elra
patreon
An Otherworldly Scholar - 180
🕑 Added 2024-11-27 20:51:54 +0000 UTCThe orc caravan walked for two days without stopping for rest. The Energy Potion carried me through the first day of marching, but the effect dissipated by the second night. I must’ve collapsed in the middle of the road because when I opened my eyes, I was loaded into a cart with the wounded. Kara walked by the cart’s side, casting worried glances at me. It was still night, and [Foresight]’s inner clock informed me that only a few hours had passed.
Thanks to [Invigoration], I needed only four hours of sleep, so I played it cool and resumed the walk.
The Teal Moon tribe led the caravan along the hidden road through the western face of the mountain range until we reached the caves. It wasn’t the same entrance that Elincia and I had used back when the Lich’s freezing spell almost turned us into popsicles. My inner GPS told me we were northwest of the hidden valley while Elincia guided me through the east. The collapsed passage must have been on the northern side.
With only two narrow entrances to defend, the tribe would be okay if a monster army appeared.
Traversing the cave system took the caravan another day. The caves only allowed one cart to enter at any time, so the rear of the caravan had to wait. Luckily, there were almost no monsters in the area. When we finally reached the inner valley, the camp was already up.
I noticed a clear partition where the Teal Moon camp started.
“Together but not united,” I muttered to myself.
Most orcs must’ve been resting inside the tents because the camp seemed empty. As resilient as they were, orcs still needed rest. However, as soon as we exited the cave system, Dassyra and the other two Teal Moon Chieftains approached Wolf.
“The guests can’t stay—” the third Chieftain, whose name I ignored, said.
“I will deal with that later. I need rest.”
“But—”
Wolf’s character drastically changed when he dealt with his chieftains. Any trace of the half-orc boy that crumbled to the pressure of the little ones disappeared. Instead, I saw a stoic leader—and a cunning one.
“A healthy brain requires seven to nine hours of sleep to function properly. Lack of sleep impairs problem-solving, focus, and decision-making, Chieftain Sennay. I will rest now,” Wolf cut him off, wandering into the Teal Moon camp.
The chieftain looked at Wolf with a puzzled expression. It was the same expression I evoked in kids when I used too many technical words in my classes.
“He’s using your confusion spells against the chieftains,” Ilya pointed out.
Wolf played his part to perfection, but he was still in danger. He was young, practically a foreigner for the tribe, and had too much to prove. Still, he did a marvelous job keeping the complaints to a minimum. Once they snowballed, it was hard to stop them.
I signaled Ginz and the kids to gather around me.
“I need you to look after Wolf while I figure things out with the free orcs. We might have escaped the Lich’s forces for now, but the tension remains high. Wolf is being tested as we speak. One misstep, and he is out,” I whispered. “I want you to accompany him everywhere. I want you to watch his back even when he’s taking a leak.”
Firana giggled, probably thinking about making Wolf’s ‘sprinkle time’ impossible.
“Who would’ve thought our Wolfie would become such an important figure,” Firana said, hardly hiding her mischievous smile.
Ilya rolled her eyes.
“We saved you from your abusive uncle, and now Wolf is in charge of a band of six hundred orcs. What’s next? Zaon being kidnapped by a dragon?”
Zaon shuddered.
“Please don’t summon Murphy on me.”
“You are talking like Mister Clarke now.”
Zaon blushed.
“Enough banter,” I cut them out. “Go watch over Wolf and tell him I will try to buy the goodwill of the tribes. Tell them to be prepared for news.”
More than anything, Wolf needed allies to stabilize the situation. So far, he had Dassyra’s loyalty, but I couldn’t tell the same by Callaid and the chieftain’s men. Even if the warriors from the outer camp weren’t as strong as the Teal Moon warriors, five hundred swords would ease the tension on Wolf’s shoulders.
“Let’s protect our green princess,” Firana said.
“Just don’t let the chieftains hear you calling Wolf that,” Ilya replied.
“What about me?” Ginz asked as the kids walked to the Teal Moon camp.
“I’m going to tempt the elders with guns. Prepare three to give them a taste.”
As soon as we departed, the elders from the outer camp invited me to the central tent on their side of the camp. For the past two days, I’ve been talking on and off with the chieftains and elders of the tribes. As pragmatic as orcs were, they were also curious. It almost felt like a job interview, with the caveat that I had already gotten the job.
