HORDE

©2023 VALETHEHOWL

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Contents

Also in Series

1. It’s all Ogre Now

2. A Spider’s Parlor

3. Rip and Tears

4. Acid Advisors

5. Nuke it!

6. Hive Sweet Hive

7. Be Careful Who You Call Ugly in Middle School

8. Full Metal Jacket

9. Naked Socializing

10. Wakey, Wakey

11. Hand Holding

12. First Contact

13. A Beer, a Broad, and a Bonfire

14. Grating Greetings

15. Talking Tactics

16. A Trip Down Memory Lane

17. The Wild Chase

18. Don’t Look an Angry Dragon in the Mouth

19. Hardcore Pawn

20. Head Start

21. Not Mad, Just Disappointed

22. Reinforced Denial

23. Cloning Blues

24. Let them Eat Cannibal Cake

25. Smoke and Stew

26. Slugfest

27. Burn Baby Burn

28. Pins and Needles

29. Potty Break

30. A Present from the Past

31. Biting Conscience

32. Raid Interruption

33. Of Wolves and Men

34. Windtalker

35. I Have the High Air

36. Scaroused

37. Battle Planning

38. An Explosive Beginning

39. The Battle of Treval Part 1

40. The Battle of Treval Part 2

41. The Battle of Treval Part 3

42. The Battle of Treval Part 4

43. The Battle of Treval Part 5

44. The Battle of Treval Part 6

45. Is this Loss

46. Losing your Mind

47. A Lesson in Humility

48. Don’t Lose Your Head

49. Voices in the Woods

Thank you for reading Horde

Groups

LitRPG

Also in Series

Swarm

Horde

Book 3 - Coming Soon!

Chapter 1

It’s all Ogre Now

Orcs are sapient, humanoid creatures who have made their appearance in Aos during the course of the 18th century. They are well-known for both their huge appetite and violent disposition.

The average adult orc is about two meters tall, though it’s not uncommon for them to reach three or even four meters in height. They have scaly, green-brownish skin, thick waist and limbs, and their arms are so long, they can easily reach their knees. Their shoulders are extremely wide and muscular, to the point they are forced to walk in a permanent crouch. Their faces are reptilian-looking, lacking a pronounced nose, and have small horns protruding from their foreheads.

But the most striking feature is their mouth—disproportionately large compared to their small heads, and can grow even larger due to an ability to dislocate their jaw at will to ingest their prey whole. Which they do so often, as they get more nourishment from eating creatures whilst they are still alive.

Orcs are usually lazy and sluggish, generally active only when chasing a particularly appetizing prey—typically a sentient being—or when brawling with each other. The same carelessness can be found in most of their activities and crafts. It is important, however, to notice that orcs can be surprisingly cunning. It’s just that normally, they don’t feel like making excessive use of their heads.

On average, the orcs are organized into small tribes of a few dozen individuals, with a hierarchy established by raw fighting prowess, and the strongest one being the leader. The same trend applies to their mating rituals. All orcs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male organs inside of their cloaca. They take on a female role when interacting with stronger orcs and a male one when interacting with those weaker. In fact, mating with a defeated opponent is actually how the orc leaders establish their supremacy.

At least when they don’t just eat their rivals alive to add their power to theirs.

Orcs have a peculiar innate magic which allows them to absorb part of the Aura of the creatures they eat, becoming stronger in the process. Creatures with strong Auras are considered delicacies by the orcs, and eating them while they are alive allows for the greatest rate of Aura absorption.

When an orc’s Aura surpasses a certain threshold, they can evolve into ogres. Ogres have a much stronger Aura than orcs and also have almost complete control over their bodies. Something which gives them impressive regenerative capabilities and even limited shapeshifting powers. Because of this, ogres can vary greatly in appearance, since they can alter their characteristics—although it’s not a simple process and it takes a lot of time and effort to drastically change their shapes. Most choose to simply look like bigger, stronger and tougher orcs.

Finally, in some rare cases, ogres can evolve further, becoming creatures commonly known as Oni. An Oni’s powers and Aura are several magnitudes above those of an ogre, being able to alter their shapes pretty much at will and regenerating entire limbs in a matter of seconds. Because of this, Oni are extremely dangerous and difficult to kill, but luckily, they are also exceedingly rare.

The last documented appearance of an Oni dates back to the 21st century. Though there have been rumors of some of those creatures living in the Dark Heart.

—Excerpt from A Wayfarer’s Guide to the Unknown Volume III, Creatures and Monsters by Septim Logan, published by Auric Golden Press

The Oni called Blueskin, also known as the Blue Terror by the goblins, stared with hate at the big hill. He himself was a majestic creature—his appearance that of a lean but muscular man, about two meters tall. The only things that set him apart were his scaly blue skin, the two horns protruding from his forehead, and his silvery-white hair. His eyes had pitch-black sclera and glowing golden irises, and his features were ruggedly handsome, in a very manly way.

His expression, however, was a rather disgusted one, expressing all of his annoyance and disapproval at what his eyes were seeing.

To be fair, the landscape he observed was far from pleasant. The hill was a solid block of gray stone emerging from the surrounding woods like a colossal molar. The ruins of a once-mighty castle were still visible on top, and a thick, yellowish mist flew out of that building like a stream of puss, covering the surrounding area and giving it a sickly appearance. No plants grew inside of the mist, and the nearby flora was also dying and rotting, filling the air with the smell of decay.

Overall, this place was horrible, and Blueskin would have loved to leave it and return home. Sadly, that wasn’t an option. The ruins on top of the hill were the last stronghold of the Piraca, or rubbies as the orcs called them because of their rubbery skins, and the Oni needed to take it in order to put an end to the war against those creatures.

He had arrived a week prior, leading a handpicked force of five thousand elite orc warriors and about one hundred ogres. More than enough to make quick work of the defenders, or so he’d thought at the time. Unfortunately, he didn’t even have the chance to put his estimate to the test.

The main reason for this delay was that damn yellow mist. That stuff surrounded the entire hill and, as the scouts discovered at their expense, it was incredibly acidic. Anyone who tried to cross it died, puking out their lungs and then melting into a puddle in a matter of minutes. Not even the rough hide and regenerative powers of the ogres could completely protect them from it. The Piraca themselves seemed to be completely immune to that substance. Actually hidden in the mist to ambush anyone who somehow was able to endure the acid.

This situation was especially frustrating because Blueskin knew the Piraca wouldn’t stand a chance in an actual fight. He’d ordered to lay siege to that hill, in hope to starve the defenders out and force them to attack. Unfortunately, the rubbies didn’t seem to be starving and were content to wait things out on the hill, only occasionally making a sortie to keep the orcs on their toes.

And the most infuriating thing was that this passive-aggressive, cowardly strategy was working.

Not only was the food supplies of the orc army fast wearing thin, but morale was also at an all time low due to the reduced rations, forced inactivity, and general feeling of powerlessness. The soldiers were getting rowdy and unruly. Even some officers had started to show a rebellious attitude.

Luckily, at least the latter problem had an easy solution, and one that would allow Blueskin to vent some of his frustration to boot.

Blueskin turned around, finally paying attention to his lieutenants who’d gathered behind him. They were busy chatting and bickering with each other, with a couple disputes even looking to come to blows, but the Oni wasn’t really listening, nor did he have any intention to. He’d called them here under the pretense of holding a strategy meeting, but in reality, he cared nil for their suggestions. He was smarter than all of them combined, and every suggestion they’d make would inevitably be stupid at best and downright retarded at worst.

No, what he actually wanted to do was put them back in line, and in order to do that, he needed to make an example to remind them of the pecking order.

He scanned the ogres to find a suitable scapegoat. As always, the sight of his lieutenants was enough to make him internally squirm in disgust. In stark contrast with him, the ogres were not only a lot less human-like, having much more reptilian features and monstrous shapes, but they were also, surprisingly, far more female-looking.

That was actually Blueskin’s fault, since back when he’d risen to power and had been expected to mate with his underlings to show his dominance, he had commanded his lieutenants to take a female appearance, which he would find more palatable. Sadly, that order backfired. These morons knew nothing about femininity and weren’t really putting much effort into looking appeasing for their chief. Besides, they cared a lot more about strength and power than appearance, and weren’t willing to reduce their size and muscle mass.

As a result, most had turned into something that resembled a grotesque parody of a transexual, with the only traces of femininity they possessed being their wide hips and boobs—which, by the way, almost always looked completely fake, like balloons of scaly skin attached to their chests.

However, as unsightly as they were right now, they were still much more attractive than they used to be, so Blueskin decided to put up with it. At least for the time being.

Incidentally, the biggest, ugliest, and loudest ogre, clearly the one that obeyed Blueskin’s order the least, was the one he’d chosen as his scapegoat.

The ogre was called Longfang, and it had been a pain in the Oni’s neck for quite a long time. The humanoid, who used to be the chief of its own tribe, was incredibly stupid, arrogant, and full of itself, something which often forced Blueskin to put the moron in its place through violent means. Though that never lasted long thanks to the ogre’s limited memory span. Pretty much the only thing that prevented Blueskin from just eating the arrogant idiot was its usefulness for keeping the other ogres in line.

Longfang was the strongest among the ogres, second only to Blueskin himself in battle prowess, and that made him a perfect example to remind the others of the pecking order. After all, if the biggest, baddest ogre was constantly humiliated by the Oni, none of the other, weaker ogres would even think of rebelling or challenging his authority.

Right now, Longfang was busy complaining about Blueskin, something it really liked to do despite the potential—and oftentimes immediate—negative consequences. As usual, the Oni decided to let it prattle on, in order to pick up anything he could use as an excuse to beat it up. Knowing the ogre as he did, he wouldn’t have to wait for long.

“I’m sick of stayin’ here!” Longfang howled. “I’m getting hungry and we have nuthin’ to eat but scraps of rotten meat! I want to go huntin’ and get something fresh and alive under mah teeth!”

“Yeah, I feel ya, Longfang,” another ogre replied. “I’m hungry too. But we gotta kill the rubbies first. And hey, if we can get to their castle, we can eat their Nobles!” The humanoid smiled, showing an unsettlingly large number of teeth while openly drooling. “I don’t care much for their texture. Hard to chew, both skins and organs. But you get used to it, and the flavor… ah, they got dem strong Auras that makes them absolutely delicious!”

“Fat chance!” Longfang cried with anger. “We can’t even get close to them with dat damn mist in the way! We’re just rotting while sitting on our asses here!”

“Eh, we can’t really leave the rubbies alone,” another ogre chimed in. “We killed a lot of them, now’s the time to finish the job. Boss said so. Also, I’m sure Blue will think of something. He always does. He’s got his head full of dem ideas.”

“Ah! Not this time!” Longfang replied with a derisory tone. “He’s been thinkin’ all week now! I dunno how his head didn’t explode, and he came up with nuthin’! We’re still here just because he doesn’t want to admit that we can’t cross dat mist. Also, who cares if the rubbies come back? It’s more food for us! It’s just that Blue has all those silly dumb ideas about finishing the job and establishing orc supremacy and all nonsense like that. We shouldn’t worry about all this crap. We are orcs! Everything else just exists to be our prey! Let them multiply and come to us. We’ll eat them just like we always did!”

A lot of ogres, while not openly voicing their agreement, were clearly being swayed by Longfang’s words, so Blueskin decided it was time to intervene. Besides, Longfang had openly disrespected him, so he had more than enough reason to put it in its place.

Without a second thought, the Oni acted. He lifted his right arm and the limb started growing, the muscles inflating and the skin expanding, until it became more than thirty times its original size. Then, as if swatting a fly, Blueskin brought down his now giant hand on Longfang, slamming the ogre into the ground with a deafening boom.

That got everyone’s attention. All of the ogres stopped talking, staring at their chief with fearful eyes.

“Well, that’s enough of that,” Blueskin announced. “I do not mind if you speak your opinions and suggestions openly, but I won’t tolerate outright disrespect or insubordination. Am I clear?”

Everyone nodded. The only one who didn’t was Longfang. Who, to be fair, was still planted a couple feet into the ground and couldn’t really move or hear.

“And another thing,” the Oni continued, “to answer all of you who want to leave this place, you may have had a point if it were another species, but the rubbies are different. They are dangerous. If we leave them alone, they will come back to attack us when we are vulnerable! And even if we manage to beat them back, we’re gonna be in the exact same situation as we are now!”

He opened his arms, as if to show the ogres where they were. “And if that happens, we’re gonna be stuck in this forest forever, and most of us will starve to death! Is this what you want? Or do you want to get outside of the forest, where more plentiful prey live? In the lands of the humans and beastmen, there is more food than you can eat in your lifetime, and so many delicacies that you can’t even imagine! Do you want to keep eating the worm from the dirt here or do you want to go there? Because if that’s what you want, you’re gonna have to follow my orders! And if you do that, then the whole world is gonna be our buffet!”

The ogres cheered in response, their doubts completely dispelled by Blueskin’s little speech. The Oni had to struggle to keep a straight face and not smirk with satisfaction. It was tremendously easy to convince the orcs of anything, especially if you brought up the argument of food.

Meanwhile, Longfang started squirming under the weight of Blueskin’s hand, trying to free itself. With calculated care, the Oni grabbed the ogre’s head and lifted it up, as easily as if he were picking up a mouse.

“So… have you calmed down, Longfang?” Blueskin asked with a smug smile. “Or do you need to spend some more time eating dirt to chill?”

A defiant and angry spark flashed in the ogre’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared as Blueskin strengthened his grip on its head.

“Answer me, Longfang,” he insisted, turning serious. “Did you have enough? Or maybe this time you are actually volunteering yourself to be my snack? We both know that in my place, you’d have eaten me long ago… Perhaps it’s time I respond in kind.”

A glint of fear appeared in Longfang’s eyes, drowning out the fire of rage and pride.

“I had enough,” it replied with a pained grunt.

“I had enough, who?” the Oni asked.

“I had enough, sir!” the ogre cried in pain.

“Very well.” Blueskin released Longfang, who fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. “I’m letting you off easy this time, but if you cause any more problems in the future, I’m gonna be very, very angry. And very hungry. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the ogre replied, now submissive and coy in recognition of Blueskin’s authority. Even its voice sounded weaker and feminine.

In response to the act of submission, Blueskin felt his reproductive pseudopod growing as blood rushed to his head. The instinct to mate had kicked in, but a quick look at the hideous appearance of the ogre made it subside. He’d mated with it before in order to prove his authority, but right now he wouldn’t be able to endure laying with such a disgusting-looking creature. Not while sober, anyway.

Man, I’d really like a beer. Or even better, a dozen, he thought, and not for the first time. But sadly, there was no alcohol in the Caligare Forest, and the orcs lacked the means to produce any. So, he sighed and decided he’d accomplished what he’d called his lieutenants for. Now he needed some peace and quiet to think.

“If you understand your position, it’s fine,” he said to Longfang, waving his hand to dismiss it. “Return to your unit, keep your soldiers in line and wait for further orders.” He turned to the others. “The same goes for all of you. Go away.”

Slowly, Longfang picked himself up and started limping back to his quarters, followed by everyone else. Blueskin stared at them with barely hidden contempt.

Disgusting creatures! he thought bitterly. Ugly and stupid. Why couldn’t I have been reborn as a member of a more beautiful race? I’d have gotten a harem of pretty waifus by now instead of a menagerie of filthy ogres!

He sighed, stopping that train of thought. Complaining about things that couldn’t be changed was of no use whatsoever.

Well, at least being smarter than all of them combined makes it easier to control them, he thought, trying to find a silver lining. And they do perform admirably as soldiers, I gotta give them that. Still, it’s such a waste! I mean, they’re a bunch of strong, wild creatures that have to be fucked in order to be submitted! This would be a nice plot for a hentai game if they weren’t just so damn ugly!

He sighed again, refocusing on the hill, trying to find a way to cross that damn mist. As he tried to concentrate, he also found himself wishing to possess weapons from his old world. Shelling that hill with artillery or carpet bombing it from the sky would have been incredibly easy. But alas, this world didn’t possess such technology, so he would have to make do with what he had available to him.

However, despite these difficulties, he was confident in being able to find a solution. This was his story, and the main character couldn’t be stopped at such an early stage. Besides, he had all kinds of advantages on his side that would certainly assure his victory.

Blueskin had been special since the day of his birth. Not only had he been allowed to retain the memories from his previous life, a time when he’d been a man from another world called Earth. And the knowledge he acquired in that past existence, together with the unique powers he’d been granted, were more than enough to ensure his success in this new world. Just like he was promised.

Truth be told, Blueskin’s previous life hadn’t been very remarkable. Quite the contrary, actually. He had led a pretty uneventful and unsuccessful life after being kicked from the army boot camp for misbehavior. He even became a recluse, living in his parents’ basement and spending most of his time playing games, reading manga and novels on the internet, bitter and misunderstood. At least until he met his demise by tripping down the stairs.

But that stage of his existence had just been a necessary footstep for him to gain the knowledge and wisdom to excel in his current life. Armed with the notions he’d acquired both from his stint in the army and from the stories he once read on the internet, he was ready to conquer this new world. This was clearly his destiny, to become someone more special than anyone else.

This was what had been promised to him.

And it looked like that promise would actually become true. There wasn’t much room for doubt, and clearly the powers he was granted at birth put him leagues above any other creature in the forest. Apart from his blue skin, a physical sign of his uniqueness, he also had an improved version of the orc Aura absorbing skill. Not only did he gain more power from his prey, he also got some of their memories out of the meal. This gave him an unparalleled way of collecting information, something which allowed him to not only survive, but thrive in this new, hostile world.

With every opponent he defeated and consumed, he grew stronger and wiser, managing to evolve into an Oni after barely two years from his birth, while most orcs couldn’t even become ogres after many decades. By now, there were very few things that could stand up to him in a fight.

Using his overwhelming power, he’d quickly risen through the ranks of the orcs, first becoming the chief of his native tribe and then starting a long campaign of unification, challenging and submitting every other orc tribe of the forest. Then he used the knowledge from his previous life to organize the orcs in a functioning military, turning them from a bunch of indolent, lazy beasts, into something resembling an army of proper soldiers. And finally, he’d started to systematically conquer the northern part of the Caligare Forest, either enslaving or outright killing any other race that threatened his rule.

The goblins, trolls and other tribal races were easy. But the Piraca and the Rantul had proved to be much more of a challenge, since, like the orcs, those species had also been united under a single leader. Still, the orcs were stronger than both of them combined. Those races were dealt a series of crushing defeats, and the orcs became even stronger in the process by eating the captured enemies alive and establishing themselves at the top of the food chain in the Caligare Forest.

Quite ironically, it was right after that moment of triumph that problems started popping up.

First off, the orcs, not having any more predators or competitors, had multiplied uncontrollably, reaching a population of over thirty thousand, something which, while positive for Blueskin’s future plans, was also a drawback in the current circumstances because there simply wasn’t enough food to feed them all.

The resources of the forest had already been depleted, and most of the other sentient races, the main food source of the orcs, had either been hunted to extinction or fled. In addition, the Rantul and the Piraca, while greatly weakened, were still a potential threat and had started using cowardly and downright infuriating ways to fight. They avoided straight up engagements and relied on hit-and-run and guerilla tactics.

These attacks weren’t really that damaging, but they were creating havoc and causing a loss of morale amongst the orcs, who were already unruly because of the lack of food. If allowed to continue, it was possible that not even Blueskin would be able to keep his forces in check, causing his army to crumble.

Something had to be done, and Blueskin wasn’t someone to stay still without acting. So, he’d marched out to the stronghold of the Piraca, fully intent on putting an end to their race—kind of a forced choice because he didn’t know where the Rantul were. Those arachnid bastards had somehow managed to avoid any attempt to locate their nest. But once he arrived, he found himself stalled by that detestable yellow mist.

He’d tried many ways to cross that thing and reach the ruins on top of the hill, where the rubbies were hiding. All of them failed. Trying to make anti-acid suits out of Piraca skin proved ineffective due to the poor craftsmanship of the orcs, who were completely unable to make those suits air proof. Building a tunnel under the mist was likewise unfeasible, because the hill was basically a giant, solid block of rock. And finally, using the ogres’ shapeshifting powers to make them grow wings and fly directly to the castle couldn’t be done because the stupid gits weren’t able to grow functional wings.

Only Blueskin was able to do that, and he wasn’t really eager to try and take the whole fortress by himself. Especially because the Piraca Nobles were all capable of flying and could gang up on him.

And now he had no more ideas. Only the rubbies themselves could cross that mist, and although he did have many Piraca captives—which he was keeping as food reserves—he had no way of reliably coercing them into working for him.

Blueskin sensed a faint presence approaching from behind, and he turned to see what it was, but didn’t see anyone. However, now that he concentrated on it, that presence was very familiar.

“Oh, it’s you,” Blueskin said with a nod and an amused smirk. “You’re back then. Have you discovered a way to go through the mist?”

The air flickered, and suddenly a humanoid figure appeared about five meters from him. It was clearly an ogre, but unlike the others, this one was much smaller, less than two meters tall and extremely feminine. It still had vaguely reptilian features and an incredibly large mouth, but its body was toned and shapely, like that of a female Olympic athlete. This ogre even had hair, a wild blonde mane that somehow perfectly completed its Amazonian beauty.

Blueskin felt his smile getting larger. This newcomer was Tiny-Sneaky, his most trusted lieutenant and also his favorite concubine. They both came from the same tribe and had known each other ever since they were newborns. While the Oni had always been stronger and more powerful than other orcs, Tiny had been born with a weak and small body. She would have almost certainly died if Blueskin hadn’t taken her under his wing, protecting and feeding her. In return, she’d always served him with loyalty, functioning as his confidant, servant and even his lover.

It had been a very advantageous deal for Blueskin, especially ever since she’d turned into an ogre. Not only did she actually put effort into looking beautiful with stellar results—at least when compared to the others—she also had the rare ability to control the pigmentation of her skin, essentially giving her chameleonic powers.

Right now, she worked mostly as a personal spy and scout for Blueskin, though it pained him to let her go since she was the only ogre he actually liked to mate with. Still, it would be a waste of her talents to keep her as a full-time concubine, so he would have to make that sacrifice for the sake of victory.

“I have discovered a very important thing,” Tiny-Sneaky replied with a deep, though feminine voice. “Not how to get through the mist, it completely surrounds the hill and I saw no passage. However, on my way back, I saw something weird.”

“What?” Blueskin asked with interest.

“I saw one orc leaving the camp. It had a blank expression and moved weird, so I decided to follow it. He went northwest for almost a day, until he reached an isolated clearing. There, he met with a Rantul warrior and started talking with it.”

“What!” the Oni cried, incredulous. “Why? Are you telling me that this soldier is in league with the spiders?”

“Maybe.” Tiny shrugged. “I couldn’t understand what they were saying because both were speaking in the tongue of the Rantul. However, that orc was really weird. It didn’t move its mouth while talking, it just kept it open and a chittering sound came out of it. Also, there was something moving in its head. I could see something resembling spider legs occasionally coming out of its ears.”

“That’s… peculiar,” Blueskin said, frowning. “From what you say, that orc may be possessed by a Brain Spider… But Brain Spiders aren’t in cahoots with the Rantul, to my knowledge. They’re not in cahoots with anyone, actually. Sure, they’re smart enough, but they consider everything else either as a threat or as prey. They have never allied themselves with anything else. Heck, they barely collaborate with one another.”

“Well, this is what I saw.” Tiny-Sneaky shrugged again.

The Oni remained silent for a moment, trying to process this new information.

“This weird orc… what have you done with it?” he asked.

“Nothing yet,” Tiny-Sneaky replied. “I just followed it back to the camp, and when it went to sleep, I came here to tell you about it. You told me not to do anything important without informing you first, so I came here to inform you. Did I do well?”

“Yes.” Blueskin nodded, his mood improving considerably as he suddenly realized an enticing possibility. Maybe it was possible to kill two birds with one stone. “Yes, you did.”

“What do you want me to do now?” she asked. “Do I go back to kill it?”

She sounded very eager to do that. Except Blueskin had other plans in mind.

“No. I’ll do it. This way, when I eat that orc, I’ll get its memories. If we’re lucky, it may know the location of the Rantul nest. And if we’re really lucky, it may even help us find a way to finally deal with this mist.”

“How?” Tiny asked, curious. “How can it know how to deal with the mist? I mean, from what I saw, he’s in league with the Rantul, not the Piraca.”

“That’s because only a Piraca can safely cross the mist,” Blueskin said with a smile. “Or at least, something wearing the skin of a Piraca. If the Rantuls have found a way to control the Brain Spiders, we could make use of it to deal with the rubbies as well.”

Tiny-Sneaky nodded.

“I see,” she said. “Good. I’ll guide you to that orc then.”

“Wait,” Blueskin said, with a very large and almost predatory smile. “First, there is something I need to do.”

He grabbed Tiny-Sneaky, lifting her like a doll and kissing her on the mouth. The female ogre didn’t put up any resistance, just letting the Oni do anything he wanted. Then Blueskin put her back on the ground.

“I’ve had a horrible week, and I really need to blow some steam right now,” he said, feeling his reproductive pseudopod growing. “Bend over. I’ll make it quick. After all, we’ve got some important things to do.”

Without a word, the female ogre obeyed, though a glint of displeasure appeared on her face. Not that Blueskin cared. He was too excited to even notice.

Chapter 2

A Spider’s Parlor

The Rantul are a species of sentient arachnids that have been present in Aos ever since the dawn of history. According to some elven sources, they have made their appearance only a few centuries before humanity.

Rantul reproduce parasitically by laying eggs inside the bodies of other living creatures, so that the larvae can incubate safely and have an assured food supply when they hatch. According to their birth process, the Rantul are divided into three subspecies: Spawnlings, Hybrids, and Matriarchs.

Spawnlings are the most common Rantul breed, which is not surprising, considering as many as a hundred can hatch from a single host. They resemble huge tarantulas, except for talons on their legs, and can grow to the size of an adult hound. They are quite intelligent, though are still little more than animals, mostly ruled by their instincts. They are quite social, and hunt and fight in big packs, relying on numerical superiority, their talons and venom to kill their prey. They are naturally subservient toward hybrids and matriarchs.

Hybrids are born whenever the implanted eggs are absorbed into the host’s body and mutate it instead of hatching into spawnlings to devour it. The resulting hybrid is a mix between a Rantul and the host’s native species, though the instincts are purely those of a Rantul. Any previous memory and personality are erased during the transformation, though some faint traces may remain as quirks in their behavior. Hybrids vary in how dangerous they are depending on their original species, but can be extremely strong, able to retain part of their innate magic, if any were present. In battle, sentient hybrids often lead spawnlings and less intelligent hybrids, but are instinctively subservient toward matriarchs.

Matriarchs are born when one egg absorbs all of the other eggs before hatching, resulting in the birth of a single Rantul from a single host—which is always female in this case, as the matriarchs incubate inside the host’s uterus or an equivalent reproductive organ. They are very similar to spawnlings in appearance, but are many times their girth, easily reaching the size of a cart or even bigger.

Matriarchs sit at the top of Rantul society and are the ones leading the various nests, with the hybrids and spawnlings instinctively obeying all of their orders. They are also the only Rantul who possess the innate magic of their race, in their case, the ability to create and manipulate magical webs. These webs can be used for many purposes, from offense to building and even healing. Silk produced by a Rantul Matriarch is considered an exceedingly rare and precious material, often used for magical garbs which are even more resilient than actual plate armor.

The Arachne are a subspecies of Rantul Matriarch that are the result of a mix-up between the hatching and the hybridization process. An Arachne looks like a normal matriarch, only with the torso of the host attached to its cephalothorax. Sadly, this part of the host retains their memories and personality, which contrasts with those of the matriarch, something which leads the Arachne to mental instability and madness.

However, Arachnes are also extremely powerful, having a more powerful Aura compared to other matriarchs and also possessing the native magical abilities of both Rantul and their native species. Because of their power and madness, Arachne are considered incredibly dangerous, even by their own kin, and are often killed as soon as they are born.

—Excerpt from A Wayfarer’s Guide to the Unknown Volume III, Creatures and Monsters by Septim Logan, published by Auric Golden Press

Within the depths the Caligare Forest, the Greenward Mountains emerged from the trees like a colossal gray wall, with steep, rocky sides almost completely devoid of vegetation. Spirals of mist climb over those mounts, mixing with the low clouds that had been trapped by the peaks. It was a completely impassable barrier with no weak points, one that could stop just about everything.

Except for one place.

A narrow valley cut through the mountains, similar to a crack when compared to the humongous size of the nearby peaks. Even here the way was obstructed, though not by a natural formation, but by a mighty fortress occupying the whole pass. An ancient relic of some long-forgotten civilization that sought to create a wall between itself and the threats looming in the nearby Dark Heart.

Untold centuries had passed from the time of its construction, yet the castle still stood, solid and immovable. Though its walls had been breached in many places, either by the passage of time or the deliberate assault of some enormous creature.

Currently, the place was actually occupied and cared for. The surrounding area had been cleared of trees, and the wood used to make rudimentary reparations to the fortifications.

From the crude quality of those works, and from the fact that a lot of big, fat and scaly creatures were patrolling the surroundings, it was easy to deduce that the current inhabitants of the fortress were orcs.

The name of the fortress was lost to the ages, and was now known simply as the Wall, and had become the headquarters of the united orc army.

From her observation point, hidden on a small plateau a few hundred meters above the valley, Anak’si the Pale Matriarch sneered with contempt while spying on the orcs. Those savages toiling below her had no idea that their impending doom was almost literally waiting above their heads. In their carelessness, they could barely be bothered to keep watch on the side of the fortress facing the Dark Heart, and not even their leader thought of scouting the surrounding mountains for possible threats. This was a huge oversight, and one that would eventually cost the orcs their supremacy over the Caligare Forest.

Though it wasn’t time for action yet. The seeds of anarchy and dissatisfaction had yet to bloom amongst the orc army, and facing them before their strength and unity waned would be folly. Still, judging from the information she’d acquired, Anak’si wouldn’t have to wait for long.

Having seen what she needed to, the Matriarch started back to her home. The road, if it could be called such, was incredibly steep and filled with obstacles, from huge holes and crevices, to sharp rocks and huge stones that obstructed the way. It was so difficult, that even an expert mountaineer would have thought twice before taking such a path, which Anak’si crossed with incredible ease, going at a pace that any human would have struggled with even on an easy road.

But Anak’si wasn’t human—at least not entirely. Her upper torso was that of a human girl, and a really beautiful one at that, but the rest of her body was a colossal, white furred spider. This immediately identified her as an Arachne, a rare and greatly feared subspecies of Rantul Matriarch. Luckily, Anak’si had no such problems with the typical conflict of two separate minds, their wills battling for dominance, which gave the Arachne their madness. She had only one will between the two minds, and therefore was perfectly sane. She enjoyed only the perks of her condition, which mostly meant better thought clarity and a greatly increased Aura.

Using her eight powerful, talon-tipped legs, she easily crossed the mountains, often walking over vertical surfaces without slowing a bit. While her spider head followed the path, her human one scanned the sky in search of possible threats, though she wasn’t overly worried about that. Not only was she herself strong enough to be able to easily deal with most threats, even while so close to the Dark Heart, she also had Nero watching over her. Though she couldn’t see the Deathstalker, she felt his reassuring presence nearby, ready to deal with any creature foolish enough to attack her.

It wasn’t long before she reached her base, located in a valley hidden between the peaks of the Greenward Mountains. It had been dug over the centuries by a small stream, and was about ten kilometers long and one or two kilometers wide. The entire valley was filled by huge spruce trees, which formed a dark mass that no light could penetrate.

Without slowing, Anak’si entered that small forest. She immediately felt the presence of invisible webs stretching from tree to tree, and she passed through them as if they didn’t exist. Those webs were magical after all, put there by herself or by one of the other matriarchs serving under her. They would only break at the passage of non-Rantul, causing a really loud, high-pitched noise in the process. It was a typical alarm system of her kin.

As she walked deeper into the forest, the presence of the Rantul became more apparent. Huge webs, this time perfectly visible, had been spun from tree to tree, creating a labyrinthine structure that spanned the whole forest and formed something resembling a village, with walls, ceilings, huts and even roads made of webs and pieces of wood. Countless Rantul spawnlings crawled over everything, while bigger hybrids emerged from that chittering mass—some on two legs and some on four—all moving with a definite purpose while carrying out their duties. Here and there bigger shapes could be seen, showing that Rantul Matriarchs were present.

The lesser Rantul all took notice of Anak’si’s presence, parting respectfully to give her space to pass. Humanoid hybrids even bowed with deference, something which pleased the Pale Matriarch, though she didn’t show anything on her face and just kept moving until she reached a small clearing.

A huge structure had been built at the center of the clearing, occupying most of it. It was made entirely out of thick, silvery webs, spun into a shape resembling that of an eastern shrine. As soon as Anak’si approached, those webs started glowing, a magical reaction to her presence, and one of the walls opened like a curtain, letting the Arachne in.

The inside of the building was one big room with the floor and the walls covered by gray silk tapestries. A few wooden boxes were scattered around, and the glow of the webs provided enough light to see.

A huge, hammock-like web dangled from the ceiling, and Anak’si jumped on it with relief, letting her legs rest after the long walk. Not that she was tired or anything, she just wanted to relax a bit.

She looked around her current abode. It was relatively small, for sure, but also quite cozy, a refuge from all the stressful things that happened in the world. Anak’si liked it very much. Sadly, thinking about it also carried some measure of annoyance. Not because of the place itself, but rather because of the memories connected to her past homes.

This was the fourth nest Anak’si had to build since the previous two had been burned down by the orcs. Thinking about that desecration filled her with murderous rage. The first nest had been lost as a result of a lost battle… a battle that started with the Rantul successfully ambushing the orcs with superior numbers and from an advantageous position.

How they managed to lose was something that still boggled the Matriarch’s mind. One moment her forces were steamrolling the orcs, and the next, they’d been completely routed by a counterattack that came from nowhere. And from there things had gone downhill, resulting in the Rantul being forced to run for their lives, abandoning their nest and Anak’si’s first home.

The second and the third nests were lost because the orcs somehow managed to find them, even though they shouldn’t have been able to. Both places were rather far from the orc territories and very well-hidden, but somehow this hadn’t been sufficient.

Anak’si’s spies had thankfully informed her of the impending attack, allowing her to evacuate the nest without suffering any loss, but she was still incensed by having to abandon her home. She was particularly incensed by the deep unfairness of it all. Months she’d spent building up her spy network, making sure she would know pretty much everything that happened in the forest, and the orcs—those dumb, lazy, gluttonous brutes whose first solution to any problem was trying to eat it—had still managed to outsmart her.

It was maddening.

Despite these precedents, she was pretty sure those idiotic humanoids wouldn’t be able to find the current nest. For starters, despite its closeness, it was incredibly well-hidden amongst the mountains, probably the best hidden nest she ever built. And second, and most important, it was protected by a three-layer security. Operatives occupied with raiding and spying reported to a bunch of small outposts hidden in the forest, with no idea about the location of the main nest. That way, even if the orcs tracked them back to their bases, it would only be a minor loss and there would be no hint for them to find out where her main force lurked.

Sure, there were a few agents that reported directly to Anak’si from the field, but those were her personal agents, and most of them weren’t even Rantul to begin with. They were simple spiders that she’d bound to her service through her powers. The orcs had no reason to suspect them, even if they did find them. They were ideal spies, if not for the fact that their minds were very small, which limited the amount of information they could relay. Still, their number and stealthiness was enough to always keep Anak’si informed about the general state things.

And besides, the Matriarch controlled other, more intelligent arachnid species, like the Cerebrarachnids—or Brain Spiders, as they were commonly called—who had infiltrated the orcs’ ranks by possessing the bodies of some orc grunts. Those were the best agents she possessed. They actually received first-hand information about what the orc leaders were up to. In fact, it was thanks to them that she’d been able to evacuate her previous nests in time.

Which in turn meant the merit of saving the nests went to Anak’si herself, since she was the one who controlled the spiders to begin with.

The Arachne was born with this power, the power to enslave other arachnids to her will. All she needed to do was touch a spider, whether with her own hand or with her magical webs, and it would immediately be brainwashed into her service. Not only could she order them around as she saw fit, but she could also commune with them through touch, gaining access to their thoughts and memories.

Sadly, there were limitations to this power, as it didn’t completely work on sentient beings. Even in that case, she could exert a more subtle but still substantial influence. It was thanks to this that she’d united multiple Rantul nests under her rule, despite the fact that in normal circumstances the matriarchs from different nests would instinctively be at each other’s throat. And the best part was that the other matriarchs didn’t even realize they’d been manipulated into her service, instead thinking they had done so completely out of their own will, out of fear of the orcs. Which was true, in a sense, as all that Anak’si had done was to magnify that fear, while simultaneously instilling into them the feeling that only she could save them.

The Arachne smirked. Truly, in order to succeed, the first thing to do is to deceive the ones closest to you.

She’d learned this lesson the hard way a lifetime ago… Quite literally, since it had happened in her previous life, back when she was just a normal human girl from a different world called Earth. She didn’t really like thinking about it though, since her previous existence had been painfully mediocre.

Back when she was human, she wasn’t beautiful, smart, or particularly talented in any field. She had been insignificant to the point that people often forgot she existed. At least, until high school, when she finally had enough of being invisible to everyone and decided to make herself special in any way possible. She quickly discovered that, despite her apparent lack of talents, she was actually very good at lying and manipulation, and had taken full advantage of this in order to finally stand out.

Through lies and some good acting, she managed to get into the circles of popular girls, getting others to obey her and do her bidding. And if someone got uppity… well, she had many ways to frame them for something and then blackmail them back into her service. In a way, even back then, she’d pretty much been like a spider, sitting comfortably in a web of lies, waiting for her prey to fall in.

However, she’d made a mistake. She grew proud and confided all of her accomplishments to her best friend—or the one she thought was her best friend—a shy and meek girl named Rebecca. She just wanted to brag a little bit. The girl she’d confessed all her deeds to seemed completely harmless! She was a total doormat who followed Anak’si and her posse around like a lost puppy. Instead, the little traitor had the gall to tell everyone else about it, even presenting proofs she’d gathered during their friendship. The Arachne still fumed with rage at the memory. All of her hard work, undone by just one dirty little tattletale.

That had been the end of Anak’si’s social life. Everyone avoided her. No one wanted to talk to her. Even her parents forced her to have regular appointments with a damn shrink, treating her as if she was mentally ill or something!

Back then, Anak’si, unable to have her way with other people, turned into something of a shut-in, finding solace on the internet. The web was full of people ready to fall for her lies, complete with total anonymity and unaccountability. She made a nice nest for herself on social medias, extorting praise, sympathy and even the occasional money from her followers. She even started to play games and watch anime, first as part of her “gaming girl” persona, and then because she actually started liking them. She especially loved Isekai stories, the ones where the main characters were reincarnated and got to restart their lives with the added bonus of powers and the knowledge from their previous existence.

It had been quite a pleasant surprise when the exact same thing happened to her.

After she’d died of an aneurysm in her sleep, she was reincarnated in this world as an Arachne, and had also been given the necessary powers to easily succeed in this new life. Being an Arachne alone gave her an unparalleled Aura compared to the other Rantul Matriarchs. Coupled with her ability to control all spiders and her knowledge from her previous world, she had been able to ascend to power incredibly fast, carving a nice little empire for herself in the depth of the woods and starting the conquest of the whole Caligare Forest.

However, conquering the whole region wasn’t her endgame plan. She didn’t want to toil in the wilderness for the rest of her life. No, what she wanted was to enjoy the luxuries of civilization. But in order to do that, she first needed to consolidate her power over the forest.

Humans and other civilized races lived beyond the borders of the Caligare Forest, but she couldn’t just waltz into their lands without a plan. They would certainly kill her or at least capture and enslave her. That’s what humans did with monsters, after all. And because of this, she needed to amass enough military might to force the humans to either accept her or be conquered.

This was a good plan, if Anak’si could say so herself. And it would have most certainly worked, if the orcs hadn’t interfered, waging war and disrupting all of the Arachne’s preparations.

But now, the table was about to be turned.

Not only were the orcs getting weaker, due to problems with supplies and internal strife, but her new nest was growing stronger than ever.

Their closeness to the Dark Heart was quite the boon for her. Sure, that place was literally hell on earth and most of the things lurking in there were more like nightmares incarnate than living creatures. What really mattered was that a lot of the inhabitants of the Dark Heart were spiders, or spider-like enough to allow Anak’si power to work on them.

Nero, her Deathstalker bodyguard, was probably the best catch of all. A vicious killer, an unparalleled hunter, and all in all an unstoppable killing machine, he was one of the deadliest creatures that could be found in the Dark Heart. If only Anak’si could find a female of his species to make them reproduce. She could gather an army of those dreadful arachnids that not even the orcs could hope to win against. And apart from him, there were many other horrifically lethal spiders that the Matriarch had bound to her will.

The thought of getting this much power considerably brightened her mood, to the point she actually started humming a merry song. She also took out a shard of a mirror from one of her vases and started combing her silky white hair, finally starting to relax.

It was then she heard a bestial scream echo in the distance, and then all of the alarm webs started ringing through the nest.

Chapter 3

Rip and Tears

Anak’si ran out of her hut, trying to understand what was going on.

There were Spawnlings and Hybrids running all around like chickens with their heads cut off, while screams and roars could be heard in the distance, coming from the northern border of the woods.

It didn’t take a genius to understand that the nest was under attack. And while Anak’si couldn’t be sure who the attackers were, she strongly suspected it might be the orcs.

She stood immobile, trying to decide what to do. For a moment she considered the possibility of rallying her forces against the invaders, but then, after considering all the possibilities, she decided to flee. Even if the current attackers weren’t orcs, the ensuing ruckus so near the orc fortress would almost surely give away their location. If the nest was lost anyway, it didn’t make sense to fight for it. It was more logical to vacate the premises.

Still, the thought of having to abandon her home once again filled her with murderous rage. She really hated having to do so! Especially because this time, she’d spent a lot of time and effort in preparing this nest in order to defeat the orcs! Moreover, she wouldn’t hear the end of it from the other Matriarchs! A lot of them were already questioning her authority, and having to flee could make them rebel against her, in particular those who were her elders and resented her position as the leader.

If they managed to survive and flee together with her, that is.

Anak’si carefully weighed her options. Sure, losing a bunch of Matriarchs would be a significative blow to her forces, but if they died, there wouldn’t be anyone left to question her authority. Especially since the Matriarchs in charge of the secondary nests had been handpicked from those most loyal to the Arachne.

An evil smirk appeared on her face.

Yeah, that was the most sensible course of action. What really mattered was that she managed to survive herself. Only she was irreplaceable, after all. The others would be a sacrifice for the cause of the Rantul race.

Having established her plans, Anak’si started to put them into motion.

“To me!” she cried, calling the nearby Rantul. “Come here! Come to your Matriarch!”

All of the nearby Spawnlings and Hybrids instinctively answered her call, gathering around her, waiting for orders.

“You!” she said, pointing at one of the Hybrids. “Go search for every Matriarch you can find, tell them to go fight the invaders! We must defend the nest! Go!”

The Rantul scuttled away, and as soon as he was out of sight, the Arachne addressed everyone else.

“Take my things from my hut and follow me!” she said.

Without hesitation, they obeyed and started gathering her stuff. Anak’si couldn’t help but smile. You could say whatever you wanted about the lesser Rantul, but they sure knew how to respect their superiors.

As soon as the Arachne’s possessions had been secured, the group marched south in order to flee the nest, with Anak’si herself leading the way.

She kept a brisk pace but proceeded with caution, occasionally stopping to check if there was anything dangerous around. The battle appeared limited to the northern border of the nest. It was during one of these pauses that she noticed a scent of smoke in the air, and as soon as she did, she also saw flames flickering through the trees in the distance.

“They set the forest on fire!” she cried, stopping the rest of the Rantul in their tracks. “Get back, we can’t go through here! We’ll go to the west!”

And she was just about to resume walking when she heard the noise of something big approaching from the north, breaking the webs and branches on its path. And as soon as she turned, a horrible creature emerged from the trees.

It had a vaguely humanoid shape, but there was nothing human about it. Three meters tall, despite walking in a crouched position, with shoulders so wide it almost made him look hunchbacked. Despite its size it moved swiftly, using its incredibly long and muscular arms as well as its legs to move about like a gorilla. All of its limbs ended in huge, sharp talons.

The whole thing sort of looked like an obscenely jacked up sloth-monkey covered in green scales, a creature that Anak’si had never seen before… and yet she managed to discern its species, since its head, which consisted mostly of a huge maw filled with sharp teeth and two small, beady eyes filled with fury and hunger, was actually rather familiar to her.

It was the head of an orc, and to her knowledge, there was only one subspecies of orc capable of altering their appearance almost at will.

“An ogre!” Anak’si cried as the creature threw itself at her, diving right through her minions, sending them flying or trampling them as if they were dead leaves.

The Arachne lifted her hand, ready to defend herself. Before she could do anything, a humongous black spider, even bigger than Anak’si herself, emerged from the shadows and intercepted the ogre. Sharp, scythe-like limbs covered in dark chitin moved too fast for the eye to see, cutting the ogre’s legs and causing it to fall. The humanoid roared in pain, but before it could do anything else, the arachnid swung its sharp limbs, chopping the ogre’s head off.

Now that the attacker was dead, the black spider turned to Anak’si, looking at her with eight small red eyes to make sure she was fine. All of the other Rantul flinched and took a step back under that cold, emotionless stare, but Anak’si just smirked and waved her hand to reassure the creature.

After all, that was Nero, her Deathstalker bodyguard, and she had nothing to fear from him. The spider was bound to her by her strongest magic, and his utmost priority was to defend her at any cost.

Without a sound, the Deathstalker disappeared into the shadows, though the Arachne could still feel his reassuring presence nearby.

However, one look at the mangled body of the ogre was enough to make her feel uneasy again.

So, the ones who are attacking us are really the orcs! she thought. This ogre here must have modified its body to climb the mountains in order to reach the nest undetected. Clever. She grimaced. I still wonder how they found me… For now, it’s better to focus on escaping.

“Let’s go!” she shouted, taking the lead. “There is no time to lose, we have to get out of the nest!”

The group followed her to the west, keeping away from the flames spreading from the south while simultaneously trying to not get too near the northern border.

On their way out, they were attacked a second time by a group of three ogres, all sharing the same sloth-gorilla-like appearance of the first. But this time, Anak’si had expected them and was on her guard, reacting swiftly, using her magic to defend herself.

As soon as the humanoids appeared, she moved her hand and the surrounding webs started moving as if they had a life of their own, throwing themselves at the attackers like a swarm of snakes and entangling them. This didn’t actually stop the ogres, who tore apart the webs with their huge talons, but the distraction allowed Nero to take them by surprise and kill them with utmost ease.

After that brief interruption, they reached the border of the nest without any further inconvenience, getting out of the woods and into a small rocky plateau that led straight into a deep ravine. That would have been a dead end for most races, but luckily all Rantul were perfectly capable of walking over vertical surfaces. Even better, the group could hide at the bottom of the ravine while getting away. After that, they would have no problem reaching one of the secondary nests.

And then I’ll make sure to make the orcs pay! Anak’si thought with rage. I’ll go to the Dark Heart and find a partner for Nero and make them breed. When I come back, I’ll have a whole army of Deathstalker with me! Let’s see the orcs try to stop that!

She lead the group toward the border of the ravine beyond the woods, but when she was halfway there, she stopped. A sense of dread filled her head, coming from above her. And immediately after, something huge, winged and clearly dangerous dropped from the sky, landing right in front of her.

For a moment, the Arachne panicked, thinking the thing in front of her was a dragon, what with it’s colossal, bat-like blue wings. Then she noticed the body they were attached to was actually humanoid. However, that did nothing to calm her. Quite the opposite, actually, because she recognized that creature.

She’d seen him during a battle a few months before, and though it’d been from a long distance, it was still unmistakable. It was Blueskin, the Oni who ruled over the orcs, and one of the most dangerous beings in the Caligare Forest. A threatening Aura oozed out of him like a miasma.

The Arachne had to force herself to not flee, knowing well that having the Oni behind her was even worse than having him in front. But the other Rantul did not possess her self-control, especially since they were already panicked and confused. Obeying their animalistic instincts, they scattered back into the woods, dropping her belongings in order to run faster.

“Greetings!” The Oni said cheerfully in the language of the Rantul, while his wings atrophied and retreated inside his body. “I assume you are the one they call the Pale Matriarch, are you?”

“Yes,” Anak’si replied cautiously. She was a bit surprised that Blueskin had spoken in the language of her species, but she tried not to show it. Instead, she studied him to discern any possible weakness.

By human standards, the leader of the orcs was handsome, gorgeous even, with a perfectly toned body and strong, pleasant features that somehow complimented his more exotic Oni traits. There was something unnatural and artificial about his good looks though. He was completely calm and carefree, but the Arachne felt power and barely restrained violence radiating from him like heat from a stove.

“Good!” Blueskin said with a smile. “I’ve been looking for you for quite some time! Who would have guessed that you would be so close to my home, eh?” He let out a cold chuckle. “Anyway, you don’t need to worry. Though initially I intended to just kill you, now I’ve got a proposition for you.”

“Is that so?” Anak’si asked. “What kind of proposition do you have for me?”

She struggled to keep herself calm and level-headed. She had no doubt that the Oni was ready to attack her at any moment, and while she was confident in her own power, something told her that a direct one-on-one confrontation with the Blue Terror would not end in her favor.

Anak’si did have an ace up her sleeve, in the form of Nero, who she sensed slowly approaching the Oni’s back. This knowledge managed to calm her down a bit. There was nothing in the Caligare Forest that a Deathstalker couldn’t kill if they had the element of surprise. If she managed to gain enough time for Nero to get into the perfect position, then the leader of the orcs was as good as dead.

“Well, I am in need of your ability, so I was thinking of forming some sort of alliance,” Blueskin said. “You’re the one that can control the Brain Spiders, aren’t you?”

How the hell does he know that? Arachne thought, trying to keep a straight face. She thought to deny that affirmation, but decided otherwise. After all, she wanted to drag along the conversation and the Oni was soon going to be dead anyway.

“Yes, I am,” she confirmed as cautiously as she could, staring at her opponent to gauge his reaction. “How do you know that?”

“Ah!” the Oni smirked. “What do you take me for? Some of those stereotypical big bad evil guys that spill out their whole plan as soon as they think they got the hero cornered? Sorry, sweetheart, but I’m not telling.” He paused for a second and then added, in a more serious tone: “Anyway, I came here because I need the Brain Spiders for my plans, and that means I need you, apparently. Surrender peacefully and agree to help me, and in return I’ll guarantee your safety.”

This time, Anak’si couldn’t keep some of her confusion from showing. Blueskin wasn’t talking like an orc, or like a member of any race of the Caligare Forest. He was talking like a human, and one from her old world at that!

Is he a reincarnated human too? she thought. Or did he learn about those things in this world? If he is… well, that would explain why he’s so different from the rest of the orcs. And he did make his appearance in this world at the same time I did.

She wondered if she could have Nero stand down and earnestly try to talk with Blueskin. If he really was a reincarnated human, she could tell him of their similar origin in order to find some common ground and maybe even form an alliance like he’s suggested.

But this thought only lasted for a brief moment before her suspicion and pride kicked in. Even if the Blue Terror was actually a reincarnated human, that didn’t automatically make him trustworthy. And besides, she really didn’t like the idea of sharing command with—or even worse, being subservient to—someone else. It was better to just let Nero kill him.

Still, in order to make things easier for the Deathstalker, she pretended to be interested.

“Let’s say I do as you ask. What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your word and you won’t harm me after I’ve helped you?” Anak’si said, trying to sound scared and cornered, but secretly getting ready for the moment when Nero would attack. The spider was nowhere to be seen, but she felt its presence getting ever so closer to the Oni.

“Well, you have my word of course. Scout’s honor!” Blueskin grinned. “Besides, your power to control spiders would be really useful for my future plans. It’s in my best interest to actually leave you unharmed.”

Nero reached the right position, just a few meters from the Oni, and was preparing to attack. Meanwhile, Anak’si kept talking, trying to further distract the Blue Terror.

“Those are not really solid guarantees, as far as I’m concerned,” she said drily.

“They should be!” Blueskin replied, starting to sound annoyed. “Listen here, honey, you got no choice. Either you surrender now, or I will—”

Nero threw himself against the Oni, moving almost too fast for the eye to see, and protruding his scythe-like limbs toward the Oni’s neck.

And yet, Blueskin managed to avoid the attack. Reacting to some kind of instinct or foresight, he jumped to the right, barely dodging the chitin blades aimed at his vital areas. A few attacks partially connected, biting deep into his flesh and causing the Oni’s dark green blood to spray everywhere.

Blueskin grunted, but even then, he didn’t let the surprise or pain slow him down. He started to transform into a shape more suited for combat. The scales that covered his skin became thicker and his claws grew longer. His wounds closed immediately, leaving nothing but a faint scar behind. Nero, however, did not let him complete his metamorphosis, launching another series of attacks that forced the Oni on the defensive and opened many small wounds on his body.

The Blue Terror growled in anger and tried to put some space between himself and his opponent, but at that moment, Anak’si joined the fight to support her bodyguard. She pointed her right hand against the Oni and shot a thick, silvery and ethereal web from her palm. The web hit Blueskin in the legs, binding them tightly, causing the leader of the orcs to trip and fall to the ground. Nero was over him, slashing and stabbing the Oni’s flesh with his chitin talons like some sort of living blender.

Blueskin growled in pain and frustration, managing to raise his arms, protecting his head and neck. The Deathstalker’s assault was so relentless, he couldn’t do anything else.

Then, all of a sudden, the Oni opened his mouth and his tongue, now long like that of a chameleon and with a dark stinger on its tip, darted out like an arrow, piercing one of Nero’s eyes. The spider shrieked, allowing Blueskin to grab one of the Deathstalker’s legs and throw him a dozen of meters away.

The two opponents squared off, but this time it was the Oni who went on the offensive, growing two times his original size and trying to tear the spider apart with his now oversized claws. However, the Deathstalker was still the faster of the two, dodging the powerful but clumsy attacks of his opponent and retaliating with powerful slashes. Sadly, none of those attacks were enough to stop the Oni, who simply ignored and regenerated any wound he received and doubled his efforts to grab his enemy.

From the looks of it, the Blue Terror held the advantage due to his supernatural toughness and regeneration, and it was only a matter of time before he managed to catch Nero and put an end to the fight. That is, unless something else intervened to tip the scale of the fight in the Deathstalker’s favor. And that was exactly what Anak’si did.

While they’d been on the ground, she had taken the time to conjure another web, spinning the ethereal threads into a long, thin whip. As soon as she saw her bodyguard in difficulty, she used her newly created weapon to attack the Oni.

The whip slashed through the air with unnatural speed, letting out an eerie hiss. Blueskin howled in pain as his right arm had been completely cut off. Nero capitalized on the distraction, renewing his relentless offense.

Meanwhile, Anak’si cracked her whip at the Oni’s head, and he narrowly managed to dodge, the whip slashing through a big boulder instead, cutting it neatly in two as if it were made of butter.

Though it wasn’t a complete waste, since Nero took advantage of the distraction to inflict numerous deep wounds on his opponent’s torso.

The Arachne found herself smiling with confidence and excitement. The Blue Terror had greatly underestimated her by coming to face her alone, and now he was about to pay with his life for that mistake. And after he’d been removed, dealing with the rest of the orc army wouldn’t be too hard.

Things were finally going to get better, after all.

She prepared to crack her whip again, aiming at the Oni’s legs, when something hit her from the side, throwing her off-balance and causing her attack to miss completely.

“What the…” she started to curse, but then she shrieked in pain as something cut deeply into one of her legs. She turned to face the attacker, but when she glanced in the direction from which she’d been assaulted, she saw nothing. Then something cut deeply in one of her hind legs, causing her to scream once again.

For another few seconds, Anak’si tried to whirl on her mysterious enemy, but they kept circling behind her, taking advantage of her huge body to keep themselves in her blind spot.

Ah, so that’s how you want to tango, huh! the Arachne thought with fury. Let’s see if you can dance with this!

She made a quick gesture, and a silvery sphere materialized over her head, before exploding in a circle that sprayed webs all around her, managing to hit and entangle her attacker. Anak’si, her face deformed by pure, unadulterated fury, finally had the time to face that mysterious assailant, and when she did, she found herself in front of one of the most peculiar creatures she’d seen in her time in the forest.

Despite it being clearly an ogre, it was the most human and feminine one that the Matriarch had ever come across, having shapely proportions, more delicate traits and even being much smaller than the rest of its kin.

The female-looking ogre held a shortsword in its right hand and was currently trying to use it to cut the webs that entangled it. When Anak’si looked at that weapon, she realized it was covered in black blood… her own blood.

Feeling her mind fill with murderous fury, the Matriarch created another ethereal whip to deliver the killing blow with. That damn ogre bitch dared to harm her. Nothing short of death would suffice as punishment for such an indignity! She would cut that detestable creature in two!

Before she could actually do it, she felt a shrill shriek of pain coming from behind her, followed by a nauseating crunch.

With a sense of dread replacing her anger, Anak’si turned around, and what she saw sent chills of terror and panic down her spine.

While she was busy dealing with the female ogre, the fight between Nero and Blueskin had continued. Just a few moments before it had reached its conclusion. The Oni was covered head to toe in grievous wounds in addition to his missing arm, but still he stood victorious, holding the headless corpse of the Deathstalker with his remaining hand, and loudly chewing something in his now oversized maw. From the bite marks on the spider’s exoskeleton, it was pretty easy to deduce that his head must have been bit off by the Blue Terror.

The Oni gulped down his meal and seemed to almost swell with energy, his wounds closing and his bloody stump starting to bubble and grow until it regenerated into a new arm.

“Burp!” Blueskin belched and threw away the rest of Nero’s body. “Ah! That hit the spot! This spider’s Aura is really amazing.” With a satisfied smirk, he turned to Anak’si. “Thanks for the meal!”

The Oni’s threatening Aura, which had already been exceptional before, increased further, and was so strong, the Rantul Matriarch actually found it difficult to breathe in front of that terrifying presence. Her instincts screamed at her to run away, but her body was paralyzed by fear.

“I’ll tell you what,” the Blue Terror continued cheerfully. “To show you my gratitude for such a fine meal, I’ll renew my offer in spite of your… uncooperative attitude. Surrender now and agree to serve me, and I’ll spare your life. However, if you try anything funny again, well…” His smile became unnaturally wide. “I think I’ve still room for seconds!”

Anak’si trembled. For the first time since she’d been reborn in this new world, she actually felt helpless and vulnerable, all of her pride and ambition drowned in a sea of pure, abject terror.

“I… I surrender,” she stuttered with a shrill voice. “Please! Don’t kill me… I’ll do anything you want! Anything! J-just d-don’t kill m-me!”

“Very well.” The leader of the orcs nodded. “In that case, for starters, free Tiny-Sneaky from your webs.”

“Tiny-Sneaky?” the Arachne asked, a bit confused.

“My lieutenant,” Blueskin explained with a sigh, pointing at the female-looking ogre still enveloped in Anak’si’s ethereal webs. “Her. And do not try anything funny, or you’ll win a one-way ticket to the town of My Stomach!”

“Yes. I understand,” The Matriarch said, and at a wave of her hand, the webs that tied Tiny-Sneaky disappeared.

The ogre got up, nodded gratefully in Blueskin’s direction, and put her shortsword back in its sheath.

“Are you alright, Tiny?” the Blue Terror asked.

“Yes, I am. That web was nothing. It just slowed me down.”

“Speaking of slow…” the Oni said, with some disappointment in his voice. “What took you so long to intervene? I was almost starting to get worried for my life!”

“I needed to get as close as possible to make sure I would actually hit her.” Tiny-Sneaky shrugged, and gave Anak’si a hard stare. “The Pale Matriarch is dangerous. If she’d caught me before I got close enough, she would have probably killed me.”

“Fair enough.” Blueskin nodded. “Can’t really fault you for being careful.” He paused for a second, giving Anak’si a pensive stare. “And speaking of careful…”

Without any warning, the Oni threw himself against the Arachne, grabbing one of her legs and ripping it off with casual ease, causing her to shriek in pain. She tried to run away, but the Blue Terror was faster, and seized another of her legs, ripping it away as well.

The Rantul Matriarch howled, falling to the ground in shock as tears filled her eyes.

“Wait! Wait!” she cried. “W-what are you doing! You said you wouldn’t harm me if I did what you t-told me to do! You p-promised!”

“Nah, that was my first offer, and I really think you refused that, unless making your spider bodyguard attack me was your way of saying I Surrender,” the Oni said in a sardonic tone. “My second offer, the one you actually accepted, was that I would spare your life. And I’m not killing you. I’m just making sure you won’t run away at the first occasion… and without legs, it’s certainly difficult to run, isn’t it?”

“N-no!” Anak’si cried. “Please! D-don’t do that!”

“Oh, don’t worry!” Blueskin smiled encouragingly. “I’m not gonna rip off all your legs. I’ll leave you three of them, so you can actually move around on your own. It’d be a bother if I had to always carry you.”

“Wait! Wait!” The Arachne raised her hands to stop the Oni. “I have something to tell you! Something important!”

“Oh yeah? What is it?” the Oni asked, seemingly amused.

“I am… I am a reincarnated human from Earth!” she cried, her voice broken by pain and hiccups. “And… you’re one too, aren’t you? You must be! You speak too well for an orc!”

Blueskin gave a brief look at Tiny-Sneaky, but the female-looking ogre didn’t seem to react at all to this revelation, and after that he nodded in response.

“Well, good deduction there!” He smirked. “You’re right on the money. I am—or rather, I was—a human in my past life. But I can’t see how that is relevant to our current agreement.”

“I mean…” Anak’si tried to think of something, anything, to make the pain stop. “I mean that we don’t have to fight. You know that I’m not a monster, so you can trust me! There is no need to…” She paused, gulping hard. “No need to rip off my other legs.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong,” the Oni replied with a mocking smile “I’m not gonna trust you just because we share a common origin. In fact, that makes me trust you even less. Besides, I already suspected that you and the Crimson Devil could be reincarnators like me. Exceptional members of their species, born and risen to power at about the same time… Doesn’t take a genius to see the similarities. But thank you for confirming it anyway. As a token of my gratitude, I’ll leave you another leg… at least with four you’ll be able to walk more or less properly!”

“No, wait—” the Matriarch tried to interrupt him, but this time, the Blue Terror didn’t stop.

The desperate screams of the Arachne echoed around the mountains, while behind her, the Rantul nest burned to the ground.

Chapter 4

Acid Advisors

The Piraca are one of the most peculiar species that inhabit the Caligare Forest.

Physically, they look like a mix between a bat, a vulture and a fish, with wrinkly, rubbery, pale blue skin. The Piraca lacks any sort of visible natural weapons, such as talons or teeth, and even their beaks are not sharp.

Appearances can be deceiving, since they do possess a lethal hidden weapon. From their leech-like tongue, Piracas can shoot a tremendously powerful acid, capable of melting any creature into a puddle of goo, which the Piraca can then drink. Since they lack teeth, this defensive method is also how they feed. They also store this goo inside of an internal pouch for later use, for either their personal consumption or regurgitating it inside of their colony’s Pond.

The skin of all Piraca is outright immune to any acid, and it’s commonly used to make acid-resistant clothing.

Piraca are highly social creatures and usually live in big colonies of hundreds of individuals. At the core of every colony is a huge pool of goo, called Piraca Pond, which is the center of all Piraca life. The Pond isn’t only a food reserve, it’s also how the Piraca reproduces, as they spontaneously spawn from the goo.

Finally, it’s been rumored that the Pond is also the focus of all Piraca magic, though no man alive has ever lived to confirm this.

Piraca are divided into two subspecies: Thralls and Nobles.

Piraca Thralls are smaller and weaker, about half the size of an average adult human, and they have a somewhat limited intelligence and personality. On their own, they are timid and cowardly, only becoming aggressive in big numbers. They become far more determined when ordered around by a Noble, since they seem to have a natural need to obey a Noble’s every order.

A Thrall’s only natural weapon is their acidic spit, though they’re known for also using simple items, such as clubs or spears. The Thralls are incapable of flight, but can utilize their flappy skins to glide over short distances.

Piraca Nobles are a rarer breed of Piraca, and are always the leaders of Piraca colonies. They are much larger than Thralls, usually reaching two meters of height, and have far more wrinkly skin. They can control this excess skin at will, and even turn it into wings capable of flight and drape it around their bodies like robes when not in use.

Nobles are also vastly intelligent with a natural penchant for intrigue. In bigger colonies, they spend a lot of time plotting against each other, deciding their leaders based on their scheming ability. They also enjoy giving themselves complicated, overly long names and pretentious titles, while behaving in overly formal ways. Though their bestial, aggressive nature often shines through this civilized facade.

Indeed, while they do like to pretend to be civilized, all Piraca are animalistic and violent, and ultimately their discussions inevitably end up in physical altercations.

The Nobles are also the only ones of their species capable of using their racial magic, which mostly consists in the manipulation of acid and life-force. This magic is performed through rituals that involve a Piraca Pond as both a focus and fuel for the spells, and the casting consumes the goo. As a consequence, the bigger the Pond is, the greater is the magic capability of a Piraca colony.

Though no one can guarantee for their truthfulness, there are rumors about a very rare subspecies called Piraca Emperor. According to these rumors, a Piraca Emperor is similar to a Noble, only bigger and possessing a crimson skin instead of pale blue, and it possesses exceptional powers that put it way ahead of the rest of its kin. In addition to that, the usually squabbling and traitorous Nobles instinctively obey an Emperor with the same zeal with which the Thralls serve them. However, there are no official records of the existence of such a creature.

—Excerpt from A Wayfarer’s Guide to the Unknown Volume III, Creatures and Monsters by Septim Logan, published by Auric Golden Press

The sun had set over the Caligare Forest, and the last lights of the day were fading on the horizon, though the stronghold of the Piraca still bustled with activity. The Thralls scurried all over the dark corridors of the ancient fortress, called Mount Fang by its current inhabitant. A few Nobles were flying up in the sky, keeping guard against any possible attacks, though the barrier of acidic mist should have been enough to deter any such attempt. One couldn’t be cautious enough when surrounded by an entire army of orcs.

But the core of all the activity was the great hall of the fortress. It had always been a rather big room, but now it had been expanded farther, with many walls torn down. The floor had been almost completely removed, leaving only a huge crater which occupied all of the lower levels of the fortress. Inside of this huge hole was the colony’s Pond, a veritable small lake of bubbling goo which glowed with a sickly green light.

Noxious fumes raised from that cauldron, flowing outside of the fortress and down the hill to fuel the barrier of acidic mist. Dozens of Piraca Nobles stood on a platform, the only floor left on the room, discussing with each other, while a red-skinned Piraca of humongous proportions sat at the edge of that platform on a makeshift, rudimentary throne made of bones and wood.

Turemalac Nir Olotai, Ruler of Mount Fang, Sovereign of the Skies, Tyrant of the Caligare Forest, Emperor of the Piraca and owner of many other titles, also known as the Crimson Devil by the other races, struggled not to let out a tired, exasperated sigh.

As usual, the Nobles of his court were busy bickering amongst themselves, and as their leader he was expected to pay attention to their machinations, but that kind of pointless verbal skirmish simply bore him. He didn’t really share his kin’s love for political intrigue, as he much preferred actions to words. Sadly, he was expected to mediate his subjects’ disputes, so he had to listen to the endless arguments of the Piraca Nobles.

His position usually put him above the consequences of whatever intrigue was going on in his court, so he could afford to just pretend to pay attention, and then pass a random judgement on whatever the subject of the day was. He’d gotten so good at this, that all of the other Nobles thought his deliberations had some Machiavellian, inscrutable scheme behind them, instead of seeing them for what they really were. This left him free to focus on schemes that were actually important. Like the plans to conquer the Caligare Forest and the lands beyond.

However, things had changed over the last few months, and now he had to actually pay attention, since many of his previously loyal subjects had started to subtly challenge his authority, something he had to be extremely wary of.

One of those Nobles in particular, Miriadon Ludomair Madroma, the so-called Overseer of the Acidic Glade, was especially annoying because he acted as the unofficial spokesman for those who had gripes with Turemalac’s rule.

The emperor wished to put the little twat in his place, which would be the bottom of the Pond as far as he was concerned. Sadly, Miriadon was extremely careful not to go too far with his words, and Turemalac couldn’t afford to kill him without a clear, plausible cause under the current circumstances. So, for the time being, he tolerated the slimy little weasel talking rubbish in front of him, though he eagerly awaited the day when he’d make a faux pas and would have to face the consequences of his insolence.

“We think it would be in the best interest of the whole colony… No, in the best interest of the whole Piraca race, to abandon this fortress and head back to our domains in the mountains,” Miriadon was saying. “After all, staying here on Mount Fant serves no real practical purpose. We are free to leave anytime we want, and then we’d be free to attack the orcs at our leisure.”

A lot of Nobles nodded in agreement, more than Turemalac expected, something which made him furious. After all, he’d already explained why they had to remain on Mount Fang and endure the siege! Had they forgotten that already?

Except he couldn’t say that, not right now. Doing so would make it seem as if he needed to justify himself to his subjects, something that would be seen as an unforgivable weakness, completely unbecoming of an emperor. However, there were still Nobles loyal to him who were ready to fight back those complaints.

“That would mean running away and surrendering the fortress to the orcs!” cried Gulumag Kel Droomakai, the Monarch of the Misty Valley and Turemalac’s staunchest supporter. “If we do that, we’d lose our Pond and all the power we have amassed in it! It’d take months, if not years, to build it up again. And that would give the orcs free rein to expand farther and consolidate their power.”

Again, many Nobles nodded and muttered in agreement, and even the emperor subtly nodded with approval. At least someone still remembered his words!

“I agree that it seems like a waste to leave our Pond behind, especially after all the trouble we went through in order to fill it,” Miriadon conceded, albeit in a very condescending tone. “But we have to face the fact that soon there won’t be a Pond left. It’s already half of what it used to be before the siege, and maintaining the acid barrier keeps draining it at an alarming rate. I’d say that it’d be better to take whatever we can and start over somewhere else, before we’re forced to leave by starvation.”

“Did you hear what I told you before? Doing so would hand over the Caligare Forest to the orcs on a silver platter!” Gulumag cried with outrage. “Besides, as our venerable Emperor has told us, the orcs’ supplies are going to be depleted much sooner than our Pond! All we have to do is be careful not to consume too much and we will win this war!”

These words cause mixed reactions amongst the Nobles. Those most loyal to Turemalac cheered, but most seemed rather doubtful, though they didn’t openly voice their concerns for fear of retaliation. Even Miriadon wasn’t bold enough to directly criticize his emperor, and when he spoke again, he did so in a cautious tone, carefully choosing every word.

“If our Emperor said it, then it must be the truth,” he said, desperately trying to erase any trace of snark from his voice. “But still, it’s our duty to advise him to the best of our ability. And it is my humble opinion that while following our emperor will surely lead us to victory, we could benefit more from not fighting at all.” He opened and closed his beak a few times, which was the Piraca equivalent of a snarky giggle. “Let the orcs think they control the forest, if they want to. After all, they can’t possibly reach our nests in the mountains, while we can fly anywhere we please. And besides, more orcs would mean more prey for us to hunt, so building up our new Pond would be easy. That way, the orcs controlling the Forest could be the best possible thing for us.”

These words caused Gulumag and his posse to start squawking with anger, calling Miriadon a traitor and other such names. However, there were also many who openly sided with the rebellious Noble, an act of open defiance that would have been unthinkable just a few months prior, while the majority of those who remained neutral also seemed to seriously consider Miriadon’s words.

Turemalac realized the balance was slowly shifting against him and those loyal to him. If he wanted to maintain control, he needed to do something, and he needed to do it now, Imperial protocol be damned.

Without a word, he waved his hand and exerted his will, the Pond bubbling in response. He closed his fist, and the goo exploded out of the pool like a geyser, rising almost to the roof while the whole fortress shook as if hit by an earthquake.

The Nobles stopped squabbling, freezing in their place and cowering in fear in front of that display of power. While his subjects were still in awe, the emperor got up from his throne, giving a dramatic stare to his audience before speaking up.

“That’s enough,” he said with a calm, ice-cold voice. “We are not abandoning Mount Fang, and if any of you make that suggestion again, I will personally drown that fool in the Pond!” He turned slightly toward Miriadon, who trembled like a scared rabbit. “In case you didn’t notice, the orcs we’re facing are different from the orcs you’ve faced in the past. They are no longer a bunch of stupid savages. They are a united and even somewhat organized force, one that has been systematically eliminating all possible threats over the past few years… and the Piraca are the biggest threat.

“If you think they’d leave us alone if we just hide in our mountain nest, then you’re not just a fool, you’re the entire circus!” His voice became harder. “The only way we can survive is if we manage to defeat the orcs first. And the only way we can do that is to endure this siege! I’ve already explained how this is possible once before, but since it seems you’re all quite forgetful, I shall explain it again.

“While it’s true the orcs have the advantage as far as numbers are concerned, those same numbers are also their weakness. They lack the supplies to properly feed themselves for a prolonged period of time. Meanwhile, our Pond contains enough goo to keep us fed for at least another month, even taking into consideration the drain caused by the barrier. All we have to do is to sit and wait, and in a week or two the orcs will be driven to the brink of starvation, dissolving their unity and organization into anarchy and chaos! And then, they’re gonna be an easy pick for us! We will feed them to our Pond, increasing our power, and finally obtaining absolute supremacy over the Forest! And once we’ve done that, we will have enough power to take over the world!”

As he spoke, he slowly let go of his power, and the fortress stopped trembling, becoming silent just as he finished his discourse. A deep, dramatic silence followed his words. The Nobles, of course, were at first too shaken to actually talk, but then Gulumag shook himself from that stupor, and kneeled in front of his emperor.

“Long live Emperor Turemalac!” he cried. “May his blessed rule last forever! May he guide us to our promised future!”

All of the other Nobles followed the Monarch’s example, kneeling and singing Turemalac’s praises. Even Miriadon himself did so, though the emperor could still see a shadow of doubt in his mannerism. Quite alarmingly, the same thing was reflected in most of his Nobles.

Turemalac sat back on his throne, struggling to stifle an angry growl. He’d seen the same doubtful expression for months and he was getting real tired of it.

After that intermission, the Nobles resumed their squabbling, this time over minor things. Turemalac didn’t listen to them anymore, distracted by his own bitter thoughts.

I’ve united the whole Piraca race. I’ve made them more powerful than they have ever been and I laid the foundation for a great empire… And the moment I suffer a single defeat, they all start doubting me! He struggled to suppress the urge to scowl. Bunch of ingrates! If it wasn’t for me, they’d all have been hunted down to extinction by the orcs and the Rantul!

Sadly, getting incensed would get him nowhere, so he reined in his anger. After all, he was confident in his plan. His most accurate foretelling ritual, which had left him tired for a week, assured him this plan had a success rate of 91%. While the possibility of failure was still there, he thought it was small enough to be negligible. The orcs couldn’t possibly get over the acid barrier surrounding Mount Fang, so the Piraca just had to wait until their enemies were weak enough and their victory was all but assured.

All Turemalac needed to do was keep them under control until then, and he was confident he could do that. After all, he’d learned all there was to know about how to be a leader in his previous life.

Back then he was a human on a world called Earth. Originally, he’d been born in a very wealthy family. His father was a tough person, with a reputation for complete ruthlessness when doing business, but he was also a loving family man. Thanks to him, Turemalac didn’t want for anything in his childhood. He was almost like royalty, with his family’s reputation and money opening every door in front of him, and his future looked bright.

Sadly, that was not to be for long.

His father was betrayed by his most trusted subordinate, who revealed himself to be a mole for the government. Then, in just about a week, Turemalac’s life was completely turned upside down in the shittiest way possible.

First, his father was arrested. Then, all of the family assets were seized by the state. Finally, he was sent to live with one of his aunts in a dilapidated condo where he had no access to any of the luxuries he’d previously enjoyed. Worse still, he was forced to attend a rundown public school, where pretty much everyone hated his guts because of his father’s reputation.

After going from an almost royal lifestyle to a hellish cycle of getting yelled at, eating cheap pre-cooked meals, and getting his head shoved in the toilet at school, it was no surprise he turned into a shut-in, finding solace in watching anime and reading manga, especially Isekai ones where the protagonist gained a lot of power, turning from a loser to an unstoppable conqueror. He liked to see himself in those characters, and the escapism provided by those stories helped him tolerate his less-than-ideal circumstances.

Then, just a few years later, his dreams came true. He died after being shoved down the stairs by his bullies and hitting his head, a pathetic death if there ever was one. After that, he was reborn as the one and only Piraca Emperor and he finally obtained the life of privilege and power he yearned for.

Sure, there were a few things that weren’t ideal, like being forced to live inside of an uncivilized forest for example, but that could be changed. There were civilized lands beyond the borders of the Caligare Forest, and if he gathered a strong enough host of Piraca, he could conquer them and create a cozy empire for himself. And he was confident he could do that. He had all kinds of aces up his—metaphorical, since he was actually naked—sleeves.

Apart from being the natural born leader of his race, being an emperor came with all sorts of advantages. First of all, he could actually perform his racial magic at a level that was unfathomable for the rest of his kin. What took his Nobles hours-long rituals and sacrifices to perform, he could do with just a gesture.

For example, he was the one who created the acid barrier, and the quality of that spell was such that it didn’t even need any conscious effort to be maintained. In addition to that, he’d also been given a unique power in order to succeed: the ability to predict the future—at least to a certain extent. By feeding some of his own life-force to the Pond, he would get to know the odds of specific future events happening, an amazing ability that allowed him to successfully lead the Piraca, always making the right decisions even without having the full picture.

Sadly, as useful as this power was, it still had some limitations.

Since Turemalac had to sacrifice his own life energy in order to perform the foretelling, it always left him weak and vulnerable for a few days, so he tried to use it as little as possible. Then there was the fact that this ability only answered very specific questions, and those answers were always in the form of a percentage, so even while taking the most promising odds, the chance of failure was always there for any odds that weren’t 100% in his favor.

He’d learned the hard way during his decisive battle against the orcs. Back then, he had been foretold that his chances of winning were 85%, which he thought was good enough to risk them in a decisive battle. Instead, the orcs had not only delivered a crushing defeat to the Piraca forces, they also managed to capture a lot of Nobles alive for them to eat, something which allowed a lot of them to evolve into ogres.

After that, he’d become rather cautious when making his predictions, but the damage was done. The trust that the Nobles had in him had been broken, and with it their unquestioning loyalty. Even though they still didn’t dare challenge him directly, they’d started to question his orders and even his motivations. In particular, his strategy of waiting for the orcs to fall on their own.

That plan didn’t really sit well with most Nobles, and many of them, led by Miriadon, wanted to leave Mount Fang and return to their previous domains. But the emperor couldn’t allow that. If his past life’s experience taught him anything, it was that he couldn’t trust anyone, and having the Nobles go back to their old territories would put them out of his direct supervision, thus making any potential betrayal much easier.

No, as the old saying went, he had to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. Though Turemalac didn’t actually have any friends, nor did he want any, since friendship kind of implied a level of equality, and he wanted to be superior to everyone else. He just didn’t trust any of his subordinates, except maybe the Thralls, since their instinctive compulsion to obey his orders and relative lack of intelligence made them perfect minions. Watching them scuttling around while single-mindedly carrying on the orders given to them was incredibly satisfying, and made him regret that he couldn’t exert the same level of control on everyone else.

Turemalac shook his head to distract himself from those thoughts, and felt his eyelid shaking—the Piraca equivalent of a yawn.

I must be getting tired, he thought. Not surprising, since I had a long day. Better to call off the meeting. These idiots can resume their bickering tomorrow, if that makes them feel better… But still, that won’t change the fact that I’m the only one actually taking all the decisions!

He raised his hand, getting ready to address everyone in the room and close the discussions for the night. Then all of a sudden, a series of explosions shook the castle to its foundation.

Chapter 5

Nuke it!

A few minutes before, while the Piraca Nobles were discussing matters in the main hall, a few dozen Thralls walked around in the corridors in the lower levels of the fortress.

On its own, this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. There were hundreds of those creatures in the castle and most were busy working. But while these Piraca seemed completely normal at first glance, a more thorough inspection would have revealed that there was something wrong about them. They all had unfocused eyes, blank expressions, and stiff, puppet-like movements, which would be more than enough to clue in any sufficiently attentive onlooker that something was not right about them.

However, there was no one paying enough attention to the Thralls to notice these things.

These weird Piraca stumbled around in the fortress in complete silence, yet another weird thing for their kind. Normally, whenever there wasn’t a Noble present, the Thralls chatted endlessly with each other, complaining about pretty much everything, but these ones just kept on in utter silence.

They went on until their wandering took them to the front of a long and narrow flight of stairs that had been dug into the very stone of the mountain. Without hesitation, the Thralls took those stairs, which ended up in a small, empty room, with no way out except a balcony, which had been dug on the side of the mountain and faced over a sixty-meter tall cliff. There were signs of another passage that had been walled up rather recently, and not altogether skillfully either, since the stones were badly connected, and a tiny rivulet of green goo leaked from a few cracks.

This was exactly the place the Thralls had been looking for.

One nodded to the others and opened its beak, retrieving a black spherical object kept hidden in its mouth, and put it against the leaking wall. The others imitated it, taking out identical objects from their beaks and piling them near the first one. Three were stopped from doing so by one of their group, who put itself in front of them and started talking in a weird, high-pitched and chittering voice unlike that of any Piraca.

“You do not-not put the bombs here!” he cried. “We have enough-enough to destroy this wall already! Remember-remember the other orders! If we have enough bombs, we must-must try to hurt-hurt the Crimson Devil. And we have more than enough bombs! So, we try to kill-kill the Crimson Devil, like the Lady ordered us!”

Those three Thralls stopped in their tracks, and the one who had spoken, who seemed to act as their leader, continued to give orders.

“You, you and you!” he said. “Go-go back to the big room and wait-wait! When you hear the explosion, throw-throw your bombs at the Crimson Devil!”

“Yes-yes!” the three Piraca replied in unison, taking the stairs to go back to the upper levels of the fortress.

The apparent leader of these Thralls gestured for the others to wait, in order to give those three time enough to reach the main hall. However, despite its stoic appearance, inside of his head, he was getting more and more impatient.

This meat-suit is terribly-terribly uncomfortable! he thought with annoyance. Piraca Thralls are bad-bad. Their heads are too small and cramped! My legs are getting numb-numb in here! I need-need to stretch a bit!

The Piraca Thrall became tense and stiff, starting to move spastically in a seemingly painful manner, and then eight long and incredibly thin spider legs emerged from its beak, flexing and stretching in the air.

Aaaaah! That’s better-better! the creature inside the Thrall’s head thought with relief.

The Thrall’s body twitched a bit more as the legs retreated back inside, before starting to move normally once again. To anyone familiar with the creatures of the Caligare Forest, it would have been perfectly clear that the unfortunate Piraca was the host of a Cerebrarachnid—also known as Brain Spiders—a species of sentient, parasitic spiders that used other living things as living puppets by attaching themselves to their brains.

It took some time for the Brain Spider to reattach itself properly to the nerves of the Thrall, since he had to be extra careful not to trigger one of the many Piraca reflexes that made those creatures regurgitate a copious amount of acid. If he made a single wrong move, he could find himself melted to a puddle, which was the main reason why Brain Spiders almost never took over a Piraca. He’d only made an exception this time because the Pale Lady ordered him to infiltrate the castle, and in order to do so, he needed to wear one of these uncomfortable meat suits.

When he was finally back in control of the Piraca’s body, Cerebrarachnid waited another few minutes, just to be on the safe side, and only then decided it was time to light up the bombs.

He gestured for the others to get away and took a small sack he’d been hiding under its tongue. The sack, made of Piraca skin, contained two flints and a small quantity of dark green powder. The Brain Spider poured the powder in a long line that went from the bomb to the stairs, creating a makeshift fuse. Then, with utmost care, he kneeled and used the flints to set it off.

As soon as a spark touched the powder, it started to fizzle and the fire quickly spread towards the bombs, and the Cerebrarachnid ran away as fast as possible.

Less than ten seconds later, an incredibly powerful explosion shook the whole fortress.

* * *

Back in the great hall of the fortress, following the explosion, most of the Nobles started screeching like a bunch of scared crows. A couple of them even tripped and fell down the Pond. Luckily, being Piraca, their skin protected them from the acidic goo.

Turemalac himself had been taken completely by surprise, and for a few seconds remained frozen on his throne, trying to process what was happening, but the noise made it difficult for him to concentrate. He decided the first thing to do was to bring back some order.

“Silence!” he shouted, jumping from his throne.

His voice was drowned in the screeches of the Piraca. Sighing with annoyance, he borrowed power from the Pond, infusing it into his own voice.

“SILENCE!” he commanded, and this time his Nobles heard him—it was kind of impossible not to, since his empowered voice literally shook the whole fortress—and they stopped in their tracks, facing the emperor.

While the Nobles had regained their composure, Turemalac discovered something that almost made him lose his own. Through using his powers, he’d sensed a huge leak at the bottom of the Pond, and right now, months’ worth of goo was spilling out every second.

Although that was far from positive, Turemalac possessed the means to put a stop to it.

He made a gesture with one hand, and the goo solidified into a gelatinous substance, effectively stopping the leak. Then, as that problem had been put on hold, he addressed his court.

“Someone tried to sabotage our Pond!” he announced. “There is a breach on the lower levels, but I’ve made the goo solid so it won’t spill out. Search the castle for intruders, and then repair that leak!”

The Nobles nodded in unison and started to move. One stopped to look outside from one of the windows, and then turned a worried expression to the emperor.

“Ehm… your Excellency?” he said.

“What is it now?” Turemalac replied, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

“Uhm… You probably already know that, but…” The Noble hesitated. “You’re aware that the mist barrier is dissipating, yes?”

“What!” Turemalac shouted and jumped off his throne to look from the window.

And there, under the pale moonlight, he could clearly see that the acid barrier defending the fortress was indeed getting thinner and thinner. Apparently, from the war cries coming from the orc camp, the orcs had noticed it too.

“What the hell is that?” he cried. “Why is the barrier dissolving!” Right after asking that question, he realized he was to blame. Solidifying the goo stopped the leak, but at the same time had stopped the production of the mist fueling the barrier.

“Shit! Get the Thralls down to the lower levels! Now! We have to plug the leak quickly! Hurry u—”

He couldn’t complete the sentence, as he saw something round landing a few steps away from him. A fizzling fuse dangled from it, sending sparks flying in the air, and it only took Turemalac a fraction of a second to recognize that the object looked worryingly similar to a bomb.

The emperor instinctively dove for cover—not a very regal thing to do, but he deemed survival to be more important than dignity at the moment—and half a second later the bomb exploded, sending chips of stone flying everywhere. The hall filled with dark, sulfur-smelling smoke. Whatever semblance of order Turemalac had managed to impose over his court was shattered. Many of the Nobles screeched in pain as pieces of stone hit and buried in their skin, while others were too confused and panicked to do anything else but drop on the ground or try to run away.

In the midst of that chaos, the emperor somehow managed to not lose control, since he was far too pissed to give in to panic. He raised his eyes, searching for the author of that vile attack, and caught sight of a couple of figures moving along a balcony right above his throne, tinkering with something while clearly trying to be stealthy.

These two mysterious individuals then raised their hands and threw two more bombs, but this time, Turemalac was ready. While the bombs flew in the air, the emperor gestured and two tentacles of glowing goo emerged from the Pond, darting in front of him and grabbing the bombs before they could touch the ground. The bombs dissolved in the acid before they could explode, and with another gesture, Turemalac sent the tentacles toward the attackers.

One of them managed to dodge, jumping away from a window and disappearing into the night, but the other wasn’t quite as quick and the gooey tentacle coiling itself around its prey and dragged it back, kicking and screaming, to the hall where the emperor could identify it.

The attacker was a Thrall.

Turemalac stared at the unfortunate creature in disbelief, staying completely still while trying to process this information. Then a terrible suspicion started to take form in his mind, and with it came a terrible, boiling rage that rose until he couldn’t contain it anymore.

“Treason!” he screamed with absolute fury, and with another flicker of his hand, the goo started moving.

The Piraca were immune to the acid of the Pond, but the emperor had spent a significant part of his free time devising creative ways to circumvent this resistance, just in case he needed to put down one of his subjects. Now, at the peak of his rage, he decided to employ one of the most gruesome ones he’d come up with.

Tendrils of goo started to force themselves into the mouth of the Thrall, turning into a veritable stream that poured directly into the creature’s gullet. The Thrall thrashed and kicked in agony to no avail as its belly started to get bigger and bigger, inflating like a balloon. Then, with a wet pop, the Thrall literally exploded, sending goo and innards flying everywhere.

The emperor remained still, breathing frantically and trying to cool down after his outburst, when he realized the room was now completely silent. Turning around, he saw that the Nobles were scared into immobility by the gruesome display of his power. He could clearly see the fear in their face as they tried to appear as insignificant as possible, as to not draw his attention and risk being the next target of his fury.

Sadly, this display stroked his anger even more. Treason was the one thing Turemalac absolutely could not tolerate, and his paranoia fueled his fury until it reached murderous insanity.

“Well, it seems we’ve got a case of treason in our hands,” he hissed, and the bubbling of the Pond accompanied his every word. “And at least one of the traitors is a Thrall, to boot! Ain’t that funny?” He snickered, though the sound lacked any sort of amusement. It was cold and dangerous, like the noise of a blade grinding on ice. “I thought Thralls lacked the parts of the brains necessary to even consider betrayal… Unless there is someone guiding them, that is.”

He stared intensely at the Nobles, to see if the traitor would betray himself. Each Piraca reacted the same way, which was to avoid his murderous gaze. Turemalac didn’t relent, staring daggers at his court while the bubbling of the Pond became louder and louder, and the tension in the air grew exponentially.

In the end, since it seemed that the emperor’s rage wouldn’t quell unless he got to kill someone, the Nobles resorted to the age-old trick known to all those who meddled in politics: throwing someone else to the wolves to save their hide.

“My lord!” Gulamag cried, his voice high-pitched with fear. “If there is a traitor among us, it has to be Miriadon! He has all but challenged your authority many times!”

“What!” the accused Noble cried in outrage, an undertone of panic in his voice. “How dare you accuse me! I’ve never questioned our emperor’s authority. I’ve merely offered my honest advice, like a trusty retainer is supposed to do. If anything, you are the one who would benefit the most from our great leader’s absence! You are basically his second in command, and with both me and him out of the picture you’d inherit the power!”

“That’s pure hogwash and you know it!” Gulamag replied huffily. “My loyalty is unquestionable…”

The two would have likely gone further, throwing accusations and insults, if not outright coming to blows, had Turemalac not interrupted them.

“Both of you, shut up!” The emperor’s words were underlined by a tremor from the Pond.

They became silent, eyes wide with fear. The other Nobles shifted away from them in order to avoid being caught in the aftermath of whatever punishment the emperor would inflict upon them.

However, Turemalac had his mind elsewhere. His anger shifting well beyond the boiling point, turning into a cold, icy fury. No less intense, but a state that allowed him to actually think.

Shouldn’t have lost control like that, he thought. I should have interrogated that Thrall before killing it. Now I don’t know who else is involved in this betrayal. He looked at his Nobles, not bothering to conceal the paranoid suspicion in his eyes. It could be any of them. Despite all of their prattle about loyalty to their emperor and all that crap, they had no qualms about betraying me as soon as it was convenient! The only thing they needed was an opportunity to do so! A grim resolution started to form inside his mind. And if I can’t trust them, I’m better off without them. This batch was flawed anyway. Better to start over elsewhere and forget about this whole fiasco.

