CHAPTER 47: ALLIANCE.

"Why don’t we all cooperate so we can get over with this task? It’s a shame you orcs need our help to deal with these beasts," the mage said, his voice soaked with mockery.

The words stung more than they should have.

Aria shot him a glare, her hand tightening around her sword hilt. She wanted to reply, to tell him where exactly he could shove his arrogance, but the ground trembled before she could open her mouth.

The beast was charging again.

A hulking monster with jagged horns and a hide as dark as molten rock barreled toward them, crushing debris under its claws. Its bellow shook the air.

Aria clenched her jaw. "Forget it," she muttered. "We’ll deal with them after this."

She dashed forward, boots pounding the earth. The air rippled as the beast lunged, its claws sweeping down. Aria met it head-on, twisting at the last second and slashing across its forearm. Flesh tore, blood sprayed.

The orcs rallied around her. Nibo swung his axe with a furious roar, cleaving a deep gash into the beast’s leg. Two others flanked it, thrusting their spears into its sides. The creature shrieked and reared up, scattering them like flies.

Then came the humans.

A crackle of magic filled the air. Bolts of light shot past Aria, striking the beast’s chest. The creature let out a strangled cry, stumbled—and before she could react, one of the armored soldiers leapt forward and drove his blade straight through its skull.

The beast collapsed with a thunderous thud.

{Beast slain.}

{Rewards distributed based on contribution.}

Aria’s pupils shrank as she saw the system message flash faintly before her eyes. The humans smirked.

"Another one down," the mage said, brushing off his sleeves like it was nothing. "You orcs really should be thanking us."

"You stole our kill," Nibo snapped, his tusks bared. "That was ours!"

The mage didn’t even look at him. "You were too slow."

Another rumble cut through the tension. A second beast burst from the treeline—a hulking, reptilian creature with spikes running down its back.

Aria turned toward it, forcing her anger down. "Focus on the fight!"

The orcs moved in again. The beast slammed its tail into the ground, sending a shockwave that toppled three of them. Aria jumped, flipped mid-air, and landed on its back. Her blade plunged deep into its neck, hot blood spilling out in a spray.

But just when it started to weaken—

"Firebolt!"

A flaming sphere cut through the air and exploded against the beast’s chest. The creature convulsed and fell still, smoke rising from its body.

Aria whipped her head toward the direction of the attack. The same mage lowered his staff, a smug smile tugging at his lips.

"Guess I’m just faster," he said lightly.

Her jaw tightened. Her sword dripped with blood, her breathing ragged, yet somehow they were the ones getting the rewards.

It kept happening.

Again and again, the humans hung back, letting the orcs bleed and struggle, only to swoop in and finish the beasts when they were seconds from death.

Every time a beast fell, Aria felt that same frustration burn hotter in her chest. The orcs were warriors—they lived for the fight, for the honor of the kill. But now they were being treated like disposable bait.

She slashed down another beast’s leg, ducking as its claws grazed her shoulder. "Damn it!" she hissed, blood seeping through her sleeve. She kicked off its side and landed in a crouch.

Around her, the battle raged. Roars, clashing steel, and the stink of blood filled the air.

Then—

A spear shot past her shoulder and impaled the beast through its eye.

Aria blinked.

J stood a few paces away, smirking faintly as he yanked the weapon free. "You all right?"

She nodded, still catching her breath.

The humans looked furious. Their plan to steal another kill had just been interrupted.

J noticed. His grin widened. "Oh? Did I take your target?" he said, wiping the blade clean. "Sorry. Reflex."

Before they could reply, another beast lunged from the fog—a grotesque, mantis-like thing with blades for arms. It slashed toward J, but he moved faster than anyone could follow, sidestepping and spinning his spear.

Then, with deliberate casualness, he shoved one of the armored humans right into the creature’s path.

The man screamed as the beast’s claws sliced into him, tearing through his armor.

J ducked behind another human, using him as a makeshift shield while thrusting his spear between the man’s arm and torso to strike the creature again. Blood sprayed in all directions.

"Fight back, will you?" J barked, pretending to sound annoyed. "You wanted to help so badly—go on then, help!"

The humans had no choice. They couldn’t let themselves be torn apart, so they began to actually fight instead of picking off weakened prey.

