A while later, at the orc’s kingdom.
Rohan and V stood atop a hill facing the great orc kingdom. The kingdom had high walls, heavily fortified and well-engineered. Yet there was one thing that made it look out of place. The kingdom’s walls were dwarven, the military fortifications were human, and the engineering looked elven. The surroundings were barren and dry, barely having any grass or plants.
Rohan crossed his arms behind his back and said, “This reminds me of school projects. Prayers and desperation glued everything together, and the parts were from art studio trash cans I used to raid.”
V looked at him and asked, “Do you still want this to be your kingdom?”
Rohan looked at him and said, “Yes.” He gazed at the kingdom and continued, “It can be improved; there’s plenty of room for that. Which is why I like this place.”
“I doubt this shithole is worth improving,” V said.
“So is the entirety of India. The key here is determination,” Rohan said.
They descended the hill and approached the rugged kingdom. Before they reached the gate, they saw a slave trader arguing with a gate guard. Mainly, their arguing barely presented any information, but the last bit caught the attention of Rohan.
“Don’t you dumbasses know these women belong to your king!?” The slave trader shouted.
Rohan turned to V and said, “Isn’t interspecies breeding forbidden among orcs?”
V nodded and said, “Not for all species; the rule is against weaker ones.”
Rohan hummed and said, “Interesting.” He approached the arguing human and orc and shouted, “I’ve heard enough chatter from the two of you!” He stood and said, “Take me to the king, guard.”
The orc guard looked at him confusedly and asked, “Who the hell are you?”
Rohan looked at him and said, “The moon’s servant.”
The guard smiled at him, rubbed his chin and said, “Ahh, another delusional human. Sure, go through the gate.” And pointed to the entrance.
Rohan passed him and said, “Thank you.”
The guard tried to cheap-shot Rohan by smashing his head with a hammer, but it shattered.
Rohan looked at him in displeasure and said, “Orcs have honor.”
The guard grunted in frustration, punched Rohan, and his hand broke. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees.
Rohan sighed, approached and held his hand to heal it. He looked at the guard and scolded, “You should’ve known your hand is no mightier than a steel hammer. What were you thinking?”
In awe, the guard looked at his hand and said, “How can you heal my hand? No one can heal like this.”
Rohan smirked at him and said, “I told you, didn’t I? I’m a servant of the moon.”
Minutes later, the two strolled in the kingdom’s street, knowing damn well they were lost, but convinced themselves they were exploring. The city had high buildings and paved roads styled like English towns.
Rohan looked around and said, “Overlooking the exterior, it’s not so bad.”
V had his hands in his pockets and said, “I prefer American roads; English roads feel cramped.”
Rohan smiled at him and said, “Not a fan of pedestrian-friendly cities, I see.”
“I'm not a fan of cities built centuries ago, and pompous people like you are still desperately trying to prove that they’re better than modern designs,” V said.
Rohan exhaled loudly and said, “I regret asking the goddess to grant you earthly knowledge.”
V shrugged and said, “She would grant it to me either way. She knew you’d feel lonely in a medieval world, especially with your obsession with that Asian fantasy novel.”
“I keep telling you it’s not a fantasy novel! It’s real!” Rohan objected.
"A powerful Indian Jinn king who can shoot blue flames, married to a powerful Persian woman who can shoot lightning. I don’t need to go further from here. The introduction alone screams romance fantasy and is nowhere near being realistic, let alone a true story," V said.
"And here we are, an Indian man who wields the power of the moon and a blue, four-armed man who’s almost an exact copy of a deity in a world with creatures you’d only see in fantasy novels, consumed by idiots who are socially handicapped and isolated," he said. He leaned closer to V and said menacingly, "Yet, we are real, living, and existing in the grand plane of reality."
V smirked at him and said, “Still more believable than that shitty novel.”
“Fuck you, V,” Rohan said in displeasure.
They entered a bar that was crowded with humans. Rohan looked around confusedly and asked, “Where are the orcs?”
A drunk man approached him, hugged Rohan’s arm and said, “It’s so nice to see a fellow human! Come and drink with us!”
Rohan shoved him and said, “I thought this is the kingdom of orcs, not humans.”
The bar became silent, and then the patrons and bartenders laughed.
Another drunk approached with a bowl of nuts over his head as if it was a crown and said, “Me, King Orc! Me no allow human in! Me make kingdom stronk!” then he laughed harder with tearing eyes of joy.
Rohan watched as wrath slowly took over his mind. V grabbed his shoulder, leaned closer and said softly, “Not now, Rohan. We need more information about our people.”
Rohan sighed in frustration and left. V approached the crowned drunk and asked, “Hey, where can I find the orcs?”
The crowned drunk looked at him displeased and said, “Oh, those filth. You can find them in the slums.”
V smirked at him and said, “Thanks.” He punched the drunk hard, causing his head to slam onto the wooden floor. V looked at the stunned patrons and said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t bother with this guy; he’s dead.” Then he left.
Later, in the slums.
The two entered the slums and saw what broke the servant's heart. They found who they were looking for, orcs, but their situation was far worse than that of the humans of this kingdom. The orcs lived in tiny homes and worked measly jobs, be it prostitution, street cleaners, shoe shiners, guards for criminal lords or brothels, selling human trash, old weapons, drugs or orc children.
Rohan couldn’t bear the scenery and cried. Seeing the moon’s creation in such a sad state was horrible. V held Rohan’s shoulder, shook him gently and said softly, “Rohan, If they knew a servant is crying out of helplessness, the faithful’s cause would crumble.”
Rohan wiped his tears and said brokenly, "How could this happen? How could a race that stands firmly by honor fall like this?"
V looked at an old orc female and said, “Maybe the elders would know.”
They approached her, and Rohan sat beside her. The old woman had straight red hair, overly wrinkled skin, and barely opened eyelids. She looked at him. Her eyes were pure white. She touched Rohan’s face and said, “No tusks. Are you a human?”
Rohan smiled at her and said, “Yes.”
“Excuse this blind, feeble orc, Master human.” She shook while leaning on her cane and said, “I cannot stand; I cannot be of use. This body of mine isn’t what it used to be.”
V crossed his arms and said, “What happened to you isn’t old age alone. Have you been eating well?”
The old woman looked at V and said, “Old? I’m not old. I’m in my prime. I would be a warrior if I lived in the forefathers’ village.”
Rohan grabbed her shoulder and asked, “What made you become like this? I’ve been in Chief Ander’s village, and the orcs there were healthier than most here.”
The woman looked at the floor, pouted and said, “Chief Anders…” She wept.
She looked at Rohan and said, “If only the orcs followed our forefathers' path, we would’ve never sunk this low. Children were sold as mercenaries, women whoring themselves, men throwing their lives away to protect criminals and an uncaring king. All for that drug called Eclipse.”
She gripped her dress and growled, “I was no better than most. I sold everything I owned and loved just for a single shot.” She looked at Rohan and said, “What did I gain other than a regretful high? I lost my honor, my little brother, my health and my eyesight. If only I weren’t so weak and lost, I would purge this kingdom from all its ailments.”
Rohan smiled at her and asked, “Would you accept the help of the moon’s servant?”
“I’d be honored to serve under one, let alone have one help me,” The woman said.
Rohan touched her forehead and said, “Stay still, and let the moon’s blessing heal you.”
Moments later, her body began to recover dramatically. Her posture straightened, her skin glowed, her hair grew back and strengthened, and her eyes healed, returning to their standard color.
The divine ability of a servant fully healed her, and she became as she always was: young, beautiful, and vibrant.
The woman looked around in awe and touched her face, hands, and arms. She looked at Rohan, almost breaking into tears, and hugged him.
Rohan gasped softly as her embrace was strong. He chuckled and hugged her back.
V smirked at Rohan and teased him by doing a heart sign with his hands. Rohan, in return, frowned at him and flipped him off.
She let go of Rohan and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what took over me.”
Rohan smiled at her and said, “It’s okay. You never told me your name?”
“My name is Andrea,” she answered joyfully.
Rohan stood, held out his hand, and said, “It's a pleasure to meet you, Andrea. I’m Rohan, servant of the moon, and I’m on a mission to reunite the faithful and restore harmony to the moon’s creation.”
Andrea’s face lit up. She held his hand, stood proudly and said, “By the moon and its glory. I offer my allegiance and life to you, Servant Rohan.”
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The End
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