《RE: Goblin》 Arc 1 ~ Rebirth arc Synopsis: The story follows a peculiar man Tom Leer, a lonesome individual with an out-right terrible past. Due to his history, he doesn''t smile, nor talk much. Although he was renowned for his intelligence, the people surrounding him defined the guy as having a terrible "lack of compassion", and being unreasonably "cold-hearted" as well. On one particularly bad day, Tom was walking along his regular path to work, when from an open window far above, a flurry of random bricks were dropped.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Tom managed to skillfully remove people from danger in his greatest show of human kindness to date, suprisingly proceeding to dodge the bricks himself ! ....but truck-san didn''t appreciate Tom stepping out into the street while doing so... ______ When Mr. Leer woke up, he came face to face with the most hideous diety in all creation itself. They told him that he would be reincarnated against his wishes, and he wouldn''t be allowed to take his ever-precious memories with him. Instead he may retain the 3 traits that defined him during life on earth. The disgusting higher existence then sent our poor protagonist''s soul down to the magical lands of Antasia! Thus, came the birth of the most intelligent, uncompassionate, cold-hearted goblin named Oer..... ...wait? ...Goblin?!!! Ch.1 Newborn When Oer first opened his bulbous eyes, and heard from his tiny, pointed green ears, there was near silence surrounding him. It was also extremely dark, except in the small distant red glow of a crude clay fire alter. Constant inhalations of vile breath transmited rhythmically around him, some were quite loud and could be heard from the opposite end of the oval shaped room, which appeared very cavernous. There were a few broken crevices in the rock above, providing brief glimpses of the stars. Oer rolled onto his side to face the scource of one particularly loud participant. Under the dim lights, he could barely make out a small mound of dark green, whos body gradually contracted and expanded along with the disturbing noises it was emitting. "?" Oer wanted to move closer, and strain his eyes for a better view, but felt himself lose the power to do so. His tiny eyelids were growing heavier and heavier by the moment - against his will. Soon, he himself was making the same repetitive soft snorting noise all the same, fast asleep. ================================================== Upon Oer''s second awakening things were different. Instead of the somewhat calm quiet, there was a flurry of activity. Constant mangled growls filled his ear, and shrieks of pain as well... Pain? His eyes bursted open, and he flailed his small limbs, which had suprisingly grown much larger over the course of the night. A trait specific to goblins was the ability to age into adulthood quite quickly, in perhaps less than a week. Either way, Oer naturally rolled onto his stomach to view the commotion. Sunlight drifted sparsely from above with a warm glow, illuminating the rooms rocky red walls comfortably. It was madness... Tiny, slightly deformed green humanoid figures crawled around the dusty floor tackling and biting one another. As far as he could see however, there was no blood being shed, and as soon as the bitten ones shrieked out in pain the perpetrator would release their jaws and voice stupid repetitive squeaks... ...laughter? In Oer''s mind he came to instinctively recognize this as childs play..... But instead off wanting to participate, he felt rather disconnected from the beings frolicking about, as if he was almost incapable of feeling the desire to interact with them. That wasn''t to say he felt nothing at all. Oer did feel some excitement and will to play.......but he subconsciously supressed them. Meanwhile, to his left, another goblin newborn took notice of his awakening. They shortly eyed him with excitement, before rushing over and leaping at him, jaws extended. After sailing through the air a bit, the bite connected with Oer''s right leg, whereupon said goblin turned to face this new contact. His face was not the least bit in pain, confusing the new goblin, who tried biting harder. Oer had yet to discover this fact, but amidst supressing his will to play; his excitement and happiness, his other emotions would recieve an exponential boost in severity. For instance, he would become much more angry and bloodthirsty than the usual goblin when provoked. Goblins here were known to be irrational and moody creatures. Oer simply stared at the other goblin, as if to say ''Let go'', but they just kept tightening their jaw in confusion. The other goblin had began to clench on his leg so badly that he could feel warm fluid gush from a small break in his skin. The other ''biting'' newborn goblin, released their jaws, as soon as the liquid reached thair mouths, growing suprised and crazed at how good blood tasted. On the other hand, a glimpse of anger sparked within Oer, and the emotional power flooded into his brain. The biting newborn goblin didn''t even care to look at Oer''s face as he leant over to lick the tiny stream of blood , to taste its deliciousness again. He made it halfway before something jammed its way into the newborn goblin''s right eye, penetrating the skull, and clawing deeply into the undeveloped brain. It was Oer''s hand. Blood squirted like a miniature waterfall upon his hand''s removal, causing some nearby goblin newborns to stop playing and turn their attention to Oer, and the newly crumpled lifeless body of the goblin next to him. A swift silence enveloped the room as more became aware. Then something interesting happened..... Ding! ================================= [Level Up!] ~ [( 1/7 >> 2/7 )] [Levels Until Evolution] ~ [( 5 )] ================================= Oer was too stunned by the messages sudden appearance, that he wasn''t able to react in time to the mass of newborn goblins charging towards him and the corpse, red eyed and filled with hunger. They completely bypassed Oer and tore the desceased body to pieces, sending blood and tiny organs all over the place. Mere seconds later, there was a doggy pile of newborn goblins on top of the corpse, devouring it, until nothing but the bones were left. Oer managed to escape from the mass of bodies, but not before feeling his right leg become stiff. *SHeetttt!!!!!* On the wall to Oer''s far left, a rotten door that he hadn''t taken notice of before opened itself. A gruff grumble could be heard coming from the other side. Only Oer noticed this fact, due to the preoccupied hoarde of hungry newborns continuing their meal, unhindered by any other influence. "Wat spawnss here inn doing?!" A severely broken language translated itself naturally in Oer''s head, intruiging him. Stumpy green legs, one after the other entered the spacious room, revealing a looming figure five times Oer''s size. As the newborn goblin examined them, in their sparsely dressed form; a single cloth-like article covering their nether reigions, he viewed their contorting horrid facial features morph into an expression of shock and fear. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" The being, a goblin, half the size af an adult human male, ran towards the pile of baby goblins, and flung them off of one another, splitting the mass untill they reached the center, where their complection became unsightly. They scooped up the bloody pulp that was the ''biting goblin'' with a sadness hinted in their gaze, lifting it out of reach of the frenzied spawns. It''s eyes scanned the room for clues as to what might have been involved, thouroughly sweeping the crowd of newborns in the process. The adult goblin''s eyes landed on Oer. "?" They noticed the blood soaked hand of his, alongside Oer''s stiffening bloody leg. "T-thiss one?!", the clothed goblin charged over to Oer, picking him up within its grasp with no evident resistance. Oer had already sensed the futility in such actions, seeing as how the more vital and bodily points were out of reach from within the goblins hands. And, if he attacked the hands themselves, it would serve no purpose but to either infuriate the small humanoid, or further confuse it. So.....he continued to observe the goblin, even from within the thing''s grasp. Oers couldn''t tell, but this only served to make him appear more and more strange in the larger goblin''s eyes. "Dis onsss no voyce? Mute?" A ruptured gargle of broken language cackled out of the larger goblins mouth as it studied Oer from head to toe, especially placing focus on his arm and leg, It stood there in deep thought and speculation - something that one wouldn''t expect from the casually stupid goblin - then it began nodding to itself. "Yes yes! Brings outer room fur legg fixes! Goe bos an tel big brave story!" Its big eyes grew in excitement. "Yotap bravve storie win Gootche hart !!!" Oer raised his tiny brows at whatever nonsensical grammar had just passed into his ears..it pained him for some reason.....but he would still try deciphering the message in the end. "Brings outer room for legg fixes" ~ Probably stated the will to remove Oer from this room to heal his leg? Next was ~ "Goe bos an tel big brave story!" - This one Oer had trouble decoding. Bos? Boss? Oer recognized since the incident of the big goblin waltzing into the room that he was in some sort of species gathering or soceiety. Otherwise, the big guy wouldn''t seem to care too much about them, nor would he appear distraught at the death of a youngling. But the deciding factor was when he called them spawns; a word - like many other, that Oer somehow knew the meaning to, without haveing been taught....it was something that deeply intruiged him....but that was a topic for another time. Calling them "spawns" implied the possibility of their parentage, and therefor the possibility of more than one parent. Goblins had the natural ability to detect blood relations between themselves and their "family". Oer was born with this information stuffed into his brain. A passive ability like that had to be in place to serve some purpose, maybe to prevent inbreeding? Either way, he couldn''t detect any of his "family" in this room. Yet there were over 3 dozen newborn goblins rolling around the place. What did this mean? It meant that there had to be more than one pair of parent goblins. And since he believed his situation not to be unique, there were bound to be multiple.