Orc Lord

All the non-perishables have been loaded up and all the houses destroyed. I'm bringing my Holy fox pillow with me for sentimental reasons, not that it's heavy or takes up much space.

“Alright, start lining up the wagons at the East gate. Then, some of you stay there to guard them, and the rest of you go to the fields to help the Goblins finish packing the plants.”

I’ll leave the gates and walls up until the last moment, for protection. But I had better go do something about the basement.

I honestly don't have enough Magic Power left to fill the whole place up in one go. For now, all I can do is seal the entrance. Well, it's fine. I'll come back later to fill it all in anyway.

There’s nothing to do now but wait around. I think I'll use this time to fix something that’s been bothering me. I don't like the way displays things. Things like gender, age, and sexuality, I don't really want to know. Skills, too, I only want to see those included when I'm trying to assess an enemy, or when I'm actively researching the various skills that exist. Also, I would like to add the Will stat to automatically display.

The only way that I can think of to quickly that is to adjust the default settings little by little through practice. I'll have to use for the name, race, blessings, curses, status, and Will stat over and over until it becomes automatic.

So I start practicing on the Orcs present.

After another twenty minutes, the wagons from the fields arrive. Durghan isn't here yet, so I guess he’ll just have to meet up with us later. I'll have to put a stop to my training for now.

“Alright, everybody get into formation. Carts in the middle, then women, then men, arranged in rings. Momma, you take the front. Fiara, the front right. Dodoran, the back right. Urmsur, the front left. Kelk, the back left. I'll be following up from the rear. Get into position and wait for my order.”

While everybody sorts themselves out, I destroy all the village walls, gates, vent shaft openings, and fields. Now, all there is is a large dirt clearing between the trees. The Magic Power I have left is now very little. The remainder will be used to erase the marks left behind by our footprints and cart wheels. I can't fix the crushed vegetation, but maybe I can make it hard to tell what exactly passed through here.

Oh, wait. Yes, I can fix the vegetation. I've just never considered using on plants before.

If it’s like this, I'll have to hunt Magic Beasts on the way. Otherwise, I'll be out of Magic Power before I know it.

“Alright, march.”

I can trust momma to lead the party, and Fiara won't let her get lost. If Urmsur acts up at all, momma will stomp him. I can feel at ease and let the group continue forward on their own. Meanwhile, I run around finishing off any Magic Beasts I can find. It’s become much easier to hunt, thanks to

. Every time I make a kill, I bring it back to the group. We had two extra wagons, but I ordered to take them along just for this reason. After depositing a corpse in one of the extra wagons, I backtrack and erase our trail.

Night fell. I don't particularly like the idea of letting our wagons just sit here all night. An Orc’s night vision is inferior to a Goblin's, but still better than a Human’s. It would be possible to travel at night. Regardless, I don't want to risk it. We could drop things or accidentally leave tracks behind. Also, everybody would be exhausted afterwards.

Besides that, camping will give Durghan a chance to catch up to us, and I can't ignore the obvious weakness of my people. They haven't eaten since last night.

We split up the Magic Beasts I hunted, leaving them raw. It was enough to keep people from starving, but I'm sure they would have liked more.

Why didn't we cook them? Because the volume decreases if you cook something, and I'm trying to fill these guys up. I saw a few people eating random leaves and such after dinner, but I'm going to just turn a blind eye and let them do it.

As for the camp, I basically didn't build one. There are way too many people; I would have to build a whole city. So, we’re sleeping under the stars tonight.

***

Morning came, and Durghan has arrived. Seems he turned up late last night, but decided to sleep, and let me sleep, instead of notifying me. Also, he picked up two guests on the way back.

“Chief Vyra!” a cute little voice called out, and I felt something small latch onto my pant leg.

“Huh? Auntie?!” I looked up and saw Rigdam standing by Durghan, looking a little unsure. He had a pack tossed over his shoulder and a spear in his hand, and that was it.

“Vyra,” Rigdam nodded. He handed over his things to Durghan temporarily, then stepped up to me. “It true you is Oolga’s daughter?”

“Yeah,” I said softly. “Is it true you're my dad?”

Without a word, Rigdam--who’s a good head taller than me, mind you--wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. He didn't say anything else. I don't think he needed to.

“Did you come to send me off? Is it fine to leave your village?”

“I picked different chief for village. I come with you. The little one come too.”

To be honest, I'd like to have him. I would have asked him to come along if he didn't have a village to protect. But, before I forget, let’s take a look at them with . The signs of my practice are showing nicely so far.

Name: Rigdam

Race: Orc; Monster

Blessings:

Perfect Omnivore (Orc)

Gift of Tongues (Orc)

Curses:

Unending Hunger (Orc)

Status:

Body: Tired, Hungry

Heart: Resolved

Mind: Stable

Soul: Stable

Will: 98%

Name: None

Race: Orc; Monster

Blessings:

Perfect Omnivore (Orc)

Gift of Tongues (Orc)

Curses:

Unending Hunger (Orc)

Status:

Body: Tired, Hungry

Heart: Excited

Mind: Stable

Soul: Stable

Will: 45%

Auntie’s Will stat is really low. I wonder if it's because she’s still a child. Everything else seems normal.

I give dad and auntie permission to join us, and I welcome Durghan back, but it’s brief because I have preparations to take care of.

I make a big stone pot and have Fiara fill it with water. Everybody drinks what they want and freshens up. The Goblins use whatever’s left to water the plants, and then we move out.

I assigned Durghan to the back of the formation, in case I need to run off for anything. Rigdam and auntie currently have more of a guest status, so they're walking together inside the procession.

A little before sunset, we arrive back at Dagoran’s Village, Irsha’s home village. We gathered food on the way here, so nobody should have to wander off to hunt. Just in case, I don't want anyone wandering too far from here.

As a sign of goodwill, we’ll be sharing our dinner with the Expansionist Orcs. They also shared whatever food they had left. The few Fomors that hadn't been eaten yet were starting to rot a little, but Orcs have strong stomachs, so it's fine. I did try casting on my portion, though, just to see what the effect might be. The meat seems to have become fresher, and a welcome voice rang out.

[[Conditions met. acquired.]]

Oh! Fantastic, I wanted this one. Getting it before the abundance of fall sets in is really a blessing.

Sitting beside me, at the head of the cooking fire, is Chief Dagoran. I must look like a child sitting next to a huge War Orc like him. Well, this is a good time to build up some pleasant feelings. Especially because I noticed his left arm is severed at the forearm.

“Chief Dagoran, right? You've been taking care of my brother for awhile. Thank you.”

“Lord Vyra,” he acknowledged me with a strange title. “Don't thank me. I treat Varoon like any other Orc that live in my village. He save my life from Small Baphomet. Really, nothing to thank me for.”

“No, I want to thank you anyway, but words are cheap. How about I do this instead?”

With a wave of my hand, a white light forms over Chief Dagoran’s severed forearm, and a new wrist and hand start to grow back. Dagoran snorted and jerked his arm back in surprise. I was curious to find out that War Orcs still snort, even though they don't have pig snouts anymore.

I believe I've mentioned this before, but doesn't naturally make a white light. I add that, because watching the process directly is disturbing. So, when the white light fades, the Expansionist chief’s arm is good as new.

“How,” he trailed off, seeming to no longer care how it happened, only that it did.

I smiled at him, and asked an important question. “What will become of the War Orcs when the War is over?”

Dagoran examined the outline of his new hand, using the light from the fire as a backdrop. “With no outside enemy, we probably fight each other. War Orcs cannot give up battle, or the hunt.”

I nodded and took a big bite of meat. I wait until after swallowing before I speak again. “I will be killing and enslaving all the remaining Fomors. When my city is built, have the other War Orcs come there. I know a way for you to coexist peacefully while fighting every day.”

I think a colosseum is exactly what these people need. And if my city is attacked in the future, they will become an army to defend it.

In fact, I might need them to do so, since the Orcs from my village tend to evolve into High Orcs. Maybe the sudden lack of comfort stirred some of their desires, but last night, five more Orcs evolved. It's not like High Orcs are weaker than regular Orcs, but they're only stronger by a little bit. The real advantage is in the mental department. I also heard, at one point, that their lifespans are longer. Orcs only live for thirty years before old age gets them. High Orcs live for eighty. I'm the first Dominance Orc, so I have no idea how long I can live for. War Orcs live to fifty, by the way, and Fiara will live to a hundred and twenty.

But I digress. Tonight, we’ll be sleeping in Dagoran’s village, under the stars. Tomorrow morning, I will go out to scout for a good location for my city.