9. Orc Subjugation (3)
It was like the roar of a monster.
As Wayne's maintenance Gigant let out a bizarre beastly cry, the orcs and the people behind him all flinched in shock. Of course, the most surprised was Wayne himself.
'Why? Why does my voice sound so weird?'
He'd clearly heard Snow and the other Gigant pilots chatting naturally while moving, even giving orders to the soldiers over the mic. So it was strange that only his came out sounding like some freakish monster noise.
Fortunately, the orcs hesitated even more at the beastly sound.
Greeee!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Then, another maintenance Gigant that had been standing at the rear strode forward, positioning itself right next to Wayne and swinging a claw-like tool through the air.
The amplified voice boomed from the Gigant. It was Lieutenant Adman, the maintenance officer, who had brought his own maintenance Gigant.
With not one but two three-meter Gigants blocking the front, and Blaster and the spearmen behind them, the orcs panicked badly.
A standoff!
The orcs didn't dare attack, and Wayne protected the people behind him.
That was when a brief moment passed.
"Kuok! Retreat!"
The orc captain shouted from atop the log wall. The orcs immediately began a disciplined withdrawal.
Suddenly, Adman beside him yelled, and his maintenance Gigant swung its tool as it chased after the fleeing orcs. The maintenance crew who had been hiding in the back also rushed forward.
'What the hell?'
'Captain?'
That's when Wayne spotted some orcs grabbing maintenance crew members by the waist and fleeing. And among them was Captain Jamie Murray of the 7th Division maintenance team.
'No way? Was that their goal all along!'
A chill ran down his spine in that instant. The orcs weren't just aiming to kill the maintenance crew—they were abducting them!
In Wayne's eyes, the orcs were far more cunning and desperate than he'd thought.
Lieutenant Adman's Gigant pushed hard, but even its top speed was slower than a full sprint from an average adult.
'Damn it! Why won't this thing move faster!'
Wayne tried to chase after the abducted maintenance crew to save them, but even walking was a struggle for his Gigant. After barely managing two steps, the body and arms lost balance and wobbled.
With no choice, he planted both arms on the ground like a gorilla and steadied himself.
'Huh? This feels way more comfortable.'
Instead of walking on two legs, Wayne braced with his long arms and moved like a gorilla—and it felt much easier. The Gigant started moving noticeably faster.
"Kuok! Block them!"
The orc captain bellowed, and several orcs turned to stand in their way.
Lieutenant Adman's Gigant brought its claw tool down, smashing an orc's skull with a sickening crunch as one dropped dead on the spot.
Wayne then slammed into an orc with his Gigant.
Splat!
The orc crumpled from the impact, and Wayne threw his body on top.
Thud!
"Kuek!"
The orc pinned beneath spat out its tongue and shook its head in defeat.
It was a brute-force method, but it was the most Wayne could manage right now.
With Blaster, the soldiers, and maintenance crew charging in, they took down the orcs blocking the path.
But most of the orcs had already vaulted the logs and escaped, and Captain Jamie was nowhere in sight.
Clop clop clop!
Neigh!
That's when dozens of cavalry burst into the base camp.
The hatch of Adman's Gigant flew open in a rush.
"Where are the enemies?"
"It's bad! Captain Jamie and the maintenance crew were dragged off by the orcs!"
"What?"
Cavalry Captain Chris immediately led his riders in pursuit of the orcs.
***
A short while later, the Gigant that had gone to Ferrari Village returned, along with the musketeers and spearmen.
'What the...'
Snow stared in stunned disbelief at the chaotic camp.
She hadn't anticipated the orcs sacrificing half their force for this strategy at all, leaving her badly rattled.
The Gigant's hatch opened, and Squad Leader Snow stepped down. She glanced around.
'Huh?'
She looked surprised. Wayne Stein was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Young Lord Wayne? Where is Young Lord Wayne?"
Greeee! Thud!
A three-meter maintenance Gigant approached her, raised one hand, and waved it. Then it pointed at itself with a finger.
Snow tilted her head.
"No way? Young Lord Wayne?"
The maintenance Gigant nodded vigorously.
In that moment, Snow was so shocked she lost her words.
Even for a maintenance Gigant, no sixteen-year-old should be able to pilot and move it like that. Maintenance Gigants were a grade below 3rd-class training models, and just being able to board one qualified you for an imperial maintenance officer commission.
"Young Lord, I salute you. Please dismount now."
Snow spoke, but Wayne couldn't get down. The problem was he didn't know how.
Realizing this, she shook her head.
"Sigh! Cut off your Odd! It'll open automatically."
Hearing Snow, Wayne tried to cut off his Odd, but it wouldn't obey. He didn't even know how.
And while yesterday it had released his Odd Eye on its own when he just stood there, now that he'd boarded and started moving the Gigant, it wouldn't release for some reason.
'Ah! So that's why they train for it!'
Boarding unprepared had been a mistake.
But because he'd gotten in the Gigant, many lives were saved—no regrets there.
