Bab 2: The pursuit
More attackers revealed themselves from the shadows and stared at me with murderous eyes and sinister grins. The metal smell of blood filled my lungs and I almost puked on the spot. Without missing a beat, I turned around and sprinted with all of my might, leaving a trail of tears behind me. The men chased after me like a pack of hungry hyenas. The sound of their metal armor clashing echoed throughout the village.
"Don't let the brat get away!" one of them yelled.
I was panicked and disorientated, so I ran in a straight line and was unknowingly heading towards the beast kingdom. The thick tree line towered imposingly over me. The sounds of their footsteps gradually grew closer and stopped suddenly.
"Where is that idiot going?" someone said.
"He's going to get himself killed in there!"
"I guess that's good for us, but just in case, I'll give the beasts some help."
I heard a loud swish and before even having the time to turn my head, I felt an excruciating pain in my left arm. My eyes looked down to see my arm dangling by a piece of meat. Blood was gushing out of the wound and was staining the grass. The man had thrown a sword and had severed my limb.
I could hear them laughing and cracking jokes about me. I swore to get my revenge one day. Desperation and anger took over my body and I continued running. The fog soon engulfed my body and I broke into the tree line.
Huffing and puffing, I endured the pain and ventured deeper in the forest. The branches and twigs scraped against my body, removing strips of skin. I slipped and fell numerous times but I always got up. Eventually, my body could not go any further and I fell face first due to exhaustion.
"Is this how I die? I ran away like a coward and forgot about my sister and my friend. I really am pathetic," I thought to myself before my eyes closed.
A bright light shone on my face, causing my eyes to suddenly open. My body was flat on the ground and I faced the sun. The clouds floated freely above the rustling leaves.
"How am I still alive?" I thought to myself.
A darting pain spread around my body causing me to yell in agony. I glanced at my left arm and noticed that it was missing. Bloody leaves were wrapped around the stump.
"It seems that you're doing well," someone said with a deep voice.
I turned my head around to see a colossal figure standing behind me. Its skin was green and rough and it had two tusks protruding from its jaw. The creature was twice the size of my father. I jumped up in fear and was ready to flee. My body was trembling. My instincts were telling me that even if I wanted to, I could not escape. This monster could kill me anytime it wanted. I was a sitting duck.
"W-What are you?"
"Wha- What do you want?" I added.
"Calm down. You come into our territory and ask me what I want?" It replied.
"My name is Grald and I am an orc," he said with a heavy sigh.
"We found you laying on the floor with your arm in a pitiful state. We tried everything we could, but in the end, we had to remove it," Grald added.
My mind fell into deep reflection as I remembered every single detail of what happened yesterday. Tears soon began pouring down my face. I tried to wipe them away, but there was just too much. The orc stood behind me dumbfounded and unsure of what to do.
"Where are your parents, little one," he asked.
"T-They are dead," I replied sobbing.
Grald approached me slowly and crouched to get on my level. He hugged me so hard, it was almost suffocating. We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, I mustered some courage and stopped crying.
"Do you have anywhere to return to?" the orc asked.
"No, I don't. Everyone was murdered."
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Luke."
The leaves around us began rustling and I heard footsteps edging closer to us.
"Don't worry, it's just my group."
Two other orcs emerged from the dense vegetation. They were less imposing than Grald, but still dangerous nonetheless. After explaining my situation to them, the three fell into a state of thought. Grald eventually broke the silence.
"Look here's what we're going to do. Luke, you go back to the human kingdom for today. We will need to return to our tribe to discuss about this. The beast kingdom is still unsafe for you. Tomorrow, just enter the forest and we will find you."
"Grab this and grill it," one of orcs said while handing me a slab of meat.
I had no other choice but to listen to them for now. So after exchanging pleasantries, I headed back to my village. The journey back was painfully slow as I was low in energy and I only had one arm now. Eventually I found my way to my house.
The wood cabin was burnt to a crisp leaving nothing behind but black soot. I did not even have the chance to see my fathers body one last time. The air was still pervaded by the disgusting smell of blood. Walking to the village, memories of past joyful times flashed through my mind.
I just wished that I could run around with my sister or that I could get yelled at by Judy one last time. Regret soon filled every single ounce of my being. As I was expecting, the village was also set ablaze, leaving nothing but the stone pavements.
"Where will I stay now?" I asked myself.
I decided to wander around to kill time and look for somewhere to hide from the elements. Step by step, I walked towards the dragon skeleton to make its large carcass my home for the night.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone