Gale was onboard the very first wagon that tripped. Alongside him on that wagon was Lyre who positioned herself for her own safety and his mother who positioned herself for her son’s safety.

  The wagon tongue that was dragged towards the ground by the stumbling horse had then impaled the ground, and while the front end found a home there, the other found the wagon’s front end to immediately tip the vehicle forward.

  Although this particular wagon had canvas as a roof to protect whatever is inside from rain, sun, or wind, it doesn’t offer much resistance when bodies are thrown violently through it. The fabric tore easily as the passengers hurled to the air

  During the split second between the horse tripping and the cart tipping over, Alise’s motherly reflexes kicked in. She threw her arms around her son and pulled him into a tight hug against her torso. The position allowed her to protect him as much as possible and let her own body take the brunt of the impacts soon to follow.

  Tearing through the canvas with her back, Alise was sent flying a good distance. She balled herself with her son in the middle and braced for impact as she found the ground getting ever so closer.

  With her shoulder that dislocated on impact, her body found the ground and she rolled about on the dirt, bouncing about. It was as if the ground was biting her every time whatever part of her body found it, tearing bits of skin and flesh while also cracking the bones. The pain was as if stabs and burns spread through her entire body, but despite it all, she still held onto her son protectively—unwilling to let the slightest harm come to him.

  When she came to a stop on her back, her son was still cradled by one of her arms. Her other arm lay twisted at a weird angle, useless and limp. She blinked slowly and her eyes failed to focus—one drifting downward to her son while the other stared blankly off to the side.

  “Gale.. ah.. ah y’ o..khay..?” She asked, her voice thick and slow and her words slurring as if she was half asleep. Soon after, her eyes fluttered, rolled back and she went still—passing out from the pain and concussion.

  Gale himself didn’t come out unharmed from the violent incident. His head is spinning and everything feels light as his ears ring sharply and his visions blurs at the edges. Bruises were starting to form at his limbs and ribs, but that was the worst of it. His mother had protected him from most of the damage and he could feel her warmth even as the arm cradling him slackened.

  As his senses came back to him, he slowly got up to straddle his mother. The boy shook his mother lightly, but earned no response. Alise is unconscious, but alive—her chest rises and falls gently as she breathes and he can feel her heartbeat beneath his hand.

  His mother always thought of him as an odd child. He showed much less expression and reaction compared to other children and sure enough, even now he was coldly calm even as cries of pain, terror, and grief could be heard all around him. It's as if he’s disconnected from the horrors around him.

  When he looked around, his gaze was drawn to the closest voice—a shrill, choked scream that cut through the din. It was Lyra. She lay crumpled a few paces away, screaming and sobbing in agony. Her right arm and leg now have more bents than they do joints and bone jutted from torn flesh where she’d likely tried to break her fall.

  Her body was streaked with cuts and bruises—battered and broken. The worst of it is where a jagged plank of wood impaled through, her lower abdomen. Dark blood streams from the wound and from her mouth. While it’s no doubt fatal, it wasn’t fatal enough to spare her a few moments of suffering.

  “Hrreelllp! Phrreasesh!” she pleaded while gurgling on the blood pooling at the back of her throat. Another spasm wracked her body and she coughed out a torrent of dark red. Following this, her eyes lost their light and her head fell to the side as her neck went limp.

  Gale turned away with little interest once Lyra went still to look around some more. Further from the pileup, he spotted another child—miraculously unharmed. Tears are streaming down her cheeks as she sobs over the still bodies of her parents before her.

  Soon enough, an orc walked up to her and grabbed her small body. They have caught up to the crash site and are mostly scouring about the scene to catch a prey with some kick still in them—the freshest of the bunch.

  The child thrash about violently as the orc raises her into the air, but there was nothing her small body could do against the towering monster. Jaws wide open, the orc then devoured almost a third of its small prey, leaving the rest to fall limp as her cries were cut abruptly.

  Everywhere else, there are easily more than enough humans for each orcs to eat their full. Though they wouldn’t be able to relish the hunt any longer, the amount of food scattered about is more than enough to take their mind off the action that they missed.

  Turning to look around some more, over in the distance, Gale found the rest of his caravan. About two thirds were not caught up in the accident and they all kept moving to leave him and the other survivors behind.

  Heartless as the decision may be, their instinct of survival drove them to move as far away as possible from the monsters behind them. Most of the survivors that were able to avoid the pileup and walk away with relatively minor or no injuries at all chose to leave the crash site too. Among them only a couple were able to safely get away without any orcs chasing them.

  Then there’s the rest, braver, more loyal, or maybe dumber chose to stay and help anyone that they could. Loved ones—their parents, their child, their lover. But it’d be all for naught with all the orcs scouring about looking for food.

  Sharp shrills of people screaming for help or in pain as their limbs are torn apart and eaten right before their eyes are eventually cut off as the shock and pain knocks them unconscious or dead.

