Visit the Orcs

I hadn’t seen the Mountain Orcs since they had passed through the portal into my Domain, which I had never visited until now. For a moment I was worried that it might be hostile to life, and I would find my new allies torn apart or burnt to a crisp. I remembered that it would take a form according to my wishes, but I had never given it a second thought. Either it would be a plain and boring place, or it had been formed according to my subconscious. I spent a few seconds imagining a massive fortress of jagged black stone, a moat guarded by red-scaled crocodiles, and an extensive dungeon. I added gardens, fields and forests filled with delicious flora and fauna for my Mountain Orcs to eat and also imagined swarms of demonic crows circling in the skies who would report anything inside my Domain to me. Satisfied with my rough guidelines, I cast the spell to teleport into my Domain, and after a bit less than a minute I vanished from one reality and appeared in another.

I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I was inside a massive throne room with high ceilings held up by stone pillars and long windows hiking up the walls. The throne I sat on was large enough to easily fit my Enoch Form, so it was a bit large for me right now. It was however lined with beautiful swirling gold ornaments reflecting the dancing lights of the magical torches drenching the room in a green flickering light. The whole floor, save for a straight path towards the large gate at the entrance, was covered with a wide variety of carpets, blankets, cushions and furs, turning every inch of the room into an enticing invitation to sit or lay down. Now that I paid more attention, I noticed the variety of cages dangling from the ceiling and the numerous items of bondage equipment strewn around the room. There was easily a dozen collars hooked to chains, which were connected to the base of my throne. The room was just perfect. A beautiful heart to the depraved Domain I had created. It was however also empty, so I decided to explore further.

I used both hands to swing open the double doors at the entrance of my throne room and was greeted by a crimson sky darkened by large swarms of crows. I had stepped into a garden with rows of lush trees carrying thick, juicy red fruits. I also quickly spotted a few Mountain Orcs, who had clearly noticed me too. They dropped the fruits they were eating and approached me hastily, “There you are, Demon. Nice place you got here. Where are we?”, one of them bubbled in amazement of the place I had brough them to. I couldn’t be bothered to explain it to them, so I simply replied, “Bring Magol to me and gather the others, I have an announcement to make.”. They nodded and hurried down a few different sets of stairs leading down from the large terrace that held the garden.

I approached the decorative stone railing at the edge of the terrace and let my eyes wander across the towers, walls and gate surrounding my castle. It was a sight to behold, the life-long dream of any noble I had already at my fingertips. The courtyard below was large enough to make the roughly 100 Mountain Orcs now gathering there look like a small crowd. I placed my hands on the railing and leaned over it. My throne room was the peak of the castle, at least a hundred meters above the ground level from which the walls rose up. Who knew how deep the dungeons were…

“Demon, I greet you.”, Magols rumbling voice woke me from my staring, “I am glad you came, some of my men wondered whether you had sent us to hell.”. I laughed, “Not hell at all, my friend.”, I stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Quite the opposite actually, this is a paradise.”. The huge Mountain Orc nodded, “I agree. This place has already given us plenty of food and a castle far greater than any of our ancestors could ever have imagined.”, he paused for a second before adding, “Your castle of course.”. “What is mine is also yours, friend. I do claim the throne, yes, but in my absence, everything here is under your command.”, I encouraged him. He acknowledged my words with a short nod before asking, “What happened to those who stayed?”. I put on an expression of sorrow and shook my head, “Dead.”. Again, Magol nodded, “I didn’t have much hope, but I had to ask. Anyway, why are you here? The men talked about some announcement.”.

It was time for the actual reason I came here. “I need your help, Magol, your strength.”, I declared, “Of course I didn’t come empty handed. I am here to offer my mark to you and your men. It will bless you with demonic strength and prepare you for an upcoming battle.”. Magol took in my explanation before, once again, nodding, “I trust you, Demon. You have saved my tribe and given us a new life in this place. I will accept your mark and fight for you.”. I was moved by his sincerity, “Thank you Magol.”, I said with a smile and then imposed my Mark of Demonhood upon him. A shiver shook his body as waves of black energy rushed across his body and gathered on his forehead. I skilfully guided the energy and formed it into a rune that showed an upside down pentagram and finished it by locking the energy in place and sealing it inside the pentagram, which gave it a subtle red glow.

Pick a demonic Skill to bestow upon Magol the Mountain Orc.

There were many fantastic options, but for me the choice was clear. I remembered a Skill I had seen on the Demonic Halberdiers called Aura of Fire. I was sure they would get more skills in the future, and against the endless swarms threatening the city, this had to be the perfect choice. I confirmed it in the system and took a step back from Magol, whose skin had a redder tint now and showed some scales around the shoulders. He seemed to intuitively feel the new Skill and activated it, sending outward a burst of scorching heat at a range that even burned a few of the nearby trees. If not for my substantial fire resistance, this could have really hurt. Ethereal flames were licking at every surface they found, blackening the already dark stone. Magol deactivated the Skill, “Another blessing from you. How will we ever repay your kindness?”, he asked. I chuckled, “I’m about to tell you.”.

I held a speech informing the crowd of Mountain Orcs of my situation. The ongoings in Valoria, my Dungeon, and especially about the incoming attack by the Hornet Empress. By the end, aided by my Silver Tongue Skill, they were swearing to defeat my foes and begged to receive my mark. I took the time to bestow my Mark of Demonhood upon every single one of them, giving them all the Aura of Fire as their first demonic Skill. I got ready to leave as this had taken up quite some time but left some final words for Magol, “Prepare the dungeons for visitors. I will send you women to… increase your numbers.”. Magol gave me one of his rare smiles, “We will be ready for them.”, he promised. With that, I left behind my Domain and stepped back into the core reality that held my Dungeon.