《Goblin》 Prologue Tear stained cheeks, a blood soaked shirt and a soul filled with regret marked the climax to my pathetic life. I¡¯m only waiting for the police to arrive now. Things would have been so much better for me if I wasn¡¯t such a fuck up. Every time I get a chance to make things different my temperament causes me to botch it. Trust me, I wish I wasn¡¯t like this. I usually don¡¯t wish for things, if I want something I work for it. But I really, really wish I wasn¡¯t like this. If I¡¯ve said it once, I¡¯ve said it a thousand times: I hate my personality. I¡¯m not a dishonest person, I tell the truth most of the time. I¡¯m not rude either, I¡¯m polite at all times. To say that I was witless or lazy would be a straight up lie. The amount of work I put into my health and education got me a fit body and job offers a year before I even graduated college. Make no mistake, what I¡¯m talking about is that I¡¯m too nice. Not too kind mind you, too nice. Two very different things. Up until recently I thought they were one and the same but one is much more sinister than the other. Dramatic, I know, but trust me on this one. When you volunteer at a homeless shelter or help an old lady across the street because it makes you feel good inside, that is being kind. Being nice is something completely different. Being nice is when you wave and say hello to your neighbor every morning even though you don¡¯t like him. Being nice is when your boss asks you to come in on a Saturday to fill in for someone and you smile and say ¡°Sure!¡± even though you have something planned because you want that promotion. Being nice is when you visit the in-laws every year to placate your wife even though they do nothing but passively insult you the whole time. Being nice is when you walk into work on Saturday and the person you were supposed to fill in for is already here. Your boss knew that he was going to come in since last night but didn¡¯t care enough to call and let you know. You decide not to make a big deal out of it because it might ruin your chances of getting that promotion. Being nice is when you come home early due to a mix up at work just to find out your younger brother is sleeping with your wife. You have half a mind to run in there and confront them but you don¡¯t because you realize it will tear the family apart. Instead you do some mindless shit you can¡¯t even remember for the next eight hours and then come home acting like you were working the whole time. Months later your bastard of a brother even has the gall to ask you for help when he has money problems and worst of all, you help him. You help him because its the nice thing to do. Even though its clear he hasn¡¯t given a shit about you ever since he you both moved out of your parents house. But I digress, I¡¯m not here to talk about life circumstances. All I¡¯m saying is nice people are nice because they¡¯re getting something out of it other than enjoyment, even if that something is horrible. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Whether its being nice to a girl so you can get with her, being nice to your boss so you can get a promotion or being nice around your cheating wife for ten years so you don¡¯t shatter whatever small semblance of your life you have left, being nice is clearly not the same as being kind. Its deceitful, addictive but most of all it tears at the soul. You¡¯d be lucky to have any morals by the time you finally figure it out. Unluckily for me, I kept mine. It took me a while but I found out there are other ways to dealing with things. Being a little more selfish, blowing your top once in a while. You don¡¯t have to tolerate all the pain people put you through until you¡¯ve hit the point you¡¯re considering murder. God knows I¡¯ve tried but sometimes you lose control and remove a couple people from your life-for good. There maybe some legal issues but that''s the cost of keeping your sanity. Its too bad I¡¯m only now starting to change at the age of forty-five, instead of when I was a kid. But it doesn¡¯t matter now because my life is over. I¡¯ve mourned this life all I¡¯ve could, ¡®cleaned up¡¯ the two biggest problems in my life and now all I¡¯ve left to do is wait for the police to come for me. It won¡¯t take long, the sirens have been blaring outside for five minutes now. Its been three since I heard the front door break down, I probably had around a minute left. Looking down at my handiwork I smiled truthfully for the first time in years. Things have never been so clear for me until this moment, I genuinely understood what it meant to be happy. But its too late. I didn¡¯t have any chance to enjoy the moment as the police are already here, shouting for me to drop my weapon. The arms of a cold, enfolding death are much more soothing than their calls for me to drop mine. The longed-for bullet finally put an end to the charade I¡¯ve been living all these years. Hopefully the afterlife won¡¯t be as cruel. Chapter 1 - Judgement A bright light falling onto my eyelids caused me to cringe my eyes in discontent. My mind and body ached like I hadn¡¯t slept for the past few days but something urged me awake. My eyes opened as slowly as they adjusted to the new light entering my vision. The view that greeted me was familiar by knowledge but not by sight. Empty white space extended endlessly in every direction. I looked onward in amazement, the completely plain scene had grabbed my attention. It was unsettling how empty it was, so much so I began feeling a little nervous. I had never been here before but I knew where I was the moment I opened my eyes. I was in purgatory. My trance was broken by an incessant scribbling sound. Startled, I quickly turned around to see what it was. A woman dressed in business attire worked tirelessly on the sheets of paper on her desk. My momentary shock turned to embarrassment and I felt the need to explain my reaction. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t even notice you were there. I was busy looking at the uh¡­ white space.¡± I said. By the time I got to the end of my explanation I felt silly. She looked up at me hardheartedly and responded, ¡°Age forty-five, human, professional doormat¡­ elf.¡± I looked at her dumbfoundedly, she spoke too fast for me to grasp the meaning of her words. ¡°Uhh¡­ what?¡± She moved to stamp the paperwork on her desk but my words paused her. She reluctantly put the stamp aside and spoke with a more paced manner of speech. ¡°I was explaining your assignment. You know, what you¡¯ll be doing in your next life?¡± Assignment? I barely had enough time to process my own death and she was talking about things I didn¡¯t understand. I knew about reincarnation, it was a common theory about what happened after death. That didn¡¯t make it any less surprising though. ¡°Next life!? What about my divine judgment?