Standing atop the skulls was a creature, resting one hand on its two-meter-long war hammer, and with the other hand stroking the bristly beard hanging from its chin. The imposing presence of this creature, which stood up upon seeing the orcs crowding into the cave, crushed all the fighting spirit of the warrior group.
"Stupid orcs, what audacity gives you the right to enter my cave!"
This mysterious creature, possessing two massive horns, standing over three meters tall, and with the appearance of a bull below the waist and a human above, called out to the group with contempt.
Nafız recognized the owner of the cave at first sight. This was the Minotaur, the constant hero of the mythology-themed movies she had watched in her previous life. Nafız, who was busy searching her memory, came back to herself with the war cry of an orc warrior beside her.
"I will take your head for these words you spoke to our Chief's grandson!"
The owner of the voice, encouraged by the heroic words he heard from Kalındiş at the start of the hunt and the fact that he was one of the lucky orcs who managed to enter the cave, charged toward the Minotaur. Despite this orc charging him with his axe, the Minotaur did not reach for his weapon, instead waiting for the orc to swing his axe and taking a step forward. The moment he brought his fist down on the warrior's head with the back of his right hand, the orc's head burst open like a watermelon dropped from a counter. The Minotaur, not allowing the headless body to fall to the floor, stuck the unfortunate orc to the opposite wall of the cave with a kick.
To the left of the clearing inside the cave, relative to the entrance, was a dark abyss. This detail, which had previously escaped everyone's notice, was discovered as the orc's corpse slid down the wall. Although nearly ten seconds had passed since the headless body began its descent, no one could hear the sound it should have made upon reaching the ground.
When Kalındiş drew his axe and began walking toward the Minotaur with large strides, a wave of excitement swept over the group.
"Damn creature, our noble leader will soon take your miserable life!"
"Ha! ha! ha! Be ready to take your last breath!"
Amidst the warriors' battle cries, Kalındiş approached the Minotaur to within striking distance of his axe. Contrary to Wobblehead's disinterested gaze, Nafız was breathlessly watching the unfolding events.
A moment later, Kalındiş, who was advancing with his axe, surprised everyone who was expecting a blow by throwing his weapon down and kneeling before the Minotaur.
"Kızgınboğa, the Mighty Lord of Lofty Mountain, the wretched grandson of Chief Ayıboğan, bows before you with respect."
"I have never seen such a scoundrel in either of my lives."
The obscenity of the event unfolding before her brought Nafız to the point of revolt. As the orc crowd stared at him with disbelief, Kalındiş continued to speak.
"I am here to present a gift that my grandfather sent to you. I believe the physical characteristics of this orc will be very useful for your development."
Just as he finished his speech, Kalındiş was hurled toward the cave entrance by a hoof kick, feeling a tremendous ache in his chest.
"You brat! Who told you you could speak in front of me?"
Kızgınboğa, whose eyes had turned red with fury, stamped his hooves hard on the ground before continuing his words.
"At least your pathetic father should be here!"
Kalındiş, dragged to the cave entrance, was wiping the blood from his mouth, trembling and unsure of what to do.
"Tell that foul old man that if he doesn't come here himself again, I will violate the honor of his brothers and destroy his tribe."
"Yes, sir, I will convey everything you said to my grandfather word for word; thank you for sparing my life!"
Kalındiş, fleeing in a terrified scramble in fear of death, managed to complete his sentence as his voice gradually faded.
Then, Kızgınboğa, bouncing on his knees, stepped over the orcs who were stunned by the effect of what they had witnessed and blocked the cave entrance.
"Do you orcs always have to be so stupid? I will tell you the truth because eating you with that betrayed expression on your faces is truly delightful, ha! ha! ha!"
As his laughter ended, Kızgınboğa began explaining the deal he had with the orc Chief. He explained the life cycle of the monsters of Lofty Mountain to the orcs trapped inside the cave.
"Hunting, you say! You wretches, your job is to cull the weak creatures on my mountain and to be nourishment for my children who need to grow strong. Your bones and skins become fertilizer for my lands."
As the orcs' faces fell, Kızgınboğa grew more and more delighted.
"The Great Chief of the orcs! The sole purpose of that wretch living in the shadow of his brothers is to sustain his pathetic life. While sending you here to die to feed his lineage and the warrior orcs protecting him, he must surely be busy savoring the beauties of life.
Kızgınboğa continued his words, looking at the orcs he was about to feast on.
"Don't be sad, my fat lambs, there is very little time left until my children gain consciousness. After eating a few more orcs, we will ensure that your tribe reunites in the other world."
The creatures of the mountain had been feeding on the hunting orcs for a very long time. Following the rule of natural selection, creatures too weak to kill even orcs attacking with sticks were culled from the pack. Since the creatures, whose intelligence was increasing, were regularly feeding on orcs, they were slowly but surely progressing toward gaining full consciousness.
