∼ Day 22 ∼

As time went on, the twin suns started to crest the horizon. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on or for what purpose we had been put in this prison yard of sorts. But I tried to listen in on the talking between certain groups when I could.

From what I could understand, we were apparently the fodder for something ominous called "The Mauling". While the others didn't really know what we were doing here or what this Mauling was since they themselves were not native to the city, but it was from the murmuring of some bored guards stationed close that I initially found out about this Mauling event.

Looking towards the giant colosseum towering over the city, I clenched my fists.

Fodder, huh?

I was pulled out of my thoughts as the worried voice of one the female Faeles all of a sudden entered my ears. Looking towards the other side of the yard where the sandstone buildings opened up to what looked like sleeping quarters, I saw a large group of orcs cornering the cat beastkin.

I had already recognized this group as the biggest and most dominant group that had formed during their time as captives here, as they seemed to flaunt their authority quite arrogantly. It was also from that group that most of the gazes that had kept their attention on me came from.

I only sighed at the rather sad scene. I didn't understand her language but I had no need for translation to understand her distress and calls for help.

But it wasn't my problem, so I simply ignored it. Even her fellow kinsmen regretfully tried their best to ignore her pleas as they turned a deaf ear to the situation.

For a long full hour, the sounds of screams and slapping of flesh sounded out the yard. No one came to help her, only the clang of a metal bell sounding out seemed to end her misery... for now.

I saw everybody begin to suddenly assemble in front of the door to the sandstone building opposing the sleeping quarters. Seeing the jeering orcs walk out the sleeping quarters with satisfied expressions on their faces as they pulled up the leather pants and cloths and tied them in place, I just scoffed at their boastful remarks.

While I was not a fan of rape, I wasn't a righteous hero who'd go out of their way to save a stranger for no personal gain. She could only blame herself for not being as strong as the other females here.

There were quite a few female orcs also in this gathering of "fodder" but each one was just as strong or even fiercer than the men. Unfortunately for the feline woman, her being the weakest of them all meant that she was unable to defend herself.

Walking up to join with the crowd, the door to the building suddenly got kicked open from the inside with a loud thump. At first, I couldn't see who had kicked open the door with the crowd, and the dust flying through the air covering my vision. But as the dust settled, the figure in the entrance became visible. Though, the sight only made me stare in muted horror.

Round and plumb with multiple layers of fat and muscle on full display, taking up the weight and size of at least three fully-grown orcs, whilst wearing a barely still white apron stained with only god-knows-what. Sporting a bloody and rusty meat cleaver slumped in her right hand, and lastly, a face like that you could only find on a witch. This was easily the most terrifying woman that I've ever seen.

Even Morgath seemed like a puppy compared to this behemoth of a woman. Managing to get my thoughts away from wondering just how physics ever allowed such a massive woman to exist, I quickly used Appraisal on her.

-Appraisal!-

Appraisal - Baba

Information Attributes

Traits. Titles. and Skills -Name- "Baba" STR 42 Skills ??? -Race- Orc VIT 62 Traits ??? -Sex- Female AGI ??? Titles ??? -Rank- E+ DEX ??? Resistances

-Level- 35/35 INT ??? Health 585/585 CHR ??? Physical Resistance ??? Stamina 188/188 WILL ??? Magical Resistance ??? Mana 0/0 MAG ??? Mental Resistance ???

...

The lunch lady was not to be messed with...

Suddenly the horrid and scratchy laughter of the mountain on legs before me sounded out on loud waves that caused everybody in the crowd to collectively cringe.

"Gik-Gik-Gi!, wuts wrong ya maggots? Neva' seen a REAL woman before?" - Baba

Swallowing a lump that had formed in my throat, I and the surrounding crowd unconsciously took a step back while shivers of cold ice ran down our backs.

"Gi-Gi-Gikkik, whatta bunch a' limp dicks... -Well tah grubs' ready, so get ya ur fodder arses in ere'." - Baba

As she moved back inside the building, the crowd stood frozen looking at each other with unsure expressions written all over their faces. But slowly, one by one, everybody filed inside in a queue, with obvious apprehension marring their posture.

Once I got inside, I was suddenly hit by the raw smell of stew. Not going to lie, the smell actually made my mouth water to my rather pleasant surprise. Standing inside behind a giant cauldron filled with stew, was Baba.

She had obviously been making this stew as various utensils and ingredients were scattered around what seemed to be a kitchen of sorts. I had no idea how such a vile-looking woman could produce food that smelled this good, but I supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

But after I got closer and managed to peer inside the giant cauldron of stew, I almost wretched right then and there. The smell that wafted off the food completely betrayed what the food actually looked like. It literally had the appearance of a witches' cauldron brewing a concoction of the vilest and foulest substance imaginable.

My mind warred with the delicious smell invading my nostrils and the horrifying appearance of the food. Once it was my turn to get a bowl, I first now realized something.

How the hell am I supposed to eat with these shackles...?

My hands were covered in a metal frame, stopping me from using my hands and claws, but inadvertently also keeping me from picking anything up. Apparently, Baba didn't care as she just offhandedly put the bowl on top of my shackled hands, without sparing me another glance.

I had to make a hasty balancing act, so I wouldn't drop the stew all over myself and the floor. Luckily I managed to find the sweet spot and stopped the impending doom of spilling the vile concoction everywhere. But hearing the snort from Baba, I looked up to meet her burning gaze.

She... was not happy.

In my attempt to not spill anything I had apparently stopped the queue. Quickly getting out that way, to avoid the terrifying woman's wrath, I made my way out of the building.

