My first time doing this as well, so please forgive me if I do something wrong.
Your first chapter was definitely enjoyable to read, it was interesting too Carric problems. You said how were worried you hadn't explained well enough and to be honest it's not really something you can explain without directly stating it, I think that a reason this chapter was so enjoyable was the idea that the reader didn't know what was happening fully, this is just first chapter don't feel as if you have to explain everything in it. By not doing so you urge the reader to carry on reading and there when it fits in a little better you could explain it then??
If you wanted to know what I thought, It came across to me as though it was his own thoughts talking to him. Perhaps he was troubled with the idea of killing someone and he was making himself do it?
“We” Carric rushed out of brush"
I like this line, however I'm not sure if it was question or a statement and that could change quite a bit towards our understanding of how Carric feels.
Your choice of writing the other voice in a slang tone, does work but you could try and keep it a bit more consistent.
Fool, you value the stones beneath ya more than our life, quit kidding ya’self
What I mean the use of "Fool" makes me think he will start of all posh but then he starts saying "ya" and I'm a bit taken back and it doesn't sound right to read.
Your use of semi-colons is grammatically fine but as you know not many books actually use this many.
He sniffs at it; opening his mouth to taste it in the air
Here a comma would be fine.
"Carric’s feet submerge, his frenzied momentum halted; ankle deep in the mud; he hauls his feet forward. "
Maybe two short sentences instead?
One thing that you might want to change is swapping verbs like "stopped" with "stops", I forgot what these were called now, but the latter makes your writing a bit quicker and flow nicer. This is out of action scene as you unconsciously have wrote with verbs like "stops" in the action scene.
Now the action scene - I like it. It's quick paced and not too confusing. However I got slightly confused when he sunk into a bog suddenly. I get you described it as "muddied earth" but that didn't do too much for me. If is meant to a surprise (as I think it is) could you make his surprise a bit clearer.
The second closest orc reels himself into the muck; axe and shield together he swings at the giant; who despite being ankle deep in muck he still towers over him.
This line is very clever, you are describing him without doing it directly, respect it just feels clever to read.
The third orc fight is basically perfect abliet some unusual word choices.
"his eyes dart between his mortally wounded ally; the human, his brutally murdered friend and the crazed giant who caused all this,"
The semi-colon works here but the adjective crazed doesn't, it just doesn't fit it. You could probably get rid of it and it'd fine.
"lifeless eyes once filled with life."
Not really any point in saying lifeless then once filled with life. Maybe void eyes?
Now about Carric - I'm liking him, I immediately get his idea of a troubled main character which is just what I want. Someone who is troubled by his past and you don't need to reveal this, it's quite nice to keep us thinking.
"More silence, Carric continues walking completely exhausted mentally and physically; he holds his wounded left arm. "
The last bit feels a bit like a add-on, whenever you use semi-colons try to properly intergrate them into the sentence, perhaps "holding his wounded left arm"
In general I enjoyed reading it, it was quick but at the same time descriptive. I was working off the stereotype of what a giant and orc look like, so if you didn't want this you should describe them. You've written in a way that makes me want to read more and that is always good.