I told them about child psychology, group behavior, leadership, early education, the common good, and everything else I’d learned at university. I told them about how different things were in practice. No book had taught me how to follow the individual lives of hundreds of kids year after year, about all the improvisation, about knowing when to pull and when to push. I even made it sound like I was a guy who knew exactly what was going on.
It was unclear if they were satisfied with my answers. My life was the opposite of the orc warrior experience.
The elders guided me into the main tent with Kara and Pyrrah as my escort. Hallas decided that assisting an orc meeting was below him, so he went to scout the valley. He was more worried about the Warden’s Tree than petty politics.
Kara opened the beaded curtain that acted as a door, and I entered the elder’s tent.
The tent was made of thin fabric that let the light through. In the center was an elongated fire pit, like a Viking great hall. On each side of the fire pit, was a low table with a dozen cushion-seats each. Elders and chieftains took their places on the floor until only the head was empty.
Elder Kormak, the old orc who had supported me from the beginning, signaled for me to sit. I obeyed, but despite my place of honor, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. Kara sat to my right, slightly behind me, and Pyrrah to my left.
Elder Kormak asked for silence. He had been the one who had talked with me the most, so naturally, I also inquired about his life. He led the most prominent tribe in the outer camp, the Falling Leaves. Over the years, he had gained renown among the northern tribes due to his martial prowess and wisdom. He liked to joke, saying age had shrunk him, but he was still above six feet tall. He never liked the idea of a fortified city, as permanent settlements attracted monsters, and he was reluctant to join Umolo’s pact.
Time proved Kormak right, but the old orc was still a riddle for me. I could tell he was smart.
“Let’s continue our conversation, Warchief Clarke,” Elder Kormak said. “I think we were talking about tradition.”
The elders and chieftains fell silent, and I couldn’t help but feel that this was a test.
“Tradition helps people not to stumble upon the same rock twice,” I said.
A few orcs agreed. Others remained indifferent.
“Tradition can also force people to stumble upon the same rock over and over again, or worse, tradition might be blind to the new rocks on the way,” Kormak replied with a smile. “Even a fool can see that times change. An observant person can see the direction of the changes. But only a smart leader can determine the optimal way to stir the carriage.”
It wasn’t hard to guess where the conversation was going. I was able to set a defense for the camp, but the orcs wanted to know if I could ensure the tribe’s future survival.
I decided to push back.
“So, the Greyfangs decided to change the nomadic tradition and build Umolo, but they are idiots for doing it?”
“Tradition must evolve, yes, but Umolo was a stupid idea,” Kormak shrugged.
“And appointing a foreign System user as your Warchief is a smart idea?”
Kormak shrugged again.
“We noticed. Since your arrival, the Teal Moon warriors started killing Ghouls like mice. So I say getting you on our side was a brilliant idea.”
I nodded. The more I talked to Kormar, the more I understood the orc mind. Orcs had a sole moral imperative: survive. What helped them survive was considered good, and what endangered the tribe was considered wrong. Their tradition was to have no tradition other than actions and ideas that helped their people thrive in the Farlands.
Appointing a foreigner as a Warchief wasn’t out of the question.
Elder Kormark spoke again.
“Don’t get me wrong. A decade ago, we wouldn’t have let a System user anywhere near our tribe… but things had changed. Monsters are more vicious, and surges are more common than ever. If you want to survive, you must move fast,” he said. “So, Warchief, where are we going now?”
The council examined my reaction, trying to determine whether I was about to have a brilliant or stupid idea. I felt Elder Kormak had driven me into a corner, but I couldn’t tell why.
“I have a lot of ideas that probably can’t be done,” I replied.
Kormak must’ve misunderstood my words because he shook his head.
“Fortifications are useless against the most powerful monsters. They might give the illusion of safety but are mouse traps in the end.”
As cool as a star fortress was, I wasn’t planning to build one. The problem of the small tribes was their lack of unity. Not even the strongest wall could keep the Lich and his army outside. However, a sprinkle of leadership was all it took to get the outer camp to work as a unit and successfully defend against the monster horde.
A sprinkle of leadership and a handful of enchanted weapons and armor.
“I might not have the right solution,” I said.
My mind raced.
“We don’t need the solution. We need a solution,” Kormak replied.
