George was confused and stunned for a moment, but he quickly caught himself and jumped away from the strange man.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?”
The man stood back straight and tilted his head slightly to the side.
“That depends on who you ask. You may call me Jasper. As for how I got in this cell, I walked in?”
“What do you want?”
“A deal. I’m fairly certain I already stated this.”
“What could you possibly want from me?” George asked, motioning towards both his state of dress and his situation.
“Right now? Absolutely nothing. In the future? Absolutely everything. You see, these Orcs have no intention of letting you free.”
“No shit genius!”
Jasper snapped his fingers. George felt a pressure around his jaw, preventing him from opening his mouth. Jasper placed a finger to where his lips would be behind the mask.
“It's rude to interrupt someone, especially when that ‘someone’ wants to save your life.” Jasper started to pace around, keeping his hands behind his back. George felt the pressure vanish, but he didn't speak.
“Where was I? Ah! They have no intention of letting their food escape. They are only having you fight to give you hope of freedom. They have some weird idea that crushing the hope of a meal makes it taste better. I can not only give you the chance to win the battle against their chosen warrior, but also the power to escape.”
“Why don't you just break me out yourself?”
“Because that would be by my power, not yours. If you die, despite being granted my power, it’ll just show that you weren't any further effort. I would prefer to watch you escape on your own, but that is improbable. If you had a week, maybe, but as things stand, nearly impossible.”
“What do you want in exchange for this power?” George asked skeptically.
“Nothing grand such as your soul, or your first born child. A simple favor is all I ask. To be turned in at any time.”
“My Mother used to tell me to never agree to an agreement in exchange for a favor. She said only the devil would ask for such favors.” George stated.
He kept his eyes trained on Jasper, body ready to attack or defend.
Jasper stopped pacing and turned to face George, looking him straight in the eyes.
“The devil doesn't exist anymore. I killed him myself four millennia ago.”
The eyes were the only part of Jasper’s face not covered by the mask, and something in them told George that he wasn't lying.
“If you’re powerful enough to kill the literal Devil, what would you gain from making a deal with a child?”
“As I’ve already said, right now, you can't do anything for me. However, I sense great potential in you. There’s no telling how you couldn't help me.”
“What would you even need help with?”
“In all my years, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, its that you can never not need help. I would love to continue this chat, I really would, but time is running out. Do you agree or not?”
“You want me to give you something as open as a favor in exchange for the power to survive the Orcs? What is this power?”
“No time, I don't mean to rush you, but you only have a few moments to decide.”
“Yes. Give me the power to survive, but also give me the power to get my revenge.”
Jasper smiled underneath his mask. “Of course.” And with a simple snap of his fingers, he granted George the power and vanished.
George’s System popped up with a new ability.
Ability: Hero’s Hate (Bestowed)
Show me a hero, and I’ll show you a tragedy.
The longer this ability is active, the more stress is put on the user, with no limit.
2x to all stats
Multiplier increases by 0.2x per minute active
Warning:Can be lethal to user
George read the new ability he was given. With this, he may actually escape, and he may be able to get payback against the Orcs. He estimated that around forty five minutes had passed since they threw him in the cell.
Keeping his new ability in mind, George kneeled down to meditate. Despite the advantage Jasper had given him, George would still need every boost he could get. He needed to be collected and clear minded.
The Orc Guards found George meditating, though to them, he appeared to be sleeping. While they thought it was strange that he would sleep before a battle, they didn't care. They simply yanked him to his feet and hauled him towards the arena again.
It appeared that nothing had changed, except for a few things. Scraps of cloth were thrown around, though they were mostly near the puddles of blood and snapped bones. The bones had been nearly completely scraped clean of flesh.
The Orc King observed George and growled in irritation when it didn't see him revolted or show any other emotion. Eager for some entertainment, it quickly waved toward one of the Orc servants in the arena. The Orc quickly opened one of the doors.
George watched as a large Ogre stomped it's way into the arena. It had to duck down to get through the eight foot door. The Orcs in the arena left. George observed the Ogre, and quickly regretted it. It had nothing. No weapons, no armor, no clothes. That was not something he wanted to see, ever. The Orc King chuckled at George's reaction. It wasn't the one it wanted, but it would take it. The Ogre didn't waste any time, and almost immediately went after George.
George remembered overhearing a few soldiers from his village talking about ogres. Large, fat, unbelievably strong. Their size made it difficult to reach any of their weak points, which was the nape and throat. Their fat protected their internals. Their strength was plenty enough to send a dozen men in full plate armor flying. An ogre sighting always caused the evacuation of all the villages in a twenty mile radius. A full brigade would be sent to deal with it, with another on standby.
This Ogre however, was old and scarred. It was very slow and George suspected that it would tire easily. George simply walked backward away from the ogre. It moved to follow. After a few minutes of this, the Orcs were bored and mad that they weren't fighting. The Orc King grunted to the Old Orc, who then waved to another Orc. Less than a minute later, another door opened and a second Ogre walked into the arena.
