Orc Lord

Durghan managed to drag me over half the city before we’d rounded up mother and father. He wanted to speak somewhere private, so I suggested the palace. Other places in Babylon are more open, but I won’t have just anyone wandering into the heartplace of government affairs.

There was a rather nice conference room with a large round table on the second floor, so we gathered there.

“Well, Durghan, why in the world have you dragged us here?” I kept myself calm while asking. Durghan has done well leading the hunters and fighters, so he deserves a measure of tolerance.

His expression was tense. He looked at mother and father and nodded his head at me.

He wants them to start? Perhaps mother and father are the ones who really wanted this meeting.

“Mother, father, do either of you know what this is about?”

Father’s eyes widened suddenly, and he cast a nervous glance at mother.

Come to think of it, were these two still on bad terms?

Mother’s expression didn’t change, she still wore her calm and encouraging smile, but a mass of flames erupted from her body without warning. After a moment, she got the fire back under control, but there were still a few flames licking the air here and there.

“I think I see what this is about,” mother nodded sagely and turned her head to Durghan. “You did well to notice so soon.”

“Notice what?” I asked her. “Is there a problem in the city besides all the bored and jobless people?”

“There is,” mother nodded.

I sighed, then gave in, wearing a weak smile. “Alright. Let’s hear it. I’ll deal with it quickly so these interruptions will finally be over.”

Mother gave a small hum in acknowledgement, then she peeked her eyes open. For whatever reason, it felt like she was trying to pierce through me with them.

“Since when does baby call me “mother”?” she asked in a sweet voice.

I raised an eyebrow. “Have I been? I didn’t notice. Anyway, mother, what’s this problem you mentioned?”

She stared hard at me for a moment, then tilted her chin. “Before that, I’d like to confirm something. Can you tell me what Stats changed when you evolved yesterday?”

I smiled, thinking her curiosity was a little cute. “Alright,” I gave a light snort, “but then let’s focus on the meeting. Fair?”

“Absolutely,” mother nodded.

Let’s see. I think I saved the information in . There it is.

“Becoming a Queen Orc increased my Intelligence, Regality, Courage, Willpower, Stamina, Charisma, Diplomacy, and Law Stats,” I listed them all off patiently. “Satisfied?”

“Yes,” mother folded her fingers. “That certainly explains it.”

“Now then, the problem we’re having?”

“It’s you.”

I blinked, my brain working slowly. When what she said had finally registered, I wondered if I’d heard wrong. “What was that?”

“The problem Durghan noticed is you. You’ve never had a particularly stable personality, but it changed suddenly, so he was worried. Probably the thing that convinced him we should address it is that you changed the way you’ve been calling me since infancy.”

I raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly. “That’s what the important problem was? Of course I noticed something felt a little different, but I was just going to come and chat about it with you tonight. I don’t see why we have to waste daylight doing it now.” I started to stand up, “Well then, I’ll swing by your room tonight and we’ll talk about it, just like last time.”

“Sit down, baby,” mother’s voice cut through the air and all my thoughts. She smiled brightly, “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather talk about it now. I think it’s something you should be aware of sooner rather than later.”

Both eyebrows went up this time, and I found myself curious about what she had to say. “Alright then,” I conceded, sitting back down. “What exactly should I be made aware of?”

“First, I’d like to give you a hypothetical situation and hear what you think about it.” Without waiting for my consent, she dove right into a narrative. “Imagine there’s a reasonably strong person facing a monster almost as strong as them in the woods. That person lacks courage, so he avoids the fight he had the potential to lose. If you suddenly gave that man a medicine to make him braver, so that he had more confidence in his strength, do you think he would still hide?”

“Probably not,” I pondered. “He was stronger than his enemy to start with, and their numbers were equal.”

Mother nodded. “Right. Then, the man’s behavioral patterns changed for the better, didn’t they? That’s how medicines are supposed to work.”

“I suppose so. Where are you going with this?”