¡± She slouched back into her chair and shot me a look of annoyance. I had only asked her a few questions and it seemed like she was already sick of me. ¡°That doesn¡¯t exist, at least not like you think it does. You die, get your new assignment and complete that one. Then you do it all over again.¡± Hearing that was disappointing. After the life I¡¯ve lived, I was actually looking forward to the afterlife. I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with all the problems that plagued me when I was alive and now she was telling me I¡¯d have to go through that all over again. I wasn¡¯t happy about it and was ready to complain but the look on her face stopped me. I released an shortened sigh. ¡°So I¡¯m not going to heaven?¡± She looked at me like I was an idiot. ¡°I told you there is no such thing and even if there was, I doubt you would be let in. I don¡¯t think many murderers end up on the ¡®nice¡¯ list.¡± I cringed at her words. Yeah I ¡®murdered¡¯ my wife and brother but it wasn¡¯t malicious. If someone psychopathic went through what I did then I¡¯m sure my brother and wife would have been made to suffer. I, on the other hand, ended their lives quickly and painlessly. ¡°I¡¯m not a murderer. I helped them move on from their life of sin before they messed with a psychopath.¡± ¡°Yeah.. Uh-huh, whatever you say. I¡¯m not here to judge.¡± ¡°I beg to differ.¡± If she wasn¡¯t here to judge me then what was the point of this whole set up? ¡°Your assignment was chosen the moment you came here and not by me. I¡¯m here to send you off to your next assignment.¡± She didn¡¯t even try to make her words sound believable but I wasn¡¯t about to argue with her about it. I wanted the conversation to move on. ¡°So what is it then?¡± ¡°Your assignment?¡± ¡°Of course my assignment, what else could I be asking about?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter what I tell you. You¡¯re going to lose your memories once you reincarnate anyways.¡± I straightened up after hearing that. I wasn¡¯t happy with the prospect of being reincarnated but I assumed I would get to keep my memories. That way I could prevent myself from being walked all over in my next life. After thinking for a few minutes I finally asked, ¡°Is there any way to reincarnate without losing your memories?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t start your assignment until your memories are wiped.¡± She could see the look of concern on my face and returned to the stack of papers on her desk and flipped to the last page. After a few seconds of reading she looked back up at me. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking you¡¯ll end up a doormat yet again, don¡¯t worry. Your personality is a product of your environment and race, not your previous life. Plus even if you do end up like that, it doesn¡¯t mean your next life will be bad.¡± I shot her a disgruntled look. If her words were meant to reassure me, they didn¡¯t help. ¡°You make it seem like I will be like that in my next life. I don¡¯t care if it doesn¡¯t matter, what is my assignment?¡± ¡°Fine, your next assignment is an elf.¡± She said something about elves at the start but I had no way of knowing what she meant at the time. I was still astonished I was going to reincarnate into a mythical race. ¡°An elf?! Fantasy creatures are real?¡± ¡°Of course they¡¯re real.¡± I was still trying to process all of this but there was two things I had to know now. ¡°What about my wife, what did she reincarnate to?¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°A fairy.¡± ¡°And my brother?¡± ¡°Mermaid.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a mermaid now. He was a tempter in his past life so now he¡¯s a mermaid.¡± Her clarification contradicted what she said earlier. If personalities were a product of environment and race then why was my brother going to be a tempter in his next life because he was one before? ¡°But you sa-¡± She cut me off before I finished my sentence. ¡°I know what I said, you didn¡¯t listen. He isn¡¯t a mermaid now because he has some inborn talent to tempt people. He is a mermaid because he was a tempter in his past life.¡± ¡°How is that any different than what I said!?¡± ¡°If your personality was bound to your soul he would be a tempter no matter what he reincarnated to. As it stands now, he can still be a chaste mermaid if he really tries.¡± ¡°That still means there will be a high chance I¡¯ll be a doormat in my next life. I don¡¯t want that, can¡¯t I keep my memories?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t. I¡¯m sure your brother didn¡¯t want to be a mermaid either but he¡¯s doing his assignment like he was supposed to. Plus I couldn¡¯t even let you keep your memories if I wanted to. As soon as you go through the system your memories will be wiped and you¡¯ll be none the wiser when you start your new life.¡± I had also wanted to ask about my late wife¡¯s assignment but I was worried it would take up too much time. Instead I decided the best way to get her to give me another option was to deny the one I was given. I issued an elongated sigh and muttered under my breath, ¡°I¡¯m not going to do my assignment.¡± If she wasn¡¯t sick of me already, she was now. I could tell by the way her eyebrow twitched as she stared daggers into me she wasn¡¯t happy. I didn¡¯t know what authority she had over me but she didn¡¯t seem able to make me do my assignment without me agreeing. ¡°What did you say?¡± I doubled down and said it more firmly this time. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do my assignment. You want me to reincarnate into a tree hugging hippie with no memories of my past? Kill me why don¡¯t you, at least my suffering will end sooner.¡± She continued to glare at me but I didn¡¯t look away. If I gave up now all my experience from my past life would amount to nothing. I wasn¡¯t going to ¡®play nice¡¯ here or anywhere else for that matter. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, seemingly giving in. ¡°I¡¯ll let you have your deferment right now but you¡¯ll have to do your assignment right after.¡± ¡°Deferment?¡± ¡°Yes, people usually only take it after their last assignment as a type of vacation but since you¡¯re so adamant about not doing your assignment you can take it now.¡± ¡°What do I do during deferment?¡± ¡°Its like an assignment except you get to choose any race you want to be.¡± She paused and flipped through the papers once more before continuing. ¡°Well, thats how it normally goes.