While both sides continued this relationship, which they saw as a win-win situation, no one else in the tribe besides the Chief's lineage knew about it. Ayıboğan was not worried about any trouble that this relationship might cause, as he had trusted leverage. The Chief needed monster meat and materials, and the creatures needed orc meat and bones. In this relationship, the orcs were at a disadvantage in terms of loss of numbers, but their abnormal breeding rate balanced the situation.
"With your permission, may I start eating?"
Kızgınboğa, scanning the orcs with his eyes, stopped when he saw Wobblehead.
"I'll take you as dessert, big boy, don't you dare move!"
As he spoke, he was cheerful, like a child sitting down to a table full of his favorite foods.
Kızgınboğa, darting into the orcs like lightning, took a massive bite out of the head of his first victim. Thanks to the strange structure of his legs, he could easily bounce off walls and the ceiling, tearing a piece away from the group waiting to be slaughtered with every round he made between two points.
Nafız, hidden behind Wobblehead, decided to try her luck as things deteriorated.
"Try to stop that horned creature!"
As she played the only card she held, she couldn't predict the result. Wobblehead charged full speed toward the creature, who was feasting while on the move. This gamble had to pay off; otherwise, there was no escaping what was to come.
"Big boy, I remember telling you to wait your turn!"
As Wobblehead flew toward the mountain of skulls from the force of a horn blow, Kızgınboğa spoke in his twisted voice. Although Wobblehead was described as untouchable among ordinary orcs, inside the cave, he was no different from a large child who looked older than his age. Kızgınboğa was miles ahead of Wobblehead in both physical attributes and combat experience.
Nafız, having lost Wobblehead's protection, realized that if she didn't leave her current spot, her turn would eventually come. Nafız, observing Kızgınboğa's movements, figured out the general pattern. He propelled himself with his legs from one surface, moving through the air until he reached the next, tearing apart everything in his path using his hands, horns, and jaw along the way. Kızgınboğa, who used every surface inside the cave, was staying away from the wall where the abyss was located and was not launching attacks in that direction.
Nafız, as a last resort, ran frantically toward the abyss, her eyes fixed on Wobblehead, who lay within the mountain of skulls. While a desperate fight for survival was taking place inside the cave, Wobblehead, buried among the bones, lay like the dead.
"Hey there, sweet thing, where do you think you're going?"
Kızgınboğa had finished the job of eating the warrior orcs in the cave. He spoke as he walked smirkingly toward Nafız's location. Nafız discerned his intention from the creature's gaze. Shouting, "If we're going to die, damn it, let's die with honor!" she threw herself into the abyss.
"You can't go anywhere without me having a taste, little one!"
Kızgınboğa, grabbing Nafız by the throat just as she was about to fall into the abyss, groaned lustfully.
"Your kind doesn't come here often; I'm sick of big, burly orcs. Let's have some fun, and then I'll toss you down myself."
As these words came from his foul-smelling mouth, he slammed Nafız onto her back. Kızgınboğa, pressing one hand on Nafız's throat, frantically tore off the rag around her lower waist with the other hand.
"Don't worry, you'll enjoy this too!"
Faced with the words coming from the creature trying to mount her, Nafız was left in despair.
"What could I have done? What could I have done for this to happen to me?"
As the thoughts echoed in her brain, Nafız closed her eyes, waiting for what was to come. Just then, the inside of the cave shook with a roar. Considering the situation, it would have been normal to hear Kızgınboğa's cries of pleasure, but the sound that emerged was the manifestation of terrible pain.
When Nafız opened her eyes, she saw that the war hammer, which had been standing next to the Minotaur when they entered the cave, was now sticking out of Kızgınboğa's chest. Kızgınboğa looked at his hammer, then turned his head back. The massive orc he had saved for dessert was leaning on the shaft of his own weapon, barely standing.
Wobblehead had blacked out the moment he fell into the skulls from the force of the blow he took. When he awoke, he saw Nafız struggling in the creature's hands. When he swung his arm to get up, he supported himself with the war hammer that his hand hit and stood up in pain. Almost all his ribs were broken from the hoof blow; with every breath he took, the bones stabbed his lungs, and he felt a severe ache that went down to the roots of his hair.
Despite this, he managed to drive the weapon he tightly gripped into Kızgınboğa's torso. Judging by the fact that he was only able to stand by leaning on the hammer's shaft, it was the last of his strength used in the blow.
Kızgınboğa was an experienced warrior; he knew very well that the wound in his body would lead to his death.
"If I'm going to die, you're coming with me too!"
As Kızgınboğa lunged toward the abyss with Nafız held by the throat, he wrapped his tail around Wobblehead's waist with an effort. With the relief of knowing he was taking his enemies with him as he went to his death, Kızgınboğa took his last breath and leaped into the abyss.