“Just a minute. There’s one more. This time, the monster is stronger than the man, so that it would be considerably risky to fight it one on one. He takes another medicine to enhance his courage, but the effects are a little too strong, so that he becomes overconfident. Do you think the weaker man will hide from the stronger beast?”

I waved my hand and answered casually, “He’ll probably charge out like a fool. Now what does that—” like a flowing stream which had dislodged a log blocking its path, I finally recognized my own circumstances. I wore a wry grin on my face, “Oh, I see. That metaphor is about me, isn’t it? About how my recent Stat improvements have changed the way I think and act.”

I held back on bringing up the implications (and insult) suggested by the second half of the metaphor. Better to not be hostile to someone who wanted to help me.

“That’s right,” mother finally showed a hint of satisfaction. “Four of the Stats that increased when you evolved directly affect personality, and two indirectly affect it. Your Law increase most likely had some effect as well, though that’s hard to say when we don’t know what your Law Power is. I’m sure your evolution increased the Stats that were likely to help you with ruling over our kind, but the results of these things don’t always come out as intended. Medicines not formulated to a specific person and situation may become poisons instead.”

Durghan cut in with his piece, “It, it’s not like I thought the changes were bad, but it was just so sudden. You didn’t acknowledge that anything was different, either, so I was most worried that you didn’t realize it yourself.”

Mother nodded. “Right. As long as you’re aware of it, and it doesn’t trouble you, there’s no problem. Ah, please call me momma the way you used to, though.”

I chuckled. “Well, it’s a little childish, but alright, momma.” I glanced over at the fourth person at the table. “Father, do you have any input here?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I underestimated how hard it would be to raise a Monster. Your mother and I agreed that I would be in charge of monitoring your social development, but you’re never home, and now you returned with different personality Stats. I’m having a hard time keeping up with you. I guess, for now, just know that I’ll still be here, and I’ll still care about you, so you’ll have something constant in this volatile life you’re living. At least, I will do my best to stay constant for you.”

I blinked at the unexpected sentimentality. “Well, alright then. Thank you.” He nodded, and I cleared my throat, addressing the whole table, “Thank you, everyone, for being concerned about my wellbeing. I was only vaguely aware of my changes, but now I understand that they run deeper than I’d realized. I’ll go forward while keeping this fact in mind.” I waited for those gathered to acknowledge my words until there, then promptly stood up.

“Now then, I’m sorry to cut this meeting short, but there are several matters which have been awaiting my attention for far too long. I’d like to deal with them quickly so they don’t fester.” I smiled warmly, “I’ll see you all at dinner. Durghan, you’re welcome to follow while I address the rest of the idle folk.” The corner of my lips twitched, “You can watch me a little longer and let me know if I start spitting poison.”

Durghan nodded and stood up to follow me out of the room. Mother and father stayed back, looking like they had something to discuss. I’m happy to let my parents use the room, since that’s what it’s there for.

Oh, right. Those two are my parents. I wonder why that suddenly feels strange. Actually, if I think about it, my parents in this world are younger than I am, if I include my previous life. I think most people would feel strange if they suddenly thought of that… Or if they took a moment to consider that they were once a tiny, unthinking thing inside a womb. There’s also the fact that, according to Orc custom, my conception was not, ehem, consensual on father’s side. Yes, this strange feeling isn’t unusual, then. I’m just being hyper-analytical now that I’ve been told I was acting strange.

But I did feel a bit refreshed, knowing where that sense of dissonance from earlier was coming from; that it wasn’t just in my head.

Durghan followed me out of the conference room and into the hall. Besides the materials that the walls and floor were made from and the strange mineral-based upholsteries, the castle was basically empty and undecorated. Personally, I preferred it that way, but what would an outsider think if they saw that their own home was better decorated than a castle? Maybe I could see about getting some paintings and flowers, at least, but it was yet another matter that would have to wait.