The second Ogre was easily twelve feet tall, had more muscle than a common Ogre would have and was clearly in its prime. It chased after George, and was very fast. George waited till the last second and dived out of the way. The second Ogre, couldn't stop in time and ran full force into the stone wall of the arena. The stones either cracked or fell out of the wall. Had the wall not been four feet thick, it would have ran through.
While dazed, the Ogre was fine. George smiled as he decided on what he was going to do. The smile vanished when a third Ogre came into the arena. The third Ogre was similar to the second. George was already outmatched with just one Ogre, but he could have run around until it was tired. Now with three, George couldn't see any way to survive, at least without his new ability. Even then it was doubtful. George willed the ability to activate.
Everything slowed down. He felt stronger, faster, smarter, and quicker witted. To test out his new ability, he ran up to the old Ogre. The first thing he noticed was that traveled nearly fifty meters in just three seconds. He pushed off of the ground and reached head level with the Ogre. The Ogre, too slow to react, could only watch. George punched with all his strength. His fist connected with the Ogre’s nose. The Ogre was thrown off its feet and collided with the wall.
Blood exploded from the impact. All that were watching wondered if the Ogre died from that punch. Everything seemed to pause. A moment later however, the old ogre stumbled to its feet, as blood poured from its broken nose like a flood. It wobbled on its feet, but glared at George.
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Everything burst into movement as all the Orcs cheered, the Ogres charged, and George dodged the initial blows. Without weapons, the Ogres prefered to kick as punching would require bending down, exposing their weaknesses. George used his enhanced speed to position the Ogres as he wanted.
Once they were where George wished, He punched one of the younger ones in its knee. The blow forced it down to a knee. George jumped onto the bent one and made to punch again, but dived away just as the other young Ogre kicked at him. The knee bent in a way it wasn't supposed to and snapped.
Bone poked through the skin and the Ogre roared in pain. Without wasting any time, George appeared in front of the exposed bone, and pulled. The roars became louder. George pulled until the bone came free from the leg. Such a feat would've been impossible for him, had it not been for Hero’s Hate. The wounded Ogre passed out due to pain and would soon expire.
The bone, though slick with blood, had a sharp point. As large as a spear, and three times as thick. George intended to use it as a spear. The Orc King smirked and waved to release another Ogre. It liked George’s ferocity, but it was anticipating the taste of his flesh.
George didn't keep the bone for long. He threw it with all he might at the old Ogre, it pierced its chest and nailed it to the arena wall. Before George could recover from his throw, the new Ogre managed to land a kick on him.
The boy went flying and impacted the wall, cracking it. Had it not been for Hero’s Hate, George would have died from that single blow. Instead, he barely survived. He coughed up blood and stood up with a limp in his right leg. The remaining two Ogres charged to finish off George.
George stared up at them with defiance in his eyes. He hobbled over to where the old Ogre was nailed and waited. He didn't have to wait long. Once they were close, George charged at them. Hero’s Hate also boosted his healing rate and he had already healed enough to hop off his bad foot. Once he was close to the Ogre, he dived forward, and punched the Ogre’s big toe.
The Ogre toppled forward. Through some kind of miracle, the other end of the bone spear was perfectly positioned to go through the Ogre’s throat.
The combined weight of two Ogres and having been already damaged, could no longer stand. The Arena wall collapsed outward. George hadn’t expected that to happen, but he would take it. The last Ogre was a bit further away, but sped up when it noticed George might escape.
The collapsed portion of wall weakened the stands the Orcs in that area were standing on, and they also collapsed. Close to a hundred Orcs fell. The Orc King immediately roared to kill George. It would not allow a human boy to escape.
George quickly hobbled over the rubble and into the hallways. He didn't know where he was going, but he refused to stop. Unfortunately, he was forced to deactivate Hero’s Hate. The recoil was becoming too much. He was hoping to just deal with it after he escaped, but crying blood wasn't a good sign. Two Orcs turned the corner with their crude blades drawn.
George kneed one between the legs and caught the falling sword, quickly using it to disembowel the second. Finishing off the first, George took the sword with him as he continued. George encountered three more duos. The tight corridors were aiding him as their large bodies made it difficult to fight. Now covered in blood and with a few new cuts, he finally reached the exit. A dozen Orcs guarded the doors.
George didn't hesitate. He charged at them. It took a few minutes and he received a few more wounds, but he eventually killed them. He opened the doors and escaped out into the forest. He ran as far and as fast as he could, but he could still hear his pursuers getting closer. Out of options, George stopped and climbed a tree. He waited, trying to catch his breath.
Only a minute later, the first Orc Scouts arrived. Four of them. One of them scanned the ground. They soon started arguing with each other. About what exactly, George didn't know as he didn't speak Orcish.
Info: Orcs
You have noticed their culture and society.
Continue to observe to learn more.