While the emperor was thinking to himself, wild roars came from outside. A quick glance from a window revealed that the barrier had completely dissipated, and the orc army was advancing on the fortress like a tide of pure violence. The Nobles noticed and a look of alarm flashed in their eyes. But still, no one dared to move, as their fear of Turemalac remained greater than their fear of the invaders.

Talk about shitty situations! the Emperor thought. It never rains, it pours! Still… He had to repress a wicked smirk as a fiendish idea surfaced in his mind. Maybe there is a way to make the best out of this mess! This is the perfect occasion to kill two birds with one stone!

He turned to his court, looking as if he’d completely let go of his anger, addressing the Nobles with a commanding and charismatic tone.

“Well, we’ll think about the alleged traitor in our midst at a more opportune time,” he said solemnly. “For now, we have a more pressing matter at hand: defeating the orcs.” He made a theatrical gesture toward the window. “And I have a plan to do just that, though I require everyone’s cooperation to execute it.”

The Piraca Nobles collectively blinked in surprise, more than a bit taken aback by that sudden change in their ruler’s mood. It took a few moments for them to recover enough to start speaking again.

“Of course, my lord,” Gulamag said. “How can we be of service?”

“I’m going to summon the power of the Pond to destroy the orc army,” Turemalac explained. “But in order for it to work, I’m going to need you all to stay here and focus your power on the Pond in order to empower the spell!”

“Uhm,” Miriadon mumbled. “Sorry to ask you this, my lord, but if you knew of such a spell, why didn’t you use it before?”

“Because it’s going to use up pretty much every single drop of goo in the Pond,” the emperor replied.

“Oh…” the Noble sounded surprised. “And isn’t that a problem? How are we supposed to hold this fortress with an empty Pond? I mean, even if we manage to destroy this army, the orcs are so numerous they could simply send another one against us.”

“That’s simple: we won’t hold this fortress,” he explained. “Holding the fortress with a leaking Pond is simply not possible, so it’s better to return to our nests in the mountains, as you suggested. And since we can’t take the Pond with us, it’s better to use it to exterminate this orc army than to let it go to waste.”

Miriadon face was full of incredulous shock, but Turemalac just laughed.

“Ah! Don’t look so surprised, Miriadon!” he said cheerfully. “What kind of ruler would I be if I refused to listen to reason because of stubborn pride? Anyway, the orcs are getting awfully close, so we’d better hurry with the ritual, and then we’ll be on our way!”

Miriadon looked even more shocked, but then he nodded and turned to the Pond, quickly followed by the rest of the Nobles.

“Good! Keep it up like this!” the Crimson Piraca encouraged his court. “I’m going to fly outside to direct the power against the orcs, but I need you to keep your focus in here!”

And with these words, he turned away and jumped from one of the windows.

As soon as he was in the air, the emperor spread his skin, which opened and took the appearance of pterodactyl-like wings. Half a second later he was soaring across the night sky with eerie grace.

Below him, under the pale moonlight, he could clearly see the orc army rapidly approaching the fortress. It wouldn’t be long before they reached the gates, so he decided it was time to put his plan in action.

He flew even farther and higher, putting a good three hundred meters between himself and Mount Fang, and then he turned around and sent a mental command to the Pond.

“Explode.”

As soon as he finished this thought, a huge explosion blew up the upper levels of the fortress, as geyser of green mist erupted from below.

The shockwave of the explosion hit the emperor like a hammer, almost knocking him from the sky, but he managed to regain control and remain airborne. When he turned toward the origin of the explosion, and he smirked with malevolent satisfaction.

The upper levels of the fortress that had been his headquarters were completely destroyed, and a huge, mushroom-like cloud of green mist rose from the ruins. That cloud didn’t stay up in the air for long, as it soon descended at incredible speed. When it hit the ground, the mist spread like a colossal green tide, enveloping the entire area around the fortress and the orc army. In a radius of a few miles, all trees lost their leaves, and started disintegrating, devoured by a supernaturally strong acid. Blood curdling screams echoed in the night for almost a minute before fading into silence.

Turemalac gave a long, satisfied stare to that spectacle before turning away, cackling like a madman.

“What a bunch of idiots!” he said in the midst of those bursts of laughter. “Buttering them up with a few sweet words was all it took to convince them to stand still right in the middle of the explosion! Ahahahahaha! I mean, how much more obvious could it be? If I’d handed them a lit bomb and said: Here, can you hold this for a minute? Don’t worry, I’ll be back! Would they have fallen for it too?”

He laughed again with derision. “Serves them right for their betrayal. I’ll make a new batch as soon as I create a new Pond, and this time, I’ll be sure to make them loyal. And I got to kill a bunch of orcs. All in all, I’d say this has been a productive night! With some luck, the Blue Terror was leading the attack, and now the leader of the orcs is nothing more than a puddle! If that’s the case, rebuilding my empire will be a breeze!”

Feeling positive about the future, the emperor headed south, flying toward the mountains and the abandoned nests of his kind, all while making plans and revisiting his strategies. When the dead zone of the pervasive mist was behind him, and he was lost in his thoughts, something huge and dark appeared right above him. Diving beside him like a hawk hunting down a smaller bird, Turemalac screeched in pain as huge talons tore through his left wing. He tumbled, leaving a trail of blood in the air behind him.

The emperor crashed into a bunch of branches on the way down, and when he finally hit the ground, he was covered in bruises and cuts. There he remained, paralyzed by shock and pain. Then he heard something heavy land near him, and a terrifyingly deep and familiar voice spoke to him.

“Oh, you’re still alive!” the attacker said in a nonchalant tone. “That’s good! I don’t really need to take you alive, you know, but it’s nice to still have that option available.”

Turemalac forced himself to look up, and as soon as he did, his heart skipped a beat.

In front of him, smiling from ear to ear, was the Oni known as the Blue Terror. The leader of the orcs was bigger and quite different-looking from what the emperor remembered, though that didn’t really mean much since ogres in general, and Onis in particular, were skilled shapeshifters. What struck him the most was the creature’s Aura. Last time they’d met, the Crimson Piraca perceived the Blue Terror as being his equal, but now the Aura of power that surrounded the Oni was at least twice his own.

If the Crimson Piraca had any hair on the back of his neck, they would have been standing up. The Oni wasn’t doing anything threatening, it looked relaxed, bored even, but its sheer presence was enough of a threat by itself.

He desperately tried to think of a way to get out of this situation, but sadly, he couldn’t find any. He didn’t think he could fly with his wing injured, and he didn’t like his chances of running away on the ground or trying to fight the Oni. The only solution he could think of was to try and bet everything on a single attack. After all, he still had his acid, which was more powerful than that of any other Piraca, and if he managed to hit the leader of the orcs, he could very well kill it in one hit.

But if he missed…

“Before you do something stupid, I think it’s better if you listen to me,” the Blue Terror said, interrupting Turemalac’s planning. “At least, that’s if you want to live.”

The Piraca Emperor blinked in surprise. He didn’t know what the Blue Terror wanted to talk about, since if their roles had been reversed he would have killed his opponent without wasting a single breath. He decided to play along to buy some time. Every second he gained was another chance to find a way out of this predicament.

“What do you mean if I want to live?” he asked, keeping his guard up, ready to spit acid on the Oni at the first sign of aggressiveness. “Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“Well, I’d love to do that,” the Blue Terror replied. “In fact, that was my original plan. But some recent developments have made me re-evaluate the value of cooperating with others. For example, I wouldn’t have been able to take your fortress down if I didn’t have help.”

Ah, so that’s how it is! Turemalac thought. Then someone really had betrayed me!

“Whose help?” he asked, trying to conceal his surge of rage. “Was it one of my Nobles who betrayed me?”

“No, actually.” The Oni smiled. “The one who helped was the Pale Lady. She commanded the Brain Spider to infiltrate your fortress under the guise of some of your Thralls and sabotage your Pond.”

“What!” Turemalac cried. “The leader of the Rantul? Wasn’t her kin at war with yours?”

“Yep! As was yours. But I defeated her and she found herself at my mercy, just like you are right now. Then I offered her to work for me in exchange for her life, and she accepted.”

The Piraca Emperor took a moment to process this information, and then he asked:

“So, are you going to make the same offer to me? Work for you in exchange for my life?”

“Maybe.” The Oni grinned—a dangerous, predatory grin. “I still don’t know exactly what you bring to the table. And it better be something good, because you just cost me a whole army of orcs and I’m very tempted to take that debt out of your hide.”

The Blue Terror made a significant pause, implicitly inviting Turemalac to speak about his powers. The Piraca Emperor didn’t reply immediately, as he was busy trying to decide what to do. He loathed the idea of admitting defeat and serving under someone else, but at the same time, he didn’t like his chances if he was to fight the leader of the orcs here and now.

In the end, he opted to play things safe. Sure, working for the Blue Terror might be unpleasant, but it was better than dying. Besides, that would put him in the best position to take his revenge on the Oni, should the occasion arise. He just had to play things safe.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, excruciating pain in his right eye, which stopped working entirely. He screeched in agony, and with his left eye, saw the Blue Terror holding a rather large eyeball in his hand.

With horror, Turemalac realized that eyeball was his.

I didn’t even see him move… he thought with shock.

“You’re taking too long to answer,” the Oni said coldly. “I’d try to be quick if I were you, otherwise I might decide to rip out your other eye.”

“No! I’ll speak! I’ll work for you! Just stop! Don’t hurt me!”

“That’s good. But I’ve still yet to hear about your powers.”

“I can use the Pond to cast spells!” Turemalac explained. “I can summon its power to do things like the barrier, or the explosion, even heal wounds! I can do all this and more, if I have enough goo!”

“Good, but not good enough. Letting you have too much goo would be dangerous. It could give you wrong ideas about what you can and cannot do. Is there anything useful you can do without the goo, or at least without too much of it?”

“I-I…” the Piraca Emperor stammered, his pride reeling at the thought of spilling his secrets to someone else. However, fear and pain were excellent motivators to get over it. “I can read the future in the goo. It doesn’t take too much either, compared to the other spells.”

“Read the future?” This time, the Blue Terror sounded interested, not to mention more than a little surprised—but also suspicious. “That’s an interesting power. But if that’s the case, how did you manage to lose? How did you foresee what I was going to do, I wonder?”

“The… the reading has limits,” Turemalac said. “It only answers specific questions, and the answer has to be in the form of a percentage. I asked about my chances of defeating you a few months ago, and I was told that I was 61% likely to win.”

The Oni stared at the Piraca with a pensive face. Turemalac felt himself getting more and more uneasy as time went on. But then, the Blue Terror smiled with satisfaction.

“Well, you don’t look as if you’re lying, and if you told the truth, this power of yours seems useful enough,” he said. “I guess it’s better to spare you for now.” Then he added with a deadly cold voice, “However, do not think, even for a second, that you can try to betray me and live. If you try anything funny, or if it turns out that you lied about anything, you’re finished. Understood?”

Turemalac gulped. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Then I think it’s time we get back to my temporary headquarters. It’s a long walk from here, and you just destroyed the encampment of my army!” It smirked. “You’re lucky I had all of my most valuable assets deployed beyond the reach of that mist. Otherwise, I’d be much, much more annoyed with you.”

“I… I understand. I’m sorry,” Turemalac muttered.

“Well, don’t worry about it.” The Blue Terror laughed. “You work for me now. Just behave and you’ll do fine.” He tilted his head to the right. “By the way, I wanted to ask you one thing. Are you by any chance a reincarnated human?”

The Piraca Emperor’s remaining eye went wide with surprise.

“Uh… yes. How do you know?”

“Well, it just makes sense.” The Oni grinned. “I’m a reincarnated human myself, and so is the Pale Queen. We’re all exceptionally rare specimens of our kin and also the respective leaders of our races. Well, at least you two were leaders, but now I’m the only one who’s retained command.”

“Uh… well…” Turemalac muttered, trying to take advantage of this information. “If we’re both reincarnated humans, then you know you can trust me. There’s no need for all this barbarity and violence.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” the blue-skinned Oni replied with an amused smirk. “It’s quite the opposite, actually! Now that I know you were a human, I know I can’t trust you! But don’t worry, that isn’t gonna change anything about our agreement. Just refrain from doing anything stupid, and I’ll guarantee your safety. Of course, I also guarantee your non-safety if you do anything stupid.”

“If nothing changes, then why did you ask?” The Piraca Emperor narrowed his remaining eye.

The Oni shrugged. “Just for confirmation. If there are three of us reincarnators, there may be more. Heck, maybe there are even heroes and such outside of this forest. But now that I know they’re a possibility, I can prepare for them. And if you really can read the future, you can help me do just that. Now come! The camp isn’t getting closer if we just stand here and talk!”

“I’m hurt,” Turemalac replied. “I can’t fly with my wing like this!”

“Well, your leg isn’t hurt, so you can walk!” the Oni said. “And you better start walking. Because if you start being uncooperative, I might be tempted to use you in another, more pleasant fashion. As dinner, perhaps. A being with your Aura would be an excellent meal, I’m sure of that!”

The Piraca Emperor looked at the Blue Terror in the eye, and saw a ravenous light shining in them. He could totally believe the Oni would eat him, even after the revelation that they were both reincarnated humans.

So, without further complaints, he got to his feet and started following the Oni to his camp.

Chapter 6

Hive Sweet Hive

The sun shone bright in the sky, melting the last remnants of snow from the now green fields mottled with flowers. Countless birds flocked in the sky, seemingly celebrating the end of the winter with their singing.

There was, however, a place untouched by the arrival of spring. A long strip of land, about fifteen kilometers long and eight kilometers wide, was entirely covered in a gray, translucent substance. It encroached everything, drowning the vegetation under a living, all-devouring blanket, and turning what had once been a bucolic countryside into an alien and disturbing landscape.

To Marcus, however, this view inspired nothing but a deep sense of contentment. To the point that he actually went for some sightseeing whenever he was feeling a little down and needed to cheer himself up. Flying on top of his Wyvern drone, he could see his lands as clearly as an incredibly detailed map. Though the chilly air made him shiver even under his coat, his mood improved considerably.

For the first time ever since he was born in this world, he felt safe and at home.

His hive had grown to the point that he didn’t need to fear his neighbors anymore. He possessed the military might to easily overwhelm the goblins—and probably even the forces of Brettholz, though he wished he would never need to do that. What started as a bunch of Broodmother eggs and a few hundred surviving drones from the battle against the goblins, had become a hive of just over thirty thousand drones, each an improved model that vastly outperformed the previous generations.

7,821 Worker drones were currently the most active, as he could see them walking back and forth from the borders of his territories in order to collect mold wax. Sure, picking up the stuff closer to their base would have been easier, but without being regularly trimmed, the mold wax would have expanded well past the borders of the Vex territories—hell, at the rate it had been growing, it would have already engulfed half of the province of Brettholz. However, the upside of this abnormal growth rate was that his drones didn’t risk starving any time soon, even if their numbers grew to three times their current ones.

Then there were 11,115 Warrior drones, 6,321 Flyers, 988 Heavies, and about four thousand other miscellaneous drones. Most of those forces were currently in hibernation, a trick which had spontaneously popped inside of Marcus’ mind a few months before, when he’d worried about how to feed his troops during the winter. Apparently, as his instincts suggested, Vex drones could be given the command to go into hibernation, and if they were surrounded by a cocoon of mold wax, they could remain in that state almost indefinitely.

The Vex Queen was kind of irked that his instincts hadn’t informed him of this ability sooner. Though admittedly he couldn’t have used it before, since in the forest he needed all of his drones on active duty. That seemed to be a trend with his instinctual knowledge, to withhold information until he could actually make use of it—he hadn’t been aware of the Broodmothers until he’d gathered enough supplies to actually feed one, for example—and as far as he was concerned, that was a huge pain in the ass. After all, knowing about his abilities beforehand would help him plan ahead. But as things were now, he couldn’t pry whatever secrets the Vex part of his mind was holding no matter how hard he tried, so he’d have to just proceed as usual and hope nothing vital was being hidden from him.

Besides, he had more urgent things to think about. Even without an active threat, he was busy managing his territories, trying to learn how to control his Aura—this thought made him grimace a bit—and, most importantly, increasing the number of drones in order to prepare for the alleged orc army that would soon invade Brettholz.

Luckily, the last part was actually going on pretty fine.

There were now ten active Broodmothers in the hive, plus another one that still had to fully develop. Each were able to lay about fifty eggs per day, though until recently the Vex Queen had kept the production well under that limit in order to allow the mold wax to grow. As things were now, the thirty thousand drones were just the tip of the iceberg. He also had thousands of eggs waiting to hatch and five hundred more were produced every day. Given another few months, he could very well have hundreds of thousands of drones at his service, which would probably be enough to easily deal with any threat the forest would throw at him.

As the wind was getting stronger and colder, Marcus decided to return home, and mentally ordered the Wyvern drone to go back. As the huge creature steered in the air, another part of the Vex territories became visible, and the Hive Queen saw something that never failed to make him proud.

In his previous life, Marcus had been studying to become a civil engineer. He never really got far in his studies, since he often had to take sabbatical years in order to work and pay off his tuition. Nonetheless, he’d always liked building stuff, and it came as a surprise that he’d found the opportunity to indulge in his old dream career in this new world.

The new hive was the culmination of his efforts and knowledge. He had it built on the hill where the old stone quarry was, and due to all the changes he’d made, the place was virtually unrecognizable from how it was before.

First of all, he had his drones dig a lot of tunnels and caves inside of the hill, creating a truly labyrinthine complex, while also obtaining a lot of rock to use as building materials. On the surface, he’d used those stones, plus wood obtained from the forest, to build the foundations of many buildings, from storehouses to ramparts, and then he had them all coated in mold wax. The result was a humongous structure that looked vaguely like a termite nest, with hundreds of mold wax spires rising up to the sky while countless holes were opened in the ground itself.

The quarry had become a plaza where at least two thousand warriors could easily gather, and was protected by a three meter tall wall made of stone and mold wax. In addition to this, Marcus had his drones divert the course of a nearby river, creating a series of canals and moats around the hill that provided water to the hive and would work as an additional obstacle against an invading army.

That said, there weren’t any doors, nor gates or anything that could be closed, and these fortifications and defenses couldn’t really stop a determined and numerous invader. However, that wasn’t their purpose. They were there only to restrict the movements and slow down a potential enemy army, while also forming a series of chokepoints that the defenders could hold. And while the attackers were kept at bay, the Vex could use a network of subterranean tunnels that the Digger drones had prepared to attack them from behind. These tunnels spanned almost the entirety of Marcus’ lands. Their exits were virtually invisible, as they were covered by a layer of mold wax, and the Vex could use them to move unseen to a number of strategic locations, thus giving them a huge advantage in maneuvering.

To anyone with enough tactical savviness, it would be clear that what Marcus had built was not a bastion to repel attacks, but rather a complex and lethal trap, meant to catch any invading army and inflict horrifying losses. The Vex Queen was incredibly proud of his creation, though, to be honest, he suspected the general design was more the result of his instincts rather than his knowledge. After all, this felt like a trap meant to catch strong, overconfident prey, something which would really suit the predatory mentality of the Vex. However, not even this fact made him less happy about his accomplishments. Such was the confidence he had in the effectiveness of his new defenses, that he almost felt let down by the fact that no one had tried to attack him already.

That said, Marcus mused as the Wyvern drone gently glided past the hive, it was thanks to this peace that he’d been able to achieve so much. Without having to constantly hide and fear for his life, the Vex Queen had been able to focus mostly on developing his hive, getting it to its current size and strength. Besides, thanks to this respite, he’d also been able to wait for the Broodmothers to develop naturally, and now he was able to leave the mass production of drones to them.

Marcus was finally free from that responsibility and didn’t have to spend most of his day squatting and popping out eggs. That said, he still made the occasional egg from day to day—though not nearly as many as before—mostly because he physically needed to and also because he wanted to experiment with the new DNA he got.

The Vex Queen’s main motivator for this “research and development” activity was Golam. The taxidermist often came for a visit, always bringing new samples from weird and exotic creatures, and a lot of bizarre ideas on what type of drones could be made. Some of his bottomless passion for projecting new drones had rubbed off on Marcus. Besides, it would have been a shame to not make use of the new DNA that was provided so generously.

Thanks to this collaboration, many new types of drones had been born, though most were prototypes which still needed work and served little purpose beyond experimentation. The flying warrior for example seemed like a good idea on paper, but in practice, it was nearly useless. It was too clumsy to fly properly and too weak and light to be an effective fighter on the ground.

However, in the midst of those failures and half-baked ideas were also a few genuinely useful drones, which warranted a mass production in the future.

The first of those successes was an improved version of the Spitter Drone. First, he’d incorporated the DNA of the Piraca and of a few other creatures in the original design, thus creating a hybrid he decided to call the Artillery Drone. These drones were much bigger than a Spitter and looked more similar to bloated lizards with extremely thick and muscular necks rather than frogs. They were also more effective as a living artillery piece, having an effective range of 150 meters and a much greater reserve of acidic venom to use as ammo.

Another interesting creation was the Dreadnought Drone, a huge, hulking creature that resembled a mix between a beetle, a rhino, and a pill bug. The Dreadnought was by far the biggest drone Marcus had ever made, being almost four meters tall and six meters long, with a colossal horn in the front, and its body entirely protected by extremely thick chitin armor. The main purpose of this creature was to act as a living battering ram, since it was deceptively fast for its size and its sheer mass made it basically unstoppable once it gained enough momentum.

However, the most successful type of drone so far was without a doubt the Wyvern drone. This drone, based mostly on the genetic material and appearance of a Wyvern, looked like a huge bat-like creature with a vaguely reptilian head, plus the horn and the chitin armor typical of the Vex. It was absolutely huge, with a wingspan of over eighteen meters.

The Wyvern drone could not only fly at an impressive speed over huge distances, it was also strong enough to effortlessly carry two adult humans on its back. Besides, riding one while it glided in the sky was simply amazing. The sensation of flying on a living thing was completely different from flying on a plane, and the sensation of freedom was unparalleled.

Ever since his first, cautious flight on top of his first Wyvern, Marcus had taken a liking to it, to the point that patrolling his territories from above had become one of his favorite hobbies. Even most importantly, it was an incredibly fast method of travel, as the Wyverns were capable of flying from Stonebarrow to Brettholz and back in barely three hours, while it would take at least half a day to make the same trip on horseback. Initially, the only drawback of this type of drone was that they couldn’t be given any further orders once outside of Marcus’s telepathic range, thus limiting their use for anyone who wasn’t the Hive Queen.

But he’d come up with a way to circumvent this limitation.

By programming the Wyverns to instinctively respond in specific ways to certain stimuli—like turning left when they were patted twice on the left side of their neck—he’d been able to create a method for anyone who knew the right commands to ride the drones even without his presence. Golam himself tested this method by flying to Brettholz while Marcus waited for him in Stonebarrow. Judging by the fact that the taxidermist had managed to come back in one piece, this method worked rather well.

The real surprise had come later. As soon as the marquis learned about this new, rideable drone type, he’d asked Marcus for some of them, apparently in order to improve his scouts’ ability to patrol the forest. The Vex Queen obliged of course, since it was in his own interest to help his allies. What he hadn’t expected was that the Wyvern drones had gotten so popular, that not even a month after, he received requests for hundreds of them coming from all over the kingdom of Medelan and even from abroad. Numerous people were willing to pay a conspicuous sum for a single specimen.

Apparently, as he’d been explained by Hoggs later, tamable creatures that could carry a person while flying were pretty rare and valuable in this world. The Wyvern drones not only fit the bill, but were also much more reliable and docile than most flying animals.

The prospect of such a profit was really quite enticing, especially for someone like Marcus who knew how it felt to be broke. As a result, he decided to make a Broodmother to mass-produce Wyvern drones. Sadly, this Broodmother had yet to mature fully, so for now the number of Wyvern drones was limited to seven, with five working for the marquis and two staying with Marcus, just in case he and his friends in Stonebarrow needed to get away.

All in all, the future looked pretty promising for the Vex Queen. He had the means to gain a lot of money, he had a place to call home, friends who kept him company and, last but not least, no one was currently trying to kill him. The only negative note was the threat of the future orc invasion. Even in that case, Marcus believed the forces he’d gathered would be able to deal with it.

Marcus sighed. It was quite a feat that he still managed to feel down despite all of this. Then again, it was part of human nature to always see the glass half empty.

For all his successes, there was one thing that had steadily been getting worse, and that was Marcus’ ability to control his telepathy. In the beginning, his lessons with Hoggs seemed to bear fruit, and he’d been able to visit Brettholz at his leisure without the presence of the crowd bothering him too much.

However, that changed in the last two months.

According to Hoggs, his Aura had increased considerably, and as a result, his telepathic ability had also strengthened. On the upside, the range of his telepathic link with his drones had increased to about thirty kilometers, while the downside was that he’d lost any semblance of control over his abilities.

Now, not only could he not silence the presence of people around him, he also picked up some of their surface thoughts. Something which—apart from being terribly distracting and uncomfortable—was apparently a big no-no for the local laws. And to top it all off, his own presence was now so overwhelming, just getting near Brettholz spooked the animals in the city and made most people uncomfortable. Though for some reason this didn’t apply to Felix, Klara, Hoggs and Golam, probably because they’d gotten used to it.

Because of this, Eisen had politely suggested that it was for the best if the Vex Queen refrained from visiting Brettholz until he managed to regain control of his telepathy. And, despite his best efforts, Marcus was simply unable to do so. His Aura was so strong, that whenever he tried to contain it, he may as well have been trying to stop a flood with his bare hands.

As a result, he’d been confined inside of his territories for the last two months. It wasn’t all that bad, since he had his friends to talk with and his drones cared for his every need, but this whole situation still pissed him off since it made him feel like a prisoner. A sensation he absolutely loathed.

At least flying on the Wyvern drone and seeing his domains helped, as it cheered him up and distracted him from his predicament. Which was the reason why Marcus took any occasion he could to leave Stonebarrow and go on patrol. Well, one of the reasons, at least…

While he was lost in his thoughts, the Wyvern drone arrived above Stonebarrow, and slowly started to descend toward the village, flying in a descending spiral.

“Well, break time is over,” Marcus said. “It’s time to get back to work!”

Chapter 7

Be Careful Who You Call Ugly in Middle School

The village of Stonebarrow was a lone island of green in the middle of a gray sea of mold wax. Marcus decided to keep the place as he’d found it—surrounded by a few trees—for the sake of his friends, who may have otherwise found the landscape unsettling.

That said, there had been a few modifications here and there.

A huge stable was built near the central square, in which Marcus kept his Wyvern drones, and a few other houses had also been converted from residential buildings into storehouses. Then, a bit away from the village, there was the place that Felix used for his magical training, a small parcel of land which had been completely razed to the ground, with the earth itself scorched and blackened.

The Vex Queen smirked. It had been a good call to not have Felix try out his powers indoors during the first months, otherwise he’d have burned down the house.

The Wyvern drone landed just in front of the old inn in which Marcus and the others had taken up residence. With practiced and elegant movements, the Vex Queen jumped off his steed, landing gracefully on the dirt road, and headed for the inn. He could feel two presences inside, one exceptionally strong and burning almost like a flame, and the other feeble and stealthy, almost imperceptible next to the other.

Felix and Hoggs are inside, he thought with a smirk as he entered the building.

A wave of heat hit his face as soon as he opened the door. The inside of the inn was unnaturally warm, especially when compared to the chilly air outside, but that didn’t really come as a surprise since it had been this way for at least a month.

The main hall of the inn had been converted into a living room, using furniture taken from other homes. There were only a couple of dining tables remaining. The rest of the room was occupied by various sofas, bookcases and smoking tables, while many carpets covering the stone floor gave the room a cozy, warm feeling, emphasized by the lit fireplace, in which a bright flame danced wildly. The only thing that suggested this had once been an inn was the bar counter, which was now covered mostly in books and writing material. And sitting there on a couple of stools were Hoggs and Felix, each holding a mug of beer and chatting with each other, though they immediately turned when Marcus entered.

“Oh, hi, Marcus!” Felix greeted, raising his mug.

“Nice to see you, Sir Marcus,” Hoggs said a bit more formally.

“Hi, Felix! Hi, Hoggs!” the Vex Queen replied, closing the door and ditching his coat before walking toward the counter. And as it always happened when he looked at him, Marcus was surprised at how much Felix had changed during the winter.

The once short, scrawny boy had bulked up considerably, going from gangly and awkward to looking like a Greek demigod. His shoulders were at least twice as wide as they were before, and somehow, despite spending most of the winter indoors, the young man had become much more muscular and tanned, enough so to make a professional surfer envious. Even his face had changed, his delicate features stronger and more hunky. Especially after he’d gotten some stubble on his chin. The only thing that hadn’t changed were the boy’s eyes, which were still as curious and intelligent as they were when Marcus first met him.

All in all, despite definitely not swinging that way, the Vex Queen had to admit that Felix had gotten really, really handsome. But he didn’t feel comfortable following that line of thought, so he started talking in order to focus on something else.

“Say, is there any chance to find some hot coffee around?” he asked. “It’s chilly outside, and I definitely need something to warm me up!”

“Yeah, we figured you would want some, so we brewed some earlier,” Felix said, pointing at a pot behind the counter. “Help yourself. It should still be warm.”

“Thanks, Felix!” Marcus said in a cheerful tone, heading over and proceeding to pour himself half a mug of coffee.

“Careful with that,” Hoggs suggested. “It’s a strong brew, and you remember what effect it has on you, don’t you?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, Hoggs, I know. I’ll contain myself,” the Vex Queen replied, taking a sip and then making a long, almost purr-like sound. It tasted like heaven. “Mmmmmmmmh. By all that’s holy, I needed this!”

“Say, Marcus, did you happen to see Klara while you were out patrolling?” Felix asked.

“No,” the Vex Queen replied between two quick sips of coffee. “My drones saw her entering the forest early this morning and she hasn’t come out yet far as I know. I guess she’s not gonna come back before dark, as usual.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” the boy mumbled.

Marcus could feel a strong sense of sadness and worry radiating from him like heat from a stove. This wasn’t really a surprise, since the young man’s emotions had become far more powerful after his awakening, but the sheer strength of those feelings was enough to make the Vex Queen uncomfortable.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” he said, trying to comfort his friend and simultaneously quell his emotional volcano. “She can take care of herself. Besides, I’ve got a lot of drones patrolling the borders of the forest, and as far as they can see there’s nothing overly dangerous lurking in there.”

“Yeah, I know.” Felix sighed. “It’s just… well, I don’t know why she always spends all day in the forest, lately.”

Marcus thought he probably knew the reason, but it wasn’t his place to say. He looked away from the young man. An awkward silence ensued, but luckily that was interrupted by Hoggs.

“I suppose she’s got to find a way to keep herself busy while you two are studying under me,” the telemancer said. “After all, she’s the only one not currently training her Aura. Speaking of which…” He turned to Marcus. “Sir Marcus, it’s been a while since our last lesson. Would you care to resume them any time soon? Or would you prefer brooding a bit longer?”

“Uhm… well…” the Vex Queen muttered, feeling a little guilty. “If… if that’s not a problem, I guess we could. Resume the lessons, I mean.” He took a breath and added, “Sorry if I took such a long pause. I had… well, you could say I’m a bit disheartened since nothing I do seems to work.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hoggs encouraged. “And don’t feel ashamed about taking a break. If you thought you needed it, you needed it and that’s it. Besides, with an Aura as strong as yours, it’s not surprising you have trouble controlling it. Keep practicing, and the results of your effort will eventually show up! You just have to be patient.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just that… not making progress is one thing, but right now I’m actually getting worse.”

“Well, your Aura is getting stronger, so that makes sense,” the telemancer said with a nod. “You just have to get better until your level of control matches it.”

“But what if my Aura keeps on growing?”

“Then you have to keep on getting better,” Hoggs replied with a smirk.

Marcus groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Look at the bright side!” Felix chimed in. “At least it’s a simple solution!”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s simple alright,” the Vex Queen replied in an exasperated tone. “The problem is that it’s not easy.”

“Nothing worth having comes easy,” Hoggs said, drinking down the last of his beer.

“Everything I have is very much worth it then,” Marcus sighed. “Well, fine. I guess I can resume my Aura training at your earliest convenience.”

“Good,” the telemancer replied. “We can start this afternoon, if you’d like. Just after lunch.”

“That’s fine. But what about Felix? Doesn’t he have any training planned for today?”

“Not really, no.” The old man shrugged. “From now on, he can train on his own. He’s got enough control on his power that he can fix whatever mistakes he’d make.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me!” Felix said. “I promise I won’t burn down anything too important!”

“Gee, thanks, Felix. That sure puts me at ease,” the Vex Queen replied sarcastically.

In truth, he wasn’t overly worried. In the last couple of months, Felix had managed to acquire a great deal of control over his powers and was able to use them in subtle and delicate ways. For example, it was him who kept the whole house warm, somehow amplifying the heat from the fireplace and distributing it all over the building. He could also use his magic to instantly heat any liquid and make it stay warm for a long period of time—a skill which Marcus particularly appreciated, since it could be used both for brewing coffee and preparing hot baths.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to these rather utilitarian feats, Felix could use his magic in far more flashy and destructive ways. Throwing fireballs, summoning localized firestorms and even manipulating flames and shaping them into whatever he wanted—from fiery lions to flaming eagles, he could pretty much do anything so long as it involved fire.

And his sheer power… Honestly, it was pretty terrifying. The young man could be a living engine of destruction if he wanted to, and Marcus had no doubt that it’d take hundreds of drones to take him down in an open battle if he were to turn against him—an eventuality the Vex Queen fervently hoped would never occur, as he wouldn’t have liked to fight against his friend.

As it always happened whenever he thought about the boy’s newfound power, Marcus started to feel hot and bothered, something which made him deeply uncomfortable.

Shit! he thought, desperately struggling to keep his blood from flushing to his cheeks. Keep it down, Marcus! Keep it down! Try to think about something else!

He took another sip of his coffee and focused on the taste, managing to exclude the previous line of thought. Then he turned to Hoggs, hoping to further distract himself with conversation.

“So… uh… Hoggs, what kind of training do you have in mind for this afternoon?”

“I was thinking about tackling your problem from a different angle,” the telemancer replied. “So far I’ve tried to teach you what I would teach to an apprentice sorcerer, but maybe you would benefit more from Aura Warrior training.”

“Interesting. And how does that differ from the training I’ve been doing so far?”

“Perhaps I’m a little biased, but in my opinion the way Aura Warriors use their Aura is a tad more primal and crude compared to sorcerers,” the old man explained. “But that’s typically when it comes to the most advanced applications. As far as our training is involved, the biggest difference is that I’m going to include physical exercises as well as mental ones. After all, if your powers are a result of your biology, then acquiring a greater control on your own body could help you control them as well.”

“Well, I don’t know much about my powers, but I guess it’s worth a shot,” Marcus said with a smirk. “What kind of exercises do you have in mind?”

“Mostly running, doing push-ups, that kind of training.. The exercises themselves don’t really matter. What’s important is obtaining a perfect synchronization between mind and body. Oh—I’d put on some more comfortable clothing if I were in you, since I’m going to make you work up a sweat.”

“I should have a shirt and a pair of shorts somewhere in my room,” Marcus said. “Would that be fine?”

“Perfect! I’ll see you in front of the inn in a couple of hours then.”

“Good!” the Vex Queen said. “I’ll go searching for those clothes then.”

And, after finishing the last of his coffee, he left the mug on the counter and went upstairs to his room.

Surprisingly, he was actually looking forward to this new training. In his past life, he hit the gym and jogged from time to time, and the prospect of resuming this kind of activity was pleasantly nostalgic.

Eh… maybe this is the chance to get in shape and gain some muscles! he thought. This is gonna be fun! At least, it’s gonna be better than those boring meditation exercises!

Chapter 8

Full Metal Jacket

“C-can’t we… go back t-to the… the meditation exercises?” Marcus wheezed as he gasped for air.

“Absolutely not!” Hoggs replied adamantly. “And if you have enough energy left to ask that, then you have enough energy to keep going. Give me another run! Go!”

The Vex Queen groaned and rolled his eyes, but a crackling sound and a few sparks coming from a wand that the telemancer held was enough to make him run away without any further complaint.

“Keep your knees higher!” Hoggs shouted. “And go faster! I want to find your breaking point, and we’re never going to get there if you keep this snail pace!”

Marcus didn’t reply, mostly because he couldn’t spare the breath to do so, but in his mind, he silently cursed at the old man, the electrical wand, and most importantly, himself for agreeing to do this training to begin with. Sadly, it was too late to quit, so he had to soldier on and hope it would end soon.

Quite ironically, it hadn’t been too bad at the start. He’d met Hoggs in front of the inn about an hour after lunch, wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts—actually, he strongly suspected the shorts were just a pair of bloomers, but they worked and he didn’t really care about being in his underwear anyway. The telemancer had him do a series of light exercises, mostly jogging, crunches, push-ups, and stretching. Despite his lack of exercise, Marcus managed to perform all these gymnastics without breaking a sweat, showing a surprising amount of stamina.

Sadly, that was when things took a turn for the worse.

As it turned out, Hoggs had given him those light exercises mostly to see how much punishment he could take, and after the Vex Queen breezed through them, the telemancer decided to turn the difficulty up by several orders of magnitude. The usually meek, polite, and almost grandfatherly old man had turned into something akin to a Marine drill instructor. He started giving Marcus increasingly difficult tasks, shouting whenever he slowed down even for a fraction of a second. He even brought out that fiendish little wand that he used to prod the Vex Queen with miniature lightning bolts whenever he was too tired to listen to his verbal orders.

The absolute worst thing about this situation was that Marcus knew he could quit anytime he wanted to—after all, it wasn’t as if Hoggs had any authority over him—but couldn’t bring himself to do so no matter how much he wanted to. His own stubborn pride kept him going even while the rest of his being screamed at him to stop. These exercises were now a personal challenge, something he had to overcome not as an individual and not as the Hive Queen, and this realization prevented him from admitting defeat, no matter how tired he felt. He simply ignored the pain and fatigue, gritted his teeth, and soldiered on.

That said, stubbornness alone couldn’t keep him going for long after he hit his physical limits, and he’d already reached them a while ago. His movements became increasingly clumsy as he started to wobble around like a drunkard, until he finally lost his footing and tripped over his own legs. He fell like a sack of potatoes, hitting the ground with a painful-sounding thud, and he remained there, with no more energy left to even attempt to get up. He couldn’t even hear Hoggs’s shouting, as the sound of his heart thumped in his ears like a drum. He was well past the point of caring about being tased by the wand. Heck, at this point, he’d gladly take the electric chair over having to get up.

He laid face down on the ground, with a pool of sweat spreading under him and turning the dirt of the road into mud, and focused exclusively on breathing, excluding the rest of the world from his consciousness.

He remained like that for a good few minutes, and when he finally opened his eyes again, he found Hoggs crouched near him with a worried expression.

“Well, seems like we finally found your breaking point, Sir Marcus. I must say that it took much longer than I’d thought. You’re certainly a lot tougher than you look.”

There was no response. Marcus simply kept gasping for air, too tired even to speak. The telemancer grimaced as his expression turned remorseful.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry to have put you through all this,” he said in an apologetic tone. “But reaching your physical limits is the first step of an Aura Warrior’s training. The apprentices need to be exhausted in order to be able to focus exclusively on their own being.” He made a little smile. “I’d say that we’ve reached that point, haven’t we? Anyway, you should find the next phase of the training a bit more pleasant, since all you’ll have to do is meditate while you’re resting. And doing so while taking a bath would also help. I’ve had young Felix prepare one for you while we were here.” He paused for a moment, then added: “However, if you prefer to rest for now and take a bath later, you’re free to do so.”

The thought of letting his body rest in a pool of warm water was enough to almost make Marcus cry of relief. He forced himself to speak, though what came out of his mouth was more a raspy whisper than anything else.

“I… I’ll t-take the… bath.”

“Good.” The old man nodded. “In that case, I’ll tell Felix to bring you a change of clothes, and maybe some snacks.” He stopped for a moment, looking at the prone figure of the Vex Queen. “By the way, can you walk or do you need me to take you there?”

“N-no, d-don’t worry,” the Vex Queen replied weakly. “I-I’ll r-rest a m-moment here a-and g-get there myself.”

“Suit yourself,” Hoggs said. “I’ll go to tell Felix to prepare your stuff then. But call me if you need anything, ok?”

“F-fine.”

The old man walked away, leaving Marcus on the road. The Vex Queen remained there a few more minutes, during which he started breathing somewhat normally again, and would have likely stayed like that a little longer, but the increasingly chilly air, which felt icy cold against his sweaty and mostly naked body, was enough to spur him into action. Since he was too tired to get up on his own, he crawled toward the wall of a house and used the leverage to get back on his feet. Then, despite trembling like a twig from head to tail, he stumbled away in the direction of the pool.

The pool was inside a new structure, which Marcus had built just two months prior with Felix’s help. The outside wasn’t that impressive, just a four meters tall mold wax dome with a single entrance that looked pretty much like an igloo, but the inside was a whole other story. A small staircase descended a couple of meters under the ground and led to a single circular room. This room was occupied almost entirely by a huge pool made of some sort of glazed ceramic, which was actually simple clay that Felix’s fire magic had baked into this shiny, porcelain-like substance.

Near the pool was a rudimentary tap connected directly to the canals near the hive through a series of mold wax pipes, which—as Marcus had recently discovered—somehow purified the water, absorbing all organic sediment and leaving the water crystal clear. A soft, relaxing blue light filled the room, coming from the walls and the roof themselves—another recently discovered property of the mold wax, a variant of which was bioluminescent. The whole place felt like some sort of luxury resort, and had been Marcus’s favorite refuge ever since he’d built it.

When the Vex Queen entered the dome, he immediately felt the difference in temperature from the outside, and a quick look revealed that the pool was entirely filled with hot, steaming water. Meanwhile, on a stool near the wall there were also some clean clothes, a piece of soap and even a glass of water and a plate of beef jerky. Marcus smiled at Felix’s and Hoggs’s thoughtfulness, and discarded his dirty clothes before cautiously entering the pool.

The water was very hot, but not to the point of burning, and also had a pleasantly sparkling feel to it, something which always happened after Felix used his power to warm up a liquid. And Felix’s magic keeping whatever had been heated warm for a few hours was also extremely convenient in this scenario—specifically for someone who liked to take long baths like Marcus. The Vex Queen smiled even more, and let his tired, naked body fall into the pool. An incredibly pleasurable sensation flushed through his muscles as the water surrounded him.

Aaaaaah! he thought with immense satisfaction, feeling his dirt and fatigue being washed away. That’s the stuff! These hot baths are probably the best thing that happened to me ever since I’ve been born in this world!

He focused exclusively on the pleasure and the relief the bath gave him, excluding absolutely everything else and emptying his mind of all that wasn’t in the present moment. His worries about the future, his past regrets, his troubles and joys all disappeared as his consciousness drifted away and he got lost inside a warm, cozy limbo, floating on the water like a dead body.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, as he’d completely lost track of time. It could have been a minute, an hour, a day, a year… he had no idea, and he didn’t really care. Though he felt that something was missing, but was too tired and relaxed to try and pin down what it was. Only after another while, he suddenly realized he didn’t feel the presence of the drones in his mind.

“What!” Marcus cried in surprise and tried to get up, but he slipped and fell to the bottom of the pool. He resurfaced, spitting water and coughing. He tried to get his thoughts together, and as he did so, the presence of his hive reappeared inside his mind, as if it had never left.

However, this accident had left the Vex Queen puzzled and confused, and he sat on the border of the pool, trying to figure out what happened. As he did, he also took a couple strips of beef jerky to chew on.

Did the mental link really disappear for a moment or did I imagine it?

He pondered about that for a good minute, and a theory started to form inside of his mind.

Maybe that’s the result of the training I just did, he mused. I mean, Hoggs said it himself, didn’t he? That the training was meant to make me focus on my own being while excluding everything else. Maybe that’s what happened. But if that’s the case, what effects did that have on the hive? Did my drones feel something while I was disconnected from them?

He mentally checked the memories of his drones for any blackout or something like that, finding nothing. For his drones, the mental link with him had never faltered.

Huh. That’s peculiar. He tried to analyze the information he possessed, and then came up with another theory. Maybe, what was disconnected was the conscious part of my brain, but my subconscious was still directing the hive as it always does, like when I’m asleep. He tried to think about all the possible ramifications of this process, and then smiled. Well, that’s possible, I guess. The only way to be sure is to use the scientific method and try to replicate this phenomenon. His smile widened. Which means I have to stay here a bit longer, and keep bathing as long as it takes. Well, sign me up then!

He slid right back in the pool and started floating, trying his best to relax and focus only on his being. Quite ironically, it was much more difficult to do so now that he was consciously trying to. He had to struggle to exclude idle thoughts from bothering him, and the link with his drones made this even harder. He kept on trying, and eventually the warm embrace of the water, coupled with his physical exhaustion, started to affect him, slowly purging him of his conscious thoughts.

In about half an hour, his mind started to drift away once again, leaving him in a small world made of warm water and soft blue light.

Chapter 9

Naked Socializing

The sun was about to set when Klara arrived in Stonebarrow.

The girl was in a terrible mood. Not only was she tired and dirty, but she’d also failed to catch anything during her hunting expedition. And to make things worse, she doubted that she’d have any more luck in the future, since the border of the forest was basically empty of any possible prey, as most animals had fled deeper inside of the forest due to the presence of the Vex.

She sighed and shook her head. As annoying as that was, she couldn’t really blame Marcus for wanting to secure the borders with the forest. And besides, she didn’t really need to hunt anyway, since the Vex drones had provided them enough venison to last for a year, and she earned more as Marcus’s maid than as a hunter anyway. The only thing that bugged her was that her main excuse for staying away from the village was now a pretty hollow one.

She traversed the village with a quick stride, heading straight for the inn, but hesitated when she reached the door. Many conflicting feelings surged inside her chest, slowing her hand as she reached for the door handle. She forced herself to ignore them as she finally opened the door.

The main hall of the inn was dimly lit, the only source of light being the fireplace. Klara could clearly see that there was no one inside save for Marcus’s dog-thing, Cooper, who was sleeping on a carpet.

Good, the girl thought with relief as she closed the door behind her. I don’t have to talk to anyone then. Now, if I can grab something to eat and head to my room before anyone sees me—

“Klara, is that you?” an old, familiar voice said. Hoggs suddenly appeared from behind the kitchen’s door, carrying a tray with a sandwich and a cup of coffee on it.

Klara felt a bit annoyed at having been interrupted on her way to her room, but still, it would have been worse if Felix or Marcus had been the ones to see her, and maybe she could still avoid them if she managed to dismiss the telemancer quickly enough. That meant she wouldn’t have dinner, but she’d rather skip a meal than meet her friends right now.

“Good evening, Hoggs!” she said while mimicking a stifled yawn. “Sorry if I don’t stay here to talk, but I’m absolutely beat! I think I’ll go directly to bed, if that’s not a problem.”

“Oh, don’t worry!” Hoggs nodded. “You’re not the only one who’s tired tonight! I had training with Marcus today, and we were both exhausted afterward. She went to take a bath a few hours ago, and I’ve not seen her since. Though to be fair, I took a long nap, so she probably came back while I was sleeping. And as for young Felix, he trained on his own and was also pretty tired. I saw him about half an hour ago when I awoke, and he also said he was going straight to bed.”

“Oh,” the girl said in a surprised tone. She also felt pretty hungry, so she quickly re-evaluated her plans. “Well, maybe I’ll grab a bite before going to sleep then. Hunting all day in the forest is hard work!”

She went to the kitchen, and Hoggs followed her to the door.

“Did you manage to catch anything?” the old man asked.

“Not really,” Klara replied, making herself a sandwich. “There’s no prey along the border of the forest. I think the Vex scared them all away.”

“Oh dear,” the telemancer said. “I guess that’s bad news for hunters like you.”

“Well, he’s keeping his territories safe, so it’s not like I can blame him. Besides, the forest is big. I could always hunt deeper in the woods, if need be.”

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“Yeah, but I know what I’m doing,” Klara replied, retrieving some ham and slicing into it. “I’ve been hunting in the forest ever since I was a kid, and I’ve got my grandpa’s maps to show me the safe routes.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Hoggs nodded. “Old Karl was quite the notorious guide and explorer. I’d love to consult his notes and maps in the future.”

“If you ever come to Oakfell, you’re welcome to give it a look whenever you want.” She smiled and took a bite out of her sandwich.

“That’s very generous of you,” the telemancer said. “I’ll certainly try to visit, if the occasion arises.”

“Good.” Klara quickly finished her sandwich and drank a cup of water and some milk. She then grabbed an apple. “Well, I think I’ll go to bed now. Goodnight, Hoggs.”

“Goodnight, Klara. Oh, and by the way, wouldn’t you like to take a bath before going to bed? No offense, but you seem a little… ruffled, if I may.”

“None taken. But… well, Felix is asleep and I don’t want to wake him up just to heat up some water.”

“Oh, he already heated up the pool this afternoon,” the telemancer said. “That’s why he was so tired. Marcus went there to take a bath a few hours ago, but the water should still be warm.”

Klara thought about it. While she was tired and wanted to go to bed, she was also really dirty, and a bath was exactly what she needed.

“Well, I guess it’d be a shame to let that hot water go to waste. I’ll go grab a change of clothes and then head to the pool. Thanks for the tip, Hoggs.”

“You’re welcome,” the old man replied with a smile. “I’m also going to bed, so I guess we’ll see each other tomorrow. Goodnight, Klara.”

“Goodnight, Hoggs.” She went upstairs to get some clean clothes and a towel, before heading out to the pool.

By then, the sun had completely set and only a faint glow on the horizon remained. Still, Klara was confident to find the way back even in complete darkness, so she hurried to the dome that housed the pool.

As soon as she opened the door a wave of warmth and steam hit her face, suggesting that the water was indeed still hot, so she entered and descended the short staircase. The air was so filled with steam that it was kind of hard to see, even with the soft glow coming from the ceiling, but the atmosphere was rather relaxing. She started taking off her clothes. She was down to her underwear when something emerged from the water of the pool, making her scream in surprise.

* * *

Marcus had made an interesting discovery. While he was floating and meditating, at a certain point, for no reason at all, he let himself sink to the bottom of the pool and remained there for as long as he could hold his breath. Surprisingly, that took quite a long time and the feeling of being completely submerged was particularly pleasant, so he decided that he should stay underwater, resurfacing at the edge of the pool only for a moment in order to take a breath before going back.

It was during one of those moments that he heard a scream coming from behind him, something which caught him completely by surprise, causing him to lose his grip and fall back into the water. He immediately emerged, coughing and spitting, and when he turned to the source of the scream, he saw a half-naked Klara looking at him with a startled expression.

What followed was a deeply awkward silence, as the Vex Queen and the girl stared at each other, before Marcus managed to force himself to talk.

“Oh… ehm… Hi, Klara,” he mumbled. “Sorry, I… did not hear you coming inside.”

“It’s… fine,” Klara replied, trying to cover her body as best as she could. “Maybe I should have knocked or something.”

“Well, I probably wouldn’t have heard it, since I was underwater,” Marcus said. “I guess you’re here to take a bath, aren’t you? I’ll leave you the pool in that case. I’ve been in here long enough, I think.” He stopped for a moment and then asked: “By the way, what time is it?”

“It’s night,” the girl answered cautiously. “The sun went down maybe half an hour ago. Oh, and if you still want to bathe, you can continue. I can go back to the inn.”

“No, no, don’t worry,” the Vex Queen said, already climbing out of the pool. “I’ve been in here for hours. It’s only fair that I let you have your turn. Just give me a minute to get dressed.”

He rose from the pool, dripping water everywhere, and padded over to the stool where his towel was waiting. As he started to wipe himself, Klara studied him and raised an eyebrow.

“Uhm… I think you should wait for your hair to dry a bit before going back to the inn,” She said. “It’s pretty chilly outside.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve never caught a cold ever since I’ve been born in this world! Literally!” Marcus smirked. “Besides, I don’t want to make you wait for your bath.”

“I can wash myself while you get dry,” Klara replied.

That answer surprised the Vex Queen.

“Uh… are you sure? I mean, it’s not a problem for me… But, don’t you mind my presence? I mean, you do know that I’m… ehr, I was a man?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Klara shrugged. “But it’s kind of hard for me to think of you as a guy while you stroll around naked with your clearly female nether regions in plain sight.”

That remark made Marcus instinctively look down at his naked lower torso, and he felt… Well, surprisingly, he felt little to no shame. At this point, he’d gotten used enough to Klara that he didn’t really care if she saw him naked.

“Suit yourself, then,” he said, shrugging.

However, even then he made a point of turning around, in order to not stare at her. Instead, he sat on the stool facing the wall and started wiping his hair with the towel, while she finished undressing and slid inside of the pool.

There was another long and awkward silence, broken only by the sound of Klara washing herself. Marcus would have liked to talk a bit with his friend, but he could clearly feel that she wasn’t in the mood for chatting. In fact, he could feel her surface emotions as clear as the day, and he consequently wondered why he hadn’t sensed her while he was on the bottom of the pool.

That’s probably a side effect of the training, he thought. If I’m restraining my Aura, then it’s kind of logical that my psychic powers would be restrained as well.

He mused about this for a minute, then decided it was probably a good thing. After all, being able to control his powers was kind of the point of the training. He still had a long way to go though, as right now he couldn’t seem to exert any control over his Aura. Information from his drones flowed right into his mind, and he was painfully aware of Klara’s presence behind him.

The girl was basically a walking cloud of frustration, worry, and depression. She’d been this way ever since Felix recovered from his Djinni awakening. This made things quite awkward for Marcus, who could clearly sense her emotions thanks to his powers, but didn’t know whether or not to talk to her about it. After all, he kind of felt like he was eavesdropping on people’s thoughts, even though he didn’t do it on purpose, and he wasn’t really comfortable addressing this issue.

But right now, it was the perfect occasion to have a conversation with her, since they were alone and he felt relaxed and refreshed enough to endure whatever emotion she could throw at him.

“Sooo…” he said in a cautious tone. “Do you mind if we talk a bit, Klara?”

“Sure,” she replied in a neutral voice, but the Vex Queen could clearly sense a hint of annoyance coming from her. “Do you have something in particular you want to talk about?”

“Wellll…” Marcus said, taking a breath through his teeth. “It’s just… you know I can sense emotions, right? I don’t do that on purpose, it just happens, but I can sense what everyone around me feels most of the time.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Klara answered in the same neutral voice. “And your point is?”

“Well, I can sense your emotions as well.” He paused for a second and then asked: “Do you want to talk about it?”

The girl didn’t reply right away. Instead, she took a deep breath, and Marcus could clearly feel a surge of frustration coming from her.

“Yes, I know you can sense my emotions, Marcus. That’s actually the reason why I’ve been trying to avoid you lately. I didn’t really want to talk about it.”

“Then I won’t pry further,” the Vex Queen promptly said.

“No, it’s fine… I mean, I’ve been brooding and running away for weeks, and it’s not like that solved anything.” She sighed. “Maybe it’s time to talk about it. At least you know exactly what I’m feeling thanks to your powers, so maybe you could give me some tips on how to get better.”

“Well, I’ll do what I can,” Marcus replied. “But I can’t promise you anything. After all I’m not a… a…” He stopped, trying to think of the Imperial word for therapist before giving up and expressing the concept in a different way. “I’m not someone whose job is to give advice to help people. I can only use my own experience as a reference, and it’s not as if I’m much older than you. Mentally, at least. Physically, I’m barely a year old.”

“Ah!” Klara said in a sarcastic tone. “Guess that makes me really pathetic, asking for advice from a little girl!”

“Well, you take what you can get.” Then Marcus grimaced and added: “Also, please don’t call me little girl ever again. I could stand being called ma’am from time to time, but little girl literally makes my skin crawl.”

“Ok, fine!” Klara chuckled. “I won’t call you like that again.”

“Good.” The Vex Queen nodded. “Now, getting back to the point, do you have any problems with Felix? I can sense that you get particularly…” He searched for a suitable word. “Agitated whenever you and him are together.”

The girl remained silent, and Marcus could clearly feel a whole maelstrom of emotions coming from her.

“I don’t know for sure,” she answered, her voice tense. “I… I don’t think I actually have a problem with Felix. I mean, he’s my friend and I care about him. It’s just…” She took a deep breath. “It’s just that I don’t feel comfortable anymore when I’m near him.”

“Eh, that doesn’t really surprise me considering just how much you’re attracted to him,” Marcus said with a smirk. “Especially if this is your first crush.”

“What!” Klara cried. “No! I mean… Felix is my friend! I… I’m not attracted to him or anything!”

“Klara, please,” the Vex Queen said. “Even if you deny it, I can feel it clearly. You literally radiate… amorous feelings when you’re with him. And to be fair, that’s understandable. I mean, I can tell he’s handsome even though I’m not into guys myself!”

“Please, stop,” Klara begged. “It’s already hard for me to talk without you teasing me about it.”

“Ok, sorry. It wasn’t my intention to tease you. I’ll try to choose my words more carefully.”

“Thanks…” She let out another long, tired sigh. “Anyway, I admit that I may have had some… thoughts, about Felix. But that’s not the problem. Or at least, not the whole problem.”

“And what is it then?”

“The real problem is that everything in my life is changing too fast, and I can’t keep up with it,” Klara said, her voice broken as if she were on the verge of crying. “First my grandpa went mad and disappeared into the forest. Then all of my friends and neighbors except for Felix turned against me when I was about to lose my home to a loan shark. Then there’s been this whole thing with the goblins. And now, as the icing of the cake, Felix has changed. It’s just that… I can’t take this anymore. I want things to go back to how they were. I want Felix to keep being my friend. I want to see my grandpa. I… I just want my life back.”

She broke down into sobbing, leaving Marcus in a very awkward situation. On one hand, his first instinct was to go and hug her to try and console her, but on the other hand, he was painfully aware that they were both naked and that physical contact in these conditions would be rather inappropriate. In the end, he decided to just try to talk to her.

“I’m sorry to hear about this, Klara. If it’s of any consolation, I’ve been through something similar in my previous life… a few years after losing my dad. I couldn’t keep a job for more than a month or two, and without a steady job I couldn’t pay my taxes, which in turn meant that I had to take pauses from studying. As a result, everyone else passed me over, and I felt as if I was left behind by life itself.” He made a sad smirk. “I tried to catch up as best as I could by giving up everything else in my life. And then I was killed, and all of my sacrifices were for naught.”

He looked over his shoulders, just enough to barely see Klara’s silhouette behind him.

“You could say that I was so focused on the future, that I lost sight of the present. And I think you’re making a similar mistake… You’re so focused on what you’ve lost that you’re forgetting what you have. You’re still alive. Felix is still alive. And you two still care a lot about each other. I’d say this is enough to be a little positive about the future, isn’t it? And besides, you’ve also solved your money problems, haven’t you? So, it’s not as if everything is going bad.”

There was a moment of silence, as Klara slowly processed what Marcus had told her.

“Well, when you put it like that, I guess you’re right. But…”

“But knowing this doesn’t automatically make everything alright, I know,” the Vex Queen completed for her. “That’s also normal. You need time to adjust to any change, and the greater it is, the harder it is to accept it.” He pointed at himself. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. Even though my circumstances have improved greatly, I doubt I’ll manage to completely accept the changes in my life any time soon.” He turned and smirked sarcastically to her. “But then again, what else would you expect from a man who lost his penis?”

These words made Klara chuckle. Then she looked at him and the chuckles turned into a veritable burst of laughter. Marcus soon joined her in that explosion of hilarity, and they kept laughing almost hysterically for a good minute.

“Oh heavens, I haven’t laughed this hard in months,” Klara said, still giggling. “Thanks, Marcus. I needed it.”

“You’re welcome. Besides, this is what friends are for. Talk with you about your worries and still make you laugh somehow.”

“Right.” Klara nodded. “That did help. I feel… not exactly better, but a little less burdened.” She started climbing out of the pool. “Anyway, I’m done bathing. I’ll dry myself up and then we can get back to the inn.”

“Good. I can’t wait to go to bed. It’s been a very tiring day, and a good night of sleep is exactly what I need!”

“I bet.” As Klara grabbed a comb, she shot the Vex Queen a critical look. “Uhm… Marcus? Aren’t you going to comb your hair?”

“Nah, it’s already late, I can do that tomorrow.” He shrugged. “No one is going to notice that I have messy hair while I sleep, anyway.”

“Oh, good heavens, you are still a boy on the inside, aren’t you?” she said in an exasperated voice. “Only a boy would say something like that! Combing your hair tomorrow, as if! Just sit there, I’ll do your hair for you.”

“Uh… it’s really not a problem, Klara,” Marcus said, a bit taken aback. “You don’t have to do that for me…”

“Technically, I’m here as your maid, so that’s exactly my duty!” she said in a tone that made it clear she wouldn’t take a no for an answer. “Besides, you have such pretty hair, and it’s a terrible waste to not take care of it! Now, sit tight. I’ll comb it out for you.”

She marched across the room, and sure enough, she started combing Marcus’s hair. Truth be told, she was actually quite skilled at it, managing to disentangle the knots without too much trouble, and after a while, it became rather pleasant, almost like having his head massaged.

“Uh… you’re good at this,” Marcus said.

“One of my neighbors taught me. I was the only girl in my family, so I had to learn how to do my own hair. After a while, I started doing my grandpa’s and Felix’s hair as well.”

She kept combing and straightening the Vex Queen’s hair for a bit, and then she took a step back to observe the result of her work.

“It’s nothing fancy, but it should do for now,” she said. “At least your head doesn’t look like a bird nest anymore. Now I’ll take care of my own hair, and then we can go back to the inn. Of course, you can go now if you don’t want to wait.”

“Nah, I’ll wait for you,” Marcus replied. “Then we can go back together.”

“Fine then. I’ll try to be quick.”

Marcus started dressing while she was busy doing her own hair.

“Uhm… Can I ask you one thing?” Marcus said after a while.

“Shoot,” Klara replied.

“So, what are you going to do with Felix now?”

That question clearly took her by surprise, as she accidentally pulled her hair.

“Ouch!” she cried, then turned to Marcus. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re clearly attracted to him. And judging by his emotions, he’s head over heels for you.” He smirked. “I could cut the romantic tension between you two with a knife. It’s very distracting for someone who can feel other people’s emotions. So, I wondered if you’re going to do anything about it.”

Klara blushed violently. Marcus could feel her embarrassment radiating from her like heat from a stove, but for once he found this sensation amusing rather than annoying.

“I… I don’t know,” Klara said. “I still need some time to put some order in my head… And… and you said that Felix also feels something for me… Is that true? Are you sure?”

“If he was even a tiny bit more smitten with you, he’d spontaneously catch fire every time he looks at you. Which actually happened a couple of times. So yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

Klara bit her lip, lost in her thought. “You’ve certainly given me a lot to think about. I don’t know what I’m going to do, to be honest, and I’m too tired to think about it for now. It’s been a long day, so it’s probably better if I get a good night of sleep before making an important decision.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Marcus agreed.

“Anyway, speaking of sleep, I’m done here. I just have to get dressed and then we can go to bed.”

Klara quickly dressed, gathered the dirty clothes in a basket, and then she and Marcus headed out, going back to the inn, and most importantly, to their beds.

Chapter 10

Wakey, Wakey

It was pretty early in the morning when Marcus woke up. He lazily sat up in his bed and stretched, letting out a long yawn before clicking his tongue and looking around. His room was pretty bare, with just a big armoire and a chest where he kept his clothes and belongings, and Cooper, his pet Hunter Drone, who slept on the floor. Thick, dark curtains covered the only window, but through the eyes of his drones, the Vex Queen could see that the sun was already high in the sky.

For a moment, he wondered whether or not to stay in bed, but decided otherwise—mostly because he was hungry—and crawled out of the sheets. Luckily the inside of the inn was still quite warm thanks to Felix’s powers, to the point that he didn’t feel the slightest bit cold, even though his nightwear was nothing more than a sleeveless shirt and a pair of panties. So, without further ado, he headed straight for the kitchen, followed by Cooper who had instinctively awoken to stay with its master.

When he arrived at the main hall, he found Hoggs and Klara already there, which was normal since the old man never slept much and the girl was a typical early bird. They were talking, but stopped when they heard Marcus descending the stairs.

“Oh, hi Marcus!” Klara greeted. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Sir Marcus,” Hoggs said, but then he frowned when he noticed his clothes, or rather lack thereof. “Uhm, don’t you think you should wear something a little more… appropriate?”

“Well, it’s not as if I’m strolling around in the streets like this.” The Vex Queen shrugged. “And anyway, we’re all friends here, so I don’t see what’s the problem. We’re basically roommates.”

“Roommates?” The telemancer repeated. “I do not know this word.”

“It means people who share the same house,” Marcus explained, walking to the kitchen. He prepared a plate of raw vegetables and meat, and poured himself a small mug of lukewarm coffee, the last of what remained in the pot, and headed back to the main hall, where he sat at the counter and started wolfing down his breakfast with a voracious appetite, occasionally passing a scrap of food to Cooper, who’d sat on the floor next to him.

The Vex Queen watered his meal down with a small dose of coffee.

“Say, Marcus, can I ask you one thing?” Klara said.

“Sure! Ask away.”

“I’ve been meaning to get back to Oakfell to grab some of my belongings for a while,” she explained. “And I was thinking of going today.”

“Well, you’re free to go, whenever you want,” Marcus said. “If you want, I can even lend you one of the Wyvern drones.”

That offer caught Klara by surprise. “Ehr… that’s very generous of you, Marcus, but if you don’t mind, I’d rather go there in a more conventional way… with the cart, if I can take it.”

Marcus felt a hint of fear radiating from her, something which happened every time she was offered to ride one of the Wyvern drones. The Vex Queen suspected the young woman might be afraid of heights, but he refrained from teasing her about it.

“Sure, you can go however you like. And feel free to take whatever you need to get there. The cart, food, anything.”

“Then do you mind if I take Felix?” Klara asked. “If he wants to come, of course.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s not as if I’m Felix’s master or anything. He’s free to come and go as he likes. If anything, you should ask Hoggs, since he’s Felix’s actual master. Maybe he’s got some training scheduled for him.”

“Oh, I already asked Hoggs, and he told me that Felix can take a break from training for a couple of days. I thought of asking you because Felix is the one who warms up everything in this house, so his absence could make you a bit uncomfortable.”

“Well, I’ve survived in a cave in the middle of the forest for months, I think I’ll survive for a day or two in an inn.” He shrugged. “If I need to warm anything, I’ll just have my minions chop some wood from the forest or something.”

“That wouldn’t work,” Klara corrected. “Freshly chopped wood doesn’t burn so well. But there’s enough seasoned wood in the woodshed behind the inn to last for a couple of weeks.”

“Well, anyway, there’s no problem. I’ll just heat things the old-fashioned way if I need to.”

“Good. Then the only thing I need to know is if Felix wants to come.”

“You want to go ask him now?” the Vex Queen asked.

“Nah, I’ll just wait for him to get up. I think I’ll go prepare the cart for the trip. If Felix wakes up before I’m back, could you ask him to come meet me at the stables?”

“Sure thing.”

“Good. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Klara left, and as soon as she was gone, Hoggs turned to Marcus and gave him a puzzled stare.

“Young Klara is certainly in a rather good mood today,” he said. “Say, do you have anything to do with that? I noticed you two came back together from the bath.”

“I may have got a word or two with her,” the Vex Queen replied. “Helped her sort out her thoughts and things like that.”

“Oh, that explains it.” The old man nodded. “Well, better late than never. I hope this means the tension between her and young Felix are going to be sorted soon.”

“Probably. That really depends on them. Klara may be a bit more open, but it’s not as if her issues have disappeared over night… She’s just willing to face them now. And as for Felix, it depends on how he’ll react. I mean, he could be offended and decide to not accompany Klara out of spite for all we know.”

“And turn down a trip with a girl he’s got a crush on? Ha!” Hoggs sneered. “I thought you could read people’s emotions! Only a blind man couldn’t see that young Felix is completely smitten!”

“Well yeah, I know. I can sense Felix’s emotions, but it’s not as if I can tell exactly how he’ll react. If life taught me something, it’s that you must not take anything for granted.”

“That’s true,” the telemancer agreed. “But I still find it highly improbable that young Felix may react differently from what I expect.”

“We’re going to have our answer pretty soon, won’t we?” Marcus replied with a smirk. “Let’s see what happens when he wakes up, shall we?”

“Very well, Sir Marcus.”

* * *

A ray of sunlight hit Felix’s face, waking him up. He turned around, burying his face in the pillow to avoid that pesky light. Sadly, the damage was already done, and he wasn’t able to get back to sleep. With a resigned sigh, he opened his eyes and looked out the window to ascertain the time of the day. Judging by the position of the sun, it was about mid-morning, so he decided he could get up.

After all, Klara was probably already gone to her usual hunting expedition by now.

While he was dressing himself, he pondered over the irony of the situation. The reason he was trying to avoid Klara was because he didn’t want to see the girl trying to avoid him. It would have been funny if it didn’t make him feel so hurt.

What was even worse was that he didn’t know what he’d done to warrant such a treatment. He only knew that Klara always gave him the cold shoulder when he tried to approach her, giving him absolutely no explanation why.

This was incredibly frustrating, but he had managed to put up with it somehow, mostly by focusing exclusively on his training and avoiding Klara as much as she avoided him. However, his thoughts always lingered on her every time he took a pause, and he would have given up everything he had for being able to recover their friendship and be together once again.

He let out a sad sigh and headed down to the main hall to have breakfast.

As he descended the stairs, he saw Marcus and Hoggs talking to each other in front of the fireplace. The old man was turned away from him, but the Vex Queen was sitting cross legged on a sofa facing the stairs and saw him immediately.

“Hey there, Felix!” she greeted with a huge, amused smirk. “Nice of you to finally wake up!”

“Good morning, young Felix,” Hoggs greeted him as well, turning around.

“Good morning to you Marcus. And good morning to you too, Hoggs,” the young man replied, but he averted his eyes from the Vex Queen, whose current posture, combined with her lack of clothing, was quite revealing, to say the least. Not that Felix saw her as anything but a friend, but still… He was still a male, and a half-naked girl casually wandering around the house with absolutely no shame at all made him feel kind of uncomfortable.

Even… no, especially after she’d revealed that she was a man in her past life.

However, he couldn’t avoid looking at Marcus when she spoke to him, as that would have been terribly impolite. And sadly, it seemed that the bug-girl had something to tell him.

“Hey, Felix,” she said. “Before you have breakfast, I’ve got some news for you.”

“Really?” the young man asked, trying his best to look the Vex Queen only in the face. “What is it?”

“Well, Klara asked me to tell you that she’s waiting for you at the stables,” the Vex Queen said with a smirk. “Apparently, she wants to pay a visit to her home in Oakfell today and she’d enjoy your company on the way there, if you want to go of course.”

“What!” Felix asked, completely taken by surprise. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Marcus confirmed. “She even asked Hoggs if you could take a pause from your training in order to go with her.”

The young man was completely flabbergasted. Klara had been avoiding him for the better part of their stay in Stonebarrow, and now she wanted to travel with him? He couldn’t even begin to understand why she was behaving like this!

And yet… he didn’t really care about the motivations. All he knew for sure was that he wanted nothing more than to stay with his friend, to talk to her, laugh with her, and recover their relationship. Nothing else mattered.

“I’m going to talk with her then!” he said, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Wait, you’re not going to have breakfast before you go?” Marcus said, with a little smug smirk and a hint of teasing in his voice. “It’s not like Klara is going to run away, you know?”

“Uh… well… ehr… I… I’m not really hungry right now!” the young man muttered. “I prefer to go and talk with her!”

“Then go,” the Vex Queen said with a laugh. “Don’t make a lady wait!”

“Sure,” Felix replied, although the way Marcus had phrased that made him blush. “I’ll see you later!”

And with that, he left the inn, all but running to the stable where Klara was waiting for him.

* * *

As soon as Felix left, Marcus cracked up and started giggling in pure delight.

“That was just too precious! It was like watching a lovesick puppy! It’s adorable!”

“I see you’re certainly enjoying this,” Hoggs observed from his sofa.

“I mean, how could I not?” Marcus replied. “Have you seen him? If he had a tail, I bet he would be wagging it like crazy!”

And he started giggling once again, and this time, the telemancer started giggling as well.

“I guess you’re right,” he conceded. “It is adorable—at least funny. For crusty old toads like me, there is nothing more amusing than watching young people struggling for reasons we consider pretty futile, in hindsight.” He paused for a moment, his eyes becoming remote. “I find it hard to believe that I was ever that young and foolish… and yet, I still remember it. A time when I was wet behind the ears and followed my emotions no matter where they led me.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Heavens, it feels as if I was a different person back then.”

“Tell me about it,” Marcus said while rolling his eyes. “Though in my case, I literally was a different person. Kinda. The reincarnation thing is weird.”

He said that casually, as he’d already revealed to both Hoggs and Felix that he had been a man in his previous life. Though he decided to heed Klara’s advice and avoided revealing that he came from a different world. Nonetheless, as it always happened whenever this topic was brought up, Hoggs seemed weirdly interested.

“If you don’t mind me saying so, I must confess that I still find this really peculiar,” the old man said. “I’ve asked a cleric friend of mine a few questions about reincarnations, and he told me that in most—if not all—cases, those who kept their memories from their previous lives used to be… rather peculiar and important people. Usually powerful sorcerers or clerics, or great Aura Masters. And yet you said you were an ordinary clerk in your past life.”

“It was mostly a temporary occupation though,” Marcus corrected him. “I was actually studying to become a civil engineer…”

“No offense, but that’s still pretty mundane,” the telemancer continued. “Not to mention, reincarnating as another species is actually unheard of. At least, there are no records of it that my friend knew of.”

“Well, I do not know why or how it happened,” the Vex Queen replied. “It just happened. I died as a man and woke up as… well, this weird lizard bug-girl thingy. I already told you this.” He shot Hoggs a suspicious glare. “By the way, why are you so obsessed with this? You’re always asking questions about it.”

“Just curiosity, nothing else. After all, it’s pretty rare to meet people that have lived twice.”

“Ah! You’ve lived more than twice as long as me, for what matters. I died pretty young and I’ve lived in this world for just about a year, so in total I’m no older than 26 or 27, even counting my past life. Didn’t I tell you that?”

“Yes, you did,” the old man conceded, and then he added with a smirk: “And I believe you. Actually, going by your behavior, I would have believed you if you’d told me you were still a teenager.”

“What!” Marcus cried. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I do not know of many adults that wander around in their underwear in front of other people,” Hoggs replied sarcastically.

The Vex Queen was about to protest, but then he looked down at his current outfit and the retort he was about to say died before it could get out.

“Touché,” Marcus said. “Is there a reason for this not-so-subtle criticism directed at my manners, by the way?”

“Well, for starters, it’s fun,” Hoggs explained with a smirk. “But more seriously, it may cause you some problems in the long run. You may have not noticed, but you’re supposed to be a knight now, and there are certain expectations that come with that title.”

“Uff. I understand,” Marcus replied. “I don’t like it, but I do understand. Well, I guess I’ll try to behave a little better in the future. And for starters, I’m gonna go dress myself.”

“About that…” the telemancer said. “You may want to wear something light. After all, today’s a perfect day for some training.”

“What? Training? Already?” Marcus asked. “Isn’t it better to let my body rest for a day?”

“Not really.” Hoggs shook his head. “Besides, do you really feel the need to rest?”

For a moment, the Vex Queen felt tempted to answer yes. But sadly, he didn’t feel tired at all… Hell, he actually felt better than usual. So, cursing his own honesty, he answered truthfully.

“No. I’m not tired.”

“Thought so,” the telemancer said. “I’ve seen trainees who were actually too tired to go on. They could barely move because of the pain in their muscles, but you are clearly completely fine. Besides, the point of my training is not to train your body alone, but rather to improve the coordination between your body and your mind, and as I stated before, being exhausted is the first step to achieving that goal. So go prepare yourself. We’ve got a long day in front of us.”

Marcus groaned, but he didn’t outright protest. Instead, he got up and headed to his room in order to change into his training clothes. He walked like a man headed for his execution, causing Hoggs to stifle a laugh.

And yet, as bleak as the prospect of another training session under Hoggs seemed, he couldn’t help but feel positive about the future. After all, his life was generally peaceful, Felix and Klara were about to solve their problems, and maybe he’d found a way to control his Aura.

He really hoped that things could stay like this for a long while.

Chapter 11

Hand Holding

Felix and Klara arrived at Oakfell late in the afternoon.

A weird mix of emotions surged in Klara’s chest as soon as she saw the village. Nostalgia, regret, pain, restlessness, and many others she couldn’t even name. It wasn’t really pleasant, but at the same time it felt necessary, like changing the bandages on an old wound.

Luckily, she was in a rather good mood at the moment. The trip with Felix had been very pleasant, as they’d spent hours discussing with each other, reminiscing about their shared past, joking, talking about their plans for the future and generally renewing their friendship. As a result, Klara felt much better while Felix looked incredibly cheerful, just like he used to be.

Of course, there was still the proverbial troll in the room. Klara still hadn’t managed to gather enough resolve to speak about her new feelings for the young man, and as a result, she couldn’t really look him in the eyes. She did, however, look at him elsewhere… Especially in the chest area. The shirt Felix was wearing was an old one that used to be rather large on his lanky frame. Now it was an extremely tight fit, revealing the muscles bulging underneath it. That made Klara rather uncomfortable, as she had to consciously restrain herself from touching those muscles, and tracing their profile with her finger and—

“Klara, is everything alright?” Felix asked, distracting the girl from her fantasies.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine!” she replied, feeling really flustered. “Totally fine. Yep. Never been better. Why do you ask?”

“Well… you look kinda tense,” Felix said, raising an eyebrow. “And you’ve been biting your lips for a while now. Is there something that’s bothering you?”

“Nope!” she said emphatically. “Everything is fine! Completely fine! Don’t worry about it! Besides, we’ve almost arrived… so we got to focus on that. Yeah, let’s focus on that.”

“Ok then,” Felix said, looking pretty confused, but he said nothing else until they passed through the gates of Oakfell.

The village was awfully quiet for that time of the day, and the streets were completely empty. If not for the smoke rising from a couple of chimneys and the guards at the gate, Klara would have thought the town was deserted.

“What’s going on?” Felix wondered. “Where is everyone?”

“I don’t know,” she replied after studying her surroundings. “Most houses have their doors and windows closed and barred, so I guess they’ve all left.”

“But why?” Felix wondered. “What could have made them leave?”

“Probably the prospect of an orc invasion.” Klara shrugged. “I mean, we’re right at the border with the Caligare Forest, and if the orcs are really coming, Oakfell would be one of the first villages to fall.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” the young men agreed. “Still, it’s pretty sad to see the village this desolate.”

“Not for me. In fact, the fewer people I see, the better.” Her face became cold and hard. “I haven’t forgotten how they treated me.”

“Yeah.” Felix grimaced. “I can’t blame you for not wanting to see them. Although…” He paused and his expression growing pensive. “There is something that doesn’t add up about it.”

“What is it?”

“That’s the odd part: I can’t remember.” The young man narrowed his eyes. “I feel as if it’s something important, though…”

“Well, if you can’t remember, then it’s probably not that important.” Klara shrugged. “Anyway, you should stop the cart. We’ve arrived.”

Felix looked to his right and noticed they were indeed in front of Klara’s home, so he stopped the cart and they got down.

“Well, at least it’s nice to be back,” the apprentice sorcerer said. “This house is full of memories.”

“Yes, it is,” Klara replied, taking out a big key from her pocket and opening the door. “And it’s full of all of my things too. So I’m gonna take—”

She stopped mid-sentence, as the sight of what was inside the house left her completely speechless. Felix noticed her sudden change, and peeked through the door.

The living room was dark, as all the windows were shut, but it was clear that it was completely empty. All of the furniture was missing.

“What the hell is this!” Klara cried in outrage. “Where is my stuff?”

She stormed inside, running from room to room in search of her belongings, but she found the place was absolutely empty. By the time she got out of her own bedroom she was outright screaming in frustration.

“Gods-freaking-dammit!” she cursed, her face red with rage. “What in the Four Hells happened here? Who took my stuff! I swear I will rip off their legs!”

“Uh… Klara, maybe you’d better calm down,” Felix said. “Maybe we can find out what—”

But, as the young man was about to find out, telling a furious woman to calm down wasn’t really a smart thing to do.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN!” She interrupted, screaming those words at the top of her lungs. “All of my things have disappeared, and you tell me to calm down?” She bared her teeth. “The only thing that is going to calm me down is either finding where my stuff is or finding the culprit so that I can tear their eyes out!”

“Well… uhm…” the apprentice sorcerer started to say, but then his voice died down. Despite being much taller than her and extremely powerful to boot, couldn’t help but cower in the face of that primal fury.

Luckily for him, a familiar female voice coming from outside of the house distracted Klara.

“Is anyone there?” the voice asked. “Who is inside?”

Both Klara and Felix recognized that voice.

“Gertrude,” Klara murmured, spitting out the name as if it tasted bad on her tongue. “What does she want now?”

Nonetheless, she walked down the stairs and quickly reached the door, finding herself face to face with the owner of the emporium.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” Klara said, seemingly in a polite tone but putting as much venom into those words as she could. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

But the old woman didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at the girl with her eyes wide and full of many, contrasting emotions.

“Klara… it’s you. It’s really you,” she said in a trembling. “You’re alive.”

“Yeah, sorry to disappoint you,” the girl replied sarcastically. “Now that we made that clear, please get off my porch. I have important things to do and no time to waste on those like you.”

And without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door in the woman’s face.

“Wait!” Gertrude cried, and she started knocking at the door. “Klara! I need to speak with you! Please!”

The girl didn’t answer, and pointedly turned her back to the door. But Gertrude kept desperately knocking, and after a while, Klara grit her teeth and went to open the door.

“Stop knocking at my door, Gertrude!” she shouted as soon as she was face to face with the woman. “You’ve already spoken to me enough last time we met. Remember when you tried to rip me off and then kicked me out of your store? Now get out of my face before I make you!”

“Klara, please!” the old woman said with a broken voice. “Listen to me, I’m sorry! I’m terribly sorry about how I treated you!”

“You’re… sorry?” Klara said softly, but that was clearly the quiet before the storm. “You’re sorry?” she said louder, her face growing redder. “You and the others treated me like dirt and insulted me for months and you say you’re freaking sorry! Well, I sure hope you are!” Her voices rose by many octaves. “But that doesn’t change what you did! You put me through hell! You left me alone! I thought you were my friend, but not only did you turn your back on me, you also spit on me while doing so. And you say you. Are. Freaking. Sorry.” She grabbed the door handle once again. “Get out of my face, Gertrude. I don’t want to see you.”

But this time, Gertrude grabbed the door before Klara could close it, and looked at the girl with eyes full of tears.

“Please… I’m so sorry. What I did was terrible. I… I treated you horribly. And I regret it with all of my heart!” She started sobbing. “I… I love you like a daughter, Klara. I’ve known you ever since you were but a small child, and I helped Karl raise you.”

“So much for that motherly love!” Klara cried. “You accused me of getting Ulric killed and kicked me out of your store! If this is how you loved Ulric as well, it’s no surprise that he ran off to the forest! No one would want to live with a mother like you!”

Gertrude winced at those words, and even Felix was surprised, as that was a really low blow for Klara’s standards, even after everything the villagers had put her through, but maybe she just had enough after her furniture had disappeared.

“Klara,” the young man said. “I get it that you’re still angry about what happened, but you shouldn’t let your rage control you.”

“What if I want to let my anger control me then?” Klara replied in a defiant tone. “Gertrude and the other bastards all have it coming.”

“Yes, I agree on that.” Felix nodded. “They definitely have it coming, after what they did to you. But lowering yourself to their level isn’t going to do you any good.”

Klara repressed the scathing reply that naturally came to her lips. She looked her friend in the eye, took a deep breath, and turned to Gertrude, who was pale as a ghost and looked incredibly distressed.

“Get out, Gertrude,” she said coldly. “I’m sorry to have said those things about Ulric, but I want nothing to do with you anymore. Get out of my house and never come back.”

“I… I understand,” the old lady replied, barely restraining herself from bursting into tears. “I’m going to tell you just one thing before I go then. There is no excuse for how I treated you. I should have protected you, and I didn’t. But despite that… I want you to know that I’m terribly sorry. I don’t know why I acted the way I did… but I didn’t mean anything I said to you back then. I love you dearly, Klara, and that’s going to be true even if you don’t want to see me ever again!”

Klara stared at Gertrude coldly for a long moment.

“So, what happened about all those things you said?” the girl asked. “Am I supposed to ignore how you accused me to be responsible for Ulric’s death? How you kicked me out of your emporium? And can I ever trust you again?”

“I… I don’t expect you to forgive me or trust me. And I can’t blame you, either. I don’t know if I’m going to trust myself after what happened. I had an inexplicable urge to hate you and treat you poorly back then, and I couldn’t resist it.” Tears started rolling down her cheeks. “I don’t know what caused it. All that I know is that other people were also affected… I talked with a few others and they also felt the same, unfounded hate toward you.”

These words made Felix narrow his eyes, as a glint of recognition flashed in his eyes, but Klara was just too angry to care.

“Sharing the same guilt with others doesn’t make you any less guilty yourself, Gertrude,” she said in an icy tone. “I’m not ready to forgive you for the way you treated me. I don’t know if I ever will.” She sighed. “But I’m not going to let this grudge interfere with my life either.”

“I understand,” Gertrude conceded. “We shunned you and abandoned you when you needed us the most. We deserve nothing but your scorn and contempt. I’ll leave you alone, and pray that you’ll be able to forgive me one day.” She was about to turn away and leaver, but stopped and turned back. “Oh, and another thing… I’ve got some of your belongings in my warehouse, if you want to have it.”

“What!” Klara asked in a suspicious voice. “You have my stuff? How? Did you and the others raid my house when I was away?”

“No!” the old woman replied. “We would never do such a thing. I just bought it. I… couldn’t stand watching your personal belongings being taken like that, so I bought them. Mostly to have something to remember you by, since we believed you were dead.”

Klara’s expression became rather puzzled at that revelation. “And who did you buy it from?”

“From Vicker,” Gertrude said. “He and his lackeys came to take possession of your house right after you were left for dead. He took basically everything from your house before shutting it down… and I bought a few things from him. Mostly things with sentimental value, like the portraits of your family.”

Klara remained silent, slowly digesting this information. When she spoke again, her voice wasn’t cold anymore. It was brimming with barely controlled fury.

“Vicker!” She spat that name out like a curse. “That damn vulture! Of course it’s him! But this time he got ahead of himself. I’m still alive, and I’m gonna get back my stuff from him with interest!” She turned to Gertrude. “We’re far from being even, but that’s a start, at least. I’ll come to pick up my things before leaving. But for now… I need to think about this situation. So, I’d be glad if you’d leave so I can discuss a few things with Felix here.”

She gestured to the young man, causing Gertrude’s eyes to go wide with surprise.

“Felix?” she gawked at the apprentice sorcerer. “That’s Felix Agner!”

“Yup. That’s me, Gertrude,” the boy replied. “Nice to see you again.”

“My, you’ve grown so much!” the old lady said. “I didn’t recognize you at first. But… maybe now is not the time for this reunion. I’ll leave you two alone. And if you want to take your things back, Klara, you can come to the emporium any time you want.”

And with these final words, she left, closing the door behind her.

Klara, who’d been left emotionally drained by the encounter, leaned against a wall and let out a long, tired sigh. Felix caressed his chin, a pensive expression on his face.

“That was… peculiar,” he mumbled.

“Peculiar? More like completely infuriating!” Klara said in an exasperated voice. “Back then, she told me she hated me and wanted me dead, and now she cries and tells me that she loves me and that she regrets what she did! And to top it all off, she says that she never had any reason to actually hate me… she just had the urge to do so! I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. Am I supposed to believe that she and all the other villagers just had some sort of contagious madness that made them hate me or something and now they’re healed?”

“That may actually be the case,” Felix replied with a thoughtful expression.

“What?” the girl cried. “Are you serious? Do you really believe that?”

“In a way, yes. My old master hinted about a spell to control people’s emotions once. He actually used it as an example of the kind of spells that are absolutely forbidden.”

“And you think that someone could have used one such spell on the villagers to make them hate me?” Klara asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t discount the possibility.” The apprentice sorcerer nodded. “What Gertrude and the others experienced seems to match the effects of a Suggestion spell. The inexplicable and sudden urge to hate you, the fact that they came back to their senses afterward, and even the fact that they all experienced the same thing. You must admit that it seems as if they were manipulated.”

“Yeah… that kind of makes sense,” the girl agreed. “But who could have used that spell? And why?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure Vicker bribed Ludd to try and kill you,” Felix replied. “And if he did that, then he wouldn’t hesitate to hire a sorcerer to cast the Suggestion spell on the villagers either.” He paused for a moment and then added: “And now that I think about it, there was a sorcerer in the village during that time… The same one that accompanied our expedition and betrayed us to the goblins. Zeno, I think he was called.”

“Yes, but why would Vicker do that?” Klara asked. “Sure, he’s ruthless, but he’s not stupid. And getting my house doesn’t seem worth hiring so many people and partaking in serious criminal activities. I mean, the reward doesn’t nearly justify the risks!”

“I don’t know.” The young man shrugged. “The only thing I think could justify this whole scenario is something of huge value… Maybe some kind of treasure that was inside the house.”

“That’d make sense.” The girl nodded. “If it’s something of great value, then Vicker wouldn’t stop at anything in order to get it… But in that case, why didn’t he just kill me and steal the bloody thing?”

“No idea. We’d have to ask Vicker personally.”

“Well, that’s exactly what I’m going to do!” Klara said in a hard voice. “I’m going to have to meet him anyway in order to get my stuff back, and if he’s really responsible for everything I went through, I’m going to make him regret it!”

“Well… in that case, maybe it’s better if I or some of Marcus’s drones accompany you,” Felix suggested. “You know, since Vicker is always accompanied by that minotaur bodyguard of his… Not that I doubt your ability to defend yourself, but that guy seems really strong.”

“And you think you can deal with him?” Klara asked jokingly, since she already knew the answer. After all, she had seen Felix training, and she didn’t think anything short of an Aura Master could give him pause.

“Well, if that bullman tries to do anything to you, I’m gonna turn him into roast beef,” the apprentice sorcerer said with a confident smirk, and a small sphere of fire materialized in his hand to underline that concept.

“Whoa, careful with that!” Klara said, suddenly alarmed. “I don’t want you burning my house down by accident!”

“Don’t worry,” the boy said, and with a quick gesture, the fireball disappeared. “I’ve had six months to learn how to control my powers, so your house is safe!”

“Yeah,” Klara said, not completely convinced, but then she realized something. “By the way, speaking of the past six months… Why didn’t you tell me about the Suggestion spell before? We could have already denounced Vicker by now!”

“Well…” Felix mumbled, suddenly looking distressed. “I don’t know. Mostly, because it only came to mind just now… even though I feel as if I had these suspicions before.” His eyes widened slightly. “It was during the battle in Brettholz… when I went to defend the barricades. I met ol’ man Kruger in there, and we spoke about how the people in Brettholz felt sorry for how they treated you. He asked me to tell you about it, before he… before he…”

Felix stopped talking, a fiery rage suddenly flashing in his eyes, and in response to this, small wisps of smoke started rising from his clothes, while sparks materialized all around him.

“Felix!” Klara cried, scared by that sudden manifestation of power.

The young man winced and the sparks disappeared. He then took a series of deep breaths before turning to his friend with a guilty expression on his face.

“Sorry, Klara… I almost lost control for a moment,” he said in an apologetic tone.

“Are you alright?” the girl asked, still worried.

“Yeah… I just remembered Kruger’s death,” Felix replied.

“Sorry to have made you remember that,” Klara said.

“Don’t worry. It’s not your fault,” the apprentice sorcerer reassured her. “Somehow, I had completely forgotten about it. I was just a little overwhelmed when that memory resurfaced.”

