No Need to Hide My Power Anymore (3)
Ajul, who had reflexively drawn his axe from his back at the word battle, turned to Wayne.
"Battle? Are there monsters here?"
"What? Orcs?"
Suddenly, the dwarves' eyes flashed with fierce intensity.
Yond leveled his spear.
"Orcs? We'll crush 'em thoroughly!"
"Ooh! Revenge!"
"Valhalla!"
For some reason, the dwarves were wildly excited.
"Why are you all getting so worked up?"
"We've been fighting the orcs of the Sky Mountains for ages. We can't share the same sky with those bastards!"
Wayne had heard the same from Chieftain Yulih.
The Sky Mountains weren't inhabited solely by dwarves. Long ago, thousands of orcs had fled into the Sky Mountains to escape the Titans of the Union Kingdom, knights who wielded auras. They claimed the northern peaks, where Titans couldn't reach, while the dwarves, pushed back by Estel's Magic Knights, took the southern ranges—splitting the territory down the middle.
The problem was the scarcity: few animals or livestock to hunt, scant arable land. They'd battle over an extra mountain or a prime fishing valley. Down below lay fertile plains, but the dwarves and orcs couldn't compete with humanity's unstoppable magic-engineered weapons, forcing this uneasy coexistence under one roof.
If things went on like this, the dwarves would slaughter every orc with their Steel Golems.
Wayne calmed them down.
"Don't kill 'em if you can help it—try to take 'em alive! We've got big plans for these guys!"
"What do you mean, Wayne? Spare the orcs?"
"Think about it! Kill 'em now, and they suffer once. Keep 'em alive and make 'em work forever—you can torment 'em endlessly."
"So, you're saying make the orcs our slaves?"
"Exactly."
The dwarf trio exchanged glances and nodded.
"Good! Let's enslave the orcs!"
"Alright! Time to go over the plan."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Orcs! Dig harder!"
"Orcs! Unearth the steel giants! The era of orcs is now!"
"Kuook! Kuook!"
Chieftain Bardetu roamed the site, pumping up his orcs.
Bardetu was a great chieftain, a full meter taller than ordinary orcs.
"My brother Ardenetu died unjustly!"
"Orcs won't make the same mistake!"
He couldn't let his half-brother Ardenetu's death be in vain. That's why he'd gathered the survivors and descended the Sky Mountains once more.
"Kuok!"
Thud!
The rope snapping mid-pull sent a Steel Golem plummeting from three meters up.
Bardetu charged over, pummeling the workers.
Whack! Thwack!
"Kuak!"
"Orcs! Be careful! The steel giants are our race's future!"
After the beating, work resumed. The orcs handled the Steel Golems with utmost care.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Orcs go check!"
A strange noise echoed from the lava bridge near the worksite. Bardetu sent orcs to investigate—but they didn't return.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Lots of orcs go!"
Twenty-odd orcs rushed off. Still no return.
"Orcs slacking off?"
Irritated, Bardetu led his orc warriors to the lava bridge.
Two dwarves blocked the path, his sentries sprawled on the ground.
Furious, Bardetu scowled.
"Dwarves hit orcs?"
"Of course! We'll smash every orc today!"
"Come on! Come on!"
Bardetu was dumbfounded. These half-sized pests prancing before him soured his mood.
"Orcs catch dwarves!"
"Kuok!"
"Kuook!"
A dozen orc warriors charged en masse.
But then!
"Unbending hearts! For the king's glory!"
Thud! Two pitch-black 10-meter Steel Golems emerged beside the bridge.
"Kuok?"
Whoosh! Boom!
"Kuak!"
"Kuaak!"
The orc warriors scattered like fallen leaves.
Bardetu and the orcs gaped in horror.
"O-orcs! Retreat!"
Bardetu was a tad smarter than Ardenetu. He knew their numbers couldn't handle those Steel Golems. Back to the worksite to rally and fight.
"Ku, kuok?"
But the worksite was hellish chaos. A 5-meter Steel Golem—like the ones they'd unearthed—kicked and swatted orcs, bodies littering the ground.
"Orcs! Tactical retreat!"
Bardetu gathered survivors and fled toward their entry tunnel.
But a dwarf and Steel Golem blocked it. A hulking blue Steel Golem advanced, wielding a massive iron mace.
"Orcs don't know surrender! All fight!"
"Kuook!"
"Kuaaa!"
Whoosh! Boom!
The massive mace crashed beside the orc horde. The ground cracked and heaved like an earthquake, toppling them.
The Steel Golem raised its mace again.
Whoosh!
"Orcs know surrender! All drop weapons!"
Bardetu dropped his first; the others followed. The battle ended swiftly.
"Line up straight!"
Ajul and a Steel Golem confiscated the orcs' weapons, herding them together.
No escape: Steel Golems guarded the lava bridge and entry tunnel. Stormtroopers with blades protruding from their arms and a Predator with its giant mace patrolled the perimeter.
Clank! Hiss!
Wayne dismounted his Gigant fearlessly, surveying the site slowly.
The massive hill was gone without a trace. Clearing it would've taken months even with work Gigants—yet the orcs had done it with raw muscle. Impressive zeal.
