"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
A chilling roar was caught in the throat of a Gor beastman . The next second, the orc nob "Iron Claw" violently flexed his thick arm. With a crisp crack, the blood-stained head was twisted off.
Hot blood splattered on the stone ground of the Blackrock Spire fighting pit, staining the excited faces of the surrounding greenskins .
Iron Claw held up his trophy and roared at the audience by the pit, causing the Orc Boyz to raise their weapons and shout "WAAAGH!" in unison. Even the goblin squatting in the corner stood on his tiptoes, his small eyes filled with fanaticism.
Blackrock Spire was exceptionally lively today.
The fighting pit was surrounded by the Blackrock Clan greenskins —Orc Boyz with bare chests, revealing their strong green muscles; hobgoblins stood on stacked wooden crates, craning their necks to peer into the pit; even the hobgoblin laborers, usually responsible for brick-making, had secretly snuck over, still clutching unfinished roasted mushrooms in their hands.
Everyone knew that Warchief Kurzadh was holding a "All-tribe Free-for-All" here, and the winner's reward was the legendary "furry squig."
Kurzadh stood on a high platform at the edge of the fighting pit, the colorful Hair squig on his head lazily wagging its tail.
The little guy was covered in fluffy manes, red, green, and blue intertwined, like an exploded rooster comb, gently swaying with Kurzadh's movements, drawing frequent glances from the surrounding greenskins .
In the past, Kurzadh wouldn't have cared for this thing—he always thought the Hair squig was a flashy but impractical decoration, unable to smash open city gates like a Siege squig or tear at enemies like a Combat squig, completely useless for improving strength.
Until Skarsnik secretly told him that this little guy hid a big secret.
"Boss, don't underestimate it!" Skarsnik had leaned into his ear, his small eyes gleaming with shrewdness, "Hair goblins are naturally symbiotic with greenskins , and their numbers are pitifully small. In the eyes of greenskins , this is a symbol of strength and status! Think about it, if all greenskins think the thing on your head is awesome, you really will become stronger—that's the rule of WAAAGH!"
Kurzadh didn't believe it at first, but a few days after wearing the Hair squig, he truly felt a change.
That day, he had just finished a jug of mushroom ale when he suddenly felt a warm current surge from deep within his body, flowing through his veins. The old injuries from fighting beastmen, and the lower back pain that always flared up on rainy days, were all gone, and he felt as comfortable as if he were soaking in hot water.
He could clearly feel that his reactions were faster, and his strength was much greater than before.
What pleased him even more was how convenient this Hair squig was to use.
Unlike human nobles who use hair gel and wax, he just had to place the little guy on his scalp, and it would comb its mane with its claws, styling it into the most flamboyant look. Its tail could even act as a hairpin to hold it in place. Even if it got messed up by an enemy during a fight, it would automatically restore itself like memory metal after a while.
Last time, when he sparred with Bone Tree, Bone Tree punched him in the shoulder, and he staggered back, hitting a stone wall, but not a single hair was out of place. Bone Tree was so angry he kept cursing, "This damn hairy thing is cheating."
"Too bad only greenskins can use it." Kurzadh stroked the Hair squig on his head, and the little guy comfortably rubbed his palm. "If humans could use it, I'd sell this thing to the Imperium of Man and definitely make a fortune in gold coins." He had already tried—last time Antonio came to the tribe, he handed the Hair squig over, wanting Antonio to try it, but the little guy just bared its teeth and bit down as soon as it touched the human's hair, scaring Antonio so much he almost dropped his jug of spirits.
"Boss! Everything's ready!" Bone Tree's voice came from below the platform, interrupting Kurzadh's thoughts.
The open space in the center of the fighting pit had been redecorated. hobgoblins had cordoned off a huge circle with ropes, and goblin had placed ceramic pots full of black mushroom spirits outside the circle. Fifty orc nob stood scattered within the circle, all shirtless, revealing their gruesome scars, glaring at each other, their fists cracking.
These orcs were the toughest fighters in the tribe—there were veterans who had fought their way back with Kurzadh from Katushir, young orcs who had just advanced to Big Guys, and fierce characters like Iron Claw, famous for twisting off beastmen heads.
Today, a champion would be decided among these Boyz.
They had long heard that the reward was a Hair squig, and each of them was eager to jump in and fight.
Kurzadh jumped off the platform and walked to the edge of the circle with his lieutenants, Scarface, Keziaz, and Gazlowe.
The greenskins' cheers instantly quieted, all eyes fixed on him.
"I know you Boyz have been holding back for a long time!" Kurzadh's voice was booming, echoing throughout the fighting pit. "For the past six months, you've been chopping trees, building walls, quarrying, and haven't had a good fight. Today, I'm giving you the chance—this free-for-all has only one rule: no weapons!"
