21st Century Orc

by Gregory Loui

  “Debbie!” roared the first dwarf, ripping off his goggles and storming over to the two women. “What in the Forge Master’s name were you thinking? I told you not to come in while I’m working the replicator! It’s a highly dangerous process that cannot have any screw ups or we’re all gonna go sky-high!”

  “You said you perfected the process!” said Debbie, hopping behind Gore. “Oh and by the way, this is my friend, Gore. Gore, meet my cousin, Howard. Otherwise known as mister grumpy! Grad student, engineering genius and king of all geeks.”

  “Pure flattery. But that won’t save you from being an absolute jagding idiot. How many times have I warned you, Debbie? Even if we got a new focusing gem, we can’t be sure about how stable the replication process will be,” said Howard. Then he turned to Gore and said, “Sorry about this. So nice to meet you. Sorry my little cousin had to bring you into this during this time but could you kindly sod off?”

  “No,” growled Gore as her eyes flashed red, the orc stepping forward, her hands curling into fists. The dwarves backed away.

  Debbie stepped in between Gore and her next victims before anything could happen, sputtering, “Okaaaaay. Sorry about barging into your all-important project, Howard. I’ll pay you back, okay? But right now, I’m calling in a favor.”

  “That brings the count up to a thousand,” deadpanned Howard, crossing his arms as he examined Gore. He raised an eyebrow but kept quiet.

  Wise, Gore noted to herself.

  “Whatever.” Debbie waved away her cousin’s concern and stepped up to the replicator. “So either way, can we use the replicator? We need some parts.”

  “For what?” asked Howard, stepping up to Debbie and slapping her hands away before the dwarf could touch the spotless metal.

  “A car,” chirped Debbie as Gore strode forward and leant over the replicator.

  Gore whistled. To call the replicator advanced was a gross understatement. But advanced didn’t quite mean safe. The amount of exposed wiring running through every inch of the machine and parts welded together with little more than ant-glue and soldering… Gore half-expected the replicator to blow up in her face any second.

  “First off, why do you want to replicate a car?” asked Howard, shaking his head. “And second off, do you know how many laws prevent you from doing that for free?”

  “Well, to be totally fair, I’m only gonna be printing parts of a car. Shouldn’t be too hard,” said Debbie as she shrugged. She smiled.

  As Gore circled around the machine, Howard scoffed, “Yeah… and where are you gonna get the materials for these parts. We can’t exactly use these machines for frivolous endeavors.”

  “And what were you making?” asked Debbie, crossing her arms.

  “A—er… nothing of your concern,” sputtered Howard. “Now, get out of here so we can finish our experiment. We need to have this replicator ready by the magic fair.”

  “You were making life-size chess pieces that move at your command,” said Gore from her position by the command console. She frowned as she leaned in. “Huh, and modeled after your faces.”

  “Ha! Like I said, king of the geeks!” howled Debbie, clutching her stomach as she doubled over in laughter.

  Gore narrowed her eyes.

  “Hey! That’s a throwaway experiment to test our new focusing crystal! Nothing more!” shouted Howard, golden face glowing red as he jabbed a finger at the central crystal imbedded in the center of the replicator.

  Gore growled as she recognized the symbol carved into the crystal. A flower in fire and chains. Her heart skipped a beat. No…

  “Then you should have no trouble testing out the replicator by making our parts,” implored Debbie, stepping forward to grab Howard’s arm. “Come on… just think of it as further beta-testing. We’ll provide the materials.”

  “Wow. You actually used the term correctly,” murmured Howard as he rubbed his chin, where a beard started to grow. “I’ll think it over. For now—”

  “Where’d you get this crystal?” demanded Gore, striding over to Howard. She jabbed a long claw at the central crystal.

  “What the?” Howard yelped and stumbled back. Though Debbie tried to restrain her, Gore stepped forward.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Second Chance

  “Where’d you get the crystal in the replicator?” rumbled Gore, leaning over Howard’s face. The red in her eyes reflected off his brown eyes. “Tell. Me.”

