Blood for Power: A LitRPG Apocalypse

The screams continued as we walked down the hallway.

Of course, there’s a limit to how much one could scream before running out of breath. So moments of silence followed, and as each one occurred, I prayed for his death. But the moments were always short-lived, and I’d wince every time the screaming started up again.

Now that we were in a confined space, the orcs allowed me to walk on my own. Hugo sat on my shoulder. They said not to make any sudden moves. Not that we could with the orcs sandwiched between us in the narrow hallway.

Broody led us into a fancy office waiting room. There was a small metallic desk to the left and a bench on the right for people to sit on. Straight ahead were double doors with one left slightly ajar.

That’s where the screams were coming from. I moved closer to try and see, but a hand roughly grasped my arm. “Wait your turn,” Snappy hissed in my ear. He shoved me towards the bench and I sat down.

The orcs now kept their guns holstered under their jackets. I was confident that, barring any surprises, I could take them. It wasn’t in my nature to be meek. In fact, I hated it. But much like in a video game, I was committed to exhausting all the dialogue options before killing them.

The screaming suddenly stopped.

It was a relief to everyone, but the orcs then stood around us in an awkward semi-circle. Unsure of what they could say in front of us.

“Do you know any good places to eat around here?” Hugo asked them.

“Be quiet,” Broody said.

Hugo turned to me.

Hugo: Why do they have to be so mean?

Lucas: They are kinda tightly wound. But then again, I’d be too if I worked in an office surrounded by tortured screaming.

The door from the hallway opened and a female orc entered. She was my height, dressed in a long trench coat and a large hat that covered her face at first. The male orcs stared. As far as they were concerned, Hugo and I no longer existed.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she said, with a posh lilt. This was the first female orc I’d seen who didn’t look like she could rip someone’s head off.

“Aria, does he have a minute?” Broody asked.

“His prior meeting is running a little long,” she replied.

As soon as Aria took off her hat, her long hair tumbled down. Snappy jumped forward and offered to take the hat from her. She graciously accepted and while his back was turned, she flashed a quick smile at Broody, who gave her one back.

Snappy returned to take her coat and hang it up. She was about to thank him again when she noticed the office door had been left ajar. Aria pursed her lips and closed it before moving to her desk. There was a whir of motors and the desk automatically rose in height. There were no papers, but the desk had a built-in screen that only she could see clearly.

Hugo: Lucas, she has no chair. Does she work standing the whole day? That must be awful.

Lucas: Maybe it’s easier for orcs to do?

Broody checked his watch. “Aria and I can take it from here. The rest of you head out.”

The other orcs tried and failed to hide their disappointment but didn’t argue. As they were filing out, Snappy stopped by her desk to quietly ask her something.

“I’ll think about it,” she said, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Snappy tightly nodded and left with the others.

“And I thought they’d never leave,” she said.

Broody chuckled nervously and then glanced at us. “There’s still these two. Do you know how much longer he’ll be?”

She shook her head. “Curse magic isn’t my thing, and to be honest, I wish he’d never picked it back up again.”

Broody stopped himself from agreeing with her. “It’s just temporary,” he assured her. “Once things are back to normal, it will be set aside like it has been in the past.”

“It just feels like… something they would do, you know?”

Broody nodded. “It’s better to not think about it. Now have you heard anything from Federico?”

Alarmed at the name, her voice got quieter. “You think he suspects?”

“No, but I am wondering when you’re going to break the news to him.”

“I’m waiting for the right moment.”

He puts his hands on the desk and leaned over to talk quietly. I couldn’t hear what was said, but I noticed her hand was touching his.

Hugo: Should we say something?

Lucas: No, just act like wallpaper and let their office romance play out.

Their whispers became more heated until there was an electronic beep on her desk. Aria silenced Broody with her hand and smiled at us.

“He will see you now,” she said.

Before we could stand, the double doors violently flew open. A young man with short, white hair and goat horns strode out with his fists clenched. He wore an old-fashioned navy suit with a vest containing a gold pocket watch. He paused to check the time on it before snapping the clasp shut.

Aria folded her hands in front of her. “I apologize if there was a misunderstanding.”

“Tell your idiot boss not to waste my time again!” he yelled.

The goat man made for the door so quickly that Broody stumbled to get out of his way.

Hugo: Who was that?

Hugo was fascinated at seeing another alien

Lucas: Someone they consider important, judging from their reactions.

Aria favored us with another equanimous smile. “He will see you now,” she repeated. Which was her polite way of telling us to get out of the room.

The orc boss’s office was a massive space lined with artifacts on small pedestals. If not for the bloodied goblin tied to a chair, it would’ve felt like entering a museum.

The only other person in the room was a stout, grizzled orc. He wore the same suit as the others, but had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Despite these precautions, blood had still made its way onto his shirt.

His flat eyes flicked to us. “Ah good, you’re here. Come closer. I’d like you to see something.” He tried to sound friendly, but there was no emotion in his voice. It was the flat affect of someone who could torture without feeling a shred of empathy.