  Gazing off into the distance as terror ensues behind him, Gale was approached by an orc. While the others smeared their face with fresh blood, this one alone hadn’t indulged itself in the abundance of fresh meat. It stood a distance away to look down at the boy’s small body on top of his mother.

  Seeing as Gale hadn’t acknowledged its existence, it let out a roar to attract his attention. Slowly, he turned his head towards the source of the loud voice and finally registered the orc. It was an orc like any other in the area, but the burn mark in its face was distinctive enough for Gale to notice.

  Having made eye contact, the orc thumped on his chest with one hand before pointing a finger to the boy. Holding its pose, it then growled at the boy. It’s a gesture of challenge used among orcs.

  Earlier in the day, it was the one that massacred a part of the village while they were out hunting waterfowls. Having been beaten by the boy in their first fight, it's now challenging the boy for revenge.

  As if he understood the challenge, Gale stood up and moved away from his mother and towards the orc to face it. Though as it stands, Gale is just a powerless child. Away from his little friends, Gale is almost just like any other human child. If anything sets him a little apart from his peers is how unsettlingly odd he seemed.

  He didn’t cry at birth. In fact, he never cried at all. No joy, no sorrow, nothing was ever shown on his face. Toys, treats, or praise that would have other children beaming never stirred anything within him. Not even pain could pull a reaction out of him. Neither a small tumble that scraped a bit of skin nor his father’s harsh venting could bring about a cry or tears.

  He moved, breathed, ate, but it was all as if primal instinct was urging his body to survive. The only trait he had shown that wasn’t an act to live was his obedience. He followed every direction, orders, commands no matter how small without any resistance or hesitation. It's as if he himself had no will of his own.

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  The boy lived–eerily detached from the world around him. As if a ghost that roams this plane of existence, but slightly out of phase from everything else–everyone else.

  But things changed. The day his friend fought for him, something rose from deep within him. It was an alien feeling that drove him forward. And today, something else changed.

  Standing face to face with a monster, he still felt no fear. Even as his body called out in pain, none of the cries went through his lips. Yet deep inside him, the silence that always was, has been disrupted by something stirring in its stead.

  When he shut out the world and focused on it, he could feel it. Faint yet undeniable. As if trying to reach out to it, he pressed a hand onto his chest—gripping tightly to not miss this alien feeling.

  When he was wrapped with her embrace to shield him from the dangers around him, it started burning within him. When he looks up and finds his mother’s flustered face as she desperately tries to keep her son out of harm’s way, it grows within him. When she called out to him even as her own body betrayed her, it overflowed.

  Deep within the boy’s soul, he could feel it. A thousand I love you his mother conveyed wordlessly to him—and oh, how nice it felt.

  When the orc in front of him roared out in intimidation, he remembers that day he finally returned with Robert to Carmul. His mother, deprived of any news regarding her son for what feels like eternity as he recuperates in town, immediately burst into tears when she confirmed her son had returned to her safe.

  And that very night, on their bed, his mother apologized to him for who knows what, but she gave him instructions following her apology. “Ask your friends for help whenever you need them. There’s no need to ask them to hide if you really need their help.”

  Now he knows what he needs to do. The warmth within him convinced him so—and he could now hear it. The voice called out to him. Loud and commanding, it's calling out onto every fiber of his being to act. It told him to extend his arms towards his foe. And he did.

  Seeing his enemy taking his stance, the orc then acted. He raised his fists and charged towards his small foe. A single hit would be all the monster needed to immediately take out the boy, but it was wary.

  With cautiousness weighing down its feet, the orc moved slower than usual, but it was able to reach its foe without facing much resistance. Now within arm’s reach, the orc lowered one of its fists close to the ground and swung towards the boy intending to sweep him off the ground.

  In response, Gale then crouched over, placing both of his extended arms to the ground where his palms met the dirt. In between his two small hands is a small humanoid, crouched over to the ground, with both hands on the ground, much like the position Gale holds.

  Then, a little in front of Gale and his newly arrived helper, a small bump protruded from the ground. When the orc’s fist almost connected with the boy’s face, the protrusion rapidly grew upwards. It pierced cleanly through the orc’s torso, cutting its momentum, and even pushing it backwards.

  The earth spike destroyed some organs on the way and went through the orc’s back covered in its dark blood. With the last of its strength, the monster grabbed onto the earth spike and tried to crush it in his palm, but only ended up cracking the hardened ground. After coughing up blood, all its limbs went limp and hung beside it. Then, with a low growl, all the strength left its body, and the orc dropped its head lifelessly.

  With their job done, the earth fairy turned to look at Gale before extending both arms towards him. The boy picked the fairy up, and stood back upright. The small creature climbed his arm to reach his shoulder and climbed his face to reach the top of his head where it plopped on Gale’s head.

