Pogna walked around in confusion, searching for a way out of his place. He looked at the stone-walled surroundings and tried to throw a rock at it.

There was no result in what he did. Pogna sat and took a deep breath. His eyes stared around, hoping to find another clue.

During that moment of despair, his eyes fell on a small hole in the wall that seemed to emit a point of light. There seems to be a way out there, he thought. He then tried to kick the wall with all his might. The vibrations made the dust fall but failed to destroy it. Not giving up, he took a large stone and threw it into the hole.

After several hits, the hole looked bigger. Pogna became more eager to continue his efforts. He didn’t pay attention to his palms, which were blistering from rubbing against rough objects.

Finally, on the umpteenth hit, the stone wall broke, just as big as his head. Pogna looked out and found himself about three meters above the river that bordered the cave he was in from the forest on the other side. If the river wasn’t full of crocodiles, it would have been easy for him to jump and swim ashore.

After enlarging the hole and making it enough for his body to come out, Pogna sat down from exhaustion. He was thinking so hard to find a way of getting across the river. There was not much time since the sun would set soon. Darkness would make things even harder.

He then looked around once again, hoping to find a way out. Beyond the solid wall, there were vines of plants dangling. It had crossed his mind to use it hanging then jumping across the river. However, the vine was not long enough.

Another idea popped into his head. His eyes fell on the rope lying near where he had fallen. The rope Peter had used to pull Susan. Pogna hastily picked it up and tied it to the strongest vine. Now he had something to grip long enough to swing across the river.

He looked out once more and took a deep breath. While it was theoretically possible to make the jump, it won’t be that easy in reality. There was only one chance for him. If he didn’t release his grip at the right moment, the rope would swing back and take him down into the river.

Pogna let the wind blow against his sweat-drenched face for a while. If he could get through the forest across the river, he should be able to reach his village.

Pogna tugged at the rope he was holding to make sure the vine and the knot were strong enough. He took a few steps back to get into position. His heart was beating fast and his hands were drenched in sweat. Although he was nervous, his thoughts about the safety of Susan and the others made him determined.

Pogna walked forward. Slow at first, then getting faster. Only one decisive leap. However, at the last second, the height and the river that seemed wide made him hesitate. The first attempt failed. Pogna stopped right at the edge while holding on to the rope.

The man took a deep breath and then exhaled before backing away and taking a second stance. “I can do it!” He said to himself while shaking his hands to dispel the hesitation. That physical movement was quite successful in making him more focused and calm. His eyes gazed into the hole he had made.

A few moments later, he strode steadily.

He arrived at the edge of the hole and jumped. This time, there was no turning back. The slightest doubt can lead him to fall into a river full of crocodiles. The wind howled against his hair and ears as he swung. Not wanting the fear of heights made him lose focus, Pogna locked his gaze ahead to the ground where he was about to land.

When he felt the swing slowing down, Pogna let go of his grip. He hovered for a few seconds in the air before landing on the muddy ground. Because of the momentum that came from his jump, he lost his balance and fell forward. Although his whole body was dirty, his heart feels relieved. Pogna let himself lie down for a while on the ground, breathing in the refreshing afternoon air.

I did it. He muttered with a small smile.

Understanding that it was getting darker, Pogna knew he couldn’t stay there for long. The distance was still too close to the edge of the river. The crocodiles could crawl near him at any time. He then rushed into the forest to return to the Amui village.

In the forest, the conditions were getting darker because of the thick trees. Since he was having trouble finding the right direction to get to his village, Pogna decided to rest under a tree. Got a tuber to eat, he made a fire by rubbing dry branches to burn the tubers, warm himself, and scare off wild animals.

***

Meanwhile, Karl woke up from his stupor. He groaned while holding his aching head. Where am I? he whispered in his head. Only tall trees and various kinds of shrubs were visible as far as his eye could see. The old man tried to stand up while holding his bones and joints aching with age.

Insolent. How dare he… Karl grumbled in his heart. His emotions overflowed since he was betrayed. His teeth gritted in anger. He felt he had been deceived by the king. His promise to help him enforce a just law in the capital turned out to be a beautiful lie.

However, there was currently nothing that he could do, even when he was determined to survive and take revenge in the future. He felt he would never achieve his ideals if he did not rule as a king.

After regaining consciousness, Karl dragged his feet aimlessly in search of water. His throat felt parched as if it was almost burning. Luckily, the weather wasn’t too hot because of the shadows of the dense trees.

Relying solely on instinct, Karl found a small river at the edge of the forest. Luck be upon him. Without hesitation, he scooped up as much water as he could and drank it down. It felt really refreshing.

After being satisfied, Karl rested for a while. He leaned under a tree while his mind drifted, thinking about how he could get great power to take revenge. Asking the northern lord for help would be difficult. They did not have enough army to keep up with the strength of the royal army. Moreover, the northern lord would choose peace over war. Only the Bergstone region had a sufficient army. However, he had absolutely no influence there.

The old gerpa sat under a tree as he lamented his fate. He had no direction and no hunting skills. His body was also weak since he was no longer young. Although his life spirit was still high, he can only accept his awful fate.

In desperation, he suddenly saw a strange creature on the riverbank. It stood on two legs like a human but its face was scary. It was almost like an ape. Its fangs were large, its head was bald, and its skin was green. In the legend, Karl recognized the creature as an orc. A race that had not been seen for the past hundred years. Many thought that the orcs were extinct.

The creature staggered and fell to the ground. He seemed badly injured. Karl could see bruises all over his body. Seeing that the orc was already so weak, Karl dared to walk closer. He doesn’t seem like a threat, he thought. Nevertheless, he took a wooden stick just as a precaution.