No debris piles either; likely dumped into the lava river.
Wayne approached the hulking orc chieftain.
"You the boss here?"
"...Kuook!"
Bardetu bared his teeth, glaring murderously.
Thud!
Nancy's Stormtrooper stomped once; Bardetu meekly turned away.
"Kuok! I am Great Chieftain Bardetu!"
"Why dig up Gigants you can't even pilot?"
"Brother orc Ardenetu said: human mechanics make steel giants! So they know how to ride! Dig all steel giants. Kidnap human mechanics. Then orcs ride steel giants too!"
Now it clicked—the orcs Wayne had killed before spouted the same nonsense. Brothers, probably.
"Tsk tsk. Orcs can't pilot Gigants. Your lifespans are too short to sense Odd."
Bardetu sensed it too. Months of digging and inspecting yielded no way to ride them.
"Kuok! Humans cheat! Without steel giants, humans are nothing!"
"What?"
Bardetu eyed a way out: take the apparent human leader hostage. First, separate him from the Steel Golem behind.
"Think you could win bare-handed?"
"Orcs strong! Humans weak! Humans cheat!"
"Yeah? Wanna duel me? You win, all orcs go free."
"For real?"
"Of course."
Bardetu grinned smugly.
"But if I win?"
"Kuok! Orcs strong! Humans weak! One punch ends it!"
"Fine. If I win, all you orcs serve me!"
Bardetu snorted, relaying to his orcs.
"Kuook!"
"Kukuku!"
"Kukeke!"
The orcs roared with laughter.
Nancy moved to intervene; Wayne waved her off.
"Orcs win big! Bardetu wins, dwarves, humans, steel giants all orc minions!"
"Deal! But if you lose, every orc here follows me, Wayne Stein! Got it?"
"Orcs got it!"
"No—tell your orcs again!"
Bardetu repeated; the orcs cheered. Victory was certain.
"All steel giants mine! Humans keep promise!"
"You keep yours!"
"Bardetu keeps promise! Orcs' final honor."
Five hundred orcs formed a huge circle. Wayne and Bardetu entered weaponless.
Three meters tall, rippling muscles twice an orc warrior's—Bardetu stretched.
Crack! Creak!
"Kuook! Kuook!"
Orcs bared teeth, cheering their chieftain.
No Gigant could lose here; a human beating Bardetu was impossible.
Wayne didn't know, but Bardetu was half-ogre, born of ogre and orc. Smart, orc-like in looks, adopted by the prior chieftain. He slew him young, unified tribes, became great chieftain. Rumors said he'd brawled an ogre.
"Kuaaaaa!"
Bardetu spread his arms, roaring.
"Kuook!"
"Kuook!"
Orcs went berserk.
Wayne had grown massively lately—not small by any means—but Bardetu dwarfed him.
"Stupid human! Beat to pulp, kill!"
Bardetu charged, swinging fists.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Kuok?"
Bardetu tilted his head. The human dodged repeatedly. Quicker than expected.
But one graze would end it.
"Kuok! Die!"
He lunged again. Oddly, the human stood still, unresisting.
Jackpot—Bardetu bear-hugged and hoisted him.
Simultaneously, Wayne gripped Bardetu's head.
"Got you! Kuooooook!"
As Bardetu bellowed triumph—
Crackle! Zap!
Bardetu convulsed, body stiffening. He collapsed limply.
His pants soaked through.
Even fourfold white Odd acceleration sufficed to knock out the orc chieftain.
Wayne stood, mounted him, and pummeled.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
'Kid's built like a damn boulder.'
Unconscious, but this was victory showmanship. Fists flew long, then he stood and stomped.
Orcs stared aghast. Their ogre-brawling chieftain pummeled helplessly by a human.
Wayne rose, facing them.
"Anyone else wanna try?"
An orc great warrior, head taller than most, leaped forward. Couldn't fathom the chieftain's fall—had to test himself.
The orc swung; Wayne sidestepped, hammered his side—with electric strike.
Crackle!
"Kuak!"
Down in one.
Another charged.
"Kuook!"
Crackle!
"Kuak!"
Crackle!
"Kuaak!"
Crackle! Thud!
Each challenger stiffened with a yelp and crumpled.
Bardetu awoke to a hundred sprawled orcs—all one-on-one losers to Wayne.
Other orcs dug under dwarf orders.
"Hey, Bardetu! Feel like another zap?"
"Krrk!"
Wayne approached; Bardetu recoiled in terror. No human, this one.
"Orcs surrender!"
"Good—obey my orders from now on!"
"Got it. Bardetu obeys Wayne!"
"Obey well, get food and shelter. Disobey? You know."
Crackle!
Even twofold white Odd zapped his soul.
Thus, Wayne gained five hundred orc minions.
Next day, Bardetu and a dozen warriors tried sneaking off—unguarded by dwarves or Golems.
But Wayne waited at the tunnel, zapping them all.
Asleep, he'd spread red Odd, piercing their moves.
A few more failed escapes later, they resigned to silent toil.
"Wayne! We've found the Valhalla Gate!"
A week in, they unearthed the teleport gate pillar.