Chapter 82: Outsider (2)

The orc and the drake were having a staredown. Sam-Ryong looked down at Crockta with distaste, while Crockta refused to back down and glared back.

The dark elf with Sam-Ryong interrupted them, “Haha, why are you guys acting like this? There was a slight misunderstanding, but we should try to get along. Right, Sam-Ryong?”

“Krrrrrr...” growled Sam-Ryong.

“Grrrrr...”

“He can’t help it because he’s a drake, but why are you growling at him?” asked the dark elf.

“It wasn’t me,” replied Crockta.

“Huh?” wondered the dark elf.

“Grrrrrrr!” Tiyo was the one making the ferocious sounds with bared teeth behind Crockta.

“Um, hey... gnome?” said the dark elf.

“Grrrrrr!” growled Tiyo.

“Hey...”

“Stay still! Beasts establish hierarchies like this,” said Tiyo.

“Beasts...?” said the dark elf.

Based on how the gnome acted, he did indeed seem like a beast. The dark elf shook his head in dismay.

“Please excuse us for our behavior,” said Crockta as he and the dark elf observed the drake and the gnome’s tense interaction.

“Are you alive? I’m Crockta. I’m heading to the north,” greeted Crockta.

“Yes, I’m Anor. I’m Sam-Ryong’s friend,” replied the dark elf.

“It’s amazing that you are friends with a drake.”

“What? Amazing? No, not at all... Really, not at all. Hahahaha! You are so silly, Crockta!”

Based on Anor’s reaction, Crockta could tell that Anor was just putting up an embarrassed front; he secretly enjoyed the praise.

“Are you from Dejame?” asked Crockta.

“No. I’m from Nuridot, but I came down here for a short while for Sam-Ryong. I was surprised to come here and see orcs from the chiefdom wandering around a few days ago.”

Nuridot was the dark elf city closest to their current location.

Anor then asked warily, “Are you from the chiefdom?”

“No,” replied Crockta.

“As I thought.”

Anor had assumed Crockta was from Orcheim because he had descended from Mount Luclan, but Anor just wanted to make sure anyway.

“What’s Mount Luclan like? How is it living here?” queried Anor.

“It’s a nice place.”

“Then... Sam-Ryong will be fine here by himself, right?” asked Anor with a sad expression.

Crockta looked at Anor, who was forcing himself to smile while looking at Sam-Ryong.

“Sam-Ryong used to live in the forest in the northern part of Nuridot... There are many drakes there,” said Anor.

“Then why did he come here?”

“That is...” Anor hesitated.

Meanwhile, Sam-Ryong had grown tired of Tiyo. He spread his wings, which were large and wide, and flapped them, blowing a gust of wind as he rose into the sky. His wide wings were more like a wyvern’s than a drake’s.

“Sam-Ryong gets bullied by other drakes because he is of mixed blood. He is a cross between a wyvern and a drake,” explained Anor.

Crockta was astonished because it was extremely rare for a wyvern and a drake to mate and produce offspring. Sam-Ryong was a rare mixed breed!

Sam-Ryong rose in the air and let out a long cry.

Meanwhile, Tiyo confidently walked over to Crockta and Anor. “Did you guys see that drake running away from me?!”

“...”

It was more accurate to say that Sam-Ryong was ignoring Tiyo because he was tired of dealing with him, but Tiyo still wore a proud expression on his face.

“So, what were you guys talking about so seriously? I can fix all of your worries!” he declared.

“...”

Anor looked doubtful, but he still spilled the beans about Sam-Ryong to Tiyo. He explained to Tiyo that he had, by coincidence, met Sam-Ryong in the forest in Nuridot when he was a baby and found out that Sam-Ryong was a mix between a drake and a wyvern.

After that, Anor and Sam-Ryong grew close, and it wasn’t long before Anor learned that Sam-Ryong was being bullied by other drakes. Although Sam-Ryong was similar to them, the drakes refused to acknowledge Sam-Ryong as one of their own. Moreover, as Sam-Ryong grew older, Sam-Ryong’s distinct wings grew even larger, and the drakes became even more violent toward him.

Now, the only friend Sam-Ryong could rely on was Anor. Anor then decided that he couldn’t let things go on any longer and brought Sam-Ryong to Mount Luclan, where he wouldn’t be bullied by other drakes.

“What? He was bullied?!” Tiyo looked up at Sam-Ryong flying in the sky. He couldn’t bear the thought of his rival being looked down on by others. “It’s your fault, Anor. That drake isn’t the type to run away from his problems!”

“Umm...”

“Backbone. A backbone is what he needs. I will fix him up! A man can overcome anything with a strong will!” said Tiyo.

Tiyo began passionately preaching his theory about mental fortitude, but Anor just ignored him and looked at Crockta.

“Anyway, where is your destination since you’re headed north?” asked Anor.

