《Anarchy Incarnate》 Chapter 1: Nightclub Shenanigans AJ POV: So I was honestly minding my own business when, poof! I''m here. Yeah I might have been robbing a nightclub at the time but I don''t think I was killed. Now I''m in chains. It was pretty dark, music blaring, lights flashing, the usual attempts of genocide on the epileptic people. Really it''s shocking how many strobe lights there were. Anyway, I went to the bar, with the bartender wearing glitter make-up doing lots of hand signals at me. I couldn''t understand him, all I knew was he was exuberantly gesturing at a heavily moustached figure to his right and winking a lot. I appreciated the attempt truly, but we were about to pull off the heist of the century here. I declined, imitating his mannerisms while smiling predatorily at the alcohol. What, you thought we were here to steal money? No, we were here for something much grander, much more intoxicating. We were here for the rumoured 101% spirits. You may ask why, and to that I simply shake my head in metaphorical bemusement at you. When an athlete reaches their peak, do they simply stop and say they''ve accomplished all they could? No! This was to be uttered in the same breath as the elixir of immortality, Willy Wonka''s chocolate. The stuff of legends! So when my dear friend and drunken connoisseur Billy proclaimed such a miraculous beverage was available, who was I to deny such an opportunity! Back to the action, I noticed Billy skulking at the back of the room, giving the thumbs up sign, wobbling slightly, still drunk. Coward, none of the risk and all of the reward. Too bad for him, I''m not sharing this divine liquid with anyone! "Say there, good fellow, how about a drink barman!" I shouted with all my heart, the allure of the bottle of divine liquid making my eyes never waver from it. The barman heartily laughed, looking at the bottle. I couldn''t hear him completely, but reading his lips I saw him say fat chance. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Utterly infuriated, of course all part of the performance, I demanded he deliver the bottle to me. The battle of wills continued on for a while before I got bored and reached for my revolver. Yeah revolver, what do you mean alcohol and guns don''t go well together? I collect both, and this revolver was my most trusted possession. So shut up and let me finish my story! Anyway, one thing led to another and everyone was screaming. I had the bottle in my hands, strobe lights glittering on the glass bottle like the most precious gem. Oh what a glorious day! I never thought my plan would actually work, oh heavens! That damn Billy, he doesn''t deserve the magnificence of the divine alcohol. No, I shall get rid of him quickly. I had these devilish thoughts running through my head. I was within arms reach of the door when a pain bloomed in my back, and stumbling I fell, bottle cradled in my arms. The sticky floor had a fruity aroma I found, lying on my side as the periphery of my vision closed in. Everything was cold, hot and numb at the same time. I felt people move around me as my thoughts trickled like a tap recently turned off. Then darkness came. Thomas POV: Suddenly a voice resounded in my head. "Last barrier has been broken. We''re counting on you Thomas!" A wave, no tirade of information hit me. Flashes of what AJ did passed through my head as pain gently washed over me. That damn idiot. I was such a fool, I thought. And I really was, as I was a man of many identities. Some call it multiple personality disorder, I like to call it having a family in my head. As blood steadily leaked out of me, death looming, I had a moment of tranquillity. This was the real me, the primary me. The lunatic''s name who got me killed was AJ, a complete clown, but then again he is technically still me. So I''m the clown? My name is Thomas, and I''ve been hearing voices in my head all my life. I was the original, the true personality if you will. Then a demonic voice entered my consciousness and the rest is history. Now isn''t the time to talk about that though. I was still dying here after all. As I looked back on my life it occurred to me how pitifully I lived. Born to loving parents, I became an orphan for reasons I don''t want to think about. I never had a stable job, always working a couple different jobs at a time. I had no friends because of how unreliable I was. I was never given a chance to be happy, to just be me. These were Thomas''s last thoughts as the darkness consumed him, strobe lights flashing and music banging around his limp body. Chapter 2: What is happening? ??? POV: In a plane full of contradictions, a small child stood on their throne with a shit eating grin. Their face, gender and clothes constantly changed, only the age staying constant as they danced on the chair of a myriad of colours. A mountain of a man kneeled in front of the child doing a jig at the current moment, dark circles under his eyes. "Your Holiness, the deadline for the heroes to be chosen is today. Have you made your decision?" The man said, his eyes betraying his nervousness as they flitted between the child and the clipboard in his hand. The child stopped his jig, a quizzical expression passing over their face. "No, so I shall do it today! What an excellent idea, isn''t it Percius? Do you have any recommendations before I spin the wheel of misfortune?" The child jumped down from their throne and giggling, climbed onto the still kneeling behemoth. Percius sighed, then revealed the glowing clipboard to the child. He whispered into the ear of the child, who was at this point giggling with ecstasy. "Then it is decided! We have our applicant. Now what do we do?" "Summon the soul. We don''t have much time before one of the God of Death''s lackeys picks him up." With this, they walked out to a circular platform made of stone, with runes engraved within. The child materialised a dagger and poked the webbing of his hand, drawing blood. This was the only way to call a soul from another dimension, while also preserving the state of the soul. A bright light flashed, filled with many different colours clashing together, and with a boom silence descended on the plane. Thomas POV: Nothingness surrounded me, it was a place devoid of anything resembling stimulation. I was completely and utterly alone, drifting in the non-existent wind. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Hey, Thomas, why can''t I hear anything? Or see, or feel for that matter. What''s going on?" Anthony''s voice, scratchy as a cheese grater, sounded in my head. I couldn''t talk to any of my personalities when I was in control unless I wrote something down or said something out loud. This had caused many scenes where I was found talking to myself, and technically I was. Anthony was the eldest brother in our "family", the most responsible and hard-working of us all. If compared, Anthony was the complete opposite to who AJ is. AJ is the black sheep of the family, like your uncle who only shows up to weddings drunk and shoving food in his pockets. Actually I''m pretty sure he''s done that before. We all were blocked from taking control by AJ a couple months back, who had been deviously scheming behind our backs. My back? I still get confused sometimes. "I think we are in some deep shit Anthony, I''m pretty sure AJ killed us." I heard collective groans from everyone who had been waiting with bated breath. I heard in the deep recesses of my mind chain''s clinking together, AJ no doubt shifting in discomfort in his prison. Yeah, I had to build an entire mind gaol for AJ, as well as others who had been locked away for years now. I have a mind palace that I learnt how to build during my teenage years, before that all my personalities were homeless in a way. It was chaotic. In the nothingness an entity appeared in the distance. Curiously I watched as it slowly drifted closer. A tattered cloak billowing around dark mists was adorned by an entity with no physical body, only glowing white eyes in the deep recesses in the hood. "Guys I think death is coming for us, like literally!" Felix squeaked. He was over-excited as usual, but who can blame him in this situation? The entity was only a few metres away from us, it''s head cocked to the side. Then it spoke, crashes of storm and thunder underlying the echoing words. "Interestinnnggg, soooo mannnyyy people innn one body.." "I don''t like whatever this is, can we do anything Thomas?" Anthony asked, worry and fear interwoven in his words. I floated in silence, hoping the entity would leave. It didn''t help it looked exactly like the grim reaper. If I had teeth, they would have been chattering. A dark tendril of energy slowly reached out towards me, a foulness emanating from it. I tried to run but found I couldn''t move. This thing was going to eat us! Suddenly a beam of shining rainbow energy erupted all around me, searing the tendril that was centimetres from my face. Blinded, I felt my ethereal body warp, and I fell. The seconds felt like hours as everything was so bright I couldn''t see anything. The last thing I heard was the howl of rage, like a storm wind, from the entity. I landed finally on stone, the bright light fading away. I blinked rapidly, my head aching as I adjusted to being... teleported? In front of me was a small child smiling mischievously and a solemn giant carrying the kid on his shoulders. Chapter 3: Oh, so were just here now I guess Thomas POV: Dazed and confused, I stared at the oddball duo in front of me, my mind racing. Was I just saved by these guys? Where am I, how many muscles does that guy have, why is that kid smiling so damn much? I restrained myself, smiling as I stood up. The child who was always smiling never kept the same features, anytime you looked away a new face had replaced the new one, the only constant was his smile and apparent age. Although he looked like a child, I felt an intense power emanating from all around him. It was similar to the reaper''s energy but on a much greater scale, and not foul, more twisted, wrinkled like a wrung out cloth. The gigantic man who was carrying the child on his shoulders was at least 20 feet tall, with muscles and veins wrapping around his ashen body like rope. He was wearing horn rimmed glasses, seemingly out of place if you didn''t consider his suit strikingly like a butler''s and his bored expression. "Welcome my hero, I have summoned you from the jaws of death for a grand purpose, one that is very important to little old me!" the ever-changing facial features of the kid never stopped grinning, making me feel like I just jumped from the boiling pot into the fire. The giant adjusted his glasses, looking at his clipboard the size of 4 small cars stacked on top of each other. "Thomas Maddison, you have been chosen to represent their Highness, the Great One, their Holiness himself, the God of Anarchy as their hero." The giant secretary hurriedly said, looking through his clipboard. