Once again Durgen awoke to the sun’s glorious rays, seemingly concentrating directly into his eyes, that was his cue to get up for the day. Lackadaisically rolled himself off his cot, his bandages itching like crazy. When he took two steps forward a different message appeared in his vision.

New Quest: A Propa Check Up!

Description: Dae’mon has instructed you to visit his cabin to take off those bandages and awaits an answer from you. Don’t scratch them!

Meet with Dae’mon: 0/1

Reward: 100 XP

Durgen was taken aback, he never got XP from a quest before. Until now he was only leveling up from killing things out in the forest and the thought of just getting XP from quests seemed almost alien to him. Were the hunters really taking advantage of him? Was the whole village? Durgen chewed on those dire thoughts, was he really surprised? No one really cared about him enough other than a passing glance, but did they really hate him enough to slow his progress? He doubted it, but did he really care? Everyone else certainly didn’t seem so, so why should he? His people were simple minded savages, but was he? Perhaps he should take up the strange shaman’s offer after all, especially if he actually wants to make something of himself. He may be an orc, but he knew he was different and as far as Durgen was concerned he only cared about two people in this world so far: his mom and maybe Dae’mon to some extent. Resisting the urge to scratch at his thighs, he stepped out of his tent, shielding his gaze from the sun and was greeted by the sight of his mother cooking over a stove, humming happily to herself.

“Mornin’ Ma!” He greeted, taking a seat at the table. “You’re in a good mood today.”

“G’mornin, boi!” She said, turning her head slightly. “Not every day me boi goes up and slays a bunch of boars by himself. Have you been tinkin’ about Dae’mon’s offer?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

“A lil’ bit. I got a different quest dis mornin’ tellin’ me to go up and meet ‘em. Even givin’ me some XP.” He explained cheerfully, but his mother furrowed her brow.

“Have… have you not gotten any from ur dailies?” she asked worriedly, bringing him a wooden plate of bacon and eggs in the shape of a boar face which Durgen couldn’t help but smile. She was getting better with her food faces!

“No but I don’t think I care enough to worry about it, with Dae’mon’s help I should be able to catch up, right? I wouldn’t worry too much if I was you, Ma.” He stated, trying to make use of his charisma to reassure her.

“I’m still not happy about it.” She admitted. “But so long as ur happy, I guess. I tell you what though, dem hunters been avoiding me since yesterday.” She said with a mischievous grin.

“Oh?” Durgen questioned with his mouth full which made her giggle.

“Words travel fast here, boi.” She said sagely. “And word is Dae’mon was not happy to find dat the hunters were hoarding extra foods for demselves.” They both had a good laugh. Glad that Durgen didn’t have to worry about hunting boar for a while. They sat and talked enjoying each other’s company and catching up on the latest gossip, Durgen really putting his charisma to work when before they knew an hour passed by. After being shooed off by his mother, Durgen started heading southward when he got a new notification.

You’ve spent a full uninterrupted hour in conversation with a loved one. How Sweet!

Charisma +1!

Buff gained: Good Morning!

Description: Your smile is contagious! Show them all what it means to be a morning person! 20% increase chance to make those around you smile!

Duration: 59 minutes 55 seconds

He laughed at the silly prompt, feeling pretty good about himself, he walked with purpose towards Dae’mon’s plateau, getting the occasional confused glare as he waved at all who caught his gaze with a wide toothy smile. He even made a couple of girls around his age giggle and blush, it was probably more because of his buff but he didn’t mind so long as it brighten their day bit, even just a little. A group of hunters that had walked past, sent dirty looks his way, some spat at his direction but Durgen paid them no mind. They were no longer his problem, at least not for now.

He finally reached the plateau and climbed his way up the path incline that wrapped around all the way to the top. The first thing he noticed was Dae’mon’s cabin, a decent sized backyard and not too far from it was the graveyard that he awoke in. Memories of that day flashed in his mind and he pondered on it, realizing that it wasn’t as traumatic as he thought. As if getting speared in the chest and having his head split in two was just a thing of the past, just totally behind him as things that happened. Akin to getting a splinter in your thumb or stubbing your toe. Durgen wasn’t sure how to feel about this and made a point to ask Dae’mon about it when he got the chance. Wanting to get his mind back on track, he stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door.

“Oi! o’ iz it!?” Dae’mon shouted with a tone of anger and urgency in his gruff voice. It sounded like he was somewhere in the back of the cabin.

“Ur, it’s me, Durgen. Ya wanted to see me?” Durgen replied, unsure if he was missing something.

“Ah good! Come on in I could use a hand!” Dae’mon called.

Durgen let himself in, looking around the room he saw everything was normal. The walls were lined with shelves of books and various items like fruit and jars of things Durgen couldn’t identify. The fireplace to his right was accompanied by a pair of rocking chairs with an end table in between them with a small stack of books next to a long smoking pipe. On his left he could see the small dining table with, again, only two chairs. How often does he get a visitor? He thought to himself.