However, despite that reassurance, he still looked a little shaken, so Klara decided to take initiative and try to calm him down.

“Well, I’d say it’s better if we sit down and rest a bit then. The trip has been quite long, and we’ve both faced our share of distress.”

“Fine. But where are we going to sit?” the young man said with a dry smirk. “Last time I checked, you have no chairs.”

“Not a problem,” Klara replied, sitting on the floor with her back leaning on the wall. “We’ll just have to sit on the floor. Come here. Let’s rest a bit. After that, we can go to Gertrude’s emporium and get my stuff before we head back to Stonebarrow.”

“Wait, didn’t you want to spend the night here?”

“Well, that was before I knew all of my beds were taken away.”

“Fair enough,” the boy conceded as he sat next to her on the floor.

They remained silent for a minute or two, just taking solace in each other’s presence. Then, Klara suddenly spoke.

“You know, I’d have thought that coming back to Oakfell would have brought us back to the way we used to be. But now that we’re here, I can’t help but feel that things are never going to be the same.”

“That’s life, sadly,” Felix replied. “I’d wish that we could go back to the way we were before too. I’d wish your grandpa was still alive, and that we’d still be children trying to steal cookies from the kitchen.” He sighed. “But I don’t think there’s enough magic in the world to turn back time. So, we’ve got to deal with the changes, somehow.”

“I know…” Klara nodded. “It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to do so. Especially when the changes to your life are so drastic. However… I have to say that I’m glad we’re facing this together. Going through this all alone would… well, I think it’d be overwhelming.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for!” Felix said with a smile. “And as for me, I’m definitely glad that I have you. I doubt I’d have recovered from my awakening without your help.”

“As you said, that’s what friends are for.” She returned his smile.

They didn’t speak further but, slowly and timidly, Klara grabbed Felix’s hand, and the two remained sitting on the floor for another few minutes, holding each other’s hand.

Chapter 12

First Contact

For the thousandth time, Jones the telemancer wished he’d found a better excuse to avoid the current mission. He had thought drinking a whole bottle of snakevine oil would have been enough, but sadly, Father Hiram, the marquis’s chaplain, had proven to be a better healer than he thought. Jones had been quickly cured of his “accidental” poisoning and sent to liaison with the rest of the guards in the new Ashwood Hills outpost, which happened to be located within the ruins of the monastery where the Vex had set up their nest.

Once he’d arrived, Jones had discovered that the mission was even worse than the rumors suggested.

It wasn’t just having to live in the middle of a forest, far from the comfort of his house in Brettholz, that made it unbearable. Nor was it the fact that he didn’t have a warm meal or a decent bath in weeks, or even the threat of an upcoming orc invasion looming on the horizon. No, what really ticked him off was having to endure all the above while being surrounded by huge, creepy, insect-like creatures.

He tried to tell himself that the Vex were technically allies, and that it was their presence that kept this part of the forest relatively safe, but to no avail. Something about those creatures made his skin crawl. It wasn’t just their appearance, but rather the way they moved and behaved… More like puppets than actual living beings, with an uncanny, instinctive coordination that gave the impression they were part of a single, complex organism. And to top it all off, having to live in the middle of their mold wax encrusted hive made Jones feel as if he was sitting in the maw of a huge predatory creature. A feeling that deeply disturbed him and made him all the more eager to get back to Brettholz.

The only good things that Jones could find about his current situation was that his tour of duty was almost over and the Wyvern-like Vex drones that the marquis had given them would make the trip back much quicker and safer than travelling on foot. Also, despite all of his complaining, Jones had to admit that as unpleasant as his stay had been, nothing really dangerous had happened. The Vex kept the other animals of the forest at bay, and there was no trace of these theoretical orcs the marquis feared, so all in all, the telemancer could consider himself lucky. He just had to endure for a couple more days, and then he could be back in his comfy bed in Brettholz.

As it often happened, his expectations for the future were about to be completely demolished.

It was evening, and Jones was having dinner—which was just dry meat and bread, since they couldn’t risk lighting a fire—with the other guards in the mold wax covered cloister where they’d set up their camps. All of a sudden, the Vex all around them let out alarmed screeches and started running frantically outside of their nest. Obviously, this alerted the Brettholz guards, who grabbed their weapons and cautiously headed toward the edge of the ruins in order to see what the ruckus was all about.

Jones, on the other hand, decided that whatever was going on was above his pay grade, and instead approached the Wyvern-like Vex drones that were tied to a pole at the center of the cloister, in order to quickly escape in case the situation got dicey.

I’m not a combatant… I’m just a telemancer, he internally justified himself. My orders are to report back whatever happens here, and that’s what I’m gonna do. If I see an orc or any other monstrosity entering the cloister, I’ll take this Wyvern-thingy and get out of here. I mean, it’s my duty to survive in order to warn the marquis about whatever danger is approaching!

However, nothing happened, and Jones just stood next to the Wyvern drones for a few minutes until one of the guards entered the cloister and called for him.

“Jones!” the guard shouted. “Come here! There’s something you need to see!”

“What is it?” the telemancer asked, reluctant to leave his only safe means of escape. “Can’t you just tell me?”

“Sorry, but per regulations, you need to personally confirm contact with the enemy,” the guard replied. “You’re the one who needs to make the report, after all.”

“Contact with the enemy!” Jones cried in a panicked tone. “Do you mean the orcs? They’re here?”

“They were, but the Vex managed to drive them away,” the guard said in an annoyed voice. “Now come. Better be quick, in case they return with reinforcements.”

Knowing there were actually orcs nearby, Jones felt all the more reluctant to leave the Wyvern behind, but his orders were clear. If possible, he had to personally witness the presence of the orcs before reporting it, in order to make his testimony legally undisputable.

He gulped nervously and followed the guard outside of the ruins and into the mold wax covered territory that extended around the hill. As they walked, they crossed paths with a few Vex getting back to their hive while carrying pieces of bloody, scaly meat, and even a couple of their own dead with them—most likely taking everything to their larder. The thought made Jones shudder in disgust, but he forced himself to ignore the cannibalistic, scary insect-things and just follow his guide.

After a minute or so, they reached the site where the fight had happened. A few Vex were busy taking the rest of the corpses with them, while the Brettholz guards all stood around a single body to prevent the bugs from taking it away as well. The leader of the expedition, an aging veteran called Roen, saw them approaching and gestured for the telemancer to get closer.

“Good. You’re finally here,” he said, moving out of the way and pointing at the corpse behind him. “Come and get a look at this body before the bugs take it.”

Jones nodded, and approached the corpse. It had been badly mangled by dozens of savage blows, but it was still perfectly recognizable as a dead orc.

The telemancer felt a chill running down his spine. He hadn’t really bought into the story of the orc army—in his opinion, it was a ploy used by the goblins to avoid repercussions for their invasions—but right now, he couldn’t help but giving a terrified look toward the edge of the forest, half-expecting a horde of wild, bloodthirsty orcs to charge right out of it.

Which was all the more reason to hurry up and do his job before getting the hells away from there.

“W-what happened in here?” he asked with a quivering voice. “A-are the o-orcs coming?”

“Who knows.” Roen shrugged. “All I can tell you is that thirty-two orcs came snooping around from the forest and the Vex attacked them.” He made a nervous half smile. “Gotta say, after seeing that, I’m glad the bugs are on our side. They were all over the orcs like a living tidal wave made out of talons, fangs and hate, and they shredded the scaly bastards before they knew what hit them.” He pointed at the mangled remains of the orc that they’d been guarding. “This one is the most intact one we managed to find. All the others were literally hacked to pieces.”

Jones looked at the nearby Vex, and had no trouble at all picturing the gory spectacle in his mind. He shuddered and tried to think about something else.

“These orcs…” he asked. “Are there any survivors or were they all killed?”

“Well, two or three managed to run away,” the old guard replied. “But they were badly wounded and the Vex were chasing them. I wouldn’t bet too much money on their survival.”

“Understood,” Jones said, starting to calm down a bit since it seemed there was no immediate danger. At least at the moment. “Then I’m going to contact the marquis and tell him we found the orcs.”

“You do that.” Roen nodded. “Meanwhile, we’ll be on the lookout for more orcs. If they show up again in large numbers, we’re out of here.”

“Good,” the telemancer replied, a sudden pang of relief coursing through his body despite the dangerous situation they were in.

Sure, now they had proof that the orcs were coming, which was bad news for the province of Brettholz and the kingdom in general, but for Jones personally, it meant he’d accomplished his mission and therefore could finally leave this wretched place. And after he got back, he could surely find an excuse to leave Brettholz for a safer location, far away from the border of the Caligare Forest.

With this plan in mind, he hurried up to the camp to pack up his things and contact the marquis. If everything went well, he’d be able to sleep in a real bed by tomorrow night.

Chapter 13

A Beer, a Broad, and a Bonfire

The telemancy tower of Brettholz was usually the most tranquil part of the marquis’s palace, as the telemancers needed every bit of peace and quiet they could get to better concentrate on their job.

Right now, however, incredibly loud angry screams came from the tower.

“What do you mean we have to STAY HERE?” Jones shouted over the Twinstone, making the marquis flinch and cover his ears, while the telemancers in the room frantically tried to turn down the volume.

As soon as he’d received news of the orcs sighting, the nobleman decided to personally speak with Jones through the same special equipment he used to speak with Marcus months back. He couldn’t get visual contact on account of Hoggs being the only one in his service who knew how to operate that part of the magical machinery, but the other telemancers had assured him that they could handle the vocal broadcasting system.

Sadly, it turned out that while they did manage to establish a vocal connection, they had no idea how to set the volume to acceptable levels, something which was made worse by Jones panicking and refusing to keep his voice low.

“We already FOUND the orcs! What ELSE do you WANT?” Jones screamed. Eisen felt his whole body shake from the sheer volume of that screech. In response, the marquis gritted his teeth and decided he’d had enough, grabbing the copper wand that channeled his voice to the Twinstone and shouting back some orders.

“Calm down, Jones! And keep your damned voice down! You’re making my ears bleed here!”

There was a pause, and when Jones spoke again, he’d stopped screaming. His voice still came out incredibly loud, but this time it was at an almost acceptable volume.

“Aye, sir,” he grumbled. “But could you at least tell me what we’re supposed to do here? We found the orcs, so why can’t we go back to Brettholz?”

“The issue is that we’re looking for an army of orcs, while the ones you’ve seen seems more like a regular tribe, from your report,” Eisen explained. “And we already knew there were orcs in the forest, so stumbling on a few of them is nothing noteworthy. What you have to be on the lookout for is a number of orcs great enough to be called an army. Only then, when we have proof of the existence of such a threat that doesn’t come from just the goblins, will we be able to call for reinforcements from the capital. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Jones replied, albeit in a clearly unsatisfied voice.

“Good,” the marquis said. “And you’ll have to be particularly alert from now on. Those orcs you’ve seen may have been scouts or foragers for a bigger force, in which case, you can expect more to come in greater numbers.”

“Understood,” the telemancer replied nervously. “Uhm… just out of curiosity, you’re still going to send my replacement in two days, right?”

“Yes,” Eisen said. “But I’ll send him not as a replacement, but as reinforcement.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re staying there for a while longer,” the nobleman explained. “Since you were the first to make contact with the orcs, it’s likely that they are coming your way, so I’m sending you more people to keep better watch on your area.”

“WHAT?” Jones shouted, making Eisen’s ears hurt once again. “My mission was to stay here for TWO WEEKS! WHY are you changing it!”

“Calm the hells down, Jones!” Eisen shouted angrily. “It is not up to you to question my orders! You just have to follow them! I need more people in our outpost, and I’ve only got one Vex Wyvern to spare for transportation. Having you make the trip back here would leave some of the other guards with no means of escape, which would basically be a death sentence. You either obey my orders or you explain to your comrades there that you’re willing to let them die for your convenience.”

“Aye, sir,” the telemancer replied in a more subsided tone, although he still sounded far from happy. “I’ll obey and relay your orders to the others.”

“Good. You do that,” Eisen said. “And keep me informed in case anything else happens.”

After this exchange, the call ended, and the marquis started heading back to his office, followed by his bodyguard. However, as soon as he got down from the telemancy tower, he found himself face to face with one of his servants, who was accompanied by none other than Trakk, the Goblin General.

“Excuse me, my lord,” the servant said. “Mister Trakk requested an audience with you. I told him that you were currently occupied in the telemancy tower, but he said that he’d wait for you to be done.”

The marquis mentally groaned, as he had hoped to be done with his duties for the day. However, whatever Trakk had come to discuss was certainly rather important.

“Very well. I can spare some time for him,” he said. “Let’s go to my office, shall we General Trakk?”

“Of course, your lordship,” the goblin replied politely. “After you.”

They started walking, seemingly without any animosity or hostility, though the marquis’ bodyguard put himself between his liege and the short, gray humanoid.

During the winter, Trakk had become a familiar figure in the palace of the marquis, paying visits whenever he and his kin came to trade in town. It started a few months back, when the leader of the goblins had asked the marquis for the permission to sell and buy some goods in the market of Brettholz. The nobleman had decided to allow it, albeit under strict surveillance.

That turned out to be a really good call.

Trade had been languishing after the goblin invasion, further increasing the toll on the province’s finances, but Trakk’s arrival changed that. It turned out that the goblins had brought a veritable trove of rare and valuable materials from the forest, and in addition to that, the Goblin General proved himself to be a very skilled haggler. During his first visit to the market, he brought some truly impressive wares and sold them at outrageously low prices to various merchants while buying various common goods—like building materials and raw metal—at nearly twice the normal price. Word quickly got out about this, and a week later, when the goblins came back to Brettholz, many more merchants were there to partake in the chance to take advantage of the goblins’ inexperience.

Sadly for those merchants, this had all been part of Trakk’s plan.

The goblin had intentionally let himself be ripped off the first time in order to lure more merchants to Brettholz, and once the supply and demand ratio had been turned in his favor, he started haggling for real, getting a much better price this time around. That said, he still made sure the merchants would profit from the trade in order to make them come back again, and he promised to bring more goods every week, thus creating a steady, regular business and revitalizing Brettholz’s market.

And of course, the goblins profits weren’t just economical, but also social and political. Not only were the locals getting used to the goblins, but the prosperity they’d brought also greatly improved the humanoids’ reputation among the people. Sure, no one trusted them yet, but the open hate and resentment they were initially regarded with had started to dissipate.

It was an impressive achievement indeed, and as a ruler himself, Eisen couldn’t help but feel admiration for Trakk’s skills. Not to mention the fact that the goblin was also really pleasant company, being polite, refined, cultured, and a sparkling conversationalist, and even a devilish gambler and chess player. To top it all off, Trakk also offered all kinds of helpful suggestions and advice that inevitably ended up benefiting both Eisen and the province as a whole.

All things considered, it wasn’t a surprise that the marquis always found some time to spare for Trakk, though he still didn’t trust him entirely.

Once they reached the marquis’s office, as usual, they sat at different ends of the room, with the desk between them and the bodyguard standing right next to his liege.

“So, what brings you here, Trakk?” the nobleman asked. “May I offer you some wine or anything else while we talk?”

“I sincerely thank you, Marquis Eisen, but I fear we don’t have much time to waste on such pleasantries,” the goblin politely declined. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get straight to the point.”

“By all means.”

Trakk made a small pause, seemingly gathering his argument before talking.

“Originally, I came here to ask for your permission to build some warehouses outside of the walls. Mostly to store my goods. This way, we’d increase the efficiency of trading with the rest of the kingdom.”

“That’s a sound proposition,” the marquis nodded.

“However, while I was waiting for you, I couldn’t really help but eavesdrop a few words from your telemancy call.” He chuckled. “Though to be fair, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole city heard it. You should really turn down the volume if you want some privacy, dear Marquis.”

“I wanted to do that,” Eisen replied in a vaguely annoyed tone. “But sadly, my chief telemancer is occupied elsewhere, and as it turns out, he’s the only one who can properly control the vocal system.”

“Anyway, the words I picked up made me rather worried,” the goblin continued. “From the sound of it, it seems like your men met some orcs in the forest.”

“They did,” the marquis confirmed. “But they were just a few orcs, and the Vex made quick work of them. They could have just been a regular orc tribe wandering into Vex territory.”

“That’s unlikely,” Trakk corrected him. “When my people left the forest, most, if not all, orc tribes were already under Blueskin’s control. Moreover, it’s rare for orcs to show up so far north, since they usually stay in the southern part of the forest where there is more prey. If you add these two facts together, it becomes probable that those orcs were either scouts or foragers for a bigger force expanding to the north, most likely because they’ve exhausted their food reserves in the south.”

“That’s a possibility, for sure,” Eisen replied, giving the goblin a very meaningful look. “If the orc army really does exist, that is.”

The goblin made a sad smirk in response.

“Well, we’re going to find that out soon, aren’t we?” he said. “Speaking of which, may I ask how you intend to prepare for the orc arrival?”

“I’ve increased the number of patrols in the forest, but apart from that, can’t really do much before I get a reliable confirmation of the existence of the orc army. The capital won’t send me reinforcements until then, and my province is too worn down after the conflict with your people to mount a significant defense.”

“Fair enough.” Trakk nodded. “However, there is a problem with this course of action: if the orcs reach Brettholz before the reinforcements from Rennhafen, your province is going to be razed to the ground.”

“I’m well aware of that,” the nobleman replied with a sigh. “But sadly, there is nothing I can do about it. I’m not in the good graces of the Council of Nobles and they are the ones controlling the regular army.”

“Understood,” the goblin said. “If things are like this, then I’d like to ask for your permission to take the matter of the defense in my hands.”

“What do you mean?” Eisen asked, a bit suspicious.

“Well, it seems there is a high probability that it’ll be up to us goblins and the Vex to keep the orcs occupied until reinforcements from Rennhafen arrives,” Trakk explained in a business-like tone. “Therefore, I’d like to improve the odds by doing some preparations beforehand. But in order to do so, I need your permission to lead part of my forces outside of our territory.”

The goblin waited for the marquis’s answer, but Eisen didn’t answer right away. He stared at the goblin as if trying to see inside of his head, while he pondered the implications of that request.

The nobleman was incredibly reluctant to let a recently hostile, and rather untrustworthy, armed force wander freely in his territory. On the other hand, if the orcs were really coming then they needed all the advantages they could muster.

In the end, Eisen decided to reach a compromise between the two courses of action in order to minimize the risks involved.

“Fine,” he said. “You have my permission to leave your territories and prepare for the upcoming battle.” He raised his finger. “However, there are a few conditions. First off, you and your underlings will have to be unarmed when you are outside of your territories. Second, you will have to be accompanied by my guards and won’t wander out of their view. And third, you will only get command of your goblins. You’ll have no authority on humans, beastmen, or Vex.”

“Understood, but I have a question about the first condition,” Trakk said. “Are tools like axes included in the weapon ban? Because we’re going to need them to make the necessary preparations.”

“Fine, you can have axes and tools like that,” Eisen conceded. “However, no armor, shields, bows or spears.”

“That’s fine,” the goblin nodded. “Oh, and I’d also need you to call the Vex Queen on my behalf. I’m going to need her cooperation in preparing for the invasion, but I don’t know if she’s going to listen to me unless you tell her to.”

“I’ll call Sir Marcus tomorrow morning to ask her to collaborate with you,” the nobleman said. “But I won’t give her an order, nor will you have any authority over her. Also, I want a detailed report of anything you’re going to do.”

“Understandable.” Trakk nodded again and stood. “Then, with your permission, I’ll be on my way now. I’d love to stay a bit longer, but I have much to do, and I want to get back to my territories this very evening to get things started.”

“By all means,” the marquis said. “We both have a lot of work ahead of us. I’ll contact you through my telemancers if there is any news about the orcs.”

“Thank you, Marquis,” the Goblin General said. “Goodbye, then, Marquis Eisen. It’ll probably be a while before we can meet again, and I hope that next time you’ll have more reason to trust me.”

“Goodbye, General,” Eisen replied with a smile. “May the Lord watch over your steps.”

And with this final exchange, Trakk stepped out of the room.

* * *

Many miles south from Brettholz, in a camp at the border between the Caligare Forest and the mountain range known as the Ashen Peaks, the orcs were having a party.

The camp itself was rudimental, being little more than a grassy clearing with some bonfires lit all over and a huge tree at the center, but since the weather was clear and the temperature was mild, it was still quite pleasant. Besides, the presence of the huge tree at the center made up for the lack of other amenities.

That plant was known as a Lucor Tree, and was commonly called the Sweet Death by the denizens of the forest. It bore delicious fruits, whose smell was absolutely enticing to the point of being intoxicating, and whose nectar, while not technically poisonous, had a narcotic effect so strong, a single drop could send even a fully grown orc into a coma on the spot. The tree would then extend its roots into the unconscious victim, draining them of every nutrient and making more fruits to attract even more prey.

However, a goblin tribe had discovered that by watering down Lucor nectar and letting it brew for a few weeks, they could make a delicious liquor, which retained just enough of its narcotic properties to induce a strong sense of euphoria.

And since Blueskin had eaten the leader of that goblin tribe, he’d consequently acquired that knowledge and decided to put it to good use, introducing his kin to the joys of alcoholic beverages.

As a result, the orcs were merrily drinking, eating and sometimes even fighting each other, with the winner screwing the loser, while the Oni sat on a tree stump like a king on his throne, observing the merry chaos around him and deciding that it was good.

After all, they certainly had good reasons to celebrate.

For starters, they’d gained complete control over the central part of the Caligare Forest. From the Greenward Mountains in the south to the Ashwood Hills to the north, there was no other race left that could oppose them. The Piraca had been exterminated during the siege of Mount Fang, while the few remaining Rantul tribes had also been dealt with or forced into hiding. This had allowed the orcs to drastically expand their hunting territory within the forest, solving the food shortage they’d when they were confined to a smaller territory.

And speaking of food, the quality of what they ate also improved drastically, mostly thanks to Anak’si, the captive Rantul Matriarch. This was because sentient, thinking beings were somehow tastier and had better nutritional value for the orcs compared to normal animals, and the Pale Matriarch had the power to turn pretty much any living being into a Rantul Hybrid. This surplus of “intelligent meat,” as the orcs called it, had been a great boon for Blueskin’s forces, making the orcs stronger and helping them evolve faster. To the point there were more than a thousand ogres under the Oni’s command.

And finally, after they’d secured food and stability, they would also get better equipment thanks to the deal that Blueskin had made with the kobolds.

The kobolds were a reclusive race of humanoid lizard-ferret-dog thingies that lived in caves under the Ashen Peaks. They were also the single most advanced race of the Caligare Forest, at least technologically speaking. More specifically, they were particularly talented blacksmiths, and they had the closest thing to a proper industry that Blueskin had seen in this world, being able to mass-produce things like plate armor and metal weapons.

However, despite their technological proficiency, the orcs still surpassed them in power by a large margin and they knew it perfectly well. Once the orc raiding parties had started threatening their homes, the kobolds had desperately tried to find a diplomatic solution before the conflict escalated, and luckily for them, Blueskin listened. A quick negotiation later, a deal had been brokered and the kobolds accepted to give a regular tribute in weapons and armor in exchange for being left alone. Moreover, in order to seal the deal and show their good intentions, they’d gifted Blueskin a custom made suit of plate armor and a huge, ornate battleaxe.

The axe was certainly a cool and useful weapon, which he’d started to always keep at his side, but the armor had been rather disappointing. It was a far cry from the cool armor suits he’d seen in anime, as it looked mostly like a bulbous boiler and it got in the way when he used his shapeshifting powers. Nonetheless, for all his complaining, he was glad to have it. A ridiculous armor was better than no armor at all. Besides, it was actually quite resilient and comfortable to wear. Hell, it even had a roomy enough codpiece to hide and protect any random boner he could get during a battle, which was a feature he’d been glad for in the last few weeks.

Blueskin sighed. His current sexual frustration was the only sour note in an otherwise perfect symphony, mostly because he didn’t have any way to vent it out. Sure, there were a lot of ogres he could fuck if he wanted to, but they looked absolutely hideous. The only thing with a passable look in the camp was Anak’si, the Rantul Matriarch, but since she had a huge, disgusting spider for a lower torso, there wasn’t much the Oni could do with her, except playing with her titties… Which was actually something he liked to do, from time to time.

He sighed again. He wished Tiny-Sneaky were with him, but for some reason, the cute little ogre was always away on various self-imposed missions. Like keeping tabs on the expansion of new territories or exploring dangerous locations. This was a commendable sense of duty, and Blueskin had to agree that the missions she went on were very important… but he still wished she stayed with him more often.

Well, maybe I could order her to do that next time I see her! he thought, taking a sip of Lucor liquor out of a bowl. I mean, tending to my needs should be her top priority now that there isn’t any pressing threat. In fact, running around doing whatever she pleases is terribly irresponsible of her!

He then kept chugging his drink while complaining in his head for a while. He was so absorbed in this activity, not to mention slightly drunk, that he didn’t notice the furtive figure that approached him.

“Blueskin,” a weirdly high-pitched ogre voice said. “We need to talk.”

The Oni spun around, and found himself face to face with none other than Tiny-Sneaky.

“Tiny!” Blueskin cried. “You’re back! Now this is a pleasant surprise.”

He got up in order to hug the feminine ogre, but Tiny-Sneaky took a few steps back, getting out of his range.

“I have something important to tell you,” she said. “I need you to listen to me now.”

“Can’t I listen while we celebrate a little?” the Oni asked with a lustful smile. “You’ve been away for so long, and I really needed you…”

“You wouldn’t really listen while fucking me,” Tiny replied with a hard voice. “And what I have to tell you can’t wait. I found something that could become a threat to us all.”

Blueskin grimaced and felt a fiery rage flashing in his head in response to that rejection, but after a moment, he managed to calm himself. After all, Tiny-Sneaky had proven time and time again that her judgement was sound, and if she was in such a hurry, she probably had a very good reason.

Besides, it’s not as if he couldn’t satisfy his urges after she’d finished giving her report.

“Speak then,” the Oni ordered. “What’s this threat?”

“Humans,” the feminine ogre promptly answered. “And some other creatures I don’t know about.”

“Humans! Where?” Blueskin cried in surprise. “What happened? How did you find them?”

“I found them in the north, in the Ashwood Hills,” Tiny explained. “A foraging party was attacked by an unknown race with only one survivor managing to escape, so I went to spy those creatures to know if they were a threat.” She paused, expression growing tense. “I found their nest in some old ruins covered in some weird gray stuff, and they certainly looked dangerous. They’re similar to bugs, and there are hundreds of them in there. They are also very aggressive and hunt down everything that passes near their nest.”

“Fine, you’ve discovered a dangerous race,” Blueskin spoke with an annoyed tone. “There are probably dozens of such races in the forest. A few hundred bugs are not a threat for us. And most importantly, how does this have anything to do with humans?”

“I was getting there,” the ogre said. “While I was spying on those bugs, I also saw humans coming in and out of the bugs nest.”

“And what were these humans doing in there?” the Oni asked.

“From what I could see, they were patrolling the area,” Tiny-Sneaky replied. “At least, that is what they did outside of the nest. I don’t know what they were doing inside, because the bugs guarded the place too well to approach unnoticed. Even for me.”

“How did the humans and the bugs interact with each other?” Blueskin asked. “Did the humans give the bugs orders or something?”

“No, actually.” The ogre shrugged. “They just ignored each other, from what I could tell.”

“So… you’re basically saying that you found a bunch of humans living with some overgrown bugs and patrolling their surroundings.” Blueskin frowned. “That doesn’t seem as threatening as you made it out to be. Or is there anything else you’re leaving out?”

“Well…” Tiny-Sneaky muttered defensively. “I can’t be sure, but I don’t think the humans actually live there. It felt more like when you assign orcs to guard our borders, and they make a temporary camp for themselves…” She stopped for a moment, trying to find the right word.

“An outpost?” Blueskin suggested.

“Yes! An outpost!” The ogre nodded. “The humans there all acted like hunters without actually hunting… Scouts, I think you called them. And I heard nothing to make me think there was a village or anything like that in the nest, so it must have been an outpost to guard the human borders.”

“Fine, let’s say that it was a military outpost,” the Oni said. “I still don’t see how that could be a threat to us.”

“Well… if it is an outpost, doesn’t it mean that it must be near the human lands?” Tiny asked. “I mean, our outposts are all near our territories, and I can’t think of a reason why the humans should make theirs far from their lands. And if that is true, then…”

“Then our northernmost forces are getting near the human lands!” Blueskin said as the dangers of the situation dawned to him. “Shit! If our foragers invade any human settlement during their raids, they could start a war while we’re still unprepared!”

Sobered up by this realization, the Oni started thinking out loud, trying to come up with a proper course of action.

“We’ve got to send runners to our tribes in the north to tell them to stop venturing any farther. Then, we’ve got to investigate these humans… Ideally we should capture some of them alive, so I can get information from them.” He paused for a moment. “But before everything else, I should consult my personal oracle.” He turned and gestured to Tiny-Sneaky to follow him. “Let’s go, Tiny.”

The ogre followed her leader, and they made way through the orc camp, ignoring the partying orcs, and occasionally shoving away the ones that were too slow to get out of their way in time. They headed straight for the border of the camp, where two figures were chained to a tree and guarded by four ogres.

Those prisoners were Anak’si and Turemalac, once leaders of their respective races and proud enemies of the orcs. Now, they looked nothing like their proud past selves. The past months of captivity had thoroughly purged them of any semblance of arrogance, reducing them to battered, dirty and broken shells of themselves.

The Crimson Devil was the one that looked the worst. He was skeletally thin and his once crimson skin had faded to a pale, sickly pink. Moreover, his skin-wings had been torn to shreds in order to make sure he couldn’t fly away, and only pathetic flaps of skin and cartilage dangled from his arms. He was sitting on the ground, looking utterly miserable.

The Arachne was definitely in much better shape physically, as she’d managed to regenerate her missing limbs and was seemingly well-fed as well, but she also gave the impression of being utterly broken inside. Both her human and spider parts were huddled onto themselves, shaking like a leaf, and her human eyes were staring into the distance with a blank expression.

Blueskin couldn’t help but smirk when he saw their terrified forms when they noticed him approaching. It was always incredibly satisfying to see his enemies cower in fear before him.

“Give the Piraca his bowl,” the Oni ordered the ogre guards. “I need a prediction on an important matter.”

“No, please!” Turemalac cried in panic. “I’ve already made two predictions today, and I’m too tired for another! Just let me rest for tonight, I beg you!”

However, the only effect these desperate pleas obtained was to make Blueskin slap Turemalac hard in the face, sending the Piraca to the ground, screaming in pain.

“I’m not asking if you feel like reading the future, I’m bloody ordering you to do it, filth!” the Oni said in a hard voice. “Unless, of course, you’re telling me that you really can’t make the prediction that I require of you… In which case, maybe you’d be more useful to me as a meal than as an oracle.”

There was a ravenous light in Blueskin’s eyes that made it clear he wasn’t bluffing, and that convinced Turemalac that he better do as he was told.

“I-I’ll do it, sir,” he said. “I can still be useful. Please don’t eat me.”

“Atta boy!” The Oni laughed. “I’d hate having to eat you right now… You’re just skin and bones. I really got to fatten you up a bit, just in case I need a snack in the future!”

While he was talking, an ogre guard brought a huge, sealed pot in front of Turemalac and then lifted the lid, revealing that it was almost completely full of glowing Piraca goo. The Crimson Devil let out a tired sigh and slowly picked himself up and kneeled in front of the pot, putting his hands inside of the goo.

“What is it you wish to know?” he asked in a resigned tone. “Ask your question.”

“I want to know about the human outpost in the north,” Blueskin replied. “I want to know if an attack led by my subordinates would manage to catch a human alive.”

The Piraca Emperor nodded, closed his bulbous eyes, and opened his beak. Then the goo in the pot started boiling and some of it turned into a greenish steam that flew directly into Turemalac’s mouth. The Crimson Devil stood motionless for a moment, and then he spoke in a solemn voice.

“The odds that an attack led by one of your subordinates would manage to catch a human alive are 7.3%,” he announced.

“That’s not enough,” the Oni said. “What if I personally lead the attack? What would the odds be then?”

The pot was quickly getting empty and Turemalac’s body was visibly tense with effort, but the Piraca answered again.

“The odds that an attack led personally by you to catch a human alive are 86.71%,” he replied.

“That’s better.” Blueskin nodded with approval. “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself!” He was about to leave, but then posed another question: “I almost forgot. If I lead the attack myself, what are the odds that the humans would manage to alert their main forces?”

This time, Turemalac started shaking with fatigue, and grew paler as the pot emptied out and more green steam flew into his body. He spoke, but his voice was broken and pained.

“The odds… that the humans… would manage to… alert their main forces… if you lead the attack yourself… are… 3… point… 2… percent,” the Piraca muttered, and then, with a hiccup, he fell to the ground, twitching convulsively.

“Well, I’d say this is enough for tonight,” Blueskin commented with a smirk while staring at his old rival and fellow Reincarnator writhing on the ground. In his opinion, there was nothing quite as rewarding as watching your enemies being humiliated.

“Put a blanket on him or something and let him rest for tonight, and give him food and water if he wakes up,” he ordered the guards “Also, don’t toy with him or the Rantul Matriarch. I need them in condition to travel for tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir!” the guards replied as one, leaving the Oni satisfied with their performance. He doubted the orcs and ogres would ever be intellectuals, but at least he was managing to forge them into passable soldiers.

“Very good,” he said, turning around. “Let’s hit the sack, then. We leave tomorrow for the northern outpost, so we need to be well rested.”

“Ok, sir,” Tiny-Sneaky said, and started walking away.

“Wait a second, Tiny!” Blueskin called her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The feminine ogre froze for a moment, before turning around with a cautious expression on her face.

“I… was going to sleep. Like you said.”

“Well, your bed isn’t that way,” the Oni said with a lustful smile. “You’re sleeping with me tonight.”

“Sir, I don’t know if this is the right moment to—”

“Oh, screw it!” Blueskin interrupted her. “I decide when it’s the right moment. And I want you now. You’ve been blueballing me for weeks and it’s time for you to take care of my needs.”

Tiny-Sneaky didn’t reply right away. For a moment, a fiery, angry light flashed in her eyes, but it died quickly and the ogre took a submissive pose.

“Of course, sir,” she said in a resigned tone. “As you order.”

Chapter 14

Grating Greetings

It was a beautiful spring morning. The sun shone brightly in the sky without a single cloud in sight, and the chill of winter had finally disappeared. It was a perfect day for a picnic, or pretty much any outdoor activity.

Sadly, Marcus was a tad too worried to really enjoy the weather.

He stood right outside of Stonebarrow, on the road that led to Brettholz, surrounded by several hundred Warrior drones, while many flyer drones patrolled the sky, searching for any possible threat. Meanwhile, many more drones were hiding in underground tunnels, ready to climb up at the first sign of trouble.

Maybe this level of security was a bit too much for what was coming, but Marcus wanted to be as safe as possible, and it wasn’t as if those drones had anything better to do. Besides, it never hurt to discuss from a position of strength, and he needed every possible advantage in the upcoming discussion, since it was Trakk he’d be speaking with.

The previous evening, the marquis had sent him a message through Hoggs, telling him that orcs had been sighted near his old hive and that the Goblin General would arrive in the morning to discuss strategy. He hadn’t given an order to Marcus, but simply asked him to listen to the goblin and discuss strategy with him, since the Vex and the Goblins were the first line of defense against the orcs and would have to hold until reinforcements from the capital would arrive, which could take a while.

This didn’t really make the Vex Queen very happy.

To be clear, he didn’t have a problem with the Vex acting as the first line of defense, since all of his drones—minus Cooper, for sentimental reasons—were perfectly expendable, and he would have gladly had them all killed in order to save a single human life.

What bothered him was having to work with the goblins.

It wasn’t that he hated them or had any prejudice against them, but he didn’t really trust them. While he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and let them be, fighting side by side with them made him uneasy. It would be terribly easy for them to betray him amidst the chaos of a battle, so if the orcs came, he would have to fight them off while simultaneously keeping an eye on his so-called allies. And though he was confident that he could pull this off—mostly thanks to his own telepathy and the current might of his forces—it would still be a huge pain in the ass.

And the cherry on top was he had to discuss strategy with Trakk, who was a devious little bugger used to scheming and plotting, while Marcus was, self-admittedly, very bad at those things. He utterly sucked at concealing his emotions, something which made him a terrible poker player in his previous life.

Consequently, his current enthusiasm was about at the same level as the one he’d feel about discovering that the medic performing his prostate exam had huge, callous and cold hands. However, just like a medical exam, it had to be done, so he just gritted his teeth and focused on not making too much of a fool of himself while speaking.

He looked at his companions in order to find some moral support.

Hoggs appeared as calm and confident as ever and did provide a modicum of comfort. The bald old man looked just like an old tree that had weathered countless storms and would keep doing so for a long time.

Guess that’s the advantage of old age, Marcus thought. You’ve been through so much shit that nothing fazes you anymore.

Then, there were Felix and Klara. The Vex Queen had initially worried about their presence, considering the boy’s literally volatile temper, but Hoggs had said the apprentice sorcerer was capable of controlling himself now, and Felix himself insisted that he wanted to watch the discussion. So, Marcus had relented, on the condition that Klara was also there to keep an eye on him. Now they were both there, the boy with a serious expression, while the girl stood close to him holding his hand.

That sight actually made Marcus smirk despite everything. Apparently, they’d had a rough time during their trip to Oakfell, but had also grown closer than ever before. They were rarely apart in these days, and the emotions they broadcasted were a constant source of amusement for the Vex Queen. After all, there wasn’t anything quite as wholesome as an awkward, intense first love between teenagers.

He was still smirking when he turned to see three horseback figures that were riding toward them.

The person on the right was an old, but still rather beautiful woman, who wore chainmail armor. Marcus recognized her as Belinda, the leader of the group of knights called the Order of the Rose.

The one on the left was a man Marcus didn’t know. He was wearing an ornate suit of plate armor, and had long, curly blond hair, a tiny black mustache, and overly long eyelashes. From his appearance and the way he moved, the Vex Queen couldn’t help but think that he looked incredibly effeminate.

And finally, riding between them, was Trakk. The Goblin General looked exactly like Marcus remembered him, though now he wore richer and more well-made clothes.

They approached slowly, since the horses were visibly spooked by all the Vex drones standing around and required their riders to force them to advance, but after a while they finally entered the village, and Marcus stepped forward to greet them.

“Greetings!” he said as politely as he could. “Welcome to Stonebarrow!”

“Greetings to you, Sir Marcus!” Trakk replied. “Thank you for receiving us with such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem,” the Vex Queen said, and turned to Klara and Felix. “Klara, Felix, could you take their horses to the stables? I think they are getting scared by my drones.”

The two nodded, and when the trio dismounted, they took the horses by the reins and led them away. Meanwhile, Trakk also stepped toward Marcus and made a little formal bow, which the Vex Queen returned. Then they stared at each other, almost as if trying to read each other’s thoughts… Something which, in Marcus’ case, was actually true.

The monster-girl tried to focus his mental powers in order to better sense any emotion or thought coming from the goblin, but much to his surprise and alarm, he could feel nothing. Or, to be precise, he could still feel the humanoid’s presence, but all of his emotions were hidden, kind of like what happened with Hoggs when the telemancer shielded his mind.

Trakk made a smug smile, almost as if he knew what Marcus was trying to do, and then started speaking in his usual confident voice.

“Normally, protocol dictates that we now exchange some more pleasantries before getting down to business, but from what I remember, you prefer to get straight to the point. So, if you want, we can skip all that.”

“That’d be appreciated, yes,” Marcus replied, still a bit miffed by the fact he couldn’t feel the goblin’s emotions.

“Alright then.” The goblin nodded. “I assume the marquis has already briefed you about the current situation, didn’t he?”

“Yes, I think,” the Vex Queen confirmed. “He told me about the orc attack on my old nest, and asked me to collaborate with you in case we have to defend Brettholz before reinforcements arrive.”

“Yes, that’s pretty much it,” Trakk said. “I’d say we start our collaboration with an exchange of information. After all, we need to know what we’re working with if we have to mount up a proper defense. Would that be alright?”

“Sure,” Marcus said. “But first, I want to make clear that I don’t take orders from you.” His voice turned hard. “You can scheme all you want, but it’s up to me to decide whether or not I stick to your plans. Understood?”

“That’s fine,” the goblin promptly replied. “In fact, it’s probably for the best.”

“How so?” the Vex Queen asked, taken a bit aback by Trakk’s utter lack of disappointment.

“For starters, I’m going to have my hands full managing my own troops, so having the Vex act independently would be of great help,” the General explained. “And besides, judging from our little skirmishes in the forest, you seem to be a passable commander on the field… That is, if it was you who commanded the Vex who waged war against my kin in the Ashwood Hills.”

“Yeah, that was me,” Marcus confirmed.

“Well, if that’s the case, then you’re probably better suited than me to lead your forces!” the goblin said with a smirk. “After all, during our little quarrel in the forest, the Vex acted in perfect coordination, almost as if they shared the same mind or something like that.”

Trakk shot Marcus a meaningful glance as he made this last comment, a glance whose implications the Vex Queen didn’t miss. The general knew, or at least suspected, the existence of the mental link between the Vex Queen and his drones, and that last insinuation was clearly a bait for some kind of confirmation.

Marcus managed to keep his poker face, but at the same time pondered whether or not to actually tell the goblin about his mental link with his drones, since it seemed a pretty important piece of information for someone planning a battle. But at the same time, he didn’t want to reveal that all the Vex shared his mind, as that would have been just like painting a target on his back in case the goblins were plotting to betray him.

So, in the end, he decided to go with just part of the truth. Just enough info to let Trakk know what he was capable of, but without giving any solid evidence about a possible weakness.

“You are on point,” he said. “I can communicate mentally with my drones. This is how I coordinated them during our fights in the forest.”

“My, my!” the goblin said with a display of fake surprise that bordered on sarcasm. “Who would have thought! That’s certainly one interesting power. May I ask how it works, exactly?”

“Well, let’s just say that you’re safe to assume that if one Vex knows something, then all Vex know it.”

“That’s wonderful,” Trakk said. “If that’s the case, could you tell me exactly what happened at the outpost when the orcs attacked it? From what I’ve heard, it was the Vex who repelled that attack.”

“Ehr…” Marcus stuttered, caught a bit wrong footed. “I can’t, actually. My… mental link has a maximum range. Over that distance, I can give some simple commands to my drones if I focus a lot, but I can’t really receive information from them.”

“Interesting,” the goblin muttered. “And what would you say is this maximum range?”

“Why do you want to know?” Marcus asked, starting to feel a bit suspicious.

“Well, if we’re to communicate in the battlefield, it’d be useful to know at what distance I can speak to you through your servants.”

“Fair enough…” the Vex Queen said, though he wasn’t completely convinced. “I’d say my maximum range is about twenty-five kilometers.”

And it’s growing, he thought. But you don’t need to know that for now.

“Good.” Trakk nodded. “That’s actually quite a good distance. If you have enough troops, you could even cover the defenses of half the province with such a range. May I ask how many fighting-capable Vex you have right now?”

Marcus smiled when the goblin asked that question. He was waiting for it, and was confident that, for once, the answer would take the smug little humanoid by surprise.

“Oh, not nearly as many as I’d want.” He said, in a tone of fake regret. “Before starting making drones, I had to stockpile enough food to feed them, so I didn’t really have that much time to increase their numbers.”

“That’s… not really great news,” the goblin commented, his expression becoming slightly worried. “So, how many troops do you have exactly?”

“A bit more than thirty thousand,” the Vex Queen said, his smile growing even larger. “But I could push that number up to forty thousand by the end of the month.”

As Marcus had anticipated, that took Trakk completely by surprise. With immense satisfaction, he watched the general’s usual unfazed expression be replaced by one of pure shock.

“Wait a second,” the goblin said, still deeply shaken. “Did you just say thirty thousand?”

“Yes.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Marcus replied with a smug smirk. “Of course, that’s counting the workers and the technically non-combat drones. If you only count the drones made for battle, then I have only about twenty-four thousand.”

“Twenty-four thousand,” Trakk repeated. “And… uh, are these drones as strong as the ones my army fought in Brettholz?”

“Oh, good heavens, no!” the Vex Queen replied, her smile turning from smug to dangerously predatory. “They are much stronger than the past generations. I improved them a bunch during the winter.”

After receiving this information, the Goblin General fell silent, too dumbfounded to even speak. Moreover, whatever trick he was using to conceal his emotions had also been compromised, and now the Vex Queen could feel confusion, surprise and a healthy dose of fear radiating from him like heat from a stove.

He’s not as infallible as he’d like to make me believe, he thought with satisfaction. He can still slip if caught unprepared. That’s something worth remembering for sure!

But then a new emotion surged up inside of the goblin, drowning all the other feelings.

It was relief. Pure, unadulterated relief.

And it wasn’t just obvious to Marcus’s telepathic senses, as that emotion also showed on Trakk’s face. The general looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and his eyes were more serene, as was his voice when he spoke again.

“That was quite a cruel joke, Sir Marcus,” the goblin said with a smile. “You really had me worried for a moment. Leading me to believe we wouldn’t have enough troops! Ha! I have to admit, though, that it was well played. I completely fell for it!”

“Wait…” the Vex Queen muttered, feeling a bit wrongfooted by Trakk’s reaction. “You mean… you’re happy that I have so many drones?”

“Yes,” the goblin answered. “Why wouldn’t I be? After all, we’re allies now.”

“Ehr… yes. That’s true,” Marcus replied, still feeling a bit confused. He couldn’t question that logic, but at the same time, he felt there was something wrong. Then, it dawned on him that Trakk being relieved to hear about how many Vex there were meant he truly considered them allies. Which, in turn, meant the goblin most likely wasn’t planning to betray him.

This came as a surprise for Marcus, who realized he’d always subconsciously expected that the goblins would turn on him. All those talks about giving them the benefit of the doubt had been some self-delusion, because in reality he was just giving them rope for them to hang themselves with.

And he didn’t really like that.

Preparing for the worst is one thing, but lying to myself about it is not, he thought while grimacing. That’s the first step on the path of hypocrisy… and that’s the ONE thing I don’t want in my life. I mean, if I’m not honest with myself, then with who could I be!

“Uhm… Sir Marcus? Ma’am? Is everything alright?” someone called him, distracting him from his thoughts, and the Vex Queen noted that Trakk was staring at him with a worried expression.

“Oh… yes, I’m fine,” Marcus replied hastily. “I just realized something and got lost in my thoughts as a result. Anyway, let’s continue our discussion. Now that you know about my forces, could you tell me about yours?”

“Absolutely,” Trakk nodded. “For now, I have about twenty thousand goblins capable of fighting. But only less than ten thousand are strong enough to fight against the orcs.”

“Why not use the others too?” the Vex Queen asked. “Even if they can’t fight an orc individually, they should be able to help us a bit with their numbers.”

“That’s because they’d help the orcs more than they’d help us,” the General explained. “The orcs get stronger by eating sentient creatures, and the weakest of my troops would basically be an all-you-can-eat buffet. Speaking of which, I’d also advise you to only select your strongest troops to fight against the orcs in melee… Though it’s fine if you take as many of those flying things you have, though you’d have to make sure they don’t get close enough for the orcs to eat them.”

“Thanks for the suggestion. I will do that,” Marcus replied, though he wasn’t really sure whether or not his drones counted as sentient. However, he felt it was better to err on the side of caution in this case. “Anything else you can tell me?”

“Plenty,” Trakk said, then he rummaged in his bag and took out a big piece of folded paper. “I’ve taken the liberty of bringing a map of the Brettholz province with me, in order to better plan our defense with you. Do you have a table or a board where we could open this map?”

“There is a table in my house,” the Vex Queen said, pointing at the inn. “We can discuss the rest of our strategy there… and maybe we can also have something to drink while we’re talking. Would you care for some tea or maybe coffee?”

“A tea is perfect for me,” the goblin nodded.

“Good,” Marcus said. He then turned to the two knights. “And how about you two? Is there anything you need?”

“A cup of tea is always welcome,” Belinda said. “But talking about coffee… I hope you’re not going to drink it yourself, are you? You know the effect it has on you.”

Marcus blushed as the woman brought out that embarrassing incident, when he had gotten drunk on coffee and propositioned Yasen while getting naked.

“No, no,” he said while shaking his head. “I… I don’t drink coffee when I need to stay focused.”

“Good,” the old woman said, while Trakk looked at that exchange with a puzzled expression.

Wanting to change subject as soon as he could, Marcus started asking the goblin various other questions while he guided the group inside of his home.

Chapter 15

Talking Tactics

“This is ridiculous!” Felix snarled. “Not only has Marcus let that little gray bastard into our house, but he told us to make him tea! Tea! As if we are his servants and the little puke is some kind of important guest!”

“Keep it down, Felix!” Klara admonished him, with the peculiar voice of someone trying to scream while simultaneously keeping their voice down. “First off, we technically are Marcus’s servants, in case you forgot. And goblin or not, Trakk is an important guest, so we have to treat him accordingly.”

The two friends were in the kitchen, preparing tea for the guests. Marcus had asked them to do that while he and the others discussed strategy with the Goblin General, something which Felix had not taken well at all. Luckily the young man managed to keep his anger in check without causing anything to spontaneously catch fire, but as soon as he and Klara had been alone, he started complaining viciously.

“What makes him important, anyway?” he argued angrily. “You’ve heard him. He’s only got twenty thousand warriors, while Marcus has more than thirty thousand Vex, who are much stronger than goblins to boot. I bet Marcus and the Medelan army could wipe the floor with the orcs without any assistance from those gray bastards!”

“Even if that’s true, ten thousand elite goblins would still help,” she replied. “And if the orc army is real, then we need all the help we can get.” She paused and looked her friend in the eye. “Do you know about the War of the Behemoth?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Felix said after thinking for a moment. “Everything I know about history I’ve learned either from you or your grandpa. And he never talked about this War of the Behemoth, as far as I remember.”

“Yeah, no surprise there.” She sighed. “We were children when grandpa taught us history, and he might have just mentioned and skipped the details, in which case it’s no wonder you don’t remember, but I’ve read about it in some books.” She took a deep breath. “In the twelfth century a huge horde of orcs emerged from the Dark Heart, guided by an Oni called the Behemoth. They laid waste to Rodenheim and Medelan before heading west and invading the Green Vale, where they spent three months ravaging the land and killing and eating anyone they came across. They even came close to Alia, the Imperial Capital, before the armies of the Empire finally managed to defeat them.”

“Why didn’t they stop them sooner?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, if they were causing this much damage, why didn’t the Empire deploy its armies to defeat them?”

“They did,” Klara replied. “Multiple Imperial armies fought the orcs, and they were all defeated. After a particularly bad defeat, they had to call for help from the Castillar Frontier Legion, plus most of the Aura Masters available in the entire Empire, in order to fight the orcs. And even then, it was tight. By the end of the battle, the Imperial forces had been decimated, though the orcs had been thoroughly exterminated… According to the accounts from that time, people had seriously started fearing for the fate of the Empire, and some even theorize that had the orcs been allowed to ravage the lands a bit longer and become stronger, maybe the Empire would have fallen.”

“Wow,” Felix muttered, seeming really impressed. “Are the orcs really that strong?” A worried expression appeared on his face. “I mean… if not even the actual Imperial armies managed to defeat them, do we even stand a chance?”

“Don’t worry,” Klara encouraged him with a confident smile. “Those orcs were so strong because they managed to catch Rodenheim and Medelan by surprise, and by the time the Imperial armies faced them in battle, most of them had already turned into ogres. But we’ve been warned about their arrival and they will be much weaker than if they had eaten two countries’ worth of people. However, it’s imperative that we stop them before they can gain too much power and momentum, and a single loss could be potentially disastrous. This is why we need the goblins’ help, because we need to be absolutely sure to win our first battle.”

“Fine. I get it,” the apprentice sorcerer conceded. “I still don’t like it though.”

“As my grandpa used to say, in politics, the best solution is often the one nobody likes.”

“Then I’m definitely not cut out for politics,” the young man said, sounding a bit amused despite himself. “Well, the tea is ready. Better take it to the others while it’s hot… If we’re lucky, our honored goblin guest may even burn his tongue by drinking it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Klara said with an encouraging smile.

The two then carried the tea to the main hall of the inn, where all of the others were standing around a table, looking at a map opened over it.

“Are we sure the orcs are going to come to Brettholz?” Marcus was asking. “I mean, from what I understand there is nothing that forces them to come straight north, is there? Couldn’t they come out of the forest farther east from here, or even cross the mountains to the west?”

“That’s possible, but unlikely,” Trakk replied. “The terrain to the east is extremely difficult and dangerous, even for the standards of the Caligare Forest, and the Ashen Mountains are even worse. The province of Brettholz is the only possible way an army could safely get out of the Caligare Forest.”

“Fine…” Marcus muttered, sounding a bit bummed. “Heavens forbid that something makes my life a little bit easier.”

Klara and Felix reached the table, serving the tea to all the people present, and the girl gave a look to the map. With surprise, she noticed it was actually up to date, with the new village of Newhaven—where the refugees from the eastern part of the region had settled—and even the lands of the Vex clearly shown. Then, she noticed something that made her raise an eyebrow.

“Wait a second,” she said, pointing at one village on the far right of the map. “This village should be Grayrock. Why is it called Goblinia?”

Everyone turned to the Goblin General, who sighed in response.

“Oh. It’s… rather silly, actually. When my people moved over there, some insisted that we needed to give it a new name, since it was to be our home. We actually held a contest, and most of the people voted for the name Goblinia.” He sounded rather embarrassed. “I suppose I should be glad that it won over names like Gobbotopia, The Place That We Fought Like Crazy to Get or even I Can’t Think of a Name Right Now Ask Me After Dinner… Though the last one actually got pretty close to winning, for some reason.” He grimaced. “I guess that some of the boys thought it was funny.”

Marcus, Klara and Reginald chuckled, but Felix appeared upset, as if the thought of a town named Goblinia personally offended him.

“Anyway…” the Vex Queen said after taking a sip of his tea. “We know the orcs are coming here. What exactly are we going to do then? I mean, I know we’re going to fight them, but maybe we need a more detailed plan, don’t we?”

“Indeed,” Trakk confirmed. “That’s the reason I came here to begin with.” He also took a sip of tea, and then pointed at the map. “Ideally, we’d have to stop the orcs as soon as they come out of the forest, before they reach any major settlements. Because of this, we must be ready to act by the time our scouts find them.”

“Don’t worry, my drones are always ready to fight,” Marcus chimed in. “I just have to give a mental order to make them move out.”

“That’s very good.” The goblin nodded. “But I’m afraid that both us goblins and the humans require a bit more time to prepare. Not to mention we need to coordinate our actions if we want to maximize our effectiveness. Luckily, we can do that in advance, by deciding on a course of action… Rather, multiple courses of action, depending on circumstances.” He turned to the Vex Queen. “I haven’t really seen much of your territory, but I assume you’ve already prepared some defenses, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Marcus replied. “Spent all winter building up all kinds of defenses, traps and tricks.” He smiled with confidence. “If any army enters my lands, they’re going to have a really bad time.”

The Vex Queen put a particular emphasis on the any, to point out that the defenses had been built with the goblins in mind, and judging from the amused smirk on his face, it seemed that Trakk had perfectly understood the implications. Anyway, apart from that, the general didn’t bother to acknowledge the little jab, and went on with his explanations.

“That’s good,” he said. “I also fortified my territories, so I’d say the eastern part of the province is pretty much covered.” He tapped with his fingers to the part of the map that showed the Vex and goblin territories. “However, that still leaves us with more than forty kilometers of unfortified borders, and I’m afraid that we won’t have time to fix that. So, we’ll have to come up with an alternative solution.”

“Wait…” Marcus said. “Couldn’t we lure the orcs to our territories and fight them here?”

“That would be ideal,” Trakk agreed. “However, it’s not going to work unless their commander, the Blue Terror, is a complete idiot… and from what I know about him, he doesn’t seem to be that stupid. He’s almost certainly going to scout the territories ahead before moving his army, and if he does, then he’s definitely going to avoid passing through the eastern part of Brettholz.”

“Why?” the Vex Queen asked.

“Because my territories are clearly heavily fortified, and yours…” The gray humanoid winced, tilting his head in almost apologetic nature. “Well, no offense, but they look downright creepy and unnatural. I don’t think any sane individual would want to go near them.”

“What?” Marcus cried, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “My lands are not that creepy. Sure, there is mold wax covering everything, but I’ve seen much weirder things in the forest. Compared to the swamps or those web-filled forests, my territory should look welcoming!” He looked at the others. “Am I right?”

Much to his surprise—and disappointment—he found no support.

“I hate to say this, but the goblin is right,” Felix said, rather reluctantly. “Your territory definitely has a creepy feeling to it, and it’s not just because of its appearance. Somehow it feels… wrong. I can’t really explain, but it’d make me really uncomfortable if I wasn’t used to it.”

“Same for me,” Klara added. “I mean, if I stumbled upon a place similar to your territory in the forest while hunting… I’d make sure to give it a wide berth.”

Everyone seemed to agree with the analysis of the two youngsters, making Marcus feel a little baffled, as he had never thought his hive would be that creepy for others. Although, he had to admit that as the literal Hive Queen of the species that built said hive, his perception could have been a little bit biased.

“Well, fine.” He let out a sad sigh. “So, the orcs aren’t going to come here. Does this mean the defenses I’ve spent all winter building are useless then?”

“Not really,” Trakk corrected him. “In fact, they’re very important.” He made an encouraging smile. “After all, we’re just making speculations. The orcs may actually decide to attack our territories despite everything, and it’s good to have some easily defensible positions to fall back to.”

“Ok,” the Vex Queen said, feeling a little relieved that all of his hard work—rather, the hard work of his drones—wasn’t completely useless. “So, what are we going to do if the orcs appear outside of our territories?”

“Why, we set out to meet them in battle of course.” The General smirked. “However, our specific tactics will depend on the place we’re going to fight, as well as the type of troops we have available. Which is actually something that’s best to share with each other before we get into the actual planning. Just so we know what we’re working with. I’ll start with my own forces.”

The goblin rummaged in his bag and took out a linen pouch which contained some wooden tokens of different shapes painted in four different colors: red, blue, purple and yellow.

“As I said, I have about twenty thousand goblins capable of fighting, but about half of them wouldn’t really be helpful against the orcs, so I’m going to leave them to garrison my territories. The other half are my elite troops. Five thousand hobgoblins, roughly half of which are orc-hobs while the other half are human-hobs.” He took out five round tokens painted in blue. “Then, I have about three thousand recently evolved Vex-Goblins, who are naturally armored and quite disciplined themselves.” He took out three square tokens. “And finally, about one thousand elite Feral Goblins.” He took out a triangular token. “And one thousand Gargoyles.” He took out two blue tokens shaped like a hexagon. “In addition to these, I also have thirty-seven remaining Goblin Masters, plus a handful of other rare and powerful subspecies.”

After he finished putting the blue token on the table, he grabbed a few purple ones and looked at Marcus.

“So, Lady Marcus, could you share with us the composition of your army, as well as a brief description of the strengths and weaknesses of each unit, if possible?”

The Vex Queen thought about it for a second, making a mental tally of his drones.

“Sure. For starters, I have about twelve thousand Warriors… you know, the ones with the scythes for hands. I tried to make them as well-rounded as possible, so I can’t think of any significant weakness, apart from the fact that they can’t swim. Oh, and they’re also a tad slower than they used to be, on account of being bigger and heavier… but they’re still pretty fast, so that’s kind of a moot point, I think.”

The goblin nodded and took out twelve round, purple tokens.

“Then, there are about a thousand Heavies. The big bulky drones with the huge arms. They’re very strong, and their only weakness is the fact that they are just so big they wouldn’t be able to move well in tight spaces… not without wrecking everything, at least.”

Trakk took out one hexagonal purple token to represent the Heavies.

“Then, there are seven thousand Flyers. The ones that look a bit like dragonflies. Sadly, I couldn’t really improve their physical capabilities that much, but I managed to improve the acidic poison they spit to the point that it’s almost capable of melting through stone…” He shot Trakk a glance. “Ehm, would that be enough to kill or incapacitate an orc?”

“That depends on how much poison they spit,” the goblin replied. “I’ve seen the orcs fight against the Piraca, who also spit acidic poison, and they could take a lot of punishment from them.” He tapped his chin, then took out seven triangle-shaped tokens. “However, even if it doesn’t kill or incapacitate many of them, a rain of acid from so many Flyers would certainly annoy and disrupt them, which would be invaluable during a battle.”

“Good.” Marcus said. “Also, maybe I have some drones that are capable of spitting enough poison. They’re not many, but they could serve as artillery maybe.”

“Are they the same ones as those who spat acid at my troops during the battle of Brettholz?” Trakk asked.

“Well… yes and no. The ones you saw were the Spitters, while the new ones are called the Artillery Drones.” He made a satisfied smirk. “They are much, much bigger, and they can shoot blobs of acid bigger than myself over a distance of 150 meters… maybe even more, with favorable wind.”

The goblin looked very impressed by this.

“This… is certainly interesting. And such an artillery force would indeed help us greatly. How many of those Artillery Drones do you have?”

“Not many, unfortunately,” Marcus replied. “Just a few dozen. They’re one of the new types of drones I’ve developed this winter, and I’ve yet to start mass producing them.”

“Wait a moment.” The goblin’s eyes narrowed with interest. “What do you mean with making new types of drones?”

Oops! Marcus thought. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that.

“Well, I can make new drone types…” he said. “But it’s a rather long process, and I don’t think I can make any more new drone types before the orcs arrive.”

“Well, then we’ll have to make do with the ones you’ve already developed,” Trakk said. “Do you have any other of these new types?”

“Well, there are the Wyvern drones,” the Vex Queen explained. “But maybe you know about them already. I’ve made seven of them so far, but I’ve given five to the marquis. He told me he’s using them for scouting the forest.”

“Yes, I’ve seen those Vex in Brettholz.” The goblin nodded. “They certainly give us a clear advantage, as far as intelligence and scouting are involved. Any other type of drone that could be useful?”

“Well, I have also made three Dreadnoughts, but I don’t know if they can be useful against the orcs. I mean, I made them as siege weapons more than anything else.”

“Siege weapons?” The general raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that? What are these Dreadnoughts?”

“To put it simply, they’re big. Very, very big and heavily armored. They’re good for just one thing: charging in one direction and letting nothing stop them… Certainly not things like walls, trees or anything short of a mountain, really. I made them more for experimentation than anything else, really.”

“Exactly, how big are they?” Trakk asked.

“Oh, the first one is just four meters tall and six meters long, but after that I kinda wanted to see how big I could make them, so the other two are bigger. The biggest is about five meters tall and ten meters long.”

“That’s pretty big,” the goblin commented. “I think we can find a use for them. Just making them charge at the enemy lines should cause enough havoc for our forces to take advantage of it. Hmm… Anything else?”

“Sadly, no,” Marcus replied. “I have about ten thousand Workers and one thousand Hunters… but they’re not really suited for an open battle. So maybe it’s best to leave them here to guard my territories.”

“Yes. That’s for the best.” The goblin then turned to Belinda. “Lady Belinda, I’ve heard from the marquis that he’s made you his representative in this meeting. Could you tell us about the forces of Brettholz?”

“Sadly, I don’t have much to say, at least compared to you two,” the old woman said. “The militia of Brettholz is not cut out for fighting against the orcs, and the Medelan army won’t come to our aid until we have undeniable proof of the existence of the orc army. However, there are seventeen Aura Warriors currently working under the marquis, me and my underlings included, and we’ll help you fight the orcs.”

“Good,” the goblin said, looking a bit pensive while taking out a single, triangular shaped red token from his pouch. “Well, this is definitely better than what I hoped for. Our combination of troops should give us a good amount of tactical flexibility, which we can use to take advantage of the terrain and other various conditions.”

He put the tokens on the map, and said: “Well, now that we’ve established the composition of our forces, let’s start talking about actual tactics. I’ll try to make a different plan for every different terrain we would fight on.

“For starters, let’s talk about the western part of the province.” He pointed at the point of the map where the Ashen Mountains turned into a series of hills. “The terrain west of Woodcutter’s Rest is mostly steep hills and narrow valleys, which has some pros and cons. The limited space to maneuver would certainly favor the orcs because they are on average individually stronger than our own troops, and if it comes down to a slugfest, they’re likely to get the upper hand. On the other hand, we have much lighter and more agile troops who can easily climb the hills, not to mention actual flying units, so we could attack them from literally all directions while they would be restricted to the valleys. If we make use of the Vex Dreadnoughts, Artillery and Flyers, we could cause extreme havoc among the orc ranks, preventing them from cooperating, while the Heavies and the Warriors hold the line and our Aura Warriors, both goblins and humans, go after the ogres and the Oni.”

“That seems like a good plan to me,” Belinda said approvingly. “Dangerous for sure, but then again fighting ogres is dangerous no matter the situation. Also, we’d have another advantage when fighting in narrow spaces: the orcs are big, so their movement would be more limited than our own. If you couple that with their lack of discipline, it’d be extremely difficult for them to fight to their full potential in such circumstances.”

“Nice observation.” Trakk nodded respectfully. “If it comes down to fighting in those narrow valleys, it is definitely going to be a bloody affair, but I think our chances of victory would be very good.”

He sipped some of his tea, squinting at the map.

“However, there is another path that the orcs could take, in the region between Woodcutter’s Rest and the Vex territory, and I personally think this will be their choice.” He pointed at the center of the map. “Not only is it flat and without any significant obstacle, it’s also full of farms and small settlements, so it’d be a prime target for pillaging. The terrain there is mostly open, cultivated fields, with no real defensible spots, but at the same time it leaves a lot of space to maneuver, something which would allow us to take advantage of our superior numbers and discipline.” He smiled with confidence. “Which is actually really good for us, because it gives us a lot more options than those available to the orcs.”

“What do you mean by that?” Marcus asked.

“Well, it’s simply a matter of what our armies are capable of,” the goblin said, still smiling. “My elite troops can execute complex maneuvers, and your drones can probably do that as well, since you control each and every one of them with your mind. However, the orcs are far more limited. They are terribly strong and ferocious, sure, but any tactic more complex than simply screaming and charging at the enemy is beyond them. And this makes them predictable.” His smile grew even wider. “If this were a game of rock-paper-scissors, they’d be like someone who always picks rock. So, in order to win, we just have to pick paper.”

“Nice analogy,” Belinda said. “But what does that mean in practice?”

“In practice, we have to avoid clashing with them head on, as that would be like picking rock against rock,” the goblin explained. “Instead, we have to weather their attack and curb their momentum before enveloping them.”

The goblin put the tokens that represented the goblins and Vex forces on a line on the map, and then took out about twenty green tokens from his pouch and put them in an opposing line.

“Imagine that we’re going to face the orcs,” he said. “We know they’re going to charge at us like this.” He moved all of the green tokens forward. “Now, instead of simply clashing with them, we hold our ground in the wings, but slowly retreat at the center.” He pushed back the central tokens a bit, while leaving the peripheral ones where they were. “And then, we start pushing even harder from the sides, using our superior numbers to envelop and surround the enemy.” He pushed the tokens at the side to the center, effectively creating a circle of blue and purple tokens around the green ones. “After that, it’s just a matter of killing the ogres and the Oni before they can break through the encirclement. The normal orcs won’t be a problem, since they don’t have the discipline to fight back effectively when surrounded, especially if the Flyers and the Artillery Vex keep them distracted and confused.”

After he was done talking, Trakk took another long sip out of his now lukewarm tea, giving everyone else the time to fully understand his battle plan. All the people in the room, even Felix—who could barely hide his contempt for the goblin—couldn’t help but to look impressed.

All but Marcus, who instead was frowning and staring at the goblin with a puzzled expression.

To be fair, this wasn’t because he thought that Trakk’s battle plan was bad—it actually seemed good to him—but rather because it felt oddly familiar.

In his previous life, the Vex Queen had been fascinated by ancient Roman history, and he had read a lot about their engineering achievements, their battles and their culture. And the battle plan Trakk had proposed was almost identical to the one Hannibal had employed during the Battle of Cannae.

How does he know about it? Marcus wondered. Did he hear about it somewhere? Does that mean he was reincarnated as well, or that he met someone who was reincarnated? Or did he come up with it on his own? And would that mean that he’s a tactician on par with fucking Hannibal?

While he was thinking, Trakk noticed his discomfort, and turned to him.

“Is there a problem, Sir Marcus?” the goblin asked. “Perhaps you’ve spotted a fault in my battle plan? If so, could you share it with us?”

“No, no,” the Vex Queen replied. “I think the plan is excellent. It’s just… I’m curious about something. Did you come up with this tactic yourself or did you learn it from somewhere else?”

This question seemed to take the goblin by surprise, but to his credit, he recovered immediately and made a rather mischievous smile.

“As much as I’d like to take credit for it, I didn’t come up with this plan entirely on my own. I took inspiration from a similar tactic employed by Alan the Hero against the cyclops in the battle of Guerak. It’s quite literally a textbook tactic that most Imperial officers know about, and I’ve merely adjusted it to fit our needs.”

“Ah, I understand,” Marcus replied, his sense of puzzlement placated. However, now he was curious about this so-called Alan the Hero, and made a mental note to ask Klara about it later.

“So, do you have any other plans you want to share with us?” Belinda asked the goblin.

“No,” Trakk replied. “This is it for now. Also, it goes without saying that nothing we’ve discussed so far is set in stone. I’ve tried to predict what the orcs will do, but without hard evidence it’s all conjectural, so we may need to change our plans depending on the intelligence we receive.”

“If that’s so, then why did you bother coming here to talk at all?” Felix asked in a rather rude tone. “Couldn’t you have waited until we knew for sure what the orcs would do?”

Hoggs and Klara shot a disapproving glance at the young man, but luckily Trakk didn’t seem offended in the least.

“Well, that’s because establishing a course of action, however hypothetical, is better than leaving everything to chance and hoping for the best,” the goblin replied with a calm and confident grin. “If I’m right and the orcs are going to behave like I predicted, then we’ll be able to act immediately. Besides, this is also a good occasion for getting used to working with each other, something which will greatly improve our collaboration.”

The apprentice sorcerer nodded, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“So… what do we do for now?” Marcus asked. “Do we have to move our forces somewhere to wait for the orcs to come?”

“That would be premature,” Trakk replied. “The best thing to do would be to just wait for more intelligence from our scouts and keep in touch with each other, sharing whatever information we’ll obtain. The marquis already agreed on this course of action, by the way. What about you, Sir Marcus?”

“Well, sure,” the Vex Queen said. “But I don’t really have any scouts in the forest. As I told you before, my mental link with my drones has a maximum range of twenty-five kilometers.”

“Fair enough. It doesn’t really matter, anyway. Between me and the marquis, we have enough scouts in the forest to spot anything worth noticing.”

“You already have scouts in the forest?” Belinda asked, raising an eyebrow. “Weren’t your people prohibited from leaving your territories without being accompanied by someone?”

“No, we were prohibited from trespassing in other Medelan territories without being accompanied by someone!” the General corrected her with a smug grin. “The treaty we signed said nothing about entering the Caligare Forest, which is technically not part of the kingdom.”

“That’s sophism,” the old woman protested. “It’s not respecting the spirit of the treaty!”

“I disagree on that last point,” Trakk said in a severe tone. “The spirit of our treaty was to collaborate with each other to defeat the orcs, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.” He visibly relaxed a bit. “Besides, my people know the depths of the forest much better than the marquis’ scouts, so it made no sense to not make use of their skills. And some of the scouts I’ve sent are really skilled. In fact, I fully expect to have more detailed intelligence about the orcs by the end of the week.”

“You sound really confident,” Marcus observed. “Are your scouts really that good?”

“Oh yes, they are,” the goblin assured him. “One of them is, at least.”

“Who?”

“No one you know about and most likely someone you’ll never see, though he’s seen you many times in the past,” Trakk replied with a smug grin. “He’s my personal agent, and I’ve sent him in the forest to keep an eye on the Blue Terror himself.”

“That sounds difficult,” Marcus said. “After all, the Blue Terror is the leader of the orcs, so he’ll probably spend most of his time surrounded by his underlings.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Arag is definitely skilled enough to pull that off,” the goblin reassured him. “He’s one of the sneakiest things to have ever crawled out of the Caligare Forest. Something like sneaking in the orc camp unseen should be child’s play for him!”

Chapter 16

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Had he been any less of a professional, Arag would have started to silently curse in his mind. However, he knew all too well that even feeling too hard would make him slightly less stealthy, as some beings were somehow capable of picking up hostility, fear and anger, so he just took a deep breath and tried to keep his emotions as neutral as possible.

The Blue Terror was on the move.

The Oni was coming to the north, bringing a large host of at least five hundred orcs and seventy-two ogres in tow. Arag had followed them for a few days, and by now it was clear they were heading straight for the human-Vex outpost in the Ashwood Hills. Which left the spider goblin with the unenviable task of deciding what to do.

Technically, his mission was just to keep an eye on the Blue Terror’s movements and report back to Trakk if he was going to attack Brettholz. But as always, the general had implicitly given him almost complete autonomy regarding everything else. It was entirely up to him to decide the fate of the outpost.

He had to decide quickly though, as the orcs were just two days of march away… and as if things weren’t bad enough, he couldn’t even spare too much time for thinking, since he had to actually focus on staying hidden all the time. That had come as a surprise, as Arag hadn’t expected the usually unfocused and dumb orcs and ogres to be able to spot him under any circumstance, but against all odds, there were two individuals among the Oni’s retinue that actually posed a danger to him.

One was a feminine-looking ogre who proved to be incredibly keen and stealthy for her kind, to the point she’d almost managed to notice Arag multiple times. Luckily, she often left the group to explore the territory ahead and whenever she was too busy mating with the Blue Terror to really pay attention to her surroundings.

The other one was much more worrying for multiple reasons.

The orcs were carrying two prisoners. One was a thin, tall Piraca Noble with pale red skin, while the other was an albino Arachne. From their appearance, Arag recognized them as the Crimson Devil and the Pale Matriarch, respectively the leaders of the Piraca and the Rantul. They were both battered and bruised, and were always kept in shackles and looked after by at least two ogres.

The Arachne was also the source of Arag’s worry.

Somehow, she seemed weirdly aware of his presence, turning in his direction even though she couldn’t possibly see or hear him, and when he was near her, the spider goblin also felt something in his mind urging him to approach her. Luckily, that mental compulsion was rather feeble, and Arag could easily shrug it off. Still, it made him incredibly uncomfortable. The only thing that kept the goblin from considering this mission compromised and running away was the fact that for some reason, the Rantul didn’t seem willing to inform the orcs about his presence, and she actually seemed rather hostile to her captors whenever they weren’t looking at her.

Still, there was no telling if or when she would be spilling the beans—even if just to make the orcs stop beating her for a moment—and Arag tried to avoid getting near her as much as possible.

This made his job of keeping an eye on the Blue Terror rather hard, as the Oni often kept his prisoners near him. The spider goblin managed all the same, and he kept following the group through the forest.

The orcs kept walking until sunset. They didn’t really have a marching order, but they were tough enough to pass through most terrains with ease, while also carrying huge baskets full of food and supplies on their backs. After they stopped, they set up a rudimentary camp, cleaning their resting spots from undergrowth and lighting a few bonfires. They also put a few guards around the camp, but they weren’t really on their toes, as there were very few things in the forest brave or foolish enough to attack such a large number of orcs.

This stop gave Arag enough time to slip away and think in peace for a bit. He scuttled away, heading into the thick of the forest like a faint apparition, until he deemed to be far enough to be relatively safe, and then he went hunting.

Not even two minutes later, he had already caught a couple of small animals and started devouring them raw while thinking about his next move.

If he was going to warn the outpost of the incoming attack, he had to depart right now in order to give them enough time to evacuate, but he felt reluctant to do so for a variety of reasons. For starters, the Vex and the humans could attack him before he could explain himself, and there was also the slim possibility that the Blue Terror wasn’t going to attack the outpost and was actually heading north for a different reason, which meant by leaving, Arag would lose track of him at a critical moment. And finally… the spider goblin wasn’t too keen on revealing himself openly to anyone but his kin. Both his goblin and Deathstalker instincts made him cautious to the point of paranoia, and he preferred to keep his existence as much of a secret as possible. After all, who knew when his services would be required to deal with either the Vex or the humans?

He kept pondering on all the possibilities as the darkness of the night grew, leaving only the far away stars to light the forest. In the thick shadows of the trees, the spider goblin felt safe and protected, and he allowed himself to relax a bit and to think more clearly.

Sadly, the conclusion he came to wasn’t to his liking.

Warning the outpost of the incoming attack seemed like the only possible choice. The risk of the humans being captured and spilling everything they knew to the orcs was just too great to ignore. After all, the greatest advantage the allied goblin-Meledan forces possessed was that the orcs didn’t know they knew about them, and by not doing anything right now, Arag would essentially give it away. So, with a silent sigh, he started walking in the direction of the outpost.

As he passed the orc camp, Arag thought it was a shame that he couldn’t organize an ambush. After all, the Blue Terror was vulnerable, being far from the bulk of his forces, and the spider goblin knew where he was heading. Those were the ideal conditions to set up a trap, but sadly he didn’t have the means to actually prepare one. He would have needed an army, or at least something equally dangerous, to have a chance to kill the Oni…

The spider goblin froze, as a sudden realization flashed in his mind. Sure, he didn’t have an army, but he knew about something living in the Ashwood Hills that was even more dangerous. A creature that the general left well alone when the goblins lived in the forest, fearing it would decimate them and destroy their city if provoked.

It was the dragon known as the King of the Ashwood Hills. The ancient threat that had made its nest in that part of the forest and chased away every other beast that could challenge its rule. About a year ago, the Vex Queen had awakened it and let it loose on the goblins in order to escape the destruction of her first hive, and the dragon had killed scores of goblins before going back to rest.

Now, maybe it was possible to use the dragon in the exact same way, only siccing it on the orcs instead of on the goblins this time.

The more he thought about it, the more Arag liked this idea. From what he knew about the King of the Ashwood Hills, it appeared to target the strongest foes first, which he considered potential rivals for his territory, and the Blue Terror was certainly strong enough to warrant its attention. So, if the dragon was awakened, it would almost certainly focus on the Oni, and the odds of him surviving the onslaught were slim at best. The Blue Terror was a terrifyingly strong foe, sure… but the king was simply in a different league. And with him dead, the orcs will have lost their leader, the one who kept them together as a unified force, and consequently the threat they posed would be neutralized, pretty much like a snake with its head cut off.

All of this for the price of letting the orcs attack the outpost.

It wasn’t necessarily a tactical genius like that of Trakk to make the math. Winning an entire war just by sacrificing a few soldiers would have been an ideal move for any commander, and the spider goblin was sure the general would approve… Though he may have denied that publicly because of all of his politics, alliances and whatnot.

Also, this plan removed the need for Arag to reveal himself to the humans and the Vex—which, as far as he was concerned, was a huge bonus.

With that resolved, he moved away, disappearing into the night in order to make the necessary preparations for his plan to come into fruition.

* * *

It was early in the noon-hour when the outpost was attacked.

Jones was checking his baggage for the twelfth time. He’d been jittery and restless all day, with his gut screaming at him that something bad was going to happen.

And, like most sorcerers, he had long since learned to trust his gut.

Sadly, the guards wouldn’t accept his gut feeling alone as a reason to leave, so all he could do was to stay close to the Wyvern drones’ pen and keep his baggage ready in case they had to flee, all while feeling as restless as a goat used as live bait.

He felt almost relieved when the orcs finally attacked.

Deep, bellowing cries echoed in the air as the Vex swarmed out of their nest like a bunch of ants to meet the invaders. A couple of guards followed the lizard, bug-things in order to see what was going on, while the rest huddled around the Wyvern drones.

Less than a minute later, the two guards came back running, their faces as pale as ghosts.

“What’s going on?” Jones asked.

“The orcs!” one of them replied as he kept running for the Wyvern drones. “Hundreds of them, led by dozens of ogres! The Vex won’t be able to hold them for long! We have to go!”

The man didn’t have to repeat himself, as Jones darted after him. They started mounting up while the sound of battle got closer and closer. They could now clearly hear the cries of the orcs, the sound of chitin being broken and even the footsteps of many huge and heavy creatures approaching their position.

“Go!” Jones begged the handler frantically. “Go, go, go, go, go!”

“Up!” the guard cried, grabbing the horns of the drone. “Fly up!”

The Wyvern drone crouched, tensed its body and jumped in the air, all while flapping its wings. As always, the liftoff made Jones’s stomach churn, and he struggled to keep his lunch down, but it got better after they’d risen high enough, the Vex now flying at a more regular pace, mostly gliding while occasionally flapping its wings to gain more altitude.

Once he stopped feeling his stomach trying to get out from his mouth, Jones looked down at the ruins. The Vex Hive had indeed been overrun by the orcs, with only a few pockets of resistance left. The Vex Warriors were vicious fighters, and in normal circumstances they would have managed to fight the orcs to a standstill, but there was an unusually large number of ogres leading their lesser kin in battle, and their presence had turned what would have otherwise been a fairly even battle into a slaughter. The ogres were not only faster, stronger and more ferocious than the orcs, but many of also wore armor and weiled metal weapons. The Vex Warriors simply couldn’t stop them. As a result, with the armored ogres leading them, the orcs cut through the lizard-bug creatures like a red-hot knife through butter.

The equipment of the ogres surprised Jones. As far as he knew, the orcs had close to no knowledge of metalworking, and most of their tools were crude and shoddy, made of stone and wood, while these armors and weapons were not only rather well-made, they also looked custom made for the ogres.

Well, that’s certainly something to report to the marquis, the telemancer thought. And after that, I think I’m going to resign from my service with him and get back to the capital. He smirked. I think that I can ask for my old job back at the post office… the pay is not that great, but at least they won’t ask me to stay in the forest and wait for a damn orc invasion!

“Hey, what is that?” the guard that was handling the Wyvern cried while pointing at something in front of them, interrupting Jones’s thoughts.

The telemancer looked ahead and saw something with huge, blue wings flying toward them. Whatever it was, it was approaching very fast, and Jones felt an awful sensation taking form in his stomach.

“I don’t know… but I think it’s better if we avoid that,” he replied.

The man nodded and turned to the other Wyvern drone, gesturing something to the guards who were riding it. A few moments later, the two flying Vex turned in opposite directions.

“What are you doing!” Jones asked.

“We’re splitting up,” the guard replied. “If that thing is hostile, at least one of us will have a better chance of escaping this way.”

The sorcerer couldn’t really argue with that reasoning. Instead, he just silently prayed that the blue thing would decide to go after the other Wyvern drone first.

Which was exactly what happened.

The flying creature turned to the other group, flapping its bat-like wings like crazy and quickly gaining on the Wyvern drone. Then, as it reached them, it grabbed the flying Vex and ripped off its wings, letting both it and its riders fall to their death.

Both Jones and the guard turned pale, though the telemancer also felt a sudden surge of relief. After all, now they could escape thanks to the sacrifice of their companions.

That sense of relief quickly disappeared when the creature turned back and started chasing them.

“Shit!” the telemancer cried, and he turned to the guard who was handling the Wyvern drone. “Go faster! Faster!”

“I can’t!” the man replied, in the controlled tone of someone trying not to piss themselves in fear. “We’re already going as fast as we can! Can’t you cast some magic to make us faster, or to slow that thing down?”

“I can’t!” Jones shouted. “I’m a telemancer, not a battlecaster! I can only use my Twinstone!”

“Then use your bloody Twinstone and call Brettholz! Tell them about the orcs! If we don’t make it, we can at least complete our mission.”

“Screw our mission!” the telemancer cried. “I want to live!”

“Well, acting like a bloody coward won’t help you survive right now,” the guard replied. “Also, if you won’t use your Twinstone, you’re just useless baggage, which means the best thing I can do is to throw you off to make the Wyvern go faster!”

The tone in the man’s voice made it clear that he was dead serious, so Jones shut up and grabbed his Twinstone from his purse. However, he was far too scared to properly focus, and he couldn’t establish the link no matter how hard he tried.

“Gods dammit!” he cursed. “Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!”

Then, while he was distracted, their pursuer reached them.

Before Jones even realized it, the blue creature had ripped off one of the Wyvern drone’s wings, and he and the guard were falling to the ground.

The telemancer screamed at the top of his lungs as gravity mercilessly pulled him down. He closed his eyes, waiting for the painful impact with the earth to happen… and then something grabbed him, interrupting his drop and saving him from the fall, though the grip around his body was still strong enough to be painful.

Jones opened his eyes, and saw himself being held in the hands of a huge humanoid creature with blue skin. Due to the shock he just experienced, it took him a few moments to realize that this was the same creature that pursued them, and it was probably the Oni that the goblins had told the marquis about.

The humanoid landed a few seconds later, breaking a few branches on his way down, and then he let go of Jones, letting the telemancer fall on the ground.

Jones tried to scuttle away, but the Oni grabbed him again and lifted him up so that he could stare into his eyes.

“Calm down,” the blue humanoid ordered, speaking in perfect Imperial, but the telemancer was too terrified to comply. The sheer Aura of the Oni would have been enough to make him panic even in the best conditions, and right now, he couldn’t even talk properly, instead whining and trembling like a newborn.

The humanoid clicked his tongue in annoyance and narrowed his eyes.

“I told you to calm down!” he repeated, this time with an even harsher voice, but this just caused Jones to shake harder.

“Fine,” the Oni said, rolling his eyes. “You had your chance and you wasted it. If you won’t do as you’re told, then I’ll find another way to make use of you…”

And, with a sickening clicking noise, the Oni opened his mouth to an impossible degree.

“Wait!” the telemancer cried, but at this point it was too late.

The last thing Jones saw were teeth closing on his head.

* * *

Blueskin chewed loudly, still holding the beheaded corpse of the telemancer in his hands.

As he consumed his meal, he idly thought about how easily it had been for him to kill those humans. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, as he’d trained to be a soldier ready to kill even in his previous life. But for some reason, he thought his first human kill should have been… more intense, one way or the other. Instead, he’d felt nothing, pretty much like every other time he’d killed an animal in this new world.

He thought about it for a bit more, and then shrugged. It wasn’t as if he cared anyway, and besides, the one he had just eaten alive looked so pathetic, that he struggled to consider him a man at all. He was stronger and he did what he wanted to those weaker than him. That was all that there was to it. Morality was all just bullshit.

As he swallowed, the memories of the man started flowing in his mind. He saw random glimpses of his life, from the times he’d fallen as a kid, to what he had for dinner last night, but he ignored them and started browsing for more important information. After all, the flow of memories wouldn’t last forever, and Blueskin wanted to learn something actually useful before the essence of his prey had been completely digested.

As he dove deeper into the memories, he discovered that the man’s name was Jones and that he was a telemancer—some sort of caster specialized in communication magic.

That information actually piqued Blueskin’s interest, as he was fascinated by everything related to magic, and following that line of thought, he tried to learn everything he could about it.

He absorbed the man’s memories about magic, learning a great deal. Apparently, all magic worked through something called Aura, which had to be channeled through specific instruments in order to cast spells, but there were a few techniques that could be used even without a focus.

Interrupting his memory diving for the moment, the Oni decided to try out one of those techniques, just to see if he could. For this test, he decided to use one of the most basic Aura techniques, the Aura Sensing.

He focused on himself, trying to be aware of his own intrinsic being, and then expanded his perception outside of himself.

It worked like a charm.

Blueskin became fiercely aware of everything that surrounded him. The trees, the birds, heck even the bugs in the ground… He could feel everything. And as he did so, he also became aware of a somehow familiar presence behind him.

He turned and found himself face to face with Tiny-Sneaky. She’d approached without making a single sound, but the Aura Sensing managed to reveal her. The ogre seemed surprised for a moment, but she regained control and stood where she was, waiting for orders.

“What news do you bring, Tiny?” Blueskin asked after a moment, a huge, satisfied grin on his face.

“We have taken the ruins,” she replied. “All of the bug-things have been killed, but the boys told me they taste bad. Also, there is that gray stuff that covers everything… We don’t know what it is, but it also tastes bad. What do we do now?”

The Oni raised an eyebrow. It was very unusual for an orc to find something unpalatable, so those bugs had to have a really foul taste.

“Well, leave those bodies where they are then.” The Oni shrugged. “If we can’t eat them, they’re useless. As for what to do next, I’ll tell you after I’ve finished absorbing the memories of this human.”

“As you wish,” the ogre said. “I’ll go tell the others then.”

She then left, leaving the Oni to finish his meal.

Blueskin took another bite out of Jones’s corpse as he went back to browse his memories. This time, he tried to learn as much as he could about the world outside of the forest, and a flux of information started flowing in his brain.

The telemancer hailed from a kingdom called Medelan, which was part of a union of different nations called the Dianisian Empire. Images of medieval-looking cities, weirdly dressed people, and all sorts of stuff flashed in Blueskin’s mind, causing him to smile with satisfaction. It all looked just like he imagined a fantasy world would look, and this made him happy.

As he kept browsing, he stumbled across some memories that were very vivid, which meant they were relatively recent. He saw a medium sized city attacked by an army of goblins and defended by a mix of humans, beastmen and those weird bug-creatures, which were apparently called Vex. He saw the goblins being repelled multiple times before surrendering and negotiating with the humans… a negotiation made possible by the looming threat of the orcs and the Oni who led them.

Blueskin went back to inspect that memory. Just like the first time, he saw the goblins had informed the humans about his existence and then used the threat he posed as a bargaining chip to negotiate an alliance.

The Oni cursed. He’d hoped to have the element of surprise when attacking the humans, invading their lands without resistance… As it appeared now, the goblins had ruined that. And the campaign he’d planned had gotten significantly more difficult because of it.

“Those dirty little gray bastards!” he snarled. “They think they can stop me just because they know I’m coming? They’re in for a surprise then! I’ll show them. Now that I know they’re waiting for me, I can easily plan a counter to their counter!”

He started to focus again on Jones’s memories, trying to discover more about how the humans and the goblins planned to fight him, but all of a sudden, an ear-splitting roar echoed through the forest, causing all the birds in the area to fly away in a panic and distract him from his memory absorption.

Blueskin raised his head in alarm and looked north, from where the roar had come from. Even without using the Aura Sensing technique, he could feel a terrifying presence approaching from that direction.

Chapter 17

The Wild Chase

With a sigh of relief, Arag sat on the ground, completely exhausted but deeply satisfied.

He was severely wounded, missing an arm and a leg, and being covered head to toe in scratches and small cuts, but he wasn’t really worried. He’d survived worse, and had the ability to regenerate his missing limbs, though it’d take a while. Besides, that was a small price to pay to survive a brush with the King of the Ashwood Hills.

It took every ounce of his skill, ingenuity, experience, and a great dose of luck to stay alive after awakening the dragon from its slumber. Even then, the main reason he hadn’t been killed immediately was the fact that the dragon didn’t really try that hard to catch him, since it was half asleep and the goblin was barely a nuisance anyway.

And then, just when Arag was at his limit, something caught the beast’s attention. It had suddenly stopped chasing the spider goblin, and with an angry roar started in the direction of the outpost.

There was only one possible reason why the king would behave like this: it had sensed a potential rival trespassing in its territory, and as far as Arag knew, the only creature nearby who was powerful enough to be considered a threat by the dragon was the Oni.

With his usual evil smirk, the spider goblin forced himself to get up, as he needed to witness the fight that was about to ensue with his own eyes in order to report it to the Goblin General… Though this was more out of professional perfectionism than anything else, because right now, the only possible outcome was the death of the Blue Terror.

* * *

Blueskin was scared.

He had no memory of ever being this scared. Sure, he’d feared for his life a few times since he being reborn in the forest, but he always managed to stave away any doubt by reminding himself that this was his story. That he was the main character and the main character would always win in the end. But right now, he was too scared to even process these thoughts. He felt as if his brain had been disconnected from his body, leaving him like a puppet with its strings cut.

