Chapter 10 - Second-Hand Slavemaster
Chapter 10 - Second-Hand Slavemaster
Orcs, as Levi grew up watching fictions of the monsters, were a stubborn bunch. They follow their traditions to the letter even at the cost of their lives…
Friends of the strong, foe of the weak.
If their tribe falls into trickery, it's because they're weak. If their tribe is unable to weather a plague, it's because they're weak. If ever they had to back down and submit, it's because they're weak.
It's because they're weak.
It's either they live to be strong enough, or die because they're weak.
Even in fiction such a backward and brutish way would have long become extinct if not for their reproduction rate and gifted physiques that become more and more prominent as they become aged and slightly wiser.
Which should have been easy had they been hiding in hibernation, except the majority of the Orcs seek to get stronger and stronger as they grow and age. Those who've reached maturity often have seen too many deaths and have become demented schemers. A Slave to either survival or power but bound all the same their war-crafted ways.
They become more ruthless and unless called back for war, the orcs would pillage and roam the continent and even the world. Seeking to continuously challenge everyone and as they sought to improve themselves.
Like an autonomous plague that only gets stronger as time goes on.
But that of course was in fiction. As for what Levi went through…
He assessed that killing the current Leader right now, would only result with another one taking over and that he'd most likely be issued another duel without reprieve or escape, unable to negotiate terms due to the obvious language barrier in place.
As such his options right now are to either escape or find a way to somehow truly win. Not to win the duel, but the crowd.
Sure, he could have easily killed the Red Orc by simply putting a bullet on it's head, but that would only serve to anger the horde. Judging by their reaction when he started peperring the Orc with bullet wounds.
He could have possibly escaped, yes, but that wouldn't really matter if he sported grievous wounds and consumed too much ammo in the process. So other than escaping or winning the duel, Levi chose the third option…
It might several degrees more dangerous, but he at least wanted to earn something out of this…
And admittedly his own childish of a side quest experience.
…
… …
"HAH… HAH… HAH… HAH…"
"Hahahahaha."
The two continued laughing even as they stood up and sheathed their weapons. Without any words, they nodded to each other. Bumping their fists in clear respect of one another. Making Levi somehow confused at the pseudo-modern gesture before simply shrugging it off as a more dominant way of greeting.
He was somehow expecting a bow of some sorts, thought thinking about it, Levi felt the clash of fists made more sense as it portrayed acknowledgement of power… Something that was clear even to these orcs that are not from fiction.
With a roar from the Red Orc, the horde roared back and applauded one last time before to dispersing making Levi sigh in relief.
Aside from some stares, and some commentaries about their battle, everyone started ignoring Levi as if he's been a long time guest of the tribe, Levi observing the orcs newly odd behavior getting startled as [EVA] displayed a message in front of his eyes.
—
[EVA] [System Notification]
Integrating Gifted Information from the Red Skull Tribe's…
Warning. Hostile Sequences found.
Ignoring Foreign Instructions…
Rejecting Obligatory Hierarchy System…
Removing Harmful Algorithms…
[EVA] Creating Minor Patch to the system based on given information. This will require no downtime.
[EVA]
– Inter System Communication is now possible —
– Inter Species Communication is now possible —
[EVA] Title System has been Integrated.
[EVA] Equipment System has been Integrated.
[EVA] Status Page is now Integrated.
[EVA] [System Notification]
You can now use identify.
…
[EVA] [System Notification]
The Youngest of the Red Skull Tribe, Gura has gifted you a Spirit Weapon from their tribe. It is highly recommended that you prepare for a backlash.
Warning. Gura has gifted you 6 of his recently captured Slaves which will be embedded to a Lyrcrest Flower tattoo.
It is highly recommended that you prepare for a backlash
—
…
… …
"What the f…"
Before Levi could even process the notification, a sudden jolt of pain in his head made his knees waver, the Red Orc Gura looking to be able to understand his words now snorted before walking away same as the others.
The crowd clearing the area, leaving him alone in what now looks to be the middle of a square.
Levi breathed through the pain for a minute or two before the ringing finally stopped as if it wasn't there to begin with. With his thoughts once again clear, he easily ruled out the thought of an attack and simply chucked it down as a form of hospitality.
Replaying what happened through [EVA], Levi easily noticed that the Orcs expected what happened to him as none of the Orc bystanders tried to get a go on him while the excruciating pain was ongoing. In fact, their stance looked seem to be more leaned towards guarding Levi, probably just in case anyone tries to sneak up or go against the young lord's wishes.
Or at least that's what Levi thought to be a young orc lord after a careful examination of the muscle structure of the foe he just fought.
But the more important fact, is that there are likely other tribes or monsters within the city.
Asking EVA to mark the info for later, Levi opted to recover enough before making his next steps a bit more wary of unknown possibilities he may encounter along the way.
.
The number of orcs and battles he had went through really wern't a good indicator as [EVA]s mapping system indicated that Levi was only half way through passing the city. And for all the fun he had in that duel, the mark he's now wearing had placed him at odds against other possible orc tribes.
There's also that weird foreign and unsettling itching,responsible for the magic that seems to be healing him. Levi's eyes lighting up as he watched his severed finger slowly regrow... The lack of explanation as to what's happening prompting him to finally check the new functionalities [EVA] had gained.