“Oi! I’z back ‘ere!” Came Dae’mon’s voice from the back of the room where Durgen spotted a dull green curtain that he could’ve sworn wasn’t there before. Walking over and pushing the curtain to the side, he almost lost his breakfast at the sight before him. Dae’mon was standing over a large pale orc raider on an operating table. His hands were bloodied as he was pulling out small shards of metal from a large gaping wound on the poor lads’ chest cavity with some of his organs poking out and pushed to the side. The raider’s arm looked like it had been completely blown off and Durgen could see a taut rope around the upper arm that had remained intact to help keep him from bleeding out too fast, but he could still see it dripping into the pool down below.

“Quite ‘ur belly ackin’ I’z ‘bout done with da ‘ard part. Ya see dat red potion dare? When I tell ya, youz gonna pour some into 'em. Got it?”

Quest received: Operate! OPERATE!

Assist Dae’mon in his operation: 0/1

Rewards: New skill: First Aid: Novice 1

100 XP

Well he didn’t want to turn down good XP. Managing his stomach, he grabbed the red bottle that Dae’mon gestured at and stood at the opposite side of the table being mindful of the still bleeding arm. After pulling out the last of the shrapnel, Dae’mon wrestled some of the slippery organs back in place and instructed Durgen to pour on top of them. Several times Durgen had to keep himself from gagging as he watched the damaged intestines repair themselves. He lost track of time as he began a meditated state of repetition. Rearrange, pour. Rearrange, pour. Rearrange, pour. When the raider’s stomach finally closed, Dae’mon let out a heavy sigh of relief as the patient started to breathe regularly. Now the only thing that was damaged was the right arm. “Is there something you can do ‘ere?” Durgen asked. Gesturing to the still bleeding arm. Dae’mon scoffed.

“If he ain’t the bastard son of da big boss himself I’d say ‘no’ but that aint the case ‘ere.” He said to Durgen’s surprise. “Durgen, meet Urlog, da stupid git dat blew himself up wit’ a gob grenade. Dis sorry grot trew da pin instead of the grenade and got everyone else around ‘em killed!” Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he turned and silently walked to the back of the room towards a plain wooden chest that he hadn’t seen before. He watched a Dae’mon knelt down and pulled a jar full of strange glowing green mushrooms that had dried up.

“Deez are rare and ‘ard to find.” He explained. “I despise wasting deez on some dim-witted grot. Move over an’ watch.” He ordered. Durgen stepped to the side and watched as he took one of the mushrooms, then jamming it directly into the exposed muscle tissue in between what little remained of his forearm bones. Durgen’s stomach finally won and he started puking to his left, which made Dae’mon chuckle. “You’ll get used to it, boi. You’ll see a lot worse in your lifetime I am sure of it.” He said before turning to grab something from the shelves. Urlog stirred and coughed, grabbing Durgen’s attention, he leaned over him to make sure he was okay. Urlog’s eyes slowly blinked open, seeing Durgen’s concerned expression, then Durgen beamed a big smile, letting him know that he was going to be okay. Urlog returned the smile before drifting back to sleep. Three messages appeared in Durgen’s vision:

Urlog will remember this. Quest Complete: Operate! OPERATE!

Assist Dae’mon in his operation: 1/1

Reward: New skill: First Aid: Novice 1

100 XP

Hey, you learned something new! Good for you!

Int +1!

Dat first one wasn’t ominous in any way. Durgen thought to himself sarcastically. “Lavar! Iz clean up toime!” Durgen heard from behind, turning to see Dae’mon holding an ornate silver pitcher, swirling it around a couple times before unceremoniously dumping the contents on the wood floor. An excited shrill escaped the pitcher as Dae’mon poured a bubbly pink liquid about three times the amount the pitcher could possibly contain and when he finished the pool of the substance collected itself and spun around like a torrent, sucking up all the blood off the floor. It was moving all throughout the room cleaning wherever it went. Meanwhile, Dae’mon was having a good chuckle looking at Durgen’s bemused expression.

“Come on, lad. Let’s get deez bandages off ya. I’ll need ya to strip” He said, leading him to another table on the opposite side of the room. Durgen took off his clothes and put them to the side leaving only his loincloth. Slowly and methodically, Dae’mon began unraveling the bandages, starting with the right arm. The more that was removed the more what was underneath until finally his arm was exposed. Durgen looked in awe and horror at the intricate black lines that weaved and waved all over his arm. With a weary voice, Durgen spoke up.

“Dae’mon, what iz dis?” He asked wondering how he was going to explain this to his mother.

“It’s a blessing in the form of a tattoo, given to you by a very powerful spirit. Normally a spirit would just guide me but dis one… took full control.” He admitted with a shutter, finishing with the other arm. “I don’t recall much of that night.” He said as he started working on the legs.

“So, iz dat why you tied me up?” Durgen asked and saw Dae’mon hesitate for a moment. Durgen wasn’t sure if he caught him off guard or if he had struck a nerve as he didn’t answer right away, focusing on the task at hand and revealing more of the same black lines that ran all along his legs. Finally, after finishing the last strands he stood, not looking at him directly.

