You will make a compromise decision.

You look into the eyes of gnome Kynth and you show him your wound on your shoulder.

You say in an angry voice: “Now the magic tattoo is gone and I am fully aware of what you have done to me over the past months, you vile scum!”

Kynth looks at you with a scared look. He says in a quiet voice: “Please don’t shout, Ulkin! Orcs can hear us and then they will find us and kill us! I’ll explain everything to you, it’s not my fault!”

You say sarcastically: “It’s not your fault?! Don’t try to deceive me!”

Kynth says: "Think about it. Magical tattoos like these require significant magical skills and rare magical ingredients. From the point of view of the laws of the Kingdom of Orlania, it is almost impossible to do something like this in a legal way. These tattoos and the very fact of the existence of my brothel are due to the fact that I am in the subordination of very dangerous individuals who occupy significant positions in the criminal world of the city of Ranelborg. Therefore, I run a brothel. Without the help of influential patrons, a gnome like me could not become the head of a brothel. The laws of the Kingdom of Orlania limit the opportunities of almost all those who are not human. Only big money can change this situation somewhat. And those dangerous criminals I spoke about have a lot of money and influence."

You interrupt his speech: “And how does this chatter justify your vile actions?”

Kynth replies: “Everything I did, I did under the threat of ****. If I had not organized the recruitment of staff in the brothel and applied magical tattoos of will submission, then these bloody criminals would simply have cut my throat. Think about what you could if you were facing imminent ****. By the way, you and I are also facing imminent **** right now. Wouldn't it be a wise decision to increase our chances of survival and cooperate for our survival?"

You ponder the words of gnome Kynth. Of course, all the actions that Kynth committed towards you remain absolutely immoral, despite any of his explanations. However, you decide that you will temporarily cooperate with Kynth for the sake of survival.

You say: "I still think you're a fucking scum. But we are really in danger now. It will be easier for us to escape if we help each other."

Kynth says: "Thank you, Ulkin."

You see gnome Kynth extending his small hand towards you. You extend your hand and give a short handshake. You and gnome Kynth then continue to crawl along the ground in a westerly direction. You continue to move away from the orc ambush site.

Twenty minutes later you are on your feet. Kynth also gets to his feet. You sit down on some stump that is covered with moss. You want to get some rest. Kynth limps slightly as he bends over and rubs his left leg.

While you are breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from your forehead, Kynth makes some quick gesture with his left hand and utters an incomprehensible phrase in a quiet voice. A faint pinkish glow emanates from the gnome's left palm. Then something that appears translucent emerges from his palm. pinkish pollen that moves towards you and covers your head.

You don't notice any of Kynth's actions due to the fact that he is crouched too low and is hard to see due to the tall grass.

Suddenly Kynth says to you: “I have an interesting idea, Ulkin. I know the surrounding area and can quickly find the nearest village. I will quickly bring help. But I am quite small in size. It will be easier for me to get to the village without attracting attention. However, you are a pretty big guy. You might attract unwanted attention. Think about the fact that there may well be other orc ambushes in the forest. I think it would be best for you to climb this tree and disguise yourself. I'll be back soon with help."

Kynth gestures to a tall oak tree with spreading branches that are covered with many leaves.

You are looking at this tree. You think that gnome's reasoning is quite logical.

You say: "Okay, I agree with your proposal."

Kynth quickly walks away with a slight limp into the depths of the forest. You climb a tall oak tree.

You are sitting on a large branch about five meters from the ground. Dense foliage shelters your body from unwanted attention from outside observers. While you wait for Kynth to return, you remove the metal **** collar from around your neck. You tense your muscles and you bend this metal into an oblong piece.

You continue to wait for about another half hour.

Suddenly, one of the orcs who ambushed you into comes out into the clearing in front of the oak trees.

The orc walks around the clearing and examines the entire surrounding space with an attentive gaze. However, this orc does not notice you. Your disguise is indeed quite effective. You continue to sit quietly on an oak branch at a height of about five meters.

You see an orc making a gesture with his hand and uttering some loud phrase, the meaning of which is unclear to you.

Nothing happens for ten seconds.

Then a large forest warg bursts into the clearing. This large wolf-like animal breathes heavily, raises its bared muzzle upward and sniffs something. After this, he emits a loud, aggressive roar. He jumps up to the oak tree on whose branches you are sitting. Warg runs up to the oak tree and suddenly comes into contact with the entire large mass of his body with the trunk of that tree. The oak branches begin to shake due to such a strong blow.

You fail to maintain your balance and fall from an oak tree branch straight onto the back of a large forest warg. The beast jumps to the side. Your body falls to the ground. You hold in your hands what was your metal **** collar.

You see an orc running up to you and trying to stab you with a one-handed wooden club with iron spikes. The orc aims at your head, but you manage to bend down at the last moment. Then you jump towards the orc.

You knocked the orc to the ground and you pressed his body. You hold in your right hand what was your metal **** collar. And you start hitting the orc's face with this piece of metal.

One hit. Second strike. Third strike.

The orc was able to cover himself from the first blow with his club. The metal hit the wooden handle of the club. Your second blow touched the orc's fingers and he released his weapon. His club fell to the ground.

The third blow you struck right in the face of this orc. You cut his eyebrow and broke his tooth.

You see how blood begins to flood the face of your enemy. You think that the speed of your reaction ensured your victory. A couple more hits and your enemy will lose consciousness or die.

However, your expectations were not destined to come true.

You feel hellish excruciating pain and your consciousness is forever plunged into the darkness of non-existence.

The jaws of a large forest warg have closed on your neck. The sharp teeth of this dangerous beast tear your flesh and gnaw your throat. Your cervical vertebrae become crushed in just a couple of seconds. Your blood flows in copious streams onto the ground and onto the body of the orc.

The orc crawls out from under your body and stands on its feet. He sways slightly from side to side and holds his head.

He looks at the warg and he says a phrase in the language of the orc tribes that live in the western part of the Delknar forest.

The meaning of this phrase is: "Thank you, Throatgrabber... This meat is now yours... Enjoy your lunch while I go to the others..."

The orc leaves towards the road.

And the warg continues to enthusiastically devour the body of the half-orc, who once bore the name Ulkin Nordane...