Chapter 453: Hidden Quest Reward

[Hidden Quest Complete!]

[Hidden Quest: Killer of the Unkillable

Quest Details: The Orcs have made this abandoned city their home, and have lived here for many generations. But they were not alone in their new home.

The ravenous Undead, remnants of plague that consumed the original city’s inhabitants, remained.

Slay one, or more, of these Undead and present their trophies to an Orc Elder. Rewards will be increased based on completion rate.]

[Quest Rewards: Clan Respect and Reputation, Mythic Item(Orc Race Only)]

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Belladonna raised an eyebrow at the notification that popped up in front of her the moment she tossed the head.

She read over it briefly, before closing it with a subtle smirk gracing her lips.

It was not much of a reward, and she suspected that her respect and reputation were already rather high from her previous actions. Perhaps if she had killed all four of the Undead, and presented their heads, then the reward would have been greater.

But at least one of them was spoken for and the others would most likely be torn apart by their attackers until there was no trophy left.

Besides, at that point they might offer one of their own as her ’reward’ and she was definitely not going to take an Orc husband or anything.

The ’Mythic item’ however intrigued her, as well as Mac who had gotten the exact same notification flashing before him.

A series of gasps flowed through the crowd of Orcs, followed by mutters of the horrors that the Devouring Black had caused, as well as the lives they had lost in an attempt to slay it. For as simple as Belladonna had found to kill it, for these people it had seemed completely invincible and had gained quite the reputation.

Elder Jeskal and the Witch exchanged a silent look, seemingly sharing the same thought as the Witch nodded without speaking.

The Elder stepped forwards, striding over to Mac and clamping a hand on his shoulder.

"We have welcomed you since you arrived here from the blood pit. You were a stranger to our clan, but you have proven yourself one of us again and again. Fighting for those beside you, caring for our members as if they were your own.

You might be from the blood pit, but the blood that runs through your veins is ours. And so, we shall allow you an opportunity that is only offered to the greatest of warriors of the Skull-breaker Clan."

The Elder slammed his head into Mac’s, the clunk of their skulls knocking together muffling the soft sniffles that Mac was making as he was trying his best not to cry, only allowing his eyes to turn bloodshot.

"T-thank you Elder." He said with a sniff, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

The Elder nodded, patting Mac on the shoulder again, before he stepped back and reached down the front of his own armour.

"This weapon has been with our clan for generations. A burden carried from Elder to Elder, for longer than our tales have told.

Yet there have been few who have actually used this weapon, for its power is too much for them to handle."

With a solemn expression, the Elder removed his hand from within his armour, and presented them with a small hammer - carved out of an black, Obsidian like material - that he held on a string around his neck.

Belladonna frowned and she visibly deflated with disappointment at the sight of such a disappointing legendary weapon, but Mac was completely consumed by the dramatics of the moment.

He kept his back straight, and held out a trembling hand at the Elder’s request. Elder Jeskal tore the necklace off with a single tug, and let the hammer dangle from the string as he held it above Mac’s hand and let it go.

The moment it landed in Mac’s hand, he was instantly driven to his knees as a pained cry escaped from his lips.

His hand was pinned to the ground, crushed by the indomitable weight of small ornament the Elder hand been wearing around his neck.

Belladonna stepped forwards to help him, but Elder Jeskal immediately raised his hand to stop her. She glanced between the two of them, listening to the cries of Mac and seeing the intense look in the Elders eyes, before stepping back with a soft sigh.

Elder Jeskal nodded in relief, before turning back to Mac.

"This weapon belonged to the Xanric, the Mad Knight. It is stained with the blood of those he killed, innocent and guilty alike. Their souls haunt it, twisted by the power of the weapon.

Feel them in your mind. All of their voices, crying out for more blood. The weapon hungers.

It needs not just a strong hand, but a strong mind. One who can handle the Madness of the Knight, and satiate its taste for blood without feeding it the innocent.

One who is willing to give his own instead, when the hunger is too much to bear."

An eery blackness crept across Mac’s hand, starting from the hammer and slowly spreading across his hand like an infection.

It seeped into his veins, turning them black as they bulged within his forearm, desperately fighting against the starving evil that was attempting to consume him from within.

The further the blackness spread, the more the hammer started to grow. It drank in his vital essence, consuming him from within, all to feed its insatiable hunger.

Already it had grown to the size of a judges gavel, and it was still growing.

The black veins spread onto Mac’s chest, creeping towards his heart with ferver as the Elder simply shook his head and let it hang in shame.

Another promising warrior, fallen to the weapons curse.

"RRRAAAAAAHHHHH!" Mac screamed at the top of his lungs, as the Glyph on his chest flared to life.

Crimson flames engulfed his body, as Belladonna’s gift flooded him with chaotic, overflowing vitality in the essence of the [Berserker’s Blood Rush].

The blackness retreated, as Mac’s blood boiled within his veins. Every ounce of his limited magic poured into the Glyph on his chest, as his fingers closed around the weapon in his hand.