Chapter 9: 9. Attack on General Krazz

Alistair hunched down behind a rotting log, trying to avoid being spotted by the twenty or so orcs congregating in the forest. Regional Map told him that they were around a hundred meters away, but the surrounding evergreen trees were thick and his vision was obscured.

“So you were a semi-pro MMA fighter? What’s that mean?” Alistair asked to pass the time as he looked down at his map. Compared to the last time he had viewed Krazz’s headquarters, there must have been at least 5 more little red dots roaming around.

“I had one fight for a smaller promotion, not the UFC or anything like that,” she said, writing off her accomplishment while also staring at the map.

“Uh-huh. You should be the one fighting with your fists. Or at least, you should teach me some moves.” He slowly stood up, making sure to blend in with the trees, and beckoned Alexandra to move as well.

“I like my knife very much, thank you. But seeing you in action, I shouldn’t have been so dismissive of punching things. The added stats make it much more effective than I would have thought.”

They were silent as they carefully tiptoed deeper into the forest. The further in they went, the darker and creepier it became. The foliage enveloped the vermilion firmament and Alistair had to turn off the map because of its luminescent properties.

“Maybe we should swap status screens? Before we fight, I mean. Just to know each other’s weaknesses and strengths,” Alistair whispered as they inched closer to the center of the encampment. Even without the assistance of the Regional Map, he knew they were close. Loud grunts and the harsh fricatives of the orc’s native language echoed through the false night as he spotted a fire in the distance.

She grabbed his arm and he turned back to find her eyes boring into his own. In the red moonlight, her baby blues were muted into a deep brown.

“Alright,” she said after a moment. “I trust you.”

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