Observing the End, Volume 3: Protagonism

Chapter 14: Lessons

Observation Log: 153444

Observer 131, reporting on the situation south of Kitsune Mountain.

I have been here before, quite a few times. However, I always avoided places that were emitting heavy mana-radiation. The creatures that live within these regions are mutated and extremely dangerous. Even to a Combat Drone like Warsteed.

“Ugh, did we really need to run all the way here? It’s like a hundred miles for f**k’s sake!”

“Daddy, stop acting like a baby! It’s not that bad… See that giant green apple tree? That’s the one that has the magic fruits.”

Michael and Talia decided to follow me to the south of Kitsune Mountain. The two of them brought some large backpacks, spears, bows and quivers filled with arrows. Although I was willing to carry them on my back, Michael firmly refused and Talia did not want to inconvenience me. Also, she brought Jackie and a pack of giant hunting jackals. If I carried them, then the dogs would be left far behind.

The two of them were barely wearing any clothing, due to the hot and humid temperature, but also because of the difficulty in manufacturing leather attire. Most of their leather was utilized in the construction of other important tools or equipment. They wore loincloths, kilts or skirts and occasionally vests in order to have more pockets.

Talia was still rather young and her breasts were barely even budding. Instead, her pectoral muscles were rather firm and growing larger, from all of the archery. Of course, her face was still childish and feminine, while her hair was long and tied back into a braid that reached her lower back.

“Remember Kid, from now on, never come down here without me. You were lucky that you didn’t run into any demons, dragons or magical beasts… You’re still only a child. No matter how strong you are, there are plenty of things out there that can tear you apart. Hell, even worse than that is when you end up in situations where there’s nothing to fight… Like back during the Hellstorm.”

The muscular girl, who was as tall as her father, frowned and complained “Daddy, I’m not a little baby anymore! I’m not stupid either. I was super careful. I stayed away from the mountain and didn’t even enter this forest. The tree was right there and the fruit smelled so sweet…”

He snickered, patted her on the shoulder and said “It’s fine Talia. I know you’re stronger and smarter than human kids your age, but even adults make stupid mistakes sometimes… No, we actually make horrible mistakes almost constantly. It’s like once you grow up, it’s just a series of bad decisions until you eventually die.”

“Daddy, you’re being melodramatic again.” The ‘little’ girl pouted, with her arms across her chest. While Michael jumped off of the ground and latched onto a low-hanging branch, which had several large green apples.

What I find odd is that there are no animals in the area… With such easily available and nutritious food on display, birds, insects and even those wyverns should have devoured the fruit long before we arrived. Yet this forest is extremely quiet and empty. I can only sense plants.

“Oh s**t. Hey Talia! Run!” With a giant apple in each arm, Michael jumped down from the tree branch and started sprinting away from the tree. Talia reacted slowly, so I grabbed her hair with my mouth and threw her onto my back, charging past Michael in less than a second.

As for Jackie and the other dogs, they were unlucky.

“Awoo~!”

“Arf~!”

“Awooo~!”

The six dogs howled in fear and agony, as dozens of thick roots erupted from the ground. Vines shot down from the trees at the same moment and grabbed the ones who were fast enough to dodge the first attack.

“No~! Jackie! Katie! Jojo! Orono! Kelly! Kudo! Wah~!”

Talia was still crying when Michael and I stopped running a dozen kilometers away from the forest. Some of the trees were still visible, since they were so tall, but we were definitely out of their range. In fact, we likely would have been safe only a few hundred meters away from the mutated apple tree…

“Alright, calm down Talia. It’s not entirely your fault that they all died. As your father, and the only adult here, I should have told you to make them stay home. Anyway, the moral of the story is that you need to be more careful, especially when you’re supposed to be protecting others.”

Although his words sounded fine to me, they seemed to make the child even more upset. Eventually, he decided to take the two fruits and return home. I allowed Talia to ride on my back the entire way. After a few hours, we reached the small hovel that Michael spent a considerable amount of time and effort constructing. However, it had been ransacked. Many of the supplies and food that the two of them stored were missing. Even the door was broken off its hinges.

“God damn it! Someone’s gonna f*****g die!” Obviously Michael was not very happy. Fortunately, I always carry the Arcane Orb around with me wherever I go. Everything else can be replaced, except for that.

“Silvia, watch after Talia, I’m gonna go have some ‘fun’. Hehehe~!” After tossing the backpack with the two apples into the wooden shack, he grabbed a large stone warhammer and started sprinting to the east. It was midday, so he was easily able to see the smoke rising into the sky behind the horizon.

I gently laid down onto the tall green grass, on my stomach, so that the little girl could continue sleeping soundly. Meanwhile, I sent my original form out to keep observing the angry human.

***

Observation Log: 153445

Observer 131, reporting on the situation of the Eastern Grasslands.

