*************
Adventuring Day Experience: +3.25 xp
Active Quest Experience: +0.5 xp
--- Experience (Orcus): 11..31/300 xp ----> 15.06/300 xp ---
Rest complete
Health restored
50% of all expended Stamina restored
Expended Abilities and Mana restored
Adventuring Day reset
*************
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Orcus groaned as he stirred from a deep slumber, vaguely aware of his experience gains as the semi-transparent text scrolled along the upper-lefthand pane of his vision.
He must have been asleep for a while, for the sun was approaching its highest point in the midday sky. Warm rays of sunshine beamed in from one of the nearby windows, blinding the Prince of Demons as he lifted his groggy face off the hard floor, otherwise unaware as to the pool of spittle he’d created during the night.
The Mages’ Guild outpost was more colorful than Orcus had imagined. Even with his Seeing III ability, he could only perceive things in shades of gray when it was dark. Regardless, there were many vibrant tools and fabrics, ingredients and vialed liquids, crystals and all manner of trinkets or bobbles, half of which were strewn about the floor and proliferating a sour smell. There were a few small tables on the second floor of the tower too, etched with line magic that Orcus did not regard much. Though if he had, he would have known them as Enchanting Tables.
In truth, the Prince of Demons still wasn’t used to waking up in his new mortal body.
Although it was readily apparent to him how much pain he was in, it was difficult to reconcile just how weak he felt overall. A day of travel and only two combat encounters, but he was completely spent both physically and mentally. Orcus underestimated just how tedious and tiresome it was to be an adventurer, let alone a mortal, and he’d only been at it for less than a week!
“Good morning, Your Highness.” The all too familiar voice of a particularly chatty, stone-shaped magpie said suddenly, “Am I glad to see that you’re finally awake again.”
“Mmm… bird?” Orcus grinded out groggily, glancing across to the windowsill “Where have you been? Your skills would have been useful to me last night. I do not approve of your prolonged absence.”
Terminus cawed, “I’m afraid that will have to wait, Your Highness. I believe there’s an angry mob outside waiting to greet you.”
“He’s right, you know.” Seku’s voice added pleasantly, whose slender frame came into view a few moments later, as she came up the stairs. Orcus regarded the young woman as she approached with a small wooden tray in her hands. In the daytime, she did not seem nearly as deadly as she had otherwise proven to be in the plaza. Wither her hair down and bright smile, she said, “Don’t worry, mister Orcus, I’ve already reactivated the tower’s arcane defenses. They won’t be getting in here anytime soon. Although, I think I just saw Mayor Neivin approaching the mob a moment ago. Everyone seems so angry…”
“Where’s Oriax?” Orcus grumbled, somewhat oblivious to the meal that Seku had just placed down before him, “I don’t care who’s out there, we need an exit strategy or a battle plan.”
“He accompanied the merchant into town earlier this morning.” Terminus explained, “They haven’t returned just yet.”
Orcus frowned.
He didn’t get the chance to speak with Oriax after the battle in the plaza last night. The fool had been so pent up with aggression that he was practically incomprehensible for a time thereafter. Oriax’s rage was a thing of sheer destructive possibility, and it needed to be hemmed in if it was going to serve Orcus’s long-term goals in any meaningful way.
“Very well.” Orcus sighed, realzing that resorting to any further brute force tactics was probably not a great move in his current state, “Any idea what they’re so upset about? You'd think they'd have come to celebrate my victory over their enemies.”
Seku flushed, saying more embarrassingly, “Actually… I think it may have something to do with the fact that we did kill all those cultists. Maybe... we shouldn’t have done that?”
Orcus scoffed, “Didn’t you say you wanted to target this cult? Well, I'd say we did it quite effectively!”
“Not like that!” She said in a fluster, “What we did was completely crazy!”
“It sends a message.” Orcus replied arrogantly, “To everyone. Let these cultists think twice about returning here.”
“Mm…” Seku squirmed anxiously, “Maybe you’re right, mister Orcus. They did deserve to die. But still, now everyone else is upset. I’m not sure that’s a good thing…”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Several more bangs on the door resounded loudly.
