Capítulo 27: HOT AND COLD
"Aquarium?" Aildrin blurted. The orc's sense of logic made him uncomfortable; he knew that nothing good would follow from here on. He then struggled out of Brom's clutch. "Release me! Your hand is burning my skin!"
"He's a friend, Brom." Papa Bear's tone changed. There was a sense of threat in it.
Brom snorted. He then dropped Aildrin. "Anything silly, human! And I'll fry you into crisp!"
Aildrin scowled. He then removed the slime from his face that kept on interfering with his vision. "Why is your hand so hot?"
Brom's huge round eyes sparkled. "Ha! This is my masterpiece! After years of research, here it is! The Tectonic Plate! Just in time for Master Ogni's match against those frozen bones!"
"What do you mean?" Aildrin said. He then absorbed his surroundings.
Rows of pelt tents supported by gigantic bones sprawled on the parched earth. And from a distance, tusk-shaped pillars increased in size, and so did the buildings. There were no walls.
Orcs bustled everywhere, carrying metals and crates. Aildrin felt he was in a camp preparing for war. He then took a last glance at the sewer covered in wrought iron, which snaked around the entire town until it disappeared in an underground slope.
"Wargrounds," Brom said in a confused voice. He seemed uncomfortable using the words.
"My brother is fighting against those ice skulls!" Papa Bear said with excitement in his eyes. "Ha! There's no need to watch; I knew he'd win! He'll bring me one of their bones later."
Aildrin then remembered Sophia's match. "Hm. So your brother is a professional player... what's his guild and the name of their opponent?"
"Big Brother is the Guild Leader of Armada! He owns Lazybones and other towns! And they're gonna crush Frozen Occident today and enter the semi-finals!" Papa Bear pounded his chest, basking in his brother's glory.
"Lord Ogni is a good leader. He helps us in our war against the Black Orcs," Brom said. His huge flat green nose wrinkled. "Follow us. You need to take a proper bath. Your smell is intolerable!"
The personal attack hit Aildrin's sore spot. He might have gotten used to sewers already that their smell finally reached his tolerable standard. "How many sewers are still waiting for me?" he thought. He then shuddered at the possibilities.
Brom and Papa Bear marched towards the underground slope. And Aildrin followed. All the orcs they met bowed to them upon eye contact.
"Where are we going?" Aildrin said, craning his neck to the towering Brom. Papa Bear was already way ahead of him in a rush.
"Just like what young master said... to the aquarium." Brom then snorted a nasal laugh.
Aildrin rolled his eyes. "Maybe they'd be of help. Let's see how this goes," he thought. He then reminded himself to investigate Papa Bear's identity and inquire further about the war against the Black Orcs. And while they neared the said "aquarium", the pounding of metal and hammer and the ambience of the entrance made his stomach churn. He felt like having indigestion at the pungent smell, like rotten eggs—sulfur.
The underground looked like a deep oval basin of black earth. It had multiple levels, separated by metallic bone-like scaffolds and floors.
But the most eye-catching was the waterfall of liquid fire on the farthest end. Some of its parts flowed through mini-aqueducts that snaked through the floors until they reached all anvils and stations where orcs clad in grime and heat-resistant armor busily shaped metals.
Aildrin's mouth gaped, and amazement filled his eyes. The place somehow became tolerable.
In the middle of the cave-like structure was a giant cauldron. It was where all the sewers in the town converged and deposited their contents in the bubbling heat. Aildrin grimaced at the idea of its uses.
"Welcome to the Shorkan! Where we turn our piss and wastes into weapons and more!" Brom said in a proud voice.
"This is the aquarium that I told you about, Ilidran!" Papa Bear said. He had been waiting at the entrance. "Good fish with edible bones! Hot bath! Delicious Roupoyn and more! It's time for Papa Bear to have some fun after that long grind! Skulls! To the tavern!" He then clapped with glee before charging through the slope.
"Wow, who made this place?" Aildrin said to Brom while descending.
"Our forefathers," Brom said. He pointed at the waterfall. "That cascade of liquid fire is from Helrak. A dead mountain where flame spirits said to live, and even dragons. Tavern stories say it's their piss." He then laughed again. "It's what inspired us to recycle our wastes!"
Aildrin nodded. It sounded like a joke, but he did not limit his imagination anymore. "Recycle to what?"
"Fuel for the body and weapon."
Papa Bear had already reached the lower floor and disappeared inside a passage with a dirty white gate made of bones.
When Aildrin reached the gate, he stared at its signage formed from tusks. "T-Bone."
"Welcome to the Tavern Bone, human," Brom said. "Do nothing crazy. And don't get into a fight at all costs, understood? Get a hot bath, and we'll find a table. You've got a lot of explaining to do!" He then threw him inside.
...
An undead and an orc faced each other on top of a flat desert mound. Corpses of their kind and sharp icebergs—protruding from the earth and thawing at a fast rate—surrounded the two. There were also towering skulls from various beasts. They seemed like gods watching with amusement at the unfolding battle.
"What's with this sudden change, sorceress?" the orc said in between labored breathing. "This is not Frankenstein and Frozen Occident's way of fighting!" He was heavily wounded. And frost kept on crawling on his armor and metallic armaments despite the high humidity.
[Ogni, Level 200, God Rank���Tier 225, Orc Mechanic (Guild Leader of Armada).]
"Because we can now afford to do so. Beware the cold bones are coming," the undead sorceress said. A yellow aura glowed around her pale-white skin. It then seeped out of her and crawled towards the bodies of her guild members.
[Gerd, Level 200, God Rank—Tier 95, Undead Sorceress (Head Captain of Frozen Occident).]
Ogni chuckled. "So, you have unlocked the Wargod's Blessing too, huh? But I won't go down without a fight!"
Armada had won the group stage against Frozen Occident despite the map disadvantage in a frozen lake. Because they've won the toss coin, they've chosen to pick the map for the team stage.
Nomersi Desert was the best choice, so they went with it to counter the ice-oriented strategy of their opponents. They've expected a stretched match, but Frozen Occident engaged with them directly, which was a more favorable flow of events. A bone for a bone!
But Wargod's Blessing was indeed a game-changer. Ogni had seen it in the first match, and he berated himself for not knowing about it. He only hoped that Frozen Occident did not have it yet. But he crossed his fingers for nothing.
Ogni's golden steel armor glowed red like magma. Steam from the frost billowed from his body. Then a mount of mini-cannons came out of his shoulder plates. He had consumed the last reserve of his mana. "Armageddon!"
Then Gerd's yellow aura coated the broken bones and shattered figures on the floor. It mended them.
When the cannons went loose, Frozen Occident's dead members came into life and froze Ogni.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
SilentMild
SilentMild What are you up to for today, folks? I'm currently reading Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. Damn, it's good! In the next chapter, we'll have a party in the T-Bone! Stay tuned! Thank you for the power stones, comments, and reviews. Keep them coming mah dudes. Cheers!
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder