《The times and struggle of a orc cook in the Demon Lord's army. (On Hiatus due to reasons seen in summary)》Chapter 5
Advertisement
" To the left! The left! The left!"
" Okay. Steady boys, get it stright now!"
" Can someone please get that damn rope already!?"
" Wacth out boys! Coming through with a heavy load here!" " Watch it yourself woman!"
" Have anyone seen Badbog? He sould have been here a hour ago."
" Yeah! He's stuck at the ramparts due to some of the more damaged parts just went and toppled on themself again near where he was!"
" Not again. Hey! Hand me that hammer over there would ya?"
" Careful! We don't know whether or not this one has any bodies in it yet."
This and more is what I hear and see people working as I, Darak, Tarr, Malak and aunt Yotul walks through one of the the more heavy damaged areas in our town. Well more like aunt Yotul is walking while I'm hanging onto her back, a few strips of strong cloth keeping me secure. Dose not stop me from holding onto her shoulders as good as I can though. It's been about two months since the attack and things have been slowly getting better. I think. The clean up is going slow thanks to a great deal lack of manpower, with almost a thrid of us dead and many many more still in sickbeds thanks to the injuries from the attack.
I've heard that the healers are still expecting some of them to die soon, due to both lack of medical resources and that some of the injuries are just too much for their bodies to handle anymore. I don't think I can handle another funeral, we been having them almost weekly since the attack as more succumb to death over these last months. Or more dead bodies are found under rubble or in the woods when our hunters goes out to hunt for what little game is still willing to be near our part of the woods. Thanks to some of those bastard finds it more fun to drag people in there to do who knows what to them and then leave them for dead.
As I watch men and woman alike searching through rubble, debris and other things to see what can and can't be saved, finding more dead bodies of friends, family and old nabors as well, I can't help but think just how messed up this all is. At least to me. Many of my clansmen seems to be already used to this, finding dead bodies and cleaning up what used to be someones home or maybe a workshop of some sort. A lot of the more eldery Orcs are helping out by looking after the little ones, including me, Darak, Tarr and Malak whenever our aunts or Thai can't due to work, whenever they can't help with some of the more heavier parts of the clean up themself. Or are making new things like bedding, clay jars, pots and bowls, weaving new baskets for those thats going in the forest to look for more resources and food. And many things more. My own family have been busy as well.
Aunt Yotul have been making parts, tools and other nick nacks thats in high demand for both the clean up and the eventual rebuilding once things have become more stable. In manpower, resources and other things. She, Darak, Tarr and Malak have also helped with setting up temporary tents made out of leather, cloth, wood, stone and leafs for those that have no place to stay anymore as well. Aunt Gharol have also been busy with guard duties. Making sure people gets a small guard to come with them when out looking for wild vegetables, edible roots, herbs for both healing and to eat and other resources found in there and many things more.
Advertisement
Thai is also very busy as well. As he and all other hunters that can still hunt are going almost everyday to gather as much game they can, for in another month or so winter will come, and things will become even worse for us. Darak, Tarr and Malak have also put in a lot to help as well. Whether it be doing more chores so that our aunts had less to worry about at the house or doing other tasks that needed small hands and quick feet to get done.
Me though? I can't do a thing to help other than trying to keep my family in good humor by doing any little silly thing I can come up with. And not get myself into any trouble. Which is painful and annoys me far more than I like thanks to the limits I have at the moment. I can finally walk properly now though. At least for my age, though I'm still carried around to avoid getting stabbed by every sharp object around our destroyed town. Or get into things or places I should not be. And while I suprised my family with how quick I was to learn to walk and balance well with this body of mine, yay to past life and muscle memory, I'm still not allowed to walk more that a few feet away from any of my family members when outside.
My triplet older brothers are especially strict on this as they make sure I hold either of their hands when I get the chance to go out of our aunt's house from time to time, to give me a chance to get better at walking and give me some fresh air when I get grumpy in being inside for too long. I don't mind it all that much, and it helps I'm in a body that looks almost two and a half, and not the 11 months old I really am, as it gives me a lot more freedom than I had before. I fear however, that by the time I'm like 10 I'll look like I'm 20 or older thanks to this fast growth all Orcs goes through. I can't really stop thinking just how scarey it is with how fast I've grown within one year. Apart from still being unable to talk. It's getting more than a little annoying at this point.
Though whats worse with this fear of mine is how I wounder how I will look like in 10 years time. If I look like I'm almost two and a half now, will I look like I'm 25 years old when I've reached my first devade of life here in my new home? Do I have a much shorter lifespand than that of my normal human life would have been if I'd died of old age instead? I remember in many stories that monster or other creatures alike gain a much shorter lifespand in exchange for faster growth and a higher birthrate than others. Or something similar.
