[Kara] Chapter 16: Orc Clans (Patreon)

Arjin could hear the shouts coming from outside the inn. She hugged herself as she stood in the empty common room, before forcing herself to raise her head and look through the window. When she saw the angry green faces waiting for her, she almost recoiled.

Her fingers tightened around the sleeves of her shirt. She felt her knees threatening to give in beneath her weight. But it was not their angry glares that made her tremble. It was simply seeing their faces that terrified her to the bone. After all—

—--

The prostitute stared at the body before her as she processed what was going on. It happened so fast, she didn’t understand it at all. She had been walking back to the inn after a long day’s work when she was suddenly attacked by a familiar orc.

She hadn’t even been able to get a word out, let alone fight back. All she knew was that she was being strangled— that she couldn’t breathe. And then suddenly, she was lying on the ground, gasping for air. Then when she looked up…

Arjin saw a pair of lifeless eyes staring back at her.

The orc that had just been trying to murder her was dead, a hole puncturing his throat. His lifeless green face was still glaring at her even in death. A pool of blood formed beneath his corpse, staining her silver dagger a dark shade of red. She took in this sight. She processed this scene.

And then she screamed—

—--

Everything that happened after that was a blur. Arjin’s loud scream drew the attention of a passing minotaur who then called the guards. But that had only attracted more eyes to the scene. And then she was accused of being the one who committed the killing.

She was taken in for questioning, and for whatever reason, was cleared from being a suspect, before being let go. However, that wasn’t enough proof of her innocence for some.

The orc who died was apparently an important member of the Ironhide Clan. And some of their members were convinced of her guilt.

So they accused her of being a murderer. Even though the one truly responsible for it had apparently been found a day later, it didn’t matter. They continued to harass her every single day as she tried to return to her life, reminding her of what happened back then.

She was forced to relive that moment again and again every time she walked down a street. Because as soon as she stepped outside, she’d get spat on or shouted at, and all she could remember was the dead orc’s face.

And now, she couldn’t even face an orc without shaking. She would get sick whenever she looked at one passing her by on the street. So much so that she had refused to work today. To avoid all the angry orcs. But that had only brought them to her.

She lowered her gaze, turning away from the crowd that was gathered outside. They continued to cause a ruckus— they were clamoring for her.

“Murderer,” they shouted. “We’ll make you pay for what you’ve done!”

Arjin flinched at that. She was certain they would have rushed into the inn and ripped her apart if she had been alone. But they stayed outside thanks to Dammir who had barricaded the front door.

“Oi, get off my damn property, ye slime-faced bastards!” the innkeeper shouted, raising a fist out the window.

In response, a large rock the size of his head came hurling in. He barely ducked under it as it crashed and smashed apart a stone chair.

The dwarf rose back to his feet as he yelled, “If ye do that one more time—”

He opened his mouth. But he was immediately met by another large rock being thrown at the inn. He dodged it once again as he cursed. The orcs laughed at his reaction.

He marched back to his smith and grabbed a large hammer. He started for the doorway, cursing under his breath.

“I’m going ta teach those bastards a lesson…”

“D-Dammir—” Arjin spoke up, and he paused. “You don’t have to do this for me. Please.”

“I’m not doin’ this for ye— I mean, I am. But these damn orcs are makin’ a mockery of me and my inn!” The dwarf shook his head and hefted his hammer over his shoulder.

He looked through the window at the crowd of orcs gathered outside. There had to have been about twenty of them. But he scoffed at their numbers.

“Besides, I can take ‘em. Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I can’t handle a few of those meatheads.”

“But—” Arjin started.

And a voice interrupted her, coming from outside. “That’s enough!”

It drew the attention of Dammir as well as all the orcs. Everyone turned to face who it was. Standing down the street was…

“Kara?”

Arjin blinked.

—--

Kara approached the group of orcs without any hesitation. She didn’t even bother to ignite her Dragon’s Scales as she got close. But she was prepared for a fight. After all, she was now in the good graces of the city itself, so she could afford to cause a little bit of trouble, and Hayder couldn’t just lock her up for a tiny ordeal.

