A lot of things were happening right now, and there was no pinpointing where it would all end up, because the humans were now directly involved, whether they liked it or not.

The moment they took Murkfang, they became participants in the ongoing events unfolding.

Byung had no idea where he was, but he knew that things couldn't get any worse.

But would the humans entering the fray really change much, considering they got permission from Drekk?

However, did Drekk ever give them permission to keep his kind as captives?

The answer was no. This was why their trade was entirely one-sided. No one had permission to take a goblin captive, but who was going to hold them accountable?

Gribnox was a fool who didn't think about much else, but he was smart enough to admit it.

He granted Byung a temporary promotion pending Murkfang's return.

This meant Byung could also share the same benefits as him, which included the orcs.

However, the thought of sharing the orcs with Gribnox didn't sit well with him, as he knew that if he indulged, it would give Gribnox the same right to Maui.

The familiar alert of someone's arrival rang out in the distance. The goblins gathered, and it was the last thing anyone wanted to see.

Drekk was here, but this time, he came with just a single goblin—Trogzit, his second in command.

Byung didn't need to be told how scared Gribnox was of him—he had lost his ear, after all.

Byung had assumed the first time they met that Gribnox was the one he should worry about, but he had proven to be a kind creature.

Byung rushed to where he was to inform him of Drekk's arrival, even though something told him Gribnox already knew.

After all, he had been here long enough to understand that goblins made different sounds depending on who came.

It was like a specialized alarm for different kinds of individuals, so there was no reason for Byung to take the extra step to make sure Gribnox was aware.

But Gribnox was too busy with his escapades to pay attention to anything happening outside himself.

Byung walked into the building and saw Gribnox curled up in a corner, shivering like a scared puppy.

"Are you okay!?" Byung rushed to his side to make sure this wasn't the cause of something much more serious.

"D-Drekk is here…" Gribnox was spaced out, his eyes dilated, and Byung kissed his teeth in irritation, because this meant he was in no condition to see him—otherwise, he might lose his other ear.

Byung took a deep breath, gambling once again, as he looked Gribnox right in the eye.

"I… will…. see… him," Byung said slowly, and Gribnox's panic stopped right away.

"Did you just…!" Gribnox exclaimed, shocked by what he was hearing, but if he had paid closer attention, he would have heard the words Byung uttered the moment he came in.

"Maui taught… me," Byung revealed the lie he had been cooking for quite some time, and there was no reason for Gribnox not to believe him.

"Take the orcs away. He cannot know they are here," Byung spoke clearly, and Gribnox realized he was right. Drekk had no idea they were here, and if he found out, there was no doubt he would use them as leverage to reach the others.

Gribnox snapped out of it and rushed to the orcs to get them out of the building through the back door.

But Byung noticed their scent lingered, and there was only one thing he could do in this situation.

"Here goes…" Byung muttered under his breath, and just as the thought entered his head, Drekk walked in at the same time Byung farted.

The two goblins locked eyes for a moment. Time stood still, and one word escaped Byung's quivering lips.

"Fuck!"

—

The orc and Kraghul were on their way to confront Vrognut. They were tracking him and knew they would catch up eventually, as he would have to stop and rest at some point.

This would be their opportunity to pounce. But it was strange that their leader only sent these two, despite Vrognut taking out three orcs in less than five minutes.

There was no doubt he would be prepared to handle these ones as well—or at least adapt to whatever situation they might put him in.

If his existence helped justify a stigma, then there was no reason to kill him… yet.

Kraghul didn't speak a word. Both were on horseback, and if the goblins decided to attack them simultaneously, there was no way they wouldn't take damage.

The chieftain was putting a lot of faith in his son despite having no reason to, as Kraghul was the heir—so why throw him to the wolves?

"They are covering their tracks," the orc muttered under his breath, but Kraghul picked up on their trail.

Vrognut did a horrendous job at this, but maybe it was because he didn't want to be hidden?

They would need more food at the end of the day, considering this journey would take approximately eight days.

It was going to be a long journey, but Kraghul was equipped with the skills to find them.

He noticed Vrognut barely covered his tracks only because it was a diversion.

Kraghul knew the tales regarding this goblin, and it wouldn't be a shock if he had sent a few goblins the other way to throw off any trackers.

Kraghul wasn't just any tracker, unfortunately for them, and could easily see past the deception.

"Look closely, there is another trail, well-hidden. That is the one we follow," Kraghul said, but the orc beside him had no idea what he was talking about, because his eyes didn't register anything—even with Kraghul giving him information.

It didn't take up to five minutes until they were surrounded by a few goblins, no less than five.

The orc immediately panicked because he assumed this was an ambush with more goblins lying in wait, but Kraghul remained calm.

These goblins were here to slow them down, using their bodies as shields, but there was a good chance there were more around them—or was there?

"Calm yourself, this is what they want," Kraghul said calmly before unsheathing a broadsword twice his size.

The truth was, mistakes would inevitably be made once panic set in. They couldn't focus on the enemies that might be and would instead focus on the ones right in front of them.

Kraghul unmounted his horse, leaving himself at a massive disadvantage, but the goblins looked at him with no hint of fear. Still, Kraghul noticed their eyes weren't focused on him.

"You are after the horses, aren't you?" Kraghul said. Taking away their mode of transportation would make it impossible for them to catch up with the goblins.

The goblins didn't give him a response as two charged toward his horse with daggers in hand.

There was no way this orc could swing that massive weapon effectively—but with a single arm, Kraghul did just that.

He swung and bifurcated the two goblins with a single strike, their guts spilling everywhere.

The orc on horseback was stunned. This was his first time seeing Kraghul fight in person.

This was why he unmounted—there was no way he could have fought effectively if he had remained on horseback.

If the goblins were tasked with slowing them down, there was only one thing they could do.

It would be stupid for them to attack head-on, as that wouldn't make much of a difference.

The only probable course of action would be to take down their mode of transportation.

The goblins were a bit taken aback by how easily he swung that huge metallic blade, because he had a deceptive frame.

"Do you wish to continue?" Kraghul questioned, his voice cold, but he already knew the answer to that question.

The remaining three goblins were quick to surround the other orc. Kraghul didn't move to protect him.

There was no sense of urgency in his approach because he was aware the orc could protect himself—and if he couldn't, then he didn't deserve to be alive.

The orc managed to kill one goblin, but the other two managed to inflict damage on his horse.

He was strong, but fighting to protect yourself and fighting to protect others were two very different scenarios.

Kraghul looked ahead to make sure there wasn't anyone else around as the orc managed to cut down the remaining two, effectively putting an end to the attack.

Kraghul noticed the horse was injured, but there was one thing he had missed.

These goblins had soaked their weapons in filth, so even a small cut could prove fatal.

Kraghul knew the horse must be infected and wouldn't be of much use to them.

"They got yours," Kraghul informed the orc, and he sighed the moment he realized this was the case.

Before he could speak, Kraghul severed the limb of the horse that was infected.

This forced both the horse and the orc onto the ground, the horse shrieking in pain.

But this was Kraghul doing it a mercy, because once that infection spread, there was no telling what could happen—but there was also another reason he did this.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?" The orc barked at him because he no longer had any means of transportation.

"You will ride with me. Take the other limb of the horse, it will serve as nourishment," Kraghul commanded.

The orc reluctantly chopped off the uninfected leg of the horse. It would serve as a good source of nourishment in the long journey to come.

Kraghul didn't speak much, but this was proof of his strength.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.