บท 35: Skirmish

Shel as a proud orc woman would not dare mate with weak orcs, what if their offspring was similarly weak? It would be an embarrassment to say the least.

So how is this determined? Orc women themselves are quite strong so they wouldn't mate with anyone weaker than themselves. The men could directly challenge them or show off their prowess in war. But who would dare challenge a lady? Where could they hide if they lost? Which is why many male orcs liked to wait around to show off their strength, they would jump into the fray after spotting their desired target.

Shel was used to this and always welcomed it. The orcs are a competitive and bloody species so they are always up for a challenge regardless of gender. The orcs could be described with one word, barbaric. Let strength do the talking. Ed who was unaware of these customs was dragged into the battlefield against his will.

'F*ck this crazy woman!!!' Ed struggled as he tried to make her release her grip.

Shel only let out another laugh as she found it to be extremely funny. Anyone with an ounce of pride would not like to be dragged around by a woman after all. Still, she acquiesced as they had already joined the chaotic battleground.

"Let's see what you can do" She said while grinning. An opposing orc noted their appearance and let out a battle cry, it then charged towards Shel and Ed.

Ed who was finally released was thinking of ways to slip out of the battle. Ed was entirely inexperienced in close quarters combat and thus wanted a way out. Unfortunately, after some orcs heard their ally's battle cry they took notice of two opposing orcs that entered from a different direction.

The absentminded Ed was brought back to reality by an ear-piercing roar. The orc woman that dragged him into this mess was preparing to receive the opponent's attack. Ed then noticed another couple of orcs who were approaching him.

'Do I look like a strong opponent? Why are two of you coming this way!!!' Truth is he did. Just like the Skeletons respected Ed, the orcs felt that Ed was a strong opponent. Acknowledging strength was equivalent to respect amongst orcs but it also ignited their fighting spirit.

Ed who had no weapons now had to face off against two strong opponents. He was naturally unwilling but saw no way out of the situation. He knew that orcs were aggressive in nature and if he wanted to reach their settlement they couldn't see him running away.

'Looks like I have no choice' Ed became determined and dashed further into the battlefield. He planned to scavenge a weapon from some of the fallen orcs to intercept his two aggressors.

Ed had spotted a nearby mace which he promptly picked up, the crude metal weapon should be able to get the job done he thought. His opponents then swung their heavy weapons towards the barely prepared Ed who did his best to block it. A strong mace and a heavy sword hit the crude weapon making it crumble apart.

The clash gave Ed enough time to back off and think about his next actions. He noticed that the heavy orcs left a wide opening after completing their swing which Ed decided to try and take advantage of. His attributes were naturally greater than his opponent's so he could afford to do so. He jabbed the orc holding the mace which was pushed back by the force of the jab, Ed's strength was not to be underestimated.

The other orc however was now open to strike him. Its heavy sword hit Ed's shoulder causing him to grimace loudly. The swing had managed to break through Ed's tough skin.

[You've been dealt damage. -57 hp]

'F*CK!' Perhaps it was due to his time as a skeleton but Ed's reaction to the sword strike could be considered extreme. He wasn't used to suffering so much from a mere sword strike.

Before the orc could pull his sword out Ed grabbed the orc's arm and struck his open stomach with his knee. The orc fell down almost instantly after suffering from such a strong knee to the stomach.

[<Instinct Lvl. 1> Acquired]

'Damn, it still hurts!' Ed ignored the message and instead focused on the pain he currently felt. He had no flesh as a skeleton so he wasn't used to suffering recurring pain from wounds. The only time he would feel like that would be after the dungeon's punishments.

The worst part was that more orcs were only attracted after seeing his raw power. How would the other orcs look at them if they managed to fell such a strong adversary? If all those young orcs attacked him he would surely be mobbed to death!

'Is this karma?' He wanted to look up into the sky and ask whatever great being resided up there if the situation was in any way fair.

At that moment a loud horn resonated throughout the battlefield, all the orcs from both sides started to retreat shortly thereafter. Ed was naturally surprised by the fact that these barbaric orcs knew to stop.

"Hahaha! That was a great battle" It was the orc woman that got him involved in the first place. It seemed she managed to defeat any of her opponents. Even so, Ed found her to be rather detestable.

The orc woman whose name Ed did not know started to fall back as well. Ed honestly didn't want to be anywhere near her but following the orcs back to their settlement was his goal from the beginning. The way he achieved it was... a bit different from what he had in mind but it got the job done.

'I hope the settlement is large' Ed thought as he followed behind her. If it was a small settlement they would surely realize that Ed came out of literal nowhere. In the worst-case scenario, they could think he was an enemy.

After a short walk, all of the orcs were gathered in front of a small stage. They seemed to be waiting for somebody. Ed was feeling a bit anxious as he didn't want to stick around for too long. He only wanted to know how things worked around here.

'The undeads were much easier to handle...' The crypt was like his playground, he missed that sense of freedom.

'I have only been here for a day I need to be patient' Ed admonished himself and paid attention to his surroundings, he was trying to listen in on the orcs conversation.

Unfortunately, orcs are a far too rowdy bunch. Although they were waiting for what he presumed was a person of a high position they were still just as boisterous. He couldn't hear anything important over all of the loud voices and laughs. Basically he learned nothing of substance,

The worst part was that the orc woman he didn't like was looking at him semi flirtatiously. He had zero intentions to date an orc!

'Is it me or am I pretty miserable?' It was a legitimate question that he began to carefully think about.

All of a sudden the noises died down, the unruly orc were paying attention upfront. There stood an orc, as expected, but his attire was much more different. Orcs' attire could be called savage like, yet the one upfront seemed to have a trace of elegance. The orc also held a staff leading Ed to believe he was likely some sort of wizard.

[Orc Shaman]

Orcs with the gift of magic.

The description wasn't anything to write home about but it still managed to clear his doubts. It would seem that this group of orcs were being led by the shaman. Ed didn't find this weird since following the wise was a natural thing to do. Having strength is most certainly important but intelligence should not be disregarded.

"I applaud all of the young orcs here, you have proven your strength! Let us celebrate!" The shaman broke out into laughter as it observed the younger generation. It seemed the shaman was still very much orc-like after all.

'Well, I guess his language is more refined...' Ed then shook his head. He wasn't here to judge people or monsters. He was here to investigate.

Cheers broke out from the rowdy crowd, it seemed whatever had just happened was considered very important to them.

"Hahaha! That's right! We are the ones deserving of god's blessing!" Some random orc proclaimed loudly. The cheers grew more boisterous thereafter.

Ed was a bit confused about what the blessing might entail but he had an idea of whom the god could be.

'It is probably the dungeon itself' The dungeon could be said to have birthed all of the creatures inside of itself so claiming it as a god doesn't seem too farfetched from an insider's perspective.

The shaman then proceeded to fool around with the young orcs. After hearing a couple of last words from the shaman, the entire group of fifty or so orcs started to make their way home. Ed silently followed after them, nobody was paying attention to him as they were too busy celebrating.

'I don't think any side won, I don't really get these guys...' Ed let out a short sigh, he was lost on how to deal with this. Perhaps he should try to gather more information at the settlement, he was afraid to ask any questions that could give him away.

What Ed failed to realize was that the female orc had been observing him for a while now.