At least, that was what she told herself as she came to a halt before the orcs. There were twenty of them, and they all were built like they were warriors. This was unlike the group of orcs that had confronted Arjin on the first day Kara arrived in Alyona, before being taken out by Caius. Those orcs had been more pudgy than muscular.

The gathered orcs towered over Kara as she came to a halt before them. Their gazes bore into her, their anger was palpable. It almost looked like they were ready to attack her right this moment. Or at least, that was what she thought. Until they began to exchange confused glances with each other.

“A human?” one of them, the largest of them all, asked, clearly taken aback by her presence. “What is a human doing here?”

Another of the orcs took a step back and shook his head. “I know her— she’s Kara!”

“Who’s that?” The first orc narrowed his eyes.

And the other orcs explained to him.

Kara blinked as they caught the first orc up to speed. When she had moved to intervene, she had expected threats or even a fight. But instead of a tense confrontation with the orcs, she was met with a confused discussion.

“So this human is the one who killed Levi?” the first orc asked.

“That’s right, Sir,” another orc answered.

The first orc furrowed his brows. “And who is Levi?”

“He’s the human thief who stole from the city, Sir.”

“Wait, why would a human kill another human?”

“I don’t know.”

“That makes no sense—”

Kara scratched the back of her head, watching as they tried to get the story right. The fact that they were getting things mixed up didn’t surprise her. It was to be expected from a world that lacked easy access to information. For news to be disseminated would require word of mouth. And that was the most unreliable way to learn things.

That was why there was some confusion here. But was that going to be enough to resolve this standoff without a fight?

Kara hoped so.

“So what you’re saying is that this human is strong?” the first orc asked as he crossed his arms.

“That’s right,” one of the orcs piped up. “And she has a utlas bear that is really strong— we shouldn’t mess with her at all.”

“Oh, is she strong?” The first orc smirked, his demeanor changing as he turned to face Kara. “If you’re strong, then show me what you’ve got! As the heir of the Swordtooth Clan, I’m always up for a good fight!”

She narrowed her eyes as he stepped forward. He flexed his muscles and put on a pair of spiked knuckles, facing her down. You can’t be serious, right? she thought as she stared at him.

But before she could speak up, another orc raised a hand.

“Kurg, Sir, aren’t you getting distracted?”

“Getting distracted… how?” Kurg asked as he glanced back quizzically.

“We’re here to make that prostitute pay for killing Grok,” the group of orcs replied all at once. “That’s what you brought us out here for, Sir.”

Kurg blinked, then his eyes went wide. “That’s right—”

Is he an idiot? Kara stared at him.

He turned away from her as he spoke apologetically. “I am sorry, but our duel will have to be postponed for a later date. I have to settle the score with a murderer.”

But at least I understand what’s going on now, she continued internally and stepped forward. “Sorry, but I can’t let you do that. That prostitute you’re after, Arjin? She’s my friend.”

Kurg’s brows snapped together as he halted. He crossed his burly arms across his chest, turning to face Kara. “That prostitute was responsible for killing Grok— he was like a brother to me, and now he’s dead because of her.”

“Except— that’s not true,” Kara said as she placed her hands on her hips. “Arjin didn’t kill anyone. She was framed for a murder she didn’t commit by Levi. And I’ve already dealt with him.”

That made Kurg blinked. “Is that true? Was Grok murdered by that human thief and not the prostitute?”

The group of orcs exchanged uneasy glances. And none of them gave a certain answer.

“That’s not what I heard…”

“Why would a human thief come after us?”

“Elder Golag of the Ironhide Clan told me that it was the prostitute who was responsible for it—”

But an orc that hadn’t spoken up the entire time finally stepped forward. He was the least muscular of the lot, and he almost seemed familiar.

“Actually,” he said as he raised a hand, “I believe I heard the same thing from some guards.”

“Wait, why didn’t you tell me this sooner, Daka?” Kurg stared in disbelief. “And are you absolutely certain of this?”

Kara took her opportunity to speak up at that moment. “Daka— or whatever his name is— is right. The one who was responsible for your friend’s death is dead. I can attest to that.”

Kurg placed a hand on his chin as he nodded slowly. “I… see.”

He stood there in thought, and a susurration swept over the gathered orcs. Some of his companions looked as confused as he was, while others exchanged uneasy glances. Kara took this opportunity to speak up.

“Arjin did nothing to Grok. I know you’re upset, but please, direct your anger elsewhere.”

Kurg seemed to consider this for a long moment. But when he was about to make a decision, an orc standing right next to him protested.

“You can’t be serious, Sir! Why should we trust those guards when they’ve done nothing for us?”

“Actually, according to the guards, it was said by Dark Lord Koros himself,” Daka added hesitantly.

“It makes no difference,” the other orc continued. “Why should we trust him? What has he ever done for our people?”

It was a rhetorical question. The orc obviously didn’t expect an answer. But he received one anyway.

“Koros let you into the city,” a voice said from behind Kara. She glanced back to see Caius striding forward casually, his hands in his pockets. “When you needed a place to stay, he gave you shelter. When you were hungry, he gave you something to eat. Is that not enough of a reason to trust his words?”

Kurg eyed the elf in recognition. “You’re… Caius?”

“Hey, Kurg. It’s been a while. How’s your little sister doing?” Caius waved back casually.

“She is doing better now. Your—” Kurg opened his mouth to say something, then paused. He looked the elf in the eyes seriously. “If you can assure me that this prostitute is innocent, then I will leave her alone.”

“She is innocent.”

“I see.”

Kurg closed his eyes, before nodding to himself. He drew back as he removed the spiked knuckles from his hands.

“Very well, then. Let us return.”

He started away from the inn as his companions looked at him in disbelief.

“What?”

“You can’t be serious, right?”

“But Kurg—”

Some of them protested, but they ultimately followed him, leaving the scene. Kara sighed in relief, glad that everything was resolved peacefully. While she was prepared to fight, she didn’t want to. Not because she couldn’t win. But because—

“Good on you, Kara,” Caius said, interrupting her thoughts. He gave her an approving look. “Kurg is Elder Klogg’s oldest son. If you had started a fight with him there, you’d have made things much worse for the city.”

“And who is Elder Klogg?” Kara asked as she glanced back at the elf.

He waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, just the leader of the Swordtooth clan, or the largest orc clan in the city. The Ironhide Clan has just under ten thousand members. Meanwhile, the Swordtooth Clan has over twenty thousand. So… not a big deal.”

Shaking her head, Kara drew away from the elf. “And how does Kurg know you? Why’d he listen to you of all people?”

“Because I saved his sister’s life,” Caius said simply.

“So you’re saying you could’ve intervened sooner.” Kara gave him a flat stare.

“Yes.” He grinned back at her. “But I wanted to see how you handled the situation.”

She rolled her eyes as she walked towards the inn. “The next time you ask me for help, I’m not going to help you for free. You’re going to have to pay me money.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’re going to be paid for helping clear out the lower tunnels—”

—--

“Ye scared them away. I knew ye could do it. I mean, I coulda handled them myself, but I knew it would be better ta leave it ta ye.”

Dammir nodded approvingly as Kara entered the innsmith. She shrugged back at him.

“Well, I’m just glad that not all orcs are bad. Even if some of them are stupid. Let’s hope they don’t bother Arjin again.”

“I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen…” the dwarf said as his brows creased. “Orcs are very tribalistic. Yer gonna hafta convince their clan elders if you want ta get them ta leave Arjin alone.”

Now, Kara wasn’t sure how she was going to do that. She pursed her lips as she looked up towards the prostitute standing alone at the back of the common room.

“Are you alright, Arjin?” Kara asked as she approached her friend.

Or were they even friends? They’d only know each other for a few weeks at this point. So perhaps not. But they were close enough for Kara to be concerned for Arjin’s wellbeing.

The dark elf woman shifted where she stood. “I’m… fine.”

“Are you sure?” Kara asked, before proffering a skewer of centipede eyes. “I got you some food in case you’re hungry.”

“I— thank you. But I just need to… lie down for a bit.” Arjin shook her head and drew back. She started up the stairs slowly. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Right.” Kara watched the prostitute go. And then she turned around when she heard a voice pipe up.

Caius stood at the doorway as he waved back at her. “I’m going to head out too, Kara. Meet me at the city gates tomorrow. We’ll have to obtain a permit from Koros before we can delve into the lower tunnels.”

Kara nodded back at him. “See you then.”

And then it was her and the dwarf. Dammir huffed as he began to clean up the mess that was caused by the orcs.

“I’m gonna hafta replace these damn chairs…” he grumbled.

Kara turned to him with her lips drawn into a thin line. “Will Arjin be fine?”

He paused, in the middle of sweeping up the broken bits of rock. He tilted his head back in thought. “I am not so sure, myself. Arjin has always been able to handle the harassment that comes from her job. But this time, it’s almost different.”

“Doesn’t she have any family or friends to turn to?” Kara asked hopefully.

And the dwarf shook his head at her. “Nay.”

She frowned. “Why not? What happened to them?”

“Prostitution is not normal amongst dark elves, even in a Sanctuary City like Alyona. Even if it is allowed here, it is seen as immoral. Only orcs and minotaurs tend ta use their services. And to make matters worse, Arjin is from a small dark elf town. Her friends and family abandoned her when she started her job.”

“Why does Arjin do it, then?” Kara eyed the dwarf curiously. “Does she want to be a prostitute?”

“Of course not!” he harrumphed. “But she comes from a lineage of warriors. When they arrived in Alyona, they all joined the city guards except for her. Because she has never been much of a fighter in the first place. And because of their culture, they refused to help provide for her— they believed she had to stand on her own. That she had to provide for herself. So she turned to prostitution to survive.”

“I… see.”

Kara felt terrible. And it was for multiple reasons. Sure, she certainly felt bad for Arjin, having to be forced through this horrible situation.

In a way, Kara could relate, being unwanted by her own family.

But more than that, she felt guilty about not knowing all this. The fact that Arjin was going through all this, and Kara didn’t know about any of it.

I guess we really aren’t friends yet, huh? the thought crossed Kara’s mind.

She looked up the stairway— in the direction Arjin had disappeared to.

“Should I talk to her?”

Dammir shook his head as he swept up the last of the broken chair on the ground. “Perhaps not today. I believe Arjin needs some time for herself for now.”

Kara hesitated. A part of her wanted to ignore the dwarf’s advice and march up to Arjin’s room right now. But she eventually acquiesced.

“Right. Hopefully Arjin feels better by then…”

—--

Arjin curled up into a ball as she hid under her blankets. Her chest trembled as she let out shallow breaths. She tried to close her eyes shut and fall asleep. But all she saw was the face of her parents. A look of disappointment in their eyes.

It was a memory from long ago. But it was a memory of her first failure. Her brother was standing there too, right next to her. A large knife in his hands. Their parents ushered him forward to the rabbit tied onto the tree.

And he swung once. She looked away, wincing. The animal fell, its head cleanly sliced from its body.

Her brother stepped back and handed the knife to her. She was ushered forward towards a second rabbit. And even now, she recalled seeing the terrified face of the bound animal.

“I can’t—” she remembered saying back then.

She had turned to her parents for help. But she froze when she saw the way they shook their heads at her. Their village chief was there too, and he patted them on the shoulder in sympathy.

“Your daughter truly is a disappointment, isn’t she?” the chief had said.

And his words remained ringing in Arjin’s mind even now. She curled up into a ball as she tried to forget it.

She tried to forget the rabbit’s look of terror. But when she tried to focus on something else, that image was replaced with an even more terrifying face.

Grok’s dead eyes stared at her—

And Arjin’s breath was caught in her throat. Tears streamed down her face as bands of fear tightened around her neck. She clutched herself, her nails digging into her own skin.

“I can’t—” she sobbed now. “I can’t do this anymore…”

That was all she whispered as she lay there, alone in bed. Without anyone by her side to comfort her. Just like how it always had been.

—--

Kurg stepped into the large rock hut as a small figure rushed to greet him. He hugged the little orc girl as she gave him a toothy grin.

“Brother, welcome back!”

“Hello, Mursha. Have you been doing well?” He smiled back at his sister.