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. At that moment a high pitched voice squeaked in the front of his brain with excitement. "Uh, what! That''s so cool! Let me take over, please please please Thomas!" Felix shouted. My mind was in a whirl, trying to process everything. I didn''t understand really what was going on, so I let Felix take control, everything fading briefly. Felix POV: Omg, this is like exactly what I''ve been waiting for! All these years spent watching anime and reading manga have finally paid off! All the others said I was wasting my limited amount of time, but look who''s laughing now! I shook my head, then looked up at Titan and the God of Anarchy with amazement. So cool. The God was still looking at me smiling. "Uh, Oh Great God of Anarchy, it is an honour to serve you! This humble servant''s name is Felix. Do you have any OP powers you can give me?" I looked up, blushing, seeing the God with a bemused expression. The Titan had stopped looking through the clipboard, surprise etched into his features. "Oh hello Felix, I didn''t even get to talk with Thomas then? No matter, let us proceed to the throne room." With that the God patted the Titan on his head, the Titan picking me up with a squeal. I looked out at the environment with amazement as the Titan plodded back to the palace. A kaleidoscope of colours fought against each other, animals of varying shapes, sizes and powers in a constant battle. It was chaos, beautiful harmonious chaos. I had always desired something more, a break from the mundanity I became accustomed to back on earth. Now that I am living my dreams, I was grinning from ear to ear. "Hey Felix, sorry to intrude but could you maybe explain to us what is happening?" Thomas whispered in his head, with grunts of affirmation from others. I gave a short run down before they arrived at the palace, and I was promptly placed in front of the throne with the God standing upon it. "So Felix, do you want to pick your powers first or know your mission, your grand goal in the beautiful world of Zydus!" Chapter 4: Apostle Felix POV: I was brimming with nervous energy, the words making me shudder. I had thought about it, and realised I should know the context before going and picking powers. Like a bad ass, I talked with my voice brimming with masculinity. " Please, uh, I want to know what I''m doing first! Yeah, that''s it." I don''t think the Titan liked me, he kept looking slightly disappointed, like a parent when you get an obvious maths question wrong. The God of Anarchy stared at me, nodding with an enthusiasm rivalling my own, though more insane. "My dear champion, you are here to bring about change to this world. Everyone in this world has powers, so yours are going to be unique to you. Your grand purpose, quest if you will, is to stop the evil Gods faction from taking over this world. Or at least, that would have been the case, if you weren''t summoned by myself." I stopped dreaming of harems when the last sentence was announced, confusion setting in. The Titan stepped in to explain things further. "You are here to serve the God of Anarchy, not the evil or good factions. Their Holiness isn''t allied with either side, he is known as an outcast. He is simply too powerful for either side." I get it now. So the God of Anarchy was simply too powerful for the others! Then what is my mission I wonder? The God spoke up, his grin dropping momentarily. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Your goal is to surpass all the other champions summoned by the factions. Spread chaos and Anarchy throughout the world, and dominate! Be my first glorious apostle, and I will give you great power!" The sky thundered outside as they said this. I couldn''t believe what I just heard. This is the BEST DAY EVER! Great power, what do they mean by that? Ooh, so many possibilities. "Okay, I get the point of it all now, I will make sure to be your devoted apostle, bringing chaos to the world. Everybody will fear the name of the God of Anarchy! Now, how about those powers?" The God giggled in a way many would find disturbing, but I found it endearing. How could this God be so cute and so powerful? The Titan spoke again, this time giving a tablet made of energy to him, with a list on it. "You may choose your powers now, before we begin creating your body. We have a deadline here." The list had 2 categories, Unique and Legendary. Bewildered, I turned to the Titan. "How many can I select, for each rank?" The Titan looked at me solemnly, then replied in his deep earthy tone. "You are allowed to select 5 skills, a limit of 2 unique, and because of their Holiness'' greatness, 3 legendary skills, instead of the standard 1 for the heroes summoned by factions. The common skills you can learn in Zydus, and even Rare skills can be learnt in time, but unique is a skill you are born with, and Legendary can only be bestowed by Gods. So choose wisely." My mind in overdrive, I looked back at the list. I didn''t think only I alone should make the choices, as there were too many and it was a momentous occasion, so I decided to ask the others. "Hey, uh, God of Anarchy, you don''t mind if I quickly consult the others on this right? I''m going to need to meditate for a while, so is that cool?" I spoke quickly, the words practically gushing out of me as my face reddened. "Why of course dear apostle, although my dear man Percius has warned me we have less than a day, so make haste!" With that the God clicked his fingers, and I found myself standing in front of a stump surrounded by complete destruction. So peaceful. I sat on the stump and relaxed, slowly letting myself get lost in my thoughts, and suddenly I was standing in front of a conference table. Chapter 5: Unique Skills! Thomas POV: Felix appeared in front of us all, and promptly sat down. In front of the table on the wall there was a screen displaying the tablet with all its skills clearly depicted. Because of the sheer amount of personalities I have we can accurately recall anything from memory by using the many memories of all of us. That''s how we had the tablet''s contents on the screen right now. Anthony stood up, his rippling muscles showing through his tight polo top. Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "Now that all of us are here, let''s start analysing the options. We only have 5 available spots, so make sure you really want the skill you pick." With that we all looked at the list. [Unique: Doppelganger: Because of the condition of the host this skill has been made. They can create a copy of themselves, imparting a split consciousness inside the body while being mentally still connected to the original mind. The Doppelganger starts with half of all the user''s stats, but can gain more themselves. Needed materials to create Doppelganger are any fully functioning body that was killed by the host within 6 hours of using this skill. Can only be used once a year. Skill Absorption: Specially created for the host, thanks to the combined brains of his personalities, can learn one skill from each person who has been killed by them. This includes up to unique skills, but not legendary. For the skill to work host must activate the skill when touching a trace of the being''s DNA, and in a time limit of 24 hours since the being''s death. Can absorb only 5 skills every 24 hours. Blood Manipulation: a skill never seen before, because of the host''s past he has an ultimate affinity with blood as a passive effect from this skill. It allows the user to manipulate their own blood and other people''s blood without the use of mana. Side effects of the skill include an increase in blood-lust, a tendency to drink blood and other animalistic tendencies. Loss of rationale may occur. Chaos Aura: Because of the host''s patron God, this skill has been provided to the host. A thick energy emanates from the host, the strength depending on the level of the host. The aura can be used to emit emotions, subdue, overwhelm and even block attacks. The aura is maintained whenever there is a threat, the effects causing anyone within the radius of 10 metres to suffer dizziness, seizures, strokes and occasionally death. It is not selective. Select 2 skills.] Looking over the skills, I couldn''t help but feel these were all so powerful. I mean who else gets these types of skills? Doppelganger? Blood manipulation! These were insane, even I knew that. Looking at Felix, I could see the gears turning in his head, the blue fringe hiding his eyes. Anthony was standing near the screen in a classic military pose, pensively surveying the options. He was no doubt weighing the pros and cons. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Veronica who was on the opposite side to where I sat at the head of the table was looking at the list with a mixture of awe, interest and shock. If I had to describe her it would be a calculating and protective woman. She never enjoyed action or particularly dangerous escapades, hence the reason she hadn''t been speaking in my head. She was wearing a business suit that complimented her pale freckled complexion and auburn red hair. The old man was in the corner of the room in the same chair he normally slept in. I mentally sighed. We could really use Nicholas right now, no doubt coming up with some wacky combo to optimise these skills. No one had spoken, so I stood up slowly, and with everyone''s eyes on me, pointed at the list. "I say we can already rule out the blood manipulation ability. While extremely useful and powerful the side effects are too devastating to our psyche. I think we can all agree we don''t want any of that happening again, right?" I spun, looking around at each individual presence in the room. I could see Anthony''s jaw twitch, Veronica''s face become downcast and Felix''s excitement briefly vanish. Meeting each one in the eyes, they all nodded, Felix reluctantly. I sat back down, happy with my contribution. I didn''t really know much about all this stuff. I was more of a DC and Marvel guy, I never got whatever Felix was into. I guess it''s payed off now? Veronica stood up and started pacing beside the screen, tapping her cheek with her elbow resting on her other arm. "Now that we are down to 3 options, and they are all made for us specifically, it really depends on preferences. Personally I want the Doppelganger skill as it would give us each a body to use with enough time passing. I don''t know the practical value in the other two skills, that''s Felix''s area. Do we agree on this?" With that she sat back down, calmly looking around the table. I have to admit it, Veronica might be the best with these kinds of things out of all of us. She and AJ would always be chattering in the background, talking about all the different ways they could profit from business. I didn''t get it, but I don''t really understand much right now. Anthony nodded in agreement, looking at his muscles and then me. Ah man, I''m not that skinny! Felix was gravely nodding his head, seeing the merit in Veronica''s words. Frankly, I couldn''t see any downsides, apart from that we''d have to kill someone, and that we had a time limit. I cleared my throat. "Then it''s decided, our first ability is Doppelganger. We now have two left. Anyone have any thoughts on them?" We now had Chaos Aura and Skill Absorption left. Chaos Aura I thought was pretty cool, although the effect on civilians wouldn''t be easy to manage. I didn''t see any merit in skill absorption, I mean what''s the point? What if we bite off more than we can chew? We have to kill the thing we want the skill from. Personally I don''t think fighting all the time is all that fun. I was about to voice my opinion when suddenly Felix spoke up. "I think we should take Skill Absorption! Every protagonist has it, and it''s always so OP, we can get any Aura we want from someone we kill! It''s an easy choice." Anthony, surprised, raised his eyebrow at Felix. "What makes you think that will translate to real world events? Personally I think we should go for Chaos Aura, it would be great for surveillance as well as a shield. It repels all potential threats with the level of the user. I don''t know what a level means in this world, but imagine the power we can get from the highest level! It would be unparalleled." I sighed and slowly slumped back into my chair, waiting for the ruckus to die down as they continued arguing, again. They always do this, with the smallest of things. It can be annoying after the 500th time. Suddenly as both of them were still shouting, the snores stopped. Nicholas''s soul piercing blue eyes were upon me. I swear he could kill someone with how sharp his gaze was. He laughed in a booming voice. "I''ve been listening to what these children have been saying, and both have their merits. The question really comes down to, do you trust your own strength or the strength of others? Oh also, AJ has broken out again." Saying his piece, the man started snoring louder than before, out like a light. If he didn''t sleep all the time, would I have become a billionaire in my past life? I shook my head violently, seeing AJ right beside me. "Oopsie, it seems the manacles fell off my hands again. Really dear, you need better security around here. Anyone could just waltz in." Twirling his extravagantly long moustache, monocle gleaming, AJ had escaped. Chapter 6: More Skills! Thomas POV: I sat there in fury, a particularly nasty vein threatening to burst on my temple. This man! He had literally got us KILLED! What right did he have to sit at this table? Anthony roared in outrage, finally noticing AJ''s presence as Felix was confused. Veronica just sat there serenely, intensely focusing on her nails. With a shrill shriek AJ ran around the table in circles, avoiding Anthony. "Hey, ahhh, Anthony can you just let it slide for a while? I promise, hand to heart, once I have said my piece dear fellow, I shall take leave and evacuate the premises. Understood?" I watched as my rage died down, amused at the familiar antics of the clown. He really never did change. Felix was laughing, Veronica smirking behind her hand. How could I be mad at this guy? Sure he may have killed us, but we aren''t dead, right? I slowly got up and slightly stuck out my foot, AJ tripping and falling fantastically. "Anthony go back to your seat. Let''s hear what this lunatic has to say, he can serve his time later." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Anthony grumbled under his breath, kicking the non-existent dust on the floor, and went back to his seat. "Now AJ, you said you had some input into this decision? I would like to hear your opinion, but only if you promise not to break out again. Okay?" AJ reluctantly sighed, shook my hand rather daintily and proceeded to try to stand on th4 table and fail, leaving him no choice but to stand upon the chair. "See here my good fellows, Skill Absorption is the soundest way to rise to the top. What better way to reach heights never reached before but by stealing other''s ladders and building your own? I say Chaotic Aura would only serve to hinder all activities we may wish to do. For isn''t danger lurking behind every corner? Who''s with me! Here here!" When no one returned his cry he quietly got back down onto his chair, coughed, and looked almost embarrassed. I squinted at him, trying to get what he meant through all that gibberish. I think he wants to go to a bar, so no Chaos Aura? Felix nodded till his head looked it was about to fall off. Anthony sat in silence, reconsidering now that a new perspective had been brought to light. What AJ said was indeed something... helpful? Had he finally changed? I stood up again. "Let''s vote then. All hands for Skill Absorption?" 3 Hands shot up. "Chaos Aura?" 1 hand rose, but then I slowly dropped it. Hey, it''s a really cool name, give me a break. "I guess Skill Absorption wins. Let''s continue on to the Legendary skills then." Chapter 7: Legendary Skills! AJ POV: See now, with a little bit of truth mixed into a whole lot of bullshit, anyone will believe you these days. That whole spiel about Skill Absorption being better was nothing better than hogwash, frankly I just wanted to engage in some promiscuous activities without killing anyone, but I guess it works. Thomas went straight on to the legendary skills, and I sat there rubbing my hands, hoping there was some magical Skill to make liquor shoot from my fingertips. [Legendary: Space Magic Time Magic Mind Magic All Seeing Eye Divine Genius Warrior Phoenix''s Heart Heavenly blacksmithing techniques Necromancy ... Select 3 skills] The list was filled with at least 80 skills, but in no time we shortened it down to just 8. This time all the skills were pretty self explanatory, even I could comprehend such things as Phoenix''s Heart. It obviously meant when burned to ash, a new heart will grow, but only when burnt. Right? A few aroused my interest, particularly the mind magic one, who knew just how many people I could rob- uh stop from killing innocent civilians! Oho, it seems even little Felix likes it. Thomas made another announcement of sorts telling us all to speak our preferences, he really is the best leader. I said Mind Magic as that was obviously the best. Everybody agreed it was a good idea, so, securing my victory, I promptly made my exit. Back in the cell sitting atop a fluffy bed I demanded Thomas give me (for chronic back pain) I laughed manically, although not too loud for fear other''s may hear me. Ah, I wish I had tasted a single drop of that alcohol. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Thomas POV: We had narrowed it down to 8 possible skills we could choose. All the others has either been too costly, not beneficial enough or simply not interesting. We had already chosen one out of the 8, Mind Magic. AJ unsurprisingly wanted it desperately, do I asked if everyone wanted the skill after he gave me puppy dog eyes. Everyone said yes for different reasons. I couldn''t see any real reason not to pick it, so we did. After that I ordered AJ to go back to his cell, so now we were left with 2 available skills slots and 7 skills to pick from. "I think time magic would be great if not for the huge cost. I don''t think we have enough time to save years worth of energy all for a minute per year. Space magic is in a similar boat, the side effects are simply too taxing for the power we gain. What are everybody else''s opinions?" Felix sat down, finishing his speech on the other magic''s. The reason we picked Mind Magic was because it said the side effect was it put strain on the mind. Veronica deduced since we are all a collective, the side effects would have little to no effect at all. "Do we all agree space and time are off the table?" I asked. Heads all around me firmly nodded. That leaves five left. Anthony picked the Divine Tempest Martial Arts and Veronica had wanted Phoenix''s Heart. Felix desperately wanted All Seeing Eye and Necromancy, saying things like ''so OP'' and the like. I don''t really understand the lingo. I picked the Heavenly Blacksmithing Techniques because back in my past life I really enjoyed metalwork. I watched all the videos on sword making