Orc Lord

“Make sure you get some from both genders,” I instructed firmly. “If you can find any children, that’s even better. Oh, and on your way, let Chief Dagoran know that he can start sending people over a week from now, if he wants. Of course, if there’s an emergency, I'll accept them earlier. Also, give him an update on the war progress.”

The guys gathered in front of me have been assigned to secure livestock. I've distributed twelve caged wagons to thirty Orcs The cages are built with grooves so they can slide into normal wagons and be latched in place. Most enemies would avoid attacking a group this size, but I'm sending Durghan with them to be sure.

“Sorry for having you babysit so much, Durghan. You're too dependable to resist.”

“Not at all, Chief Vyra. I'm honored to have your trust.”

So with that, I send them off. Next is to go to the North wall to build a place to keep the incoming livestock. Durghan is sure to handle his side properly, so I should do the same.

If I look closely, the three most loyal people I have are Durghan, Fiara, and Rigdam… father. He’s been quite helpful since coming to the city with us, it seems. I haven't been around to see it, but the others have nothing but kind words. I'm not used to having a dad, since he died early in my last life. Rigdam is, well, if he were human, and not my dad, I think I would fall for him. Is that a… healthy relationship, I wonder?

I can't count Momma in the most loyal group. I feel like she completely supports me, but I don't know if she has my best interests at heart. I know that’s awful to say, but she’s never once reprimanded me. I’d like to say that’s because I've always been perfectly behaved, but that isn't true. I've thrown tantrums, broken things, hurt and scared people, and I even killed a fellow chief. It doesn't matter if I want to uproot our city to start a war, brainwash people into slavery, or commit genocide, she’s on my side.

I love momma, and I can feel safe with her, but a person like me needs to be scolded sometimes. Father was the first to scold me in this life, then Varoon. Fiara will sometimes correct my calculations or challenge my hypotheses, but she never goes against my decisions. Durghan is pretty much the same.

Um, have I surrounded myself with sycophants? That’s not it, right?

No, why am I even thinking about stuff like this? The walk to the North Wall is too far, so my thoughts are wandering. I remember now. I was on my way to make a place to keep the livestock.

I've already designed the facilities last night on my town blueprint… clayprint? Requirements: pens for the animals; thick walls to defend the food; big enough for Fomors to enter. The breeding, raising, and slaughtering facilities will be kept separate. Fresh water will need to be easy to access in any of the buildings to prevent disease. I thought about just regularly hitting the place with to purge the bacteria, viruses, parasites, and so on. But it needs to be able to function even if something happens to me.

Before the others woke up this morning, I used and my blueprints to carve lines into the ground, outlining where all the buildings should go. is a cheat skill for sure. I don't even have to look where I'm casting. Anyway, thanks to that, I know exactly where I'm supposed to be building now.

Wait, could I have built the whole building remotely just by using the blueprints as reference? The answer is no, because I also have to install some light spells.

After a few minutes, that job is done. It’s a boring, large rectangular building. Function matters more than looks for this one, so I don't care to fix it up much. What’s more important is checking in with Fiara and Balig before leaving with the boys to slaughter some Fomor villages.

***

Balig rolled over in protest when the sun started to beat down on him, but he soon gave in and sat up. He cast a bitter glance at the blue Orc he was introduced to last night.

Just why does an Orc have so much stamina for research?

The Dwarf’s body still ached all over from excessive magic use. He went to get some water at the well and stretch his body a bit. Just when he was starting to feel refreshed, the winged Orc chief came trotting over.

“Hey! Good morning, Balig!” she called brightly. Then, she bent over the blue Orc and shook her by the shoulder. “Fiara, wake up.”

Please don't wake her up, he thought while sweat broke out on his forehead.

“Muuh,” the blue Orc stirred and rubbed her eyes. “Good morning, chief.”

“Have you come to any conclusions about the mana cores?”

The chief didn't seem to be interested in him for right now, which was good. The Dwarf took his chance to rest on a mound of pelts and let the sun warm his pale skin. It stung a bit. The long exposure from yesterday had gotten him burned. Still, the warmth felt necessary.

It’s cold away from the city furnaces. Dwarves with great beards, huh? Maybe I should grow one just to keep warm. Well, it’s impossible to do it on a whim, though.

He took his rest while leisurely listening in on the girls’ conversation.

“Ah, yes. It’s more or less what I expected, chief. If a descendant extracts the power in a magic core, it can be used once before vanishing. If they put Magic Power into a core, the core will retain it normally, and the descendant will recover their Magic Power with time. When a Monster extracts or implants Magic Power into a core, it acts as an equivalent exchange. Additionally,” Fiara paused to let out a yawn. They were both talking in Dwarvish. Was it automatic, since he was nearby?

“I put together a test circuit late last night. Balig used earth magic to help me reshape the cores. I need at least two to make it work. If the Magic Power in the core is made to exhaust itself, it will recover just like ours does.”

The Orc researcher pulled a fur pelt off the ground, revealing a translucent magic core, stretched into an egg-like shape. What Balig knew to be a second magic core was stretched into a long thin cylinder and coiled around the first. Tiny shimmering lights could be seen dropping from the top of the coil and pooling at the bottom of the egg. Even though the egg was lying sideways, they still fell steadily in that same direction. In the very center of the egg was a tiny Spell Pattern. The whole structure was about two fets long, or about six inches. It would fit nicely into an Orc's palm.

Fiara took up the egg in her hands and turned it so the heavy side was on top. The energy state inside the egg changed and a small light popped out of it. After a few seconds, another one came.

“I was able to engrave the Spell Pattern for , without casting it, thanks to some help from my . It will keep casting whatever spell is engraved as long as it has Magic Power. The Magic Power is constantly recovering, but it will charge faster by turning it with the heavy side down. In exchange, it will stop casting. I named it a Monster Egg. What do you think?”

Balig sighed as he watched the Egg being explained so easily.

Enough, already. I can’t be shocked more than this. She created an infinite Magic Power source in a night, and I just helped her shape the crystal. Yogg isn't into heavy worship, but I heard some of the more hands-on Gods warn their followers to kill any Monsters that start to act like descendants. Is this why? Half of all the Dwarven technology has become obsolete with this. When their focus turns to weapon production, will we all be mowed down like the Fomors?

Balig looked sternly at Chief Vyra. Would an Orc even understand the significance of something like this? What he saw on her face was a look of shock that he didn't know such a monster could make. Tears welled up in the Orc chief’s eyes, and she embraced Fiara tightly.

“Mankind’s dream,” she said in a choked up voice. “I'll bet you just followed the trail of the experiment without thinking too much about where it would lead. Are you even aware what you just accomplished?”

“E-eh? I, uh, created an infinite magic source?”

“Don’t say it like it’s nothing! Even I have this much awareness!” The chief glared seriously and spoke in a heavy voice. “Listen closely. All information related to Monster Eggs is a national secret. Are you the only one who knows how to do the engravings in the coil?”

“Yes, chief. I wouldn't have been able to do the calculations without Adelai’s help.”

Adelai? There was never anyone else working with them. Who the heck was Adelai?

“Good. Tell no one. Keep your research notes and this Egg from being seen. I have a different project for you today.”

“Something new, chief?”

Balig could only flinch at that enthusiastic smile and wide eyes. This blue Orc was crazy. Surely she would collapse eventually. And this chief was unreasonable for encouraging such unhealthy behavior.

Can't you see the bags under her eyes? This woman has just made the greatest technological breakthrough of the millennia! Order her to get some rest, not start a new project!

“Teleportation. Please make a Magic Tool that can accomplish it. Our current transportation technology is insufficient considering the scale of this city I'm building.”

“Teleportation? Chief, it doesn't translate.”

“How about instantaneous movement, then. Can you understand that?”

“Instantaneous,” the blue Orc’s head dipped in thought, then jumped back up. “Spacetime magic, then?!”

Spacetime magic? Do they mean space magic? There’s only one in five hundred thousand people born with the space attribute. They obviously don't have one among them, since they don't even know the correct name for it.

“It sounds interesting, chief! I will start researching right away!”

“Good then. Let your assistants trade off every two hours, alright? They’ll be incinerated if they try to move at your pace. The Eggs will need a proper infrastructure in place before they can be used practically. That will have to wait for this war to end.”

“Yes, chief. I understand.”

The winged Orc nodded, then directly made eye contact with Balig. She smiled innocently and tilted her head.

“I have a task for you as well, Balig.”

After ordering the research maniac to create a ridiculous Magic Tool out of nowhere…

“Are you a demon?!” It would have to be something unreasonable with this person.

“These are the designs for Babylon,” she said, hefting up a large stone and clay tablet that had been propped up beside her.

Has that been there this whole time?

“You've lived in a proper city before. Please look over this and make sure there aren't any errors. Ah, can you read Orcish? Well, just ask someone to translate for you. They can all read.”

“Wait! I'm a jeweler! How am I supposed to know how to construct a proper city?!”

The winged Orc stalled as if she hadn't even considered the possibility of being refused. She blinked and answered with a straight face.

“If you see that something that should obviously be in a city is missing, just make a note of it. I'm not expecting anything fantastic. Also, after that, you might start writing down all the things you know about earth magic. Or you could just teach me personally when I get back tonight.”

The Orc Lord walked away carelessly, and Balig let his shoulders go slack.

“Has she caught her rear on fire working in the smithies? Why in Yogg’s name is she in such a hurry?”

Fiara looked over at him. “Lord Rigdam sometimes says things like that too.”

“Lord? Another Orc Lord?” the Dwarf hoped he had heard wrong.

“No, he’s not an Orc Lord. He's the chief’s father. I call him lord to show respect, as I do with Lady Oolga, the chief’s mother.”

“Her parents don't mind her charging around like a wild boar?”

“Do you think now is the time to be losing momentum?”

There was a war underway, and a new city to be built, the girl firmly implied.

“But it’s hard to even be allies with a person like that. She could at least give you some time to rest, the way you bend over backwards for her.”

Fiara smiled softly, looking down at her notes. “I had one hundred twenty days to rest before she was born. It was terribly boring.”

Balig sighed and looked woefully at the huge tablet. There’s no reasoning with these people. So he started looking over the design.