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ...Multiple adult goblins who organized themselves into a group with a heiarchy, thus the goblin before him spouting out the mention of a ''Bos'' which Oer believed to be ''Boss''...most likely the goblin in charge of the social structure. .....but even after all was said and done.....this was all speculation on Oer''s part. In order to know absolutely, he would require direct experience.. Last but not least, and the most confusing part of the goblin''s rabble was: ~ "Yotap bravve storie win Gootche hart".... This "Brave Story" had to be something this goblin in front of him was going to "construct" in order to account for the newborn Oer had just killed. "Yotap" was likely this very goblin''s name, just as "Gootche" was most probably a name as well... So this goblin, Yotap, wants the affection or attention of another figure, Gootche, from his "brave story"? Who was Gootche? The leader? A female goblin? Someone else? Rare mirth was shown in Oer''s eyes as he gazed deeply into Yotap''s pupils. Yotap was just a careless idiotic goblin with aspirations...."idiotic" - enough not to question the murder of a newborn goblin, and ambitious enough to place his own goals above everything else. That was the conclusion Oer came to, and honestly.... He couldn''t care. As long as his leg was repaired to functionality by the end of it all. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As Yotap wandered over to the door, Oer in one hand, and the bloody corpse in another, the newborn goblin was still percieving events that had taken place a while back, especially the wierd message which popped up about "Levels" and "Evolution". From what he could gather from his little experience. After killing something, you gain a form of energy from it and that energy translates - when it reaches a specific bottleneck - into these "levels". From there, "levels" are accumulated, leading to whatever this ''evolution'' is. Would he become something other than a goblin? something...more? The concept not only forced upon him a state of enrapturement and extreme curiosity, but it also felt as if it was deeeply rooted into his conscious fibers that it should be striven towards. Oer was profoundly suprised how much he himself could gather just from killing a playmate out of anger. The big goblin maeuvered past the rotting wood, taking the half-broken handle under his left elbow to shut the door once more. Yotap proceeded to navigate a winding tunnel with few other entrances to similar oval cavern rooms. Some of these rooms had a door; rotting like the first, some were only fragments or chinks of wood on a hinge, or they had none at all. Even the placements of the "doorframes" if you could see them as such, were crude and disorderly. Finaly, Oer saw a light at the end of the tunneling hallway. Once Yotap reached it, the space opened up to a massive underground clearing. Sunlight poured in unhindered from a miniscule sinkhole above, spreading orange warmth across a smooth light tan cave floor. A buzz of activity swarmed before them, and a multitude of goblins; maybe 50 and above, wandered around the open space, helping Oer to confirm that this was a goblin tribe. Many sat around interacting with others, while more slept on the barren floor, and a few play fought, releasing painful shrieks when bitten or scratched. They all wore simple brown rags like Yotap to cover their genitals, except for those who had scraps of leather armor draped acros their chests.... who knew where they got all of this stuff? Piss and excrement were nowhere to be found, causing Oer to question how these idiotic goblins managed to accomplish that too. Three sizable tunnels were vivible from their standpoint, each equidistant from their own, which apparently led other places. Oer knew one of them very well had to be the exit to the cave system they were all in. The other two left him at a loss. From Yotap''s direction of movement, they were evidently headed towards the furthest tunnel on the opposite wall. The reason should be that the either the "boss" resides there, it was the place Oer would be healed. ... or both. As Yotap passed by, some goblins turned their heads towards him, as consequence taking sight of the small corpse in his hand and Oer in the other. A few yelps were released. Their eyes widened in a mix of emotions; primarily present was extreme shock at seeing a newborn goblin''s dead body, aslo present was fear and anger of whatever caused such a tragedy. More and more grew quiet as Yotap passed, but the stupid goblin couldn''t see this somehow, and continued on with a gleeful mug. The others grew suspicious and sent him glares, but none did anything to stop him on his journey. Did Yotap hold some sort of position within this group? Along the way, Yotap chose to walk around to the right of the central fire alter, so they had the opportunity to pass one of the other tunnels. Oer wondered if it held rooms with more newborn goblins running amok, but soon came the conclusion that it probably wasn''t the case. A few of the goblins surrounded the entrance to the tunnel, seeming as though they couldn''t wait to see or hear what was inside. Their eyes were glazed, and their mouths were salivating. Small mounds grew erect under their unsightly loincloths. As Oer continued studying these goblins, he took note that Yotap''s gaze faltered from their destination onto the right tunnel as well, his expression clouding and turning more agressive. Lustful. "..." The intelligent newborn was creasing his forehead when he was all of a sudden struck with an invasive odor. The smell was incredibly tantalizing to a goblin. It came from the crowded tunnel. Females? Oer guessed from the sexual atmosphere surrounding him..... The scent nearly debilitated his young mind before he willfuly and stubbornly suppressed the emotion entirely. He knew he was begginning to fight the emotions originating from his biology, with his psychology. Goblins were a creature of many problems; emotional control was one of them. Only time would tell if this was a mistake, but Oer told himself he could make due without the unnecessary hindrance of feelings, at least until he sorted out his situation and decided what to do from there. He wasn''t dissapointed that the adult goblins surrounding him, had no sense of decency around a newborn. Even Yotap who held a child''s corpse in his other hand, couldn''t help but express his desires. Oer had already decided that the goblin species was hopeless mere days from his birth. Yotap slowed his pace considerably after passing the ''lust tunnel'' as Oer began to call it, not taking notice that the name would cause uprorious laughter if ever heard aloud. He obviously wanted to go back with the other goblins and wait at the lust tunnel. Yotap shook his head vigorously. "Noe. Umnim Vigler not wurth bigg brave storie....Gootche worth story! Yes! Gootche worth!" Umnim Vigler? A name? not worth it? Oer racked his head to make sense of it, but didn''t have the time. They had arrived at another tunnel entrance, the one where there must be either a boss or a healer, so Oer aptly named it: Boss tunnel. It''s entrance was guarded by 4 goblins wearing more or less complete brown leather vests. They also wore rusted metal caps, and wielded pointy metal daggers, observations that didn''t go unnoticed in Oer''s eyes. They were guards. This fact only served to further solidify Oer''s thoughts that this tunnel led towards the boss room. The guards looked at Yotap up and down disdainfully with their ugly expressions as he approached. Their eyes came into focus on the objects he held, aknowledging Oer with a grin, and slowly registering the mass of gore on his left hand for what it truly was. All of the guards pupils shrunk, darting back and forth between Yotap and the bloody mess, trying to find some sort of correlation. "Yotap ere to speek Iki-Min Bos...." He held up the bloody corpse to their faces, making the guards flinch, and return an angry stare afterwards. The goblin gazed down at Oer. "....an heel spawn legg" Shorty thereafter, the guards warily allowed them to pass, and the two were walking down a very dimly lit tunnel once more. In reality it was just Yotap walking, and Oer hitching a ride in the goblins right hand. They passed a series of doors, mirror images of those he way back in the ''newborn tunnel'', extending into cavernous rooms glistening in sunlight. Oer wondered how big this cave system was, and how it formed. These tunnels seemed roughly constructed, and too far out of reach height-wise for them to be goblin-made, the fire alter in the central room was particularly suspicious in this aspect... Yotap''s feet planted themself firmly in front of a door at the end of the tunnel. Was this the boss'' room? "Okkey Y-yotap....tdis is- zis is itt" He stared nervously down at the mass of gore in his hand, before looking ar Oer, who nonchalantly stared back. "..." That stare seemed to suck the confidence out of him, so he turned back to the door and gave one final outward breath. He opened the door. What they saw next stunned the both of them. The room was filled with an abundance of cheap treasures, copper coins, few silvers, and even rarer gold. A couple of short swords