***
Everyone was alert as Rugrat told them about the carriage that had reached the tower and gained entrance without being attacked.
He grew silent as he saw the group coming out of the gates, there was a group of orcs with them, one wearing armor, another caster’s robes and shaman items, the other just wearing a hide kilt and holding a pickaxe.
“What in the fuck is that,” Rugrat looked at a hulking great big beast that walked with another human, she was nearly twice the height of the orcs. She looked like an orc, an ogre and the Hulk had been thrown together and never did leg day.
She had small legs but an overdeveloped upper body, she walked with her legs and her fists, much like a gorilla. Her head had not increased in proportion with her body. Her long hair was pulled back in a bun, she was wearing a lab coat of a white material and had a pocket filled with items on her chest.
The humans watched her and the orcs; the woman was talking to a man that must’ve been riding in the carriage.
The orc with the pickaxe attacked a small rise, turning it into rubble as he worked like mad.
The shaman cast magic, the orc fighter went up against one of the guards, the guards were able to defeat them in five moves, the heavily injured orc’s anger stilled as its body started to repair itself.
The demonstration done, the group went back through the walls.
The worker and shaman, picked up the fighter and carried them back inside, the doors closed behind them.
“Well shit. What the hell is going on?” Rugrat said.
“Looks like a dog and pony show,” Erik said.
“Fuck,” Rugrat said, his mind starting to make conclusions he didn’t like. “If it is, then this?”
“It might not be a natural dungeon, just someone is making the orcs instead,” Erik said.
“So what is the plan?” Storbon asked.
“Save the people, blow this fucking place apart and get the hell out of here, tell others so they can clear this out,” Rugrat said.
“Sounds like a plan I can get behind,” Erik said.
“Lucinda?” Storbon asked.
“I’ll scout the tower and inside the walls.”
It was sometime later when Tian Cui was on watch that anything changed other than their updated maps.
“And the guy in the carriage is leaving,” Tian Cui said.
“Good, one less thing to deal with, those guards would not be easy to deal with,” Rugrat said leaning against a rock wall. He turned to Erik.
“Storbon is working on the plan,” Erik pulled out jerky from his storage ring and offered some to the others.
They passed around the jerky, eating as Lucinda and Storbon talked on a private channel working out a plan together.
They rotated people on watch, the others trying to relax and get some sleep and eat, they used their cleaning spells but it wasn’t the same as a shower.
The glowing crystals embedded into the ceiling and the glowing plants started to dim, removing the little light in the area. It wouldn’t affect the orcs much, but they were hoping that the massive abomination was put to sleep.
“Alright let’s go,” Storbon said, everyone got into the beast crates and the small rat-like scouts ran through a small tunnel they had created out of their hiding spot.
Rugrat gripped his rifle, sitting down, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
“We’re at the wall, looking for ways in,” Lucinda said, the tension seemed to increase four-fold.
“Found a hole in the door, we’re moving through. Past the first gate, the second, and we’re into the main area. The orcs are on the wall, others are in their huts against the outer wall. Humans are in several large holding areas around the walls. There are orcs moving around the tower entrances wearing lab coats. They’re checking and studying the humans. I’m heading to the tower.”
The silence was the worst, at any moment they could be discovered and Rugrat had no idea what they would be facing.
“We’re in the tower, heading to where the mana concentration is the highest. Looks to be at the top of the tower.”
Silence continued as Lucinda controlled the rats, hiding from groups of lab coat-wearing orcs and then charging forward, she took her time, making sure to not rush.
Everyone else held their breath, not daring to interrupt her.
The rats went up the winding stairs that went up the tower, thankfully they were largely unused.
“Looks like there are all kinds of experiments being carried out, the orcs are awkward, but they’re recording down everything,” Lucinda said as they climbed, giving them snippets of information as they went.
“I think that the lower ones are gathering raw information and the orcs on the higher levels are compiling them, some are even speaking in ways that I can understand, broken words thought.”
“I’m at where the mana is the highest,” Lucinda said finally in a heavy voice.
“I’m sending you in Erik and Yao Meng.”
“Okay, looks like a large lab, shit!” Lucinda yelled in a panic, sending everyone one edge, Rugrat was a split second away from jumping out of his cage.
“Shit, alright,” Lucinda said, recovering and settling herself. “The abomination is asleep in the office, fell asleep on a desk. Looks like she’s out of it.”
“Get me close to her, I’ll jump out and hit her with a few concoctions that will make sure that she’ll stay asleep,” Erik said.
“Don’t kill her, we might need information,” Rugrat said.
“Got it,” Erik said.
“Okay, just getting you closer,” Lucinda said a moment later as Storbon didn’t countermand their orders.
“I’m moving the rest of us into the room. And, we’re all here. Erik, you’re right next to her.”
***
Erik exited his beast cage. His hands were holding onto a bag of powder, seeing the sleeping abomination he tossed it lightly onto the desk. The bag was open, leaving a trail of browns and golds in the low light.