It seems like I worried them there. My thoughts drifted back to the room from before. I wonder why I didn’t notice how obvious the changes were. Perhaps it’s because the way I think changed too. When the inside and the outside match, and there’s no sense of dissonance, why would I suspect anything? Maybe it’s impressive that I noticed as little as I did. Well, it’s nice to think that way.

Dealing with the ordinary citizens would require a bit more creativity than sorting the people who had distinctive traits. I tried to refocus my mind on that issue, but was promptly interrupted. Durghan decided he had something to say once we’d stepped back out into the sun.

“Lord Vyra, I’m not sure if “spitting poison” was translated right, but basically, you wanted me to let you know if any other changes turn up?” I nodded him to go on. “Well, I tried paying closer attention and thought back a bit, and I think the way you talk changed a little. Although it’s sort of hard to tell with the language blessing always working, but you’ve been using different words and different sentence structures than you used to. I’m not sure for how long.”

“Have I?” I pondered and reflected on my words. “Perhaps that’s the Regality Stat working. I didn’t notice it before, but I think you’re right. How strange; this feels so natural to me. I’m just speaking in the same way that I think in my head, like I always have.”

Durghan shrugged and looked a bit uncertain, so I encouraged him. “Thank you. It helps to have an outsider watching.”

And maybe the reason I keep going out of my way to tend to people’s feelings, even though I don’t care, is thanks to the Diplomacy Stat? Come to think of it, didn’t I genuinely care about Durghan at one point? When did that change?

The former village Chief smiled with subtle pride and shifted his attention. “Where are we going next, Lord Vyra?”

“Somewhere central,” I answered, making my way down the elegant front steps of the palace. “I’ll have to split the ordinary people into smaller groups, and they’ll be heading in different directions after that.”

I belatedly realized that the castle, which we were standing in front of, was built in the exact center of the city.

“Here will do.” I raised my voice with and called for anybody else in Babylon who was unoccupied or wanted something new to do. Of course, that was after excluding the slaves. I would have to start work on rehabilitating them another day.

A few goblins snuck into the group that gathered.

Honestly, I would rather have every one of them working the fields: I have a lot of Orcs to feed. But, if they hate working there, then they won’t work efficiently. It’s better to put people into jobs they like, so I’ll give them a chance.

“People who like cutting up beasts and the sight of blood, step to the left. People who like to read and write, step to the right. People who like to make things with their hands, step to the front. People who like to move their feet and see far away places, step to the back. People who are interested in magic tools and studying new things, stay in the middle. The rest of you, disperse. I’ll find something for you to do later.”

I took the time to guide each group to where their work would be based in the future. After walking all over the city to the slaughterhouse, the library, the crafting guild’s building, the eastern gate, and the research tower, it was nearly dinner time. There wasn’t even enough leeway to begin basic instructions. I had to just tell them to be there tomorrow morning, and that I would make my way around. At least with the last group, the person who would be in charge of them, Fiara, was around. I just sort of passed them off to her as students and assistants. She’s had both of those before, so I’m sure she can handle it. Rather, I think she’ll be more than glad to have some help.

I’ll have to seriously tackle the supply issue tomorrow morning. Things like tablets, magic cores, furs and leathers, Silfela grass, and many more things need a way to get around the city to where they needed to be. Just as important, they need to be distributed in such a way that an accurate inventory is kept. I’ll have to make some Golems to craft tablets. I can’t be the only person in the city making them. After that, they’ll need to somehow get passed to Fiara’s group for enchanting, and then to the library, the school, and all kinds of other places. I can set up the bank as a place to collect and dispense magic cores. Shoot, I wonder how the Golems I left there are doing. How many sealights will they have made by now? And now that I’m thinking of things, I haven’t seen my pet all day.

Sigh. There’s too much to do. But first things first, it’s almost dinner time, and I promised Azza and Ranig that I’d have their contracts drafted. I should really be keeping a list of all these things. No, that would just be more work. I need someone to do that for me.

Many matters had been left alone for far too long.