hung themselves louslily on one side of the wall, while other armor accessories and weapons sparsely seperated themselves in the loot. None of these were the real kicker though. That would be the two humanoid forms committing sexual acts on top of one of said larger treasure piles. One was a suprising shade of red, and the other light green. "..." Oer watched momentarily, but soon became confused when he wasn''t affected by it in the least.....Peculiar.....there was the definite stench of a female goblin in the air, most likely belonging to that ugly thing up there, but it didn''t match up in the least - to the erotic odor from the ''lust tunnel''. Although he had supressed his lust to a great extent...there still should have been some minor feeling.... What could this mean? Were thay not the same? More importantly...just who was this Umnim Vigler in the lust tunnel then? Oer would have given more thought into this contemplation if not for the trembling hands that held him. He looked back to see Yotap''s eyes frozen solid on the image of the two beings on top of the pile. It looked for a second as if he''d lost his soul. Look.....this guy''s mouth was trembling too.... ".....G" Oer raised his tiny eyebrows when Yotap began to speak. "....Ggo-go" And even before the goblin could completely speak the name, Oer had a look of understanding on his face, and he could recognize the gist of the situation now. "Go-Gootche.....?" "...." The two on top of the pile halted their intercourse, and whipped their heads at the intruder. One of them had an intensely angered expression, probably at being interrupted, while the other...the less ugly light green one....a female had her eyes widen considerably, starting to shake.... Oer seemed the only stoic person in this charade. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ====================================================== ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few minutes later, Oer found himself back in the nursery... What he now labeled the room for him and his fellow newborns. ... Why you ask? Because upon witnessing the scene of his crush or lover or whatever Gootche was to him being with another, Yotap, with the mental capacity of a child, took off running. Leaving the special red goblin, who ought to be the "boss" , Ike-Min, and Gootche alone. Yotap took off with such a speed that Oer didn''t even get to see their complete reactions, which was dissapointing to Oer, because unknown to everyone else, he found the scenario quite amusing. Now....back in the nursery, surrounded by little newborn goblins, Yotap set down Oers, whos leg had already sealed off the wound by itself, and was recovering at a snails pace, as well as the corpse that now had a distinctive nasty smell of its own. The surrounding newborn goblins rushed at it as soon as it reached the ground, but Yotap didn''t seem to care. He was a heartbroken goblin.....amusing....considering how hideous Gootche was in Oer''s view. He guessed it was the power of love that made such attraction possible...some nonsense like that..... Oers also knew that Ike-Min, the boss, or chief goblin, from his posture and expression when facing Yotap would not let go of the incident of him intruding on the "fun-time" he was having with Gootche. That red crumpled face reeked of anger, and the arrogance of a leader...a tyrant.... In the most probable outcome, Ike-Min would kill Yotap by some means out of contempt. In a less likely event, Yotap would be banished from the group/ tribe. It was so interesting and hilarious how Oer stumbled across such a tragic short story that was Yotap''s. ...that fabricated "brave story" of his....all but dead. Oer wanted to laugh terribly hard. He was only a newborn, yet this stupid bullshit story took place right before his eyes, dragged him out of the room, exposed him to the brief outside world, and threw him back in here with a goblin that would most likely die or be banished in the next day or so. What a day! Goblins! Such imbeciles! It would take a while to digest all the info he''d gained, but in the meanwhile there was something he wanted to test out. Something that the boss goblin''s red skin reminded him of... Leveling up. Ike-min, the chief or boss, was likely an evolved goblin of some sort, giving him the qualification of leadership. Leadership was something Oer had no intention of usurping. Evolution only interested him for the primal excitement he felt for it....It was something that would help to separate him from all of these idiots, hopefully. Oer looked over to the mentally unstable Yotap; kneeling, depessed, in the furthest corner from the door. ...something came to mind. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ One slow movement after another, Oer made his way over to the kneeling goblin, easliy evading the massive heap of bloody mouthed goblin newborns. They must have it really bad with their cravings for blood.... As he approached Yotap, Oer studied the weak, slumped posture, of an emotionaly devastated goblin, with eyes glazed over in show of his deep conscious thoughts. Yotap was most likely stuck with that moment playing over and over in his head, conquering all of his mind, sending it into a feeble state. In other word, he was exceptionally easy to approach. The adult goblin didn''t even respond when Oer tapped his hand against the goblin''s arm, much less turn to look at him, Yotap remained in place, eyes focused on the ground. Good. Oer had thought this would be much more difficult. There was a use to heartbreak after all. The newborn maneuvered casually under Yotaps outstretched supporting arms, getting an even more clear view of the goblins blank gaze. Oer looked down at his own small hands, fingers tipped with sharp albiet miniscule black nails. They would do just fine. And without further notice, he repositioned himself and leapt directly at Yotap''s face, hands outstretched to their fullest, aimed towards their target; the eyes. In the brief moment of calm after the event, Oer held two bloody pupils in his hands, which he nonchalantly tossed towards the other newborns. Looking back up at Yotap''s face, the younger goblin was suprised. Honestly, how ugly could these things get? That face was already grotesque, but those bloody sockets, and that definitely pained expression made it all the more unappealing. He noticed the older goblin''s trembling mouth widen, along with the hands planting themselves rapidly on his face. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ch.2 First Day of Evolution Oer patiently watched on as Yotap clawed into his own sockets in pain, screaming violently. Luckily, on their way to and from the boss tunnel, Oer noticed the lack of any one goblin in the other newborn tunnel''s rooms. Meaning, that however much Yotap screamed in here, he wouldn''t be heard, unless there were goblins outside listening in from the cracks above. Unlikely. Though the lack of anything but newborn goblins in this tunnel surprised Oer to the lack of efficiency and available room space going unused. Maybe they had uses, but just at different times? Eh. It didn''t matter as long as nobody entered for the next few minutes. So he sat there, hands dirtied with blood, listening to the screams of pain with indifference. Oer felt no need to justify himself for what he was doing. No guilt whatsoever. why would he? The goblin in front of him was dead the moment he first picked Oer up off the ground, and waltzed into the place of his horrid lover eloping with another. But that did not make Yotap worth killing. What made the action worthwhile - was the fact that one could attain levels via removing other life from existence... Yotap was an apple that had fallen from a high tree...he held value...nutritional value. This apple would surely rot if left by its lonesome, so he would come along, pick it up, and devour it. Other than the miraculous chance of being banished, no.... ...scratch that....Yotap would surely end up dead either way. But that just didn''t sit right with Oer. Because he would not be benefited in any way, shape, or form... He had to change that. He would take the benefits of a prize right before his eyes when he had the means to. Because...who wouldn''t? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It had only been a minute from the point that Oer began his plan, yet Yotap still screamed pitifully, too far into the pain to care for his environment. Oer could only be thankful that due to their size being half that of a human''s, a goblin''s lungs were much smaller in comparison as well. This He recognized that this knowledge was strange to have - for a newborn, even more so when taking into account the fact that he had never seen a human before to gain such information. Yet somehow, it was there; in his head, alongside a plethora of other things. Oer was not in fear of this fact, nor was he against it. In reality, he welcomed the information with open arms, regardless of how it came to existence in his head. Otherwise, he would be comparable to that bunch... jumping around the place like idiots, biting each other, and sleeping all day. And they would stay that way for their entire lives, more or less, as he had seen from his visit outside... with the exception of increased sexual desire. Speaking of.... Oer crawled over to the mass of newborn goblins climbing over each other in a pile, like it was some sort of new game, whatever the end objective may be... it was still a monument to their stupidity. It ceased to amaze him how they could ignore the adult goblin''s screams resonating through their chamber in favor of this nonsense. He guessed that fact would only change when Yotap died. They would swarm his body in droves. He looked over his shoulder to the goblin in question, whose palms were now bloodied in his own life essence, screaming