Kano woke up slowly.
His body was relaxed, his breathing even.
He didn't immediately realize that something was wrong.
A feeling of airlessness was growing in his chest.
Something soft and warm pressed against his face, preventing him from taking a breath.
What the...?!
Kano jerked, trying to break free, but the tight, gentle pressure didn't ease.
He started to thrash, trying to yank his head out of the trap.
And then, he fully woke up.
His face was pressed against...
Breasts.
Soft.
Warm.
He widened his eyes.
Lianel.
She was still asleep, but was beginning to wake up due to his frantic movements.
Kano pulled back, abruptly turning his head.
And pressed his face into...
EVEN LARGER BREASTS.
Oh, no.
Naira.
A shot. A hit to the head.
The pressure was so strong it literally shoved his face into her body.
— "Get your hands off... I still want to sleep..." Naira grumbled, not opening her eyes.
Kano trembled in fear.
He hadn't been holding her!
It was she who had been holding him!
Suddenly, Naira opened her eyes wide.
Her brain processed the information.
Her breasts.
Kano.
Kano... in her breasts.
— "What are you doing, you idiot?!"
She shoved him away with her foot.
Kano flew backward, tangled in the blanket, and fell to the floor of the tent.
He slammed into the wooden floor with pain, then sprang to his feet.
— "When will this end?!" he shouted, feeling like he was dying from embarrassment.
Lianel stretched, smiling at him.
— "What's the matter, you feeling lonely with us? Or maybe it's cold at night?"
Kano hissed like a snake, ready to strike.
— "I didn't do anything on purpose!"
Naira crossed her arms.
— "That's no excuse for your hands wandering."
Kano nearly fainted.
He ran out of the tent, not even glancing at them.
The girls stayed inside.
They were silent for a few seconds.
Lianel grinned slyly.
— "I told you, it's fate."
Naira hissed at her.
Selina just covered her face with her hands.
Outside, Kano tried to gather himself.
The cold morning air felt like salvation.
He sighed, running his hands over his face.
— "Damn it..."
— "Kano."
He nearly jumped out of his skin.
Rudgard stood before him, and his expression said he had seen something worse than death.
The dwarf's eyes were wide, like saucers.
He stared, astonished, first at Kano, then at the entrance of the tent.
— "You..."
— "What?"
— "You're definitely living in a completely different world than I am."
Kano furrowed his brow.
— "What are you even talking about?"
Rudgard waved a hand dismissively.
— "Never mind. We should talk about more important things."
Kano crossed his arms.
— "Did something happen?"
The dwarf wiped his brow, as if trying to collect his thoughts.
— "Are you sure you want to stay here?"
Kano looked at him, puzzled.
— "Why wouldn't I? Everything here is perfect—there's land, there's forest, there's ore..."
Rudgard pulled something from his bag.
Kano narrowed his eyes.
It was a piece of metal.
Silvery.
Slightly reflective.
— "Do you know what this is?" the dwarf tossed the piece into the air and caught it.
Kano took it.
It was heavy.
Nothing like iron.
And...
It glowed faintly.
— "Mithril."
Kano nearly dropped it.
— "Mithril?!"
Rudgard nodded.
— "And it's because of this that this city fell."
A cold shiver ran down Kano's spine.
— "What do you mean?"
Rudgard raised his head, looking at the ruins.
— "Once, elves lived here. Their king was so greedy that he ordered them to dig deeper and deeper."
— "They were looking for more ore?"
— "Yes. But they didn't think about the forest. About the land."
The dwarf ran his hand over the stone beneath his feet.
— "When you dig too much, the land responds."
— "What are you trying to say?"
Rudgard turned his gaze back to him.
— "This city didn't fall in a war."
— "Then what happened?"
The dwarf paused.
— "Mithril is a magical metal. It's rare. To find it, you have to dig to the very depths of the world."
— "And?"
Rudgard sighed.
— "These elves dug so deep that they awakened something that would have been better left undisturbed."
Kano furrowed his brow.
— "Who?"
Rudgard shrugged his shoulders.
— "How should I know? The inhabitants all vanished. Along with the city."
Kano shifted his gaze to the ruins.
The wind softly swept through the stones.
As if this ancient world still remembered the day when everything ended.
He felt something.
But he didn't know what.
In the end, he simply took a deep breath.
— "These orcs have nowhere else to live."
The dwarf sighed.