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked unhappily. I hoped she wasn¡¯t inferring what I thought she was. ¡°When someone finishes all of their assignments they regain all of the memories from their previous lives. Then they can choose whatever race they want and explore life one final time. However, that isn¡¯t the case for you. You¡¯ve still got plenty of assignments left so you don¡¯t get to keep your memories and choose your race. You get one. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll want to choose to keep your memories so you¡¯ll be assigned your race, which won¡¯t be something good.¡± I grunted at her response. ¡°Whats the point of keeping my memories if I reincarnate into something too weak to make use of them?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get chances if you can survive. Its not the best deal but its the only one I¡¯m going to give. If you don¡¯t want to take it you can do your assignment.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Alright, place your hand over the stamp here and you¡¯ll have signed. It says you¡¯ll take this deferment deal but once its over you have no choice but to start your next assignment.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ll remember everything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Even this conversation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared I¡¯m going to tell others about it?¡± She laughed at the thought. ¡°Go ahead. Do you really think you¡¯re going to cause some kind of massive revelation across multiple open realms because you¡¯ve supposedly been to the afterlife? Get real, even if people believed you it wouldn¡¯t matter. In the grand scheme of things if you convince a few billion people you¡¯d probably increase the amount of people in all existence who know by 0.000000000000000001% and that¡¯ll drop back to normal when they reincarnate. Because you lose memories when you reincarnate.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Got anymore questions?¡± ¡°Not that I can think of¡­ how long do I have before I start my deferment?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t ¡®have¡¯, this meeting was supposed to be done within five minutes but I was being nice. Goodbye and I hope you have a ¡®nice¡¯ life.¡± That was the end of the conversation. The bright, heavenly light of my surroundings faded until everything was pitch black. I couldn¡¯t even see myself and soon I couldn¡¯t even hear my own breathing. Slowly my consciousness weakened and I fell asleep until my placement was complete. Chapter 2 - Mystery Meat Mondays I awoke with a start in the pitch darkness, cupping my nose. The terrible smell roaming through the air would have roused anyone out of their sleep. My breath was ragged and I realized I had no clue where I was. I remembered talks about deferment but I was still skeptical about that. Unable to see or hear anything, I pawed around to gain some kind of bearing. To my horror I grabbed onto something spongy and immediately retracted my arm. Did I touch a leg? Maybe an arm? Whatever it was, I wasn¡¯t eager to find out. It was pitch dark and eerily quiet. Maybe it was better to wait until things became more clear before I made any movements? No, I couldn¡¯t leave these things up to chance. Shaking my head free of any defeatist thoughts I rose to my feet. The deferment had probably worked because I still had my memories. All I had to do right now was survive. I couldn¡¯t sit around and wait for something to happen to me, I needed to get a good idea of my situation as soon as possible. At least that was the plan until a giant hand gripped my jaw. I froze up, wondering if it was the end for me already. The sheer size of the hand had scared me senseless. In my small moment of bewilderment the hand lifted my head and squeezed my jaw open. I didn¡¯t even have enough time to struggle before wet slop slinked into my mouth. I tensed up and tried to wiggle away. Whatever had its grip on me must have been six times my size so my attempts proved useless. I only calmed down when I remembered my current circumstances. I had reincarnated and was probably nothing but a newborn. It was possible I was being fed right now. It could be poison too but I wasn¡¯t strong enough for them to require that to kill me. Either way I wasn¡¯t in a position to fight so I resolved to eat whatever I was given. As soon as the hand let go I began to get a real taste of the food and quickly changed my mind. The liquid was frothy and thick. Small lumps of unidentified food were mixed in as well. The broth was disgusting and the meaty chunks in it tasted even worse. I spat it out immediately, something tasting that vile could not have been made to be eaten. I would have professed to god himself I would never let that shit near my mouth again if the hand wasn¡¯t already back on my jaw, forcing another helping of the slop down my throat. This time the hand didn¡¯t let go. I begrudgingly swallowed what I was given, chunks and all. I was surprised at how easy it went down but the lingering smell kept me aware of how nasty what I ate was. I prepared myself for more but once the hand let go of me it never returned. Questions about who and what surfaced but I was forced to save them for later. I had tried to call out for someone but I couldn¡¯t find my voice. Instead I continued my exploration and inched my way forward. It wasn¡¯t long before something my size bumped into me and knocked me down. The moment I fell to the ground a realization hit me; it wasn¡¯t quiet, I was deaf! There was absolutely no sound when I hit the ground. I figured I was probably blind too, the person who fed me didn¡¯t seem to have any problem seeing. My new life wasn¡¯t starting off on the track foot but I would deal¡ªI had to. I stayed on the ground for a while contemplating my next action. Being blind and deaf was definitely a major problem. Any probing I did would prove useless unless I decided I was going to feel, smell and taste my way around. I went back to the plan of waiting, this time with reason. It didn¡¯t take long for me to fall asleep, I hadn¡¯t noticed it before but I didn¡¯t have much energy even though I had just woken up. Every time I slept and woke I stumbled about in my impaired state while being fed the same broth every so often. My sense of time wasn¡¯t even remotely accurate so I could only count my time here using my sleep cycle. From the time I got up till the time I fell asleep counted as one cycle. Five cycles had gone by and I made no headway in finding out where I was. Though I did find out I wasn¡¯t the only one here, there were plenty of others in the same predicament. People had tripped over me as much as I tripped over them. It wasn¡¯t until my tenth cycle I was able to hear and see. What I saw left me wondering if it was better to be blind. A few candles resting on their sconces sparsely littered across the walls provided me with enough light to see my surroundings, but just barely. Light brown cave walls stained with black and white filth surrounded me on every side. Even the ceiling was rotten shape, I was surprised the stalactites hanging from it hadn¡¯t fallen off already. Even so, somehow the disgusting shape the large cave-like room was in wasn¡¯t the most pressing issue at hand. I knew I had reincarnated into a fantasy world but I wasn¡¯t ready to confirm it with my own eyes yet. I still didn¡¯t believe all of this was real. However there was no denying it now. The sight in front of me was only something you¡¯d read in stories. I was in a disgusting, dimly lit cave room filled to the brim with imps! My mind was overloaded with thoughts. Were they fattening me up with the broth so I could be used as imp fodder? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Dozens of one foot green and brown bipedal creatures were scuttling around right in front of me. The creepy, almost robotic way they moved unnerved me but their eyes freaked me out the most. Almost all of them had eyes with no pupils or irises, they were completely white. Only a few of them seemed to have developed pupils and I liked them better that way as long as they weren¡¯t looking at me. My heartbeat raced as chilling thoughts entered my mind, reminding me for the first time I was truly alive again. My gaze met my hand as it instinctively covered my chest. Thats when I was greeted by another surprise. My body¡¯s appearance left me completely dazed. I wasn¡¯t going to be fed to the imps-I was one. I had it all, from the small, brown and lanky body to the sharp pointed nails on the ends of my fingers. From the information I had it should have been obvious but the sight of the imps scared any rational thought out of me. I took another look at my surrounding, this time surveying the area closely. I didn¡¯t know how I missed it before but there weren¡¯t just imps inside the room. There were a few actual human looking people here as well. That didn¡¯t surprise me as much as what they were doing though; I watched as they fed each and everyone of the imps with small bowls filled with broth. For some reason my first instinct was to start sniffing the air unashamedly. When no incongruous smell hit my nose I calmed considerably. There were bad smells still traveling through the air but I knew they weren¡¯t hostile and if anything, they were familiar. That didn¡¯t mean I had nothing to worry about as my blatant sniffing didn¡¯t go unnoticed and attracted the attention of a couple humans. They began talking amongst themselves while periodically glancing back at me. I couldn¡¯t understand anything they were saying but it was obvious they were talking about me. I watched as they continued to chatter between themselves and before long they exited the room. I waited to see if they would return but they never did. That was good, if I was going to explore with my new senses it was better if none of them were around. Each of the humans, I called them imp caretakers, finished their duties and promptly left the room as well. I waited until the last one left before I made my move. As soon as I was sure they were long gone I ran over towards the exit. Most of the other imps didn¡¯t notice me but the few who had pupils watched me carefully. That scared me a little but not enough to deter me. Whatever was outside could not be worse than room full of imps. I peaked out the cave room and glanced down the corridor. The hallway was wide but dark, I could barely see a few feet from the cave room I was exiting. Still, I was determined to move forward. The imps all freaked me out in more than one way, staying inside there was no longer an option. However the second I stepped outside a foreign scent assaulted my nose. It wasn¡¯t nauseating, it was something I could only describe as distressing. I shuddered as a cold chill crawled up my spine. My body froze with my eyes locked onto the concealing darkness of the hallway. I was growing more distraught by the second. In my mind the untamed darkness shaped into unspeakable horrors. I couldn¡¯t tell what lurked further into the cave but I understood well the smell terrified me. I wasn¡¯t even outside for ten seconds before the feeling of fear overwhelmed me. I yelped noisily like a dog as I ran back as deep into the room as I could. I hadn¡¯t planned to scream out like that. Yet as soon as I opened my mouth for air a sound accordant to my feeling of terror rang out. I cupped my nose and cowered in the corner. For a quick second I wondered if the caretakers noticed my yelling. I knew some of the imps did though, they couldn¡¯t have missed my performance even if they wanted to. But I didn¡¯t care about them and it seemed like they didn¡¯t care about me either. It only took a few seconds for them to resume their menial tasks such as self grooming or sleeping. The only difference was I noticed they had been positioned pretty far from the door. I wondered if they learned from my experience or someone else had tried it while I still didn¡¯t have my sight or hearing. With that thought the imps seemed more personable to me. They even began to smell more calming, lowering my guard around them. I had learned my first life lesson as a goblinoid. My sense of smell was just as important as my sight or hearing. It let me know what was dangerous and what was posed no threat to me. Of course I hadn¡¯t tested the theory out yet but I wasn¡¯t going to go back outside to do so. Chapter 3 - Hunger Games It had been more than thirty cycles since I reincarnated. I wasn¡¯t sure how many exactly had passed, I stopped counting after things got idle around the den. All fifty-six imps now had their senses and stopped tumbling over one another. Without imps constantly bumping into me I grew more relaxed and ended up lazing the days away. I had grown amity for the brood of imps knowing they were probably all my brothers. Some of them matured late and tried leaving the room immediately. I tried to warn the first couple of them by yelling out unintelligibly but they always ignored me. I would be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t a bit satisfying to see them endure the same experience as me after ignoring my warnings, even if they couldn¡¯t understand me. Our indolent ways didn¡¯t last long though. Once the caretakers realized everyone had their senses they changed the way they fed us. A big trough of broth would be brought inside for us to eat from. It had enough food for everyone to