"He's late!" The bloody voice yelled inside my head for the millionth time.

"SHUT UP I KNOW," I barked back internally.

Ever since Codex sensed Aron's presence when I came along with him searching for the orcs, he couldn't shut his bloody mouth. Every two minutes, it was the same frantic cry. And yes, he was speaking inside my head directly this time and it was driving me mad.

I could already guess that Aron was the person Codex was looking for. I asked him about it, but he tried to deny it, saying that Aron's mana was simply familiar to the person he was searching for.

But hey, come on! It's so obvious that Aron was the one Codex is after. I mean, he's acting like a pregnant wife whose husband was overdue – paranoid and on edge.

"Will you just relax?" I muttered under my breath, trying to keep my composure. "The Lord Commander will be here when he gets here. No need to turn into a freaking banshee."

Codex, however, wasn't receptive to reason. His voice grew louder, laced with a desperation that sent shivers down my spine. "Two hours! It's been two hours! We can't afford to waste time. Every passing second increases the risk!"

"Stop being so emotional!" I snapped back, surprised by the heat in my own voice. "His order was to wait for his signal, and Aron is far more capable of slaying a few orcs on his own."

"..."

A tense silence followed. I could almost feel Codex recoiling, surprised by my outburst. Finally, a grudging reply came, laced with a hint of shame. "Very well. But if something goes wrong, it's on you."

I gritted my teeth. Great, now the damn entity was guilt-tripping me. But I held my tongue. We needed to be a team, and right now, that meant appeasing his anxieties.

I can't risk losing his knowledge and teaching. So far, it's been great. I learned a few magic spells, only from light magic though, like blind, candlelight, a simple healing spell, and surprisingly a sleep spell which confused me since this was a light branch of the holy magic. But hey, I'm not complaining, at least I got to use it to cast a spell on myself to have a really nice sleep.

As for dark magic, Codex said that I still needed more time to grow before my body could handle casting a dark spell.

"Hmm," I turned back, glancing at my new brothers and sister. It's so weird to know that I now have more than a thousand brothers all because of that Watchers thing, and in truth, all of us had noticed that we actually became like real brothers. I even saw two men the other day helping each other with warmth and kindness despite the fact that before the awakening they were at each other's throats.

Even, I have no problem sacrificing myself if I could save one of my new brothers and sister. Which is more strange since I did have siblings in my old world. So, I didn't experience that part of life.

"Are we just going to stand here waiting?" a man suddenly asked. He wasn't one of my silver-haired brothers and sister.

His name was Bard, and he was a lucky man since Aron didn't incinerate him like his cowardly captain.

Damn! Just remembering his stupid round face and that bloody thin mustache makes my blood boil.

"My Lord said to wait for his signal, so we wait," my only new sister replied to him. She's hot, but not the type that I would go after her. She's missing a few important things, like CAT EARS!…Neko-chan! Where are you?

"It's been too long, maybe something happened to him?" Bard said again, staring at the cave entrance. He attempted to take a step forward, but before he got the chance, Lyra brought the tip of her massive lance to the back of his head at an extraordinary speed.

"Stay in line, human," she hissed, her eyes narrowed. "The Lord Commander gave us our orders, and we will follow them. He is more than capable of handling any situation, and if he's not back by dawn, we will reconsider our strategy."

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Bard froze, his eyes widening as he realized the danger he had just put himself in. He slowly backed away, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "I-I meant no disrespect, my lady. I just... I worry for my lord's safety."

Lyra lowered her lance, a cold expression on her face. "The Lord Commander doesn't need your worries," she continued her voice like ice. "Defy his orders and I'll put your head on a spike."

Damn! That's cold. I saw Bard gulping hard when he saw that all of the Watchers were looking down at him coldly. Hell, even I was thinking of punching his face if he chose to act on his own.

"We just need to wait for his sig—"

"BWAHHHHH!" Lyra didn't get the chance to finish her words when a burst of thunderous, mad laughter echoed in the place.

BOOM! BOOM!