The problem was...
Only freakish beast howls came from the Gigant—no proper speech.
"No way? You can't even talk?"
Wayne nodded.
Just seeing Snow Austin's grave expression told him the situation was heading south.
Suddenly dizziness hit, and Wayne's body tilted to one side. The maintenance Gigant toppled over.
Thud!
"Young Lord Wayne!"
"Young Lord, pull yourself together!"
As consciousness faded, Wayne passed out for the second time in front of Snow Austin.
***
Fierce winds blew, shaking the 200-meter-tall giant trees.
Their dense leaves rustled like a green ocean.
'Huh? Where am I?'
Wayne was precariously hanging from the top of one such tree. On the others, shaggy monsters clung as well.
Like some religious rite, they all stared at the setting sun beyond the green horizon.
Wayne knew this wasn't real. But it felt too vivid for a dream, and he was fully aware.
'Wait, those gorilla-like things!'
They looked just like the maintenance Gigant he'd piloted.
'So what I saw wasn't an illusion?'
They weren't the gorillas he knew from his past life. These were twice as tall, far bulkier—probably six times the weight. Giant monster gorillas, in a word.
But why was he seeing this just from piloting a maintenance Gigant? No idea.
Sunset over the Great Forest.
"Kraaa!"
"Kueee!"
Dong dong dong dong!
The giant monster gorillas roared loudly and began pounding their chests. It sounded just like drums.
This was to psych themselves up before the hunt.
One started descending, and Wayne followed downward.
True to their monkey-like form, they scaled the 200-meter tree in seconds.
Hundreds of them swarmed through the Great Forest.
A monster monkey on a tree signaled, and the others' green eyes flashed as they charged that way.
There stood an eight-meter dinosaur-like beast.
The three-meter monkey monsters rushed en masse, but the behemoth didn't back down.
Its green eyes gleamed as it whipped its tail like a lash, sending two monkey monsters flying dead.
The beast opened its massive jaws and bit, slicing another gorilla's torso in half.
Then one gorilla leaped from a tree and latched onto the beast's neck.
The gorilla monsters used their tails masterfully in midair jumps for balance, and when turning sharply while running, always with the tail.
Another clung to the neck, one to a leg, another to the tail... In seconds, dozens rode the giant beast, which collapsed under the weight.
They pummeled it with massive fists until it died.
'If the maintenance Gigant had a tail, it'd be way easier to balance!'
That thought struck Wayne as he watched the monster monkeys hunt.
***
The sensation of his body shaking woke him. He was in a carriage. At least he'd escaped the maintenance Gigant.
Wayne turned his head to see Blaster staring with a pale face.
"Young Lord Wayne, are you awake?"
"Blaster, seeing your face makes me glad. No injuries?"
"Of course not. Ten orcs are no problem."
"Hell, with arrows, you could've handled double that."
Wayne had seen his archery skills today. Not even a regular soldier, yet he'd sent over a dozen orcs to the afterlife.
If he got in a proper archer Gigant, he'd be terror to enemies and a pillar of faith for allies.
So Wayne was determined to build one.
"By the way, where are we headed?"
"Moving to Ferrari Village. Almost there."
"Right! The abducted maintenance crew?"
"The cavalry rescued four. But Captain Jamie and Sergeant Carrie slipped into the forest with the orcs, so they couldn't pursue further."
Wayne smacked his lips bitterly.
They'd done their best and saved many soldiers. But saving all the abducted crew had been impossible.
No—if he'd handled the Gigant better, he could've saved those two. Regret filled him.
'Gotta master the Gigant first to earn respect...'
To gain recognition from the Blue Knights' Gigant pilots and win their loyalty, piloting one came first.
Moments later, the carriage stopped. Wayne dismounted with Blaster's help.
Maintenance crew and soldiers swarmed over.
"Young Lord Wayne is awake!"
"Ooh!"
"Young Lord, thank you!"
"We survived thanks to you, Young Lord Wayne!"
"Huh? Yeah..."
The maintenance crew and soldiers bowed in gratitude. Wayne found the situation awkward.
Whether past life or this one, he'd never received such praise.
He hadn't done it for this, but his chest warmed and tightened.
'Is this camaraderie?'
Snow approached.
"Everyone, set up barricades around the village and find solid lodging."
"Yes, ma'am!"
At her command, the soldiers scattered. Even as they did, they didn't forget to bow to Wayne.
"How's your body?"
"Just a bit dizzy otherwise."
"Your Odd is depleted. Focus your mind, and it'll recover soon."
"So, what now? About Captain Jamie getting kidnapped."
"We're holding an officers' meeting on that right now."
Snow headed toward the village hall. But after a couple steps, she turned.
"You coming?"
"Huh? Can I?"
"Of course. I heard from Lieutenant Adman. The 7th Division owes you big today. You're welcome at all meetings from now on."
It seemed like a small change. But that tiny crack would be the seed of greater shifts.