Page 58 of Orc's Claim
To my relief, it is not Sojek getting pummeled, but Ryko.
Two vints hold my warrior’s arms while a third strikes him over and over in his abdomen and face. A fourth stands guard.
Unlike humans, vints are good fighters, but not as skilled as orcs. One-on-one, Ryko could defeat any vint, even without his sword and knives. Two-against one would not require me to enter the fight, but four to one gains my attention.
As I charge at the vints, I don’t think about which to slaughter first or how Ryko came to be in this situation. No, my vekking thoughts turn to the female I saw earlier. A female withshort dark hair and enough flesh to grip while fucking her from behind.
I’d considered taking the one I’d seen Ryko following, the one he had the courage and foolishness to declare hisafterI’d ordered him to stay away from the humans. That female, did not stir me. Not like the one with short hair. The one who repeatedly speaks back to the human males. Far from submissive, that one, but I will break her of her defiance. And I will enjoy every minute, especially while sinking into her sweet flesh.
The fourth vint has circled to my back, trapping me between him and the males hammering Ryko. Vekk. I’ve let my mind wander, giving the vint an advantage.
It’s time I show the vints their position on Kovos is about to change.
I sheathe my sword, as I cannot end the vints without injuring Ryko or nearby humans in such a tight space. Despite my displeasure with Ryko, I do not care to lose a skilled warrior or risk my treaty with the humans.
Which is why I ignore the vint behind me and throw myself into the three vints attacking Ryko.
The full brunt of my attack drives the larger vint into a table, giving Ryko the opening he needs to break free. My warrior scurries to his feet, able and eager to fight.
The first vint that swings his barbed tail at me regrets it as I grip the tail in one hand and thrust my knife deep through sinew, muscle, and bone with the other. His wail drives the crowd of humans back. Good. More room to fight.
With my full weight, I press my knee into the downed vint’s back, pull up his head, and slit his throat from ear to ear. Three left. Much better.
When I unintentionally bare my tusks, I realize I’m enjoying myself. It’s been too long since I’ve indulged in a good fight.
But I must be strategic. Every move has consequences on this strange new world.
I consider letting Ryko finish the fight, but I need to learn who started it. If it was Ryko, I’ll follow the humans’ suggestion and string him up, but not by his neck. I’ll leave him hanging by his feet over a fly-infested dung pile until he learns not to disobey me.
Ryko grabs hold of the male who’d been punching him in the face and rams him into a concrete wall. The two remaining vints separate, one targeting Ryko and the other me.
Now, the fun begins.
“Asvi!” I yell to my warrior as I toss a knife in the air. Not that he needs it, but it is my duty as grak to ensure my warriors do not enter battle naked. Clothing is irrelevant. Weapons are our life, our blood.
Ryko flashes his tusks as he snatches the knife from the air and lodges it in the vint’s abdomen. A wound such as that is survivable if the vint finds a healer soon. I’m not sure why Ryko didn’t go for the kill, but that is a question for later.
The vint who had the run-in with the wall drags himself to his feet.
A grak must lead by example. And there is no better place than the middle of the market of Pen’Kesh to demonstrate my skills as a fair and wise leader, so all the species here can better understand us.
I decide to help the dazed vint learn from his mistakes. I slam him against that wall again. Several times. This is to ensure I have his attention.
“Why did you attack my warrior?” I ask as his head rolls from side to side.
“He insulted Hap.”
“Which one is Hap?”
“Dead, back on the trail. Your warrior killed him and Tam.”
Six to one, then. My respect for Ryko increases. “Who started the fight?”
“Your warrior. We found the warrior and a female in the woods.”
Female? I strictly forbade our females from traveling beyond our settlement’s borders, especially to Pen’Kesh. We have so few orc females to lose even one.
I shake the vint. “What female?” I ask, but then I lock eyes with Ryko.
