The Sword and The Shadow

Elegant sword streaks rushed against Kreighdon like incessant waves. The Blood-colored Wargod wore a serious expression as he blocked them. He wore a mithril gauntlet which rang every time a sword streak struck it. The gauntlets were an airtight metal wall. No matter how ferocious Leguna’s attacks, none broke through.

Leguna waved and drew Lighteater from his back, activating Shadow Blink. This time, he teleported to Kreighdon’s shoulder. He had already prepared to deliver a cut before he moved. The moment he passed through space, his strike sped for the orc’s neck.

It was fated to not connect. The war god’s leg struck first, sending Leguna flying. Kreighdon had shifted his body the moment Leguna drew Lighteater and raised his leg up high. Leguna’s blink brought him right in front of it. With an easy thrust, the boy cried out in pain.

“Big Bro!” cried Innilis.

The girl had kept watch over her big brother’s training sessions these last two days. Kreighdon had been training the boy for four days. Initially, he was just going to train for one night to appease Innilis. He didn’t think the brat who had benefited quite a bit from the training, would goad Innilis to bother him again and again every day.

The kid was afraid of him, but Innilis wasn’t. Though he had been bothered endlessly, he had never vented before. He would just join the brat for his training, frowning. His hits grew in strength with his frustration. It didn’t seem to put a halt to the brat’s insistence on training, however.

“Big One, you’re bullying Big Bro again!” cried the little devil.

“It’s his fault for being incompetent! I’m fighting him unarmed and he still can’t put up a decent fight! What else would you have me do?”

“I don’t care! If something happens to Big Bro, I’ll never forgive you!”

Kreighdon was completely speechless.

“Innie, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Leguna stepped out of the shadows.

Though he appeared out of breath, he wasn’t pale. The orc glanced at the boy, a hint of admiration hiding in his pupils. He hadn’t put all his strength into the kick, but he was sure it was enough to down the kid for a good while. Yet the youth was already up and moving like nothing had happened. Weak as he still was, he had at least improved somewhat.

“How did you predict my next move?” asked Leguna.

“Easy!” the orc laughed, “You were slashing down just before you blinked. The direction of your attack told me you were aiming for my neck. Your eyes were also fixed on it, so I knew where you were going to hit.”

“I see…” Leguna muttered.

The ability to predict where he would blink based on his movements, expression, and gaze was terrifying. If he could grasp the enemy’s intentions like that, fights would be much easier.

“This isn’t something you can just learn from training. You have to pick it up naturally from experience in actual combat. This isn’t something you perfect overnight,” said the orc gleefully.

He put in extra effort to stress the common tongue idiom he’d recently learnt.

“Many thanks for the pointers,” Leguna bowed.

Kreighdon wasn’t his teacher in name, but his teachings had benefited him greatly. It wasn’t inappropriate for him to pay his respects.

“Let’s end it here today,” Kreighdon determined, looking at the bruised boy.

“Okay,” agreed Leguna.

“You’ve improved quite a bit since we started. I’m in a rather good mood today. Go take a bath and come to me to have a drink or two.”

“If you say so.”

Chances to drink with Kreighdon were few and far in between, so Leguna didn’t dare turn him down.

……

Orcish liquor was rich and strong. At first, Leguna was really unaccustomed to it, but after drinking it a few times he got used to its burn.

Kreighdon led the two humans to his room and had his servant bring two bottles of good liquor and some snacks. In consideration of Innilis’s tastes, he had the guards bring a jug of human fruit wine. It was the lightest beverage the orcs had. They weren’t interested in the fruit juice the elves and humans consumed.

Leguna poured himself a cup and stood up respectfully.

“A toast, Mister Kreighdon. Thank you for your efforts in training me.”

“Kid, we orcs don’t like complicated rituals when we drink. Drinking is drinking. Chatting is chatting. Don’t go around toasting and thanking me. It ruins the mood.”

{He’s right. This is inappropriate,} Gahrona’s voice rang.

