“What the hell is going on?!”

  Gerud couldn't believe his sight. A wall had collapsed, revealing Shion and Scylla in the room. Both were covered in dust, but didn't appear to be seriously injured. The Oni had sheathed her sword, presumably out of respect for ogres, whose weapon had broken. The two had evidently engaged in a hand-to-hand fight.

  "Oh, hello Shion!"

  Almodea greeted her, completely losing the menacing air she'd had a few minutes earlier. Gerud even thought the girl had a personality disorder, given how much she'd changed in the blink of an eye. The only positive note for him was Scylla's presence.

  If I fed that useless mass of muscle to Gherdmiude, I could maybe wake him up and strengthen him enough to beat Almodea.

  By now Gerud had realized just how powerful that damned demon girl was. She had no lineage, but her aura was that of a being far superior to that of a mere Archdemon. He even doubted his master could defeat her without using his full power.

  "Lady Almodea? I see you're well! I'm so happy! But...what's happening?"

  “Oh, I was about to kill this bug!”

  The demoness replied calmly, pointing at Gerud with her thumb.

  “Do you know that he is the one who ordered the attack on your village?”

  "What?! That piece of shit did what?!”

  Shion clenched her fists at the news, so much so that her veins felt like they were about to burst. Scylla was surprised by the statement and seemed devastated. Was what her opponent had told her true? Had their faction attacked the Oni village and killed everyone?

  "Great Gerud, what are they saying? It can't be true!"

  She asked, trying to understand something about the situation.

  "I already told you not to call him Great! That piece of dung with the mask destroyed our village!"

  Shion scolded her, letting out all the anger in her heart.

  "What? Impossible! The Great Gerud is a faithful servant of His Majesty! I already told you he was trying to cure him of his illness!"

  Surprisingly, Almodea, who had intervened in the argument between the two, responded to Scylla's complaint.

  "If that is true, I'd say we have a different definition of care, you and I..."

  "What do you mean?"

  Almodea pointed to the colossus behind Gerud. Despite its deformity from torture, Scylla recognized it immediately, and her heart broke immediately afterward. Tears began to roll down her cheeks; her body was devastated, and the revelation was breaking her spirit.

  "Great Gherdmiude...what have you done to him?"

  The woman fell to her knees, pounding her fists on the ground.

  "I failed! Forgive me, Your Majesty! Please, forgive me!"

  Surprisingly, it was Shion who came forward to support her, realizing it would be wrong to view her as an enemy at that point. She had faced Scylla in a duel and had respect for her; she refused to consider the ogres an enemy just because she was on the same side as those who had attacked her village.

  "Don't worry! Lady Almodea will fix everything! She's the best!"

  "Lady...Almodea?"

  Shion nodded and helped Scylla up.

  "Great Gerud, please! Tell me it's not true!"

  Scylla begged, clinging to a last glimmer of hope that everything that was happening wasn't real. She truly hoped it was all a huge misunderstanding. She knew it was just a stupid illusion, but she could do nothing but close her eyes and beg.

  "You're just a useless idiot!"

  "W-What?"

  “A good-for-nothing, idiot and naive!”

  Gerud shouted at her, crushing her already shattered heart without restraint. He had made her realize that everything she'd done up until that point had been wrong, and now she was paying the consequences of her own stupidity.

  "A useless imbecile like you is nothing but a thorn in my side!"

  The delirious demon continued. Gerud was now completely consumed by his own pride, as if under the influence of a curse that prevented him from lowering his spirits. He was perfectly capable of realizing that he was only making the situation worse, but he didn't seem able to control himself.

  “Get eaten by your beloved King and empower him! In fact, you would be extremely useful when dead! Feel honored for that!”

  "W-What are you saying, Great Gerud-"

  "Shut up! Now it's your turn, Doom Orc! Devour her and kill them all! Become one of the Archdemons!"

  With a snap of his fingers, Gerud released the chains holding the colossus. However, the mutated Orc did not move, he remained motionless, observing the scene with his empty eyes. He was clearly awake, but seemed completely uninterested in acting.

  What the hell?! Is he doing this on purpose?!

  Gerud didn't know whether to be offended or worried. The damned pig still wouldn't move, even though he'd removed every magical constraint, even the experimental collar he'd placed on him as yet another link in those chains that had now fallen to the ground. He couldn't be freer than that—and yet he didn't move.