— "Your decision."
Kano placed his hands behind his head.
— "Enough with the legends for today. It's time to work."
The sun slowly rose above the horizon, bathing the ruins in soft golden light.
The air was fresh, but the silence around them remained… unsettling.
Kano stood on a small stone rise, from where he could see the entire camp.
Today, they had work ahead of them.
The orcs had already gathered before him—every warrior, every woman, even the old and the children.
They were waiting for his words.
Kano scanned the faces of those present.
— "Listen to me, Horde!"
His voice was even and calm, yet strong.
He paused for a moment, giving the orcs a chance to focus.
— "Our city is not yet built. But that doesn't mean we will wait."
Kano held a pause.
He saw how they hung on every word.
— "Today, we will continue working. Our camp must become a true home."
The orcs rumbled with approving shouts.
Naira stood on the left, arms crossed over her chest, while Lianel and Selina stood nearby, watching the crowd.
Kano raised his hand, and everything fell silent.
— "Warriors!"
Thirty men and forty women stepped forward.
— "Your strength is needed for guarding and hunting. We don't know what else is hidden in this forest. So, you will split into groups. Some will hunt, others will patrol the outskirts."
The warriors nodded.
— "Builders!"
The orcs who had been clearing the ruins stepped forward.
— "Continue clearing the space for the future city. The stones we can use—stack them to one side. Everything else—remove it."
— "Miners!"
Grimtar took a step forward, his voice low and serious:
— "We'll find more ore today, chief."
Kano nodded.
— "Good. If you find something interesting—let me know."
Then he turned to Rudgard.
The dwarf stood a little to the side, arms crossed over his chest, but listening intently.
— "Have you made a deal with the dwarves?"
Rudgard grimaced.
— "Almost…"
Kano raised an eyebrow.
— "What do you mean 'almost'?"
The dwarf scratched his beard.
— "Their ruler agreed, but set one condition."
— "What condition?"
— "They want a purple magical crystal from a monster."
Kano frowned.
Purple crystals were trophies from incredibly powerful creatures.
They were found far from civilization, usually in the most dangerous places.
And these dwarves wanted one.
Kano sighed.
— "They'll get their crystals."
Though, honestly, he had no idea where to find them.
But he couldn't show doubt.
If he didn't find them, he'd have to come up with something else.
— "Does everyone know their tasks?"
The orcs rumbled in unison:
— "Yes, Chief!"
Kano nodded.
— "Then let's get to work."
The Horde began to move—each one knew what they had to do.
A new day had begun.
Kano ran his hand over his face.
— "Too many problems for the morning."
— "Get used to it, you're the chief," Elgot muttered as he walked by.
Kano squinted at the mage, but he just smiled and kept going.
Kano stood by the stream, feeling the heavy, oppressive foreboding tightening in his chest.
Something was approaching.
The silence was too heavy.
Even the wind, which had blown through the ruins yesterday, was gone.
Even the sound of the water crashing against the stones was unnaturally muffled.
Kano closed his eyes.
"Something is watching us."
He slowly turned his head toward the ruins.
Everything was… too quiet.
Dangerously quiet.
A low rumble.
The ground trembled.
The rumble grew louder.
Kano felt his chest tighten as a cold grip of adrenaline settled in.
Far on the horizon… something was moving.
Something large.
— "Do you see it, Kano? They can't live without battle."
Elgot spoke quietly, with a bitter smile.
Kano lifted his head.
— "What are you rambling on about?!"
The mage shook his head.
— "The Horde will always find war. Even where there is none."
The rumble.
The ground shook again.
And then Kano saw them.
Ents.
Living trees.
And they had come to destroy them.
— "We're under attack!"
Kano drew his sword.
He lunged forward.
His heart was pounding in his chest.
— "Horde! To arms!"
The rumble grew louder.
And then they were close.
The ents, emerging from the mist, looked like nature itself rising up against them.
From five to ten meters tall.
Eyes glowing with a mystical light—pale gold, brown, green.
Living bodies—bark, moss, vines, all intertwined like muscles.
Poisonous flowers bloomed on the branches, releasing suffocating spores into the air.
Roots moved like snakes, tearing through the earth.
They weren't just walking—they were approaching like a flood.
And the battle began.
Grimtar was the first to charge.
His massive axe, gripped with both hands, split an ent in half.
The tree howled as it broke apart.
