For some unknown reason, we didn’t meet any orcs as we walked out from the side tunnel.    

Instead, what greeted us is indistinguishable pieces of human flesh scattered everywhere.

The rancid, revolting smell of blood and viscera have filled the cave.

"Hold on!" I pause my torchlight when there seems something like head on the left side of wall. We approach it and I squat to take a closer look. Is is a woman's head with long chestnut coloured hair. Her tanned skin matches the headless body found outside the entrance. I look at others and they nod as they understand this head belongs to the body outside. 

"We will pick it up on our way back, its body and Sera." I divulge. 

We then continue walking. 

"Wait. Where is the red haired woman?" Clementine asks. Indeed Ivanna is not here. Usually, she would be leading us.

"Look back." Mirai points to a standing figure 10 meters behind us.

"Ivanna. What are you doing?" I call out to Ivanna who is looking at at the floor. We return to her position.

"Why are standing in the dark?" As now I am holding mine and Ivanna's torchlight, she is in the darkness. I point my torchlight to the place she is looking at. A man head.

Ivanna squat and hold the head with her hands. It is head of a handsome young man with a striking red hair like Ivanna. My instinct tells me she knows him personally.

"This man?" Sekrit asks from behind me.

"He is my cousin. Simon Reskina. He left the family to become mercenary in other countries." She says and closes her eyes as if praying. 

"So, he is with the girls." Sekrit says and points her torchlight to other side. There is another head, a short haired man with beard, most probably their comrade. 

Their bodies' whereabout is unknown. 

"My father was marquis who lead Reskina family. As he has only a daughter, he couldn't pass his title to me. He has two other siblings. The position was given to his younger brother, the current marquis in White City. Last year, it is Reskina Clan's turn to be the emperor of federation for the next 10 years. My father's youngest brother becomes the current emperor. Simon is the prince, or son of current emperor of federation."

Ivanna stand up after putting it on the floor.

"Can I take it with me, to White City.?"

"But it is going to rot?" Sekrit questions.

"Sarutobi clan has a way to preserve corpse from rotting." Mirai interjects.

"Then, no problem" I console Ivanna and massage her nape gently.

After a while, "Ehemm. We need to continue walking." Kurotsuchi urges.

We then continue to walk. At one point, there are some fresh footprints, blood stains, dirt and signs of something being dragged across. Ivanna points her torchlight near to the ground and starts examining it.

"It seems that someone was moved to the deeper parts of the cave, though it’s not certain if that person is still alive." Ivanna stares at the few strands of forcefully pulled out long blond hair around her fingers as she came to that conclusion.

In the deeper parts of the cave where the light couldn’t reach, sounds of moving footsteps could be heard.

Orcs probably have noticed the light from the torchlights and come to investigate.

Kurotsuchi throws a very small dagger the an orc that is approaching and hit it face. It screeches painfully but still on its toes. 

As it is still being stunned, Clementine brake that chance to dart to its front and gave a fatal stab at its neck using her dirk. With its throat pierced by the dirk, the orc couldn’t even make a sound as it died.

"The orcs sent a scout to check but the scout never returned. Because they’re already killed." 

Ivanna ponders and resumes pondering which is said out loud.

"If you’re an orc, what would you do?" 

"I would…make an ambush." Sekrit responds.

"Let's prepare a trap!" Kurotsuchi excitedly suggests.

"Do you know how to make traps?" The girls ask Kurotsuchi and she smiles.

Kurotsuchi tkes out a coil of rope and wooden stakes and starts lining them at her feet. 

"I have very quick feet, so I will be the bait. Anyone?" Kurotsuchi says.

"Interesting. Count me in." Clementine.

"Then, the rest of us wait behind this trap " Sekrit says.

At that moment, Kurotsuchi finishes setting up the trap and strides forward. Clementine hurries to catch up with her as she crosses over the rope and steps into the cave.

We wait for about fifteen minutes. We see Kurotsuchi jumping out from the entrance of the side tunnel. Seconds later, Clementine then bounds over the trap. 

Sounds of curses and footsteps neared, meaning that the goblins were walking up the slope.

Taking a peek, we see the one leading them is a big orc over 2 meters.

"Points all torchlights to it!" As I shout that, we point our torchlights towards its face.

The large orc who is momentarily blinded didn’t noticed the rope at its legs. It then trip and tumbles onto the ground……

Sekrit dashes over, pierced her sword into its neck.

The orc cries out a few syllables that are incomprehensible before twitching itself to death.

Kurotsuchi quickly takes out a small bottle from her bag and throw it at the giant orc’s corpse. As 

 it shatters on contact, the black, sticky and mud-like substance inside the bottle spills everywhere.

Kurotsuchi then kicks the gigantic and dirty orc into the side tunnel. The orcs who were coming from behind see a giant slab of meat flying towards them and immediately attack it with the weapons in their hands. 

It all happens in an instant. Thus, when the orcs realises this giant slab of meat was their supposed scout, they naturally falls into chaos.

Just as they pull out their weapons which they have stabbed hard into the giant orc with much effort and is now trying to wipe of the substance stuck on them——

It is too late. We have already burned some scattered cloths and throw the burning cloth to the orcs. The orcs and giant orc were engulfed in flames. 

Sharp cries could be heard as the burning orcs struggled and fall deeper back into the tunnel.

The smell of burnt meat coupled with the smoke made me cough uncontrollably.

"It's flammable oil." Kurotsuchi says.

"Then, are we, going back, in?" 

"No. When they can’t breathe anymore, they’ll come out on their own."

She kills all the orcs who scurried out from irradiant surrounding without even flinching. The first one has its skull crushed after tripping over the rope.

The second and third ones are hit by the stone axe after jumping over the rope. 

The fourth one had its head crushed by the sword.

We advance into the thick smoke. 

The hall was in a big mess. The burnt corpses of the giant orc and another two orcs laid on the floor with their faces indistinguishable anymore.

We pile into the chamber, taking up positions, with I am in the centre, holding my torchlight.

We have expected a warehouse, an armoury, or perhaps toilet, but chamber the light shines on is none of those.

Much like the chamber from earlier, this another large room dug out of the earth. The are several mounds of dirt that might have passed for chairs. Farther into the chamber, is an oblong stone, that might have been brought from elsewhere.

A woman lay on the floor as if she has been tossed there. She wears no scrap of clothing. Her exposed body is smeared with semen, and the way her eyelids are squeezed shut shows her lassitude. Her matted hair is gold the colour of honey. Her ample chest rises and fall gently, the proof of life. The smoke never harm the girl as it floats harmlessly above her. Still, even though she isn’t dead, she isn’t blessed. 

On the other end of the chamber, there is a piece of half-rotten wooden board that is substituted as a door.

This was a secret storeroom——no, was it really just a secret storeroom?

We hear some scraping noises behind the wooden board and ready with weapons cautiously.

Except the Ivanna who has the most experience with orcs, who picks up a club from the dead orc. As soon as Ivanna pries the board open, sharp cries could be heard. Other than the things that the orcs had pillaged such as two rapiers, there are also 4 orc children in there.

"Once borne, orc just need year to grow into adult." Ivanna explains. 

Staring at the orc children who had shrunk their shivering bodies, Ivanna raises the club in her hands. 

I ask, "Will you, kill the children too?"

Ivanna nod and says, 

"They will never forget their vengeance for the rest of their lives. Not to mention, the survivors of a nest learn, and become smarter."

She raises the club in her hands casually and swing before she shrieking orc children.