  "What the hell is wrong with you, you dirty pig?!"

  For the first time, the colossus blinked slowly, then finally opened his mouth. His voice came out hoarse and deep, as if his throat were dry. Scylla herself would never have recognized her beloved King by hearing him speak.

  "What's this story about becoming an Archdemon?"

  "I'm surrounded by idiots! Pure, incompetent idiots! Oh my God..."

  At the orc's question, Gerud slapped himself in the face, snorting in annoyance. He pointed his staff at Gherdmiude, moving it up and down hysterically. He was irritated that his puppet wasn't following orders, but instead questioning them. He wasn't programmed to do that, and this was yet another proof of the failure of Gerud's experiments.

  "Listen to me carefully, Gherdmiude! You will become an Archdemon and rule this forest alongside the Doom Troll! That's what He wanted!”

  Despite the explanation, the colossus remained still. It showed no signs of moving, almost like he was mentally dead—or so it seemed to Gerud.

  Where the hell did I go wrong? Why is everything going so bad for me?!

  If Gherdmiude didn't act and kill Almodea and the other two women, everything would be ruined. Gerud had already realized that he couldn't hope to defeat that girl alone. It pained him to admit it, but that demoness who had appeared out of nowhere had completely outclassed him in every way.

  The mission was no longer important; now Gerud had to escape and save his life. He had to, or rather, he needed Gherdmiude’s help. He had to bring the Doom Orc to fight for him, even if he wasn't 100% in control.

  "What the hell are you doing?! Come on, you stupid pig! There's no time!"

  When the colossus refused to move once again, that's when Gerud completely lost his mind.

  “Oh, but who cares! I'll do it myself!”

  Furious and now in the throes of a nervous breakdown, he decided to force the Doom Orc to move, perhaps taking advantage of the hunger caused by Ruthless Devourer, which, in theory, should have moved Gherdmiude's will as if he were a puppet – but that did not seem to be the case.

  I only have one chance to make this damn pig do something!

  Driven by his uncontrollable hysteria, Gerud raised his right hand and pointed it at Scylla. Soon, a red sphere of energy immediately formed, ready to be fired like a projectile.

  "Make yourself useful, King's Guard. Do me a favor...and die! Death March!"

  The sphere in her hand split into multiple copies, smaller but no less powerful. Scylla, despite her exhaustion, could have easily avoided the attack, but she felt her strength suddenly ebbing away, as if paralyzed.

  -It was all the fault of Death March, the attack skill used by the demon.

  "No! Gerud! Don't do it! Please!"

  Scylla tried to pray for her life, but it was too late: the attack had already been launched, and she could do nothing to stop it. The ogre closed her eyes and braced herself for impact, but it never came.

  “Huh? What?”

  When Scylla opened her eyes again, she saw Almodea standing before her, absorbing the blow with some strange food.

  "Absolute Devourer! "

  As before, the attack was devoured by a dragon-shaped vortex, leaving no trace of it.

  S-She did it again! How is that possible?!

  Gerud was truly losing his mind. Facing Almodea was impossibly frustrating. Even though he was a powerful level 35 demon, he felt helpless in the face of that demoness. The girl seemed immune to everything he threw at her, be it a crowd control effect or a direct attack.

  "Damn you! That skill again?! How do you do it?!"

  "A little present from Dad! Launch as many attacks as you want, I'll devour them all – one by one!"

  "Damn you! I'll-"

  Gerud fell silent abruptly when he saw Almodea prepare a counterattack. The girl channeled a red beam of energy into her right hand and prepared to launch it at him. He was certain that if the attack reached him, he would be instantly killed. It was one of the few things he'd learned during the fight with the girl: she was incredibly strong, and even a sneeze from her could be dangerous. Gerud had to be quick to defend himself from whatever Almodea was about to throw at him.

  "Refuge Barrier!"

  "Absolute Ray!"

  Despite having erected a defensive barrier like the one on the door, it wasn't enough. Almodea's attack passed right through it as if it weren't even there, smashing through it effortlessly and striking Gerud in the side, tearing off a large chunk of his flesh and causing him to fall to the ground, bleeding in agony.

  “Ahhhh! Fucking hell! It hurts!”