Its body crashed to the ground, sending a wave of dust into the air.
And then the other ents attacked.
Roots burst from the earth, grabbing orcs by the legs.
The warriors roared, cutting through the chains of the living earth.
Axes cleaved through wood, severed branches flew through the air.
And there he was—the Archmage.
Elgot had finally entered his element.
His eyes blazed with blinding light.
His cloak rose into the air from the violent whirlwind of magic.
His arms lifted—and the sky exploded with lightning.
Thunder rumbled.
Dark clouds covered the battlefield.
The first lightning strike hit a giant—its bark began to char, it staggered.
Another lightning bolt tore the ent to pieces, leaving only burning remnants.
The higher orcs didn't stop.
They toppled the wooden giants.
They broke their limbs.
They severed their heads.
But something was wrong.
The ents didn't retreat.
They moved... in a certain rhythm.
They waited.
They prepared.
And then he appeared.
The lead ent.
Majestic, terrifying.
The blue light of his eyes blazed through the fog.
His body was scarred from past battles.
His bark was cracked, but alive.
His roots grew straight from the earth, massive like pillars.
And upon him lived them.
His army.
Flying creatures, resembling giant bats with wings covered in scales.
Their claws tore through metal.
Their bodies seemed like skeletal shells that never died.
They took to the sky.
And the battle entered its final phase.
The ents withdrew.
Kano saw how they began to lose confidence.
The axes of the higher orcs relentlessly felled them, breaking bark and snapping branches.
Elgot's magic transformed the battlefield—the air thickened with moisture, lightning tore through the clouds, and the thunderous strikes shattered the wooden giants, leaving only smoldering, charred trunks.
Lianel didn't stop, releasing arrows that froze the enemies, then tore them apart with explosions of enchanted force.
Selina ran between the wounded, her hands glowing with soft light. She didn't pause even as branches and monsters' roars flew around her.
Naira charged forward, swinging her axe, each strike cleaving ents in half.
Kano felt the battle shifting in their favor.
But just when it seemed like victory was theirs, the orcs froze.
The forest fell silent again.
The ents no longer retreated.
Something had changed.
They were no longer scattered creatures acting chaotically.
They waited.
They waited for him.
From the darkness of the trees, he emerged.
His bark was covered in deep cracks—old wounds left by weapons.
His arms were massive, each movement slow, but in every gesture, there was absolute power.
His blue eyes burned like an ethereal light, shining through the cracks in his body.
His roots tore through the earth, creating deep pits where orcs perished.
Dark silhouettes stirred upon his body.
Monsters.
They resembled giant bats, but their bodies were covered in scales, their claws tearing through metal, and their blind eyes led them by the scent of blood.
They smelled it.
And they took flight.
A black vortex spun in the air as the first monsters struck the orcs.
Kano swung his sword, but the creature dodged, weaving through the wind.
Another landed on a warrior's back, ripping his shoulder apart with its claws.
Naira roared as she tossed one monster aside with a swing of her axe, but its body twitched on the ground for a long while before it died.
Grimtar charged the giant, swinging his axe.
He struck with all his might.
The ent didn't even flinch.
The massive roots punched through the earth, wrapped around the orc's leg, and with a wild whistle, hurled him far away.
Grimtar flew a hundred meters, his body rebounding off several trees before crashing to the ground with a snap.
He didn't move.
Kano gritted his teeth.
He glanced around.
The higher orcs were still fighting.
But it wasn't enough.
They waited.
They waited for him, their chief, to give them strength.
Kano tightened his grip on his sword.
He couldn't afford to lose.
Naira cleaved through another monster, spun around, and shouted:
— "Fire, Kano! Fire!"
He looked at her, not understanding.
And then he saw it.
The dry grass caught fire from a lightning strike.
For a moment, the lead ent hesitated.
Just for a moment.
But it was enough.
— "Elgot! Fire!"
The mage heard him.
He raised his hands.
His eyes flared with light, and the sky changed.
The wind stilled.
The air lost its moisture.
And then, everything exploded.
Flames, leaping from his hands, engulfed dozens of meters.
The ents howled.
They swayed, trying to flee, but their massive roots wouldn't let them move quickly.
The fire magic ignited their dry wood.
Kano gritted his teeth.
This was their chance.
He lunged forward, channeling all his mana into his sword.
Naira dashed after him, her axe already burning with magical fire.