The abomination was snoring her nose twitched and her eyes fluttered as Erik raised his rifle, training it on her face.
She snuffled and he could see the powder drawn up and into her nose. With each breath she took in more as her body completely relaxed.
Erik extended his domain over her.
“Alright she’s out,” Erik said turning and examining the rest of the room. Yao Meng was right behind him the next second and the others quickly left their storage crates, filling the room.
Erik moved to a door and opened it. Pushing inside he swept the left of the room, Yao-the right.
“Bedroom,” Erik said as he waved to the bed, Yao Meng lifted the sheets and Erik looked under it, it was just stone.
They moved to the next door, revealing a bathroom.
When they left the others had opened the closets and checked the rest of the room. Rugrat was watching the door, Lucinda’s small scouts ran between his feet as he closed the door.
Yuli enchanted it, reinforcing it. Tian Cui placed down a formation that would make sure that no noise left the floor.
Storbon and George were staring at the sleeping abomination, ready to fight. Gilly was using her magic, creating stone around the abomination to seal her up.
Rugrat looped chains around the abomination with formations enchanted in them to weaken the one affected. After the slaver ring he had broken up he’d created these power-sapping manacles, the police force had taken his designs and created their own versions.
With so many powerful people capable of smashing buildings they were necessary.
Yuli and Tian Cui stood with Storbon watching the Abomination.
“Yuli, Rugrat, Erik start gathering notes and figuring out just what the hell is happening to please the quest, Yao Meng on the door. Lucinda with him, Tian Cui you’re with me. Mind if I borrow Gilly and George?” Storbon asked.
“All yours,” Erik said.
“Don’t burn the tower down,” Rugrat tol
d George who rolled his eyes as Rugrat patted his neck with a smirk, appeasing the wolf.
Erik let his rifle hang behind him as he grabbed the notes on the desk in front of the abomination and moved back so he wasn’t in front of anyone’s line of fire.
He started to read the technical notes as Rugrat and Yuli searched the other rooms, the closets and desks.
“Shit,” Erik said as he was reading the information.
“What is it?” Storbon asked.
“She’s from Earth, or she knows someone that is. All this information, the way it is laid out, the words she uses,” Erik said.
“Lena Lindenbaum,” Yuli said. “Calls herself a genie-sect?”
“Geneticist?” Rugrat asked.
“Could be?” She passed him the book.
“Yeah,” Rugrat looked to Erik. “Fuck, so what she made these orcs for what?”
Erik remembered the demonstration.
“Laborers, fighters and shamans,” Erik said.
They fell into silence and then kept on looking through the information, it was sometime later that they had a complete idea of what was happening here.
“I thought she was messed up from how she looks but her mind is worse,” Rugrat spat.
“So the orcs we’ve been fighting?” Yao Meng said.
“They were all orcs, but orcs are humans close cousins. I thought something was strange about them. They didn’t have monster cores. I thought that they might not have formed them yet. I didn’t think it was because they were converted. The fact that the poiuson worked on us to some effect as well as the rocs. It was highly effective against orcs but not as strong against us. It is like how we share diseases with monkeys.”
Erik sunk into thought and closed his eyes, picturing the orcs, going through their internal structure.
“Their bodies are like ours a lot, they have been combined with some other creatures to make them stronger. Their brains were basically destroyed in the process. They clearly have some reason like beasts but they can’t complete complex thoughts. They just don’t have that part of their brain. Unlike normal orcs that grow stronger from eating monster cores and their enemies flesh. These orcs can also get stronger through training and cultivation.
“Orcs in the wild are as strong as wild beasts and hide from people, in the higher realms they can gain understanding and are part of the beast sects, these ones she’s created are aggressive instead. She was able to stay here because she controlled the strongest with the beast taming collars. That leather collar with the gem in the middle of it.” Erik said.
“She was looking for a way for humans to absorb multiple mana cores in the beginning, she was self-testing that turned her into this, then she found someone interested in creating the orcs,” Yuli added.
A notification went off as information rolled down their screens.
==========
Quest Update: From Orc Jaws
==========
Lena Lindenbaum has been converting humans into orc slaves against their will. Destroy her and her research.
==========
Requirements:
Destroy Lena Lindenbaum’s research.
Kill Lena Lindenbaum
Save the remaining humans
Return the humans to safety
==========
Rewards:
Unknown
Wandering Hero Title
EXP
==========
“Well, I think it is pretty clear,” Rugrat said, the others all nodded in agreement.
Erik pulled out a syringe and a poison bottle, he put the needle into the bottle and drained it he found a vein on Lena’s arm and pierced her skin, injecting the poison.
Lena Lindenbaum started to shake, her veins swelled as blood started to leak from her nose and mouth, foam appeared between her teeth before she collapsed, a tombstone above her.
Experience flowed into them all but they didn’t seem to care.