  "Lady Almodea...Did you save me? Why?"

  Scylla couldn't believe her eyes. Why was the girl helping? Weren't they enemies? She couldn't understand anything anymore.

  "Of course I saved you! That idiot Gerud is to blame for everything! In my eyes, you're innocent."

  Almodea declared, smiling warmly at her.

  “Shion, help her stand please.”

  "Right away!"

  Shion quickly helped Scylla up, then went to defend them both.

  "You're in a bad shape, but that's to be expected considering my Shion's strength. You did well to hold your own for so long, though. Let me help you both: Absolute Heal!”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  As if by magic, the two women, who until recently had been tired and covered in small cuts—especially the ogre—now found themselves full of energy and with immaculate skin. It was as if they had never fought.

  "Amazing!"

  Scylla was speechless; such magic was pure imagination to her. Even the best orc mages wouldn't have been capable of healing so effectively. Her stamina had been completely restored, and she felt even stronger than usual, as if her muscles and bones had been strengthened by that same healing magic.

  "Yes! Lady Almodea is the best!"

  Shion put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly, as if she had done it all.

  "Doom Orc! Save me! What are you waiting for?!"

  Wounded and aware of being outclassed in terms of strength, Gerud moved toward the colossus, which had remained stationary despite having been free for some time. It looked like a soulless mannequin. It was ironic that Gerud wanted to tame it until this moment when he desperately needed it.

  "My stomach is empty..."

  The mutilated orc simply replied.

  "I don't care! Save me!"

  Gerud, now going mad, shouted at him with rage. He began pointing at Almodea and the other two women as if they were monsters of the worst kind—not that he was entirely wrong about the first one.

  “Eat them all! Kill them and become an Archdemon!”

  The giant orc took a step forward, shaking the ground. He grabbed the bloody cleaver on the table beside him. He had chosen that weapon because he remembered all the times Gerud had used it to sever chunks of flesh or entire limbs for his experiments. The blood on the blade of the tool, now stale, was his, after all.

  "You finally decided to take action! Ahahahaha! Yes! YES!"

  Gerud burst into a loud laugh, turning his back on the giant orc and watching the three girls. His laughter intensified at the thought of seeing Almodea being mauled by his creation. This was the lesson she deserved for defying and humiliating him so brutally.

  Yes! Yes! I finally won! I won! I won! I will use Almodea as the source of my experiments! With her power, I could become even more powerful than Laplace and gain His favor!

  All the fear she'd felt up until that moment was turning into pride, which ended up fueling Gerd's uncontrollable arrogance like coal in a red-hot furnace. He could hardly contain his joy at seeing that stupid little girl crushed by his finest creation.

  "Finally! Go on the attack, Gherdmiude! You'll all regret going against the Great Ger-"

  With one sharp blow, the orc decapitated Gerud clean, sending the demon's head tumbling to his feet along with a piece of the left shoulder.

  What...happened? This can't be the end for me. I am the Great Gerud! The Great Gerud! The...Great...Great...

  Gerud's thoughts began to die along with his mind. He moved his lips beneath his mask, but no sound came out. Even then, his arrogance seemed unrelenting—unable to vent with words, he wasted his last thoughts doing so.

  -He was a dead man who hadn't yet realized he was one.

  Gerud...I am the Great Gerud. The faithful servant of...Lord...Great...

  In the very last seconds of his futile existence, he began to think of his master. The one who had summoned him, who had given him a name and empowered him, who had punished him for his constant failures by taking away his ability to breathe without his masks as a way to keep him under control.

  Great...Archfiend Fakeman Four! Save me, please! S-Save me...

  With that last, desperate and soundless cry – which only he could hear echoing in his head – Gerud died.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “My King?”

  Scylla couldn't believe the sight. Had her ruler just taken a life? Gerud hadn't proven worthy of their respect, but he wasn't a mad magical beast. The real Gherdmiude would wound him and put him on trial, sentencing him to death only after all the orcs had voted.

  “This is not like him.”

  "Wow! Did he kill Gerud? I admit I hadn’t seen that coming!"

  Even Almodea was slightly surprised by the outcome of events. She hadn't expected a puppet to eliminate his own puppeteer. However, she didn't really care—the only real misfortune was that the information had died with that idiot of Gerud.

  Maybe we can get something out of his head...

