Tobi exhibited an extraordinary swiftness, surpassing the speed of any mortal being. His movement appeared akin to flight. With the agility of a striking serpent, Tobi darted among the orc chief's kin, his movements a blur of motion as he incapacitated each one with precision and speed. Each strike landed with a decisive force, rendering his adversaries powerless in an instant.
The once fearsome orc chief, revered by his kin as a powerful leader, now lay sprawled on the ground, battered and unconscious.
Ragard was beheaded.
In the recesses of the orc chief's mind, a different scene played out—a nostalgic recollection of days when his concerns were minimal, and life was simpler. It was a time when he only had himself to worry about, free from the burdens of leadership and the struggles of his current reality.
Amidst his unconscious state, he reflected on those solitary days, acknowledging that they held a certain allure. In those moments of solitude, he felt a sense of freedom and vitality that eluded him now in the midst of his responsibilities and struggles.
In the solitude of those days, he roamed the forest freely, unhindered by the concerns of others. He hunted and feasted on whatever prey crossed his path, indulging in the primal satisfaction of survival, something all wild monsters practiced, a true showcase of their nature.
As his consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion, he found himself enveloped by a consuming darkness that threatened to engulf him entirely.
"Where am I?" he exclaimed aloud, his consciousness gradually piecing together the fragmented remnants of thought, allowing him to think with clarity once more.
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The darkness continued to swirl around him, its suffocating embrace tightening with each passing moment.
With each passing moment, his heartbeat grew louder, echoing in the darkness, a sound that both reassured and unsettled him.
Flashes of images began to shimmer in the darkness, taking on the shape of a disc. These were not static images but moving scenes, each one captivating the orc chief's attention. He marveled at the spectacle unfolding before him and couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
His question was swallowed by the void.
The images he saw were of people he recognized, including an image of Ragard smiling—perhaps the biggest smile he had ever seen on his face. It was a little unsettling to think that Ragard could ever smile like that.
Other images surrounded him, depicting the younglings, the orc females, and other species like the dragonoids, as well as other creatures he did not recognize. Then, a disc featuring him appeared as well.
He was depicted bowing down to a figure he did not recognize, a figure shrouded in darkness yet emanating an ominous but somehow luminous presence, hinting at a remnant of sanity within.
The chief sat in the darkness enveloped by his thoughts. He pondered the significance of the images swirling around him, but no answers came to him, leaving him lost in the depths of his own contemplation.
"What am I if I bow to another?" he asked himself aloud, his voice echoing in the darkness.
"Would I be a leader if I bow to another, or would I just be a mindless follower?" he pondered, delving deeper into his thoughts.
With conviction, he affirmed, "No."
Realizing that the void was a manifestation of his own mind, he felt a newfound sense of control and determination.
With a surge of magical energy, he flooded the void, illuminating it with bursts of light and dispelling the darkness that surrounded him.
"So you are awake, feeble one," Naiara said to the orc chief, her voice carrying a tone of condescension and superiority.
The orc chief's eyes widened as he recognized Naiara's voice echoing through the now illuminated void. With a mix of surprise and defiance, he responded, "Feable? You dare to address me with such disrespect, Naiara?"