“Feeling nervous little one?” - on the inside of the moving wagon, Solo searched through piles of clothes and scattered pieces of armor.

  “Just a little..” - Luna admitted, as wearing her training armor and the silver short sword while traveling made her worry about a sudden attack - “I’ve never been to an Orc Settlement before.”

  “Oh I bet you’ll like it!” - Sitting beside the girl while conducting their ride, Malore sported his typical merchant travel clothes, as well as his exaggerated friendly smile - “They do love a good fight, but they live better than most humans I know of.”

  “You’re joking…” - the girl asked, unable to even imagine how the Orcs, a race so prone to fighting, could have better lives than them.

  “That’s the truth!” - Malore simply nodded, reminiscing about the past while his eyes drifted from the road ahead - “Orcs are really kind and peaceful creatures, until the moment they’re not…”

  Looking back at the inside of the wagon, trying to confirm in Solo’s face whether the men were playing pranks on her, Luna watched as he grabbed a weirdly shaped necklace from inside a locked trunk.

  “Haa! Bloody got it!” - the man shouted as he closed the trunk, returning to the front with the others.

  “What is that?” - Luna asked, pointing at the necklace, a circle made with what looked like braided hair, a small warhammer inside.

  “This,” - Solo let the necklace dangle from his fingers, the sunlight shining at the delicate metal in the middle - “is called a Pendant of Koynasi. It’s used to show respect to the goddess.”

  “Oh, Aunt Maya told me about her!” - the girl observed the object curiously, recollecting seeing Maya wearing it under her clothes on a few occasions - “She’s the protector of warriors, right?”

  “She’s also the one that created the Orcs!” - trying to rejoin the conversation, Malore touched the necklace gently, as if scared to hold it - “She’s quite respected in most of their Settlements!”

  “And that’s exactly why we want to be as respectful as possible!” - Solo completed, putting the necklace on, on top of his casual clothes.

  “So… Why am I the only one wearing any armor?” - pointing to her chest piece, Luna’s eyes were still driven towards the necklace.

  “In orcish society, they respect strength above all else.” - enjoying being relied on, Malore decide to try and impress the little one with his knowledge - “Wearing your armor, even if it’s a simple one, makes then know you’re a fighter, not just a sweet little girl”

  “They can tell I’m a fighter, even If I try to hide it.” - Solo agreed with a nod, slightly impressed at the man’s insight.

  “And you can put as much gear as you want on me, they’ll know it’s a bluff right away.” - laughing happily, Malore seemed quite amused by the idea of being covered in weapons and armor, with Solo in merchant clothes beside him.

  “Look,” - Solo called out, putting his hand on Malore’s shoulder while pointing to a small wooden pole beside the road - “I can see the markers!”

  A large piece of a wood log painted red was standing by the side of the road. Facing those who were going towards it, a strange large symbol could be seen painted on it. Grabbing the small horn strapped to his belt, Malore gave the signal to inform the rest of the caravan that their destination was approaching. A special measure of their group to ensure everyone would be on its best behavior.

  As the one currently leading the caravan, Solo’s wagon was moving a few meters ahead of the others, guiding the way. His dealings with the Orcs in the past were a common topic of conversation between the men in the caravan, often fuelled by more than just a few drinks by the fire. When it was decided to try to arrange passage through the Orcs lands, it was a unanimous decision that he should be the one to negotiate.

  “Road block ahead!” - Malore shouted no more than a few minutes later.

  A long wall blocked their way, thick wood logs buried deep in the earth covering a long distance, blocking the passage before them. Surrounded by two watchtowers, a large wooden gate almost double the size of a caravan’s wagon stood closed on their path. Despite the faint sounds of voices coming from somewhere distant on the other side, there was no sign of life coming from the wall itself.

  “Everybody stop! - Solo signaled with his hand, as Malore pulled the reins.

  “What now?” - Luna looked around the wall, searching for some other path they could have missed.

  “Halt!” - commanded a booming, rough sounding male voice, coming from the wall - “Who goes there?”

  “Just a bunch of dead men on horses,” - Solo replied with a relieved laugh upon hearing the voice, standing up from his seat - “looking for a place to die!”

  The loud sounds of rushed talking could be heard coming from the top of the wall, as some sort of discussion seemed to be taking place. Malore looked at Solo with a worried expression, unsure about the man’s plans. Considering the size of the caravan and their vulnerability as they stood at the gates, if the Orcs decided to attack there would be little that could be done to prevent it.

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  With a sudden loud thud, the gate started to slowly open inwards. From the gap in the middle, three tall figures emerged before the movement ceased, their weapons secured on their hands.

  Luna had never seen an Orc before, but had heard plenty of stories from the Elders on the caravan, as well as from the occasional bard that would join them from time to time. Still, even the stories could not prepare her for seeing one for the first time.

  All three of the Orcs were easily taller than any other person in the caravan, greenish-grey skin glistening under the sun, and elongated ears poking from under their long black hair. Clearly skilled warriors judging by their muscular physique, the large sword and axes they carried seemed to be no burden to them.

