Chapter 20: Orcs and Beastfolks
Chapter 20: Orcs and Beastfolks
Akash Tagar went with the beastpeople to help them. There were many types of beastmen and beastwomen in the tribe. The woman who talked with Akash earlier was a catwoman.
Akash looked at her and asked.
"What's your name?"
She flinched when Akash asked for her name.
"It... it's Runa."
Akash turned his head towards the old beastman who came earlier to save Runa. He was a Lionman.
"And you?"
The old man bowed in a hurry.
"This lowlife's name is Daan Godlyn."
Akash squeezed his eyes and looked at Daan from head to toe.
"Do you know that your kind has a tremendous amount of power?"
All of the beastfolk were confused about Akash's statement. Since when we beastpeople, born to be slaves and concubines, are considered as strong species.
"Did you think it was possible for a single person to have the ability to destroy a mountain with but one punch before you saw me do it?"
Everyone's eyes widened as they remembered that otherwordly feat. Daan gulped and replied.
"No, we didn't, O' Mighty Lord."
"Just call me King."
Daan Godlyn nodded his head
"As you command, O' Mighty Lord King."
Akash palmed his face and sighed.
"Just call me 'King', not 'O Mighty whatever thing. Understood?"
"Yes... yes, my King."
"Good, now increase the pace I don't have all day here."
Daan Godlyn ordered everyone, and they started to run.
Akash Tagar kept pace with them and made sure to not leave them behind.
After a few hours, they saw a village protected by a fortress. This fortress was made of bricks and wood, no cement or any similar substance could be found to binding them, they were joined together by simple thread and ropes.
A mediocre 1 Star tamer could easily demolish this fortress with but a simple kick, however, for normal people who didn't use cosmic powers, it was an impregnable wall. This confirmed that they were still in the 'stone age' era and didn't have any more sophisticated technology at their disposal.
2 things had piqued Akash's curiosity.
Firstly, he was wondering whether these people could cultivate to become tamers. And secondly, he was curious on whether any beasts lived here as he hadn't spotted a single one yet.
Akash led his tiny force of a few hundred beastpeople and stood in front of the fortress.
Orcs were an evolved race. There was an ancient myth in the scrolls saying orcs evolved from the elves thanks to serving dark powers.
"Are there elves here as well?"
Akash asked another question while looking at the fortress.
Daan Godlyn looked at Akash Tagar in a puzzled way and answered.
"What are those, My King?"
Akash raised his eyebrow murmured to himself.
"So, the myth was false, they can exist even without elves. I'm starting to doubt my knowledge more and more"
Daan was on the verge of collapsing from tension, he thought Akash was prophesizing an upcoming calamity
"M-m-my King, could you please elaborate?"
Akash looked at Daan with a side-eye.
"The orcs are not that intelligent but they are loyal to their King, they have strong a physique and have a brutish, aggressive nature."
As Akash was explaining this, an orc appeared at the top of the fort and yelled out.
"Why are you all here?"
Akash looked at the orc, bald and naked, with ash black skin. He had long bat type ears and a small nose with two yellow tusks separating his lips and reaching his nose while putrid saliva spilt out from his mouth down to the ground.
Akash looked at him and continued.
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you that they are also very ugly."
The orc growled at Akash in anger.
"Go tell your king that Daas Godlyn is here to challenge him!"
As Akash said that everyone was shocked except him.
There was an old beastman near Akash, using a walking cane to support his bent back, who after hearing Akash's words, turned pale as if his soul had left his body. While everyone was frightened, the old man started to laugh instead.
"Hahaha... I should've guessed that you were with them, gathering us here in a trap to kill us all."
Daan looked at Akash with tears in his eyes.
"We believed you"
Akash smiled and tapped his shoulder.
"Then believe me for a while longer."
Akash Tagar raised his left leg high in the sky and slammed it back down on with everything he had.
The ground quaked and all the beastpeople fell on their butts. Soon after, the earth calmed down and everyone was looking at each other, some even puked.
Before long, the land vibrated again and the entire fortress crumbled.
The orc, who was previously at the top of the fortress, was now buried under the dross. He quickly tossed away the debris and started to run. He looked behind to see Akash as he ran, however, as soon as he blinked his eyes, Akash was no longer in sight. Terrified, he ran even faster until he collided with a wall and bounced back from the impact.
He shook his head and saw Akash standing in front of him. Akash stomped his head on the ground with his foot before he could stand. Akash exerted extra pressure on his head as he spoke.
"Go and call your King here unless you want to see what else my foot is capable of."
~ EEEEEEEEEEEKK ~
The orc trembled in fear as he wet himself.
Akash lifted his foot, and the orc was gone in a flash. All the beastpeople were dumbfounded, they had never imagined in their lives that an orc would run in fear which caused them all to cheer loudly.
"STOP"
Their celebration ceased as abruptly as it began with Akash's command.
He looked at them fiercely.
"Did you all just see what overwhelming power can do? If there's one thing that matters in this world, it's power. You submitted yourself to orcs because they were more powerful than yourselves and this orc submitted to me because I was even more so.
