dreamers to being told that a human should be their Dark Lady, only for her to reject it.

But still, Kara knew that this was what was right.

Caius worked his jaw as he stared at her. “If not you, Kara, then who?”

“The one who should be the ruler of Alyona—” she started as she stepped forward.

The elf blinked a few times, and she pointed at her.

“You, Caius,” Kara said as she met his gaze. “The one who should be the Dark Lord of Alyona is you.”

And that sent another ripple of whispered voices across the gathering of the survivors of Alyona.

—--

It was Caius’s turn to be taken by surprise as he saw Kara pointing at him. He couldn’t even comprehend her words for a long moment. And Kara continued as she placed a hand on her chest.

“Alyona was never my home. That is why I can’t be her ruler. But you?” Kara spoke simply, before pausing. She tilted her head back. “Well… perhaps you can say that you come from a different Sanctuary City— that your true home is Catherine. However, you and I both know that you care about the people of Alyona more than anything else in the world.”

“That’s…” Caius wanted to argue.

But he stopped himself. He thought about all the memories he had of the time he spent in Alyona. And he couldn’t even bring himself to reject what Kara had said.

“But that doesn’t mean I am fit to be a ruler,” the elf finally said as he looked over the crowd of faces before him. “I have done absolutely nothing to earn this title. In fact, I was one of the ones who kept the Dreamers a secret from Alyona.”

Kara snorted as she crossed her arms. “And so do I— Koros told me about it on the first day I arrived, but I didn’t say anything. So we’re both equally as unqualified.”

“You didn’t keep it a secret for ten years, Kara.” Caius clenched his fists, his guilt evident on his face.

“I kept that secret for as long as I was in Alyona, just as you did. So we are the same.” Kara grinned back at him, before she gestured vaguely around her. “But tell me: who do the people of Alyona think would be a better ruler?”

And in response, she was met with a deafening silence. No one in the crowd spoke— the hushed voices faded away as she looked at them expectantly. Caius shifted his feet, feeling a bead of sweat slid down the back of his head.

The tiny droplet of perspiration dropped to the ground, and the elf swore he could hear its soft splash. That was how quiet the crowd had become. Even when faced with a hundred thousand faces, no one spoke.

But Caius could see the uncertain looks and faces appearing in clusters throughout the massive gathering. He could almost feel their disapproval of him. And even though that should have reassured him that Kara was wrong, he couldn’t bring himself to grin in triumph.

He just waited, holding in a long breath as he hoped for someone to break the silence. And finally, someone did.

An old lady— a dark elf woman— stepped forward. Her back was hunched, and she was terribly worn down from the forced traveling. Even still, she raised a stick and pointed at Caius.

“That young man has helped me more times than I can count, even when nobody else would look my way. He has my vote to be our Dark Lord.”

The elf’s eyes grew wide. He almost sighed in relief as he stared at her. He vaguely remembered her face— having helped her a handful of times when she was out shopping for groceries.

But she wasn’t the only one who had something to say about him. A pair of dark elves— a mother and a daughter— nodded as they spoke in agreement.

“That elf boy was the one who saved my daughter from those forminac monsters,” the mother said as she bowed her head. “Without him, I would have no one left in my family…”

“Thank you, Mr Caius!” the daughter exclaimed as she beamed, a stark juxtaposition to the morose face her mother wore.

And there were so many more. People who Caius recognized— those he helped recently.

A little orc girl raised her pet rat in the air as she smiled. “Without Mr Caius, Ratty wouldn’t be here right now!”

“This one is forever grateful to the elf for saving this one’s son from bullying,” a lanky minotaur said, placing a hand on his teenage son.

Even Arjin stepped forward as she placed a hand on her chest. “Mr Caius saved me from being attacked— twice. Well, Ms Kara helped out both times too. But it was Caius who was the one who ended up resolving it…”

“I’m hurt, Arjin,” Kara said with a grin. “I can’t believe you’d betray me like that.”

“Sorry, Ms Kara…” Arjin bowed apologetically.

And Kara just waved a hand dismissively. “I’m kidding—”

But it wasn’t just people who Caius had recently helped out. There were those who he barely even remembered. He thought their faces were vaguely familiar, but many of them he didn’t recognize at all.

