“Graaaah!”
One particular orc was hungry.
Their overpopulation had depleted the amount of prey in the forest, which was why the orcs had attacked the elven village. Although they were smart enough to recognize the wall was fortified, they believed they could easily crush it by virtue of their sheer numbers.
Elf meat wasn’t exactly delicious. Most of the time, they caught elves for sport, to torture, and then kill. But right now, they were too hungry to be picky, and all this orc saw was a feast of elf meat to fill its belly.
He’d chased Philia’s people all the way to the frontier, driven by hunger. And just when he thought he’d finally caught an elf, a stone wall had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking the way.
“Graaaah!”
The orc furiously smashed the stone wall, trying to follow the elves. But just as he was about to catch up, another stone wall appeared, and then another. Around him, the orcs’ hunger and fury reached their peaks, and it seemed they’d have no choice but to eat their own kind soon.
Although he had been near the front of the horde earlier, he’d fallen behind and was now caught in the tide of his kin.
The next wall was even bigger than the ones before. Surely even he would have trouble breaking through this one, but when he examined it closely, he saw an opening at the center of the wall. Glancing through it, he spotted the fleeing elves.
“Graaaah!”
The orc rushed toward the gap without hesitation, and his comrades followed suit, pouring into a narrow passage surrounded by stone walls. The elves had collapsed at the far end, exhausted and gasping for air.
The orc pressed forward. He was so close now he could almost taste the elf meat. It wouldn’t be great, but it would fill his belly.
Then the stone walls on either side rumbled as they began to shift, drawing closer to one another.
“Bwuh?!” he grunted.
The passageway was closing in on him. Even though the orc’s intelligence was limited, he realized what was happening. He began to pound on the walls, but they were too thick. All he managed to do was crack the outer layer.
His only chance now was to sprint through before the walls completely closed. The others had the same idea, and the orcs at the front began to speed up.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Bwaah?!” Just then, a barrage of arrows rained down on them, piercing their bodies one by one.
The elves were attacking.
The orcs slowed down due to the relentless flurry of arrows; meanwhile, the stone walls continued to close in until the passage became so narrow that not even a single orc could continue forward.
“Graaaaah?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ha ha... You really are as reckless as ever,” Philia muttered in disbelief.
“It’s not over yet. Plenty of orcs are probably still alive,” I said, before turning to the villagers. “Are you ready, everyone?”
A loud, energetic cheer rang out: “Yes, Mayor!”
Most of them had never used a spear before, but it was simple enough that I was confident they could manage.
“Stab the orcs through the holes in the walls! Let’s go!”
I used Facility Customization to create small gaps in the passage where the orcs were trapped. The villagers, who’d been waiting outside the walls, charged in and began stabbing their spears through the openings.
“Raaaaah!”
“Graaaaaaarghhh?!”
It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Shrill screams echoed from between the stone walls, one after the other. And just like I’d planned, we took out the entire horde in one fell swoop.