The morning was gentle.
Soft golden light filtered through the moss-curtained windows of the inn, casting the wooden table in a warm, honey-like glow. Breakfast sizzled on stone platters, roasted root slices, fire-seared eggs, dried mushroom jerky, and honey-glazed nuts.
Steam curled from mugs of spiced bark-brew. The innkeeper, a kindly druid elder with a back like a twisted tree, served in silence, bowing his head each time he passed the Black Wolf.
Axel ate quietly, armored plates retracted to reveal his face and arms. Kyra sat next to him on the bench again, tighter this time, her hand gripping his sleeve as if it anchored her to the earth.
She munched on her jerky between sips of sap-milk, cheeks full, eyes bright.
Brakka devoured her food like a battle-worn soldier, licking her fingers and grinning the entire time.
Korrak chewed with slow, thoughtful grunts, occasionally staring out the window like he was already preparing for a fight.
Sylthea stirred her tea with the tip of a silver spoon, looking elegant even half-asleep.
After they finished, the group stood at the village gate, packs slung and gear prepped.
The druids gathered to see them off, families, elders, and children bowing their heads, singing a soft hymn of safe passage in the language of leaves and rain.
"Don't forget us!" one child called.
"Come back someday!" another shouted.
Kyra waved with both hands, standing tall on Axel's shoulders.
"Bye-bye, tree people!"
And with that, they left the village behind.
The forest thinned as they walked, the trees growing shorter, the mist fading, replaced by open paths and the occasional crag of stone.
Kyra rode high on Axel's shoulders, hands clinging to the sides of his head, eyes wide as she stared at the world beyond.
"You're so tall up here!" she giggled. "I can see everything!"
Axel smiled beneath his breath.
Ahead, Brakka walked with her hands behind her head, completely relaxed, whistling some kind of ogre war tune that sounded suspiciously like a lullaby.
Korrak trailed behind, his lean muscular frame moved on the path but his cheeks were tinged with a suspicious red.
On his back, arms looped over his shoulders, rode Sylthea.
"Don't drop me, Korrak," she muttered.
"You're heavier than you look," Korrak grunted.
"It's the boots," Sylthea sniffed. "And my dignity."
Korrak rumbled something beneath his breath, but didn't let her down.
"Alright," Axel said, his voice steady as he checked the map projection flickering over his forearm. "According to this, we're headed east. Next stop is the Orc Kingdom."
Brakka's eyes lit up instantly. "A Kingdom? Hell yes. Those places are crawling with Exterminators."
She cracked her knuckles like a kid hearing the bell for recess. "I've been waiting for a good warm-up."
But Axel didn't share her excitement.
He narrowed his eyes at the terrain map. The pulsing glyphs showed not just territory lines, but heat signatures, scanner zones, and something else.
A mineral signature.
Solarite.
A rare glowing crystal embedded deep underground, volatile, potent, and essential to the Exterminator arsenal. It powered suits, weapons, and drop-ships.
It was also the reason the Orc Kingdom had fallen.
Axel's voice lowered. "The Kingdom's been turned into a mining slave camp. Humanity uses orcs to extract Solarite. Cheap labor. Disposable."
Brakka's grin faded into something darker. "They're using people like machines..."
Axel nodded. "They don't even hide it anymore."
Kyra looked down at him from his shoulders, frowning. "So we're going to fight, right?"
Axel didn't answer at first.
He just walked.
Because this wasn't like the villages, wild places forgotten by the machines of war. This was a Kingdom. A place with military infrastructure. Orbital scans. Supply routes. Drone coverage.
It would be the first time he led them into the fire on purpose.
And he was afraid.
Not for himself.
For her.
His hand unconsciously reached up, resting on Kyra's leg.
Black Wolf's voice stirred in his mind. Calm. Cold. Comforting.
"You're afraid," it said.
"You fear for her safety. But let me assure you... nothing will happen to your light. Not while I am awake."
Axel exhaled softly.
The words didn't just sound like a system response.
They sounded like a vow.
His hand squeezed Kyra's leg gently. She leaned down, smiling against the top of his head.
"You're thinking too much again," she whispered.
He smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
"Stop it."
He chuckled under his breath. "Yes, ma'am."
Behind them, Brakka slammed a fist into her palm. "I'm gonna rip some Exterminators apart."
Sylthea groaned from Korrak's back. "Please wait until we get safe distance away first."
"I make no promises."
Korrak sighed. "It's going to be a long walk."
And with that, the path ahead opened wide.
Toward smoke.
