Chapter 787: The Demon Steps Out of the Shadows (Patreon)

Luke jerked his head aside as Charlie’s fist cut through the air inches from his face. He barely avoided the follow-up as they trained in the middle of the forest, shaded by the trees and surrounded by the damp smell of soil and leaves. The rule was simple: he wasn't allowed to fight back. His only goal was to dodge, pushing [Perception Sphere] as far as he could.

Charlie wasn't holding back. Her strikes came fast, sharp, and precise. She pressed forward without hesitation, shifted her rhythm midattack, baited him with false openings, and closed the distance whenever he got too comfortable. Luke caught the feint this time, but his body was still half a second behind.

They had been training every afternoon, and the focus had gradually shifted. At first, Luke had only been testing his reflexes. Now she was teaching him how to fight with his body instead of relying so heavily on his skills.

Raw power mattered less than efficiency. Charlie understood combat far better than most people thanks to her second class, and teaching him gave her a chance to sharpen her own movements too. Her stamina control was better than his, not because she had more of it, but because she wasted less. Her class gave her an instinctive feel for her muscles, her breathing, and exactly how much force each movement needed. Luke had the better reflexes.

Eventually, he deliberately let her catch him in a rear naked choke. Charlie locked her arms around his neck and pulled him tight against her.

“You can hold your breath for a long time, but this is still dangerous for you,” she said, tightening the hold slightly.

Luke felt the pressure around his neck, along with two large, soft things pressed against his back.

“You know, Charlie, I’m starting to think I don’t want out of this.”

“But you have to. That's the training.”

“What kind of guy would willingly move away from his girlfriend's boobs?”

She released him immediately.

“Idiot,” she muttered, turning her face away.

Luke grinned. “I escaped. My strategy worked.”

“That doesn't count.”

He sat down on the ground to rest. The training was no joke. Charlie's punches were fast and hard, and he had started combining stamina control with [Perception Sphere], forcing his body to keep up with what his perception could already track. Both of them were sweaty and breathing hard, but neither had fully relaxed yet.

Charlie sat down across from him. On impulse, Luke leaned forward and lightly bit her neck.

“Don't do that. I haven't even showered.”

“Felt like it.”

He dropped onto his back in the grass. She moved closer, gently lifted his head, and settled it in her lap.

“I'll spoil you a little...” she said, looking away.

Somehow, Charlie could still get shy about things like this. She ran her fingers through his hair for a while, almost absentmindedly. After a comfortable stretch of silence, her fingers slowed.

“I know humans have... needs. And it's been a while since we've done anything. Do you... miss it?”

“Every day. I mourn every day we've lost and eagerly await the days to come.”

She pinched his cheek. “I'm serious, Master Luke.”

“So am I, Charlie. Dead serious.”

“You really like doing it with me that much...?”

“A lot.”

Her face reddened, but she didn't turn away this time.

“I want to spoil you like that too. But we're not the only ones in that castle.”

He understood. “It's the noise, isn't it?”

“I think so. I don't want them finding out.”

“Angie has that skill that creates a silence barrier. Maybe—”

Charlie shook her head before he could finish. “But then she'd know what we're doing.”

“Right. So no noise, and nobody can even suspect anything.”

She nodded.

“Whoever said castle life was luxurious was lying. I'd rather have an isolated cabin.”

“Hmm... me too.”

“That cabin would catch fire every night with the two of us in it.”

She pinched him again. “Idiot.”

Luke counted that as a yes.

That afternoon, Nara finally agreed to become a soldier, mostly for her young. The stronger she became, the better she could protect them.

Afterward, Luke headed toward the village taking shape around the castle. It had grown a lot. Trees had been cut down, clearings opened up, and tents raised to accommodate dwarves, goblins, and ratfolk. People were everywhere. Some ate lunch in makeshift groups while others chopped wood, dragged logs, or helped put together simple structures that would eventually become real houses.

“Bernard.”

“Lord Luke, good afternoon to you. Care for a drink?”

“I'm good, thanks.”

Luke looked over the camp for a moment. Dwarves, goblins, and ratfolk were actually sharing the same space and working side by side. He talked with Bernard for a while until the dwarf called someone over.

“This is my daughter, Hilda.”

Hilda was built very differently from the male dwarves. She was still short, but nowhere near as stocky as her father, though she was muscular enough to make plenty of human men feel inadequate. She could almost pass for a petite human woman, just far more muscular, with thick arms and a confident stance. Apparently, dwarves found that incredibly attractive. It also explained why human women didn’t seem to do much for them.

She let out an unapologetic burp and tore into the chunk of meat she was holding in one hand.

“Nice to meet you!”

She wore a leather chest piece and kept an axe close at hand.

“I heard your profession is lumberjack,” Luke said.

“That's right. I like chopping and killing,” she replied cheerfully.

Hilda lifted the axe with obvious pride before heading back to work.

“It belonged to my mother,” Bernard said, watching her leave. “That axe has been in our family for generations. Now it's hers.”

“A family treasure.”

Luke glanced toward the castle. Like the Orc Treasure.

“My daughter will make a fine wife. She beats every suitor in arm wrestling.”

“Hmm... very strong.”

“Yes. Very strong.”

He answered out of politeness. Luke had no idea how any of that worked in dwarven culture, and he wasn't curious enough to start asking questions.

“Bernard, why were you all living in those caves?”

“It was safer. The forest was dangerous. And a cave is everything a dwarf needs when he doesn't have a home. Somewhere to mine, level your profession, gather ore for forging equipment... and they're easy to heat in winter.”