…
… …
—
[Status Page]
Name: Levi HeartfallRace: Human
[Attributes]
Strength: 51
Dexterity: 56
Perception: 52
Constitution: 50
Stamina: 240 / 430
[Condition]
Physical State: Peak mortal body, further enhanced by consistently pushing to the limits. Pushed to greater lengths by Wartime as well as the consistent threat of danger.
Mental State: A tactical mind honed by survival and curiosity, always innovating and adapting to stay ahead.
Physical Injuries: Cuts and bruises some had already regenerated. Severed pinky is still regenerating.
Fatigue Level: Mostly recuperated. No signs of exhaustion.
Recovery Potential: Full recovery in a few minutes due to Status Effects.
Overall Health: Slightly under peak condition.
Status Effects: Marked by Victory – Temporarily heals wounds, regenerates limbs, restores stamina, and radiates dominance and respect from recent victories. Removed once the host is fully healed or the effect expires.
[Skills & Abilities]
Skills
Combat Mastery: Adequate in both melee and ranged combat.
Mobility: Decent parkour, skating, and other mobility equipment.
Engineer: Creator of tools and weapons essential for survival.
Abilities
EVA Integration: Tactical support with sensory enhancements and real-time analysis.
A Petal as a Servant:
Summon a petal to the real world. The Petal will wither if it dies in the real world and will cease to exist and finally die.
The master has absolute authority over the petals and they cannot kill themselves unless their master allows it.
Summoning/Storing back a petal to the tattoo takes 5 seconds. Only one petal can be summoned at a time.
Petals thrown away by the bearer of the tattoo will similarly wither away to inexistence as they are merely petals of their previous self and can no longer be a flower on its own.
A Petal to Save a Life:
Consume a petal to revive yourself from certain death.
The consumed petal will cease to exist, including its very soul.
[Titles and Achievements]
Jack of All Trades: Master of adaptability, excelling in many fields. Though inadequate in most of them.
The Strongest Mortal: Proof of humanity's potential, unmatched average in overall physical attributes.
Unique System Architect: Creator of EVA. Builder of tools and strategies that blend technology with ingenuity.
Wraith Slayer: Vanquisher of Wraiths, binding their essence into weapons.
Honored Foe of the Red Skull: Defeated the Red Orc in ritual combat, earning respect and a place in Orc lore.
Second Hand Slave Master: A title reflecting Levi's ownership of slaves, gifted to him by others, making his dominion indirect but absolute.
[Inventory]
Equipment
Black-Dyed Dagger:A Wraith-forged blade that phases through armor, automatically phases as soon as it hits contact with matter.Will materialize as soon as there's enough space for materialization.Phase Cooldown: 6 Seconds.Unable to be turned off unless upgraded further and manual activation and deactivation is unlocked.
Red Skull Tribe - Twin Chained Sickles (Bound):A prize from the Red Orc given to the person who helped expand his horizons.Resonating with untapped power. Their chains grant extended reach and flexibility.Can be stored as a Tattoo when not in use.Has a 2 second delay when storing/summoning.
Modified Skateboard:Reinforced for all terrains, capable of water gliding and aerial maneuvers.
Heelys (Modified):Stealthy and swift, conserving energy while maintaining agility.
Military Gear with EVA:Enhanced senses and adaptive features for tactical advantage.
2x Custom Pistols:Lightweight and precise, crafted for lethality.
Orb Containers:Designed to safely store and harness volatile Wraith energy.
Lyrcrest Life Flower Tattoo (Bound):Can only be granted by the royalty of the Redskull tribe.A secret preservation tattoo created by transmuting 6 sacrifices, to serve as petals for the flower tattoo.To serve as an extension of the bearer's life.
The epitome of the Red Skull Tribe's life and death magic.Petals are souls ingrained into the Lyrcrest flower tattoo.Designed to serve as both your slaves as well as a sacrifice to extend your life.
Given as a prize from the Red Orc to the first person who showed him mercy.The Red Orc offers 6 Lives for the price of one.
—
Skimming through the status page, Levi was at first baffled by the numbers, with [EVA] somehow noticing and promptly adjusting the Status screen to be in a more descriptive mode.
Appreciating the System's Assessment of himself, Levi's eyes went wide at the Inventory Part
[EVA] 6x Female Slaves, A prize from the—
"No I know… What what– EVA?"
Nobody answered as expected. Levi quickly opened up the console only to find it significantly different than what he designed the admin console to be. Spending an hour or so analyzing the new libraries loaded as well as confirming that no harmful threats had been loaded to EVA's infrastructure, Levi finally calmed his thoughts.
'I must have somehow prompted Eva to read his thoughts out loud.' Levi mumbled to himself, still edgy at the recent ambush that nearly killed him.
Doing another check to [EVA], he once again sighed in relief.
Given how [EVA] is directly attached to his internal organs including his brain and heart, the very thought of EVA going haywire was urgent enough for him to ignore everything that's in front of him. And he was thankful that nothing really happened to the AI. Levi scrunched his forehead recalling the oddly trusting gesture he made with the red orc.
.
Finally getting on track, he once again read what was probably the root cause of the "Second-Hand Slavemaster" title.
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… …
To be continued.