The following day, Gerald took Elly, Xilia, and Sera with him to gather herbs for potions.

Meanwhile, Qiona remained home, studying the new recipes she received, and trying to create Greater Mana Potion with the few herbs Gerald had left her.

The group left the capital in the morning, walking past many people that were going to and from Auralba.

"You all know how to use Earth magic, correct?" Gerald wanted to teach them a new spell, and the girls were working hard for the past month, trying to learn as much as possible.

They all nodded.

"Good! We'll use this time to learn a movement spell called Rockslide!" Since they had plenty of free time until they got to a good spot where Magic Roots grew, why not learn a few things on the way?

Gerald demonstrated the spell by lifting a small mound of dirt and standing on a stone slab that rested on top of it. He moved it around with his thoughts while encouraging his students to mimic him.

"Let's go, just as we trained! Use your imagination to take control of the dirt under your feet and mold it to your will!"

Elly was the first to show some results. Although she didn't know how to use Earth magic before meeting Gerald, she worked hard to improve, but she had also already experienced Rockslide before.

Anyway, a few hours later they reached their destination and nobody could successfully cast the Rockslide. But that was to be expected, after all not everybody was a talented genius.

They then picked the roots and flowers for the rest of the day, and they lived happily ever after.

The end.

No, but seriously, they gathered sacks full of Mana Roots and Morning Dew, all while playing and joking around.

At the end of the day, there was even the first successful Rockslide! It was Xilia of all people, and she used this opportunity to show off, driving around, lifting dust, and laughing arrogantly.

That was, of course, until a boulder sticking out of the ground blocked her path and she crashed into it, resulting in a most spectacular faceplant!

"Bwahaha, serves you right!" Sera burst out laughing and pointed at her unfortunate teammate. "Look at me, I'm so good...ops! Never mind!" she taunted, mimicking Xilia's proud display.

Splat!

A fistful of mud hit her face, even entering her mouth and nose!

Now it was Xilia's turn to laugh, "Oh, hehe, I didn't know you like eating mud that much, hohoho!"

Watching their comical display, even Elly couldn't help but giggle, though she covered her mouth not to be noticed.

Anyway, their day went by without any major accidents and by the time it became dark, they peacefully camped in the wild.

It was a quiet and peaceful night... for them at least!

"Aaaaaaah! Noooooo!"

Loud woman's screams came from a dense part of the forest.

The terrain was completely destroyed, with charred tree stumps and cracked ground, and with blood puddles making the ground slippery and nauseating.

An Orc patrol ambushed a group of young warriors, and from the aftermath, it was clear that the humans lost.

One of the members of the group, a young girl, was currently struggling to get herself free from the grasp of an Orc Warrior Elite. But it was futile. The beast seemed to enjoy her helpless screams and struggles, giving her just enough leeway to keep her hope alive.

Then, with a loud ripping sound, the woman's attire was torn off her body and discarded like an old rag, revealing her white skin that created a great contrast with the dark-red blood flowing across it.

Her teammates were forced to watch as the giant Elite Orc Warrior forced himself onto her, with a stature gruesomely incompatible with the small body of the young warrior.

The other Orcs cheered for their leader loudly, with animalistic sounds that made people tremble in fear.

"Stop! Please… Please just let her go!" Desperate cries of a warrior came from somewhere among the captured humans, but it was quickly silenced among a rain of fists and roaring laughter.

The rest of the men watched quietly with somber faces devoid of hope. Some regretted not ending their own lives when they still had the chance, while others already lost their minds and were now only husks of their former selves.

The screaming and struggling of the girl eventually came to an end as the Orc leader took a momentary break after satisfying his lust.

His large body moved and he arrived in front of the prisoners, grabbing one of them at random and lifting him up with one hand like it was nothing.

Wham!

Sharp fangs sank into the flesh of the male warrior, and with a quick tug, his head, still carrying a horrified expression, was torn away from the rest of the body. Blood gushed from the fresh corpse and the Elite Orc Warrior drank it in big gulps as if drinking delicious wine.

His teammates shuddered at the sight, and a few of those that still had some sanity left emptied their bowels in fear. They all knew what was to come.

Women would be raped repeatedly, to the edge of death, and then brought back to the Orc village or a cave, where they would be kept alive for the next few months before giving birth to even more of these monsters.

It would be hell and torture the entire time, and in the end, they would be eaten from the inside by their own offspring.

Men had it relatively easy in that regard. They would be just raped by the young Orcs that had a lower social status and then tortured for days until death. Some would be given the honor of being eaten alive, but not before being used as a training dummy for the young monsters.

In any case, every single one of the captured humans would beg for death before the end of the first day. It was just so horrifying.

Crackling sounds came from the Orc leader as he satisfied his hunger on the flesh of the young warrior. Bones broke and muscles tore under the strong yaw and teeth of the hairy monster.

After finishing the meal, the gaze of the Elite Orc fell on another female, hiding among the group. There was a glint in the eyes of the Orc leader and he gestured for her to be brought forth.

He was lusting for another round.

"No… No, please! Just kill me! NOOOO!" The girl tried her best to escape, but her strength was nowhere near enough.

Soon her bloodcurdling screams reverberated through the wilderness, and her cries of horror could be heard for kilometers around.

Sights like these were all too common these past weeks. Brave young men and women, trying to protect their Kingdom, trying to gain recognition and prestige, went out into the wild, only to cry for a quick death after failing in their mission.

Many scout parties went missing and not a single person returned to tell the tale.

The strong became stronger, while the weak were sacrificed by both sides in this bloody battle between worlds.

Current deaths: Too many, but more to come.