Chapter 12- Orc’s Hand

It was about seven o'clock when Morpheus made his way to The Komodo. He went round a corner and put his black clothes on, he then changed his class to scribe and his face to a meek looking man. The Komodo looked a little rundown, there weren’t a lot of people inside which made Morpheus question why.

Nevertheless he opened the creaking door and sat at a stool at the bar. He got a few looks but none were angry.

“An ale please.” The young chimera said to the barman.

“You ain’t from around here are you?” The barman said.

“No, just moved here from Southcross, got a job from a merchant sorting out his money.” Morpheus said.

“Bet that’s good money, not good enough to be living round here though.”

“It pays for my ale, that's all that matters.” He said, taking a big swig. It wasn’t as nice as the ale at the Dashing Horse Inn but wasn’t the worst.

“Since you’re new around here, just a warning to be careful.” “You seem like a decent lad just keep your eyes down.”

Morpheus nodded and it seemed like the barman was satisfied. Morpheus could tell he wasn’t the owner but he didn’t know if the owner was a part of the gang. A man from the back walked in and spoke a few words to the barman.

A few seconds later a large group walked into the bar, among them he spotted Rose with her arm locked around a rough looking man. She of course didn’t notice him as he had a different face.

“Is the back open, Tim” the rough man said.

The barman Tim just nodded and the group walked into the back.

The other man which now seemed like the owner whispered to Tim.

“Fuck, we can’t keep letting them do this.”

“Not much we can do, they are called the Orc’s Hand for a reason.”

“I know I just feel bad for the lasses.”

Morpheus paid his tab and walked out into the empty street, barely lit from a few magic lights. He changed from his normal clothes to his leather armour. Lighting a cigarette, the young chimera walked around the side of the tavern to find a window he could see into. With his cloak he disappeared into the shadows as he moved along the wall. He could hear a few laughs and drunken slurs coming from a room further up.

There was no room for him on the street to look in without being spotted, so he used a taste of talaria to scale the house next to him gracefully. He landed on a wooden balcony with a slight creak.

The young chimera could now see in the room he heard the chatter from. A group of six men were playing a game like poker. In the back were the group that had walked in with Rose. The men had around three other girls around them including Rose.

About ten minutes later they all went up a set of stairs and left other group to carry on playing poker. The rough looking man had given a stern look to one of the men playing poker who quickly lowered his eyes as he walked up

The stairs seemed to go up into a different part of the tavern far away from the group that were playing poker.

Morpheus leapt controlling the space around his feet as he landed on the top of the tavern. He tried to extend the arcane pulse to go through the roof but he had no luck. He needed something slightly permeable for the arcane magic to travel through.

Morpheus was careful as he was walking across the rooftop when he heard a scream to his right. He hurriedly leapt to a balcony to where the scream came from and landed with a thump.

“What was that?” A man asked.

“Who gives a fuck.” Another said.

Luckily they hadn’t noticed him, even due to his inexperience. The wooden doors that led out onto the balcony had a small crack in them to which he could see inside.

To his horror, one of the ladies was half naked and being raped by the rough looking man and the others. Rose was gagged and was huddled in a corner with the other girl, with tears coming out of their eyes.

(Brute, Level 79)

(Warrior, Level 63)

(Scout, Level 54)

(Brute, Level 61)

He was enraged, how could people do this. Rape to him was worse than murder, it could scar a person for life.

Morpheus became nervous, but he was focused and his heart was beating like an engine. He pulled his bow and dagger out of his bag. Putting an arrow in the nock he pulled the string back. Through the slight crack in the door he put the tip of the arrow through and aimed it at the rough looking man's head.

He let the arrow fly and it struck into the man's eye, he fell back screaming and then went silent. Morpheus kicked open the door and lunged at the other brute forcing his knife into his throat. The man dropped, blood spraying out of his neck covering Morpheus and the other men. He yanked his knife back and slit it across the scouts neck causing more blood to spray everywhere.

The last man, the warrior, ran for the door naked.

Morpheus grabbed his shirt and cut his dick off clean and then plunged the knife into his heart. Then the room fell silent and the girls just stared at him. He put a finger to his mouth and they all stopped weeping. He waited a few more moments to see if the others were going to come up. Thankfully he heard no commotion or footsteps.

He walked over to Rose and the other and cut their gags.

“Dress her.” Morpheus said, pointing to the half naked girl.

The girls followed suit and got the poor girl dressed.

“These men have paid for their sins.” Morpheus calmly spoke.