So to say I'd be scared to death by this due to this train of thought and maybe a few other things that I've learned over these months is not a understatment. But that was until I learned something interesting the other day from a conversation aunt Gharol had with aunt Yotul turing one of the nights I'd woken up from a nightmare about my parents deaths. It involved someone she knew since her childhood, a old lady who was just the cups of turing 350 years old had just died from her injuries just hours earlier that day. Yeah you head it right. Almost 350 years old.
Advertisement
I can't remember what age limit where back on Earth for how old a Orc lives in whatever media I've read/see/watched over the years. Or most other fantasy races. But I'm pretty darn sure it was no more than a hundred at the best, with a few exceptions like elves, dwarfs, giants and dragons living for a few centuries or way more, for most fantasy races back in my old homeworld. If one makes the exceptions of evolving into a higher race that gives one a big boost in their lifespand along with a greater deal of power than before.
So while I'm not fully worried or scared that my lifespand is much shorter due to how fast my body is growing anymore, or for other reasons hopefully, I will not feel completely safe until I really know how long Orcs lives here in Miria. Or why we seems to have a few centuries to live in this world.
Though it dose makes me wonder if I've really have guessed the age of each of my family memebers right at all. Darak, Tarr and Malak looks to be 8 years old at the oldest. Thai looks somewhere between his late 20s. My aunts looks around the same age mother and father, somewhere between late 40s to early 50s. While grandmother looks to be in her early 90s, if I guess things right. But now theres a good possibility that they are all much younger or older then they look. I just don't really know.
It also helpes that none of my Racial Skills have shown any from of a negative racial trait yet either. Though I have notice that most of them are greyed out and will only unlock themself when I turn either 5, 10 or 15 at the oldest on my Racial Skills. Appart form my [Harden] and [Enchanted Lesser Growth], they seems to be be passive skills that one can acquire regadless of what age or race one is to their own Racial Skills. Along with three other skills that enchants my hearing, smell and sight to a far better degree then my human self ever had.
So beside these shocks, revelations and how things are going so far in the clean up theres also news that our leader Bulfim have been called to a Grand Meeting. Which, if I were to guess right, is something thats not happened in a long time. The Grand Meeting I mean. From what I've gathered from listing to the elders who watch over me, Darak, Tarr and Malak when neither our aunts or big brother Thai is able to due to either work or something else, is a type of meeting rarely needed and only done when the entire vally is in danger. Or after a certian amount of time have passed. And all clan leaders and elder leaders have to attend.
Well, with the exception of those three clans and there allies thats the source and reason for the Grand Meeting to even be called. At least from what the elders are saying to us kids.
Regardless, it have made our leader as nervous as she is annoyed. Bulfim would rather stay here and make sure we are going to be okay. And help wherever she can. Whether that be getting the rubble out of the way and gets other things to places that needs them. Or help with those still stuck in their beds due to injuries thats yet to heal or can't be saved from.
But Zoranaraugh is not having it. Or at least that whats I can understand from the almost constants fights that have started over the past week or so after Bulfim have gotten the news. Refusing to attand the meeting. I'm pretty damn sure the only reasons Bulfim has of yet started to punch the old Orc is becasue his her grandfater in-law and she knows that despite his old age, Zoranaraugh can still put up a fight if he wants to.
None the less it's been quite the sight, whenever aunt Gharol has no other choice but to take me with her when she goes to work, to see those two bicker and scream at each other when it gets bad enough about the whole thing. It's too bad for Zoranaraguh though, he has really no choice nor any duty that can prevent or give him a excuse to not go. His own family and many other of our clanmates have already made sure of that. Bulfim seems to just make sure that the old Orc won't have a lot of anger left once they have to leave to reach the meeting in time in another week or so.
I know this sorely thanks to one of Zoranaraugh's great grand-daughter is currently one of aunt Gharol's trainees for a few support skills and sub-class needed for some class evolutions that said great grand-daughter and 7 others needs for their desired professions. Yeah, sub-classes are a thing and seems to be rather importent to have if one wants to get their class to the much higher tiered staged like a Paladin, Druid or, shockingly funny, a Gambler.
Yeah took me by surprise too on that one. Who knew being a gambler is infact a high tier class you can get if you feel like you've got what it takes to be one Lady Luck's true followers? Not me thats for sure.
And yes, there are a lot more classes like this that require a godly patreon in those highe tier classes. Or more if you fansy the more rare and hard to manage classes. The Gambler class is just used as a lot more often as a example than others. At least that what our aunts and Thai have said when Tarr asked more about this thanks to some of the few lessons he, Darak and Malak had a few days ago when school finally started again for those three.