He paused, scanning the orcs in the circle, his eyes filled with fanaticism: "Whether you use your fists, your head, or your feet, as long as you're the last one standing, you'll be the fiercest, most reckless warrior of the Blackrock Clan! And the winner will get this Hair squig on my head—let all greenskins know you're tougher than them!"
"WAAAGH!!" The orcs in the circle completely erupted, howling and eager to rush forward.
For greenskins , fighting is the happiest thing, and with a "Glory reward" like the Hair squig, they could no longer suppress the restlessness in their hearts, wanting to vent all the strength they had accumulated over the past six months on their opponents.
"Start!"
At Kurzadh's command, the orcs in the circle instantly went mad, pouncing on their opponents.
There was no probing, no hesitation, and no tactics—a tall orc directly picked up a companion next to him and slammed him to the ground with a loud thud that shook the stone ground; two orcs nearby wrestled each other, grabbing each other's arms and headbutting fiercely, not caring even when blood streamed from their foreheads; another orc was even more ruthless, directly lying on the ground, hugging his opponent's leg, and biting his calf, making the opponent scream in pain.
The greenskins around the fighting pit watched with relish, occasionally letting out cheers and gasps of surprise.
The Orc Boyz slapped their thighs, shouting, "Hit him!" "Bite his ear!"; the hobgoblins stood on their tiptoes, their small fists tightly clenched, more nervous than if they were fighting themselves; the goblin hid behind, occasionally peeking out, and whenever they saw blood, they would shrink back in fear, but after a while, they couldn't help but peek out again.
Kurzadh leaned against the high platform, arms crossed, watching the fight in the circle, a wide grin stretching to his ears.
He loved the way greenskins fought—no complicated maneuvers, just the most direct brute force. The winner was glorious, and the loser acknowledged defeat, ready to fight again next time.
This was how greenskins should be, this was the true meaning of WAAAGH!
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed in the circle.
Iron Claw was punched in the face by an orc even bigger than him, staggering back a few steps, blood flowing from his nose.
But instead of flinching, he became even more excited, wiping the blood from his face and howling as he charged back, punching his opponent in the stomach.
The orc grunted, bending over, and Iron Claw took the opportunity to wrap his arms around his neck, violently kneeing him in the chest. A few blows brought the opponent to the ground, unable to get up again.
"Good!" Kurzadh couldn't help but shout, and the surrounding greenskins cheered along.
Iron Claw looked up, grinning towards Kurzadh, revealing his blood-stained teeth, then turned and charged towards his next opponent.
Time passed, and the number of orcs in the circle dwindled.
Some orcs were beaten unconscious and dragged out of the circle by goblin; some orcs, though still standing, were covered in wounds and breathing heavily; only a few orcs remained energetic, the fanaticism in their eyes undiminished.
Kurzadh looked at the sky, then at the ten remaining orcs in the circle, calculating: "At this rate, a winner will be decided in another half hour." He stroked the Hair squig on his head; the little guy seemed to sense the intense atmosphere, wagging its tail and making its mane even fluffier.
"Boss, who do you think will win this time?" Scarface leaned over and asked.
His gaze fell on Iron Claw. "I think Iron Claw can do it. That kid is ruthless in a fight, just like you were back then, boss."
Kurzadh smiled: "Hard to say. Look at that orc over there called 'Madfang,' he's pretty fierce too." He pointed to an orc in the circle with a scarred face. That orc had just knocked down his opponent and was panting heavily, but his eyes were still fierce. "When greenskins fight, no one knows who will be the last one standing until the very end."
Scarface nodded, said no more, and continued to stare at the fight in the circle.
Inside the fighting pit, the sounds of colliding bodies, pained roars, cheers, and gasps of surprise continued, occasionally punctuated by the thud of an orc being knocked down.
Sunlight filtered through the cracks in Blackrock Spire's Kurzadh, falling on the stone ground of the fighting pit, making the bloodstains particularly glaring, but also adding a touch of wildness and glory to this free-for-all.
Kurzadh knew that this free-for-all was not just a fight, but a carnival for the Blackrock Clan.
It allowed the greenskins to vent their inner restlessness, it made the tribe more united, and it made everyone remember—the greenskins of the Blackrock Clan were all tough fighters, all worthy of the glory of WAAAGH!
He stroked the Hair squig on his head again, feeling increasingly satisfied.
He was lucky he listened to Skarsnik and kept this little guy, otherwise, he wouldn't have discovered such a useful "treasure."
After this free-for-all ends, he would let the winner wear the Hair squig, so all greenskins would see that by following the Blackrock Clan, they not only got to fight and drink, but also had such glory awaiting them.
"WAAAGH!" Kurzadh shouted into the circle, his voice full of encouragement, "Whoever stands last will be the pride of my Blackrock Clan!"
The orcs in the circle seemed to be invigorated, each fighting even harder, charging at their opponents.
The greenskins around the fighting pit also shouted along, their cheers and roars almost tearing off the stone roof of Blackrock Spire.