Chapter 2124: Althea the Wood Orc

Althea knew she wouldn’t be able to peacefully wait along the walls without help, so she definitely had to help out.

This was especially so as more and more monsters were attracted by the battle. The density of monsters in the area was large, even with everything they did to reduce the immediate threats.

Fortunately, none were past level 20 for now, but more were probably coming.

ROAAAARRR!

SLASH!

SQUELCH!

Althea jumped up, using vines to pull her up a tree to relative safety. Her little human body could easily become collateral damage at the brutality of the fights below her.

The orcs’ battle prowess was quite overwhelming, and it was more so against monsters who were characterized by their rabidness and bloodthirstiness.

The orcs’ hits felt like a large drum made of skin and flesh was hit continuously, and some force could even push out weaker allies and enemies.

It was also very bloody; whenever their clawed hands managed to pierce through the monster’s skin, it was like they grabbed a piece of meat as well.

Later, she found out they really did grab pieces of meat, and many of these pieces went straight to their spaces.

The orcs didn’t use detached weapons, but their own bodies were very strong weapons themselves. If one compared their claws to human weapons, the rank definitely wouldn’t be low.

Althea was naturally not idle, even in her position. She might not be able to comfortably swipe her katana and fight directly alongside her allies, but she had plenty of long-ranged attacks to make up for it.

She did not shy away from using her element, specifically her wood element. She knew time was key here, and taking too long was dangerous.

Fortunately—and this was something she just discovered—the wood energy in this place was richer than the other side, making it even easier for her to use her wood-type skills!

With a relieved smile, Althea then summoned the thick vines around them to wrap around the weaker beasts, making it easier for the orcs to team up against the real troublesome enemy, and the rest to deal with the remaining monsters.

The orcs were puzzled that all their enemies, even for just a few seconds, seemed like they were stuck in place.

It was only after they took them down, hitting the weak spots with relative ease, that they realized the monsters had been tied up by something.

They flinched and immediately became defensive.

The orcs didn’t realize the vines were allies at first, and some even attacked them.

It wasn’t until a vine pulled a monster about to take a last bite (the reflex of a dying beast) at someone that they realized it was an ’ally’ and that someone was controlling it.

Then the vines retracted by themselves, with one of them carrying Althea down as she gracefully landed back on the ground.

"We should collect the meat now, yes?" she asked, bringing them back from their daze.

It was here that they belatedly realized the vines were being controlled, and they immediately gaped at Althea.

Apis was also shocked but he was sharper than others, ordering his people to start slaughtering the beast so they could place as much food into their spaces as possible.

Others, even while doing their tasks, couldn’t help but look at Althea, obviously wanting to ask, but not quite sure how to form their sentence.

After all, to them, this ability was beyond their imagination.

"This..."

"It’s amazing..."

"Are they your tails?"

"Are they your tentacles?"

"Are you like the forest god?"

She blinked. "Hmn??"

...

The unknown had always inspired belief. For the orcs who rarely wonder about the origin of things, it was no different.

They did not have a formal religion yet, nor did they have rituals that she knew of, but people, once they asked questions and couldn’t find an answer, tended to find an explanation in the supernatural.

For humans, there was no religion. If there was anything revered close to deities, it was the elves. However, because they truly existed and the System was felt in everyday life, vague concepts—like blind faith and prayers—usually associated with religion didn’t prevail.

There were definitely some territories that had it, whether their deities were elves or other things, but they didn’t get universally adopted at all.

For the Orcs, they simply lived day to day. The word for ’god’ they used just referred to mysterious beings. Regardless of what they meant, Althea didn’t want them to have a wrong idea at all.

It was just that she was pretty sure they didn’t even know what an elementalist was, so she decided to use a familiar term instead.

"I...I am a wood orc," she said. "Made of similar flesh and blood, just a bit different from you."

Anyway, primates liked trees and were arboreal, so technically, she wasn’t lying.

"I am just like you, just with different skills."

"Wow! Why don’t I know orcs can do that?"

"The world is big, and there are many different creatures, not just orcs," she said, though she knew that the idea itself was a bit difficult to wrap around their heads, since all they knew were orcs or beasts.

The curious orcs, fortunately or unfortunately, were quickly distracted by distant roars that sounded like they were approaching.

Althea felt the wind direction in the area had changed slightly, and had even weakened a bit. This caused their location to easily be detectable by the surrounding beasts.

In one direction, a mob had formed, and it was led by a level 30 beast. In another direction, another mob was forming.

They were coming from directions blocking their way home, and they had no choice but to head towards the mountains.

Althea did not mind this direction so much. It wasn’t purely because it was convenient for her goals, but also because it really was the safest bet for them.

Even if there were a few climber monsters along the face of the mountain, what those climbers had over humans did not apply to orcs. The granite wall and the uneven surface could also provide them with cover.

Further, the winds on the mountain face were most erratic and strongest. If they find the right angle and right hiding spot, just being there could mask their presence.

Monsters were attracted to ’cleansed’ aether intelligent beings emitted, and these could be detected by monsters through scent, which was essentially solid molecules emanating from the intelligent being.

So, avoiding them through scent was perfectly logical and had been used by many people for generations.

They soon reached the area next to the wall, finding good positions for themselves. Althea found a little crevice that most monsters would find difficult to breach, but big enough for her to send long-range attacks.

The orcs were experienced in fighting alongside each other in various terrains as well. They had each other’s backs and would subconsciously enter a wheel battle whenever a portion of them got too tired.

Unlike the other side, where there were many monsters crawling on the walls, this side had far fewer beasts on the verticals. Perhaps it was because of the more direct, stronger, and more violent winds on this side.

Althea stayed where she was. She sent a message to her husband, informing him she was along the wall and they were currently fighting beasts. This was so he would know to follow the chaos instead of avoiding it.

She used the Bellagio to hit monsters this time. While this would consume her mana faster, her usual normal bow and arrow was not practical with this level of enemies.

Anyway, she had leveled up a lot lately, especially thanks to the aether crystals, so she could last a while even while using the Bellagio, making sure she killed a lot before putting it away again to conserve energy.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

She had slowly learned the attacking patterns of her teammates. With her current height, she had a clearer view of their attacks, hastening the process.

She learned which ones liked to use their right claws, which ones liked using both hands, which one preferred headbutts, and so on.

Soon, the wind picked up again, so they didn’t have to worry about a lot of new monsters coming in.

As things calmed down a bit, she couldn’t help but look at the view further away. She took it as her chance to determine the path after she reunited with her husband.

The forest was vast, though there were some pathways with younger trees, likely used as paths by mobs. However, for the most part, the forest was pristine, indicating that the mobs didn’t actually move as much.

She noticed something she hadn’t really noticed before. From above, at her distance, it seemed like there was an even denser forest area just beyond the horizon. She could see it because the trees were huge.

When she called the current forest ’ancient,’ she realized that she had spoken too soon. The trees here is probably half in size compared to that area.

Her curious mind wondered what was there.