“Makes sense.”

As Luke was leaving the dwarven camp, the two dwarven leaders approached him. The chief looked serious.

“Lord Luke.”

“What is it?”

“I need to ask you something about when you invaded the orc fortress.”

“What?”

“Did you or any of your soldiers take a metal box?”

Luke gave nothing away.

“A box? I don't think so. We all had to get out of there pretty fast. Was it important?”

“No... just something that was stolen from us.”

Luke kept them talking a little longer before heading back toward the castle. He was already keeping an eye on both dwarven leaders. So far, neither had said anything about Kobi and Rheera. Maybe they thought another orc had taken them. Maybe they suspected Luke was hiding them. Either way, nobody was getting into the castle without permission.

Inside, Luke went to the room where Franky, Kobi, and Rheera were staying. The three were having lunch together, and the young orcs barely left the room. For now, that was probably a good thing.

“Angie told me you three have been refusing to bathe.”

Franky already hated baths. Luke usually had to practically drag him off to get cleaned up, but he didn't have that kind of freedom with Kobi and Rheera, so he normally asked Angie or Charlie to take them.

“Do orcs like smelling bad?” he asked.

Rheera shook her head.

“Then don't follow Franky's example. And brush your teeth when you're done. Or your tusks, I guess.”

As he turned to leave, Rheera tugged on his shirt. Her expression had gone serious.

“What about someone from my people? A supporter. Did you find one?”

“No. But if I do, don't worry. I'll tell you.”

That night, Luke went looking for answers. He'd been doing this a lot over the past few days, moving alone beyond the borders of his kingdom and searching for orcs, tracks, and anything that might lead him to another camp. None had returned to Ruax's fortress after the attack, so they had to be regrouping somewhere else.

Tonight, he was following a small group of orcs. After dark, his stealth skill made him practically invisible. He'd shadowed the same group the night before and picked up their trail again.

“That stupid wolf still hasn't come back with orders,” one of them complained.

Luke followed in silence, piecing together how the different groups communicated. They used trained wolves as messengers, and one wolf seemed to be in charge of the others. Maybe it was the same wolf Pip had encountered, the one capable of speaking, or maybe there were others.

The orcs kept walking and grumbling among themselves. When one of them mentioned heading back to wherever the Orc Lord was, Luke knew he'd found what he needed.

“It's been a long time since I ate a human.”

“Humans aren't very filling, but they taste damn good.”

Luke frowned slightly. Rheera and Kobi weren't awakened orcs, the kind that gained intelligence through the power of a stronger orc. They'd been born sentient, capable of interacting with others without giving in to bestial instincts. If there was an entire orc kingdom, they probably came from generations of orcs born that way.

Awakened orcs, on the other hand, tended to be far more beastlike. That made sense. Before awakening, they'd been little more than mindless creatures. Luke understood the difference better now, and a few things from the tutorial were starting to make a lot more sense.

After a while, the group reached a large camp near a waterfall. Beast-hide tents were hidden among the trees beneath the vegetation, and wooden watchtowers surrounded the area. The whole place was far too organized to ignore.

Ah, sweet nostalgia.

Luke activated the power of his cloak and launched himself high into the air.

"Yes. So much nostalgia that you're immediately abandoning stealth mode", Artemis remarked.

Don't need it anymore.

Still airborne, he conjured two knives and hurled them at the watchtowers. Just before impact, he activated [Meteor Shot]. The first blade turned into a meteor and smashed through one watchtower. Someone shouted as the second tower collapsed a heartbeat later. By then, Luke was already falling toward the camp.

The orcs barely had time to realize they were under attack before he landed among them. He moved like a shadow with [Lethality Infusion] active, cutting them down before most could even process what was happening. Some barely got their weapons drawn before he dropped them.

One of the orcs in heavier armor charged him with a massive spiked club. Luke recognized the rank: Vice General.

“Filthy human!”

The club came down hard. Luke slipped aside, then avoided the second swing just as easily. The orc was strong, but that didn't matter if he couldn't hit him.

Luke activated his horns and severed the Vice General’s arm with one clean strike. The orc screamed and dropped to his knees. Before the others could reach them, Luke grabbed him by the face and ripped out one of his tusks. More orcs rushed in, and he hurled a kukri into the group. It transformed into a meteor just before impact and tore through several of them.

[Dread Aura activated]

The survivors froze. Weapons stopped halfway up, and one of the orcs stumbled backward.

Luke planted a foot on the Vice General's head and faced the others with his horns exposed.

“I'll say this once. If you don't want to die, get on your knees.”

By the time it was over, every orc was dead except the Vice General. Luke trapped him in a prison of branches shaped from a [Tree of Mother Freya].

“Now we're going to talk.”

“You... demon.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “I'm surprised you even know what one is. How?”

“The same way you know what an orc is.”

“I learned what an orc was in a way I'm pretty sure you didn't. Unless they have movies where you come from too.”

The prisoner glared at him.

“The world told us,” he said with a rough laugh.

“Now you're going to give me the information I want. Tell me everything about the orcs loyal to the nearly extinct royal family.”

“You'll have to torture it out of me!” the Vice General roared.

“That's exactly the plan.”

Luke pressed his palm against the orc's forehead and activated [Curse]. Once he'd extracted everything he needed, he killed him.

He'd learned two things. Both mattered.

<< Chapter 786 | Index | Chapter 788 >>