with all of the force he could possibly muster. This wouldn''t do fine at all..... He needed the means to an end. An end to that irritating scream. But currently, he didn''t have the ability to live up to the thought: If he attempted to eliminate Yotap here and now, he lacked the confidence to successfully injure the goblin if not attacking a soft critical spot, such as the eyes. The throat was open, but in effective range of Yotap''s hands, thus not a feasible option. The genitals were an opportune choice, but that would risk being kicked, and as a newborn, that was something Oer would not gamble upon. Oer needed more power. For the purpose of obtaining power, to evolve, Oer had wanted to kill Yotap. And for a moment, he believed he would succeed, because Oer truly, for one miraculous second, thought that Yotap was somewhat different from the other goblins, and knew when to despair eternal. To give up completely, and forego everything to be with his desired emotional abyss. ...He turned out to be utterly wrong. Oer knew it when that imbecile began to scream. ...And the screaming meant that the goblin hadn''t given up, or more likely, was to idiotic to realize his predicament in such that he would. Maybe... therein lay Oer''s miscalculation. ... Either way, Oer sadly needed more power to finish what he had started. ...So he decided he''d get some. ... Evolution would make him bigger and stronger...more powerful, correct? Although he didn''t know how it would play out exactly, when considering he had only literally, this very day, woke up into this world. If he evolved now, into... something else, would he remain as an infant of that evolved species, or would he immediately transfer into adulthood? Who knew? There was only one way to find out. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Oer made his way over to the dog pile of squirming small naked green bodies, and picked out a select few who were at the bottom, struggling to make their way out. Their expressions tarnished with discomfort and pain from having the weight of dozens crushing down upon them. Their eyes pleaded him, who was passing by, for some form of assistance. And he would help them. He would wander forth, until they stood in his darkness, he would look them directly in their eyes, a window to their small souls and even more miniscule intellect. He would reach out. Not for their hands, but their heads... their eyes. Oer would help. He would release them from the pain. The rest of the story tells itself. Ding! ===================================================== [Level Up!] x5 ~ [( 7/7 )] [Levels Until Evolution] ~ [( 0 )] [Evolution Requirements Met!] ----------------------------------------- *Select Evolution*: ( * ~> Evolutionary Path Rank Measurement) --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- [Goblin Champion] ~ (***) ~ Requirements: First to evolve in your generation (tribal). [Red Goblin] ~ (***) ~ Requirements: Kill a member of the greater races (Human, elf, dwarf...etc. below the age of five years. [Imp (Goblin)] ~ (***) ~ Requirements: Remorselessly commit violence. [Imp (Goblin) Earl] ~ (****) ~ Requirements: Remorselessly commit murder below the age of one week. [Pale Imp (Goblin)] ~ (****) ~ Requirements: Remorselessly purge your own brethren, barehandedly.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. [Pale Imp (Goblin) Earl] ~ (*****) ~ Requirements: Below the age of one week, purge your own kind without remorse. Watch as they suffer. Yet, feel nothing of it. [Hobgoblin] ~ (***) ~ Requirements: Accumulate seven levels. Desire to be more than what you already are. [Pale Hobgoblin] ~ (****) ~ Requirements: Murder barehandedly to accumulate seven levels. Desire to be more than what you already are. [Gargoyle (Minor)(Goblin)] ~ (***) ~ Requirements: Suppress your emotions, feel nothing from it, your heart will turn to stone. [Goblin Chieftain] ~ (***) ~ Requirements: Punish your own kind, leave the audience in silence. [Hobgoblin Earl] ~ (****) ~ Requirements: Below one week of age, accumulate seven levels. Desire to be more than what you already are [Pale Hobgoblin Earl] ~ (*****) ~ Requirements: You are the better of those around you. You should be more than what they are. You have earned this right. You have one week; murder with your two bare hands - any seven helpless enough not to stand against you. You have only ever struck to kill. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ===================================================== ... It was safe to assume Oer was taken aback by the variety in choices he was given, more so the implications of their requirements. It sounded as if this screen in his head, had already made him out to be a violent person, who would indiscriminately kill anything if it benefited them. Not that it wasn''t true.... In truth, he expected nothing more than the - snotling > gremlin > goblin > hobgoblin > Orc or Ogre routes. He felt it - on instinct- that this was the "natural" course of evolution. He obviously took a shortcut, being born outright as a goblin He also easily noted the "raking" system, consisting of "stars"... it intrigued him. Ranks and star numbers, from his inferences, should remove themselves to being limited in the greater double-digits (<= 50), meaning there was plenty of room for growth. From what he could tell, goblins, like kobolds and rat-men, in general, were a 2-star species (**). They fared better than the 1-star Boars, rabbits, dogs, slimes, and other lesser demons. Therefore, he was surprised to see 4 and 5-star evolutions within his options... this was his first evolution after all. Although it startled him - it was, nonetheless, a rather pleasant surprise. Oer proceeded to refuse concerning himself with the trifling reactions of the goblins outside, if they were to discover his changed appearance after the evolution. It would absolutely stir trouble, but nothing that Oer believed himself uncapable of handling. His evolution opportunities assured him of this fact. So, all that was left - was to choose. ... It would be absolutely idiotic to remove the two 5-star evolutions from his view at any moment. Pale Imp (Goblin) Earl and Pale Hobgoblin Earl, were the focus of this show. Pale.... The words "Pale" and "Earl" completely separated these two selections from the rest. "Pale" seemed like a special indicator of sorts, which by all means, could have the physical effect of changing is skin''s pigment. And "Earl", a nobility rank for which another 2 of his choices held. The noble rank brought into question the existence of others, perhaps marquesses or dukes, possibly even kings.... Oer wondered if he did not meet their requirements, or if he had to earn the rank for himself in the next evolution. What of the lesser ranks? Viscounts? Barons? Oer viewed the ''chieftain'' rank, in one of the other evolution options, and believed that they must exist somehow or other. It slashed at his mind, forcing him back to deal with the predicament placed before him. What would he choose? ... For sure it would be either of the two 5-star evolutions, for they would trump Iki-Min, the boss goblin''s measly 3-star Red goblin evolution. It was either Imp Goblin or Hobgoblin. Imps were demonic in nature, that much Oer knew. They are likely magically adept. Imps, by origin, are related to/ or can be described as lesser goblins, just like Yotap and the rest of this green-man tribe, a bit above snotlings, and gremlins. If he were to take this direction - in terms of evolution, later down the line he could expect to become an Oni or more demonic creature, though he wasn''t really clear on the exact path. High tier goblins were your orcs, and ogres, far more powerful in the magnitude of their strengths than these puny runts, who held crude daggers. A single step from those beasts, would suffice to end this entire tribe''s existence. There were also, of course, even more powerful deviants, like dark orcs, war orcs, trolls (excessive regenerative ability), two-headed ogres, and those massive ugly giants. ... On the other hand, Hobgoblins were in the main evolutionary line-up beyond goblins themselves, positioned halfway as a mid-level species in the ordinary goblin genre. They were tougher, sturdier, and taller standing at only a few centimeters shorter than the average male human, though some stand at equal height. Hobgoblins are far more physically oriented than magically, with little to no magical potential. Both options held the titles of Pale and Earl. ... As of the moment, Oer was naturally more inclined to the hobgoblin choice for its vague familiarity, but the Imp Goblin''s addition of magical concepts tugged profusely at his heart. It could not be said that many living things had the capacity for mana, much less being able to make use of it in the form of magic. High-tier humanoids made up the majority of these select few species; humans, elves, dwarves, fairies...etc. That being said, it was rare for a monster to possess magic. Those that did - were quite high tier creatures as well. Take note of the fact that the aforementioned humanoids follow an entirely different ranking system than monsters.... Adventurers, as they were called, had letter ranks. Oer discovered this at a later date. --- It took Oer a short while after that to come to a definite decision. He would take the Imp Goblin evolution route. His reasonings were rather simple, yet complex: ...This would be his very first evolution. It was to be his foundation; what he would build his everything upon - in later years. And who knew if he would ever obtain the chance to evolve into a mana-sensitive species ever again? Goblins, by far were one of the most diverse monsters in existence. Down the line, he may achieve the decision to become some sort of goblin shaman, or religious leader who could use magic, but those choices were strictly forbidden in his head. He would rather not fanatically express his emotions and beliefs in front of others. .. .. To ignore that fact, meanwhile disowning the very opportunity that this evolution represented, would be foolish, and might become his life''s great regret in the future. Oer neither willed that upon himself, nor did he wish to suffer the consequences later on. From that uncaring screen in his head, he made his choice. ... The screen allotted him a 20-minute timer to witness the great change... ... He waited. .. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ .. ... [19:59] . Oer grew weary, his shoulders collapsed slowly from impossible stress. It was as though his body had brazenly forfeited at random. . [19:34] . Sudden pain exploded from his spine, momentarily blackening the goblin''s vision. For the first time since his arrival to this world, Oer screamed - not the high-pitched cry of a child, but a hellish sound. He sounded nothing like a goblin, that voice of his. It seemed distorted by the 12th depth. Two protrusions arched from his back, searing his system with excess pain... The elongation of his spine continued. . [18:46] . Everything was burning. Everything was the worst, most complete pain. A red pigment began to show through his skin of fire. His body witnessed changes, while his mind avoided all of them in favor of the futile struggle to self-recompose. . [17:00] . It would seem something inside of him had died. His body succumbed to loss, all but invisible. A skin of pale grey killed its red predecessor. It was hard, and cold, like death injected into his being. . [15:00] . It was obvious by this point, that he was growing. A single days duration and his innocent green completion and size were already lost to time. He was much taller now. Colossal, compared to his newborn form. He stood a full head taller than the regular hobgoblin and was a monstrosity to the casual imp. Which was it? Pale or Earl that had these effects? Had he become a Pale Hobgoblin Earl... What abomination would have reflected into shallow waters? . [12:00] . Oer started to feel something... new, not pain, but a rather lovely, empowering sensation. Yet 5 seconds into this new fantasy, and he was already living for it. The transitioning Imp-goblin knew it... This was mana; infinite power, up for grabs, permeating the very air around him. It would be his... . [10:00] . He felt the power. It made him feel secure, unhindered, and free. Everything, from his muscles, tendons, bones, skin,... Everything was bursting with energy, every fiber. It was too amazing! Almost.... . [09:28] . A spark of something dreadful, touched upon that faux, good feeling like a match to an open tank of fuel, igniting, combusting, destroying his mind and his nerves in an instant. There was no time to feel the pain before it had passed. The reaction was instant, hidden, it was a raindrop in a thunderstorm. . [09:27] . And everything went black. ... .. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ---------------------------------------------------- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ .. ... Oer''s eyes opened to that same reddish orange, smooth cavern floor. Orange light still glistened beautifully from above. If warmth itself had an embodiment, they would be holding him dearly. Comically, for once, he felt like a child in this place. ... But it was oddly silent... So silent, in fact, that one may ear the wind''s echo upon the earthy, reddish cavern walls. He moved his arms, now big and lumbering, to set himself upright. These limbs didn''t feel large and more powerful, but weak and hollow. They clumsily fumbled over the tan, light orange earth, with palms angled awkwardly, terribly unfamiliar with themselves. Oer was now an Imp variant of goblin. No... ...He was more than that. Staring down at his hands, he studied their pale grey image; four fingers and an opposable thumb each. With their combined strength, he forced himself into a seated position. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The surrounding area was barren, and the room was dead silent, so for a moment, Oer believed himself to be alone. However, that wasn''t the least bit true. The Imp goblin spotted a strange, vague formation in the farthest reaches of the room, from his position. The object was obscured in one of the room''s rare shadows. But he could tell from its organic form that it was... well... organic... What was it? And where had Yotap and those little maggots run off to? He tried hoisting himself up to stand; something he had failed to accomplish even as a newborn and failed miserably. The action was akin to learning balance itself, even more so with his new body. On the first attempt, Oer fell backwards and landed painfully on an appendage he didn''t notice, until this point. An incredibly weird discomfort and movement below his rear, or rather, attached to it. He turned to inspect himself, only to find a muscly, 3-meter-long, thick chord, encompassed by his pale grey skin, laying there on the floor. It was tipped in an exotic, sharp, black spade. The thing looked venomous and alive, ready to deceive, wrap around its prey and choke it. Deadly...? But of course it was... It was a part of him... His tail. Albeit, this wasn''t the only thing that stole his attention. Oer also recognized the movements of two other apparitions on his back. Folded, compact against his skin. Twice the length of his arms, granted twice their strength, two times as vulnerable, yet only half of their weight and burden. Pressed tightly to his back, as if fearful to the consequence of releasing their power. Oer extended these new limbs outwards, quicker than one could blink. The resulting gusts, blew the air backwards a short distance. Turbulent noise extended around the chamber. The object in the corner trembled. Viewing his left, then right, Oer was bewildered. To either of his sides, thin, stone colored, massive webbed wings, spread tyrannically. Their softer insides (wing membrane) was no less grey, and foreboding than the rest of the damn whole. ... He should have known. He was a goblin transformed into an imp, that entailed some great changes! Tail and wings included. Oer touched upon his face with his hands, feeling around. The lack of a mirror surface fazed him. He wished to see his own face for the first time, he hadn''t seen it before as a newborn. That being said, he wouldn''t recognize any slight changes, except the radical ones. And there weren''t any. He didn''t grow an Imp''s horns, thus remaining a goblin in that aspect, although his pigment must have deviated from the norm. He might be ugly too. The thought amused him. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ All of that being said and done, Oer was quite pleased with himself. The evolution had opened various opportunities to him, some of them immeasurably beneficial. He kept the rest of these thoughts at bay... It was time to conduct business. ... After a few attempts (all ending in failure) to stand on his own two legs, a minute had passed, whereupon Oer stood upright at last, two eerily human feet (if you discount the small claws at the end of his digits) planted firmly against the ground. Oer broke out into a grin, his throat resonating a deep hearty hum into the air. Consequent to the utilization of his tail, and its own instinctual movements, balance was no longer an issue. The grin deepened... All it took next, were the first steps. One foot after another. A casual, somewhat disturbed walking posture; which he would no doubt work on later. Ch.3 ~To Be an Earl~ It was obvious from the beginning, that this would take off at a short pace. That was the cost associated with evolving from an infant goblin, to a higher quality monster with more appendages. In reality, such an occurance could only be called an abomination of chance, or the true start of a legend. Oer couldn''t care whichever it was, however. None of the trivial things mattered as long as he could continue on a set path towards his next evolution. Which also, unbeknowst to him, was a far ways off - in terms of requirements. Oer helped himself to these passerby thoughts, as he walked slowly, imprinting a more and more efficient method of walking into his head every passing second. Soon it began to seem more and more relaxed, instead of forced and uncomfortable. His destination: the suspicious, trembling, shadowy lump in the far end of the oval-shaped room. It was the only other "occupant" that was anywhere to be found, replacing Yotap, and the dozens of other newborn goblins that once resided here. But upon his ''closing in'' on the thing, he realized that this was in fact, the exact opposite of what truly presented istelf before his eyes. This halted Oer''s movements, as he stared in half-shock, half-mirth. The organic object he sought to identify, turned out not to be a singular "object", but dozens of "them" in a heap... It was the newborns. They clustered themselves into a mound, as if trying to escape some fearsome predator. Even the ones pressed heavily against the rocky walls gave not even a wail from their mouths. Their pupils widened at Oer, as he ever so slowly approached. To them, his lessening distance, seemed only to represent magnified terror. They shook vehemently. They were scared of him? Why? But the question quickly dissipated, when a severely frightened newborn goblin accidentally shook itself right from the pile. Rolling downwards and out into the open, before ending up at Oer''s feet. The newborn looked around, confused, unaware of it''s situation. But once it identified the pile of bodies it had fallen from, now in the distance, its whole being froze over, rigidly looking up to face Oer. So...they ARE scared.... A serpentine tail appeared from behind Oer, like a snake indeed, wandering