A song of Greed and Pride

Narzug was lounging on his throne, taking a well-deserved nap. His busy days were visibly wearing him out, especially since the training with the illusions of the Dwarven Ring had added to his already full schedule.

In recent days, he could often be found sleeping on his throne. The gentle singing, by rough orc voices in the background as the orcs went about their work, made Narzug sleepy. Besides, the throne was much more comfortable than the hard floor in his forge.

The peaceful idyll was shattered by loud shouting. Grashnak, one of the strongest orcs of the Misty Mountains, stormed into the throne room and yelled at Narzug. Grashnak was one of the largest, but also the ugliest orcs in the tunnels. Standing at a towering 1.80 meters, he was taller than 99% of the orcs around him. However, he was a poor soul because countless boils grew on his face, one right where his mouth should have been, leaving only a small hole there, not unlike an anus. Hence his name and title: Grashnak Assface.

Due to this extremely disgusting boil, Grashnak couldn't speak properly and mostly just yelled incomprehensible words.

Narzug yawned loudly and looked Grashnak in the eyes. Even though he couldn't understand the words Grashnak was yelling, he could sense the intention behind them. It was a challenge for the position of chief and thus for the title of the strongest orc in the Misty Mountains.

"That actually suits me quite well. I've been following the path of the shamans for almost two months now, strengthening my source with a lot of sweat and hard work. It's time to test my physical strength!"

Slowly, he rose from his throne and stretched. Then he lifted his axe and rested it on his shoulder. With a wolfish grin, he accepted the challenge.

Narzug, unlike Morgash, who based his sorcery on smoke and darkness, had acquired other powers by strengthening his source. In the past months, he had noticed how he became faster, stronger, and more enduring. At the beginning of his axe training, he still felt the weight of his axe, but after barely two months of training, he could now swing it as freely as a sheet of paper.He prepared himself, and his steel-like muscles tensed visibly. He was as tense as a tiger on the hunt, always ready to pounce on his prey. His predator-like eyes focused on Grashnak's every movement. Narzug couldn't miss a single twitch, every muscle tension.As if on command, both stormed off. Narzug was noticeably faster and swung his axe with supernatural speed and power. Grashnak also swung his weapon, a large, broad, roughly forged one-handed sword. In the span of a blink of an eye, everything was silent until a scream broke the silence. Instead of clashing against each other as Grashnak had expected, Narzug's axe first split the sword and then Grashnak's arm in two halves."

Pathetic..." said Narzug as he saw his opponent whimpering and holding his arm."You are not worthy to suffer the death of a warrior by my axe."

"I will let you die the death of a coward," Narzug announced his verdict, but secretly he only wanted to test all his abilities. He placed the axe back in his favorite pose on his shoulder and stretched his free hand towards the orc.

Had Morgash been present, he could have seen how thin threads of fear escaped from Narzug's fingertips and entered Grashnak's nose and ears. Slowly, until they reached the heart and wrapped around it like a cocoon. Then Narzug clenched his fist.Grashnak let out a scream before clutching his chest with wide terror filled eyes. He began to tremble all over, and a suspicious stain formed on his pants.

"FEEL THE FEAR," Narzug hissed, baring his sharp teeth.

Narzug channeled more and more fear into Grashnak until the latter fainted. With a jolt, Narzug slapped Grashnak in the face with the back of his hand, which instantly woke him up again.

"I'm not done with you yet, you worthless piece of warg food!"Narzug wanted to try one more ability. He wanted to test if he could evoke the illusions of the ring in a negative being much weaker than himself. So he looked into Grashnak's emotional world and searched for the feeling of greed and found it.

Narzug could sense a faint greed for a quick end and a way out of this fear. Had Narzug's grin been able to become even more evil and broader, it would have. With the help of his own greed, he amplified Grashnak's greed until he was satisfied. Then he enveloped Grashnak in the illusion of the ring. Instantly, Grashnak's eyes became glassy, and he sank into an illusion.

Satisfied with his performance, Narzug smiled. All his abilities had grown, and he was very pleased with himself. If he had faced Grashnak during his training in the arena, Grashnak would have undoubtedly turned him into mincemeat. But after only two months, he could play with Grashnak as if he were a hobbit child.

Pleased with himself but bored with his fight, Narzug grabbed Grashnak with all his might and lifted him over his head. Then he grabbed a leg with one hand and his head with the other and literally tore Grashnak apart. Grashnak's blood and entrails fell on Narzug, who looked bestial during this scene.