I took slow, measured steps to give myself time to warn Hugo.

Lucas: No jokes here. We have to be careful around him.

Hugo shivered.

Hugo: Don’t worry about me. Worry about that knife.

I glanced at the orc’s hands and was surprised that I’d missed it. The blade was a triangular spiral that ended back in a point. It did not look practical for cutting or stabbing, but its oily black color screamed dark magic.

The goblin did not move or make a sound. I assumed he was dead until I saw his face. Hugo gasped. The goblin’s eyes were open and desperately moving around. He was still screaming in pain, but every other part of his body was paralyzed.

My stomach twisted in disgust. “What is this?”

“My name is Enzo, the current patriarch of the De Luca clan. This, as you call it, is ancient curse magic that has been passed down through my family for generations. I’d hoped never to have to use it myself. Though I’m sure my ancestors thought the same. Yet circumstances have forced my hand and here we are.”

I pointed at the goblin. “Make it stop,” I snarled.

“I cannot. The curse is absolute. Unlike many other forms of curse magic, this one does not attack the outward body. No, instead it attaches itself to the soul first and then eats away at its target from the inside out. There is no cure for it.”

I drew my sword and cut the goblin’s head off in one clean swing. The head rolled along the floor, but his eyes were still frantically moving. Still pleading for help.

Bile rose in my throat. Shamefully, I had to look away.

“Yes, the curse will even ward off simple deaths in order to prolong its target's suffering. Only complete destruction of the body ends it. I don’t suppose you have any Tanite in that Climber inventory of yours? That would melt the body quickly.”

I narrowed my eyes. “We’re not working for the goblins.”

Enzo stared at us and then nodded. “I believe you.” He turned to the table behind him and put the knife into a silver box. Next to the box was a vial of green liquid. He took that instead and poured the contents onto the goblin's body and head. The body started melting.

Hugo and I gagged at the smell and took several steps back.

“But you can understand my suspicion,” he said. “We see you entering the city, and the goblin mortar team’s aim is worse than usual. Then one of the stores under our protection gets blown up with you two at the scene.”

“Trouble kind of follows us around,” Hugo said.

“Yes, I’ve heard that about Tower Climbers. Though you’re the first I’ve managed to actually meet with.”

My eyebrows rose. “There are others in the city?”

“A handful at least. They hide in the desert or in the unclaimed section of the city. Whenever one of my people approaches them, they flee. Normally I’d suspect one of them was the cause of the problem, but this started before the Climbers arrived.”

“What’s the problem?” I asked.

“Orcs and humans have been going missing. Not a lot. Just a few here and there. It’s been happening for months and it’s put the city on edge. They look to me for answers, yet I have few to give. All we know is that some of the goblins are involved.”

“How do you know that?”

He pointed at the melted body. “That one was seen standing over a dead orc with a strange device in his hand. This device.” He pulled out the gold cube from his pocket. It looked identical to the one Dratch had, only this one was intact.

“May I see it?”

He handed it to me.

[Item Unidentified]

Well there goes that idea.

“Our technicians couldn’t figure out what it's supposed to do. Which is where you two come in. I don’t entirely trust the humans and I need someone who can go where my orcs can’t. Go back to the market district and find Bartholomew’s store. He’s a gifted inventor who might have some insights. In fact, he helped design the power system this building runs on.”

“So why not go to him yourself?” Hugo asked.

“There was… an incident. Some young upstart orc mouthed off in his shop. It escalated to threats from both sides and then the inventor banned all orcs from his store for good.”

“And you allowed that?” I asked.

He shrugged. “We still make orders for certain goods to be manufactured, and he continues to fulfill them. It’s awkward, but we’ve managed to make it work.”

“What does he make for you?”

“Replacement parts for our generators, mostly. He’s a pacifist and has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with our ongoing conflict with the goblins.”

“And how’s that conflict going?”

Enzo sighed. “We poke and prod each other in the unclaimed parts of the city in small skirmishes. The goblins are cautious because they don’t know the extent of our technological capabilities. And we’re the same way, since it’s hard to gauge how much explosives they have.”

“Why not just stop fighting?”

Enzo’s eyes became hard. “Because they keep attacking us. Although the bombing you witnessed was an escalation. They’ve never attacked that far into the city before.” He got lost in thought for a moment and then shook his head. “The goblins aren’t your concern. Go to the inventor. Find out what you can about the device and then report back to me.”

Hugo: Are we working for him now?

Lucas: No, we are not.

“Why should we help you?” I asked him.

Enzo folded his arms. “It’s not a request. Regardless of what the goblins or humans think, this is my city. There are over two thousand orcs in this building alone that will try to kill you if you leave without my blessing, and even more in the surrounding districts. But if you help me, then my organization will assist you in any way it can to help you move on to the next floor.”

Hugo: I think we should agree. He doesn’t know it, but we have the same quest. Helping him is just helping ourselves.

Lucas: I know. I just hate being bossed around.

Hugo: Let me handle this part.

“We’ll assist you,” Hugo said. “But first, let’s discuss our price.”