“What the—?” I did a double-take on the kid’s face. Up close, the kid turned out to be a short-haired girl.

She shook her head, trembling on the floor, unable to pick herself up.

I grabbed her shoulder and gave her a small shake. “Are you alright?”

She nodded silently.

My moment of concern faded and my anger bubbled up again. I should have been more worried about the Orc, but no one steals from me. No one.

“Did you take anything from my pack?” I kept my hand on her shoulder as she squirmed.

I looked her in the eye and held her other shoulder too. To show her I meant business. My close physical contact scared her. This purple phobia served as psychological warfare.

“No, I swear!” Her voice was high. “D-didn’t have the chance to.” She frequently looked beyond me to the orc. She didn’t try to stand. I didn’t know whether it was from her paralyzing fear or from the pain of being hurled to the ground.

I looked at the terrified girl and lifted her up by her armpits, avoiding having to touch her.

She numbly stood there.

“Go! Go already!” I yelled at her. “What are you waiting for? An invitation to dance?”

The girl looked from me to the orc. She froze for a second, and then she bolted from the scene. Before she got too far, I cried out, “Tell the people at the mine that there’s an orc on the loose. They might be able to handle this. Hurry!”

She looked back only once to nod to me, then she vanished among the trees.

I sighed. I had to get what was mine from Mr. Orc himself.

I paced back and forth, all the while looking at the orc. I needed to get this bag back before help came or else they would take it for themselves, maybe even my staff too. I was just another monster to them, just a different color. His eyes never left the spot I stood. If he was going to communicate through magical spit like Spiderzilla, he could’ve done it while I was distracted with the thief girl.

The orc’s shoulders drooped. He grunted, pulling the bag closer to him and shaking his head. This orc was trying to communicate something to me first.

Maybe he was mute. I tilted my head.