Praise the Orc

Chapter 19: A Warrior’s Qualifications (3)

Lenox looked up and down at the two orcs.

“Now, that’s more like it.”

Yi-An grinned. He had grown after learning what it meant to be an orc warrior from Hoyt and fighting against Derek.

Grom straightened his shoulders proudly. He had subdued the goblin population in Orcrox Fortress with ten orc warriors and experienced how a real warrior battled. He was no longer the old Grom.

Lenox asked, “Are you satisfied?”

Yi-An and Grom shook their heads at the same time.

“No, sir!”

“No, sir!”

Lenox nodded, satisfied by their answer. “Good, don’t be satisfied.”

Lenox hadn’t changed at all since they last met. The first thing Yi-An saw upon his return to Orcrox was Lenox grabbing an orc by the neck after the orc had collapsed from fatigue.

“You fell ‘cause you were tired?! If this was a battlefield, you would be dead by now with your head chopped off. Someone would have peed all over your face! I will kill you myself before you are disgraced!”

Lenox had raised his axe, causing the orc warrior to jump up in surprise.

Watching the scene had made Yi-An feel right at home.

“There are things you should know in order to become a warrior.” Lenox rubbed his chin with a worried look on his face.

It was Yi-An’s and Grom’s first time seeing him hesitate about anything.

Lenox continued, “It might be a bit early, but...”

Yi-An and Grom swallowed nervously. What could the cold-blooded instructor be hesitating about?

Then Lenox nodded and said, “I trust you guys.”

It wasn’t just anyone saying they trusted Yi-An and Grom; it was Lenox who expressed his faith in them! Their hearts swelled warmly with pride.

Yi-An tried to keep a solemn face as he trotted behind Lenox. They were currently headed toward the Hall of Fame. Once they got inside the dark stone building, the sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls. They passed the statues of the great warriors and went into a dark tunnel dimly lit by torches. At the end of the tunnel, they entered a stone chamber, and inside it was a monumental tombstone.

Despite Yi-An’s tall height, he had to lift his chin to see the tombstone in full view. Engraved on the tombstone was an ancient Orc language that Yi-An could not decipher.

Lenox gazed at it for a while. The torch wavered as it cast a deep shadow on his face.

“Honor,” he whispered. His voice rang across the stone chamber as he continued, “A warrior’s commandments. Prove.”

The meaning behind those words was incomprehensible. Lenox read the ancient Orc language written on the tombstone with his eyes. His eyes flashed past the beginning and the end of the words on the tombstone, then he turned toward them. Lenox looked more sullen than usual.

He said, “I don’t like to give long-winded explanations.”

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“Yes.”

“Listen closely,” Lenox said as he closed his eyes. His voice was softer and clearer than ever. It seeped into Yi-An’s ears like a dream and left an unforgettable impression. “...God, please know us.”

Yi-An had never heard the orcs talk about their god before, but Lenox was whispering to their god right now.

“Look down at us so we won’t be lonely in keeping our honor... Touch us so our weapons won’t wear down. We have created seven commandments in your name for warriors and their descendants to abide by, so please hear us out, God. I’m...” Lenox paused and opened his eyes.

His fierce eyes looked at Yi-An and then at Grom. They couldn’t breathe or move as if their bodies had been paralyzed. Lenox’s voice rang in their minds, not just their ears.

“I am... an orc and a warrior. A warrior does not give up on the faithful. A warrior does not persecute the weak. A warrior does not attack the unarmed. A warrior does not succumb to injustice. A warrior does not do anything shameful to God. A warrior pays back grace and vengeance. A warrior protects the weak. I swear to God by these commandments,” Lenox said. He raised his axe into the air and looked up at it as if it was a holy relic. Then he ended his oath by saying, “I shall prove my honor.”

Yi-An and Grom stared blankly at Lenox. The corners of Lenox’s mouth curved upward as he swung his axe, dealing a blow that was invisible like the wind.

“...!” Yi-An’s and Grom’s chests were torn in unison.

They couldn’t register the pain, let alone react to it. Blood began to drip. Their torn skins began to crumble as if singed by fire. They would become permanent scars.

Lenox laughed soundlessly. “You should remember this moment and engrave this scene in your memory.”

***

Yi-An and Grom were sitting in a bar as they now had income from their quests. Yi-An had received compensation from Stella’s quest and a payment of gratitude from Thompson, while Grom had yielded profit from selling the goblins’ heavy tools to the blacksmith.

Have Yi-An and Grom become used to being orcs? It seemed even the orcs’ potent booze suited their taste buds.

“The drinks taste good,” commented Yi-An.

Grom quietly gulped down his beer. He was unusually quiet today.

“Is something going on?” Yi-An asked.

“No, it’s just...” Grom chewed on a piece of beef jerky. “I’m a bit spaced out from earlier. Orcs are... let’s say... much more profound... than I had expected.”

Yi-An nodded heartily.

The Warrior's Commandments were not coarse or uncouth as some might imagine of orcs. In reality, their commandments were quite similar to the knights’ Code of Chivalry from the Middle Ages. Lenox had recited them solemnly, and Yi-An could still hear Lenox’s voice ringing in his ears.

Yi-An laughed. “Don’t you think we made a good choice by choosing to be orcs?”

