The orcs came to the village the very next day.

There were only a dozen, but each and every one of them was a hulking mass of rock-hard muscles at least 2,5 metres tall. And their leader was almost 3 metres tall, with immense shoulders almost as wide and arms as thick as tree trunks.

Those creatures looked like they were made for fighting.

Their tanned, almost orange skin was as hard as a leather armor, protecting them against most attacks. They had no body hairs and were completely bald, their small pointy ears sticking out of their skulls like beansprouts. Their face was equally intimidating: a wide, almost flat nose, very small red eyes that shone with savage fury and an alarmingly large mouth filled with razor sharp fangs, so large in fact that they could fit an entire human child in there (as the people of the village could attest).

The orcs reeked of rotten meat and dried blood, a smell so intense it could make people throw up if they got too close.

And as for their equipment, they were mostly naked. Their skin and muscles were already a better protection than any available armor, so any clothing was purely decorative: they had small loincloths around their loins and some of them carried crude necklaces made with the skulls of various creatures, humans included.

Their weapons were equally primitive: most of them carried oversized wooden clubs, and only a few had tried to improve the effectiveness of their weapons by attaching fangs of deceased animals and sharp rocks to their sticks. Not that it really mattered: with their strenght, they could kill a man with a simple swat of their arms.

Cala looked at the monsters with barely concealed hate.

About two months before, those creatures had appeared in the area, pillaging various villages and killing all who resisted them. The tribes of the region were powerless to resist them: their light wooden spears couldn't seriously harm the orcs's hide, and even in the rare cases when someone managed to deal a wound the orc would always survive and heal. It was as if any wound that wasn't immediately lethal couldn't kill an orc, and to make things worse they had proven to be resilient to all kinds of poison so far.

But hopefully, things were gonna change now.

The orcs entered the clearing where the village was located, but they were still surrounded by the wild undergrowth of the jungle. They paid no attention to it, knowing that there was no beast so foolish to attack them... and so they didn't notice the hunters hidden in the bushes. The monsters' attention was focused on the village chief and his two bodyguards that stood in front of them, about 50 metres away.

The orcs leader advanced in front on his group.

-We come for meat-slaves!- he bellowed, waving his oversized mace -Give us meat-slaves and we no kill all you! Refuse and we kill all you!-

Last time the orcs had raided the village, they had made a deal with the villagers: they would take 2 people each month, to use them as slaves and food, and in exchange they wouldn't slaughter all the tribe.

Last time, they chose Cala's mother and little sister, and her father was killed while trying to defend them. And after that, they had eaten them all in front of the other tribesmen in order to scare them into submission.

But that monstrous act had the opposite effect: the villagers had been so enraged and disgusted that even the most cowardly among them had decided to try and do something rather than wait until the orcs had eaten them one by one.

And so, everything had led to this moment. Now they would discover if Cala's blessing was effective against the monsters.

The village chief was visibly nervous and intimidated, but his eyes were alight with rightful rage, and his voice was clear.

-We won't give you any more of our tribesmates!- he shouted -Go away, or it will be you who'll be killed!-

The orc leader stood there for a while, too surprised by that response to actually do anything. He clearly didn't expect that.

But then, with a howl of pure rage, he threateningly waved his mace in the direction of the tribe chief.

-Kill the fool-man! Kill and bring me his head! We kill and take all slaves-meat!- he ordered to his underlings.

The orcs charged forward, screaming with primal rage... and then the first line of them fell, falling into the well concealed trap pits that the tribe had been prepared.

The pits were only a metre deep, but they had very sharp wooden stakes in them, which easily impaled the orcs feet.

The monsters cried of rage and pain, and their charge stopped for a moment. It was at that time that the hunters emerged from the bushes, trowing their spears at the back of the invaders.

But that wasn't enough to stop the orcs. They were incredibly tough and resilient to pain, and the wooden spears were like mosquito bites to them. Even the stakes, which in some case had completely stabbed through their feet, were just a minor inconvenience. Screaming with fury, they turned to the hunters, charging at them.

But the hunters ran away, disappearing in the woods. Although the orcs were faster and had more stamina than a human, their bulk hindered their movements in the jungle and the tribesmen had much better knowledge of the territory. So the orcs couldn't reach their prey for some time... and time was all the humans needed.

After a minute, the first orc fell twitching to the ground, foaming at his mouth, while his veins were blackened and bulging from his skin.

The other orcs didn't noticed, but soon more and more of them started showing the same symptoms, and in about 5 minutes half of them had fall.