Erik looted her tombstone and took off the different restraints. They collected the gear in the room. Erik pulled out the master control unit, from among the loot. It was a purple gem necklace, he passed it to Rugrat.
“Doesn’t seem to have traps,” Rugrat said and put it on.
“Hear me, all orcs are to stand in formation out front of the gates,” Rugrat said.
They moved to a window, holding onto it as they saw the Orcs moving out of the tower and out in front of the tower.
Erik checked his weapon as they finished clearing the room and got back into the beast crates again.
It was quiet as they moved.
“We’re at the bottom of the tower, there are no orcs in the area. All of them are outside the gates, looks like it worked,” Lucinda said.
“Alright, let’s free the remaining humans and then let’s get the hell out of here,” Storbon said.
Erik appeared out of the beast crate the people in cages all gasped at the group that appeared out of nowhere.
They backed up as they saw the faceless masks, weird weapons and scarred armor.
“If you swear not to tell anyone about us, we’ll get you out of here,” Tian Cui said to the people in the cages.
“I swear to tell no one who you are on my life!”
“I won’t! Get me out of here!”
They fell over one another to give their oaths, once they were all done they were released from the cages. They huddled together, people that had been separated, hugged and cried with one another.
“Come on, we’ve got to move,” Storbon said.
They herded the people forward and out of the tower, they shrunk back seeing the orcs standing outside the gates.
“What the hell do we do with them?” Rugrat asked over the private communications channel.
“Have them kill themselves?” Yuli said.
“Have them go kill the other orcs first,” Tian Cui amended.
“Use them to bolster our own strength,” Storbon said.
“They’re still people after it all, send them away and then tell them to remove the control units, what they do in the future is up to them,” Erik said.
The others grew quiet.
“Yeah, I agree,” Storbon said, sounding tired and old.
The others agreed to.
“Run off into the caves, take off the control units, never to be controlled by them again, try and live good lives,” Rugrat said, his purple gem glowed and then faded. The orcs ran off toward the caves, and Rugrat pulled off the control unit and put it away.
“Come on, the map Lena had shows a passage out of here,” Erik said.
“Hurry up or we’ll leave you behind,” Rugrat yelled.
“What about the dungeon core?” Storbon asked.
“We have plenty of cores and if we pull it out then it might collapse everything around here and draw other’s attention. Let’s just go home,” Erik patted him on the shoulder.
“Yes boss,” Storbone nodded.
The group of humans saw them leaving and gritted their teeth, following after them.
“Blow it,” Storbon said as they reached a tunnel that the carriage had entered and left by.
Yao Meng pulled out a detonator and used it.
An explosion went off in the tower and flames gushed out of the office at its top.
“Don’t let your guard down, anything can happen between here and getting to safety,” Erik said to everyone, including the remaining humans.
They marched through the caves. With a complete map, they passed the cave system easily, the bypassing tunnel circumvented the defenses and any remaining orcs.
It took them a day to leave the orc tunnels and caves behind.
They rested once they were outside the caves and the captives were more receptive to them as clean spells were used on them and their injuries were healed and they were fed.
Erik, Rugrat and Storbon were looking at an older man who had volunteered to talk on their behalf.
“Where did you come from before t
his, what happened?” Erik asked.
“I’m just a simple man, I am a smithing novice, I help out at the smithies. One night I was going home and then people captured me, used something to make me sleep, I woke up several times but then I finally woke up in one of them orc carts,” he shivered. “They took people from the carts but we continued on. I heard their screams.”
He took some time to recover before he shook his head. “We got to the tower, people were taken, they went into the tower, they didn’t come out.”
“Are you all from the same places?” Erik asked.
“No, we’re from different academy grounds, most of us are from the surface, we’re not strong enough to live in the dungeons.”
“Do you know someone called Lord Vinters?”
“Lord Vinters? He is from one of the clans, the Vinters clan are alumni from the Faded Scroll Academy,” The man seemed confused at the sudden subject change.
They kept talking for a few minutes before the old man returned to his group and the three turned to one another.
Erik pulled off his helmet, shaking his head and shaking his hair out.
They had all been growing field beards. Erik and Rugrat had been keeping them growing for a couple of months, extending down further.
Looking at them you’d think that they’d just been picked off a street corner, the armor and weapons showed another reality.
Rugrat slid forward off of his boulder with a groan, putting his helmet to the side as he pressed his back against the boulder, working his shoulders as he looped his hands into his arm-holes to get some circulation under the armor.
Storbon looked a bit better than the two hobos with him, but the young man looked tired as if his soul had been dragged out of him.
They’d put everything into the operation that had lasted for nearly three weeks and it showed.
Erik rubbed his face and took a deep breath, focusing himself.
“Alright, where the hell are we and where are we going?” He said.
Storbon took a knee and pulled out a map, putting it between them all.
“We’re here, we have three different outposts in walking distance from us, the two closest are just supply stations, the third has a route up to the surface,” Storbon pointed to the map.
“What are you thinking?” Erik asked.
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