He remained paralyzed like that for a few seconds, before beginning to realize there was something wrong with the fear he was experiencing. It somehow felt superficial. As if it didn’t come from him, but was imposed from the outside.

This realization cleared his thoughts a little, though not enough to actually free himself of his terror or allow him to move. The Oni desperately grabbed onto it in order to not completely lose himself to the fear, like a castaway latching on to a shipwreck in order to keep from being drowned during a storm.

Struggling to keep control of himself, he turned his attention to his surroundings, searching for the source of the fear plaguing him… and then he noticed something. Thanks to his newfound Aura sensibility, he saw an incredibly powerful Aura filling the area like a venomous miasma, spiraling around him like a snake coiling around its prey. By concentrating further, he also perceived that the Aura was actively trying to keep him still by smothering his own Aura with an abject terror.

Recognizing that this was an actual attack, Blueskin felt rage blossoming inside of him and started to fight back. At first nothing happened, as he didn’t know how to ward against such an assault, but then, little by little, he managed to regain more and more control of himself, until, with a mighty roar, he managed to break free.

However, he didn’t have much time to enjoy this small victory, as another roar echoed his own, only this one came from the north and was strong enough to make the earth shake.

The Oni turned to the source of that noise, with anger and caution struggling with each other to take control of his actions now that the unnatural fear had been dispelled. He wanted to kill whatever dared to attack him in such a way, but at the same time, he didn’t even know what it was, and judging by its Aura it seemed to be damn strong.

Let’s see, whatever this thing is, there is no doubt that it is hostile and dangerous, he thought, trying to keep his emotions in check and think logically. It’s best that I kill it here and now, if I can, but it’s not as if I have to do it right now. I could simply run away. However, if I were to consume something this strong, I would definitely get more powerful… maybe even unlock a new, unknown OP evolution!

This idea had some charm, and he gave it some serious thought. Though while he was busy thinking, the presence of the unknown enemy grew stronger and more threatening with every second that passed. Not only that, Blueskin could also hear the sound it was making while moving toward him: the sound of something absolutely huge running at incredible speed, making the earth under Blueskin’s feet shake like a miniature earthquake.

On second thought, maybe it’s better to retreat for the moment, the Oni thought, feeling much less confident all of a sudden. After all, I don’t know what I’m dealing with. I can just fly away and scout this thing safely from the sky before deciding what to do.

And without wasting any more time, he grew back his wings to full size and jumped into the air, flapping them hard. It took him a few seconds to get enough altitude to feel relatively safe, and only then did he look down, searching for his enemy.

He spotted it immediately, not that it was difficult, since the creature was absolutely humongous. Easily more than twenty meters long from head to tail. It was shaped pretty much like a lizard, only with six limbs and a huge, sharp beak instead of its mouth. It was also moving incredibly fast for its size—something which, admittedly, was facilitated by the fact that the forest seemed to literally make way for it. Trees bent out of its way, rocks rolled away, and the very ground seemed to become more stable and level. It was like watching a road opening right in front of that creature, and even more surprisingly, it closed after it.

What the hell is that! Blueskin thought.

As if it had sensed it was being observed, the creature stopped and looked up to the sky with four yellow, cold reptilian eyes. It found the Oni, who was admittedly rather conspicuous in the sky, and it narrowed its eyes with fury. Its gaze carried such a murderous rage that even Blueskin felt uneasy in front of it.

Better get a bit higher. That creature doesn’t seem capable of flying, but maybe it can spit acid or something from a distance… But if I put enough distance between us, I should be safe from everything it may throw at me.

He was just about to move higher when, out of nowhere, a wind started blowing from above, pushing him to the ground.

Blueskin cursed and flapped his wings, desperately trying to remain airborne. Despite his efforts, he started to gradually lose altitude.

“Shit!” he cursed. “What’s going on? Where did this goddamn wind come from!”

Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to remain in the air much longer in this condition, the Oni chose a different course of action and started to ease his descent instead of outright fighting it. Flying away wasn’t an option, but he was still confident that he could outrun it on the ground.

He landed on top of a hill, and then quickly modified his body. He retracted his wings into his form and changed the shape of his legs, making them longer, stronger, and more suited for running, and also made himself leaner. When he was done, he looked like a mix between a cheetah and a professional runner, with everything about him giving off a mental image of speed… Something that was outright confirmed when he actually started running.

This form, coupled with his innate Oni strength, allowed him to reach an incredible speed. Even while traversing difficult terrain like the forest, he still moved at more than sixty km/h, dodging or jumping over any obstacle with ease thanks to his amazing reflexes.

He kept this pace for a good minute, but then everything went to shit once again.

For some reason, navigating through the forest started getting increasingly difficult. Branches, rocks and bushes seemingly moved just enough to impede his passage, while roots and rocks tried to trip him, and the very ground became treacherous and slippery, full of hard-to-see holes. All of these obstacles considerably slowed the Oni, though he still managed to run at a reasonable pace. That is until a root, moving like a snake, literally raised itself from the ground and coiled around Blueskin’s ankle, tripping him up and sending him tumbling down the side of a hill.

Even then the Oni got up, largely unharmed and with only a few scratches and bruises that were already starting to heal thanks to his regenerative powers. Only now he was beyond pissed.

“God fucking dammit!” he screamed in frustration. “What the hell is up with this goddamn place!”

He stopped in order to look around more carefully and cursed even harder. Now that he was paying attention, he saw that the whole forest was moving as if it were alive, clearly forming as many obstacles as it could around him. Blueskin blinked in surprise, and looked even harder, activating his Aura senses. The same Aura that had previously attacked him directly was surrounding him once again, only this time the target wasn’t him, but everything else. It covered everything in the forest like a mist, permeating the air, the trees and the ground, somehow animating them.

Judging by how the forest impeded his passage while it helped the lizard, this was probably the latter’s doing, and the fact that the creature was capable of exerting such a control at a distance made the Oni dread what it could do up close. Sadly, it seemed that he wouldn’t have a choice, as escape was proving to be impossible.

He cursed again, a chill running down his spine. He really didn’t want to face that lizard-thing right now… alone and unprepared. He would have at least wanted an army with him in order to deal with it…

“Wait a second! I do have an army with me! Why didn’t I think of it before?” He was shocked by his own forgetfulness, but then he dismissed it. “Nevermind. It was probably the Aura of that lizard affecting me. What’s important is that I reach my army and prepare them to fight that thing. If I can kill it and eat it, its Aura should give me a very good boon… and if it seems like we’re going to lose, I can always leave my army behind to distract it while I fly away.”

He nodded with satisfaction, feeling some of his confidence return. However, as he looked around, he noticed that he’d actually gotten pretty far from the ruins where his forces were awaiting him. And with a sense of dread, he also realized that he had to hurry, or the lizard would catch him before he could reach them.

So, without wasting any more time, he started running again, struggling desperately against the terrain and the plants which tried to stop him.

Chapter 18

Don’t Look an Angry Dragon in the Mouth

By the time Blueskin reached the ruins, his pursuer had almost reached him. He had been slowed down considerably when he ended up in a patch of particularly nasty brambles with huge thorns that tried to tie him up as he passed through. The Oni had taken quite a while to free himself, and when he’d finally emerged from the forest, he was covered in bruises and small cuts, with dozens of thorny branches still coiled around his legs. However, he had made it, and there were no more plants in front of him now, just that waxy gray stuff that covered everything around the ruins.

As he cautiously stepped foot on that substance, fearing how it would animate like the forest and the ground, he was surprised to find it perfectly still. Not only that, but as he entered deeper into that alien-looking territory, the terrifying presence of the dragon got significantly weaker.

Interesting… Seems like that the lizard’s powers do not extend to this gray stuff. I can certainly use this to my advantage.

He looked up and saw a large group of orcs and ogres staring at him with surprised expressions. As he looked, Tiny-Sneaky emerged from their ranks and approached him.

“What is happening, boss?” she asked. “We heard noises coming from the forest, and there is fear in the air…”

“An enemy is coming,” the Oni said. “Prepare for combat immediately. Put the troops in combat formation. We don’t have much time.”

“But… What kind of enemy is coming, boss?” Tiny-Sneaky asked. “Is it the humans? Or more of those bug-things?”

“No!” Blueskin replied. “It’s just a single huge lizard. But it’s strong.” He stared at his lieutenant with annoyance. “And now stop asking stupid questions and follow my damn orders. Everyone must prepare for combat! Now!”

“Yes, boss,” the ogre said, turning away.

“Oh, and another thing!” the Oni added, almost as an afterthought. “Make sure that everyone stays on this gray stuff. Do not make them wander off in the forest. Understood?”

“Yes, boss,” Tiny replied. “We all have to stay on this gray stuff and do not wander into the forest.”

“Good. Now go!”

Luckily, most orcs were already subconsciously alarmed because of the presence of the lizard and the noises coming from the forest, so it didn’t take much time to deploy them in battle order. After only five minutes, they’d formed a concave line in the direction the noises were coming from, ready to attack and surround whatever would emerge from the forest.

Most of the soldiers were simple orcs, equipped with only rudimentary weapons of wood and stone, but they were led by heavily armored ogres brandishing humongous weapons like axes, maces, and heavy cleavers. With the ogres spearheading the assault and the orcs providing cover for their flanks and rear, this battle formation had proven to be nigh-unstoppable on the battlefield. The Oni was confident that it would work against the lizard as well.

Sure, the orcs probably wouldn’t be too effective, but their sheer numbers coupled with the strength of the ogres would certainly defeat a single enemy, no matter how tough it was. And then there was Blueskin himself, who alone was stronger than any other ogre. With all of these forces combined, it was impossible for them to lose to a single enemy.

Another powerful roar shook the air and all of a sudden, Blueskin felt far less confident.

Some sort of tunnel opened at the border of the forest, with the plants and the ground making way for something huge, and a few seconds later the lizard emerged, shaking the ground itself with every step it took.

The humongous creature stopped as it noticed the army, though it didn’t look scared or even intimidated, just mildly surprised and annoyed. Four yellow eyes scanned the area, passing over the orcs and the ogres, effectively ignoring them, until they landed on Blueskin.

The Oni felt the anger behind that gaze. It was the fury of someone who’d found out that thieves had trespassed on their property, killed their dog, and pissed on their bed.

The lizard-thing was pissed. And it was coming for him.

The terrifying Aura of the creature surrounded Blueskin, trying to paralyze him once again, but it was much more feeble and unstable than before, and the Oni easily shrugged it off. The air and the mold wax on the ground also remained completely still, something which apparently confirmed Blueskin’s suspicion that the gray stuff blocked the creature’s powers.

In response to that failure, the reptile let out an annoyed growl and stepped forward, entering the clearing covered in mold wax. As the beast approached, the orcs grew more and more uneasy, until finally, one of them snapped and charged at the enemy while screaming, quickly followed by the others.

“Idiots!” Blueskin cried. “Don’t break formation! Stay in line!”

But it was too late. The orcs were too excited and bloodthirsty to pay attention to him, and more charged at the lizard, with even some ogres joining in the reckless attack.

Then, as the army got close to it, the lizard attacked.

The huge creature leapt over ten meters, diving right through the orcs’ forces and sending them flying as if they were a pile of dead leaves. The reptile didn’t even directly attack the orcs, it just ignored them while trampling anyone unfortunate enough to be in its way. The orcs couldn’t do anything to stop it, as their blows harmlessly bounced off its thick scales.

Then, the first of the ogres reached the enemy.

The ogre in question was Smasher, one of Blueskin’s strongest subordinates. He was a hulking behemoth clad in plate armor, which made him look even bulkier, and was armed with a colossal spiked mace that looked like it could smash boulders like candies.

Smasher charged straight at the lizard, raising his mace up in the air to strike at the reptile’s head. Before he could deliver his blow, the creature jumped forward with incredible speed, opening its maw to an incredible extent, and bit the ogre at the waist. The reptile’s beak cut through both the metal armor and Smasher’s tough muscles as if they were made of paper, and as the mouth closed like a bear trap, it split the ogre warrior in two.

Seeing this display of power, the other ogres became more cautious. Two of them, Bigjaw and One Eye, tried to flank the creature, each attacking from a different direction and aiming at its seemingly vulnerable sides, but once again it was in vain. Without even looking, the lizard moved its long tail like some sort of whip, cracking it down on Bigjaw with a loud snapping sound. The ogre’s torso literally exploded, sending his upper and lower halves flying in different directions. At the same time, the beast turned its head on One Eye, opening its mouth and making a weird gagging sound. Not even a second later, it puked a stream of greenish bile, hitting One Eye in the chest and pushing him on the ground. The ogre then started screaming as smoke rose from his body. Those cries quickly turned into a disgustingly wet gurgle as he melted into a puddle.

Similar fates befell all the ogres who tried to stop the lizard, which continued to advance. As all attempts to stop it seemed useless, the orcs’ attack faltered as fear spread amongst their ranks, and finally, the army started routing, with orcs running away in every direction.

“Cowards!” Blueskin howled angrily. “Get back in line! Fight! Fight the lizard or I’ll fucking bite your heads off, you sons of bitches!”

No one was listening to him, and more orcs started fleeing from the fight, followed by some ogres. This allowed the lizard to advance even faster, making a beeline for the Oni with murderous intent in its four eyes.

Shit! the Oni thought. I gotta get out of here. That beast can’t use its power over this clearing, so maybe I can get airborne in here, get very high and hope that the powers of that creature have a limited range!

Not having a better plan, the Oni started growing his wings as fast as he could, leaping in the air.

He didn’t make it very far.

As soon as he was about to take altitude, the lizard dashed at incredible speed and, when it was directly under him, leapt with its beak open. The humongous body flew into the air for a good ten meters, and the tip of the creature’s beak closed on Blueskin’s left wing, who felt a sharp pain before being dragged down by the huge weight of the creature.

The Oni and the reptile landed with a deafening boom, and the latter immediately tore off the former’s wing to make sure he couldn’t escape. Blueskin cried as he felt the sharp beak severing his flesh and bones, but he forced himself to work through the pain and get up. Standing still, even for one moment, would spell his own doom.

And he was right.

The lizard, after ensuring its target couldn’t fly away, pounced at him.

The Oni jumped to the right, barely dodging the humongous mass that would have otherwise crushed him, and shapeshifted into his default combat form. His muscles bulged, his nails turned into vicious talons, and he himself grew three times his previous size in barely a second.

Despite this, however, he was still ridiculously small compared to the reptile charging at him again.

What ensued in the following minutes was something akin to a corrida, with the lizard blindly throwing itself against Blueskin, while he tried to dodge and counterattack at the same time. Luckily for the Oni, he was far more agile than his opponent and had no trouble avoiding its attacks, but unfortunately his own attacks failed to deal any significant damage.

The lizard’s scales were so tough, Blueskin’s overgrown talons bounced off them harmlessly, while the creature’s sheer mass absorbed the strength of the blows, making them ineffective. In fact, the only thing the Oni achieved was making the reptile more pissed.

Goddammit! Blueskin thought. Where are the others? Why aren’t they helping me?

He took a quick look around, and what he saw made him quite disheartened. Most of his army had run off, and only a handful of orcs and ogres were still present, observing the fight in silence from a safe distance.

“Help me!” Blueskin called while dodging yet another attack from the reptile. “Attack this damn lizard! That’s an order, damn you!”

After hearing this, the group looked even more uncomfortable, and despite having received a direct order, they didn’t move… something which infuriated Blueskin.

Useless fucking cowards! he cursed in his head. I’ll deal with them later! I’ll make them wish they had never been born!

Right now, however, he had more pressing concerns than coming up with suitable punishments for his underlings. Mostly, trying not to be killed.

The lizard had stopped blindly charging at him, and was doing something else. Turning its body to 45 degrees, it started moving its tail like a whip, bringing it down on its enemy with a resounding crack.

Blueskin dodged to the left as the ground where he’d stood a moment before exploded, sending fragments of mold wax flying everywhere.

He kept dodging, with some difficulty, as the creature’s tail moved so fast that even the Oni struggled to follow it. Luckily, each attack was heavily telegraphed, and all Blueskin had to do was time his dodges. The only downside was that he couldn’t counterattack anymore, but since he wasn’t doing any damage anyway, it wasn’t really a problem. He just hoped the reptile would tire before he did.

The Oni kept up his pace, jumping left and right to avoid the whip-like tail of the lizard… Until, when he jumped backward to avoid another strike, he hit something big behind him. He quickly turned, and with horror saw that he had his back against a mold wax covered wall.

The reptile, with all of its seemingly random charges and tail attacks, had herded him toward the ruins at the center of the clearing, where he wouldn’t have enough space to dodge.

The lizard pounced, opening its jaw to finally bite its enemy down, and this time, Blueskin knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of the way. So, without any other option left, the only thing he could do to survive was to stop the attack.

He raised his arms, which grew to twice their previous size, gaining incredibly huge bulging muscles, and opened his now gigantic hands. As soon as the creature was about to reach him, Blueskin grabbed its beak, trying to keep it from closing on him, and, thanks to his incredible strength, he actually managed to do that.

However, despite his physical power, Blueskin didn’t possess nearly enough mass to stop the momentum of the creature, who rammed him through the wall, causing an explosion of debris and mold wax.

Neither the lizard nor the Oni let that distract them from their struggles, ignoring the rocks that pelted them. The reptile increased the pressure to close its mouth, and the leader of the orcs tried to prevent it from doing so. The lizard held a distinct advantage, since it’s sheer mass was enough that the Oni couldn’t really hope to stop it no matter how strong he was.

It kept charging at full speed, pushing Blueskin against yet another wall. Cracks appeared on the mold wax, but the wall held, and having a hard surface to pivot his strength against, the Blue Terror managed to stop his enemy’s advance.

Sadly, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to resist like that, since his whole body was hurting after the impact against two walls, not to mention the muscles in his arms felt as if they would snap at any moment from the sheer effort of keeping the lizard’s mouth open. In order to gain even a small advantage, he started using his knee to hit the creature’s head, delivering many strong blows to the side of its head.

Once again, the only effect he achieved was making his opponent even angrier.

A gagging sound came from the reptile’s throat, as if he were going to throw up. Remembering the acid bile that melted his subordinates into puddles, the Oni started panicking. If he didn’t do something right now, that was the fate awaiting him.

Fueled by desperation, his mind started working at full steam… and a possible solution dawned on him.

Focusing his shapeshifting powers on his shoulder, he grew another arm… a long and thin arm that looked more like a cancerous growth than a natural limb. The hand at the end of it was equally misshapen, with only two fingers ending in long, talon-like nails.

That arm kept growing until it reached one-and-a-half-meters of length, developing two joints in the process. Then Blueskin took aim and swung this limb directly against one of the lizard’s eyes.

The reptile howled in pain as its eye was stabbed and momentarily stopped pushing. He used that moment of distraction to slip away, jumping on top of the beast’s head and attempting to poke the other eyes out. The lizard reacted slammed its head against the wall, catching Blueskin in the middle. It repeated this process multiple times while trying to shake off its opponent, until finally, after being smashed against the hard mold wax one last time, one of the Oni’s arms broke with a crunch.

Incapable of holding on anymore, the Blue Terror was thrown away, landing on top of some fallen debris with an impact that took the air out of his lungs.

Blueskin scrambled up, but at this point, he was so beaten up that getting on his feet and staying still was basically everything he could do. He was so wounded, not even his regenerative powers could keep up, especially because he now had several broken bones, including a rib that had pierced his lungs and made it difficult to breathe, and every single movement he made caused him intense pain.

He would recover in a few minutes if allowed to take a break, but the lizard wasn’t going to give him such a luxury. The beast was absolutely furious, and with its remaining three eyes, it shot the Oni a stare full of hatred before moving in for the kill, charging with its mouth open to bite him in two.

Blueskin felt his whole body going numb. He wouldn’t be able to dodge or stop the attack. A cold fear drowned out every single thought from his consciousness except for his desire to survive, and from the depth of that despair, a mad, reckless plan was born.

Instead of trying to dodge or run away, Blueskin moved forward, intentionally walking toward the huge beak ready to bite him. Meanwhile, he also used his shapeshifting powers to alter his size, becoming as small as he possibly could.

As a result, when the creature’s jaws closed on him, the Oni completely entered inside the mouth without being cut in two… mostly. His legs had been bit off, but what really mattered was that he was still alive.

His situation was still desperate. He could be swallowed, chewed to death, or suffer many other unpleasant fates at any moment. But maybe, just maybe, he also had a chance to kill his enemy before it could kill him.

It all depended whether or not the creature’s insides were as tough as its exterior.

Concentrating all of his remaining power in his right arm, Blueskin used his claws to stab upward into the lizard’s palate. For a brief, terrifying moment, the attack was stopped by bone, but then, after the Oni used all the strength he could muster, his hands went through, digging deep into the squishy brains of the lizard.

An agonizing howl rose from the creature’s throat, deafening Blueskin, and the reptile jerked and twitched spasmodically, trying to spit the Oni out. But Blueskin refused to let go and drove his hand deeper and deeper until, with a final convulsion, the creature stopped moving.

Breathing frantically, his mind completely blank, Blueskin removed his arm from the creature’s skull. The limb was entirely covered in greenish, gooey fragments of brains, and without even thinking, the Oni licked them off.

As soon as that gray matter touched his tongue, Blueskin felt an incredible energy surge inside of him, completely revitalizing him. Instinctively, he started eating more of the brains leaking from the wound in the lizard’s palate, and with each bite, he gained more and more power. His regenerative abilities kicked into overdrive, healing all of his wounds, and he also started experiencing brief flashes that showed the reptile’s memories, although they were extremely faint and fragmented, probably because the dragon was already dead.

Amazing! Blueskin thought, gorging himself on the brains of his enemy. Usually, I have to eat creatures alive in order to absorb their power and memories, but this lizard was so powerful, even dead it has more power than anything else I’ve ever eaten in my life! I can feel its power coursing through my body! It’s… incredible!

He kept eating even after the flesh lost its Aura, lost in the contemplation of his own power and the lizard’s memories. Quick flashes of centuries spent in the forest passed through the Oni’s mind, interrupted from time to time by some titanic fight against the other terrors that roamed the woods. But there wasn’t really anything useful for Blueskin, so, after a while, he decided to stop eating and crawl out of the creature’s mouth.

As soon as he’d stepped out of the damp, smelly darkness of the dragon’s maw, he used his shapeshifting powers to grow up to his usual size, and then looked up. The sun shone bright, almost as if celebrating Blueskin’s victory, and he basked in its warmth, feeling more alive than ever.

Man, I feel as if I’ve been born again! The only time I felt something similar was when I evolved from an ogre to an Oni. His smile widened. Who knows… maybe I’ve managed to evolve once again. From what I’ve heard, there is no further evolution for the orcs after Oni, but defying the logic of the world is exactly what a main character is supposed to do!

Through his silent gloating, he felt a presence coming from his left. He turned and saw Tiny-Sneaky peeking from behind a wall. The ogre had a weird expression, surprised, shocked, and even a tad disappointed. As soon as she realized that Blueskin was staring at her, she regained control of herself.

“Are you alright, boss?” she asked, cautiously stepping out in the open.

“Yes,” the Oni replied harshly. “No thanks to you. None of you cowardly bastards came to help me, not even when I asked for help.” He narrowed his eyes threateningly. “That almost seems like treason to me.”

That thinly veiled menace actually made Tiny-Sneaky flinch, as she knew far too well how her boss dealt with those he was displeased with.

“I-I tried to help you, boss,” she stuttered, making herself as small as possible in a gesture of submission. “I stayed hidden near the lizard and waited for an opening to attack, but I didn’t find one. And there was nothing else I could have done!”

“Really?” the Oni asked in a dubious tone. “Nothing at all? Couldn’t you have, you know, distracted the lizard somehow?”

“No, I couldn’t!” Tiny protested, becoming very incensed. “You saw how the lizard ignored the blows of the orcs, and I’m barely any stronger than them despite being an ogre. This form you made me take…” She pointed at her own cleavage and curves. “It’s just not good for fighting. It’s weak and vulnerable. I have to sneak around and use surprise attacks to actually win fights. And if I can’t do that, then I’m useless!”

Blueskin raised an eyebrow, surprised by his underling’s reaction. It was really unusual for her to get this emotional, and he pondered what could have caused this outburst.

Oh, I get it! he thought. She was worried about me! She’s basically cursing her own powerlessness, because she couldn’t do anything to help me. That’s a classic Isekai trope. And she’s probably a tsundere, so she can’t actually spit out that she loves me… How cute!

“Well, you do have a point,” he conceded in a magnanimous tone. “After all, it is kind of my fault that you’re weaker than other ogres.”

“Thanks, boss,” she said stiffly, and then her tone grew hopeful. “But… I could take a stronger form if you let me. That way, I would be more useful to you.”

“Nah. I already have a mass of hideous dumb muscles in my army. You’re the only one who looks good,” the Oni replied with a chuckle. “Besides, I’ve gotten much stronger after eating that lizard, so you don’t have to worry about me. Right now, I doubt there’s anything in the forest I couldn’t beat!”

A brief flash of disappointment and anger appeared on Tiny-Sneaky’s face after hearing these words, but it disappeared before Blueskin could even see it.

“That is good, boss,” she said in a neutral tone. “So… what do we do now?”

This question gave the Oni pause. In the excitement of the fight, he had completely forgotten about his plans. Now he could focus on them again.

“Well… I’ve discovered many things from the human I ate,” he said, though he was more thinking out loud than actually explaining things to Tiny. “They know about us. The goblins have made an alliance with the humans specifically to fight against us… We have to change our plans and adapt them to the current circumstances. I need to get back to our HQ and organize our forces from there.” An angry, dangerous-looking smile spread across his lips. “But first, I’m going to chew some of those cowards who stood still while I was fighting the lizard!” He gestured toward Tiny. “Come. We’ve got some work to do!”

And he walked away from the ruins and the corpse of the reptile, followed by Tiny who, while the Oni had his back turned on her, stared at him with open hostility.

* * *

Arag’s heart sank.

From his hiding place at the border of the clearing, he’d assisted at the fight between the Oni and the dragon, and for a while, he actually thought his plan was going to work. The King of the Ashwood Hills had easily overpowered and outmaneuvered the Blue Terror, and when they’d entered the ruins, the spider goblin had taken for granted that the Oni’s fate was sealed.

He’d been so very wrong.

An incredibly loud, agonizing howl had risen in the ruins, and after a few minutes of silence, two figures emerged from the mold wax covered walls.

One was the feminine-looking ogre and the other was the Blue Terror himself, who looked not only completely unharmed, but gave the impression of being much, much stronger than before. Even at that distance, Arag could clearly feel the Aura of power that surrounded the blue-skinned humanoid.

As unlikely as it was, the Oni proved victorious. Not only that, but he’d also absorbed the power of the dragon. Which meant the goblin’s gamble had not just failed, it actually backfired in a spectacular way!

Forcing his emotions down, the spider goblin tried to decide what he should do next. The Goblin General needed to be informed about what happened at the outpost as soon as possible, but in order to do so, he would have to personally go back to report to him, meaning he would have to stop surveilling the Oni at a critical moment.

Arag pondered for a while, and then, with a sigh, decided to make a compromise between the two options. He would follow the Blue Terror a little longer in order to have an idea of where he was headed, and then he would get back to report to Trakk… Even though it was perfectly possible that the general would punish him harshly for his actions.

Not that it really mattered. He’d made a gamble and he lost, so he would have to live or die with the consequence of his failure. Such was life.

Having decided what to do, he set aside all of his worries and went back to work.

Chapter 19

Hardcore Pawn

The Wyvern drone approached from the sky northwest.

Despite the fact that Marcus knew pretty much exactly when the drone would arrive—it was his own consciousness that was driving it, after all—he’d been waiting for it for the past hour, sitting on a bench under a tree and enjoying the breeze and sun. He didn’t have anything urgent to do, and the day was lovely, so he didn’t see the trouble in just chilling outside for a while. Hoggs and Felix were also somewhere else, probably busy meditating and doing sorcery training, while Klara was reading some books about law inside the inn. Apparently, she intended to sue someone and wanted to be prepared.

As for Marcus, he just wanted to enjoy this moment of peace.

The Wyvern drone landed a minute later at the center of the village, and Marcus went to meet it. As he approached, he saw a scrawny figure clumsily climbing down.

That person was Golam, the taxidermist Marcus had befriended in Brettholz. The pale man had helped the Vex Queen find a lot of samples of different creatures to absorb the DNA from, but sadly, they hadn’t been able to see each other for a while since Marcus had stopped visiting the town due to his Aura bothering the inhabitants. The taxidermist still kept a small menagerie of Vex drones as pets in his workshop, so the Vex Queen had remained in contact with him thanks to his telepathic link with his creatures.

Golam often talked to those drones, mostly treating them as pets despite knowing perfectly well they were little more than Marcus’s puppets. The Vex Queen actually played along, making the drones behave affectionately and in quirky ways. This charade amused both of them, and they usually went with it without acknowledging each other’s role in that play. Although, a few days prior, the taxidermist had actually addressed Marcus directly through one of the drones, telling him that he’d found some extremely valuable samples, and he wanted to bring them to him in person. A small trip had then been organized, and Marcus even sent his personal Wyvern drone to ferry Golam to his lands.

And now, as he watched the pale man stumble toward him while feverishly looking around like a kid in a toy shop, the Vex Queen couldn’t help but smile.

“Hi, Golam!” he greeted his guest. “How was the flight?”

“Greetings, Sir Marcus!” the young man said cheerfully, despite being even paler than usual and looking rather unstable on his feet. “The flight was amazing! I have never flown so far before, and it’s incredible! It’s… gulp!” He paused, as he seemed to swallow something. “I beg your pardon! Just give me a moment… my stomach feels a little queasy for some reason.”

“Well, you’re probably a little sick from the flight,” Marcus said. “Want to lay down for a bit? We have a few free beds in my house.”

“Do not worry, I’ll be fine in a minute,” the taxidermist replied. “I also feel a tad sick anytime I have to travel on a boat, but I usually get better rather swiftly once I’m back on solid ground.” He smiled. “And I have to say, at least the experience of flying on a Wyvern is more exciting than trying to fish from a boat. Totally worth a little sickness!”

“If you say so.” Marcus shrugged. “Do you at least want one of the drones to carry your baggage?”

He gestured toward one of the nearby Workers, who approached the man in response.

“Sure. But first, there is something I ought to show you, if you can spare a moment!”

“Absolutely. Go ahead.”

The taxidermist rummaged in his backpack and retrieved two things.

“Here! What do you say about these?”

Marcus looked at the objects, raising an eyebrow in an expression of puzzlement. One was a glass jar filled with greenish liquid with what looked like a severed tentacle floating inside, while the other looked like a patch of scaly skin framed in glass and wood.

“I don’t know… Are those the samples you came here to give me?”

“Yes!” the taxidermist confirmed in an excited voice, raising the jar. “This is the tentacle of a Zaru berserker! They were incredibly strong and dangerous creatures, possessing all sorts of skills, from unparalleled regenerative capabilities to their ability to feed off the pain of other creatures! And this…” He raised the frame. “This is the skin of an Oxisaurus, one of the biggest and most dangerous predators from the Red Continent! In fact, they are so strong, some people even argue that they might be a dragon subspecies! If you manage to get the characteristics of the Zaru and the Oxisaurus from these samples, then you could make some incredible hybrids!”

“That’s nice!” Marcus said cheerfully, but inside he was feeling a bit skeptical. After all, more often than not, he wasn’t able to absorb the best traits of the creatures he ate, as they seemed to be hidden in some unreadable part of their DNA. Then he suddenly remembered something from one of the history books he’d read with Klara.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the Zaru the same race that attacked the Empire… something like five hundred years ago? The ones that laid waste to the kingdom of Rodenheim and were stopped at the siege of Corania?”

“That’s correct,” Golam replied.

“Weren’t they extinct? I mean, the book I read said they were all killed and none survived.”

“Well… correct once again. To my knowledge, they were completely exterminated after the war.”

“Then where did you get that tentacle?” Marcus asked. “You mean to tell me that it’s been in that jar for the last five hundred years?”

“Well… yes. Most likely,” the taxidermist said, starting to sound a bit uneasy. “But it should still be fine! From what I know, the liquid inside the jar is not formalin or anything toxic, but rather a specially made magical concoction that preserves flesh indefinitely. I first saw it when I was a kid, in the private collection of a nobleman my father was working for at the time. And I must admit, that was a really amazing collection!” The pale man became excited as he reminisced of his past. “They had so many interesting things! I still remember the skeleton of a fire dragon hanging from the ceiling… it wasn’t really that big, so it was probably a juvenile dragon, but still, it was incredible to see! And they had all sorts of interesting stuffed animals on display and—”

“Wait a second!” Marcus interrupted before he could completely go off the rails with his ramblings. “You said you saw the tentacle in the nobleman’s collection, right? Then how is it that you have it now?”

“I bought it!” Golam said proudly. “From that nobleman’s son! I also got the Oxisaurus skin from him. Actually, if it had been up to me, I’d have taken most of his collection with me, but sadly these two were the only items he was willing to sell. That is, that he was willing to sell at a price I could afford.”

“Uh… and how much did you spend?” the Vex Queen asked.

“Er… well…” the taxidermist mumbled uneasily. “They were quite pricy, I must admit. I had to sell a couple of my grandfather’s heirlooms in order to afford them… but it was a very good deal!” He bounced straight back to his enthusiastic air. “With these, you can make an amazing hybrid! Think about it. A huge, bipedal, regenerating—ouch!”

The pale man cried in pain as the Vex Queen poked him in the ribs with his armored finger. Truth be told, Marcus would have rather slapped him behind the ears, but due to his diminutive size, he wasn’t able to comfortably reach that high, so he settled for the finger poke.

“You absolute moron!” Marcus scolded him. “You shouldn’t waste your money like that! Especially now that your business is not doing so well!”

“Uh… how is it that you know about my business, if I may ask?” Golam asked.

“You keep Vex drones in your house and I can see everything they see, remember? I’ve heard you complaining about your finances!”

“Oh, right!” Golam said. “Sometimes I forget about that. I mean… I know you can see through their eyes, but usually I just think of them as my pets. I even gave them names…”

“Yeah, I know. Sandra, Rebecca, Joselyn, Rose, and Sugar!” Marcus replied dryly. “But that’s besides the point. What’s important is that you should take better care of your finances!”

“But… I just wanted to be of help,” the taxidermist said timidly.

“And I’m grateful for that,” the Vex Queen replied with an exasperated sigh. “But I don’t want you to ruin yourself in the process. Try to think about your circumstances before spending money, ok? For starters, no more buying me samples with your own money. If you do that, I won’t accept them. Are we clear?”

“But if I do that, I won’t be able to send you any more samples!” Golam protested, a mortified expression appearing on his face.

“Why not?” Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, because I’ve already given you all of the samples I had lying in my workshop. And due to the conflict with the goblins, there haven’t been many hunting expeditions lately, so it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to get any new specimens in the near future. Unless I buy them from someone else, of course.”

“Well, I see no problem with waiting for a while.” The Vex Queen shrugged. “It’s not as if I’m in a hurry. I can wait for when you’ll be able to get some samples for free.”

“But I don’t know when that will be!” Golam objected. “It could be months, or even years before I can get a decent new sample by chance! And I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait. So, please, let me keep helping you!” His eyes were pleading, brows scrunched up with determination. “I still know many people who may have good samples for you! I’ll try to do a better job haggling, and I’ll take care of my business, so please, let me keep helping you!”

Man… he really is obsessed with making new drones, isn’t he? he thought. Can’t say that’s healthy. But I don’t think suddenly going cold turkey would help either… If anything, it would probably make his obsession worse.

Then, a possible solution appeared in his mind.

“Maybe there is a way,” he said with a small smile. “A way to… uhm…” He faultered, as he didn’t know how to say kill two birds with one stone. “Quick question: do you have a saying about achieving two different objectives with one action?”

“Yes. It’s killing two dragons with one spear.”

Well, that certainly sounds much cooler than killing birds with stones! Marcus thought. “Thank you. Well, there is a way to do just that. Solving your money problems and allowing you to keep helping me at the same time.”

“That’d be fantastic!” the taxidermist said. “But how do we do that?”

“For starters, follow me to my home,” Marcus replied. “And feel free to leave your baggage to the drone.”

He started walking away, followed by the taxidermist, who was now quite puzzled. When they reached the inn, they found Klara sitting on one of the couches, entirely focused on reading a huge and old-looking book. However, as soon as she heard the door open, she lifted her head.

“Hi, Klara!” the Vex Queen said cheerfully. “This is Golam, the taxidermist I’ve been talking to you about. Golam, this is Klara, my friend and technically my head maid.”

“Except that I’m going to clobber you in the head if you ever call me head maid directly,” the girl replied sarcastically, putting her book aside. “Anyway, nice to meet you, Mr. Golam. Marcus often speaks about you.”

“Uhm… ehr…” the taxidermist stuttered, his pale complexion suddenly turning red. “I… uhm… I am… nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Both Marcus and Klara were rather confused when they looked at the man, something which made him blush even more. The Vex Queen had to stifle a smirk as he felt waves of embarrassment and awkwardness coming from the taxidermist’s mind.

Well, it seems like Golam is the shy type around girls, he thought with amusement, but chose not to tease the taxidermist about it… at least for now.

“I wanted to ask you something, Golam,” he said. “And I need Klara to be present, because I’m still not good with money. So, how much did you pay for the tentacle and the skin?”

Golam hesitated, suddenly looking more uneasy than embarrassed. But then, as Marcus kept staring inquisitively, he finally caved.

“I… bought them for thirty-two royals. But that’s actually a very good price! Lord Gelmore sold me the Zaru tentacle for just twenty-five royals, which is half of its worth for collectors, and the Oxisaurus skin was given to me for just seven, which is basically nothing!”

“Mmmh.” Marcus nodded and turned to Klara, who had raised an eyebrow when hearing about the price. “What do you say Klara? Is thirty-two royals a lot?”

“Well, it depends on what you’re buying,” she replied. “But thirty-two royals is generally a lot of money. Back when I was a trapper, I made barely made six or seven royals per month when I was really lucky, and I usually wasn’t.”

Marcus tried to whistle in a display of surprise, but sadly, his slightly jagged lips weren’t suited for that task, and the sound that came out wasn’t even remotely what he’d intended it to be, more similar to a snort than a whistle. He just sighed and turned back to Golam.

“Ok. Now wait here a minute. I’ll go get something and I’ll be back.”

And with these words, he left Golam and Klara in the hall and ran upstairs to his room. From one of his chests, he took out a purse which made a metallic jingle as he lifted it. He then went back downstairs and opened the purse on the bar counter, causing a shower of golden coins to flow out.

“Klara, these golden coins here are the royals, right?”

“Well, yes,” Klara said, as both she and Golam stared at the coins almost as if hypnotized.

“Thank you.” The Vex Queen counted a number of coins, dropping them back into the bag, and then handed the bag to Golam.

“Here, take this. This should be fifty royals.”

“Uh?” Golam muttered, utterly confused. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“I’m paying you for the samples you got me,” Marcus replied with a smile. “Thirty-two royals for the cost of the skin and the tentacle and eighteen as a bonus for your hard work.”

“But… I can’t accept this!” the taxidermist protested, trying to give the purse back to Marcus. “I just want to help you! I don’t want to be paid for it!”

“I know, and I’m grateful to you for that,” the Vex Queen replied, lifting his hand to stop the pale man. “But I don’t want you to pay for my stuff either. And let’s be honest here: if your business keeps stagnating, you wouldn’t be able to take care of your drones, nor would you be able to get me more samples. So, in order to solve both problems, I want to offer you a job as my personal agent.”

“Your… personal agent?” Golam asked.

“Yes, that way, you’ll get the money you need to find me even more samples, as well as paying for your living expenses and feeding your drones.”

The taxidermist thought about it for a few moments, clearly fascinated with the idea. But when he spoke, he sounded somewhat conflicted.

“I don’t know… I mean, it doesn’t feel right to accept money in exchange for something I do as a hobby…”

“If it helps, you can think of it as a side job,” Marcus replied. “And you can still give me any sample you manage to get for free as a gift. However, if you have to pay for it, I’ll cover the expenses, plus a little extra fee for your time.” He smiled. “This way, you’ll be able to profit from helping me create new drones.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Golam conceded. “But what about you? Are you sure you can afford it?”

“I’m pretty sure I can,” the Vex Queen replied with a confident smile. “I’ve still got most of the money I got for saving Brettholz, and since my hive is more or less self-sufficient and I don’t even have to pay taxes for now, I’d say that I can afford to buy some things. Besides, the marquis told me that there are a lot of nobles who are eager to pay a hefty sum for one of my Wyvern drones, so once the Wyvern Broodmother reaches maturity and starts making eggs, I’ll probably have a nice source of income.”

“Well… if it’s like that, then I accept,” the taxidermist said with a timid smile, tucking the purse away in his pocket. “Thank you for that, Sir Marcus.”

“As I said, it’s not a problem,” Marcus replied. “And drop the honorific, please. We’re friends here, and we don’t need to—REEEEEEEE!”

The Vex Queen screeched and collapsed to the floor as a sudden pain filled her head. It wasn’t really that intense as it was more like the echo of a feeling rather than the real thing. It was filled with such an instinctive dread that she felt herself being rocked down to her very core. For a brief, agonizing moment, all she wanted to do was hide in a deep hole underground as blurred but still terrifying images flashed in her mind.

But then he heard a familiar voice calling out for him and it somehow managed to shake him out of that panic attack.

He turned his head, and saw that Klara had knelt beside him, looking alarmed.

“Marcus!” she cried. “What’s happening? Are you alright?”

“Yes…” he answered weakly, still trying to get a hold of himself. “It’s just… I think one of my Broodmothers has been killed.”

“What!” The girl raised an eyebrow, and looked out of the window. “You mean… here?”

“No, I don’t think so!” Marcus replied. “I think it was in—Aaaargh!”

He growled again, another wave of phantom pain hitting him. However, this time he was a bit more prepared, and managed to not completely lose himself.

“Another Broodmother just died,” he mumbled, holding his head between his hands. “I felt it. But it wasn’t near… it was far. I think it’s from my old hive in the forest.”

“Your Broodmothers in the Caligare Forest have been killed?” Klara asked.

“Yes, but shut up. I need to concentrate to find out what’s happening!”

He closed his eyes and focused entirely on his telepathic link with the last surviving Broodmother. Even with his increased telepathic powers it wasn’t easy, as the distance made the link feeble and unstable, but with a herculean effort, he got some feedback.

Through the eyes of the Broodmother, he saw the darkness of the mold wax covered cellars of his old hive. The corpses of the other two Broodmothers were on the ground, broken and battered, and three figures were approaching the final Vex drone.

Those creatures were humanoid, in the sense that they walked upright and had two arms, but apart from that they were clearly not human. They were huge and round, with scaly skin and a skin tone that varied from green to yellow. Their heads were small compared to the rest of their bodies, with a nearly non-existent neck, but their mouths were huge and filled with sharp teeth. Finally, they had two small horns protruding from above their eyes, where the eyebrows should have been.

As Marcus watched, one of these creatures lifted a huge, crude hammer made of stone and wood, and dropped it on the Broodmother’s head. As soon as that happened, the Vex Queen lost the mental link and another wave of pain flashed through his body, though this time he was ready for it and managed to shrug it off almost immediately.

Still, the experience had been incredibly upsetting, and he remained on the floor for a while longer, breathing frantically and trying to take control of his instincts. Then, after a few seconds, he got up, his jaw tight and eyes narrowed. Klara and Golam, meanwhile, just stared in absolute silence.

“Klara,” the Vex Queen said, “correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t orcs big, vaguely humanoid creatures with round bodies, scaly skin, and huge mouths?”

“Yes. At least, this is what I’ve heard. I’ve never seen an orc with my own eyes before.”

“I did, once,” Golam chimed in. “I mean, it wasn’t alive, but it was an orc nonetheless. I even worked on stuffing it together with my pa. It matched your description.”

“Ok,” Marcus said with the utmost seriousness. “Then we’d better find Hoggs as soon as possible and make him call Marquis Eisen. I need to tell him that the orcs have attacked the outpost… And as far as I can tell, there are no survivors.”

Chapter 20

Head Start

“Are you absolutely certain about this, Sir Marcus?” Eisen’s ethereal head asked.

“Well… yes,” Marcus replied, trying his best to stay serious. Despite the current situation, the sight of the marquis’ floating head was hilarious. “I saw the orcs killing the Broodmothers with my own… ehr… with their eyes, actually. But I saw it nonetheless.”

After he’d explained what happened to Felix and Hoggs, the telemancer had immediately contacted Brettholz, reporting everything to the marquis. About half an hour later, the marquis called back, asking Hoggs to set things up so he could talk directly with Marcus. The telemancer had connected a few strange-looking devices to his Twinstone before casting his spell. A few seconds later, the marquis’ head appeared floating in the air at the center of the living room, and it had started talking to the Vex Queen, while Felix, Klara and Golam observed in silence.

“So all you’ve seen are the orcs killing your Broodmothers,” Eisen continued. “Is that it? Did you see anything else that may confirm the presence of an army of orcs or the Oni?”

“I didn’t,” Marcus replied. “But the orcs would have had to go through the rest of the hive to reach the Broodmothers.” He looked the noble straight in the eyes. “And there were hundreds of drones living there. If the orcs managed to defeat them, they had to be there in great numbers.”

Eisen’s floating head let out a tired sigh.

“What you just said makes perfect sense, Sir Marcus. But sadly, I fear it won’t be enough to receive reinforcements from Rennhafen.”

“Why?” the Vex Queen cried. “You said it yourself that it makes perfect sense!”

“For me or anyone with a shred of common sense, sure,” Eisen replied with a tired voice. “But sadly, common sense isn’t all that common, especially amongst the ones who hold the reins of the kingdom.”

“But… why would they stop Yasen and the other knights from helping you?” Marcus asked angrily. “Don’t they realize the orcs are a threat to everyone?”

“I think they don’t believe the orc army to be real,” the marquis explained. “Or they don’t want to believe that it’s real, which is even worse. And to make everything even more complicated there are politics involved.” He sighed. “I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say that I’m not exactly popular with the rest of the Medelanian nobility, and they usually do everything in their power to make my life more difficult.”

“Why?” The Vex Queen raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I mean, what reason do they have for antagonizing you?”

“Mostly for political reasons,” Eisen replied. “It’s rather complicated, but it all boils down to the fact that I answer directly to the king.”

“And why would that be a problem?”

“Because most other nobles are trying their best to limit the authority of the king and bolster their own. Consequently, those who are loyal to the king—like me—are not viewed in a good light.”

“And why does the king allow them to do that?” Marcus asked.

“Because he can’t do anything about it. There are laws, and even… no, especially the king has to obey them.” Eisen sighed. “Listen, Sir Marcus, maybe this isn’t the best time to discuss the kingdom’s politics. I’ll tell you all I know about it at a later time, possibly in my study while drinking tea together, but right now I think it’d be better if we focus on the matter of the orc army.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” The Vex Queen nodded. “So… what do we do now?”

“Well, the evidence we have may not be enough to convince the pencil pushers in Rennhafen to do something, but they sure are enough for me.” The nobleman’s expression turned stern. “This means that the goblins told us the truth, and in that case, the best thing we can do is gather our forces and stick to the plan we already devised. Are your drones ready for battle?”

“Yes. I have about forty thousand ready to fight right now, and I may have a few hundred more by the end of the week.”

“Good. I’ll contact Trakk later and tell him to prepare for the arrival of the orc army as well… Although I suspect he may already have done that. That goblin always seems to be two steps ahead of me.” He made a small smile as he said that. “And as for myself, I’ll call all the Aura Masters currently in my service back to Brettholz and I’ll keep them here, ready to be deployed as soon as the orcs make their appearance.”

The nobleman sighed, his voice turning grim. “Speaking of my subordinates… I’ve also tried to contact the scouts that were deployed at the outpost, but to no avail. You said that you can’t feel any of the drones you left in the Ashwood Hills. Does that include the Wyverns they were riding?”

“Yes,” Marcus said in an equally serious voice. “If any of my drones were still alive, I’d be able to feel it. But I can’t sense any of them.” Then in a marginally more cheerful tone said, “But just because my drones are dead it doesn’t mean that your men are. Maybe they managed to escape… or, maybe they’ve been taken prisoner.”

“Thank you for your encouraging words, Sir Marcus.” The nobleman nodded somberly. “But sadly, I feel far from hopeful myself. Anyway, I’ll try to contact them again, just in case. And I’ll have my telemancers do a clairvoyance sweep of the forest on a regular basis from now on.”

“A… clairvoyance sweep, Lord Eisen?” Marcus asked. “What is that?”

“It’s a sorcery ritual used to watch over far-away places,” Eisen replied.

“Wow. That sounds… well, amazing. But if you can do that, why do you…”

“Bother using scouts?” the marquis finished for him with a sad smirk. “That’s because this magic is not very reliable. It has a limited range, is impossible to aim with any sort of accuracy, and the information it provides is limited. Pretty much the only redeeming feature of that ritual is that for some reason, it seems to prefer showing things that are potentially a threat, like a dangerous beast migrating to the north or a goblin raiding party, if they happen to be within its range of course.”

“If that’s so, then why didn’t you see the goblins coming?” Marcus asked.

“That’s because the goblin shamans were disrupting the magic,” the nobleman said. “Something which is apparently very easy to do. Even something like a particularly violent storm could make any clairvoyance attempt useless. As I said, it’s not a particularly reliable surveillance method.”

“Fair enough,” Marcus conceded.

“And now, if you don’t have anything else to say, I’m afraid that I’ll have to leave you,” the nobleman said. “I got a lot of work ahead of me and I really need to get to it as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry, milord,” the Vex Queen replied. “I’ll call you back if I happen to discover anything else.”

“Very good.” Eisen nodded. “Goodbye then, Sir Marcus. Until next time.”

After uttering those parting words, the marquis’s floating head disappeared and Hoggs let go of the Twinstone, dropping on one of the sofas with a tired sigh.

Everyone looked at Marcus.

Well, shit… The more things change, the more they stay the same it seems, Marcus thought. Even in this world, politics do nothing but muddy up an otherwise perfectly clear situation. We need reinforcements, and the people who run the army should send us some, but noooooo, because of politics things can’t be that simple! I wish that Yasen was free to come here… He froze for a moment, as the thought of the captain made him feel uncomfortable. Only because he’d be of great help, of course! I definitely don’t want him here for any other reason! A tingling sensation somewhere in his nether regions told him that his body disagreed with that statement. Shut up, stupid body! I don’t have to listen to you! Your opinion is irrelevant!

“Ehm… Marcus?” Felix called, distracting him from his internal struggle. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure thing Felix,” the Vex Queen hastily replied, glad to have something else to focus on. “Ask away!”

“So… what are we going to do now?” the young man asked. “Do we have to make some preparations?”

“Well, I think we’re as prepared as we could possibly be. All we have to do is wait for the orcs to show up and then go fight them together with the goblins and the Aura Masters.”

“That’s… a rather simple plan,” Felix said.

“It’s not like all plans need to be complicated.” Marcus shrugged. “In fact, in my experience, the simpler they are the better. There are just too many things that could go wrong in a complex plan.”

“Fair enough,” the apprentice sorcerer conceded. “Still, I don’t trust the goblins. When the time comes, I’ll accompany you, just in case they’d try something.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t think that’s really necessary,” Marcus replied. “After all, I’m going to be literally surrounded by an army of drones. And I don’t think the goblins will try anything anyway… I mean, their own survival is at stake.”

“You never know,” Felix insisted, his expression turning completely serious. “The Goblin General is cunning. If he wanted you dead, he’d make a plan to get around your forces and hit you while you’re vulnerable.”

“Then I’ll make sure to not be vulnerable. As I said, I’ll be surrounded by my drones, and quite possibly riding one of my Wyverns, so any gargoyle trying to attack me would have to literally fly through a cloud of Flyer drones.”

Undeterred by that argument, Felix continued to press the argument. “But what if they were to attack you with magic?”

“The goblin shamans can’t use their magic though,” Marcus replied. “You said it yourself. Shamans can’t use magic outside of their territory.”

“It’s been half a year,” Felix replied. “By now, I’d expect that the goblins will have some new shamans, or that some of the old ones managed to make a pact with the local spirits.”

Those words gave the Vex Queen pause and he turned to Hoggs for confirmation.

“What do you have to say about this, Mr. Hoggs? Can the goblins have new shamans by now?”

The old man nodded. “Yes. I doubt they would be as powerful as the ones you encountered in the forest, but it’s a safe bet that the goblins have at least a few shamans capable of using their powers in these territories. Of course, whether or not they intend to attack you is another matter. I personally believe they won’t do such a thing, as I can’t see what they could possibly gain from that betrayal, but it never hurts to be careful. And young Felix can indeed protect you from most of the tricks a shaman could come up with.”

“Can he now?” Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” the old telemancer replied with a smile. “He may still be a bit wet around the ears, but his talent is undeniable. As far as battle-casting is concerned, he has already surpassed me by a long shot, and he’s still got plenty of room for improvement.”

“Well, maybe Mr. Hoggs is exaggerating a bit,” Felix said, looking a bit embarrassed. “After all, I’m only good at fire related spells and very little else.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, young Felix,” Hoggs said. “While it’s true you don’t have much skill in other areas, your control over fire is top notch. You’d be a match for the best battlecasters of the Legion, and believe me, I don’t say this lightly.”

Marcus remained silent, a smirk slowly forming when he felt the waves of embarrassment radiating from Felix. The sheer innocence of the young man was incredibly endearing, and it made him want to tease him more.

“Well, I’m no expert of magic, but even I have to admit that what you’re capable of is impressive!” he said with a mischievous smile, piling on more praises. “Besides, I trust you, and if you say you’re going to protect me, then I’m sure I’ll be safe!”

Felix grew even more embarrassed to the point of actually blushing, and only then did Klara come to his rescue.

“Don’t tease Felix too much, please,” she said, though she also sported an amused smile. “He’s weak to compliments, after all.”

“No I’m not!” the apprentice sorcerer protested.

“Oh yeah?” Her smile got even wider. “Then why did you always hide behind me whenever my grandpa praised you?”

“I was a child back then!” Felix cried, his face getting more and more red. “That doesn’t count!”

“Pfff. Don’t worry, Felix, I was just pulling your leg. But in any case, both Hoggs and Marcus are right. You have become an amazing caster, and you shouldn’t put yourself down.” She turned to the Vex Queen. “And I really think that you should take Felix along with you, Marcus. If there is anyone in Brettholz who can watch your back, it’s him. I think he could even take down one of the ogres or maybe even the Oni himself, should they try to attack you.”

“Uhm…” An awkward sounding voice came from the corner of the room, and everyone turned to Golam, who looked deeply uncomfortable now that he was speaking. “Sorry to bother you all, but… well, are you sure that Mr. Felix can fight an ogre? I mean, I don’t want to doubt his abilities, especially because I don’t know him or what he can do… but I know about ogres and Onis. And they are very, very strong, and hard to put down with magic.” He started staring at his feet. “I… I just wanted to say this because I don’t want anything bad to happen to Sir Marcus. Or any of you, of course. And… uhm… I just thought that underestimating ogres could be bad…”

His voice became weaker and weaker, until the pale man couldn’t talk anymore, suffocated by his sheer social awkwardness. Klara, Felix, and Hoggs also seemed a tad confused, and they looked at Marcus to receive some sort of input on how to deal with the taxidermist.

The Hive Queen, however, just smiled.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Golam,” he said cheerfully. “But don’t worry! I’ve seen what Felix can do and I’ve got full confidence in his skills. He could easily blow up this tavern with a single spell if he wanted to.”

The taxidermist took a few moments to process this information—and he also gave a nervous look at Felix, who just smiled in response—and then he nodded.

“Very well,” he said. “If that’s so, then Mr. Felix could indeed be extremely useful in defeating the orc army, especially due to how the orcs’ mind works.”

“What do you mean?” Marcus asked.

“Well, orcs are, by nature, hierarchical creatures,” the pale man explained. “Because of this, it’s been observed that it’s really difficult to break their morale and make them run away until their leaders… well, lead them.”

“You’re saying that in order to defeat the orcs, we have to defeat their leaders?”

“Yes!” Golam nodded. “But that’s a problem because the orcs decide their hierarchy based on strength, and their leaders are invariably the strongest orcs and ogres—and in this case Onis—around. However, there is a weakness in that sort of thinking. It has been observed that nothing demoralizes an orc like watching its leader being overpowered by a single enemy… Apparently, the thought that there is something stronger than their leader makes the orcs scared and prone to running away.”

“So…” Marcus said after a few seconds. “What you’re saying is that if someone manages to defeat an orc leader in a one-on-one fight, then his subordinates would just run away?”

“Yes,” the taxidermist confirmed. “Orcs are intimidated by demonstrations of strength. Having your sorcerer friend incinerate their leaders would greatly demoralize them.”

“Well, to be fair, that would demoralize me as well,” Marcus said. “But sadly, I don’t think that this plan is feasible.”

“Why not?”

Because I’m not gonna risk Felix’s life by sending him to fight a bunch of ogres on the front line! Marcus internally replied. I wouldn’t be able to look Klara in the eyes if something were to happen to him!

“Well, because if I’m going to take him with me, it’s because I want him to watch my back,” he said instead. “And he can’t do that while he’s busy fighting on the front line.”

“That makes sense.” Golam nodded.

“Besides, I’ve literally got thousands of expendable drones to do the fighting for us, so I see no reason to send non-expendable people to risk their lives.” He gave Golam a thoughtful look. “By the way, would you say that any of my drones would be strong enough to defeat an ogre in a one-on-one battle?”

“I don’t think so.” The taxidermist shook his head. “I mean, maybe the Heavies would be able to match the physical strength of an ogre, but I still think an ogre would come out on top. And none of your other drones even come close to the Heavies in a fight.”

“What about a new drone type?” the Vex Queen asked. “Do you think I could make one capable of defeating an ogre with the samples I have?”

“Well…” the pale man mumbled, his eyes gradually lighting up in excitement. “Maybe. If you can make use of the samples I just brought you, you could create a drone based on an Oxisaurus, something which would be extremely powerful on its own. And with a few tweaks, you could make it even stronger! Thick chitin armor, mantis-like blades, troll’s muscle density, and even a Zaru’s regeneration! Yes, you can make a drone capable of defeating an ogre! However, this creature would have to be quite big in order to match an ogre’s physical strength, and it’d take a while for it to mature, so I don’t know if it’d be ready before the orcs arrive…”

“Wellll…” Marcus audibly inhaled through his teeth. “I technically know a way to make a drone develop faster than usual. I don’t like it though.”

“Really!” Golam said. “You never told me about it! How does it work?”

“I’d rather not say…” the Vex Queen replied carefully, as memories of the pain of giving birth to the Broodmothers’ oversized eggs flashed in his head. “Let’s just say, this method entails… some unpleasantness.”

All the men in the room, oblivious of how Marcus made new drones, just stared with mild curiosity. Only Klara, who knew about the egg laying, flinched and gave him a worried look.

“Well, if it’s that unpleasant, maybe you can avoid doing it,” she said. “I mean you said it yourself that the drones you already have should be enough to win the battle…”

“Yeah, I did say that.” Marcus sighed. “But if I’ve learned something during my time in the forest, it’s that it never pays to be too confident. And having some units that can stand up to ogres in a one-on-one fight definitely wouldn’t hurt.” He turned to Golam. “First off, I have to know if I can make use of the Oxisaurus sample. Would you mind giving it to me?”

The taxidermist handed the framed skin to the Vex Queen, who quickly took it out of the glass and bit into it. The scaly skin tasted like old leather—which roughly meant it had no taste at all—and it was hard to chew, even for Marcus’s prodigious jaw strength. Still, after a while he managed to swallow it and then he closed his eyes, waiting for the flow of information to arrive.

He didn’t have to wait long.

The mental image of a colossal predator formed in his mind as the DNA of the creature was being analyzed. As Golam had stated, the Oxisaurus was a fearsome predator. It was a colossal, bipedal predator similar, in a way, to a T-Rex, only with a sharp beak and much more slender. It could grow up to five meters in height, and despite its size, it was still incredibly fast and agile, mostly thanks to its incredible muscle structure, especially in the legs.

It took only a few seconds for the genetic information of the Oxisaurus to be stored inside of the Vex Queen’s brain, who then opened his eyes and parted his jagged lips into a dangerous, predatory smile.

“Oh yes. I can use this,” he said, and then he turned to Golam. “Now, I still need to discuss what kind of tweaks you were planning to add. So… would you mind spending the night here? We can talk over dinner, and then you can get back to Brettholz in the morning.”

“I’d be happy to!” the taxidermist said excitedly. “Well… at least if it’s not too much of a bother…”

“Don’t worry,” the Vex Queen reassured him. “We’ve got rooms to spare, and we have plenty of food as well.”

“Well, in that case, I’d be honored to be your guest!”

“Very good!” Marcus turned to Klara. “Would you mind preparing dinner for Golam as well?”

“Sure thing. I was making stew for tonight. I’ll just add a bit more meat and potatoes.”

“Thank you!” the Vex Queen replied. “And now, Golam, would you mind telling me, in detail, about how to make an Oxisaurus stronger?”

Golam proved only too eager to oblige, and the two spent the rest of the day talking to each other.

Chapter 21

Not Mad, Just Disappointed

The village of Grayrock, now called Goblinia, had changed completely in the last six months, to the point of being unrecognizable. What had once been a small group of houses located in the middle of a bucolic landscape of woods and meadows, was now a big town bustling with activity, surrounded by intensely cultivated fields. That said, the extreme expansion hadn’t exactly made the place more pleasant, as many of the buildings were little more than wooden shacks and crude barracks, piles of rubbish clogged the muddy dirt roads, and the air was filled with an acrid smell of filth and unwashed bodies.

However, despite all of this, Trakk still loved Goblinia. Whenever he looked at the ramshackle bunch of wooden houses and the thousands of goblins filling them up, he saw something more than a dirty, overcrowded town: he saw the promise of a future for the goblin race. A future where they wouldn’t be just a bunch of savages, but a civilized race on par with the humans and the beastmen. This was especially true at night, when the crude appearance of the town was hidden behind a veil of darkness and the lights of torches, bonfires and lanterns shone like jewels on black brocade. That spectacle was one of the reasons why the general didn’t mind working until late, and in fact, he often intentionally left some work for after sunset whenever possible.

Trakk glanced to his window, watching the shadows grow longer as night approached, and with a wistful smile he looked forward to the sight of Goblinia at night.

Then, without missing a beat, he spoke even though no one else could be seen in the room.

“Welcome back, Arag.”

A shadow moved from behind a closet, and Arag stepped into the light. He was missing two limbs and his body was covered in recent scars, but despite that he still moved with his usual grace and agility.

“How do you always manage to know when I’m in the room?” he asked. “Not even Aura Masters are able to find me.”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” the general replied in a half joking tone as he turned to the spider goblin. His expression then became serious. “I assume you have a very good reason to leave the forest, so give me your report.”

The general had gone straight to the point, without losing time with pleasantries and useless talks, just like Arag liked it. Not that it made it any easier to tell him what transpired.

“I have followed the Blue Terror as he travelled through the forest, as you ordered,” Arag explained, deciding to give his tale some context before dropping the bad news. “He has won against the Piraca and the Rantul, and has taken their leaders as hostages, forcing them to use their powers to aid him. He has also made an alliance with the kobolds, leaving them alone in exchange for weapons and armor. And the number of ogres under his command has also greatly increased. I counted at least one hundred, but it’s likely there are many more.” He took a deep breath before resuming his report. “I kept following the Blue Terror until four days ago, when he led an attack against the human-Vex outpost in the Ashwood Hills and killed everyone there, both humans and Vex.”

There was a brief silence as Arag gave the general time to process what he’d said, except Trakk seemed completely unsurprised.

“I know about the attack,” he said with a smirk. “Marquis Eisen told me. Apparently, the Vex Queen was able to use her telepathic powers to witness the death of her subjects at the hands of the orcs. Having her confirm the existence of the orc army actually improved our diplomatic relations for the time being, so you could say this particular cloud had a silver lining. However…” His expression turned as cold as ice. “Our position would be even better if one of my underlings—and I’m not naming names here—had warned the human scouts of the attacks and allowed them to escape instead of letting them take the outpost by surprise.”

Arag’s self-control was too powerful for him to even think about something like “Oh shoot,” but the general’s gaze did put him to the test. He still managed to look completely unfazed, but it took everything he had.

Seeing this lack of reaction, Trakk clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Arag. You had to know about the attack. So why didn’t you warn the humans?”

“I needed the humans to stay there as bait,” Arag admitted. “That is why I did not warn them.”

“What?” Trakk asked, raising an eyebrow. “A bait for what?”

“For preparing a trap to kill the Blue Terror with. I awakened the King of the Ashwood Hills and led it to the Oni while he was busy chasing the humans. I know that dragons are extremely territorial toward those who they perceive as potential rivals, and I hoped for the Blue Terror to be powerful enough to be seen as one. And I was right. As soon as the king sensed the Oni’s presence, it immediately went to confront it. I thought that if the Oni were to die, then the war would end since he is the only one capable of leading the orcs as a unified force.”

The general stared at him as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Then, with a sigh, he started massaging his temples.

“Yes, you would think like that, wouldn’t you?” he muttered. “Attacking the king to end the game then and there, with no consideration for the wider picture. If all we had to do was fight the orcs, then your actions would be warranted.” He gave the spider goblin a blank stare. “However, we’re playing a bigger game, and the war against the orcs is just one aspect of it. While we certainly need to defeat them, we also need them to actually invade Medelan in order to prove ourselves useful and trustworthy allies to the people of this kingdom. Defeating them in an indirect way, without anyone to witness it, would actually be far from optimal in this case. Anyway, there is no use crying over spilled milk. Let’s just get to the bottom of it. Has the dragon killed the Oni?”

“No,” Arag replied.

“Ironically, that’s a relief,” Trakk said. “What happened exactly then? Did the Oni manage to run away?”

“No,” the spider goblin said with a hint of uneasiness breaking through his stoic demeanor. “The Oni killed the dragon and managed to steal part of its power.”

A long, uneasy silence followed this revelation. Trakk didn’t show any visible reaction, but the air in the room became much more tense.

“So…” the general said with a voice so cold, it could have frozen boiling water. “Not only did you arbitrarily decide to sacrifice our allies in order to kill the Oni—which by itself was a suboptimal decision—your plan also failed and made the Oni stronger in the process. Did I get everything right?”

Arag nodded, bracing himself for what he saw as an inevitable explosion of rage. However, much to his surprise, the Goblin General didn’t seem mad, just tired and somewhat disappointed. He sighed and sat back, grabbing a pile of documents.

“Well, your actions definitely made things worse, but luckily not unsalvageable,” he said, shuffling some papers. “The Oni being stronger isn’t good, but we can deal with it. So we’ll pretend your involvement in this event never happened and never speak of it again.” He stopped checking his papers and gave the spider goblin a sour look. “Now, don’t mistake this for mercy. You made an idiotic mistake and I’m giving you the chance to learn from it because I value your talents, but I won’t tolerate any further failure like this. Am I being clear?”

“Yes, boss,” Arag promptly replied.

“Good. If that’s all, go back to the forest and resume your mission. Stick to the Blue Terror like a flea, watch over his movements and actions, and come back to report only when he’ll be coming to invade us.”

“Yes, boss,” Arag nodded.

“Very well. Off you go then.”

The spider goblin nodded and snuck away, disappearing into the night. The general continued to process his paperwork, but while he did so, a part of his mind was going over the turn of events.

The Blue Terror getting stronger was a problem indeed, but luckily, as he’d told Arag, it was something that could be dealt with by using a bit of ingenuity.

Cutting a viper’s head isn’t the only way to kill it, he thought with a smirk. You can also cut its tail right behind the head to achieve the same result!

While it was true that defeating the Blue Terror would have basically neutralized the threat posed by the orc army, the opposite was also true, since no matter how individually strong the Oni was, without his army he would be left vulnerable to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Sure, that was easier said than done, but Trakk was reasonably confident, mostly due to the sheer might of his allies.

And he wasn’t talking about the humans.

He wondered if anyone else had done the math and recognized just how potentially dangerous the Vex truly were. He doubted it since he couldn’t see the humans being so friendly and relaxed otherwise. He even doubted the Vex Queen herself realizes it, since she seemed to lack the mindset to think about things like conquest and domination… Though in this case he was glad, because otherwise she would pose a threat greater than even the Blue Terror with his army of orcs and ogres.

Still, it was better to keep an eye on her and work on making a plan in case she ever developed some dangerous ambitions.

Just to be safe.

With an amused smirk he resumed his work, looking at his paperwork while his mind flew towards the future, trying to discern the most advantageous course of action in the sea of possibilities.

Chapter 22

Reinforced Denial

“What do you mean you are being sent to the western border?” Marquis Eisen cried angrily, making the telemancers in the room flinch.

“Sadly, I meant exactly what I said,” Yasen Harp’s voice replied, coming from a device connected to a Twinstone. “We’ve received our orders this morning. We’re to depart for Grimdale by tomorrow.”

Eisen gritted his teeth. He had a bad feeling when the telemancers had come into his office telling him that the Captain of the Royal Knights wanted to speak with him as soon as possible, but this news surpassed his worst expectations.

The Royal Knights were about to depart for the western border of Medelan, which meant they wouldn’t be able to help Brettholz when the orcs arrived.

“Why?” Eisen asked. “Why are you being sent there?”

“Apparently, there are reports of some Rassian patrols trespassing into Medelanian territory,” Yasen answered calmly. “We’re being sent there to basically flex our muscles at the Rassian border and dissuade them from trying anything else.”

“That’s idiotic!” the marquis cried. “That fool of the Duke of Rasse has been annoying us for years but he’s never been a real threat! Why send the Royal Knights at the border now? Especially when there is an army of man-eating monsters about to invade my province!”

“I’m afraid the High Command didn’t see it necessary to inform me of their reasons for this sudden deployment,” Yasen said, rather stiffly. “I only know that Baron Salac, the current Minister of Defense, requested it personally from General Kramp.”

“Baron Salac…” Eisen mumbled, faintly remembering that name. “You mean that thin guy with the huge mustache? Isn’t he Duke Grimdale’s cousin or something?”

“Yes, he’s Duke Heddart Grimdale’s second cousin,” the captain said.

“And… didn’t he happen to have become Minister of Defense thanks to the support of Grimdale?”

“All ministers are appointed personally by the king himself,” Yasen replied, his voice completely deadpan. “But, well… Duke Grimdale may have suggested that his relative would be fit for that position.”

“Goddammit!” Eisen cursed. “So that’s how it is. You’re being sent to the border just to improve Grimdale’s reputation and prestige, and give him a better position to bargain with that fool of Duke Rasse in the future!” He shook his head in disgust. “Nevermind that, there is an army of orcs ready to invade our kingdom from the south! By the Lord, I thought there was a limit to how idiotic those pencil pushers in Rennhafen could be, but evidently, I was wrong!”

“You may want to tone it down a little, Eisen,” the captain said, pronouncing each word with a weirdly careful emphasis. “After all, if someone else were to hear you speak like this about government officials, they may misinterpret your words, even if you don’t really mean them. Which I’m sure you don’t.”

The marquis nearly retaliated, when it dawned on him that Yasen was warning him that their conversation was being listened to. Which, in turn, explained the non-committal tone the Aura Master had used so far.

He briefly wondered who could be the one spying on them, but the answer seemed pretty obvious. It had to be someone from the so-called Nobles’ faction.

Both Eisen and Yasen were notorious supporters of the king’s faction, so it was only a matter of time before the Nobles took action against them. The problem was that this was the worst possible moment for them to get in the way, because if the orcs weren’t stopped immediately they would become a threat for the whole kingdom, and thousands of innocents would die!

Eisen silently cursed against those damned pencil pushers in Rennhafen, hoping that the Lord of Light would smite them where they stood for their self-serving idiocy and blind greed, but he refrained from actually voicing his thoughts. Complaining right now would do more bad than good, so he just had to suck it up and play along with Yasen’s charade.

“You’re right, I didn’t really mean all that,” he said with completely fake contrition. “And I’m sorry for ranting so rudely and thoughtlessly. I’m afraid the stress of the last few weeks is kind of messing with my temper.”

“Good,” Yasen said in an equally insincere tone. “That is understandable. You had a lot of things to worry about lately.” He let out a tired sigh, his voice becoming full of sincere regret. “I’m really sorry for all this. I really wanted to be there to help you, but I’ve got my orders and I can’t directly disobey them. All I can promise you is that as soon as the orcs are sighted in your territory, I’ll come to your aid as quickly as possible. It will take at least four days to get there from Grimdale though, so you’ll have to hold your own in the meantime.”

He sounded so remorseful that Eisen’s first instinct was to reassure him, telling him that with the current number of Vex and goblins they had, they would most likely be able to hold the orcs at bay, if not outright defeat them. However, since their conversation was apparently being monitored, he couldn’t afford to reveal too much and instead just tried to cheer up his friend in a more generic way.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Yasen!” he said in a rather forced cheerful tone. “We’re people of the glorious kingdom of Medelan, and the Lord of Light will surely watch over us! Together with our new allies, the goblins and the Vex, we’ll surely manage to hold off the orcs until your arrival!” He paused, worrying about being too positive for whoever was listening, and added: “However, having you with us as soon as possible, together with every Aura Master you’ll be able to take with you, would be of huge help against the vile invaders. Only then can we be certain to achieve victory.”

“About that…” Yasen said. “I may have found someone willing to come to Brettholz in my stead.”

“Really?” Eisen asked. “But aren’t all of the Royal Knights coming with you? Also, don’t get me wrong, but… well, no matter how good this Aura Master you’re sending me is, it’s not as if a single individual would make much of a difference against twenty thousand orcs…”

“Oh, she’s not a member of the Royal Knights,” the captain assured him. “In fact, she’s not even from Medelan. And trust me, if there is someone who can make a difference on their own,it’s her.”

“She?” The marquis raised an eyebrow. “You mean this Aura Master is a woman? Who is she? One of your girlfriends?”

“I wish.” Yasen sounded rather amused. “But I’m afraid she doesn’t really swing my way. Though maybe that’s for the better, because I’m not sure I’d survive a night in bed with her.”

“Really?” Eisen asked with a smile. “A veteran beccan lover like you is scared of a woman? She must be really wild then.”

“More than wild,” the captain chuckled. “A complete beast, I’d say. Literally. Does the name Alya Vilka ring any bells?”

“Alya Vilka?” the nobleman cried, his eyes growing wide. He wasn’t the only one either, as the telemancers in the room also looked surprised, despite being focused on keeping the call up. “You mean… The White Wolf?”

“That’s her,” Yasen confirmed. “But try not to get too excited. She didn’t actually promise she would come, she just said she might. And it’s nothing officially binding either, just two old war comrades talking about what they’re going to do in their free time.”

“Ok,” Eisen said, trying to contain his amazement. “But… I’ve got so many questions! I didn’t know you knew her! Are you two friends?”

“I’ve fought at her side multiple times when I was in the Federation. And we’ve gotten drunk, talked and trained together, but I wouldn’t really call us friends. She’s kind of too obsessed with honing her strength to really care about things like friendship. However, I might be the next best thing for her, since I was one of the few people capable of keeping up with her, if just barely. Anyway, we still keep in touch from time to time, mostly to talk about our achievements and setting up sparring sessions, and since she’s always searching for new challenges, I thought I’d tell her where to find one.”

“Here in Brettholz, I suppose?” the marquis guessed with a smirk.

“Correct. After all, where else could she find an Oni?”

“Considering no one has seen an Oni in centuries, I wouldn’t know,” Eisen said, his smile growing considerably wider. “So, what did she actually say about coming to Brettholz?”

“She certainly seemed interested. In her own words, she’s very eager to see for herself if Oni are as strong as they say. However, she still has her own obligations to consider. After all, she is the current Federal Champion, and her loyalty lies with her nation first and foremost. That said, if there is no emergency to keep her from leaving the Federation, then she is all but assured to show up in Brettholz. She wouldn’t willingly pass the chance to test her skills against the likes of an Oni, after all.”

“I certainly hope she will get what she wants, then,” the marquis said. “Thank you for asking for her help, Yasen.”

“You’re welcome. But it was nothing, really. All I did was call an old comrade and give her a suggestion for her next vacation.”

“Considering the comrade in question is the White Wolf, I’d still say this is plenty of help on your part,” Eisen insisted.

“Maybe,” Yasen conceded. “I still wish I could have done more. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to end the call. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me before we depart for Grimdale, and I don’t have much time to do it.”

“It’s always like this for me as well.” Eisen sighed. “Too many things to do and never enough time to do them. Sometimes I wonder where I find time to sleep. Anyway, have a good trip. I hope I’ll be able to see you soon.”

“That’s mutual, my friend,” the Aura Master replied. “Stay strong.”

“You too. May the Lord of Light watch over you.”

The call was terminated, and all of the telemancers in the room took a breath of relief, as they could finally stop focusing on their instruments.

Eisen, however, remained at his desk, lost in his thoughts. The loss of the Royal Knights’ assistance stung a lot, but with the current number of Vex and goblins they could still manage to stop the orcs. Especially if Yasen’s comrade actually came to help them.

Alya Vilka. The White Wolf. The strongest Aura Master the Federation of Thule had produced in generations. Having her come to their aid seemed just too good to be true… This feeling was probably justified, since there were no assurances that she would actually show up. And even if she did, it was up in the air whether or not she would make it to Brettholz before the Oni attacked.

The nobleman sighed. It seemed that this was up in the hands of the Lord, so for now, it was best if he didn’t count too much on Alya Vilka. After all, if she arrived on time they would be able to adjust their plans to include her on the fly, while if she didn’t, they wouldn’t really lose anything.

Coming to a decision, the marquis turned to the telemancers, who were currently busy stretching and relaxing.

“Alright, break time is over,” he said. “I need to send a message to our allies, the Vex and the Goblins. Tell them the Royal Knights won’t be able to assist us against the orcs, but make no mention of the political reasons you overheard, and most importantly, don’t tell them about Alya Vilka. I don’t want to give them false hopes.”

The sorcerers looked far from happy, as they likely were already looking forward to a hot meal and a nap, but they obeyed without question, grabbing their Twinstones.

Chapter 23

Cloning Blues

It was late in the morning, but Klara was still in bed with little to no intention of actually getting up any time soon.

After all, it wasn’t as if she had anything better to do.

The last two weeks could have been called the proverbial “calm before the storm.” An apt description for a time where something bad was about to happen and the air was filled with so much tension it was hard to even breathe. And as it always happened, the inhabitants of Stonebarrow tried to find some peace of mind by making last-minute preparations.

All except Klara herself.

Unlike Marcus, who’d disappeared into the hive to make new drones, and Felix and Hoggs, who had their magic training to do, the girl had absolutely nothing to contribute for the battle against the orcs. The best she could do was to take care of the household chores for the others. And while useful in its own right, didn’t do much to help her relieve stress. Worse still, she couldn’t even go hunting, since with the orcs bound to arrive at any moment that would have been exceedingly foolish.

And to top it all off, she was pretty much always alone, since the others were busy most of the time. She was understandably a bit stressed by the whole situation, something which made her want to just stay in bed all day brooding.

Sadly, she couldn’t even go through with that plan, as someone knocked at her door.

“Klara?” Felix called for her. “Are you in?”

“Yes, Felix. Just give me a minute.”

She got up and quickly dressed before opening the door.

“Good morning,Felix!” she said, trying to keep a cheerful tone. “What can I do for you?”

“Good morning!” the young man replied, equally chipper. “Well, I think Marcus wants something from you.”

“Really? Has she come out of her cave?”

“No, but one of her drones came knocking and when I asked what it wanted, it wrote your name on the dirt. It’s waiting for you outside the inn.”

Klara nodded. That was how the Vex Queen usually communicated with them while she was in the hive. The Workers couldn’t talk and their hands weren’t suited for holding a pen, but they could still write stuff on the ground using their fingers.

“Guess I’ll go see what Marcus wants from me then,” she said, heading downstairs.

As the apprentice sorcerer had told her, the drone was standing on the road just outside of the inn. It was completely motionless, as Vex drones usually were while waiting for something, but it raised its head as soon as it saw Klara.

“Hi, Marcus!” the girl said, though she still found it a tad weird to talk to the Vex Queen through her drones. “Felix told me you want something from me. May I ask what it is?”

The Worker drone crouched to write something on the dirt road. When it was done, Klara looked at the crude letters and read: I need clothes.

“Clothes?” She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. “You want me to bring you some clothes?”

The drone nodded.

“What kind of clothes do you want?”

The drone shrugged, or at least tried to, since its body wasn’t really made for shrugging. The meaning of that gesture, however, was quite clear: Marcus didn’t really care about the specific clothes, she just wanted something to cover herself with.

“Ok then. I’ll just pick something out from your closet. Underwear and a long tunic. Would that suffice?”

The drone nodded again.

“Very well. Wait a moment.”

The headed to Marcus’s room, gathering Marcus a change of clothes. As she was on her way outside, she met Felix halfway.

“So… what’s going on?” he asked.

“Apparently, Marcus wants some spare clothes. So, I’m going to give these to the drone and that’s that.”

“Oh, guess it makes sense… She’s been in those caves for more than a week now, so she probably needs a change of clothes. And maybe a bath too… Speaking of which, could you tell the drone that I’m going to warm up some water? I’m going to have a bath myself later, and Marcus can use the pool afterwards.”

“I’ll tell her,” Klara said, and in no time, she reached the drone that was waiting for her.

“Here!” she said, handing the clothes to the Vex. “These should be fine, I think. Also, Felix told me that he’s going to warm up some water later, in case you want to take a bath.”

The Worker nodded, but didn’t actually take the clothes. Instead, it crouched once again to write.

The letters spelled: Can you bring the clothes to the hive?

“Uh, sure,” Klara said, albeit with a hint of reluctance. “But why though? Can’t the drone bring them to you?”

I want to show you something. Follow the drone.

“Fine then.” The girl sighed, not really having any real reason to refuse, so she followed the Worker toward the hill behind the city.

A few minutes later, they reached the nearest entrance to the inner part of the hive, a circular hole opening on the side of the hill like the mouth of some weird creature, an impression which was strengthened by the mold wax stalactites hanging from the ceiling like fangs.

The drone entered the cave, but Klara hesitated, feeling really nervous, just like she did every time she visited the hive.

She didn’t know what made her so uncomfortable. Sure, the place looked creepy as hell, but she was a veteran hunter who had explored the dangerous depths of the Caligare Forest, so she shouldn’t have been so disturbed by its appearance. After all, she knew for a fact that the Vex Hive was perfectly safe, as Marcus controlled pretty much everything in it and she wouldn’t have let any harm befall her friends. And yet, just the thought of stepping inside those caves made her skin crawl.

Luckily, at least she wasn’t the only one feeling that way. If anything, Hoggs and Felix were creeped out by the Vex Hive even more than she was. The first and last time they tried to visit it, the apprentice sorcerer had turned as white as a sheet while the old telemancer had almost fainted and had to be carried outside. Afterwards, neither of them were willing to go near the hill anymore.

Klara smirked, thinking there was at least one thing she could do better than the two sorcerers. Though, to be fair, Hoggs had hypothesized that the revulsion they felt toward the hive was because it was so full of Marcus’s Aura, that it kind of smothered their own. In that case the girl was better off than them, because she was less susceptible to Auras.

That actually made a lot of sense and was most likely the correct explanation, but Klara still liked to think the real reason she was able to enter the hive and the others weren’t was because she was braver than them. It was quite a petty and childish belief, sure, but it made it easier for her to actually step inside the caves when she had to. There was nothing like having something to prove to yourself to motivate you in overcoming your fears.

So, taking a final deep breath, Klara gathered all of her resolve and entered the Vex Hive.

The darkness enveloped her, making her hair stand on her head. She forced herself to calm down and proceed farther, and as she did so, her eyes gradually got used to the lack of light.

Luckily, the cave wasn’t completely dark, as a dim blue glow came from the ceiling, allowing the girl to see where she was going. However, this was a mixed blessing, because it also allowed her to see the details of her path, which was something she would have rather avoided.

The tunnel was roughly three meters wide and completely covered in glowing mold wax, which gave it an alien and ghastly appearance, but that wasn’t really the worst of it. What really peeked in the scale of creepiness were the countless Warrior drones encased in the walls like some sort of monstrous statues, towering over her like horrific trees as she passed through them.

The absolute worst thing about them was that they didn’t feel lifeless at all. Klara could clearly tell they were just slumbering, awaiting to be awakened by their queen’s telepathic order, and the mental image of thousands of those creatures swarming out of the hive like a living tide of chitin and fangs was more than enough to make her shudder.

It’s a good thing that the Vex are our allies, she thought. Because I really don’t want to imagine them as enemies. Especially not right now!

However, despite all of her instinctive fear and grim thoughts, she still kept walking forward, following the drone for about a minute, until they reached a much bigger cave, at the center of which a single small figure was sitting completely still.

After taking a few steps in that room, Klara realized that the figure was Marcus.

“Hi, Marcus!” Klara greeted her friend. “How are… you?”

Her voice died as she noticed there was something wrong with the Vex Queen. For starters, she was completely naked—something weird even for Marcus, whose sense of shame was lacking at best—and then there was the fact that she was a bit too still, just like the Warrior drones entombed in the walls.

“Marcus?” she called again. “Is everything alright?”

In response to her question, Marcus suddenly raised her head and stared at her with a completely blank expression before opening her mouth to reply.

“HI, KLARA!” the Vex Queen shouted, causing the girl to flinch in surprise. “I AM FINE! HOW ABOUT YOU?”

“I am… uh… fine, thank you,” Klara replied, confused and more than a little spooked. “Why are you shouting?”

“AM I SHOUTING?” Marcus cried again. “SORRY, I DID NOT REALIZE IT! Let me try again…”

The Vex Queen’s voice died down to an inaudible whisper, but she didn’t seem to realize it, as she kept speaking even though Klara clearly couldn’t hear her. She also maintained the same emotionless expression and her body was strangely stiff, lacking the vitality and energy that would have made it feel alive.

With alarm, Klara realized that Marcus was moving more like a puppet than a real person.

The girl cautiously took a step back, looking around for any sign of danger. After all, if something had led her here using this fake Marcus as a bait, then this was probably a trap. However, she couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary—or at least not out of the ordinary for a place like the Vex Hive—so she decided to try and speak to the person at the center of the room.

“Marcus, are you sure that everything is alright?” she asked cautiously. “You’re not really behaving like yourself. Also, I can’t hear you right now. Speak louder, please.”

The Vex Queen froze, remaining completely motionless for a few seconds, and then she started screaming again.

“SORRY!” she shouted. “Can you hear me NOW?”

“Yes,” Klara replied with some diffidence. “I can hear you all too well because you’re shouting again.”

“Sorry about that! It is hard to speak PROPERLY IN THIS BODY, and I still have to learn how to REGULATE THE VOLUME.”

“This… body?” Klara repeated, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“YES.” Marcus nodded and pointed at herself. “THIS is not me. This is just a drone that looks like me. I made to speak with you while I am INSIDE OF THE HIVE.”

Klara remained astonished, slowly processing this information. However, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The Marcus in front of her was behaving exactly like one of the drones, and knowing about the Vex’s seemingly limitless capacity for creating new drone types, it made sense that they could make one that looked exactly like Marcus.

She was, however, still a bit confused about why the Vex Queen would make a copy of herself.

“That’s… fine and all, but why does it look exactly like you?” the girl asked, still rather wary. “Is it… another Vex Queen, perhaps?”

“OH NO!” Marcus reassured her. “This is not a queen. AS I SAID, it is just a normal drone that LOOKS LIKE ME. I made it this way because I thought it would be the best way to INTERACT WITH YOU. IT SHOULD BE SIMILAR ENOUGH TO ME, that you shouldn’t notice the DIFFERENCE!”

“Ehm…” Klara muttered, unsure about how to reply. Sure, the drone looked exactly like Marcus, but the way it moved was a clear sign that it wasn’t the real Vex Queen. Not to mention the real Marcus didn’t usually scream at the top of her lungs.

“OF COURSE, I still have to learn how to move it properly,” the Marcus-drone replied, perhaps noticing the girl’s reaction. “WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE REASON WHY I wanted to show it to you. If you see anything that needs improving, feel free to tell me. APART FROM THE VOICE. I AM ALREADY WORKING ON IT.”

“Well…” The girl tried to find the right words. “It does look like you, that’s for sure. And the voice is also the same, though as you already said you have to work on the volume. However, the real problem is the way you move. It’s rather unnatural. I mean, all the drones move like that, but you don’t… When you’re in your main body, of course. Also, your face is totally expressionless.”

“OH!” the fake Vex Queen said in a surprised tone void of any emotion showing on her face. “I HAD THE FEELING that I was FORGETTING SOMETHING. Let me try to smile, one second!”

She tried to smile, but the results were more akin to a beast baring its teeth than to a human expressing joy or amusement.

“HOW IS IT?” she asked.

“Uhm… let’s say that it probably needs more work than your voice,” Klara replied in a dry tone. “And that’s saying something, because you’re making my ears hurt.”

“BUMMER,” the Marcus-drone replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice, if not in her face. “And I thought it was basically ready to go. I REALLY WANTED TO USE IT to get out of these GODS FORSAKEN CAVES!”

“Well… couldn’t you do that with your own body?” the girl suggested. “I mean, there shouldn’t be anything that forces you to hide in here, is it?”

“NO! RIGHT NOW, I DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO SEE ME.”

“Is it about the egg laying?” Klara asked. “Because it isn’t anything to be ashamed about. I mean, that’s just part of your bodily functions, isn’t it? It shouldn’t be much different from me being on my period.”

“TRUST ME, THIS IS DIFFERENT,” the drone replied. “I really can’t get out right now!”

“Fine. If that’s how you feel, then I won’t pry further. However, if you want to get out and interact with us through your drone, I can’t see why you couldn’t do it right now.”

“WELL, you said it yourself, IT’s NOT READY YET.”

“Yeah, but there’s nothing stopping you from learning on the go,” Klara replied. “I mean, I’d get it if it was for some formal event or something, but you’d just be staying with us. And if we explain the situation to Felix and Hoggs, I’m sure they’ll adjust to it in no time.”

“WELL, IF YOU SAY SO…” the Marcus-drone said.

“I do.” The girl nodded, approaching the drone and handing the clothes to it. “But first, let’s get some clothes on you, because I don’t think you want the men to ogle a naked copy of you.”

“RIGHT!” The fake Vex Queen nodded.

“Also, we have to start working on your voice, otherwise we’d all go deaf in no time,” the girl said.

“OK. Let me try to speak a bit more softly…”

“I can’t hear you now,” Klara corrected her.

“How about now?”

“Better but still a bit too soft.”

“AND NOW?”

“Too loud! Let’s start again…”

And, as the drone got dressed, they kept trying to find the right volume for its voice, and they kept on practicing even when they left the hive.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the deepest bowels of the hive, the real Marcus was making a faint smile after watching his clone interact with Klara.

He was sitting on a makeshift bed made of mold wax covered with a few old blankets, and was butt naked, exactly like his copy. However, he did look different in one department: his belly was incredibly inflated, to the point of making him look pregnant.

The Vex Queen telepathically followed Klara outside through her clone, glad to have something to distract himself from his current predicament, because otherwise, he feared he would have gone mad quite soon.

He’d thought that no other drone could be worse than the Broodmother to give birth to, but he had been wrong. He had been terribly, horribly, tragically wrong.

To put it simply, the extended gestation worked perfectly on the new drones, better than it did for the Broodmothers. In fact, it cut the time they needed to fully mature to a third of what it would have normally been, and thanks to that, one of the new drones—which he called Destroyers—had already been born and was halfway to maturity, with the next egg due for laying any time soon. However, this process had the side effect of making the Destroyers’ eggs grow to a colossal size while still inside of Marcus’s belly, something which, apart from inconveniencing the Vex Queen quite a bit during the gestation itself, resulted in some complications when the time came to actually push them out.