and got so into it I bought my own forge. The personalities weren''t too happy, they had wanted their own things at the time. I surveyed the room, looking carefully at each and every one of them. "Felix, we can''t do Necromancy buddy, it lowers our health down by 50% permanently. So drop it dude." Felix morosely slumped into his chair, crossing his arms. Anthony, who had been staring into space looked up. "I think the best second skill has to be All Seeing Eye. Since we didn''t pick Chaotic Aura, this will serve a similar function, letting us see everybody''s stats as long as they are at most 5 levels above us. It''s a safe bet." Anthony cracked his knuckles, the anticipation leaking out of him. "Let''s vote. All for All Seeing Eye?" Everyone raised their hands. There was only room for one more skill, and we had 3 left to choose from. I personally really wanted the blacksmithing skill so I could make a sick great sword! The others would probably think it''s dumb though... Felix stood looking at the screen, the silence enveloping us. "I think we don''t need another utility skill like blacksmithing, the question is do we go for a backup skill for if we die, or do we invest in our growth as a warrior. Phoenix''s Heart allows us to live if we die fighting, but an obvious weakness is the heart itself. If that''s destroyed, it''s game over. So I say we have to go with the skill Divine Genius Warrior. Although we have to learn the fighting skills, it enables rapid growth at 50% faster speed." I looked dumbfounded at Felix. When did this kid ever put so much thinking into one thing? He wasn''t joking when he said this was his dream come true. The others around me had a similar expression on their face to me. Anthony woke from his Dazed expression. "Astute observation Felix, I think it''s decided then?" We all looked at each other, resolute expressions all on our faces. They all turned to me and nodded. I nodded back and then blinked out of existence. Chapter 8: Body Creation! Thomas POV: Since we had picked our three Legendary skills I quickly looked back at the description, searching for anything we missed. [Legendary: Mind Magic: A field of magic originally created by the God of Trickery, with many new and opportunistic avenues opened up. The user as their understanding deepens can use more and more spells such as command spells, mind reading and even brainwashing. The drawback of the magic is the more people targeted and the more powerful the spell, the more intense concentration is needed, putting pressure on the user''s mind. All Seeing Eye: A skill developed by the Goddess of Wisdom, the user can see any being''s status up to five levels above the user''s level. Can be used on objects depending on the class rating of the item. A side effect of this skill is that if the eye used for the skill is injured the host cannot use the skill. Buffs the user''s status protection from others. Divine Genius Warrior: A passive skill created by the God of War, it allows the user to double the stats allocated to Intelligence and Strength each level up. Allows the user to learn and understand anything combat related at a 50% increase. The user may find they have trouble learning skills involving anything opposing the idea of battle or war because of the skill. Select 3] I thought the skills were pretty good, although I still think if our mission wasn''t to be the bringer of chaos to the world, we should have become a blacksmith. I think I''m being biased though. I opened my eyes, sitting cross legged on a stump in the middle of a desolate field of ashen earth. Uh how was I supposed to get back? If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Hey God of Anarchy, I''m done!" I shouted, feeling stupid for thinking he would hear me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and when I opened them I was being stared at by a really powerful child. I jumped up, surprised. The huge butler of the God was waiting with his foot tapping on the ground, the earth rattling with each tap. "So you''ve selected the skills I see? Ah, perfect. Wonderful. Alright now accompany me to the body creation area. A relatively simple process I assure you." The small God seemed in a hurry, so I obliged and followed along. As the Titan carried us both along, the God on his shoulders and me in his fist, I considered for the first time since I arrived why I had been chosen. I know I should have thought of it earlier, but honestly, dying kind of sucks and I was distracted from the close call with death himself when we arrived. So I say it''s justified not to consider the meaning. I looked to the God who was sitting with their feet dangling, still with that ever present smile. "Hey, your Holiness, why was I picked as your apostle? I mean don''t get me wrong, I''m happy I''m still alive and getting a second chance at life and all that, but why?" I had begun sweating as I continued speaking, the Titan slightly tightening his grip on me. The God stared at me, their eyes like soulless voids, pure abyss staring back at me with all the life gone. I hadn''t notice that when Felix was controlling us, but eons were reflected back at me when I looked them in their eyes. "My dear apostle, you have been chosen not just for you unique condition, or your massive potential, but your past. That demon you keep within... well, it reminded me of one of my old time friends. Ah look at that, we''re here!" Indeed we were here, a building with an Ancient Greece aesthetic. We strode inside, the every calm completely contradicting the environment outside of pure chaos. I stepped down out of the Titan''s hand. On the wall there was again a screen of sorts, more a screen made of pure energy. On the screen it listed many things to do with the appearance, but one thing stood out to me the most. There was a list of all the races in the world of Zydus, from demons to elves, everything was there with sentience. I heard a clamouring in my head, like the sound you hear when someone is fighting for a microphone. "Hey Thomas, I know you don''t know much about these types of things, so I''m just going to say now that the race you pick is the most important thing here. Take your time okay?" Felix yet again was being awfully helpful in these scenarios, for a different version of me he was pretty into all this stuff huh? I looked at the God beside me, their aura making them almost impossible to stand near. "Can I pick any race?" They just smiled and nodded sagely, so I''ll take that as a yes. I cracked my fingers and dove in. Chapter 9: Revelations Thomas POV: I looked at the list of races available, and there were a few that interested me like the Elves who had a natural advantage in magic and the Dwarves who excelled in fighting and blacksmithing (damn). Humans were probably the least interesting as although they were balanced they had no real advantages. There were Demons, but they didn''t really appeal to me. Shadowspawn were interesting but lacked physical strength and resilience, Trolls had insane regeneration but lacked intelligence. Giants were awesome if not for the fact they needed to sleep in hibernation every year for the full winter, which didn''t fit with our plans. None of them screamed out at me until I reached the bottom of the list. It was a race even I knew, one known as some of the dumbest, mischievous and ugly creatures ever conceived. I was looking at a Goblin. It had everything I needed. Like humans, the base stats were balanced, but goblins started off the weakest there is. The one thing that drew me to them was a thing called evolution. None of the other races had the option of evolution, but goblins did. When I talked to Felix about this he became crazy for half a minute, shouting and screaming in laughter and happiness. He then calmly went on to explain what evolution meant and what it did. I was stunned. Although the weakest race, the goblins had the highest potential out of all the races with the ability to evolve. They grew extremely quickly compared to all other races, had a very simple culture that was looked down upon by the other races, even the Trolls, but worked in my favour to rise to the top. So I selected it and then got to work trying to fix the ugliness of the goblin genetics. Goblins were a part of the races that began without the help of the Gods, cousins to Trolls, Orcs and Kobolds; they started out as creatures, not sentient. But a couple hundred years after all the races had long been sentient, Goblins started to evolve. With these evolutions they became smarter, stronger and sentient. The evolved Goblins, Hobgoblins, started to build a society. The unevolved Goblins instinctually obeyed the strong, so these Hobgoblins became undisputed leaders. They started helping the unevolved evolve, building their race''s strength. That was when the "higher" races caught wind of what was happening. The description didn''t say much about the war that ensued, but the Goblins lost, retreating to the far corners of the land, living in caves and caverns. But the Hobgoblins did not forget their loss, making sure to keep sentience remaining in the Goblin race. I was deeply engrossed in the history of the Goblin race, so much so that I let Anthony handle the creation of our body midway through the process, as I was distracted by the deep, scarred past of the Goblins. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I had always enjoyed history on Earth, the apparent pettiness wars began over, causing the death and destruction of millions. The meaning I gathered from the description of the Goblin race was that they are a godless people, shunned from society, outcasts. I felt a deeper, entrenched feeling of rage gently wash over me. What right did the other races have to attack, hunt and kill this race that lost before the game had even begun? I felt the anguish, longing and confusion of these people, for I too had gone through this. The days begging for a scrap of food out on the streets, the bone numbing cold I endured every day. I knew this prejudice. I awoke from my thoughts, seeing Anthony had finished the creation of our body. He had of course added more muscle definition than usual on the body, as well as intricately placed red lines on our back, forming a pattern reminiscent of a sea of red waves. It looked so cool. He asked me to take over, he had done his part, so we switched and I found myself standing next to the God, the Titan looking over the body, looking for any mistakes. I noticed the God was thinking while staring at the Goblin body. I didn''t really want to intrude, so we stood in silence for a good minute before they asked a question. "Thomas, why did you choose, out of all the races, this one? It has no discernible racial benefits, you will start in a crude society made with the belief that only the strongest survive. I ask you, why?" A little puzzled, I also stared at the body, clearing my head. "Well, the first most obvious thing is the evolution aspect, no other race has that. Although the weakest, a Goblin''s potential is huge. So there''s that. But I also understand their history, I understand the pain and prejudice they''ve faced. I guess I want to help them, I want to turn the world upside down and make the Goblin race the best, because they deserve it." The God for the first time wasn''t smiling. Everything around us had stopped, just the God and I staring at each other in absolute silence. They looked at me, the unwavering gaze feeling like a million scalpels dissecting me. They then nodded in satisfaction, the God smiling once again. Everything sped back up, like nothing had happened. "That is an answer I find¡­ worthy. Here my child, I shall give this to you as a parting gift." They put their hand upon my head, an intense whirlpool of rainbow light enveloping me head to toe. Briefly I felt the energy enter my body, a comforting, euphoric feeling like a cold glass of water after being without water for days. The Titan, finally satisfied, picked me and the God up, bringing us to the place I originally arrived at. I was kind of tired, a feeling of fraying at the edges starting to enter my mind. Veronica calmly explained that we had been, after all, in our soul form this entire time, so it made sense I would be tired. I mentally face palmed, not willing to believe how stupid I am sometimes. See, this is why I need that damn sleepy old man! A lot of mumbo jumbo happened, with runes and symbols surrounding me, bright light surrounding me. The Titan had a look of intense concentration, the God smiling still. Seriously, were their face muscles indestructible? With a flash, bang and pop, everything brightened, and then faded to darkness. I felt tired, so damn sleepy. So, I drifted into unconsciousness. God of Anarchy POV: The apostle gone, I turned to Percius, his expression one of worry. I had been pleasantly surprised by the apostle, he really was the perfect candidate. "My God, I fear we didn''t prepare him enough for the antics of the lesser Gods. I hope we have done enough." I looked off into the horizon, knowing the danger and perils dear Thomas will face. It will be a tough path to follow. "We can only hope, dear Percius." Chapter 10: Hatched Thomas POV: When I opened my eyes I was surrounded by darkness. There was no light to speak of, only the fuzzy blackness, reality evaporated. A dozy calm clouded my mind, preventing me from panicking. I vaguely wondered where I was, dim voices in the back of my head shouting under the blanket of white noise and silence. I wanted to drift away, be hugged by this hard blackness- wait hard? I tried to shake the fog in my head. I vaguely recalled what happened, who I was, what I am. I was still confused. Why am I trapped in this oh so comfortable cage? crack. Startled, I looked around, finding a slight sliver of light. Immediately instincts I didn''t know I had made me violently punch, kick and headbutt this cage. more cracks sounded, and finally I was free, light cascading all around me, my eyes unaccustomed to this new sensation. I sat down to collect myself, the goo surrounding me spilling out. Slowly my surroundings revealed themselves to me, dark walls decorated by neon green and blue crystals in a stalactite and stalagmite pattern, with mushrooms and moss growing everywhere, water dripping somewhere with a hollow drip. I looked down at myself, wondering what I would see, and sure enough a younger version of the body we had designed back at the God of Anarchy''s realm. Wait, was it their own realm, or a different plane of existence? Damn, I should have asked. I looked like I was straight out of a Lord of the Rings movie, like a green Golem with red waves from my hands and feet to my neck, overlapping and intersecting to create a pattern that would have shocked tattooists. the extra muscle definition did little to hide the famous pot belly and the emaciated limbs of a goblin. "THOMAS!!!!" A collective yell sounded in my head, startling me once again. I then realised all of the others had been trying to talk to me while I was getting acclimated. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Sorry guys, inside that¡­ egg? Wait, goblins lay eggs? How is that possible? Ah, irrelevant Thomas, I had this state of nirvana in there. Sorry." I sheepishly rubbed my bald, green head, long pointed ears twitching in embarrassment. I heard a sigh come from Veronica, a grunt from Anthony and a squeal of excitement from Felix, no doubt about the egg laying aspect of goblins. "Well, you should snap out of your reverie Thomas, or we''ll vote for Anthony to take over, look around you, you idiot!" Veronica was so mean sometimes. Looking around I finally noticed other egg shells, the blue contrasting with the deep black of the cave floor. getting to my feet, I scanned the room, realising my eyes were equally as good at seeing in light as in darkness. all different goblins with different shades of green crouched in the shadows of the cave, looking around with a snarl, their canines protruding out of their mouths. "Hey uh, Thomas, you know Anthony can step in at any time okay? I know you''re good at survival, but right now it looks like you either fight or die." Felix whispered this, his nervous energy making adrenaline rush into my veins as all fogginess cleared out of my head, my mind working overdrive. "No, I think I got this guys. I know we were born a few minutes ago, but look at them. they''re like wild animals. I can say confidently and with absolute certainty I can beat every single one of these one on one, even two on one. What could go wrong?" As these dangerous words were uttered, a large, burly goblin strode into the light. I hadn''t seen him in my first sweep of the cave. bulging muscles, a broken nose and a crude wooden club all made me regret my words instantly. I could hear manic laughter in my head, the pressure must have got to Felix. I sighed. ding! [New Quest: Survive the encounter with the bully of the goblin hatchlings 0/16 goblins killed Rewards will be calculated after completion.] Well, I guess there''s no chance of running away, huh? The bully stared at me, the only goblin not cowering in fear. Grunts conveyed to me the rage he was feeling as he, with a speed that didn''t match his size, ran towards me. Well shit. Chapter 11: First Fight! Thomas POV: The literal definition of big ugly was running at me with gusto, and I was a sitting duck. I hadn''t even been born in the world for a couple minutes and I was already being attacked. "Thomas stop this foolishness and switch already with Anthony. You know you can''t handle this guy, so stop being a moron." Veronica really could spit fire, huh? "Yeah, haha, Anthony, you take over man. You''re better at this than me. Here you go." With that everything became dark and then I was in a comfy lounge room, watching a giant TV screen. This was the usual room we all watched what was going on outside from. Oh, by the way, when I talked to myself (technically) it wasn''t real time speed, do you know how fast brains are? So if you''re confused why I''m not currently meat paste, that''s it. I then turned to the screen, seeing Felix with a giant box of popcorn. Live action entertainment, here we go. Anthony POV: After everything faded to black, I was in the exact same situation we were in previously. Thomas sometimes wasn''t very bright, especially when it came to street awareness. He also was kind of a pussy, so I made up for his lack of fighting experience and knowledge, as well as tactics. I had been in plenty of situations where it was so precarious a loud sound would cause a massacre. I''m that kind of guy. I assessed the enemy, the broad stature hinting at his massive strength, the speed at which he attacked looking unnatural. Maybe one of those common skills anyone could learn? Thankfully he didn''t have a ranged weapon, if he did and had been smart, we would have been defeated from the start. I knew my clear advantage was my intellect, and I fully intended to use it. The goblin brute swung his club to my side, a vicious baseball swing. I rolled to the side, still unused to my goblin body but willing to learn the benefits of a smaller stature. I needed to confuse the enemy. While rolling I grabbed one of the egg shells on the ground, hoping it had a sharp edge. It did. As the goblin went for his second swing, I crouched low to the ground and started sprinting, looking like a ninja from Earth. I swerved out of the way of the second swing, going around the back of the enemy goblin. With the eggshell as hard as I could I slashed at the spot where the Achilles heel is located. Blue blood spurted out of the wound, trickling from the goblin''s leg as he roared with rage. Infuriated, the goblin swung his club where I previously was. I had moved to the other side of the cave wall, waiting for the next opportune moment to strike. Sure enough, the stupid goblin began looking around, turning his back from me. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I ran in, measuring my breathing as my stamina wasn''t very good. I went to slash his other Achilles to incapacitate him when the skin suddenly hardened, looking like sun dried mud. The egg shell, met with resistance, broke into pieces. Cursing my rashness, I tried retreating but was interrupted by a particularly rude club, bashing into my side and knocking me into the wall. I heard a crack, like a twig breaking underfoot, as pain enveloped my mind. Biting my lip till it bled, I managed to stand with my back against the wall. "Hey Anthony, remember we''re basically in a game alright? Look at your status, you may want to remember the skills we picked." Felix once again provided commentary, this time in my ears. I had completely forgotten about my skills. I think Felix mentioned earlier to just think the word status? I concentrated on the word status in my mind, not really knowing if it would work. Ding! [Status: Name: Thomas (Anthony) Maddison Race: Goblin (hatchling) Level: 1 (0/10 exp) Class: None Statistics: (Health: 6/10 (Mana: 10/10 Stamina: 8/20 (Strength: 6 (Agility: 7 (Intelligence: 4 (Resistance: 3 (Charisma: 2 (Luck: 8) Skills: (Common: None (Rare: None (Unique: Doppelganger, Skill Absorption (Legendary: Mind Magic, All Seeing Eye, Divine Genius Warrior) Blessings: Greater Blessing of the God of Anarchy Titles: None] I was astounded when the status screen popped up, but only for a moment before I looked at what I could do. I was frustrated. Judging from how easily that other goblin broke a rib, my stats were pretty low. But why is luck my highest attribute? How do you even quantify luck? I looked at my skill list and saw one that caught my eye. Mind Magic. Could this be handy right now? The goblin was slowly sauntering over here, displaying his dominance to all the other young goblins trembling in fear. In reality the wound i gave him was slowing him down. I had enough time. I quickly focused my mind, then tried to activate the skill. In my mind, a translucent tentacle formed from my body, extending towards the enemy goblin, attaching itself to his head. We were now connected, and I could faintly feel waves of emotion, heated up, like gently brushing your hand against an oven. Ordering the tentacle to attack, it started to push against the goblins mind, hitting invisible walls. With a few strikes, the wall crumbled and I could fully feel the emotions of the goblin, his hatred and lust. I could vaguely see through his eyes, superimposed over my own eyes. The goblin hadn''t noticed yet, too dumb to realise his fate was sealed. I ordered the tentacle to squeeze the goblin''s brain. Opening my eyes, I could still feel the connection to the goblin. The brute had stopped walking forward, confusion on his face. Then he dropped his club, holding his hands to his head. A high pitched wail, reminiscent of how a pig squeals in the slaughterhouse, sounded. The sound continued on for half a minute before blood burst out of his eyes, mouth, nose and ears, rivers of blue blood streaming down his chest and back. Then, just like that, the connection dissipated between me and the goblin, the pain I could feel from the goblin gone. I tried to keep myself from grinning due to the sheer power I wielded with this skill. This is going to be crazy. Chapter 12: Rewards! Anthony POV: All the other goblins were quiet. Looking around the cave, I found the perfect test subject. I once again called the tentacle to appear in my mind, latching onto the goblin like a parasite. While doing this I used my other skill, All Seeing Eye, on the goblin. [Status: Name: None Race: Goblin (hatchling) Level: 1 (0/10 exp) Class: None Statistics: (Health: 10/10 (Mana: 10/10 Stamina: 20/20 (Strength: 12 (Agility: 6 (Intelligence: 1 (Resistance: 9 (Charisma: 1 (Luck: 1) Skills: (Common: sturdy muscles (Rare: None (Unique: Loyal Dog (Legendary: None) Blessings: None] I wanted to experiment a little bit. This goblin had a Resistance of 9, which I thought might mean it would take 9 consecutive attacks to break the mental wall, but it in fact broke with 1 shot. Looking into the goblins mind, I could see he was significantly dumber than the last goblin. Oh well, at least I can recruit this goblin. I decided to not name him, leave it for someone more creative. With that slave, I couldn¡¯t use the Mind Magic skill again. Apparently I needed 5 mana points per use on a person. I felt really sleepy, but I knew that would pass once I regained the mana. The way I enslaved the goblin was once I got inside his mind, I programmed him to have fierce loyalty towards me, but also feel fearful of my great power. It was pretty simple with some helpful insights from Veronica as well as Thomas. I hope AJ is jealous right now, because I know he would love this skill. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Finally, I walked up to the goblin I fought. Putting my hand on the corpse I activated Skill Absorption. A muddied red and blue energy rose put of the corpse and into my hand, travelling through my body and straight into my heart. It was an intoxicating feeling, the power surge sending endorphins through my brain. Ding! [Rare skill Granite Skin has been absorbed] These beautiful words resounded through my mind. When I thought of using the skill, a patch of green skin on my hand hardened exactly like the goblin before. I was ecstatic. Notifications then sounded in my head. Ding! [Quest has been accomplished 16/16 goblins subdued Rewards are as follows: 10x silver coins 10x stat points to be allocated freely] Nice, those stat points are going to be useful in the future I bet. [You levelled up: 4 times (0/120 exp needed) Slaver title has been earned] Wait, Slaver title? Since when was a title a thing? I looked in my status again and sure enough it was there. I don¡¯t think I like this title. Anyway, I was starting to get sick of this cave, as well as being in control, I was tired. Asking Thomas to jump back in, I was back in the lounge room. Finding a comfy couch I immediately fell asleep, the mental drain of using mind magic making me exhausted. Thomas POV: Back in control of my body, I stared at my status. The Slaver title didn¡¯t seem positive, but all the stats went up. [Status: Name: Thomas Maddison Race: Goblin (hatchling) Level: 5 (0/120 exp) Class: None Statistics: (Health: 18/18 (Mana: 18/18 Stamina: 36/36 (Strength: 14 (Agility: 11 (Intelligence: 12 (Resistance: 7 (Charisma: 6 (Luck: 8) Skills: (Common: None (Rare: Granite Skin (Unique: Doppelganger, Skill Absorption (Legendary: Mind Magic, All Seeing Eye, Divine Genius Warrior) Blessings: Greater Blessing of the God of Anarchy Title: Slaver] It seemed everything in health, mana and Stamina went up by two each level up, and each stat went up by one. Strength and Intelligence doubled the amount of stat points I gained thanks to the passive legendary skill. If I could use that skill to learn something like nunchaku then maybe I wouldn¡¯t need to rely on Anthony for fighting. Luck didn¡¯t go up though, maybe it¡¯s important? I also gained that goblin¡¯s skill, which is pretty sweet. Dismissing the status using my mind, I looked up, seeing all the absolutely terrified goblin hatchlings bowing down towards me, my recently recruited minion leading them all. It seemed I gained their fear, and therefore their respect. I just hope they aren¡¯t like puppies, or else this is going to be really annoying. Looking at my unnamed right hand goblinI tried thinking of a good name. I saw in his stats that he¡¯s really strong but also really stupid, so I tried to think of a really awesome, ancient earth name that is befitting of his name. So, I named him Chad. Now that that was cleared up, I started looking for the exit, in all the chaos that ensued after my hatching I didn¡¯t really have the time to look for a door or something. Chad led the group of newborn goblins behind me, like how a mother duck leads her brood. It was endearing until you realised goblins are really ugly, looking like middle aged tax collectors. Veronica eventually pointed me in the right direction and walking up, I could see a hacked out exit covered by a collection of slightly heavy branches. Or at least I hope they¡¯re branches, they were hard and oddly white though so I¡¯m not so sure. Finally arriving outside, I was greeted by the harsh sun and a... bone chilling cold? Chapter 13: Outside?! Thomas POV: As my eyes adjusted to the intense light, I could feel a familiar crunch underfoot. I immediately wished I had a puffer jacket, but alas goblins weren¡¯t very familiar with things like polyester, so that wish died immediately. Turning I looked at the gaggle of goblins, realising I hadn¡¯t spoken a word this entire time. Wait, can I even speak their language? Aren¡¯t they babies, will they be able to speak? Throwing aside these thoughts, I cleared my throat. ¡°Uh, hi, do any of you know where to go from here?¡± I was astonished when out of my mouth came a language that was foreign to me, and the fearful goblins all vehemently shook their heads at me. It seems the system translated my thoughts into the goblin language. I wonder if it worked for other languages. ¡°Thomas, I think that goblin that Anthony just killed was the guide to the place where the goblins reside. You see, this is why violence isn¡¯t always the answer, you brutish morons.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like what we do so much, how about you find a way to the goblin camp yourself, huh?¡± ¡°Alright, I will.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°FINE!¡± With that particularly childish self-talk, Thomas retreated back to the comfort of his mind and Veronica got to control the body for the first time since Earth. Veronica POV: Thomas really can be such an idiot sometimes, I just hope we don¡¯t die from frostbite out here. I don¡¯t blame Anthony, he did what he did best and we survived. Thomas though gets on my nerves. With a sigh, I turned to Chad, telling him to wait with the others inside while I looked for any clues to get to the settlement. First thing to look at is the dead goblin''s body, looking for anything on him. Still getting acclimated to this new body, I made my way back to the corpse, the blue blood making me gag as it squelched underfoot. Searching the corpse, I found very little of interest. A few bronze coins, a name tag hung around his neck and bones all stored in a pouch hung around his waist. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Wrapping the pouch around my own waist, I was very aware of my own nakedness, so I wore what this dead goblin wore, which was only leather shorts. They were a few sizes too large. I then went outside, my thought process being if goblins are so stupid, surely they would have clear landmarks to use to follow a path. Looking around outside in the snow covered mountainous terrain, I found what I was looking for. There it was, a huge red arrow pointing towards the higher peaks of the mountains, and faintly in the distance I could see another red arrow. What is this, looney tunes? I tried my best not to laugh, but a snort escaped my nose. Faintly in the background of my mind I could hear an uncomfortable shifting, and I knew it was Thomas. Now that the path was laid out in big red arrows, most likely made up of blood, I went back to the brood of newborn goblins that Thomas I guess had decided to adopt. Wondering if brainwashing more goblins would be advantageous, Chad, slowly raising his face to meet my eyes fearfully, spoke. ¡°ER, M-M-MASTER, ME ARE YOURS NOW, FOR-EVER. ME SPEAK FOR ALL GOBLINS.¡± Spittle flew as Chad practically roared this, his fierce loyalty overriding the fear. Surprised, I turned to the group of goblins and, even more surprised, saw all of them kneeling in front of me. ¡°Omg Veronica, you just witnessed a pledge! Quick, look at your status. This is like really common in video games and stuff, I bet you there will be a title or something.¡± As Felix said this nonsense about the stupid games he used to waste away playing, sure enough, a familiar sound popped into my head. Ding! [A title has been earned: (Legion Commander: Gaining the respect, fear and undying loyalty of ten or more beings of lower level than your own. Gives a 50% boost in stamina, mana and health recovery to your subordinates while carrying out orders. Gives an extra 5 charisma points per evolution. Affects evolution choices.) You may only have 10 titles in use at any one time.] The advantages of this title were immense, not only did it give a boost to my new subordinates'' strength while doing what I ordered, it gave free charisma points. Nice work Anthony, maybe brute force does work out sometimes. My loyal subordinates were still kneeling, so I guess it was my time to speak? ¡°My loyal subordinates, I shall be a great and mighty leader for you all! I promise glory in battle, as we will take over the world!¡± They all cheered, or at least I thought they did, their guttural growls I guessed meant a cheer. I could faintly decipher two goblins talking about how ¡°leader¡¯s¡± voice changed. God, I hate having to pretend sometimes. With that, we started our ascent up the mountain, unknowing of the potential dangers we may face in this new world- wait why am I narrating like I¡¯m about to be in another life threatening situation? shuddering, I trudged upwards. Chapter 14: The Vault Veronica POV: The mountains really were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, nothing on earth could have rivalled the sheer size and majesty of the peaks capped by snow. The plant life was thriving despite the cold and dreary weather, All Seeing Eye telling me all about the different plants inhabiting the region. Everything was different to earth, not too much, but enough to make me feel refreshed, like I had been born anew. And, well, I had. Along the way I talked with the goblins, learning that the average intelligence of the goblins varied from a dog¡¯s iq to a 3 year old child. At least, that was the variety in my little legion of green babies, maybe in the goblin society they have prodigies and the like. Chad was the dumbest, but because he was the strongest he earned the respect of the legion. I think when we named Chad something happened though. I saw as the hours progressed how he started growing ice blue vein like tattoos all over his body, in direct contrast to my tattoos. None of the other goblins had any kinds of markings, so the only rational deduction I could make was that it happened because we named him. Maybe it¡¯s because he is my direct subordinate, and since I have a blessing it has a carry over affect? Can Blessings be passed on like diseases in this world? As I was thinking this, after about half a days travel uphill in the freezing cold, it started getting dark. I was glad that the days tracked similarly to earth, it would have been hard to adjust to days longer or shorter than 24 hours. I looked around, noting a small indent in the side of the mountain, a cave. The goblins at the far back of the group looked blue in the face, shivering, so I hastily told them to go look for firewood in pairs and then gather in the cave. The setting up of camp was relatively quick under my guidance, we started a fire easily, and although there was no covering to warm up with, the insulated heat of the fire in the cave provided sufficient warmth. I was quite physically tired after trekking up that terrain non-stop, and mentally I was also unused to the burden of being in control. I groggily whispered to Felix if he wanted to take over, which he responded to with a typical squeal of excitement. So, everything faded to black and then I was in my room back inside. Flopping onto the luxurious, if imaginary, bedding and went to sleep swaddled like a baby. Felix POV: All Veronica did all day was boring stuff like walking and talking to the stupid goblins! If it was me, I totally would have looked for some naive travellers to pounce on. Then the hero would have come in and... beat me to a bloody pulp? Hmm, I guess not all genre tropes are good for me. What I wanted to really do now that we were in a comfortable spot was mess around with the different skills I have. I know Anthony used the Mind Magic skill and I saw how All Seeing Eye worked, but what about Doppelganger? Can we already just make a clone? Getting up and walking towards the group of goblins huddled around the fire, I asked a question. ¡°Hi guys, uh, who out of you wants to die? I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, you guys are great, but I need to sacrifice one of you if I¡¯m going to make a clone. So, yeah. Sorry.¡± They all stared blankly at my very well thought out speech, until Chad cleared his throat, hesitation all over his features. ¡°MASTER, CHAD ASK STUPID QUESTION. HAS MASTER CHECKED THE REQUIR- AH REQUIRRR- NEEDS?¡± With obvious fear and worry Chad kneeled in front of me, head bowed. Who knew goblins actually cared about others? I certainly didn¡¯t, I mean it goes against everything I know. To make sure, I checked the skill description. [Doppelganger: Because of the condition of the user this skill has been made. They can create a copy of themselves, imparting a split consciousness inside the body while being mentally still connected to the original mind. The Doppelganger starts with half of all the user¡¯s stats, but can gain more themselves. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Needed materials to create Doppelganger are any fully functioning body that was killed by the host within 6 hours of using this skill. Can only be used once a year. Disclaimer: If used without having evolved may cause irreparable soul damage.] Frankly, I was shocked. Not only was Chad right but the skill had a disclaimer. I could think of a few reasons why though, and some of them actually made sense. Unique skills are made specifically for the person receiving them, so my assumption is that cos of that I have an ultra game-breaking skill, never seen before! I feel like we may have more overpowered skills than I originally thought. Since I can¡¯t use the skill, I guess there¡¯s no point in killing a goblin, is there? I told Chad to not worry, I won¡¯t kill anyone yet, and walked back to my side of the cave. ¡°Felix, I know you¡¯re excited and young, but that is no excuse to treat your subordinated like expendable goods. These goblins are your family, if you look after them they¡¯ll reward you with saving your life on the battlefield. You here me?¡± Anthony got all mean and started wringing me out, in the background I could faintly hear a distinct chortle from AJ. Man, Anthony is always so serious, it really ruins the vibes. I heard what he meant though, I guess. It¡¯s not a game. This is real life Felix, stop treating it like one. Anyway, now that I know I can¡¯t use Doppelganger I guess it¡¯s time to explore the Mind Magic skill. As I was about to start though, I hear a kerfuffle in the background, then a sound like something heavy falling over, then chains clinking. ¡°Felix dear, may I pretty please play now? It is oh so boring in here, I have nothing to do at all. If you were to be so kind as to give me control, I will reward you greatly.¡± I could almost hear the twinkle in his eyes, the moustache being vigorously twirled. A grunt of anger sounded and then I heard another bump. I think AJ used the ball bearings again. It never does get old, does it? ¡°What¡¯s in it for me AJ?¡± A loud silence ensued, no doubt for dramatic effect. Nevertheless I was amused. AJ then whispered. ¡°My dear boy, you shall gain the greatest privilege of them all. The key to The Vault.¡± The sombre tone of AJ¡¯s voice said it all. Dumbfounded, I numbly nodded. I had never been in The Vault before, it had always just been there ever since I was around. Whenever I asked Thomas, he would just go all quiet with a haunted look in his eyes. Only AJ was old enough to know what happened, but when asked, he told me he was sworn to secrecy with an unusually serious demeanour. ¡°Does Thomas know?¡± a tremor escaped my mouth, the sheer gravity of the situation making me nervous. I could hear Anthony had stopped struggling with the ball bearings also. ¡°No, he does not. How about it? You, Anthony here and I all go for a little escapade once we¡¯re all settled in to our new life. You in?