“It can’t be helped.” Orcus nodded calmly. He then grabbed a piece of bread from the tray and took a bite out of it, before saying, “Clearly, they are not impressed by our methods. That, or they simply fear some spur of vengeance against them. It’s nobody’s fault that mortals are weak, Seku, except their own.”
“Perhaps it would be in our best interests, Your Highness, were you to approach these angry townspeople with a degree of decorum?” Terminus suggested, “I got the abbreviated version of what happened last night from Oriax. Although, I’m still foggy on the exact reason as to why you thought that was a good idea at all!”
“I wouldn’t expect a babbling bird to understand the nuances of making an introduction.” Orcus retorted with a chuckle, stuffing half a hard-boiled egg into his mouth, “You do your mediating, mediator bird, and let me handle the strategy.”
“Bah… regardless, I did learn some valuable information from my own scouting mission.” Terminus replied, “Enough to corroborate some key details, anyway. It might be worth having a conversation over. This Mayor Neivin might even be a reasonable man. Assuming you play nice…”
“The mayor helped me out before.” Seku offered lightly, “At least… in a small way. We should talk to him. My heart tells me that he’ll listen to what you have to say. He may not like it, but he'll listen.”
“You two want me to talk to them?” Orcus asked confusedly, “Are you insane? What good will that do? They watched us butcher their terrorizers. And still, they’re not content. There is simply no appeasing these mortals, I conclude, as they are little more than sheep.”
“You won’t know if you don’t give them a chance.” Seku stated softly, “I mean… I think it would be a gesture of good faith. You said you would help me purge the wickedness from this town. Well, that includes helping its people, mister Orcus!”
“Ugh…” Orcus moaned.
The Prince of Demons was beginning to suspect that he was in for a convoluted venture of meager reward. He’d wanted to talk to the mages, but they were run out of town. He thought to ingratiate himself among the mortals, but they were now upset about the fact that he'd saved them. And the only Ishu he had so far managed to sway to his side, was by all appearances, a disillusioned assassin with plans for world peace.
In any case, Orcus needed to rethink his foolproof plan. It was becoming very foolish indeed, and he was getting a headache just thinking about it!
“Where’s my prisoner?” He asked curiously, suddenly remembering the young man they’d taken captive, “That’s at least something to look forward to today.”
“Upstairs.” Seku nodded, “He won’t cause any trouble for a while still.”
“…Good.” Orcus resigned, picking himself up off the ground. He was oblivious to the fact that he was only wearing his smallclothes, and otherwise wandered over to the window for a moment. Silently, he peered down into the crowd of people, murmuring belatedly, “Let us see what the sheep are crying about this time.”
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After dressing himself and stuffing his face with a bit more food, Orcus descended to the first floor of the outpost. From there, he sat quietly at the desk and observed as Seku let a few of the people in. The angry cries of the aggravated citizens were stifled as the door closed behind the three newcomers. Orcus was not entirely convinced that the townspeople wouldn’t simply attack him eventually, but he was willing to play along.
In any case, he zoned out for the first few minutes, and only realized that someone was talking when Terminus flew up onto the desk.
“There’s been a misunderstanding.” The bird said in some reply, hopping around as he spoke, “We’re here to help, Mayor Neivin. Isn’t that right, Your High—I mean, uh…”
“You will call me Rex.” Orcus interjected dryly, having always liked the sound of it from his title Rex Infernus. Furrowing his brow, he studied the three men now situated throughout the room.
Two of them were unassuming and not very interesting to Orcus, both of whom were clearly members of the town guard. They were lightly armed and otherwise standing guard at the entryway, as if hoping to prevent anyone from leaving without express permission. Orcus had half a mind to whip them for the rude gesture of hostility, but he decided to behave himself… for now.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The third man, Mayor Neivin, was quite amusing and somewhat stylish. He wore white fabrics, and a short, flat-brimmed hat of some kind, sporting a bushy gray beard and mustachio. As he sat down in the opposite chair from the desk, he produced a long pipe and slowly began to pack it full of tobacco leaves.
