Ben walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He dried his hair with another towel. His eyes were closed, but he still noticed his sister's presence. He stopped perfectly in front of her.
Ben looked up to see Victoria standing with her arms crossed, blocking his path.
“You’re not coming to vigil, are you?” she asked.
Ben’s eyes wandered. Victoria frowned.
“You are walking a fine line with dad. Now you’re going to get on the bad side of Father Josiah as well. You’re just asking for trouble,” Victoria said.
Ben smiled warmly at her. Despite her attitude, his gaze always softened when looking upon his sister in his current life.
Still pure, still innocent. Unspoiled by the apocalypse.
“I think Father will understand. I’ve gone to confession every Saturday for over a year. Missing one won’t kill me.”
Victoria sighed.
“I guess. I’m still not used to it. You know I like listening to you sing.”
Ben nodded and walked past her toward his room.
“You will tomorrow, I promise,” Ben said.
Before Ben could get too far, Victoria called out to him.
“Hey.”
Ben turned curiously. He paused when he saw her serious expression. She closed the distance and grabbed his left hand in both of hers. Ben immediately felt the shift in atmosphere. She squeezed his hand.
“How are you doing?”
Ben understood the gravity of the question.
“Better,” he said.
Victoria inspected Ben quietly. Finally, she let his hand fall away.
“Don’t miss church tomorrow. Mom is baking cookies. Your favorite. You totally won’t get any if you don’t come,” she said.
Ben chuckled softly.
“Duly noted.”
“Good,” she said.
Victoria nodded in satisfaction and turned toward the stairs. She took out her head covering and set it in place atop her head as she departed. Ben’s gaze lingered on her until she disappeared.
He clenched his left hand into a fist. His eyes narrowed with renewed determination to protect her from the horrors to come.
[You are fully rested]
[You receive the Well Rested Buff for the next 2 hours]
Ben stretched his arms above his head. His body felt amazing. Despite that, something felt missing. He briefly checked his message history. A small frown crossed his brow.
He didn’t receive the usual “Welcome back” message from Eve. He surprised himself with how disappointed he felt. He hadn’t realized how much he enjoyed that little greeting until it was absent.
Ben couldn’t dwell on the feeling for long before a hitched breath caught his attention. He rolled over in the large orcish bed and was met with a pair of bright doe eyes.
Their faces were inches apart.
“Oh… hi,” he said.
Eve’s face flushed that familiar scarlet hue. She sprang up from her lying position and turned away to sit on the edge of the bed.
“He caught me staring,” she thought in alarm.
She typed across her interface frantically.
“Welcome back!”
Ben chuckled and got up from the bed. That familiar thought formed in his mind.
“Cute.”
Ben rose to his feet and immediately noticed a large treasure chest beside the bed.
“Oh, my gear,” Ben said.
He waved a hand and the chest disappeared into his inventory. While he checked his gear, a figure appeared in the doorway. The White Fang elder slid the flap of the tent entrance aside and walked into the room unannounced and without ceremony.
“I see privacy isn’t really a thing here,” Ben thought.
“Ah, noble warrior. Welcome back. We have prepared everything. If you are ready, please follow me. We know that your time is extremely precious,” the elder said.
Ben looked over to Eve.
“Ready?” Ben asked.
Eve nodded. She still could hardly look him in the eyes after the earlier moment. Ben smiled warmly at her.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Let’s go.”
Ben and Eve followed the White Fang elder through the village. It bustled with activity. Orcs sparred, traded with merchants, and children ran around playing. When the orcs saw them, each gave a salute of respect, even the children.
Ben saluted back in the same way. Eve waved. Some of the children smiled and mimicked the gesture.
“Cute,” she thought.
The elder led them back to the arena. They stepped onto the platform. In the center stood a full set of white armor. It looked like something Ben imagined an ancient samurai would wear.
A crowd was already forming. The elder gestured toward the armor.
[White Fang Chieftain Heavy Armor Set]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Quality: Masterwork]
[Effect 1: This armor is made of rare Ironwood bark. It counts as light armor when determining weight and encumbrance.]
[Effect 2: The wearer of this armor receives resistance to all ranged and magical attacks]
[Effect 3: The wearer receives a bonus to resist the negative effects of all magical effects]
“Crafted by our best blacksmiths, made to fit a human. The materials and crafting technique are among our most guarded secrets. Each chief receives it. It is a great honor. Designed to bring honor to any fight by limiting the tricks of the dishonorable. Take it and wear it with pride.”
Ben walked up to the armor and touched it. It disappeared into his inventory.
“When you wear it, the armor will bind to you. Only then can you unlock its true potential.”