up to the unmoving newborn goblin, and wrapping itself around tightly. All he needed - was to add strength to his grip and the thing would become a fine red pulp. The little one shut it''s eyes, pouted and vibrated even more. The poor little thing also paled, though nowhere near in comparison to Oer''s skin. One of his special traits was "Pale" after all. He lifted the newborn off of the ground and towards his face. He wanted to inspect it. To see what may be causing this behavior. It was obviously Oer whom was the cause, but that didn''t mean he knew exactly what it was about him that they feared. ... . As he obsered the tiny goblin, he noticed their comparatively less ugly features with the other newborns, and from underneath his tightly binding tail, the lack of outward genitals. In other words... This was a female. And though the fact was interesting, it held no value to the situation. "She" made no moves to react either, other than continuing that pitiful appearance. So he tossed the thing aside harshly, watching it tumble further away on the ground, then easily plucked out another one. ... After numerous repetitions, and no results to show from it; no reactions differing from the first, Oer dicided to forsake the idea. What is it? Do I smell or something? He stiffled a laugh, before carelessly swatting at the mound of newborns with his versatile hindquarter limb. The action sent some flying, while immediately killing others. ... Two interesting facts arose from that single swipe, that he could not foresee. One made him relieved, and the other only slightly served to make him ponder. ... The "good" peice of news, was that he wouldn''t have to go around searching for a certain blind goblin. That was because he''d found one, in the center of the conglomerating bodies. There was his target, in all their glory, shaking like they''d been thrown upon Ice. Seemingly shoved in-between the mash of newborns, or more like, forced his way in. Yotap. Either way, it troubled Oer that not only were the young goblins trembling in his presence, but the old ones as well. ... This truly piqued his interest as to what, originaing from his being, could cause such an effect. His eyebrows were creased, in preperation to delve further into the topic. .. The other "news", the one specified earlier, which would "make him ponder", existed as the fact that; even after killing a few of these tiny, green spawns, Oer couldn''t gain levels off of them, or at least not enough of whatever a level was consisted of... It was quite easily unearthed, from his tail killing about a dozen of the things, yet not a single notification popping up in his head. So what did he have to do to gain more levels? Kill bigger, stronger, better organisms? It would only make sense..... ... Oh... But he could find out immediately! There was Yotap here before him after all! The goblin Oer had set out to kill from the get-go! How convenient! The spade tip of his tail jerked upwards like a floating knife, before his tail whipped, jerking the point so fast it broke the air, generating an instant, loud, sharp noise, plunging swiftly into Yotap''s forehead. ... Just how easily could Oer kill others without a thought? ... The answer....was - very easily. The results themselves didn''t disapoint either. Oer was rewarded with a screen: Ding! ================================= [Level Up!] ~ [( 0/70 >> 1/70)] [Levels Until Evolution] ~ [( 69 )] ================================= Oh? 69 more levels? The number necessary had increased quite a bit! Exactly 10 times so! Oer looked on, thoughtfully as he pulled his tail out from inside Yotap''s messy skull. This also confirmed the fact that he would require the sacrifice of more sufficient prey to advance any further; Prey which was at least as powerful, if not more ''powerful'' than Yotap. ...Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He contemplated the number of goblins outside of here which he could kill, their numbering over 50, from what he saw earlier outside of this ''newborn tunnel''. But somehow, even that sort of option didnt seem worth it. He firmly believed there had to be an easier solution to his leveling problem, other than simply killing exactly, or more than 50 of the needed number of monsters. Perhaps one would only need to kill a few lifeforms of higher rank than those who would satiate the requirement one level after another. Meaning: instead of killing three regular goblins....three... Yotaps, for example... He would only need to kill one Iki-Min or red goblin to compensate for that amount. Though, in truth, he had no Idea how much killing an evolved goblin like Iki-Min would be worth. And it wouldn''t hurt to find out. ... But once more, current events ripped the thoughtful Pale Imp Gobln Earl from his subconscious self-enlightenment. Interesting events seemed to contiuously take place around him. Not that he disliked that.... *SHeeetttt!!!!* The room''s unsighlty wooden door opened, slowly. Oer casually turned his head to face it, looking on with visible expectancy. light footfalls made their way to his ears. One person. Oer''s eyebrows raised. ... The sound amped up, audibly as a foot made its way beyond the door, light green, and recognizable. Oer had only ever seen one light-green skinned Goblin since his two eyes had first opened. And from what he had come to expect, only one should have a semblance of a reason to be here in this tunnel. Gootche. This didn''t serve to make Oer anything but more interested in what was to happen, for several reasons... Why was she here? Did she come here to apologize? To make up with Yotap? To see him before he died? Oh the irony. Oer held the unbearable laughter within himself. This realy was some next level romance material. Too bad it was all worthless. .. He watched on ardently as events proceeded, observing the female goblin as she slowly peeked in to the room, becoming confused when the vast majority of it was empty, except in the little bloodstains here and there, from a few minor "incidents". He wanted to peek into her head... into her thoughts.... Was she wondering where Yotap was? Or Where the newborns were? Or both? ... The lady-goblin searched the room strangely with her eyes, from the left to the right. Oer....was on the right, now pleased with his choice of being there. The Imp Goblin lightly maneuvered himself so as that the newborn pile and Yotap were the first two things she saw. After all, he didn''t want her running off in fear or for whatever other reason these newborns were petrified by him. ... Thus he waited for his work''s fruition, taking on a blank expression for when it came to pass. And it did. .. Upon making visual contact with that newborn female he had tossed aside earlier, Gootche stepped away from the safe confines of the hallway, and into the room, mumbling some thing urgent in her breath. Though her eyes made their way further around, as she headed towards it, only pausing when she saw some of the other frozen newborns, laying there, stiff, on the bare floor. ? Confused uneasiness criss-crossed her face. She stopped completely when her eyes met the pile-up. She scanned over it, growing cold inside, not yet realizing what it was. But like Oer, she could tell it was "living" from a distance, especially with the trails of blood permeating the earth around it, courtesy of our artistic Pale protagonist. ... Oer could see her growing scared as she approached it, forgeting the stiff newborns entirely, infavor of some new unfounded concern. She didn''t take her eyes off of it, not for a second. And Oer didn''t move a milimeter, so as that she shouldn''t... ...He didn''t need to anyway. His eyes could follow her figure just fine, by theselves. Moving now would spoil the fun... ... .. The present Oer was incapable of realizing just how impish his actions had become. .. ... How slyly he studied that terrified expression, when Gootche found Yotap and his masterfully caved-in upper noggin, resting disfigured on his throne of petrified beings. How mischeviously - he shifted his foot noisily, to draw her attention away from that body of her abandoned lover, so cynically that she flinched as it happened. ... How... devilish, the deep grin on his face was, as she met his eyes with her own, and couldn''t steal them back. The sheer trauma gained in one glance could impress a sage. How haunting was his face in her mind now? Was she scared too? Like those little insects? Like Yotap, who witnessed this monster, without eyes? Yes. He could tell she was frightened, she quivered to show. .... ... ... But that was as far as he would allow these roaming emotions.. A heavy weight descended on these feelings, and ushered them promptly into oblideration. Such things were dangerous to have - those feelings; mischief and the like... So Oer would witness them, feel them, know them, and therefore know how to destroy them. This little escapade with Gootche helped with that. He had used her by chance to strengthen his phsychological state, to overpower this new biological condition, and the emotions it would stir. Ah. But other than that, she held no real purpose here, now did she? His tail shot out from behind him, wrapping around her entire head within the duration of a few seconds, leaving her no room to respond, before brefly flooding with strength at Oer''s command. Her head popped like a watermelon, quite gruesome. The act splotched blood all over his tail, though Oer chose to pay no mind to it. What to do? What to do? Oer had done all he needed to do in this room by this point, besides find out what made him so unatractive... Was it his mere magnificent presence before them? No, probably not....What about the way he looked in general? That could be it! But he shouldn''t be all that ugly.... his face was rather smooth when he traced it with his hands earlier, contrary