The exact process was something the Vex Queen tried to avoid thinking about as much as he could, but sadly, the memories always lingered in some dark corner of his mind. A lot of screaming, an unbearable amount of pain, and abject terror were involved. He couldn’t even forget them by fainting since the hivemind would keep them fresh in his memory down to the most miniscule, horrific details. And to make it all even worse, there was the fact that he had to face the prospect of going through this ordeal multiple times in the future.

It was more than enough to shatter Marcus’ sanity, something which the Vex Queen had tried to avoid by creating the clone drone and using it to distract himself from the impending agony of extreme egg laying.

Luckily it seemed like that had worked pretty well, since that drone allowed him to focus on less grim thoughts, especially now that he was using it to communicate with other people. Even though it was through proxy, he still greatly enjoyed having some social relations, as that helped him fight back the waves of panic that threatened to overcome him.

Exploiting this moment of relative peace, the monster-girl wondered what pushed him to not only willingly go through such an ordeal once, but also do it again and plan on doing it at least another couple of times after that.

The first thoughts that flashed in his mind were some eminently rational justifications. Like making sure he’d have some drones powerful enough to actually defeat the Oni and so on, but those were just superficial bullshit and he knew it. No one right in their own mind would willingly go through the agony he’d experienced just to gain an edge in battle.

The real reason had to be another one, connected to the very core of Marcus’ being.

Now that I think about it, I always had some rather martyric tendencies, even in my old life, he thought, a revelation about himself suddenly flashing in his mind. I’ve always instinctively taken the metaphorical—and at least in one case literal—bullet for someone else. But why though! He scowled with irritation.

I am not responsible for other people’s wellbeing. I didn’t run for president, nor was I a cop or a firefighter or a doctor, or anyone who is supposed to help others! I am just trying to live my life the best I can. So why can’t I turn the other way for once? I mean, no one would blame me for not wanting to shit out an egg the size of a beach ball out of my cooch, so why am I doing it? Is it just out of pre-emptive guilt for the lives I could potentially save? Am I so sick in the head that I literally have to feel responsible for everyone?

However, as much as he tried, the answer to these questions wouldn’t come to him. Not only that, but his train of thoughts actually made him focus more on the upcoming egg laying, which defeated the purpose of the clone drone. So, with an exasperated sigh, he decided to postpone this introspection to a later date, possibly when he wasn’t in such a shitty situation.

On a final mental addendum before he shifted his attention to the conversation between Klara and the clone drone, he wished for the orcs to arrive as soon as possible. At least that way he wouldn’t have to worry anymore, one way or another.

Chapter 24

Let them Eat Cannibal Cake

In an improvised camp in the middle of the Caligare Forest, Blueskin was busy listening to his lieutenants complaining about all sorts of petty problems, something which made him wish they’d reach Medelan as soon as possible.

He had greatly underestimated the logistics involved with keeping a force made up of more than thirty thousand orcs on the move. Before departing, he made the Rantul Matriarch turn hundreds of wild animals his hunters had captured into Rantul hybrids that would act as both cattle and bag carriers for the army. He’d thought that would have been enough to keep the soldiers fed for the whole journey, which he assumed wouldn’t take more than three weeks.

As it turned out, he had been far too optimistic.

The army was slower than he anticipated, as its humongous size coupled with the difficult terrain hindered its advance—to the point they were lucky if they managed to make twenty kilometers each day, less than half the speed the Oni had expected. As a result, four weeks had passed and it’d still take at least another two weeks before they would reach their destination, and their food reserves would only last another couple of days.

Because of this, Blueskin had tried to find a way to keep his soldiers fed. Numerous foraging parties were constantly sent out to procure more food, but that wasn’t nearly enough. The Oni had to get creative about other food sources. For starters, all soldiers guilty of something were punished by being turned into food for the other soldiers. As of late, the orcs had learned how to behave, resulting in a much less steady supply.

Blueskin was really stressed out, and on top of that, his officers weren’t really helping the situation. Instead of trying to put the soldiers in line and procure more food, they would come to him with a seemingly endless number of complaints. It was all “the troops are thirsty, we need to find water,” or “a group of soldiers have ended up in a ravine and they can’t get out,” or even “a big tree suddenly grew tentacles, grabbed two orcs and ran away while cackling evilly.”

Blueskin shook his head in disgust. He proceeded to shoot an annoyed glance at the officers before him, who were still listing all sorts of accidents and other unpleasant events.

“That’s enough!” the Oni finally cried once his patience ran out, causing everyone around him to immediately shut up. “It’s your bloody job as officers to keep the troops in line and solve these kinds of problems! If you can’t do that, and keep wasting my time, that means you’re not an officer but just a bag of meat!” His voice turned as cold as ice. “And we all know what use we have for meatbags, don’t we?”

The silence was almost deafening as the orcs and ogres in the crowd nodded in unison, fear showing on their faces. They knew from experience that the Blue Terror wasn’t exaggerating, as two officers had already been devoured by him this week.

The Oni looked around, pleased by the scared atmosphere he managed to create.

This is how a leader should be! he thought. A steady hand to keep the underlings in line and punish those who fail or disobey to make an example for the others. No pussying out or acting too soft. That’s how you keep a society working efficiently!

“Good. Now, if anyone else has some problem they want to tell me, speak up and hope I consider your problem to be important, otherwise you’re going to end up as tomorrow’s breakfast. And as for everyone else, get back to your units and solve your problems yourself. Also, get ready to depart tomorrow morning. I want to increase our pace. All those who slow us down will be used as food. Inform your orcs.”

Again, no one doubted the truthfulness of his words, and they all started backing away, eager to put as much distance as they could between themselves and their annoyed leader.

No one tried to argue with him, or gods forbid challenge him to a fight for dominance, as it was orc custom. After he’d absorbed the power of the dragon, the Oni had become just too powerful, and even the strongest ogres were now completely harmless in front of him.

The Oni smiled and relaxed. There was nothing like remembering just how fucking OP he was to improve his mood. Besides, apart from some minor hiccups here and there, things were actually going great for him!

Not only was he stronger than ever and his rule over the orcs and the Caligare Forest rock solid, he was also about to conquer a whole kingdom for himself. And there couldn’t be any doubt about his success, since he’d used Turemalac’s power of prediction to test different plans and come up with the perfect one. Sure, the strain from making so many predictions in a row had almost killed the Piraca, who was now in a catatonic state from which no amount of threats, shaking or beating seemed able to wake him from, but that had been well worth it, as the final plan had a 98% chance of success.

The Oni smirked. It was rather ironic that the main contribution for this success didn’t come from the flashy power boost he’d got from eating the dragon, but rather from the memories he absorbed from the human telemancer. Not only had he been forewarned of the forces that would wait for him in Brettholz, but the information from one specific memory also allowed him to come up with a plan to deal with whatever the humans or the goblins could throw at him.

The anticipation of his victory filled him with excitement, which in turn made his reproductive pseudopod instinctively grow. A quickie right now would have been just perfect to celebrate and lift his spirits for good. Sadly, Tiny-Sneaky wasn’t in the camp, as she was busy scouting the territory ahead, and his other lieutenants were far too ugly to be satisfying. For a brief moment he considered using Anak’si, but he discarded that option as well. The Arachne was certainly beautiful enough, but she lacked the physical means for a proper shag, and Blueskin wasn’t in the mood for settling on anything less.

Besides, she was particularly whiny today, as it always happened when Blueskin ripped off her legs. He didn’t know why she got like that every time it happened, since she knew perfectly well the legs would grow back—hence the need to rip them off regularly to make any escape attempt impossible—but despite this, she was still insufferably sad for days.

This sucks, he thought, his mood darkening. The first thing I’m going to do after I conquer the humans will be to make myself a real harem. One with actual women and not ogres in drag!

And having found something nice to fantasize about, he spent the rest of the evening imagining what the members of his future harem would be like, and what he’d like to do with them.

* * *

In a corner of the orc camp, Anak’si was crying.

That in itself wasn’t something unusual for her. In her previous life it had been one of her best tools to manipulate other people, and she’d even learned how to shed tears on command, but this time it was different. Somewhat ironically, now that she was actually crying for real, she would have rather put on a strong face since showing weakness in front of her captors filled her with shame. But she couldn’t stop. After the Oni ripped off her legs once again, her pain and fear had overwhelmed her.

She kept silently weeping for a while longer, until she felt completely emptied out of all emotions. This feeling of numbness was a blessing compared to her usual state. It wouldn’t last, so she immediately tried to distract herself. She didn’t have many choices in the department of entertainment, but luckily she did have at least one activity that would keep her mind occupied: taking care of Turemalac.

She didn’t really like the Piraca, who’d never been much company—he was either insufferable and bitter or cowardly and dejected, depending on whether or not the orcs were paying attention to him—but at the same time, he was a fellow prisoner and pretty much the only company she had.

For this alone, when the continuous predictions he was forced to make had started taking a toll on Turemalac’s health, Anak’si started taking care of him for fear he would die and leave her completely alone. She made sure he ate and slept enough, made blankets for him out of her web, and so on. And oddly enough, this self-imposed duty had somehow grown on her, giving her purpose and filling her days with something other than despair and regret.

“Hey, Tury!” she said in a rather forced, cheerful tone while approaching the Crimson Terror. “How are you doing? Are you feeling better now?”

The Piraca didn’t answer, nor did it show any sign of acknowledging Anak’si’s presence at all. He was sitting on the ground completely motionless, staring into space with a vacuous expression.

“Uhm… Tury? Can you hear me?” she asked again, tapping his shoulder.

Again, there was no response, and Anak’si started getting worried. Turemalac had been in that catatonic state for hours now, ever since the Blue Terror forced him to make a long series of predictions in a row. Normally such a strain would make the Piraca faint, but this time it seemed as if something had broken inside of him. Apart from the rhythmic movements of his breathing, he looked more like some kind of creepy stuffed animal than an actual living being.

“Turemalac, please answer me!” the Arachne pleaded, her voice growing thick with despair. “Don’t leave me alone! Please!”

Again, there was no response, and Turemalac just kept staring into nothingness. Confronted with that lack of reaction, Anak’si felt despair growing into her chest.

Goddammit! she silently cursed. Is this what awaits me as well? Just working myself to death for that blue piece of shit? Tears started flowing from her eyes. I can’t go on like this… I want to go home! I want my mom and my dad. I want my old life back. I don’t care if I’m fat and ugly again, I just want this nightmare to end!

She started weeping again, utterly ignored both by the Piraca and the ogre guards who were napping around her. She went on for a while, sinking deeper and deeper into her depression… Until all of a sudden, she sensed a familiar presence approaching the orc camp.

She looked up, her sorrows momentarily forgotten. The presence was rather similar to that of Nero’s, her defunct Deathstalker bodyguard, but it was more faint and slippery. It was the same one that had followed the Blue Terror for weeks but disappeared after the latter killed the dragon.

And now it was back.

The Arachne wondered who it could be. It was certainly a spider or some sort of arachnid, otherwise her powers wouldn’t have worked. Apart from that she had no real clue about its identity. However, if she were to trust her gut instinct, she would have said it wasn’t just an animal that happened to wander nearby, but rather an intelligent creature keeping an eye on the Oni.

A small spark of hope lit up inside of Anak’si. If this creature was spying on the Blue Terror, then it probably was an enemy of the orc leader, and if that was the case, then the Rantul Matriarch could try to ally with it and escape from this orc camp!

The only problem was how to make contact, since she couldn’t move from her imprisoned position, and the creature didn’t seem intent on approaching her. She’d already tried using her powers to lure it closer, but all of her attempts had failed and she hadn’t tried anything else for fear of possible repercussions if she was caught.

However, she was well past the point of caring. She had to do something to try and save herself, no matter how little her chances of success were, otherwise she would soon lose her mind.

She started racking her brain, searching for a possible solution, and one dawned on her: writing a message for the mysterious observer to read. Sadly, as soon as she thought of it, she also realized this plan had two rather serious faults. First, she didn’t know how to write in the local languages, and second, she didn’t have a way to deliver her message.

The first problem had a rather easy solution. While she couldn’t write she could still draw, and if the observer was as smart as she thought it was, then it’d be able to understand some simple drawings.

The second one, though, was rather more serious. She couldn’t just leave the drawings where she was, as they’d likely be discovered by the ogres, and there was no guarantee the observer would come to inspect her resting place after they left anyway. She couldn’t even give the message to someone else, since all of her possible allies within the camp, the Brain Spiders and the Rantul Hybrids, were kept well away from her.

What could she do?

She started looking around, trying to find something to help her. As she did, she saw her legs—which the Blue Terror had ripped from her body earlier that day—lying on the ground a few meters from her.

From her position, two of the spider legs laid in the rough shape of a bow.

Anak’si smirked, as an idea flashed in her mind. Maybe she did have a way to deliver her message.

* * *

Night had fallen on the Caligare Forest and darkness had enveloped everything like a coat. The stars and the red moon shone in the sky, but their light was too feeble to reach the ground, which was pitch-black except for the few bonfires of the orc camp.

This suited Arag perfectly, as his chitinous skin blended flawlessly with the shadows, making him basically invisible. Still, he didn’t let confidence blind him, and exercised a lot of caution, focusing himself on not being discovered.

He was hiding in the bushes at the edge of the orc camp, coldly observing everything. There were many orcs gathered there—about thirty thousand, ten thousand more than the Goblin General anticipated—but Arag wasn’t really worried about that, as those raw numbers alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat the goblin-Vex forces, not without a proper battle plan that would catch them by surprise at least.

Arag’s job was to discover what the orcs were up to, so that Trakk could prepare for it.

This wasn’t an easy task by any means, since the camp was too large to infiltrate during the day and eavesdrop on what was being said during the strategic meetings. Trying to capture and interrogate the orc soldiers had also proved fruitless, as they didn’t seem to know or care about what their leaders were up to.

The only other option left was to ambush one of the ogre officers, but that was easier said than done. Not only because they were much stronger and more dangerous than their lesser brethren, but also because they were never alone, always surrounded by their underlings. Still, it didn’t seem as if Arag had any other choice, so he was keeping an eye out for the right opportunity to try and capture one of the ogres.

He started thinking about how to increase the odds in his favor. While there were a lot of officers here at the main camp, maybe he would be better off trying to ambush one of the patrols that scouted the territory ahead, who were less numerous and more isolated. The trade-off was that the orcs and ogres in those patrols would be more on guard. At the same time, if Arag was lucky, then something could happen that would offer him the opportunity to strike. After all, the Caligare Forest was a really dangerous place, and you never knew what manner of predator was lurking in the shadows…

All of a sudden, something small and fast flew right past Arag and landed on the ground behind him, causing the spider goblin to reflexively crouch and unsheathe his dagger. He remained motionless, scanning the area around him to find any potential threat, but he couldn’t see or hear anything.

He was, however, still fully alarmed, and he remained still for a few more minutes, until he was completely sure he was alone. Only then did he slowly stand, watching for anything out of the ordinary.

As he did so, he saw a thin, long object protruding from the ground, which seemed to be some sort of arrow.

He gazed at the orc camp in order to see who’d shot it, but he couldn’t see anyone with a bow or any other ranged weapon. With slow and careful movements, he approached the arrow in order to inspect it.

The arrow itself was… rather peculiar. It had a silver shine to it, as if it was draped in webs, and there was something that looked like a piece of fabric tied around it.

Using the point of his knife, Arag cautiously touched the arrow. Nothing happened, so after a few more seconds the spider goblin grabbed the arrow and took the fabric from it.

The fabric itself was incredibly silky and light, and had the same silver shine as the arrow itself. Arag unrolled it, revealing where someone had embroidered it with some rather crude drawings.

Those drawings showed a chained woman with a spider torso, almost certainly an Arachne, being abused by orcs. Then a nondescript humanoid figure appeared and freed her from her chains, and the two shook hands and started killing the orcs together. The final picture was one of the duo, standing triumphantly over what looked like the body of a huge, blue-skinned Oni.

Arag looked at the pictures for a while longer as his mind raced. The message seemed to be quite unequivocally a proposal of alliance against the orcs from the Pale Matriarch, but if that was true, then it implied that the Arachne was not only aware of his presence but also knew his exact position, since she’d managed to aim the arrow precisely where he was hiding.

Upon realizing this, the spider goblin’s first instinct was to consider the mission compromised and run back to Goblinia with the information he’d obtained so far. However, he hadn’t survived so long just by following his instincts, so he forced himself to calm down and carefully consider his alternatives before making a final decision.

First off, there was the matter of whether or not the alliance offer was genuine. It could be bait to lure him into a trap. Somehow Arag doubted that, since it was kind of too subtle for the Blue Terror and the other orc leaders, who usually seemed to prefer more direct and brutal methods. Had they known of his presence, they would have simply hunted him down. So it was far more likely that the alliance offer was actually real, and coming from the Rantul Matriarch herself.

Sadly, this scenario also came with a whole bag of problems.

Since the Blue Terror always kept her close and she could easily eavesdrop on everything the Oni and his lieutenants said, the Matriarch likely possessed a lot of useful information about the orcs’ plans, but there was basically nothing Arag could offer her in return. While he was confident he could manage to sneak into the camp by himself in order to speak with the Arachne, freeing her and getting her out would be next to impossible, nor could he make any real promises about the future, since Trakk would be the one taking any definite decision. Even lying to her wasn’t really an option. Due to her powers, there was a risk that she would be able to detect a lie from the spider goblin. For the same reason, he also felt reluctant about trying to kill her right after getting the info he needed, since if she picked up hostility she could scream and alert the orcs of his presence.

So, in the end, he was restricted to two options: either ignore this alliance proposal and run away like he wanted to do at first, or gamble on the Arachne’s willingness to help him in exchange for nothing.

He spent a lot of time trying to make up his mind. Many hours passed and the bonfires in the camp slowly burned out one after another as the orcs went to sleep.

When nothing but embers remained, and the only sound coming from the camp was the snoring of the slumbering soldiers, Arag finally came to a decision.

He hoped it was the right one.

Chapter 25

Smoke and Stew

It was the first day of summer in the Caligare Forest. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the air remained pleasantly cool in the shade of the trees. It was the perfect weather to relax and maybe take a nap, which was exactly what two Brettholz scouts were doing.

Now, to be fair, they weren’t being foolish or irresponsible. It just wasn’t their turn for sentry duty, as that task currently befell on a third man, who was sitting a few meters away, smoking on his pipe.

The old hunter took a big mouthful of smoke before blowing out an impressive smoke ring, watching it float in the air with great satisfaction before returning his attention to the forest below. They were camped on the top of a lonely hill which dominated the landscape for a few miles. A perfect lookout spot, which was also rather close to Brettholz, making it relatively safe since the most dangerous creatures usually lived deeper inside the Caligare Forest. Still, this was no reason to be careless, so he and the others still took their guard duty rather seriously.

Of course, this didn’t mean they couldn’t pass the time somehow, either talking or smoking, as long as that didn’t interfere with their job.

He blew another smoke ring, sending it after the first one, and returned his gaze to the forest just in time to see a movement in the trees, about three hundred meters from the hill.

He immediately became completely alert, putting his pipe aside and turning his undivided attention in the direction he’d spotted the movement. After waiting several seconds, he saw a group of hulking figures crossing a small clearing.

They were orcs, and they were heading north towards Brettholz.

The old man cursed under his breath and went to wake up his companions. They quickly gathered their stuff and were ready to leave in less than a minute, but they had one last task to perform.

They poured oil and a weird pink powder on the fireplace and lit it up, causing bright crimson flames to rise, as well as producing a surprising amount of red smoke, which could be clearly seen even from far away.

After giving that signal, they hurried away before the orcs could come to the hill to inspect the smoke. They knew the territory like the back of their respective hands, so finding a safe escape route was not a problem.

After they got far enough, one of the hunters turned back, and saw the smoke still rising from the top of the hill.

What took him by surprise was that similar smoke signals were also visible both east and west, apparently rising from every single outpost of the forest.

* * *

Many kilometers northeast from that hill, the inhabitants of Stonebarrow were about to have lunch.

Klara was preparing a vegetable stew while Felix set the table, when Marcus, or rather her clone, entered the kitchen and sniffed the air.

“Mmmmmh, what smells good?”

“It’s just a stew,” Klara replied. “And… does it really smell good to you? You’ve never really enjoyed cooked meals before.”

“To be honest, I can only tell that it smells like food,” Marcus admitted. “But for this body, even a rotting rat would smell like food.”

“Gee, thanks, Marcus,” the girl replied sarcastically. “You sure know how to give a compliment.”

“Well, you asked.” The copy-drone shrugged. “If it’s of any consolation though, I’m sure that if I had a human body, then your stew would smell absolutely delicious.”

Klara frowned slightly. Although she thought Marcus was just making fun of her, it was hard to tell for sure while she was using her proxy-body. While the Vex Queen had definitely improved at using the drone, it was still far from perfect, and at times it was rather difficult to really understand it. Moreover, some subtle details, like the copy’s stillness when it wasn’t doing anything specific or its constant vacuous expression were rather unnerving reminders that it was some sort of meat puppet rather than a real person.

All of these things combined made living with the copy-Marcus a rather weird experience. Klara tried to put up with it, as she knew these interactions cheered up the Vex Queen while she was busy in the hive.

So, for the sake of having a conversation, the girl decided to take what Marcus said as a joke and respond in kind.

“So… what are you going to eat then?” she asked with a sardonic smile. “Do you want some stew or would you prefer to go outside and search for a rotting rat?”

“The stew is fine, thank you,” Marcus replied and attempted to smile back, though the result looked more like a grimace.

Klara forced herself to chuckle, and after that they brought the food to the main hall, where Felix waited for them.

“Hello, ladies,” he greeted in a mockingly flirty tone.

“Yes,” the Marcus-drone replied. “But please, for the love of everything that is holy, do not call me lady. Especially not like that.”

“Sorry about that,” the apprentice sorcerer smirked. “I couldn’t resist. Anyway, someone’s got to tell Hoggs that lunch is ready. He went upstairs because he received a call on the Twinstone.”

Just as he finished saying this, the old man made his appearance with an extremely sour expression.

“Speaking of the devil,” Felix said. “How did the call go, Mr. Hoggs? Is everything alright?”

“I’m afraid not, young Felix,” the telemancer replied. “I just received dire news from Brettholz. This morning, a great number of orcs have been sighted approaching Brettholz from the south.”

A tense silence followed as the light mood that reigned just a minute before disappeared. But then, the Marcus-drone made a chuckling sound.

“Well, it’s a good thing we were expecting them,” she said. “I guess we’re off to war then. Where exactly were these orcs sighted?”

“Everywhere in the south,” Hoggs replied.

“What do you mean?” the copy-drone asked, trying to raise an eyebrow but raising both instead.

“I mean that there have been sightings pretty much everywhere along the border of the Caligare Forest,” the telemancer explained. “All of our scouts, from Hunter’s Den to Goblinia, reported small orc warbands marching north. Their collective number is still unknown, but they are estimated to be at least a few thousand, and they should reach the Brettholz territories in two or three days.”

“What?” Felix asked, a bit confused. “Why would the orcs spread their forces like that?”

“I could think of a few reasons, but I can’t tell for sure.” The old sorcerer shrugged. “Besides, I’m afraid I’m not the most qualified person to ask this question. Which brings us to the orders we’ve been given.” He turned to the Marcus-drone. “A rendezvous of our forces has been organized in the village of Millglade. Sir Marcus, Marquis Eisen Brett asks you to march your forces there immediately, leaving a garrison to defend your territory. A strategy meeting will be held tomorrow at dawn to establish our course of action, and from what I’ve been told, both the marquis and the Goblin General will be present.”

“Good,” the drone said. “You can tell the marquis I will depart as soon as possible, and I should get to Millglade by this evening.” The drone became eerily still, then she asked, “Oh, and by the way… do you think I have the time for a bath first? I really need one right now.”

“Well, Millglade is just half a day of walking from here, so I don’t think there should be any problem,” the old man said.

“Good. Then could you heat up some water for me, Felix?”

“Sure,” the young man nodded with a smile. “Actually, it’s going to be a nice warm up for myself as well, before I test my powers in battle for the first… well, second time.” His smile turned rather predatory. “I can’t wait to do that. I really have some pent up anger I need to vent out.”

Klara narrowed her eyes and shot the young man a worried gaze, but said nothing.

“Good for you!” the Marcus-drone said, oblivious of the girl’s displeasure. “I’m sure we’ll kick a lot of orc butts together!” He paused and then added: “But since I’d also like to look good while doing it, I’ll go grab my best clothes. I’ll meet you at the pool in a few minutes!”

And without further ado, the copy-drone went upstairs to retrieve the Castillar uniform, which was Marcus’ favorite set of clothing.

* * *

A few hundred meters from Stonebarrow, Marcus emerged from the hive for the first time in almost three weeks. He walked cautiously, both because he wasn’t used to so much light anymore, and also because his legs felt kind of wobbly after what he’d gone through. Three weeks of excruciating pain, and absurd physical and mental strain had taken a toll on him despite his toughness and regenerative powers.

Still, the results were more than worth it.

Four colossal creatures followed him out of the cave, crawling with some difficulty despite the tunnel being more than three meters wide. When they stood upright, they seemed even bigger, and each of their steps made the mold wax covered ground shake.

The Destroyers were ready.

They most likely were the most intimidating drones Marcus had ever created. He had used the Oxisaurus DNA as a base, then added all sorts of modifications to improve it. Like the chitin armor of the Vex, the muscle density of a troll, the ability to spit venomous acid like a Piraca, and even a fast-coagulating blood which would seal any wound and prevent blood loss. The end result was something that looked like the lovechild of Alien and Jurassic Park—four monsters resembling a four meter tall T-Rex covered in chitin armor, but much more lithe, with strong, powerful legs which granted it an impressive speed and agility for a creature of its size. They also all shared the same type of upper arms, two scythe-like appendages similar to those of a mantis, and a long, whip-like tail covered in segmented and barbed chitin armor.

However, Marcus had gone as far as giving each of the Destroyer a customized set of secondary limbs.

The biggest one was similar to the regular Warrior drones, as it had a pair of long, clawed hands which could be used to grab the prey. Another had a second pair of mantis-like scythes, while the third one had two oversized, crab-like pincers which were powerful enough to tear through almost anything. Finally, the youngest and smallest drone had something rather peculiar: a pair of long, retractable tentacles which could be stretched up to ten meters and were coated in acidic venom.

The only downside to these drones was that due to their size, they needed a lot of nutrients to keep working at full regimen. In fact, Marcus had to cut the number of features he wanted to give them just in order to make them able to fight for more than five minutes before starving to death.

Luckily, he managed to metaphorically make space for the most important characteristics by simplifying their digestive system, making the drones unable to digest anything that wasn’t mold wax. This wasn’t such a huge handicap, since that stuff was literally what most drones ate anyway and it allowed the Destroyers to fight at full throttle for hours without consuming too much energy.

Still, even with this kind of optimization a lot of good abilities had to be left out simply because they weren’t cost effective enough. Like the Zaru regeneration for example, which would have been extremely useful, but required far too many nutrients to be really feasible—though the Vex Queen wasn’t overly worried about leaving out that particular ability. After all, despite the pain he’d gone through to give birth to them, the Destroyers were ultimately expendable drones like all the others, so it didn’t really matter if their longevity was sacrificed in order to maximize their performance.

All in all, Marcus was fully satisfied with the end result. He actually couldn’t think of a creature from the Caligare Forest, apart from the dragon, capable of holding their own against a Destroyer.

Because of this, he was surprisingly cheerful despite having spent the last weeks suffering horrific childbirth pains alone in a dark cave. The thought of having created such a powerful drone somehow deeply appeased some part of his being.

Must be one of those Vex instincts I still have to get the hang on, he thought. I would have found it unsettling a while ago, but now… Well, I’m not exactly happy about it, but if it’ll help me forget what I went through in the cave, then it’s welcome. He shuddered. Destroyer is a good name for those critters, ’cause they sure destroyed my cunt. He stopped in his tracks, shivered all the way down to the tip of his tail, and forced himself to change the subject of his thoughts. Anyway, I can’t wait to test them in battle! That should make for an interesting experience. But first, I really have to get a bath. I feel grimy as hell.

And he started towards the pool, followed by his four new bodyguards.

Behind him, countless Warrior drones started coming out of the caves, swarming the area around the hive like a flood of chitin.

The Vex were finally going to war.

Chapter 26

Slugfest

The goblin army reached Millglade at sunset.

The red light of the setting sun shone on the metal of their weapons and armor, making them look as if they were on fire, while the very ground trembled with their steps, and a cloud of dust rose behind them. The human-hobs were at the front, marching in tight formation, followed by the less disciplined, though still formidable, orc-hobs. They advanced without forming ranks but still in relatively good order. After them came the miscellaneous groups of goblinoids, from Gargoyles to chitin-covered Vex-hobs, and at the end of the column a group of carts trailed along on the road, filled to the brim with supplies.

As impressive as it was, this army paled in comparison to the Vex that were awaiting them.

More than forty thousand drones quietly stood just outside the village, so motionless, they could be mistaken for part of the landscape. They kind of resembled a lake of dark chitin, with the biggest specimens standing out like the crest of a wave. At the same time, the purple glow of their eyes made them seem like a star-filled alien sky. Not a single sound came from any of them, and that eerie silence felt more unnerving than any kind of bestial roar they could have produced.

Marquis Eisen, who was standing between the two forces, had the unpleasant feeling of being trapped against a rock and a hard place. On one side, he didn’t fully trust the goblins, and watching such a host of them approach him made him feel justifiably nervous. Then on the other side were the Vex. Despite having proven trustworthy, they somehow felt creepier than ever. And even worse, meeting with their queen hadn’t reassured him, but rather made him all the more nervous.

Marcus, who now stood a few meters behind him, not only had the same overwhelming Aura as always, but was also accompanied by four exceptionally intimidating drones, which she’d called Destroyers. Having lived pretty much his whole life on the border of Caligare Forest, Eisen considered himself to be used to the sight of scary-looking beasts, but these Destroyers managed to send a shiver down his spine. If he had to pin down the reason, it was probably because of the eerie grace with which they moved. The whole image was absolutely wrong for something of their size and made the nobleman feel as if he were a small mouse surrounded by huge, hungry cats.

Still, it would be hard to imagine more intimidating and effective bodyguards, so he’d already decided that the protection they would provide both to him and the Vex Queen was well worth his discomfort.

And it seemed that this trade-off was indeed a good one, as the goblin delegation who approached looked far too intimidated by those creatures to try and do anything even remotely close to betrayal. Hell, even the members of the Order of the Rose that accompanied them seemed a tad nervous.

“Would you look at those things?” whispered one of them, the short-haired girl called Nemi. “Guess that little bug-girl has one more thing in common with Sarah, besides her face. She also liked them big.”

“Hush!” Belinda, the leader of the group, shot her a stern gaze, but from her posture, it was clear she was also on her guard.

Unsurprisingly, the only one who seemed completely unperturbed by the Destroyers was the Goblin General, who kept the same calm expression he always portrayed as he rode toward the marquis. He dismounted a few meters away, left his horse to an attendant, and walked up to the nobleman.

“Greetings, Lord Eisen,” he said, while performing an elegant bow. “And greetings, Sir Marcus.”

“Greetings, Trakk,” the marquis replied, returning the salute with a slight nod. “Thank you for joining us so quickly and under such short notice. However, since we’re hard pressed for time, I’d appreciate it if we could get straight to business. I’ve got some refreshments ready for you in the village, so we can have dinner while discussing the current situation there.”

“It’s quite fine, milord,” the general said. “I also agree that time is of the utmost importance.”

“Very good.” The nobleman nodded and turned to Belinda and the rest of the Order of the Rose. “You and your companions are also welcome to join us, Lady Belinda.”

“We will, milord,” the old woman said.

“And naturally, I’d like for you and your friends to be present as well, Sir Marcus,” Eisen said, turning to the Vex Queen.

“Of course, Lord Eisen,” she replied with a smile. “I know better than to turn down a free meal!”

“Then I hope you’ll enjoy the food, even with your peculiar tastes.” The marquis returned her smile. “Millglade is quite renowned for its cuisine!”

* * *

Sitting at a very large table which had been prepared in the house of the mayor of Millglade, Marcus stared suspiciously at the contents of his plate. The dish looked like some sort of boiled slug served with vegetables. However, to his knowledge, slugs weren’t the size of a full-grown chicken, nor did they have multiple, human-like eyes.

Considering his dietary habits ever since becoming a Vex, that shouldn’t have made him squeamish, but for some weird reason, it did anyway. This was probably due to the context: it was one thing to eat bugs in a cave while he was starving to death, and was entirely another to have something so weird served on a plate during a fine dinner.

He poked at the food with his fork a few times and shuddered when the slug-thing wobbled like jelly. He turned to Klara, who was sitting next to him, and asked her under his breath: “Uh… Klara, could you tell me what this thing is?”

“It’s called a limac,” the girl replied. “It’s some sort of slug that lives in small ponds and marshes. It’s kind of hard to find because it usually hides in the mud, but it tastes really good.”

“Do… we have to eat the eyes as well?” the Vex Queen asked, a hint of queasiness in his voice.

“Why, yes, they’re the best part,” Klara confirmed with a smile. “They’re a bit hard to chew, but they are incredibly tasty.” She shot Marcus a puzzled look. “Why are you asking, by the way? Does this dish bother you somehow?”

“Not really,” the monster-girl replied. “It’s just… I’m not used to eating things like these. We didn’t have anything like this where I came from. Well, actually we did, but only weird people like the French eat them.”

“Wait a moment, are you being picky?” Klara asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. “You? I’ve seen you eat things that would make a goat sick, including a five-hundred-year-old tentacle of a Zaru. Why are you squeamish about a limac?”

“I ate those things for the information they contained, not because I was hungry!” Marcus protested. “It’s different!”

Klara looked at him for another moment and then shrugged.

“Well, you do you, I guess,” she said. “There is nothing forcing you to eat it if you don’t want to. It’d be a shame though. It’s a delicacy, and the mayor’s wife is a very good cook.”

She promptly demonstrated the point by skewering a slug eye with her fork and eating it whole.

Marcus couldn’t look away. Klara honestly appeared to enjoy it. He turned his attention back to his plate.

Well, it can’t be worse than the things the French eat, he thought. He carefully took an eye and put it into his mouth. As Klara said, it was a tad hard to chew, but that was nothing for his sharp teeth and jaw power. The taste however was nothing to write home about, at least for him. As it always happened with cooked food, he found it a bit bland. It wasn’t bad or anything, but he would have definitely enjoyed it more if it was raw, since that way he’d have managed to absorb more of its DNA.

That’s fan-frigging-tastic, he thought with chagrin. Can’t enjoy anything without being reminded of my condition. I’d die for a plate of fried chicken and a pizza, but as I am right now, I’d probably find them flavorless or something.

Then, just as he finished that thought, he became aware of a change of atmosphere in the room. The worried but still jovial mood had twisted into confusion and uneasiness, and the conversations that could be heard before had gone completely silent. He raised his head and saw that almost everyone in the room was staring at him with wide eyes.

“Ehr… is there something wrong?” he asked, quite confused.

“Not really,” Marquis Eisen replied with a hint of hesitation. “It’s just that, for a moment I… Well, I felt that you were disappointed and angry with your food, Sir Marcus. I think we all felt that.”

Some of the others nodded in agreement, causing Marcus to remember that his thoughts weren’t exactly private anymore.

“Ohh,” Marcus murmured, utterly mortified and blushing heavily. For some reason, the fact that what happened in his mind had been broadcasted to anyone in the vicinity made him feel very, very uncomfortable. Kind of like suddenly being naked in the middle of a public place.

“I am very sorry,” he apologized, his voice panicky. “I… I must have gotten lost in my thoughts for a moment. I’ll try to be more careful.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not as if you’ve caused any harm,” the nobleman reassured him. “Anyway, if the current dish is not to your liking, we could easily get you something else.”

“No, no!” The Vex Queen shook his head. “This dish is actually good. I was just getting frustrated by the fact that I can’t enjoy it properly because my sense of taste is weird.”

“We could get you something else to eat, if you wish.”

“That’s not necessary, thank you,” Marcus replied. “I didn’t want to complain or anything. I… just slipped for a moment, that’s all. I’ve still got a lot of work to do before I learn how to fully control my Aura.”

“I think the fact that you’re managing to exert any sort of control over your Aura is already a huge improvement, Sir Marcus,” Eisen replied with an encouraging smile. “Isn’t that so, Mr. Hoggs? You were her teacher these past few months, so you should know.”

“Right you are, milord,” the telemancer replied from the other side of the table. “Sir Marcus’s control over her powers has improved considerably in the past few months, especially considering the substantial increase of her Aura.” He smiled in Marcus’s direction. “She worked very hard and diligently to achieve this control, and she can’t be faulted for slipping from time to time.”

The Vex Queen grimaced, a tad embarrassed by those praises, which instead of calming him down made him even more uncomfortable.

“Well, anyway, I’ll try to be more careful from now on. Now, can we talk about strategy and stuff like that?” he replied, trying to change the subject. “I think that’s the point of this dinner, after all.”

“Of course.” The marquis nodded. “Though, I think the most qualified to do that is Trakk. He is the one that came up with the plan.”

“You flatter me, Marquis,” the general replied, before turning to the Vex Queen with pointed interest. “However, before we start, I have a question for Sir Marcus, if she doesn’t mind.”

“Ask away,” Marcus replied.

“From what I gathered from your conversation, it seems that your powers have increased,” the goblin said. “And if that’s the case, does it mean the range within which you can control your drones has increased as well?”

The Vex Queen remained silent for a second, pondering whether or not he should answer that question, but then he internally shrugged and decided to go for it. The goblin really did need to know in order to plan the defense of Brettholz.

“Yes, it has,” he said. “Right now, it should be around thirty kilometers, probably even more. I haven’t tested it in a while, so I can’t say for sure.”

“Interesting. That’s really good to know, and will make the strategy we have devised even more effective.”

“What strategy is it?” Marcus asked.

Trakk looked to the marquis, who nodded in response, and then snapped his fingers. Two hobgoblins appeared, carrying a big rolled piece of parchment between them. When opened, it showed a map of the Brettholz province, and the Goblin General took a stick and started pointing at it.

“Currently, the enemy forces we have sighted are divided into many small warbands, approaching us from the south across the entire border of the Caligare Forest.” He drew a line over the southern edge of the map. “In order to stop them before they can reach the southernmost villages, we’d have to scatter our forces as well, but doing so would leave us extremely vulnerable to a subsequent larger assault concentrated in a single area.”

“Wait!” Marcus said, his eyes growing wide. “So that’s why the orcs have scattered their forces all over the forest? To make us do the same?”

“That’s most likely,” the goblin replied. “Doing so offers them two advantages. The first one, as you pointed out, is that we are forced to divide our own forces in order to protect our holds. And the second is that they have forced our scouts to retreat, effectively blinding us to what is happening in the south.”

A lot of people murmured quietly after this, expressing their opinions and thoughts to each other. Klara suddenly raised her voice to be heard over that chatter.

“I’m sorry, but if the orcs have done this, doesn’t it mean they know we’re expecting them?”

“Yes.” The General nodded, looking at the girl with approval. “That’s exactly what their current tactic seems to imply. Naturally, this is all speculation on our part, and we could be wrong. But it is the most logical explanation.”

Following this, the chatter grew even louder, and Marcus could feel a sense of discomfort and worry rising from the people around him. It was enough to make him feel uneasy, so he forced himself to ignore it and instead focused exclusively on Trakk.

“Alright,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “How are we going to deal with it then? What exactly is your plan?”

“It’s rather simple,” the goblin explained. “We’re going to evacuate the villages closer to the forest and gather a few detachments that will hunt down the orc warbands in this area.” He made a circle around the southern portion of the Brettholz province on the map. “It’s going to take a while to kill them all, but this way we’ll keep the bulk of our forces together, and ready to respond to the appearance of the actual orc army. And this is where your powers come into play, Sir Marcus.” He pointed at the south-central part of the province, near the village of Oakfell. “From here, your telepathy should cover the most ground, allowing your flying drones to scout out the forest and warn us if the orc army makes an appearance.”

“Yeah, that should work.” The Vex Queen nodded. “I’d stay there and send out my drones in these hunting teams to kill the orcs, all while I’m also keeping watch for the orc army. Right?”

“Actually, it’d be better if you use your drones only for scouting, and keep your fighting drones with the rest of our army,” Trakk replied.

“What? Why?”

“A couple of reasons,” Trakk said. “First, your army is by far the fastest at our disposal, so it’s the perfect choice to intercept the main orc army when it shows up. And second, it’s possible that the orcs don’t know about the true magnitude of the Vex forces, since even we were unaware of it until a few weeks ago, and we didn’t exactly make it public knowledge afterward. If that’s the case, you would also have the element of surprise when first engaging the orcs, and it’d be a shame to waste it on these preliminary engagements.”

Marcus stared at the goblin for a few seconds, slowly processing this explanation.

“That makes sense,” he said. “Very well. I’ll stay behind in Oakfell then. Klara has a house there, so I could stay at her place while we wait for the orc army to show up.” He turned to the girl. “Of course, if that’s alright with you.”

“Sure. My place is a little bare right now, as I still have to get most of the furniture back, but the beds are there at least. And sleeping with a roof over your head is better than staying in a tent.”

“Yeah, that’d be greatly appreciated,” Marcus said with a smile. “We can keep living together as we have for the past month. You, me, Felix and Hoggs.”

“Ehm,” Felix suddenly chimed in, rising from his chair. “Actually, I’d like to join the detachments that will hunt down the orcs.”

“What?” Klara cried. “You can’t do that!”

“I can,” the apprentice sorcerer replied in an adamant tone. “I’ve trained all winter for this. Now it’s the time to put my powers to the test.”

“That’s a valiant offer, young man,” the marquis said. “And certainly, those detachments will need all the help they can.” He turned to Hoggs. “You oversaw this man’s training as well, didn’t you Hoggs? What is your opinion about the help he could provide?”

“Young Felix is probably one of the most powerful battlecasters I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” the old telemancer promptly replied. “Maybe he’s still a bit rough around the edges, but his raw power more than compensates for that. In a battle scenario, he’s going to be the equivalent of one hundred soldiers, if not more.”

Klara, her face absolutely livid, turned to Marcus and whispered to him angrily.

“Marcus, tell him he can’t go. Since we’re both sworn to serve you for the time being, he won’t be able to go if you say that he can’t!”

“Sorry, but I won’t,” the Vex Queen replied under his breath, trying to not let the fear and anger radiating from the girl influence him. “That’s up to him to decide. But I will keep an eye on him through my drones, and I’ll stop him from doing anything stupid.”

Klara gave him a defeated look, which quickly turned defiant.

“Fine,” she said, her voice cold. “If it’s like this, I won’t argue any further. However…” She narrowed her eyes and looked at Felix. “If something happens to Felix, I’ll hold you partially responsible for it!”

Marcus swallowed nervously, a bit shaken by the girl’s attitude. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see her point, as he too felt reluctant to let Felix risk his life pointlessly. But he also sympathized with the boy’s need to show his worth. Being—or at least having been—a man himself, he understood what the young sorcerer was going through, and behaving foolishly was part of the process of growing up.

Besides, it wasn’t as if the risks were too big right now.

“Don’t worry, Klara,” he whispered. “The warbands that the teams will hunt are small and made up only of orcs. Better to let him go at them now rather than later, when they’re going to be many more that are led by ogres and the Oni.”

The girl considered the Vex Queen’s words, and he could feel her emotions calming down a bit.

“Maybe you’re right,” she replied. “But I’m still worried. Even normal orcs are extremely dangerous, and there are so many things that could go wrong.”

“That’s normal,” Marcus said. “But accidents can always happen, even while you’re sitting in your house. I mean, Felix could very well survive the battle only to choke on a fishbone. And besides, he’s gotten very strong with his magic, so I doubt an orc would be much of a threat to him.”

The girl merely nodded, and the Vex Queen could clearly feel that her worries, while less strong, had not been entirely placated.

Trakk and the others kept talking, but Marcus started doing his own thinking, mostly trying to come up with a plan to keep Felix safe without him realizing it.

After all, he really didn’t want to have to tell Klara that something had happened to their friend. He’d have rather fought the dragon from the hills alone and armed only with a stick.

Chapter 27

Burn Baby Burn

It was midday when a group of fifteen orcs emerged from the forest.

The summer heat hit them like a hammer as soon as they stepped out from the shadows of the trees and into the open cultivated fields, but that wasn’t nearly enough to stop them.

Not when they were as hungry as they were now.

Weeks of marching through the forest with food rations far smaller than they had to be left them ravenous as only an orc could be. Now that there wasn’t a superior officer to keep them in check, they just wanted to gorge themselves on meat until they had their fill.

They searched for any prey, and spotted a group of wooden houses a few hundred meters from them. Drooling with anticipation, they headed that way, fervently hoping there would be somebody home.

After all, human meat was a notorious delicacy, and they couldn’t wait to check if it was as good as it had been described to them.

* * *

Hidden behind the main building of the farm, Felix watched the orcs approach. There were fifteen of them, just like Marcus—or rather, her copy—had told them.

The drone was officially accompanying Felix’s team to serve as a means of communication in lieu of a telemancer, since the Brettholz forces were rather short-handed as far as sorcerers were concerned. That was the official reason anyway, as Felix strongly suspected the actual reason Marcus had sent her copy with his group was to keep an eye on him on Klara’s behalf.

The young man found this unwanted attention a tad irritating, but decided not to complain about it. After all, they really did need a telemancer, and he couldn’t use a Twinstone anymore. Besides, ultimately it was the Vex Queen who directed the movements of the Brettholz forces anyway, since it was her drones who scouted the the orcs and relayed their progression to the telemancers accompanying the groups. Having the copy-drone guiding them directly was just cutting the middleman.

Though now wasn’t the time to think about that. He had a job to do.

He looked at the surrounding houses, and saw that the rest of his team was lying in ambush behind those buildings, ready to jump into action. Apart from the Marcus-copy and Felix, the team consisted of forty-two hobgoblins—all veterans personally handpicked by the Goblin General—and two members of the Order of the Rose, a petite girl called Nemi and a really tall girl called Merva.

All in all, it was a force more than strong enough to take care of those orcs on their own, even without Felix’s help. However, the apprentice sorcerer wanted to test his powers and had asked Nemi, the leader of the group, for a chance to do so. And after a quick deliberation, the woman decided to let him try, even coming up with a plan that revolved around him. The young man would serve as bait, luring the orcs close before unleashing his magic on them, and the others would then come out to sweep the survivors.

A simple and straightforward plan for sure, which had the advantage of not actually relying on the quality of Felix’s performance for success. Sure, it’d be better if he managed to kill at least a few orcs, but even if he didn’t, he’d still allow the others to take them by surprise. It was basically a win-win situation… Except if the orcs managed to reach the apprentice sorcerer and bite his head off. That would be a pretty big loss as far as he was concerned.

However, those kinds of thoughts wouldn’t help him, since there was no room for doubts or fear when using magic. He just took a deep breath and focused on emptying his mind. After a few seconds, he reached a suitable state of inner peace, and started summoning his powers.

A familiar presence answered that call from the depths of his being, and a moment later, a bright yellow flame appeared floating over his right hand, flickering cheerfully as if it was alive.

That was Felix’s familiar, Fyrus.

It had been Hoggs who’d come up with the idea of making the young man use a self-made familiar to channel his Aura, after it had become clear that Felix couldn’t use focus instruments anymore. Normally that was how shamans used their magic, but in their case, their familiars were actual local spirits they had bonded with, while Felix’s was a self-made manifestation of his own innate powers. It was such an unorthodox method that the boy doubted it would work, but the results had proven Hoggs right.

More than right, in fact. Not only was the apprentice sorcerer perfectly capable of commanding his magic this way, his powers had also become generally far more manageable and tame, not setting things on fire whenever the boy’s emotions went awry.

Felix smiled toward the flame he held over his hand, and spoke to it in a soft tone.

“Hello, Fyrus! Ready to get to work?”

The familiar responded with excitement, sending out a few sparks and jumping up and down, making the young man smile. He wasn’t really sure if the flame was actually sentient or not, but he liked to think it was. Besides, thinking of it as a discrete entity somehow improved his control over it, which was the reason why he’d also given it a name—Fyrus, like the character of an old fairytale from his childhood. And much like its namesake, it was extremely frisky, playful, and excitable.

And also really, really powerful.

Felix stepped away from the wall, putting himself at the center of the road and staring at the orcs while he kept his right hand raised in front of his face, pointing Fyrus toward the orcs. After a few seconds, one of those humanoids noticed him and alerted the others with a few excited grunts. Then, with a hungry roar, the whole group started running for him, their weapons raised above their heads.

The young man swallowed nervously at the sight of those hulking brutes charging at him with clearly unfriendly intentions, but he steeled his resolve and waited for them to come closer. Then, when they were about a hundred meters away, he focused his power on Fyrus, making it blaze up brighter than any normal torch, and started his own counterattack.

“Fyrus! Flame Darts!”

As soon as he gave this command, dozens of flaming bolts erupted from the familiar, flying at the orcs like arrows and exploding upon contact. Roars of pain came from the humanoids and two of them fell, writhing in agony. The others were too hungry and furious to be stopped, and after a moment of hesitation, they kept charging, putting their arms and weapons in front of their faces in order to protect their eyes from the fire.

Felix repeated the same attack a couple more times, but no more orcs fell. Their scaly skin was too tough and thick for the flaming darts to leave anything more than superficial burns, and if they guarded their weak spots, an attack of that magnitude wouldn’t stop them. Though they’d been slowed down, they kept advancing, getting closer and closer to their prey.

Just as Felix had planned.

When the orcs were about fifty meters away, the young men initiated his real attack.

“Fyrus! Fire Snake!”

The familiar started flickering wildly and coiled itself around Felix’s arm, changing its shape and becoming long and sinuous, taking the appearance of a snake made of pure flames. Then, that fiery serpent threw itself forward like a lightning bolt, almost too fast for the eye to see, straight for the closest orc.

The humanoid tried to parry that attack, but Fyrus simply slithered through the gaps in his guard and reached his face, where it exploded in a fiery conflagration that enveloped its victim’s head. The orc let out an agonized scream as his skin melted off his face and his eyes exploded in their sockets. His body fell to the ground, where it thrashed a bit before going completely motionless.

By then, the fire had already regained the shape of a snake and had jumped to another orc’s head, setting it on fire. The process was repeated multiple times, with Fyrus jumping from one enemy to another until they’d all fallen victim to his flames, screaming and writhing.

All but one.

The last orc completely ignored the screams of his companions and kept charging as if he were possessed, distancing itself from the murderous fire snake killing his comrades.

When the young man noticed this threat, he realized with horror that it was too late to recall Fyrus before the humanoid could hit him. He raised his hands to protect himself, watching the oversized wooden club of the creature flying toward him.

And then, all of a sudden, two daggers flew through the air from behind him and buried themselves in the orc’s eyes down their hilt, with such force, they made the humanoid’s head snap back. The orc died immediately and without a sound. Except his momentum still carried him forward, forcing Felix to jump back to avoid being crushed.

The apprentice sorcerer landed rather painfully on his butt, and when he looked up, he saw the lifeless body of the orc lying at his feet. A bit shocked, he sat there completely still, until he heard someone approaching him from behind. When he turned, he saw Nemi, who looked at him with interest.

“Good work, boy!” the woman said with a sardonic smile, giving him a pat on the back before walking past him. She crouched beside the dead orc and retrieved her daggers, pulling them out of the humanoid’s head with a sickening wet sound.

“I’ve got to say, you’re better than I thought!” she said as she wiped the blades clean from blood and brains on the grass, and returned them to their sheaths. “I expected you’d kill a couple of them, not the whole bloody group! Saved us quite a bit of work, that’s for sure!”

“Well, I didn’t really kill the whole group,” Felix replied. “I missed the last one… and it’d have probably killed me if it wasn’t for you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She shrugged. “That’s what teammates are for. Besides, killing fourteen orcs is still really damn impressive.” She gave the young man an amused look. “Though it’s probably a good thing that you’re not cocky about it. Overconfidence could easily get you killed on the battlefield.” She looked to the bodies of the other orcs. “Speaking of which, maybe it’s better to check if those bastards are really dead.” She smiled apologetically to him. “It’s not that I doubt you killed them, but it’s always better to make sure. Wait for me. I’m going to be back in a minute after slicing some throats open.”

She then headed off, stabbing each of the orcs with her daggers. A couple of them flinched when they got that finishing blow, but the others remained completely motionless.

Felix watched her for a few moments, still sitting on the ground, but then, with a sigh, he decided it’d be better to get up. However, a sense of vertigo overtook him as he stood, causing him to lose his balance, and he would have likely fallen again if someone hadn’t held him. The young man turned to see who it was who was helping him, and saw that it was Marcus—or at least, her copy.

“Careful there, Felix!” the drone said in a worried voice, though the emotion didn’t show in her face. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” the apprentice sorcerer said, standing up on his own and quickly getting away from the Vex’s chitin-covered hands. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired, that’s all.”

“Do you want to sit down a bit longer?” the copy-Marcus asked.

“No, don’t worry,” Felix replied. “I’m not that tired, I just need to catch my breath for a minute.”

“Are you sure?” the Vex Queen asked. “I mean, you just took down fourteen orcs. No one would blame you for resting for a bit.”

“No really, I’m fine.” The boy smirked with confidence. “I held back a lot against those orcs, you know. So it’s not as if I’m overexerting myself.”

“Really?” The drone tried to raise an eyebrow in surprise, though the resulting expression looked more as if she was having a stroke. “Why though? Wouldn’t it be better if you went all out against them?”

“Not really,” the young man said, trying his best to ignore the copy’s unsettling appearance. “If I went all out from the beginning, I would have made them run away. They were too spread out to get them all in one attack. And if I killed most of them in one go, the others would have almost surely fled. I also saved a lot of energy this way. I could do the Darts and Snake tricks for hours before getting tired, while casting something really big would have left me out of commission for the rest of the day.”

“Understood.” The drone nodded. “But still, are you sure that was a good decision? The last one almost reached you.”

“I just wasn’t fast enough,” the boy said defensively. “But this was the first time I used that magic during a fight. Next time I’ll be faster, and I won’t let them get too close. Besides, everything went well. Nemi protected me, and she and the others are going to help me in case something goes wrong next time as well.”

The copy of the Vex Queen stared at him, her expression completely blank, before letting out a dramatic and unnatural sigh.

“Well, it’s not as if I can stop you,” she said. “However, try to be more careful next time. Even if you have me and the others to watch your back, accidents can happen. If Nemi had been just a second slower, your brains would currently be decorating the mace of that orc over there.” The drone leaned in a little, and though her expression didn’t change, Felix could imagine the weight the real Marcus was trying to exude through it. “This is not a game, Felix. Try to take it seriously.”

“I will,” Felix replied with a small smirk. “Believe it or not, I’m the one who is most interested in keeping myself alive.”

“That’s debatable.” The Marcus-copy tried to smile, but only managed to show her sharp, shark-like teeth. “I’m probably more interested in your safety than you are. After all, I’d be the one who has to tell Klara that you’ve died.”

The young man snickered.

“Understandable,” he said with a sardonic smile. “I’d also rather die than tell Klara that I died.”

“I’m glad you understand my plight,” the Vex Queen replied. “So, please do your best to come back in one piece.”

“As you wish.”

“Very good.” The copy-Marcus nodded. She then stood completely immobile, as it happened when the actual Marcus was thinking, causing Felix to look away. Even after living with that thing for two weeks, he still hadn’t gotten used to it.

After a few seconds, the drone came back to life, turning her head to the young man.

“So, how are you feeling now?” the Vex Queen asked. “Are you really sure you don’t need some more rest?”

“Yes. I’m good to go.”

“Good, because there’s a group of twenty orcs about eleven kilometers southeast from here, marching north as we speak,” the drone said. “I’ve scouted the territory ahead, and there is a small woody hill on their path where we could set up another ambush. We’ll have to hurry to get there in time though. Do you feel well enough to ride there?”

“Of course,” Felix replied with a confident smile. “Can’t wait for another chance to test my powers!”

“Let’s call Nemi then. We’ve got work to do and time is short.”

Chapter 28

Pins and Needles

Ever since news of the arrival of the orcs had spread, the villages at the border with the Caligare Forest had been evacuated, their inhabitants seeking refuge in the city of Brettholz or even farther north. Despite this, the village of Oakfell was bustling with activity even more than usual, with many people crowding its streets and alleys, smoke rising from every chimney.

Although, the ones currently residing in the village weren’t the usual inhabitants, but rather members of the Brettholz defense force, both humans and goblins, who had made Oakfell their current headquarters.

And quite naturally, the commanders of the defense forces—the marquis, Marcus, and the Goblin General—and their retinue, were residing in the most comfortable building available. In this case that meant Klara’s house, and the girl had initially been happy to host them.

By now though she was starting to regret that choice, as the feeling of being out of place in her own home made her terribly uncomfortable.

The main problem was that she was cut from all the activity going on in the headquarters. She lacked the means to help Marcus and the others directly in their war efforts, and this time she couldn’t even do housework, since the marquis’s servants basically took care of everything much better than she could. And with nothing to keep her mind occupied, she constantly worried about Felix.

She sat on a stool in the corner of her dining room, which had been repurposed as a command center for the Brettholz forces. Marcus was sitting on an old armchair in the center of the room, her legs crossed in a meditation-like position—something which apparently helped her focus. She kept her eyes closed, and spoke only to report the latest events that happened on the field in a rather flat and emotionless voice. At her right, Eisen and Trakk were busy studying a huge map of the province opened on the dinner table, monitoring the movements of the troops using blue and red pins, while Hoggs remained nearby, with eleven Twinstones lined up on a coffee table in front of him.

Not counting the guards and the servants who were silently standing at the corners of the room in case they were needed—a definition which could easily include Klara—these four were the ones currently commanding the entirety of the counter-raiding operation. Only four people, which seemed an awfully insufficient number, and yet it also seemed as if they were more than enough.

Hoggs wasn’t really a surprise, since Klara knew he was a stellar telemancer, but it was still impressive to witness him at work. He basically did the work of an entire telemancy team by himself, communicating with all of the other telemancers on the field with ease.

Trakk and Eisen worked together, using the goblin’s tactical skills and the marquis’s knowledge of the territory to predict the movements of the enemy troops and organize the deployment of their own defense team to ambush the enemy.

However, none of them were as impressive as Marcus.

The Vex Queen acted as a surveillance network, guide and tactical advisor on a regional scale, and she did it in real time and with casual ease. Watching over basically all of the southern border of the province and guiding the teams using her flying drones, while simultaneously relaying all pertinent information to Trakk and Eisen. The level of concentration the Vex Queen was displaying was utterly inhuman, and even after three hours, she showed no sign of fatigue.

Thanks to her contribution, the Brettholz forces moved with uncanny flawlessness, ambushing the orcs at the perfect time and place, and as a result, there had yet to be a single casualty among the defenders, while many orc warbands had already been destroyed.

Despite this, Klara couldn’t help but feel anxious for Felix, and she eagerly awaited news about him. Half an hour before, the Vex Queen had said that team four—the team the young man was part of—was moving to a farm to ambush an incoming group of orcs. After that she hadn’t added anything about it, and Klara was starting to feel really on edge.

“Team three have eliminated their target with no casualties,” Marcus announced, making Klara flinch in surprise. “There is an orc group approaching them from southwest, following a small brook. Tell them to follow my Flyer drone, it’ll guide them to a small gorge where they can take the orcs by surprise.”

Hoggs immediately took out a Twinstone and started calling his colleague on the third team, while Trakk and Eisen removed a red pin from the map and moved a blue pin to another position. Klara took a deep breath, her adrenaline levels refusing to go down. She really wished Marcus would say something about team four already, if anything, just to free her from this horrible sense of anticipation.

Then, not even a minute later, the girl’s wish was granted.

The Vex Queen shook her head and opened her eyes, seemingly exiting from her trance-like state, and a smile appeared on her face as she turned to Klara.

“Good news, Klara!” she said in a cheerful tone, which contrasted with her previous emotionless one. “Team four eliminated their target with no casualties!”

Klara got up from her stool, relief and worry going to her head like a heatwave.

“And Felix is unharmed?” she asked.

“He’s fine,” the Vex Queen confirmed. “He’s the one who took down the most orcs. All of them but one, to be exact.”

“Ah,” Klara said, quite surprised, and then she grimaced a little as she added: “I see. That’s good for him, I guess.”

“You don’t seem very happy about it,” the Vex Queen said, raising an eyebrow.

“No, of course I’m happy,” she replied. “But… well, I’m just a tad worried that this success may go to Felix’s head and make him act recklessly.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep his ego in check,” Marcus said with a smile. “That’s why I sent my copy-drone with him, after all. So that I could keep an eye on him.”

“Thanks, Marcus,” Klara said, feeling a little better.

“Sorry to interrupt you,” Trakk chimed in. “But could I ask what team four is going to do now?”

“Sure,” Marcus said, closing her eyes once again. “I’m leading them southeast, to ambush another group of orcs, the one headed for Woodcutter’s Rest. I’ll make them hide in a small wooded hill from which they can ambush them.”

“Excellent.” The goblin nodded and removed a red pin from the map, moving a blue pin slightly to the south.

“Any sign of the orc army yet?” the marquis asked.

“Not yet,” Marcus replied, going back to the dispassionate tone she’d used before.

“Weird,” the nobleman muttered, stroking his chin in a thoughtful manner. “They should have made their appearance by now. What are they waiting for?”

“I’m not sure,” the Goblin General said, narrowing his eyes while looking at the red pins on the map. “But I agree with you. If these raids were intended for blinding us to the movements of their main army, as we had initially assumed, then they have been going for too long.”

“Do you think these raids are not just intended to cover for their army?” Eisen asked.

“Maybe,” Trakk replied. “I still don’t have enough information to really make a guess.” He pointed at the map. “Which is why I’ve been analyzing the movements of the orc raiders currently in the region. If I could find a pattern, I may be able to deduce what their objective is.” He paused for a moment, tilting his head back and forth. “However, so far the only pattern I’m able to find is a complete lack of one.” His tone turned more thoughtful. “Though that does actually tell us something about the enemy’s plans.”

“How so?” the marquis asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“Because it means what really matters for their plans is the raiders’ presence in this region, regardless of what they achieve. Which in turn means they’re not a cover, but rather a distraction,” the goblin said with a smirk. “Of course, that’s assuming there isn’t a pattern so subtle that even I can’t find it, but I think that’s unlikely. Even if the enemy commanders were capable of devising such a maneuver, the orcs couldn’t possibly be able to perform it.”

“A distraction you say?” the nobleman muttered. “But what would they want to distract us from?”

“I don’t know,” the goblin replied, grimacing a little. “And that is what I’m worried about.”

“Excuse me,” Marcus suddenly said, interrupting the conversation between the marquis and the general. “Does anyone know what a humanoid creature with dark skin and multiple limbs might be? Because there is one east of here and it’s heading this way.”

Everyone turned to the Vex Queen.

“I can think of a couple of creatures that might fit that description,” Klara said hesitantly. “Could you be a bit more specific?”

“Well, the way it looks kind of reminds me of a spider,” Marcus replied, and then frowned and added: “Also it’s sneaky. Really sneaky.”

“How can you tell that it’s sneaky?” the girl asked.

“Because I lost sight of it even though I was following it with one of my Flyers,” the Vex Queen said, sounding both annoyed and impressed. “That thing just entered some bushes and disappeared. I don’t know how it did it, but I can’t find it anymore. I’m going to send other Flyers to search for it. Whatever that creature is, it’s probably dangerous.”

“Oh, if he is who I think he is, then he’s definitely dangerous,” Trakk said with a smirk. “But you shouldn’t worry about him.”

“Why not?”

“Because going by your description, he’s probably Arag, one of my scouts.”

“That thing is a goblin?” the Vex Queen asked. “It looked nothing like you.”

“Arag belongs to a rare breed,” the Goblin General replied. “His specific evolution requires surviving an encounter with a Deathstalker, which limits the number of goblins which can undergo it.”

“Are you really sure that’s one of your scouts though?” the marquis asked. “I mean, Marcus’s description was rather vague, so it could be a random beast coming from the Caligare Forest.”

“If that were the case, he’d be coming from the south,” Trakk corrected him. “But he’s coming from the east. Which probably means he went to search for me in Goblinia, and is now coming here after being told that I left for Oakfell.”

“That makes sense,” the nobleman nodded. “But why is he coming to search for you, if I may ask?”

“Probably because he has something really important to report,” the Goblin General said. “Or at least I hope so, because otherwise I’d have to punish him harshly for insubordination. When I sent him away on his mission, I specifically ordered him not to leave his post unless he had some really vital information to report.”

“And what was this mission you sent him on?” Eisen inquired.

“Why, to keep an eye on the Blue Terror’s movements of course,” Trakk replied. “Which means that whatever news he’s bringing it’s probably going to shed some light upon the enemy’s plans.” He turned to Marcus. “How far from here was he when you last saw him?”

“About fifteen kilometers,” the Vex Queen replied.

“Then he should be here shortly. We’ll hear his report as soon as he arrives, but until then, we should keep doing our work. Speaking of which, how are our teams on the field faring? Is there any news on that front?”

“Yes,” Marcus said. “Team eight has eliminated a group of orcs and is now moving northwest to intercept another. Team two has also moved south to strike another target.”

Trakk nodded, and together with Eisen, he resumed moving pins on the map. The room quickly went back to how it had been a minute before, now with a sense of anticipation lingering in the air, as everyone impatiently waited to hear what news the goblin scout was bringing.

Chapter 29

Potty Break

Considering how much he used to suck at multitasking in his previous life, Marcus was genuinely impressed by his current skill in that department. Right now, he was simultaneously watching over an entire region, leading a dozen kill teams to their targets, having a conversation with Felix with his proxy-body and even keeping his drone army on standby, all while sitting on a sofa and waiting together with the marquis to see what Trakk’s scout had to say.

Not bad for someone whose friend jokingly said he was almost incapable of walking and talking at the same time.

Though he couldn’t take too much credit for this improvement, as it was almost surely a result of his Vex nature. He was actually doing most things instinctively, without any real effort or thought put behind them. In fact, the only thing he was really focusing on right now was the goblin scout in front of him.

Arag, as the general had introduced him, looked like the sort of creature you’d see during an episode of sleep paralysis, a dark skinned, spider-like humanoid with a perpetual grin on its face, which showed a myriad of needle-like teeth. That nightmarish appearance would have once thoroughly creeped Marcus out, but now he was kind of used to it.

After all, he thought with chagrin, he did give birth to things that looked even scarier than that.

However, apart from his appearance, there was something else off about that goblin. For some reason, Arag’s presence felt incredibly feeble to the Vex Queen’s telepathic senses, to the point that even focusing as hard as he could, he couldn’t feel anything more than the faintest echoes of dull emotions coming from the scout. This was an impressive achievement indeed, as not even Hoggs was capable of shielding his mind to that extent. Because of this, he had no inkling about what kind of news Arag was bringing, and so he waited in anticipation like everyone else.

Trakk and the marquis were standing in front of the spider goblin beside Marcus, while the other people in the room gave them space.

“So…” the Goblin General said with a sardonic smile. “Let’s hear what news you bring, Arag. And speak freely.” He gestured toward the other people in the room. “We are all allies here, so we shouldn’t hide anything from each other.”

Marcus couldn’t be completely sure, but he thought he perceived a sarcastic note in the last phrase.

“I have much to report,” Arag said, his confident grin unchanging. “I have discovered many things about the Blue Terror, his plans, and his forces, so if I tell you everything, it might take a while. Do you want to hear the full tale or just a brief summary?”

“Let’s go with the full report,” Trakk said, waving his hand. “Having a bit of context never hurts.”

The spider goblin nodded. “Very well then. I have been tailing the Blue Terror’s movements for about a month and a half now. I followed him as he gathered his army and started marching north. During that time, I found out about the scope of the enemy forces. There are more than thirty thousand orcs under the Blue Terror’s command, with around two hundred ogres leading them. Moreover, the orcs are also bringing a few thousand prisoners of other races with them, to serve as cattle to feed their army and for other uses. Among these prisoners, there are two that are particularly noteworthy. They are Anak’si, also known as the Pale Matriarch, the Arachne who used to rule over the Rantul, and Turemalac, also known as the Crimson Devil, the Piraca Emperor.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow at the word Arachne. He recognized it, as it sounded the same as it did in his old world’s language.

I doubt anyone here knows Ovid, though, he thought. So where did that Greek name come from?

He was about to ask about it, but Arag had resumed talking, so he decided his question could wait.

“About two weeks ago, the Pale Matriarch sent me a message tied to an arrow, in which she proposed an alliance against the Blue Terror in exchange for her freedom,” the spider goblin explained. “I decided to answer her call, sneaking into the camp in order to talk with her directly.”

He stopped talking for a moment, seemingly waiting to see how Trakk would react. But the Goblin General just smiled slightly and shrugged.

“Well, that was your call to make,” he said. “So, what happened then? I assume it wasn’t a trap, since you’re alive and well. Did you free her?”

“No. It was too risky, and in her state, she wouldn’t have gone far anyway. The Blue Terror tore off half of her legs in order to prevent her from escaping. And he keeps doing that regularly to prevent her legs from growing back.” His smirk grew wider. “Luckily for us, that made her really hate him, so she agreed to give me information about him in exchange for nothing but a vague promise to free her after the Blue Terror is defeated.” He looked at both Trakk and Eisen. “Of course, since I’m just a subordinate, it’s up to you to decide what to do.”

“If you made a promise, then you should try to keep it,” the marquis said in a severe tone. “This is how we do things in a civilized and honorable society.”

“Quite so,” the general agreed, though once again Marcus picked up a hint of irony in his words. “It’s always better to try and keep your word if possible. Anyway, what information did she pass to you?”

“She told me a lot of things,” Arag replied. “She and Turemalac are usually kept chained near the Blue Terror, so she could overhear most of what the Oni discussed with his subordinates. However, I can’t be sure that everything she said is true, so do try to take it with a grain of salt.”

“We’ll do that,” Trakk assured him. “Now, tell me what she said.”

“Very well. The first thing she told me was that she, the Crimson Devil, and even the Blue Terror, used to be humans from another world who have died and were reincarnated in their current bodies with their memories intact. She said she was just an ordinary girl, but she suspects the Oni was some kind of soldier.”

Marcus almost jumped off the sofa in surprise at that revelation, and it was with extreme difficulty that he managed to restrain himself, though he still couldn’t hide the shock from showing on his face. Luckily, he wasn’t the only one who looked absolutely stupefied, so his reaction went unnoticed… Except for Klara, who exchanged a long stare with him.

The only one who didn’t seem overly surprised was Trakk, who just nodded calmly.

“That actually makes sense. The Blue Terror showed a knowledge of warfare that far surpasses what orcs are capable of, and I often wondered where he learned it, since there was no one who could have possibly taught him.”

“That’s not all though,” Arag continued. “She also told me that all three of them also possess special powers. The Piraca has some kind of divinatory power which lets him know the odds of future events happening, though it’s not completely reliable and it also takes a toll on him, so he can’t use that power too often.” His grin turned larger. “When I left the camp, he was more dead than alive because the orcs had forced him to make three predictions in a row, and Anak’si told me she doesn’t think he’ll be able to use his power any time soon.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Marcus muttered. “I can’t imagine being able to fight an opponent that can see the future.”

Trakk overheard him and turned to the Vex Queen with a reassuring smile.

“It would have indeed been rather difficult,” the Goblin General said. “But if what Arag said is accurate, we may already have been. Anyway, I agree with you. It’s a good thing we don’t have to face that particular problem right now.” He turned back to Arag. “Please, continue.”

“Very well, General,” the spider goblin replied. “Anak’si also said the Oni seems to be able to absorb not only the Aura, but also the memories of the creatures he eats alive. However, she is not completely sure about this, as the Blue Terror never actually explained his ability out loud. She just guessed this was his ability from observing him.” He paused for a moment, giving time for everyone to think about the implications of that, and then, as no one was asking questions, he continued.

“Finally, the Arachne herself claims that she has the ability to communicate with and control spiders. It was this ability that allowed her to find me even though I’m not, technically speaking, a spider. Anyway, the Oni doesn’t let her use this ability currently, as he doesn’t like the idea of her having troops that are faithful to her. Instead, he uses her to turn wild animals into Rantul hybrids, which are much more filling as food for the orcs.”

“Wait a moment,” the marquis interrupted him. “Since the Arachne’s powers seem to work on you, how do we know that you’re not being controlled by her?”

“An excellent question, milord,” Trakk said approvingly. “So, Arag? Do you have anything to say about that?”

“She claimed that she needed to physically touch a spider in order to control it, so I made sure to stay out of reach,” the scout replied in an imperturbable voice. “But if you’re not convinced, feel free to let one of your sorcerers inspect me.”

“That would be prudent,” the general said. “And we’ll do that as soon as you finish your report. Now, is there anything else you discovered?”

“Yes. Anak’si told me about the Blue Terror’s current plans, and how he came to make them. The Oni learned that we were expecting him during his attacks against the outpost in the Ashwood Hills, when he ate a human and absorbed his memories. Then he consulted the Piraca Emperor, making him run three predictions about the future of his campaign. As I said, the Piraca almost died in the process, but the Blue Terror learned enough to change his plans.”

Arag nodded slightly toward Trakk. “Initially, as you predicted, he had planned to just invade Brettholz, hoping to take us by surprise, but the first prediction revealed to him that he only had a twelve percent chance of victory that way. Then he asked about the odds of defeating the troops in Brettholz if he had conquered a major human city beforehand, which was about seventy percent. And finally, he asked about the odds of him being able to conquer a city if he kept us occupied with raids while his forces moved to attack Grimdale, which raised the odds to around ninety percent.” A heavy weight filled the room. “And so, he made a new strategy around these predictions, and intends to keep our forces occupied with these raids while the orc army is moving to Grimdale.”

Everyone remained silent, too surprised to speak up, but then, all of a sudden, Eisen started talking.

“Wait a second!” the marquis protested. “Even if what you said is true, which I find rather debatable, there is still no way for the orc army to reach Grimdale without passing through Brettholz. Or are you going to claim that these orcs can fly next?”

“No, I am not,” the scout replied drily. “Though the Blue Terror can fly, his subordinates do not share this ability. And they don’t need it either, because they can reach Grimdale unseen by passing through Fendel’s Mines.”

The nobleman froze, and Marcus could feel a weird mix of confusion, realization, and doubt coming off him. Judging by those emotions, he seemed to know what Arag was talking about, and had become worried because of it, like someone remembering they’d left the stove on after departing for a long trip. The name Fendel’s Mines didn’t tell anything to the Vex Queen though, and he wondered what kind of place it was. He was about to ask, but the Goblin General preceded him.

“Fendel’s Mines,” the goblin mumbled. “I’ve never heard about such a place before. Do you know about it, milord?”

“Yes…” Eisen replied, sounding a bit lost in his thoughts. “They are an ancient mining complex located in the Caligare Forest, south of Hunter’s Den. It was once one of the biggest mines in the Empire, but it was abandoned during the Zaru invasion.”

“Interesting,” the General said. “And to your knowledge, do those mines offer a way to reach Grimdale?”

“Well… they did once,” the marquis replied hesitantly. “There should still be a secondary entrance on the other side of the Ashen Mountains.” He paused and then added with more confidence: “But all of the passages that connected the two sides have long since collapsed, so presently, the answer to your question is no. There is no way to reach Grimdale through the mines.”

“Are you sure?” Trakk insisted.

“Yes. I actually sent a few men to inspect the mines a couple of years ago. I hoped to reopen them, since by all accounts they were far from exhausted when they were abandoned.” He smirked. “Sadly, the cost of making them operational again was too high, so I had to give up. All of the worthwhile veins were far too deep and most of the tunnels that led to them had collapsed, including the passage to Grimdale.”

As the marquis finished speaking, he seemed a little calmer, though Marcus could still feel some doubt beneath that confidence surface. However, just as the atmosphere in the room started to cool down, Hoggs jumped from his chair, sending off a veritable wave of uneasiness.

“By the heavens!” the telemancer cried. “Jones!”

The marquis raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“The telemancer we lost when the orcs attacked the Ashwood Hills outpost?” Eisen asked. “What about him?”

“He was part of the expedition sent to examine the mines!” the old man replied. “The Oni must have learned about the mines from him. He spent weeks with the prospectors down in the mines, and he often joked about having got to know the mines better than his own home!” His face grew pale. “If the Oni did indeed absorb his memories, then he may have actually found a way to traverse the mines!”

“Correct,” Arag said, his voice completely devoid of any particular emotion. “According to Anak’si, the Blue Terror spoke of a path that would lead to Grimdale. He said it was obstructed, but that it could be quickly made traversable again, which is why he’s bringing a host of kobolds with him.”

“That makes sense,” Trakk said. “Kobolds are very skilled diggers and engineers. If there is anyone that can repair that tunnel, it’s them.”

“Indeed. That seems to be their plan,” the spider goblin replied. “That was all Anak’si told me. After that, I left her and I headed north to reach Brettholz before the orc army could. However,” his voice took on an annoyed tone, “I had some trouble while passing through the Ashwood Hills. After the dragon died, a number of other creatures moved in, and they made crossing their territory extremely dangerous.” He shook his head in disgust. “I had to spend three days running away from a particularly stubborn pack of Nightwolves, and after that I finally managed to reach Goblinia, and then came here after learning that Trakk had left.”

With Arag’s report finished, a deafening silence filled the air as everyone was busy processing the information. Marcus, however, had been particularly shaken by one specific piece of news.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But… when you said that the dragon in the Ashwood Hills died, did you mean the King of the Ashwood Hills?”

“Yes,” the scout replied.

“And how did it die?”

“It seems that the Blue Terror killed it.”

“Ah,” the Vex Queen said as a shiver ran down his spine. All of a sudden, he found himself wishing he’d made more Destroyers. At least a hundred of them, just to be sure.

As his uneasiness grew, he noticed everyone around him getting visibly restless. A couple of servants had gone pale and looked on the verge of fainting, while the guards were gripping their weapons nervously.

Guess this news really got to them, he thought. Can’t blame them, really. An enemy strong enough to defeat a dragon, and also capable of absorbing memories and reading the future? It’s already impressive they’re not running away screaming!

“Sir Marcus?”

Hearing his name, he turned and saw that Hoggs had approached him, his face pale.

“Yes, Hoggs?”

“You may want to keep your Aura under control,” the old telemancer whispered. “You are kind of upsetting everyone in the room… and probably in the entire village.”

The Vex Queen blinked in surprise, and realized that he’d dropped his focus after hearing about the dragon, letting his thoughts—and Aura—go unbridled.

Feeling extremely ashamed, he quickly got a hold of himself, reining in his emotions, and after a few seconds, the people in the room became more relaxed once again.

“Sorry,” he said under his breath to Hoggs. “I got distracted for a moment.”

“It’s quite understandable,” the old man reassured him. “Besides, you’ve done really good so far. You managed to restrain your Aura to tolerable levels for days, so I’d say a few hiccups here and there are perfectly acceptable.”

“Thank you.” Marcus nodded. “So, do you think I’d be able to visit a city now?”

Hoggs hesitated, but then shook his head.

“That would be premature. As I said, your Aura right now is tolerable, but it’s still extremely noticeable. You might want to practice a little more before mingling with other people.”

“Alright.” The Vex Queen sighed, looking quite dejected.

“Well, if it’s of any consolation, you’ve made great progress so far!” the old man said. “It won’t be long before you can actually visit populated settlements.”

“Fine,” Marcus said.

Hoggs seemed about to add something else, but then Trakk, who’d had been speaking with the marquis, turned toward the room and started addressing everyone.

“Our course of action is clear,” he announced. “We first have to confirm the news we’ve just received. Until then, making any drastic decisions would be premature.” He turned to the marquis. “Milord, could you send a scouting party to inspect Fendel’s Mines? If what Arag said is true, the orc army should still be there, or at least it should have left traces of its passage.”

“I’ll do that immediately,” the nobleman replied, turning to a guard to give the orders.

“Excellent.” The goblin nodded. “Then, we ought to warn Grimdale of the possible danger. We should tell them to prepare for the possibility of an invasion.” He paused and turned to Hoggs: “By the way, have you already contacted Captain Harp?”

“Yes,” the telemancer confirmed. “We called him as soon as the orcs were sighted, and he promised that he’d be here in a week at most. Which means he should be here by tomorrow.”

“Then call him and tell him to stay in Grimdale,” Trakk said. “We have enough military might in Brettholz to hold our own for a while, while Grimdale is completely unprepared for an attack. He’s more useful there.”

The general kept speaking, giving orders left and right, and the marquis followed suit, confirming the goblin’s instructions and giving some of his own. The atmosphere in the room changed, as the worry and fear dissipated while the people focused on their jobs.

Marcus actually noticed it, and he felt somewhat impressed at the skill displayed both by the human and the goblin. He’d served under a few different bosses in his previous life, but having such capable leaders was something that happened rarely.

On that side of things, he felt confident that Trakk and Eisen could come up with a good plan to fight the orcs. However, there was a small detail that kept bugging him, and he decided that he needed some advice on how to face it.

Luckily, the one person he could speak about it with was in the room with him. The only thing he needed was some privacy, to make sure he wasn’t overheard.

He got up from his sofa and called Cooper, who trotted over to his side. “Well, excuse me for a moment, gentlemen, but I really need to go to the bathroom,” he announced. “Would you show me the way, Klara?”

He tried to give a peculiar inflection to that question, to stress that he really wanted her to come with him. Thankfully, she seemed to understand immediately.

“Sure,” the girl replied, getting up from her seat as well. “Come with me.”

Together, the two walked out of the room, leaving some of the men in there wondering, not for the first time, why women had this inexplicable urge to go to the bathroom in groups.

Klara led Marcus to the first floor to a secondary bathroom right next to the bedrooms. It was really cramped, with just a wooden toilet and a sink, but it was far enough from the dining room that no one would hear them talking after they closed the door. For added security, Marcus left Cooper outside the door, to make sure no one would eavesdrop on them.

“I take it you want to talk about what that creepy goblin said about the reincarnated people, right?” Klara asked.

“Yes. It’s just… Well, it was a surprise for sure, and I don’t know what to make of it. And I don’t know what to do about it either. Do I tell the marquis and the others that I’ve been reincarnated from another world as well?”

The girl studied him for a moment before shaking her head.

“I don’t think that would be prudent,” she said. “There are always some idiots who get prejudiced toward people who share similarities with their enemies.” She smirked sadly. “Even Felix had some problems in the past because of his Djinni ancestry. So no, I don’t think you should tell them, at least for now.”

“But what if I cause some kind of trouble by withholding that information?” the Vex Queen protested. “I mean, by knowing about my world, the general and the others could get some insight on the Oni’s plans.”

The girl thought about it for a second. “Maybe. As long as you tell only the marquis, it should be fine. Though, I don’t know if knowledge of your world will prove useful. I mean, you were a civil engineer, not a soldier. How much do you know about your world’s warfare?”

“Well… I know of a few tactics from famous battles. I did like studying history, and the history of my world is full of wars and conflict.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be enough,” Klara replied. “Learning about battles from a history book is quite different from actually leading it on the field. Besides, that pompous goblin seems to be good enough not to fall for any cheap trick… Also, how can you be sure that the Oni and the others are actually from your world? They could be from a different world entirely.”

“Yeah… that might be true.” Marcus nodded. “But it’s weird. The spider goblin said they were humans before reincarnating. How many worlds could there be with humans in them?” Then he remembered something and shook his head. “Oh, right, infinite ones. I almost forgot about the multiverse theory.”

“What is the multiverse theory?” the girl asked.

“It’s a scientific theory from my world. It’d take a long time to explain it, but basically it says there are infinite variations of the same world.” He smirked. “Anyway, according to it you might be right. The Oni and the others could come from a different world than mine.”

“That would also explain why the Oni is so different from you,” Klara said. “I mean, from what you told me, your world seems rather civilized, and I can’t imagine civilized people eating other humans alive without provocation.”

Marcus’s smirk turned sour in response.

“I’d love to agree with you, but sadly there are some really bad people in my world. I probably described my world too positively. Only part of it is civilized, and we still have a lot of poverty, wars and things like that. Even the place where I used to live, which was relatively civilized, still had its underworld of criminals, madmen, lawyers, and all kinds of assorted scum.”

“Fair enough,” Klara said. “I guess some people always suck, no matter the world they are in.” She studied the Vex Queen for a moment. “Do you miss it? Your world I mean.”

Marcus hesitated, as this question caused him to feel a wild turmoil inside his chest. However, mindful of his earlier psychic outburst, he calmed himself down.

“I… well, there are some things I miss about it. But I can’t go back there, so it’s useless to dwell on those thoughts. Besides, I’m doing fairly well here. I’ve got a lucrative job, friends, and I’m actually making a difference, while in my old world I was just a random nobody… Guess I don’t actually have much to complain about.”

“I’m glad you feel like that,” Klara smiled. “Still, if you ever want to talk about it, feel free to reach out to me.”

“Sure. Though maybe now isn’t the best of times.” With a rather embarrassed expression, he added: “Speaking of which… would you mind leaving me alone for a minute? I didn’t notice it before, but I actually do need to use the bathroom.”

“Oh, sure. It’s a good thing you’re already here then!”

She opened the door. “I’ll be waiting for you in the dining room with the others.”

“Sure,” the Vex Queen replied as the door was closed. He then studied the wooden seat of the toilet, and sighed in resignation.

“Well, I guess one thing I really miss about my world are bathroom fixtures… Wood feels terribly unsanitary when compared to ceramic for some reason.”

However, not having any alternative, he sat down and took care of his business before returning to the others.

Chapter 30

A Present from the Past

It was a beautiful, late autumn day. The sun was shining brightly on the red and yellow leaves of the trees of the Caligare Forest, but the air was chilly and an icy wind was blowing from the north, heralding the arrival of winter.

The two men flying on a Wyvern drone high in the sky were really thankful for the sunny weather. Otherwise, the cold would have been utterly unbearable. Even now they were shivering despite the many layers of heavy clothing they wore, and really wished they could fly closer to the ground, where the air wouldn’t be quite as icy. They didn’t dare dip any lower though, as the tale of how the Oni had eaten their colleagues in the Ashwood Hills was fresh in their memories.

Better to endure some cold than staying warm in the belly of some beast.

As they approached their destination, the man guiding the Wyvern saw something and fumbled through his clothes, producing a spyglass. After taking a look through it, he passed it to the one behind him, pointing at the spot he’d just examined. The man also took a close look through the spyglass, and saw a crowd of hulking, greenish figures moving through a clearing.

Orcs. Hundreds of them.

The telemancer inspected the woods below more carefully, spotting similar groups crossing the forest. They were mostly hidden by the trees, but there had to be thousands of orcs, all heading toward a specific location at the foot of the Ashen Mountains.

With a grim expression—which was hidden by a scarf rolled around it—the man passed the spyglass back to the one in front and took a Twinstone out of his pocket, preparing to report to the marquis that the orcs were indeed heading to Fendel’s Mines.

* * *

Back in Klara’s house, everyone’s attention was locked on Hoggs. He’d received a call from the scouts that Eisen had sent to Fendel’s Mines. The telemancer silently communicated with his colleague, and then raised his head.

“It seems to be as Arag told us, milord,” he said to the marquis. “They have spotted several thousand orcs heading toward Fendel’s Mines. They also ask for further instructions. Do they have to keep flying till they arrive over the entrance of the mines or do they head back?”

The nobleman hesitated, and sought Trakk’s input. The Goblin General shook his head.

“It’d be prudent to have them come back,” he said. “They already confirmed the orc presence at Fendel’s Mines and the risk of the Blue Terror capturing them and absorbing their memories is far too great.”

“Very well.” Eisen nodded. “Tell them to come back, Hoggs.”

“Yes milord,” the old man replied, and once again focused on the Twinstone.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at that exchange. In his opinion, the marquis seemed a bit too reliant on the goblin’s advice as of late, to the point that it felt rather suspicious. He thought about voicing his concerns, but ultimately thought better of it. Even someone as diplomatically inept as him could tell that publicly questioning a nobleman’s authority in front of his subjects wasn’t a good idea. Instead, he went with another question, one that was possibly even more pressing.

“What do we do now?”

This time, Eisen put on a stern face and replied without hesitation.

“First, we warn both Yasen and Lord Grimdale,” he said. “And then we march out to their help.”

Most men in the room started murmuring in agreement, but a few people, Marcus and Klara included, didn’t seem to be entirely convinced.

“What about the orcs attacking us here?” the Vex Queen asked.

“We’re going to leave a suitable garrison to defend the province,” the nobleman reassured him. “A third of the goblin forces should suffice. The rest of them, under Trakk’s command, will march to Grimdale together with you and your Vex.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for me to stay here?” the Vex Queen said. “I mean, if I go away, I won’t be able to guide our soldiers.”

“They’ll manage,” the marquis replied. “With enough reinforcements, they should have no problem dealing with a few unorganized raiders.”

“Fair enough.” Marcus nodded. “But if we leave that many people behind, will we be able to actually take on the orcs?”

That question caused the marquis to give him a weird look, as if he were trying to understand whether he was joking or not, while Trakk outright started chuckling.

“Sir Marcus, you have fifty thousand Vex Warriors under your command,” the goblin said, openly amused. “Not only is that almost twice the enemy’s numbers, but if they are anything like the ones that fought us during the siege of Brettholz, then they are even more than the orcs, pound for pound.”

Marcus considered that information for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“It’d be nice if it was like that,” he said. “But the orcs have the Oni leading them. And anyone capable of killing a dragon is not someone I’d wish to face in battle.”

“Yes, the Blue Terror himself is indeed a terrifying enemy.” Trakk nodded in agreement. “And it’s a good thing you’re not underestimating him. Still, no matter how strong, he’s just one single enemy. He can’t be everywhere at the same time, and as I said, I believe your troops to be superior to his.” He smirked and turned to Eisen. “Besides, we are not going to fight the orcs alone. Is that right, milord?”

“You’re right,” the marquis replied. “Yasen and his Royal Knights are already in Grimdale, and they have already been alerted to the possible threat of the ogres. And then there is a rather large garrison stationed at the City of Treval, not to mention any militia that Duke Grimdale might raise for this emergency. In total, I think there should be at least three thousand men currently in Grimdale, most of which should be veterans and professional soldiers.” His tone turned somber. “However, while they are going to be a great boon to our forces, they can’t hold back the orcs on their own.”

“That’s all the more reason to hurry then, isn’t it?” Marcus asked, feeling a bit reassured knowing that Yasen would be there.

“Indeed,” Eisen said. “I’ve ordered my men to make preparations for our departure two hours ago, and Trakk did the same for his goblins. We should be on the road in about an hour, if your Vex are also ready, of course.”

“My drones don’t need to prepare,” Marcus replied, a bit smugly. “They could depart at this very moment if needed.” Then he realized Eisen had included himself in the list of those who were departing. “Wait, you’re coming too?”

“Yes. Mostly for… diplomatic reasons.” He made a contrite expression. “No offense, but some of the more impressionable Grimdale residents could be a little spooked by your Vex and Trakk’s goblins. My presence should prevent any misunderstanding from slowing us down.”

“Fair enough,” the Vex Queen said, thinking that yes, an army of monsters marching through your courtyard would make anyone a tiny bit anxious.

“With that said, we should really start packing up,” Eisen said. “We’ve got a lot of road ahead of us, and precious little time.”

After that, everyone walked out of the dining room to make their own preparations. Marcus was no different, and he headed to the room he and Klara shared—an accommodation made because of the lack of space and the fact that they were technically both females—to pack his own belongings. Klara also followed him, remaining rather pensive.

