Capítulo 13: Chapter 13 - Days of Progress
I frowned as I woke up to the sunlight attacking my remaining eye, and as if that wasn't enough, I heard the muffled sounds of squigs barking and snots tending the fungus fields in the distance.
With my eyes still closed, I stretched my hand out to my side, opening and closing it until I grabbed my curtain and pulled it aside, blocking the light, but it was too late to sleep again.
I yawned as I rubbed my eye, stopping when I noticed a small shape on my chest, Laenae curled up in a ball and drooling on my shirt. I smiled and laughed internally at the adorable sight, but switched my focus to my Gitfinda's hud, reading the notification that there were hours of recording done overnight.
I frowned in confusion and pressed a button on the side of my bionic eye, starting the recordings. I had to hold back my laughter as I saw Laenae sitting on my chest and standing in front of my face, staring at me curiously.
She poked the lens of my Gitfinda, then brought her face closer, giving me a full view of the details of her face where I saw the bottom of her eyes, and the inside of her mouth and nose as she tried to bite and sniff the piece of technology.
Then she tilted her head in confusion and slapped the Gitfinda, accidentally pressing the buttons and causing it to switch to night vision, thermal, infrared, flashlight, and finally take a picture of her startled face due to the flash.
The sudden light made Laenae stop her actions and lie down again, but my bionic eye recorded her sleeping for most of the night, where the baby rolled from side to side, assuming various strange and impossible positions for an ork.
I think I let a few noises escape, as the real Laenae wriggled on my chest. The baby grimaced, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly as she tried to protect her face with her hands, but she soon woke up, looking around before staring at me with her bright eyes.
"Good morning Laenae!" I said softly, receiving an annoyed look in return.
"I don't like waking up early either, but that's no reason to wake up grumpy. How about smiling to me?" I suggested, holding her in my arms as I sat down on my bed.
Laenae gave me a bright smile straight away, warming my heart and causing me to stroke her head in return, making her laugh. My joy died as soon as I felt a bad smell from the child attacking my nose.
"Looks like someone needs a diaper change." I joked, putting on my boots and standing up.
Immediately, Laenae swung her legs in the air while shaking her arms and making some noises. I put her down, knowing what she wanted, and let her follow me around the house.
I opened the door of my bedroom, allowing the baby to pass through first, and closed it behind me, walking down the corridor to the bathroom, where there was a large metal bathtub full of water, replacing the old wooden one, a bucket, a bath brush, a wooden table with pieces of cloth piled on top, and a tin can next to it.
I used my psychic powers to lay Laenae on the table and wrap the tub in a soft green flame, warming the water slightly. Then I took off Laenae's clothes, which consisted of a brown cloth bag with holes for her limbs and head.
She still had her original clothes, but she couldn't wear the same thing forever, but I would have liked something better for her. So I removed her diaper, made of the same material as her clothes.
It's in these moments that I'm glad Laenae is an Eldar, since her perfect skin didn't suffer from sensitivity and allergies to certain types of fabric, I don't know what I'd do otherwise. The same goes for her extremely efficient biology, as her poop was nothing more than a small smelly crystal.
I disposed of the used diaper in the can and took Laenae to the bathtub, testing the temperature of the water before putting her in. I floated the bath brush, a towel, and a soap bar, courtesy of the snots, to my side, bathing Laenae.
She laughed and played throughout the process, shaking herself, slapping and kicking the water, blowing soap, and soaking the bathroom floor. I lost count of how many times I had to hold her still to pass the soap and scrub her hair.
It was tiring, but I finally finished her bath, got her out of the tub, and dried her off. Then I put a new diaper on the child and we returned to our room, where we put on our clothes for the day and I combed her hair.
"Ready for breakfast?" I asked the baby standing next to me as we watched our reflections in a partially cracked mirror.
"Im." Laenae murmured excitedly.
Then we went downstairs to the kitchen, where I put Laenae in a child seat, took a bottle of fresh squig milk milked by the snots, and boiled it in a metal pot on my wood-burning stove, igniting the wood with a small fireball.
Laenae stared at me with curious eyes as I moved around the kitchen, uncapping a large barrel and filling a mug and a small glass with clean water inside.