  "Hunger..."

  Gherdmiude muttered, stepping forward as quickly as a mindless zombie.

  “…Endless hunger!”

  The colossus grabbed Gerud's mutilated corpse and began devouring it, gorging itself with such fury that it seemed it hadn't eaten in at least ten years. Due to the Ruthless Devourer skill, Gherdmiude's body began to seethe with energy. The deceased Gerud's aura of power combined with the colossus' already monstrously elevated aura, causing it to grow exponentially.

  Or maybe not, and… wow, what energy! He's definitely over level 60. I'd venture to say he's close to 70.

  Even Almodea seemed surprised by that devastating power. She hadn't expected something so high-level from that world.

  "Lady Almodea, what's happening?"

  "What's happening to His Majesty?"

  Shion and Scylla approached the demoness, shocked by the obscene spectacle they were witnessing.

  "It's the skill that dominates him! Gherdmiude is evolving. Stay back!"

  After consuming Gerud's corpse, the colossus was engulfed in a vortex of dark energy, making it grow even larger and more menacing. Its white eyes turned blood-red, and horns sprouted from its shoulders and head—as if to resemble a crown—followed by sharp claws in place of fingers. Its barbed spine protruded from its flesh, hunching it slightly.

  "My King..."

  "No, Scylla! That is no longer your King."

  Once the transformation was complete, the colossus released its aura into the room, unleashing a terrifying explosion of power and sending up a powerful, sourceless wind. A roar followed the metamorphosis, further increasing the explosive power of Gherdmiude's aura, causing several pieces of the ceiling—already weakened by previous clashes—to collapse.

  "I am the Doom Orc! The Archdemon Gherdmiude! He who devours all that comes his way! I will devour the entire world!"

  A Doom Troll wasn't enough, now there's a powered-up Doom Orc too?! Things just got unnecessarily more difficult...

  The three girls formed a triangle. Shion and Scylla led the way, while Almodea brought up the rear. The colossus's mighty screams shook the room, shaking the entire slaughterhouse. To call it a place ready to collapse at any moment would be a compliment.

  "What shall we do, Lady Almodea?"

  "I don't know, Shion. I have to think of something."

  "Let me help you!"

  Scylla proposed, clenching her fists. Though unarmed, she was ready to fight alongside them to stop the monster that had become her king.

  "Are you sure? I can't assure you that your life will be preserved."

  Almodea declared coldly.

  “I have orders to save the Orc King, but if I can’t find a way to cure him, I have no choice but to kill him.”

  "I understand. However, I'm tired of being deceived! It's my fault that His Majesty is in this state, and I want to make amends! Let me fight alongside you at least this once, and then I'll leave my fate in your hands. Please, Lady Almodea!"

  "Okay, okay! To be honest, I like your style!"

  What could she do? Beautiful women were her weakness. Almodea smiled at Scylla and conjured a mace made of a strange black material from nothing.

  "Use this one, for now."

  "Thank you! I won't disappoint you, Lady Almodea!"

  The ogre bowed formally and accepted the weapon with ceremonial grace. She immediately rose and took her place beside the Oni, ready to fight to the death if necessary. Her shining eyes showed desperation and guilt, but Scylla pushed them aside and prepared to do what she did best: fight.

  “And…sorry about earlier. I should have listened to your Oni guard."

  "No problem!"

  Shion spoke up enthusiastically.

  "Now that you understand the grandeur of Lady Almodea, you are absolved of all guilt!"

  "Um...Okay? Thanks, I suppose. It will be an honor to fight alongside you, Shion!"

  Scylla declared, trying to hide the confusion she felt. The fact that the woman she'd been fighting blindly with just seconds before was now smiling at her as if they were best friends was strange. The same was true for Almodea. She was extremely friendly compared to how she'd been with Gerud; she seemed like a different person.

  "You have no hope against me!"

  The Doom Orc roared, gripping the cleaver encrusted with his own blood and preparing to attack.

  “I am the Archdemon Gherdmiude! I am unstoppable! I will devour you all!”

  "You're supposed to be unstoppable? Don't brag too much!"

  With unparalleled fury, Shion drew her sword and lunged at the colossus, who promptly parried it with his bloody cleaver, knocking the Oni away.

  He's as strong as Shion, if not stronger. I have to find a way to cure him...

