After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

The trio had been punished and grounded of course. And it was still one of the most annoying punishments among dwarven children!

They were made to recite and carve some basic patterns on stone. Repeated patterns, over and over, even past the sore palms.

SO BORING

Should they just not have come back? They wanted to see more of those bikes again, and see that magic handheld screen! Also, that catchy music!

They should’ve gone to that Alterra, instead! Ptooey!

(They still wouldn’t have gone in the end, of course, simply because they knew the panic and chaos if they left for too long, especially past the scope of the earthen eye.

(They had thought to at least stay within its scope so that the adults wouldn’t worry too much. They were mature dwarves, okay?)

And then, while they were being punished, the Cold Wave happened.

However, the dwarves had plenty of tools that had been used for war but were refurbished to be every day tools, like the boiler, so it wasn’t too hard for them.

Sadly, their punishments still continued despite it being cold, and that was what they did for nearly the entire time!

So when the snow thawed, they were all itching to explore.

It was also their first time outside after that, and the curious three couldn’t help but see the visitors. It so happened that the dwarves were few and very busy (and usually at home, tinkering), so they didn’t catch them. They probably thought the three wouldn’t dare make trouble after the last time.

Sadly, they had overestimated the self-discipline of the three teenage dwarves.

The orc’s accommodation was right outside the valley, accessible only through various underground tunnels with a lot of dead ends and traps. They were in the same mountain, but on the outer sides of it.

This area was traditionally for guests, though it had been decades since the dwarves had last welcomed their last guests.

One was for their own protection, and another was that everything in the dwarf village was designed for dwarves. Other species wouldn’t have felt comfortable. The outsider village was designed for the big humans. While the tigress was a bit tight, the other orcs seemed fine.

Speaking of the orcs and half-orcs, even if two half-orcs were technically the same species, their appearance varied so much one could mistake them for different species.

Their features were so different that the three teenage dwarves were fascinated.

There were a few half-orcs there, mostly female. One tiger, one snake, and one flying orc...with a few children.

They were really tiny babies, twins apparently, one furry and one feathery.

Anyway, they would often go here whenever they knew the other dwarves would be at the peak of their experiments. This was the hours between meals, by the way, and the adults would usually be ’in the zone’ and couldn’t be bothered.

The teens were very curious about new critters and asked many questions.

In fact, they also wanted to ask the humans so many questions back then, but their impression of humans in general was the worst. Not to mention, they tied them up! They even knew how to tie up their small arms well! Jerks!

”Where are you heading after this? You said you’re heading East.”

”Hm, we’re heading East to territories welcoming half-orcs.”

The placement of half-orcs had always been awkward if not outright dangerous.

To most places, they were just inferior brutes meant to be fighting slaves. In most territories East, because of the constant fights with orcs, some would actively hunt them down.

On the flip side, some territories there would welcome them. They were far and few in between, but there were a few, specifically territories where those with some orc-blood managed to get ahold of the Lord Token, one way or another.

”I see, I see.”

”Curious.”

”Hey, the outside world is scary.”

”Yeah, scary.”

Any young dwarf would think the same. At the same time, there was a thought behind the three of their minds. Time and again, they would remember those weird humans they met before, as well as their curious contraptions.

Sadly, the ’bike’ they lent them was destroyed when running away from beast mobs. It did save their lives at some point, so they longed for it more.

”Aren’t you afraid of us?” The tiger asked, crossing her arms.

The three flinched and hid behind the bird orc. She was pretty and gentle, and the only one who didn’t seem like she could eat them.

The bird chuckled, explaining.

”The other dwarves, even the old ones, seem to be very wary of us.” Of course, this was understandable. That was normal. These three’s attitudes were the abnormal ones.

”Well, as long as you don’t eat us.”

”Yes, yes. Are you going to eat us?”

”No....”

”Then that settles it!”

”...”

”Are you going to travel a lot? Can you tell us more about other territories?”

”Us Orcs don’t really get to explore much,” the avian, Nana, explained. ”I’m sure you understand, which is why you ask us this question.

”It is why we want to go to those territories that welcome us, so we can be free orcs,” she said. ”Not that we have seen how they look like.”

Most half-orcs in this area were slaves. If not, then they lived in an oppressive environment, like how Nana grew up.

”What does free orcs look like?”

”Free Orcs can move around on their own without being discriminated against,” Nana said, voice gentle. ”They can even interact with humans and others freely.”

Unexpectedly, the dwarves seemed to remember something.

”Oh, we have seen one!”

”Oh yes!”

”I remember!”

The trio nodded in sync, remembering something called a video showed to them while they were tied up (jerks).

They were showing some half-orcs and goblins, roaming around and interacting with humans. It was to show them that many races lived in their Town, though they were purposely being vague about a lot of things, whetting their curiosity.

There, they saw a particularly big and scary, but cool, half-orc. They remembered it because it defeated a monster with his bare hands, but then the next video was him carrying several goblin children hanging on his back.

They wanted to ride his shoulders, too.

Envy!