Then the orcs stopped, looking at their companions. Some had already stopped moving, while the other's twitching were gradually weakening. A smell of death and decay was coming from their bodies, and the wounds made by the stakes and the spears were completely black and putrid.

The orcs were bewildered. They had never suffered from any sickness before and all natural poisons had been neutralized by their supernatural toughness, so this was a completely new experience for them.

The survivors, about half a dozen including the leader, stood there, unsure of what to do... when suddenly another rain of spears fell upon them.

Forgetting their fear and uncertainty, the orcs screamed in rage and chased their attackers, but they had already fleed in the jungle.

After a few minuted, the orcs that had been grazed by the spears fell to the ground, foaming and twitching. Now only the leader and another orc remained.

The two monsters looked at each other in the eyes. Never before something like this had happened to them: they had faced beasts and other monsters, even some that possessed enough strenght to threaten an orc, but they had never faced such a subtle and terrifying menace.

A new, unpleasant feeling was now creeping in their hearts. They had no way of knowing it, but it was the feeling the humans called fear.

-Boss, what do now?- asked the grunt in an unusually hesitant tone -All others are dead. These meat-slaves have something that kill us!-

-Shut up, ya worm!- howled the leader -The meat-slaves used some dirty trick to kill! We go back to the nest, get some more grunts and come back and kill all meat-slaves! Next time, we kill all and no talk!-

-That's not gonna happen.- said a deadly cold female voice coming from the bushes.

The two orcs turned to the source of that voice when suddenly a dozen spears rained on them from all direction. But this time, the monsters were on guard, and managed to guard themself with their weapons, so the spears didn't manage to even graze them. The two orcs, enraged, charged at the bushes... and this one of the attackers was a tiny bit too late in escaping.

It was a middle aged man, who had tripped over a root right when he was turning to run away. He didn't fall, but even the few seconds he lost allowed the orcs to reach him.

The two monsters reached him, and the leader swinged his mace at the man's legs, breaking one of them and sending the human flying on the ground.

The orc's boss loomed over him, his fangs showing from his drooling mouth, with all the intentions to devour that foolish human that had dared to challenge him... when another human emerged from the bushes, charging at him with a wooden spear.

It was a young girl with short dark hairs, her arms wrapped in blood-stained bandages and an expression of pure hate in her eyes.

She screamed with fury as she was charging the orc's boss, but the other orc intercepted her, breaking her fragile spear with his club and then grabbing her by the arm.

With primal fury, the orc grunt dived his fangs into the shoulder of the girl, who cried in pain.

But as soon as the girl's blood flowed into his mouth, the monster released the human and fell to the ground, twitching uncontrollably while foaming from his mouth.

The orc's leader was momentarily stunned by this view. His underling hadn't been wounded, so why was he dieing like the others?

He even momentarily forgot about biting the head off the man he was grabbing.

This moment of hesitation was all that Cala's needed.

Still bleeding from the bite on her shoulder, she jumped at the orc, swinging her blood covered arm at the monster's gaping mouth.

Before he could react, some of the blood splashed in his mouth, and he swallowed it reflexively.

The taste of that blood was much, much bitter than usual, and as soon as he tasted it, the orc started feeling... wrong.

A feeling of deadly coldness, as if his blood was turning into ice in his veins, started spreading in his body, numbing him.

He lost sensibility in his arms first, letting go of the man he was about to eat.

Then he couldn't feel his legs, and he fell to the ground spasming.

Everything was turning black, as he could feel his life being drained from his body.

Meanwhile, the girl leaned over him. Their eyes met, and the monster could see his own death in the little girl's stare.

-This is for my family, you wretched monster!- she said.

Those were the last words the orcs ever heard, before everything went black.

As soon as the orc's leader stopped moving, Cala dropped to her knees.

All the hate, the passion, the pain and the desire for vengeace that had filled her just moments ago had disappeared, and now she only felt cold and empty.

Blood was still flowing from her shoulder, and wherever it hit the ground, the plants withered and died. For this was the blessing Basmor had given her: the blessing of Death Blood.

Thanks to the blessing, Cala's blood had turned into an incredibly deadly poison. Basically, a single drop of it could kill any living being in a matter of minutes, regardless of their size or resistance.

The spears and the stakes had been laced with Cala's blood that she had provided by slicing her arms with a knife, and this was why even the smallest scratch from them was fatal.

The orcs, far too sure that their hardened skin and muscles and their resiliece to normal poisons would protect them, had been an easy prety for this power. Just like the goddess had promised.

