The reconnaissance team had just returned before dawn from their mission given to them by satou
Satou was still awake when Grimnir, Finn, and Mira slipped back through the cave entrance, their faces grim and their movements heavy with exhaustion. He'd spent the entire night reviewing what little he knew about orc culture and tactics, trying to formulate a plan that didn't end with everyone dead.
"Report," Satou said, gesturing for them to sit by the dying fire.
Grimnir settled down with a grunt, his expression darker than usual. "We got close enough to map the western perimeter. There's a section of the palisade near the back where the wood's rotted through in a couple places. Big enough for us to slip through one at a time if we're careful."
"That's good news," Satou said. "What about Kira's location?"
"That's the complicated part." Mira spoke up, her voice quiet but steady. "We couldn't see inside most of the buildings, but we overheard two orc guards talking. Apparently, they're holding her in the chieftain's longhouse—right in the center of the settlement."
Of course she was. Nothing could ever be simple.
"There's more," Finn added. "While we were watching, another group of orcs arrived from the east. At least fifteen more warriors. They were carrying banners with some kind of wolf symbol, and the settlement orcs treated them with a lot of respect. We think they're part of a larger tribe."
Satou felt his stomach sink. Bad news kept piling up. "So we're not just dealing with one isolated settlement. These orcs are connected to something bigger."
"It gets worse," Grimnir said, his jaw tight. "We managed to get close enough to hear some of their conversation. My orcish is limited, but I caught enough to understand the general meaning." He paused, as if reluctant to continue. "They're planning something called a 'Blood Trial' tomorrow night. It's some kind of ritual combat. And Kira's going to be part of it."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"What kind of combat?" Satou asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
"Entertainment for the tribe," Mira replied, her expression disgusted. "They throw prisoners into an arena and make them fight their warriors. If the prisoner survives, they're supposedly allowed to go free. But..."
"But that never actually happens," Satou finished. "The prisoners always die, and the orcs get their entertainment."
Grimnir nodded grimly. "The trial happens at sunset tomorrow. Which means we have less than eighteen hours to either rescue her before then, or..." He trailed off, leaving the alternative unspoken.
Satou's mind raced. Less than eighteen hours. The quest timer had already burned through six hours, leaving him with sixty-six remaining. But the practical deadline was much shorter.
He pulled up his status screen, checking his current capabilities.
[Status Window]
Name: Satou
Race: Goblin (Juvenile)
Level: 16
Health: 310/310
Stamina: 210/210
Mana: 16/16
Strength: 32
Agility: 39
Intelligence: 46
Vitality: 35
His mana was fully restored, which meant he could name five more goblins if needed. But would five more Hobgoblins be enough to make a difference against thirty-plus orcs?
The numbers didn't look good.
But then again, they never did.
"Alright," Satou said, making a decision. "Here's what we're going to do. We're not sneaking in to rescue Kira."
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
"Then what—" Finn started.
"We're going to walk right through their front gate," Satou continued, his voice calm despite the insanity of what he was proposing. "And I'm going to challenge their chieftain to single combat."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Have you lost your mind?" Grimnir finally asked, his voice somewhere between disbelief and concern. "You can't fight an orc chieftain one-on-one. You're not even a Hobgoblin yet—you're still in your juvenile form. He'll tear you apart."
"Maybe," Satou admitted. "But hear me out. These orcs follow strength, right? That's the basis of their entire culture. The strong lead, the weak follow. If I challenge their chieftain and win, the entire tribe has to acknowledge that victory."
"And if you lose, you die," Lyra pointed out, having woken up and joined the conversation. "What happens to the rest of us then?"
"If I lose, you all retreat back to this cave, grab whatever supplies you can carry, and head deeper into the forest," Satou said firmly. "You find somewhere else to settle and start over. Grimnir leads in my place."
"Absolutely not," Jessica's voice rang out from across the cave. She and Kelvin were approaching, their expressions set with determination. "We're not leaving you, big brother. If you're going to do something stupid, at least let us be stupid with you."
"This isn't up for debate," Satou said, his tone brooking no argument. "I'm not risking all of you on a gamble. At least this way, if things go wrong, most of you survive."
"Why single combat?" Mira asked. "Why not just launch an attack during the Blood Trial when they're distracted?"
"Because we can't win a war of attrition," Satou explained. "Even if we kill half their warriors, they'll just call in reinforcements from their larger tribe. We need a decisive victory that makes them respect us—or at least fear us enough to leave us alone."
He stood and began pacing, his mind working through the details. "Orc culture is built on hierarchy and strength. If I can beat their chieftain in front of the entire tribe, it proves we're not just weak goblins to be hunted for sport. It gives us legitimacy. Power. Maybe even a chance to negotiate."
"You're assuming the other orcs will honor the result of a duel," Grimnir pointed out. "What if they just attack you anyway after you beat their leader?"
"Then we fight," Satou said simply. "But I don't think they will. From everything I've heard about orc culture, they take challenges seriously. It's their whole system of determining leadership. If I win fairly, they have to acknowledge it—or risk looking weak themselves by not honoring their own traditions."
Lyra studied him carefully. "You've thought about this a lot."
"I've thought about nothing else all night." Satou stopped pacing and faced them all. "I know it's risky. I know there are a dozen ways it could go wrong. But it's the best chance we have to save Kira without getting everyone killed. And..." He hesitated, then decided to be honest. "I have skills they don't know about. Advantages that might give me an edge in single combat."
"What kind of advantages?" Finn asked.
Satou considered how much to reveal. These goblins had already seen him devour corpses and evolve their entire species with naming magic. What was one more impossible ability?
"I can combine my skills in ways I haven't fully tested yet," he admitted. "The Devouring ability, the earth manipulation, the enhanced senses from the wolf—I think I can use them together in combat. Create strategies and tactics that the orcs won't expect from a goblin."
"You think you can," Grimnir emphasized. "But you don't know for sure."
"No," Satou agreed. "I don't. But I know for sure that a frontal assault gets us all killed, and a stealth mission has too many variables. This is the option that gives us the best chance of success with the lowest overall risk to everyone."
He looked around at their faces—some skeptical, some worried, some reluctantly accepting.