to the bumpy scaly green goblin skin. ~~ *GROUROROUR* ~~ HIs stomach plainly rumbled, funnily mimicking the sounds of an otherworldly beast. "!" Hmmmm? Hunger? Oer realized that he hadn''t eaten aything... at all... since birth, or at least that he knew of, so he would undoubtedly become hungry to this extent at some point. Though he supposed it was ''better'' this way. Imps had no need for biological fuel and sleep. They relied completely on magical energies, but the same could not be said for goblins. And Oer, was now a hybrid of the two, only requiring less than half as much food and rest. But the simple truth; the reality which he had just evolved, still drained him of a majority of his body''s power. So he neaded to regain it through food. Plain and simle. ... Then what would he eat? ... - These frozen idiots, of course! Oer hated the idea of inefficiently letting their bodies waste here on the ground, whereas they could help him replenish his strength. He wasn''t repulsed at all with the thoughts of eating these buffoons either, so he would do just that The imp goblin sauntered up to the pile of newborns, picked one up, and sampled it''s leg in his mouth with a vicious chomp. He only ever did these things with certainty.... He could describe its properties, churning within his mouth in clear detail: The taste of the muschles... their flavor... was really quite bitter, but their texture was soft as expected of a newborn. The skin, was preferably thin, and durable; a blessed wrapping material to contain the meat held inside. What little blood was retained in the leg was undoubtedly a great delicacy, ...addictive... he could now see why his first victim was so bound to it. The bones, crunchy, and delectable, were the equivalent of a delightful after-snack. Overall...it wasn''t too shaby. Though, the newborn who''s leg he had sampled could not agree less.... The verity of which the delectable subject would undeniably scream out crazily, and writhe within his grasp, irked him. But Oer had already resolved to eat the whole damn thing, so he twisted it''s neck and stuffed it within his mouth, whole - this time. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++= After having just one, Oer''s hunger was satiated greatly. Even so, he chose to devour another for the added benefit of alleviating that desire completely. It was pleasant to know he should be able to survive off of the amount of nutrients only two newborn goblins equated to. Oer sighed, angling himself towards the open door. What now? ... He didn''t want to exit this cave, or rather couldn''t, without risk to his wellbeing; It wasn''t out of the list of possibilites for the red goblin leader, Iki-Min, to go against him, even if Oer ranked two stars above. Besides his tail, and his bare hands, Oer held no means of offense or defense. Heck! He was standing here butt-naked! He wouldve taken clothing from Yotap or Gootche if they weren''t too small, or if he didnt have to dismante them for a simple loincloth. How would his skin fare against their small, crude daggers and spears? If he could help it, he didn''t want to find out. Putting himself at unnecessary risk was not on Oer''s agenda. He did firmly believe, however, that if it was truly critical to the situation, or if he really wanted to, he could ruthlessly kill his way out of this place. However, the Imp Goblin currently/ already had a plan in development, be that as it may. And it was: To wait.... Wait, for the means of which Iki-min would come here and try to murder of force out Yotap with. The chances were high that Iki-Min would come personally, and when he did, Oer would kill him. The red goblin would be sure to bring more than just his body with him on this quest. Perhaps those guards fom earlier; the ones with leather vests, tin caps, and daggers. They would be more difficult to deal with, but low-tier humanoid monsters, especially goblins were know for their rough movements. If he could work his way around that, or better yert, use their decreased agility to his advantage, victory would be simple. Oer didn''t know why he concerned himself with beings, whom, from his height, were comparable to the size of children, but it didn''t hurt to be cautious and wary. He would wait here for Iki-Min or whomever he sent. Then he would bare witness to how many levels he could gain from eliminating a once-evolved, 3-star red goblin. ... Until then, he would sit here and wait, thinking, and organizing his thoughts. ... ... +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ========================================================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+==+=+=+= Seconds. Minutes. Hours had passed, and nobody had entered the room at all. For some, it would drive them insane - all of that waiting. Nothing in relation to anger could be percieved on Oer''s facial features. He was unexpectedly blissful at the room''s lack of sound, stacked with the span of time he had, some of which was spent examining this very situation. He was clear of mind now. A large speculation of the outside world for hours here, and minutes there. He though of humans, of elves, of dwarves, of monsters, of mana. It was all in his head - factual knowledge. But experiencing these creatures, who may very well roam the land outside of this cave, first-hand, was something else entirely. It excited him at thoughts of when he would finally leave this place. He had no desire to stay. Out there, resided a greater chance and opportinity to evolve. Just imagine all of the creatures and people he could convert into levels! Levels towards evolution! Those thoughts remained a blanketing layer to his others. Them being: his new magical powers, and the plan of action from now until he left.... The former was truly vague; he couldn''t identify how to make ''it'' work, no matter what he did or tried or thought even. Some grand plan was needed to sort it out, one that entailed finding a teacher, maybe. The latter, by all means, was a bit facile to put togeter. 1. He would kill everything here and gain the corresponding amount of levels. 2. he would leave. Simple... His goal was evolution, therefore, steps were to be taken towards it. Utilizing everything around him. He may sound monsterous in saying this. But the truth was easily identifiable; as him centering his very existence around the concept of evolving. Maybe it was just after his birth, but he had ultimately decided that evolution was the single most prominent reason in a monster''s continuation. To him, reproduction was only a method of ensuring some manner of your genetics had the opportunity to ascend if you couln''t. Then again, Oer didn''t really participate all too well in the category of ''feelings'', like most other sentient lifeforms. (In reality, he''s just the product of highly supressed emotions, massive intlelect, demonic self-appreciation, and a cold-hearted personality.) About another hour in and something finally happened. The door, which Oer had relaxedly closed 3 hours ago, or maybe more, burst open. Ch.4 Whilst Wayfaring Guests Intrude. Oer would rather not delve into how the whole situation panned out. It was rather boring, and much less interesting than one would expect... pathetically so... Describing the events which transpired, would be like wallowing in the depths of a comically bad story. Life never gives you what you expect from a scenario when you''re really, really expecting it. Oer did accomplish his goal. Now hefting Iki-Min''s head in his hand - identical as to how one would judge a sizable melon. If anyone really must know....''The Pinnacle of Inanity Incident'', as Oer began to call it, could be broken up into 3 separate occurrences: First (1); The entrance and filing in of 4 goblin "guards" as they were identified, with Iki-Min taking up the rear. Too many features on the goblins were present to describe passively, namely Iki-Min''s face; clouted with evil intentions. His aura was malicious, lighting hope in Oer''s eyes, setting his expectations further. Next (2) , they scoured the room with their beady eyes. It appeared a group of piranhas were eyeing for a small goldfish, somewhat funny. Nevertheless, their vision continued; up, down, left, ... ...........right. And finally (3), they froze upon seeing him... ... To Oer it was impossibly displeasing, to have an opponent, to whom he could possibly obtain knowledge from, become still on the battlefield. In his presence, no less. Such as a farmer, who couldn''t wait to see the sunrise, yet his only indicator; the croak of the rooster, never coming. ... This weird ability to freeze others, or at least those below his star-rank, was about to blow a hole in his patience. His very battle capacity; his ability to battle, was supposed to be gained from battle itself. This strange freeze-up bullshit was a hindrance to that. ... ... In the end, he swiftly slit all of their throats, and severed their heads, Iki-Min included. They didn''t move or put up any resistance. Oer sighed. The gains from the guards were a level each, after all, they were only goblins wearing armor, their worth was the same as Yotap''s and Gootche''s. However, Iki-Min, the red goblin, raised his brows. The bloody thing, garnered an entire 4 levels! In total, this fight granted him eight level advancements, one more than he expected. Some biological emotion of his - wanted to scream out loud about how anti-climactic this confrontation was, but Oer easily suppressed it. Regret wouldn''t help at this point. It was better to take things as they were, study them, gain everything you possibly could from them, then toss them away after their use. That being said, it was time for him to enact his plan, then leave this place. Though he may take time to explore its more mysterious sides first; like the lust tunnel those goblins so despicably jerked off towards, and the rest of the boss tunnel. He was well within reach of his next evolution and expected to reach it within the next two days. He might even proceed along this path more smoothly and find himself evolved twice by midnight! there was nothing he could say in regard to the third evolution though, from the looks of it, by how the second was 10 times as difficult as the first, the third may be the same.... He might have to eliminate 700 beings more powerful than 4-5 stars! That was his current level of power! Then after that, maybe 7,000 beings of even higher power for the fourth evolution?! This path to power seemed endlessly bloody, but Oer know there were shortcuts out there, such as the one he had found in killing Iki-Min. He may not have to kill nearly that much, yet still proceed to evolution. All he had to do was find organisms of higher rank than those he was expected to kill, and take the additional star benefits of eliminating them instead. ... Ok. He knew what he was doing from this point on.