“Eight years ago, when my shop was burning, Caius came and put out the fire for me…” a dark elf said, closing his eyes.

He was a middle-aged man. But when Caius squinted, he could make out the familiar face of a younger shopkeep, covered in ash and tears as he knelt on the ground in gratitude.

—--

Once again, Caius had gotten into an altercation with one of the captains. He knew that he was at fault— that he shouldn’t have gotten into a fight just because Karwan insulted him. So Caius knew he was going to be reprimanded by Koros.

That was why he decided to go out on a stroll to cool his mind before that could happen.

And as he turned a street corner, he saw a commotion gathered around a shop. He saw a bright orange flame, blowing out a curtain of gray smoke up into the cave ceiling. He knew that a patrol of guards would arrive soon enough and help extinguish the fire.

But Caius caught a glimpse of a young man— a dark elf who looked to be in his mid twenties. He was crying, begging someone to save his shop.

And while the elf didn’t know why he did it, seeing that scene drove him to act. Because for whatever reason, helping others always seemed to put his mind at ease…

—--

And Caius snapped back to reality as another dark elf youth stepped forward. He was a teenager— looking to be just on the cusp of adulthood. He placed a hand on his chest as he nodded at the elf.

“When I ran away from my home five years ago, it was Caius who found me and convinced me to reconcile with my father—”

—--

Caius strode through the narrow alleyways of the upper tunnels, going about his nightly patrols of the area. There was no reason for him to do this. He didn’t get paid like an ordinary guardsman. He was not a soldier of any of the companies.

But he wanted to do this anyway. To help those who were in need. Because he wanted to be accepted by the Sanctuary City of Alyona.

Or that was what he told Koros whenever he got in trouble anyway.

He didn’t actually care about being accepted in the slightest. He knew it would never happen, so nothing he did would make a difference.

“Hm?” His ears twitched as he heard a soft sobbing.

He peered down a dark alley, and he saw a little boy crouched there, crying quietly. Caius hid his bow and arrow and gently called out.

“Hey, is everything alright?”

And he listened as the little boy explained everything that happened— about all the problems the little boy experienced with his father, which led to him running away. But even though Caius didn’t do much, the little boy thanked him at the end of it all, before returning to his home.

Smiling, the elf watched the little boy go. And Cauis knew that the real reason he did all this was because he found it calming. He didn’t know why, but he just enjoyed this. Even if he couldn’t fully comprehend the reasoning behind it.

—--

Now, the little boy stood before Caius, having become a teenager, practically an adult.

“If not for what Caius did for me that day, I wouldn’t have been there for my father when he died…” the dark elf youth said.

Caius stared for a moment, hearing this story of what he did. And then he looked over to the rest of the crowd. What had previously been mostly talks of concern had quickly been replaced by stories from those who the elf had helped in the past.

But I didn’t do it for you— Caius wanted to say, but the words only echoed as a thought in his mind. I did it for myself…

He tried to speak, but he was stunned into silence. He heard their stories. He recalled what he had done for them throughout the years. Even though he had done what he did for them, but himself instead, they still thanked him.

They drowned out the voices of disapproval, looking towards him in the same way they used to look towards Dark Lord Koros. Seeing this, Caius wanted to shrink back.

I didn’t do any of this for your approval, he tried to speak.

But his voice was caught in his throat. He could only stare back at them as they looked up at him. And when he thought that their stories of what he did for them were finally coming to an end, a green figure stepped forward.

A muscular orc. Clearly young, but still an adult. He raised his head and placed a hand on his chest, speaking loudly for all to hear.

“The Swordtooth Clan will stand with the people of Alyona if Caius the elf is made to be their leader,” Kurg bellowed.

And a larger orc standing behind him stared in shock. “What?”

But Kurg just continued, ignoring the voices of outrage coming from most of his fellow orcs.

“When we first arrived in Alyona, my sister, who is young and frail, caught a deadly illness. Our healers couldn’t save her, and no herbalist or alchemist in the Sanctuary City would provide me their services because I was an orc. But Caius came—”

And the elf remembered.

—--

“Well, if you can’t serve orcs, you can serve me,” Caius said as he gestured at the two orcs casually.