Grom puffed up his chest. “Well, I was able to experience things I would have never been able to if I were another species. It’s still hard though.”

“That doesn’t seem like a positive.”

“In truth, I didn’t particularly want to be an orc...” Grom’s voice began drifting off.

“That’s fine, but if you work hard, you will start seeing results. I might have quit back then if it hadn’t been for you.”

“Hahaha, probably not.”

“Let’s not waver and continue pursuing the path straight on.”

‘Waver...’ Grom repeated the word in his head.

Then he took a big gulp of beer. Yi-An followed suit. Their Adam’s apples bobbed up and down as they swallowed ridiculous amounts of beer.

“Ah...!”

“Nice!”

While they dwelled on lingering emotions, another orc sat down at the table. It was a round table, so he was sitting between Grom and Yi-An, who were opposite each other.

Grom recognized the orc’s face and said, “Warrior?”

“You were alive! My name is Gultai, apprentice!” Gultai laughed as he wrapped an arm around Grom’s shoulders.

Gultai was one of the ten warriors who had slaughtered the goblins with Grom. He was a warrior who viciously wielded the halberd.

Looking at Yi-An, Gultai asked, “Are you an apprentice as well?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gultai cackled. “I see. Seeing you guys reminds me of my apprentice days.”

“Did you learn from Lenox too?”

“Of course!”

“Was he scary back then?”

“Of course! He’s not Lenox if he isn't scary! Hahaha!”

They laughed in unison.

“But bear in mind, apprentice. Although Lenox is a scary instructor, he is also a great warrior! It’s an honor to be taught by him!” Gulta said. He rose from his seat and raised his beer in the air. “For great warrior Lenox! Bul’tar!”

All of the orcs who had been drinking at the bar followed him and shouted, “Bul’taaar!” “Bul’taaaaaaar!”

Then all of the orcs at the bar simultaneously finished their drinks in one gulp. An orc who had been opening a bottle of hard liquor got swept up in the mood. He gulped down the whole bottle and then spit it right back out. Yi-An and Grom were also swept up in the mood and downed mug after mug of beer.

The orcs began singing. It was an odd song with a weird tune and lyrics, but Yi-An and Grom clumsily followed along.

“We are orcs! Strong orcs! It’s dangerous to provoke us! A great warrior is here. Make way! Get the hell out, humans! Get out, elves! Get out, dwarves! You too, gnomes! Pretty woman? A warrior doesn’t need women. Get out of the way! We are cool orcs, great warriors!”

These were such odd lyrics! The female orcs changed the lyrics to fit their gender and sang the song too.

Gultai, who was drunk on the atmosphere, wrapped his arms around Yi-An and Grom.

“Hahahaha, what is your current quest?” he asked.

The bar had become rambunctious in an instant, so Yi-An had to raise his voice.

He said, “The quest given by Instructor Lenox is...”

After Lenox had taught them the Warrior's Commandments, he had given them another quest. It was the most incomprehensible out of all the tasks he had given them.

“...to do what a warrior would do!” Yi-An concluded.

Lenox had given them a quest after he finished reciting the warrior’s oath. It was to only return after they had accomplished a task befitting a warrior. He had also said the task in question would depend on the individual. Yi-An and Grom had no idea what to do.

“Hmmmmm...!” Gultai made a conflicted expression.

He let go of their shoulders and slapped their backs with his broad hands.

“Uck!”

“Ouch!”

“Congratulations, apprentice warriors! You guys are making fast progress! Hahahaha!” Gultai laughed uproariously.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s the last hurdle to becoming a warrior!”

Yi-An’s and Grom’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?!”

“Yeah, if Instructor Lenox has assigned you this quest this soon, he must think highly of you guys!”

They couldn’t believe that Lenox, who had always reminded them to not be satisfied with themselves and emanated hostility if they complained even a bit, thought of them highly. However, Gultai seemed sure of it.

“Become warriors, apprentices! Hahahaha!” Gultai gulped down his beer in celebration.

Grom asked, “What does it mean to do something warrior-like?”

“I don’t know!”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!”

“Apprentices! Warriors have different forms of honor! You have to find your own answer!”

They felt as if they had prepared for an interview thinking it was an aptitude test, but once they arrived at the interview site, they were informed it was actually a personality test. This new quest wasn’t a simple quest that consisted of following orders.

Grom asked, “What warrior-like act did you achieve to become a warrior?”

“You are asking about me?” Gultai’s eyes became sentimental. “I did something crazy to become a warrior!”

“Oh, oh, what was it?”

“I swung my halberd at Lenox!”

“...!” Yi-An’s and Grom’s mouths dropped open.

“A warrior has to be strong! So I challenged Lenox to prove my strength!”

“How did it turn out?”

“I don’t remember what happened after I swung my halberd! Hahahaha!”

“...”

“A week had passed when I finally regained my senses! Since then, I can’t count numbers very well and have a slight trembling in my hands, but it’s okay because I’m a warrior!”

Yi-An’s and Grom’s confusion grew after hearing that. They exchanged glances that seemed to say, ‘Whatever the quest may be, we should just enjoy the night. Let’s do that.’

Yi-An, Grom, and Gultai all downed their beers at the same time.

“Bul-tar!”