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. So, why not start..... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As he exited the newborn tunnel and moved leisurely towards the open area, Oer fiddled with a tiny dagger he''d retrieved from one of the guards. It was pointy... he gave it that, but it was rusted as all hell. It would likely break before puncturing his skin. You could only possibly slash a thin rodent with this thing. What could they possibly kill with this? He tossed the scrap behind him and moved on, when the tunnel''s opening revealed itself some small distance ahead of him. Oer mentally prepared himself for disappointment, before proceeding out of the opening and into the crowd of goblins. He seemed to be doing it without care, yet his eyes scanned across the sparsely separated groups of wandering masses with an obvious intent to kill. The first vagrant to see him froze as expected, then the next, and the next after that. And finally, all goblins present were frozen. None of them let out a scream for help or a cry in fear. They all just stopped moving.... Originally Oer had mentally prepared himself for this event, yet somewhere deep inside of himself, he felt outrage! He knew that part of him wanted a bloodbath on both sides, yet he couldn''t destroy that thought - that emotion - without feeling it first! (similar to how he dealt with his mischievous nature). If these vermin never attacked him, he would have to wait until he fought someone on his level to erase the feeling - which was not on his to do list. Unstoppable anger bubbled up within himself at his own helplessness, despite the emotional restrictions he had placed, and almost caused him to burst out in rage. He bellowed. "YOU LOT! COME... FACE ME AND DIE!!!" And for the first time in his short life, Oer was completely and utterly stumped. That was because the goblins, contrary to his expectations, did not remain still. They rushed at him with unrivalled killing intent. They burst foreword with their small daggers, and even those who bore no weapon rushed at him with fists and pointy digits. Oer was genuinely surprised. His previous burst of anger had already disappeared without trace. ... However, there was no late reaction. His tail whipped around in an arc, instantly killing the goblins who were nearest in their charge, their skulls exploded into red masses of gore, garnering him six to seven levels before he yelled loudly and abruptly; "HALT!!!!" ... The crowd of bloodthirsty goblins immediately regained passiveness. ''Interesting'' Although it pleased him to no extent that these lesser beings still were capable of providing him some means of gaining battle knowledge, however small it may be.... the fact of this discovery was one to be studied carefully. For a period of time, after suppressing his newfound excitement, he wondered which circumstance caused his ability to influence these goblins so much. Was it magic? No. If it was magic, then he should have felt some form of control over it, and even if it wasn''t, Oer as a Pale Imp-Goblin-Earl should have at least been able to sense the sensation of magic... ''Wait...Earl...A nobility perk?'' Oer contemplated the matter, yet it did not appear too far-fetched. But if that was the case, were other species nobility all-powerful in their fields? There must be a limit of sorts. Yet, as he lacked the necessary information, there was no way of a definite understanding, so he set the matter aside for the time being. Meanwhile he returned his attention to the surrounding goblins, eying them, and for once, counting their number; which amounted to 49. He had no idea if any had left the cave or not before his entrance, but he chose not to care. Whoever may return posed no threat to him as far as he could assume. so, ignoring that matter, he resumed experimentation on the group of goblins, ordering them to commit various actions and movements, affirming that he did indeed have control over them to a rather frightening extent. Oer didn''t take his experiments to the extent of having the goblins kill one another, that would be a complete waste of evolution points. Although he may possibly gain some benefit from having the deed done on his order, there wasn''t need to risk such a thing. He would kill them himself. The attack was ordered once more. ... Ding! ================================= [Level Up!] x49 ~ [( 10/70 >> 59/70 )] [Levels Until Evolution] ~ [( 11 )] ================================= As Oer wiped his bloodstained hands off on some random goblins un-tarnished rags, he realized how thankful he was that these notifications were stored until the end of battle. It would be awfully annoying to have one pop up after every time he crushed a thing between his claws, especially if it was a horde. Though that was not at all to say he wouldn''t appreciate a horde of points running directly at him, just the thought of such a thing struck excitement and anticipation into his core, only for it to disappear moments later with the suppressive force of consciousness. Turning his attention to the 2 unexplored tunnels (3 actually; one being the exit) Oer decided that it would be best to simply skip the boss tunnel, he had seen most of what was to be offered there. The armors and weapons he had seen there as a newborn goblin spawn were seemingly cheap and worn, alongside the gold, silver and copper which he had no use for at the moment. Though he wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to think by some unforeseen circumstance such a situation wouldn''t arise in the future, so he would leave it be and maybe even block off the tunnel entrance later. His priority was the lust tunnel. There was someone named "Umnim Vigler" there after all, and killing them should be worth some points should it not? ... As Oer moved silently toward the patch of wall the tunnel was carved into, the familiar erotic odor pervaded the air around him once again, though this time it had significantly less of an effect on him than it had as a newborn goblin. He no longer had difficulty in controlling his emotions, though he felt a restlessness rise about within his chest, making it burdensome to breathe calmly. He grew more and more curious about this Umnim Vigler, while at the same time even more cautious. Oer had the odd premonition that this scenario wasn''t as it seemed. Oer tossed this strand of conscious thought away, not in disagreement, but because he would find out soon enough. ... The odor became much more effective the farther he walked. By the time the first door was reached, Oer felt a strange sensation beginning to encompass him. Yet even it was incapable in the face of the iron hammer of Oer''s mentality. He wasted no time in twisting the rotten wood to opening and moving inside, where a sudden overwhelming burst of the odor wafted over him, nearly erasing his control. He closed his eyes momentarily to concentrate for a moment, but when he went opened them he wished he hadn''t. ... Across from him, and chained to the walls, were 3 beings. None of which turned to face him with their dead and empty eyes. And all of whom seemed preoccupied by the white stains upon their bruised, once clear skin. Their legs lay spread open for all to see, in the middle of which, more liquid oozed and spilled to the floor. Mixed whites, yellows, and browns. One had a small bulge amidst their stomach, which he could only guess was another newborn goblin in the making. Humans. Human females to be more exact. Oer frowned. The stench and odor still constantly berated him, along with the sight of 3 naked human females before him, the seeds of lust were forced open by his imp and goblin natures, causing him to dig his nails into his palms. Actual Humans hmmmm Umnim Vigler....ha...Hahahah! So Stupid. Oer berated himself for being unable to recognize the goblins broken language. Human villagers......Villagers......Village. A village shouldn¡¯t be too far from here. He retracted his gaze from the human¡¯s lower portions against the will and urges of his body and studied their faces once more. None of the women were particularly beautiful, then again, only those living on the outskirts of a village (unless it was painfully small) would be caught and captured by such mentally handicapped creatures. A look into their eyes and Oer caught the emptiness and lack of will to live with but a glance. And some new emotion rose up from the depths of his soul. Lighthearted. Repressed. Disdainfull... Pity. He flexed his hands, every finger and joint, the terrible smells and outside influences all but repressed by mental pressure. He thought of how many points he needed to gain for his next evolution, raised his brow to the female captives... And connected the dots. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++