CHAPTER 80: A POTENTIAL ALLIANCE?

Maui took a short nap and woke up an hour later. Now she truly felt like she was home.

Byung had done something to her, and she loved the feeling she got whenever she was near him.

Maui had grown up believing everything good came from strength.

Byung showed her that being open did not mean being weak.

This calmed her because she had always been taught the opposite. Byung was slowly breaking down the rules she had lived by.

She saw that he had not slept. Byung lay with his head on her chest, lost in thought—or talking to his system.

He now knew that with Maui’s loyalty so high, she could never turn against him.

"Are you okay?" Maui asked him. Byung was resting on her breasts; this warm, familiar spot was what he had missed.

He loved the comfort, but he could also hear her heart beating fast.

"I am now. I have missed you, Maui," Byung said. Maui went quiet for a second, as if something blocked her throat.

"I-I missed you too," Maui answered slowly. This feeling was brand-new to her.

The more she talked with Byung, the deeper she fell.

She glanced at her shoulder and saw that Byung had cleaned her blades.

They shone; even the tiny rust spots were gone. He had taken care of her while she slept.

Maui smiled at this small, kind act. He did not have to do it.

Byung already knew Borg had helped plan the attack, but Maui’s voice carried the pain of a lost friendship.

Still, he waited for her to speak when she was ready. That was the safe space he wanted to build.

Byung knew loyalty could not be forced with power. His followers had to trust the path he chose.

They needed to see he would give his life for them. That belief would grow inside them too.

He had already shown this to the goblins and now to the orcs.

Anyone he called an ally, he would protect with his life.

"Oh right. While we were at it, I fought and defeated Drekk," Byung boasted.

Maui chuckled. She had heard Borg brag about how strong the goblin was, but she still was not sure what to believe.

"That is a lie..." Maui said. She could not picture him winning that fight.

"Well, I had help from Naz and Naruz. And one more thing, Naz is pregnant. She should be due in a week," Byung added. Maui shook her head.

"Why would you fight a Mogul? I’m surprised he didn’t have your head. I know she is pregnant. I could smell it off her. So who is the father?" Maui asked. Part of her doubted her own words.

Drekk was mean. Byung would have died just for looking at him the wrong way. But Maui also guessed Byung might be the father.

A goblin baby had two weeks. It would either be born and let the mother live, or it would take both lives.

Maui was not worried. They all knew the risk. She would never pity Naz; that would cheapen her choice.

"I sort of imprisoned him for a week and forced him to see my side of the story. And no, I’m not the father. It is Gribnox," Byung said with an awkward laugh. He had opened the door for Maui to share her own story without pushing.

"Are you joking?" Maui sounded a little worried. Byung stayed quiet to keep the mystery even though he was dying to spill it.

"I was nearly killed by Kragg and Borg. I was saved by a tribe of orcs that dwell in the mountains, led by an orc exiled for her brutality toward men," Maui said. Silence stretched on like forever.

"Wait what!?" Byung blurted. She had said it so calmly, matching his own light tone even though her danger had been much worse.

He knew Borg was part of it, but not Kragg. How had she lived through two orcs?

She should not have escaped if they really wanted her dead—unless the fight had weak spots she used.

That made sense. The main thing was that Maui was safe.

"Don’t worry, I survived the attack," Maui said with a thumbs-up while the back of Byung’s head rested on her bosom.

"You don’t say? I thought you died," Byung answered, clearly sarcastic because clearly, she survived or wouldn’t be here.

"There is one more thing though," Maui said. Byung could tell it was serious from her voice.

"What is it?" Byung asked. He was careful not to dig too deep into what she had already shared.

She told it this way because she did not want pity, and he did not need to push.

"The Chieftess... I agreed you will duel her at the mountain top, and all you have to do is last five minutes..." Maui told him. Byung’s face went pale right away.

"Tell me..." Byung said, pausing to think for a quick second.

"Is she stronger than Borg?" Byung asked. Maui gave him another thumbs-up.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? WHY WOULD YOU ACCEPT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?" Byung stood on her chest. It felt like a soft water bed; he could barely keep his balance and stared into her eyes.

"Relax. You can decline, and I will be training you. We have 7 days to get ready," Maui said. Her voice showed she believed they could do it.

After their earlier fun, she had felt how much stronger Byung had grown. But this Chieftess had killed two warriors and made the last one take his own life.

Byung could not win in a week, but Maui had a plan.

He did not need to win; he only needed to stay alive. He was much smaller, so he just had to learn simple ways to dodge.

How well he learned would decide the next step.

Byung knew this duel was a test of his strength. He might need to use that skill point upgrade after all.