"What in the Nine Hells is that?" Bard whispered, his eyes wide with fear. And he was right to feel fear, the very earth beneath us trembled as if something massive was approaching. The laughter grew louder, sending chills down our spines. It was a sound of pure malevolence, and it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"That's The Lord Commander's voice!" I said loudly, recognizing Aron's laugh.

Lyra's expression turned grim, and she raised her lance, signaling for us to follow. "That's our signal, move out!" she shouted, her voice filled with determination.

Seriously, woman? That's our signal? I remember that Aron didn't even say what the signal was. But she just wants to go in and look for him. Is it Love?

Sigh. I sighed and followed them rushing toward the cave entrance. Surprisingly we didn't encounter the two orc guards, maybe Aron got rid of them on his way in.

The moment we entered the cave tunnel, weapons drawn, we began to hear loud cheering and roaring that filled and reverberated against the walls.

The air inside the tunnel was thick with tension, and the sound of our footsteps echoed ominously off the walls. Lyra led the way, her lance poised and ready for action. The rest of us followed closely, our eyes scanning the dark, twisting passageways for any sign of danger.

Bard kept close to me, his eyes darting around nervously. Despite his earlier bravado, it was clear that the eerie atmosphere was getting to him. "What do you think is happening in there?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the distant sounds of cheering and roaring.

Why is he talking to me? Hey, we're not friends, buddy!

"I don't know," I replied, keeping my voice low. "But whatever it is, we need to be ready for anything."

Exiting the tunnel, we found ourselves in a vast area. It was like a rocky hill nested between two mountains, with the cave being the only entrance. In front of us was, in my eyes, the best-looking camp I'd ever seen, not that I'd seen one before, but you get the point that I'm hammering at.

Animal skin tents, wooden spikes around the camp, skulls hung on the walls, campfires scattered throughout, and the orcs themselves, who were cheering and celebrating, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames.

Awesome! I always liked orcs, they're the best warriors, and I always picked them in games whenever I could in my old world. Damn, I already miss my "Gorehowl." Maybe I should ask one of the dwarves to forge me one similar to it.

We made our way stealthily – which we didn't need, by the way – to the center of the camp, where we could clearly see a big tent and the orcs gathering around it, cheering and roaring.

"It seems that they are celebrating something," Bard whispered, but no one replied to him. Every Watcher, including me, was gazing in the same direction. We could see it from here.

Our Lord Commander, Aron, was fighting a huge, badass orc. They were exchanging blows one after another.

"By the aspects," Bard whispered, his eyes glued to the scene. "Is that... The Lord Commander?"

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away. Aron fought with a ferocity I had never seen before, each strike sending shockwaves through the air. The orc chieftain was massive, his muscles rippling with each blow, but Aron was like a mountain, unshakable.

"He's incredible," Bard breathed, his voice filled with awe. "I've never seen anyone fight like that."

"Of course," Lyra replied, her eyes shining with pride. "Our Lord is a force to be reckoned with. No orc can stand against him."

Woman! Just go and have his babies, you're begging for it.

BOOM!

Ouch! That was a strong headbutt. I even felt it in my bones. They kept slamming their heads against each other, and no one was going to give up.

Oh!...Oh! The last headbutt was so strong that both warriors stumbled backward. Maybe that was the last blow for both of them? And yes, it was. The orc collapsed onto his back. At that moment, the orc's cheering and roaring went wild

"He won," Lyra said, her voice beaming with pride. "Hmm?...who's that?" she asked, her voice slightly cold.

I followed her gaze and saw an orc approaching Aron, a female orc, and oh my god, she's hot, even for an orc. Damn, those nice muscles and the glorious abs.

'Hmm?... Maybe I should consider going after an Orc wife first,' I thought but quickly shook my head. 'No, Leo, don't cheat on Neko-chan, she will be the first one.'

Silence fell when the female orc stepped forward. She gazed at Aron for a moment, then dropped to one knee, bowing to him in the silence. Her voice was loud and clear for us to hear.

"By the Will of the Mak'Gora, We, the Frostfang, acknowledge Aron as our new chieftain."

""WHAT THE HELL!"" All of us yelled at the same time.