Kurg and his sister looked at the elf with wide eyes. The herbalist— a dark elf lady— was practically tearing her hair out as she tried to argue with Caius.

“That’s not how it works— you can’t just buy the medicine for them! That defeats the purpose of my ‘no orc’ policy!”

Caius shrugged. “I don’t see how that’s my problem. Your policy is stupid anyway. And trust me, if I tell Koros that you refused to sell me your wares, you will have a massive problem on your hands…”

—--

“And today, Mursha is still alive, thanks to Caius,” Kurg finished.

The elf remembered this story very clearly. It had happened only a few months ago, and it had been the first time he had to help out a member of the orc clans. He was surprised to find out that the person he helped ended up being the heir of the Swordtooth Clan.

Now, Kurg stood tall, even as he endorsed Caius, much to the chagrin of many of his fellow orcs. The same large orc from earlier stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“Boy, how dare you—”

But another group of orcs stepped forward. These orcs were younger, and they hadn’t been together with Kurg or the members of the Swordtooth Clan.

“If the Swordtooth Clan chooses to fall under the banner of Alyona, then so does the Ironhide Clan!” one of the orcs said.

Another orc nodded. “The elf was the one who helped bring down that human who killed Grok…”

The orc looked familiar, but before Caius could get a good look at his face, he turned away as he scratched his cheek.

“Even if the elf also attacked Grok before that happened…” the orc added under his breath. And it was clear the other disgruntled orcs couldn’t voice their disagreements at that moment, after seeing the support from the Ironhide Clan.

Caius didn’t hear the last part, but he saw their endorsement. Everywhere he looked, he saw those he vaguely recognized or knew, retelling tales of what he did. And he finally found his voice. He opened his mouth to speak.

“But… that still doesn’t explain anything— why me?” Caius said as he looked at the crowd once over. “How am I even qualified to be the Dark Lord of Alyona?”

And Kara spoke up once again, striding to the front of the gathering. “Dark Lord Koros took you in as his ward for a reason, Caius.”

Blinking, Caius remembered all the times he had spent with Koros. The elf would be brought to important meetings, or be forced to watch as the Dark Lord filled out paperwork for hours on end. More than anyone else in all of Alyona, Caius had seen exactly what kind of duties Koros had to carry out.

“Koros gave the Helmet of Alyona to you,” Kara continued, coming to a halt before the stack of crates. She pointed at the black object the elf had in his hand. “Don’t you think that means something?”

“I…” Caius looked down at the Helmet of Alyona— the crown and helmet that was mixed into a single artifact. He peered into its hollow eyes, and he almost saw Dark Lord Koros staring back at him with an expectant look.

The elf didn’t know what to say. He just stood there as he looked up, and he saw the crowd staring at him with the same anticipation as the lifeless helmet. But then he saw a figure moving through the mass of people.

He saw the group of captains make their way to the front, led by Hayder. They stopped right before Kara as they eyed her. She just shrugged back at them, and they turned towards the elf.

Hayder looked up as Caius almost shrank back. The elf was certain he was in trouble. He was surprised he wasn’t reprimanded the moment he had sounded the alarm to gather everyone here.

“Caius—” Hayder started, but then paused. “No…”

The Captain of the First Company lowered his head as everyone stared at him. The survivors of Alyona looked towards the man who had kept them alive this far. And he… dropped to one knee.

“Dark Lord Caius.”

Caius’s eyes grew wide when he heard that. The other captains exchanged a hesitant glance. But Tashia immediately joined Hayder.

“Dark Lord Caius,” she repeated after him.

And that spurred the other captains to drop to their knees— many of whom were the very same ones who had rejected his presence in Alyona ten years ago— until they were all kneeling before the elf.

“Dark Lord Caius,” they said in unison.

As they spoke, throughout the crowd, dark elves, orcs, trolls, minotaurs, and even the few dwarves that were around all began to drop to their knees as well. Caius stared at this— as almost everyone who was gathered here turned to him like they had turned to Dark Lord Koros.

The elf’s gaze drifted down towards a human who was standing right below him. She had her arms across her chest, and a smirk plastered across her cheeks.