I handed the glass to Laenae as I drank from my mug, sighing with relief as I quenched my thirst. The baby did the same, albeit clumsily and spilling some of the water, and made a point of imitating my actions at the end.
I took the glass back, exchanged a smile with Laenae, and left it in the sink next to my mug. I put a frying pan on the stove and removed some pieces of smoked squig meat from a pot in the kitchen cupboard, and some alien bird eggs from a basket on the counter, putting them both in the pan.
I realized that the milk had finished boiling, so I poured it into its original bottle and filled another pan with water, putting the bottle inside and waiting for the milk to cool down.
I played with Laenae while I waited for our breakfast to be ready, my diet consisted of water, fungus beer, squig meat, eggs, and whatever birds or fish the city's merchants could get their hands on.
Laenae, on the other hand, was sticking with squig's milk. In the meantime, I intend to stop by Grogak's canteen and ask him if he knows of any fruits that are safe to eat.
-XXXXXX-
Time passed and our breakfast was ready. I helped Laenae hold the bottle and drink the warm milk with one hand while using a fork in the other to eat my meat and eggs.
I used my powers to put the dirty bottle in the sink and wipe Laenae's mouth with a handkerchief.
"HA!" The child laughed in amazement at the display of my powers and tried to grab the floating handkerchief.
"BOP!" But I poked her nose lightly, making her flinch in annoyance. Then I held the baby in my arms while she stared at me and complained, patting my face.
I could only laugh at her reaction and sat her on my arm, retrieving her crib from our bedroom and going to the workshop, where I placed Laenae inside the floating crib and put on my equipment, the ripper chain mail, the nid carapace armor, and the spiked cloak.
Then I checked my Slugga, Big Shoota, Dakka Shoota, Knives, Knuckles, and Stikkbombz before equipping them and extending my hand into a corner, floating the copper staff into my grip.
Finally, I picked up the new weapon I had acquired from one of the dead Minderz, a blunderbuss that looked more like a double-barreled shotgun that I could use with one hand. I put the gun in a holster on my back and left the workshop with the floating crib following me.
With everything done, I left our house and closed the door behind me, walking through the grounds until I found Dobby and Gulg talking to a group of grots and snots.
"Dobby, Gulg!" I greeted them both.
"Oby, ug!" Laenae exclaimed, sitting up in her crib and pointing at the grots.
I paused for a moment, surprised by Laenae's actions. She's already learning her first words! I puffed out my chest and felt my heart race with pride, with a warmth heating my insides.
"You're learning Laenae, keep it up and you'll soon learn to talk like an ork!" I said, poking her cheek as the baby tried to push my finger away.
"Good morning boss, and you too Laenae!" Both grots replied, waving to us.
After greeting each other, we all walked around our house, with Dobby and Gulg reporting on our progress. The construction of the grots' and snots' lodgings was finished, with enough space and buildings for those to come.
The expansion of the squig paddocks went without too many problems, some of the creatures escaped and bit some grots and snots, but nothing incurable. The construction of the stables and barns for the larger squigs, or the more peaceful ones, was underway.
The fungus fields reached a stable level of production, with no extreme peaks or drops as before, and the snots developed their cultivation technique and work shifts.
Our business expanded slowly but steadily, mostly due to my concern about going too far too fast. We'll have no problem paying and equipping the newcomers for the time being, although I'll be spending a considerable amount of teef soon.
I was currently out of ideas for a new business, except for the production of fungus beer and other types of drink, which was the snots' specialty, but I would need to consult them later about the materials needed to build a brewery.
Suddenly, a grot ran towards us, interrupting our conversation.
"Boss, he's awake!"
Hm… Time to talk to our new guest.
-XXXXXX-
I entered my garage, passing the Junka Trukk, the War Buggy, and the escape pod covered by a black tarpaulin until I came to a reinforced metal door locked by a huge latch.
Muffled growls echoed from the other side as something heavy hit the door, causing it to shake on its hinges.
I ordered the grots accompanying me to spread out around the garage and prepare to fire. Then I approached the door and pulled the latch up and to the side, unlocking it and allowing the one on the other side to open it, but falling to the ground as a result.
The weirdboy from last night fell face down on the floor, with a dark bag covering his head and his hands and feet chained. All the grots present tensed at the sight, but Dobby held up his hand, ordering them not to shoot yet.