The orcs looked at me as if they were expecting something. Then, the realization hit me. Kormak knew what was the only solution I could offer them. Guns. I grinned. He had put me in the position of Warchief to force my hand and freely give what I had to offer. I was no stranger to this trick before. The school where I used to work had the idea of appointing kids as discipline delegates. It was an awful idea. Still, I nominated the most rebellious kids in the grade to force them to act as expected of a delegate.
The future of the tribes was a new weapon to fight against high-level monsters, but the last thing I wanted was for my guns to be used in a stupid power conflict between tribes.
I grinned. Kormak thought he controlled the situation, but ultimately, I held all the power. I used [Mirage] to cast a hundred orc army in the center of the room. The illusion moved. Each orc was armed with Force rifles, MDBC bullets, and Wind-Shot boots.
Kormak might believe he had me in his hand, but I saw through his tricks.
“This is a mobile attack force specialized in dealing with high-level threats. The enchanted rifle shoots mana-draining bullets at a speed of two hundred meters per second. They are very accurate and extremely difficult to dodge. The Wind-Shoot Boots would allow the attack force to remain safe, out of the reach of monsters. Factoring the weight of a regular orc, we need Ghoul Leather to ensure a non-degrading enchantment, but these boots will allow them to traverse rough terrain and obstacles up to three meters tall,” I said, making things up as I went on. I had no idea about the actual speed of the rifles or how high I could shoot an orc into the sky with a wind enchantment.
[Foresight] helped me read the room. My presentation had the expected effect. The elders exchanged greedy glances.
“A rifle for every ten orcs would do the trick. As it is a non-lethal weapon, we still need warriors to kill the weakened monsters.”
I let the silence float in the room.
“How are we going to distribute these so-called rifles?” Chieftain Mur asked.
The question wasn’t directed at me.
“The more warriors, the more rifles a clan should receive,” a chieftain from Kormak’s tribe replied.
They argued for a minute before speaking again. It took a moment for them to stop negotiating the amount of rifles for each tribe. Maybe there was a reason orcs didn’t have merchants. They were vicious negotiators.
“You won’t have to distribute them,” I said, silently apologizing to Wolf for what I would do. “The rifles will go to Warchief Wolf and the Teal Moon tribe. If you want to survive, I’d recommend joining them.”
I expected the room to burst into chaos. I channeled a slim mana barrier along my body in case things got physical. However, nobody pounced on my throat. Did my proposal make sense to them?
“You are asking us to shed our identities, Warchief Clarke,” Kormak said.
“Tradition can force people to stumble upon the same rock over and over again.”
“What if the Teal Moon tribe doesn’t accept us?”
“They will if they want the rifles.”
Kormak grinned.
“Ah, a new pact has been born. It seems that there will be a wedding.”
“A wedding?” I asked.
* * *
And a wedding there was. I never heard the orcs making so much noise. The inner valley buzzed as the news spread through the camp. The organization of the event was easier than I expected. Elder Kormak grabbed my arm and guided me to the Teal Moon camp. As we broke into Wolf's tent, the warriors looked at us with the usual suspicion. Not five minutes later, the Wolf, Dassyra, Oro, and the rest of the chieftains listened to my proposal—a unified tribe of orcs with guns.
In the light of the last battle, everyone was prone to endorse my ideas. The kids had single-handedly defused the Chrysalimorph’s threat, so Wolf had little convincing to do on his side of the camp.
“How are we going to distribute the rifles?” Chieftain Sennay asked, to no one's surprise.
Dassyra gave her a murderous glance, but Wolf raised his hand to impose silence.
“If Warchief Clarke wishes so, I’ll personally distribute them,” he said, searching my eyes for confirmation.
I winked at him. Wolf had the right idea. The free tribes would search Wolf’s favor, strengthening his position as a Warchief and providing cohesion to the new tribe.
After a bit of back-and-forth, the matter was settled. The lack of bureaucracy refreshed my soul. To officially recognize the union, the elders of the free tribes brought their banners before Wolf, and dozens of old orc seamstresses knit them together.
Not an hour later, elders and chieftains gathered every bachelor and bachelorette of their respective tribes. Meanwhile, the older orcs prepared a bonfire, and the orc kids gathered flowers, feathers, and vines to braid into crowns and bracelets.
