Praise the Orc! Chapter 21:
Chapter 21 – Humans and Shaman (2)
Antuak’s house was cozy .
Firewood burned in the fireplace, emitting warmth . Ian and the three human users sat at the table as Antuak served them warm potato soup . The users hesitated at first, but started enthusiastically eating after trying the first spoonful . They ate the soup in silence for a while .
“Umm…”
No one was able to open their mouths . Antuak just smiled .
“Is there something that you want to ask?”
“Well…”
Ian and the three human users looked at each other . At length, the female magician opened her mouth . It was the question that no one could utter .
“Over there… is she sick?”
Her eyes were looking behind Antuak .
A female orc was lying on the bed . She was staring into the air with a blanket covering her neck . Even though she blinked occasionally, all she did was lie down and stare blankly into the air . She didn’t respond at all when they had entered . Her eyes were grey as if the colours had faded away .
Antuak muttered with a wry smile .
“Bul’tar…”
Bul’tar . Ian’s eyes widened . It was the orc’s motto, but it gave off a different feeling from usual . It felt old . It was closer to the original pronunciation . Ian repeated it to himself . Bul’tar .
“She is my wife, Aruna . ”
“Heol . You are married . So why is she bedridden?”
The conversation between the orc and the magician created a strange gap, like an old historical man talking to a young contemporary student .
“She has been possessed by a different dimension . ”
“Huh?”
“Aruna was a shaman like me . She was interested in other worlds . I warned her about the danger, but I couldn’t stop her curiosity . Eventually, she completed the magic to look at other dimensions and cast it . It is something that our spirits can’t afford to see . In the end, she lost consciousness in that other dimension . ”
It was a story that was hard to believe . Everyone nodded .
“Now she is forever contemplating that world, forgetting who she is . It is an incomprehensible world where the laws that we know don’t exist . I can only wait for her to come back . ”
Antuak rose and stood by Aruna . His rugged hand touched Aruna’s cheek . She was still looking somewhere else .
“It has been only me and Aruna in this house for a long time, so I am glad that guests like you have come . ”
Antuak turned around and smiled .
“Yes . Travellers, why did you come to this place?”
The users looked at each other . Ian replied instead,
“They are heading for Basque Village to get some help from the orc shamans . ”
“It is a great thing that humans need help from us orcs . ”
Antak looked at the staff that he had leaned against the wall . A surge of unknown power was coming from it .
“Us orcs were originally close to humans, until the past wars separated everything . I also had numerous human friends . Yes, humans . What help do you need?”
“We…”
The users exchanged glances . The magician replied,
“In fact, I don’t know yet . I just know that I will find out once I arrive in Basque Village . ”
“Is that so? Too bad . I hope that it works out . ”
Antuak gave more soup to the archer who had finished his bowl . The archer bowed his head and drank the soup again .
“Then what brings you here, young warrior?” Antuak looked at Ian .
“I’m not a warrior yet . ”
“You are the only one who can determine that . ”
“I am going to meet Tashaquil . ”
“Hoh, Tashaquil . Why?”
“I want to ask what a true warrior is . ”
“You are searching for the path of a warrior . ”
Antuak nodded . “I hope you find the answer . Bul’tar . ”
“Thank you . Bul’tar . ”
The magician, who was watching the conversation between the two orcs, got up .
“I’ve never been to an orc house before, so can I see it, Orc Shaman?”
“Of course . There isn’t much to see, though . ”
All three users got up .
Antuak’s house was wider than it looked from the outside . There were tools for magic, as well as the animal skulls that decorated the forest outside . The burning candles revealed the weird magical tools . The female magician asked Antuak a variety of questions . Antuak was kind enough to explain . The archer and human warrior followed behind Antuak .
Ian was left alone with Aruna . She was still staring at an unknown place . Somehow, he felt sorry .
“Please wake up . Your husband is waiting for you,” Ian quietly whispered .
It was at that moment .
“Huh?”
A long shadow quickly passed over the wall .
“Heeok…!”
There was also a small moan . Ian hurriedly turned around .
Antuak was sitting down . The edge of a blade protruded from his chest . The users were standing behind him .
“What is this…!”
Ian immediately lifted his greatsword . The archer aimed at him . Ian hesitated . The female magician said in a youthful voice .
“Orc, thanks a lot! This was easily resolved because of you . ”
“What are you doing?”
“What’s the big deal? I came to the orcs to get a skill . ”
“You said you were seeking help from Basque Village…”
“Ahyo~”
She murmured as fire appeared around her hands . “What help? The Orcs are helping me . If I obtain the heart of a shaman, then I can receive a skill . So don’t blame me too much, yes?”
She giggled . The men also started laughing .
“Well, his wife is sick, so I guess I’ll send her along with him . Is that okay?”
“Keeok…Aruna…she…”
“If she is left alone, then she would just die of starvation . ”
The archer kicked the sword stuck in Antuak’s back .
“Cough!”
“A monster pretending to be something else, how funny . ”
“His wife Aruna… Another dimension… Puhahat . I thought I was watching a historical drama . ”
They spat on Antuak’s head .
Ian’s fists shook . It wasn’t supposed to be like this .
Antuak was just an orc who loved his wife . An orc who was friendly to the guests and made good soup, Antuak . An orc who knew how to pronounce Bul’tar in the traditional war, that was Antuak . It was a short meeting, but Ian already knew three things about Antuak . He still had some secrets of the world, and some philosophies that Ian wasn’t familiar with .
All of that was now collapsing, due to that sword . It was an insulting sight .
The users mocked, “Are you mad? Play this game more moderately . It’s like you are a real orc, instead of role-playing . ”
“You could’ve been a human or elf . Why did you choose an orc?”
Ian rushed forward angrily . The arrow flew towards him .
“Ugh!”
The archer’s arrow was fast, and pierced Ian’s thigh . Ian failed to win against the force and fell . Then the man kicked Ian in the face .
“Cough!”
“Resisting is in vain . I don’t want to kill you, but it can’t be helped . I’ll just kill you . ”
“Even a user?” The female magician asked .
“What is an orc user? They are just mobs . ”
“Big Brother, is it okay to kill a user? Isn’t there a PK penalty?”
“Elder Lord doesn’t have anything like that . ”
“Is that so? Good . ”
The woman giggled . Ian tried to stand up only to be kicked again . The woman chanted a spell . Something invisible restrained Ian . His strength fell . He couldn’t move a single muscle . All he could do was collapse .
He would manage somehow if it was a hand-to-hand fight, but he couldn’t resist magic . Ian was still too weak .
“Keheeo… Aru…na…”
Antuak’s body was completely breaking down . The male archer and female magician searched until they found his heart .
Then the warrior approached Aruna . He stared at her as she gazed towards a distant place and stabbed a dagger in her chest . Aruna kept staring at the distant place as blood poured from her mouth .
Ian pushed strength to his entire body .
“…Kuaaah…!”
He gritted his teeth and twisted . However, his body wouldn’t budge . The arrow stuck in his thigh pressed painfully against him .
“Don’t fight . It’s over . ”
The male archer smiled and pulled back his bowstring . The arrowhead pointed towards Ian’s head . Ian gave a last hurrah .
“Kuaaaaahhhhh!”
His body moved slightly .
“Kuaaaaaaaack!”
He stretched out his hand with all his strength . His body moved . Just a little, just a little more .
“What, does he have high magic resistance?”
“An orc? Finish it quickly . ”
The archer let go of the bowstring . The arrow pierced Ian’s skull . His eyes dimmed as everything in front of him became blurry . Darker than black . He felt like he would sink forever .
Death .
……
……
……
The darkness blurred .
He opened his eyes . An orc stood in front of him . The orc was standing at the door of a house .
The orc looked towards Ian and said, “You are alive, young warrior . ”
Ian was standing… He was standing in front of Antuak’s house . He could see the familiar scenery inside the house due to the slightly open door . A stove, the table, and Aruna . Ian couldn’t understand .
The orc, Antuak, was smiling in front of him .
“Why are you just standing there?”
“What…?”
Voices were heard from behind him . “Orc, why are you staring blankly?”
Ian turned his head . The three human users were waiting behind Ian . The female magician’s eyes were as round as a ball .
Antuak asked, “Young warrior, what did you see?”
“I…”
“See, what is he talking about?”
Ian couldn’t say anything as he looked between Antuak and the users . Antuak had definitely fed them soup inside his house, and then the users had certainly murdered Antuak, his wife, and Ian .
This…
Ian looked at Antuak . He was smiling as if he knew what Ian was thinking .
“What will you do?”
Ian finally realized it . It was the truth revealed by the shaman Antuak .
The three users had used Ian to approach the shaman and to kill him for the shaman’s heart .
Ian opened his mouth, “Magician . ”
“Huh?”
“The thing that you have to acquire…”
“Yes . ”
“Is it a shaman’s heart?”
“Uh…?”
They were stunned . The quick-witted warrior picked up a knife while the archer grabbed an arrow . However, Ian’s greatsword was already swinging towards his goal . The magician’s head flew into the air .
“W-W-What?”
“Fuck!”
They stepped back as Ian moved forward, swinging his greatsword . The warrior blocked with his shield . Ian used a downward blow .
“Ugh!”
The warrior held up the shield, but collapsed as he was unable to overcome the shock . An arrow flew towards Ian . He leaned back to evade it . He stepped on the enemy’s shield and jumped, the face of the archer approaching his blade . Ian’s greatsword sliced through his head vertically .
His upper body was split apart from top to bottom . The archer fell down like a doll split from the middle .
“Crazy!”
The warrior abandoned his weapons and shield and fled . Ian threw his greatsword, which flew through the air and stabbed the warrior in the back .
“Kuheeok!”
The warrior fell forward . Ian walked over and pulled out his greatsword, his body twitching before falling still . Ian lifted his **** greatsword .
The man’s body turned to white particles and collapsed . The other bodies of the users scattered as well . After the death process, only their equipment remained on the floor .
Antuak just watched all of this .
Ian stood in front of Antuak . Antuak said with a soft smile, “I am the shaman Antuak . ”
He opened the door wide . It was as if he knew they were coming .
“Guests are always welcome . ”