I crouched down and removed the bag from the ork's head, only to see a pair of red eyes staring at me with hatred. The ork intensified his efforts to free himself while muttering gibberish, probably insults, but the gag in his mouth prevented him.
I was about to order him to stop, but I changed idea as soon as I saw the WWWAAAGGGHHH! Energy shining in his eyes and drew my Slugga, aiming for the center of his forehead, stopping him.
"Listen ta wot I have ta say, ya git! Ya're only alive 'cos I want ya ta be, an' I kan change dat wheneva I want! However, ya have someth'n I want, an' I kan offa ya someth'n 'n return, so ya behave yourself an' don't use yer psychic powers, otherwise ma grots an' I will make sure dat yesterday's mess isn't repeated, do ya understand?!"
The weirdboy hesitated for a moment, remaining silent as he thought of an answer. Tense seconds passed until the ork looked at me and nodded slowly. I returned the nod in understanding and removed his gag.
"Now speak! 'Oo are ya an why did yer band uv weirdboyz destroy part uv 'da city?"
"My name iz azgruz, an' we didn't do it 'cos we wanted ta. We were try'n ta escape from 'dat prison." Azgruz replied breathlessly.
"The weirdhouse, you mean?"
"Is dat wot dey kall dat place? So yes, we jus wanted ta get outta da weirdhouse."
"Why?" I asked, thinking about the possibilities.
"Didn't yer hear wot i said? 'Dat place was a prison! Fancy rooms an' gud food an' drink, but we kouldn't leave 'sept ta fight, an' many uv us didn't kome back alive. We were tired uv be'n locked up for so long! Da wwwaaaggghh! Got stronga an stronga until we kouldn't take it anymore, an ya know wot happened den!"
Hm... A weirdboy with no way of releasing his accumulated psychic energy and emotions is a time bomb about to explode. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, considering how orks treat each other.
"Fortunately, Azgruz, I have a proposal that might interest you, because I'm a weirdboy, just like you." I replied, making various tools in the garage float.
Azgruz opened his mouth in surprise, but I interrupted him before he could speak.
"I'm not very good at using my powers. I can do the basics like levitating objects and summoning flames, but I don't know any advanced techniques. That's where you come in, I can offer you shelter and teach you to control your emotions, and in return, you train me like a weirdboyz. What do you say?"
The ork thought silently again, although it took less time than before.
"I want ya ta get me outta town. Do 'dat an' I'll teach yer everyth'n I know."
"Hm... You're not in a position to make demands, but your request is reasonable. You'd better not make me regret helping you." I said, breaking the chains
"Hump! Yer're 'da biggest an' strongest ork ere, I'd only get beaten up like last night." Azgruz replied sarcastically, standing up while rubbing his sore wrists.
"I'm glad you know." I smiled, crossing my arms, much to the weirdboy's frustration.
"So, when 're we leaving?"
"Right now! Guys, get the squigs!" I shouted to the grots present, who immediately nodded and ran out of the garage.
"Wait, whut?" Azgruz asked confused.
-XXXXXX-
I drove my Junka Trukk towards the city exit, frowning at the destruction around me. Partially burnt and collapsed buildings littered the city center, with wrecked vehicles and the bodies of orks, weirdboyz, and minderz, being looted by passers-by.
Orks were arguing with each other, shouting orders at their grots and snots, or just kicking them out of frustration at losing their property to last night's chaos. I spotted groups of Minderz walking through the crowd, which made me speed up to the main gate of the Thumb of Gork.
However, I stepped on the brakes, stopping behind a line of vehicles after turning the corner. Orks honked their horns and shouted insults as if this would make the line go faster.
I stuck my head out of the window and found the source of the problem. A squad of Minderz, with vehicles, heavy weaponry, and squigs stopped car after car, questioning their drivers and searching the vehicles.
I snapped my tongue in frustration. They must be looking for weirdboyz trying to escape the city. Well, I can only wait now.
-XXXXXX-
Long, tedious minutes passed as the line slowly moved forward. I tapped my fingers repeatedly on the steering wheel, humming a song in my head as I tried to soothe Laenae in the crib attached to my chest without revealing her. This must be as boring for her as it is for me.