get some but no one was in a hurry to eat. I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who hated the taste. We weren¡¯t hand fed anymore but things didn¡¯t change much, I still grudgingly ate my portion of food and went to sleep. The next cycle they brought another big trough of broth for everyone to eat. This time things were a little different. A sweet smell poured out of the trough and every imp¡¯s attention was fixed on it. When it was finally moved into place everyone scurried to get a taste of whatever was in it. The brown broth looked like what we had been eating up until now but it tasted completely different. The broth was rich and flavorful. Succulent chunks of meat were also abundant. The trough that usually took us an hour to finish was bottomed out within twenty minutes. It was no surprise everyone had fallen asleep within the hour after satisfying their stomachs. I wondered why they fed us such horrible tasting food up until now if they had something that tasted this good. On reflection the new food might not have been anything worthwhile back on earth but compared to what I was being fed it was very appetizing. After eating this broth I couldn¡¯t go back to eating the other one. Everything became clear when the next cycle rolled around. This time two troughs were brought inside the room for everyone to eat, one with the disgusting broth and the other with the good tasting one. No one watched the trough with the now deemed inedible broth, everyone was looking at the other trough. The smell coming from it charmed me so much I hadn¡¯t realized something important. The trough was one fifth the size of the regular ones they brought inside. Only a dozen or so imps could fill their stomachs with that small amount. Forty imps were going to have to go without. As soon as the troughs were put down everyone zerged the small trough, including me. The sight of more than fifty imps rushing to one spot might have scared me before but as far as I was concerned they weren¡¯t dangerous and I was not going to be one of the imps who had to go without. I moved quickly and overtook the rest of the imps. I noticed I was quicker than everyone but I would soon understand that was the only advantage I had. As soon as I reached the trough I sunk my cupped hands into it and drank hurriedly. I ate so quickly I didn¡¯t even have time to savor the taste before I was quaffing even more down my throat. My palms only brought several more handfuls back to my mouth before five others were at the trough stuffing their mouths as well. With the other sides of the trough covered I naively thought it was the end of the competition and everyone else would have to eat from the other trough. I was wrong though, this wasn¡¯t a race. A bunch of imps, the more average of our brood, finally made it to the trough. Several hands gripped at my body and pulled me backwards into the crowd behind me. I tried to grab onto the trough¡¯s edge but I was already too far away. I might have been the fastest but it soon became apparent I had a deficiency in strength. I moved as forcefully as I could forward to reclaim my spot but I only ended up getting shoved further and further away. The five imps who reached there first with me got pulled from the trough as well. The imps that took their place ate only a few handfuls before the imps behind them took their place. A minute or two later the five larger, least nimble imps of our brood had finally made their way to the trough. Imp by imp, they slowly bullied their way through the crowd. When they finally swarmed the trough the competition had finally ended. The other imps continued to try and push them out of the way but failed to do so. Unable to make my way through even the most average of our brood, I had given up quite some time ago and returned to the bigger trough. I wasn¡¯t the first though, there had been three imps already eating from it. They were the ones who were as slow as the bigger imps but no stronger than the faster ones like me. The genetic losers of our brood. They learned pretty quickly there was no way they were going to get any of the food from the good trough and settled for the bad one. I reluctantly filled my gut with the horrible broth and limbered away from both the troughs. If the genetic losers were the first to give up, the second group were the quick imps. Including me, there were six quick imps and since we were lacking in strength we had been muscled out of the way early on. The next were all of the average imps. Some of them didn¡¯t even get to taste the good broth and the ones that did barely got enough to fill a tenth of their stomach. Even so, a majority of what was in the good trough was consumed by them. There were was forty-two of them after all, adding up what they ate together was no small amount. After finishing what was left in the good trough the bigger imps finally made their way to the bad one. I¡¯m not sure how much was left for them but they still seemed hungry as they finished what was left in the bigger trough as well. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. After the caretakers moved the troughs out of the room everyone went to sleep. It was the first time any of us had to ¡®earn¡¯ our food so we were more tired than usual. The bigger imps made sure to sleep close to where the good trough was placed so that when the next cycle came around they would be right where the trough was placed. The average slept around the strong and the rest of us slept outside of the average. I felt dejected knowing during the next feeding I would be in the same situation as the losers but there wasn¡¯t anything I could do about it. I was fast but below average in every other metric. Luckily the caretakers gave back my advantage the next day. They brought in the troughs and knowingly placed the good one as far away from the group of imps as possible. That surprised me, not because they expected our behavior but because they were willing to do something about it. I thought they wanted to establish a hierarchy amongst our little group but they wanted everyone to compete for food as much as possible. It worked too, this time around even the losers tried harder to get some food from the good trough because they were now closer than the others. They still didn¡¯t get any food though, they were too slow and weak to reach the trough. The fast reached the trough first, the average took it over next and finally the strong muscled everyone else out of the way and ate whatever was left. Eventually everything had panned out like it did the day before and continued to do so every cycle afterward. After all the food was done everyone would groom themselves and fall back