It never occurred to this orc that instead of running, he could snap the chasing human in half like a dry twig. They aren't running from an army but a single man.
It never occurred to this orc that instead of running, he could snap the chasing human in half like a dry twig. They aren't running from an army but a single man.
Val's shielding Lina with his body. Plus Mr. Ex Royal Guard has the higher ground here. If Val tries to go after the man the latter can just shoot Lina instead.
As to why he doesn't go after the guard before this, well, running away is easier anyway (and more importantly, less risky to Lina), and he assumed the guard couldn't track him anyway in the tunnels.
Also, notice that since the guard is initiating the attacks, he's always at an advantageous position (he either has flunkies with him or is attacking from at range and from higher ground). True, they could've conceivably tried to triple-team him back at the inn, but that would've endangered both Lina and Katri (and Katri can be considered an innocent bystander).
Also note it seems to be Val's nature to try to avoid conflicts(possibly because he values life). He immediately ceded his belongings to the orc bandits earlier, remember, and ran away at first opportunity instead of trying to fight. He only fought back in the end when they were cornered and the bandits were up in his face, so he has no choice but to do that to defend his friends.
That place doesn't really look like one where the hunter would always have an opportunity for a perfect shot. Quite the contrary, it looks like a perfect place for ambushes. Also, the dude obviously is alone since nobody else has attacked. We do know he's alone since we saw him leave alone, but even for Val and Lina it ought to appear so before long.
Not defending yourself and not fighting for your life is disrespecting life, not valuing life.
There are risks in always turning your back to the enemy, there are risks in trying to fight back. Another thing is that Lina obviously would be much less able to survive without Val, so Val sacrificing himself would produce no positive results.
That place doesn't really look like one where the hunter would always have an opportunity for a perfect shot. Quite the contrary, it looks like a perfect place for ambushes. Also, the dude obviously is alone since nobody else has attacked. We do know he's alone since we saw him leave alone, but even for Val and Lina it ought to appear so before long.
Let's see...
1st encounter, guy has flunkies with him. Fighting back would be suicide.
2nd encounter, guy has flunkies and a raging forest fire. Fighting back would be like, suicide many times over.
3rd encounter, was probably the best time to ambush him, with an additional ally, but that's only in hindsight. Can't know for sure that he's only alone, doing so would risk harm to both girls, and the town is a human one with a dim view of orcs so killing the guard (or even fighting him) would land him in hot trouble. Better to try to sneak away, especially since he thought (from experience) that humans can't track in the tunnels).
Of course, the sneak attempt was botched, but turning back to attack the guard at the point would be even less feasible.
4th encounter, okay, in hindsight he screwed up, but there's no way he could have known about the tracking powder, so it was reasonable of him to assume he couldn't be tracked (given his past experiences). And once the screw-up happened, well, the enemy has the higher ground and a ranged weapon (and has consistently proven to be a good shot), so moving to get him would definitely expose Lina to fire.
I mean sure, at this point he's proven to be a very serious threat, and it's probably a good idea to try to ambush him at some later point, but, hey, hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? Not to mention that it would require a decent chunk of set-up and some element of risk to Lina. It's not as easy as just "snapping the human in half like a dry twig".
Kraco said:
Not defending yourself and not fighting for your life is disrespecting life, not valuing life.
That's only if retreat is not an option. You don't have a duty to stand your ground.
They already realised something is not right when they said the hunter shouldn't have been able to follow them. Instead of changing their tactics, they just stuck to the same one that's not working. But then again, that does sound like something an orc would do. They aren't exactly known for their bright minds.
The "Attracting Powder" the Royal Alchemist made for me.So long as a little of it is affixed to his wound, I can find out wherever they are hiding.I will definitely be the one to give you your last rites.The Sapphire Witch...How...? He shouldn't have been able to follow us to here...Don't know.Before you bear an indelible sin.