  "My King, forgive me if you can!"

  To everyone's surprise, Scylla lunged at her lord without hesitation, striking him in the face with her mace, followed by a strike to his leg that forced him to his knees. She hadn't inflicted any real damage, but she had managed to destabilize him nonetheless.

  "You little one...! Rahhhhhhhh!"

  The colossus's screams echoed through the room. He raised his fist to crush Scylla, but Shion came to her rescue, decapitating Gherdmiude with a single swing. Despite the vast difference in level, the sword wielded by the Oni was powerful enough to slice through the Doom Orc's flesh with ease.

  "It's over! Have you seen me, Lady Almodea? I've been badass enough? What do you say?"

  The Oni cheered, offering Scylla a hand to help her up.

  "You were badass! But is not over yet, unfortunately..."

  Shion's happiness was shattered when she saw what Almodea was pointing out: the colossus was still moving. Gherdmiude's body took a few steps toward his severed head and picked it up, reattaching it with disarming ease.

  "How?!"

  "Doom Orcs are part demon! He'll has increased regeneration as a base skill."

  "What do we do then, Lady Almodea?"

  "I...I don't know! I have no idea how to deal with this monster without destroying everything or killing it!"

  Almodea began punching herself in the head, as if to stimulate her brain. Normally, a Doom Orc wouldn't be too difficult for her to defeat, but she didn't want to hurt Shion and Scylla in the process.

  Why does it have to be so hard to defeat a monster without killing it?! God, I hate these missions where I'm limited!

  "Think calmly, mistress! We'll buy you time!"

  Shion shouted, launching herself at the colossus, followed closely by Scylla. They began to strike in turn, giving it no time to respond or counter. After each attack, they had to retreat to avoid being counterattacked.

  "Die, you bastard!!!"

  Shion attempted a thrust, but the blade of her sword was blocked by the colossus's hand. Despite all the blows he had taken, the Doom Orc seemed unharmed. He was adapting to the weapon's power thanks to the skill that controlled him like a puppet, but he could not become completely immune.

  "Pathetic..."

  Gherdmiude muttered, throwing the Oni against a wall.

  “Let me show you what real true power is, you stupid woman! Death March!”

  A red light began to emerge from the colossus's mouth. It looked similar to the attack Gerud had used previously, but with a much stronger aura. As before, anyone targeted by Death March was unable to move, so Shion couldn't dodge the blow, much less raise her sword to parry the attack.

  "Shion! Don't you dare to touch her, you bastard!"

  In a fit of fury, Almodea forgot her reasoning and lunged at the colossus, halting its attack and hurling it against the wall of the room with a punch to the chin. Despite the enormous difference in size, the girl's strength had proven sufficient to move a monster that likely weighed hundreds of kilos.

  I'm...getting pissed! Attacking me is one thing, but my Shion is off limits!

  The demoness's aura of terror materialized, but this time the power was so great that Almodea's physical form seemed unable to withstand all that infinite energy. Her hair transformed into pure crimson flames, while the dragon claws she had in place of the hands grew in size.

  "Take it out on someone your own level! I'll kick your ass every day of the week!"

  Almodea charged at him with wings outstretched, punching him in the stomach before raining down a barrage of furious punches. Despite her diminutive size compared to his opponent, Almodea's physical strength was second to few. After each blow, the ground shook, so much so that the wall seemed about to crumble under the force of her rage-filled fists.

  “Damn. I thought she was an enchantress, but look at the punches she throws.”

  Scylla couldn't help but watch as Almodea literally lifted the Doom Orc over her head and threw him across the room like a sack of potatoes. How something so small and beautiful could lift a creature that would make an elephant look like a microbe was completely beyond her.

  “Yeah! I told you Lady Almodea is the best!”

  “Well...Now I can't say you didn’t tell me, Shion.”

  The two exchanged a knowing look. They wanted to join the fight, but neither of them took a single step. They were sure they would only be a ball and chain to the demoness, who was literally using a gigantic monster as a punching bag.

  "You're just a monster who barely reaches level 70! How do you think you can beat me, who possesses infinite power?!"

  With a final, furious cry, Almodea delivered a powerful uppercut straight to the colossus's nose. Blood spurted from both nostrils, while the wall behind them cracked, sending Gherdmiude tumbling from the mountaintop.

