Gon ran so fast that, for a moment, Akhil almost believed the old man had once been an athlete.
As he neared the settlement, the thunder of the beast horde followed close behind, shaking the ground with every step.
"Help me! Help me!" Gon’s panicked voice ripped through the air, raw with desperation.
Tears streamed down his face as he stumbled toward the massive ditch—its surface cleverly disguised with weak branches and a thin layer of leaves.
Aria watched him with a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.
To her, this was far more entertaining than killing him outright.
"I don’t know who’s the more ruthless one between us anymore," she said calmly, standing beside Akhil.
"It was necessary," Akhil replied, his tone flat. "Get ready, Nibo. You’ll have to catch him."
"Huh?"
Gon was barely a meter from tumbling into the trap when Akhil’s voice rang out.
"Jump!"
Almost on instinct, Gon pushed off the ground with all the strength his frail legs could muster.
He shut his eyes tight as his heart pounded wildly against his chest. The wind whipped against his face, and for a brief second, he felt weightless—caught between life and death.
Fear gripped his soul. The growls and howls behind him grew louder, closing in fast.
’Did I fall? Did I make it to the other side?’ he thought, realizing he could no longer feel the rush of air against his skin.
Cautiously, he cracked one eye open—and froze.
Nibo stood before him, fangs bared in a wolfish grin. Relief flooded through Gon so hard his knees almost gave out.
He looked down, gasping as he saw the ditch below. Dozens of beasts thrashed inside, their claws scraping helplessly at the dirt walls as they tried—and failed—to climb out.
But their struggle was futile. The trap had worked perfectly.
Gon finally drew a deep breath of relief and turned his gaze back to Nibo.
Never in all his time living among the orcs had he been this happy to see Nibo’s face.
The happiness was short-lived when he noticed the figure standing not too far from Nibo.
"You did a great job," Akhil complimented.
"You lunatic! You almost killed me!" Gon spat between ragged breaths, still catching air after the long run.
"For someone who knows how to use others, you sure do hate it yourself," Aria replied, making the old man flinch. He swallowed his words instantly. Ever since the incident in the forest, his fear of Aria had reached a whole new level.
"No need to be so angry about it. He tried using us... and we used him. It’s a win for us," Akhil said calmly.
"Fair," Aria said, rolling her eyes at Gon. She shifted her gaze to the ditch, now packed with beasts, and to the pack just beyond it that had halted in their tracks after seeing some of their members plunge into the trap.
The beasts roared and clawed at one another inside the pit, bodies piling against the walls as they tried to climb out. The air reeked of blood and dirt. A few managed to get partway up before sliding back down, snarling and snapping at the others.
Akhil’s expression didn’t change; he simply stared down at the writhing pit of monsters. "So this is it," he muttered, then looked at Aria. "You had J prepare the charges, right?"
Aria gave a faint nod. "Yeah. I just didn’t know you were planning to use them like this."
"Good," Akhil said flatly. "Then we finish it now. The system will handle the rest. J, bring them," Akhil ordered calmly.
With a gentle nod, the middle-aged orc went back into the settlement.
J returned a few moments later, carrying several clay pots tied together with rope. Thick black stains ran down the sides. The smell of oil hit them before he even got close.
He dropped the bundle gently at Akhil’s feet.
"All here."
While the mountain region was teeming with beasts—which made other factions try to keep as far away as they could from the place—it had something that everyone had forgotten. Of course, everyone except Akhil.
Crude oil. An untapped mine that was not only a source of energy, but also a source of economic stability.
With the orcs’ land flourishing with this, it would only be a matter of time before all the other factions realized the importance of what they were missing out on.
Aria knelt beside one of the pots and traced a finger along the cracked surface. "Still warm," she muttered.
Akhil picked one up and held it to his ear. He could hear the faint bubbling inside. He’d tested this mix before—crude, unstable, but effective.
Gon took a step back, waving his hands. "You’re mad. Completely mad. You’ll set the whole place on fire."
Akhil gave a small, tired sigh. "If we don’t burn them now, they’ll climb out and kill half the settlement. Pick one."
"Pick what?"
"The fire or the beasts."
The old man shut his mouth.
Akhil gave a short nod to Aria. "Start throwing."
She didn’t hesitate. She picked up one pot and hurled it into the ditch. It shattered with a loud crack, splashing oil across the beasts below. The smell thickened immediately, heavy and suffocating. Another pot followed. Then another. Each one broke open, coating more of the creatures.
Gon covered his nose and turned away. "This is insane..."
In the distance, all the other beasts that didn’t fall into the ditch watched with instinctual caution.
Akhil reached for the torch J carried. He lifted it high for a second, the flame reflecting in his eyes—calm, almost cold. Then, without another word, he tossed it.
The fire hit the oil, and everything exploded.
Flames shot upward in a blinding rush, so hot the air itself seemed to scream. The roar drowned out every other sound. The beasts howled—a horrible, shrieking noise that mixed with the crackle of fire. The smell of burning flesh rolled over them, thick and sharp.
Aria didn’t look away. Her face was calm, but her jaw tightened.
J stepped back, covering his face from the heat. "By the ancestors..." he whispered.
Akhil didn’t move. He just watched. Watched until the flames started to die down, until the last sound faded into silence.
Then, in the back of his mind, the system’s voice rang clearly.
A grin cut across Akhil’s face as the system screen came up—signaling the start of his main plan.
{Ding!}