Lianel shot one arrow after another, her arrows piercing the enemies, exploding with bursts of enchanted flame.
Selina, though staying behind, knew: if they lost, no one would survive.
She poured her remaining strength into healing, not allowing even the most grievously wounded to fall.
The lead ent raised his head.
His blue light flickered, his massive body turning for another strike.
And then Kano understood.
He had to deliver the final blow.
His sword began to crack from the flow of magic.
His hands burned from the fire enveloping the weapon.
But he didn't retreat.
He was the chief.
He had no right to back down.
He leapt, his body becoming a shadow in the air.
One strike.
The sword struck the center of the giant's body.
A burst of flames erupted, tearing apart the roots, burning its insides.
The lead ent groaned.
Its eyes dimmed, and its body crumbled, falling to the ground in flames.
Kano landed beside it, his hands pulsing with pain.
But the battle was over.
They had survived.
And these lands no longer belonged to the forest.
Now, they belonged to them.
The sun stood high in the sky, scorching and relentless.
The ground was scattered with the remains of the ents—still smoldering fragments, black ash, and broken branches that had once been part of the living giants.
The long, grueling battle had ended.
But no warrior celebrated.
They simply stood, breathing heavily, gazing at the wreckage that still smoldered from the aftermath.
Kano walked through the ranks of his people.
His burned hands still ached, but he hardly paid it any mind.
He looked into the faces of the orcs who had fought on the brink of death just an hour ago.
The higher orcs.
His people.
But most importantly—they had all survived.
He turned his gaze to the side.
Not far off, leaning against a shattered piece of a ruined wall, lay Grimtar.
His son, a young orc, stood beside him, gripping his father's hand, his yellow eyes glistening with restrained tears.
Kano stopped and listened.
— "It... was magnificent," Grimtar rasped, taking in a labored breath.
— "Did you... see? We fought together... we fought like we used to..."
His voice weakened.
— "The Horde has always lived for war... but we didn't fight just for war."
The young orc gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening around his father's hand.
— "Father... don't say that..."
— "Listen to me, son..." The old man's voice was deep but no longer as powerful as it once was.
— "This battle... this land... this is our last chance..."
He smiled faintly.
— "And you... you must live... live for the Horde... live for our home..."
The young orc's eyes shimmered with held-back tears.
He lowered his head.
— "I swear... I'll do everything to..."
— "Hush..." Grimtar nodded weakly.
— "I know, son..."
He turned his gaze aside.
His dimming red eyes met Kano's.
— "Chief..." he barely managed to say.
Kano stood with his arms crossed.
He silently observed.
Then, he took a step forward.
He stood face to face.
Leaning in, without any emotion, he said:
— "What are you lying around for? We've won. We still have a city to build."
Grimtar's eyes widened.
For a moment, he was confused.
The young orc looked at Kano in disbelief, as though he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
— "My path... is over," Grimtar whispered.
— "No," Kano answered firmly, looking him straight in the eye.
— "It's just beginning."
Grimtar fell silent.
Kano slowly turned his head to Selina, who stood behind, staring at him in surprise.
— "Selina. Heal this fool."
The healer blinked, as if unable to believe he had said that so simply.
— "But... he..."
— "Just do it."
She didn't argue.
She knelt down.
Placed her hands on Grimtar's chest.
And her hands began to glow.
The light was soft.
But strong.
Magical energy began to pull at his wounds.
The blood stopped flowing.
The old orc sharply inhaled, as if returning from the brink of death.
His eyes flared.
He felt...
Power.
He hadn't just healed.
His muscles, his body, his very spirit—became stronger than before.
He hadn't died.
He had returned even stronger.
Grimtar sat up suddenly, as though waking from a combat-induced sleep.
He looked at his hands.
Clenched his fists.
His chest rose with a deep breath.
— "What... what is this?"
Kano smiled.
— "You're still needed by your Horde."
Grimtar struggled to his feet.
He no longer felt weakness.
He felt... strength.
His son stepped back in surprise, staring at his father.
— "Father... you..."
Grimtar felt as if his body had been rejuvenated.
He straightened his shoulders.
Looked at Kano.
And, lowering his head, he said:
— "I'm alive..."
His gaze hardened like steel.
— "And I'm with you, my chief."
Kano smiled even wider.
— "Then let's go. The city is waiting for us."
Grimtar nodded.
The young orc exhaled heavily, and together, they moved toward the camp.