  Looking at the ground beneath him, Gale found a small hole there. It’s where his small helper had climbed out of—or actually, it is what his small helper was. The fairies are embodiments of nature. Thus, the earth fairy is the earth beneath his very feet itself. So far he had only seen his friends in the forest by Carmul, but it's not like they are bound to the forest itself.

  Rather, they are bound to the people they have taken a liking to. They are always there with them, but not always visible. By the whims of nature, they would help when asked for.

  Powerless as he is, Gale asked. He called upon strength from his little friends to help him protect his mother. As he’s been dictated to do so by the feeling deep within him. Now seated on top of him, the small fairy is ready to lend aid.

  Around them, the orcs began to form a circle. Some of them witnessed Gale’s match and took interest when the boy easily defeated his goliath of a foe. It's not everyday that they get to meet such a strong opponent.

  As a warring creature, the orcs acknowledge valour and strength. The braver and the stronger one is, the higher they get to be on the hierarchy within their own pack. Thus, they constantly look for challenges to prove their might.

  Having seen what the small boy can do, one of the orcs bellowed a roar and took a step forward. Unlike the previous challenger, this one holds a weapon in its hand. It's a crude axe made with a stone that’s been chipped to form an edge and tied to a stick. Seeing this, Gale can’t help but miss the weight of a sword in his hands.

  The orc thumped its chest and extended its weapon towards the boy. Following this one’s lead, almost every other orcs encircling Gale thumped their own chest while a few just took a step back.

  Gale’s own weapon is on top of his head. The fairy laying on his head is now lending the boy their power. He can feel it—the connection between him and the fairy on top of his head—and their connection with the ground around them.

  He can tap into that connection to call upon the might of nature. So when the orc started charging towards him, he immediately crouched to the ground and placed both hands on the dirt yet again.

  Far in front of him, on the ground right in front of the sprinting orc, another earth spike was beginning to form. Just like earlier, it then rapidly rises but not quite rapid enough to catch the charging orc.

  The monster is nimble despite its large size and overflowing fat. Having seen the trick once also worked well to help the orc move out of the spike’s way once he saw the small protrusion on the ground. Now in the clear, it resumes its charge towards its foe.

  Unrelenting, Gale let out a series of earth spikes only to be continuously dodged by the orc. Without the element of surprise, it was clear his attacks would not find its mark.

  Realising this, the boy then twisted his arm to turn his palm up and swept up from the ground. Through his connection with the fairy on his head, his hand was able to kick up a cloud of dust large enough to hide the orc’s massive body and impair its vision.

  This momentarily stunts the orc, buying enough time for Gale to bring his palm back to the ground. Once he did, from within the cloud of dust, an earth spike then rapidly rose to pierce the orc and killed it on the spot.

  Following this victory, another roar came from behind Gale. When he turned to look, he saw another orc ready to take the next place as challenger. This one has a spear in its hand, made by yet another stone that's been chipped to form a point and a shaft made out of a long rough stick.

  Once it started charging forward, Gale stood back upright and turned around to face the new challenger, he lifted one foot off the ground and stomped with all his might.

  Far in front of him, a small mound of dirt rose from the ground—just about big enough to barely trip the charging orc. With its foot caught in the dirt, the orc tumbled forward and was about to fall face first into the ground.

  Impaling its spear into the ground, it was able to regain balance. But the manoeuvre still left it at an awkward position looking at the ground—the perfect position for an earth spike to rise and pierce its skull.

  The boy now stood with three consecutive wins and more and more orcs are stepping back from the fight. One of the few still in the game is an archer wielding a crude, large warbow.

  Silently, it nocked an arrow and drew while aiming towards the boy. This particular orc hadn’t roared to pronounce itself a challenger, but considering its gear, it’s probably the type to take on a fight stealthily.

  Sure enough, it didn’t let out the faintest noise until its arrow took to the air and whistled as it rapidly approached the boy. Even though he could register the whistle the instant the arrow left the orc’s bow, he wasn’t fast enough to react. But such wasn’t the case for the fairy on top of his head.

  In between Gale and the flying arrow, the earth fairy quickly formed a tall wall to redirect the arrow and it missed its mark by a finger width. The wall crumbled, but its rubbles stopped in mid air as if an invisible net had caught it. Slowly, each then morphed to form a spike which quickly took flight straight towards the orc archer.

  The counterattack caught the orc archer by surprise and before it could register anything, the spike had left a gaping hole where its face once was.

  When the orcish archer’s lifeless body fell to the ground, just about every orc had retreated from the fight. There’s a clear hierarchy among the orcs that’s determined by strength and once an orc higher in the hierarchy has been defeated, any orc further below in the hierarchy would step down from the challenge.

  Now, only one orc had yet to take a step back to retreat from the challenge. As the others around it took a step back, it raised its weapon towards the young boy. After thumping its own chest, it growled to announce itself the last challenger.