I could barely keep up with the orc’s pace.
Two days ago, we were fighting for our lives.
“Will they agree to get married?” I asked as Kormak reunited his tribe’s soon-to-be grooms and brides, and the orc kids adorned them with their creations.
“Why wouldn’t they?” the elder asked.
“I don’t know. Love, for instance?”
“Oh, they will be making much love very soon.”
My complaint went over Kormak’s head, and dismissed me with a hand movement to oversee the preparations for the party in peace. It seemed I had already lost my Warchief benefits.
Amidst the chaos, I closed my eyes and put my thoughts in order.
As much as I wanted to stay in the camp, I had pending issues with the Lich.
Even at that moment, the Forest Warden must be growing stronger.
“Rob. I was looking for you.”
I turned around to find Dassyra. She wore her usual chieftain attire, ornate leather armor with the Black Wolf pelt over her shoulders and the cleaver hanging from her belt. She seemed ready for the wedding. We hadn’t talked since the impasse regarding Wolf’s Class.
We walked silently up the water stream to the stepped waterfall where Spirit Fox’s Tails grew like bad weeds. I recognized the place. Elincia and I met our first Undead Black Wolf there shortly after saving Dassyra from the Ice Wraiths.
“Doesn’t it bring memories?” Dassyra asked.
It felt like a whole life had passed.
“We were on a better footing back then,” I replied.
Dassyra removed her boots and dipped her feet in the water. She let out a long sigh. It had been a long walk from Umolo. I did the same, standing a few meters away from her just in case.
“Can you really erase Wolf’s Class?” she asked.
“I pulled some favors with the admin, but Wolf hadn’t told me he wants to get scrubbed,” I said. “It might not be necessary, though. Regardless of his Class, he is the Warchief now.”
“He is,” Dassyra sighed.
It seemed Wolf was still giving her the cold shoulder.
“How did you manage to convince the chieftains?”
I understood that Kormak and the free orcs overlooked my Class to get the guns, but Wolf lacked such leverage.
“Chieftain Oro has three half-blooded daughters in Farcrest, and he dreams of them returning to the tribe. He wanted to set a precedent,” Dassyra said with a sad smile. “Humans have something that turns us orcs into emotional creatures. Don’t get me wrong, we cherish our pureblood children, yet we secretly mourn for those who decide to live among humans.”
I nodded in silence.
“Maybe it’s the size,” Dassyra grinned. “Half-blooded kids are so small and cute.”
This time, I couldn’t help but laugh. Wolf was my height already and showed no signs of being done growing. The only cute thing about him was his calligraphy and his patience with the little ones.
Dassyra looked at the waterfall, lost in thought.
“What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry. I’ve been an ass despite the fact you saved my life and helped Wolf to become the man he is now.”
I couldn’t help but blush a little bit. I wasn't good at receiving compliments despite Elincia showering me with them.
“Don’t sweat it…” I said. Then, I noticed I had been overlooking an important detail. “Wolf won’t get married, right?”
I searched for Dassyra’s eyes.
“He can get married if he wants, but I doubt showing special favor to one of the new tribes would be wise,” Dassyra said, just to quickly add. “...and I would rather Wolf marry for love, not politics.”
It seemed Byrne couldn’t erase all her orc-ness after all.
The last time we talked about him, Dassyra told me not to mention him, so I didn’t bring him up.
“Are you going to get married?” I asked.
Dassyra gave me a mischievous grin and splashed me with cold water.
“Is that a proposal?”
“Generally, I don’t sleep with my student’s moms… or legal guardians.”
“Generally? Did you sleep with a student’s mother?!” Dassyra raised an eyebrow. “Oh, right. The Governess. The sexual tension between you two was unbearable.”
“Man shall not live by bread alone.”
Dassyra splashed me again.
The sound of drums came from the camp. When Dassyra stopped laughing, she guided me back. The celebration had already started, and the bonfire burned high. Orc kids ran around, having seemingly forgotten about the hardships of the past few days. There wasn’t much food besides Umolo’s barley-rice, but orcs cooked killer soups even with few ingredients.
Kara ran at me as I entered the bonfire circle.
“Revered Chieftain Robert Clarke, I was looking for you. Elder Kormak wants you to act as the best man of one of our warriors.”