  “What? That? I think some druggie orc sold it to the university a while back. We didn’t think much about it until we started constructing our replicators. We tried all sorts of crystals beforehand but they kept on exploding.” Howard gulped and looked away, scratching at one of the burn scars blotting out his face. “Then we used that one. And… and for some reason, that crystal’s perfect. There’s strong magic in the gem that allows us to—”

  “That’s because it’s an orc heirloom. A blood gem fueled by centuries of orc sacrifice and ritualistic bleedings. This one in particular belonged to my family for the last five millennia.” Gore clenched her fists so tight, her hands started to bleed.

  The gem was the forgotten heart of the Magnum Orcus. The last piece of the puzzle. Without the gem, the Magnum Orcus could still outrace just about any regular car in the world but with the gem, the Magnum Orcus could beat even the gods.

  “Oh by the Forge Master, we didn’t know,” said Howard, trying to step back. Only to run out of the room and fall back against a wall. “Please don’t hurt me!”

  “Gore…” pleaded Debbi, tugging at Gore’s shirt, trying to tear Gore away from Debbie’s cousin.

  “Give me the gem,” hissed Gore as she raised her fist high. “Or I will…”

  “Or you’ll what?” asked one of the other dwarves, hand hovering over a red button on another wall. “Take one move and I’ll call the campus security. We know who you are. You’re that Greenskin that got suspended for almost killing some elvish girls. Well, what are you waiting for? Make one more move and you’ll get expelled from the college.”

  “Just give me my gem,” growled Gore through gritted teeth.

  Inside, a war waged for Gore’s mind. On one side, the orc inside her roared for blood and retribution, to claim what was hers by birthright. The other side, the ‘civilized’ side, cried for her not to endanger her future anymore, to abandon her past and prepare for the future.

  Gore couldn’t choose.

  “Come on…It’s not worth it,” pleaded Debbie, tilting the balance. “Come on, we don’t need that gem. We just need to use the replicator.”

  “You don’t understand…” muttered Gore. Her rage fled from her grasp as her eyes clouded over with black. Defeated.

  “You don’t understand,” growled Howard, dragging himself onto his feet and stumbling away. Gore turned her attention from the dwarf and towards the gem, whispers of the past beckoning her. “Look, I can understand that you might be upset that we’re using something you claim is yours. But we bought the gem fair and square. And we need to use it for our own purposes.”

  While Debbie stepped forward and whispered something into Howard’s ears. Gore shook as she tried to let go of her past, tried to tear her gaze away from the gem. She almost couldn’t do it.

  Once Debbie stepped away, Howard coughed, “Look, as a favor to my favorite little cousin, I’ll overlook this incident and allow you to use the replicators to make anything you like. As long as you drop this and keep your mouth shut. Deal?”

  The dwarf extended a hand.

  Gritting her teeth, eyes steeling grey, Gore sighed and shook Howard’s hand.

  She couldn’t change the world. She couldn’t win every battle. Not even most. So she might as well take advantage of the few that life decided to hand her. Even if they did come with inedible caveats.

  Though this was not over. Not by a long shot. Falling back on old habits, Gore scanned the room, taking in every security detail and potential opening. She smiled at the many open windows lining t
he wall. Her hands itched.

  “Great!” laughed Debbie as she pranced over to Gore and gestured towards Howard. “We got a data crystal full of plans right here. If we could have them ASAP, that’d be super duper awesome.”

  Gore pulled out a data crystal from her pocket. The tiny block of crystal and magically fused glint cords weighed down on her like a ton of bricks, weighed down by hopes and half-baked dreams conjured in the sleepless nights.

  Howard reached out to take the data crystal from Gore.

  Without thinking, she flinched. Then she sighed and let go.

  “Huh… where’d you get these designs?” asked Howard as he plugged the data crystal into a nearby terminal, examining Gore’s designs. “They’re almost military spec. What are you going to be using this car for again? Break into a war zone?”

  “To compete in the underground Grand Prix against the Warboyz,” deadpanned Gore, crossing her arms and looking Howard dead in the eyes.

  The dwarf blinked, then gave a nervous chuckle, “Well… these parts will definitely give you an edge in that. Most of them I can do tonight… hm, yeah. I’d definitely be interested in seeing how well the replicator works using these parts. What sort of material you need? The replicator can make pretty much anything with any material.”