asleep. Grooming mostly consisted of cleaning off any food left on our body with our tongues. I was averse to doing so at first but when they started to bring in the good broth I had no problems with licking the remains off of my fingers and body. Plus we hadn¡¯t been given any water since we were born nor were we given any bathwater. Grooming was going to get us as clean as we were ever going to be in here. I fell into routine over the remaining cycles I had left to live in this den. Nothing changed and everyone had long since gotten used to the food competition. The last day we stayed inside the den a large number of caretakers brought us a full, large trough of good broth. Even though there was enough for everyone, we rushed to it all the same. Once we were finished the caretakers grouped us up together. We had grown accustomed to them shifting us around as needed when they wanted to get around the room so it wasn¡¯t difficult for them. They divided us into four groups; the strong, the fast, the average and the losers. The caretaker at the head of the room pulled out a relatively big blue orb. I say relatively because it was as big as any of us imps. The orb flowered the room with rays of bright white light. I was completely awed by the display, I had been to a light show before but it was never this grand. A surge of energy coursed through me whenever the moving rays flashed over my body. The display only ended when all the rays of light converged a couple feet in front the orb. A white rectangle a bit bigger than us imps spawned directly on top of where the rays of light met. The caretakers ushered the first of the losers into the white rectangle and the imp disappeared completely. Thats when I realized it wasn¡¯t a beam of light but possibly a gateway. After waiting five minutes they sent the next one in. When all of the losers had been sent through the gateway the strong imps were sent next. The only difference with them was the gatekeepers only waited a minute in-between sending each one of them. The only two groups left now were the average and fast imps. They already began escorting one of the fast imps, the group I belonged to, into the gateway. Next, it was my turn to be herded into the gateway. I contemplated trying to escape for only a few seconds but the only exit was the door on the other side of the den. I tried leaving once and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least so my only option was to let the caretaker drag me off. I wasn¡¯t even sure it really was a gateway and even if it was, who knows where it would send me. What I did know was escaping out the den exit meant death, or at least it smelt like that. All that being said, I wasn¡¯t really anxious. None of the other imps seemed to be scared and I doubted the caretakers would feed us just to kill us for no reason. I closed my eyes and walked into the gateway, hoping I would be sent somewhere pleasant. Chapter 4 - Evolution The feeling of a calm warmth enveloping my body washed over me as I stepped into the bright white gateway. My eyes were still closed but from smell alone I could tell I had really been transported elsewhere. The scent of my kin was absent in the surrounding air. My eyes peeled open, allowing me to examine my new surroundings with my sight. What I saw left me astonished, the room I was in was completely unlike the den I had spent my whole imp life. I first noticed the room was well-lit, disgustingly so. Spending so long inside a dimly lit cave made everything else seemed too bright in comparison. White tiles with very dark grout in-between them covered the floor while the walls and ceiling were completely white. It was like I was inside a scientific testing room you¡¯d see in a movie. There were no windows, no hatch and definitely no doors. The room itself was absolutely empty except for a table with an orb on top of it. Silent whispers of curiosity called out to me from the orb but for once I decided to think first before acting. Without the imps and the caretakers around I didn¡¯t have the pressure to act instinctively anymore. The innocuous and quiet room also served to help calm my nerves. Having the ability to assess the situation was great but ultimately there was only one thing to do inside this room. An almost omniscient feeling bubbled inside me, telling me what I was supposed to do and I decided to follow it. I hovered over the table and looked at the small blue orb, it looked like the one the caretaker had used earlier. Hesitantly extending my hand, I reached out and palmed the orb. Not even a second later a beam of dark light shot straight out of the orb and collided into the wall in front of me. The black light poured onto the wall like a fluid, slowly coating the wall with a layer of darkness. I stared questioningly at the wall as small white lines began to appear on it. The lines began to form symbols I couldn¡¯t understand but as soon as the image neared completion I understood. It wasn¡¯t in english but I knew what the words and numbers meant upon first glance. It was a status window.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: ¡ª¡ª¡ª
Level: First Level Neophyte Experience: 0 / 50
Race: Goblinoid Class: Imp
-
Strength: 2 Spirit: 2
Constitution: 2 Wisdom: 2
Dexterity: 7 Luck: 10
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
So many questions appeared in my head immediately. Was this my status window? Why did it so closely resemble something I¡¯d see in a video game back on Earth? Did this mean I could level up? I quickly figured the window was likely mine. I was an imp and there was a lot more dexterity than any other stat other than luck. If that meant I was abnormally fast but weak in every other metric then it would make sense it was my window. I had no idea why I was shown my parameters in this way though. The status window wasn¡¯t copied from any video game I had ever played but I couldn¡¯t rule out it looked like that because of my memories. All six of the stats on the chart appeared in games I¡¯ve played, just not in this configuration. After some deliberation I decided it had probably always been like that. A chart evaluating someones stats with numbers was a rather simple concept. Hopefully the RPG game mechanics I knew would still transfer over well to this world. From previous game knowledge I knew as long as I raised my experience my level would increase. I didn¡¯t know what ¡®First Level Neophyte¡¯ meant but I was sure it represented what level I was. I also wasn¡¯t sure what would happen when I did raise my level but I had no way to know until I could find my way out of the room. As soon as my hand left the orb the symbols on the wall began to take new form.