I looked around. Like a high school dance, the Teal Moon bachelors and bachelorettes stood on one side of the dance floor while the free orcs stood by the other.
“What should I do?” I asked.
Do I have to do it?
“As an experienced member of the tribe, you have to help your junior find a suitable partner,” Kara said, putting a red handkerchief in my hand.
“And what is this for?”
“Dancing.”
The next moment, I sat beside an orc three heads taller than me and shoulders as wide as the orphanage’s ballroom door. Each orc had an older member of the tribe supporting them. Unfortunately for Korg, I had no idea what made an orc lady a good marriage prospect. Still, the elders seemed satisfied with my participation in the ritual.
An hour had passed, and only a few couples had formed. Most just chatted, testing the waters, while others—those who clicked—danced around the bonfire. The most adventurous bachelorettes even tried to court Wolf, but Ilya was there to crush their aspirations.
The little gnome seemed to enjoy sending orc girls flying.
“What about that lady over there, Korg?” I pointed to a cute orc girl with long black hair and big eyes who had exchanged glances with us a few times. She seemed interested, although her godmother slapped the back of her head every time.
“Her nose is funny,” Korg replied reluctantly.
Fair enough. Her nose was a bit crooked, probably broken at some point in her life, but so were the noses of about half the tribe.
“What about that one, the one with the feather dress? Don’t tell me she doesn’t have a killer body,” I just wanted to get this over.
Korg gave me a confused look.
“Do you want my kids to be ginger or something?”
I rubbed my temples.
“If you don’t make a move, you’ll end up alone.”
“Korg would rather die than have ginger kids with crooked noses.”
“Broken noses can’t be inherited!”
I wanted to kick him into the bonfire.
The worst part was that several Teal Moon girls cast interested glances at Korg.
“Look, buddy, I won’t waste the afternoon trying to convince you to talk to the girls. You are on your own,” I finally said.
“You weren’t a good matchmaker anyway!” Korg yelled as I walked by the bonfire to the table where Ginz, Pyrrah, and Hallas sat.
Hallas was restless but didn’t voice his complaints. During the caravan voyage, he reminded me repeatedly that we should be traveling to the Warden’s Tree instead of escorting the orcs to safety. My response was the same every time. I couldn’t leave Wolf’s side.
I haven’t inquired about the kid’s current levels, but I had leveled up five more times during the last fight. It wouldn’t surprise me if they already reached level twenty. We were more prepared than ever to face the Lich and the Forest Warden.
Pyrrah, at least, seemed to be enjoying the party, drumming on the table at the rhythm of the music.
“Come on, blondie, have some fun! There will be time to die horribly at the hands of a monster later,” Ginz elbowed Hallas’ shoulder.
Orcs drank a lightly fermented barley drink, but Ginz was flyweight.
It was far from enough to get an average person drunk, but better than water.
“Ginz is right. Take it easy today. We will depart tomorrow,” I said, grabbing a mug.
The drink was rich and zesty.
“Tomorrow! You should have said it before!” Ginz screeched, jumping on his feet. “No time to party. I have to craft more bullets… and no, I won’t travel with y’all. I won’t be your crafting road companion. I’m having the orcs return me to Farcrest!”
I wondered why everyone was acting so difficult today.
Pyrrah was trying to strike up a conversation with me when Firana appeared out of nowhere.
“I got a handkerchief. Let’s go dance!”
At least one of us wasn’t worried about what tomorrow would bring us.
Comments
I Dare Korval
About Korg, it may be that he is gay but doesn't want to admit it. As for the ammo, yeah only Rob can make enchanted bullets, but regular one are dangerous too and don't need his help making them.
Jake
I think the handkerchief thing is referring to the style of dance where you both hold a handkerchief. Could be wrong tho.
Ben Bass
TYFTC! The marriages is a very interesting thing - I am worried that Rob won’t get accidentally hitched to someone. I do wonder what he was missing about Korg, something just feels a bit off to me with that. I do like how he is building the guns as ‘non-lethal’, and as mana sapping bullets. I wonder how long the ammo will be around for, especially since Rob is the only one who can make the ammo.
Matthew
I'm concerned about what the handkerchief means, and whether Firana and Rob are gonna wind up technically married to a couple orcs, or each other. I'm pretty sure he would commit seppuku if he wound up married to a student, accidentally or not. But it would still be funny as hell.