“Well, alright then, Rex.” Mayor Neivin said, a long drawl in his voice, “But it doesn’t matter to me what you’re called anyhow. I simply want to know who on this green earth gave you the right to do all that killing last night? You know what kind of damage that’s done, son? Who told you to go out and do something as foolish as that?”
“Myself.” Orcus stated with a smile, “You’re welcome.”
“…Now isn’t that just funny.” Neivin chuckled, lighting his pipe. A puff of smoke escaped his mouth, as he said, “I like to laugh too, you know. But I’m not laughing today, am I boys?”
The two men behind him shook their heads.
“Because now I have to explain to mister Garimor why ten of his men are dead.” Neivin added, “And you can be certain that he’s not going to like that one bit. We’re going to pay for what you’ve done. Well, someone will.”
“They’re sacrificing your people!” Seku said animatedly, who had since donned her hood and mask, as to conceal her Ishu physiology. She reeled back to say more softly, “Don’t you even care?”
“Of course, I care.” Neivin shook his head in distraught, “And you’d best count yourself lucky, girl, that I still let you hang around our town at all after everything, out of respect for my dear friend Anindaro—Gods rest his soul. Let us not forget who it is you’re hiding from, sweetheart. And after last night? I’m just so inclined to put the word out.”
“…You wouldn’t.” Seku muttered.
“I would, but… I won’t.” Neivin relented a sigh, “Truth of the matter is, I’m tired of waiting on the city to send folks to our aid. Nobody's coming back to help us, and that’s a matter of fact. It was you adventuring types that stirred all this shit up in the first place. Shame on us for thinking that by keeping you away, we’d be saving ourselves from danger. Clearly, we we’re wrong. Garimor’s been nothing but trouble, and it's only gotten worse with time.”
“Tell me about this man.” Orcus said, “Garimor. This is not the first time I've heard his name since arriving in your town. Is he well known throughout your lands?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Neivin nodded, “He was a devout follower of the Goddess Ceres, and was well-loved by many in the area, especially the farmers. He grew a fine crop in his day. I don't know how things went so wrong for him, but a string of losses in his personal life led him astray five or six years ago. What he's become is... unrecognizable from the man I used to know. It's as if he returned to take out all his anger on the place he once called home.”
“Anindaro once told me that the adventurers ran him out of town. Apparently, he used to preach about the prosperity that Kingsnake Astlir would bring to the region.” Seku added, “That was over a year ago.
“Like I said, he came home a different man.” Neivin replied grimly, “All these thoughts in his head, none of it made sense to the rest of us. We had no choice but to tell him to leave. He was scaring folks by the end.”
Seku nodded, "But he came back again, it seems. And not just with loyal followers, but with the blessing of the Kingsnake himself.”
“We weren't prepared for anything like this.” Neivin shook his head somberly, “The guilds promised to protect us, since they were the ones that Princess Janessa relied upon to combat the Ishu advances. They were the ones that painted a target on our backs, and we were happy to help. But when Mistlecross called in her guild banners, it was us that were left high and dry. They spurned us, and Garimor took advantage of our woeful position. We've paid the price ever since.”
“And so, you grew to fear this man.” Orcus replied to the mayor, “He drove away your mages and your adventurers, and so you cowered. In your terror, you allowed this fool to chip away at your numbers freely—to do as he pleased, growing bolder the more he took from you. As the leader of these people, you have utterly failed.”
“Maybe so...” Neivin murmured somberly, but shook his head, “Though I’m not here to talk about my shortcomings, any more than I am to cause you any trouble. You see, the folks outside are mildly upset with you, to say the least.”
“Is that so?” Orcus said amusingly.
“They believe the same things I did up until this morning.” Neivin replied, “That confrontation only begot even worse things for us. But what you did last night… I see now that sitting back and praying for things to change won’t solve any of our damned problems. The only way out is if we fight for our lives; tooth and nail!”
Orcus smirked unexpectedly, “Are you asking for my assistance after all, mayor?”
Mayor Neivin licked his lips, huffing from his pipe, before saying, “Perhaps. But perhaps you require mine to curb the ire of the folks outside—to gain their trust. In that regard, perhaps we might make a deal. Maybe we can help each other out, before we all end up in the dirt alongside one another.”