“Seems like the people of Alyona have made their choice,” she said simply. “Congratulations on your new title, Dark Lord Caius.”

And Caius looked back up. He saw this scene unfold— a scene which he had only ever seen in his dreams. Even though he hadn’t done what he did for anyone’s approval… even though he did it for himself… he couldn’t help but fight back his tears as he saw the way the survivors of Alyona finally accepted him.

He looked down at the lifeless helmet staring back at him as his tears dripped down onto its cheeks. He raised it up to his head as he steeled himself, taking in the crowd before him with his own eyes once again.

Was this what you wanted, Koros? Caius asked in his head as he burned this memory into his mind. You always were such a shrewd man…

Finally, the elf donned the Helmet of Alyona. And the survivors of the Sanctuary City cheered.

—--

Most of the crowd began to disperse after Caius was chosen to become the new Dark Lord of Alyona. While a majority of the people there seemed to be happy about this outcome, Kara could tell that not everyone was pleased.

“How could we let an elf be the new Dark Lord of Alyona? This is ridiculous! Storms above, Alyona is a city built by dark elves…”

“Has there ever even been a Dark Lord or Dark Lady who was not a dark elf?”

“There was Dark Lord Zor— I know he was a troll.”

“And he was one of the worst Dark Lords we have ever had!”

The last statement was met with a barrage of disagreements. In fact, it even instigated some outrage by those who admired Dark Lord Zor.

“Cursed souls, how could you possibly say that?”

“Dark Lord Zor saved Alyona from destruction by slaying the Mother Giant Centipede on his own!”

“And he did it at the cost of his own life!”

Kara pursed her lips as she heard many of the conversations devolve into various arguments that were unrelated to Caius being the Dark Lord. It served as enough of a distraction right now to prevent any actual opposition from propping up.

Perhaps things would change once the survivors of Alyona made it to safety. And it could change in either a good or bad way. Either those who were resistant against Caius as a Dark Lord would warm up to the idea, or those who supported this might change their mind.

But the most ardent supporters stayed behind to listen to Caius as he gave his first speech as the Dark Lord of Alyona. He wore the same helmet Koros did, which not only made him speak as loud as a Speaking Scroll, it also made his voice deeper and more intimidating.

“...while I understand that we still have a difficult road ahead of us, I assure you we will make it through the Ashfields—”

Caius seemed almost like a completely different person. And he stood there, surrounded by the captains of the remaining companies, calmly addressing any concerns the remaining crowd might have.

“Dark Lord Caius, where will we go once we leave the Ashfields? Should we head to the other Sanctuary Cities? And if so, would we go to Tatania or would we go to Yulia?”

“I think we should head to Tatania because it is further away from this mess…”

“But Yulia is far more populated and safer—”

And the new Dark Lord of Alyona just raised his hands placatingly. “I will speak with my captains and discuss the most viable and tactical decision.”

He looked down at Hayder who simply nodded back in return.

Kara smiled, watching as Caius settled into his new role. She was glad. And that was for two reasons. The first was because she had seen the look on his face before he wore the Helmet of Alyona.

He had been overwhelmed with joy.

She had almost thought he looked like a kid who received praise from his parents for the first time. Seeing him cry made her want to tear up too. But she had managed to stop herself from doing so, after he wore his helmet.

And the second reason Kara was glad was for a simpler reason: she was relieved that she didn’t have to be the Dark Lady of Alyona.

Immediately, Caius was inundated with a deluge of responsibilities. And when she saw all the work he had to do as soon as he became the Dark Lord of Alyona, she knew she made the right choice to off-load that responsibility to him.

“I definitely wouldn’t be able to survive a single week as the leader of so many people…” she muttered under her breath as she turned to Angel.

He yawned and gestured at her to hurry. The utlas bear had wanted to go to bed for a while now, and he was starting to get impatient. So Kara briskly walked up to him as she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go back.”

But as the two of them made their way towards their tent, they spotted a commotion breaking between a group of orcs. Kara’s brows snapped together as she turned to Angel.

“Now, what is going on?”

—--

Kurg knew that standing up and speaking out for Caius as a Dark Lord would have earned him the ire of many of the seniors of the Swordtooth Clan. But he did it anyway, regardless of what consequences he could face.