Dobby and Gulg sat in the passenger seat, facing each other and playing some kind of ork card game.
Finally, our turn came, a Minder stopped next to the driver's door and tapped on the glass with the back of his hand. I took a deep breath, calming myself and assuming a friendly face before lowering the glass and speaking.
"Can I help you?" I asked, putting on my best smile, but the ork in front of me just growled in disgust.
"I want ya ta answa ma questions. 'Oo are ya? Where were ya last night? Wot kargo are ya karry'n an' where are ya going?" The minder spoke seriously.
Simultaneously, I noticed the Minderz with squigs slowly surrounding my Junka Trukk. Looking through the rearview mirror, I saw the squigs sniffing my vehicle while the orks banged on the bodywork, kicked the tires and tracks, and looked under the Junka Trukk.
"Hey, pay attention, Iz talk'n ta yer!" The minder next to me exclaimed, punching the door and leaving a dent inside.
I squinted my remaining eye and resisted the urge to grab my slugga from the glove compartment, so I answered the previous questions.
"My name iz Gorlonik Teef Rippa, merchant an' business ork, yer may have heard uv me. I was sleep'n like a baby last night, an now I intend ta go ta 'da Index uv Gork ta sell ma wares."
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
As if by order of fate, the minderz squigs started growling and barking at the back of my vehicle.
"Oh really? Den yer wouldn't mind show'n us wot yer're selling, would yer?" The minder said smugly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Not at all." I replied, getting out of the Junka Trukk, passing the minderz, and stopping next to the croup, where I removed part of the dark tarpaulin covering it and revealed dozens of cages full of angry squigs.
The street became a deafening inferno as soon as my squigs spotted the minderz squigs, the animals barked at each other in a cacophony painful to our ears.
My Junka Trukk shook as hundreds of squigs tried to escape from their cages, simultaneously, the minderz squigs tried to escape from their leashes, tugging lightly at their owners.
"YOU'RE CLEAN, YAKAN GO NOW!" The minder from before shouted, startled by the squigs' agitation.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" I joked, leaning forward with one hand around my ear.
"YAKAN GO!" The minder replied, watching as my Junka Trukk wobbled more and more.
"ARE YOU SURE?! YOU CAN SEARCH THE CARGO AS CLOSELY AS YOU LIKE!" I said, threatening to open one of the cages and free the squigs.
"NAH! NAH!" The minder replied, shaking his head as he walked away with sweat dripping down his face.
"OK! I'M HAPPY TO HELP AND I WISH YOU LUCK IN YOUR ENDEAVOR!" I replied, quickly getting into my vehicle and driving away.
-XXXXXX-
I stopped my Junka Trukk in a small clearing away from the city, taking less used roads and going a little deeper into the jungle. I got out of my vehicle, removed the tarpaulin from the back, and said:
"You can get out now."
Suddenly, something moved under the cages, throwing them aside and revealing Azgruz with his nose covered and face contorted in disgust.
"Diz place stinks!" The weirdboy exclaimed, jumping out of the truck and landing with a thud.
"If you had a better idea for leaving the town then just needed to say." I replied sarcastically, throwing a large package towards the ork, who slammed his staff into the ground and held the object in the air.
The ork unwrapped the object straight away, removing its contents and analyzing them in front of him. A sleeping bag, a lamp, bottles of squig oil, pots, food, bottles of water, some tools, a slugga, and ammunition.
"Is diz for me?" Azgruz asked, frowning in confusion.
"Yes, you didn't think I'd abandon you with nothing in the middle of the jungle, did you?" I joked, but the ork's grimace and lack of response proved that those were his exact thoughts.
"I want you to take this as a test of trust. I can't accompany you all the time as I have a business and a Warband to raise, but I will come from time to time to bring supplies and train. In return, I hope you'll still be here when I return. There's nothing stopping you from leaving, but you'll have to try your luck in a jungle full of nids, where you'll have to fend for yourself, in which case I can only wish you good luck."
"Hump! So eitha I stay where yer want me ta or I try ta escape an' become nid food. Looks like I've swapped wun prison for da otha." Azgruz commented sarcastically, using his powers to set up a small camp.
