My horde of orcs was scouring the forest in search of me.
I sighted them above the treetops as Gwyneria cradled me in her arms, soaring in the night sky.
She was in her human form but she could still fly without needing her wings.
"There," I pointed towards the cluster of torches dancing beneath the canopy.
Gwyneria gently descended on the ground before the orcs and set me down. She wrinkled her nose as her eyes scanned the orcs.
"You never told me your men were orcs," she said, planting her hands on her hips. She looked disappointed. "Honestly, I expected... better."
I glanced at her, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I forgot to mention that detail. But these orcs are loyal to me. They left their kin to become my subordinates."
Turning to the orcs, I froze.
They were all cowering back in sheer fear. Sweat beads clung to their foreheads, and their body quivered as they stared at Gwyneria and I.
I raised an eyebrow. That's strange. What could possibly make them this scared?
"Umm...look guys, I'm sorry I left without informing you," I said. "I must've caused you all to be worried."
To my surprise, they dropped to their hands and knees and groveled.
I blinked in confusion. "Guys, what are you afraid of? It's just me. Don't be scared—"
"They're not afraid of you," Gwyneria interrupted me, smirking as she tilted her chin up. "They're afraid of me. As they should. I'm a great dragon. My presence commands fear and respect."
I glanced at Gwyneria and nearly slapped myself. Of course, how could I be so stupid?
Her mana.
Gwyneria's mana is so strong and intimidating. It's no wonder the forest suddenly became eerie silent after we landed.
I had grown so accustomed to her mana back at the dungeon that I hadn't even noticed—but here, in the open wild, her aura was terrifying.
"Gwyneria," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Could you please suppress your mana? You're making the orcs jumpy."
"Jumpy he says," Gwyneria threw her head back and laughed indulgently. "I'm a great dragon, my liege. I don't suppress mana wherever I go. How else would my presence be known?"
I passed my hand over my face. "There's a time and place for everything, Gwyneria. I'd really appreciate it if you suppress your mana for the meantime. We're going to Luminis city. If you waltz around radiating your mana all over the place, you'd frighten the people there and attract unnecessary attention, even from the demon king."
Gwyneria pouted her lips at me. She crossed her arms before she finally relented. "Fine, fine. If you say so, my liege. Your will is my command."
In a split second, Gwyneria snapped her fingers and the overwhelming pressure of her mana vanished like storm clouds.
"That's more like it," I said, turning to face the orcs. "It's ok, guys. She's my familiar. Gwyneria won't hurt you."
My orcs slowly rose to their feet but they were still frightened to meet Gwyneria's gaze.
One of them uttered something to me in the orc language.
I groaned. "I don't speak orc. You guys know that, right?"
Gwyneria tilted her head, flashing me a teasing smile. "Wait... you haven't given them names or ranks yet?"
I looked at her blankly, utterly confused. "No. Was I supposed to?"
"Oh, you adorable poor thing," she cooed, leaning close to me and wagging her finger in my face. "These orcs swore loyalty to you, didn't they? As their master, it's your duty to name them. When you name a magic creature or a monster, it forges a bond. For eternity."
My eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes," she said, folding her arms again. "But there's a downside to it. Naming creatures consumes a great deal of mana. That is why dragons and demons could command an army of monsters."
"In your case, however, it's a different story. You have infinite mana. There are no limits to how many monsters you can name. You could name an entire nation of monsters and still have more to spare."
I returned my gaze back to the orcs. "What else happens to my orcs after I name them?"
"Well," Gwyneria plopped down on a tree stump and crossed her leg over the other. "Depending on how powerful their master is, their strength would increase as well as their intelligence."
"Your orcs would evolve. The process consumes a lot of mana but the result is without a doubt, satisfying. You'll have a warband of ten highly intelligent orcs with strength that rivals two hundred men."
I stroked my chin, lost in thoughts. If what Gwyneria was saying is true, then I'd like to give this a shot.
Throgg was a high orc.
My hypothesis is that Throgg was named by the demon king. It's no wonder why he was the only intelligent orc in the clan and the strongest.
But what would happen if I name these ten orcs?
Gwyneria held my gaze. "Well, my liege. Shall we begin?"
I turned to face the orcs, a determined look in my eyes. "Gather around boys. I'm going to start giving you names."
* * * *
Gwyneria stood tall beside me as I sat on the thick tree stump and waited.
My orcs have assembled in a single file, ready to take up their new names. They were excited. I could see it in their faces.
"First orc, step forward," Gwyneria's voice rang out.
The first orc marched forward, knelt down on a knee and bowed his head. He was the leader in my small warband and the strongest.
I rested my hand gently on his head, my mind racing. For a while, we remained like that. Nothing happened.
This was tough. What the hell do I name him?
I don't know a damn thing about traditional orcs names. I couldn't think of one.
I didn't have the heart to ask Gwyneria for help. I would look weak in her eyes. She was looking at me with so much expectation.
If I require her assistant on a task as simple as naming orcs, she might lose faith in me.
Damn it. This would've been easier if I had the internet or Google.
That leaves me with just one option. Improvise.
I would name these guys based on random stuff I can remember from my former world.
"D-Dwayne," I announced, stuttering a little. "Your name is Dwayne!"
A broad grin spread across his face. He liked it. This guy doesn't know that I named him after a wrestler. Well, I guess it's fine since he likes it.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Gwyneria smiling proudly at me.
The next orc stepped forward.
"GigaChad!" I proclaimed.
He roared and beat his chest in approval. Okay. Now we're going somewhere.
One by one, they all came forward.
The third approached me. "Rust."
The fourth. "Rocky!"
The fifth. "Brick!"
The sixth. "Ikea!"
I swear these were fantasy names... right? I literally ran out of ideas at this point but these ones still work.
The seventh. "Wenome."
The eighth. "Vibranium."
The ninth. "Gronk!"
The tenth. "Jojo!"
By the time I was done naming the last orc, my head was spinning. I just named my entire warband after memes.
Wait, what the hell I'm I doing? These can't be names... or is it?