“I admit, I acted rash and I should’a talked to you more in length, one day I hope you’ll forgive me.” Then he faced him, looking straight into Durgen’s eyes. “But these blessings aren’t just permanent, dey’re soulbound. Not even the gods can take it away from you. This combined with our ability to respawn is a huge boon for you.” Durgen was dumbstruck, trying to digest this information as Dae’mon started working on unraveling the chest.

“Soulbound? Respawn?” Durgen asked.

“Oh, soulbound means it’ll be carried with ya into your next life. Soulbound items tend to find a way to their owner somehow. They can’t be unbound but they can be destroyed. I doubt you’ll see them often. Respawn just means you keep coming back to life.” Dae’mon answered about halfway the chest.

“So, wait, when I eventually grow old and die, I’ll be reborn with these… tattoos?” He asked recalling what he called them earlier.

“Probably.” He shrugged. “Haven’t seen a tattoo covered baby before, so maybe you’ll be da first.” He said optimistically, finally finished unraveling, Durgen was considering how one would react to their baby being born covered tattoos when Dae’mon reared back as he finally got a good look at the sigil on Durgen’s chest, landing butt first on the wood floor and pressed his back against the wall in an effort to get as far away from Durgen as possible.

“Wha!? What iz it!?” Durgen asked, starting to panic. Dae’mon slowly stood up, back still against the wall.

“Durgen.” He said calmly, his eyes wide.

“Y-yeah?”

“Pull up ur stats and say, ‘Show Appearance'’” He instructed. Durgen did so and a window next to his stat sheet appeared, displaying a slowly rotating version of himself in a “T” pose wearing only his loincloth and the tattoos that now decorated his body, when the figure of himself spun to face him, he saw the strange and savage looking sigil on his chest. A new system message appeared in his view.

Congratulations! A god has smiled upon you and has blessed you this sigil!

Sigil of the Berserker

Rarity: Legendary, upgradable

Level: 1

Soulbound

Description: Often gifted by Ca’thun, the God of War, only to those who slaughter in his name. He who bears this sigil shall be consumed by rage and bloodlust, seeking to dominate and destroy. This Sigil of the Berserker has been altered allowing the user to activate it on command.

Effect: +15% Strength, +15% Dexterity, +10% pain tolerance

Duration: 20 seconds

Cooldown: 1 hour

“What does it say?” Dae’mon asked in a low serious tone. Durgen looked away from his message to see that Dae’mon’s staff appeared and is being held tightly in both hands. Durgen didn’t need high charisma to know that he should choose his next words carefully. Turning back to the message he read aloud.

“Ah… legendary, upgradable, gifted by Ca’thun… gibes me a bonus to strength and dex… Oh and it says that it’s been altered ‘allowing the user to activate it on command.’' He said reading it out loud.

“Oh! Huh… hehe.” Dae’mon was chuckling to himself nervously, trying to calm himself down. He let out a heavy sigh of relief. “How much of a bonus?” He asked.

“Fifteen percent and a ten percent increase to pain tolerance.” Durgen answered, feeling the tension wane.

“Really? Only fifteen percent? For a legendary sigil? So ur strength was at twenty… so it only goes up by three? Dat’s kinda low but you did say it was upgradable? That probably means you have to use it often to level it up…” He leaned on his staff and rubbed his chin in thought. “Someting to think about la’er but for now let’s get some tea.” He said and gestured passed the curtain. Durgen stepped out and took a seat by the fireplace, glad to just relax for a bit while Dae’mon went towards the kitchen area. Not sure what else to do with himself he went over his character sheet while he slouched.

Name: Durgen

Age: 17

Race: Orc

Class: N/A

Level: 6 progress to next level: 91%

Statistics:

Health:160

Stamina:120

Attributes:

Strength: 20

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 16

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 21

Blessings:

Sigil of the Berserker

{Skills} (1) NEW!

Durgen noted that his Good Morning buff had worn off and looked out the window where it was clearly about noon and he was already exhausted. He wanted to go to the woods and find a river to bathe in, flashes of Urlog’s open chest cavity invaded his mind and he shuddered, silently hoping we wouldn’t have to do it again. Then he thought of his mother and wondered what if that was her on that table. I would help ‘er in a heartbeat. He promised to himself, then wondered how the hell he was going to explain these tattoos on him. He examined his arms, everywhere that was inked was still a bit puffy. He poked at it and winced, finding that it was still tender.

“Don’t scratch at it, ya git, you’ll ruin the ink.” Dae’mon said coming from behind him, handing him a steaming cup. “Careful it’s hot.” After receiving the cup Dae’mon sat in the chair across from him and rested his cup on the end table and picked up his pipe and stared loading it before continuing.

“It’ll take about two weeks for dem to heal propa, during then they’ll start peeling, that’s normal, just don’t pick at ‘em. During dose two weeks I have an ointment that I want you to use three times a day, got it?” Durgen nodded. “Good. Now about my offer.” He said, lighting up his pipe with a little stick that had a flaming tip. “Have you thought about it?”

“I have.” Durgen answered confidently, sitting himself upright and looked straight into Dae’mon's eyes. “I’m not gonna lie I don’t really care what the others think of me, but I DO want to get stronger. If you’z willing to ‘elp me then I accept.” Dae’mon took a sip then grinned.

“Good! Training starts after teatime.”