EVOLUTION WINDOW
You¡¯ve unlocked the requirement to evolve into a goblin. You have reached the end of the maturation period for an imp. You¡¯ve been alive for 237 days and have 20 days left to live before you die of old age. Would you like to evolve right now? This change is irreversible. [Y / N]
The new markings communicated a much more straightforward message. As I parsed through it my lazy looking eyes stretched wide open. Apparently I had been alive for the better part of a whole year even though I had only lived through a hundred cycles at most. That had to have meant I slept for more than one day on multiple occasions. But what really took me by surprise was I had only 20 more days left to live. I felt like I was in top form and not at all like an old man past his prime. I was skeptical about the message¡¯s accuracy but I had no reason to test out if I really had 20 days to live as an imp. If this evolution meant what I thought it did, there was no reason not to take it. I mentally decided to take my evolution and the orb immediately reacted to my decision. Another beam of light shot out of the orb and hit me like a brick wall, knocking me unconscious. In my blackout I had a short dream recapping my life as an imp. Admittedly there wasn¡¯t much to see, if I wasn¡¯t eating food I was either competing for it, sleeping o grooming myself. Before I knew it my dream was over and when I awoke my body felt sore. I moved to message my arm and noticed my body had changed. My previously thin arms and legs were much more beefier. My eyes slowly panned over to the desk with the orb and I realized it was twice as small as before. I knew the desk hadn¡¯t actually shrunk, I had evolved. If I was two feet tall before, I was now four feet. When I looked back up the blackened wall had a plethora of new information on it.
EVOLUTION WINDOW
Congratulations, you have evolved into a goblin of the horde variant! All goblins have very low base stats of 10 points but have an unusually high amount of luck. Horde goblins are often warned about lone goblins. Unlike when they were imps, Horde Goblins have to forage for their own food. Too weak to do so on their own, they form groups to take down the bigger pray that usually live in the forest. These goblins have a very low rate of survival, most die before they even reach their next evolution stage. Since they die so often goblins usually have no claim to any material possessions and anything they find belongs to their horde. That isn¡¯t to say they go uncompensated, they gain prestige within their horde equal in value to what they bring back. Few goblins actually raise in status before they die. Lone Goblins won¡¯t have an issue surviving with these low stats. Having survived the imp maturation period by their lonesome, these goblins are dangerously resourceful and much stronger than their horde counterparts. Since only a minuscule amount of imps survive their first month alone, the amount that survive through the whole maturation period is almost non-existent. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Next Evolution: Hob-Goblin
Strength: +10 Spirit: +10
Constitution: +10 Wisdom: +10
Dexterity: +10 Luck: +30
Unallocated Stat Points: +10
You have learned the Goblinese, the goblin language! You can now speak to other goblinoids.
I slowly took in the new information I was given. My new evolution had made me stronger in all areas and I learned a new language. However, this now meant I had to use these tools to forage for my own food instead of being catered to. This was a scary thought, goblins apparently needed to hunt in groups to take down ¡°bigger pray¡±. I didn¡¯t even know what the outside world looked like but if goblins and imps were real I didn¡¯t want to get to know the bigger prey. I placed my palm back on the orb to get a read of my status window hoping my new, higher stats would give me some sense of security.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: ¡ª¡ª¡ª
Level: First Level Neophyte Experience: 0 / 50
Race: Goblinoid Class: Horde Goblin
Strength: 12 Spirit: 12
Constitution: 12 Wisdom: 12
Dexterity: 17 Luck: 40
Unallocated Stat Points: 10
Even though most of my stats were six times larger than what they were before I didn¡¯t feel particularly safe. They all still felt low, except for my luck stat but that didn¡¯t seem like a stat I could rely on to save me. I also had ten unallocated stat points and I had no idea what to do with them. I vaguely had an idea of what spirit and wisdom were but I wasn¡¯t going increase them. The luck stat seemed high enough already and it wasn¡¯t a reliable stat in the first place so that wasn¡¯t an option. Strength and constitution seemed like safe bets but I could only put five in each if I wanted to raise them evenly. Conversely I could put all ten into one or use an uneven configuration but that didn¡¯t seem like an efficient use of my ten points. The only distribution that made sense to me was to dump all the points into my dexterity. From every game I¡¯ve ever played that allowed me to allocate stats, specializing was always more beneficial than being a jack of all trades. I already had natural dexterity but now I¡¯d be much faster than the average goblin around my level. If someone, or something was somehow faster than me then it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I had dumped my points elsewhere. I wasn¡¯t sure how much faster each point would make me but fighting someone with 40 or more dexterity versus my original 17 didn¡¯t seem agreeable to me. With 27 at least I¡¯d have a better chance to escape if it came down to it. In any other situation where I had the speed advantage I would be in control. All in all, it seemed like a solid choice. After confirming my decision internally a white light enveloped me for the better part of thirty seconds before slowly fading away. I couldn¡¯t tell what difference it had made to my body but I knew my points had been spent. Allocation of stat points were likely irreversible as well but I had no intention of saving them until I had a better idea of what to spend it on. I only had been able to see my status window inside this little room and I had no clue when I¡¯d come back. It was better to have ten points spent poorly than to die with them saved. I checked the wall again to see my new stats.
