Completely Outclassed

"There are at least a thousand Death Knights in this camp. As the war goes on, that number will only grow. I don't know if they're as prone to infighting as the Orcs, but if their tradition is to stand together... who do you think Orgrim would choose between you, you stupid swine, and several thousand Death Knights?"

Kaldara's explanation left Malone stunned. He hadn't expected this Orc to have thought things through so thoroughly.

Maybe Orcs aren't as stupid as I thought? Malone found himself wondering.

Wait... Malone suddenly realized he'd missed something in what Kaldara had said earlier.

The guy had just said they'd already had their fun out in the wilds... What did that mean?

"You... you already..." Malone looked at the human girl behind Kaldara. She was curled up, sobbing.

Had these Orcs already violated the girl out in the wilds?

The thought only made Malone angrier. He glared at Kaldara, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, no, no, Death Knight. You've misunderstood." Kaldara shook his head.

"There were three human women, not just one. We caught two of them, and the other escaped. We already got a taste of one of the human women out in the wilds, but Talrama got a little too excited and strangled her... so in the end, we only brought one back."

Kaldara's explanation did nothing to ease Malone's mind. Instead, he trembled with rage, unable to speak.

Kaldara seemed to take this the wrong way. At his signal, the Orcs put away their weapons and helped up the one Malone had beaten senseless.

"Well then, Death Knight, make yourself at home." Kaldara came over to Malone and nodded.

"But don't kill the woman. Everyone's been pent up for a long time since we left Stormwind. She'll get killed sooner or later, but before that, it'd be better to let more of the boys blow off some steam."

Kaldara said this as he passed Malone.

More Orcs? Malone's body jolted. He realized the human girl was still in danger.

Of course, that went without saying. No human was safe in an Orc camp.

But Malone meant Kaldara's Orcs. They weren't planning to leave. They'd simply misunderstood what he'd done. They were waiting for him to have his way with the girl, just as they had, and then they'd all rush in, and...

"When I said I'd spare her, I meant forever." Malone spun around and grabbed Kaldara's shoulder as he passed.

"From now on, forever, you are not to bother her." Malone spoke slowly and emphatically. "You or any other Orc. If you want to blow off steam, go find some swine out in the wilds."

"Death Knight, what... did you say?" Kaldara slowly turned around, his eyes seeming to burn with fire.

"Kill him! Kill him!" The Orcs dropped the one they'd just been supporting, grabbed their weapons, and roared.

"I said..." Malone had just begun to speak when Kaldara cut him off.

"I heard you perfectly well, Death Knight." Malone noticed that Kaldara had dropped the honorific.

Kaldara brushed Malone's hand off his shoulder and took several steps back.

"You're challenging me, Death Knight." A cruel smile touched the Burning Blade Orc's lips. "You're challenging the Orcs."

Malone said no more. He knew Kaldara had already made a huge concession to him, even if it hadn't been out of personal respect.

But Malone still couldn't accept it. The gap between human and Orc beliefs was simply too great.

Perhaps the Orcs had come to this world only to find a new home, while humans simply wanted to live in peace in theirs.

Neither side was wrong, but their goals clashed, and so there was war.

This is my war now. Malone fixed his eyes on Kaldara. It has nothing to do with the Bronze Dragon, any gods, the Alliance, or the Horde. It's just a war between me and these Orcs.

He'd only just arrived in Azeroth, and already he'd run into one of the strongest Blademasters among the Orcs. But...

They were all gathered in one place now, so at least he didn't have to worry about being attacked from behind. Malone tried to reassure himself.

"Let's duel," Kaldara suddenly said. "You and me, one on one. Since you want to challenge the Orc tradition that lets us divide up the spoils freely, at least show some respect for our other tradition: the one with the biggest fists makes the rules."

"Works for me," Malone replied. "But you have the numbers on your side. Are you really going to give up that advantage?"

"A Blademaster of the Burning Blade disdains such tactics. It's always our enemies who gang up on us. The name Burning Blade was not earned by relying on superior numbers."

Kaldara shook his head.

This Orc... might not be so bad, Malone thought. In a way, at least.

"Aren't you going to use a weapon?" Malone pointed at the long blade on Kaldara's back.

"You're unarmed, too." Kaldara replied simply, then nodded to Malone, signaling that he could make the first move.

Malone took a deep breath, stepped back twice, then charged at Kaldara.

Leaning forward, he swung his right fist hard. It was the same move as before. He'd just knocked an Orc down with a single heavy punch, and he believed that even a Blademaster couldn't take the full force of it.

Kaldara didn't block the punch—or rather, he didn't need to.

The moment Malone began to move, the Blademaster of the Burning Blade shifted his foot slightly.

When Malone swung his fist, he was surprised to find that Kaldara was no longer where he'd been.

Kaldara had moved only a small step, but it was enough to dodge Malone's punch.

Malone tried to change the direction of his swing, but he'd thrown the punch with too much force and still hadn't learned to control that tremendous strength.

At some point, Kaldara had slipped his foot in front of Malone and tripped him.

As if they were rehearsing a fight scene, Malone couldn't control his body. He struggled to keep his balance, but still toppled helplessly toward the ground.

With a crash, Malone's tall frame hit the ground at Kaldara's feet. He scrambled back up, but the Orcs' boisterous laughter made him want to die of embarrassment.