Friends

"Bet? But... what are we betting?"

Malone heard Kaldara's words and asked in confusion.

"Hmm... I'll bet a piece of smoked meat, just as big as the one we had today! What about you, Teron?"

Kaldara named his stake, then turned to ask Teron Gorefiend.

"As you can see, I'm penniless."

Teron Gorefiend spread his hands and said without hesitation.

"What? Then why are you betting against me?"

Kaldara felt he was being made a fool of.

"But your smoked meat means nothing to me, either. I don't need to eat."

Teron Gorefiend earnestly explained this to Kaldara.

"How about this... why don't we... bet a favor?"

Malone interjected, thinking the wager sounded rather interesting.

"A favor?"

Kaldara asked in confusion.

"Right, a favor—or, you could say, a promise. The loser owes the winner a promise. What do you think? It's only a promise. Surely that's something we all have and can all fulfill, right?"

Malone said.

"Fine, let's do that. I bet Zul'jin can't beat me."

Kaldara was the first to speak up.

"I bet you're no match for Zul'jin."

Teron Gorefiend said briefly.

"Then I..."

When he saw Kaldara and Teron Gorefiend both looking at him, Malone hesitated.

"Then I bet you and Zul'jin won't end up fighting."

Malone said.

"We won't?"

Kaldara asked in surprise.

"Mm."

Malone nodded and said no more.

Malone couldn't quite remember how things would unfold in the future, or exactly how much longer the Orcs would stay here.

But one thing was certain: before long, the Orc army would head north to attack the human kingdoms. It was possible that Kaldara and Zul'jin wouldn't come into conflict during that time.

Malone was just making a casual guess anyway. Kaldara and Teron Gorefiend wouldn't ask him for anything too unreasonable, and he'd be leaving soon, wouldn't he?

Though he'd already been planning to welch on the bet, Malone occasionally noticed Teron Gorefiend looking at him with a somewhat... strange expression.

Well, perhaps it was his imagination. After all, Teron Gorefiend was a Death Knight, and the muscles in his face were stiff. Maybe his expressions just went haywire sometimes.

That was what Malone thought.

Kaldara didn't seem to take the bet very seriously. He soon turned his attention to Tiffany, who was behind Malone.

"Hey, how much has she eaten?"

When Malone turned to hand Tiffany another piece of cooked smoked meat, Kaldara asked curiously.

"Stop staring at her all the time. You'll scare her!"

Malone said to Kaldara in annoyance.

"About seven or eight pieces. What's the matter, feeling sorry for her?"

After scolding Kaldara, Malone thought back for a moment before answering his question.

"She can eat that much? Human women are so small. I thought they couldn't eat much."

Kaldara cried out in surprise.

"What's so strange about that? She hasn't eaten all day."

Malone defended Tiffany, while silently blaming Kaldara. How did this guy have so many questions?

"She hasn't eaten all day?"

Kaldara exclaimed again.

"Keep your voice down! All right, I admit I forgot to get her something to eat... but what's that got to do with you?"

Malone said crossly.

"Maicomarlon, I don't mean to butt in, but I think this human woman would be better off with me than in your care."

Kaldara said with a sigh.

"No, no, don't get the wrong idea. I don't have any ulterior motives toward her. I just think that at least when she's with me, she can get some meat to eat. With you, though, she'd go hungry all day."

Noticing that Malone's expression had turned furious at his earlier remark, Kaldara hurriedly explained.

"I... I just forgot!"

Malone felt a little embarrassed.

"Fine... but if I understand you right, if I hadn't brought food tonight... where would you have gotten anything for her to eat?"

Kaldara pressed on.

"I..."

Malone was at a loss for words.

Unlike Kaldara, Malone didn't know how to start a fire, and he didn't have any kindling, either. At this hour, were there even any other Orcs still up and about?

Rather than getting food for Tiffany himself, all Malone could do was ask Teron Gorefiend for help.

And Teron Gorefiend would only be able to ask other Orcs for food. That might be easy enough during the day, but at night... Tiffany really might have to go hungry until morning.

"Ah, you poor thing. How about this? I'll come see you and Teron regularly from now on, and bring you some food while I'm at it."

Seeing Malone's awkward expression, Kaldara said with a sigh.

"Then... thank you."

Malone hadn't expected Kaldara to say that. He froze for a moment, then answered instinctively.

"What's there to thank me for? We're friends, aren't we?"

Kaldara said breezily.

"Fri... friends?"

The word turned over in Malone's mind. He'd never imagined that one day he'd become friends with an Orc.

"Of course, friends! You, me, and Teron—we're the three of us friends."

Kaldara said with a grin.

"Me? No, that's not right. Maicomarlon and I are brothers—brothers without blood ties."

Teron Gorefiend hurriedly corrected him.

"It's all the same. That makes us friends."

Kaldara said indifferently.

"How can that be the same?"

Teron Gorefiend protested.

Before long, Kaldara and Teron Gorefiend were arguing again over what to call their relationship with Malone.

Watching the two of them bicker, Malone found it absurd. Here he was, a human, sitting by a campfire with a Blademaster and an Orc Death Knight, eating roasted smoked meat and calling one another friends.

But Malone didn't think it was a bad thing—not for now, at least.

For quite some time, Malone, Kaldara, and Teron Gorefiend sat talking. Mostly Malone asked questions and Kaldara answered, while Teron Gorefiend only chimed in now and then.

From his conversation with Kaldara, Malone learned quite a bit about the Orcs: which clans were stronger, which were more cunning, and which had female Orcs who were more...

Ahem. What came next made Malone uncomfortable, so he deliberately ignored the discussion of female Orcs' looks and "sexiness."

Soon, the large piece of smoked meat had been devoured, and Kaldara finally got up from beside the campfire.

"I'm heading back. That's enough for today. I'll come again tomorrow."

Kaldara said.