**Chapter 3: The Mark of the Devourer**

The orcs charged, their battle cries echoing through the cave, and I knew that our fight for survival had just begun. I stood tall, my heart pounding in my chest, as the goblins formed a tight circle around me, their crude daggers at the ready. Grizelda, her eyes locked on mine, seemed to be waiting for a signal, a cue to act. As the orcs closed in, I saw that they were not just mindless brutes. They moved with a coordinated ferocity, their movements almost choreographed. It was as if they were being controlled, driven by some dark force that compelled them to fight. The first orc to reach us was a towering giant, his muscles rippling beneath his crude armor. He swung a massive battle-axe, its blade biting into the stone floor mere inches from my face. I dodged to the side, avoiding the blow by mere centimeters, and countered with a swift kick that sent the orc stumbling backward. The goblins took advantage of the momentary distraction, darting in to strike at the orcs' exposed flanks. Grizelda, her dagger flashing in the dim light, seemed to be everywhere at once, striking true with every blow. But despite our best efforts, the orcs seemed endless, pouring into the cave like a dark tide. I fought with every ounce of strength I had, my movements becoming more desperate as the battle wore on. And then, I saw it. The symbol on the orcs' foreheads seemed to be pulsing with an otherworldly energy, a dark power that seemed to be driving them forward. I remembered the tales of the Devourer, a dark deity said to feast on the souls of the living. Could it be that these orcs were somehow bound to this dark power? As I fought, I began to notice that the orcs seemed to be targeting me specifically, their blows aimed at me with an unnerving precision. It was as if they had been told to capture me alive, to bring me before their dark master. Grizelda, sensing my distress, seemed to understand. She darted to my side, her eyes locked on mine, and spoke in a low, urgent tone. "We must get you out of here," she said, her words barely audible over the din of battle. "The orcs will not stop until they have you." I nodded, my mind racing with the implications. We had to escape, and fast. But as I turned to make a break for it, I saw that the cave entrance was blocked, a horde of orcs pouring in from the outside. We were trapped. And the orcs, driven by their dark master, would stop at nothing to claim us.