"Look on the bright side. You have the space and peace you want. This clearing is far enough away from the city for the emotions of the other orks not to fry your brain, but close enough for the nids not to become a plague."
"Sure, sure. If you ya so, boss." The weirdboy replied, raising his staff and plucking a tree from the ground.
"Boss? I'm not your boss and you're not part of my band. We had an agreement. You wanted freedom and I wanted a teacher. I won't force you to join me against your will."
The three that the ork levitated fell with a thud, and he stared at me with wide eyes, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, but I didn't offer an answer, I just said goodbye to the stunned weirdboy and returned to the city.
-XXXXXX-
"BOSS!"
I slammed on the brakes as I heard an abundance of excited voices shouting my name. Looking towards the source of the noise, I spotted a crowd of familiar orks waving with broad smiles on their faces.
Oh, Zog! They survived!
I stopped my Junka Trukk near the entrance to the city and soon found myself surrounded by my unwanted subordinates, covered in purple blood, cuts, and bite marks, their weapons and armor worn out, but celebrating like children on a playground.
"BOSS! We've KOMPLETED 'DA MISSIONS!" The ork leading the group exclaimed, holding up a stack of papers and a bulky bag full of teef.
"That's great! Did you remember to exchange the nid parts?" I asked, smiling nervously as I considered speeding away, even if I run over a few of them.
"Yes, but we didn't get much, we shot until da bullets ran out, den we used our shootas ta smash da nids afta our choppas broke. We tore 'da nids apart, so 'der wasn't much left ta trade 'n 'da end." The ork shrugged as if there was no problem.
I almost jumped out of my seat and strangled the ork right there after hearing this waste of resources, but I took a deep breath, calming myself down before I became the one wasting something valuable, in this case, the cannon fodder that surrounded me.
"That's great! Why don't you stay with the teef and have some fun? Eat in Grogak's canteen or get your equipment repaired or buy new ones, preferably in one of our shops."
"Seriously, Boss?" The ork asked hopefully, with his companions sharing the same excitement.
"YES!" I replied, smiling confidently and raising my thumb.
"LET'S GO BOYZ!" The ork shouted.
"WWWAAAGGGHHH!" The rest of the group responded in the same tone.
Then the crowd disappeared into the city, trampling everything in their path and leaving me alone. A few seconds passed in silence, and I waited for some of them to return, but when they didn't, I finally vented my frustrations.
"AAAHHH!"
BBBEEEPPP!
I shouted as I headbutted the horn of my truck, trying to ignore the laughter of Laenae, Dobby, and Gulg.
-XXXXXX-
Putting my shameful moment aside, I drove through the city, using the teefs I had saved to expand my arsenal. Big Choppas, Chain Choppas, and Uge Hammers in case we got into hand-to-hand combat with something stronger than normal, Blunderbusses, but of a different model, similar to a modern shotgun, although I prefer the old model I have.
Boomstikks, similar to an automatic shotgun, and Gretchin's Blunderbuss, a weapon made specifically for the Grots, I made a point of buying a lot of these and gave Dobby and Gulg one each.
Kannons, a shoota that fires a single gigantic bullet, Thump Gun, a single-shot grenade launcher, Burnas, ork flamethrowers, Rokkit Lauchas, ork rocket launchers, and various types of Stikkbombz, even the stinky ones.
When my Junka Trukk filled up, I asked the merchants to deliver my purchases to my territory, with half payment in advance and a threat guaranteeing that they would reach their destination. Soon my grots would receive truckloads of new equipment.
Soon after, I stopped at Grogak's canteen and asked him if he knew of any safe, edible food that I could find in the jungle. Fortunately, he had a book indicating all of them, but I had to pay for it.
I was disappointed when I opened it, as the book was full of scribbled drawings comparable to those of a child, but at least the foods were recognizable, with the words safe or poisonous indicating their condition.
Then I returned to our home and dealt with a serious matter.
-XXXXXX-
"Laenae, can you say grot?" I asked, holding up a small wooden plaque with a drawing of the little green creature and its name underneath.
"Goo..." Laenae mumbled, staring at the drawing as she brought a hand up to her mouth.
"That's it, you're doing well, you can do it! Grot, grooot." I said, bringing the drawing closer.
"Goo... got!" Laenae laughed, jumping slightly.