“Let’s see… a change of undergarment is absolutely needed,” the Vex Queen muttered to himself. “Probably two or three if we’re going to be on the road for a while. Then my toothbrush, a comb, another set of clothes and that’s probably going to be it.”

“You should also take a nightgown with you,” Klara chimed in from behind him.

“I don’t really like nightgowns,” the Vex Queen replied. “I’d rather sleep like I always do.”

“In your underwear,” the girl said matter of factly, and Marcus nodded. She then added in a sarcastic tone: “Well, you’re free to do as you like. Personally, I’d rather not be half-naked in the middle of an army camp, where dozens of people could see me.”

For the briefest of moments, the Vex Queen was about to reply “Who’d care about seeing a half-naked dude?” before the awareness of his current appearance kicked in, causing him to grimace.

He definitely didn’t want to be eyed by anyone.

“You’re right,” he said. “But I don’t have a nightgown with me right now.”

“I have some old ones from when I was a child,” Klara reassured him. “There should be at least one that fits you.”

“Thanks,” Marcus said with a grateful nod.

As they were packing up, the Vex Queen picked up a hint of worry coming from the girl, and he felt pretty sure that she was thinking about Felix.

“Marcus,” Klara said all of a sudden. “I’ve got a favor to ask you.”

“Ask away,” he replied.

“Could you ask Felix to accompany you in Grimdale as your bodyguard?”

“Sure, I can do that,” the Vex Queen replied, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “But why would you want me to? In case you haven’t paid attention, I’m about to head towards a massive army of orcs. If you want to keep Felix safe, wouldn’t it be better if he stays here?”

“If Felix stays here, he’s going to want to keep hunting down the raiders,” the girl explained. “However, if he’s going to serve as your bodyguard, he’d have to stay at your side… which means he’d be watching the battle from the rear rather than fighting on the frontlines.”

“I see.” Marcus nodded. “I’ve got no objections then. However, I can’t force Felix to come if he wants to stay here.”

“He will definitely come if you ask him,” Klara said with a smirk. “He’s going to feel obligated to protect you. And me as well.”

“What?” the Vex Queen asked. “You? What do you mean? You’re not elcoming, are you?”

“Of course I am,” she replied calmly. “Not only as a person of rank, you should have at least a servant accompanying you, but you also need someone you can trust to tell you how to behave. There are still a lot of things you don’t know about our customs.” She smiled. “Besides, it shouldn’t be too risky since you’re going to command your troops from the rear. And we’ll also have Felix to keep us safe.”

Having no way to dispute these points, Marcus just gave up on it, especially because he would like to be accompanied by them.

“Fine. We should tell the marquis about this then. I’m not an expert on military matters, but I believe we should at least inform him that we’re going to bring Felix with us.”

“That would be sensible,” Klara agreed. “By the way, you haven’t told him about you coming from a different world yet, have you?”

“No.” The Vex Queen shook his head. “I didn’t have the time.”

“Then we can do that too,” the girl said. “There is no telling if we’ll have another occasion to do it later on.”

“Yeah… you’re right,” Marcus said hesitantly. Despite his dislike for keeping secrets, for some reason he felt sort of reluctant to talk about his past. However, as his knowledge of his previous world could potentially prove useful and save lives, he had no excuse for keeping it from Eisen. He sighed and tried to mentally prepare on how to deliver that news to the nobleman.

“I’ll go inform him right now,” he said.

“Excellent.” Klara nodded. “I’ll wait for you here then, and I’ll prepare both of our luggage’s.”

* * *

Eisen was changing in his room when Marcus came knocking, and he quickly hurried buttoning up his shirt before letting him in.

“Sir Marcus.” He saluted him. “Sorry if I made you wait, but I had to make myself presentable first.” He looked at him quizzically. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to speak with you for a moment,” Marcus said, and then looked poignantly at the marquis’s bodyguard, who stood behind his master. “In private, if it’s possible. I’ve got something important to tell you.”

“Sure.” The nobleman nodded and turned to the bodyguard. “Luther, could you please wait outside?”

The man nodded and marched out of the room, closing the door after him, and the marquis then turned to Marcus.

“Time is short, but I can spare a few minutes for you,” he said. “What do you want to tell me? Did you see something through your drones?”

“No.” The Vex Queen shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary, at least. I’m still guiding our teams against the raiders.” He paused for a moment, thinking of Klara’s request, and added: “Speaking of which… I wanted to ask you if I could bring Felix along as my bodyguard.”

“The young sorcerer?” the nobleman asked. “Sure. There should be no problem. Just tell him to take a horse and reach us on our way to Grimdale.”

“Actually, I kinda planned on sending a Wyvern to take both him and my copy,” Marcus said. “That would rule horses out, since neither me nor my drones can ride on one. They seem to be spooked by us.”

“Fine,” the marquis said. “It shouldn’t be a problem, since we currently have seven Wyverns on standby.”

“Thank you, milord,” Marcus said, bowing his head slightly.

“You’re welcome, Sir Marcus.” Eisen returned the bow. “Was that all?”

“Actually, no,” the Vex Queen said, his face turning more serious. “I’ve got another important thing to tell you.” He looked pointedly at the nobleman. “Did Hoggs tell you that I was a human in my past life?”

“Yes, he did,” the marquis replied.

“Good.” Marcus nodded. “Well, there is something else about my previous life that I didn’t mention.” He took a deep breath. “I was indeed a human, but the world I lived in back then is not this world. Or at least, I don’t think so.”

“What?” Eisen asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“My world had just one white moon, it was inhabited only by humans and we had no magic to speak of… only science and technology,” the Vex Queen continued. “I’d think those are enough differences to say this is a different world altogether.” He paused and made a contrite face. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you this earlier, but honestly I didn’t think it mattered at the time.”

He stopped talking, waiting to see Eisen’s reaction to this revelation. After a few moments, the marquis smiled.

“Well, that certainly explains a few things,” he said. “Like why I never found out where this America place was, despite looking at all the maps I had.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I can hardly fault you for not wanting to share everything about your past with me. We all have our little secrets after all. However, if I may ask, why are you telling me about it now?”

“Because of what the spider goblin said,” Marcus replied. “He told us that the Oni, the Arachne and the Piraca were also humans that came from another world, remember?”

“Yes,” the nobleman muttered, narrowing his eyes in a thoughtful expression while caressing his chin.

“Well, I thought that maybe we all came from the same world,” the Vex Queen said. “I mean, he told us they were also humans in their past lives, and my world does have humans. And if that’s the case, I might know something that could be useful against the Oni.” He smirked sardonically. “I don’t know what that something might be though, since I wasn’t a soldier or anything like that. Anyway, feel free to ask me any question you want. I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”

The marquis appeared too lost in his thoughts to talk, resulting in a long, rather awkward silence. However, just as Marcus was about to break the silence and ask if everything was alright, the nobleman finally started speaking.

“That’s a lot to think about, for sure,” he said. “Thank you for telling me this, Sir Marcus. I greatly appreciate it.” He grimaced. “However, I’m afraid that I’m not really an expert on military matters either, so I wouldn’t know what to ask you.” He made a small pause and then added with a smile: “However, I do know someone who does.”

“Who?” the Vex Queen asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

“Trakk,” the marquis replied, confirming Marcus’s suspicions. “He has proven to be an excellent tactician and commander. Not to mention a devilish chess and poker player. If there is anyone capable of getting some insight on the Oni from the information you possess, it’s him.”

The Vex Queen hesitated. Telling Eisen about his past was one thing, but sharing those things with the Goblin General was something else entirely.

In the end, Marcus decided not to hide his reservations. Better avoid any misunderstanding from the start.

“I don’t really like the thought of sharing my past with him,” he said. “I don’t trust him.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” the marquis agreed. “I don’t completely trust him myself.”

“If that’s the case it doesn’t really show,” Marcus instinctively replied in a sarcastic tone. “Since you seem to be so buddy-buddy with Trakk.”

Eisen looked at him with surprise, and the Vex Queen realized that maybe he’d gone too far. However, before he could apologize or do anything else, the nobleman started laughing.

“That seems to be the case, doesn’t it?” he said, still chuckling lightly. “Well, Sir Marcus, it may sound incredible for someone as honest and straightforward as you, but it’s possible to be on friendly terms with someone you don’t trust completely.” He smiled. “I admit I do personally like Trakk. He’s friendly, educated, well-mannered, and we share a lot of interests. He’s also the most skilled commander currently in my service, which is why I decided to make use of his skills in this war. That, however, doesn’t mean that I trust him blindly. I have my officers analyze everything he suggests before putting it into action, and in case you didn’t notice, I always have a bodyguard behind me when I’m with him.” He gestured toward the door. “I wouldn’t allow him to be alone in a room with me like I’m doing with you.”

Marcus nodded, realizing that the marquis was implicitly saying that he did trust him.

“Well, that’s good to know,” he said after a moment. “But… I still don’t really like telling the goblin about my past. I wouldn’t want him to use it against me in the future.”

“Unless there is something truly horrifying about the world you come from, I don’t think he could do that even if he wanted to,” Eisen reassured him. “And if I may be honest, having that information about your past become common knowledge may actually be for the best.”

“How so?”

“Well, it’d take the focus away from other, rather more unnerving traits of yours,” the man said, a bit hesitant. “No offense, but your powers and your servants could be a tad scary for some people. Having something else to distract people from them can only help your reputation.”

“None taken.” The Vex Queen nodded. “And… well, I’ll trust your judgement, milord. I’ll answer Trakk’s questions about my past.”

“Excellent!” He then looked at the window and said: “And now, if you don’t mind, I do really need to finish changing. After all, I was the one who insisted on getting on the road within an hour, and it’d be rather ironic if I was late. We can resume our conversation while we’re on our way, if you want.”

“Of course,” Marcus said, bowing slightly and, after a respectful goodbye, left the marquis to prepare for war.

Chapter 31

Biting Conscience

For the first time since his rebirth, Blueskin was looking at civilization.

The land in front of him was covered by a patchwork of cultivated fields as far as the eye could see, with many farms and villages scattered all around and tied together by a network of gravel and dirt roads. Smoke rose from dozens of chimneys, and even at that distance, the Oni could smell cooked food as the inhabitants prepared their dinner.

This vision filled him with a weird sense of relief. Life inside of the Caligare Forest was harsh, and while his strength had allowed him to have better conditions compared to everyone else, he still missed the comforts and security of a stable, civilized society.

Now they were his for the taking.

He took a deep, satisfied breath. His plans were finally close to fruition. His army, which was already a force to be reckoned with, would become outright unstoppable after enough orcs turned into ogres. With such military might under his command, coupled with his enormous personal strength, Blueskin would have no problem conquering Medelan first, and then the rest of the Empire. And then he could even take the whole world if he felt like it, as no one would be able to stop him.

He smiled, picturing all the things he could do after becoming the ruler of this world. But a sudden commotion distracted him from his daydreams of the future and dragged him back to the present. He turned to see a group of orcs arguing, screaming and beating each other, and his good mood dissipated, turning into an exasperated and quite murderous irritation.

Of course, there always had to be at least one problem. Even for a main character like himself.

With an exasperated sigh, he walked up to the brawling orcs and casually smashed the nearest one into the ground with a single punch before even saying anything. As he’d long since learned, a show of strength was the best way to get his subjects’ attention, and it worked perfectly even now. All of the orcs stopped arguing and stared at him in silence.

Satisfied by the atmosphere of terror he managed to create, Blueskin started speaking.

“What’s going on here?” he asked sarcastically. “I hope you have a good reason for making all of this ruckus.”

The orcs hesitated, with no one daring to talk for fear of becoming the target of their leader’s irritation, and this silence only further irritated the Oni.

“I’m not in the mood for waiting,” he growled. “Either one of you starts speaking right now, or I’ll have you all chopped into rations.”

The orcs exchanged a worried glance, and one of them spoke up.

“Ehr… we were just getting our meat back from the Loudsnore group,” he said. “They got more than us during distribution and didn’t want to share it.”

“The meat was given to us directly, so it wasn’t yours to begin with!” another orc cried. “It was also not enough for us! We couldn’t share it even if we wanted to!”

“We got half of what they gave you!” the first orc replied angrily. “We can’t live with so little meat—”

“Silence!” Blueskin roared, putting an end to the discussion. “If there was a problem, you should have told your officers!” He looked around, failing to see the telltale appearance of an ogre or a bigger-than-average orc. “Where are they?”

“In the mines,” the first orc said. “They’re still getting the rest of our units to cross.”

Of course they were, Blueskin thought bitterly. But for the moment, he bottled up his irritation since he couldn’t really vent it properly.

“Just stay quiet and wait for them to get out of the mines then,” he said. “And if you cause any more ruckus, I’ll turn you all into rations for real.”

The orcs collectively nodded and the Oni turned away, returning to his previous spot to look at the lands around him. However, his good mood had been completely ruined now that he’d been reminded of the current problems plaguing his army.

The root of it all was the delay in crossing the mines. At first it had seemed that everything would go well, as the kobolds had managed to open the tunnel to Grimdale well within the established schedule, and Blueskin had quickly guided the first group of scouts to the secondary exit. It had only taken a day to trace the correct route from the Caligare Forest to Grimdale, and after that, the Oni had expected that crossing the mines would take a day or two at most.

Sadly, that hadn’t been the case.

It had been three days since they started crossing the mines and barely half of the orc army had reached the other side. The rest was blocked in some sort of traffic jam, apparently caused by the narrowness of the tunnels—which the orcs could pass through only one at a time—and the general lack of discipline among the orcs. It’d gotten so bad that brawls and fights had started all over the place for the right of crossing first, and Blueskin had to send most of his officers back to the other side in order to restore some semblance of order. And while all of this happened, the delay brought another problem, one that could potentially threaten the success of the whole campaign.

They were about to run out of food.

All of the captive Rantul hybrids had long since been slaughtered for their meat, and on this side of the mountains, so close to human settlements, there simply wasn’t enough game to feed his army. Even his old solution of using insubordinates as rations wasn’t feasible anymore, since he was already short-staffed as it was after leaving a few thousand of his troops to mount that diversionary attack on Brettholz. Because of this, they were left with barely enough food for today even while halving the rations, and by tomorrow, they wouldn’t have anything to eat.

This was a colossal problem, especially because it’d take at least another two days for the rest of the army to cross, and spending two days without food was utterly unthinkable for an orc. Even with himself trying to keep them under control with his enormous strength and charisma, the army would devolve into anarchy by tomorrow evening.

It was imperative to find a solution, but he couldn’t think of one. He just kept racking his brain, chewing on the problem with angry bitterness, until he noticed movement to his left. As he turned, he saw that Tiny-Sneaky was standing right beside him.

True to her name, the ogress had been incredibly sneaky, to the point that not even the Oni had noticed her. Nonetheless, he felt pleased to see her, as he really needed to blow off some steam.

“Tiny! What a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” He gestured for her to get closer with a lecherous smile. “Come here. We’ve got to make up for the time you spent away.”

“I would prefer not,” the ogress replied coldly, making Blueskin frown angrily at the rejection. Before he could say anything, however, she added: “I can’t afford to have babies right now. The territory around here is very open and populated, very different from the forest, and I can’t explore it well if I’m not perfectly in control.”

The Oni felt rather disappointed, but decided to accept that excuse. After all, Tiny was his best scout and he needed her skills, so his bodily needs would have to wait for now.

“Fine,” he said in a rather sulky tone. “Why have you come here then?”

“I’ve scouted out the nearby human villages,” the ogress explained. “There are a lot of people there, but I saw no soldiers. They aren’t expecting us at all.”

“That’s good.” Blueskin smiled again, feeling rather relieved. “That means we still have time. If those idiots in the mines would hurry up, we could reach Treval without any resistance!” He paused and then asked in a more serious tone: “By the way, did you find any food sources while you were out there? Our supplies on this side of the mountains have just run out.”

“I just told you, boss,” Tiny replied with a predatory smile.

“What?” the Oni said in a confused voice. “No you didn’t. You just told me about the human villages.”

“Exactly.”

It took a few seconds, but then Blueskin finally understood what Tiny meant.

“That’s out of the question!” he cried. “We can’t raid those villages—if we do so the humans will know we’re here!”

“Not if we get them all,” the ogress insisted. “If we kill or capture all of them, they won’t be able to warn the others about us.”

Blueskin blinked in surprise, needing a moment to process what his underling had just told him. His first instinct was to tell her this wasn’t feasible, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Tiny had a point. After all, he couldn’t win without feeding his army and humans were an ideal food for orcs, not to mention these would be easy prey due to being unarmed civilians. If anything, this solution was so obvious, he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it himself.

In a quick and rather rare moment of introspection, the answer to this question actually came to him immediately: due to his past life as a human, he still wasn’t used to thinking of his past kin as prey. While he had no problem seeing them as subjects to be conquered or even slaves, he still couldn’t bring himself to completely envision them as cattle to be slaughtered.

For some reason, this realization made him rather uncomfortable, but he forced himself to suppress this sensation, deeming it illogical. After all, he wasn’t human anymore, so why would the fate of a few members of a different species matter to him? Besides, he really needed to find a suitable food source soon, otherwise his plan would likely fail. Killing a few innocent humans was regrettable, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

Great rulers must be ready to do anything in order to achieve their goals! he told himself. Things like good and evil and all that nonsense is good only for the masses. I am beyond those petty concepts! I only do what’s necessary.

He nodded, managing to suppress his illogical feelings, and turned to Tiny-Sneaky.

“We’ll do as you suggested,” he told her. “Take as many soldiers as you need and go raid the nearby villages. Don’t let anyone escape, but try to capture as many humans alive as you can. They’ll be more nutritious this way.”

“As you wish, boss,” the ogress replied with a smirk before getting away to gather the orcs she needed for her raid.

Chapter 32

Raid Interruption

Yasen Harp was seething with anger.

His patience had already worn thin after riding almost non-stop for two days, reaching the northern border of Brettholz, only to be told that the orcs would be attacking Grimdale instead and that he had to go back. However, that alone wasn’t enough to push him over the edge—after all, any professional soldier would be used to hardships, especially in a time of crisis. It took a special mix of politics, bureaucracy and blind idiocy to really make him lose it, and unfortunately, he’d just experienced a rich dose of all three.

“What do you mean they’re going to do nothing?” he screamed at the unlucky telemancer that served with his unit.

“That’s what they said,” the man explained patiently. “In their own words: there isn’t enough proof that the orcs are actually coming to Grimdale, and they’re not going to disrupt their citizen’s lives just because of some baseless rumors.”

“Oh, the citizens are going to be grateful about their lives not being disrupted once they’re in some orc’s belly!” Yasen replied sarcastically. “This is Lord Grimdale’s doing for sure! Demons take that idiot and eat him whole! He still thinks this is all some kind of political maneuver to undermine his position!”

The lieutenant of the Royal Knights, a middle-aged man called Rosco, who’d been listening to the conversation, approached Yasen.

“Complaining is well and good for the spirit of any soldier, sir,” he commented in a deadpan tone. “But what are we going to do in practice?”

“Let me think for a moment,” the captain said and closed his eyes to focus on his thoughts. His face relaxed a bit as he let go of his anger, and when he spoke again, his voice was controlled and clear.

“First, we have to confirm the presence of the orcs ourselves,” he said. “Grimdale may like to bury his head in the ground, but even he won’t be able to ignore my personal testimony.”

“Very well, Captain.” The lieutenant nodded. “I suppose we’re riding to the southern part of the Grimdale province then.”

“Yes,” Yasen confirmed. “We’re going to depart immediately. Get the men ready.”

“Of course, sir,” Rosco said. Then he added with a smirk, “That decision is not going to make you too popular, though. The men really hoped to sit on something that isn’t a saddle for more than a couple hours.”

“Then they’ve gotten soft in the past month,” Yasen replied with a smile. “They did nothing but eat, sleep and flex at the Rassian border. They can certainly use the exercise, otherwise they might get fat and lazy.”

“Ah, but some of us would love being fat and lazy,” the lieutenant said wistfully.

“You shouldn’t have signed into the Royal Knights then,” Yasen said with a grin. “Now, stop complaining and go get the men ready.”

“Aye, sir!” Rosco saluted and walked away, starting to round up the knights. There were quite a few complaints, which often included sore butts and the stink of horses, but nonetheless they obeyed and started packing up their things.

Yasen watched them approvingly. He didn’t mind soldiers speaking their minds and goofing around a bit, so long as that didn’t interfere with their efficiency. In fact, he kind of liked it. Absolute discipline was required only when on duty, and soldiers who always behaved as if they had a stick up their arses were good only for parades in his opinion.

In a matter of minutes, the Royal Knights were back on their horses. Three hundred men, the elites of Medelan’s army, all at least Yellow Sheath Aura Warriors, handpicked and trained by Yasen himself. They were tired, frustrated, and probably wanted nothing more than a bath, a hot meal, and a bed, but their eyes were focused and their faces showed a grim determination that made their captain proud. Even though he expected nothing less from them.

Yasen rode out front to address them all and update them on the current mission.

“Alright, men. The orcs have been confirmed to be gathering on the other side of the mountains, ready to cross Fendel’s Mines and invade Grimdale, but sadly that’s still not enough for Duke Grimdale to get off his fat ass and start evacuating the population.” A few of his men snickered at that remark. “It’s up to us to find some indisputable proof that the orcs are in Grimdale. We’re going south to search for them.” He paused and looked around. “By the way, does anyone know where these Fendel’s Mines are?”

“I do,” one of the knights replied. “More or less, anyway. They should be somewhere south of the village of Voridt. Once we get there, we can ask the locals. They should know the exact position.”

“Very well.” Yasen nodded. “Show us the way then.” He raised his glaive up in the sky. “Let’s go, men! We’ve got no time to lose!”

The knights replied with a cheer, raising their spears, and then they started riding south, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

* * *

Tiny-Sneaky was in a good mood.

For the first time ever, she had officially been given command over a group of orcs and she really liked it. Ordering others around felt really pleasant after a whole life spent being told what to do, and she meant to enjoy every second of it.

She took a deep breath, savoring the smell of blood in the air as desperate screams echoed in her ears. All around her, the human village was being pillaged while its inhabitants were either being killed or herded to the central square, where they sat trembling and weeping like newborns. Burly orcs watched over them and beat anyone who tried to escape, though they refrained from outright killing them, since those people were meant to serve as “thinking food” for their army.

Overall, the raid was going smoothly. They’d caught the humans completely by surprise, to the point they hadn’t even attempted to resist. Most had just either locked themselves in their homes or tried to flee on foot, and the orcs had no trouble catching either. Only a couple of villagers tried to escape on horse, but Tiny herself had ambushed them right behind the village and they both ended up in her belly for the trouble.

The ogress burped to underline her satisfaction. As the rumors claimed, humans did indeed taste delicious, and she couldn’t wait to eat more of them. But for now, she had to exercise moderation, as the people she’d caught were going to serve as food for the whole army, and Blueskin would likely kill her if she didn’t bring enough of them. This was the reason why, when she saw one of the guards grab a human and lift it to his mouth with the clear intent of swallowing it whole, she intervened to stop him.

Before the foolish orc could drop the screaming human into his mouth, the ogress kicked him in the gut with immense force, sending him tumbling backward a few meters. The orc growled in pain and then started vomiting all over himself, catching everyone’s attention.

Which was good, Tiny thought, as a show of strength was always the best way to prove your authority. She also grabbed the human, a female by the look of it, by the hair and lifted it.

“These are not to eat right now!” the ogress cried as the woman screamed even more. “They are to feed all of the army, not just you!” She threw the human back into the group of prisoners. “If any of you tries to eat one, I’ll kill him! Are we clear?”

A few orcs cowered at her cries, but some of the bigger ones growled in discontent, as they weren’t used to being bossed around by someone smaller than they were. The biggest of them, which was almost twice Tiny’s size, actually stepped forward to oppose her.

“You cannot tell us what to do!” he bellowed, sending multiple droplets of saliva flying in Tiny’s face as he loomed menacingly over her. “You are small! You are not strong like other ogres!” He smiled, showing his sharp teeth. “I don’t even know if you are ogre. You look like these weak humans here. Maybe you are just human in disguise, so we can eat you like them—urgh!”

The orc’s rant was interrupted by a grunt of pain, and looking down, he realized that the ogress’ arm was buried into his belly up to the elbow. Tiny smiled sadistically and twisted her hand, causing her victim to squeal like a pig, before suddenly taking a step back, pulling out her arm together with most of the orc’s viscera.

The orc collapsed to the ground with a pathetic squeal, and Tiny started licking her hand clear of the fool’s blood. When she was done, she turned to the others and smiled dangerously at them.

“Does anyone else think I can’t tell you what to do?” she asked, but no one picked up her challenge. Instead, they bowed their heads slightly, a clear sign of submission, and Tiny’s smile grew even larger as she felt her reproductive pseudopod inflate in response to this acknowledgment of her superiority. Due to her closeness with Blueskin, she’d never truly experienced such a sensation, and she found it extremely pleasurable. Maybe this was the time when she could experience mating as an active partner for the first time…

Suddenly, a few orcs started screaming something, distracting Tiny from her fantasies.

“What is it now?” she asked in an annoyed tone.

“Look!” an orc cried, pointing north. “There!”

Tiny looked, and saw a cloud of dust rising from the horizon.

“Good!” she said. “Seems like we have more victims. Prepare to ambush them! Remember, do not let them get away!”

The orcs gathered, preparing to attack the newcomers as soon as they got close.

As for Tiny, she licked her lips once again, anticipating the bloodshed that was about to happen. If the incoming humans were enough, maybe she could have seconds.

* * *

“Halt!” Yasen ordered a few hundred meters away from the village.

There wasn’t a soul in sight and everything seemed quiet, but he could tell that something was wrong. He could feel it in the wind. Not only could he smell blood and hear faint cries, but the air also carried the presence of many scared humans, not to mention hundreds of unknown creatures waiting in ambush.

He didn’t bother to ask his men if any felt like him, because he already knew they didn’t. His ability to perceive things in the wind was something unique to him, probably an innate skill related to his Djinni heritage. However, he’d learned to trust it over the years.

“Rosco! Hagen!” he cried, calling his lieutenants.

The two men approached.

“We’ve got company waiting for us in the village. At least one hundred orcs, maybe two hundred. And about eighty villagers should still be alive… probably held prisoners.”

The two lieutenants nodded. They’d spent enough time serving with the captain to trust his instincts too.

“I want you two to take command of the knights,” Yasen continued. “I’m going to scout out the village from the sky. If it’s safe, I’m going to give you the usual signal, and you will charge in and attack the orcs while I rescue the civilians.”

The men nodded, and the captain jumped off his horse, landing on the road with grace. He then started focusing his Aura, expanding it from his body to the air around him.

On his back, his ethereal-looking cape started billowing like crazy.

A small whirlwind formed around the captain and he jumped up with all of his strength. He leapt in the air, unnaturally fast, and flew toward the sky like an arrow. He stopped at about one hundred meters and started flowing forward in order to inspect the village. As he’d expected, there were at least one hundred orcs there, waiting in ambush, and a group of humans being herded at the center of the village square. He couldn’t spot the telltale huge mass of an ogre, only a few larger than normal orcs, though he did pick up something weird from the Aura readings of the village. But that reading was really faint, so unless the owner was somehow repressing its own Aura, it was probably nothing.

The orcs down there didn’t look like anything his men couldn’t handle. He took a red cloth from his belt and started waving it, so that his lieutenants could see it.

A few seconds later, the Royal Knights resumed their ride toward the village.

Yasen waited, floating in the sky and watching over what was happening. When the knights got close enough, the orcs emerged from the village, and with a wild howl, they charged at the humans.

Sadly for the orcs, they were expecting them.

The Royal Knights didn’t slow. They simply responded with a war cry of their own, lowering their spears and charging at their enemies.

What ensued was not a battle. It was a pure and simple massacre.

The orcs were naturally stronger than any human, and were bigger and taller to boot. These ones were also better equipped than average orcs, sporting metal weapons and even some rudimentary armor. Sure, they lacked discipline, but they made up for it with raw strength.

Compared to the Royal Knights, they were nothing.

The knights charged right through the orcs, leaving behind only the mangled corpses of their enemies. Empowered by their Aura, they were simply unstoppable, gaining an unnatural momentum and moving with incredible speed. Lacking any sort of long pole weapons and moving in loose formation, the orcs didn’t have the means to slow down the humans, let alone counter their charge, and died without being able to return even a single blow.

Yasen watched this all with a satisfied smirk, and then, when he decided the time was right, he dove towards the ground with the speed of a hawk.

As he dropped, he pointed his glaive down.

He landed behind one of the orcs guarding the humans, cutting the monster in half with a swing of his blade. Before the other guards could even process what was happening, he flew with incredible speed and cut down another, and then another.

In the span of only ten seconds, six orcs were dead, and the only one remaining tried to grab a prisoner to shield himself with.

Before his hands could reach the human, Yasen swung his glaive from thirty meters away, and a blade of pure wind flew from the tip, crossing the air with a hiss and cutting the top half of the orc’s head, sending it flying to the air. The body of the humanoid twitched, and crumpled to the ground.

There were no more orcs in the square. The silence grew thick, interrupted only by the noises of the nearby battle, which were growing faint, and the occasional sob of a child.

Seeing the need to reassure these people, Yasen stepped forward.

“I’m Captain Yasen Harp of the Royal Knights of Medelan!” he announced. “Fear not, people of Medelan! We’ve come to rescue you from the orcs.”

The shocked silence lasted for only a second, and then something that sounded like a collective sigh of relief broke it. A lot of people were still crying, but some had started getting up on their feet and were helping others doing the same.

As this happened, Yasen’s men poured into the village, having defeated the orcs, and a few dismounted in order to give help to the villagers.

A group of villagers approached Yasen himself, gratitude and relief showing clearly on their faces.

“Thank you, Sir Harp!” an old man said, tears showing in his eyes. “Thank the gods you came for us!”

“No need to thank us,” Yasen replied. “We were just doing our duty. By the way, is there a mayor in this village? Or someone who can speak for all of you?”

“I’m the mayor, sir,” the man replied. “Heinz Gluber at your service.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Gruber, though the circumstances are not exactly pleasant.” Yasen bowed his head slightly. “I’m sorry if I’m being abrupt, but I’m afraid we have no time to lose. You and your people should evacuate the village as soon as possible.”

“Why?” the old man asked. “Do you think those monsters are going to come back?”

“Yes,” Yasen replied. “And in much bigger numbers. So many that we won’t be able to stop them here.”

Fear flashed in the old man’s eyes as his face went pale. He managed to get a hold of himself, enough to speak properly.

“That’s terrible news indeed,” he said. “We haven’t received any news of an orc invasion. Leaving quickly is going to be difficult… especially now that we have wounded people.”

“My company’s healer will help you with your injured,” Yasen replied. “But you still need to leave as fast as possible. Leave everything but the strictly necessary behind and get on the road. If you don’t, I can’t guarantee your safety. The orcs may be here in a matter of hours.”

The mayor’s face grew even paler. He nodded and moved away, going back to his citizens to relate the news.

Meanwhile, Yasen turned to his lieutenants, who’d been waiting for instructions behind him.

“Help the villagers get ready to move,” he ordered. “I want them on the road within an hour at most. After that, pick ten men to accompany them and protect them on their way north. Also, tell a few of our men to stand guard. We don’t know if there are any more orcs coming.” He paused and pointed at the company telemancer. “As for you, contact the king, Lord Brett and Lord Grimdale, in that order, and tell them what happened here. We need to inform them.”

“Yes, sir!” the knights answered in chorus before carrying out their orders.

About fifteen minutes later, Rosco came back to report that the guards couldn’t spot any orcs in the surrounding area, and that the villagers were getting ready to depart, using a few carts to carry their injured.

“Good,” Yasen commented. “Then they might actually just make it. Don’t drop your guard, though. We don’t know when the orcs will come.”

“Very well, sir,” Rosco said, with a relieved voice. “Out of curiosity, what are we going to do now? Are we going back to Treval?”

“I wish.” The captain shook his head. “Our duty here is not done.” He gestured toward the surrounding landscape. “I’ve seen at least a dozen villages nearby. If we wait for their inhabitants to evacuate on their own after receiving an official warning, the orcs are surely going to catch them.”

“I see.” The lieutenants nodded somberly. “Which means we have to make them evacuate ourselves, right?”

“Yes. I’ve already contacted his majesty. We have full authority to do whatever we deem necessary for the safety of the people of Medelan.”

“Oh my,” Rosco said in a sarcastically resigned tone. “And I suppose that getting a hot meal and a good night of sleep in a real bed are not necessary for the safety of the people, are they?”

“I’m afraid not.” Yasen smirked. “But try to look at the bright side.”

“And what would it be?”

“At least we won’t have time to get bored.”

“I could stand being bored, sir,” the lieutenant replied. “It’s when things get interesting that they also tend to get terribly unpleasant.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Yasen agreed. “Sadly, it’s not up to us to pick the times we live in. That’s the gods’ job.” He sighed. “Anyway, getting back to more practical matters, we ought to prepare for departure. We have a lot of villages to visit and a lot of ground to cover.”

“Aye, sir.” Rosco saluted him.

* * *

A few kilometers away from the village, Tiny-Sneaky slowly crawled along the ground while using her shapeshifting ability to change the color of her skin and camouflage herself with her surroundings. Maybe that was a bit overkill, but thinking about the flying man that killed her guards, she preferred to play it safe. Her life in the Caligare Forest had taught her well how to recognize a threat, and she could easily tell that the tall human was one of the most dangerous things she’d ever come across, even more so than the Piraca Emperor or the Rantul Matriarch. In fact, the only living creature that made her even more wary was Blueskin himself.

She’d survived in equal part thanks to luck and her skill in hiding. When the flying man had dropped from the sky, she was behind a building, looking at the disastrous battle that was going on, and the human warrior hadn’t seen her. As soon as she realized how outmatched she was, she sneaked away, trying to erase her presence while using her camouflage powers to pass unseen.

Luckily for her, it worked, and she had gotten away with her life. However, she wasn’t entirely out of danger, especially because she had to report this fiasco to Blueskin… and he wasn’t someone who took bad news kindly.

She picked her brain as she kept crawling, examining all possible justifications. Of course, the most logical one was to simply tell the truth. She couldn’t have known of the knights’ presence, and that even if she had chosen to fight with the other orcs the result wouldn’t have changed. Running away to report the knight’s presence to the Oni was simply the best thing to do, and nothing that happened was actually Tiny-Sneaky’s fault.

If her boss had been reasonable, this would have been enough, but knowing Blueskin better than anyone else, the ogress was painfully aware that saying this to his face would just result in him venting out his anger on her. She was at least in for a beating, followed by some forced mating—something which she’d grown to hate with every fiber of her being—and possibly her death, if the Oni felt particularly irritated at the time. No, she needed to somehow channel his anger somewhere else, give him a target that would make him forget about Tiny entirely.

Luckily, she just had the perfect scapegoat. The flying man was most likely responsible for everything that happened, and he was incredibly strong. Even Tiny could tell the human’s flesh would taste especially delicious, and if there was a way to distract the Oni, it was through his appetite!

Of course, only Blueskin himself would have been able to kill such mighty prey. He was the only one capable of flying. And, Tiny thought in a hidden corner of her mind, if the Oni were to lose and be killed by the man… well, she could easily live with that. Sneaking away was her specialty, and she wouldn’t have any trouble getting back to the Caligare Forest by herself.

She smirked, feeling confident that her plan would work, and kept crawling, slowly getting away from Voridt.

Chapter 33

Of Wolves and Men

Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, announcing the coming of rain and storms of winter, but for now, the sun still shone brightly on the Brettholz province, making the colors of the late autumn even more vivid, reflecting on the shiny carapaces of thousands of insect-like creatures marching in a long line that stretched for many kilometers along the road that led to Grimdale.

For the first time since their arrival, the Vex were finally leaving Brettholz, moving to the wider world to fight against the orcs. Thousands of Warrior drones moved like a river of chitin, flooding the road and the surrounding countryside, while the huge shapes of the Heavies surfaced from that swarm like logs carried by the current. A few Flyers were also scouting the area from above, keeping an eye out for any possible obstruction ahead, but the majority just rested on the back of their terrestrial brethren, saving up their energy for when they might need it more.

Despite their huge numbers, the Vex advanced swiftly, as their perfect coordination allowed them to avoid getting jammed or delayed. In fact, they weren’t even proceeding at full speed, since the goblin army marching behind them wouldn’t have been able to keep up otherwise. Heck, even now they were struggling to maintain their current speed, despite allegedly being an elite force, formed only of veteran goblins handpicked by the Goblin General himself. But as professional as they could be, they simply lacked the inhuman discipline that came with being part of a single, unified hivemind.

In the center of the Vex lines, a few humongous figures emerged from the column of drones like islands within a sea of chitin. There were four Destroyers, whose steps made the earth tremble and who stood at least a meter taller than the Heavies, but even they were dwarfed by the Dreadnoughts coming behind them.

At first sight, they looked almost like small hills, but a more careful inspection revealed they were actually four gigantic drones encased in a literal mountain of mold wax. Each of them carried enough of the stuff to feed the whole Vex army for a few days in case they didn’t find anything to eat—an unlikely event, since apart from the Destroyers, the Vex drones could literally live off anything organic, but it was a possibility nonetheless.

One of the mold wax hills in particular had been molded in the rough shape of a house, though the end result was more similar to a cave with a few windows and a ladder leading down to the base of the mound. The inside of the cave-house had also been furnished a bit, with a few beddings, chests and even a table with three chairs, on which Marcus, Klara and Felix were sitting, sipping light beer and talking with each other while Cooper sat at his master’s feet. Or, to be more precise, the Vex Queen was answering a seemingly endless stream of questions coming from the young man while the girl listened.

Earlier that day, as soon as they’d departed from Oakfell on top of the Dreadnought Drone, Marcus decided to tell Felix about originally being from a different world, since he’d already informed the marquis about it anyway and didn’t want to keep his friend in the dark.

However, the apprentice sorcerer had taken this information a little too well, showing a bottomless curiosity about Marcus’s old world, and had been asking questions almost non-stop for hours now, drowning out any other possible subject. Luckily the Vex Queen didn’t really mind talking about his previous life and answered everything the boy asked with an abundance of details, doing so while effortlessly guiding his army, an effort that would have once taken his full attention, but that now, for some reason, just felt natural.

I guess that practice makes perfect, he thought. Though I think that training with Hoggs also helped.

He then turned his attention to Felix, who was asking him another question, who apparently was puzzled by the latest topic they’d discussed—that of religion in his old world.

“Let me get this straight,” the apprentice sorcerer asked. “In your world, you don’t have any form of magic, right?”

“Yep,” Marcus replied, sipping a bit of beer.

“But you just said that you have churches and gods and religion,” the young man continued. “So, what about divine magic? You do have that then?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” the Vex Queen said. “At least, not in the way you have it here. Our priests couldn’t do magic at the drop of a hat like yours.”

“Then what use do they have?” Felix asked, quite puzzled. “I mean, what use is having clerics if they can’t even use divine magic?”

“Well…” Marcus mumbled, a bit unsure about how to respond. Religion and stuff like that had always been a delicate subject in his old world, and since he himself was mostly agnostic and had never studied theology, he didn’t really feel qualified to talk about it. “It’s complicated. Some people believe their deity will help them in roundabout ways, like making them luckier or something, while others believe they’ll go to a better afterlife after dying.” He shrugged. “I’ve never been particularly religious myself, so I’m not the best for talking about this kind of stuff. I was too busy trying to live to worry about what’s after death.” He paused and snickered, pointing to himself. “Which is rather ironic, since I then died and got reincarnated. I guess that if there is a god up there, then he must have a weird sense of humor!”

Klara snickered at that joke.

“My grandpa used to say something similar,” she said. “Whenever he found something unexplainable in his travels, he said that it had to be a joke of the gods.”

“Well, for all we know he could have been right,” Marcus replied with a smirk.

“Indeed.” Felix nodded. “By the way, Marcus, I have another question… since you spoke about living, I’m curious about what you did for a living in your world. I mean… you told us you were an engineer once… but what did you actually build? Did you make roads for those car things you told me about?”

“If only,” the Vex Queen replied in a jokingly wistful voice. “I wasn’t really an engineer, I was just studying to become one—and I got killed before I could finish my studies. In the meantime, I made ends meet by doing a lot of odd jobs around the city. I worked as a waiter, as a delivery man, as a manual worker… hell, there was even that time I worked in a… uhm.” He stopped talking, as he didn’t know the word for night club in the Imperial language. “Uhm… well, let’s say it was a place like a tavern, but with ladies dancing to entertain the guests.”

Both Klara and Felix gave him a really odd look at these words.

“Uhm… so, something like a brothel?” the young man asked in a rather embarrassed voice.

Marcus had never heard the Imperial word “brothel” before, but thanks to his telepathy—which seemed to have become more reliable as of late—he instantly got the meaning of it. And that wasn’t the only thing he got, as somehow a weird mental image flashed in Felix’s head so vividly, the Vex Queen somehow managed to take a peek at it.

It was an image of the monster-girl, in his current body, “entertaining” a faceless man in a dimly lit room.

“No!” the Vex Queen cried vehemently, smashing his hand on the table and making both his friends flinch in surprise. “I… I never did anything like that!” He stopped, trying to get a hold of himself as he felt his cheeks burning from how hard he was blushing. He then took a deep breath and managed to regain control of his emotions before explaining himself. “Sorry for the outburst. Anyway, no, it was not like a brothel… offering sex in exchange for cash was a crime in that country. The girls there could only dance and get naked for the guests. Nothing else was allowed.”

He paused for a second before adding: “Officially, at least. There were some girls who would sleep with customers… but that was done off the books. I worked there as some sort of factotum. I cleaned, served guests at the bar and sometimes even watched over the girls to make sure no one would harass them.” He stared at Felix for a moment and then stated, in a rather hard tone: “Also, I was a man at the time.”

“Oh… yes, of course,” the young man said, looking away in embarrassment and becoming silent for the first time in hours, while Klara started snickering, seemingly amused by that exchange.

“Seems like you had your fair share of experiences in your past life,” Klara observed sardonically.

“I suppose.” Marcus shrugged. “I was just—WHAT IS THAT!”

The Vex Queen screamed and jumped off her seat, making the two humans flinch for the second time in a minute.

“What is it!” Klara asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know!” Marcus cried, looking north toward the road ahead. “There is something there… a weird creature is killing my drones!”

“What?” the girl raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I mean… all of them? Can’t your drones stop it?”

“I’m trying!” the Vex Queen replied. “But it’s too strong! I’ve never seen something move so fast!”

“What does it look like?” Felix asked.

“Kind of like a wolf,” Marcus answered while frowning. “Big and humanoid, with white fur. And it’s tearing through my drones as if they’re a pile of dry leaves.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll send the Destroyers to take care of it. Together with the other drones, they should be able to take it down. Hopefully.”

“Wait!” Klara said. “Did you just say this creature is a white humanoid wolf?”

“Yes. Do you know what it might be?”

“By that description, it’s most likely Alya Vilka,” the girl said. “The marquis said she was going to come and help us.”

“Help us? She’s killing my drones!” Marcus gestured angrily. “That’s not helping!”

“Well… it could be a misunderstanding,” Klara hypothesized. “I mean, your drones do look like monsters. If someone who doesn’t know about them suddenly came face to face with them, they would be scared.”

“What do you want me to do then?” Marcus asked. “I mean, if she doesn’t stop, she’s going to decimate my army!”

“You should tell the marquis,” the girl said. “I mean, he came to help us solve misunderstandings to begin with.”

“Right.” The Vex Queen nodded. “I’ll do that.”

He then shifted his attention to the copy-drone, which was travelling on a coach together with the marquis and the Goblin General. The two were talking about strategy, when the copy of Marcus suddenly moved.

“Lord Eisen!” the drone cried, making the nobleman and the goblin jump in surprise. “There is an emergency! A white furred wolf-person is attacking my drones!”

Eisen stared at Marcus in surprise for a second, taken completely by surprise.

“Wait!” he said. “A white furred wolf-person? Do you mean Alya Vilka?”

“I don’t know!” the copy-drone replied. “I’ve never seen this Alya Vilka before.”

“Why would she attack your drones?” Trakk asked. “Did you perhaps attack her first?”

“No, she attacked them first.” The Vex Queen shook her head. “She was riding a horse toward us, but dismounted as soon as she saw the drones and started slaughtering them without even saying a word. Klara thinks this might be a misunderstanding on Alya’s part, so I’m refraining from attacking her for now. But she’s slaughtering my forces by the dozens as we speak, so we have to stop her!”

“Shit!” the nobleman cursed and jumped off his seat. “Where is she? I need to talk to her right now!”

“That wolf-thing is still at the front of the army,” Marcus said. “But are you sure you want to go there? If it’s not Alya but just a random wolf monster, then you could be in danger. That thing is terribly strong and fast.”

“I’ll bring my bodyguards along,” Eisen said. “But I think it’s her. Your description matches what I’ve heard about her, and the fact that it’s so strong is just further proof.”

The marquis then got out of the coach, and started shouting for his bodyguards.

“Luther! Max! We need to go to the front of the army right now! Hurry!”

The two Aura Warriors, who were riding alongside the coach, obeyed without hesitation. They took a spare horse for their liege and, after Eisen had mounted, they followed him down the road. They galloped at a breakneck pace, but the column was so long, that even at that speed it would take them a while to reach the front. Luckily, the Vex parted to let them pass, again showing a coordination that humans would find impossible to emulate, but right now, the marquis was too worried to stop and admire them.

After a few minutes, they finally reached the front of the army, and what they found was absolute carnage. The whole area was completely covered by smelly green ichor, pieces of chitin and still twitching legs of Vex drones.

What was even worse was that the onslaught was still ongoing.

A white figure was chasing the Vex left and right, so fast it was only visible as a blur. Whenever it reached a drone, it instantly ripped it apart before chasing the next one, something which usually only took a few seconds. In response to this assault, the Vex had spread out, making it harder for the white figure to catch them all, but the attacker was so fast that even this didn’t do much to slow down the massacre. However, even in this situation, the drones still moved with cool efficiency, without any sign of panicking and not trying to fight back even as they were killed.

Eisen observed this horrible spectacle with incredulity, before shaking off his indecision and screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Alya Vilka! Stop! These are not enemies! You are killing our allies!”

As he shouted, his bodyguards drew their weapons, ready to defend their master in case the mysterious figure decided to attack him. However, the stranger did no such thing, and instead stopped at the nobleman’s cry and turned toward them.

“You know my name,” the figure spoke in an undoubtly female, if rather deep, voice. “Who are you?”

“I am Marquis Eisen Brett of Brettholz, a noble of the Kingdom of Medelan,” the marquis introduced himself. “I assume you are Alya Vilka, the White Wolf of Thule.”

“I just told you that’s my name, so what do you think?” Alya replied in a cold, snarky tone. “Anyway, I don’t really like that moniker. It doesn’t really compliment my femininity… I very much prefer what the Djinni call me: the White Bitch!” She snickered and got closer to the marquis and his two bodyguards.

She was a female Lycan, a wolf beastwoman, but she was different from all other Thulians of that subspecies Eisen had seen before. For starters, whereas most Lycans were lithe, she was absolutely massive, being more than two meters tall, with square shoulders and thick, powerful arms and legs which literally bulged with muscles. Combined with her snow-white fur, that made her look like a marble statue, hard and chiseled, and her choice of clothing—a pair of shorts and a training bra, both made of a weird, black and seemingly stretchable fabric—only furthered this impression, since it left most of her body uncovered.

She showed no sign of having just been in a battle, save for the green ichor covering her hands, being completely unharmed and looking as fresh as a rose, and that spoke volumes of her strength. Not only that, but an Aura of barely contained violence surrounded her, and a light, so fiery it bordered on madness, shone in her amber eyes, making the nobleman gulp nervously.

Never in his life had he met someone who looked more dangerous than the Lycan woman in front of him. Not even Yasen came close.

Still, he forced himself to speak normally, as was befit of a noble.

“Greetings then, Lady Alya,” he said. “Welcome to the province of Brettholz. Captain Harp informed us of your possible arrival, but we didn’t receive any telemancy message that confirmed it.”

“That’s because I didn’t send any,” the wolf woman replied, trying to clean her hands from the Vex ichor. “The officers of my country would have kicked up a fuss if they knew I was leaving. So, I packed my things and left without telling anyone.” She frowned, as the green ichor refused to get off. “Damn this stuff is sticky! Do any of you have a towel or something?”

Cautiously, one of the bodyguards took out a towel from his bag and threw it to Alya, who grabbed it midair and used it to wipe her hands.

“So… your government doesn’t know you’re here?” Eisen asked, incredulous. The diplomatic consequences were absolutely nightmarish to contemplate.

“No, they don’t,” the Thulian woman confirmed, throwing a now ichor-encrusted towel back to Max. “But they can probably guess it. Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve left the country without telling anyone, so they should be used to it by now.”

“Well… that’s…” Absolutely irresponsible, the marquis wanted to say, but he held back those words. “Peculiar. Anyway, you’re welcome.”

He quickly thought that, if Alya was indeed prone to such behavior, then he could be fine with just informing the Thulian government of her presence in Medelan.

“Thanks.” Alya looked around, taking a good look at the Vex body parts scattered all around. “By the way, sorry for killing so many of your allies.”

“It’s… not really as bad as it seems,” Eisen said. “These were Vex drones. They are not really sentient beings. They are more like animals controlled by their queen, so it’s not as if you killed people.”

“Oh, that’s good to know,” the wolf woman commented nonchalantly, almost as if she didn’t really care whether or not she’d killed people. “I mistook these creatures for some random monsters. Wimpy ones though, since they didn’t even mount up a resistance. After I killed a few dozen, they just scattered around and tried to get away without fighting me.”

“They knew you were not an enemy, so they tried not to hurt you,” the marquis explained, feeling particularly offended by that remark. “If that weren’t the case, you would have had a much harder fight.” He smirked. “Vex drones don’t know fear, panic, or any other emotion for that matter. Once they receive an order, they follow it no matter what, even if it would result in their own death.”

“I see,” the wolf woman mumbled. “Well, I’ve never seen these creatures before so I’ll take your word for it, milord.” She stretched a bit. “Anyway… does the strong Aura that I sense down the road belong to this queen you spoke about?”

“Uh… yes, I think so,” Eisen said.

“That’s even more interesting.” Alya smirked. “And tell me… is this queen strong?”

“In a peculiar way, yes,” the marquis replied, unsure about the reason for this question. “She does have a very strong Aura, but she can’t use magic or Aura Arts.” He decided not to mention Marcus’s telepathy. “However, she can control all of her minions with her thoughts, so she can make them fight for her if needed.”

“I see,” Alya said once again. “That’s a pity. When I sensed that powerful Aura, I thought I found a strong opponent to fight. Well, at least there’s still the Oni. At least I hope so. Wasn’t the Oni supposed to attack the southern part of this province? Why are you marching north?” She frowned. “Have you killed it already?”

“Sadly, no,” the nobleman replied. “The Oni has changed target and is attacking Grimdale instead of Brettholz, and we’re moving north in order to defeat it before it can get any stronger. Speaking of which…” He gestured toward the road. “We should probably resume our march, so if you have any further questions, it’d be better if you ask them while we move.”

The wolf woman studied the nobleman for a moment before nodding.

“Well, that’s what I came for. I just hope you have some spare bedding and food for me. I left my stuff on a bag on my horse, but that stupid animal ran away.”

“I’m sure we can get whatever you may require,” Eisen replied.

“Excellent. Then I’ll come with you. Make way, milord. I’ll follow you on foot.”

Without any further word, the nobleman rode back to his coach, followed by his bodyguards and Alya Vilka. Behind them, the Vex gathered and started clearing the road before resuming their march.

While he was riding, the marquis often glanced at Alya, who for now hadn’t said anything else and just followed him silently, easily keeping pace with the horses. To be honest, now that he’d met her, he had mixed feelings about her presence.

On one hand, she appeared to be incredibly strong and would certainly be a useful asset, but on the other, she was absolutely irresponsible and her demeanor was utterly inappropriate. Sadly, these were hard times, and the power of the Thulian Aura Master was required to deal with the Oni, so he would have to tolerate her shenanigans and keep an eye on her.

He smirked. It was quite ironic that as of late, his allies tended to be even more dangerous and monstrous than his enemies. But maybe that was a positive thing.

Chapter 34

Windtalker

The sun was setting on the southern regions of the Duchy of Grimdale, turning everything red with its dying light as the sky grew dark. The blue and the red moons were nowhere to be seen, but the green one shone its ghoulish light on the horizon, barely hidden by a mass of clouds. This was the time when everyone would be tired out from a long day of work and wished for nothing more than to go home for dinner and some well-deserved rest, leaving all worries for the next day.

Such was the case even today, but sadly no one could go home. Because of the threat of the orc army, all villages had been evacuated. Their inhabitants were currently fleeing to the north, forming a long column of people and animals that filled the main road for kilometers.

Yasen Harp, sitting on his horse up on an earth mound, was keeping watch on the marching civilians with tired eyes. It had taken all day to get those people moving, and it had been nothing short of a small miracle that they managed to evacuate so many villages on such a short notice, but that still wasn’t enough. They weren’t out of danger yet and at the pace they were moving, the orcs would have no trouble catching up with them—though that couldn’t be helped, since there were children and elders among them who just couldn’t go any faster.

The only thing the captain could do to ensure them a tiny bit of safety was to have the entirety of his Royal Knights escort them in their march north.

The problem with this course of action was that the knights were too busy protecting the refugees to do anything else, like, for example, mounting an offensive against the orcs while they were still busy crossing the mountains. That would have been perfectly feasible, as Yasen had personally flown over the entrance to the mines and had seen the sorry state of the orc camp. Not only were there just a few thousand troops, but they lacked any sort of organization or defense. To the point that a simple surprise attack right now would probably throw them into disarray for a week.

Sadly, that wasn’t an option, as there were far too many orc raiders roaming the countryside to leave the civilians unprotected. Yasen didn’t want to think about what would happen if the monsters managed to reach the fleeing people when the Royal Knights weren’t around. He had seen a few farms and isolated settlements that had been raided before they could be evacuated. They looked like chicken coops that a bunch of foxes had gone through.

Once again, he silently cursed against Lord Grimdale. If that idiot had listened to him and sent his soldiers south as soon as he was asked to, things would have been different and more civilians would have been saved. But it was too late to do anything about that, and Yasen didn’t have the time or energy to spare for swearing against that idiot nobleman. He had to focus all of his efforts in getting the civilians to safety.

He tried to read the information that the evening breeze carried from the northwest. He could smell heavy rain coming from maybe five hours away, but the stench of the orcs was completely absent, which probably meant the road to Treval was free. He turned to his lieutenant.

“We’re going northwest. Inform the men that a storm is coming in a few hours, but that we’re not going to stop. We’re marching in the rain.”

“That is going to be hard for the civilians,” the soldier commented. “Wouldn’t it be better to wait out the storm?”

“No.” The captain shook his head. “We’ve got to put some distance between us and those damned orcs, and this storm may be a godsend in disguise. The main orc army will be even more hampered by it than we are, so it’s unlikely they’ll move while it lasts. We’ve got to make use of it. Now go! We’ve got no time to lose!”

“Aye, sir!” The soldier saluted and rode away to pass the orders to the rest of the Royal Knights who were riding alongside the column of civilians.

Yasen remained alone on the mound, and he took advantage of that moment of solitude to relax his shoulders a bit and hunch in his saddle while letting out a tired sigh. He felt completely exhausted after a long day of riding and flying from village to village, but he couldn’t show it in front of his men. As their captain, he held the responsibility of always looking his best to inspire them to push themselves harder. The reality was that even he wanted nothing more than to sleep for a whole week. That wasn’t an option though, so he had to endure for a few more days and hope that no accidents would happen along the way.

Sadly, his hopes were about to be dashed.

As he was staring at the horizon, trying to mentally calculate how long it would take to get to the comfort of the City of Treval, movement to the south caught his attention. Looking in that direction, he saw one of his knights, whom he’d sent to scout the territory behind them, riding at full speed his way. Yasen didn’t know what news the man was bringing, but he’d bet on it not being anything good.

He would have won that bet.

“Captain Yasen!” the rider shouted as soon as he got closer. “We have a problem! There are orcs coming from the south!”

The captain cursed silently against his luck.

“How many?” he asked. “And how far are they from us?”

“About five hundred,” the scout replied. “And a few kilometers down the road to the south. At the pace they’re advancing, they should catch up with us within one hour at most.”

Yasen relaxed a little bit, since five hundred orcs weren’t a real threat to his knights. After a moment’s thought, he told himself to not get too overconfident. After all, if the Oni or a great number of ogres were accompanying those orcs, they could still be a substantial problem.

“Did you spot any ogres or the Oni among them?” he asked for confirmation.

“I can’t be sure,” the man replied. “I was too far to sense their Auras. I did spot about twenty humanoids that were bigger than the others though. They also looked rather weird.”

“How so?”

“They had a rather… feminine appearance, from what I could see,” the knight explained. “Huge breasts, wide hips and some even had long hair.” He shuddered. “That only made them more grotesque, though.”

“That’s certainly peculiar,” Yasen commented, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement. Though ogres could alter their appearance at will, he couldn’t tell why they would choose to look feminine of all things. Despite how they looked, ogres would still be dangerous opponents, but only twenty of them weren’t enough to worry him. “No trace of the Oni? I don’t know what it’s supposed to look like, but from what we know, it should have a blue skin.”

“Well…” The scout seemed a bit hesitant. “Again, I can’t be sure. Most of the orcs in that army had bluish skin.”

Yasen stared at the man and then cursed silently. If that was true, then the Oni could simply be disguised as one of his underlings! Then again, the Oni would have a much stronger Aura compared to a simple orc. Once they got closer, he shouldn’t have any problems identifying it.

And once he’d singled it out, he could kill it.

He thought about it for a moment. Five hundred orcs led by twenty ogres wouldn’t really be a problem for his knights, and the only threat was the potential presence of the Oni. But if the Blue Terror really was there, then Yasen would have a chance to cut the metaphorical and literal head off the snake. Without their leader, the orcs would be easy pickings for the Medelan army, and this invasion would basically end then and there.

The Captain of the Royal Knight smirked with confidence. If the Blue Terror had really been so foolish and overconfident to put himself in such a vulnerable position, he saw no reason not to take advantage of it and show that beast just why humans were at the top of the pecking order in this world.

“Come with me!” he said to the scout. “We’re going to gather up the rest of the knights and attack the orcs!”

He left the mound, riding with the other knight to the column, and started calling his men.

“To me, Royal Knights!” he cried. “Get into battle formation! Now!”

The knights reacted immediately to this command, as was expected from well-trained veterans, but the civilians started to panic visibly at these words. This could spell trouble if left alone, so Yasen spared a few moments to reassure those people.

“Don’t worry, people of Medelan!” he said, in a loud and clear voice. “A small group of orcs has been sighted to the south near our line. As such, we are going to take care of them. You shall continue your march north and we’ll catch up with you as soon as we rid this land of their filth!”

The civilians calmed after hearing those words. That wasn’t really a surprise though, since most of them were familiar with Yasen’s reputation and they couldn’t imagine him losing to a bunch of orcs. They continued on in good order, leaving the knights free to face the enemy.

The Royal Knights got into formation and followed their commander’s lead to the south. They rode at a brisk pace for about ten minutes before they came in sight of the orc army.

As the scout had said, there were about five hundred orcs, led by twenty massive figures that could only be ogres. But these humanoids were somewhat different from the disorganized bands Yasen had met so far. Not only did they look different because of the bluish hue of their skins but they also seemed more disciplined, actually marching together in loose formations behind their ogre leaders. They were also rather well-equipped, carrying metal weapons and protections.

They must be an elite unit, the captain thought. If that’s so, then it’s highly probable that the Oni is personally leading them… but where could he be?

He scanned the enemies in search of the so-called Blue Terror, but couldn’t find it. Even his Aura senses, which were much keener compared to those of the average Aura Warrior, couldn’t pick up anything besides the Aura coming off the twenty ogres, which was admittedly rather strong, though not enough to really alarm him.

Then, just as he was about to order his men to charge, a sudden breeze caressed his face and he froze in his saddle. In that small gust of wind, he could feel an unfathomable presence, coming not from the army in front of him, but rather from above. He turned and saw a winged silhouette flying high in the sky to the north, right in front of the green moon. The distance was so great, it could have been easily mistaken for a bird or a bat, but as soon as he set his eyes on it, Yasen had no doubt.

That had to be the Oni. Nothing else would have a presence like that.

The bastard must be waiting to ambush us while we’re busy attacking his army, Yasen thought. Well, not on my watch!

“Rosco!”

“Yes, sir?” the man asked, pulling his horse closer.

“Take command of the knights and lead the charge against the orcs,” Yasen said, pointing with his glaive towards the figure in the sky. “I’ve got something to take care of.”

The lieutenant looked in the direction his captain was pointing, and then turned back to his superior. “Is that the Oni?”

“Most likely.”

“Then is it wise for you to face it alone?” The man’s tone became worried.

“Well, I’ve got no choice unless you or some other knights can fly alongside me,” Yasen replied with a smirk. “It’s going to be fine. That bastard up there may be strong, but I doubt he has ever faced a true Aura Master before!”

“I see.” Rosco nodded. “Then I wish you good luck, Captain. And don’t worry about us. By the time you’ll be back, we’ll have these orcs wiped out!”

“It’s a contest then!” Yasen smiled. “The one who finishes first has to pay the next time we go to drink together! What do you say?”

The lieutenant grinned.

“Ah… I’m sorry, Captain, but I’ve long since learned to never bet against you.”

“A pity.” Yasen shook his head in fake sadness. “I never find someone willing to take my bets. Well, then to make up for it, make these beasts wish they never left their forest, while I do the same with their boss!”

“That I will do, sir!”

The Captain of the Royal Knights smiled at those words, and called for his powers, leaping from his saddle. He rose for at least six meters, far higher than a normal jump could carry him, and instead of falling down he remained there, floating in the air, his cape billowing wildly. He faced the silhouette of the Oni, and with a grim expression, he started flying toward it, carried by a powerful gust of wind that made him faster than an arrow.

Chapter 35

I Have the High Air

Flapping his wings to keep himself airborne, Blueskin studied with interest the knight rising up to confront him in the sky. That human looked like a classical hero out of a fantasy story due to his equipment, being clad in shiny scale-mail, and wielding an oversized weapon—a glaive in this case. Heck, he even wore a cape and was flying! You couldn’t really get more hero-y than that.

And that cape was actually one of the things that interested the Oni the most. Judging by its conspicuously ethereal appearance, that piece of clothing was almost surely a magic item, and he would bet that it was what allowed the knight to fly… Something which made him all the more eager to get his hands on it.

Nice! Blueskin thought with a smirk. It looks like this time I’m going to get loot in addition to EXP!

He smiled with amusement at his own gamer joke. Getting roped by Tiny-Sneaky into this expedition was proving to be more worth it than he expected. When the ogress had crawled back to the camp by herself, having lost all of her subordinates, a lesser leader would have punished her without listening to her excuses, but not Blueskin! The Oni was certainly smart enough to listen to her explanation first, and after doing so had decided to not only pardon her, but also lead his personal guard to find and defeat the human knights, who according to Tiny, had an very strong Aura and would make for perfect prey.

And in the case of the flying warrior, it seemed she had been absolutely right. Even from a distance, the Oni could clearly feel the man’s Aura, which was incredibly strong, more powerful even than those of the Piraca Emperor and the Rantul Matriarch, while still being several leagues below the Oni’s own current Aura. Blueskin couldn’t have wished for a better prey: one strong enough to be a worthwhile meal, while still weak enough to not pose a serious threat.

The knight reached Blueskin’s altitude and stopped, floating about thirty meters away from him. The man easily held his gigantic glaive in one hand as if it were weightless, and stared at his enemy with cold, focused eyes. If he hadn’t been so confident about his superiority, the Oni would have actually felt a little intimidated by such an icy gaze. Except he couldn’t imagine himself losing to someone with such an inferior Aura.

He took the situation in stride and decided to have a bit of fun with the human before killing him. After all, acting the part of the villain had always been one of his fantasies.

“Greetings, brave warrior!” he said in what he was sure was the human’s language—the Gift of Languages sure came in handy in times like these. “I assume you have come to stop me? If so, you are free to try, but—”

“Are you the Oni they call the Blue Terror?” the human cut him off in a cold voice, seemingly ignoring what the Oni was telling him.

Blueskin frowned in annoyance at the interruption, but then he made an evil smirk. The knight would soon regret acting so rudely, so there was no need to get worked up over it.

“I see you lack manners,” he commented while clicking his tongue. “Perhaps I should teach you some. I am indeed the one they call the Blue Terror, and I—”

He couldn’t finish because the human cut him off once again. Only this time, both literally and metaphorically.

The knight swung his glaive and a blade of pure wind flew away from the tip of it, flying through the air at an incommensurable speed,and clipped Blueskin’s left wing.

“What the…” the Oni cried as he started falling.

After a brief moment of surprise, his anger surged like a volcano and he immediately started regenerating his wing.

Alright, enough words! he thought. I’m going to devour that little piece of shi—

He couldn’t finish that thought, as he caught a glimpse of something moving above him. The flying knight loomed over him, swinging his glaive straight for his head.

Blueskin tried to dodge, avoiding having his head split in half like a melon, but the slash cut him deeply at the base of the neck, almost severing his torso in two. Blood splattered the air and the Oni screamed in pain. This wound was the worst he’d received in his whole life, and a few months before it would have been more than enough to put him out of commission.

But after the power boost he received from eating the dragon, that was no longer the case.

Blueskin focused on his regenerative powers, and tendrils of red flesh appeared inside the wound, connecting his two halves and pulling them together, sealing the cut. It would take a few more seconds for the wound to disappear completely, but it was healed enough to not hamper the Oni’s movements.

He counterattacked by trying to grab the knight, who was hovering just two meters away from him. However, things didn’t go as planned, because just as he was about to put his hands on the human, he received an incredibly powerful kick to the face, whose strength was enough to send him flying away for a dozen meters. He grunted in pain, but used that brief moment of respite to finish healing his wound and regenerate a new wing, stopping his fall. The Oni turned his head left and right, searching for the knight, but it was in vain.

The man was nowhere to be seen.

Then, all of a sudden, pain surged from his back—both his wings were cut clean off.

He turned his head and saw that the human had somehow circled around him and was now about to cut his head off.

The Oni tried to stop the blade with his right arm, but the glaive simply cut through it like a red-hot knife through butter and sent the limb flying. Luckily, it’s trajectory was slightly altered, and instead of severing the Oni’s head it just opened another bloody gash on his chest. He shifted to counter with his left arm, making it longer and growing talon-like nails before sweeping it at his enemy, but the knight effortlessly flew away like a fly avoiding being swatted, while at the same time swinging his glaive and dealing another wound to the Oni’s shoulder.

Blueskin plummeted for a few seconds, unable to focus on regenerating his wings while defending himself from the knight’s attacks. He managed to dodge a few hits aimed at his head thanks to luck more than skill, and he also regenerated his arm to better defend himself, but apart from that, he did jack shit. The knight was much faster and nimbler than he was in the air, and as much as he tried, he couldn’t put a finger on him.

Then the assault stopped. But before the Oni could react, he felt an incredibly powerful impact on his back.

He’d just crashed into the ground.

Pain flushed all over Blueskin’s body as he felt his bones breaking and their shards piercing into his internal organs. All the air in his lungs was forcibly ejected from his mouth together with a spray of blood. The shock left him confused and stunned, and a bunch of small lights appeared in front of his eyes, dancing wildly as he laid there motionless.

Still, despite everything, he’d survived. His regenerative powers got to work to repair the damage to his body, and his wounds were rapidly being healed. Though even with his powerful regeneration, it’d take a while to fix everything. His spine had been completely shattered by the impact and the pieces of it lodged in his organs would be quite difficult to remove, though he estimated it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get back into top shape.

Sadly, he didn’t know if he would last that long.

His vision was still quite blurry, but Blueskin saw something dropping from the sky at incredible speed.

It was the knight, diving in to deal the coup de grace to his downed enemy.

Though he was still too damaged to get back on his feet, the Oni still had to dodge, and did so by rolling to his left, barely managing to avoid being beheaded by the blade dropping like a guillotine. He kept rolling to put some distance between himself and the human, but the latter didn’t let him.

The knight swung his glaive again, creating a blade of wind which severed one of the Oni’s legs to make sure he wouldn’t get up. Then he started chasing him down, delivering a rapid series of attacks.

There was no finesse in this tactic, but it sure as hell was working. The Oni was too overwhelmed to even try to defend himself, let alone counterattack. Numerous wounds opened on his body, to the point that not even his amazing regenerative powers were able to keep up.

As the onslaught continued, Blueskin started to panic. He felt as helpless as a piece of meat on a butcher’s table, and if he did nothing to at least slow the knight down, he would soon be killed. The problem was that he didn’t know what to do. He was too busy avoiding the human’s onslaught to even think about retaliating, and he didn’t even have the freedom to look around or try to flee. And finally, to make things even worse, he knew that he was too far from his soldiers for them to help him.

So, his only hope laid in Tiny-Sneaky. While he hadn’t given the ogress any specific order besides that of accompanying the expedition, she usually stuck close to him, ready to help whenever her master was in a bind, like she’d done with the Rantul Matriarch. She wasn’t completely reliable though, as she had bailed on him during his fight against the dragon… But the Oni had already made it clear to her that if she did so again, he would eat her. He didn’t think she would fail him a second time like that. Or at least he hoped so, because if she didn’t help him right now, he would die.

“Tiny!” he cried desperately. “Help me! For the love of God, help me!”

As he shouted those words, the knight’s glaive flying towards his neck. And this time, he realized with horror, he wouldn’t be able to dodge it.

* * *

About thirty meters away, Tiny-Sneaky laid on her belly, perfectly concealed within the tall grass of the field. As it was her habit, she’d followed her boss from the ground, but to be honest, it had been by pure chance that she happened to be this close to the spot the Oni had fallen to. And to be even more honest, she would have rather been much farther away.

Her life in the Caligare Forest had made her develop a certain ability to recognize an opponent she had no chance to defeat, and that human knight made that sense tingle like crazy. The only beings that had given her a comparable feeling had been the dragon and Blueskin himself. But not even they had managed to look quite as lethal.

While they were certainly more powerful, almost akin to natural disasters, they lacked the cold, sharp, and focused feel of the human. The warrior looked like he’d survived countless battles, gathering experience and skill with each victory. The ogress doubted that her favorite tactic of ambushing her prey would work on an opponent like that, while at the same time, she had no doubt whatsoever that if the knight found her, she would be instantly killed.

This was the reason why she hadn’t intervened in the fight, despite clearly seeing that Blueskin was losing. She just didn’t care about the boss’ life enough to sacrifice her own for him.

Not anymore, at least.

The ogress grimaced. A year prior, things were different. She was still completely devoted to Blueskin back then, obeying his every order with zeal and trying her best to appease him. That was the reason why she’d tried to take on a form he would like when she had evolved into an ogre—despite the fact that such a petite body was unfit for combat and would get her mocked and disrespected by the rest of her kin.

However, the Oni’s attitude in the past few months had slowly but surely eroded that devotion, leaving nothing but bitter resentment behind.

Tiny knew perfectly well that her boss saw everyone else around him as mere tools—useful ones in some cases, but ultimately expendable—and she could have lived with it, if that was all there was to it. After all, she’d thought if she could be really useful to him, then he would certainly treat her well regardless of how he viewed her.

However, she had been proven wrong. Despite having become the best scout of the orc army and having successfully carried out countless important missions, Blueskin only saw her as nothing more than a tool to satiate his lust. He didn’t care at all about her accomplishments, only about her looks, and he constantly belittled her and treated her with condescension.

And after almost a year of such a treatment, Tiny just accepted that things weren’t going to change no matter what, and that her future at the Oni’s side would just involve her being a breeding partner for him.

And if the Oni were to die right now, her future would look much more enticing. As one of the strongest ogres, she could easily take command of a good number of orcs, lead them back to the Caligare Forest and make her own tribe, where she would be the leader. Which was why, when Blueskin started asking for her help, all she could think was good riddance with an evil smile on her face.

A moment later, she stopped smiling when she realized that her body had started moving on its own.

Uh? she thought in confusion. What is happening? What am I doing?

She tried to stop, but she couldn’t. Her body wasn’t responding to her, as if an external force had taken control of it and was making it advance toward the fight.

She struggled to regain control, but it was in vain. With horror, she realized that she had drawn her weapon and was now pointing it at the back of the human knight.

No, no, no! she cried in her head. Stop! I’m going to get killed!

But it was too late now. She leapt, raising her weapon high to stab the human in the shoulders.

And just as she’d feared, the knight sensed the impending danger and responded immediately, turning toward the ogress while instinctively swinging his glaive. The slash hit Tiny across the torso, almost bisecting her and sending her flying back a good ten meters. The pain and shock were enough to make her lose consciousness even before she touched the ground. But she managed to form one last thought:

What the fuck?

* * *

Just as he was about to deliver the killing blow, the human knight turned away to defend himself from Tiny’s sneak attack. That moment of distraction only lasted a fraction of a second, but it was exactly what Blueskin had been waiting for and he didn’t let it go to waste.

He launched a mighty blow against the knight, swinging his arm while enlarging it to twice its original size. That sweep hit the human squarely on his right side and sent him flying twenty meters away, where he landed loudly, tumbling on the grass.

Still, that wasn’t enough to put him out of commission.

The knight laid there motionless for only a couple of seconds before getting back up, taking a guard position. However, his right arm dangled motionless, clearly broken or at least dislocated, and he could only hold his glaive in his left hand.

By contrast, the Oni was now in much better shape. He’d used those few seconds of pause to fix his own body, repairing the damage he’d received to his bones and regenerating his missing limbs. He even managed to alter his form a bit, assuming a shape more fit for ground combat, increasing his muscle mass and the thickness of his scales while simultaneously atrophying the stumps of his wings back into his body. He also elongated his arms and had grown vicious, talon-like nails on his hands.

This was far from his ultimate ground combat form, but it was all he could do with such a short time at his disposal, and it was certainly better than his pure flying form. Besides, he was confident that it would be enough. After all, the only reason why the knight had pushed him so far was because he’d taken him by surprise and was obviously more experienced than he was in aerial combat. But now that he was on the ground and could make full use of his power, the human wouldn’t stand a chance!

“This is over,” he announced with a predatory smile. “You might have managed to overwhelm me for a while by taking me by surprise, but you lost your chance to kill me! Now, it’s my turn to—”

“Oh, shut up you dumb beast!” the knight cut him off once again. “I’m not here to talk with you.” He smiled, his teeth stained with his own blood and pointed his glaive at the Oni. “I’m here to kill you. And I can do that perfectly well with just one hand!”

Blueskin blinked, surprised by the human’s reaction.

“You’re bluffing,” he replied calmly, though he was starting to feel a bit nervous. “You are wounded while I have already regenerated all the damage you dealt to me! And the power of this form is much greater than the one I had before. There is just no way for you to—”

And, once again, the knight didn’t let him finish a single thought. He swung his glaive, launching another blade of wind at the Blue Terror. The Oni simply shielded himself with his overgrown arms and the attack barely scratched his scales.

“See?” the Oni gloated. “You can’t do anything to me anymo—”

His words were interrupted by a flash of metal aimed at his head. The knight had leapt at incredible speed and was now thrusting his glaive toward his skull.

Blueskin tilted his head to the right so the blade only grazed his cheek, and retaliated with a thrust of his own, trying to drive his talons into the man’s chest. But the knight effortlessly dodged the Oni’s attack, jumping over his arm with a flip and swinging his glaive at the same time, opening another bloody gash on Blueskin’s chest.

The Blue Terror roared in pain and swung with his other arm, but the human jumped over that attack as well and cut him again. Then, instead of landing on the ground, the human flew behind the Oni, delivering a series of slashes on his back. Blueskin growled and turned to try and grab the human, but he simply flew higher, out of reach, and countered with a slash that almost cut off one of the Oni’s hands.

After that, the fight devolved into something akin to a cat chasing a fly. The knight kept himself out of reach, diving only to attack, and quickly retreating back into the air immediately after, almost literally dancing around his opponent. Meanwhile, Blueskin stood on the ground, avoiding hits to his head while ignoring and regenerating everything else. Again and again he attempted to catch the man with a counter whenever he got close, though he never managed to lay a finger on him.

While none of the fighters had a clear advantage, the Oni was slowly growing more and more frustrated. He just couldn’t understand how someone who was objectively weaker than him could not only manage to fight him to a standstill, but was doing so with a broken arm to boot!

This isn’t fair! he thought with anger. This is cheating! I should be winning, not him!

The fight went on for a while, and Blueskin’s fury reached its boiling point. Then, as he was finally about to throw caution to the wind and just try an all-out attack to shut down that annoying human, the latter stopped attacking and flew higher, well out of reach, and turned worriedly to the north. The Oni also turned that way to see what had caught his opponent’s attention, and immediately saw something moving on the horizon.

Looking better, he realized that it was a group of orcs, most likely some of the raiders that had been roaming the area, who had found the trail of the human civilians and started chasing after them. If left alone, they would certainly reach their prey in a few minutes.

The human knight’s expression grew incredibly sour and frustrated as he seemed to realize this. By contrast, Blueskin started smiling, as he saw an opportunity to get out of his current predicament.

“Well, it seems we are at an impasse, human!” he said in a mockingly cheerful tone. “Neither of us can kill the other quickly, but if you do nothing, those civilians you were guarding will be slaughtered. However, if you go rescue them, you’ll lose your chance to kill me!” His smile grew larger and more predatory. “And since I’m feeling generous, I’ll give you time to think about what option you would rather pick. Though I have to say, in case you decide to keep fighting me, I’ll do my best to drag this on as long as I can. This way, you—”

“Oh, shut up!” the human cut him off with an angry snarl. He then gave Blueskin a long, deadly cold stare. “If you have half a brain, you should take this occasion to crawl back to your hole in the forest as fast as you can, because next time we cross paths, I’m going to kill you!”

Then, without wasting any more time or words, he flew toward the battle between the orcs and the knights happening not far from them. As soon as he got close, he took a horn from his belt and blew it three times, the deep notes echoing in the air.

The response of the knights was instantaneous. They disengaged from their enemy, generating some distance, before following their flying leader to the north, while the orcs were left alone on the field, too battered and confused to do anything.

Blueskin watched them ride away with immense relief. For a moment there he’d thought he was a goner, but luckily the flying knight, for all his cheats and power, had proven himself to be a complete moron.

I guess he was just another brainwashed sheeple! he thought with derision. I mean, what kind of idiot would pass up the opportunity to take out the enemy leader just to save a bunch of civilians? He snickered. Well, good for me! At least I know that I can exploit his weakness now.

He started to walk away, wanting to be surrounded by his soldiers in case the knight came back to finish him off, when he noticed Tiny-Sneaky’s body lying motionless on the ground.

Is she dead? He wondered, giving her a light kick to her side.

The ogress answered with a weak moan, confirming that she was indeed still alive. She was in a really bad shape though, as she’d almost been bisected by the knight’s glaive, and even with her own regenerative powers, there was no telling if she would survive.

For a moment, Blueskin wondered if it was better to just put an end to her suffering and eat her right here and now, so her Aura would nourish his own and her death wouldn’t go to waste. After a moment he decided against it. After all, there was a possibility that she could make it, and killing her would mean the loss of the best scout in the army. Even more importantly, the Oni would also lose the most physically attractive of his ogre partners, something he really would miss in the future.

Besides, she’d almost died trying to save him, even if she had taken her sweet time to do so. Such gestures needed to be rewarded if he wanted to maintain the morale and loyalty of his subordinates!

He just picked her up, throwing her unconscious body on his shoulder and headed toward the other orcs.

Chapter 36

Scaroused

A storm was raging over the Grimdale countryside.

Black clouds covered the sky, making the day as dark as a moonless night, with only the intermittent flashes of lighting providing any sort of light. The wind howled, carrying waves of raindrops which flogged the earth with violence, flattening the grass and ripping the remaining autumnal leaves from the trees while the ground itself was turned into a quagmire.

It was certainly not a good day for marching, Marcus thought, draping himself in his coat and watching the rain fall. He was fine on a personal level, since the little mold wax house he was travelling in protected him from the elements, but he still felt the fury of the storm on the bodies of his drones. His Warriors and Heavies were struggling to free their feet from the mud with each step, and the Flyers were all resting on top of the other drones, since the strong winds made it impossible for them to fly. Still, it could be worse. At least the chitinous armor of his drones protected them from the brunt of the storm, something which couldn’t be said for the goblins and the humans following the Vex.

And indeed, from what he could overhear through his copy-drone riding in the coach with the marquis, it seemed that the non-Vex elements of the army were just about to reach their limits. In fact, the nobleman was currently discussing the matter with the Goblin General.

“We can’t go on,” Eisen was saying. “This storm is going to last at least an entire day, and our men are going to collapse if we force them to keep marching through it.”

“We can’t exactly set camp here either,” Trakk replied calmly. “These fields are going to become a swamp soon, so we might as well keep moving while we try to find a suitable shelter.” The goblin turned to the copy-Marcus. “Did your scouts find any such place?”

“No,” the drone replied. “But they haven’t gotten far either. This weather makes it difficult to move even for them.”

“By the Lord!” the marquis cursed in a tired voice. “We should have stopped at the last village and waited there for the storm to pass.”

“Maybe,” Trakk agreed. “But that was many hours ago and we had no way of knowing that the storm would be upon us so fast. At the time, proceeding to the next village seemed like a perfectly sensible decision, especially given that we’re in a hurry to catch up with the orc army.”

“I know, I know,” Eisen replied in a frustrated tone. “But this doesn’t change the current situation. If we spend the night marching through this storm, by tomorrow morning we’ll have to scrape our soldiers from the mud.”

“Then let’s hope we can find the next village,” the goblin said, keeping his calm as always. “If the map is accurate, it should be nearby.”

“It is,” the copy-Marcus suddenly said. “One of my drones just found it.”

“Excellent!” The marquis nodded, looking relieved. “How far is it?”

“About four kilometers from here, I think,” Marcus replied. “Three kilometers from here there is a crossroads, and the village is about a kilometer down the road on the right.” He paused for a second before adding: “It’s a bit hard to see with all this rain since there are no lights. I can’t say for sure without getting a closer look, but it seems to be deserted.”

Trakk looked at the map he carried and nodded.

“That should be the village of Hirm,” he said. “It’s near the route that goes from Fendel’s Mines to Treval, so it was probably evacuated because of the threat of the orcs.”

“Well, even if the inhabitants have fled, it’s still going to be better than standing here in the open,” Eisen said. “I’ll send a rider to check if there is anyone still there and inform them of our arrival.”

“You should tell your rider to be careful then,” the Goblin General suggested. “For all we know, there could be orcs hiding in there.”

“I can have a few of my Warriors wait nearby while the rider enters the village,” Marcus offered. “In case he’s going to need help.”

“Good idea.” Trakk nodded approvingly.

“Yes, that would be helpful,” the marquis said. “Just don’t make them get too close… If there are still humans in there, the appearance of your Warriors could scare them.”

The nobleman then opened one of the windows and gave the necessary instruction to one of the cloaked knights riding alongside the coach. The man rode away, and in about fifteen minutes he came back, knocking at the coach’s door. He seemed to be unharmed, but he looked terribly pale and his expression was beyond grim.

“Milord… The village is currently deserted. However…” He paused, trying to get a hold of himself. “It seems that the place has been raided, and it wasn’t empty when that happened.”

About half an hour later, after dismounting from the Dreadnaught drone, Marcus, Klara, and Felix were staring at eight ravaged bodies lined up on the muddy ground of the main road of the village. It wasn’t easy to determine their exact age at first glance, since their heads and most of their upper torso was missing, but two of them were clearly very young, and in particular there was what looked like a little girl in a now bloody and dirty azure dress.

The ways the three friends reacted to that sight were wildly different.

“Why didn’t they run away?” Felix asked, his voice trembling with rage. He was radiating a furious heat, to the point that the mud around his feet had started boiling and raindrops evaporated as soon as they touched him, enveloping him in a veil of steam. His eyes also shone of fiery amber light. “They had to know that the orcs were around!”

“I don’t know,” Klara replied. She was as pale as a ghost and appeared utterly sickened, as if she was about to throw up. “There could have been many reasons. Maybe they didn’t hear the warnings. Or maybe they did but didn’t think the orcs would get to this village. Or maybe they couldn’t move because one of them was too sick.” She looked away, biting her lips in frustration. “This isn’t Brettholz, where there are a lot of wild beasts coming from the forest and people are ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.”

Marcus said nothing. He just kept staring at the bodies, eyes wide, as a horrible realization creeped in his mind.

He felt nothing in particular.

No matter how hard he tried to be horrified by the spectacle, no matter how much he searched inside of his heart, all he could find was at best a slight annoyance at the wastefulness of the orcs for leaving behind so much meat.

And, quite ironically, this was what really disturbed him.

What the fuck is wrong with me? he thought as his gaze swept over the body of the young girl. There is a literal half-eaten dead child in front of me, and all I can think is how much of a sloppy eater the orcs that bit her head off were! I should be trembling with anger and swearing vengeance like the hero of an opera right now, not be as calm as dead fish!

He kept trying to get himself to be upset about the deaths of those people, but while he was perfectly able to intellectually see it as a tragedy, he couldn’t elicit any particular emotional reaction. There was… something like a block inside of his mind that prevented him from seeing the bodies on the ground as more than discarded pieces of meat.

He was silently wondering the reason for this, when a few men approached and started taking them away to bury them. After that, not having any more reason for standing there in the rain, Marcus and his friends went inside one of the village buildings, in order to find out where they would be sleeping tonight.

As it turned out, finding a place to sleep wasn’t so easy, something which was to be expected since they had to accommodate an army of thousands in a village meant to house two hundred people at most. Luckily, the Vex drones had no trouble staying outside, since they could easily tolerate even the most extreme weathers. Still, ten thousand goblins were more than enough to fill every nook and cranny. Even the marquis had to share a room with the rest of his men.

Only one exception was made, for the sake of decency, for the women that accompanied the army, who were given an entire bedroom for themselves. And this group happened to include Marcus.

The Vex Queen would have normally objected to that categorization, but in these circumstances he decided to let it slide. After all, his control over his telepathy wasn’t at the point where he could comfortably sleep in a room full of strangers, while with his current accommodation, he’d only have Klara as his roommate, since the only other female currently in their army, the wolfwoman called Alya Vilka, had been scouting the territory ahead since the previous day and had yet to come back.

The room they would share was also rather nice, having a big bed they could comfortably sleep together in and even a stove in a corner, which Marcus immediately lit. The temperature in the room then quickly went from chilly to pleasantly warm, and they changed for the night, with Klara wearing her nightgown and Marcus simply undressing down to his underwear. As they did so, they did not exchange a single word, but the Vex Queen could feel the turmoil inside of the girl’s head. She was quite clearly still under shock from seeing the bodies of the inhabitants of Hirm, something which made Marcus feel guilty and upset, since he still couldn’t feel anything for them.

After a while, he decided that he’d had enough and started speaking to try and distract the girl—and himself—from those morose thoughts.

“Sooooo…” he said. “Have you ever been in the City of Treval before? And if so, could you tell me something about it?”

“I’ve been there once, but it’s been many years so I don’t remember much about it,” Klara replied in an empty voice. “If you want to know more about it, you should ask someone else.”

Marcus sighed. She obviously wasn’t in the mood for idle chatting, but at the same time, he didn’t want to spend the night with a literal source of depression right beside him.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I don’t really care about this Treval city,” he admitted. “I’m just trying to cheer you up a bit. You seem to be really down ever since we saw those bodies.”

“Shouldn’t I be?” Klara asked, sounding a bit angry. “Those people were literally eaten alive, Marcus! Who wouldn’t be down after seeing that?” She sighed, forcing herself to calm down. “Anyway, I appreciate the thought. But I’m afraid I need to process this by myself. So just let me be for a bit, alright?”

“Fine… that’s fine,” the Vex Queen replied awkwardly. He turned away, trying to relax and deal with his own internal struggle. All of a sudden, through the eyes of his drones, he saw a cloaked figure approaching the village. Alarmed, he sent a few Warriors toward that newcomer to ascertain their identity and make sure they didn’t have any hostile intention, but they stopped when the stranger started speaking in a familiar voice.

“Stop right there, you bug bastards! It’s me, Alya!” The figure raised her hood a bit, revealing her wolf-like features. She also appeared quite pissed. “Take me to the marquis or get out of the way. I’ve got no time to lose standing here in the rain!”

Mindful of the slaughter the Thulian had inflicted in his forces a few days before, Marcus made his drones back off save for one, which gestured for the wolfwoman to follow him. At the same time, the Vex Queen also made her copy-drone move to warn the marquis about Alya’s return.

Five minutes later, the wolfwoman entered the cramped room where Eisen, Trakk and Marcus’s copy were waiting for her, together with most of their bodyguards. She was literally dripping water when she stepped in, and after she took off her cloak, she started shaking like a dog, sending droplets flying on everyone around her.

“Welcome back, Lady Vilka!” the marquis greeted her. “How did your scouting go? Did you find anything out there?”

“First, don’t call me lady,” she replied. “Just Alya will do. And second, I did find something alright. Mostly rain and mud. But between those two, I also found the orc army. Not that it was particularly difficult, even in this rain. They left a really easy trail to follow. Empty villages, stomped fields… the works.” She sneered. “They’re sloppy even in their pillaging.”

“Where did you see them exactly?” the marquis asked, as Trakk took out his map.

“Quite far from here,” the wolfwoman said, shaking a bit of mud from her feet. “At least three hours to the north, at my pace. Double or triple that time for you.” She stretched her arms. “They were camped inside a small wood, near a village they’d recently pillaged, probably waiting for the storm to end.”

The Goblin General studied his map and nodded.

“If Alya is right, they should be near the village of Thurhall, about thirty-eight kilometers north-northwest,” he said, pointing at a specific spot on the map.

“That’s not really that far… Could we perhaps march out right now and engage them while they’re waiting for the storm to pass?”

“I don’t think so,” Trakk replied. “Unless the weather gets better going north, we’ll exhaust ourselves on the way.”

“It gets worse,” Alya replied, using a towel to clean herself up a bit. “Even for me, it was quite an annoying journey.” She yawned. “Speaking of which… is there someplace I could dry up and get some sleep? I have nothing else to add to what I already said, anyway.”

“Well, as you can see, we are a bit cramped right now, but we left a room for the women accompanying our army that should have a stove inside,” the marquis said. “If you don’t mind sharing a room and a bed with Sir Marcus and Miss Klara, you could sleep with them.”

“I don’t think most people would complain about sharing the bed with two girls!” Alya replied with an almost predatory smile, something which sent a chill down Marcus’ spine as he listened through his copy-drone.

“Ehr… that’s good then,” the marquis said, turning to the copy-drone. “I hope that’s alright with you as well, Sir Marcus.”

The Vex Queen wasn’t really ok with that, but he nodded anyway.

“Yes,” he said, managing not to sound reluctant. “I’ll tell Klara and we’ll make room for her.”

“That’s for the better,” Alya commented with a smirk. “I do need a lot of room, after all!”

Cackling a bit, the wolfwoman headed for the bedroom, and at the same time, Marcus—in his actual body—moved to Klara, who was still silent and staring into the flames while sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Uhm… Klara, do you remember the wolfwoman from before, the one called Alya Vilka? Well, she’s returned and she’s coming to sleep with us.”

The girl blinked, and for a moment her surprise took over her depression.

“What? Really?”

“Yes. She’s just finished reporting to the marquis and she’s heading here as we speak.”

Klara looked at the bed, and sighed.

“Well, I thought we had room to spare, but now we’re going to be a bit cramped too, aren’t we?” She smirked. “From what I saw, Alya is really big.”