Although we have been residing to the south of Chaos Valley for more than two Orcheim years, the grasslands are enormous. I have in fact, seen various small and large orc tribes roaming around from time to time. However, they tended to stay far enough away from our base that I did not feel the need to bother with them. Also, whenever I passed by, they would bow down and worship me. Thus, I refrained from killing and/or eating them.

Michael and Talia have traveled around a bit, but their speed is far lower than mine. The eastern coast is approximately 493 kilometers from our home, while there is a desert 129 kilometers to the west. The entire grassland region is approximately 152,000 square kilometers of area. It is not strange for there to be hundreds of tribes nearby, without Michael or Talia ever encountering them.

“Did you f*****g bastards think I’d let ya steal from me and get away with it?!”

“Grah~!”

“Roar~!”

“Grrrr~!”

“Holy s**t! There sure are a lot of you assholes!”

When Michael arrived at the outskirts of the campgrounds, the grass and trees were obscuring his vision. However, once he had already smashed open a few skulls of the green-skinned guards near the entrance, it was too late for him to retreat. He kicked off of the ground and pulled out his bow, firing arrows into five different people, before landing on the branch of a giant tree.

The terrain was mostly open, but there was a forest and a river nearby. There were no houses or shacks, only huge tents. Although they were similar to the ones in the prairie, it was obvious that they had much better craftsmanship and materials to work with. Nearly 500 men, 300 women, 400 children and 50 elderly green-skinned orcs were present within this particular tribe.

Dozens of furious men and women started throwing spears, axes and other weapons at the nimble human. A few of the weapons struck his chest and abdomen, but aside from leaving a few welts, there was no visible damage.

Although some of the orcs possessed bows and crossbows pilfered from Michael’s home, they were unable to even pull back the strings without hurting their fingers. The small size of the weapons was also a crucial factor in their inability to wield them properly. Aside from that, Michael and Talia were both much stronger than the average orc. Thus, their melee weapons were often far too heavy for the thieves to utilize.

Michael used the large and thick tree-trunk as cover, as he walked around the branches and rained arrows down upon the crowd. Of course, he did not aim haphazardly and typically only chose to eliminate the adults, avoiding the children and adolescents. Also, he concentrated his fire upon those who seemed to be the strongest and most dangerous among the mob. He only had fifty arrows after all.

However, while his accuracy was excellent, the orcs were not mindless beasts. They protected their heads, faces and necks with wooden shields. Some used large double-edged stone battle-axes to protect their vital areas as well. While others chose to hide behind tents, small trees, bushes and other obstacles.

By the time he used all the arrows in his quiver, most of his targets were still alive and simply injured. Orcs had incredibly potent healing abilities compared to humans, likely due to the interference of the Kitsune on this world. As long as their vital organs were not destroyed or severely damaged, I have never seen one die from infection or blood loss.

“Guess I’ll have to do this the ‘fun’ way, hahahah~!” Michael left his bow and quiver up on the tree branch, as he jumped down to the ground. The warhammer in his hands had a wooden shaft that was flexible and durable, while the stone head was smooth and rounded like an egg. It was from a large chunk of basalt that he found within Chaos Valley. Since it had been exposed to chaotic mana for so long, the molecular structure has changed slightly… Other than being slightly more durable than regular basalt, there are no other differences that I have observed.

His hammer smashed down upon the skull of a 225 centimeter tall, giant orc. Unsurprisingly, his head burst open, sending pieces flying in every direction. The hammerhead weighed over one-hundred kilograms and was extremely large, while the shaft was relatively short and thick. Michael lacked the reach that many of the orcs possessed, but he made up for that in speed and power. It did not matter how they blocked or attempted to dodge his blows, the crazed human tore through them with ease.

In fact, he often simply kicked them to death, sent them flying with a casual backhand strike from his left hand, or shoulder-rammed through multiple huge orcs at the same time. His body was drenched in blood and guts, while the morale of the camp was totally destroyed in under three minutes. He only needed to kill 113 people, before the rest of them surrendered or retreated far away.

Many of the children, adolescents and even the adults were crying over their loses. It was a scene of brutal c*****e; a disaster had descended upon their tribe for seemingly no apparent reason. I almost felt sympathetic towards these humanoid creatures for a moment. However, this m******e was necessary for Michael to establish his dominance.

Now, the orcs would learn to fear him. They would either submit to him or avoid his territory altogether. Otherwise, they might have decided to attack him when he was not prepared. Although Michael would likely be fine regardless of the situation, Talia was not quite as resilient. She was also naive and literally, a child. It is entirely possible that these orcs could lure her into a trap or trick her in other ways.

Conversely, Michael cannot even communicate with them. The only common language that they shared was violence and suffering. Indeed, while the battle was short and one-sided, the angry orcslayer had suffered from some minor injuries as well.