"Almost there! And snot, can you say snot?" I asked again, showing the drawing of a green creature dressed as a farmer.
"Ssss... Sot!" Laenae said, repeating her previous action.
"Not exactly, but you'll get better with time. And squig, can you say squig?" I spoke, revealing the drawing of the being in question.
"Ig!" The baby replied, pointing to the drawing.
"Now, boomdakka snazzwagon!" I exclaimed, pulling out the drawing of the ork vehicle resembling a race car made of scrap metal.
"Ooaka naago!" Laenae replied, but stopped and grimaced, probably annoyed at how the words sounded.
"I think that's enough for today, but don't get upset, this is just the beginning." I smiled, putting the drawings away in my desk drawer and shifting my focus when I heard Laenae muttering something.
Looking down, I saw the child staring at me as she pulled my pants.
"Boss!" Laenae said, patting my leg before continuing to pull me.
AAAHHH!
I screamed internally as I brought a hand up to my heart, but stopped when the baby insisted on taking me somewhere, and I already knew what she wanted. Laenae guided me to the corner of my office, where her new toys were.
Most of them were made of wood, several colored cubes with ork glyphs representing letters and numbers, a wooden cylinder in the center of a plate made of the same material, and several rings of different sizes.
A rectangular box with a lid full of holes in geometric shapes and the interlocking pieces in question, and much more.
Then I sat down next to the toys, Laenae handed me some of the cubes, and together we assembled a pyramid and played until bedtime.
-XXXXXX-
I found myself in my office the next day, with a map of the ghettos open on my desk and the grots around me, listening intently to my plan.
"...We'll demolish the old buildings and use the material to build new, more spacious ones, we'll also expand and widen the main streets of our territory, facilitating the flow of larger vehicles, but we'll keep the labyrinthine design of the alleys and smaller buildings we've already renovated and…"
"OOOFFF!"
An exclamation interrupted my speech. Looking aside, we saw Laenae lying on the ground, probably having tripped over her toys. We quickly looked in the opposite direction when the baby stood up, allowing her to get up without worrying and crying at our reaction.
"…Back on topic, I intend to create disguised arsenals at strategic points in our territory in the event of an attack, so all the grots, snots, and in the future, the yoofs, will have access to more weaponry and ammunition during combat and…"
So after discussing the pros and cons of the plan, we put it into action, and I made a point of using the orks and yoofs under my command.
-XXXXXX-
The screams, growls, and exclamations of thousands of grots and snots and hundreds of orks and yoofs echoed through the streets, along with the sound of shovels, pickaxes, axes, saws, and hammers.
The orks demolished the shacks and decaying buildings with powerful and fast blows, having a lot of fun with the destruction they caused. The grots and snots used their tools to separate the material, removing nails, stones, boards, and metal plates.
The yoofs dug the earth and mixed the concrete with another group of grots and snots, preparing the area where the buildings had previously stood for the new roads that we would build with stone blocks.
I helped too, carrying huge stacks of blocks in each arm, Dobby and Gulg did the same, but on a smaller scale. I like to see this hard work as a form of collaboration and training between all the forces I control, slowly building respect among everyone.
-XXXXXX-
Days passed and we continued working without any serious problems. The roads had a compacted foundation soil covered with sand to provide a stable base for the various layers above.
A layer consisting of large blocks of rough stone with cracks between the slabs allowing drainage to pass through. A layer composed of crushed stone with cement mortar. A concrete base layer is made of cement, sand, and gravel, and the final layer consists of large blocks of rock.
After this, we intensified our efforts to completely renovate our territory. Say goodbye to the ghettos, for we now lived in a small planned city with trees. No more dusty, narrow, and dirty streets, no more trash and junk scattered around, no more ugly buildings falling apart.
The buildings were brand new, ranging from one to three stories high, painted mostly black, green, and yellow, with walls and roofs made of layers of wood, stone, and metal, but with bars on the windows and front doors to discourage thieves.
We also started a greening project, planting trees and plants in various areas of our territory. We transformed the vacant lot where we trained into a small park with wooden benches.
Now everyone under my command had comfortable, furnished homes, steady pay, and equipment.