He pulled the bone dagger and gave it to one of the girls. She knew what he wanted her to do. So the lady walked up to one of the corpses and cut off its dick. Rose and the other did so too.

Rose then handed him the dagger back.

He then put his finger into the warriors neck trying to not throw up, and wrote on the wall with their blood.

‘These men have paid for their sins, follow in their steps and your fate will meet theirs.’

The girls looked horrified but didn’t speak.

The young chimera then dragged the rough looking man over to the door and threw him down the stairs. Alerting the other men.

He told Rose to climb on his back, which she did and the other two held on from his shoulders. He then kicked the fence around the balcony and floated down using a Taste of Talaria.

Morpheus walked the other two girls home in silence and lastly Rose. Before she walked in the side door of the Dashing Horse Inn she turned and hugged Morpheus tightly. She whispered “thank you” into his chest and then went inside.

By this time it was around nine o’clock and he was still around the back of the Dashing Horse Inn. He dried most of the blood off from his face and neck and changed his armour to the comfortable black clothes. Morphing back into Brad Pitt he lit a cigarette and stared into the night sky littered with stars.

Morpheus had killed a man. Being in this world he knew he would eventually kill someone, but it still had gotten to him. The men deserved it thougu, raping anyone should be punishable by death.

And so he brushed his emotions to the side, praying to any god of law to comfort his emotions but none responded.

Another twenty minutes had passed when he walked back into the Dashing Horse Inn to find the lady at the counter comforting Rose.

The lady stood up meeting his eyes.

“Do you by any chance have some food left over from the dinner, I’m starving.”

“Yes of course I’ll bring it to your room in a moment.” She replied.

The young chimera entered his room just talking off his shirt and laying on the bed. He had a few marks of blood still on him but blood didn’t bother him anymore. He then brought up his notifications from the night.

Amazing! You have slain (Brute, Level 79)

…

You have levelled up Flow of the Valkyrie Level (3)

You have levelled up Taste of Talaria Level (5)

‘Congratulations’ you have levelled up Level (55) (1 stat point available)

‘Congratulations’ you have levelled up Level (56) (2 stat points available)

“The last thing I want to do is level up by killing people.” The young chimera said to himself but still applied his points to agility.

The lady knocked on the door and then instantly let herself off. Morpheus was about to get angry because he had his shirt off with his marks exposed but suddenly the lady burst into tears.

“Thank you so much for saving my daughter.”

Morpheus was shocked but then he figured it was slightly obvious to her what he had done.

“It’s fine.”

She then saw the marks on his wrist. “It was you, you’re the one who received the mark?” She stammered.

“Yes, you know now so I’m asking you to keep this to yourself.”

“I...I thought you were a chimera?” She said with tears.

“I am.” Morpheus said changing his face into his old self.

The woman gasped “So it was you.” She began to cry more and Morpheus got up and hugged her.

“Would you mind keeping this a secret, if this got out then it would cause me a lot of trouble.” He said.

“Ye...yes of course…. I swear by all the gods.” She stuttered.

“That’s good, do you bring the food, I am actually starving.” He said in a chirpy mood.

“Yes of course it’s here.” She handed Morpheus a plate which was wrapped in some sort of paper.

She carried on “Thank you for saving my daughter, those bastards deserved it.”

“I’ve got the feeling that was not the first time they had done that. I only wish I could have made their deaths longer.”

“No, you shouldn’t torture, that is to go against Freyja.”

“I understand, would you mind washing my armour for me?”

“Yes of course, I have to repay you somehow.”

“Don’t worry about repayment, it was the right thing to do.” He said handing her his leather armour.

“Thank you yet again, I don’t know what I could have done with myself if something like that happened to Rose, she’s my whole life.” The lady cried out.

“I’m just glad I was there at the right time.”

“And so you were.”

The lady left and Morpheus felt like a vigilante. He could really feel the thrill that Batman could. Except Batman did not mutilate or kill people and he was fictional. Morpheus brushed it aside again and dug into some cold chicken and bread that the lady had given him.

Soon after he fell asleep ready for the next day, hopefully which doesn’t involve any murder except for some monsters.

Morpheus awoke at seven feeling refreshed. He put on his clothes and went down to the front room where the kind lady gave him his washed clothes. Rose was serving breakfast to the guests with a fake smile. He was glad he did what he did, if not her fate could have been by a lot worse.

Morpheus finished up some bacon and eggs and made his way to the blacksmith to grab his new weapon.