"Shit, I didn't think of that. I just wanted to look cool in front of the other orcs... now I definitely need a bath," Narzug thought, a bit embarrassed, and wiped his challenger's blood from his eyes.

This was the first challenge against Narzug and should remain the last one for a long time. But as we know, no peace lasts forever.

Later, Narzug walked slowly through the dark corridors of the orc tunnels, deep underground. The air was heavy and damp, and the faint light of the torches cast flickering shadows on the rough walls. The orcs he encountered nodded to him respectfully and stepped aside. The victory over Grashnak had already spread, and all the orcs now feared him, although most would never admit it. But Narzug did not notice this, as he was lost in thought.

He finally reached the sanctuary and found Margosh there. Margosh sat amidst skulls and bones on a pedestal in the innermost part of the sanctuary, surrounded by black flames. As Narzug entered, Margosh opened his eyes, and a malicious smile played around his lips. "Master Narzug, I have been expecting you. Your victory over Grashnak was beautifully and cruelly staged, especially the end, which is said to have been wonderfully impressive. But I see that you still need to explore something within yourself."

Narzug sat down in front of Margosh on the cold stone floor and nodded. "Yes. The fight wasn't particularly hard, but I felt something inside me during it. My inner strength, I don't fully understand it. It doesn't feel complete if that makes sense. I think I need to find out what the core feeling of my source is, the feeling that drives me."

Margosh nodded knowingly and threw some herbs into the black fire. A toxic scent filled the room, and the flames flickered more intensely. "Sit down and focus, Narzug. Close your eyes and dive into the darkness of your own source. We will find out together what feeling lies deep inside you."

Narzug closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The world around him disappeared, and he sank into the depths of his consciousness. Margosh continued to speak, his voice a whispering echo in the darkness: "Wander through your memories. They are what make you who you are. Look for the moments when you felt the greatest power. What emotions dominated you then? Remember, the most suitable artifact for you was one of greed. Seek the greed, but do not fixate on it."

Narzug went through his past in thoughts. He saw himself in countless fights in the arena, saw the blood that was shed, and heard the screams of his enemies. There was always the anger and determination that drove him forward, but also something deeper, something stronger.

Suddenly, he saw himself again as a young man, as Jacob, when he first became aware of the incredibly dark nature of society. How one could only become something in the world if one inherited wealth from others. The 0.00001% of people who still made it big were mostly just lucky bastards. He felt the insatiable greed for power, wealth, and visibility that drove him even then. He already wanted to be one of the rich back then. Not having to save to afford something. Not living hand to mouth for three months just to give his girlfriend a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert. This greed was what had always driven him to work harder. But until his awakening in Middle-earth, his greed had never been satisfied. This greed was also what drove him here in Middle-earth to become stronger and more powerful. This greed made him more cruel and selfish.

Margosh interrupted his thoughts: "What do you feel, Narzug? What is the feeling that drives you?"

Narzug slowly opened his eyes, and a dark understanding lit up his gaze. "It is indeed greed, Margosh. I have always strived for more power, more wealth, and finally more bloodshed. This greed has driven me."

The old shaman nodded approvingly. "Greed is a powerful feeling, Narzug. It can spur you to great deeds and help you obtain what you desire. Feel it, listen to it, experience it, immerse yourself in it!"

"But there is something else. At the end of the battle, I briefly felt the source of my axe flare up. It grew stronger, and for a fleeting moment, I felt a sense of pride. How can that be? Isn't pride a positive feeling?" Narzug asked hesitantly.

"Oh, how very interesting... Pride, then... To answer your question, one cannot simply distinguish all feelings as positive or negative. Often, positive feelings, when too pronounced, can be rather negative or even absolutely negative. Take love, for example: if one loves too intensely, it can lead to obsession. Or fear can become caution. There are thousands of facets of different feelings. Excessive pride can definitely be negative. And your weapon is exceedingly negative. Anyone who can perceive even a hint of feelings will confirm this. It radiates incredibly pure hatred, if I were to venture a guess, probably because it feels superior to everything else in the world... let me think about it a bit..." Morgash mused with a contemplative expression.

"Greedy for power and a proud axe in my hand. What is this, the new and even worse season of 'The Seven Deadly Sins'? Or a poorly translated Chinese fanfiction titled 'I'm Escanor but Reincarnated as an Orc?!'"