Narn's Stand
Crossing a battlefield where thousands of orc warriors clashed was pure madness. With the frenzy of war igniting their innate battle lust, the orcs had become little more than berserkers. Provoking them in that state was tantamount to suicide.
'Not if it were the me from my past life...'
So instead, they chose to skirt the plains and head toward Bator. Fortunately, the orcs, preoccupied with their mutual slaughter, merely watched the massive wolf circle the battlefield from afar—they didn't charge. Of course, even if they had, most couldn't have kept up with Wolrang's speed anyway.
They kept their eyes glued to the orc battlefield for various reasons.
'So that's how orcs fight.'
Tiny closely observed the chaos: colossal beast phantoms intertwining, repelling each other, tearing into one another. He scrutinized the orc tribes' unique tribal tattoos—their mana circuit techniques, seeking anything he could learn from their flows.
Then.
"Tsrelvuakzeo tsdyagjiredyul!!"
"What the hell does that mean?"
Naturally, his attention was drawn to the shout echoing most across the battlefield. Bold, who had been gazing at the fray with feverish excitement, belatedly registered the question and hurriedly answered.
"It means the ancestors are watching. Standing out before the ancestor spirits who behold us—that's the greatest honor for an orc."
Orcs who acknowledged the Goddess but revered their ancestors even more. A perfect glimpse into their mindset. In truth, Bold seemed more entranced by the raw heat of the battle than any rival tribe's techniques.
"Looks like most of 'em die doing that, though."
"Still, they go to the embrace of the ancestor spirits. Not a bad end. For orcs, war and battle are the meaning of life—and its destination."
...Yeah, definitely not human.
Bold was visibly thrilled just watching another tribe fight. Seeing him like that brought Zerik's words back to Tiny's mind. Zerik got hyped in battle too, but...
—Obeying the laws and upholding honor. That's the chain and tool that tempers orc battle lust and reminds us we're civilized.
His friend had insisted that laws and discipline were tools for self-control.
—An orc lost in battle lust is no different from a monster. Same for beastkin gripped by madness.
—That's why they—and we—need rules to govern ourselves.
Knowing that made Zerik's stubbornness, that pigheadedness, almost admirable. The tough, unyielding warrior he remembered.
'I wonder if Zerik at this time is still the same.'
That curiosity and anticipation spurred Wolrang to even greater speeds.
"Hold on tight. Picking up the pace."
"From here!?"
Pabababak.
"Urk!?"
Wolrang became a silver gale once more, tearing across the plains. Before long, they reached a spot where the orc roars and battlefield explosions faded entirely.
Only then, freed from the battle's fever, did Bold stroke the wolf spirit's back, marveling at its incredible dash.
"If only my brother Salki could become a spirit and ride like this..."
As Bold murmured amid the blurring scenery and roaring winds.
"How much farther to Bator from here?! We plotted a straight line from Elvenheim using the map...!"
Tiny's shout snapped Bold from his reverie.
"...Not far. At this speed, we'll be there soon. Maybe a day?"
As Bold glanced around and replied, something odd caught Tiny's eye.
"...What the hell?"
Flames rising near the distant horizon, faint silhouettes of figures, colossal beast phantoms surging like illusions...
Guessing who was causing the commotion wasn't hard. Orcs.
'Bator's right nearby, and they're fighting out here?'
He frowned instinctively, but suddenly Wolrang let out a massive bark.
"Kyung!"
And its meaning was.
'Someone I know!?'
As Tiny's face hardened, Wolrang accelerated sharply, charging straight for the battlefield.
* * *
"Fgvvzaa yoady eazkduavad (Cowards who forsake honor)!!"
The orc female warrior atop her red boar roared fiercely as she swung her spear. The charging orc warriors flinched for a moment. But soon.
"Mshclvzkz fgvvzyy voyeul! evadkl kru fgvvzul!! (No honor for the defeated! Victory is honor!!)"
The commander from the rear bellowed, and they gripped their wavering weapons, surging toward the red boar once more.
'Damn it, is this the end?'
Narn, patrol captain of the Red Boar tribe and current leader of their messengers, could only lament inwardly. Her subordinates and their brothers lay fallen in pools of blood.
They had been en route to report to the Great Warrior that the Black Rhino-led northern alliance had committed dishonorable acts. But the ambush at journey's end had been devastating.
Especially since those orcs had utterly abandoned warrior honor, using any means necessary.
"Tsyoelareovd kvvtskl tsrkfv dalur ylfvlvd eulfgy ylvrlal. ylpyala! kgachtar kchvya yrtsl! (If any pride remains as a warrior, come out, Bachkal! Let's end this in a duel!)"
"Vtekdtsdl flal. ylay. vdfd ultslyvy ftakrkdvrl yshkl vrsh utsl yvdtsdavya pshshpltsdl? ftoplkr vd evo!? sgal!! (Don't make me laugh, Narn. Why wrestle a fish already hooked? What are you waiting for!? Kill her!!)"
With mocking shouts, the orc warriors charged her again. Narn gritted her teeth.
'Can't dodge.'
Her brother mount, Red Boar Yarltai, was supreme in frontal charges but clumsy at flanking or retreating. So she had no choice but to meet them head-on.
"Voadyvoyeul! (As if!)"
Pababak.
A red boar phantom erupted around her body, infusing her spear with immense power. But.
"Tskvoal! (Die!)"
"Ytsrkvya vtdpsh! (For the tribe!)"
The onslaught from all sides was too much for her alone. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The red boar's massive frame was pushed back repeatedly until finally.
"Kueeeek!"
A spear pierced its flank, and it screamed.
Cough.