Anyways, thanks to this both me and aunt Gharol are well informed about Zoranaraugh's family drama as Bor trust my aunt to not share a thing, something Bor is very much right about. And since I'm just barely a year old that have yet discovered how to form words, theres very little damage I can due at the moment. That said, I do have some great blackmail for years to come now if I ever need to avoid some Zoranaraugh's infamous 'chore' list, that Darak, Tarr and Malak is dreading to be part of as soon as the clean up is finished and things are back to normal again.
I got no idea what this 'chore' list is, but I'm not looking forward to it. As I've listen to not only my brothers, all four of them, but also their peers about the dreaded work they get tasked to do once Zoranaraugh deems you ready and old enough to start them. All of the clan children gets this, and it those not bother the parents a bit what Zoranaraugh have the children to do as it often benefits the kids in the end with not only new skills and experience. But also works as a punisment method that the parents love.
Well as long as Zoranaraugh makes sure he those not give out the wrong tasks that is. Then theres another tune that will play entirely.
I'm quickly taken out of my thoughts when aunt Yotul walks to a stop as Malak points to something, that makes her make a very quite but strange strangle like sound as soon as she sees what it is. I barely get the chance to see what it is, as my aunt is quick to turn around and drag my brothers back home. And I can see why.
There in the hustle and bustle of dozen of my clanmates getting things out of the way or start the new foundation for a new building. Almost being pushed aside by others with supplies in hand or walking away with rubble, is good old dear grandmother. Looking as pissed as usual as she tries to find a spot thats safe.
* Fuck.* Is all I think as the old Orc becomes smaller as aunt Yotul gets as far away from the woman as she can. Dread starts to fill my heart even as I can no longer see the hag. And fear soon comes along as well. Silently I send a small paryer to the Gods and Wilds as Yotul gets the four of us inside. Locking the door and starts to perpare what seems like for war.
Advertisement
In Umbra Hasta
A blue marble floated in the unending void. On that marble, billions went about their lives, unaware that somewhere else, something had changed. Some requirement was met, and suddenly, a new type of energy saturated the universe. A mother closed her car's door and lifted a bag of groceries in an arm before vanishing into nothingness. Across the world, a teenager disappeared mid-word from a conversation with friends. In eastern America, Captain Octavius J. Asher of the US Army vanished from a mountain trail with no witnesses. People all over the Earth disappeared simultaneously. Such a thing would normally cause mass panic across the globe were it not for the fact that there wasn't a single person left on the globe to panic. Congratulations! Your universe has joined the System. Note: I wanted to read another litrpg apocalypse novel but couldn't find one. Thus, I decided to write one. The MC will be strong for a human but insignificant on a cosmic scale. No destroying worlds with a spell on chapter 25 in this novel. He will face challenges and be forced to make hard decisions. This serial now on hiatus for the time being :( Please rate and review. Constructive criticism is welcome!
8 163World with Mana
Eric King's day starts with a headache and ends with him getting attacked by zombies. Not a great day at all. All this occurs because suddenly mana enters the world and forces itself on and into everything completely changing the world. People now have classes and can use magic, they see their own status, and a variety of creatures enter your world with a variety of different motives. To top it off a group might want his death for nothing other than his class. Note: I am not a great writer so expect to read subpaar writing, with an unoriginal story that I might not write for long. I am simply writing this to see if I enjoy writing stories like this and to test it as a hobby. The cover art is not mine, I found it online, if the owner does not want me to use this picture then I will take the picture down.
8 203Vampire Bomb Squad - A Grand Eye Tale
A story about the complicated relationship between vampires and high explosives.
8 215Atlas Code
With no face, no friends, no memory, and absolutely no idea what he's supposed to be doing, Atlas finds himself stranded on the island of Tartarus, where fantastical monsters and mysterious forces run rampant. Armed only with his wits and a pair of high tech bracers with no instruction manual, Atlas must discover the true nature of the island and its inhabitants, and why nobody ever leaves...
8 75Scabbard
This is the tale of a man named Michael, or Mika for those who knew him in his last days. Michael was not a very interesting man, nor had a very interesting life, some would argue he didn't had a life at all, at least not up to the beginning of his journey on a strange new land. This is the story of how such a man helped shape a whole universe.
8 100The Invisible Universe
What lies beyond the senses? What secrets have been hidden from you due to your physical limitations? Is the universe as empty as it seems? Are we alone?Dr Thomas Clark has just made a discovery that will answer all of those questions...Hope you enjoy and I would love to hear from you.
8 98