I awoke the following morn, my mind still hazy as the sun blazed across the sky. The alleyway lay deserted, and I struggled to recall the events that had transpired.

I remembered the icy chill that haunted the air the previous night, but now my body was engulfed by a searing heat emanating from my very bones. I rose from the makeshift bed of cardboard sheets and observed the ruby ring upon my finger—Orphease's sigil. "So it wasn't merely a dream," I murmured to myself.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of fire scorching my soul, the pain spreading from my chest into the depths of my stomach. It was a hunger unlike any I had ever experienced. "Feed us," a faint whisper called out. "Where is this voice coming from?" I thrashed and tumbled as the pain threatened to consume me. I glanced down at the ring, and the voices persisted. "Feed us..." they repeated.

Just then, I heard footsteps. In my agony, I counted the steps and determined there were six beings approaching—two large and four smaller. "Look what we have here, boys," bellowed a towering green orc, his two large canine teeth jutting from his lower lip. "Ah, a tasty morsel, aren't you?" a diminutive goblin jeered. "Why today of all days?" I screamed.

Four malicious green goblins and two hulking orcs loomed over me, their menacing gazes revealing their nefarious intent. "Let's play, we all like to play," a goblin screeched, its voice cracking with a high-pitched squeal. They inched closer, stomping on my pain-wracked body. The first blow left me breathless as the orc's boot collided with my solar plexus. Yet, as the pain intensified, a strange sensation flowed through my blood, invigorating me with the thrill of life and death. The ruby ring cried out, and with that, a blast of dark energy erupted, sending the group of thugs reeling. I stood, my eyes ablaze with fury, feeling the shadows seeping into my skin.

My senses sharpened, and my actions became swift and precise. The first orc charged me, brandishing a black metal club. I feigned and spun, dodging the blow aimed at my head. In a fluid motion, I leaped up and wrapped both hands around his neck, twisting his head in a vicious arc, snapping his neck.

His lifeless body crumpled to the ground. The ruby ring glowed, murmuring "more...more." I snatched the black club and sprinted towards the other orc, whose heart must have shrunk in terror. He swung at my neck with a short sword, barely missing as I ducked and retaliated with a crushing blow to his knee. "Damn you!" the orc screamed as he fell to one knee, dropping the sword. I seized it and plunged it into his throat, blood splattering against the concrete walls.

Two goblins lunged at me, their small daggers piercing my legs. "You will die for this!" one snarled, clinging to the handle embedded in my flesh. I smashed the goblin's head with the club, then yanked the dagger from my leg and hurled it into the goblin's skull as it struggled to rise. The other goblin slipped from my leg, but I gave it no reprieve, crushing its skull with a brutal stomp.

Brain matter stained the filthy ground. As I approached the remaining two goblins, paralyzed with fear, I whispered a chant into the ring. The words flowed effortlessly, though I had never uttered any arcane incantations before. "Orphease, bless my wounds," I whispered, and my lacerated legs began to heal. "What are you?" one goblin stammered, fear and sweat dripping from his brow.

I stared coldly at the pair, advancing slowly with sword and club in hand. "I am nobody that matters, but I am somebody to you, I will be your doom..." The words emerged, not of my own volition. As I slashed and bludgeoned the two goblins, their limbs scattered throughout the alleyway like macabre confetti.

I had never killed before, and yet that day, I extinguished six lives. And though I hated to admit it, I reveled in every moment of it.

The lifeless forms of my victims sprawled across the alley floor, their souls seeping from their mortal shells and swirling into the ruby ring. "Ah, Leon, well done indeed," Orphease's voice echoed through the ring, approval evident in his tone. The newfound power coursing through me was intoxicating. No longer would I be weak and famished; now, I could dominate all who dared oppose me.

I rummaged through the corpses, uncovering two hundred gold coins. They hadn't been as destitute as they'd seemed when they targeted me. "Greed," I chuckled, wiping blood from the daggers, "will get you killed." Clutching the stolen weapons, I exited the alley, remarking, "You won't be needing these anymore."

Emerging into the noonday sun, I strode toward the city's heart. Ravenside, a veritable hellhole, now seemed to possess a beauty in its inherent brutality—a fresh perspective I had acquired. I made my way to Marley's Inn and Bar, a place where I had once begged for scraps of bread, only to be chased out by the proprietor. I didn't blame him; a filthy child was bad for business.

As I entered the establishment, the assorted patrons and creatures gawked at me. I approached the counter and tossed two gold coins onto its worn surface. "I'll be needing a room and some food," I declared. Marley, a stout, grizzled dwarf with a beard that covered half his face, stared at me in disbelief. The scars on his hands and visage spoke of a past spent roaming the galaxies, consorting with bandits and pirates before settling in Ravenside.

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"Where did you get this gold, Leon?" he inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Never mind that. Just take it," I snapped.

Marley studied me, his eyes narrowing. "My, my, Leon. Something has changed within you. I can sense it. Whether it's for better or worse, only time will tell."

Marley disappeared into the back, returning moments later with a plate heaped with steaming food: roasted chicken, potatoes, and a mug of chilled fairy beer. I took a swig of the brew and attacked the meal with ravenous gusto, having not eaten for days. Marley's culinary skills were passable at best, but this feast was precisely what I needed.

"Easy there, lad," Marley chortled, watching my frenzied consumption. "You'll choke."

