The tranquility of the verdant border was shattered. The moment Blain's feet left the ashen ground of the wasteland and touched the first blade of green grass, the system returned with a vengeance. A new screen materialized before him, its text so brazen and outrageous that he had to read it twice to believe it.
```
QUEST: SHARE INTIMACY WITH THE ORC QUEEN!
FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TASK, YOUR MANHOOD WILL BECOME USELESS.
TIME: 3 DAYS!
```
"What the actual fuck?" The words exploded from his lips, a raw cry of pure frustration. "Not again!"
He stared at the penalty, his eyes wide with a horror that eclipsed even the fear of his own death. "Failing to complete will make my manhood become useless?" His hands instinctively flew to his groin, a protective gesture of pure panic. "No! I can't risk Junior Blain!"
He began to pace, his new, powerful body coiling with restless energy as he unleashed a torrent of curses at the unseen force orchestrating his torment. "Do you not know how to give quests, you useless garbage goblin meat system?! What does that even mean, 'useless'?! Aaaah! I have to have sex with an Orc Queen? Really? Fighting is one thing, but this... this is..."
His voice trailed off, a wave of disgust washing over him. But beneath the revulsion, a strange, unwelcome tingling stirred in his gut. A faint blush crept up his neck, coloring his cheeks. The thought was repulsive, yet his body, now that of a lesser demon, was responding to the raw, primal nature of the command.
His mind drifted, unbidden, to Lady Elara. Her image, clear and beautiful, appeared behind his eyes. He loved her, had loved her for years. He, a lowly baron's son, and she, the daughter of the powerful Duke Valerius. She had kept him at a distance, always polite, always just out of reach, but he, the foolish lover, had sworn an oath to love her and share intimacy with her and her alone. This new quest wasn't just a disgusting command; it was a betrayal of his own heart.
Blain slumped onto a nearby stone, his head resting in his palm, the weight of the impossible choice pressing down on him. "What am I supposed to do?" he whispered to the wind.
"Well, it is certain that if I don't complete this task, I'll be robbed of my manhood." The fear returned, cold and sharp. He could almost hear the mocking laughter of the Eldorian nobles, the Viscount's sneering face as he imagined Blain's ultimate humiliation.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He shot up from the stone, waking from his waking nightmare. The fear had crystallized into a single, burning resolve. "I will protect it. I will protect the most precious part of myself. If it means I have to rile up an Orc Queen, then so be it. I will do it."
With a grim determination hardening his features, Blain slid down the grassy cliffside, his movements sure and swift. As he landed, a new blue screen flickered to life. It was a map, but not like any he had ever seen. It was a shimmering, three-dimensional projection of the surrounding area, with a pulsing red dot marking his position and a larger, glowing icon in the distance.
"Ohh, is this a new thing?" he marveled, swiping his finger through the holographic image. "I can see the location... wait, it's like a map, but just very advanced magic. I can track my movement, and I can easily see the whole area from this tabular mini screen. Sometimes I can't help but wonder what magic this is!"
The map provided more than just a location. As he focused on the distant icon, a new screen populated with information.
```
ORC SETTLEMENT
LOCATION: BANKS OF THE RED RIVER
INHABITANTS: ORCS
ORCS:
AGGRESSIVE TO INFERIOR SPECIES.
SMART ENOUGH TO RUN AND ACCEPT DEFEAT!
MORE SKILLED MONSTER THAN GOBLINS!
RULED BY AN ORC QUEEN.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: STOCKY, MUSCULAR HUMANOIDS CHARACTERIZED BY GRAY OR GREEN SKIN, STOOPED POSTURES, POINTED EARS, AND PROMINENT LOWER TUSKS SIMILAR TO A BOAR.
```
"Orcs... stronger than goblins, but smart enough to retreat," Blain mused, filing away the tactical data. "And they live in a settlement by the Red River. Good to know."
He began to move, his feet carrying him swiftly toward the glowing icon. But he was not charging in blindly. The memory of the goblin cave was fresh. He needed to assess, to plan. He focused inward, trying to quiet the demonic energy thrumming within him, to hide his aura. It felt like trying to contain a wildfire in a wooden bucket, but the power gradually subsided, settling into a deep, latent hum.
