Chapter 53 Gotta Give Out Some Spanking To Fix An Issue
“Why do you bother yourself so much about her?” Kazh’s Father, Brukk had said earlier today. He was an old man of warm disposition, and even then, he wore a smile on his face. “I have not seen our people this excited for… anything in a very long time,”
“She is an unknown figure to us. We have no idea what it is that she desires. She comes up the mountain as dangerous as it is with this… power that she does not use, is aware of our traditions and plays accordingly, and wishes to have us under her,”
“I have always thought that was the best part about you, Kazh,” His father responded, his face as gentle as always. “You think, and you worry, but you are very strict with yourself. And with tradition. Look around you, sweet boy, we need rescuing. This is new, yes, but we must find a way to keep our people safe. They enjoy her because she still keeps to our culture and does not bend them to her standards. You must find a way to… grow past your limits,”
Kazh did not understand what that meant. Limits. Like they had limits. He was aware that they had a problem but he strongly believed that they could find their way around it somehow. Without her.
Especially without her.
They needed safety. They needed… grounding. She was feral, and volatile and outrageously unwell. He did not trust her. He could not trust someone who was actively trying so hard for no reason whatsoever.
But now, as he stared at her on the stage while she screamed into a stick, he did not know what to think.
An hour before, he had gathered them all in the snow under the midnight sky with their best singers and playing a song as old as every person in there. They danced, hooted and laughed. It was exciting, it was beautiful. They all danced their legs away, hooting and screaming with a happiness that had him relaxing as well.
The gentle moment broke the second he heard the loud sound of a blaring horn echoing through the mountains. It was loud enough to reverberate through his bones, to have the instant attention of every orc as they faced the direction of the sound.
Of the cave that was now playing a loud horn.
He went first, wanting to see what it could possibly be this time… and he had never seen anything like this.
The cave had swirly lights, scattering across its walls, and there was now a stage with… instruments he had never seen. The human woman stood in the middle as each person behind her bashed their instruments. The horn sound came as a long striking thrum filled the air before a drumming sound echoed through the place.
Noise, yes but… Orc noise.
Music noise.
And then… she began to scream.
It was a loud screeching sound with words added in it that he could point out. Something about ‘not giving up’ and ‘fighting’ and there was the rage that filled her voice and anger that… mirrored his own perfectly.
This was all loud and unclear to anyone with a working brain… but he could feel each beat in his blood, chatting him up for something he was certain of. Each scream she let out felt like it was… liberating him somehow and he could tell from the other orcs gathered there… They enjoyed it too.
What was this? What was this emotion?
How many years had he let his fear of his people stay down? How long had he pretended that everything was fine so his people who were simpleminded did not worry? How much had he forced down? He couldn’t even remember.
The orcs were screaming— saying the same words she was saying even though they barely understood it. They were stomping, banging their clubs on the walls. Ice things fell to the floor from the roof, crashing all around him… and yet, he wanted to dance. He wanted to scream, to let out everything that had been holding him down. To feel the,,, rush everyone else was feeling.
He didn’t know he was crying until the music stopped, until his eyes blurred by the tears in them stared at her. She looked different. Strange. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and she was panting so loudly that it echoed through the cave.
Kazh watched her sway, and he knew at that moment that her energy was gone, that she was weak from all the screaming she had done… and right at that moment, something came to his head.
He couldn’t see her beast or her guard around her— which was suspicious but he didn’t care. He knew he had lost the fight from the beginning. She was too smart. Too… aware, it infuriated him. It made him feel small… and terrified.
Kazh knew that this was wrong and for a traditional man like he was, he knew that this was not something he should be doing… but he had no choice.
He didn’t waste his time in picking up a club that had been left on the floor and charged through the crowd at her.
Maeve could see all of this happening, even though she was breathless and hanging on a thread. She could also feel it in the air… Adrian and Thomas trying their best not to come into the cave and interrupt what was about to happen.
She had approximately one minute before he got close to her. “NACE?”
\[YOU DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE TO PLACE YOURSELF IN SUCH SITUATIONS. BUT YES?\]
“How many Approval Ratings do I have left?”
\[CURRENTLY, 958\]
Maeve felt weak. And breathless. It was as if this particular moment where she had to actively use her brain was making her realize how truly exhausted she was. “Activate Reputation of a Feral Goblin for ten minutes,”
\[ACTIVATED SKILL- REPUTATION OF A FERAL GOBLIN. AR -34\]
“I can update a skill, can’t I? I see that in video games and you’re like a game guide… thingy, yes?”
\[… SURE. REDUCE ME TO THAT\]
So picky. “Update the skill to the Reputation of a Demon King— and don’t give me any complaints on it. From all the Approval Ratings I’ve gotten from them, that skill should be hanging around somewhere unused. Do it. With all of my remaining Approval Ratings,”
\[ALL OF IT?\]
“It’s a show of strength, isn’t it? Do it now.”
\[AFFIRMATIVE. AR: 958→0. SKILL UPDATED: REPUTATION OF A DEMON KING\]
Maeve suddenly felt Kazh hitting her hard, her back flying to the back of the cave and then out of it as dust and snow spread all over the place.
The Orcs around stared at the large gaping hole, quiet as they realized that this was the first time they had seen Kazh use his full strength before while the male in question stood on the stage, his eyes slanting as he stared into the midnight.
Then he felt it.
The ground began to quake, the sensation sending tremors through his entire body. Then the pressure came. Every Orc felt it. Like something closed in on them from every side.
Kazh gritted his teeth, forcing himself to move forward and out of the cave so he could see what was going on, but he didn’t need to go far.
The woman he had just shoved with all of his strength, was now rising from the floor— except she looked nothing like the frail young person from before. No. He could hear every bone in her body pop back in place, her back straightening as she grew taller, her hair longer.
He watched as two horns came out of her forehead, dark cracks appearing all over her skin as her eyes turned into yellow slits.
“That was uncalled for,” Her voice was deceptively calm, but it echoed through the mountains like she towered over it— and right now, she did. The clouds darkened, lightning flashing in the sky as she cracked her neck. “But I suppose this was bound to happen. Anyway, I’m about to give you a lesson I should have given my siblings many years ago,”
The sides of Maeve’s lips curled. “A good, well deserved beating,”