Ben raised a brow. The armor shifted in his inventory, upgrading to Epic rarity and granting a significant stat boost. Eve saw it too. They exchanged amazed glances.
The elder raised his hand.
“And the sword gifted to you by our chieftain,” he said.
Ben presented the sword. The katana was obviously of excellent quality. It had the symbol of the White Fang Clan etched into the hilt. It glowed with a faint purple light. Ben finally took a moment to admire it.
[Mage’s Bite]
[Rarity: Epic]
[Quality: Masterwork]
[Effect 1: This katana does bonus damage to its target based on the enemy’s maximum mana]
[Effect 2: Spiritual Extension: You may drain stamina to toggle a spiritual extension from the blade that increases its reach by up to five times its normal length, based on the amount of stamina used.]
[Effect 3: Strikes with this weapon will drain mana and stamina from the target]
Ben couldn’t have been more pleased.
“Powerful, but still dormant. Once bound, it will make you the bane of any who fight without honor.”
The elder bowed toward Ben. All heads bowed. Ben returned the gesture politely.
“Thank you,” he said.
Then he did something that shocked every face in the crowd. Ben summoned a Cherub Sword Master. He gave the katana to the cherub. His body shined, but instead of the chieftain armor, his old shabby leather armor appeared.
A series of gasps rippled through the otherwise silent crowd. The elder looked deeply offended.
“What is the meaning of this? You would deny these gifts?” the elder said.
Ben shook his head.
“I would save them for another who is more suited. I don’t need them,” Ben said.
He punctuated the statement by brandishing his halberd.
The elder hesitated. He clenched his walking stick tightly, then forced himself to calm.
“You are a great warrior. You have proven your strength, proven yourself worthy to wield something only chiefs ever touch. These things are not meant to be given away,” the elder said.
Ben admired how calmly the elder spoke. He looked around at the confused and insulted faces of the orcs.
“I don’t mean to offend, but you misunderstand who I am and what I represent,” Ben said.
The elder inclined his head.
“What you represent?”
Ben nodded.
“You have all seen my strength. You see my level. I am far stronger than I should be. I defeated your chief with a sword made for children, without armor, and without any of the tricks humans are known for. Do you know why?”
The elder shook his head.
Ben stepped forward, conviction clear in his expression.
“Because my strength is not my own. I was empowered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Through him, even your strongest chieftains can be overcome as if they were nothing.”
Whispers rippled through the arena. The elder looked stunned.
“Jesus…Christ?”
He spoke the words as if testing them. Ben understood.
“My God. Our God. The Savior. You may not have heard of him.”
“I have,” the elder said.
Ben raised a brow.
“Really?”
The elder nodded.
“Our clans have encountered missionaries from the Northern Kingdom. We listened. Our brethren did not. Your human God carries no weight among the orcs.”
Ben frowned.
“The game has Christian missionaries this time? That’s different,” he thought.
He saw the conflicted faces around him and refocused.
“He is everyone’s God. He has real power. I am proof of that. That is also why I will not use that armor or weapon. There are others, servants of Christ, who will be better suited for them. Any true servant of Christ will be worthy. I guarantee it.”
Eve was as shocked as everyone else.
“Just what is he planning?” she thought.
The elder nodded respectfully.
“Very well. We have all seen your power. If you claim it comes from this Jesus Christ, then we will respect that and any you deem worthy. You have earned this consideration.”
Ben bowed.
“Thank you. All glory to God.”
The elder regarded him thoughtfully.
“Indeed. Given the new circumstances, I have something that will not be so easily given away, if you are truly worthy.”
Ben tilted his head.
“Oh?”
The elder nodded.
“Follow me.”
Ben, Eve, and the elder left the arena. Ben overheard the whispers behind them.
“The human claims his god is responsible for his power.”
“Do you doubt it? How else could he have defeated our chief?”
“I’ve never heard of this Jesus.”
“The elder has. We should ask him later.”
Ben smiled. The seed was planted. That was more than enough.
A notification drew Ben’s attention.
“I didn’t know the NPCs knew about Jesus. I didn’t see any streamers bring that up. I think that would have been a big deal,” Eve texted.
Ben chose to type instead of speak.
“I’m just as surprised as you are. I said I wanted to glorify God. Might as well start now. It’s good practice for when we meet real people,” Ben typed.
Eve nodded. She glanced back at the many eyes watching them leave. The eyes of the orc children sparkled with wonder.
“What if?” she thought.
She stopped herself before going too far. If NPCs could be converted, even baptized, the implications would be enormous. Or maybe she was overthinking it.
She looked back at Ben. He seemed more at peace than before. His calm steadied her spiraling thoughts. She took a deep breath and returned to his side as they followed the elder away from the village.
