There were far more orcs than he expected—over a hundred mighty warriors, filling the entire courtyard before the palace.
At the front stood Grimtar, and beside him—a stranger orc, broad-shouldered and dour, his body latticed with scars.
Grimtar took a step forward and spoke with confidence:
—"Chieftain, these orcs also want to undergo the ritual we did. They're ready to serve you, as we do."
Kano froze in place, weighing the situation.
"Damn it... This is serious."
He hadn't even fully grasped his bond with the first orcs, and now a vast army stood before him, eyes bright with expectation.
Kano drew a breath and, stepping closer, looked them over:
—"There's no need for that... they'll be slaves."
Grimtar shook his head sharply.
—"No, Chieftain. They agree to it. They've seen you're worthy and want to be part of your strength."
Kano glanced over the orcs again.
They didn't look cowed or forced—on the contrary, their eyes held fire, faith, even a certain pride.
"If this isn't fanaticism... then what is it? Or something more?"
At that moment Revena approached him.
She laid a hand on his shoulder and said gently:
—"Sweetheart, slavery isn't necessary. You can make them familiars."
Kano shot her a suspicious look.
But before he could answer, Elgot slipped in from the side, as if from nowhere.
—"That's practically slavery, too."
Kano frowned.
—"What do you mean 'practically'?"
Revena cut the mage a sidelong glance, then explained:
—"Slaves can't live without a master or orders. Familiars are free, but bound to their master by feeling. They're like... dogs to humans."
Kano narrowed his eyes.
—"So... you're saying they'll obey me by their own will, not because they must?"
Revena nodded.
—"Exactly."
Kano looked once more at the hundred orcs waiting on his decision.
He took a deep breath.
—"Alright... I'll do it."
In answer, the orcs dropped to their knees at once.
The courtyard before the palace trembled with their voices:
—"Yes, Chieftain!"
Kano stood before the hundred orcs, feeling the silence thicken around him.
Even the wind that had been wandering the streets seemed to still, as if nature itself held its breath.
Revena stepped closer, her hand resting on his shoulder.
—"This isn't a simple pact, sweetheart," she said softly. —"If there are too many, you might not withstand it."
Kano swallowed.
"So this is what awaits me..."
—"I'm ready," he answered firmly.
Revena studied him for a heartbeat, then nodded.
—"Alright... then let's begin."
Slowly, she drew a small silver dagger from a delicate case. Its blade was so sharp it seemed to drink the surrounding light.
Kano took the dagger, feeling the cold edge tease his fingers.
"It's simple. One cut—and there's no turning back."
Without hesitation, he sliced his left palm, and bright red blood immediately ran down, pattering onto the dry stone.
Grimtar and all the other orcs slit their palms in unison, then bowed their heads, waiting.
Revena began to speak ancient words, her voice shifting from whisper to thunderous echo, as if it existed in two worlds at once.
Kano took the first step.
He went to each orc, touching each brow with blood-smeared fingers, leaving a crimson seal.
When the last orc bore the mark, Revena made a final motion with her hands—and in that very second, something changed in the air.
Kano felt, sharp and sudden, something ripping out of his body.
Red mana, like hot veins streaming straight from his soul, flowed toward the orcs.
It seized them like a web, weaving Kano and the horde together with invisible strands of energy.
He clenched his teeth, feeling every part of his being blaze.
The orcs felt it too—they shuddered, they cried out, not from pain, but from something greater.
Their bodies began to change.
Muscles swelled, skin deepened to a darker shade, and their eyes kindled with a crimson light.
They grew, towering even over Grimtar, who had been the largest of them.
Suddenly, Kano staggered, barely staying on his feet.
Selina darted forward to reach him, but Revena stopped her with a hand.
—"No," she said softly but firmly. —"He has to go through this himself."
Kano could barely breathe.
"A little more... I won't give up."
His legs wavered, but he held.
The last surge of mana tore out of him—and the orcs at last completed their transformation.
Before him stood not merely orcs, but a new race—High Orcs.
They looked stronger, faster, more formidable than ever.
And then... they dropped to their knees.
All of them.
A hundred newly-forged warriors bowed their heads before their chieftain.
—"We are yours, Chieftain!"
Kano could barely stand, fighting to steady himself.
His body burned, yet he took a step forward.
—"Friends... You are strongest as long as you are together. Remember that."
At those words Revena slowly withdrew her hand, and Selina rushed in.
She touched Kano, healing him at once with her energy.
Revena stood apart, her eyes wide with shock.
Her fingers trembled as she looked at Kano.
"Red mana... Such power... This isn't how it was supposed to be..."
She spun on her heel and moved toward the palace wall.
Drawing a small black bat from beneath her cloak, she whispered a few words to it.
The bat beat its wings and vanished into the sky, carrying a message to the demon queen.
Only now did Revena grasp how dangerous Kano was.
And it frightened her.
Kano hadn't fully recovered from the first ritual when he heard heavy, synchronized thuds.
He lifted his head and... froze.
Thousands of orcs stood before him.
Every last one had come.
Every. Single. One.
They fell to their knees, their voices merging into a single mighty cry:
—"Chieftain, we want power! Perform the ritual for us!"
Kano swept his gaze over them slowly, as if hoping it was a mirage.
He said the only thing that came to mind:
—"You've got to be kidding me..."
Selina had gone chalk-pale.
—"You won't withstand it..." her voice trembled. —"Kano, I can't keep restoring you, it's dangerous!"
She grabbed his hand, forcing him to meet her eyes.
—"I can heal the body... but the pain you'll go through... no one can mend the wounds in your soul."
Kano looked at her in silence.
But his heart had already chosen.
Before him stood thousands of warriors—strong, hard, unyielding—who had never asked anyone for anything, at least not in words.
And now they were begging him.
He couldn't say "no".
Kano exhaled and, without looking away from Selina, said:
—"I'll do it."
Selina flinched.
—"Kano..."
He smiled—not cockily, but tiredly, and resolute.
—"You won't let me die, will you?"
Selina nodded slowly, though confusion clouded her eyes. She herself wasn't sure she could manage if something went wrong.