Don't celebrate because of someone else's accomplishment and don't become complacent just because I intervened this one time! You must stand up for yourself, for your rights and fight, even if you have to make some sacrifices to succeed."
Akash calmed himself down and let the silence linger for a moment before continuing.
"I've already lost it all, so don't repeat my folly and fight."
Akash looked at Daan Godlyn.
"Daan, how old are you?"
"Your Highness, I will be 82 years old this month."
"Have any of you awakened your bestial instincts?"
Everyone looked at each other baffled, including Daan and Runa.
"My King, I don't think any of us know what you are talking about."
"You will know very soon, just do as I say."
Akash looked at Daan Godlyn and resumed.
"Without any questions."
Daan tightened his grip on his cane and gulped.
Akash was not a cruel person, but he had been chosen as the successor of the Primordial Beasts and was tasked with bringing justice. How could he be lenient when his inner dwelling world was filled with injustice?
Soon after, this group of hundreds of beastmen and beastwomen were surrounded by thousands of orcs. Amongst them, a 2.3 meters-tall dark, grey orc, wielding a giant axe, revealed himself. He had long, curly and braided hair with round, crimson eyes yet the most eye-catching feature was the 4 sharp tusks and the blood dripping from them.
He looked at Akash and stepped forward as their eyes met.
Akash was the one who spoke first.
"Are you the Orc King?"
The orc raised his axe in the air and responded.
"You don't deserve to know!"
He swung the axe down with all his might, but Akash didn't move an inch.
~CLUNG~
The impact scattered the surrounding dust, temporarily blinding everyone. All the orcs started to cheer while the beastpeople forgot to take a breath. There was only one orc who was not happy, the one who had attacked Akash.
When the dust cleared, the orcs were silenced whereas the beastfolk erupted into cheers.
The axe couldn't penetrate Akash's body, it only got stuck in his shoulder, leaving a minor scar there.
"I'll ask you one last time, are you the King of the Orcs?"
The orc spoke in a sharp voice,
"Yes, I am their King. My name is Duglu Langmachi."
"Alright, Duglu Longmoche."
"Uhh, it's Langmachi."
"Oh, I apologise. Let's get down to the business then, I want you to fight the beastpeople's King Daan Godlyn. If you can defeat him, then all their females will be yours, but if you lose, I will give you a painful death that will haunt even your future generations.
So, will you do it for me, King Duglu Longmoche?"
Duglu looked at his people and replied.
"Yes, I will."
Akash gestured to Daan but Daan was paralyzed with fear.
"My my King, what... are you... doing?"
Akash looked at him in anger.
"Did you already forget what I said earlier? Don't be afraid and believe me."
Daan looked at his beastpeople,
"Please carry me... there,"
Everyone hesitated as they loved their leader. Runa came forward with some fellow beastmen and carried the trembling Daan in front of Duglu.
"I'll be the judge, the only rule is that there are no rules. Start whenever you want."
Daan was 1.9 meters tall but with a bent back he only looked 1.6 meters tall. Duglu, on other hand, was 2.3 meters tall and riddled with muscles.
Daan looked at Duglu and pleaded.
"Please, release my..."
~ BANG ~
Before Daan could even finish, Duglu had kicked him. The former flew into a wall and puked blood.
"STOP!"
"DON'T DO THIS!"
"PLEASE, HELP HIM!"
"DAAN!"
The beastfolk tribe were begging Akash to help their leader.
"Stop screaming, if you want to save him, do it yourself!"
Everyone was silenced, no one stepped forward.
Duglu threw his axe away and took a hammer from a nearby orc
"I won't kill you immediately, you hid from us for far too long. Now, I'll cripple you and humiliate your people in front of you, especially those delicate girls."
Duglu smashed the hammer on Daan's legs and shattered the bones into pieces.
~ NRRAAAAAAAAAHHH ~
Daan cried piercing the hearts of his tribe.
"Enough!"
Runa came forward and started to run towards Daan.
"Catch her!"
Duglu ordered his orcs.
"No, you won't!"
Another beastman stood and attacked the orc who was attempting to catch Runa.
"Let's kill them!"
"I would rather die than live as a coward!"
"Attack them!"
All the beastpeople gathered and charged at the orcs. Duglu looked at Akash.
"Can I kill them?"
Akash nodded.
Duglu smirked and started to walk but his foot was grabbed by something. He looked below, it was Daan.
"Don't... kill... them."
He pleaded with Duglu once again as if they were his last words. Duglu kicked him away and went for his killing spree.
Daan was looking at Duglu's vague back that was getting closer and closer to his people.
" ple... please... don't."
Duglu arrived at the brawled spot and grabbed Runa.
"Leeeaaaavveee Mee!"
Runa cried from the very depths of her soul.
~BOOOOM~
A large explosion erupted at the field where Daan and Duglu were fighting.
"How dare you!"
A low-pitched growling voice came from within the dust, a giant hazy figure could be seen there.
~CRACKLE CRACK CRACKLE~
A strange snapping sound came from him.
"Take off your filthy hands off of my people, you scum!"
A cold sweat ran down on Duglu's face.
Akash smiled and declared.
"Congratulations, you have awakened your bestial instincts... Daan Godlyn."