Chapter 7

Opening his eyes, Xiao Chen checked his surroundings. After a good night's rest, he felt refreshed. Sitting a few feet away was Gur'kan, standing guard for any approaching danger. The frosty morning breeze assaulted Xiao Chen's senses, which made him shiver a bit. Mist was covering most of the Gartum River, hiding it from sight, like a shy maiden.

"You're awake, my chief"

Gur'kan greeted Xiao Chen and continued to be on the watch, it's only a few moments before dawn but the sky was still dark and the sparkling gems of the sky are still twinkling brightly.

'Hee-hee-hee...Hee-hee-hee'

Xiao Chen and Gur'kan stared at each other and muttered the same words exactly at the same time

"Balfurs!"

They both exclaimed and quickly Gur'kan alerted the others, especially the sleepy head Galum'nor who was snoring so loudly that Xiao Chen had a hard time trying to go to sleep.

"Balfurs! Wake up! Balfurs are approaching us!"

Gur'kan yelled at the others while Xiao Chen armed himself with a shield and spear, ready to engage the first opponent that jumps out of the mist. The strange, laughing howls of the Balfurs filled the place.

Rakh'ash'tha rummaged through his bag to find something to use against the strange laughing creatures, Trot'thar went to his piled-up rocks which he gathered last night before going to sleep, Aro'shanna and Drae'ghanna brandishing their weapons and Gur'kan running back beside Xiao Chen to prepare for an engagement after giving the sleepy head Galum'nor a good kick to the head and successfully waking up the slumbering orc.

A sudden system prompt notified Xiao Chen of a new mission

MISSIONS

Available Missions

[

*Kill 10 Balfurs

Reward: 100 points

*Kill 50 Balfurs

Reward: 500 points

*Repel the Balfurs with none of your subordinates dying

Reward: 500 points

*Kill the Balfur Queen

Reward: 2000 points

]

*****

With a quick swoosh a black creature jumped out from the mist pouncing on Xiao Chen, claws and fangs ready to inflict pain but with quick reflexes he slammed the shield onto the creature's face knocking it down to the ground and quickly impaling it with the spear.

Looking at it, it was a creature much like the wargs, a wolf-like body, sharp claws and fangs, furry body and bushy tail, they appear to be normal wolves except for those two pairs of bloody-red glowing eyes and the protruding spikes on its back like that of huge predatory lizards.

After successfully eliminating the first one, two more jumped out of the mist followed by four, then many more that Xiao Chen had no time to count them all. He was busy deflecting the claws and fangs of the Balfurs with his shield and kicking them away with enough force, sending them reeling back in pain or stabbed them with the spear, he was very careful though since Balfurs also have a nasty bite that can severely injure him.

To his right, the Balfurs had a hard time landing a good strike at Gur'kan since he was covered in armor from head to toe and the exposed parts of his body that the undersized armor can't cover was heavily guarded by him, while a rain of rocks were hurled by Trot'thar at the Balfurs, disorienting, knocking out and outright killing them while Aro'shanna and Drae'ghanna protected his sides and beside him stood Rakh'ash'tha still rummaging through his bag looking for something.

With a loud shout, Galum'nor charged forward towards the group of Balfurs, swinging his weapon of choice the tree trunk and swatting away four Balfurs and sent them flying back into the mist, Xiao Chen wasn't sure if those Balfurs are still alive and conscious, with Galum'nor joining the frontline, he had an easier time dealing with the Balfurs but he had to be very careful though, of Galum'nor's weapon since he was swinging it around wildly and many times Xiao Chen had to backpedal, crouched down and lean away to avoid being sent flying by Galum'nor.

"Muscle head!!! watch your swings... you'll kill the chief!!!"

Gur'kan snarled at Galum'nor after seeing Xiao Chen backpedal away from the edge of the tree trunk that Galum'nor wielded, making him go off balanced. Galum'nor stared at Xiao Chen awkwardly, trying to regain his footing as he stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the tree trunk.

"Apologies, my chief"

Galum'nor apologized, bowing his head, and got quickly pounced on by two Balfurs.

"Focus your attention on the enemy and watch where you swing your weapon"

Xiao Chen yelled at him as he distanced himself away from Galum'nor. Dealing with the Balfurs while monitoring Galum'nor's weapon is taxing on him.

"Ah... got it!"