Perhaps he would have had to deal with it much sooner. However, the Ironhide Clan had stood up for him, throwing their support behind his decision. And he was grateful for it.

Daka and Piggu were the two main orcs from the Ironhide Clan who had stepped up at that moment. Kurg knew the both of them through Grok— they had always hung out together, spending their nights downing booze in the back alleys of the upper tunnels.

But even before their clans arrived in Alyona, they had vaguely known each other. Kurg mostly knew Grok, because the two of them would often meet during inter-clan meetings. That was how they became friends.

And while it pained Kurg to know that Grok was dead, he was grateful that their friendship somehow remained strong, even now.

It had pushed back the confrontation he knew he was going to have until after Caius became a Dark Lord. And now, after nearly an hour since Kurg’s endorsement, he was finally cornered by Olarg and his retinue of seniors.

A few of the juniors of the Swordtooth Clan were gathered there as well. But they were outnumbered three-to-one. So they stood to the side as Olarg towered over Kurg.

“Boy… do you not know what you have just done?” Olarg’s voice rumbled.

But Kurg didn’t flinch, calmly meeting the other orc’s gaze. “As the Elder of the Swordtooth Clan, I made a decision based on my own discretion. Do you have an issue with that, Senior Olarg?”

Olarg blinked. “Do I have an issue…?”

And then he guffawed. He drew a hatchet from his side and brandished it threateningly.

“You are not the Elder of the Swordtooth Clan, do you not understand? You do not speak for us, boy.”

“Except you are the one who does not understand your position, Senior Olarg.” Kurg met the larger orc’s glare. “My father was the Elder of the Swordtooth Clan, and as far as I am aware, that makes me his heir. I do not recall him ever saying anything about making you his heir.”

Olarg’s eyes flickered as he nodded at his entourage of other orcs. They began to draw their weapons, and he turned back to Kurg.

“I will not repeat myself, boy. Do I have to make you understand this—” Olarg started.

And Kurg punched him in the balls. Olarg let out a low groan and doubled over, clutching onto his nether-regions. The gathered orcs blinked in surprise. Even those who were on Kurg’s side seemed to be taken aback by what just happened.

Kurg had finally had enough. After everything he had forced himself to endure, he had reached his breaking point. He was no longer going to let himself be trampled over by anyone else. After all, that was not what his father would do.

Even Olarg had been taken completely by surprise. And it hadn’t even been a weak punch either. Kurg had used the full force of his Fifteenth Core: Mighty Strike. It was one of his most powerful Manacore Abilities. If he had struck an ordinary orc on the face, he could have killed them with ease.

But Olarg was no ordinary orc. As far as Kurg knew, Olarg’s manacore was at roughly around Tier 20. So Kurg knew that Olarg would have been able to tank the hit without dying.

Maybe if Kurg wore his spiked knuckles, he would have been able to deal even more damage…

As it was right now, that attack wouldn’t have been able to incapacitate Olarg. And that was why Kurg didn’t stop with a single punch. Olarg raised his head as he opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by a kick to his groin.

This time, Olarg dropped to the ground as he yelped. But Kurg didn’t stop there. He continued stomping on Olarg’s balls as the gathered orcs watched in horror at what was playing out before them.

When Olarg’s voice was reduced to a mere whimper, Kurg cleared his throat and stepped back.

“Do not threaten me, Senior Olarg. I am the Elder of the Swordtooth Clan. I suggest you watch your bloody tone when talking to me from now on. Is that understood?”

Kurg spoke emphatically as Olarg glared back up at him. The other seniors finally broke out of their stupor, and one of them stepped forward with a sword raised.

“How dare you attack Senior Olarg—” he started.

But another orc— Junior Rakgu— intercepted the senior, drawing a sword and parrying the strike. “And how dare you try to attack our Elder?”

“You dare, junior?” the senior said angrily as he recoiled from the parried strike.

The other seniors raised their weapons as the juniors joined Kurg’s side. He stood tall, refusing to back down, even as they were surrounded. Most of the juniors were weaker than the seniors. And that was not to mention that they were outnumbered.

But even as Olarg forced himself back to his feet, gasping for his breath, Kurg didn’t flinch.