Orcus glanced across at Seku, who nodded. He turned back to Neivin, “What are you proposing?”
“The way I see it, Garimor is our biggest and most relevant threat in this part of the valley.” Neivin addressed, “The rest of them Ishu folk are too busy dealing with the Princess and her armies farther east. Cut the head off the beast here, and we just might begin to wrestle back some semblance of control. That’s a benefit to both of us, I'm sure.”
“You’re not afraid of Kingsnake Astlir?” Orcus asked, “If we are successful in dealing with Garimor, he will send more warriors to put you in your place. Do you not fear such retribution?”
“Of course, I'm afraid.” Neivin nodded, “But I'm tired too. And oh, I don’t know, your antics stirred something fierce in me. It’s either now or never for us, I reckon. Endsmeet’s got to make her stand, and we’ve got to stand strong with her. Gods only know we’ve got demons everywhere, what’s one more enemy got to do with it.”
Orcus held back a twisted grin. It was all very entertaining, and he was going to wrap these mortals around his fingers.
“Do you have any ideas, Mayor Neivin.” Terminus asked curiously, “I think we would like to help, but we’ll need a firm strategy first.”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Neivin nodded in reply, “When all this began, we had a moderate contingent of resistance fighters pop up around the area. Most of them were low-level adventurers, too green to head for Mistlecross, but they wanted to help nonetheless. The guild lost a lot of numbers in the initial attacks all those weeks ago, sad to say. And unfortunately, we had to break contact with them eventually, on account of mister Garimor. Make no mistake, his following is a lot more dangerous than what you saw on display last night. Those men you killed were some of our own once, deviated to a wicked path, yes, but not warriors. If we want to put a dent in Garimor’s operation, we’re going to need all the help we can get. And we’re going to need to do it whilst avoiding the moles he’s got lurking around in town.”
“You have an idea where we might find sufficient aid?” Orcus inquired, curious to the idea.
“The Glimmering Caves.” Neivin replied, “As I understand, it’s one of those adventuring type of delves you folks use in your training. It’s nearby, just in the mountains to the north of here.”
“That’s an E-ranked delve.” Terminus noted, his eyes flashing purple for a moment, “The experience yields and loot drops are pretty meager, Your Highness, which is why it’s generally reserved for level one adventurers—level two tops.”
“One of our own, Zagadan, was a second level adventurer.” Neivin affirmed, “He took a small group of adventurers and guild artisans up that way after they were run out of town, and was using it as his base of operations for a little while. Or… still is, I suppose.” The mayor took a long huff of his pipe, before adding, “We we’re helping them in small ways as best we could: Information, supplies, equipment, the likes. Unfortunately, Garimor caught wind of all this, and has had the whole place under siege ever since; effectively trapping everyone inside. Contact has been quiet.”
“You were the one helping the adventurers?” Terminus asked.
“As long as I could maintain it.” Neivin nodded, “A few around here still are doing what they can. But Garimor’s cracked down on it lately.”
“How many do they number?” Orcus asked, “This Zagadan and whomever is with him?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I have it on good authority that there were at least twelve.” Neivin said, “If they're still alive, all we need is to get them out. Then maybe we can start thinking about counter moves.”
Orcus nodded slowly.
Rescuing fellow adventurers wasn’t something he was particularly interested in. But the Prince of Demons was certainly interested in the Glimmering Caves. One of his major focuses was to increase his character level, and thus his overall power. If he was going to take on a wyrm-worshipping, demon lord-conspiring, Ishu clan leader, he was going to need resources. Not that Orcus had evidence of any of his speculations, but he was at least convinced of the Demon Lords’ involvement with the Ishu.
It made far too much sense for someone like Vediovis.
But as to this Garimor fool, Orcus couldn’t be certain what he thought about it. He needed more details, and the easiest way to get it was to make more of a mess.
“I’ll disperse of the folks outside for you.” Neivin said, as he stood from his chair, “But they won’t be happy about it. We need to paint the picture that I'm sending you on your way, for the sake of our safety. The sooner you rescue our folks up in those mountains, the sooner these folks here might start to come around to the idea that maybe you adventuring types aren't so bad after all.”
