There's an interruption from outside

"Chief!" A goblin suddenly bursts his head through the front of your tent, which you reward with an angered growl as you thought you'd made sure you wouldn't be disturbed. He doesn't seem to even look at your prisoner however, and the fear in his eyes let you understand that there's something amiss.

"Speak!" You say, while pushing him backwards out of your tent, but turn to your elven captive before following him outside. "You stay here! No tricks, or I cannot guarantee your safety!"

Your tribesman doesn't need to say anything more though, as you realize the situation as soon as you step out of your tent. In the middle of your village you find nearly a dozen of Orcs, all of them with mean looking faces that turn to stare you down.

"Chieftain." The one in front adresses you, with little to no respect in his voice. This is how the orcs have been treating your kind for as long as you can remember, and you're hard strained to keep the anger out of your voice as you greet him in return.

From their clothes and tattooes you can tell that they're from Gumukh's band - a nearby tribe of orcish slavers, that has been a thorn in your side since the first time you met them. If it wasn't for your goblins innate fear of these brutes, you would've tried to chase them out of your territory as soon as you became the chieftain.

"You have something that we want!" The orc continued, which was exactly what you'd already figured. "Gumukh wants it back!"

"Then how much is 'it' worth to him...?" You ask, with the smile of a true haggler, allthough you're most of all just trying to buy time.

"Greedy filth!" The leader spits at you, but then grins just like yourself. They are slavers after all, so this kind of dealing should be exactly what they're used to. "I cannot bargain in this matter, without orders from my chief..."

"Then I'll have to ask you to return when you know." You keep your smile up, proving your bravery to your tribesmen as few goblins - even chieftans - would talk like that to an armed orc without plenty of spears in between. "You have my word that 'it' will not be damaged in any way, or be allowed to escape my hands."

"Then you better keep that word!" He growls, threatening you with his clawed fist, but then turn and lead his men out of your village. Just the fact they could freely come marching right in, and now return back out again, makes you blood boil with anger at the thought of how their race have always cowed those of yours.

"Don't let them back in again, until I've given my permission!" You tell your closest warriors, which is met with mixed cheers and fearful glances to the direction of the orcs. Hopefully they would try and put up some resistance the next time, or at least form a guard between you and those brutes...

"You're important." You say to the elf when you return into your tent, more as a statement than a question. The awkward look on her face gives you all the answers you need.

"Which means I can sell you expensively..." You continue, making her hold her breath while you restlessly start walking in circles. Then you stop and lean down to her face, making sure that she can see how serious you are about this. "Or I could risk a war by refusing. You understand that my choices are slim?"

"Yes, I can see that." She breathes, and follows you closely with her eyes now, while you start walking again. Obviously she too is trying to come up with some way to get out of this, and not solely by just forcing her way to freedom.

"You could start by telling me your story." You say after some moments of silence, coming to another halt in front of her. "Give me a reason to why I should care..."