  “High-tensile elchite if you can manage it.”

  “Wow,” whistled Howard, eyebrows shooting up. “Wait, are you serious? Are you actually gonna compete in the underground Grand Prix?”

  “Obviously!” laughed Debbie, rolling her eyes and giving her best impression of Tawny. “Because we are obviously~ that type of people to compete in a freaking criminal activity! By the Forge Master, Howard, how dense can you be? Can’t you tell that Gore was using sarcasm?”

  “I am a master of the deadpan,” growled Gore as she nudged Debbie towards the exit. “So what time can we expect to pick up the parts?”

  Howard frowned and tapped his chin, examining the blueprints further. His brown eyes slid over Gore, telling the orc that he didn’t believe Debbie’s coverup for a second. “Hm… shouldn’t take too long. I should have them all ready in about two days. That work for you?”

  “Absolutely. No rush or anything,” said Gore.

  “Thanks once again, cousin Howard!” shouted Debbie as the two women strode out of the lab. Once she closed the door, the dwarf muttered, “That went better than expected. You didn’t kill anything. Though you got close. Super close. How about from now on I deal with these guys?”

  Her eyes flaring red for a moment, Gore nodded, “Fine. But…”

  “No buts. I can see the gears turning in your head. You want to try steal that focusing crystal, don’t you?” demanded Debbie, stepping towards Gore. The orc looked away, avoiding Debbie’s accusing glare. “Don’t you?”

  Striding down the hallway, not saying a word, Gore walked away.

  “By the Forge Master, let it go. It’s just a shiny piece of rock,” hissed Debbie as she struggled to keep up with Gore. “They bought the gem. You can’t just steal it.”

  “It’s mine by birthright!” snarled Gore, rounding on Debbie. Gore jabbed a finger into Debbie’s chest.

  The dwarf stumbled back, gasping in pain.

  “Oh Blight,” sputtered Gore as she bent down to help Debbie. “Oh Blight. Oh Blight. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m—”

  “It’s fine. I’m tougher than I look,” mumbled Debbie while she steadied herself against a wall.

  Pacing around Debbie, Gore shook her head and rubbed her hands. Then her brain clicked and she muttered, “No. I’m sorry. For everything… It’d be better if you don’t come back into my life. Please. Just stay away for a little bit while I sort out my personal demons.”

  “No,” scoffed Debbie as she pushed herself off the wall and walked towards Gore. “No. What are you talking about? You saved my life before. It’s the least I can do to help you out.”

  “And you saved me beforehand. So we’re even.”

  “And before that, you saved me from horrendous homework and boring boyfriends. That just means we owe each other a lot of things.” Debbie laughed and shook her head. “Come on… I’m your friend. That means I’ll stick by your side and help you out when the going gets tough. However, it also means I’m gonna call you out on your bullshit. Like thinking of trying to rob our freaking school!”

  “Fine, I’ll drop it,” scowled Gore, waving away Debbie’s glare. For now.

  Frowning, giving Gore the same look Howard gave her, Debbie nodded and muttered, “Good then.”

  “Good,” said Gore, her face crinkling into a smile.

  “I know. I just said that,” laughed Debbie as she looked away and sighed, “Well, What do you suppose we—”

  “Gore? Gore Kaikanikani-hau?” croaked a voice from down the hallway.

  Cursing, Gore whipped her head around to see the Dean striding towards her with an ethereal grace and speed beyond even other elves. Red eyes glowed in the shadows of the castle hallway, streaking into ribbons of light.

  Before Gore could flee, the Dean stood before her.

  He wiped a trail of red from his pale lips as he asked, “What are you doing on campus? Didn’t I tell you that you couldn’t attend any classes?”

  “But you didn’t say I was banned from the campus, did you?” Gore counter-attacked. “I’m not technically violating the suspension.