“That she is.” The Vex Queen nodded. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked: “By the way… what do you know about her?”

“Not much.” The girl shrugged. “As I told you a few days ago, I know that she’s an Aura Master of great renown and is considered the strongest fighter in the Federation.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Marcus said. “But don’t you know anything about her personality or what she’s like?”

“Not really. I mostly only know what the newspapers say about her, and they mostly cover her achievements and victories. That is, if you don’t count those newspapers that focus on baseless gossip, but I don’t read that garbage. Why do you want to know, anyway?”

“Well…” The Vex Queen hesitated for a moment. “Mostly to know what kind of person I would share the room with, I guess.” He looked at himself and at Klara, and then added, in a rather embarrassed tone: “Ehm… also, you really know nothing about her? How about… whether she likes men or… women?”

Klara raised an eyebrow at that question.

“Uh… I’m afraid I don’t know that,” she said in a rather confused tone. “Why do you want to know? Are you going to make a pass at her?”

“What? No!” Marcus cried, feeling blood rushing to his face. “I… well, I was just asking because of a comment she made.”

“What kind of comment?” Klara asked.

“Wellll… I don’t know if she was joking or not, but after being asked if it was a problem sleeping with us, she said that sleeping with two girls would be anyone’s dream.”

Klara remained silent for a moment, processing that information.

“Well… she could have been joking,” she said. “I mean, nothing I’ve heard about her suggests anything about her sexual preferences, one way or the other.” She smirked. “Even if she does like women, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I mean, we share a room even though you used to be a man, don’t we?”

The Vex Queen sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe I’m just overthinking this.”

Just as he said those words, the door opened and Alya marched in the room like a hurricane, without knocking or announcing herself in any way.

“So, this is the girls room, huh?” she said, inspecting the room. “It’s nice enough, all things considered.”

She moved to the stove, and started undressing herself in front of it, throwing her wet clothes on a chair.

Marcus and Klara exchanged a confused glance, both too surprised to even try to speak. And in the Vex Queen’s case, he was also a bit intimidated. This was the first time he was close enough to the wolfwoman to really feel her Aura, and it was really overpowering—maybe not as much as that of the dragon, but still strong enough to make him feel uneasy. Almost as if he were near a vicious, wild beast, who could turn on him at any moment.

Meanwhile, Alya was now undressed down to her two-piece costume, and turned to her new roommates with a wolfish smirk.

“There’s no need to be so scared, you two! I won’t bite… Not right now, anyway! I just want a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s march! And, also, just for your information, I sleep in the nude. I hope this won’t be a problem, but if it is, then feel free to get out and sleep somewhere else.”

She then took off her top, and her breasts seemingly exploded out of it, taking Marcus completely by surprise. Somehow, the dark, elastic top squeezed Alya’s chest to the point that she didn’t seem particularly endowed. But now that her torso was naked, he could fully appreciate the magnitude of those titties. Even Klara, who was no slouch in the chest department herself, was impressed, letting out a soft, surprised whistle.

Alya then took off her shorts, remaining completely naked in front of the stove in order to dry herself off, and Marcus was now able to fully study her body in detail.

She was, as he’d noticed from his drones, very well-toned, with her short white fur doing nothing to hide the definition of her muscles. At the same time, she was also very definitely feminine, with wide hips and, as he had just seen, a very wide chest. All in all, she looked like a classical marble statue of some ancient wolf-goddess or something, as her animalistic features were somehow perfectly harmonized with her humanoid structure.

While Marcus kept staring, Klara cleared her throat and asked:

“Uhm… so, how are we going to sleep in here? I mean, there’s only one bed, and while it’s quite big, I don’t think it can comfortably fit all three of us.”

“Oh, I’m going to sleep on the bed,” Alya replied. “I don’t mind if we’re a bit cramped, but I refuse to sleep on the floor like a dog when there is an alternative.” She shrugged. “If you’re not satisfied with it, you are free to sleep elsewhere.” She touched her fur, which was now dry. “Also, I’m going to bed right now. Make room for me.”

And before they could protest in any way, she walked right in front of the bed and let herself drop on it, right smack in the middle. And only a second later, she closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep, snoring slightly with her head between the pillows.

The Vex Queen and the girl exchanged another glance, and this time Klara shrugged.

“Well, a cramped bed is better than the floor,” she said. “And at least this closeness will keep us warm. So, I’ll stay here.”

“I’ll stay as well then,” Marcus replied. “Luckily, this body of mine is small enough to fit comfortably pretty much everywhere.”

“Good for you!” Klara said. “We better get to sleep now. It’s gotten pretty late, and we have to catch up with the orc army tomorrow!”

“Right. Goodnight, Klara.”

“Goodnight, Marcus.”

The two of them then layed down beside Alya, trying to make the most of the little space the wolfwoman had left them. A deep silence fell on the room, interrupted only by the noise of the storm outside and the crackling of the fire in the stove. A few minutes later, Klara’s breath also turned into a light snoring as the girl fell asleep.

Only Marcus remained awake, trying his best to relax and sleep, but for some reason he couldn’t. Alya’s presence beside him was terribly distracting. And to make things worse, that wasn’t just because she found her intimidating, like trying to sleep beside a lion… it was also because a new feeling had creeped inside of him, making him experience a tingly sensation in the lower parts of his body.

So this is what they call being scaroused, he thought with annoyance.

After another hour of being completely unable to close his eyes, he finally gave up and went to sleep on the floor in front of the stove, using his clothes as some improvised bedroll. Only then, despite the rather uncomfortable accommodation, he managed to fall asleep.

Chapter 37

Battle Planning

The storm that had raged over Medelan for the last few days subsided, leaving only a cloudy sky and the occasional light drizzle in its stead. Thunders echoed from far away and dark clouds hugged the horizon, making it clear this was but a momentary respite.

Nevertheless, Blueskin welcomed it with open arms, as the absence of heavy rain allowed him and his army to spot the figure of a fortified city on the horizon.

They’d finally come into sight of Treval. And not a moment too soon, either.

The last three days had been hellish. Not only had the weather been horrible, with the constant rain slowing the advance of his army to a crawl, but the human knights had also kept pestering them. They would target the foraging parties, making it hard to get supplies, and sometimes attacked the main army using hit-and-run tactics, appearing out of nowhere and killing dozens of soldiers before running away. This made most of the soldiers terribly unruly, to the point that even the Oni himself had trouble keeping them in line.

These were all minor setbacks which didn’t really matter now that they were in reach of their goal. The prospect of devouring a whole city worth of humans was just too enticing for anyone to give up now that they were so close, and if anything, their frustration only meant they were even more eager to take out their anger on their enemies. Besides, Blueskin had made it clear that he would personally devour anyone who tried to desert, and that was always a great motivational factor.

Also, there was a silver lining to this delay, as it allowed the Oni to come up with a perfect stratagem for taking the city, something which he really needed if the information he’d received was correct. Initially he had intended to just overwhelm the defenders with sheer power and numbers, but judging from the memories of a merchant he’d devoured, this plan seemed unfeasible. Treval had truly formidable defenses, which included a deep moat and sturdy walls defended by cannons—which kind of ruined the whole medieval aesthetic of this new world in Blueskin’s opinion. The Oni doubted that even his army would be able to conquer it with a direct assault, at least not without such overwhelming casualties that the resulting victory would be worse than pyrrhic.

Luckily, the Oni had quite a few more indirect ways for dealing with that particular problem.

He turned away from the city to face his lieutenants who had been gathered in order to receive his orders.

“We have arrived,” he said, and pointed at the city behind him. “That is our objective, the human City of Treval. We are going to take it and devour its population to increase our power. And after that, we’re going to do the same to many other cities, until we’ll become unstoppable and the whole world will be our larder!”

The ogres and orcs cheered, clearly pleased, and Blueskin silently congratulated himself for his oratory skills. Really, it was all a matter of knowing what buttons he had to push!

He let them go on for a bit before continuing.

“However, in order to do so, we must first take Treval,” he said. “And to do it, you’ll have to follow my instructions to the letter.”

He drew a rough sketch of the fortress on the dirt, using his feet.

“First, we are going to surround the city at a safe distance. At least two kilometers away from the walls. Then, when you get the signal, you are all going to advance at once.” He drew some lines on the map. “Most of you will converge on strategic key points, but try to spread out a bit as you approach, in order to prevent drawing concentrated fire from the defenders, and in return, force them to spread their forces all over the walls. Then, when our troops have reached the wall and engaged the enemy, the special forces are going to follow, attacking the enemy weak points and allowing us to easily overwhelm the defenders!” He raised his head and looked straight at his lieutenants. “Is all of this clear?”

Most of them nodded, and the few who didn’t remained silent. The Oni decided that was good enough.

“Very well,” he said. “Start moving. Lead your units to your assigned position. I want the city surrounded as soon as possible so we’ll be able to break in before it starts raining again!” He paused, his gaze landing on one particular ogre. “All save for Tiny-Sneaky. I’ve got some special orders for you.”

The lieutenants walked away to reach their units, leaving Tiny behind, who was sitting on a rock a few meters away from Blueskin. She looked a bit fatigued, but had otherwise already healed from her wounds, which was impressive considering she’d almost been bisected. Her mood had been very sour since then though, and yet had to recover.

“What do you want from me, boss?” she asked in a deadpan tone.

The Oni frowned at the coldness in her voice, but decided to ignore it.

“I need you for an important mission,” he said. “Do you remember the knight that wounded you?”

“The one that beat you?” she asked.

Blueskin’s blood boiled at that observation, and walked up to the ogress, looming over her.

“He did not beat me!” he growled. “Our fight ended in a draw!”

“Yes, boss,” she replied in a calm, almost bored voice.

That irritated the Oni even more, but he managed to control himself. After all, he needed Tiny for this mission and couldn’t afford to damage her. So, he took a deep breath and continued with the explanation.

“I need to find a way to deal with him.” He smirked. “And I have just the right plan in mind to do so. Here is what you have to do…”

And he started explaining his idea to the ogress, whose expression turned more and more sour as he went on.

“That’s quite a risky mission, boss,” she said once he’d finished. “Even if I play my part perfectly… no, especially if I play my part perfectly, I might get killed.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Blueskin replied. “I have confidence in your ability to stay alive.” His voice became more stern. “Anyway, this is an order.”

“Yes, boss,” she said in a resigned tone.

“Good. Now go get ready. We don’t have much time before we reach the city.”

The ogress slid off the rock and walked away, limping slightly. Blueskin narrowed his eyes. He really didn’t like her attitude as of late. Especially her passive-aggressive tones and barely concealed disdain. He’d tolerated it all because of her usefulness—and beauty—but he couldn’t help thinking that he wouldn’t really mind if she were to die on this mission. Sure, it’d be a shame to lose the “childhood friend” chick for his future harem, but at this point, the Oni had grown tired of her coldness. Besides, with a whole world to conquer, he would certainly find some nice replacements.

With great hopes for the future in mind, he turned once again toward the city and his marching army.

* * *

Someone knocked at the door, waking Yasen from his slumber. The Captain of the Royal Knights slowly rose from his bed, feeling every joint in his body ache terribly, and looked out the window. The sun was still up, so that meant he’d either napped for a few hours or slept until an entirely new day had come. Judging from how tired he still felt, the first option was the most likely, though it’d take more than a day of sleep to recover from the fatigue of the last few days.

Yasen had led a series of raids against the orcs, trying to slow them down and weaken them as much as possible before they reached the city. And while he had been reasonably successful, the long hours of riding and fighting in the rain with only a few naps and cold meals in between had left him almost completely exhausted. Which was why he’d left the organization of the defense of the city to his lieutenants while he rested and recovered his energies in preparation for the upcoming battle.

And though he wasn’t quite in top shape just yet, he feared this was going to be all the rest he was going to get. He knew his lieutenants, and they wouldn’t disturb him for something trivial. With a resigned sigh, he opened the door, finding himself face to face with a nervous-looking guard.

“Yes? What is it?”

“The enemy army has been sighted on the horizon, sir!” the guard promptly answered. “Captain Horr and the other officers are waiting for you in the hall.”

Yasen internally swore. Though he’d expected it, he hoped the orcs would take a bit longer to reach Treval.

“Go tell them I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Then, as the guard was about to leave, he stopped him. “Wait. On second thought, come here and help me don my armor. And fill me in on what happened while I was sleeping. We’ve got no time to waste.”

Armor secured, he marched to the room where his lieutenants waited for him. On the way there, the guard reported the events of the last hours.

“We’ve got another group of refugees that has just arrived at the gates,” the man said. “They were really ragged and scared for their lives. We sent them to the citadel to be taken care of.”

“Good.” Yasen nodded. “Counting those refugees, how many civilians are left in the city then?”

“About twenty-seven thousand,” the guard replied.

“So many!” the captain said. “Why haven’t they been evacuated? I ordered to send as many people away as possible!”

“We didn’t have enough boats and barges to board them all, sir. Even filling the ones we had to the point they almost sank, they weren’t nearly enough. Also, no new ships have arrived today. The merchants must have gotten wind of the threat of the orcs, not to mention the fact that we are commandeering all passing boats, so they probably decided to wait until things calm down before resuming their trips on the river.”

“Shanduk’s crows take them!” Yasen cursed in the name of the God of the Beasts. “They should come here to help us! Don’t they have any shred of honor or compassion?”

“Well, they’re merchants, sir,” the guard replied with a small smirk.

“Fair enough.” The captain shook his head. “I’ll have to find a solution then. I’ll ask the others if they have any ideas.”

He reached a big door and entered the dining hall of Duke Grimdale’s palace.

His lieutenants were waiting for him there, as was the duke himself. They were gathered around a table, and turned to greet the captain.

“Milord. Gentlemen.” Yasen saluted them back with a nod as he approached. He then turned to Captain Horr, the commander of Treval’s garrison, and asked: “What’s the situation?”

“Everything seems to be under control for now,” the old officer replied. “We have been prepared for the arrival of the orcs for a while now. Most of our soldiers have already taken position on the walls, but as per your suggestion we are also keeping some of them in reserve, ready to intervene anywhere in the city should the enemy manage to enter.” He smirked and added: “This is unlikely though, as every access to the city is under surveillance. We have guards watching over the river, the sewers and even some in the basements of the houses to listen for eventual tunnels being dug. Not even a mouse could sneak in.”

“Don’t forget to have someone watch over the sky,” Yasen replied. “At least the Oni is capable of flying. Maybe some of the ogres have that ability too.”

“We will. Though I can’t imagine anyone being able to get us from the sky when the Knight of the Wind is with us.”

“Your imagination is severely lacking then,” the Aura Master replied with a smirk. “Anyway, there is another matter I want to address. That of the civilians still in the city.” He looked around. “I’ve heard that no more ships are coming, so we need to find another way to secure them. Any idea?”

Duke Grimdale scoffed audibly at that question, while Captain Horr looked pensive.

“We can’t exactly send them out of the city right now, but we could keep them in the citadel,” Horr suggested. “This way, even if the orcs manage to enter the city, they should be relatively safe.”

“I’ve heard there are more than twenty-seven thousand civilians left in Treval,” Yasen said, raising an eyebrow. “Could they really all fit inside of the fortress?”

“Barely,” Horr replied. “It’s going to be very cramped, to say the least. But they will manage if it’s only for a few days.”

“Very well, let’s do it then.” The captain nodded. “It’s not as if we have any other option anyway.”

“I’ll see to it immediately,” Horr replied, and turned to speak with one of his lieutenants.

During that pause, the duke approached Yasen.

“Captain Yasen?” he said. “A word with you, please.”

He was a portly, middle-aged man with a goatee and black hair, which barely covered his balding head, dressed in elegant but tasteful clothing. He was usually a very jovial person, but as of late, he was always sour, as if the orc invasion had been one gigantic personal insult.

Repressing an exasperated sigh, Yasen said, “Yes, milord?”

“I was just pondering the usefulness of wasting so much time and effort evacuating those people, even though they are already perfectly safe where they are,” the nobleman said in a rather caustic tone.

Yasen closed his eyes, trying to summon all of his patience. Of course the duke was still on about that. He’d been complaining all week about the evacuation.

“Well, milord, as I explained before, it’s just a precaution,” he replied in a level voice. “The main objective of the orc army is to slaughter and devour the inhabitants of this city, after all. By evacuating them, we ensure that even in the event of our defeat, the orcs will not get their hands on them.” He smiled. “We would basically make it impossible for the orcs to win, no matter the outcome of the siege.”

“A sound strategy on paper,” Lord Grimdale conceded, though his voice was still annoyed. “But in practice, the economic cost is going to be really steep. And I’ll be the one to pay for it.” His expression grew even more sour. “It’ll take weeks for the people to get back to work after this is all said and done, not to mention trade has all but stopped because of the commandeering of the ships! And all of this for what?” His voice grew outright angry. “The orcs won’t be able to enter the city anyway! Hell, I’ll be surprised if they don’t run away as soon as they hear the sound of gunfire!”

“I assure you, milord, that these orcs are a great deal more dangerous and disciplined than you give them credit for,” the Captain said. “Their leader, the Oni, is surprisingly cunning. In fact, as you probably know, Marquis Brett has theorized that he may be a reincarnated human, with all the knowledge and discipline of one.”

“Yes, I’ve heard all that baseless hogwash Eisen has showered us with,” the duke replied. “Even if that’s true, it won’t change the fact that these orcs, as strong as they may be, are simply not equipped to take the city. They don’t have guns, bows, or artillery of any kind, so how are they going to take down the walls? By bashing them with their wooden clubs?”

On one hand, Yasen wanted to criticize the carelessness of the nobleman, but on the other, he had to admit that he did have a point. Even he couldn’t think of a way the orcs would be able to take the city if the defenders were keeping their guard up—and the captain had made sure they would.

The only thing that had convinced him to evacuate the population was the existence of a certain “prophecy” that Eisen informed him about. According to the marquis’ sources, the Blue Terror was foretold to be able to conquer at least one city and the nobleman had suggested that having an empty city would certainly foil the Oni’s plans, regardless of the prophecy. The problem was that the duke would never believe in this justification, especially since the marquis’s source were the goblins.

Yasen decided it would be better to not justify his decision at all.

“I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, Duke Grimdale, but I’m afraid that you and your people will have to endure it for the time being,” he said in a stern voice. “His majesty himself declared a state of emergency in this region and appointed me commander in chief in order to solve it. Therefore, I have the final say on every matter right now, and my priority is to keep the citizens of Medelan safe.”

The duke stared blankly at him. “Fine, Captain,” he said in a cold voice. “The law is the law, after all, and no one could legally go against a royal edict.” His tone took on a threatening air. “For now, at least.”

He turned and walked away, slamming the doors behind himself.

Yasen looked at the door for a bit, suddenly far more tired. Since Lord Grimdale was affiliated with the Council of Nobles, which opposed the king’s authority, dangling a royal edict in his face probably hadn’t been a good idea and was likely to cause trouble in the future. However, it was worth the trouble if it meant saving more lives, as right now, he simply couldn’t afford to waste energy arguing with the duke. It was better to let him marinate in his own anger and plot some future vengeance than to have him question his decisions.

Also, if the orcs really managed to enter the city, then his caution would have been validated… But, just for this once, he decided he’d rather be wrong.

Chapter 38

An Explosive Beginning

The City of Treval was built on the southern shore of the river Renn, right where the waters began to deepen enough to be always navigable during all seasons. And since most of the trades between the Empire and the Federation passed through that river, this made Treval an extremely important and thriving commercial hub.

However, this enviable position came with its own problems, especially since the city was located next to the border with the neighboring nation of the Duchy of Rasse. It was no secret that the Duchy coveted Treval, and though both Medelan and Rasse were technically part of the same Empire and therefore allies, that didn’t do much to soothe the worries of the kingdom. After all, small wars and low-key conflicts often arose between the states that made up the Empire and the Duchy had become aggressively expansivist over the last two generations, using any pretext it could find to grab more lands from its neighbors.

In order to keep Rasse’s ambitions in check, about twelve years prior the king of Medelan had decided to renovate Treval’s defenses. The old, outdated walls were replaced by bastions of earth and bricks, easily capable of withstanding cannon fire and destructive spells, with large battlements filled with cannons and protected by ramparts, while a deep and large moat had been dug in front of the walls. The northern part of the city, facing the river Renn, couldn’t be fortified. In order to dissuade enemy attacks from that direction, a large citadel had been built on the northwest corner of the city, watching over the harbor and housing large cannons that would shred any ship to pieces well before it could reach the city.

Thanks to these impressive defenses, Treval was now widely considered impregnable despite not having been besieged even once. And yet there were some who questioned the late king’s decision to fortify the city, because while it had certainly deterred the Duchy from trying a direct attack—which many considered unlikely anyway—it had given a lot of power to the dukes of Grimdale who ruled over the city. With a secure base of power, they were sure they could hold against any army, even the kingdom itself.

Worse still, the Rassians, seeing that a direct assault would be unfeasible, had started bribing the lords of Grimdale to their side, something which gave them yet another bargaining chip to use against their king. It was no wonder the Duke of Grimdale had become the figurehead of the Council of Nobles, the political faction of Medelan who wanted to limit the power of their liege.

Thinking about the history of the city, Yasen thought there was a certain amount of irony in it. But even more ironic was the fact that the arrival of the orcs had now vindicated the decision to fortify the city, as it offered the defenders the chance to stop the invasion then and there. That would certainly be a boon for the royal faction, if they managed to win. And if they lost… well, then they’d have a much bigger problem than worrying about things like internal politics. In a way, it was a win-win situation.

“It’s really true what they say,” he mused. “Every cloud has a silver lining.”

“Did you say something, Captain?” Duke Grimdale asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

They were standing on the battlements over the city gates, surrounded by their lieutenants and helpers, while they waited for the orc army to arrive.

“Just thinking to myself,” Yasen replied, focusing on the enemy army, which was currently approaching.

The orcs were spreading out across the fields south of the city, slowly surrounding it. There were more than twenty-five thousand in total, all relatively well-equipped and disciplined for their kind.

It was quite an intimidating sight, Yasen admitted. If he had to face them in an open battle, he would have been rather worried, but as he was defending a fortress, he felt the odds were better. As impressive as it looked, the orc army lacked any sort of artillery or real ranged units, which meant they couldn’t retaliate at all while the defenders unloaded all they had on them from the safety of the walls.

And the numbers weren’t that bad either, since in addition to the three hundred Royal Knights under his service, there were about fifty Aura Warrior and five hundred guards from Treval’s garrison, which meant there were more than eight hundred regular soldiers defending the city. Those alone would have been enough to hold the city, but at Yasen’s insistence they also raised a militia of about four thousand volunteers, equipped with bows, crossbows, or muskets, easy to use weapons that were effective even in the hands of untrained soldiers. And finally, there were a handful of casters, both sorcerers and clerics, who would be useful in a battle, either by casting spells against the enemy or in support roles like healers and telemancers.

All in all, Yasen thought the city could easily hold off any direct assault with ease. Which meant the real threat would come from indirect attacks.

The orc army was a bit too far for him to pick up too many details yet, so he turned to a nearby sentry, who was also watching them through a spyglass.

“Do you see if the orcs are doing anything weird?” he asked.

“Well, they’re orcs who are behaving almost like an actual army, if that counts, sir,” the soldier jokingly replied. “But apart from that, they’re just surrounding the city.”

“Alright. Keep watching them then,” Yasen said. “And inform me immediately if you spot anything noteworthy.”

“Aye, sir,” the soldier said.

“Why are you so worried, Captain?” Duke Grimdale asked in a sarcastic tone. “These are orcs, not people. They probably think they can beat the walls into submission with their clubs!”

“I certainly hope so,” Yasen replied. “But I think it’s more likely that they have something in mind. After all, their leader seems to be much smarter than the average orc.”

“Hmpf,” Lord Grimdale snorted in disbelief. “And what would their plan be, exactly?”

“I don’t know for sure,” the captain admitted. “But it probably involves sneaking someone into the city to create an opening for them. I can’t think of any other way they could hope to get past the walls without using artillery.”

“Well, good luck with that!” The nobleman smirked. “We put guards literally everywhere. They’d spot an intruder before any damage could be done.”

“I do hope you’re right, milord,” Yasen replied grimly, but deep down he kind of agreed with Lord Grimdale.

He’d been extremely thorough when placing sentinels around the city, not leaving out even the smallest and most unlikely way to get past the walls. He even had a few Aura Warriors in crucial points, using their Aura Scan in case the orc infiltrators were somehow able to become invisible—something that to Yasen didn’t seem so unlikely after he’d been ambushed by that female-looking ogre during his fight with the Oni.

Still, this wasn’t reason enough to get complacent. After all, the Oni had already proven himself to be a devious opponent, and there was always the possibility that he still hadn’t shown everything he could do. Because of this, Yasen couldn’t afford to be overconfident as long as the enemy still drew breath.

He turned his eyes on the enemy army, trying to spot the Blue Terror in its midst. After a few seconds He was barely visible in the middle of the horde, surrounded by orcs with a bluish hue to their skin, which seemed to be his bodyguards.

He decided that he’d focus on him for the time being. After all, if there was trouble, the Oni was bound to be at the center of it.

* * *

On the eastern side of Treval, two guards were doing their best to breathe exclusively with their mouth. The post they’d been assigned to, a small drainage tunnel which collected the sewage waters of the city and expelled them in the moat, smelled absolutely horrible. To the point that it had taken them more than half an hour to get reasonably accustomed to it. On the bright side, it was rather unlikely the enemy would enter from there, since not only was the tunnel blocked by multiple grates, but the exit was also in plain sight from the walls.

Still, they dutifully stayed alert as they were supposed to. On guard against anything that might crawl up on them from the sewers. Because of this, they noticed the four people pulling a cart full of barrels as soon as they emerged from behind a corner and started approaching them.

TThey were the last batch of refugees that had been let in before the city doors were closed, a bunch of ragged farmers who’d brought barrels of fruits with them. They looked worn out and quite harmless, but nonetheless the two guards followed protocol and stopped them.

“Halt!” the older guard ordered, and when the refugees obeyed, he asked: “What brings you here?”

“I beg your pardon, sir!” one of them replied. There was something odd about his voice, a shrill echo that somehow felt wrong. “We were bringing some fruits to the guards of the city, to thank you all for saving us!” He opened a barrel and took out two ripe-looking honeyfruits. “Here! You can take this!”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t eat while on duty,” the guard said sternly.

“And even if we could, it’d be hard to keep the food down with this smell!” his colleague chimed in, earning a reproachful look from his mate.

“Well, it’s not as if you have to eat them right now,” the farmer insisted. “You can take them and eat them later. It’d mean a lot to us to know that we contributed to the siege, even in this small way!”

The older guard was conflicted about what to do, but his colleague supported the farmer.

“Oh, c’mon, pal!” he said. “It’s not against the rules to accept gifts! By Pretheve, that’s actually part of the bonuses of being a town guard.”

“Fine.” The older guard shrugged, and he lifted his spear to let the farmer approach. “But be quick about it. We can’t afford to get distracted.”

“Thank you, sir!” the farmer said, approaching the soldier. “May the gods bless you.”

He handed the fruits to the guard, but as the latter extended his hand to take them, the farmer grabbed his wrist and dragged the surprised man toward him. Before the soldier could react, the refugee stabbed him in the neck with a knife he had hidden inside his sleeve.

The younger soldier opened his mouth to give the alarm, but before he could produce any sound, a crossbow bolt hit him in the forehead, jerking his head backward as he fell to the ground.

The farmer froze for a moment at the the younger guard’s heavy clattering. No one came to investigate, and so he relaxed and turned to his companions, one of which was still holding a crossbow.

“Be more careful!” he said angrily with a soft but even shriller voice. “We don’t want to make too much noise!” He started to lift the body of the older guard. “Now help me hide them, quick!”

His companions moved to help, while the one with the crossbow reloaded his weapon and stood guard near the cart. Once the corpses were out of view, they started unloading the barrels, using a surprising amount of care to not shake them too much or make sudden movements, though that wasn’t at all surprising if one knew the content of those barrels.

The guards that inspected the barrels just a few hours before had found them full of fruits similar to pomegranates, and since none of them was an expert botanist, they’d thought nothing of it. After all, it was normal to bring all the food you could to a besieged city. But anyone with some knowledge of exotic plants would have likely screamed and run away, because those weren’t pomegranates, but rather fruits from the aptly named Bomber Tree, a rare and peculiar plant that could be found in the depths of the Caligare Forest. That was one of the deadliest vegetables of the forest, since its fruits were highly explosive and the tree would drop them at the first sign of danger.

It was those fruits that the Brain Spiders in service of the Blue Terror had used to blow up the pool inside of the Piraca fortress, and back then, they’d been dried, which made them safer to handle but also weaker. The ones in the barrels were fresh, which meant any sudden impact would make them explode.

Which was exactly why the Brain Spiders currently masquerading as human refugees took extra care while they carried the barrels into the drainage tunnel.

“Careful!” the leader of the group whispered. “If one of these falls, they’re going to find pieces of us on all three moons!”

Sloshing through the smelly waste, they placed the barrels as deep as possible, just in front of the first grate. Then they lit a fuse and ran away as fast as they could.

A few seconds later, a huge explosion echoed across the city.

* * *

Yasen almost lost his balance, using his glaive as a crutch, as the ground was shaken while a shockwave of hot wind hit him from the east. Around him, many others, Lord Grimdale included, didn’t share his readiness and dropped to their knees, while a few very unlucky soldiers even toppled from the walls screaming.

“By all the Gods! What was that!” Lord Grimdale cried, struggling to get back up.

Yasen could barely hear him, as his ears were still ringing from the sound of the explosion. He turned to his left to see what had happened.

A huge cloud of smoke rose from the eastern walls, and as he was watching, small pieces of debris started falling from the sky like hail. Then, after a few seconds, he noticed that an entire section of the wall was now missing.

It was right at that moment, that a mighty roar could be heard in the distance, and the orc army charged.

Chapter 39

The Battle of Treval Part 1

With his ears still ringing from the explosion, Yasen flew to the eastern side of the walls to assess the situation.

It was bad. Really, really bad.

Debris and bodies were scattered around, while screams and whines could be heard in every direction. An entire section of the wall had been blown from the ground up, creating a ten-meter-wide breach. Worse still, most of the debris had been launched into the moat, creating a makeshift crossing that the attackers could walk on. And the orcs were approaching fast. They would be at the wall in only a few minutes.

Yasen grimaced, but his determination didn’t waver. Even though the walls had been breached, the soldiers of Treval could still hold them and maybe turn that gap in their defenses to their own advantage. After all, this was pretty much an ideal choke point. All Yasen had to do was organize a suitable defense.

Looking around, the captain saw the soldiers in the vicinity were either standing completely still in shock or running around like headless chickens. The first thing to do was to restore order.

“Attention, soldiers!” Yasen cried with a confident and imperious voice, and everyone turned toward him. “I want three squads to take the wounded to the infirmary, asap. The rest of you, prepare some barricades around the breach. We’ve got to hold this position.” The Aura Master turned to the cannon crews still on the walls. “Aim the artillery to take down the orcs once they prepare to traverse the moat, and gather all the grenades you can find. We’re going to make the orcs pay in blood for every single step they take toward our city!”

Having received clear instructions, the men got a hold of themselves and got to work. Yasen quickly flew to the square where the reserves were waiting, under the command of his lieutenant, Ludd.

“What happened, sir?” the officer asked once the captain landed next to him.

“The orcs have managed to blow up part of the eastern walls. I intend to hold that breach, so I’m going to need half of your men there. Also, I want patrols all around the city. I don’t know how the orcs have managed to get us, but I don’t want it happening again.” He stared grimly at his lieutenants “If anyone is acting suspiciously, stop them. I don’t care if it’s your mum, the king, or even the emperor himself—if they look like they do not belong, you must apprehend them!”

“Yes, sir!” Ludd saluted.

Yasen flew back to the breach, just as the cannons started firing.

* * *

The orcs had started their charge about four kilometers out from the walls, and were now within range of the city’s cannons, which fired nearly at the same time, causing the ground the orc army was marching on to explode. Dozens of orcs died, blown to pieces, but the overall casualties were rather light thanks to the humanoids’ loose formation. Unfortunately, they had no way to retaliate, and as the cannons kept up the barrage at regular intervals, the casualties kept piling up, so much so that once the orcs arrived within one kilometer of the walls, they’d already lost more than a hundred soldiers.

Then the guns and crossbows were unleashed.

Both the muskets and the crossbows proved less effective than might have been expected, since they’d been made to be used against humans rather than orcs, but the sheer volume of projectiles was enough to kill or cripple at least two hundred orcs with a single salvo. And by the time they reached the walls, every gunman and crossbowman had enough time for another three discharges, leaving more than a thousand orcs dead in the fields around Treval.

That was when the true onslaught began.

The orcs gathered in front of the moat, but in doing so they became an easy target for the defenders, who shot into the crowd without even bothering to aim. A couple of Aura Archers even started sniping every ogre they could see and managed to kill quite a few, causing chaos and panic among their underlings.

Yet the orc army had gained too much momentum to stop, and those who slowed down were pushed by those who came behind them. Despite dropping like flies, the orcs just kept advancing, gaining ground inches at a time, beginning to cross the moat.

The defenders let them proceed for a few meters, and then started throwing dozens of grenades over the crossing. Recognizing the danger, a few attackers tried to save themselves by diving away and getting under the water, but when the bombs exploded, they still took a huge toll, leaving only a few orcs on their feet who were quickly dispatched by the gunmen on the walls.

The rest of the attackers visibly hesitated after watching their vanguard being completely annihilated, and the defenders took advantage of it by pouring even more shots against them.

But still, the orcs, encouraged and threatened by their remaining ogre officers, didn’t retreat, and instead tried a different approach.

A group of heavily armored orcs led by a particularly brutish-looking ogre emerged from their ranks and bounded onto the rugged crossing of the moat. Those orcs were larger than average, with a bluish hue to their skin. They also carried huge metal shields, heavy enough to protect them from both bullets and crossbow bolts. Because of their weight, they moved rather slow, and even with all of their armor, a few fell to the concentrated fire, but the others simply ignored those casualties and kept advancing, seemingly unstoppable.

Unluckily for them, the defenders had a way to counter them.

A few people in ceremonial robes, clearly priests and clerics, and some others wielding weird instruments, appeared on the walls and conjured bolts of pure lightning, hitting the waters the attackers were trampling through. The blue-skinned orcs twitched spasmodically as they were electrocuted to death, then dropped like puppets with their strings cut off. A nauseating odor of burned meat rose into the air.

Only the ogre remained on his feet, smoke rising from his skin. With a furious roar it charged alone through the hailstorm. The humanoid actually made it to the breach and was about to launch itself inside the city when he was suddenly decapitated by a blade of pure wind. Its headless body took a few more steps, crossing inside of Treval before dropping in the middle of a semicircle of improvised barricades the defenders had built around the breach.

Inside of the walls, Yasen lowered his glaive. All around him, his soldiers cheered at his display of strength, but he himself was far from happy. The orcs were proving to be more tenacious than he’d have thought, and that ogre in particular had been a nasty surprise, since it had actually come close to engaging the defenders in melee and would have probably succeeded if not for his intervention.

That could have been a disaster, since the majority of the defenders were mostly irregular militia armed with ranged weapons. It was imperative to keep the enemy away from them. If the attacks included more ogres, that would prove difficult, so Yasen needed to change his tactics a little.

“Spearmen!” he cried. “Get ready to defend the barricades!”

About sixty men, all armed with long pole weapons, advanced to the frontlines, hiding behind the barricades.

“Stay on guard on the walls too!” Yasen ordered. “The ogres may attempt climbing up there! Aura Warriors, defend everyone else.”

And just as he finished giving these orders, the enemy launched their next offensive. As the Captain of the Royal Knights predicted, this assault was performed by two groups of ogres who approached the walls in different ways. Some, heavily armored and extremely bulky, charged over the moat to reach the breach, stepping over the dead bodies of their own companions, while a few others who were thinner, with long, frog-like legs, simply jumped over the moat in a huge leap.

The defenders unloaded everything they had on them, from gunfire and grenades, to offensive spells, but the armored ogres didn’t even slow down, while the frog-like ones jumped over the walls, landing amidst the defenders on the battlements, while the armored ones charged screaming through the breach.

Thanks to Yasen’s orders, the defenders reacted swiftly, and the frog-like ogres on the walls found themselves facing multiple Aura Warriors each. Similarly, the armored ogres on the ground found out that there were Aura Warriors mixed in with the spearmen defending the barricades, which turned some of the weapons pointed at them from an annoyance to a lethal threat. Not being able to tell which was which confused them enough to halt their charge. Still, a few humanoids managed to get past the barricades, forcing the Aura Warriors in reserve to intervene.

While all this was happening, the orcs took advantage of the confusion to charge through the breach, following their evolved kin’s lead.

For a brief moment, things were pretty balanced. The invaders pressed with unbridled ferocity, threatening to break through the barricades, while the defenders doggedly refused to let them pass.

Then Yasen decided to intervene.

The Captain of the Royal Knights threw himself against the enemies like a storm, gusts of furious wind accompanying his every swing. He cut down an ogre who was about to jump over the barricades, then plowed through the orcs massed behind it as if they were a pile of leaves. Many soldiers and Aura Warriors followed their commander’s lead and launched a counterassault which left the orcs panicking and trying to run away, only to crash against their companions that were still coming, causing both to stop in their tracks. The defenders launched grenades and spells against the chaotic mass of orcs that crowded the breach and the moat, and killing dozens.

The orcs decided they’d had enough. As one, the invaders fled, their morale completely broken, leaving only their dead and dying behind, while the humans cheered wildly.

Yasen, knowing the importance of keeping a high morale, let his soldiers shout for a few more seconds before restoring order.

“Keep firing!” he shouted at the men on the walls. “Don’t let the orcs rally. And pick up the wounded and get them to the infirmary!”

The soldiers obeyed, and the captain used this moment of respite to fly up in the air to get a general view of the battle.

From what he could see, things weren’t going that bad. Apart from the breach, the orc army had concentrated their attack on the two gates as well. The defenders seemed to be holding well for now, though there was some fighting on the walls, especially on the western side, on the opposite side of the city. Still, Yasen wasn’t too worried about it, because if the orcs hadn’t managed to get through the breach, with the best conditions they could possibly get, then it was highly unlikely they’d managed to break in somewhere else.

The ones on the wall were probably some of the frog-legged ogres, and the Aura Warriors of Treval could easily take care of them. The only one that could possibly make a difference was the Blue Terror, but the Oni was currently overlooking the assault at the breach, surrounded by his orc bodyguards, and for the moment he didn’t seem intentioned to directly intervene in the battle.

It was this passive behavior that ignited Yasen’s suspicions. Why hadn’t the Oni led his forces in the attack against the breach? His presence could have tilted the balance of the fight in the invaders’ favor. Instead he’d chosen to let the assault fail, losing hundreds of orcs and dozens of ogres in the process.

Something wasn’t right. Not even a regular orc would have been that stupid.

As he studied the Blue Terror, trying to find anything that would give him an inkling of the humanoid’s intentions, he saw one of the Aura Archers of Treval’s garrison aim at the Oni to try and snipe him down.

The Aura Warrior focused, concentrating his Aura in his arrow, before shooting at the enemy commander with uncanny precision. Flying at supersonic speed, the arrow flew directly for the Blue Terror’s head, but the Oni managed to sense the impending danger and duck at the very last moment. The projectile missed and hit an orc behind him, making its head literally explode. The Blue Terror then kept its head down, and moving with a slight limp, retreated behind the cover of his heavily armored bodyguards.

It took but a moment for Yasen to notice what had been wrong with that.

Wait, why is he limping? he wondered. He healed from lethal wounds in a matter of seconds. What kind of injury could make him limp?

A suspicion started to form in Yasen’s mind. In order to confirm it, he needed to have a better look, so he landed on the walls and asked:

“Does anyone have a spyglass I can use?”

Most men shook their head, but a member of a cannon crew took out a spyglass and handed it to the captain. Yasen focused his eye on the Blue Terror. He then cursed, because that wasn’t the Oni, but rather the female-looking ogre he’d met once before, wearing her leader’s plate armor and having changed her skin to a blue hue.

Why she’d done this was clear to Yasen. She was supposed to be a decoy to keep the defenders’ attention on the breach, while the real Blue Terror attacked somewhere else.

And judging by the fact that the fight on the western wall was getting more and more hectic, the Aura Master had a good guess about where the Oni might be.

“I have to go,” he said to the soldiers around him, handing the spyglass back. “Keep holding your position as you did in my absence.”

And with this order, he flew away to the west, determined to stop the Blue Terror once and for all.

Chapter 40

The Battle of Treval Part 2

The western wall of Treval was the scene of a desperate fight.

Though the defenders had promptly reacted to the assault of the frog-like ogres, they were still getting badly overwhelmed. This was mostly because of the presence of an ogre that was much stronger than the rest of its kin, to the point that none of the Aura Warriors present were able to stop it or even slow it down.

Unbeknownst to the defenders, there was a simple reason for this: that ogre was actually Blueskin, who’d assumed the shape of one of his minions.

The Oni smirked as he slammed his fists against one knight in full plate armor, sending him flying away from the walls and into the moat below. His smile withered a bit as he noticed the man had somehow managed to retaliate, leaving his sword stabbed into its arm. Blueskin simply ripped the sword out and threw it away, his wound closing almost immediately.

He grinned again as he turned to face his next opponent, another knight in heavy armor, and pummeled him into the ground with a single punch before he could react. There was something immensely satisfying in easily defeating these so-called elite soldiers, and he really needed it after the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Yasen Harp.

Speaking of which, he thought he’d probably better hurry before the captain came to stop him. As fun as it was to kill these people, the actual reason he’d gone through all the effort of hiding his presence was so that he could eat an Aura Warrior alive before his next confrontation with Yasen Harp. That way, he would learn the secrets of the Aura Arts himself, and use them against the flying knight. And considering a normal human was able to fight on par with an ogre using those techniques, Blueskin believed if he managed to learn them, he’d become virtually unstoppable.

Looking around, the Oni found his sought-after prize. A robust man wearing the colors of the Royal Knights was fighting against an ogre, using an ornate halberd to hack away at the humanoid with incredibly fast blows. The ogre tried to pounce at the man to crush him with its weight, but the knight simply stabbed with his weapon, impaling his foe in midair. The ogre screamed and kicked, but before it could do anything to free itself, the knight swung his halberd and sent the humanoid flying down the walls and into the moat.

Blueskin smirked. Considering the ogre’s weight had to be at least four hundred pounds, lifting it and throwing it around like that was a clearly superhuman feat. Which meant the man had to be a decently gifted Aura Warrior.

The perfect prey.

Not losing time in useless finesse, the Oni charged the knight head on. The man seemed to sense the danger and turned to face this new enemy, gracefully swinging his halberd directly for Blueskin’s neck. Sadly for the Royal Knight, it wasn’t a mere ogre he was facing.

Blueskin parried the attack with his forearm, feeling the blade bite deeply despite his thick scales, but that didn’t slow him down. He used his other arm to grab the man’s helmet and then, before he could react, slammed his head to the ground with enough strength to crack the stones. He proceeded to repeat this attack a couple more times just to be sure, and lifted his prey, who’d gone completely limp. He used his clawed hands to remove the helmet of the man, revealing a bloody and swollen face. The man’s eyes were still twitching, so he had to be unconscious and not completely dead.

Blueskin sighed with relief, as he feared he might have actually killed the knight. He opened his maw and took his head off with a single bite.

As soon as he swallowed, the knight’s memories flowed into him. The first ones to appear were those about the man’s life— his childhood, family and friends. Blueskin skipped over those, since they were useless, and for some reason made him feel uncomfortable. Instead, he probed for any information regarding Aura Arts and how to use them.

Which wasn’t hard, as the knight’s training had been a crucial part of his life. More than thirty years of practice flashed in the Oni’s mind, until he finally found what he’d been searching for: the man’s apprenticeship, when he’d learned the basics of Aura Arts. Many months spent training, meditating and doing miscellaneous exercises to hone his willpower and achieve the proper mental configuration to make use of his Aura… all that effort would now serve Blueskin!

Having learned the trick to unlock Aura Arts, the Oni wasted no time in trying to summon his own Aura. He focused, matching the mental state the man had used to unlock his powers, and then tried to perform a simple enhancing technique. To his delight, he actually felt a mysterious strength swell inside his chest as his Aura started affecting his body.

To put this to the test, he punched one of the stones of the battlement. Despite not having used much physical strength in that blow, the stone cracked as if Blueskin had hit with all of his might. The Oni felt himself smiling at that demonstration of power.

I’ve finally obtained a skill befitting of a main character, he thought with satisfaction. Now not even that flying human knight will be able to stop me!

And almost as if summoned by those thoughts, Yasen Harp made his appearance.

Dropping from the sky like a lightning bolt, the captain came to his soldiers’ aid, cutting down two ogres before raising his glaive high to rally his men.

“To me, soldiers of Medelan!” he cried. “Let’s send these beasts to the Darkness where they belong!”

The defenders, who just a moment before had been on the verge of breaking, gained a second wind and engaged the ogres with increased ferocity, pushing them back. Yasen, however, didn’t lead them. He rose in the air, floating about three meters above the battlements, and looked around with determined focus. A moment later, Blueskin felt the faint touch of the man’s Aura on his own and the captain turned to stare directly at him.

A hint of a shiver ran down the Oni’s spine in response to that cold, murderous gaze, but he forced himself to ignore it. He proceeded to quickly take his combat form before the knight could attack and overwhelm him as he’d done the last time they fought. Ditching his ogre disguise, Blueskin rapidly grew two sizes bigger as his flesh and bones twisted and changed shape as if they were made of clay. He also grew back his silver hair, while dark blue scales covered his skin like armor.

“Greetings, Captain Harp!” he bellowed loud enough to be heard over the noise of the battle. “How nice of you to come and join us!”

The man simply stared down at the Oni, gripping his glaive tightly as he noticed the half-eaten body of the Royal Knight the humanoid still held in his hands.

Picking up this reaction, Blueskin decided to try and use it to taunt the knight a bit, hoping to anger him and make him act rashly.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I fear you came right in the middle of my meal,” he mocked, waving the headless body at the Aura Master. “Was he someone you knew?”

Much to Blueskin’s chagrin, the knight didn’t answer to that provocation. There was undeniable anger in his eyes, but it was cold and controlled. If anything, it seemed to make the knight even more focused, as he carefully approached his enemy, floating a few meters above the men and ogres fighting on the walls.

Tsk! Why am I always the only one who tries to build some dialogue? the Oni thought, a tad disappointed. He could have told me that was my last meal or something like that, a typical heroic rebuttal, but no, he just gives me the silent treatment! Reality really is disappointing. Even now that I’ve been Isekai’d, I can’t have classic fantasy exchanges like those in the novels. He decided to start preparing himself for battle, Yasen inching ever-closer. Well, he’s just one enemy. Hopefully the next one I will face will be more entertaining!

Blueskin was pretty confident in his chances to defeat the Aura Master this time. After all, it was only thanks to Aura techniques that the human managed to defeat him before, and now that he knew them too, the playing field was evened in his favor.

Without warning, Yasen swung his glaive, sending out a blade of wind aimed at his opponent’s neck. Blueskin responded by lifting his arm to parry it and called out to his Aura to perform a defensive technique.

The Oni’s Aura surged, concentrating in his forearm’s skin, turning his already tough skin into an impenetrable armor. When the wind-blade collided with his arm, it broke without even denting his scales. Blueskin rejoiced at that success, and was so focused on using that technique, he was taken completely by surprise by Yasen’s following attack.

As soon as he launched his wind-blade, the captain darted to the right, flying at high speed to circle clockwise around the Oni, attacking him from the left. Blueskin tried to summon his Aura again to parry the incoming blow, but he was too slow, and the blade of the glaive cut through his scales as if they weren’t there, severing his left arm. Before the Oni could even process the raw pain, another slash was aimed at his head, forcing him to duck in order to not be decapitated, though the blade managed to open a bloody gash on his forehead.

The Oni tried to counterattack, but quickly found that fighting on a relatively narrow battlement while surrounded by other people wasn’t exactly easy. Though most of the ones near him were his allies, no one seemed very eager to help him, and those who tried were dispatched without hesitation by the captain.

And to make things even worse, now that the Oni had revealed himself, some humans were actually aiming at him, so he was also hit from bullets and crossbow darts, something which, though not fatal thanks to his thick scales, was rather painful and distracting. Meanwhile the Aura Master simply flew above the walls, using hit-and-run tactics, circling around his opponent like a vulture, seeking an opening to deliver a killing blow. In short, it was nearly as bad as the first time Blueskin fought him.

The absolute worst thing, though, was that the Aura Arts the Oni had gone through so much trouble to learn were proving to be completely useless. While they seemed extremely good on paper, it was simply impossible to focus enough to use them in the heat of battle.

How do the knights use them then? he desperately wondered. There must be a trick! Why can’t I find one!

* * *

If the situation hadn’t been quite as serious—and if he had been able to spare the time and focus to do so—Yasen would have probably sneered with contempt at the Oni’s foolishness.

Knowing about the monster’s ability to absorb the memories of those he ate, it was quite easy to deduce that his plan had been to devour an Aura Warrior and steal their techniques in order to use them against the captain.

The sheer ignorance of such a scheme would have made Yasen chuckle if he hadn’t been so angry. Simply knowing how to perform Aura techniques wasn’t nearly enough to make someone an Aura Warrior. One needed to spend years hammering each technique into their subconscious, so that they could use them effectively in the heat of battle… Clearly, no one had informed the Oni, and the captain was going to make sure he’d pay the price of his mistake.

On a more serious note, now more than ever it was crucial that the Oni not get away. If he survived, he could have time to actually train himself and learn how to properly use the techniques he’d stolen, and Yasen had no intention of letting him do that.

However, even without Aura Arts, killing the Oni was easier said than done. He was on his guard now, and unlike their previous encounter, Yasen couldn’t afford to concentrate solely on him. Not with a battle going on and many more enemies besides the Blue Terror. For now, all he could do was launch quick offensives and feints, and then retreat in the air, waiting for another opportunity to strike.

And for a moment, it seemed like this strategy would work. The ogres’ assault had lost its momentum, and the monsters were pressured by the numerically superior soldiers and the Aura Warriors who rushed to the walls. In these conditions, it wouldn’t be long before the Oni would be swarmed by enemies, and Yasen intended to use that moment to put an end to the fight once and for all.

Just as he prepared himself for the final assault, he heard a noise of machinery being broken, and a few seconds, a loud thud below the walls.

The captain rose higher to see what happened, and a shiver ran down his spine. One of the ogres had managed to reach the drawbridge mechanism and smashed it, resulting in the drawbridge being lowered.

Now the orcs could reach the walls there as well, and there were hundreds of them waiting on the other side of the moat.

The gates were well defended, with portcullis and double gates of solid wood reinforced with iron that would have kept most attackers at bay. However, they hadn’t been built to resist against inhuman enemies like the orcs, and this weakness became apparent when some humongous ogres covered head to toe in heavy armor charged at the gates like bulls, smashing straight through and tumbling down right on the plaza beyond.

The Blue Terror also noticed this, and cast a wicked smile toward Yasen, clearly expecting him to pause his attacks to go and deal with that problem.

He seemed quite surprised when the captain simply ignored that and tried to decapitate him with a swing of his glaive, missing only by a hair’s breadth, only cutting half of the Oni’s neck.

“Gluck! Glub!” the monster gurgled as blood clotted his throat. He immediately regenerated the damage, and used more discernible words. “What is wrong with you! Can’t you see that my ogres have breached your gates? Why won’t you go stop them?”

Yasen ignored him and kept attacking. If he’d been willing to dignify the Oni with an answer, however, he would have told him that he didn’t need to do anything. He’d already given his men specific orders in the eventuality that the orcs broke through the gates, as unlikely as it had seemed before the battle.

As the ogres and the orcs charged through the broken gates, a group of figures dressed in weird clothes made their appearance, marching against the humanoids. A few of them, dressed in gray and blue tunics, started chanting, raising their arms to the sky. Lighting fell down from nowhere, hitting the armored ogres in front of them with a deafening thunder. Three ogres fell dead, smoke rising from their flesh while their eyes had been liquefied, and the rest of the monster army hesitated, unsure about what to do.

Then the men in the tunics moved aside and a group of knights on horseback emerged from the roads of Treval, charging at the confused orcs with long jousting lances. The first few lines of humanoids died, either stabbed or trampled to death. The rest panicked and ran away, slamming into the ones who were trying to charge in and causing an incredible confusion. The knights didn’t pursue them outside the walls, instead retreating back into the city while foot soldiers pushed a few empty carts into the gates, creating a line of improvised barricades.

This time, Yasen couldn’t help but grin after seeing his precautions pay off. Keeping the Clerics of Toa, the god of storms, and the cavalry in reserve in case the orcs managed to get past the gates, had worked perfectly. His satisfaction only grew when he saw the dumbfounded look on the Blue Terror’s face. Still, he tried not to get distracted, and prepared another attack against the Oni.

The Oni sent out an angry growl, and while dodging and trying to counter Yasen’s attacks, he started screaming with fury toward his army.

“Stop playing around, you fucking cowards!” he shouted so loudly that he could be perfectly heard from far away even over the sound of the battle. “Charge now! Kill these humans and eat their flesh! Do it now! Now!”

A few orcs and ogres looked up, and some even attempted to charge, but there was such a confusion among their ranks, that any proper maneuver was almost impossible, and a salvo of projectiles from the defenders on the barricades was more than enough to take care of that.

Yasen’s grin grew wider as the Oni’s frustration became even more manifest. But what happened next wiped the smile from his face.

“Blue Dragons!” the monster cried. “Charge! Break through those gates! Kill these damned humans!”

In response to the Blue Terror’s order, there was a stirring in the orc army below. A group of a dozen or so ogres made a beeline for the gates, shoving or even trampling anyone who was in their way. These humanoids, as Yasen noticed, not only seemed bigger than average even for their kind, but they also wore peculiar armor, a well-made looking plate with some huge green scales strapped over it, protecting the vital areas.

Their skin also had a bluish hue to it.

These ogres charged over the drawbridge, ignoring the fire from the attackers, and headed straight for the barricades. The defenders, among which were several Aura Warriors, braced themselves, pointing their pole weapons against them, like they’d done so at the breach.

This time, that strategy didn’t work as well.

The ogres barreled through the spears, and those, even the Aura-infused ones, broke or bounced off harmlessly when hitting their scale-covered armor. It didn’t completely go the ogres’ way, as a few of them fell when hit in places not protected by those weird scales, but it was enough to wipe out the barricades and overwhelm the defenders. And, as the tides of battle changed, the orcs regained their spirits and followed those armored ogres, making their assault’s momentum grow even more.

It was Yasen’s turn to silently curse, while the Blue Terror opened his lips in a shit-eating grin.

“These are my best soldiers, the Blue Dragons,” he announced smugly. “They are those among my sons who managed to become ogres themselves. Not only are they stronger than the average ogre since they are my descendants, but they’re also equipped with dragonscale armor, which makes them virtually invulnerable—even to your Aura Arts!” He laughed. “I’d have liked to keep them safe for later battles, but it couldn’t be helped! You did well to force me to deploy them, but now that they’re fighting, your defeat is inevitable!”

Once again, the captain didn’t reply with words, sending a fast stab aimed at the Oni’s head, which almost took out one of his eyes. He was, however, quite worried, as stopping these orcs covered by dragon scales would prove difficult. He could have done it himself, of course, but that would have meant leaving the Blue Terror to his own devices, something which he absolutely couldn’t afford to do.

He was forced to reveal his full hand as well.

“Send all the reserves in! Now!” he cried, waving his glaive. “We need to stop the orcs! All forces, charge!”

In response to this order, a nearby soldier grabbed a horn from his belt and three sharp notes echoed in the air. In response to this signal, soldiers from all over the city rushed in to help. A few hundred soldiers and several Aura Warriors, led by Yasen’s lieutenants, swoop in to meet the orcs just after the gates. With the armored ogres leading the charge, the invaders seemed all but unstoppable, pushing deeper and deeper into the human lines.

Then, as all seemed lost, another group of clerics made their appearance from within the city, chanting as they marched. Unlike the previous group, which only wore loose gray and blue tunics, these ones wore what looked like ornate bronze armor over red tunics, and carried several weapons made of bronze. Their leaders also carried a censer, rhythmically swinging it left and right, sending puffs of smoke all around him. All of the soldiers who smelled those fumes started fighting with greater ease, throwing themselves against the enemy with unnatural fury and determination, though even this wasn’t enough to stop the invaders.

Then the clerics raised their weapons, and howling the name of their goddess of war, Qierra, they threw themselves against the ogres. Crimson flames appeared on their weapons, and when their leader hit one of the ogres with his huge bronze broadaxe, the blade managed to penetrate through the scale of the humanoid’s armor, felling the monster. Though the other clerics weren’t quite as powerful, they matched the ogres blow for blow, and their holy frenzy seemed almost contagious, making the soldiers all around them fight like maniacs, to the point they actually managed to stop the invader’s advance and even press them back a bit.

Many men still fell every second, and Yasen realized that stopping the orcs’ assault would be only possible at a steep cost in lives. He just couldn’t see any other option, since they could only hope to resist a few hours if they retreated into the citadel, where more than twenty thousand civilians had also taken refuge. It was imperative to protect them, no matter the cost. For if the orcs managed to reach them and devour them, they would truly become unstoppable.

Grim determination settled over Yasen. He couldn’t let the Oni get away. He braced himself, gathering his determination to slaughter the monster or die trying—and stopped, noticing something that changed all of his plans.

“Fall back!” he cried, flying away from the walls. “Fall back into the citadel!”

He threw himself into the fight in the plaza below, a literal living hurricane that swept away all those who tried to stand against him. Even in their berserk state, the orcs hesitated in front of such strength.

The defenders took advantage of this to retreat in an orderly manner, taking their wounded with them. Signals passed through the soldiers, and in a few minutes, all of the soldiers abandoned the walls, falling back to the citadel and leaving the rest of the city to the orcs.

* * *

Still standing on the walls, Blueskin stared at the defenders abandoning their posts with a mix of relief and confusion. He was certainly happy to see the Captain of the Royal Knights getting away from him, especially because he really had him on the ropes for a moment, but at the same time, he didn’t understand why he’d done so.

He was probably feeling bad about his soldiers being killed, he thought and smiled with contempt. Typical sheeple behavior. He may be strong, but he’s too stupid and weak-willed to be a true threat. A strong leader must be ready to sacrifice everything to achieve what he wants!

He watched his orcs enter the city, which sadly was completely empty. But the Oni wasn’t too worried, as from the memories he’d absorbed from the enemy soldiers, the population had taken refuge in the citadel, which wouldn’t be too hard to conquer now that he controlled the rest of the city.

Then, inexplicably, he froze. A faint but clear sensation of danger fell over him, making him feel as if a line of ants were crawling up his spine. He turned around and saw something that made his blood run cold.

A huge army was visible in the fields in front of Treval, stretching into the horizon like a dark river.

Chapter 41

The Battle of Treval Part 3

Many birds were flying high in the sky above Treval. Most were just scavengers drawn in by the ongoing battle, but other creatures were also present. Some looked like a mix between lizards and dragonflies, and they seemed to follow the battle below with particular interest—a correct assessment, because they were Vex Flyer drones, and through their eyes, their queen watched the battle while hidden in a small wood about ten kilometers away.

“The defenders have retreated from the walls,” he said, using his copy-drone to report his findings to Trakk and Eisen, who were with the goblin army marching on Treval. “They are all going inside the citadel now. The orcs are trying to pursue them, but Yasen and the other Aura Warriors are keeping them occupied. Oh, and some of the orcs have probably noticed us, since they are pointing and shouting at us. The Oni is doing that as well.”

“Excellent,” Trakk said, calm as usual. “We made it in time then. And I guess that takes care of the prophecy. The Blue Terror did technically manage to take a city, for all the good it will do to him. Now it’s time we take it back.”

“Oh, so that’s why Yasen retreated from the walls as soon as he noticed us?” Marcus asked.

“I doubt it,” the marquis chimed in. “He’s not someone to care too much about prophecies.” He turned pensive for a moment. “I think he did it because trying to hold the walls would have caused more casualties than just retreating into the citadel.”

“A good call,” the Goblin General nodded approvingly. “The orcs can’t attack them without leaving themselves vulnerable.”

“But now that there is no one stopping them, can’t the orcs just stay inside the city and use the walls to defend against us?” Marcus asked, making his copy-drone raise an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“We can certainly hope so,” Trakk replied with an amused grin. “They’d save us a lot of work trapping themselves like that. Not to mention that without ranged weapons of their own, they’d basically be sitting ducks while we pick them safely from a distance.”

The copy-drone nodded. “Ohh, that makes sense.”

“I don’t think they’ll do that though,” the general continued. “Given their usual aggressiveness, it’s much more likely that they’ll leave a small garrison inside the city while the rest march out to face us in the open.”

“Understood,” Marcus said. “We’re going to follow the plan we made earlier then? You and your goblins hold the center, while my drones take up the wings, right?”

“Yes,” Trakk confirmed. “That would be the best course of action. Your drones’ speed will allow them to maneuver quickly and surround the orcs while we hold them in place.”

“I will be the hammer while you guys are the anvil, right?” the Vex Queen asked with a ferocious smirk.

“Exactly,” the goblin replied with a smile of his own. “Assuming everything goes as planned, that is.” Then he turned serious, all his focus narrowing on Marcus—or rather, his copy. “Speaking of which, try your best to stay safe. We can’t afford to lose you.”

“Don’t worry!” the Vex Queen reassured him. “Believe it or not, staying alive is one of my top priorities!”

“I’m serious,” Trakk insisted. “If the Oni knows about your existence—and he probably does—then he’s definitely going to try and kill you. And if you die, we don’t know how your drones are going to respond.”

“Well, I’m more than ten kilometers away from Treval, surrounded by several hundred of my Warriors, a few Aura Warriors, and my friend Felix. Plus, I got a Wyvern here with me in case I need to get away. I can’t see how I could be any safer than this.”

“Just be careful not to drop your guard,” the goblin insisted. “Stay alert and be ready to run away if things get dangerous for you, even if that means leaving your companions behind. If we lose you, we lose the battle, so don’t play the hero like you did back in Brettholz.”

Marcus mentally groaned at those words. Like most people, Trakk had misunderstood his actions during the siege of Brettholz, and now thought he had some sort of hero complex. But in reality, the Vex Queen hadn’t been particularly heroic: he simply thought he was going to die anyway and decided he’d rather go out with some dignity, saving his friends in the process, rather than die like a coward.

I really ought to explain how things really went one day, he thought, but there wasn’t the time for that now, so he just nodded.

“Fine, if I think I’m in danger, I’ll book it without question then,” Marcus said. “By the way, doesn’t the whole killing the leader thing go both ways? I mean, if we kill the Oni, wouldn’t the orcs be basically neutralized?”

“In the long-term, probably yes,” Trakk promptly answered. “I don’t think they’re going to be able to act as a unified army for long without the Blue Terror’s lead. However, in the short-term, they are still going to be a threat. Though, killing the Oni should still be our top priority. Even if we win today, if the Oni manages to escape, he could raise another army, so this conflict won’t truly be over until he’s dead.”

“Good. Because that’s also exactly what I came here to do!” a new voice chimed in, and Alya Vilka made her appearance, approaching the trio of commanders.

“Ah, good day, Master Vilka.” Eisen saluted her with a respectful nod. “What brings you here, if I may ask?”

“I wanted to inform you that I’ll join you and the goblins at the center of the army,” the wolfwoman replied nonchalantly. “I want to join the fight from the start.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine,” the marquis said. “We can use all the help we can get.”

“Weren’t you going to wait and see where the Oni would be?” Marcus asked. “I thought he was your priority.”

“Yeah, but I could use some exercise before I fight him,” Alya said. “I’ve been slacking a bit too much in the past few days, and killing a few orcs and ogres will be a good warm up.”

“Suit yourself,” the Vex Queen replied. “But I’m not going to keep the Oni alive for you. If I can kill him with my drones, I will.”

“That’s fine,” the Aura Master shrugged. “If your minions manage to kill him, then he’s just too weak to be an interesting challenge for me.”

In his real body, Marcus grinned at those words, not doubting even for a moment that the wolfwoman meant them. In the days they spent travelling together, he’d gotten to know Alya a bit, and she always freely spoke her mind, to the point of coming off as quite rude most of the time.

The Vex Queen appreciated that sort of brutal honesty, and had warmed up a bit to the Aura Master as a result. He still felt a bit intimidated by her—not to mention the weird sexual confusion she caused him—but now he was confident enough to actually casually talk with her, exchanging the occasional quip and snarky remark. She didn’t seem to mind and actually answered in kind.

Marcus was just about to make another playful comment, when his attention was taken by something else. He shifted his focus to the walls of Treval.

“The orcs are leaving the city,” his copy-drone announced. “Seems like you were right, Trakk. They’re preparing to fight us in an open battle.”

* * *

“Get moving, you maggots!” Blueskin shouted at the top of his lungs. “We don’t have all day!”

He was standing on top of the gates of Treval, watching his troops exit the city. The news of the incoming enemy army had caused some discontent among the soldiers, and the Blue Terror decided to personally supervise their deployment as a way to restore morale. That seemed to have worked well, since after making an example of the first three who dared to openly complain, the others had fallen in line without a hitch. After all, no one wanted to end up with their head bitten off by their boss!

The Oni burped. That meal had replenished the energy he’d spent fighting against Yasen Harp, and with his stamina restored and his belly pleasantly full, he felt much better about the current situation.

Initially he’d panicked a bit when he had seen that humongous army on the horizon, but after he calmed down enough to consult the memories of the Royal Knight he’d eaten, he discovered that things weren’t as bleak as they first seemed. The defenders were indeed expecting reinforcements, but those weren’t the actual Medelan army, but rather the militia from the neighboring province of Brettholz—the same force that had been expecting the orcs at the borders of the forest, composed mostly of goblins and the bug-lizard creatures known as Vex. The very one’s he’d once fought in the Medelanian outpost in the Ashwood Hills.

This piece of news actually greatly reassured Blueskin, since in his experience, neither of those races could compete with the orcs in a fight, and their numerical advantage wasn’t big enough for them to possibly hope to win. Sure, they might have been dangerous if they managed to catch the orcs by surprise, but in an open battle, the Blue Terror was completely confident in his chances to win.

Which was the reason why he ordered his troops to march out of the city to meet their enemy in an open field, leaving only a small garrison to keep the people of Treval trapped in their citadel.

Although, as he watched the enemy army close in, there was something that bugged him a bit, and that thing was—somewhat fittingly—the Vex. From the memories he’d absorbed from the telemancer in the forest just a few months before, the Vex back then couldn’t have been more than a few hundred, while now there were several thousand.

And if that wasn’t enough, there was also that eerie presence on the horizon—an Aura that was clearly very far away from him, but so strong, he could easily perceive it. Not even the dragon’s Aura had been quite as powerful, and the Oni wondered what manner of creature it could belong to.

From the memories of the Aura Warrior, he knew that the Queen of the Vex had a very strong Aura, but as far as the man had been able to recall it wasn’t anything like what Blueskin was feeling right now!

If it was her though, it meant that not only the Vex population grew at an exponential rate, but so did their queen’s Aura. This was something the Oni couldn’t ignore. Even though he thought he could easily win, the Vex could still be a potential threat in the future. Also, from what he knew about her, the Vex Queen shared a lot of similarities with him and the other reincarnators—having come from the Caligare Forest, possessing rare powers, and being able to talk and make plans. It was likely that she’d also been Isekai’d herself, and that made it all the more important that she was dealt with as soon as possible.

Besides, in the memories the knight had about her, there was a hint of her being able to control her minions with her mind, so maybe her minions could be neutralized by her death.

Makes sense. In sci-fi movies, in order to defeat huge swarms of invading alien insects you have to kill their queen! he thought with a smirk. This is actually more of a fantasy setting, but I think the same principle could apply.

He thought about it, and decided it was worth a try. While he felt confident that he could win nonetheless, without the Vex, he should be able to capture even more goblins alive, which would prove a great boon for the growth of his troops, perhaps making up for the unexpected losses they’d suffered during the siege.

However, he was too busy leading the army to go after the Vex Queen himself, so he had to send someone else in his stead. He sighed, a bit saddened by the fact that wouldn’t be able to taste the Aura of the Vex Queen himself, but sometimes sacrifices were inevitable. He called for the only one he could entrust this mission to.

“Tiny!” he screamed, loud enough to be heard over the noise of his marching army. “Tiny! Come here right now!”

He only had to wait for a few seconds before the ogress made her appearance. She’d ditched the armor she used to impersonate him, and had even returned to her natural color, but one thing remained the same: she still wore the same sour face she’d adopted ever since the Oni ordered her to act as his body double for the battle.

“What is it, Blue?” she asked in a rather weary voice.

“I have a new mission for you,” the Oni replied. “I need you to go kill the Queen of the Vex.”

“Who?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“She’s the leader of those bug-things out there, the Vex,” Blueskin explained. “She’s a humanoid creature with gray skin, glowing eyes, and a horn on her forehead. She should be somewhere in that direction.”

And he pointed where the strong Aura came from.

Tiny narrowed her eyes as her expression became rather suspicious.

“Why do you want her dead?” she asked.

“She could become dangerous in the future,” the Oni replied. “Also, she probably controls the Vex, and without her they’ll be neutralized.”

“Fine. What else can you tell me about her? Is she strong? Does she have someone with her?”

“I don’t know for sure.” Blueskin shrugged. “I know she has a very strong Aura, but I’m not sure she can make use of it in battle. I guess you’ll have to find out yourself.”

The ogress remained silent for a moment, looking quite pensive before finally giving an answer.

“I’m going to need help,” she said. “I don’t know enough about the target to risk facing her openly. I’ll need to take a few ogres with me to cause a distraction I can use to kill her before she can react.”

“Take whatever you think you need,” Blueskin conceded. “However, you have to kill the Vex Queen, no matter the cost. I don’t care what you have to do, do not let her get away.”

“As you order, boss!” Tiny saluted, and after making sure the Oni didn’t have any other orders for her, she walked away.

The Oni watched her go, and then he moved away as well. He too had work to do, and a battle to win.

Chapter 42

The Battle of Treval Part 4

As dark clouds started covering the sky over Treval, two armies faced each other in the fields in front of the city.

On one side, coming from the south, were the Brettholz forces. Ten thousand goblins had taken the center and were organized in three lines: a vanguard of light infantry armed with bows, crossbows, and even some rifles, a central tight phalanx-like formation of heavy infantry armed with long pikes, and a rearguard of rare subspecies, such as Goblin Champions and Gargoyles, and even a few human Aura Warriors ready to intervene if needed.

The Vex made up both wings, each about twenty thousand drones strong, and while they had no discernible formation, they advanced with such uncanny coordination, that they resembled a flowing liquid.

On the other side, right in front of the city, were around eighteen thousand orcs divided into three groups of six thousand to match their opponents. At first glance, it was clear they lacked the discipline of their foes, since they kept a rudimentary and quite loose formation, but the sheer size of the humanoids made them extremely threatening nonetheless.

The two forces kept slowly but steadily advancing against each other. The battle was imminent.

* * *

Sitting in a yoga position far away from the frontlines on top of one of his Dreadnaughts, Marcus had entered an almost trance-like state in order to guide his forces as efficiently as possible. Such was his focus, that he felt all of his drones like a physical extension of himself more than ever before. He breathed through thousands of mouths, walked through thousands of legs, and watched the world through thousands of eyes. It was an exhilarating experience, one that made him feel all sorts of emotions.

Chief among them was a weird feeling of hunger.

He couldn’t really explain why, but the idea of fighting against the orcs filled him with ravenous anticipation. It wasn’t so much physical, as mental and emotional, like when you’ve already eaten your fill for the day, but you know that the next day you’re going to your favorite restaurant for an all-you-can-eat buffet. Only instead of buffalo wings and BBQ ribs, he was daydreaming of the orcs’ strong bodies, and the images that flashed in his mind were enough to make his mouth water. However, he couldn’t afford to get distracted, so he shook his head to get rid of the images and focused back on his drones.

As he did, he noticed through the eyes of one of his Flyers something moving in the river northeast of Treval.

At first the Vex Queen was tempted to dismiss that movement as a fish or something like that, but after a moment he decided that taking a closer look wouldn’t hurt. And as it turned out, that was a really good call, because there was an entire group of ogres swimming in the river.

Well, well, well, Marcus thought. What do we have here?

He watched as the humanoids got out of the waters and headed south. There were thirteen of them, led by a rather thin-looking ogre, and they were clearly trying to be as stealthy as possible… closing in on where the Vex Queen was hiding.

Hm. Guess Trakk was right after all. They are going to try and kill me, he thought with a bit of reluctant admiration for the goblin’s foresight. Well, too bad for them. Now that I know they’re coming, I can prepare a nice welcoming party!

He made the necessary preparations, informing his bodyguards and Trakk of the situation, before returning his attention to the fields in front of Treval, where the battle was just about to begin.

It was time to get to work.

* * *

A powerful voice echoed through the left wing of the orc army.

“Stay in line, maggots!” Blueskin screamed. “Stay in line and wait for my signal to charge!”

Hearing the threatening voice of their leader, the orcs who’d started outpacing the rest of the army returned in line and kept pace with their companions.

The Oni nodded, though he was a tad irritated. The orcs’ recklessness and short attention span made commanding them feel like he was herding cats. At least they instinctively bowed down to authority, especially if the ones giving order were bigger than they were… and right now, Blueskin was probably the biggest he’d ever been.

Since his old combat form hadn’t performed so well lately, the Oni decided to make a new and improved one, growing to three and a half meters tall, and increasing his muscles to unprecedented levels in order to grant himself even more power. The downside to this increased bulk was that he was too big to use any of his equipment, but he made up for that by growing an armor of extremely thick scales all over his body, complete with bone blades protruding from his arms. Finally, almost as an afterthought, he grew an additional set of arms in order to increase the number of attacks he could make.

This was definitely the most monstrous shape he’d ever taken, and the awe and fear in the eyes of the orcs that gazed upon him served as a confirmation of just how terrifying he looked. Something which made him feel quite satisfied, all things considered.

He still wasn’t entirely confident enough to take on Yasen Harp. His latest fight with the man taught him that, while he had knowledge of Aura Arts, he still lacked mastery over them. So much so that he was pretty much incapable of using them in a serious battle.

He’d hatched a plan to fix that by practicing against an opponent that couldn’t actually hurt him. Which was why he was leading the left wing of his army against the Vex. Though the bug-creatures were many, he knew from his past experiences they weren’t actually that strong individually, which made them the perfect dummies for his training. Even the goblins, in his opinion, could be potentially more annoying, since some of their subspecies were strong enough to pose a semblance of a threat, though those specimens were usually very rare.

Because of this, the Oni’s spirits were high—absolutely certain of his victory. He felt so confident, he barely even looked at the enemy, focusing his attention on his own troops instead. Because of this, he failed to notice the bigger shapes in the midst of the advancing Vex horde, nor the eerie coordination the creatures displayed. He just made his troops advance in as good an order as they could display, and when they were about five hundred meters from the enemy, he raised his hand and roared:

“Charge!”

And with that signal, six thousand orcs started running against the Vex, howling with bloodthirsty savagery.

* * *

Marcus watched the orcs charge his forces, grinning all the while.

It was finally time to trigger the trap he’d spent so much time preparing.

He gave a mental order, and as one, all of the Vex Flyers—which until then had stayed on the back of the other drones—rose up to the sky like a dark cloud. The swarm then moved on the orc army, employing a strafing run and showering their front lines with a rain of acidic venom.

The bloodthirsty roars turned into screams of pain as the orcs started desperately trying to clean themselves of the corrosive spit of the Flyers, often dropping to the ground and rolling when everything else failed. The humanoid’s charge abruptly stopped and confusion spread through their ranks despite the ogre officers trying their best to bring back a semblance of discipline. Due to their thick skin, there hadn’t been many orcs who’d been killed or even seriously injured, and even as the Flyers kept showering them with acid, they started to reorganize, raising their arms and weapons to protect their faces.

Still, this was all well within Marcus’—or rather, Trakk’s—predictions. It had been the goblin who suggested the Vex Queen reveal his Flyers at the last possible moment in order to maximize the confusion they’d cause, since by themselves they couldn’t deal enough damage to the enemy army. And luckily, Marcus heeded the general’s suggestion, not only about the usage of the Flyers, but also about what was to follow.

As the orcs tried to regain their stance, dozens of huge reptilian figures emerged from the Vex ranks. It was the Artillery Drones, which started firing upon the enemy army.

The drones’ throats inflated as they built up pressure, and after a few seconds they spat out huge blobs of acid, which flew like mortar fire. These blobs exploded on impact with the ground, showering a ten-meter-wide area in acidic venom, and the orcs caught in the blast immediately started howling in pain as their flesh melted away from their bones.

While this new attack didn’t actually kill too many orcs, it greatly increased the panic and disorder among their ranks. To the point that they lost all the discipline they’d regained.

However, despite all of this, a few groups of the humanoids guided by their ogre officers still kept charging, roaring in defiant frustration toward the enemies on the ground. This display of bravery and fierceness was rather impressive, and it almost made Marcus feel a bit bad about having to kill them all. Not enough to actually stop him, though.

As the orcs came near his forces, the Vex Queen ordered his drones to counter charge them. As if a dam had been opened, the Vex launched themselves forward like a flood, meeting the screaming rage of the humanoids with an eerie silence, broken only by the chittering sound of their chitin armor.

What followed was an absolute massacre.

The drones hit the enemy like a tidal wave, sweeping through the orcs with no apparent resistance. Though the humanoids were bigger and bulkier than the Warrior that made up most of the Vex forces, the previous bombardment of acid had deprived them of any semblance of cohesion and coordination, while the Vex had both in spades. Moreover, the presence of hundreds of hulking Heavy drones added even more punch to the Vex assault, and as the cherry on top, the Flyers, at Marcus’ command, had done yet another strafing run just before the two armies made contact with each other, distracting a lot of orcs at a very crucial moment and preventing them from defending themselves.

As a result of this perfectly orchestrated and coordinated assault, both the orc wings were completely engulfed by the Vex in a matter of minutes. It happened so fast, the humanoids didn’t have time to even process what was going on, let alone react to it. All that was left were a few pockets of resistance, usually centered around the ogres, but even those were quickly overwhelmed, like sand castles during a high tide.

Meanwhile, the enemy central forces were doing marginally better, which meant they hadn’t been completely obliterated, but still they weren’t having much success either. The goblins were holding admirably well, using their Gargoyles to attack the orcs from above while their tight phalanx formation kept them at bay. In some places the ogres had actually managed to break through, but even they were repelled by the coordinated action of the human Aura Warriors and the stronger goblin specimens.

Seeing this, Marcus was about to bring an end to this battle and order his drones to move against the orc central forces, when he noticed a disturbance on the left wing that couldn’t be dealt with. A single warrior who kept fighting, holding his own despite being alone against an army of enemies.

It was the Blue Terror.

The Oni, which was now bigger than before and sported a new set of arms, was killing the Vex by the dozen, tearing apart any drone that approached him. This wasn’t really a deterrent for Marcus’ minions though, since they lacked any sort of self-preservation instinct, and so for any Warrior or Heavy that fell, three more took its place. And even though he was quite literally drowning in sea of chitin, the leader of the orcs just wouldn’t go down.

Upon a quick examination through the eyes of his drones, Marcus determined the main reason for this apparent invincibility was the toughness of the ogre’s scales, which was enough to repel most of the drones’ attacks, coupled with his regenerative powers which allowed him to heal almost instantly from the piddling damage he received. This meant that trying to overwhelm him with just raw number was probably futile, since killing him required something strong enough to penetrate his scale and finish him in one strike.

The Vex Queen smirked, thinking that under normal circumstances finding a fighter that fit that bill would have probably been very difficult in this world, but right now he had at least three options to pick from!

One was Yasen Harp, but the Captain of the Royal Knights was currently busy defending the citadel from the orcs, so maybe it was better to leave him be.

The second choice, Alya Vilka, was similarly occupied doing the impersonation of a bloody blender against the orc central forces. She seemed just as unstoppable as the Oni, leaving a trail of dismembered bodies in her wake. Thanks to her contribution, the goblins were holding their own very easily. The orcs there hadn’t been completely defeated though, so even in that case it would be prudent to let her stay where she was until they’d been completely dealt with.

That left the final option, which incidentally was the one Marcus was most eager to use: the Destroyer drones. They were the most logical choice too, since not only they were currently just waiting on standby, but they’d been made specifically to kill the Blue Terror.

Having made up his mind, Marcus ordered the right wing of his forces to move and attack the orc central forces from behind, while leaving the left wing where it was in order to keep the Oni pinned. At the same time, he also made the Destroyers start running toward the Oni’s position, preparing them for the fight.

I really hope they’ll be able to take the Oni down, he thought. I’d hate having destroyed my vagina giving birth to them for nothing!

Chapter 43

The Battle of Treval Part 5

Blueskin was seething with anger and disbelief.

His mighty army, which he’d spent freaking years gathering and training, had been overwhelmed so fast, he barely had the time to realize it had happened. One minute he was leading his soldiers against the enemy, and the next one he was alone and surrounded by a slithering mass of chitin.

The Vex, which he’d always dismissed as a secondary concern at worst, had revealed themselves to be far more dangerous than the Oni could have ever imagined in his worst nightmares. Unlike the ones he fought in the forest, the bug-creatures opposing him here were not only better organized and absolutely fearless, but also possessed many different units, each seemingly made for a specific role. Hell, they even had flying units and freaking living artillery. That was some shit straight out of a tactical sci-fi game that felt horribly out of place in a fantasy setting like this one!

Sadly, he didn’t even have time to lament the unfairness of this situation, because he was far too busy defending himself from the Vex assault. The bug-creatures were attacking him from literally all sides, jumping on each other to better reach him and generally acting like a swarm of ants trying to take down a much bigger animal through sheer numbers.

Still, the Oni wouldn’t go down that easily.

His new and improved battle form was serving him well, and it seemed perfect for the kind of situation he was in. His four long arms and Wolverine-like bone claws allowed him to easily deal with multiple opponents in close quarter combat, his thick scales protected him from the bugs’ weak attacks, and his enormous size prevented him from being pushed around. He still took some damage from time to time when the Vex managed to score a lucky hit, but he quickly regenerated and made sure the offender wouldn’t live long enough to make a second attack. All these factors combined resulted in him plowing through the Vex like a lawnmower through tall grass, leaving a trail of shattered chitin and smelly ichor in his wake.

Though not even this one-sided massacre discouraged the Vex. They just kept coming again and again, like the waves of the ocean crashing against a huge cliff. They showed a complete disregard for their own safety, fighting to their last breath to kill the Oni or even just get in his way as much as possible, climbing all over him as if trying to drown him in bodies. This forced Blueskin to proceed at a snail’s pace, stopping every few seconds to literally shake the bugs from his back. He was practically slogging through a living swamp that was actively trying to swallow him.

Regardless of this setback, Blueskin was confident that he could turn the tides of the battle. After all, according to the sci-fi stories he read in his previous life, swarm-like enemies like the Vex usually shared the crippling weakness of becoming useless if their queen was slain, and he’d sent Tiny to do just that. If she managed to accomplish her mission, then he could take command of the rest of his forces and defeat the goblins. All he had to do was reach the center of his army before they were wiped out. So he kept advancing as fast as he could, carving a bloody path through the bugs.

Then, all of a sudden, the Oni felt something big hitting him from behind and pushing him to the ground.

He reacted immediately, trying to regain his balance and shake off whatever was attacking him, but the thing wasn’t only extremely heavy but also determined, and it latched onto him with its claws refusing to let go. Moreover, the Oni also felt himself being stabbed multiple times in the shoulders with enough force to pierce his scales and leave deep wounds in his flesh.

With a roar full of pain and anger, Blueskin used one pair of his arms to grab the creature on his back and rolled on the ground, throwing the attacker away from him.

He scrambled up and barely managed to catch a glimpse of the creature he was dealing with—a colossal, sinuously serpentine creature similar to some sort of bug-dinosaur hybrid with four arms, two of which sported mantis-like blades—before he felt a massive claw closing around his neck.

He instinctively ducked, so that the claw only ripped part of his throat instead of decapitating him outright. He turned around where a second dinosaur-like creature had snuck behind him, only this one had a pair of colossal pincers instead of chitin blades on a pair of its arms.

He was about to counterattack when a third creature emerged from the Vex ranks, this one with four scythe-like arms, and charged at him from the right. The Oni dodged right, but as he started to counterattack, he was suddenly enveloped by six pale and slimy tentacles, which belonged to a fourth creature which had also appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Those tentacles were surprisingly strong and acidic judging by how they burned through his scales. They didn’t appear to be too tough though, and the Oni used his bone claws to cut himself free. Only, this left him distracted and vulnerable to the flanking maneuver of two other dinosaur Vex, who caught him between them and started hacking him apart.

As blood, scales and pieces of his meat flew in the air, Blueskin roared once again and swung his arms wildly in a circle, trying to hit his enemies. However, unlike the rest of their kin, these Vex seemed to have some sense of self-preservation and easily dodged that clumsy counter attack, taking a few steps back to get out of the Oni’s reach. Then, all four of the creatures circled around him, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Blueskin used that brief moment of respite to regenerate his wounds, while also carefully studying his opponents. They were clearly Vex, but they were much, much bigger than the rest of their kin, being taller than the Oni himself. They were also impossibly fast and agile for something their size, moving with a slick predatory grace that reminded Blue of a bunch of sharks stalking their prey in the sea.

The Oni grimaced. Those had to be the heavy hitters of the Vex race, sent to kill him. Well, too bad for them, he had no intention of rolling over and letting that happen. As fierce as those creatures already proved to be, they were still nothing compared to him! He would kill them one by one and then—

Before he could finish that thought, the surrounding lesser Vex, which he’d completely forgotten about, swarmed him. Many mantis-like Vex climbed all over him while hitting him with their chitin blades, the dragonfly-like ones flew directly in his face, trying to gouge out his eyes, and the heavy, gorilla-like ones just tackled his legs to immobilize him.

Blueskin cursed and tried to shake them all off, but before he could get himself free, the dinosaur Vex surrounded the Oni and swung their colossal scythe-like arms against him, not caring if they killed their kin in the process. This time the Oni had no room to dodge and could only try his best to parry or deflect hits aimed at his head, while relying on his regeneration for the wounds he received elsewhere. He did find a brief opening to retaliate, and managed to score a couple of hits against one of the dinosaur-like Vex, cutting off one of its scythe-arms and opening a big gash on its side. But the bug ignored its wounds and kept fighting as if nothing happened, cutting off one of the Oni’s arms with a swift counter attack.

It was then that a hint of fear blossomed amidst Blueskin’s anger and frustration. Those huge Vex were not only really strong and fast, but they were also incredibly coordinated, moving as one and perfectly taking advantage of their numbers to corner him. Moreover, the presence of the smaller Vex getting in his way was also a huge problem. Being constantly swarmed over by them, Blueskin couldn’t move easily or focus properly on the fight, which resulted in him being at the complete mercy of his opponents.

It didn’t take long before he decided that he didn’t like these odds, and it was time to leave.

He could only think of one method of escape, and it was quite risky. But then again, staying there was a death sentence, so it wasn’t as if he had any other choice.

Protecting his head and neck with his arms, the Oni charged straight ahead to break out of the encirclement, outright ignoring all the wounds he received. Luckily, the big Vex weren’t as heavy as he was and he managed to push them away, though he did lose another arm in the process. The lesser Vex immediately moved to stop him, gathering their bodies in a huge wave of chitin that rose up, while the dinosaur-like bugs also repositioned to attack him from behind.

Escape on the ground was impossible. So Blueskin took to the air.

First, he moved most of his muscles into his legs while simultaneously reducing his overall weight, and then he leapt, jumping over six meters in height. As he was still midair, he quickly turned his remaining arms into wings and started frantically flapping, quickly gaining altitude and rising up into the sky.

So long, suckers! he thought, watching the big Vex jumping to get him, only to come a few meters short and land back into their brethren below. Only the dragonfly-like Vex could reach him now, but they were far too small to stop him or even slow him down, and so the Oni just kept rising higher and higher.

Then, the flying Vex started latching onto his wings.

At first that didn’t slow him down, but with every second that passed, more and more Vex gathered on his wings, making them exponentially heavier and more difficult to move. The Oni flapped frantically to remain airborne, but at that point, he could have had sacks of potatoes instead of wings for all the good it did him, and he came crashing down to the ground, where the Vex swarmed all over him like a chitinous rockslide.

The leader of the orcs thrashed around wildly, trying to shake the bugs off him and get back on his feet, but he was currently in his flying form, which was unsuitable for fighting. He then tried to morph back into his fighting form, but before he could do that, an immense weight pinned him down as huge chitin blades tore his flesh apart.

The elite Vex had caught him.

They started hacking him to pieces, and Blueskin could do nothing to stop them. He couldn’t escape, since he was trapped in a weak shape and the lesser Vex were keeping him still with their sheer weight and numbers. He couldn’t shapeshift into a more convenient form, as he had to focus all of his power on his regeneration just to keep himself alive. And he couldn’t even endure that for long, since his regeneration was struggling to keep up with the rate his body was being ravaged. He could only try his best to protect his head and pray that a lucky hit didn’t finish him anyway.

Through the pain and fear that clouded his mind, he managed to hold on only thanks to a single spark of hope: Tiny was out there, and if she managed to kill the Vex Queen, maybe these bugs would stop killing him. But that possibility seemed more and more unlikely with each passing moment, and Blue was already on the verge of giving up to despair.

* * *

More than ten kilometers away, Marcus coldly watched as his Destroyers kept hacking away at the Blue Terror.

He was quite surprised by how little he cared about the Oni’s suffering. He’d have expected to have strong feelings one way or the other, be it pleasure from enacting justice or feeling bad about having to inflict pain on another individual, but he didn’t. At most, he just felt a little peckish, for some reason he couldn’t explain.

He felt kind of grateful for this neutrality though. It made it easier for him to focus on his job.

Leaving part of his mind focused on finishing off the Blue Terror, he shifted his conscious attention to the rest of the battlefield. While the Vex right wing was busy dealing with the Oni, the left wing had outflanked the remaining orcs and charged them from behind. Stuck between the drones and the goblins and with most of their officers already killed by Alya Vilka, the orcs were barely putting up a resistance against being slaughtered. At that rate, it was only a matter of minutes before they’d all be dead.

Elsewhere, things were going just as well. Inside the city, the orcs had made some attempts to conquer the citadel but had been easily repelled by the defenders led by Yasen. The situation seemed stable enough that Marcus didn’t need to worry about it for now.

Meanwhile, the task force of ogres coming for the Vex Queen had also been taken care of. Having spotted them as soon as they’d left the city, Marcus had his bodyguards, about three hundred Warrior drones and a few Aura Warriors, ambush the would-be assassins in a field about three kilometers from his position. Despite having been taken by surprise and being outnumbered more than fifteen to one, the ogres fought valiantly, taking many drones down with them, but in the end, they’d all been killed.

Marcus smirked and relaxed a bit. He had been a tad worried about the last operation, especially since he had left himself vulnerable, with only Felix and a handful of Warrior drones guarding him, though the risk paid off. Besides, with dozens of Flyers scouting the surroundings, he felt confident that he’d be able to spot any possible threat in time to run away.

Having nothing more to inspect, he returned his full attention to the Oni. It was still alive even though its body looked like minced meat, a testament to its monstrous resilience and regenerative powers, and it was even trying to protect itself with what was left of its arms. That said, by now it was almost incapable of moving and a few more hits would surely finish him off.

Tough little bugger, Marcus thought with reluctant admiration for the Oni’s stubborn refusal to die. At this point it’s almost making me feel bad about killing him. Should I try to capture him alive instead?