“I will make no promises.” Orcus replied simply, “Though I will take your lead into consideration, mayor. You can be certain of that.”
“Then I’ll you leave you to it.” Neivin nodded, but stopped short of the door, snapping his finger as he added, “By the way, there’s a priestess who lives on the east side of town. I won’t confess to knowing your situation, but if you find yourself in need of any kind of healing services, I’d fancy a visit. She's been known to accompany adventurers' from time to time.”
Orcus furrowed his brow, “She doesn't want my head on a pike like the rest of your town?”
“Don’t think she’s much of a people person, truth be told.” Neivin chuckled, but added, “Make sure you bring coin, if you do make it out that way. She’s one of them followers of Mercury. They don’t do much unless there's money involved, you know.”
Orcus cursed under his breath, wondering why he had to hear that name all of a sudden. He was familiar with the God Mercury. but wasn't especially interested in dealing with him at all. There were limits to the Prince of Demons' patience, and that God was prone to blowing past every single one of them!
“Safe travels, Rex.” The mayor tipped his hat, “And best of luck to you and yours. May the Gods Above watch over your journey.”
The Prince of Demons rolled his eyes.
----------------------------------------
“So, what do you think, Your Highness?” Terminus asked belatedly, as the door shut behind the mayor and his guards, “We can’t possibly upset anyone more than we have already by the looks of it. This might just be a good way back onto that reputation building plan of yours.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Orcus groaned, “I have demons to kill, not humans to save. Can’t anyone help themselves in this miserable world? I’m the Prince of Demons, not the Angel of Miscellaneous Side Quests!”
“No… but I do know someone who fits that description.” Terminus replied curiously, “I think the Prince of Demons does too.”
Orcus didn’t like where this was going.
“Mercury: Messenger of the Gods, Angel of Commerce, Lord of Alchemy, and Patron of travelers.” Terminus continued, “And as it happens, one of the only divines with an amiable relationship with the Gods Below.”
“I do not want to see him.” Orcus gritted his teeth petulantly, “He is an insufferable toad—”
“It’s just one of his followers, Your Highness.” Terminus interjected, “Besides, contrary to what Oriax thinks, this party needs a designated healer.”
Orcus thought to himself momentarily.
A party of four would be stronger, and someone that could combat their recklessness with healing was a welcome idea.
“...Fine.” Orcus mumbled, but looked toward Seku, “The Glimmering Caves will be our next target. If there are warriors trapped inside by Garimor's men, we may achieve three goals by doing so: Increasing our personal power, expanding our influence with the people of this area, and routing more of these cultists.”
“I wish you luck then...” Seku replied softly, a despondent tone of voice, “I'm sure you don't need someone like me to be a burden to you. It's better that I work alone.”
Orcus wrinkled his nose, “Is something wrong with your hearing, mongrel? I said our target. You are a part of this party, are you not? I thought I made that abundantly clear last night. You are not leaving my side so easily, mortal, I will simply not allow it.”
There was a twinkle in Seku's eyes, and a look of some disbelief too.
Orcus did not understand mortals well enough to understand social cues. But if he did, he would have known that a sense of belonging was something many mortal souls yearned for in their natural lives. Thus, while the local populace of Endsmeet currently regarded him with a sense of caution and disdain, Orcus's newest party member reserved nothing but gratitude. Whether he knew it or not, the Prince of Demons had taken a chance on a lone rogue possessed of a burning desire to do something good in the world. For better or worse, a chance to prove herself was all she could have ever asked for.
“...Thank you.” She murmured, but said with a confident expression, “I... I won't let you down, mister Orcus!”
“Is that so?” Orcus said plainly, as he rose to his feet. Making his way toward the stairs, he glanced back over his shoulder on the second step with a slight smirk, saying, “See to it that you don't.”
The daily life of a Demon Lord trapped in the body of a mortal was tedious beyond comprehension. But then again, it was nothing if not amusing. Mortals truly were a spectacle to behold. Their dreams, their fears, their failures... it was a never-ending wellspring of entertainment, all laid bare in Orcus's hands.
The Prince of Demons couldn't say for certain what he was feeling in that moment. But beyond a shadow of a doubt, he felt alive.