“Alright, I’ll stop. Come, Mister Kurdak. Down she goes.”

“That’s more like it,” Kreighdon commented, “And stop calling me Mister this and Mister that. Kreighdon is fine. I don’t have a title or position in the empire. Calling me Mister is nothing but an empty gesture.”

“Alright. I’ll call you Kreighdon then.”

Leguna understood the orc’s temperament and knew it would be best to oblige. Casual and straight was the best way to interact with him.

Kreighdon cut off a fat piece of goat meat and put it in Innilis’s plate.

“Eat, little one. Eat more so you become strong.”

“I don’t want to be strong,” Innilis pouted, “I don’t want to be a muscle head like you!”

Kreighdon laughed heartily.

“Fine, you don’t want to be strong. But you have to eat more so you grow tall and beautiful like that blue-haired girl.”

“Can I really become like Sis?”

Kreighdon smiled and looked at Innilis.

“Of course. As long as you eat more, you’ll grow quickly and turn into a beautiful girl.”

The little girl immediately chomped down on the piece of meat. As he stared at her oily face, melancholic love flashed through his eyes.

Leguna noticed. He bashed cups with the orc.

“Come to think of it, You’re quite soft with Innie.”

“I guess you can say that,” the orc answered, a mouth full of meat.

“Why is that?”

Kreighdon remained silent, his mouth chowing quietly.

“If it’s hard to say, forget it. I was just curious.”

“I don’t mind talking about it,” Kreighdon sighed, “It happened many decades ago…”

The two human children stared at the orc attentively.

“You humans are gossip-obsessed beasts, you know that?!”

Kreighdon had no idea how to handle the two.

“Stop delaying, out with it!” Innilis screeched, waving her arms around dramatically.

“Fine. Do you know how I learned the common tongue?”

“Didn’t you learn it on your own?”

“Of course not! Why would I bother? You think I have nothing better to do?”

“Then how?” asked the little devil.

The orc’s eyes glowed nostalgically.

“I once spent a year in the human realm.”

“Oh?” both commented.

“I had just come of age. I was the biggest in my clan, but I was just a rookie. My first battle was against the Blacktooth tribe. I don’t really remember why we fought. I just remember we lost badly.”

“Oh, so you’ve lost before too,” commented Innilis.

“Of course,” Kreighdon said as he stroked her little head, “Everyone loses at some point. There’s nobody who can live without failing at least once.”

Innilis swatted Kreighdon’s hand away.

“Go on. What happened after you lost?”

“I was chased, so I escaped. The survivors were chased out of the flatlands. We ended up in Nightsong Forest. I lost my comrades there. Alone and injured, I thought I was dying as I passed out.”

“Some human saved you?” Leguna guessed.

“Yes. Humans saved me. A mother and her daughter who lived in a small village near Nightsong Forest. They saved me and brought me back to their home. They fed me and took care of my injuries. That’s how I survived.”

Kreighdon drank a mouthful of liquor before he looked at Innilis.

“The little girl was about your age. She had golden hair and emerald eyes as well. Just as innocent and cute as you.”

“After that?”

“My injuries healed. To repay them, I hunted for them to earn them a living. Most of the village were quite afraid of me, but they gradually accepted me. Near the end they even let me take the lead during hunts. I was there for seven months until…”

Pain burst onto the orcs face.

“What happened?”

“… Some orcs invaded. They orcs were my tribesmen.”

The two kids fell silent.

“They quickly discovered me. Thanks to my intervention, they withdrew. I left the village with them. Almost a third of the villagers died in the attack.”

“The mother and daughter…” Innilis shuddered.

“No. I was living in their wooden hut. They weren’t hurt.”

“I see…”

Innilis patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

“After that, I gradually became famous and powerful in the tribe. I wanted to pay them back for their kindness. I searched for them but learned the surviving villagers hanged them—” The orc’s head dropped and his shoulder drooped. “—for helping an orc.”