I returned to my previous spot from before, making sure I wouldn't be spilling anything by leaning back against the wall. I wasn't entirely sure if it would be a great idea ingesting this concoction of dubious content. Besides that, how hell was I even supposed to eat in the first place?

Going through a number of different approaches, I managed to find an angle that allowed me to tip the bowl so that I could slurp some of it down. With a grimace, I closed my eyes anticipating the worst. But to my complete astonishment, this stuff actually tasted pretty damn good.

The stew's smell and taste was wonderful, but why the hell did the appearance look like something that the giant orc, Baba, had fished out of the sewers.

Just closing my eyes, trying not to picture the food's appearance in my head, I began taking small sips. But I was suddenly interrupted as the sounds of footsteps approaching my secluded spot entered my ears.

Looking up, I saw the group that had previously taken advantage of the beastkin from before, approaching me. I could only sigh, as this was something I had expected would happen sooner or later.

The guy leading them was one of the gazes that had kept its attention trained on me for most of the day. I knew it was only a question of when and not if he'd approach me.

Stopping in front of me, stood fourteen orcs, all with the same arrogant demeanor plastered on their faces. The leader was an orc with a certain larger frame and a distinctive bone piercing going through the bridge of his nose. While his entourage stopped, he didn't break his stride as he positioned himself directly front and center before me so he could use his overwhelming height look down on me.

Ignoring them, I simply refocused on the food balancing on my shackles again.

"Aren't ya havin' some difficulties eatin' like that? You kno' what? I've already finished mah bowl, so how 'bout you give me yours... hmm- save ya-self some trouble -eh?" - ???

Reaching out for the bowl I was currently sipping some stew out of, I suddenly let some of my killing intent flow out. In a sudden motion, he jerked his hand back whilst taking an involuntary step backward, obviously causing the orc to look in shock and surprise at my rather petite form compared to his.

To think that someone with the frame of a 15-year-old human child could scare an orc as big him. Looking around at his posse, or rather his goons, he quickly became enraged by the fact that he had been embarrassed like that in front of everyone. And by now everyone in the yard was looking at the scene with interest coloring their faces. Even the big frame of Baba could be spotted looking curiously out into the yard from a window.

Seeing as this guy was basically only somewhat stronger than Grul and Rena, but still weaker than Gurok's normal form, I thought just my aura would be enough to dissuade him in doing anything further.

But I had apparently underestimated this orc's tenacity and arrogance, as his palm suddenly flew down and struck my shackles, making stew fly everywhere. But mostly on me.

Hearing his bellowing laughter as he posed arrogantly in front of me, I only kept staring at the spot where my bowl of delicious stew had just been.

Among those strongest in the yard, it was obviously between me and him, although everybody wasn't sure as to exactly who was stronger. But seeing as he had a rival, he decided to use me as a way to assert his dominance over everybody.

For a long, stretched-out moment, I simply stared at my shackles while stew ran down my face and arms.

I wasn't sure what was happening, but inside me, a familiar feeling was slowly rising up to rear its head again. As the seconds went by, the burning feeling grew ever stronger.

An uncontrollable rage was bubbling over inside my entire being, induced by my will's defiant nature to never be humiliated by such a lowly and weak creature as this pathetic orc.

I... snapped.

Twisting my head directly up to look at the posturing and arrogant orc, I locked gazes with him. Seeing the overwhelming and immeasurable fury burning radiantly in my deep-red crimson eyes, the before posturing orc turned pale with terror portrayed clearly on his ugly face.

He fell on his ass in a desperate attempt to make some distance between us, but as his body had turned stiff, like concrete, and his mind could barely even get it to move. Suddenly disappearing from my spot, he could only look in confusion at the spot that was now completely void of me. Hearing the clatter of metal shackles behind him, he was only able to yell out before the loud thump of metal hitting bone sounded out.

[Orc has taken 35 damage!]

With a now small indentation in the frontal lobe of his forehead, he had adopted an almost drunken expression on his face as an all-encompassing daze had taken over his feeble mind.

[Orc has taken 52 damage!]

Another thump of metal, flesh, and bone sounded out in the courtyard.

"Ku... ku-ku... gukkug- li-tel g... li- gi-..t.. kukuk." - ???

Everybody around could now only stare in horror as the previously arrogant and mighty orc now was mumbling in broken words with one of his eyes crushed like a ripe tomato and his other eyes that had popped out of its socket, now only hanging by a few a tendons and muscles.

Standing behind him was I with blood painting the metal shackles encasing my hands and wrists.

[Orc has taken 85 damage, a critical hit!]

Delivering another blow to the already bleeding and misshapen head of the orc, blood-spattered all over my face and the wicked grin of dark desire that had started to appear.

With this blow, I had finally managed to show brain, but to my surprise, he still wasn't dead. Instead of smashing his head in any further, I simply lunged down and tore his throat open in a display of unrestrained savagery.

[Orc has taken 122 damage, a critical hit!]

[LVL: 21 - Orc has been slain!]

[You have been rewarded with 755 points of EXP]

I've yet to actually really use my teeth as weapons, so I've completely forgotten how terrifyingly sharp they could actually be. I usually just went by the route of using my claws as they were more sanitary and easier to clean. But seeing at how easily I bit straight through the orc's thick neck, it would seem that I've done myself a disservice in not using them before.

Tasting the blood on my lips, I immediately shocked by the raw and carnal feeling radiating throughout my body as I went back down and drank straight from my mauled victim's open throat.

With Blood Shaping's convenient ability to manipulate blood, I had actually forgotten the intoxicating and exquisite feeling of draining a kill dry, and as an Azde, this feeling was only magnified even greater than before.

The taste of the fresh and potent sanguine liquid, and the exhilaration of killing...

It was intoxicating...