"Leon Cross, the vagrant urchin of Ravenside," a voice sneered behind me. "What brings a wretch like you here?"

The nasally tone was unmistakable. Jin Liwoth, an exiled elven mercenary with long white hair tied in a ponytail, glared at me through ice-blue eyes. "What do you want, Jin?" I asked, restraining myself from driving a fork into his skull.

"Just curious how a lowlife like you can afford such a feast," he replied, dripping with condescension.

I swiveled to face him, my gaze penetrating his very soul. "Do you have a problem, Jin? Shall we take this outside, or can I return to my meal?" My voice was frigid, my intentions murderous.

Jin's already pallid face blanched further, his words faltering. "Enough!" Marley barked. "A paying customer is a paying customer. I'll have no quarrels in my establishment."

Reluctantly, I backed down, unwilling to anger the old dwarf I respected. However, I wouldn't hesitate to redecorate Marley's Inn with Jin's blood and viscera. "I'll see you around, Leon," Jin sneered, his grin taunting me as he departed. I eagerly anticipated the day I would spill his entrails beneath the moonlit sky.

Visions of Jin's slow demise played out in my mind, a symphony of suffering. Rousing myself from these dark musings, I explored the modest chamber Marley had provided. The novelty of a proper bed and shower was not lost on me, a filthy urchin of the streets. I stood beneath the cascading hot water, feeling it cleanse my grime-streaked skin and tangle of hair. When I emerged, it was as though I had been born anew.

Lying in the bed, I felt a sense of peace envelop me. Slumber claimed me, and I awoke as evening descended. Reluctantly, I left the sanctuary of the room, seeking the tools I needed for my dark purpose.

"Off already, lad?" Marley called, as I neared the exit. "Just some errands," I replied, my eyes gleaming with menace. Marley shook his head, muttering, "That boy's up to no good."

Ravenside's festering slums sprawled before me, the streets teeming with elven prostitutes and the lurking shadows of orcs and goblins. I arrived at Grim's Weapon Shop and Armory, a long-standing establishment offering the finest arms and armor. Stepping through the glass doors, I marveled at the formidable weapons displayed before me.

"Welcome! How may I assist you?" a diminutive, orange-scaled reptilian greeted me. "I am Grim, and this is my shop. If you're not here to buy, you must leave."

"Armor, swords, and a pistol – the best you've got," I demanded, tossing fifty gold coins on the counter. Grim's eyes gleamed with avarice. "The boy means business," he smirked.

He led me behind a black curtain, revealing a large titanium suitcase. Inside lay a set of black and red armor, the DeathseekerXT. Intricate engravings of dragons and alien symbols adorned its surface. The armor's weight was light, and I knew it would serve me well.

I requested a sword and a gun. Grim presented a greatsword, its handle etched with runes and the blade radiating dark energy. "This is Haven Light, crafted on Sargoon," he explained. "Not legendary, but its craftsmanship is unparalleled." I admired the exquisite blade.

Grim then unveiled a revolver, its handle adorned with engraved skulls. "This is Dream Ender, a pistol that has taken countless lives. It belonged to a deceased warrior and is best suited for someone active in the field."

The gun gleamed silver, and I felt a surge of euphoria as I took it.

Handing over five more gold coins, I holstered the pistol and sheathed the sword on my back. "I'll be back," I promised Grim, as I left the shop. Now, it was time to find Jin Liwoth, that loathsome elf. The night was ripe for bloodshed, and the crimson moon bore witness to my murderous intent.

Had I the luxury, I might have murmured, "Let it be, I shall slay him on some other occasion." Yet, an unsated hunger within me craved the spectacle of his lifeblood seeping into the earth beneath the argent moonlight.

Jin Liworth had outlived his usefulness, drawing breath far longer than any man of his vile deeds deserved. In my youth, he and his loathsome cohorts would torment me, kicking and spitting, as if I were the foulest excrement ever spawned from the bowels of the earth. Perhaps I was, but how could a mere child in a city so merciless be the root of such malevolence? I ruminated as I inhaled the putrid air that pervaded the once-grand metropolis, my flesh tingling beneath the newly acquired armor, its crimson highlights shimmering in the night.

My quarry, Jin Liworth, the odious elf, had numerous dens of iniquity throughout the city. My search would commence at Darry's Brothel, where vermin like him reveled in the torment of those unfortunate souls who found themselves selling their bodies within its walls. I had heard whispers of girls meeting their untimely demise after an evening spent with him. This festering city, so riddled with corruption, made the hapless victims vanish as if they had never existed. With each glimpse of those lifeless forms, bundled and cast into the void of black, hovering carriages, my resolve strengthened.

As I breached the threshold of the brothel, a pair of exquisite elven beauties greeted me. One boasted hair as white as the ashes of a once-vibrant bloom, her emerald eyes piercing my very essence. Yet this was no time for dalliance, for I was still but a youth, and murder lurked within the shadows of my mind. "Welcome, dear one...you seem lost," she cooed, her voice as serene as the depths of the ocean. "Are you certain you've found your destination? This is no place for a child."

I faltered, then stammered, "No, fair lady. I seek an elf known by the name of Jin Liworth." Terror etched itself across the maiden's delicate visage as she heard his name, her eyes, once radiant, now brimming with unshed tears. "He was here but an hour past..." she whispered, a trembling sob catching in her throat.