Rakh'ash'tha exclaimed and threw sealed small clay pots at the Balfurs. The clay pots easily shattered upon impact and released a strange scent, a scent like old wood and rotting meat mixed with the sweet scent of flowers. The Balfurs sniffed and started their strange laughing howls, then backed away, still snarling at Xiao Chen and his group in reluctance.

"Phew..."

Xiao Chen sighed and looked at Rakh'ash'tha who was smiling proudly as he had successfully driven away the Balfurs. The groups sustained a few wounds here and there but easily treatable with Rakh'ash'tha's help.

"Ugh... Dargan scent..."

Galum'nor muttered as he sniffed the new scent in the air and cautiously paced around, looking for something.

"That's Rakh'ash'tha's doing... idiot"

Gur'kan said as he slapped Galum'nor's head with his sword and proceeding forward into the mist to finish off any still breathing Balfurs.

Xiao Chen was left speechless. It seems Gur'kan wasn't afraid of the hulking figure of Galum'nor and stared at him in surprise. He himself doesn't have a wish of entangling with Galum'nor, the muscle head.

"Ugh..."

Galum'nor scratched the back of his head, unsure of what happened, but then grinned foolishly as he stared at the scattered corpses of the Balfur.

*****

After just a few moments Gur'kan came running back, panicking and yelling,

"The Balfurs are back"

And behind him was a vast group of Balfurs, led by a much bigger one. It had the same physical features as the other Balfurs except for the addition of the two pair of goat-looking horns on its head.

It snarled at them, showing its razor-sharp fangs that gleamed with the early rays of the rising sun.

"A Balfur Queen"

Rakh'ash'tha muttered as he stared at the bigger Balfur. It was now clear why the Balfurs came back quickly since with a Balfur Queen among them, even a Dargan would have to think twice before confronting them. Surely enough, the Balfurs pounced on Xiao Chen and his group, fiercer and more aggressive than before, even applying a little strategy by trying to flank them.

Taking a quick look behind Xiao Chen saw Aro'shanna going wild among the Balfurs, swinging around her huge axe and spinning along with the momentum and swinging it back around to strike at another target, she was like a spinning top and watching her movements made Xiao Chen felt dizzy.

Retracting his gaze at her, Xiao Chen checked on the others. Drae'ghanna was busy fending off Balfurs with her two swords, while Trot'thar and Rakh'ash'tha supported her from behind, throwing rocks and crazy concoctions at them.

"Come!!!"

Galum'nor taunted the Balfur Queen by beckoning her with his hands and with a quick pounced the Balfur Queen pinned him down to the ground.

"Ugh... heavy"

He grunted as he fends off the Balfur Queen's fangs and claws with his weapon, but suffered some deep wounds.

"Idiot"

Gur'kan commented by the side but moved to help the pinned down muscle head but was engaged by six Balfurs denying him from getting near the Balfur Queen.

Casting the Haste spell on himself, Xiao Chen then sprinted forward, his shield in front of him and rammed the Balfur Queen and toppled it away from Galum'nor and with a quick stabbed, he wounded the Balfur Queen but it retreated quickly with a swift jump and only sustained shallow wound.

"Gather together"

Xiao Chen bellowed as the laughing howls of the Balfurs were too noisy to make simple conversation audible. Gathering together, Xiao Chen and his group retreated backwards towards the river banks, denying the Balfurs access to their rear.

"Galum'nor, try to pin down the big one, even just for a moment. Rakh'ash'tha, do you have some fast-acting poison in your bag?"

Xiao Chen rapidly said as he braced for impact deflecting the Balfurs with his shield since Galum'nor can't swing around his weapon with them bunched up together and can only swing it downward, smashing any unlucky Balfur that aren't quick enough to avoid his lethal strikes.

"Here...be careful not to smudge it on your wounds,"

Rakh'ash'tha cautioned Xiao Chen as he handed over a pot filled with a black paste that had a pungent odor. Trot'thar continued bombarding the Balfurs with the scattered rocks in the river banks, while Aro'shanna and Drae'ghanna covered the sides.

Covering his spearhead with the poisonous paste, Xiao Chen signaled Galum'nor to move forward and try to pin down the Balfur Queen and with a loud shout the hulking orc bravely charged forward, knocking away the Balfurs in his path with massive swings while Xiao Chen prepared himself for the right moment.