Unfortunately, lighting was still limited to streetlights with squig oil lanterns, so grots prowled the streets every night, lighting them with long torches, we had no running or potable water, so we still had to rely on rain and rivers outside the city.
But that wasn't the end of my plans.
-XXXXXX-
"Boyz, I'd like ta announce 'da open'n uv our furst official store! Soon we will no longa work 'n tents an' stalls an' we will showz 'da whole city dat we take our business seriously!" I finished my speech, cutting the green band next to me with a swipe of my knife.
"WWWAAAGGGHHH!" The orks, yoofs, grots, and snots celebrated, jumping, screaming, and shooting in the air.
I contacted the owners of the businesses destroyed during the escape of the weirdboyz and made them a proposal: I would repair the damage caused to their establishments and in exchange they would work for me, giving me part of the profits, or they would sell the building to me for an acceptable price.
Most chose the second option due to pride, greed, and immediate satisfaction, although now I am technically a partner in some businesses in the city.
Leaving that aside, I repaired the damage caused to the salvageable buildings and gave them a tidier and more eye-catching appearance, with a large barred display window and metal doors, and a wooden sign above the door, indicating the products sold in the store.
In this case, a shoota and a choppa, since the store sold weapons, equipment, and ammunition, but I planned to do the same with pharmacies, pet shops, and other businesses.
The interior of the store was well lit, with its items organized by type on stands, shelves, and tables, with a grot behind the counter on the other side of the store, serving the orks who came and went.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to spend so much time without problems.
-XXXXXX-
"EVERYONE INSIDE, NOW!" I shouted, opening the door to my house and allowing several grots, snots, and squigs to enter.
I then immediately closed the door, and we all ran through the house, closing all the windows. The reasons for these abrupt actions were outside. A dark cloud made up of small, deadly creatures.
Buzzing squigs, basically bee squigs capable of stinging an ork to death. They had just been born from the fungus fields and were already out of control. I wasted no time in thinking of a solution to the problem while holding Laenae in my arms.
And I soon had an idea, we used metal parts and thick leather that I kept in my workshop to build armor for the grots, forming a group of five, with Dobby leading them.
I hesitated to let him leave, but Dobby volunteered for the mission, wanting to show that he was capable, so I allowed him, even though I didn't like it at all.
The group left my house with the Burna I kept with my other weapons, and incinerated most of the buzzing squigs with jets of flame, reducing them to a manageable number.
The snots left the safety soon after and captured the remaining squigs with nets they used on normal squigs when they fled, and soon beekeeping became another item on my long list of businesses.
-XXXXXX-
"Laenae, do you want some honey?" I asked the baby sitting on the floor as I held a jar and a spoon.
"Yez!" Laenae replied, raising her little hands.
I handed her a spoonful of honey and the child studied the yellowish substance with a curious look before putting it in her mouth. The baby's eyes widened as she jumped and wiggled her ears in delight.
"Did you like it?" I asked and Laenae nodded excitedly.
"Okay, can you give me some?" I joked, extending my hand and getting a slap in return. I screamed in fake pain as I rubbed my hand, making the baby smile smugly.
"Moar!" Laenae said, raising the spoon towards me.
"No, too much honey is bad for your health."
"Moar!" Laenae repeated, ignoring my words.
"No."
"Moar!"
"No."
"Moar!"
"No."
Let's just say we had this argument for a long time, but Laenae needed to learn limits, starting with what no means, even when she started crying. I never thought I would feellike a monster for not letting her fill up on sweet.
At least she's not trying to mess with my weapons, yet…
-XXXXXX-
It was time to visit Azgruz again.
I stopped my Junka Trukk in the clearing from before and was surprised to find a small log cabin in its center, but the Tyranid heads stuck on wooden stakes in the ground ruined the inviting air of the building.
It didn't take long for the door to open and the ork I was looking for to appear, wearing his colorful robes and staff.
"What took ya so long? I thought ya had forgotten about me!" Azgruz exclaimed, pointing his staff in my direction.
"Sorry, but it's amazing how time flies when you're having fun. I thought you would have disappeared by now." I shrugged, approaching the ork.
"Ya say 'dat as if yer didn't send some grots ta keep an eye on me." The weirdboy replied, pointing to the side with his head, where I saw the grots in question hiding in the vegetation, and they quickly ran away when they noticed my gaze.