“Nameragon,” replied Crockta.

Nameragon was the city of dark elves next to the Temple of the Fallen God. It wasn’t as prosperous as the dark elves’ capital city, Spinora, where the World Tree was located, but Nameragon was still a bustling city.

“It will be difficult. I say this as a dark elf, but dark elves are very closed off to outsiders. They won’t accept an orc easily,” said Anor.

“It’s okay. I’m prepared for it,” replied Crockta with a shrug.

He didn’t have a clear plan in mind, but he would face things head-on if problems arose.

Anor sighed. “Dark elves are extremely hostile toward outsiders.”

Sam-Ryong, who had been flying around, came back to the ground. He approached Anor, bowed his long head, and cried out. Anor nodded in understanding, although Crockta and Tiyo had no idea what Sam-Ryong was saying.

Anor looked deeply concerned. “He said he saw orcs wandering around with the chiefdom’s flag...”

Despite appearing similar to the Kapur tribe that Crockta and Tiyo had first met in the northern region, the wandering orcs were a small group that wandered about. Their lack of a stronghold meant that they survived by looting others. Recently, the chiefdom indiscriminately accepted all orcs to expand their scope of influence. As a result, the wandering looting orcs proudly walked around with the chiefdom’s flag too. Even a small group of orcs like them was a big threat to a small city like Nuridot.

“What should we do?” said Anor.

“Are they headed toward Nuridot?” asked Crockta.

“Sam-Ryong said they are,” replied Anor.

Crockta and Tiyo exchanged looks.

“Hahaha! Every crisis is an opportunity! Let’s help the dark elves!” said Tiyo with excitement.

Crockta nodded. “Sounds good.”

It sounded like a good opportunity to Crockta, who in the past, had performed reputation-building grunt work to enter Arnin. If the dark elves refused to let him in, he just had to help them out like he’d done in the past with the elves of Arnin.

“Let’s go!” said Tiyo.

“Yeah!” shouted Crockta.

Crockta’s and Tiyo’s eyes shone. They looked like they were ready to run to Nuridot at any minute.

However, Anor stopped them by calling out, “Hey, wait a second!”

“Huh?”

“Nuridot is quite far from here! You have to run all day...” said Anor.

Crockta and Tiyo just grinned. “Take your time. We will be waiting for you there.”

“Huh?”

Then Crockta crouched down on the ground. Tiyo leaped up and wrapped his legs around Crockta’s neck, crossing them tightly across Crockta’s chest. He was riding on Crockta’s shoulders.

“Crockta, let’s run!” Tiyo exclaimed excitedly.

“We will head there first!” said Crockta.

Crockta began running up north with Tiyo on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Anor just stared blankly as he watched them move farther away.

Crockta utilized his peak physical abilities and left Mount Luclan in an instant. He passed by the forests and swept through the plains at an amazing speed. Tiyo began firing his General behind them, forming a tail of iridescent lights that followed Crockta’s trajectory. Crockta appeared like a comet running across the earth and leaving its tracks behind.

Tiyo cheered, “Woo-hoo!”

Suddenly, Crockta shouted, “Tiyo!”

“What’s wrong?!” asked Tiyo.

“Can you shoot your General toward the front if you are cheering me on? If you shoot toward the back, I can’t see its beautiful rays!”

“...!”

Crockta could feel Tiyo flinch.

“Cr-Crockta...” Tiyo muttered.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not cheering you on... If you shoot this forward...” Tiyo said. Then he asked tentatively, “Do you not know... that for every force, there is an equal and opposite reaction? [1]

“...!”

Crockta had heard those words somewhere before, but he didn’t know how they were relevant to the current situation. Regardless, he could tell that Tiyo was disgusted with him.

“Sorry, I’m more of a liberal arts guy...” replied Crockta bitterly.

Anyway, Crockta was able to arrive at Nuridot quicker than expected thanks to the boost from the General. At first, they could only see the dim outline of the village, but it grew clearer as they drew closer. Then Crockta saw some dark elves having a face-off with the wandering orcs they had heard about. Crockta slowed down upon approaching them.

“We’re here, Crockta,” said Tiyo.

The dark elves and wandering orcs who had been arguing with each other turned toward Crockta and Tiyo. They stared at the pair in surprise; they were taken aback by the sudden appearance of a frightening-looking orc and the gnome riding on his shoulders.

Crockta thought,

‘Now, it’s time to say something cool. Everyone was so impressed when I recited Kant’s quote in Altanas...’

Crockta remembered the satisfaction that he had felt earlier and was about to say something that would last forever in their memories.

However, someone said, “Who is that fucking loser?”

“...!”

Before Crockta could process his shock at what he’d just heard, the other orcs began laughing at him.

“Yeah, why is he carrying a gnome? Is that gnome an orc rider?”

