Somewhere in Murica
In a cramped apartment far from Bashington and even farther from whatever chaos was happening in Talvaris, an orc paced the living room like a caged animal. Compared to battling armies or overthrowing gods, this was far more terrifying.
His son's school tuition.
He checked the email from the school again—fourth time in twenty minutes—hoping that rereading the same lines might magically spark a solution in his brain. Instead, it only reminded him of the mistakes he was desperately trying not to think about.
"Stupid... stupid..."
He muttered curses at himself as he walked. Why did I blow my savings opening a restaurant when I can't cook for crap? Sure, back then he had a talented partner in the kitchen, but once that partner left, why did he still cling to the sinking ship? The restaurant barely made anything now, though he still relied on it to stay afloat.
"AAARGH!"
He let the frustration erupt. This was the only time he could afford to be loud—his son was at school, and his wife was working her day job. Sometimes he missed his old life in his old town, back when he still worked in the movie industry. He never had money problems then. But he'd made the choice to leave because he wanted to be with his family. None of his married coworkers in that industry had marriages that lasted; most broke under the endless hours and nights away from home.
"Wait..."
A spark lit behind his eyes.
Maybe... maybe I can use my old skill set again, without going back to that insane schedule? Maybe I can write something online? Even if it's a long shot... at least it's something.
He grabbed his ancient twelve-year-old MacBook—its hinge squeaked like an elderly goblin—and began browsing.
After half an hour of research, he leaned back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Huh... okay. It's not much, but I don't need much. I just need a little extra income. Alright... let's try this. Patreon, Royal Hub, Scribble Road... I'll put my bets on you three!"
He cracked his knuckles, spirit returning.
"As for the title... 'Building World Peace?' Yeah... that sounds... okay-ish. Eh, whatever, I can change it later. And the world setting... yeah, something like thi—okay! LET'S GO!"
---
One Month Later...
"Oooohh—finally! Part 1 is DONE!"
He slumped back into his chair, exhausted. Writing nonstop every day had drained him more than any physical labor he'd ever done. But he'd done it. He'd actually finished something.
"Okay... let's see how I'm doing."
He opened up his laptop, clicked through tabs—
And froze.
"WHY!? WHY!?"
He grabbed his head dramatically.
"Views on Royal Hub and Scribble Road are decent, but WHY won't they join my Patreon!? I'm not even asking for donations yet! It's just clicking a button! Just a little click! WHY WON'T THEY DO IT?!"
He lit a cigarette out of stress. His bald head glistened with sweat as he refreshed the page again, as though the answer had magically changed since five seconds ago.
"At least leave a rating... or a review... or a follow. Anything. ANYTHING! It's free and it makes me so happy! And it helps rich people find my story! Why won't they even do that!?"
He exhaled smoke toward the ceiling in defeat.
Sure, occasionally some kind soul left a follow or a favorite. But most readers just lurked silently like ghosts. Only one person—one blessed saint of a reader—had ever left reviews and followed his Patreon.
"Oh right... I still need to finish that world map they wanted..."
He clicked over to his Patreon dashboard.
Only one follower.
He sighed deeply and opened his drawing software to finish sketching the map.
A few hours later—
"Fiuuuh... done."
He stretched his back.
"Well... maybe it's still too early. Not enough chapters. And... I guess I really do enjoy writing again."
A small smile softened his features.
But then it twisted into something mischievous.
"Oh well. For now, all I can do is keep writing. Build up the world... make people fall in love with the characters..."
His eyes gleamed with villainous delight.
"...and then I'll execute my GRAND PLAN."
He stood up, spreading his arms dramatically.
"YES. I shall take their beloved characters HOSTAGE and demand tribute!"
He cleared his throat, imagining the announcement:
"GIVE ME DONATIONS OR I SWEAR I WILL GO FULL GAME OF THRONES AND KILL YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS ONE BY ONE. THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND FINAL WARNING!"
A dark, triumphant grin spread across his face.
"MUAHAHA..."
His laughter grew louder.
"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The sinister cackle echoed through the small apartment, shaking the walls and startling the neighbor's dog.
And thus... the orc's writing career began.
Heyya
Thank you for reading my works.
If you want to read more chapters, my Royal Road have 50+ chapters
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