But now that she had her vengeance, Cala only felt emptyness. The wounds on her shoulder and arms were hurting, but she couldn't feel it.

She was just feeling tired.

Maybe if she had closed her eyes, she would't have to open them again.

And maybe she could see her family again...

She had already died once. Why not doing it again? She had nothing to live for anyway.

-Cala.-

A soothing voice spoke. Cala could recognize it. It was that of Basmor.

-Cala, you did well. The orcs are vanquished. You have saved your village.-

Cala, in that moment, couldn't bother to care about that success. All she wanted was to rest. Forever.

-T-thank you, oh goddess.- she said weakly -But...right now, I don't care. I'm so tired. I want to end this. Take me with you please.-

-I can't Cala. It's not your time just yet.-

Cala didn't really know how to react to that. She only felt a tiny spark of sadness and desperation.

-Why not? I do not have my family. Nor I have my vengeance now. What do I have to live for?-

-You made a promise to me.- replied the goddess -You promised to make sure that your tribe wouldn't make any more human sacrifice. This is the price I asked for giving you my blessing.-

Cala swallowed the rage and impotence that this answer gave her. Of course. She made this promise with the goddess. And the goddess had made it clear that she would destroy the village if the promise was betrayed.

But why should she care? Thought Cala. The tribesmen had sacrificed her to save their own hide after all! So why should she bother!?! Now that she had her vengeance, they could all die for all she cared.

-Do you really wish for all of them to die, Cala?- asked the goddess, as if she could have heard the questions she asked in her mind -Even the children? Even the ones that didn't want to sacrifice you? I don't think so. I can see into your soul Cala. Right now, it's your rage and desperations that are talking, not your true self. When you offered yourself as sacrifice, you didn't want vengeace. You wanted to keep your tribe safe. You didn't want anything like what you suffered to happen to anyone else.-

Cala didn't want to listen, but she couldn't reject Basmor's words. The goddess continued.

-I gave you my blessing, but now it's up to you to use it. Those orcs were not alone. Other of their kind roam these jungles... toghether with other monstruosities. Your tribesmates will be all killed without someone to protect them.-

-But... why should I be the one to protect them!?!- Cala cried -I don't want this! I just wanted to defeat those orcs!-

-You asked for power and you received it.- replied the goddess -And power always comes with a price. If you can save your tribe but you choose not to do it, then their blood is on your hands.-

Cala suddenly felt defeated. The goddess was right. But she just felt so tired.

-Do not despair, child.- said the goddess, with a motherly tone in her voice -Now things are bleak, but everything will be better if you'll try to make it so. And remember... we will meet again. Some time in the future, when your time will truly come, I'll come back for you.-

-Now, return to your tribe.-

And with these words, the voice of the goddess disappeared. Now Cala could hear many familiar voices whispering around her.

Cala realized she was lying on the ground.

She lifted, grunting as she felt a sudden pain in her shoulder, and looked around.

She was in the main building on her village, lying on a straw mat, while all of her tribe was surrounding her, all of them on their knees.

An expression of complete veneration was in their eyes. Some even with a bit of fear.

Cala looked at her own body. Her wounds had been somehow medicated, but she still felt horrible.

Then, she saw the old shaman lying beside her. He was not moving, and Cala realized that he was dead.

-What happened to him? Why is he dead?- she said, looking at the dead old man.

The tribesmen looked worried, but then the man she had saved from the orc boss answered.

-Well... you were badly wounded after the battle with the orcs. But... because of your blood, we couldn't really touch you. But the shaman said that we couldn't allow you to die, and medicated you. He stopped the bleeding, but some of your blood must have touched him, because... because after a few hours, he started getting more and more weak.-

Cala was stupefied. That old coot... the one that had killed her, now had saved her life!?!

But the man hadn't finished. He continuted speaking.

-Right before he passed out... he told us to tell you that he was sorry about sacrificing you, and that he hoped that you could forgive him. He told us that you were a hero, and that... that we had to take care of you. He told us that you could lead us much better than a... a “useless old man”, as he called himsef, ever could.-

Cala looked at the body of the old shaman.

She had despised him for his weakness and for his willingness to sacrifice her... but now... now she couldn't even do that.

The goddess was right. The village was doomen without her. And even the old man had understood that, and sacrificed himself to protect the village, the same as when he had sacrificed her.

Now, she truly couldn't leave the village alone.

Suddenly, tears came to her eyes, and before she could stop herself, Cala started crying.