¡± I just nodded, wide eyed and gulping. This was too much of a shock to process, especially since AJ almost sounded serious. I heard Anthony take a shaky breath. ¡°You know this could ruin everything right? We have a system, a system that actually works, and you want to just go and upend it all?¡± A grim silence, only broken by the gentle tick of AJ¡¯s pocket watch, followed those words. Half a minute passed, my curiosity subdued by the anticipation of how Anthony will respond. ¡°I will go, but only to ensure both of you don¡¯t mess anything up, you here me? When we are there, you do what I say. That includes you AJ.¡± Anthony, sounding heavy hearted, responded in his rough voice, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. ¡°Why of course Anthony, I would never want to cause trouble. That would be preposterous. Anyway Felix, a deal is a deal. Hand it over.¡± With those dubious words I relinquished control, arriving in my bedroom with posters of anime women all around. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I thought about what could be behind The Vault. Eagerness was stirring in me, with a healthy dose of trepidation. What could be inside The Vault? Chapter 15: Magic! AJ POV: Although many esteemed businessman may have reported a robbery on my behalf concerning the deal with Felix, I for one thought it was a splendid turn of events. I had been waiting the better part of a day in my cell, itching to get the filthy manacles off of me once Thomas went to sleep. So, in my weary eyes, I see this deal as a net positive. Standing up I arched my back, glorious cracks sounding throughout my vertebrae. What a strange body we do indeed find ourselves in, could we not have made it at least 4 feet tall? Meandering my way over to the group of little playthings Veronica had been caring for, I considered what I could do with Mind Magic, hungry eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. One of them, the big oaf that Thomas named Chad, quickly stood up, greeting me with a right angle. I had never been a fan of people bowing to me, I much preferred hand kissing and kneeling, but this would have to do. ¡°MASTER, HOW CAN CHAD HELP?¡± Grimacing at the distasteful amount of decibels this subject produced, I considered the apparent growth in intelligence since I last noticed him. Looking at his status, I was curious as to what I found. [Status: Name: Chad Race: Goblin (hatchling) Level: 1 (0/10 exp) Class: None Statistics: (Health: 10/10 (Mana: 10/10 Stamina: 20/20 (Strength: 12 (Agility: 6 (Intelligence: 3 (Resistance: 9 (Charisma: 1 (Luck: 2) Skills: (Common: sturdy muscles (Rare: None (Unique: Loyal Dog (Legendary: None) Blessings: Lesser Blessing of the God of Anarchy (Apostle)] First, this goblin gained a Lesser Blessing, of who else but me, the apostle of our glorious God! Frankly it bothered me how easily this Chad got our Blessing, merely by being named by us, although this did give me a multitude of ideas. Another change was the obvious increase in intelligence, by 2, a massive increase for a monster. You see, although monsters may look like a sentient being, it isn¡¯t lack of intelligence that separates monsters from people, it is the control they have over their own wills. Any unevolved goblin may be completely docile and friendly, but put it in a room when it¡¯s mating season, and the notorious libido will come into play. What I mean to say is, goblins are controlled by their urges, instincts and blood. So an increase in intelligence was astounding as, not only did it triple, but this was an unheard of scenario. Although, I do remember when Thomas was looking at that page of information about the goblins, it said something about Gods helping other races become sentient. Could it be these Blessings that do such a thing? With these thoughts rampant inside my skull, I turned back to the present, wishing I had some alcohol to process things better. Chad had an expression of concern on his face, twiddling his meaty fingers. ¡°I need a research specimen, find a suitable candidate please, with vigour now come on!¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. With an appropriate amount of concern on his face Chad went to go and find a suitable goblin for my experiments. Although seemingly random, I had thought of what I wanted to do with the unlimited amount of options provided by the Mind Magic skill. I wanted to find my limit, and I had plenty of mana to spare. At a brisk walk Chad came back to me, a goblin unusually small was in his arms, about a foot smaller than my own small stature. Frail with disproportionately sized hands and feet, he whimpered in Chad¡¯s vice grip. ¡°MASTER, WILL THIS DO?¡± If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, it seemed like Chad was speaking more eloquently than when Veronica was in control, so the intelligence had indeed boosted his language capacity. Interesting, what if I named an animal then? Taking this small goblin by the wrist, I led him over to the side of the cave I had been sitting on, motioning for him to sit on a log by the fire across from me. He sat, legs dangling with a scared, but oddly resolute face. I activated the All Seeing Eye skill, trying to glean some information from this weird critter. [Status: Name: None Race: Half-Goblin (hatchling) Level: 1 (0/10 exp) Class: None Statistics: (Health: 9/10 (Mana: 10/10 Stamina: 14/20 (Strength: 2 (Agility: 8 (Intelligence: 6 (Resistance: 10 (Charisma: 1 (Luck: 3) Skills: (Common: None (Rare: None (Unique: Steely Will (Legendary: None) Blessings: None] Several things jumped out to me, firstly this was a half goblin. I¡¯m not one to ruminate on things I know nothing of, so I will ask Felix about this later, I think he¡¯s asleep already. Secondly, his unique skill sounds like something useful, and I can still take unique skills, so we¡¯ll have to see how useful this little mutt is. Now, when I had seen Anthony use this skill it had been during combat, so I couldn¡¯t really get a handle of what he did, all I knew was he found it relatively easy to kill someone as well as subdue someone like Chad. Activating the skill, I directed the feeling of a tendril, an extension of myself, towards the goblin. Although I couldn¡¯t see it, I felt it latch onto his brain like a leach, going deeper until it hit a wall. Curiously, I hit the wall, and oddly it didn¡¯t break. I repeated this attempt at brute force for at least 20 strikes to no avail. I guess Steely Will applied to resistance, or maybe intelligence? How does the system quantify a person¡¯s will? After 32 strikes, and a look of pain on the half goblin¡¯s face, I finally entered his mind. I couldn¡¯t read his actual thoughts, I could only feel what he felt, which was mainly the usual sorts of emotions, fear, respect and pain. I was flummoxed as to why he didn¡¯t hate me, but you never can understand some minds. I wondered how Anthony knew what to do in regards to brainwashing, when I read the skill it said you had to have a ¡®deep understanding¡¯ to brain wash. I guess because of our collective intellect and mind power from the personalities we have that needed understanding? I¡¯m not sure, I just know I can start with my experiment. Grinning, I cackled like a goblin, which I guess I am, so I¡¯m going to lean into that. We already know that with a weak mind you can meld it almost effortlessly, but Chad had indeed delivered the perfect specimen to conduct experiments on. With the invisible tendril still tethered to this small goblin, I tried to command him to stand up. I did this mostly through a nerve system connected to his being, which controlled his movements, and what I did was take control of that. Speaking of all that biology hogwash, does that even apply to this world? I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m controlling his brain, or else it would be called brain magic right? So is Mind Magic all about the soul and the conscious part of the person? Does Mind Magic work on creatures without brains but with sentience? So many intricacies I can¡¯t bother to think further about. The little goblin looked as if he was straining, a look of confusion directed at me, but he didn¡¯t stand. I guess I have to study this skill more before I can use command spells, although ¡®spells¡¯ seems like a loose term, Mind Magic is really creative, almost like art, in that all you need is the knowledge to back up the insane ideas you have. I could most probably with enough time and resources develop an automated tendril that regularly gives a command to people in a ranged area, for example. See what none of the other personalities know is that I hold a wide range of skills that Thomas had wanted in our past life. That included things like coding, zoology and other weird and wacky skills. All those years I spent not in control I was developing myself, bettering myself in the hopes that it never happens again. I will be ready next time. Another idea that had been rattling around in this old skull was the different psychic powers commonly found on Earth in the media. I know already I can use a form of telepathy, but what about telekinesis? To start my test, I shall again try to move this puny half goblin, this time using my own power. I unlatched the tendril, willing it to expand and encompass the goblin. With a momentary pause and a slight shudder, the tendril complied to my demands, becoming less dense buy having more surface area. I guess I have a certain amount of tendril to use, most likely based on the amount of mana I put into it. Looking at my status briefly, I had used 8 mana already. With this wider tendril, I wrapped it around the half goblin, an invisible layer of energy stopping the tendril from going through the body emanating from the half goblin. Is that an effect of Steely Will? I proceeded to try and lift the critter up, a manic grin now plastered upon my face. Experimenting is fun!