Chapter 37: Grand Scheme?
Borg was recovering from his injuries, and he noticed the other orcs were looking at him differently—not because they thought he was lying, but because they found him being beaten by goblins a despicable act. It was a loss of respect.
However, this was a small price to pay because he could easily regain the lost respect, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Borg walked outside, clutching his abdomen in pain, but he wasn’t going to collapse as the pain had been reduced significantly.
The worst had come to pass, but it would take some time for him to fully recover.
He was impressed with how swiftly Kragg took action. He didn’t doubt him for a second because Grashnak’s combat skills were not to be taken lightly, as well as their personal relationship. And if it was true about the abnormal goblin, then this feat might be possible.
Maui was due to report back in three days, and he couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say.
Borg was worried because there was a chance she would see through his lies and deem these goblins weren’t a threat.
If that was to be the case, then there was no doubt everything would backfire, and that was the last thing he could let happen.
He went to see Kragg, and the orc was donned in heavy armor from head to toe, like he was preparing for war.
He knew Maui was special to him and wondered why he would send her to undertake such a dangerous mission to begin with.
"Is everything okay?" Borg was allowed an audience with Kragg because he was considered to be one of the younger ones with massive potential.
There was nothing stopping him from fulfilling that potential either.
"Everything is fine. Are you sure you should be up?" Kragg asked him, noticing he was in pain.
"I need to talk to you," Borg said, and Kragg gestured for him to have a seat.
Borg sat right across from him and didn’t once look away, staring at him right in the eyes.
"Speak," Kragg gave him the go-ahead.
"I am aware of our struggles with the humans as of late, and I have a suggestion," Borg said. Kragg’s silence was the go-ahead he needed to continue speaking.
"The mines, they are the key," Borg added.
Kragg rubbed his chin, thinking about what he had said. There was no doubt they would have the upper hand if they controlled the resources that were vital to other races.
However, this would upset the delicate balance that held everything together, and there was no telling what the long-term effect of this would be.
Temporarily, it would most certainly put the orcs in a good position to deal with the humans, but also a means to curb the goblins.
But there was another option: force the goblins into submission and make them work directly for the orcs.
This would have been a good alternative, but it all depended on Maui.
If she could get into this abnormal goblin’s head through her pleasure, she could convince it to plan a takeover.
And with her by his side, there was no way he would not be influenced to act in the favor of the orcs.
But this plan needed time to bloom, and Kragg knew killing them off wouldn’t be for the best either.
The good news was, they had time, because the goblins hadn’t registered any casualties—or at least that was what he thought.
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Drekk had amassed his goblins, everyone armed with the weapons they could find, but he wasn’t satisfied.
Drekk knew there was no way they could beat the orcs if they didn’t have the upper hand.
They were not only stronger but smarter than the goblins, and unlike them, they were experienced in combat.
There was no going around it, they couldn’t charge in blindly; they had to be smart about it.
Drekk knew there was one goblin who had shown promise. This goblin was none other than Byung, because there was no way this transgression wouldn’t go unpunished.
The bloodlust in the air was evident, the goblins’ primal instincts were awakening, because the majority of them had never been in any battle.
This would be their first, and Drekk, being older, had his fair share—but it was nothing serious.
Apart from a few scuffles, there was no way to enter direct contact with humans or any other races because they had to pass through the orcs’ territory to interact with the outside world—something the orcs had stopped them from doing.
Drekk was shocked the Goblin King was yet to respond to the spilling of blood of his own kin.
He needed reinforcement and the King’s approval, but neither looked like they were coming.
If this went unpunished, there would be repercussions, because it would send a message to the other races that there would be no consequences for slaying their kind.
It wouldn’t stop there, and Drekk’s reasoning might be drenched in bloodlust.
This was the Western Province, but others existed, alongside other Moguls even stronger than himself.
Drekk was the weakest in terms of strength, which was why he was eager to prove himself.
And calling for help would show signs of weakness because it showed he lacked the necessary skills to control his province.
This was a matter of pride, but Drekk knew he couldn’t act out without the support of the others.
And unknown to him, the orcs had already sent three female orcs to keep the goblins satisfied. This wouldn’t be a good look.
However, Drekk was well aware of his limitations because he wasn’t as smart as the orcs and made up for that in strength.
He held his own against Borg, even though it was for a few seconds—it was something worth noting.
The illusion of the vast power gap they had was dispelled with that fight, even though Borg wasn’t taking the fight seriously. But now came the hard part.