The chore of collecting dung, which started with the first light of dawn and lasted until sunset, was not too difficult for Nafız. The events of her first day in this new life had taught her, in a painful way, that a person could lose their life at any moment in this world. The civilized rules of her old life did not apply here; the strong could do as they pleased.
After Wobblehead and Nafız started working as a team, they lived without encountering many problems. Domuzkuyruk was a truly experienced orc. He had forbidden their entry into the Warrior section, allowing them to work only in the Supply and Hunter sections. Wobblehead's wandering among the warriors with that physique meant shouting for trouble. Although some problems arose in the Hunter section, everything had settled down after a few broken bones.
As a result of the feasts they pulled together every evening from the mess hall scraps, Nafız had managed to catch up to the standards of her previous life. Although the oddity of his newborn days had been somewhat alleviated, things on Wobblehead's side were about to reach entirely different dimensions. Regular feeding had led to a height of nearly 2.5 meters, a head structure two and a half times that of an adult orc, and teeth and muscles thicker than any other orc in the tribe. The balance problem he had experienced during his newborn phase had ended with his body's development, resulting in him carrying the appearance of the most imposing orc within the tribe.
Even though his height, which grew day by day, and his developing physique had finally reached their peak with the last sunrise, the news had already reached Kalındiş's ears. Kalındiş, burning with the fire of vengeance, decided the time had come. With a movement of his hand, his aide entered his tent.
"We are going hunting at sunrise! Complete the preparations!"
When he ordered his aide with a cold expression in his eyes, his fists were tightly clenched.
Nafız and Wobblehead were quite cheerful as they returned to their tents with full bellies, until a figure emerged from the darkness in front of them.
"The Section Head is waiting for you in his tent."
One of the orcs who had carried them behind Domuzkuyruk on the first day spoke silently. When they entered his tent, Domuzkuyruk was waiting for them with a grim expression.
"Kids, you are joining the hunting party tomorrow. Since this is an order I cannot refuse, I have to warn you."
The tension of the fast and quietly speaking orc was visible on his face.
"My fear is coming true."
Although Nafız had inwardly thought this day would come, she hadn't expected it to be so soon. Both of them had offended the Chief's lineage; to think this matter would close without paying a price would be naive daydreaming.
"We always provide a few personnel for hunting parties; this is a normal occurrence, but this time, the two of you have been specifically requested."
Domuzkuyruk, continuing his words, took a deep breath before delivering the worst news.
"The head of the party will be Kalındiş personally!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a deathly silence fell inside the tent. In a normal hunting party, they might have had a small chance, but the main protagonist of the incident was coming to handle the matter himself.
"Sir, what can we do, please give us some advice. Is there no hope at all?"
As her slowly recovering psychology was shattered again after a few calm days, Nafız could not hold back her tears. In her previous life, she was an ordinary person working at a copy shop; when going from home to work and back, the most she worried about was how to deal with her jerk brother-in-law. After suddenly experiencing many life-or-death situations in this New World, Nafız just snapped and collapsed onto her knees.
"You will run away, at the very first opportunity. It would be better if it was tonight; otherwise, you have to escape during the hunt, as the only thing awaiting you otherwise is death."
Domuzkuyruk, whom she looked at with pleading eyes, had told Nafız the last thing she wanted to hear.
"Let's go, we have to run!"
Grabbing Wobblehead by the arm and rushing out of the tent, Nafız was met with a nasty surprise. Warriors, unseen on the mountain slope until today, seemed to be everywhere.
"I guess we have no choice but to wait for tomorrow."
As she slowly released Wobblehead's arm and walked toward the dung-collector's tent, she could sense the warriors laughing at them. When they arrived in front of the tent, they saw two warriors at the entrance.
"The tent is full, you'll sleep outside!"
These figures spoke with sneers, yet the empty inside of the tent was visible through the slightly ajar door.
"That's enough, you bastards! At least let me sleep comfortably tonight!"
Unable to control her nerves, Nafız shouted at the warriors' faces.
"Are you defying us, ha ha ha, look what kind of fun we have tonight."
The two warriors were as happy as children who had found a new toy. Deep in the thought of how they would amuse themselves with the underdeveloped orc standing before them, it was quite normal for them not to see the hand coming to choke their throats.
Nafız knew the owner of the tree-trunk-thick arms that passed over her head and went for the warriors' throats very well. Turning quickly, she saw Wobblehead looking up at the sky in a bored manner.