  “Yornush!” - Jumping from the wagon, Solo began walking towards the Orcs, leaving his weapon behind - “I honestly expected you to be either fat or dead by now.”

  “Solo the Unyielding,” - putting down his sword, Yornush placed his closed fist on his chest, seemingly amused to see the human walking so calmly in his direction - “how has lady fate not caught you yet?”

  “She has brought me all the way back here, my brother!” - Solo placed his own fist on top of his hearth, before pulling the Orc for a hug. The human almost looked like a child next to the Orc, despite not being much shorter.

  “What has brought you to these parts?” - letting go of their hug, Yornush placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, his smile showing small tusks protruding from his mouth - “I hope you’re not running from trouble.”

  “Left that behind ages ago,” - smiling back, Solo gave Luna a quick wink, placing his hand on the Orc’s shoulder precariously - “the Caravan I’m protecting wishes to enter, for resting and trading.”

  “That can be arranged,” - giving his companions a head nod, the two quickly went back to the other side of the gate - “the leaders are often welcoming to merchants during times of peace.”

  “I appreciate the help!” - Solo gave the Orc a gentle pat on the back, as the two walked back towards the Caravan, as more wagons arrived.

  “And who is this?” - Yornush turned his attention towards Luna, sensing how the little girl had been observing the conversation between the two with great interest - “She looks too smart to be your wife… Have you taken a squire?”

  “This is Luna, my… apprentice.” - Luna gave a small nod, trying awkwardly to copy the greeting she saw the two men sharing before - “I’m teaching her how to handle a glaive.”

  “Good choice for her frame,” - agreed Yornush, smiling at Luna while reciprocating her gesture - “better than those rock smashers you used to swing around!”

  “Oh, those were good enough the last time we fought!” - smirking at the Orc’s provocation, Solo gave Yornush a little punch to the arm.

  Luna couldn’t help but watch the two men, laughing humorously just like old friends, despite the differences between them. Had the circumstances been different, they probably would not hesitate even for a second before fighting each other to the death.

  “What happened to the silver shield you won from me on that duel?” - the Orc quipped as he began walking around, looking at the rest of the caravan - “Don’t tell me you exchanged it for a barrel of ale or something.”

  “You had a silver shield?” - without thinking, Lunal blurted before Solo had a chance to open his mouth - “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  As the girl began to speak, Solo gave the Orc a glowering look. Realizing he spoke too much, Yornush took a step back, as the quiet little girl suddenly started to grow much more energetic.

  Silver weapons, despite their names, were not always silver in colour. Their name came from the Silver Forges, ancient devices from the age of the gods, used to create powerful weapons unlike anything before them.

  Capable of amazing feats on behalf of their owners, these weapons appeared in countless tales and legends, always as a centerpiece necessary to achieve victory. Despite this, most of them seemed to have been destroyed or lost to time, especially during the Elves invasion.

  Those currently known to own these have quickly risen in power, as even an amateur could defeat a seasoned fighter If equipped with such a weapon. Being able to own one of these weapons was every warrior’s dream, despite most of them never even laying their eyes on one.

  “Do you realise how rare those are?” - her voice becoming louder, Luna began poking her finger at Solo, who began walking back.

  “Yes, I…” - looking for a way to calm the girl down, Solo began rubbing his head, caught off guard by the sudden lecture from his protegee.

  “And what have you done with it?” - becoming even angrier by Solo’s seemingly careless behavior, the girl could feel the desire rising to punch the man - “Did you lose it?”

  “There’s no need for anger, little one…” - Yornush laughed while watching Solo being cornered by such a young child - “After all, don’t you have a silver weapon yourself?”

  “What, this?” - seeing Yornush pointing to the short sword on her belt, Luna removed the silver blade from her scabbard - “This is just a replica, it’s not real!”

  “But it is real…” - a serious expression on his face, Yornush nodded as he approached the two - “Only dormant!”

  Luna stared at Solo in shock, only to see that the man seemed as surprised as she was, perhaps even more so. After giving her the box with the weapon, Solo and Maya told her that the weapon was a replica of a real onw, usable in battle but lacking any special powers or abilities.

  “This is not a good joke my friend…” - Solo said, his expression serious, as he got closer to Luna.

  “I’m a warrior at heart, but a blacksmith by trade!” - reaching for the girl’s weapon, Luna reluctantly allowed the Orc to hold it - “I would never joke about silver weapons, else the god of forging would take away my skills.”

  Holding the sword in his hands, the Orc began carefully examining it from various angles, from the tip to its pommel. Despite being beautifully crafted, delicate patterns adorning the guard and blade, the weapon was not very sharp at all. In Yornush’s big hands, the short sword seemed even smaller than it already was, looking almost like a small knife to the man.

  “There’s no doubt about it…” - he said while offering the weapon back to the girl - “I’ve seen more silver weapons than most of those in this era. That is, without a doubt, a silver sword.”