The laughter came to an abrupt stop. The orcs stared wide-eyed at the sight before them. The familiar great hall had vanished without a trace, replaced by...
"Ancestors! Wh-what is this?!"
"What happened?! Where are we?!"
Some of the orcs staggered to their feet in shock, while others went weak all over and collapsed to the ground. Their eyes bulged as though they might pop from their sockets as they stared in disbelief at the colossal object before them.
It was a sphere—a vast, dazzlingly multicolored sphere beyond description. It had mountains, oceans, forests, polar regions, and the great grasslands that felt so familiar and dear to the orcs.
"This can't be real..."
"Gods! What's that?!"
An even shriller scream rang out. The orcs turned toward it, but before the speaker could explain, they had already caught sight of the anomaly behind them from the corners of their eyes.
One orc after another turned around. In the distant darkness, two enormous fireballs were slowly revolving. They appeared even larger than the immense sphere ahead of them, radiating endless light and heat. Merely watching from so far away gave the orcs the illusion that they were about to be burned to ashes.
"No! This can't be real! It can't be! Damn it, send me back! Send me back now!"
One of the orcs seemed unable to accept the vast world before him. He let out crazed cries, drew the axe from his waist, and began hacking madly in every direction.
"Stop! Salaman, have you gone mad?!"
Another orc, who had nearly been struck by the axe, rolled away in a panic, putting distance between himself and the frenzied orc.
"Salaman! Calm down..."
"Oh no! Ancestors, please save us!"
Just as Viktor, the orc chieftain, was about to order Salaman to calm