Author Note:

I have a patreon page. If you want to support my work, please visit it. There you could find 6 chapters in advance for patrons.

https://www.patreon.com/finlegost

You can find the character concepts here:

https://www.instagram.com/finlergost

*******************

We are moving towards the city command center as fast as we can.

As night fell, we quietly approached one of the darker sides of the wall, and when we got the signal, Gell showed me a place where I could climb.

Once inside the city, we began to advance slowly. Me jumping as smoothly as I can from rooftop to rooftop, and Gell flying beside me sticking to the rooftops.

We can't travel too fast or else we will alert the soldiers, who, judging by their movements, must have already spotted our army, as most of them are running towards the city walls. But despite our limited speed, we have already made good progress.

However, advancing at a certain speed without making the slightest noise represents a challenge in itself.

This is another reason why we had to come just the two of us, since there are very few who could compete with us in speed, making the most of windows of opportunity when we know there is no one watching.

And, although Deirdre and Azur could indeed keep up with us, it makes no sense for them to come, since I am supposed to face the chief of the city in a one-on-one fight.

As we travel, I can't help but gaze in awe at the shapes of the orc dwellings.

They are in a sense very similar to those of our kingdom, but at the same time very different. That is to say, the walls, the doors and windows, and the ceilings bear a great similarity. And yet, for some strange reason, there are thick ropes connecting each house to the next, forming strange webs throughout the city, which give the city more the appearance of a place inhabited by giant spiders than orcs.

Also very strange is the way the streets are lit, as instead of enchanted stones, the lanterns use crystal balls that emit a yellowish light similar to the light of our lanterns, although much dimmer.

'I suppose the similarities must be due to the hive's guidance, and the differences must be because of their technology, since the orcs can't use enchanted artifacts for everyday things if they don't have mages to supply mana to the cities... What will be the reason why the hive cares to guide us so much if afterwards they throw monsters at us and invite us to risk our lives in the labyrinth.... Could it be that we are some kind of entertainment for them?'

According to what Deirdre told me some time ago, there are also five labyrinths on this continent. One of which is in this very city. Most of them are under the control of the orc empire, and only one is beyond their empire.

I suppose once we take the city we could take a look at the one here to see if there is any difference from the ones in our land, as Deirdre doesn't know what the one in this city looks like because she never went, since slaves are forbidden to do so unless accompanied by an orc.

"Now..." I start to say as I jump from one house to the next, "That we are the two of us alone. Could you explain to me why we are supposed to be able to conquer the city simply by defeating the ruler of this place? I mean, I imagine it must be a cultural thing, but since we have time..."

"Yes, it's a matter of tradition.... Hmm how do I explain it to an outsider?" says Gell, and at times his flying magic loses speed as he becomes distracted "There are a number of historical reasons for this, but to sum it up, for our race, strength is a very important thing. That's why the leaders of our people are all people of extraordinary strength. But, it is also why, if we succeed in defeating my father, he will surrender the city to whoever is stronger than him, because he sees physical strength as synonymous with fitness to rule, like most of the orcs in this doomed empire."

"Your father?" I ask, puzzled, because one of the most important figures in the resistance is the son of the person who leads the city.

"Yes, Garnuk, the leader of the city is my father." he says, and I can notice how his tone of voice turns bitter at the mention of his father's name "Anyway.... That tradition of our race is why I could never have taken the city alone. Since I'm someone who uses magic, I'm not very strong physically."

"Ahh. But intellect is the strength of mages, and being level 67, you must have plenty, right?" I ask, groping for information about their knowledge about people's stats, without making my ignorance on the subject known.

"Yeah... I guess I do. I was always smarter than kids my age." says the orc, sighing "But that doesn't matter much here.... That's why, when I turned 6, my father sent me to the coliseum in the capital. It's a place where people learn to fight and train to improve their strength, or… Die."

"At 6 years old, he wanted you to learn how to fight?" I ask in surprise, and for a moment I almost stumble as I jump, due to Gell's father's ridiculous demands.

"Yes, I know, but I was never very good with physical activities." explains Gell, as if justifying himself, misunderstanding the reason for my surprise "My father wanted to send me earlier, when I was only two years old, as soon as he saw that I could handle a sword. So I could train while I was growing up. That was his plan to rid himself of the only one of his children who had been born physically weak... but my mother prevented him. Anyway, when my mother died in an accident, my father was finally able to send me away. By that time, I was able to fend for myself. It was hard either way, but that allowed me to exploit my potential in the field of magic, something I had never been able to do under the influence of my dear, overbearing father."

"Ahh" I say, as I recall the conversation with Deirdre when she told me that orcs develop physically much faster than the rest of the races. But my response is overshadowed by the sound of bells starting to ring behind us.

'That's probably the result of the distraction maneuver.'

"And that's what led me to choose to defend therians, avians, and reptilians. It's a long story..." he says, and then he is silent for a moment. When I look in his direction, I see that he has a sad smile on his face and seems to pay no attention to the bells ringing behind us. "The reality is that I had never really thought about how unfair the living situation of slaves was until I got to Colosseum City, which is the name of the capital. So I guess I have to thank my father for that. The problem is that in the capital there weren't really many places to gather and organize groups of people without being noticed. So I came back to my hometown, where the jungle could serve as a shelter for everyone I rescued from slavery, and sooner or later we could plan things on a larger and larger scale."

"So, if you are the founder of the resistance, why is Angnir its leader?" I ask, confused.

"Because a movement that attempts to change an established system of oppression cannot be carried out by the very ones who are responsible, directly or indirectly, for that oppression. I am an orc and the son of the leader of this city." says Gell, looking at me strangely "You are not the first to tell me this, and I understand why it seems like a reasonable thing to you, but the reality is that people's minds don't work like that. My intentions may be good, but I can't help that many of my preconceptions are shaped by the culture of our empire. Therefore, it is best that Angnir be in the position of leader while I can help from the shadows."

"Ahh. And I guess that's why you kept your identity as the son of the ruler of the city, since it would serve you to get information, while you used the wolf's identity to help the slaves..." I say, understanding more and more the importance of this guy in everything that's going on. Basically, my being here today and meeting Deirdre is because Gell created the resistance. "But how come they didn't discover your identity? Deirdre told me that the identification tokens clearly state people's classes. You're an Archmage. Doesn't that give you away as the wolf, in a city where, Charity told me, there are hardly any wizards?"

In answer to the question, Gell tosses me a steel token, and I see that it shows Gell's health and mana, as well as his classes and levels.... But on the token, it says these are Warrior level 27, and Explorer level 8…

'I see, it's a fake to camouflage.'

But this is not the only thing I can deduce from looking at this tab.

'Hmm... It seems that on this continent they don't have a full understanding of stats either, and that Deirdre was simply referring to health and mana when she said the word.'