Toward chains.
Toward war.
But for now… they walked.
Together.
Meanwhile in...
The sky above the Orc Kingdom burned red with the smoke of forges.
Kaizer 89 descended from the clouds in a sleek hunter-class Exterminator dropcraft. The hull shimmered white with a mirror finish, its engines whisper-quiet, emitting only faint blue light. As it touched down outside the compound gates, soldiers immediately stood to attention.
Rows of human guards in black-standard armor raised their rifles in salute. The banners of humanity's empire flapped over the scorched outer walls, stained with ash.
Kaizer stepped down the ramp.
White Wolf gleamed under the haze. His exo-suit was immaculate, white armor traced with blue veins of light, clawed gauntlets gleaming like surgical knives. His steps were precise. Light. Lethal.
He didn't glance at the soldiers.
He walked.
Through the front gates.
The Orc Kingdom was no longer a kingdom.
It was a work camp.
Smoke choked the air. Towering cranes churned over quarries. Giant drills tore into the mountain's bones. The Solarite shimmered, glowing blue veins of raw, unstable power, hauled in carts by broken hands.
Orcs.
Collared. Shackled. Bent with exhaustion.
Whips cracked. Guards barked.
None of it stirred Kaizer's expression.
He walked past a group of orcs dragging a cart, one tripping under the weight. A soldier lashed the fallen worker. Blood hit the ground.
Kaizer didn't stop.
"Monsters," he muttered.
The central command tower was built from the repurposed bones of the orc fortress. Once sacred stone halls were now metal bunkers and surveillance rooms. A banner bearing the Exterminator sigil hung above the main gate.
Kaizer entered.
Inside, five armored figures waited.
The station's ruling force.
Exterminator Command Squad: Unit D-43 "Iron Brand"
Squad Leader: Varrex-01
Suit: BLK-01 "Iron Crown" — Heavy gray armor reinforced with high-frequency kinetic shields. Crown-like sensor node on helm.
Weapon: "Regal Chain" — A segmented flail that detonates magnetic pulses on impact.
Ability: "Crownhold" — Creates a localized zone of gravity pressure, pinning enemies to the ground for 4 seconds.
Second-in-Command: Kael-37
Suit: PR-37 "Volt Howler" — Yellow-and-black light armor with plasma-conductive ribs and electric arc-cores.
Weapon: "Sparkteeth" — Dual plasma axes that chain lightning when close.
Ability: "Surge Skin" — Can absorb electrical attacks and redirect them through melee weapons.
Sniper: Glint-09
Suit: SL-09 "Dust Hound" — Cloak-textured camo armor with motion-sensing mesh.
Weapon: "Sunpiercer" — A solar-beam sniper rifle that vaporizes targets with focused light.
Ability: "Stalk Pulse" — Sends out sonar bursts to detect camouflaged or magical enemies.
Assault Specialist: Mavax-66
Suit: TR-66 "Drillwing" — Compact, tank-like suit with rotating arm-guards and reinforced leg struts.
Weapon: "Grinder Core" — A mechanical gauntlet-drill hybrid used for breaching walls—or skulls.
Ability: "Anchor Dash" — Launches in a straight line and becomes immovable for 3 seconds, resisting knockback or stagger.
Infiltration Expert: Cylis-12
Suit: VL-12 "Phase Widow" — Liquid-flex stealth armor with joint-blade extensions.
Weapon: "Black Ribbons" — Twin wrist-blades coated in shadow venom.
Ability: "Step Skip" — Can blink up to 10 meters once every 15 seconds.
Varrex-01 stepped forward.
"Kaizer 89," he said, offering a salute. "Didn't expect the White Wolf himself."
Kaizer didn't return the gesture.
"Inspection," he said coolly. "Command wants a report on Solarite yields and prisoner obedience."
Kael-37 chuckled. "We're ahead of schedule. Orcs die easy when you break the first few properly."
Kaizer's visor didn't move. "How's the surface defense grid?"
"Fully operational," said Glint-09. "No movement on outer range. Closest anomaly was… a week ago. A patrol of new Exterminators lost contact in the forest. Could've been bandits."
Kaizer's voice turned colder. "If it was bandits, you'd have tracked them. You think it was him?"
Silence.
Even the air felt tighter.
Varrex frowned. "The Black Wolf?"
Kaizer didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
The thought lingered.
Like a shadow stretching.
Outside, the drills roared.
Solarite shimmered beneath cracked stone.
And deep in the woods to the west…
Axel and his pack approached.