+0.1 Understanding of Greenskin
+10% damage against Orcs
“Really? Now?” George thought
Regardless of the Systems timely notification, George dropped down onto one of the Orc Scouts, driving his sword into its neck. The rest of the Orc Scouts jumped back in surprise, but not before George withdrew his sword and cut another’s throat. The remaining Orcs moved to run, but they didn't get more than twenty feet.
Before George could catch his breath, he heard more Orcs moving towards his position. Luckily, they weren’t bothering to be quiet. George dodged the ones he could, ambushed the ones he couldn't avoid, and ran towards the training grounds. The sun peeked over the mountains just as the Orcs abandoned the chase.
Slowing down to a jog, as he didn't have much more, George made his way back to the Training grounds. They gradually came into view. George stumbled through the tree grounds, just as the Officers were addressing the recruits during Roll Call. They all noticed him. Two of the Officers rushed towards him. They didn't reach him before he passed out.
*****
George woke up inside the hospital. One of the nurses immediately notified Doctor Gloria, who sent him to notify Captain Meldin. George was just becoming clear minded when the Captain entered the hospital. Captain Meldin made right for him. George moved to stand, but Gloria was there and pushed him back down. It was only then that he noticed that he was bandaged extensively.
“Recruit Helvain, report about what happened in that forest.”
“Sir, everything was going fine. I had just finished exterminating a Goblin village. The sun set and I had sat down to look over my status. I heard a snap and before I could react I was knocked unconscious. When I woke, I was in a crude cell. Orcs eventually came and put me and the other captured recruits into an arena and made us fight to the death for their entertainment. I refused to fight, but the majority of the others weren't so inclined. I killed four recruits, one of whom asked me to. Then while they cleaned up the arena they put me back into the cell. Once they were done, they had me fight against Ogres. I barely survived and escaped through a hole they created with their corpses. They chased me through the forest. I had to ambush a few of their patrols to create space. They gave up the chase shortly after the sun rose.”
“The Ogres attacked each other?”
“Incorrect sir, I killed them.”
“...Give me your hand.”
George promptly obeyed. The Captain grabbed the offered hand and cast a minor spell that activated the spell that tracked their kills.
Record: George Helvain
Goblins 190x
Goblin Warriors 10x
Goblin Chief 1x
Human trainee lv5-9 4x
Orcs 87x
Orc Scouts 32x
Ogre 2x
Ogre Elder 1x
Externally, Captain Meldin showed no reaction. Internally, he couldn't believe it! For a moment he thought the spell had malfunctioned, but that wasn't possible for such a simple spell. He quickly calmed himself down and addressed George.
“Rest up. We have much work to do.” He turned to leave.
“Yes sir!” George saluted and watched the Captain leave, before turning towards Gloria.
“More books?” She asked
“Yes please.”
She sighed, but brought over all the books he had previously used, with all his notes still shoved between pages. He continued to study while she looked over all the data she had received from him. Muscle tears, normal for an exhausted person, but these were much worse than that. A fractured leg, which had somehow already started healing. Countless cuts from blades, which any normal person would pass out from the pain. Four holes where arrows and hit him. And all that was just the big stuff. Yet, despite all that, not only did he show only minor discomfort, but his mind seemed to have stabilized slightly. Nothing amazing, but if his mental health could be placed on a bar, it had increased by a hair. The mind was easily broken, yet nearly impossible to fix.
Gloria continued to pour over other patients' scans before leaving for the night.
*****
Well into the night, George was laying down staring up at the ceiling. He knew he needed to sleep, yet couldn't. He thought over everything that had happened only last night. According to everything he knew, there was no possible way to survive, yet he did.
“Wacha thinkin 'bout?”
George leaned up quickly, opening a few of his wounds.
“What the hell? Why are you here Jasper?”
“Nothing really, just wanted to ask how it felt.” Jasper said casually as he sat down, pulling out a coin.
“Why would you care?” George asked, laying back down.
“Curiosity really.” The coin lifted off Jasper’s hand and started flipping and flying around, yet Jasper never touched it.
George watched this with interest, “How about this, I’ll tell you, but in exchange you teach me how to do that.”
“This? Oh, this is worth much more than that. Instead, I’ll teach you this if you tell me your story. Why are you here? What happened to you? Do we have an agreement?”
“We do.”
And so, George spent the next two hours telling Jasper everything from his fifth birthday to now.
“Intriguing. I’m truly sorry for you.”
“Did you have anything to do with it?”
“No.”
“Then keep your apologies. Now are you going to keep up you end of the bargain?”
“Of course! If there is one thing about me you can alway rely on, its that I only honor deals. Your hand please.”
George lifted his hand. Jasper simply touched it.
“There. Unfortunately, I have to go now. I do enjoy these conversations of ours. I hope there will be many more. Good night.” And just like that, he was gone. No sound, no light, nothing, just gone.
Spell: Telekinesis Lv.1
A rare spell that allows the user to control the movements of an object without touching it.
Affected by weight, size, intricacy, and resistance.
Lv 1: small, light objects, slow speed
George smiled and layed back down to sleep. He was expecting to have fun with his first spell.