anovelconsole Chapter 195: Why The Laughter?
Chapter 195: Why The Laughter?
[Wendigos’ Outpost - Courtyard]Xanor stood like a statue before the hulking form of an eight-foot Ogre. This was an Ogre Captain—a broker for the grotesque trade—his massive, bowed hand resting on the pommel of a greatsword. Behind him, five Ogre soldiers, encased in dark, elite-class armor, shifted uneasily.
"So, you’re the one brokering the shipment of captives," Xanor stated, his voice a low.
"That is correct, Commander," the Ogre replied, finally lifting his head. His eyes held a flicker of insolence beneath the enforced respect.
"You know the terms of the alliance. We are here to fulfill our end."
"Terms are one thing; purpose is another," Xanor pressed, fixing a piercing stare on the Ogre Captain.
"I know the initial destination. I want to know what happens to them next."
The Ogre, pleased to share the chilling details, puffed out his chest:
"Once they reach the transfer point, the process splits. The weak, the elderly—the ones too damaged or frail for service—are sold off. They enter the Shadow Markets as goods. The healthy, the resilient, and especially the young; they are transported to the First Stronghold, deep within Wendigo territory."
’The Ogres gain by selling the scraps, while the Wendigos gain fresh stock, both for food and... for breeding the next generation of elite Wendigos,’ Xanor thought, a bitter taste rising in his mouth.
"Good. Then be swift," Xanor commanded, waving a dismissive hand.
"Load them all. Get your vessel off-world. We are expecting an attack, a massive one—any moment now."
The Ogre Captain, relieved to be dismissed, nodded quickly and lumbered away with his contingent, heading for the prison behind the main structure.
"Report." Xanor’s voice cut the silence.
The air shimmered, and Shadow Eyes walked out of thin air.
She shook her head: "Nothing. No sign of the God Wolf, no orbital movements. The sector is eerily quiet."
"Strange," Xanor muttered, his hand unconsciously clenching into a fist.
"The God Wolf I know doesn’t delay. He doesn’t prevaricate, but why the silence?"
The delay was more unsettling than an open attack to Xanor.
"Are you certain he will attack this outpost specifically?" Shadow Eyes asked, her gaze fixed on the fortress gates.
"If he gives a promise or a threat—it will be carried out. It’s a matter of when, and how. We move according to the plan. If the shipment clears the atmosphere without incident..." He said, the smile touching his lips:
"We abandon this place. The Stronghold will have served its purpose as a sacrificial lamb."
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[Beneath the Outpost - Prison]
The Ogre Captain and his five men moved through the torch-lit, dank subterranean hallway. The air was heavy, tasting of mildew and despair. The Captain arrived at the massive, heavily locked metal door.
"Two of you, secure the passage," he grunted, then unlocked the mechanism with a key the size of a man’s forearm. He and the remaining three soldiers stepped inside, leaving the two behind.
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rate, barely leaving a scratch on the ancient metal.
The Captain blinked in shock, then let out a roar of fury morphed into a hearty, guttural laugh: "Hahahaha! You called that an attack?! A pinprick?!"
His three men joined in the mockery, their terror momentarily replaced by contempt.
"Why the laughter?" Sunny’s smile widened, lacking any warmth. "That wasn’t the attack." He took a single, deliberate step into the room.
BAM!!!
An invisible, focused force slammed into the Ogre Captain, originating from the point of impact on his chest, but expanding inward. He gasped, spurting a jet of crimson blood.
"Wha—?!"
BAM!!
Another impact—not a physical blow, but a targeted internal pressure wave—hit him. His knees buckled, and he crashed down.
"My attack deals continuous internal damage at 30% of my full attack stat." Sunny explained, his voice conversational, a sharp contrast to the horror unfolding.
"The beautiful part is, it affects you from the inside out, shredding your organs while leaving your armor untouched."
BAM!!!
"AHHHH!"
The Ogre screamed, a high-pitched sound of pure agony as blood erupted from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth simultaneously. His armor was a cage protecting him from the outside, but utterly useless against the force tearing him apart from within.
"...?!"
The three remaining Ogres were frozen in petrified disbelief, stumbling backward, dropping their keys and cards.
BAM!!
BOOOOM!
The final force wave was too much. The Ogre Captain’s body didn’t merely die; it detonated, shattering into a gruesome shower of flesh and pulverized bone, splattering the adjacent cages and painting the walls a visceral red.
"....?!?"
The silence that followed was broken only by the whimpering of the captives.
"Now..."
Sunny turned his gaze, which held the cold, detached intensity of a scientist examining a specimen, toward the three horrified, cowering Ogres.
"Who is ready to tell me about the prisoners?"