  The colossus tumbled down with agonizing screams and the sound of breaking bones. At the end of its fall, the Doom Orc sprawled on the ground like a tortilla. Naturally, the fall of something that size caused a powerful earthquake that shook the entire area. Finally, Gherdmiude found himself confused and injured inside a massive crater.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “W-What the hell is that?”

  “I don't know! It fell from the sky!”

  “Everyone back! It's still moving!”

  As fate would have it, the Doom Orc had fallen a short distance from Shen's team, who had emerged from the trolls' base a few minutes earlier. Gherd moved forward to defend the others, while trying to figure out what the demonic creature was.

  Why does this look familiar to me?

  Shen positioned himself beside him, but instead of looking at the center of the crater, he looked up at the sky, as if to understand where that revolting monster had come from. The Orc Prince could see the Oni's expression change as three figures slowly landed beside them. All three were women, but only one had wings. They had likely used magic to counteract the effects of the fall.

  “Lady Almodea? Shion? Is that really you?”

  "This would be the famous Lady Almodea?"

  Gherd couldn't help but ask that question. He looked at the girl Shen had referred to with the honorific and inspected her from head to toe. Her hair was made of flame and she had a draconic appearance. Honestly, he found it hard to believe that such a being was the leader of the soldiers sent against them.

  "That's right, I'm Almodea. You are?"

  Realizing he'd acted rudely, the orc stood up straight and bowed briefly. If the girl was the leader of the faction they'd submitted to, he had to do everything he could to appear cooperative, hoping the blame for his race would be placed squarely on him.

  "S-Sorry for my rudeness!"

  He began by kneeling down and bowing his head, trying to appear as humble as possible.

  “I am the Prince of the Orcs, my name is Gherd. You may address me as you wish, mighty Lady Almodea.”

  "Oh, so you're the famous Gherd! The one who helped Tokka. Nice to meet you!"

  Almodea smiled at him, her usual happy and affable self returning. Her hair dimmed, returning to normal. Her ability to suddenly change moods always amazed Shion, and now it was having an effect on Gherd himself, who didn't know how to respond beyond a simple nod. He hadn't expected such courtesy from someone who was supposed to see them as enemies.

  "I see the lizardmen are here too! Good, good – that means your mission was successful! I guess Hirashi's still inside kicking ass...what a badass she is!"

  As Almodea gave an informal greeting to Lizard Magnus and his escort, someone approached Gherd and immediately bowed before him.

  "Lord Gherd!"

  "Scylla? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be guarding the King?"

  Tears began to roll down the ogre's cheeks at the sovereign's nomination. How could she tell the prince without bursting into tears? She couldn't. Gherd himself immediately began to assume the worst. He had known Scylla for over ten years and knew she wasn't the most emotional of people.

  Father...

  "The King...is....Forgive me, Lord Gherd!"

  Scylla began to mutter something, but couldn't finish the sentence due to the pain. She apologized to the prince several times, without him understanding why. She only stopped speaking when Almodea approached them and placed a gentle hand on the ogre's shoulder, trying to stop her crying. Having succeeded, she looked at Gherd with a resigned look.

  “Well, about that- “

  A roar interrupted her. From the crater behind them, a colossal, mangled arm emerged. The Doom Orc forced itself out, revealing its full titanic presence. It was more than twice the height of a normal orc and would have eaten even a mountain troll's head off. It was strange to think that Almodea had been able to lift it above her head as if it weighed nothing just moments before.

  That look? No, it can't be!

  Though the figure was virtually unrecognizable, Gherd had been able to see past the Doom Orc's bloodshot eyes. That monster, seemingly sprung from the worst of hells, was none other than his father Gherdmiude, the Orc King.

  "Father..."

  “He's not your father anymore, at least in the mind.”

  Almodea declared, watching the monster emerge from the crater.

  “He was forcibly given the Ruthless Devourer skill. He became a slave to his own ability.”

  Gherd falls to his knees at the sight, along with the rest of the orcs present. Seeing their King in that state shattered their hearts, reducing their hope to an all-time low. Gherdmiude had always been their beacon in the darkness, and now he was reduced to a ghost of his former self—slaved by the very thing that had most plagued his people since the dawn of time: hunger.

  Is there hope for us? Or are we doomed to live in despair?