The orc surged forward.
With a roar, he swung his axe in a wide arc, aiming for the creature's upper arm.
CLANG.
The blade bit shallowly into thick muscle, drawing a line of dark-blue blood.
The ape snarled and struck back immediately.
Fist.
Fist.
Fist.
The orc blocked two.
The third slammed into his side and forced him back a full step.
Mud sprayed.
Still, he didn't fall.
Richard circled again, breathing steady but sharp.
Think.
The tail moved.
He saw it this time.
"Left!" Richard shouted.
The orc reacted instantly, shifting his stance just as the tail shot forward like a spear.
It scraped past his side instead of piercing him.
The orc grabbed the tail.
For half a second—
They stared at each other.
Then the ape yanked.
The orc slid forward several feet through the mud, feet digging trenches.
"HA!" the orc laughed again. "Good!"
Richard blinked.
"…Why are you enjoying this?!"
But he moved anyway.
As the ape focused on pulling the orc off balance, Richard rushed in from the side again. This time, he didn't aim for the body.
He aimed higher.
He jumped, using a broken piece of armor as a step, and slashed toward the creature's face.
The ape noticed.
Too late to fully react.
Richard's dagger scraped across one of its four eyes.
Not deep—
—but enough.
The beast roared in pain.
Its grip on the tail loosened.
The orc took that chance immediately.
With a powerful yank, he pulled the tail down and stepped forward, raising his axe high.
"NOW!" the orc roared.
Richard didn't hesitate.
He moved again, circling behind the beast.
The ape swung wildly, all four arms moving at once now, trying to hit both of them.
One fist nearly caught Richard's shoulder.
He barely slipped past it, feeling the impact shake the ground beside him.
"Too close," he muttered.
The orc charged straight in.
The ape brought both upper fists down.
The orc didn't dodge.
He met them head-on.
CLANG.
The impact rang like a bell.
His knees bent—but held.
"AGAIN!" the orc shouted.
Richard understood.
He dashed in once more, this time targeting the same eye he had hit before.
The beast tried to turn—
Too slow.
Richard drove his dagger deeper into the damaged eye.
The creature shrieked.
Its movements became uneven for a split second.
That was all the orc needed.
With a roar, he tore his axe free from the ground and swung upward with all his strength.
The blade slammed into the ape's chest.
A deep cut opened.
Dark-blue blood spilled out.
The beast staggered back, roaring in fury and pain.
Both Richard and the orc stepped back at the same time.
Breathing hard.
Covered in mud and blood.
For a brief moment—
They didn't speak.
Then Richard glanced at the orc.
"…We just met, right?"
The orc grinned, tusks showing.
"Good fight."
Richard let out a short breath.
"…Yeah," he said.
Then he raised his daggers again as the four-eyed ape steadied itself, flames burning brighter.
Its massive body swayed, one side of its face torn and bleeding dark blue. One of its four eyes was ruined, another half-lidded and twitching. But the flames around its head flickered more violently.
Richard saw it.
"…It's getting tired," he said between breaths.
The orc spat blood into the mud and rolled his neck once, gripping his axe tighter.
"But not to be underestimated. We kill it before it rests."
"Simple," Richard muttered. "…but hard."
The ape roared again—but there was strain in it now.
It charged.
The orc met it head-on.
A fist came down.
CLANG.
The axe caught it.
Another arm swung low—
The orc took the hit on his side this time, sliding back, boots carving through mud. He grunted, but didn't fall.
"NOW!" he barked.
Richard moved.
He ran in again, circling wide, eyes locked on the creature's face.
Eyes are weak.
It reacts slower on the left side.
Tail still dangerous.
The ape turned toward him, three working eyes snapping into focus.
Too slow.
Richard dashed in, stepping off a broken shield, and jumped.
His dagger drove toward the damaged eye again—
But this time—
The ape was waiting.
Its head jerked slightly.
Its jaws snapped forward.
CRUNCH.
Everything went wrong.
For a second, Richard didn't understand what happened.
Then—
Pain.
Blinding, crushing pain exploded through his side.
"…Ah—"
The world tilted.
The ape's massive jaws had caught him mid-air, clamping down across his torso. Not clean—more like a crushing grip than a clean bite—but enough to make his entire body scream.
Richard's vision shook.
His ears rang.
So this is it, a quiet thought slipped in.
Again?
The river.
The fall.
The comments.
Pathetic.
His fingers tightened around his daggers.
"…No," he breathed.
The ape growled, tightening its jaws.
Bones creaked.
Blood filled Richard's mouth.
His body trembled—
Then moved.
Not panic. Not flailing. It was more like a calculated risk.
Even through the pain, his arm lifted.
Once.
He stabbed.
The dagger drove straight into one of the ape's eyes.
The beast roared, its grip faltering for half a second.
Richard didn't stop.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each stab deeper than the last.
"I said—" stab.
"I'm not—" stab.
"—dying like that again—!" stab.
The ape thrashed violently now, roaring in pain, trying to shake him off. Its jaws loosened as its remaining eyes were attacked again and again.
Richard didn't care about the pain anymore.
Didn't care about the blood.
He just kept stabbing.
Blinded. Furious. And desperate.
The final stab went deep. Too deep.
The blade sank all the way in, piercing its skull through its brain.
The ape froze.
For a split second—
Then its jaws opened.
Richard dropped.
He hit the mud hard, his body barely responding as he rolled onto his side, coughing violently.
The ape staggered backward.
Its massive arms flailed once… twice…
Then its legs gave out.
The enormous body collapsed with a thunderous crash, shaking the ground beneath them.
Still. Silent. And dead.
For a moment, Richard just lay there.
Breathing. Barely.
"…Hah…" he let out a weak, shaky laugh that turned into a cough. "That… sucked…"
Everything hurt.
His side burned where the beast had bitten him. His arms felt heavy. His fingers barely held onto the daggers anymore.
But he was alive.
Again.
He slowly pushed himself up.
One arm first.
Then a knee.
Then, with visible effort, he stood.
Unsteady.
Leaning slightly to one side.
"…Still moving," he muttered.
The orc approached, dragging his axe behind him.
He stopped in front of Richard and looked him up and down.
A long pause.
Then—
The orc gave a short nod.
"Half-breed… not useless."
Richard let out a weak breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
"…You really need new compliments," he said.
He looked at the dead ape.
Then at the battlefield.
Still loud. Still chaotic. Obviously, not over.
Richard tightened his grip on his daggers, even as his hand trembled slightly.
"…Peaceful life," he muttered again.
A beat.
"…after this."