"Kgyug! vshalachlvd! (Hold on! Yarltai!)"
Her brother's cry from below wrenched her heart, but she bellowed for him to keep fighting if they wanted to live. But in truth.
'I'm... at my limit.'
She tried not to show weakness, but she was vomiting blood.
And naturally, the enemies showed no mercy.
"Tskvo!! (Die!!)"
"Utztsgal! (Drop dead!)"
Orcs swung axes and spears with bloodshot eyes. Behind them, the sneering Black Rhino patrol captain Bachkal fueled her rage. But.
'Damn it.'
Her body wouldn't obey.
Then, in that instant, a silver behemoth burst in from the side of the lethal weapons hurtling toward her—clear as day in Narn's vision.
Kwaaaaaang!
"Guk!"
"Kwaaaak!"
Amid the explosion and the orc warriors' massive bodies flying back in an instant, a black-haired human atop the giant silver wolf grinned ferociously.
"Mind if we cut in?"
The common tongue after so long was easy enough to understand. Narn nodded dumbly, and Tiny, snatching an axe from a airborne orc warrior mid-collision, flashed a savage smile at the foes.
"Alright, let's clear these punks out first, then talk."
True to his confidence, wiping out the dozens-strong Black Rhino patrol took less than ten minutes.
"...This could be trouble."
Tadak tadak.
Bold eyed Tiny gravely by the crackling campfire. But.
"Who cares. I just saved a friend. Besides, I'm not an orc."
Tiny just smirked. Bold sighed and nodded.
"As a benefactor to the tribe, I'll smooth it over somehow. Wait, no—actually, if the Black Rhinos are colluding with demon worshippers, it's no issue at all. Yeah, exactly!"
Tiny ignored Bold's self-Q&A and checked on the unconscious Narn. Her sturdy frame and green skin still outlined vivid muscles, but the deep flank wound—fatal to a human—and blood-vomit traces dulled her functional beauty. Still, forcibly stabilizing her near-overbound mana was already promoting recovery.
'Tough as an orc, huh...'
But why had Red Boar warriors been fighting so far from their territory?
That question gnawed at him. How long had he stared?
"...Fta..."
As Narn's cracked lips parted with a faint sound, Bold strode to Tiny's side, tilting a waterskin.
"Uth—means she wants water."
Gulp gulp.
Bold poured straight into the semi-conscious orc's mouth. Reckless for a human, but luckily she was an orc—an Expert mana user warrior at that.
Gulp. Gulp.
"Kuh..."
Soon Narn half-opened her eyes, propped up her torso, snatched the skin, and chugged eagerly. Then.
Cough.
"Hoo, think I'll live. Sir Tiny, I owe you. And you?"
"Bold. Warrior of the White Direwolf tribe. You might've seen me before?"
"Ah, have I...? Sorry, don't remember."
"No worries. You weren't all there."
Tiny watched the two orcs greet in the common tongue—a bizarre sight. Once Narn's eyes sharpened, he cut in.
"...What happened, Narn?"
That short question carried volumes. Narn sighed, bit her lip, and began recounting events leading up.
"...At first, it was just weird—they weren't fighting like orcs. But..."
And her tale's punchline lit Tiny's eyes.
"So, when ambushing Black Rhino chieftain Nergui, you saw a human corpse rotting beside him?"
The Red Boars had proof the enemy allied with demon worshippers.
"Did you secure the body?"
As Tiny and Bold leaned in, Narn tilted her head.
"...You believe me?"
"We were heading to tell the Great Warrior the same—demon worshippers meddling in the war."
"Of course."
Narn brightened, then shook her head somberly, lost in thought.
"But no body. Right after, a bizarre explosion with no mana flow. From black orb-like things—flames and blasts incinerated it completely."
"...I see."
Bold scowled, but Tiny's eyes widened. He knew exactly what.
Thunderbolts. No wonder they weren't using them...
He nodded unconsciously, but Narn continued.
"All we got were a few of those black orbs that sparked it."
"Oh!"
"Don't get excited. They never used them in open battle—probably too precious. Can't fault 'em for that."
...Huh?
'They dumped a ton on me?'
Tiny blinked, confused. Then.
"We were heading to Bator hoping the shamans with the Great Warrior could read some trace of the owner from them."
"Ah..."
"Might be nothing. Tests showed no mana or magic in them. Just a long shot."
"War not going well?"
As Bold frowned, Narn nodded heavily without a word. She launched into a long explanation of the dire situation. Midway, Tiny snapped his fingers.
Snap!
"Right! Yeah, that makes sense!"
"??"
The two orcs turned from war talk to him.
"Narn, those orbs'll help more than you think. Good call bringing 'em."
Tiny grinned wide, clapping her shoulder.
"Weapons that ravaged the Aslan Empire? Of course they wouldn't use 'em openly. Gives the Empire pretext to interfere in orc affairs."
"Ah...!?"
"Explains why the Black Rhinos ambushed to silence you perfectly."
After much pondering, Tiny beamed smugly.
'See? I'm not dumb!'
Just beaten down by the Sword Emperor. That thought drew a natural smile.
"Ah..."
"Makes sense. Solid lead, friend."
"Humans are sharp."
The two orcs admired him, boosting his ego further. The White Direwolf chieftain candidate who'd birthed a Great Warrior, and the Red Boar patrol captain from plains bordering Aslan—they'd surely heard imperial whispers.
'Yeah, smarter than these orcs... uh...'
...Fuck.
"Ahem. More to tell the Great Warrior now. Let's hurry to Bator."
Hiding his chagrin behind a forced smile, Tiny urged them on. Oblivious, the orcs just stared, puzzled by his sudden shift.