A fateful encounter

I sip at my ale nervously when WHAM!!! A green hand slams onto the bar next to me, causing me to drop my tankard spilling my ale to the floor, "What're you looking at Runt!" The orc demands slurring her words, "u-um n-nothing" I stammer my heart pounding in my chest as I look upon her with fear, her light green skin flickering under the light of the candelabra above her, yellow eyes locked on to me. "Doesn't seem that way" she barks at me, her tusk like under fangs catching the light.

"This is it" I think to myself I had tried so hard to evade Lord Baxter just to die in a bar fight with a fucking orc of all things, "W-wait" I stammer "I'm new in town, j-just forgot my manners. L-let me buy you a drink as an apology" hoping that this would placate her and spare my life. The orc huffs out her nose "same again" she says to the barkeep, I let out the smallest sigh of relief as the barkeep gets to work. Once the tankard is placed in front of her, I pull out a few extra coins and pay up, hoping against all hope that she leaves me alone. Much to my dismay instead of returning to her table she grabs the stool next to me and parks up taking a big sip of her beer.

"Do-don't you want to go back to your table?" I ask nervously hoping she would pick up the hint, "why you want me gone? Runt" she says her head snapping to me, "N-no not at all, I just thought you would be more comfortable on a chair than a stool" I say thanking the gods that I was able to pull off such a quick lie. "Nah here's fine, so what's your name Runt?" She asks staring at me, "Huck", "Huck, eh can think of worse names runt" she says firmly demonstrating that she had no intention of calling me anything but runt. "So yer new in town, what brings you here runt? And be honest with me, don't give me that 'passing through' shite or we're gonna have a problem" She half slurs before taking another sip of her beer.

This was bad, I needed to keep a low profile but I also really didn't want to get my skull crushed by this beast, I know I should lie but my mind goes completely blank as I try and come up with a believable lie, "well? Out with it" she demands, I feel as though I'm out of options "I'm o-on the run" I answer honestly, this causes the brute to raise an eyebrow likely not expecting this answer, "go on" she says urging me to divulge more information. My immediate self preservation from her supersedes all so I continue "I was a bookkeeper for a lord, I counted the taxes he received" this causes her to interject "of course you are" likely inferring to my stature being very much apt for my former profession. I ignore her jibe "I started, um taking a small tithe for myself from his taxes... He found out and sentenced me to ****... put a bounty on my head too" I explain, "well look at that the runts more interesting than I thought" she muses.

Unfortunately for me this brute wasn't the only person in the tavern listening, as out of the corner of my eye I see the two burly men stand up, I turn to them to see them draw their daggers. "Bounty huh? dead or alive?" The first thug says, "I quickly glance to the orc to see she hadn't turned and had continued to face forward drinking her beer "I don't know what I was expecting" I think to myself of course this monster wasn't about to do anything but let me die. "Alive only" I lie, I knew that Lord Baxter would gladly accept my head but if they took me alive I could try and escape, "fair enough" the first thug says approaching.

Before the thug can reach me however there is a green blur and a sickening crunch, the stocky man falls to the floor holding his bloody broken nose. I was stunned at the speed I had barely even seen the punch it was that fast, the power however was not surprising I had no doubt that a single punch from this brute could drop any human. The man on the floor spits leaving a crimson splatter as well as several teeth that the punch had knocked out, the second man lunges with his dagger at the orc but she simply grabs his wrist. I hear the sound of his wrist snapping like a twig as she squeezes, forcing him to drop the dagger which lands on the floor with a clatter, "fuck off!" She snarls at the men letting go of his wrist, both men quickly get up and make their exit.

I sit there mouth ajar at the display I just witnessed, I would have thanked this orc but I was just too stunned. She downs the rest of her drink and slams the tankard down on the bar before leaving without a word or even a second glance. Now that she was gone I can shake off my stupor, "what the fuck just happened" I think to myself an orc had just saved my life, AN ORC! One of those mindless killing monsters had saved my life.