“H… help me….” said the orc while seeing Karl walk over.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” asked Karl, while holding up his stick.

“I’m Verthog and I am an orc. I ran away from my people.” The creature’s voice sounded like a low growl.

“Why are they after you?”

“Because I have this.” The orc showed an old parchment from his pocket. “It’s an heirloom,” he said.

“Then what benefit is it for me to help you?”

“That heirloom… it can give you power.”

“What is the proof?” The old gerpa couldn’t just believe it.

“See and read for yourself.” The orc then handed his heirloom to Karl.

The parchment was written in the traditional letters and language of the northern region where Karl came from. CHEVIQ MORSIMA KHARGOL. That’s how the parchment was entitled. It meant “The ritual of summoning Khargol.” Underneath, there were scribbles of northern letters that form a circular pattern. There was another statement that reads, he who carries out this ritual will get the power as the ruler of the orcs.

Seeing that, Karl was stunned for a moment.

“Khargol is the strongest,” said Verthog.

Although not entirely convinced, Karl saw an opportunity to gain the power to fulfill his ambition of taking revenge on the king. It was a much better chance than just dying alone in the forest.

“Okay, I’ll help you,” said Karl. He then put down his stick and cleaned the wounds on Verthog’s body with river water. The old gerpa tore off some of his clothes to use as bandages. Luckily, the injuries weren’t life-threatening. A more severe injury was only a fracture of the bone in the leg.

“Thank you, sir… Please take me to a safe hiding place. It’s too open here. They will find me easily.” Verthog made his request.

Karl aided the orc to his feet and helped him walk. Although not very familiar with the area, Karl took Verthog into the forest. At least the thick trees could help hide their whereabouts.

After a moment, they found a large tree. It had a hole in its middle trunk. Just an ideal place to rest and hide. Karl took the green orc in and let him rest there.

“Okay, now you’re safe. We can carry out this ritual.” Karl asked the orc’s promise.

“No, we’re not safe just yet. They’re still around,” said Verthog in his deep voice. Before long, Karl saw a group of orcs in the distance.

“What should I do?” asked Karl.

“Go out and make yourself found, then say that you saw a green orc walking east. That way, we’ll be safe.”

“But won’t they kill me?” Karl was in doubt to face creatures so big and scary.

“No, most orcs aren’t good at using their brains. You just have to speak confidently to make them believe.”

After being convinced, Karl rushed off and sat under a big tree, waiting to be found.

A moment later, the gang of orcs found Karl. Different from the green-skinned Verthog, this mob was red-skinned. One of them—who seemed to be the leader—asked Karl. “Do you see any green creatures around here?” Just like Verthog, his voice sounded deep, more like a growl.

“Yes, I saw him walking that way.” Karl pointed to the east.

Without a word of thanks, the red orc growled and led the herd in the direction Karl pointed. It seemed that Verthog’s prediction was accurate.

After the mob left, Karl hurried back to Verthog’s hiding place.

“Thank you for your help. We’re safe now. Let’s do the ritual.” Verthog opened the old parchment slowly and laid it on the ground. “Read what’s written there. We, the orc, can’t read.”

Following Verthog’s instructions, Karl observed what was written on the parchment. “Orc is stupid, though strong. Man is weak but intelligent. Give me both blood, and I shall return.” Karl looked at the green creature in front of him, then said, “Looks like we should drip blood on this parchment.”

Verthog nodded in agreement. Karl then pierced the tip of his finger with a thorny twig, then let his blood drip onto the rotting parchment paper in front of him. Verthog did the same, so their blood was mixed.

Miraculously, their drops of blood instantly vanished as if absorbed by the parchment. Then, a spell sentence appears, accompanied by a description to read it over and over again.

“Vo Gollum Gefugen Khargol Komadu Len Mergho.” Karl chanted. Once, twice, and three times… He kept repeating the sentence. The foreign scribbles drawn on the parchment began to glow greenish. The longer it gets, the brighter it gets.

Green smoke miraculously emerged from the parchment paper and soared into the hollow of the tree they were in. A second later, as if sucked in, the smoke entered Karl’s body through his nose and ears. Karl, who didn’t expect it at all, got panicked. His breath hitched and his vision was blurry. It happened so fast and within seconds, everything was back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Karl was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath to make sure he was okay. His heartbeat was so fast from the tension he had just felt.

“What happened? Now I feel normal. My strength doesn’t seem to increase either.” asked Karl, while looking at his palms. The magic parchment itself had now turned into a blank sheet of paper.

“I don’t know either. You should get Khargol’s power by now,” said Khargol in hesitation.

“Then why is this? Is something wrong? Are you lying to me?” Karl’s voice rose. He does not like to be deceived.

“No… not at all.” Verthog looked at Karl seriously. Even so, he could not explain what had happened.

“I think we have to be patient. Maybe Khargol is just waiting for the right moment to show his strength.” Verthog tried to explain something that he still doubted. “I will take you to my residence. The person who has the power of Khargol is destined to be the leader of the orc.”

“Are you sure I’ll be safe there? I’m not your kind.”

“According to the legends spread throughout our world, Khargol is not a complete orc either. He is half-human. Therefore, this parchment was written in the human language as well.” Verthog tried to smile to calm Karl. A smile that was more like a scary grin.

“Yes, I hope he is willing to lend his power,” said Karl. He imagined himself as the leader of the orcs, then successfully took revenge.

“Please help me find a stick long enough to be used as crutches. We have to go now,” asked Verthog. Thinking that it was better to have a strange traveling companion than to die alone in the woods, Karl obeyed the request. After that, the two of them walked hand in hand towards the southwest.