“Do you think…” Olarg wheezed. “I would let you… get away… with that… you coward?”

Kurg snorted as he glared at the other orc. “Who is the real coward here, Senior Olarg? You are my father’s right hand man, but where were you when he died?”

“That’s—” Olarg gritted his teeth.

A few of his entourage of orcs exchanged hesitant glances. It seemed they never considered that. But Olarg snarled and raised his hatchet.

“And what about you, boy? Running away and leaving Elder Klogg to die instead of fighting to save his life?”

“My father sacrificed himself to save my life. I wasn’t even conscious when that happened. And I regret not being there for him every single night before when I go to bed. Now, where are your regrets? If I were you, I’d step down as a senior out of shame!”

Kurg’s voice made the seniors standing alongside Olarg recoil. They shifted back, and the juniors standing with Kurg stepped forward. But Olarg didn’t seem to wear a hint of embarrassment on his face.

“I have bloody had enough of you, boy—” He stepped forward and brought up his hatchet.

Kurg tensed, and the rest of the juniors readied themselves for a fight. The other seniors apprehensively moved to back up Olarg. But before anyone could strike out, a voice spoke up from the side.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Olarg froze mid-swing. But that wasn’t out of his own volition. A hand caught his arm from behind, and he blinked. He spun around to face a human standing there in between the orcs.

“You—”

“Madam Human?” Kurg stared at the blonde woman who hadn’t been here just moments before. She had moved so fast, he didn’t even realize she arrived.

“Just call me Kara.” Kara rolled her eyes, before looking towards Olarg. “Anyways, I’m not going to let you do that. So how about you give it a rest, already.”

“This is none of your business, human,” Olarg growled.

He tried to snatch his arm away from her, but she refused to let go. He couldn’t even budge from where he stood.

She sighed, “I’d rather a fight not break out here in the middle of the camp— especially when Angel and I are about to head to bed. Your fighting is going to wake us up, and Angel does not like it when someone interrupts his sleep.”

The orcs looked towards the utlas bear who was standing to the side, both his faces growling. Olarg pursed his lips. And Kara finally let go of him.

“So what say we all go to bed and cool off, alright?”

Olarg backed away from her, barely even able to stand up straight because of all the strikes he took to his groin. His face twisted into a scowl, before he spun around.

“Fine.” He strode away as most of his entourage trailed after him, but some of them stayed behind. Gritting his teeth, he faced Kurg one last time. “But this isn’t over, boy—”

However, one glare from Kurg immediately made Olarg wince, shifting his legs.

“...I will bring up this matter again tomorrow, Elder Kurg,” Olarg finally said as he turned away, his disdain evident in his voice.

And Kurg exhaled in relief as he watched Olarg go. Most of the juniors there spat or jeered when they heard that. But the Elder of the Swordtooth Clan didn’t join in on that, instead turning to Kara with a smile.

“Thank you, Kara. For offering me your aid once again. I am truly grateful for it.”

“Don’t worry too much about it.” She waved a hand dismissively at him. “That guy was being a jerk anyways. He deserved to get punched in the balls. So good on you for that.”

Kurg chuckled as he looked towards the seniors who stayed behind. Some of them seemed like they wanted to apologize. Perhaps Kurg’s show of strength and his words changed their minds. But he would deal with them later.

For now, he had another thought in his mind.

“Kara, you are quite strong, are you not?” he asked, looking the human up and down. “I have heard so much about your feats.”

She scratched the back of her head. “Uh, I guess you could say that? But why do you ask?”

“I have a request for you. It is a simple one, so do not be alarmed.” Kurg spoke reassuringly as he faced her.

“...sure?” she replied hesitantly.

And Kurg nodded as he placed a hand on his chest. “It is something I have wanted to ask of you from the very first time we met. But because of many complications, I haven’t been able to make this requisition. But… would you like to spar with me?”

“That’s—” Kara opened her mouth.

She clearly didn’t expect that request from Kurg. In fact, by the look on her face, he probably thought it was a joke. But when she met his gaze, she realized he was serious.

And she sighed. “...maybe some other time. I’m going to sleep now.”

Kurg grinned. “Then I look forward to it.”

Author's Notes:

6.5k words. Thanks for reading :)

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