"I'm sleepy, what should I do with these?"
Nafız, turning her head toward where Wobblehead was looking, shouted cheerfully when she saw the two guards half a meter off the ground.
"Swing them aside. They're not worth dirtying your hands over."
Following this, Wobblehead shook the two struggling warriors once or twice in his hands and tossed them aside. Nafız, looking at the colossal orc behind her, entered the tent with the thought, 'we'll handle tomorrow's problems tomorrow; maybe I can find a way out while this creature is beside me.'
As the first lights of morning struck the tribe, the hunting party was about to finish their preparations to set off. Over a hundred hunters and nearly twenty supply officers were waiting ready at the foot of the slope. They set off toward the desolate steppes along with twenty warriors led by Kalındiş.
The region where the tribe was located was right in the middle of the barren steppes. Aside from a few herbaceous trees about half an orc's height, it was impossible to see any growing plants. The hunting party's target was the Lofty Mountain, half a day away from the tribe. Hunting parties were organized every one or two cycles of the day, and the tribe's need for meat was met after heavy losses.
In the group advancing across the endless steppes, Nafız found herself looking around in disappointment. The supply section always positioned itself at the rear of the hunting groups, undertaking the task of carrying the spoils obtained by the hunters advancing in front. Nafız's idea of escaping by taking advantage of this situation was dashed when Kalındiş placed half of the guards he brought along at the back.
"Just as expected from the Chief's grandson, he's securing the entire group by placing us at the back."
One of the guards placed at the rear spoke in admiration.
"Our Chief's grandson even values you wretched supplymen, you ought to be grateful!"
Another orc spoke, looking down on the supplymen.
Besides the distress of her current situation, the foolish chatter of the warriors following them was also vexing Nafız. Finally, when they reached the foothills of the Lofty Mountain, the guards' talking would cease.
The Lofty Mountain was a place inhabited by various wild creatures, and unlike the surrounding conditions, it had high trees and dense vegetation. Hunters generally hunted on the slopes of the mountain, rarely venturing into the inner parts. Since casualties increased the deeper they went inside, they did not enter the rest of the mountain as long as the hunting on the slopes was sufficient. Due to the Chief's esteemed grandson being among them, it seemed certain that the hunt would be completed at the entrance of the mountain. Finally, everyone was waiting for the command from Kalındiş.
"Today, I am here for a very great purpose! As you know, we lose many of our brothers on this mountain during every hunting party!"
Kalındiş, speaking to the admiring glances of the orcs, continued with excitement.
"There is only one culprit for this, and that is the cruel creature who is the King of Lofty Mountain. I, Kalındiş, grandson of the Great Chief Ayıboğan, will put an end to this torment!"
The wolf pelt on the back of the roaring Kalındiş added to his imposing presence.
"Hunters forward! We will advance without stopping until we reach the Dark Cave!"
The orcs who received the order started running toward the inner parts of the mountain, shouting war cries. Nafız's eyes were shining, having expected such chaos since the beginning of the day. When she grabbed Wobblehead's arm and turned around, she flinched to see two warrior orcs standing there.
"You two will come for the Dark Cave!"
When the speech ended, they advanced toward the front with a team that included ten other warrior orcs. When they reached Kalındiş, the hunter group had already started bloody battles deep inside the mountain. Fueled by the frenzy, the hunters attacked wildly, painting the mountain red with the blood they shed from the creatures they killed and their own.
When the entrance to the Dark Cave was reached, following the hunters' intense efforts and heavy losses, the warriors had not participated in the fighting at all. Nafız was very surprised by this situation; why hadn't they intervened despite the axes in their hands? While the savage slaughter continued throughout the area, the warrior group had taken advantage of the chaos and rushed to the mountain peak.
"Ten of you wait here, the rest are coming inside with me!"
Kalındiş spoke, looking at the warrior group.
"I will go in! No, I will go in!"
The warrior orcs began shouting in excitement. After intense pushing and shoving, when the lucky ten orcs entered the cave, their joy was visible on their faces.
"What luck, I will witness what happens today."
"Kalındiş will change the history of the tribe, and I am right here."
When the warriors led by Kalındiş passed the tunnel at the entrance of the cave and came to the open area inside, their voices were cut off like a knife. Most warrior orcs, seeing a mountain of skulls and the creature sitting atop it, were about to feel fear in their hearts for the first time.