Aria watched, a grim smile forming on her lips. She caught on quickly.

She signaled to the orcs. "Stay close to them. Make them the front line!"

The orcs didn’t need a second invitation.

One by one, they started mirroring J’s strategy—pushing the humans closer to the incoming beasts, using their heavy armor as cover. The arrogant mages were forced to cast faster, the warriors forced to block real blows instead of standing safely behind.

The tide of battle shifted.

The air grew thick with the stench of blood and burning flesh. Aria darted through it like a phantom, her blade flashing in and out of the fog. Every strike found its mark—throat, joint, heart.

J moved beside her, his spear dancing through the air, lightning crackling faintly around it. Each thrust was clean and brutal.

An orc roared nearby, cleaving a wolf-like beast clean in half. Another crashed into a human’s shield, shoving him aside to land the finishing blow himself.

The rhythm changed. The battlefield wasn’t just survival anymore—it was payback.

The beasts fell one after another. The humans fought harder than before, no longer able to slack off. The orcs had forced them into the same blood and mud they’d once mocked.

A shriek tore through the sky—a larger beast this time, its scales glittering with silver streaks.

Everyone looked up.

It dove straight toward them.

Aria raised her sword, shouting, "Hold your ground!"

The impact was deafening. Dust exploded outward, throwing orcs and humans alike off their feet.

The creature swung its tail, crushing a boulder in one sweep. Its mouth opened, releasing a thick blast of flame.

Aria rolled aside, the heat searing past her. "J, now!"

He hurled his spear. Lightning rippled along its shaft before it struck the beast square in the chest. The explosion lit up the battlefield, thunder echoing in its wake.

The monster reeled, stumbling.

"Finish it!" Aria yelled.

Every remaining fighter surged forward. Blades pierced scales, arrows found gaps, spells crashed into its hide.

The beast let out one final roar before collapsing, its massive body hitting the ground like a falling tower.

For a long moment, no one moved. Just the sound of heavy breathing, the crackle of fading lightning, the smell of scorched earth.

Then Aria straightened, dragging her blade free. Her armor was splattered with blood—some hers, most not.

She looked toward the humans. Their earlier smugness had faded. None of them spoke.

"Seems we didn’t need as much help as you thought," she said quietly.

No one answered.

J gave a low chuckle beside her. "Now that," he said, "was teamwork."

Aria exhaled, finally letting herself smile. "For once, yeah."

All around them, the battlefield lay littered with bodies—beast, orc, human. The air was heavy with the scent of victory and exhaustion.

But for the first time since the fighting began, the orcs didn’t look like prey.

They looked like equals.

In the forest. Hale and Samxon still seemed to be struggling with the spider beast.

They both fell back, covering their mouths as they moved through the smoke. The spider advanced, its carapace gleaming with faint symbols that pulsed with energy.

"This thing’s way above general rank," Samxon hissed. "We can’t hold it here."

Hale’s gaze flicked to the horizon. The orc settlement wasn’t far—and neither was the mountain. "We’ll have to lead it away."

Samxon looked doubtful, but there was no time to argue. He nodded once, and together, they bolted through the forest.

The spider followed, screeching, each step shaking the ground.

Meanwhile, far above them, Akhil had followed the pufflings deeper into the mountain.

He moved quietly, his body weightless as he used Air Walk to keep from stepping on loose stones. The trail of small creatures bounced ahead, their round bodies glowing faintly as they dragged the corpses of beasts toward a wide, shadowed cave.

Akhil landed a short distance away, crouching behind a boulder.

’This must be it,’ he thought, eyes narrowing.

He waited a few minutes before moving again. The air around the cave was strangely heavy, like something in there was breathing—slowly, deeply.

Akhil descended carefully, landing near the entrance.

The cave walls were rough, covered in faint etchings that glowed a dim green. The deeper he looked, the less he could see, until everything dissolved into blackness.

His fingers tightened around his weapon.

’Let’s see what you’re hiding.’

He took a step forward.

The faint smell of blood and decay grew stronger. The sound of something wet being dragged echoed from within.

He moved closer.

When he finally stepped inside, the sight that met him froze him in place.

His pupils dilated. His breath hitched.

"Shit."