“An orc acting like a mule... How embarrassing.”

“Look at that tacky red bandana and those tattoos. He looks like a country bumpkin.”

“Hey, don’t make fun of him too much. He must have done it cause he thinks he looks cool. He might cry if you keep teasing him. Hahahahaha!”

Crockta’s fists trembled. He could put up with anything else, but mocking his fashion sense was unacceptable... It was time to summon his greatsword.

Tiyo, who felt Crockta’s rage from his trembling shoulders, warned the orcs, “You will regret it if you make Crockta angry!”

***

Anor finally arrived at Nuridot after walking for a long time. The sun had already begun to set. Thankfully, the village was peaceful. It didn’t seem like there had been problems with the group of wandering orcs.

When Anor entered the village, a drunken guard greeted him, “Hey, Anor, where have you been?”

“...”

“I thought you finally ran away... though you don’t have the balls to, haha.”

Anor kept his mouth tightly sealed as he passed through the entrance. He could hear the guards laughing at him from behind. Even after he entered the village, the dirty looks continued. Everywhere he went, the dark elves’ eyes followed closely behind him.

Anor began to miss Sam-Ryong, but he had left Sam-Ryong on Mount Luclan.

He muttered belatedly to Sam-Ryong, who couldn’t hear him, “Take care...”

After trudging along, he heard a commotion coming from the village square in the distance. He wondered if there was some kind of event going on.

Then a familiar voice rang loud enough to be heard throughout the village, “We are the gnome guards who protect beautiful Quantes~! We live each day to the fullest~!”

The singing was horrible. Normally, Anor would have just walked past events like this, but he was drawn in by the familiar voice.

“While braving through the sea of blood of monsters~!” the voice continued.

The voice sounded childish, but there was also a sense of masculinity in it.

Upon arriving at the public square, Anor saw a drunken gnome in high spirits having fun in the village square. The dark elves in the village surrounded him and clapped their hands enthusiastically. Anor also saw an orc with a red bandana among the villagers. The gnome and orc were Tiyo and Crockta, whom Anor had met earlier.

“What is going on...” Anor couldn’t believe his eyes.

Dark elves were extremely guarded against strangers and refused to let them into their village. They were even guarded against dark elves from other places. Yet, Crockta and Tiyo were interacting with the villagers as if they were old friends even though it was their first time here.

“Hello, beautiful dark elf lady! Do you like gnomes?” asked Tiyo.

“Oh, my...”

“I would have hit on you if you were one meter shorter. Too bad!” said Tiyo.

“Hahaha!”

All of the dark elves burst into laughter at Tiyo’s joke. When those two first said they were heading to Nameragon through dark elf territory, Anor didn’t think it was possible. He had experienced the insularity of the dark elves firsthand and had always felt like there was a wall between him and the other dark elves. Despite that, those two had infiltrated dark elf society so easily.

“Amazing...” muttered Anor.

However, it wasn’t a pure expression of awe. It was actually the opposite. Anor whispered to himself to suppress that feeling, but he couldn’t help but feel jealous.

“Hey, halfie,” someone called out from behind him.

Anor was sick of that voice. He let out a deep sigh and turned around. A dark elf with a lean and muscular body like a black panther was smiling at him. Behind that dark elf was a group of more dark elves.

“Your face is even whiter than usual. And did your ears shrink?” the lean and muscular dark elf smirked.

The group of dark elves laughed at Anor.

“At this rate, you will die immediately as soon as you hit one hundred.”

“How old is that halfie right now?”

Anor glared at them, but no one was scared of him. He turned and walked away from them.

“Where are you going, Anor?!” shouted one of the dark elves.

“Are you running away, you mutt?” shouted another one.

Anor was a half-elf, a cross between a human and a dark elf, and was thus persecuted by dark elf society.

He ignored the dark elves’ mockery and was about to continue to where he was headed.

Then someone called out to him, “Anor!”

He tried to ignore this call too, but the voice was different this time. It was loud and clear. When Anor turned to look, he saw orc warrior Crockta approaching him.

“Are you alive? When did you get here?” asked Crockta.

With the sun in the midst of setting, the shadows on Crockta’s face made him appear even more frightening up close.

Crockta then turned toward the group of dark elves and looked at each of their faces. “Ah, are you guys Anor’s friends? Glad to meet you.”

Anor flinched.

Nakai, the lean and muscular dark elf, and the group of dark elves he led were even more discriminatory than most dark elves. Even Anor, who had been born here and lived here his whole life, was still bullied because he was of mixed blood. If Crockta weren’t careful, it could lead to trouble...

Nakai’s voice cut off Anor’s thoughts. “Oh, hello sir. Aren’t you the orc warrior? Welcome! Hahahaha.”

Nakai gladly shook hands with Crockta.

1. Tiyo is referencing Newton’s Third Law: Action & Reaction ?