The Blue Terror was allegedly a reincarnated human just like he was, so he could probably be reasoned with. But then he remembered the destroyed villages he’d seen on the way there, all the half-eaten corpses and burned down houses, and all of his merciful feelings dissipated like morning mist.

Nevermind. Best I can do is put this thing out of its misery quickly, and even that is more than it deserves. Then I’ll douse the remains in acid to make sure it won’t put itself back together or something.

He steeled his resolve and mentally ordered his Destroyers to deliver the killing blow. It was time to bring this war to a close.

Chapter 44

The Battle of Treval Part 6

Lying hidden in some bushes, Tiny-Sneaky observed what she assumed was her target.

She could see a few Vex spread around in a small wooded area about sixty meters away from her. The bugs were keeping guard near some huge beetle-like creature that carried a platform made of some waxy, gray substance on its back, and on top of it were sitting three humanoid figures. Two of them seemed to be just humans, a male and a female by the look of it, but it was the third one that had drawn the ogress’ attention.

The creature didn’t look all that impressive, as it was just a small humanoid with some Vex features like the glowing purple eyes and chitin-covered limbs, but that seemingly harmless appearance was definitely misleading, as its Aura was the most powerful Tiny had ever felt in her life. Not even Blue or the dragon had a presence like that, and even from her current distance, the ogress had to make an effort in order to not be overwhelmed by it.

It was safe to say this was the Vex Queen, the one Tiny was supposed to kill. Sadly, that was more easily said than done under the current circumstances.

The main problem was that all of the ogres she’d brought to assist her on this mission had been killed, ambushed by a force of Vex and Aura Masters a couple of kilometers away. It had been only thanks to a stroke of luck that Tiny had been able to avoid sharing their fate, since she’d been scouting ahead at that point and her camouflage abilities had been enough to hide her from whatever means the enemy used to discover their presence.

After that, she’d decided to at least try to get a look at the Vex Queen, in order to see if it was possible to assassinate it. Now that she had done so, the chances of successfully completing the mission were abysmally low. Without the other ogres to provide some sort of distraction, Tiny wasn’t confident in her ability to get close enough to her target to deliver a killing blow without being find out.

As for fighting the creature head on, well… she was pretty sure something packing an Aura that powerful would have no problem killing her. Not to mention the two humans accompanying the Vex were likely Aura Warriors, something which would tip the scales of the fight even more against Tiny, and would turn what was already an extremely risky and difficult mission into a guaranteed suicide.

Sadly, she couldn’t give up and return to Blue either, since the Oni had made it clear that returning without having killed the Vex Queen wasn’t an option. Considering how violent and unstable her boss had been, Tiny was sure she’d pay with her life for a failure like this, no matter how justified it was.

Luckily, there was a third option she could take.

As all of the ogres were dead, there were no witnesses to snitch on her if she decided to run away and return to the Caligare Forest. She’d wanted to do that for quite some time, and now was the perfect occasion. Blue would just assume she’d been killed in action and would not look for her. Hell, knowing him, he would probably just forget about her in a matter of weeks, which would allow her to rejoin his army after changing her appearance if he actually managed to conquer the human lands.

And in case he failed, as one of the strongest ogres in his service, it would be easy for her to garner control of the orcs that stayed in the forest and build up a nice, comfy little kingdom for herself. She smirked with satisfaction at that last possibility. She was really starting to enjoy this fantasy, since it would pretty much make up for all the shit she’d been through under the Oni’s service.

Having made up her mind, she turned to be on her way. Though when she tried to take a step, she found that she couldn’t move her legs.

The initial confusion over this strange phenomenon quickly turned to panic as she realized that her whole body had frozen in place, and to her horror, her limbs started moving on their own, forcing her to turn around and draw her knives from their sheathes.

Like it had happened during the duel between Blue and the Aura Master, an external force had taken control of Tiny’s body, forcing her to follow the Oni’s order against her will.

Scared and powerless, Tiny-Sneaky silently screamed in her mind as she started creeping toward the Vex Queen.

* * *

A sudden loud noise drew Marcus’ attention just as he was about to finish off the Oni, and he raised his head to look around.

“Did you just hear someone screaming?” he asked Klara and Felix, who were sitting right behind him.

“Uh… no,” the apprentice sorcerer replied, sounding a bit confused.

“Me neither,” the girl said.

“Are you sure?” the Vex Queen insisted. “Because I can still hear it.”

“I don’t hear anything like that,” Felix said again, and Klara shrugged to confirm that she didn’t either.

“Weird,” Marcus muttered.

Then he realized that he wasn’t hearing the sound with his ears, but with his mind.

He spared a moment to find the source of that mental noise. He couldn’t see anything with his eyes, but after a few tries, he managed to determine the general direction from which the psychic sound was coming—a patch of vegetation about fifty meters or so from him.

With his curiosity piqued, he sent one of his Warriors to inspect those bushes before returning his attention to the fight with the Blue Terror. Sadly, he could only focus on that battle for a few seconds before he was distracted by the drone he’d sent to investigate being killed by an unknown assailant.

“We’re under attack!” Marcus cried, mentally commanding the few drones he had with him to move. About two dozen Warriors and a couple of Heavies rushed toward the mysterious assailant, who had finally shown itself—sort of, at least. It was kind of difficult to see what the creature looked like since its skin constantly changed color to match its surroundings. The overall silhouette seemed to be slender and humanoid. It also carried a long, heavy knife in each hand, whose solid metal contrasted with the seemingly evanescent skin of the wielder.

Two Warriors reached the enemy together with their scythe-arms raised and ready to hit, but the creature reacted with incredible speed, dodging the blows and retaliating with swift swings of its knives, cutting off the drones’ heads with ease. It then started running, killing any drone that got in the way until there was none left between it and Marcus.

“Shit!” the Vex Queen cursed, but as he tried to desperately think about a way to defend himself, he heard Felix’s voice coming from behind him.

“Fyrus!” the apprentice sorcerer cried, and a dart of pure fire flew toward the attacker. The creature jumped back, avoiding the fire arrow which impacted the ground with a small explosion, sending charred pieces of dirt and burning grass flying everywhere.

Felix, now holding a flaming sphere in his hand, narrowed his eyes and assumed a focused expression. Then, a shower of fire darts similar to the first one exploded from the fire orb like machine gun fire, all aimed at the camouflaged enemy. The creature jumped to the right, managing to dodge the first few fire bullets, but the apprentice sorcerer adjusted his aim while he fired, forcing his opponent to run while the ground right behind it was devastated by a series of small explosions. This chase continued for a bit, forcing the creature further away in a zigzagging path until, after turning, it disappeared. Felix stopped and looked around to find his target, but he couldn’t see anything, as a thin curtain of smoke covered the ground as a result of his own attack.

However, unluckily for the creature, Marcus could still perceive its mind loud and clear.

“It’s there!” the Vex Queen cried, pointing at a seemingly empty spot thirty meters away from them, and the apprentice sorcerer sent another wave of fire arrows in that direction, which forced the chameleonic attacker to spring out of hiding to dodge once again.

At this point, the fight devolved into a stall, with Felix keeping the creature at range, and it trying to get close and personal, occasionally hiding and forcing Marcus to act as a spotter for his friend. That suited the Vex Queen just fine though, since he’d already recalled his bodyguards from the ambush, and it was a matter of minutes before they reached him. However, after a couple of close calls when the enemy almost managed to get past the sorcerer’s suppressing fire, Marcus decided to speed things up and ordered his Dreadnaught to move as well, bringing them closer to his allies.

Seeing the Vex Queen trying to get away caused the creature to go into a frenzy as it started to give chase, burning with the determination to kill its prey no matter the cost. However, at the same time, Marcus could also feel waves of utter terror and powerlessness radiating from its mind, together with a desperate wish for running away. It was as if two different entities inhabited the creature’s head, and the one in control was the one that wanted to kill him.

The assailant kept chasing the Dreadnaught, and didn’t stop when Felix showered it with another wave of fire darts. Instead, the creature simply walked through the attack, taking hits without slowing down and getting dangerously close to its prey in the process.

Then, just as Marcus started to worry, Felix raised his hand and the flaming sphere he held changed shape, turning into a bird made of fire. The animal then jumped away from the young man’s hand and flew directly at the enemy, who simply tried to stab the flaming animal with its knife.

That turned out to be a mistake.

The bird exploded upon being hit, causing a violent conflagration that engulfed a five meter wide area in fire, while the shockwave managed to rustle Marcus’ hair even from that distance. The creature took the brunt of that explosion head on and was consequently launched more than ten meters back, landing on the ground as smoke rose from its body. There it laid immobile, enough to make the Vex Queen hopeful that it wouldn’t get up.

Sadly, he ended up being disappointed, as the creature picked itself up almost immediately. It was clearly hurt now though, with most of its skin burned and charred, no longer changing color to match the surroundings.

Now it was possible to clearly see the creature, which was rather feminine and lithe, though still quite muscular. As for its species, Marcus would have guessed that it was an ogre, though a very peculiar-looking one.

The ogre—or ogress—ditched the knife it’d used to hit the fire bird—whose blade had been destroyed by the explosion—and crouched down to pick something up from the ground before resuming its chase of the Dreadnought.

“How stubborn,” Felix said, with the barest hint of admiration in his voice. “Say what you want about that thing, but at least it’s got guts!”

Marcus could have corrected him about that. After all, he could feel the ogre’s internal screams of pain and terror while it was compelled to hunt him down against its will. But that would have required an explanation they didn’t have time for, so he simply said:

“Whatever. Just take it down!”

“As you wish,” Felix replied, and then he started conjuring another fire bird. Just as he was about to launch it, the ogress stopped, raised her right hand, and threw something against the young man.

“Felix!” the Vex Queen and Klara cried together, trying to warn him, but at that point it was too late.

The apprentice sorcerer barely had the time to turn toward them before a very large rock hit him in the head. Felix’s last movement had thankfully taken him out of the direct trajectory of the rock, saving him from a skull-crushing direct impact. Unfortunately, even the glancing blow he received was more than enough to put him out of commission, and the apprentice sorcerer spun around as he crumpled on the Dreadnought’s back.

“Felix!” Klara cried again, rushing to her friend’s side and catching him before he could hit the mold wax floor.

“I’m… I’m fine,” the young man replied in a confused voice, but his eyes were unfocused and he wasn’t getting up on his own. “J-just give m-me a minute.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have that much time,” Marcus replied, his voice thick with fear, as he watched the female-looking ogre resuming its chase and quickly reducing the distance between them

Shit! Shit! Shit! the Vex Queen silently cursed. Reinforcements were barely a minute away, but at this rate the ogre would reach him way before them, and if that happened, he doubted he would survive more than a few seconds against such a strong opponent. After all, for all his Aura and minions, he was still basically powerless when it came to defending himself.

He desperately tried to find a way to stop or even just slow the ogre down, but found none. All the nearby drones were the Dreadnought, which were too slow to be able to do anything against something as quick as his enemy, and a few Flyers, which were too few to do anything useful either. Not even trying to use his own Aura and telepathic powers to somehow intimidate it was going to work, since the entity in its head would force it to try and kill him no matter what.

Wait! Marcus thought, as a sudden realization flashed in his mind. If I use my telepathy to stop that thing in the ogre’s head directly, wouldn’t that also stop the ogre?

Having never used his mental powers that way, this plan was a shot in the dark to say the least, but he wasn’t exactly spoiled for choice. Besides, the way the ogre’s body was being puppeteered by that mental parasite had somehow given him an inkling of what he needed to do, though it was anyone’s guess whether or not he would succeed.

Not having time to waste, as the ogre was now barely fifteen meters away from him, Marcus got to work. He closed his eyes, concentrating exclusively on this task and shutting down every other thought. Then he raised his hands and pointed them forward, as if trying to push something heavy, and focused all of his willpower into creating a stable telepathic link between himself and his target. There was some resistance when the humanoid became aware of this intrusion, but the Vex Queen pushed through, and in only a few seconds he was inside its mind.

The ogre’s emotions assailed him, clearer and louder than he’d ever felt. Pain, terror, frustration, and anger, mixed with the chaotic and primal surface thoughts of the panicking creature, howled like a maelstrom, taking Marcus by surprise and almost making him drop the mental link.

His training with Hoggs was showing its worth, who’d taught him how to keep focused no matter what. He managed to hold on and push through that emotional storm, penetrating into the inner core of the ogress’ mind. There he found the parasitic entity that controlled the humanoid, nested like a fat worm inside of an apple. Wriggling furiously as it sensed danger, the thing pushed its host even harder to kill its target, but at this point it was too late. The Vex Queen’s will flooded the mental space like a tsunami, filling every nook and cranny, and immobilizing the parasite in the process.

Then, he gave a telepathic order just like the ones he used for his drones.

“STOP!”

Marcus opened his eyes, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw the point of a long knife before his eyes, about to stab him. But the blade wasn’t moving, and looking past it, he noticed that it was held by the ogress, who was frozen in place like a wax statue. Inside of its head, both it and the parasite were desperately struggling to break free, but the Vex Queen’s will held them in place like insects trapped in resin.

Well, I’d say I made it just in time, he thought as relief washed over his shoulders. Then, he heard Klara’s voice calling for him.

“Marcus! Are you alright?”

He turned, and saw the girl, who was still holding a semi-unconscious Felix in her arms looking at him with a confused and scared expression.

“Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry,” he replied.

“What… What happened? Why did that thing stop?”

“Oh, I made it stop with my mental powers.”

“You did?” Klara blinked in surprise.

“Yes. It’s… a bit complicated. And I can’t really spare the attention to explain it to you now. I’m afraid they could break free if I get distracted.”

“Then we should kill it,” the girl said in a cold, merciless voice.

“Probably,” Marcus agreed, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit of hesitation. “It feels kind of… dishonorable though. I mean, it can’t even defend itself right now.”

“That’s the point,” Klara insisted. “If it could defend itself, it’d kill us all, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Then finish it off! And if you can’t, I’ll do it for you,” she said, grabbing the hilt of her long knife.

“No, don’t worry. I can do it myself,” the Vex Queen said, unsheathing his own sword.

“Good,” the girl said approvingly. “Just remember to cut off its head. Ogres are tough, and any other injury might not be enough to finish them.”

“Right,” Marcus replied, and readied himself to deliver the killing blow to the ogress, raising his sword high above the creature’s head with both hands.

Seeing what was happening, the ogress sent out even more waves of terror, struggling pathetically inside of her own mind to get free. It even managed to form some coherent thoughts that Marcus, being inside of her head, could hear as clearly as his own.

“I don’t want to die!” she cried internally. “I just want to go home! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! Why is my body not answering to me? I just wanted to run away from this stupid war! Why am I forced to fight even if I don’t want to? I don’t want to die! Curse you, Blue! Curse you to death!”

The Vex Queen grimaced after hearing these thoughts. Killing someone else in self-defense during the heat of a battle was one thing, but executing a terrified and virtually powerless person was another matter entirely. Besides, the humanoid had been forced to attack him against its will, something which made killing it feel even more unfair.

Marcus lowered his sword, trying to think of an alternative he’d feel less uncomfortable about. Maybe if he removed the parasite in the creature’s mind, it’d stop being hostile?

Seeing him hesitate like that, Klara asked:

“What are you waiting for?”

“Give me a second,” the Vex Queen replied. “There is something I have to check.”

He then laid one of his hands on the ogress’ head, closing his eyes and focusing once again.

He dove inside the humanoid’s head, heading straight for the parasite to study it more thoroughly. The thing looked like a fat, blue worm, and this time Marcus noticed that it was attached to the ogress’ memory, growing from it like a tumor.

The Vex Queen pushed deeper to inspect those memories, ignoring the obvious discomfort this process caused the ogress, and the creature’s past opened in front of him.

The name of the ogre was Tiny-Sneaky, born in a small orc settlement in the Caligare Forest. Being small for an orc, Tiny was bullied ruthlessly by the rest of her kin, but another orc named Blueskin, who was stronger than anyone else, had taken her under his wing as his subordinate and lover, protecting her and nurturing her growth.

Out of gratitude and admiration for Blue’s power, Tiny had developed feelings for him—the orc equivalent of love, though it wasn’t such a deep emotion as the one humans experienced. She consequently served him loyally for several years, during which she’d become an ogre and he’d evolved into the Oni.

Unbeknownst to the ogress, during that time Blue’s influence was literally infecting her, congealing into the parasite that now inhabited her head. So, even now that Tiny’s feelings had withered in the face of the Oni’s sheer selfishness and unpleasantness, she found herself unable to disobey his orders, even if that would result in her death.

Having seen what he needed, Marcus retreated from Tiny’s inner memories. He noticed that despite him trying to be as delicate as possible—or at least not too rough—the probing had left the ogress in shambles. Tears flowed down her cheeks, her eyes had rolled over in her head and her surface thoughts had lost all semblance of coherence, while her subconscious screamed out of sheer horror for the invasion it suffered. That made the Vex Queen feel quite bad, which didn’t really make it easier for him to decide the ogress’ fate.

Tiny-Sneaky was certainly a victim of the circumstances in this specific situation, but she was also far from innocent. She was a violent savage and a ruthless killer who completely lacked the concept of empathy as humans intended it. While she’d been forced to attack Marcus against her will, her reluctance was only due to the risks involved, and judging by what he’d seen in her memories, she wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him if she thought she could get away with it. She was clearly dangerous, with or without the Blue Terror’s presence in her mind, and the most logical thing to do was to kill her right here and now.

The only problem was that despite all this, Marcus couldn’t force himself to murder the ogress in cold blood.

Screw this! I didn’t sign up to be an executioner and I don’t want this crap to weigh on my conscience! he thought angrily. Lots of people kill for petty and selfish reasons, so why shouldn’t I be allowed to spare a life for equally petty and selfish reasons too? He looked at Tiny with narrow eyes. Besides, if I make sure she can’t hurt anyone, then no one should complain.

Having made his decision, Marcus started thinking about how to implement it. While it was imperative to remove the Oni’s influence from Tiny’s head—otherwise she’d try to kill him as soon as he released her from his mental grip—he also needed to make sure she wouldn’t attack him of her own volition. Luckily, he had a rough idea about how to achieve that.

Inside the ogress’s mind there was a rather obvious and primal part of her psyche entirely dedicated to some kind of fight or flight reflex—or rather a “fight or surrender” reflex, it was kind of alien and difficult to understand—that seemed to rule over a great part of her behavior. All the Vex Queen needed to do in order to make Tiny incapable of violence, was to completely suppress the “fight” part of the instinct and dial up the “surrender” part to eleven, and that was exactly what he did.

With that out of the way, it was time to deal with the parasite. Luckily, even in that case he intuitively knew how to proceed.

Envisioning the Oni’s corrupting influence as some sort of cancerous growth, Marcus tightened his mental grip over it, while at the same time he almost surgically cut it away from the memories it was attached to. The process was extremely agonizing for Tiny-Sneaky, and the Vex Queen could clearly feel her torment at having part of her psyche severed. Since he was doing this for her own good though, he forced himself to ignore her suffering. He kept severing memory after memory, as quickly as he could. When he was done, he retreated from the ogress’ mind, ripping the parasitic presence out as he retreated. He then crushed it in the air, and the mental worm exploded in a puff of blue mental energy.

Tiny-Sneaky fell down like a rag doll, twitching spasmodically on the back of the Dreadnought. Having her mind ravaged like that had pushed her well beyond what she was able to endure, and she’d basically shut down on the spot, embracing unconsciousness with almost pathetic relief.

Marcus also collapsed to his knees, as the tension and focus he had to keep tired him out considerably.

“Marcus! Are you alright?” Klara called.

She was still beside Felix, but now the young man was sitting on his own and seemed lucid, though he was holding a bloodstained piece of cloth against his temple.

“I’m fine,” the Vex Queen replied. “How about Felix?”

“I feel dizzy, nauseous, and my legs feel like they’re made of goo,” the apprentice sorcerer replied in a weak but still sarcastic voice. “Apart from that, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

“Still, try not to move too much,” Klara said in a worried tone. “Blows to the head can be dangerous. You have to get checked by a cleric as soon as possible.” She then looked at the still twitching ogress and asked: “What did you do to that thing, by the way?”

“Entered her mind, stopped her from killing us and then made sure she wouldn’t try to do that again,” the Vex Queen promptly replied.

“What?” Felix exclaimed in an incredulous voice. “You can do that?”

“Apparently,” Marcus shrugged. “I didn’t even know it was a possibility before sensing her mind though.” He nodded toward the ogress. “She was being mentally controlled by the Blue Terror, and that gave me the idea of using my own mental powers to stop her.” He smirked. “It was quite the gamble, but I’d say it paid off.”

The young man remained silent, slowly processing this information. Klara however, being rather more practical than her friend, asked:

“Ok, so what are we going to do with it now?” She pointed at Tiny-Sneaky. “Aren’t you going to finish it off?”

Marcus hesitated a bit before answering.

“Not yet,” he said. “I… Well, I wasn’t comfortable killing her while she was defenseless, and then I felt bad for her because she was controlled by the Oni.” He then added in a defensive tone: “Listen, I know that this is an arbitrary and probably bad decision, but I just feel this way, okay? I made sure to make her harmless while I was inside of her head though, so she shouldn’t be a threat.”

He expected Klara to scold him for this decision, but much to his surprise, the girl just shrugged.

“That’s your call,” she said. “I certainly won’t force you to kill anything against your will. But are you absolutely sure she won’t try to kill us?”

“Yes. She shouldn’t be able to willingly hurt anyone now.”

The girl raised an eyebrow at this explanation, but decided to drop the argument. Felix, however, was now looking at him with his eyes shining with curiosity.

“Oh, is that why you stopped your drones then?” he asked. “You were so certain that she wouldn’t be able to hurt you that you decided they weren’t needed?”

“What?” the Vex Queen said, taken completely by surprise by those words, and looking to the south he noticed that his drone bodyguards, which had been coming to his rescue, were now standing completely motionless about two hundred meters away from him.

Then, with rising horror, he realized that he’d been so focused on mentally dominating the ogress, that he’d completely taken his attention away from his drones, causing them to freeze in place from the lack of orders. He checked on the rest of his forces and saw that those too had stopped in their tracks.

Luckily the battle at that point was basically over, so the few remaining orcs hadn’t been able to deal any significant damage to the drones in the minute or so he’d spent inside Tiny-Sneaky’s head. There were a handful who’d taken advantage of that time to try and run away, but the Warriors shouldn’t really have any problem hunting them down. However, there was one problem that prevented him from taking a sigh of relief, and instead made him silently curse in his head.

Son of a poopy pumpkin! he thought angrily. The bloody Oni is getting away!

Chapter 45

Is this Loss

The battle was lost.

Blueskin was running for his life, forcing his broken and battered body to move despite the pain this caused him. That was even harder on him, as he had all but forgotten the feeling of not being well, since his regeneration usually took care of whatever injury he incurred in a matter of seconds.

This fight pushed him to his limits, which wasn’t all that surprising considering that he’d put himself back together like some sort of bloody jigsaw puzzle. He simply didn’t have enough energy to heal completely himself, and as a result, he was limping and his whole body ached terribly, while he himself was dizzy from fatigue and hunger.

That said, things weren’t going that bad. After all, he was still alive, something he wouldn’t have thought possible just a couple of minutes before, when he was being torn to pieces under the claws of the Vex.

His luck had risen again, as all of a sudden, the bugs stopped moving entirely, allowing him to heal his ravaged body enough to get back on his feet. When he’d gotten up, the whole Vex army had stopped moving, standing as still as statues.

After an initial moment of confusion and unbelievable relief, he thought that maybe Tiny had completed her mission and killed the Vex Queen, thus neutralizing the whole swarm. However, after giving the creatures a better look, he realized they didn’t actually look lifeless at all, but rather, they gave the impression of waiting for something. And at the same time, the powerful Aura coming from the north, which Blue assumed belonged to the queen, hadn’t disappeared either. Though it seemed like it was being focused elsewhere.

After thinking about it, he came to the conclusion that the Vex Queen was probably still alive, but she was distracted—likely busy fending off Tiny and the other ogres—and couldn’t command her minions. That meant the Vex could start moving again at any moment, so the Oni decided the smartest thing to do was to get the hell out of there.

So there he was, running for Treval to rejoin the garrison he left there. He planned to grab something to eat to restore his energies—hopefully some captive humans, but a couple of his soldiers would do in a pinch—and then retreat, since at this point the battle seemed unsalvageable.

It was then that he heard a familiar chittering sound coming from behind him. He slowly turned around and, to his horror, he saw that the Vex had started moving again, with what seemed to be the entire army chasing after him.

“Shit!” the Oni cursed as panic rose in his chest. He ran faster, forcing himself to ignore his pain and fatigue.

Sadly, despite his efforts, his body was still too battered to run at full pace, and he lacked the energy to shapeshift into a faster form. Still, he hoped to reach the city before the Vex could reach him. But after a few seconds, this plan proved unfeasible, as he noticed a group of Vex coming from the left that were moving to intercept him, cutting him off from the city. And since fighting his way through them wasn’t an option, as he was far too weak and tired, that meant he was just about out of options.

It was then, when panic started to assail him for the second time that day, he spotted a potential way to escape. To his right, only a few hundred meters away, there was the river Renn. If the Vex weren’t good swimmers, then he could maybe lose them by diving into the waters.

It was a truly desperate plan, since for all he knew the Vex could actually be amphibians. But it was the only hope he had left, so he kept running, despite his legs burning up with pain.

As it turned out, he’d made the right choice.

He reached the shores of the river just a handful of seconds before the Vex could reach him and he dove straight in, while the bugs that followed proved to be surprisingly clumsy in the water, sinking as if they were made of rock. This allowed Blue to gain some distance. Even then, the Vex kept chasing him from the shores while the flying ones followed him from above.

Needing to lose his pursuers, Blueskin used the very last of his energies to modify and expand his lungs, took a deep breath and dove underwater, hiding below the surface and letting the strong current carry him.

Half an hour later, he cautiously re-emerged inside of a cane thicket near the shore, seeking any trace of the Vex. Seeing nothing around, he slowly started crawling out of the muddy water.

He was feeling a little better, having rested and even eaten a few fishes while he was submerged, and though he was still very weak, he felt restored enough to walk. He had to be very careful though, as even now he wasn’t confident that he could hold his own in a fight, so he needed to be as stealthy as possible in order to not be found.

He decided to imitate Tiny’s technique, changing his skin color to blend in with the environment and sneaking from cover to cover.

Thinking about the ogress made him bitter though. That damn incompetent ogre obviously hadn’t been able to complete her mission and kill the goddamned Vex Queen! If she’d survived—something which didn’t seem likely—then Blueskin would make sure she paid with her life for her failure!

As he kept sneaking, and his fear and panic died down, his anger and frustration grew, to the point that he was positively seething. It was all his subordinates’ fault that the battle had been lost. If only they’d properly followed his orders, then taking Treval should have been a cakewalk. They’d been bogged down by their lack of discipline and cowardice.

Blueskin swore that the next army he was going to raise would be far more competent, and then no one would be able to stop him!

For now, however, despite all of his vengeful plans, all he could do was retreat back to the Caligare Forest. That said, he needed to make a stop in a certain place, in order to properly punish the one most responsible for this failure, and the thought of the sweet, sweet retribution that he was going to inflict on his chosen scapegoat was enough to make him smirk despite everything.

* * *

The battle was won.

The last pocket of orc resistance inside of the city had been overwhelmed, and now Treval’s defenders walked out of the citadel to meet their allies and celebrate the victory.

However, there was an island of discontent in the midst of that sea of cheers. Unsurprisingly, it was centered around Marcus himself.

The Vex Queen had just reached the city’s outskirts on top of his Dreadnought, having decided to join the main army for his own safety due to the Oni still being at large. Sadly for everyone else around him, he was surrounded by a bubble of frustration several dozen meters in diameter that soured the mood of everyone caught inside of it. It was so bad, even Klara and Felix seemed a bit uncomfortable despite being used to their friend’s overwhelming mental presence.

“C’mon, Marcus!” the apprentice sorcerer tried to cheer him up. “Don’t be so sour. It’s not your fault if the Oni got away. I mean, you were fighting for your life back there!”

“He’s right,” Klara concurred. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I know, I know,” the Vex Queen replied. “But I just can’t help it. I was so close to bringing this entire war to a close and I let it slip away!” His face grew darker. “Also, I spent way too much time inside of the ogress’ mind trying to find a way to spare her. If only I had killed her immediately, I could have caught the Oni before it got away! And that’s entirely my fault.”

“Maybe,” Klara said. “But if you thought it was important, then maybe you were right to do what you did. Besides, there is no point crying over spilled milk. It’s not like seething over this matter will help you catch the Oni.”

“I know… But I can’t help it. I’m very angry with myself right now.”

“Don’t be,” the girl insisted. “You may have been too merciful, but I’d rather have you this way than the contrary. Also, you saved countless lives in this battle. Without your help, many more people would have died, so I don’t think anyone will complain too much. Hell, if anything, they should thank you for all you’ve done!”

“I think they’re going to do just that,” Felix chimed in, pointing at the gates of Treval, where a small crowd waited for them. “They seem in a good enough mood.”

All the commanders of the Medelanian army were there, but Marcus already knew that since his copy-drone was also accompanying them. He’d also already informed them of what happened, and just like Klara told him, no one seemed too angry about his failure.

Feeling a bit more confident and not wanting to make them uncomfortable with his brooding, the Vex Queen tried to calm down using the self-control techniques Hoggs had taught him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused only on the present moment, and after a few seconds, he managed to bury most of his frustration in a corner of his consciousness, where it wouldn’t be broadcasted all around him. Still, when he climbed down from the Dreadnought, his sheer Aura was enough to make those who had never met him before, including Lord Grimdale, flinch in surprise.

Really ought to do something about this, he thought. I really miss being able to walk through the streets without sticking out like a sore thumb.

“So… is this creature the so-called Queen of the Vex?” the Duke whispered softly, though Marcus was still able to overhear him through the ears of his nearby clone.

“Why yes, Lord Grimdale, that person is Sir Marcus, an ally of Medelan and a friend,” Marquis Eisen, who had also overheard that question, replied in a rather stiff tone.

“Well, how could I know?” Grimdale protested in an equally unfriendly tone. “Given how diverse-looking these Vex are, I couldn’t be sure it was her or just another one of her minions, like the one behind us.”

“Fair enough, milord,” the marquis grudgingly conceded.

“Indeed,” Grimdale replied. “Not everyone has your experience in dealing with so many different species.”

The phrase seemed innocent enough, but the way it was delivered made it sound like an insult. Though Marcus didn’t know how to interpret it as such and decided to ignore this exchange entirely for convenience’s sake. After hearing this conversation, he didn’t need to be a psychic to know that there was no love lost between the two nobles. That didn’t really come as a surprise, since he’d been told they belonged to two different political parties.

Sigh… Really, the more things change, the more they stay the same, he thought. Politics always cause trouble.

“Greetings, Sir Marcus!” Yasen saluted him. The knight was visibly tired and a bit ragged, but he was as cheerful and energetic as always. “It is a pleasure to see you again!”

“Hi there, Sir Yasen,” the Vex Queen replied with a smile as he got closer. “It’s nice to see you too. I hope you’re alright.”

“I am,” the Aura Master confirmed. “Just a bit tired, but a good night of sleep shall fix that!” He paused, seemingly remembering something, and then gestured toward Lord Grimdale. “Oh, and now that you’re here with us in person, let me introduce you to the lord of this city, Duke Heddart Grimdale.”

The nobleman came forward and made a slight, though seemingly respectful bow to him.

“Welcome to Treval, Sir Marcus,” the nobleman greeted. “It is an honor to… actually meet you.” His gaze quickly turned to the copy-drone before returning to the Vex Queen. “You have my deepest gratitude for the help you provided to me and my city.”

Though these words were polite, Marcus couldn’t feel even the slightest hint of gratitude coming from him. In fact, all he sensed was that the man was quite nervous. The Vex Queen decided to pin that down to his Aura making him uncomfortable and ignored this matter as well.

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a nod. “But I just did what any good neighbor should. I mean, I couldn’t just leave you and your people to die at the hands of the orcs.” He smiled. “That would have been terribly rude, I fear.”

Felix and a few others let out a light chuckle, but Lord Grimdale didn’t seem amused. He did laugh, but clearly out of courtesy, and it sounded terribly forced and rather awkward.

“Quite so,” the nobleman said, struggling to hide his nervousness. “Anyway, that doesn’t change the fact that you have been of great help to the Duchy of Grimdale, and I hope you are willing to accept my thanks.”

“No problem.” Marcus shrugged. “Feel free to thank me all you want.”

A rather awkward silence followed as Lord Grimdale seemed unsure how to respond to the Vex Queen’s attempt to initiate an informal and lighthearted conversation. Luckily for him, he was bailed out by Alya, who chimed in with her usual disregard for formalities. Unfortunately for Marcus, the argument she chose was a sore point.

“Did you find the Oni?” she asked. “This battle was far too easy for my tastes, and I want some more training before getting home. Otherwise, this whole trek would have been a huge waste of my time.”

“Ehr… I still have my Flyers searching the area, but so far they haven’t found it,” the Vex Queen replied, struggling to contain his uneasiness about the topic. “At this point, I fear it may have gone beyond the range of my drones.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” The wolfwoman sighed. “I’d hoped to find a worthwhile challenge here in Medelan, but it seems I wasted my time. This battle was utterly boring.”

In response to this comment, Trakk chuckled with satisfaction.

“Why thank you for the compliment, Lady Alya,” the goblin said.

“It wasn’t really a compliment though,” Alya replied, shooting the humanoid a puzzled look.

“I choose to take it as one, albeit involuntary. After all, good strategies make for boring battles,” the general explained. “When things get exciting, it’s usually because something didn’t go as planned.”

“I guess you’re right.” The wolfwoman shrugged. “But no offense, in this case I’d have preferred if you were a bit more incompetent.”

“Sorry for being too competent then,” Trakk replied in a rather sarcastic tone. “But not everything is lost. You could still have your fight against the Oni if you want.”

“How?” Alya asked. “We don’t know where it is.”

“That’s true.” The goblin nodded. “But I think I can make a good guess about where we can find it.”

That phrase drew everyone’s attention, that was for sure. Everyone turned to Trakk, looking at him with a general mix of puzzlement and hope.

“What do you mean?” the marquis asked. “You know the route he’s going to take to get back to the Caligare Forest?”

“In a way, yes,” the goblin replied. “Or at least I know one probable stop he’s going to make on the way there.”

“And where would it be?”

“A small forest about twenty kilometers southeast of here.”

“Wait!” the duke said. “That’s where my family’s hunting reserve is!”

“Oh, that explains the size of the hunting lodge the orcs are occupying then,” the goblin commented. “It makes sense that it’s so big if it belongs to you.”

“They’re occupying my hunting lodge?” the nobleman cried, face red with outrage. “How dare they!”

“After waging war on you, I don’t think that illegal trespassing is of much concern for the orcs,” Eisen said sarcastically. “The real question is what they’re doing there.”

“I can answer this question,” Trakk replied. “The lodge is where they are keeping their prisoners. And among those captives, there are the Piraca Emperor and the Arachne, both of whom are important assets for the Blue Terror. There is a high probability that it’ll retrieve them before retreating to the Caligare Forest.”

“That makes sense,” Duke Grimdale commented in a rather dubious tone. “How do you know all this, by the way?”

“It’s quite simple. I had one of my scouts follow the orc army for a while,” Trakk explained. “He kept tabs of all of their movements and reported back to me right before the battle.”

“Good. I’ll send my drones there immediately then,” Marcus said, eager to fix his mistake and finally finish off the Oni. “I’ll rescue the prisoners and ambush the Oni once it gets there!”

“You’ll do no such thing!” Alya growled threateningly. “The Oni is mine! I’ve called dibs on it since well before the battle, and I won’t forgive anyone who gets between me and my prey now!”

For a brief moment, the Vex Queen was about to call out the wolfwoman’s argument as silly and childish, but then his self-preservation instinct sealed his lips before he could talk. Alya was radiating an incredible bloodlust, strong enough that Marcus could feel it down to his bones, and it almost made him tremble. And it wasn’t just him, as most people there also looked uneasy and intimidated by the Thulian woman.

The only two that didn’t appear bothered were the Goblin General, who was as unflappable as always, and Yasen, who probably had the advantage of already knowing Alya’s personality.

“Well, we can certainly leave the matter of the Oni in Lady Vilka’s capable hands,” the goblin said as if nothing had happened. “That said, I think we should send a task force with her, to take care of the guards and free the prisoners. In addition to the Vex, I’d say that a few dozen Aura Warriors should suffice, plus some clerics to take care of the injured.”

“Good idea,” the captain agreed. “I should go as well. If the Oni tries to escape, I’m the best choice to stop him.” He turned to the wolfwoman, and before she could protest, he added: “After all, it can grow wings, and last time I checked, you can’t fly, Alya.”

“Fair enough,” Alya said, though she clearly didn’t like this. “But don’t butt in my fight. Just intervene if it tries to run away.”

“Very well,” Yasen replied with a smile. “Well, what are we waiting for? Gentlemen, let’s go hunting.”

Chapter 46

Losing your Mind

Anak’si was nervously biting her fingernails.

It had been hours since the ogres brought her and the other prisoners to this big hunting lodge in the woods, and she’d been restless the whole time. The anxiety of not knowing what was going on was eating her from the inside, and sadly she didn’t have any way to distract herself. She couldn’t even speak with the other prisoners, since Turemalac was still catatonic, and the others, mostly human women and children, utterly refused to make any noise—though they were justified in their case, since the ogres tended to eat those that annoyed them.

The environment didn’t really help improve her mood either. When they’d first arrived, the mansion was lavish and cozy, basically the kind of place Anak’si had always dreamt of living in, but now all that was left was an unholy mess that was depressing to look at. The ogres had thoroughly vandalized the place seemingly just for kicks and giggles, pillaging everything of value. They were dozing off on piles of ravaged pillows, leaving the prisoners sitting on the naked floor of the main hall.

Anak’si stealthily stared daggers at the ugly humanoids guarding her, fervently wishing for their death. But she was too injured and weakened by the long captivity to act on her desire, so she forced herself to calm down and wait, clinging to the secret hope that kept her from giving in to despair—that the Blue Terror and his army would be defeated. The Arachne had revealed the Oni’s plans to that spider goblin two weeks before in exchange for a promise of being freed once Blueskin was defeated. Using that information, the humans and their allies would have a chance to win.

It was a faint hope, especially considering the Oni’s strength, but it was better than nothing. Besides, she’d felt the spider goblin’s presence multiple times ever since the orcs entered the human lands. The last time only a couple of hours before. If the goblin was tailing the army and knew of her position, then it was possible the humans were actually prepared to fight the orcs in Grimdale and could be planning to honor their promise and rescue her.

Then, almost as if summoned by her train of thought, the spider goblin’s presence reappeared.

It was quite faint, meaning it was probably a bit far, but Anak’si could clearly tell that it was getting closer. Her mood immediately improved, though she was hounded by a sudden trepidation. She forced herself to hide it in order to not alert the ogre guards. On the inside she was literally burning with anticipation.

After a few minutes, the doors slammed open… but it wasn’t the goblin or the humans who stormed in.

It was the Oni.

He limped visibly as he entered the hall. He was dirty and visibly tired, but despite this, he looked even scarier than usual. His expression was dark, with a fiery, angry light burning in his eyes, and he all but radiated a murderous fury all around him.

The ogres, caught by surprise by the appearance of their leader, struggled to get up to greet him.

“Hey, boss!” one of them said, raising his hand in a sloppy military salute. “How did the battle go? Did we win?”

“Shut up!” Blueskin growled threateningly, causing the ogre to take a step back. The Oni then walked past his subordinate without another word, and made a beeline for the prisoners.

The captives trembled and crawled away as the humanoid approached, crying in fear. Only two of them remained completely still: Turemalac, who was staring into the wall with a blank expression—though a Piraca’s expression was rather hard to decipher—and Anak’si, who would have liked to run away but was absolutely paralyzed by terror.

He knows! she thought in panic. He knows that I betrayed him and now he’s gonna kill me!

She tried to think of a way to defend herself, to lie about what happened, but her mind was blank. She could only wait for her death like a mouse caught between a predator’s fangs.

At the last moment, the Oni turned away from her and instead limped toward the Piraca Emperor, grabbing him with his hands and lifting him by his neck.

“You damn bastard!” Blueskin cried, shaking the unfortunate Piraca. “You will pay for deceiving me, you piece of shit!”

This was quite enough to shake Turemalac from his torpor, and the Piraca tried to scream, but the iron grip around his neck prevented him from emitting any sound other than a muffled gurgle. The bird-like humanoid tried to wriggle free, clawing at the Oni’s hands, but it was all in vain. Blueskin wouldn’t let him go, and instead started opening his mouth, dislocating his jaw like a snake before putting Turemalac’s head inside his mouth and closing his teeth like a bear trap.

Blood sprayed everywhere, landing all around the Oni. Some of it ended up on Anak’si’s skin, causing her to scream in fear and scuttle as far away as she could. Meanwhile, Blueskin had swallowed the Piraca’s head, and now he was going through some sort of supernatural revitalization. All signs of exhaustion disappeared from him, and he stood straight as his body swelled with energy.

“Amazing,” he mumbled. “Had I known eating that bastard would give me so much Aura, I would have done so ages ago!”

He looked at the decapitated body of his old enemy in his hands, and then threw it towards the ogres, like a master throwing leftovers to his dog.

“Here, eat up!” he said. “I need you to be fit for a long journey. We’re getting out of here.”

The ogres exchanged a confused look, but then shrugged—it wasn’t in their nature to refuse food—and picked Turemalac’s body from the floor, starting to devour it.

One of them though, while stuffing pieces of rubbery meat inside of his mouth, turned to his leader, appearing utterly puzzled.

“Where are we going, boss?” he asked. “And what happened to the battle?”

The Oni stared daggers at him, but after a second he calmed down.

“We’re going back to the Caligare Forest. The humans and their allies have proven to be tougher than anticipated, so I need to gather a stronger army to deal with them. And have no doubt that I will do that! Next time, I won’t be playing around! I will destroy and devour every single human I come across!”

Despite not being the sharpest tool in the box, the ogre knew better than to disagree with an obviously furious and murderous Oni, so he just nodded and made a rather forced smile.

“As you wish, boss! Next time, we’ll eat the humans and everyone else then!” the humanoid said cheerfully, though his voice betrayed a little nervousness.

“Good. Now finish your snack and gather up our stuff. We need to leave as soon as possible!”

The ogre nodded again, but then he pointed at the prisoners and asked:

“What do we do with them, boss? If we have to leave them, can I eat them?”

“No, we’re bringing them with us,” the Oni replied. “We do need provisions for our trip, after all.”

The captives started weeping, but were ignored. After finishing devouring Turemalac’s corpse, one of the ogres gathered the prisoners, lifting them up by the ropes that bound their hands, and forced them on their feet, while the others gathered up their looted goods. The Oni oversaw these operations with a pensive expression, almost as if he was trying to remember something.

Anak’si remained tense and scared, as a sense of desperation creeped over her. While she was glad to be alive, the return of the Oni ruined everything she’d planned. Sure, the spider goblin’s presence was nearby, but now that the Blue Terror was here, she had no idea how she could be rescued. Also, Turemalac’s death rattled her. While they’d never been friends, he had been a fellow Reincarnator, and his demise reminded her all too much of her own mortality.

And then, as she kept worrying like that, Blueskin turned toward her, suspicion dripping from gaze.

“Who were you talking to, Anak’si?” he asked.

“Uh… what?” the Arachne replied, confused. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Not now. In the forest, a few weeks ago,” Blueskin said, his tone growing harsher. “Turemalac heard you talking with someone back then. Those memories are a bit foggy, but you were definitely speaking with someone. And you were talking about my invading plans.”

Anak’si internally cursed as she recalled that the Oni could read the memories of those he’d eaten. Turemalac had always been kept close to her, and so he probably overheard her talking with the goblin, though she’d thought he had been asleep at the time. Seems he hadn’t, and now the Arachne had to quickly find a plausible explanation or risk being devoured like the Piraca had been.

“I… I spoke with no one,” she promptly lied. “Turemalac was often delirious the past few weeks, so he must have imagined it. Besides, with whom could I have talked? I was always in the middle of your army and heavily guarded all the time!”

Blueskin hesitated at those words, and for a moment, Anak’si believed she’d managed to fool him. But then the Oni grimaced and his expression became angry again.

“Maybe you’re telling the truth. Maybe not. The only way to know for sure is to eat your head and find the answer in your memories.” He gave the Arachne a ravenous stare which made her freeze in fear. “Sadly, I may need your powers to raise my next army, so that’s not an option. I guess I’ll have to make do with making you unable to speak.”

He lifted his right hand, while two of his nails turned into nasty-looking serrated claws.

“No!” Anak’si cried, trying to crawl away from the Oni. “Please, no! I said nothing! You have to believe me!”

“Sorry, but I’m not gonna risk any more possible leaks,” the Blue Terror said in a merciless voice, advancing on the terrified Rantul Matriarch. “Now, stand still while I remove your tongue or this will hurt more.”

He took a step, then, without warning, the windows exploded in a shower of broken glass, and countless dragonfly-like creatures swarmed into the room.

What followed was absolute mayhem. Everyone screamed as the bug-like creatures flew in the faces of the Oni and the ogres, trying to gouge their eyes out. Wild roars came from the humanoids, attempting to protect their eyes and fend off the attackers, while the prisoners, both the humans and the Arachne, let out high-pitched cries of fear as they dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their hands. After a moment, though, Anak’si realized the bugs weren’t attacking her and only focused on her captors.

“The Vex!” Blueskin cried, fury and fear both present in his voice, swatting aside one insect, only for three more to take its place.

The Arachne didn’t know what these Vex were, but she recognized a good chance to run away when she saw one. She started crawling away as fast as she could, heading for the door, only to stop when she noticed some huge, gorilla-like creatures covered in chitin that had just entered the room from there.

These creatures charged against the humanoids and engaged them in combat, while a horde of smaller, but still imposing mantis-like creatures came inside after them, filling the entire hall with a mass of chitin. However, despite the chaos that reigned supreme, these Vex, as the Oni called them, paid great attention to not trample over the prisoners, and instead seemed to be trying to push the ogres away from them.

Are… are they allies? Anak’si wondered, not daring to move.

“No!” the Oni screamed at the top of his lungs. “You won’t get me again, you bastards!”

He proceeded to punch aside the gorilla-like bug that was fighting him, sending it flying against a wall, and then ran, smashing through the other Vex in his way before jumping out of a window.

Seeing their boss fleeing, the ogres tried to follow, but they lacked the Oni’s strength and struggled to get past their chitinous opponents.

And this delay cost them their lives.

A few moments after the Blue Terror retreated, new figures came inside from the main door. They looked like human knights in full plate armor, but they moved with incredible speed and precision, and they also charged the ogres, starting to hack them apart with their weapons.

The humanoids put up a desperate resistance, but they were overwhelmed by the numbers of the Vex combined with the strength of those knights, and in less than a minute, they were all dead.

As soon as the last humanoid fell and stopped moving, the Vex retreated to the edges of the room, leaving space for the humans to provide assistance to the prisoners. The knights also approached the captives to check their condition, telling them they were free and that everything was going to be alright now.

However, they all steered clear of Anak’si, leaving her alone.

As the other prisoners started crying out of relief, the Arachne just laid still and nervously watched both the knights and the Vex. She was incredibly glad for having been freed from the Oni like everyone else, sure, but now she wondered what her fate would be. After all, she didn’t know any of these newcomers, and for all she knew, they would kill her as soon as they secured their own captives.

Then, a familiar voice called for her.

“Lady Anak’si?”

The Arachne turned, and was incredibly relieved when she saw the spider goblin with whom she’d made a deal standing there.

“As promised, we’ve come to rescue you,” the goblin said.

“T-thank you,” Anak’si replied, tears of relief flowing from her eyes—all ten of them—when she realized she’d actually been freed.

“You are welcome. After all, without your help, the battle would have probably been much harder.” He made a gesture, and four brawny hobgoblins came from behind him, carrying a wooden stretcher big enough to accommodate the Arachne’s huge body. “We are going to take you to a cleric to see to your wounds, so please collaborate and get on the stretcher, if you can.”

“Y-yes,” the Arachne said, and crawled onto the stretcher that the goblins laid down in front of her. “B-but… let’s be quick, please. I don’t know if the Oni will come back. He got away just before those humans came in.”

“I know. We planned for that to happen,” the spider goblin explained, as matter of factly as always. “If we had seriously attacked him inside of here, then you and the other prisoners could have been caught up in the fight, so we needed him to flee. Don’t worry though, he will be dealt with soon enough.” For a moment, his confident smirk got even wider. “He won’t get far, trust me.”

“Thank the heavens.” Anak’si sighed with relief as the hobgoblin carriers struggled to lift her weight. She couldn’t imagine what the spider goblin had planned to do to kill Blueskin, but judging by how scared the Oni seemed, maybe they had something that could threaten even him.

After a few tries, the hobgoblins managed to lift the stretcher and started carrying her out of the mansion. As she passed near the spider goblin, the Arachne extended one of her arms and swiftly but delicately caressed him. The goblin tensed for a moment at that physical contact, as if he’d received an electric shock, but then he relaxed, though his eyes became a bit unfocused.

Anak’si let out a satisfied smile.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for me!” she said softly. “I hope we’ll keep being friends from now on. What’s your name?”

“Arag,” the spider goblin promptly replied in an automatic tone, though his eyes had become even more troubled.

“Well, thanks again, Arag,” the Arachne said. “Come visit me again soon, please!”

The Matriarch’s smile widened as she was being carried away. All of a sudden, she felt much safer knowing she had someone she could trust.

Someone who couldn’t refuse her orders.

Chapter 47

A Lesson in Humility

For the second time that day, Blueskin was running for his life.

He’d all but forgotten his plans of revenge and cared only for getting the hell away from the Vex that chased him. The horrible memory of being swarmed over and hacked to pieces by the bug-like creatures was too fresh in his mind for him to even consider fighting them. The only option left was to escape.

Luckily, he’d completely recovered after devouring the Piraca Emperor and absorbing his Aura. Being able to use his shapeshifting again made avoiding the bugs much easier. As soon as he’d jumped out of the mansion, he assumed a form suitable for running, with long legs and a higher center of gravity, and he easily smashed through the few Vex that surrounded the manor before bolting into the forest to lose them in the trees.

Much to his chagrin, he soon discovered that not only was the whole place teeming with the bloody bugs, but a few of the flying ones were constantly following him from above, not giving him a chance to take flight. He kept running like a hunted animal, trying to lose them on the ground.

In his panicked state, he didn’t realize that the Vex were herding him in a certain direction.

After a few minutes of this chase, Blueskin entered a large clearing covered in grass and flowers, and the Vex ceased their pursuit, stopping at the edge of the clearing.

The Oni kept on for a few more seconds before realizing that something was wrong. He turned to stare at his enemies, who were now completely immobile at the border of the forest, seemingly waiting for something. The only ones that crossed over were the flying ones, but even they kept high in the air.

What are they doing? he wondered. Why aren’t they following me? Is there something dangerous in here?

After a moment, he decided the reason wasn’t important, and that he should just use their reluctance to chase him to put some more distance between himself and them. He then turned to move to the other side of the clearing… and froze. The Vex had completely surrounded the place.

Countless glowing, purple eyes stared at him from the shade of the trees, with a literal wall of chitin marking the edge of the glade in all directions. The Oni desperately looked left and right, trying to find a way to escape, but there was none.

Then the Vex in front of him parted, forming a corridor to allow the passage of a small procession, the sight of which made Blueskin’s blood run cold.

At the back of the line, but still perfectly visible because of their size, were the four gigantic Vex that the Oni had fought earlier that day. One of them still lacked the arm he’d cut off, but apart from that, they didn’t seem any worse for wear. And three humanoid figures were walking before them.

One was Yasen Harp, carrying his huge glaive on his shoulder, approaching in a seemingly carefree and relaxed manner. However, his eyes were focused and the Oni had no doubt that his lax attitude was nothing more than a facade.

What could be described as a mix between a Vex and a human girl walked besides the Aura Master. She wore a plain white tunic and had a completely blank expression, plus the way she moved had something rather wrong to it, almost as if she were a puppet rather than an actual person. Blue assumed she was the Queen of the Vex, though she lacked the intense Aura.

And finally, marching in front of all the others, was a tall female Lycan with snow-white fur, dressed in form-fitting black shorts and a sports bra. She was extremely muscular, but quite shapely, and despite not really having been a furry in his previous life, Blueskin had to admit that she was really quite attractive, though this wasn’t the time for such appreciation. More than anything else, she quite literally radiated power and barely controlled bloodlust.

As he processed the situation, Blueskin’s anxiety grew more and more. The Vex and Yasen were serious threats by themselves, and he couldn’t see how he could get out alive when facing both of them together, and that was without taking into consideration the wolf woman, who by all accounts also seemed to be extremely strong.

That said, he wasn’t quite driven to desperation yet, as he’d been in seemingly hopeless situations many times before and had always managed to survive. After all, such was the life of the main character.

Because of this, he stood on guard and waited—or rather prayed—for anything that would give him a chance to escape or turn the tables. And it seemed that something like that was indeed happening, as the newly arrived enemies didn’t immediately attack him, but instead started talking to each other.

“So that’s the Oni?” the wolf woman asked her companions while pointing at the Blue Terror.

“Yes,” Yasen replied with a nod.

“It doesn’t look like much though. Can’t even get away from a few bugs,” the Lycan sighed. “It seems I set my expectations too high after all.”

“Do you want to leave it to us then?” the captain asked.

“Nah.” The wolf woman shook her head. “After all I went through, I want to at least vent my disappointment. And who knows, he might be hiding something interesting.” She turned to the other two and added in an adamant tone: “Remember what you both promised me. No interference. Understood?”

“Fine,” Yasen confirmed.

“As you wish,” the Vex-girl said in an emotionless and alien voice.

“Good.” The Lycan smiled and stepped into the clearing, leaving the other two behind in the trees.

She stopped at about thirty meters from Blueskin, who was still keeping his guard up.

“My name is Alya Vilka, Grand Champion of the Federation of Thule. I demand a duel with you, Oni!”

At these words, Blue had to struggle to keep himself from smirking. The wolfwoman was very overconfident. He could use that to his advantage.

“I am Blueskin, ruler of the Caligare Forest, also known as the Blue Terror!” he replied in a dramatic voice, glad that he’d finally found an enemy with whom he could banter with. “I will agree to have a duel with you on the following conditions: that there will be no outside interference until one of us is dead! No chickening out halfway!” He smiled derisively. “Unless you’re too scared to fight me fairly.”

“No problem,” Alya replied nonchalantly. “That’s how I wanted it to be to begin with. I already told my friends over there not to interfere.” She started stretching her arms. “And tell you what, I’m feeling particularly generous today, so I’ll give you a minute to prepare. Feel free to transform however you like. But if you try to run away, then I’ll kill you on the spot. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Blueskin answered with a feral smile. He then started to transform, assuming his full combat form. His muscles swelled, his scales grew into actual armor, and a second pair of arms sprouted from his shoulders. His size also increased, until he towered over Alya like an adult compared to a baby.

Fools! he internally gloated. They served me a golden opportunity on a silver platter! I just need to eat the wolfwoman’s head and use her Aura and memories to get away from here. And then I’m going to get back to the forest, learn how to control my Aura, and become unstoppable!

“Thirty seconds left,” Alya announced. “You better hurry, blue-boy.”

The Oni heard her, but paid little attention. He prepared to strike, gathering his Aura to deliver a killing blow in a surprise attack. He wanted to end this quickly, using his raw power to overwhelm the woman before she could do anything.

* * *

While watching the fight about to start through the eyes of his copy-drone, Marcus was starting to feel a tad worried. It was quite clear that the Oni planned to eat Alya and absorb her Aura and memories. If he actually managed to pull that off things could get ugly. Besides, Alya did seem a tad overconfident, something which made the Vex Queen even more nervous.

“Uhm… Yasen?” he whispered through his drone. “Are we really going to wait and do nothing while Alya fights the Oni?”

“We gave her our word that we would,” the Aura Master replied.

“Yeah, but it still feels like we’re wasting a perfect opportunity to finally kill the bastard,” Marcus insisted. “And if he manages to devour Alya, it could become even more dangerous.”

“I’m aware of this, Sir Marcus,” Yasen said in a rather stiff and formal tone. “But we are knights, and we have to behave fittingly of our rank. To openly break a promise would besmirch both our honor and our reputation.” Then in a much less hard voice, he said: “Besides, there is no reason to worry. I’ve seen Alya in action, and the Oni is simply no match for her.”

The Vex Queen nodded at this explanation, but he was far from being completely reassured. As the countdown ticked down and the beginning of the duel approached, he came to a resolution. He would let Alya have her fun and fight the Blue Terror alone, but if things turned south, he would intervene and kill the Oni, consequences be damned. After all, there was too much at stake to care about hurting the wolfwoman’s pride.

“Ten seconds left!” Alya announced, still not having taken any guard position. “Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Fi—”

The Blue Terror attacked mid-count, darting toward the Lycan with his hand raised high to deliver a powerful blow. He was incredibly fast, closing the distance between himself and his enemy in only a second.

Still, he wasn’t fast enough.

With inhumanly fluid movements, Alya gracefully stepped to the side to dodge the attack while grabbing the Oni’s arm. Then, using his own momentum, she lifted the humanoid as if he were weightless and slammed him to the ground with such a force, his entire upper torso was buried in the ground, leaving his legs sprouting like some sort of weird tree.

The wolfwoman took a step back, watching calmly as the Blue Terror struggled to pull himself free, moving his legs frantically in the air. It was an almost comical scene, and Yasen couldn’t help but chuckle, though Marcus was far too surprised to do even that.

The Oni finally managed to break free, pushing himself out of the ground with his four arms. He was coughing and spitting pieces of dirt, but he didn’t seem to have taken any actual damage aside from a psychological one. He was plenty angry however, and when Alya spoke, her words made him even more mad.

“Was that supposed to be a surprise attack? Because anyone could have seen it coming from a mile away,” she said rather disappointedly, like a teacher scolding a student. “You didn’t even bother to hide your bloodlust and movements before engaging. That was beyond amateurish and you should feel bad about it, if you have even a shred of dignity that is.”

“You bitch!” the Blue Terror roared, pouncing at the Lycan like a tiger and to grab her with his four arms.

That didn’t work either, as Alya simply jumped in the air to dodge the tackle while simultaneously delivering a powerful flying kick to the Oni’s jaw, sending him flying and landing on his back a few meters away.

“That’s correct,” the wolf woman said with a smirk as she gracefully landed on the ground. “I am indeed a bitch. Literally. And what you are is a moron if you think such a reckless attack could ever hit me. Now get back up and stop playing around.”

The Oni rose and tried to say something, but the blow he received had dislocated his jaw, and what came out of his mouth was just an unintelligible mumbling. Realizing this, he grabbed his jaw and put it back in the proper position with a crack. He gave Alya a venomous stare, but this time he behaved with more caution and assumed a guard position instead of trying another assault.

“Good, you’re learning!” Alya said approvingly, giving him a mocking applause. “Never neglect your defense while you attack. Now show me what you got!”

She stood there expectantly, waiting for the Blue Terror to do something, but the Oni also remained immobile, just staring at her and tightening his fists. After a few seconds of this standoff, the wolfwoman sighed.

“Really?” she said in an exasperated tone. “You’re just standing still like that? Have you lost your mind or are you just that stupid?” She shook her head in disgust. “Here, let me show you why doing that is a bad idea, blue-boy.”

She then calmly walked toward the Oni, as if taking a stroll, until she was just a few meters away from him. Then, all of a sudden, she darted in, seemingly aiming for his neck. The Blue Terror reacted almost instantly, counterattacking with two of his arms while guarding his head with the other two. Sadly for him, Alya’s attack had been a feint, to which he’d fallen for hook, line, and sinker.

The wolfwoman changed her trajectory mid-jump and instead of going for the throat she passed under the Oni’s legs, where she stabbed his groin with her arm, driving it inside of the humanoid’s body up to her elbow. Then, before her victim could react, she jumped away, tearing off a certain organ from the Blue Terror’s body in the process.

The Oni let out a high-pitched howl and fell to his knees, while both Marcus and Yasen grimaced at this display of groin violence.

Ouch! the Vex Queen thought, instinctively covering his real body’s private areas, even though he now lacked that particular organ himself. That’s got to hurt.

Meanwhile Alya studied the bloody and still quivering piece of meat she was holding.

“Huh… so this is your junk?” she commented snarkily. “For someone your size it’s really not all that impressive.” She threw the organ away like a piece of garbage and shook her hand to clean it of the blood. “Still, it’s probably bigger than your brain considering how idiotic you’ve proven to be. You should never give your enemy free initiative like that. You should keep them pressured and on their toes. You—”

Her lecture was cut short by the Oni, who let out a furious roar and threw himself at Alya, growing long bone blades on his forearms and launching a series of wild slashes against her. Once again, the wolfwoman effortlessly dodged or deflected every single attack, dancing around the Blue Terror like a butterfly, letting her opponent continue his offense without actually fighting back.

This went on for a little while, until the Aura Master announced: “Alright, I’ve had enough.”

Moving so fast that her arms appeared as a white blur, Alya launched four slashes with her claws, cutting all of the Oni’s arms and leaving him momentarily stunned. Then, before he could recover, she took a deep breath and karate punched him in the gut so hard, the blow created a noticeable shockwave.

The results of this punch weren’t pretty.

The Blue Terror’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and he bent over, puking out a stream of blood, pieces of meat and other less identifiable but equally foul humors, forced the wolfwoman to jump away to avoid being showered by that vile concoction.

“Hey, be careful!” she shouted angrily. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to clean that stuff off my fur?”

The Oni didn’t reply, falling to his knees, alternating between puking blood and gasping for air, all while his arms struggled to regrow.

“Weird,” Marcus commented. “Why is the Oni struggling to recover? I mean, he regenerated from being literally cut to pieces, so how did a single punch mess him up like that?”

“Because that was no simple punch,” Yasen explained. “It’s a technique called Wave of Destruction. It bypasses armor and causes massive internal damage. I think most of the Oni’s organs have exploded, so it’s no wonder he’s in pain. If anything, the fact that he’s still alive is much more surprising.”

“I see,” the Vex Queen replied.

Though the voice of his copy-drone was as emotionless as always, he was actually extremely impressed. He knew how strong the Oni was since he—well, his drones—had fought with him earlier, and seeing the humanoid being toyed with to such an extent spoke volumes about Alya’s strength. In fact, he was so in awe of the wolfwoman’s power, that he started feeling a familiar tingling sensation in his nether regions. Unlike previous times, he decided there wasn’t anything wrong in being aroused by the sight of a big, beautiful woman enacting righteous violence on someone who absolutely deserved it, so he gave it a pass and just enjoyed the show. Especially because it seemed that it wouldn’t go on much longer.

While the Blue Terror struggled to get back on his feet, Alya clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“Well, this was a complete letdown,” she declared in an annoyed tone. “I thought I could have a decent fight for once, but it seems my hope was misplaced.” She gave the Oni an icy stare. “Listen here, blue-boy. I’m tired of playing with you, so now I’m going to come at you with the intent to kill. If you have any tricks you’ve been hiding, now is the time to use it, otherwise you’re going to die.”

She then started walking toward the Oni, raising both of her arms in front of her with her fingers flexed like claws. As she did, she also took a deep breath and her hands started vibrating incredibly fast, generating small sparks that crackled around her fingers, while a cold, murderous presence filled the air with a bloodlust so intense, Marcus was able to feel it even through his drones.

Chapter 48

Don’t Lose Your Head

When Alya gave her ultimatum, Blueskin was still struggling to recover from having his arms cut off and most of his internal organs turned into mush. However, these physical wounds were still nothing compared to how much damage he’d taken to his ego.

The Oni’s mind was a maelstrom of emotions. A kaleidoscope of fear, desperation, pain, anger, frustration, and confusion flashed inside of his head, preventing him from thinking straight. Never before had he found himself so powerless. While the Vex, Yasen, and even the dragon had overwhelmed him with either numbers, speed, and technique, or just sheer strength, he’d always been able to hold his own and even fight back to an extent.

Against Alya Vilka, he felt like a leaf caught in a tornado.

The wolfwoman seemed to have an answer for everything he tried, countering his every move while mockingly lecturing him about what he did wrong, just to humiliate him further. Worse still, judging by her words and casual attitude, she wasn’t even putting effort in the fight, and was still easily dominating him. But now, as she calmly walked toward him, Blue could tell she was about to get serious and put an end to the duel. Her hands vibrated and crackled with sparks of lightning, while the cold bloodlust she emitted was enough to send a chill down the Oni’s spine.

For a brief moment, the Oni felt so desperate that he wanted to just lie down and let it all end. But his pride and will to live fought back, shaking him from his terror.

Screw that! he thought angrily. I’m the fucking main character here! I can’t die like this!

He finished regenerating his body and pulled himself to his feet, trying to come up with a plan before Alya could launch her attack. However, he still couldn’t find any way of getting out of this situation, no matter how much he racked his brain.

Goddammit! Why is nothing going the right way? he internally ranted. This should be a perfect occasion to unlock a power up or some bullshit like that, so why isn’t that happening? In all the manga I read, there would have been some kinda secret technique that would allow me to go berserk and defeat this bitch or something…

Then a faint memory popped in his mind. The Aura Warrior he’d eaten earlier had known about something called “Berserk State”, which was apparently rather easy to achieve for anyone with basic knowledge of Aura Arts, and that would allow even the most hapless novice to instinctively use Aura techniques in battle. While it had some drawbacks, like losing your mind and risking to strain your Aura, it was also the only way Blueskin could think of to defeat the wolfwoman.

The only problem was that the Royal Knight he’d eaten had never actually entered a berserk state himself, so Blueskin had no clear instruction on how to do that. He didn’t have much time to experiment either since Alya was just about to kill him then and there. His only hope for survival was to buy some time using whatever means necessary, and hope to find a way to trigger the berserk state in that span of time.

Luckily, from what he’d seen of the Lycan’s proud-warrior-gal personality, he knew exactly what buttons to push to stall her.

“Wait a second!” he cried, putting his hands in a time out gesture. “If you only give me a moment, I have another technique to show you!”

The wolfwoman, who seemed just about to charge at him, stopped in her tracks, a glint of interest in her eyes as her hands stopped vibrating and sending out sparks.

“Is that so?” she asked in a suspicious tone, eyebrow raising. “Then why didn’t you use it before?”

“It… it has some drawbacks,” Blue justified himself. “And I thought I could win without using it. But now it’s clear you’re a worthy adversary, and I need to go all out to match you! I only need another minute to prepare!” Then, with a forced smirk, added, “Unless, of course, you want to play it safe and kill me before I can unleash my full power. But that would be rather cowardly for a warrior like you.”

Alya remained silent, considering Blueskin’s words. The Oni took advantage of this moment of respite to try and access the berserk state. However, while he was trying to focus, he was suddenly distracted by a shrill and alien voice that echoed in the clearing.

“What a load of bullshit.”

This phrase took Blueskin by surprise, because it had been spoken in Earth’s English rather than this world’s language. He turned and saw that the one who’d spoken was the Vex Queen.

“He’s clearly just stalling for time!” the monster-girl kept complaining to Yasen, this time in Imperial. “Alya should kill him and be done with it already. She’s dragged this pointless fight on for far too long.”

“Patience, Sir Marcus,” the knight replied. “I’m sure she will end the fight shortly, no matter what the Oni will do.”

The Vex Queen kept staring emotionlessly at Blueskin, who was trying to process what just occurred and, more importantly, how to use it to his advantage. He still needed time to find out how to activate the berserk state, so he decided to buy some more time by engaging in a conversation with the monster-girl. And if he managed to turn her against the others or cause some confusion, that would be even better.

“Hey, you!” he called out to the Vex Queen. “I heard you speak in English. Are you perhaps a reincarnated human?”

“What if I am?” the monster-girl replied.

“Well, I’m one too. I was reincarnated here from Earth,” the Oni said, waiting to see her reaction to this revelation.

“I already knew that,” she replied without any particular emotion behind the words.

Blueskin waited a few seconds for her to add something, but she remained silent, her face completely blank. She felt so cold and alien, the Oni would have believed her incapable of emotions if not for her earlier outburst. Since trying to sway or confuse her didn’t work, the Oni settled for trying to cause some outrage instead.

“If you know that, then why aren’t you helping me?” he asked in a sly, provocative tone.

“Why the hell should I help you?” the monster-girl asked. She still sounded emotionless, but somehow it was clear that she was getting angry, or at least annoyed, just like Blueskin wanted.

“We both come from Earth, so we should stick together,” he kept talking, pulling this explanation out of his ass. “Meanwhile, these people you are with are basically aliens. You can’t trust them. Especially because you’re not a human anymore either… you’re a monster to them. And they’ll turn against you as soon as you stop being useful.”

“Oh, because you treat your fellow reincarnators so much better, don’t you?” the Vex Queen replied sarcastically. “You captured them, abused them, and forced them to work for you. Not to mention, you actually ate one of them just a few minutes ago.” She shook her head. “Sorry, but I think I’ll take my chances with my friends over here.”

“How do you know I ever did any of those things?” Blueskin asked, trying to take refuge in a feint of audacity to provoke the monster-girl even further. “Did your so-called allies tell you? They could be lying. Do you have any proof?”

Much to Blueskin’s surprise however, these words seemed to actually calm the Vex Queen, to the point she actually smiled… or at least tried to, as the result looked far too uncanny and unnatural to be called a smile.

“Actually, it was one of your so-called allies that told me that. Remember your lieutenant, Tiny-Sneaky? The one you sent to kill me?” the monster-girl asked. “You could say that she shared her thoughts with me, and I learned a lot of things about you as a result.”

“What… Tiny?” Blueskin was thrown, suddenly bewildered. “How… What do you mean? You talked to her?”

However, the Vex Queen ignored the Oni’s question and turned to Alya.

“Oh, right. That reminds me… Alya, we should probably stop talking to him. He can infect other people’s minds somehow, and maybe he can do that by talking.”

“Ohh, so that’s what he was trying to do,” the Lycan nodded. “Thanks for the tip. I doubt that would work on me, but better safe than sorry. Well, if that was your secret technique, then sorry, but I’m not going to fall for it.” She raised her right hand, which started vibrating and crackling with energy once again. “Time for you to die, blue-boy.”

“No… that wasn’t it! I do have a special technique to fight you with! I just need more time to activate it!” Blueskin cried in panic.

“Sorry, but I’ve had enough of waiting,” the wolfwoman coldly dismissed his request. “The last nicety I can spare for you is giving you a few seconds to say your prayers, and then kill you as quickly as possible.” She raised both of her hands. “Try not to move around too much though, or this might hurt.”

The Oni desperately tried to activate his berserk state, but at this point he was too confused and frustrated to properly focus. Instead of unsettling his enemies, he’d been the one to become confused by the conversation, especially the bit about Tiny and the insinuation that he could corrupt minds—something which, as far as he knew, he couldn’t actually do.

Then, all of a sudden, he managed to put together these pieces of information and he reached a very unpleasant conclusion.

Could it be that Tiny betrayed me? he thought with disbelief. Maybe after failing to kill the Vex Queen, she made up some sob story about how she was being mind-controlled to justify her actions, and then she sold me over to them in order to save her own skin!

The more he thought about it, the more this theory made sense, and he got more and more angry as a result.

How dare she? he screamed inside his mind. After all I did for that bitch, she repays me with treason! I’ll fucking kill her if it is the last thing I do! I will skin her alive and—Huh?

He stopped, as he realized that something weird was happening. Even as he was ranting inside of his head, he’d still been trying to focus his Aura and now he felt it resonating with his anger.

A sudden, desperate hope flashed in his mind, and he concentrated all of his Aura through this emotion, feeling it swell and surge inside of his chest like a tidal wave.

Ah… I see, he thought with grim satisfaction. Of course, it makes sense that anger is the trigger to enter a berserk state.

Those were his last rational thoughts before a red mist covered his mind, leaving only a blind fury inside of his head.

* * *

“What is he doing now?” Marcus wondered as he watched the Oni crouching down and starting tremble while letting out feral growls.

In any other situation, he would have thought the Blue Terror had just lost his mind out of fear, but it was clear this wasn’t the case. The humanoid didn’t look scared at all, and instead radiated pure, unadulterated fury. So powerful, the Vex Queen could feel it even through his proxy-body. Moreover, while the Oni’s size hadn’t actually increased, he seemed to be getting bigger and more threatening with every passing second.

Meanwhile, Alya just stood still, refraining from attacking and just looking at her opponent with a rather disappointed expression on her lupine face.

“I think he’s trying to go berserk,” Yasen replied after studying the Oni for a few seconds.

“And what does that mean?” Marcus asked.

“It’s an Aura technique that allows the user to enter a frenzied state in which they are capable of using some Aura techniques instinctively, without actually having to train or practice them beforehand,” the captain explained, as calm as if discussing the weather.

“That sounds really bad,” the Vex Queen said, a bit taken aback by the captain’s unconcerned tone. “I mean, the Oni is already really strong on his own, and if he’s going to use Aura techniques…”

“Don’t worry,” Yasen reassured him. “Going berserk has a lot of downsides. Apart from the fact that it’s all but guaranteed to result in severe Aura straining, it also makes the user lose their mind and go on a rampage, attacking everything and everyone around them without a care for their own safety.” He smirked. “That could still be enough to win against most opponents, but it isn’t going to work against experienced fighters like me or Alya.”

Just as the knight finished talking, the Oni stood up and let out a terribly powerful roar, so loud, it created a small shockwave that flattened the grass all around him. An Aura of power and pure, undiluted rage surrounded him like a miasma, and despite Yasen’s words, Marcus actually started to feel a tad nervous.

Alya, however, didn’t seem even remotely worried. If anything, she looked bored and disappointed as she took a guard position to face the frenzied humanoid.

Then the Blue Terror attacked.

The Oni sprinted for Alya, moving so fast that the soil behind him was shredded, and lifted one of his right hands to deliver a mighty hammering blow to the wolfwoman.

However, as fast as the humanoid was, his opponent was faster. Moving with ethereal grace, Alya jumped to the side, neatly avoiding the Oni’s arm which instead impacted the ground, causing an explosion that sent pieces of dirt flying everywhere.

Woah! Marcus thought. That punch must have been stronger than a cannonball.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” the Oni screamed, throwing a flurry of wild punches, each so powerful that it created a gale of wind that rustled the leaves of the nearby trees.

Once again, Alya easily dodged every blow with contemptuous ease, dancing through the attacks like a feather in the wind.

“See?” Yasen said, using his glaive to point at the fight. “I told you there was nothing to worry about. His attacks may have gotten faster and more powerful, but they are also more predictable now. Not to mention that he’s leaving himself full of openings.” He sneered. “In these conditions, even I could finish him off instantly if I wanted to.”

The Vex Queen nodded and kept watching the fight, which seemed to be heading toward its conclusion, since Alya was losing patience. Her expression became more and more sour, until she sighed.

“Okay, that’s enough,” she spat.

After dodging yet another punch, the Lycan circled around the Oni and jumped. Then she swung her arm so fast that even to the Destroyers’ enhanced reflexes it still looked like a blur, and the humanoid’s head was sent flying away from his body.

Finally. Marcus internally sighed in relief. I was getting tired of wai—

But before he could even finish this thought, tendrils of meat shot out of the Blue Terror’s wound, instantly reconnecting the head with the rest of the body. And then, before Alya could land on the ground, the Oni punched her with all of his might.

The wolfwoman managed to guard herself using her arms and legs as a shield, but the impact was so strong, it sent her flying away from the clearing, smashing through the trees and the Vex drones in her way like a cannonball, and disappearing inside of the forest.

The Oni, now alone in the middle of the clearing, raised his head high and let out a ferocious roar of victory, while both Marcus and Yasen watched him completely appalled.

“Dammit!” the knight cursed, dropping his relaxed stance and assuming a guard position. “Careful, Sir Marcus! It seems that going berserk has made his regeneration stronger!”

“Don’t worry about me,” the Vex Queen replied, as he also gave a mental command to his drones to get ready to fight. “My actual body is far away from here. Anyway, how are we gonna deal with him now?”

“Just use your minions to restrict his movements and I’ll chop him to pieces,” the Aura Master said.

Meanwhile, the Blue Terror turned toward them and stared at them with a mad glow in his eyes. It was clear that he would attack at any moment, and so both the Vex Queen and the captain prepared to take on him. Yasen gripped his glaive with both hands and started levitating a few centimeters off the ground, while Marcus made all of his drones advance into the clearing, ready to swarm the enemy with their sheer numbers.

However, before either side could make a move, a loud and eerie howl echoed in the air, coming from the direction Alya had flown. Everyone turned to the source and, after a few seconds, a white figure entered the clearing as the Vex drones opened a passage for it.

“Is that… Alya?” Marcus asked.

That was a legitimate question, because the creature that appeared only bore a passing resemblance to the wolfwoman. For starters, it was much bigger, at least two and a half meters tall, and it looked far less human. Whereas the Lycan usually looked like a humanoid with some wolfish features, this creature was just a full-blown anthropomorphic animal, and a very wild and threatening-looking one at that. It reminded Marcus of the werewolves from the movies and comics he’d seen in his previous life.

“That’s her alright,” Yasen replied, with a hint of relief in his voice. “I guess she finally got serious.”

“You!” the werewolf creature cried in a voice that was similar to Alya’s, but also much deeper and more guttural, while pointing a clawed finger at the Oni. “We’re not finished yet! I won’t let you go now that things have finally gotten interesting.” She smiled, revealing a set of much sharper teeth than before. “Come here and face me! Give me everything you have!”

As she spoke, she radiated a threatening Aura so strong, it almost matched that of the Blue Terror. However, while the Oni’s presence was one of burning hot anger, the Lycan’s was colder, icy even, like the winter wind during a snowstorm.

The Oni turned to her, letting out a low, threatening growl. Then, both he and the wolfwoman darted toward each other at incredible speed, meeting in the center of the clearing with an impact powerful enough to make the ground shake.

The Blue Terror threw dozens of punches, but as it happened before, Alya either dodged or deflected each blow with ease, countering with incredibly quick slashes of her claws which tore apart the Oni’s flesh. The Oni simply ignored the wounds he received—which regenerated instantly no matter how grievous they were—and kept attacking without pause, pressuring his opponent with an endless assault.

As this stalemate went on, Marcus, who was still looking in awe at the show of strength from both fighters, leaned toward Yasen.

“Uhm… Yasen, could you explain to me what happened to Alya? Why does she look like this?”

“Oh, that’s because of her condition,” the knight replied without taking his eyes away from the fight. “It’s called the Werebeast Curse. It’s some sort of innate condition that some Thulians suffer from, which gradually turns them into powerful, but unthinking and dangerous beasts. However, Alya has managed to gain control over her curse, and can transform into that form at will. She only uses this power when she’s serious though, which doesn’t happen very often. But when she does, she’s easily the strongest warrior I’ve ever seen.”

Meanwhile, Alya had changed her strategy. Since counter attacking with surgical slashes didn’t work, the Lycan decided to try and overpower the Oni’s regeneration with sheer damage. Her hands started vibrating again, generating small sparks of lightning, and she exchanged punches with the Blue Terror, though she was much better at it than he was.

Whenever their fists met, the Oni’s arms exploded into meaty offal strips up to his elbow, and when the wolfwoman’s blows connected to his body, the humanoid spat out blood and pieces of his internal organs.

Yet the Blue Terror still kept fighting, refusing to go down despite the monumental amount of damage he was taking, stubbornly regenerating, and keeping the Lycan woman on her toes with lightning-quick attacks.

Then, seeing as this strategy wasn’t that effective either, Alya tried another.

As the Oni threw yet another punch, instead of dodging or meeting it with one of her own, the wolfwoman grabbed the humanoid’s wrist and threw him in the air. Then, as he was airborne, she jumped to follow him and performed a series of incredibly fast slashes using her vibrating claws. Alya moved with supernatural speed—Marcus was barely able to see her afterimage. These attacks travelled through the air, creating countless wind blades that shredded the Oni’s body to many small pieces and scattered them all over the clearing.

And even this wasn’t enough to put the Oni down for good.

Tendrils of meat shot out of the scattered body parts of the Oni, even before they touched the ground, connecting with each other and pulling themselves together, literally rebuilding the Blue Terror like a living puzzle. Alya stood still and watched this happen with a pensive expression on her bestial face.

What a stubborn son of a bitch, Marcus thought, a bit impressed despite himself. He really refuses to die no matter what.

“What otherworldly resilience,” Yasen commented, also looking appalled by the Oni’s sheer toughness. “I’ve never seen something like that.”

“Me neither,” the Vex Queen replied. “But maybe I know how we can deal with it. My drones could drench those pieces of meat in acid, to keep them from regenerating.”

“That could work.” The captain nodded. “And if I also join Alya in cutting the Oni to pieces, we should be able to do that quickly enough. The only problem is that she will never agree to this.”

“Let’s try to convince her at least,” Marcus said. “After all, she’s won this fight. It’s just that the Oni doesn’t stay down.”

“Well, it’s certainly worth a shot,” Yasen agreed, and then he raised his voice so the wolfwoman could hear: “Alya! How about we help you clean up? It’s clear that you won, anyway.”

“Shut up!” the Lycan replied with a growl. “This is my fight, and I’ll be damned if I let you interfere now that it’s got somewhat interesting. Besides, I’m going to bring this to an end with my next move, so I don’t need your help!”

The Lycan woman turned to face the regenerating Oni, took a deep breath, and adopted a seemingly more relaxed stance. She closed her eyes while she kept focusing on her breathing and put her hands together in a prayer-like gesture.

As she stood in that position, a feeling of deep calmness started radiating from her. At first it was almost soothing and rather pleasant, but with every passing second, it grew more and more intense, until it became almost unbearable. A sense of absolute peace, cold and inhuman, and yet still strangely alluring, which set all of the drones, and consequently Marcus, on edge.

“What!” Yasen muttered, his eyes growing wide with surprise. “She’s using that technique? Has she lost her mind?”

“Why? What technique is that?” the Vex Queen asked, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

“Death Door,” the captain replied. “It’s considered the ultimate attack of Aura Arts. Nothing can resist it, and wounds dealt with it can’t be healed.” He grimaced. “But the downside is that the user also forgoes all defenses! It’s a really dangerous gambit, and I can’t believe Alya is actually going through with it when there are other options available!”

In his real body, Marcus grimaced. Unlike the knight, he could easily believe that the wolfwoman would do anything to satisfy her thirst for a challenge. She’d shown not giving a damn about the consequences as long as she could have what she wanted, as this whole duel nonsense had demonstrated just that.

The Blue Terror finished getting back in one piece, and roared with anger. But Alya remained completely silent, simply breathing as the air around her darkened, as if the light was being sucked out of it. At her feet, a large patch of grass withered and died, turning to a dull yellow that badly contrasted with the luscious green of the rest of the clearing. Then, a dark Aura started forming around her hands, and the Lycan reopened her eyes, which were now completely black.

Heedless of the Aura of absolute danger the wolfwoman radiated, the Oni charged, raising his fists high to smash her into a pulp. But as he brought them down, Alya also moved, counter attacking with two slashes of her claws that severed two of the humanoid’s arms, just as she had done many times before. This time, however, the limbs didn’t regenerate, and the flesh around the wounds blackened, as if affected by necrosis.

Despite this, the Blue Terror didn’t slow down, and instead used his two remaining arms to try and grab Alya into some sort of bear hug, clearly intending to squish her to death. But once again, the Lycan used her claws to sever the limbs before they could close on her.

Armless, but still not harmless, the Oni didn’t give up his attack and brought down his head, opening his maw to try and bite his opponent to death. Before he could close his teeth on the wolfwoman, she swung her claws with a graceful and almost gentle movement and decapitated him.

The humanoid’s head flew in the air, before landing on the grass several meters away, where it contorted and grimaced. Meanwhile, his mangled body remained standing for a few more seconds, refusing to go down and even taking another step toward Alya, almost as if guided by a will of its own. Then it tripped and fell to the ground, twitching for a while before finally going limp and immobile.

Alya remained on guard, looking at her felled enemy until she was sure he wouldn’t get up again. Then, as it was clear the Oni was done for good, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She began shrinking, losing most of her more animalistic traits and returning to her usual appearance. She also lost her eerie Aura, and when she reopened her eyes, they’d gone back to normal instead of their pitch-black state. Then, with a long, tired sigh, she relaxed and sat down on the gras.

“Phew! I’m beat!” she said merrily. “I haven’t had a workout like that in years!”

Marcus and Yasen exchanged a look and they both shook their heads in frustration—though the Vex Queen did so with her real body, not the proxy one. Despite the fact that the Oni had finally been vanquished, putting up with Alya had emotionally drained them, and as a result, their reactions were very much somber.

“Well, congratulations on your victory, Lady Alya,” Yasen said. “Though I must question your decision to use Death Door. Surely you could have won even without it.”

“Of course I could have,” the wolfwoman replied. “But it has been far too long since I’ve used it, and this was the perfect occasion to get some practice. Being in a berserk state, the Oni wasn’t able to take advantage of the weaknesses of Death Door, and the fact that wounds from that technique can’t be healed or regenerated was exactly what I needed to take him down.”

The captain looked at her for a moment, and then shook his head in resignation.

“Well, I can’t argue with the results. And it wasn’t as if I expected you to behave sensibly to begin with.”

“You’d have been quite the fool if you had,” the Lycan replied with a smirk. “Anyway, thanks for calling me here. In the end, it was worth coming all the way here from Thule. I’ll make sure to repay you with a round of drinks when we get back to town.”

“As much as I’d like a drink right now, I fear it will have to wait,” Yasen said regretfully. “As the commander in chief of this region, I’m going to have a lot of work to do once we get back to Treval. Not only is it my responsibility to clean up this mess, but I also have to make a report to his majesty about what happened here.”

“That’s what you get for accepting official titles and things like those,” Alya said. “You should have just stayed a champion like me. You’d have much more free time and autonomy.”

“Sometimes I wish I did,” the captain replied jokingly. “But sadly, it’s too late for that. And besides, I work better as an officer than I did as a simple champion.” Then his tone turned rather mischievous. “But I guess I deserve at least one drink, after the day I had. Especially if you pay for it.”

“Ah! Now you’re speaking my language!” the Lycan said, getting back on her feet. She then looked at Marcus. “What about you, Marcus? Are you coming with us?”

“I’ll take care of the remains of the Oni first,” the Vex Queen replied, pointing at the body parts scattered around the clearing. “I don’t want to risk him resurrecting or something like that. Besides, in case you’ve forgotten, this is not my real body. I’m actually near Treval right now.”

“Oh, that’s right,” the wolfwoman nodded. “We’ll catch up with you then. And I don’t think the Oni would come back to life, since I killed him with Death Door, but I guess it never hurts to be cautious.” She turned to Yasen. “Shall we be on our way?”

“Of course,” the captain said, and the two Aura Masters left the clearing, heading for Treval.

When they got out of sight, Marcus got to work. He made the Warrior drones rip apart and devour the Blue Terror’s body, saving only a few chunks of meat that the Flyers would bring to his real body, so he could eat them and acquire the humanoid’s DNA. He didn’t actually have high hopes to gain useful traits for his drones, since most of the Oni’s abilities seemed to be magic based, but it was still worth a try. If he managed to get even a tiny percentage of the humanoid’s strength for his drones, then his hive would get much, much stronger—a thought that made him really excited, to the point that his mouth started watering.

As he was thinking this, however, he was suddenly alarmed when he noticed that the Oni’s head was still twitching.

Damn! he thought. Is that thing immortal or something?

He made his Destroyers carefully approach the head, ready to douse it in acid should it start regenerating or do something weird. However, upon further inspection, it became clear that while the Oni was moving, it was on his last leg. The wound around the neck had gone completely black, and the necrosis was expanding while its movements were weak and erratic, without any sign of getting better.

Still not entirely convinced, the Vex Queen made her copy-drone approach the head and pick it up to give it an even better look.

Much to Marcus’s surprise and horror, the Oni was still conscious. Not only that, he’d somehow slipped out of its berserk state, and now he was completely lucid. His eyes were wide with fear and pain, tears flowing down his cheeks. He was desperately trying to say something, though he lacked the lungs to actually emit any sound. By reading his lips, the Vex Queen managed to understand his words.

Help me. Please, help me.

In his real body, Marcus shivered. As much as he loathed the Oni, he still felt uncomfortable watching him suffer like that. After only a moment, he decided to be merciful and help the unfortunate humanoid the only way he could: by ending his pain.

He made the copy-drone gently lay the head on the ground and take a step back while Destroyers advanced, their chitin blades raised high. They quickly chopped the head to bits, and then, as a final touch to make sure the Blue Terror was really dead, they spit acid on the remaining chunks.

What a pitiful end, Marcus thought somberly, sighing. Maybe he deserved it, but it’s still pitiful nonetheless. Well, at least it’s over now. Time to move on.

And then he made all of his drones walk away from the clearing without looking back, leaving behind a puddle of melted flesh as the only proof of Blueskin’s existence.

Chapter 49

Voices in the Woods

After the Vex left, the clearing where the Oni had met his demise was completely deserted. No bugs nor birds approached it, and the silence was broken only by the occasional breeze rustling a few leaves.

Then an angry, young-sounding voice spoke.

“This is bullshit!”

The one who’d spoken was a young boy, barely in his teens by the looks of it, with crimson red hair and golden-yellow eyes. He wore extravagant red and black attire that was reminiscent of that of a jester, with baggy renaissance-style pants and pointy shoes. He’d appeared out of thin air and was angrily staring at the puddle of melted flesh that had been the Oni’s head.

“Well, I do have to admit that was rather anticlimactic,” another, more feminine voice chimed in. “But then again, it’s nice to see events unfold in such an unpredictable manner for once.”

A blonde woman, dressed in a simple, yet elegant white and golden dress, also appeared out of nowhere. She bore a striking resemblance to the boy, even sharing the same golden eyes, but her expression was calm and serene, in stark contrast with the boy’s manifested frustration.

“You’re only saying that because you benefit from this!” the boy replied, and staring daggers at the woman.

“Maybe in part,” she admitted. “I honestly think it’s good to have a few surprises every now and then. You of all people should like surprises.”

“I do,” the boy said sulkily. “But only when they’re good for me, and this is far from good. I invested a lot of points in my move to the Caligare Forest, and they all went to waste because of that damned Vex Queen!” He frowned, his expression turning angry. “Her presence derailed all of my plans for this region!”

“Well, as you know, true chance does actually not make favoritisms,” the woman said with a faint smile. “Random events are indeed statistically more likely to spread chaos, but they can enforce order as well.” She paused for a moment and then she added in an encouraging tone: “Besides, not everything is lost, isn’t it? The Arachne is still alive, so she could do something.”

“She’s not someone I can rely on in the current situation.” The boy sighed. “She may cause some minor disturbances with her schemes, but nothing more. The Oni was the one I really put my hopes on. If his army of orcs had managed to evolve into ogres, he could have become a big enough threat to influence the game on a global scale. But because of the Vex Queen’s intervention, he just fizzled out before he could do anything significant.”

“Well, if he was so useful, you could always resurrect him again in a new body,” the woman suggested. “There are no rules against reincarnating someone twice.”

“Can I do that for free?” the boy asked, his eyes suddenly gleaming with hope.

The woman smirked. “Of course not. It would count as a move, so you’d have to pay points for it.”

“Then it’s not worth it.” The boy now sounded completely disappointed. “He was a useful pawn, yes, but people like him are a dime a dozen. It’s not worth spending any more points than I already have on him.”

“Very well. Then I suppose our business here is done, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… There’s nothing more to do.”

“Then let’s go home,” he woman said. “I’m going to make cookies to cheer you up.”

“I’d like that.”

And then, without any warning, they disappeared, leaving no trace of their passage.

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Horde

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