"Well, I can't be too careful, I had to make sure you wouldn't act against me."
"I don't want ta die so soon. But wot would yer do if I ran away?"
"Nothing, as long as you don't try anything funny. I haven't invested any resources in you yet, so in the end, I'd just lose a weirdboy."
A hint of surprise passed across Azgruz's face before returning to his usual grumpy expression, then the ork spoke the words I wanted to hear.
"Since yer've done yer part, den I guess it's time ta do mine. Ready ta become a propar real weirdboy, yer git?" Azgruz teased, smiling slightly.
"If I am? I even brought my staff!" I smiled back, slamming the equipment on the ground and releasing a psychic wave.
"Hmph! Ya're too nice, ya'll get krumped by some smart git someday."
"What can I say? Kindness yields surprising results, besides, I'm not that nice, the gangs in the city already know that."
Then, with a final chuckle, I began my training to become a proper weirdboy.
-XXXXXX-
-Thumb of Gork, Boss's Fortress-
"WHAT'ZDIZ?!" Rukzod Nidkilla exclaimed, throwing a bag of teef at the feet of his startled subordinates.
"D-diz iz 'da m-merchants' teef, b-boss!" An ork boy stammered, collecting the teef and placing it inside the bag.
"THIS IZ LESS DAN AF UV LAST YEAR'S VALUE! WHERE DID DA REST UV DA TEEFS GO?!" Rukzod screamed, eyes blazing with fury as he gripped the arms of his throne, crushing them.
The orks present glared at each other nervously, exchanging an unspoken message, until the group shoved one of its members forward. The poor ork sweated and trembled, looking away as his boss repeatedly tapped his finger on his throne in anticipation.
"I'm waiting." The large ork growled, making his subordinate jump.
"W-well boss. 'Der's a new m-merchant 'n town 'oo's outdo'n everyone else, open'n up shops all ova 'da w-side an tak'n all 'da teefs."
"WHO?!" Rukzod demanded, slamming his fist on the throne, creating a thunderous sound and making everyone present flinch.
"Gorlonik, Gorlonik Teef Rippa! 'E's an BadMoon an' sells shootas, choppas, armor, ammo, 'plosives, squigs, medicine, food, an' more!"
"WHO 'N 'DA NAME UV GORK AN' MORK IZ DIS GIT?!"
"He's 'da same ork 'oo kompleted 'da mission yer sent ta 'da guild about 'da konvoy!"
Rukzod was silent, deep in thought until a look of realization dawned on his face. The boss gritted his teeth audibly, as his armor creaked with his muscles flexed in anger.
"I AM 'DA BOSS UV DIS TOWN! ALL TEEFS SHOULD KOME TA ME! 'OO DUZ DIS GIT FINK 'E IZ? WHERE IZ SKULLRIPPA? KALL 'EM!"
"I'm 'ere, Boss!" A guttural voice exclaimed from the entrance to the throne room. The crowd of orks present parted like an ocean, allowing the large ork nob to approach.
The nob stood twelve feet tall due to the massive, heavy metal armor that covered most of his body, composed of several metal plates riveted into his flesh, spikes, and painted blue and black.
A metal jaw protected the lower part of his face, but left his flat nose, the tips of his teef, and red eyes visible, along with the pointed blue Mohawk on top of his head.
In his right hand, the nob carried a power klaw made for his size, and in his left hand a large and heavy mass of fused weapons, a Sanazz Gun, and as if that were not enough, several Stikkbombz remained hanging from his belt.
Skullrippa crossed the room, each step shaking the floor followed by a deafening metallic noise. The nob's gaze shifted to the smaller orks around him, making them retreat in fear, much to the amusement of the larger ork.
Then Skullrippa stopped in front of his boss and awaited his orders.
"Skullrippa, I need yer an yer krew ta br'n a git ta me." Rukzod spoke sadistically.
"Br'n 'em, boss? Do yer want 'em alive?" The nob asked confused.
"Oh, ya didn't know? Bad Moons' teef grow fasta dan normal. 'Da git likes ta kall himself Teef Rippa, let's see if 'e'll stay 'dat way afta i pull all his teeth out until i get wot 'e owes me!"
END OF CHAPTER
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