She nodded and drew back. “I have— I’m fully recovered from my illness, see?”

“Good. Good. So the medicine Caius gave you works.” Kurg nodded as he placed a hand on her head. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Kurg wanted to tell her that he actually ran into the elf today. But he had to save that story for later. Instead, he turned to the muscular figure sitting on a throne of stone at the back of the room.

Three orc women— one of them, Kurg’s own mother— caressed and massaged the massive orc sitting there as he didn’t even look up. Kurg stepped forward and placed a fist on his chest.

“I have returned, father. And I have discovered something important.”

“What is it, my son?” Elder Klogg, the leader of the Swordtooth Clan, the largest clan of orcs in Alyona, raised his head.

“Our anger has been misplaced,” Kurg explained as he walked past his sister. She immediately shrank back and excused herself from the conversation. He continued, “Grok was not murdered by a dark elf prostitute. He was murdered by a human.”

Klogg’s eyes flickered as he heard that. He sat up and dismissed his three wives. They bowed their heads and walked past Kurg, before ushering Mursha out of the room with them.

Kurg shook his head and explained, “Not only that, but the human who did it has been—”

“Killed,” Klogg said, cutting off his son. “I know.”

That took Kurg by surprise. “You do?”

The Elder of the Swordtooth Clan nodded. “Yes. But it does not matter.”

“What do you mean by that?” Kurg asked with a frown.

“Nearly a thousand orcs of the Ironhide Clan remain in prison from the day of the riot, and hundreds more from the other clans have also been detained since then.” Klogg spoke simply as he met his son’s gaze. “Elder Golag is convinced his son was killed by that prostitute. And the other clans are unhappy. As the largest clan in Alyona, we have to stand with them in solidarity during this time.”

Kurg blinked. “But that dark elf prostitute is innocent!”

“I understand that. However, we have to do what we must, to maintain the peace between our clans. And if that means throwing a fuss, causing a ruckus, or killing a few dark elf whores, then we will do what is necessary.”

Klogg rose to his feet and eyed Kurg with a raised brow.

“Or do you have a problem with that, my son?”

Kurg shifted where he stood, before nodding. “No, father.”

“Good.” The Elder of the Swordtooth Clan smiled, before settling back into his seat. “I knew you would understand.”

—--

There were a lot of things Kara needed to do tomorrow. But for now, she had a simple job that mattered more than anything else in the world. She strode through the streets of Alyona, leaving the upper tunnel and entering the main city.

The streets were less crowded now that the day was coming to an end. The gates would be closed for the night, and no more refugees were allowed in until the day after. There were so many new refugees coming in each day that a small camp was set up right outside of the walls, composed of refugees that didn’t make it in that day, or those who arrived overnight.

It was a new development which Kara hadn’t seen yet. She was curious what it was like out there. However, she couldn’t pay it a visit yet, because she needed to pick up Angel.

The bear cub had been at Zlo’tan’s shop all day, studying their cracked soulrock, because they believed they were onto something important. Since Angel couldn’t speak, all Kara knew was that this was a good thing, based on his excited gesticulation this morning.

This was probably the longest the two of them had been separated from each other since they first met. So Kara was looking forward to seeing him again, even though it had only been a few hours since they parted ways.

“Maybe I can ask Zlo’tan to explain what they’re doing while I’m here,” she muttered under her breath as she arrived at the tent at the edge of Sentinel Square. “Angel, I’m here!”

Kara called out as she strode up to the entrance. She heard a rustling coming from inside, and she saw the bear’s shadow rushing towards her. Smiling, she opened her arms to embrace his hug.

And a giant furry creature exploded from the tent’s flaps, crashing into her. She blinked a few times as she stared at the bear that was crushing her. It had to have been at least ten feet in length, weighing at over a thousand pounds.

Two pairs of big brown eyes looked down at her, and she stared back in shock. Kara saw the two bear heads beaming her way, before she finally realized who it was.

“...Angel? Is that you? What happened while I was gone?”

In response, the bear licked both her cheeks with his two heads as she gaped at him.

Author's Notes:

4.2k words. What thonk?