Chapter 68

True Orc

“Pull!”

The travel inland put the city of quarottes behind us. The land was arid and icy. Gnarled evergreens grew from nooks and crevices in the harsh and rocky terrain.

“Onward!”

Flurries of snow sometimes fell. At night, under the moonlight, lonely trees seemed like haunting figures. Those trees threw down long shadows.

“Song!”

Water belonged only to the river of ice slush. All else was arid. Instead of sticking to the ground, snow beaded off the rocks like oil in a hot pan.

“Push!”

Meals of eel and goblin spit beer fueled us throughout the days. The march of orc feet beat like a singular heart. Stiff cart wheels croaked. Beer sloshed within barrels. Hot breaths snaked out between tusks.

“Over hill!”

Muscles and grunts moved Hawkin’s beers over the hill and onto a boulder strewn road.

“Halt!”

Cart shafts were angled to the ground. Orcs slapped their hands, rotated their shoulders, and stretched.

“Yoop!”

“Yes, Commander!”

“Clear the road.”

“Yes, sir.”

While Yoop pushed his body to roll boulders off the path, I tethered the shafts of his cart to the back of mine. I put myself between my cart shafts, crouched, and wrapped my piglet-thick fingers around the handles.

“Lift!”

Every other cart creaked without problem. Wheels began turning. Pebbles began cracking. Orcs pulled their carts around me while Yoop continued to clear the path. With each of his heavy grunts, Boulders crashed into the evergreen brush off the path.

Blood rushed into my face. My body strained. My tongue slipped free and tasted the cold. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Wealth was mine! With wealth I would acquire massive ships. Ships massive enough to be confused for floating cities. For wealth and beer!

As the cart shafts finally lifted off the ground, a trembling grunt escaped my snarl shaped mouth. Leaning forward, and with a lot of muscle, I pulled the carts forward. My comrades eyed me. They grunted like rhinos.

Yoop labored non stop until the boulders tripled in size.

“Does no one travel these roads?” said Yoop.

“Halt!”

“Erf, Kil, and Gut!”

“Yes, Commander,” they sounded.

“Together with Yoop. Clear the way.”

“With our fists,” said Gut.

With fists and grunts and heaves and muscle, they split the larger boulders and shoved them off the path. I tethered their three carts to my two.

Crouched between the cart shafts with fingers clamped, I strained to lift. Blood raced to my eyes. My lips rippled.

Wealth was mine! With wealth I would expand my fleet. I would outpace Hawkin’s growing production of beer. I would hire 300 more orcs to sail the sea!

“Move!”

My roar echoed throughout the landscape. I stood and leaned forward once more. With one foot in front of the other, and my grip choking the wood grain of the cart shafts, I hauled the carts down the path behind my kin.

“Onward!”

Onward we marched. Throughout the day, the hill on the horizon slowly grew in size until it was the hill right before us. It was a hill that should have belonged on a mountain. The grade was made for sky-climbing. Even larger boulders blocked the way. The boulders seemed to be part of the rocky slope. But an orc could uproot rock like a human could uproot flowers!

“Halt!”

I stumbled when I set my cart shafts down. My head rang. I felt both light and lightheaded, but a few good self slaps turned me out all right.

“Opi, Iku, Mnu, Fek, Giet, Fithk, Cor, Wej, Pli, and Boro.”

“Yes, Commander!”

“Help them clear the path.”

Each orc paused. I raised brows at them.

Boro pointed his chin at his cart. “And leave it behind?”

“Follow orders.”

The orcs reluctantly labored to help clear the slope of boulders. I tethered their carts.

“Ten more?” said Jix. “Against a slope like that?”

I put myself between the shafts of my cart.

“Commander?”

“Heave!”

“Commander!”

My vision went black. My ears rang. My tusks shook and I felt keenly aware of my skull and bones. Muscles hardened like iron. Orc bodies were made to conquer!

Ports weren’t enough in the north! Trade was available on land. Time was of the essence.

I roared insensibly. My body shook. My heart beat like a summer hare flushed from the brush!

With great effort, I took a step forward. The wheels on the carts turned one spoke length.

Nothing could stop orc progress. Watch, young orcs! Watch your commander! Know my story! Feel the pounding of my heart! It beats like charging hooves! You must feel it wrinkle the air and scatter the pebbles! Beyond wealth, I wanted to step where no orc had stepped before. Many avenues lead to orc greatness and goddom!

As my vision slowly returned, the wheels continued to turn. The slope of the hill came nearer, until I was at the foot. My kin were climbing. My brothers and sisters!

I moved up the foot of the hill and stalled.

But what was a hill beside a future of controlling the northern sea! A hill could not break an orc. 13,000 gallons of beer could not chain me at the foot of the hill.

“The sea of Ogo,” they’ll say! “Even his heart had tusks! His blood galloped!”

I moved up the hill. Pebbles rolled down the hill between my feet.

“He conquered land and sea,” they’ll say! “No better name for a ravenous sea! He cleared the land like a tsunami!”

Yes. My sea!

My kin grew weary on the slope. When I caught up to them, they laid eyes on me. New eyes. Eyes I had never seen before. Wide eyes. Even orcs underestimated orcs.

“Over hill!”

All evening, I struggled. All night, my orcs broke rock while I hauled beer. All night, I grunted and roared and heaved.

At the top of the hill, once I cleared the edge, my kin rushed to aid me the last few feet onto flat rock.

My hands had to be pried from the shafts. The grain had taken the shape of my grip. I stumbled onto my face from sudden severe dizziness.

When I awoke, my kin gave me water and eel.

“Jix?” I said. “Map.”

“With the golem,” Fithk said. He pointed.

Jix was speaking with a creature made of marble and granite. It was like a tower gargoyle with a thousand more joints. Black eyes were tucked into deep set sockets. It pointed at the next horizon.