Grishka and Byung retreated to his private quarters, the heavy wooden door closing behind them with a solid thud that echoed through the stone chamber. The room was sparse but functional—a large bed covered in furs, a wooden table with maps scattered across its surface, and a single window that overlooked the settlement below. This was an important thing, Byung knew she was more than just an orc, she had the genetics to bring some strong babies into this world and with his system, there is no limit as to what they can accomplish.

The world would be theirs to take if they did inherit Grishka’s strength but this was still an unknown factor. He had no idea what would happen nor what kind of babies he could create.

Byung gestured for Grishka to sit, and she lowered herself onto a wooden bench near the table. Her massive frame made the furniture look almost comical in comparison, but she moved with a grace that belied her size.

This was where Grishka filled him in about how Maui was now the Chieftess in that location as she defeated Borg.

She couldn’t speak, so she used gestures and narrations to tell him about what had occurred. Her hands moved with surprising elegance as she painted the picture—first pointing to herself, then making a fist and slamming it into her palm. She indicated travel with walking fingers, then pointed west. Her expression shifted as she mimed combat, her movements becoming sharp and aggressive.

She formed her hands into the shape of a large orc—Borg—and showed him falling. Then she gestured to a smaller figure, feminine, and placed an imaginary crown on her head. Maui. The new chieftess.

Byung understood her perfectly, and this made him even more impressed. Most would have struggled to decipher her silent language, but he’d learned to read her body, her expressions, the subtle shifts in posture that conveyed meaning as clearly as words ever could. She’d fought her way to Borg’s territory, witnessed Maui’s challenge and victory, and secured the western front without his direct command.

A smirk creased his face as the full picture came together.

"You did well," Byung said, his voice carrying genuine approval. "Better than well."

Byung praised them. They functioned and eliminated the immediate threat without him giving the order. This was exactly what he needed—subordinates who could think for themselves, who could act decisively when situations demanded it. Grishka and Maui had identified a problem and solved it. Borg was gone, replaced by someone loyal to Byung. The western territories were secure.

"This is what separates a true leader from a warlord," Byung continued, rising from his seat. "A warlord must command every action. A leader builds people who can act without command."

Grishka’s expression remained neutral, but there was something in her eyes—pride, perhaps, or satisfaction. This was something she did without needed to receive praise but being praised for a job well done was far different than expectations, it felt... nice.

She stood up, ready to leave. Her duty was done. The report was delivered. There was nothing more to discuss.

But Byung told her to wait, he needed to speak to her as he understood Grishka was a warrior at the end of the day, she wasn’t so great when it came to social queues which meant he had to hold her hand in certain situations.

"Stay," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

Grishka stopped in her tracks before looking back at Byung. Her scarred face turned toward him, one eyebrow raised slightly in question. She’d been dismissed countless times in her life—used for her strength and then sent away like a tool returned to storage. This was different. There was something in his tone she couldn’t quite identify.

Byung crossed the room slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Grishka," he began, choosing his words carefully. "Do you know why you’re different from the others?"

She tilted her head slightly but didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond.

"You’re the orc that saved my life," Byung said. "When I thought I died in that fight against Kraghul, when he drove his fist in my face until my face caved in, it was because of you that my body stayed alive long enough to evolve. You carried and healed me. You didn’t abandon me even when I was nothing but dead weight."

Grishka’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. She remembered that day. The blood. The desperate flight from the Kraghul when he saw her. The way Byung’s body had felt so wrong, so cold, as she carried him through the darkness.

"Without you," Byung continued, "I would be rotting in that cave. There would be no goblin king. No settlement. No future. Everything I’ve become—everything we’ve built—exists because you refused to let me die."

Her jaw tightened. She didn’t know how to process this. Gratitude was not something she’d experienced often.

Byung took a breath, then spoke the words that would change everything between them.

"Grishka, how about we start a family?"

For the first time in his life—perhaps for the first time in anyone’s life—Byung saw Grishka completely flustered. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened slightly in shock. Her massive hands, so steady in battle, trembled almost imperceptibly. A flush crept up her neck, darkening the gray-green skin of her face.

She was strong, wasn’t she? The strongest orc he’d ever encountered. So wasn’t it normal to want to reproduce with her? To create offspring that would inherit her power, her resilience, her unbreakable will?

Then again, she had been treated like a monster all her life. Used as a weapon. Feared and hated in equal measure. So it was no surprise that this thought had never crossed her mind. No one had ever looked at Grishka and seen anything but a tool of war. No one had ever wanted anything from her except violence. A demon feared, bred in blood and violence.

Until now. This tenderness, this feeling in her chest, these were things that didn’t make sense to her before.

"Grishka," Byung said as he got up to his feet, closing the remaining distance between them. "I gave you a name, so you understand you are more than what people call you."

Byung had a way with words. He’d realized earlier in this world that these creatures were susceptible to it—to the promise of meaning, of purpose, of belonging. Words could cut deeper than any blade when wielded correctly.

"The nameless Chieftess now has a name," Byung continued, his voice dropping to something almost tender. "The hated and feared orc now has love."

He paused, letting the word hang in the air between them.

Love.

This was the first time she’d heard such words directed toward her. Not commands. Not threats. Not dismissal. Love. The concept was so foreign it might as well have been spoken in an alien language.

"My love," Byung said, and the possessive pronoun carried weight. "I will protect you and our children. You will no longer stand alone, but you will stand by me."

He reached forward and wrapped his hands around her waist. His arms barely reached halfway around her massive frame, but the gesture was unmistakable. This wasn’t dominance. This wasn’t conquest. This was something else entirely.

Grishka stood frozen, her body rigid with tension. Her mind raced through a thousand thoughts at once. Her heart—that damaged, scarred organ that had learned never to hope for anything—stuttered in her chest.

She looked down at Byung, this small goblin who had somehow grown into something far greater than his size suggested. This creature who had died and come back. Who had seen her not as a monster but as Grishka. Who wanted to build something with her that she’d never dared imagine.

Slowly, hesitantly, her massive hand moved to cover his. Her fingers, scarred and calloused from a lifetime of violence, touched his with a gentleness that surprised them both.

She couldn’t speak. This was something that had afflicted her for so long.

But she nodded to show Byung she wanted a family with him seeing as the concept of death was no longer a factor but even if it was, Byung was a man she was willing to die for.

And for the first time since he’d met her, Byung saw Grishka smile.

But Byung could read her thoughts, the moment he said children, he saw something flash in her head, it was not anticipation but dread.

"What the hell? Who was that...?" Byung muttered under his breath because he saw a face, this was the first time his mind reading abilities had conjured up a face.

And this face he saw was none other than the Mangler but Byung couldn’t make the connection, at least not at the moment.