  “Don’t try and haggle the rules with me, missy. You’re talking to a former law student.” The Dean rolled his eyes. “Even if you didn’t violate the word of the law, you still violated the spirit of the law. As it is, I—”

  “Please, Dean Acula!” cried Debbie as she stepped in between Gore and the Dean. Her eyes swelled up to massive proportions as Debbie gave him her best puppy drake impression. “It was my fault. I just wanted her to meet one of my cousins in the engineering department so I dragged her with me onto campus! So if you’re gonna punish anyone, punish me!”

  The Dean raised an eyebrow and looked at Gore.

  Gore shrugged.

  Then the Dean rubbed his temples, scratching his neck with the other hand as he muttered, “Where do you find these people, Gore? Loyalty like this isn’t normal.”

  “Debbie is kinda special,” muttered Gore as she smiled. Yeah. Debbie was indeed “kinda” special.

  “No doubt,” laughed the Dean, lowering his hands. Kneeling down to meet Debbie’s gaze, his expression softened and his hand settled on her shoulder. “But you got the wrong impression, miss Lau. I was only gonna give Gore a warning.”

  “Oh,” muttered Debbie.

  Chuckling as he rose to his feet, the Dean turned to Gore and growled, “But I have something else I needed to tell you. Regarding your suspension. I believe I may have a solution to your problem.”

  Gore raised an eyebrow and murmured, “Pray tell. I’m holding my breath.”

  “Hey! No sarcasm,” chuckled the Dean before he composed himself. Then he pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Gore. “You remember the magic fair coming up?”

  “Yes…” Gore examined the papers. Application forms for the fair, most fields were already filled out in the Dean’s handwriting.

  “Well, it just so happens I convinced the board to invite some very important people to judge. I can’t say for legal reasons but her name rhymes with ‘Bagnis.’ You might know her.”

  Gore gasped, “Agnis Hopper is coming to our school? For a freaking magic fair?”

  “Wait, what? Who is Agnis?” asked Debbie, jumping into the air.

  “Only the most accomplished artificer in Valerian! Tell me you’ve heard of her! She’s worked on everything from the rocket tree-ships during the moon races to the microchips in your scryer! Damn, and she’s coming here!” crowed Gore, giddy enough to rise through the clouds. She struggled to contain herself. And failed. “Blight! I have to meet her! I have to meet her! Wait a moment though… what does this have to do with my suspension?”

  “First off, language, missy. You’re
still in school. Second off… You didn’t let me finish,” chuckled the Dean, shaking his head. “Look. Agnis is a long-time friend of both the orc redemption movement and me personally. We talked over the scryer last night. And she has decided to help you out.”

  “Blight…” As her heart beat out of her chest, Gore’s stomach twisted within her.

  Her hero… Gore would get to meet her. She would get to meet one of the greatest minds ever to grace the world. Gore took a deep breath, forcing her eyes to grey, and muttered, “This is all so much to take in…”

  “Hold your dragons, missy.” The Dean held up a hand and placed it firm on Gore’s head, squashing her into the floor. “She can only help a little. And in a stupidly subtle manner.”

  “Which is?” asked Gore.

  “She’s announced that her foundation’s officially going to endorse the winner of the magic fair, potentially taking the lucky student on as an intern.” Gore whistled. The opportunity of a lifetime. The Dean nodded his agreement and growled, “And so… I managed to strike a deal with the administration. If you win the competition, you’ll not just obtain the cash prize, but you’ll be able to come back to school early. You need to do this. You don’t get second chances like this every day.”

  “Blight…” muttered Gore as she blinked, trying to grapple with her new situation.

  As always, two roads stretched out before Gore. Two worlds sinking their hooks into Gore’s heart.

  On one side, lay the underground Grand Prix. The primal road of rage and fury, where Gore could only rely on her raw will and the Magnum Orcus. The road of the orc, of glory. High risk but reward beyond her imagination. If she wanted to even survive, she needed to spend every waking moment upgrading the Magnum Orcus.

  On the other side of the, lay the magic fair. A chance to meet Gore’s hero. To ascend into the world of magic, technology and high society through her wits. Only… it meant rejecting Gore’s core, rejecting the orc within to focus on her project. Even the Valerian military couldn’t finish what Gore was attempting. She needed every resource, every bit of crazed genius she had to complete the Blighted thing in time for the magic fair.