"I'll get close first," he thought, his eyes scanning the horizon. "I'll look at their settlement, see their numbers, their defenses. I'll find the Queen. And then... then I'll figure out how to 'share intimacy' without getting torn limb from limb."
He was a predator now, stalking his prey. But this time, the prey was an entire race of monsters, and the prize was his own virility. The irony was not lost on him.
From the vantage of a thick, ancient oak branch, Blain watched the primitive settlement come alive below him. It was a chaotic, bustling scene of monstrous life. Orcs moved with a purposeful, animalistic gait, their forms a stark contrast against the wild backdrop of the river valley.
The males were exactly as the system had described, and more. Towering figures, easily seven feet tall, their skin a range of mossy greens and stony grays. They wore next to nothing, mere scraps of leaves and hide tied around their genitals, a testament to their rugged indifference to modesty. Their long, black manes were wild and unkempt, often threaded with bones and teeth that hung around their thick necks like grisly trophies. Every muscle was a knot of raw power, their physiques so overdeveloped they seemed almost deformed. They moved with a permanent, stooped posture, their spines bent as if perpetually ready to charge.
The females were a study in contrasts. They were taller than he'd expected, most around six feet, but where the males were raw power, the females were lithe and agile. Their clothes were more substantial—tanned animal skins wrapped around their waists and draped over their full, round breasts, which strained against the crude fabric. Their hair was intricately braided, adorned with colorful feathers and polished stones, and they wore more elaborate necklaces. They were not as bulky as the males, but Blain could see the coiled strength in their thighs and the lethal grace in their movements. Their round, firm buttocks and voluptuous figures were an undeniable, primal sight.
"The settlement is nothing compared to what humans have achieved," Blain murmured to himself, his eyes tracing the crude construction. "Shelters made by stacking heavy rocks, not a single right angle to be seen." It confirmed the general rule: monsters, even the smarter ones like orcs, were fundamentally stupid. Their strength was in their bodies, not their minds.
He sat there for hours, a silent predator gathering intelligence. He watched their patrols, their routines, the way they interacted. The males would often posture and fight over scraps of meat, while the females seemed to manage the more complex tasks, like tending to the fires and crafting the simple tools. He saw no sign of a central dwelling, no throne room or palace fit for a queen.
"Well, looks like I can't see the Orc Queen from here," he concluded, his patience wearing thin. He had enough information for now. With the silent grace his new speed afforded him, he dropped from the branch, landing soundlessly on the soft earth below.
He melted back into the treeline, his mind racing. "Hmm, although the orcs are strong, I still believe I can take down at least three or four at a time," he assessed, the confidence of his new stats warring with the memory of their sheer numbers. "But I can't ambush them. There are hundreds of them in the settlement."
He began to pace, his frustration mounting. "Aaaghhh, what to do? This isn't a combat quest, so I can't just fight my way to her. I need to meet the Queen and... convince her to give me her..." He trailed off, the words catching in his throat. "Blain muttered, "...pussy!"
He stopped pacing, a new thought cutting through his frustration. The system had given him a quest, but it hadn't given him a plan. It never did. It gave him the impossible and expected him to find a way. Fighting was his default, his comfort zone. But seduction? Diplomacy? That was uncharted territory.
He leaned against a tree, the rough bark digging into his back. He couldn't storm the settlement. He'd be overwhelmed. He couldn't sneak in; he had no idea where the Queen was, and a lone male demon sneaking around would be instantly suspicious. He needed an angle, a way in that didn't involve a sword.
His eyes drifted back to the settlement, to the females moving with their agile, confident stride. He remembered the system's note: they were smarter than goblins. Maybe... maybe there was a way to use that.
"This isn't about strength," he realized, the thought dawning on him with sudden clarity. "This is about wit. About understanding them." He looked down at his hands, no longer just weapons, but tools that might need to be used in entirely new ways. He had three days. The first step wasn't finding the Queen. It was finding a way to talk to an orc without getting his head torn off.