Night fell, and Byung was drenched in sweat, but the job was finally completed. Regular stones couldn't be used for the inner linings, so he had stayed later than everyone else, pushing himself to keep working.
Even Borkle, as curious as he was about the outcome, couldn't keep his eyes open and had drifted off.
Byung ended up working alone while the others slept. All except 008.
008 stayed by his side, doing his best to be useful. He was eager to see the result of this creation and even more eager to prove himself to Byung.
Byung was different. 008 knew it. Helping him might be his only chance at survival in this mine.
"You work hard!" 008 complimented, but Byung was too absorbed in his task to reply.
008 could tell the project was nearly finished, yet what puzzled him most was how Byung's body kept enduring the strain. Byung didn't look strong, yet he carried on with a resolve the others lacked. 008 found himself wondering where this strange goblin had learned such knowledge. It shouldn't have been possible—goblins were refined only for mining. Who could have taught him something like this?
At last, Byung added the finishing touches. The moment he did, his body gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
"I-I did it?" Byung muttered faintly.
008 was astonished as he inspected the structure standing before them. He looked down at Byung, lying limp on the ground, and felt an overwhelming sense of admiration. Even he could tell—this goblin was the future.
-
Kragg returned home much later, but his arrival wasn't met with silence. Instead, he noticed orcs whispering among themselves. Their hushed voices carried unease, and Kragg immediately wondered what could have happened to stir such unrest.
It was late, and orcs were never in such disarray at this hour. Yet the moment they spotted him, everyone froze.
"Kragg, you are back!" one of them said.
Kragg didn't answer. He simply dismounted his horse and demanded, "What is going on?"
"It appears there was an attack!" another orc said, his face tight with worry.
Kragg raised a brow. The thought made no sense. Even humans wouldn't dare attack them—they were a race bred for war. And crimes between orcs were almost unheard of, at least not on such a scale. Still, Kragg didn't rule out the possibility.
"Who was attacked?" he asked, his voice carrying the weight of exhaustion from his journey.
"It is Borg…! He was stabbed," the orc exclaimed.
Suspicion crossed Kragg's face. Without another word, he strode into the heavily guarded building and found Borg lying on a bed, a stab wound glaring across his abdomen.
"Everyone leave," Kragg commanded.
The orcs cleared the room without hesitation. Borg, awake and responsive, locked eyes with Kragg. He knew he had much to explain, and Kragg's fuming presence made it clear there would be no leniency.
"What the hell is going on!?" Kragg snapped.
Before Borg could answer, a powerful hand wrapped around his neck.
"And before you speak a lie—think twice," Kragg warned, tightening his grip just enough to make his point.
The attack on the goblins. Borg acting without orders. These were not things that could be brushed aside.
"I found… Grashnak. He is dead. And the goblins… those bastards jumped me!" Borg croaked.
He wasn't entirely lying. Orcs had already gone to the location he provided, where they would indeed find Grashnak's body. They would also see the rusty weapon used—a weapon not belonging to an orc. Borg's plan was simple: if goblins could kill Grashnak and injure him, then they could no longer be seen as harmless. Their privileges would be stripped away.
Kragg said nothing. His silence was worse than rage, the only sound Borg felt was the pressure around his throat growing tighter.
"T-The goblins! It was all their doing! They were never attacked by one of ours—it's impossible for a single orc to do all that alone!" Borg stammered desperately.
Kragg's hand paused. He wanted to hear more.
"Grashnak! He was killed by those vermin! I found his body when they ambushed me!" Borg pressed on. His lies were seamless, each word rehearsed, each sentence part of a story he had run through his mind countless times.
"Grashnak is dead?" Kragg repeated slowly.
Grashnak had fought at his side. He was no weakling. The idea that goblins had killed him was hard to swallow. Yet there were no reports of any goblin casualties either. If they had truly taken Grashnak's life, then injuring Borg was more than possible.
"The goblins did this?" Kragg thought grimly as he finally released Borg's neck.
"W-What are you going to do?" Borg asked, rubbing his throat.
Kragg said nothing at first. He knew he couldn't go to war with them. Not yet.
"I have an idea…" he muttered under his breath.
"Before you go, there's something you need to know about one of those dogs…" Borg added, his voice laced with spite.
He was speaking, of course, about Byung.