Page 82 of Savage Devotion
Trust doesn't cover what that means.
"You would die for an orc?"
"I would die for what's right."
Heldrik's blade trembles in his grip, rage and disbelief warring across his scarred features. The silence stretches like a bowstring pulled to breaking point, every person in the tent holding their breath.
"You would die for what's right." He spits the words like poison. "And what about what's necessary? What about survival?"
"Survival through what means?" Ressa's voice stays steady despite the crossbows trained on her from three angles. "Fear? Hatred? Endless war?"
"Survival through strength. Through maintaining the natural order that has kept humanity alive for centuries."
Natural order.The phrase tastes bitter even in hearing it secondhand. Every conqueror throughout history has claimed their dominance represents natural law, that subjugation serves some greater cosmic design. It's easier than admitting you're taking what you want because you have the power to take it.
"The natural order you're describing has given us nothing but blood and ashes," I say, keeping my blade steady between them."How many more generations die before someone admits it isn't working?"
"Orcs lecturing humans about natural order." Heldrik's laugh carries no humor. "Your people rape and pillage across the continent, and you dare speak of peaceful solutions?"
"My people fight for territory and resources, same as yours. The difference is we don't pretend moral superiority while we do it."
"At least you admit what you are."
"What I am is someone who recognizes that strength can build instead of just destroy."
"Pretty words from a savage with a blade."
Savage.He keeps returning to that word like a talisman, as if repeating it enough times will make it true. But the accusation loses power when it comes from someone who just tried to murder his own niece for disagreeing with him.
"You want to see savage?" I lower my sword slightly, not enough to be defenseless but enough to make a point. "Savage is trying to kill family members who question your authority. Savage is reducing complex political situations to simple categories because thinking hurts your head. Savage is believing that might makes right while claiming moral high ground."
His face flushes dark red. "You dare?—"
"I dare state facts. Your way has produced generations of warfare with no resolution in sight. Your methods have cost thousands of lives on both sides without achieving meaningful victory for either. Your philosophy reduces every interaction to dominance or submission because you can't imagine cooperation between equals."
"Equals." The word emerges like he's choking on it. "You think orcs are equal to humans?"
"I think individuals earn worth through their actions, not their species. Some orcs are honorable warriors. Others arebloodthirsty raiders. Some humans are tactical geniuses. Others are bigoted fools who mistake cruelty for strength."
The insult hits home. Heldrik's grip tightens on his weapon, knuckles white with strain. Around us, guards shift position nervously, unsure whether they should intervene or let this confrontation run its course.
"Unity," I continue, pressing the advantage. "That's what your niece understands that you don't. Cooperation multiplies strength instead of just redistributing it. Combined forces can accomplish what isolated armies never could."
"Combined forces." He makes it sound like heresy. "Human soldiers taking orders from orc commanders? Human tactics contaminated by savage methods?"
"Human intelligence combined with orc resilience. Human discipline integrated with orc adaptability. Shared knowledge instead of hoarded secrets."
"Fantasies."
"Results." Ressa steps forward, voice carrying the authority of someone who's commanded troops under fire. "Combined patrols have reduced bandit activity in contested territories by sixty percent. Joint operations have cleared trade routes that were impassable for months. Coordinated intelligence sharing has prevented three major raids that would have cost dozens of lives."
She's been tracking this.Professional soldiers respect data over ideology, and she's speaking their language.
"Temporary gains," Heldrik counters, but his tone lacks the absolute certainty it carried before. "Built on foundations that will collapse the moment your orc allies decide human weakness makes us attractive targets."
"Weakness?" Ressa's voice sharpens. "What weakness? We've achieved more in three months of cooperation than two years of traditional warfare managed."
"You've achieved tactical victories while surrendering strategic advantage. Every human secret shared with orcs becomes a weapon they can use against us later."
