Leaning against the trunk of a maple tree, his legs resting on a horizontal branch, Zar Isis took a drink of clear water from a bitter leaf. From here, he could only see the clearing by the stream in the distance.
He could see bodies lined up beside the stream. Though they were somewhat blurry, he could tell for certain that they were not Half-Elves.
Hill, the ranger in charge of scouting, had already come to report that the White Sheep Tribe orcs had killed all the Gray Dwarves. Whether they would execute the Half-Elves next was still unknown.
The White Sheep Tribe orcs had launched a surprise attack on the Half-Elves' temporary camp in the woods. Only a small portion of the Adventure Group members, led by Zar Isis, had successfully escaped the pursuit of the White Sheep Tribe orc warriors.
However, Zar Isis had not dared to harm the White Sheep Tribe orc warriors who pursued them into the dense forest. He feared that doing so would provoke the other White Sheep warriors.
During the chase, Zar Isis had only issued several warnings, then used his actions to show those foolish orcs why elves were called children of the forest.
But he had left behind nearly four thousand Half-Elf compatriots, along with several hundred Gray Dwarves and over a hundred imperial citizens in that woodland.
In many elven books, orcs were synonymous with savagery and cruelty. They would capture elves, strip off their clothes, and toss them straight into soup pots to be boiled and eaten.
Zar Isis regretted it somewhat. Had he known they would be captured by the White Sheep Tribe orcs, he would have been better off staying aboard the Imperial Merchant ship. Even if the Gray Dwarves had captured them, they would merely have