Aria walked ahead with her father, and with one word, the crowd parted away.
The goblins kept watching us with a mix of caution and curiosity.
We soon reached a long wooden table, and per Aria's words, it was the place where they held meetings.
I cleared my throat and tapped the table.
"Alright, here's the plan. We spread a rumour that there are resources in the volcano.
Once the Orcs hear that, they will charge straight toward it. And we would circle from the back and push them from behind until they fall inside."
Aria's father blinked at me, then leaned back with his arms crossed.
"Kid," he said with a surprised tone, "where were you during the Goblin–Kobold war?
Because if you were there, thinking the same way, you would have left me no choice but to marry my daughter to you and make peace."
Aria smiled and pressed her arm tighter around mine, her soft chest brushing my arm on purpose.
"Dad, you always said Mother knew how to choose. So do I."
I stared at both of them. "Guys… I'm still here. You can leave the father-daughter discussion for later."
Aria laughed and hugged my arm even harder. "But it's more fun when you hear it yourself."
Her father shook his head. "You're becoming more like your mother every day."
After the meeting, we stood up, and the goblins spread the rumour…
It didn't take long for the Orcs to start moving towards the volcano, just like we wanted.
But something felt wrong.
Bruuk left the meeting earlier than the others.
Nothing about it seemed strange at first. He didn't rush, didn't look back.
Still… I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd already seen that calm before. Right before a blade comes out.
I followed him quietly.
The moment he left the camp border, I knew it. The direction he was taking was toward the orc settlements.
I kept following him, and once he dropped his guard, I smiled.
"This was my chance!"
The forest had gone quiet.
No insects. No wind.
My instincts screamed at me to stop. But my feet kept moving anyway.
And then he turned around towards me, with the same shrewd smile from earlier.
My heart fell seeing that smile, and I stopped in my pace.
His lips curled slowly.
"You really thought I'd walk alone?"
Something massive shifted behind the trees.
The ground vibrated once.
Then again.
And after some moments, a big Orc walked from behind the tree Bruuk was standing beside.
He had a tall, muscular figure with greenish skin, broad shoulders, and a rough, scarred face.
He wore heavy armor, carried a large battle axe, and had an intimidating presence.
My pulse quickened after realising who was standing before me.
His name was Ra, the Orcs' chief himself. The one who is supposed to lead his kind now was currently facing me.
He looked down at Bruuk. "So this guy is the reason for ruining our plan?"
Bruuk nodded gleefully. "Yes, and Kalmar didn't take his daughter with him this time, so she's staying in the tribe."
The orc chief's smile deepened. "Good, but let's take care of this guy first."
His gaze fell on me as he started walking, his battle axe making a trace on the ground.
My mind raced, then I realized something. I opened the panel, and my hand rushed towards the evolution chance.
Ra didn't stop walking towards me. Reaching me, he raised his battle axe high above his shoulder and struck down.
Booom!
His axe swing made a dent in the ground, and after the dust settled, he looked again.
He frowned.
"You should be dead."
I was already coughing blood, my ribs screaming in protest.
One more clean hit like that, and there would be nothing left of me.
I was on the sidelines, my hand grasping my chest. I'd narrowly evaded that blow by a hair's length.
Using the chance where he was confused, I pressed the evolution chance button.
For a moment, I thought I'd made a mistake.
My vision doubled. My heart hammered out of rhythm.
If this failed… I wouldn't even die fighting.
Then the rush hit me.
It felt like fire spreading through my veins.
My bones stretched, my muscles tightened. I grew taller, way taller, until I stood around 1.9 meters. My body felt heavier, but stronger.
My muscles became dense like steel, and my claws sharp like razors.
Ra, who was looking at me, his eyes widened in shock. "Evolution!"
His gaze sharpened, and this time he didn't waste any time and rushed at me with full force.
I tensed my legs and evaded him. I knew that any advantage I had previously was gone now.
Using my newly sharpened claws, I attacked his vulnerable parts, mostly the neck. But he managed to evade it thanks to his armour scales covering his neck.
My claws scraped armor. Sparks flew.
His fist crushed into my jaw.
I tasted iron. My legs buckled.
I can't win this head-on.
Seeing how his axe dragged him down in close-quarter fight, he threw it away and rushed towards me.
We were locked in a fight. Every punch he landed on me drew blood, while my punches didn't do much damage.
After thinking about it for a while, I chose the best option for me. Using my claws, I gritted my teeth and,
I let him hit me.
Pain exploded through my chest as bone cracked. But his neck finally opened.
I roared and ripped his neck.
Warm blood flooded my hands.
When I staggered back, I nearly fell with him.
His eyes widened in terror as he tried to stop his bleeding neck. Then he looked back at me in fear.
Bruuk, on the sidelines, seeing that, tried to sneak away, and noticing it, I didn't let him slip through.
Tensing my legs, I ran behind Bruuk. Even though he covered a long distance, I managed to reach him.
Seeing me looming on him like the grim reaper, his knees weakened, and he fell on the ground.
"Wait, I can expla, "
I didn't bother hearing his next words and plunged my claws in his neck.
His neck started bleeding, and he fell headfirst on the ground.
I wiped my blood and lifted his corpse, taking it back with me towards Ra.
Surprisingly, when I came back, Ra was still holding back, but he was clearly on his last leg.
He looked at the dead Bruuk in my arms and burst out laughing. "At least you got him too. I can die peacefully now." Then he closed his eyes, and his movements stopped.
I put them next to each other and took their heads off, putting them in a bag.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
The smell of blood clung to me like a second skin.
I wondered how many times I'd replay this moment once the adrenaline faded.
I finally wiped my hands and walked back to Aria. And the moment she saw me, her eyes widened.
"Oh god, Ragnar, is that you?" she whispered, taking a closer look at me.
Her eyes scanned me from head to toe. The change was shocking. She was previously roughly my height; now I could tower over her by a full head.
Aria seemed to like how small she looked next to me, and as she walked closer to me, her eyes fell on the bag I carried.
I gave her the bag, and she took a look at it. "Oh my god!"
Then she looked back at me. "Do you realize what you did?
You just saved our whole tribe. Once the Orcs see their leader's head off, any resistance will vanish."
She couldn't stop her excitement and stood on her tiptoes, giving me a quick peck on my cheek.
"Thank you, really, Ragnar."
Her father arrived behind her, and she ran towards him. "Dad, look inside this bag. You wouldn't believe what's there."
As Kalmar looked inside, he froze, then gritted his teeth. "This damn Bruuk dared to accuse you of siding with the orcs while he himself was the traitor."
Then he turned towards me. "Thanks to having Ra's head, we can now weaken the Orcs' spirits. Thank you."
Seeing things came to an end, I said, "Good. My job is done then."
But before I took even one step, Aria grabbed my arm, holding me in place.
"We are noble goblins. We can't let our savior leave without a proper banquet in his honor," she said in a firm voice.
"Stay for tonight. I will make sure to reward you," she said, squeezing my arm again, her chest brushing me intentionally.
Her father saw the mood and immediately understood, giving a thumbs-up toward Aria before slipping away.
Aria didn't even notice him leaving. She only looked at me, her fingers still wrapped around my arm, and her cheeks slightly warm.
I smirked, looking at her. "Alright, I'll stay. I really want to experience the goblins' hospitality."
She smiled seductively at me and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry, I'll make you think about staying here forever."
The mood became increasingly intimate. Thank God we were alone in the hut.