Morpheus strolled in to see Jack at the counter sorting out some paper work.

“Ah you’re here. Drakon thinks its a good one.”

He followed Jack into the Blacksmith, the sound of hammers hitting steel filled his ears. He never understood how people could deal with this, but he was not the one to judge.

“Ah boy, this ones a good’n.” The hench dwarf said handing him his new axe.

‘Black Steel Force’ This is a double edged battle axe crafted by Drakon. Quality-Very Good. Cost Estimation~53 Silver. State-New

“This is stunning, are you sure you don’t want any more money?” Morpheus asked.

“It’s fine boy, I don’t get to work with black steel, far too heavy for any normal person.”

“It feels perfect, you were right about the swing giving slightly more force.” Morpheus said while swing it side to side.

“Ye really are strange y’know.”

“Yeah I’ve been told that, would you mind appraising something for me.” Morpheus said, bringing out the bone dagger.

“I asked an professional appraiser but he lied to me about the price. He said it was a ritual dagger for the orcs.”

Drakon took the dagger and examined every part of it. He ran his finger down the sharp side and up the back.

“Very powerful dagger, if ye were to cut an orc with this it would give them a permanent stat increase. You can charge it up to.” “Ye could sell this for a small fortune given the right buyer. Sell it to the empire and ye could become a general.”

“Father don’t joke.” Jack said.

“I ain’t, they like to use monsters for battles. Orcs are the perfect warriors, big n’fucking strong.”

“So I could sell it to the highest bidder or create myself an orc army.”

“Exactly my boy.” Drakon said.

“Well thanks for the appraisal.” Morpheus said placing twenty silvers on the desk

Morpheus left with a firm handshake from both of them and his new axe. The axe had black leather wrapped almost to the top which was sharpened into a spike. The edges, both circular with one slightly larger than the other. Morpheus felt comfortable to take on a quest at the guild.

He walked in to the usual smell of stale ale and body odour which he grew to like. He walked over to the board of quests, where he saw lots of gathering quests which were for lower levels. One which caught his eye was to kill a potential wreckon alpha, where he first arrived. It was stated for red adventurers only but he was wondering if he could ask Ellana.

He grabbed the paper and placed it on the counter.

“Hi Ellana, would I be able to take this request.”

“It’s a red you know, a group three level nineties we’re thinking of going for it. I will ask Lance quickly.” She pressed her hand over a green crystal which lit up, then it lit up twice again.

“There over there in a corner, I’m sure Lance will accept.”

Morpheus looked to the corner where two men and a lady sat. Walking casually over he introduced himself.

“Hi, my names Nvos. I heard you were looking to go for the wreckon alpha request?”

“And?” The lady with bright red hair said.

“I’d like to join.”

“Ha, you need to be level seventy five, even then we’d prefer you’d be over ninety.”

Lance's door opened and he walked out, the wooden stairs barely able to support the giant beast-man. He walked straight over to the group and shook Morpheus’s hand.

The rest of the group stood up scared shitless.

“This boy is Brevair’s prodigy, an orphan. He’s very capable of taking care of himself.” Lance said with a hand on the young chimeras shoulder.

“I’m sorry guild master, but it will be dangerous and we have no intention of angering Brevair if he dies.”

“The man would be more angry if you don’t.”

The lady sighed but accepted it eventually.

Name: Morpheus Nvos (14 Years Old) Level (56)

Titles: Friend of Loki, Challenger IV, Born to Kill Giants, Saviour, Follower of Thermetruük.

Marks: Hercules, Isis, Thermetruük.

Origin: Unknown

Race: Chimera (Elf/Human/Troll)

Primary Class: Path to Valhalla

Secondary Classes: Heart of Sparta, None

Sub Classes: None, None, None

General and Class Skills:

Flow of The Valkyrie Level (3)

Taste of Talaria Level (5)

Arcane Pulse Level (3)

Arcane Hardening Level (1)

Arcane Step Level (14)

Arcane Strike Level (14)

Spartan’s Essence Level (14)

Battle-Axe Arts Level (15)

Arcane Rebirth Level (17)

Resistances:

Pain Resistance Level (15)

Fear Resistance Level (4)

Status

Health:6879/6860

Stamina:10049/10050

Mana:3500/3500

Stats

Strength: 90

Vitality: 96

Constitution: 60

Endurance: 73

Agility: 52

Dexterity: 60

Wisdom: 40

Intelligence: 70

Charisma: 23

Luck: 18