STAT BONUS UNLOCKED
Congratulations, you have spent 10 points in dexterity! You¡¯ve gained Dexterity Boost I. +5 Dexterity
STATUS WINDOW
Name: ¡ª¡ª¡ª
Level: First Level Neophyte Experience: 0 / 50
Race: Goblinoid Class: Horde Goblin
Strength: 12 Spirit: 12
Constitution: 12 Wisdom: 12
Dexterity: 32 Luck: 40
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
My eyes lit up upon reading the stat bonus and any doubts I had about my stat expenditure was replaced with a feeling of validation. Spending all ten unallocated stat points in one spot got me an extra five which meant I could probably get that boost for my other stats as well. However I still wasn¡¯t sure how much each point was worth so I would have to wait to see if it was worth it. Finally finished I raised my hand off of the orb one final time. The white lines on the blackened wall converged into one point and formed a bright white door almost identical to the one I walked into to get here. The only difference was it was a bit bigger, which was a good thing since I was now four feet tall, not two. Having no further business in the room I didn¡¯t hesitate to quickly jump into the portal. Even though I was both anxious and insecure about my new goblin life, there was a larger, more pronounced feeling of excitement bubbling within me. Chapter 5 - Crawlers I yawned exaggeratedly, opened my eyes and pushed my way out of the large cluster of goblins I was sleeping in. It was my first day since leaving the white room. The majority of the brood I belonged to had been transported into a larger cave room with hundreds of other goblins. Having come straight out of the white room, we were confused with our surroundings but were quickly assimilated into the larger group. Several goblins walked over to explain our situation to us. Most of it were things I already knew from reading the evolution screen but there was new information mixed in here and there. The gist of it was; No free rides | If goblins wanted to eat they had to find their own food. We were told to hunt in groups, but not to make groups within our brood. Our best chance of survival was to join groups of goblins who have been around for a while as they were stronger and they knew where not to hunt. I wasn¡¯t sure if those were places we weren¡¯t allowed to hunt, or places we shouldn¡¯t hunt if we planned on surviving. Don¡¯t get injured | Goblins too injured to go hunting would starve. If things even looked slightly dangerous you were to run away. No one was looking out for our survival, so we didn¡¯t have to look out for anyone else¡¯s. It was better to run away and be hungry today rather than to be too injured to hunt tomorrow. If you find anything of value, turn it in | Goblins caught hiding valuables are punished by having a hand cut off. Spare food counted as valuables, any extra food brought home wasn¡¯t yours anymore. We were rewarded with prestige | Goblins are given an amount of prestige equal in value to whatever they turn in. Prestige was traded in for mainly food or equipment. It can be used for organizational purposes as well, such as formally forming a group called a ¡®Pride¡¯ and buying rights for said group. The goblins explaining didn¡¯t expand further, probably believing we¡¯d be dead long before any of that information was useful. It gets cold at night, sleep in groups to keep warm | That one was self explanatory. I had a lot of questions such as where to turn in valuables or how did we go about joining hunting groups but I was too tired to ask them. The evolution must have drained a lot out of me because I struggled to keep awake during the whole explanation. After they finished talking I immediately found a group of goblins and fell asleep. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I slept for but I was well rested when I woke up. With the fatigue finally drained from my body I was ready to officially begin my new life. The first item on the agenda was to find a group. I must have woken up early because most of the goblins were still asleep. The ones awake were gathered in groups no more than twelve. I watched a few goblins get up a join groups and they seemed to join the closest one with less than twelve members. Following their lead I walked up to a group of eight goblins. The only two talking in the group didn¡¯t say anything to me and the rest didn¡¯t even seem to realize I was there. I noticed the night before goblins have a very strange way of speaking. They use their whole body to communicate, refer to themselves in the third person and were overall very animated. Goblinese didn¡¯t have many words so it sounded very fragmented when spoken. ¡°Lets get fruit from High Trees.¡± The first goblin said, raising his hands above his head to gesture what he meant by ¡®High Trees¡¯. ¡°Mash not eat fruit from High Trees in months.¡± The other goblin shook his head and smacked his own chest lightly. ¡°Hogs been there last week. Full of black wolves. We go to Quiver Swamp, lots of food before we too close.¡± The first goblin, Mash, shook his head in disagreement. ¡°No food for us there. No one hang around Quiver swamp, too dangerous.¡± Hogs smirked smugly as if he knew something Mash didn¡¯t. ¡°Not now. Colony of crawlers come. We can pick off a few for food.¡± Mash eyes opened wide while he nodded his head. ¡°Ok, we go.¡± Mash and hogs wasted no time and headed for the room exit. It didn¡¯t take long for them to decide where they were going to hunt. They only had to choose a relatively safe place with enough food. Two new goblins joined the group during Mash and Gob¡¯s conversation. One of them belonged to the same brood I did. Since all goblins looked pretty much the same I wasn¡¯t able to discern from his characteristics but from his smell. Goblins that have lived together tend to smell similar to one another. The goblin from my den and I slowed down as we reached the cave room¡¯s exit. Previous trauma from our old den gave us pause but we pushed through it. The smell lingering outside our original den preventing us from leaving was outside this room as well but it wasn¡¯t nearly as offensive to our nose as it was before. The hallways were still as dark as ever but this time around I could actually see. Something that wasn¡¯t mentioned in the evolution screen was how well I could see in the dark. After walking through a few corridors we reached the cave exit. Having lived my whole life inside a cave I felt my excitement build as we neared the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. I had no idea what to expect during today¡¯s hunt but I was eager despite how dangerous it seemed. I unconsciously looked back to the ¡®cave¡¯ as soon as we got outside. It wasn¡¯t a small cave like I anticipated but a large mountain. The tunnel we exited from was only one of many that had been dug into its side. A huge hole, I guessed it to be as tall as a giraffe, was right in the middle of the mountain. A half dozen entrances three fourths its size surrounded it and dozens of even smaller holes surrounded those entrances. We exited one of the smaller holes. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A wooden palisade fortified by the occasional watchtower stretched from from one end of the mountain to the other. The wooden barrier prevented any wildlife from strolling into the tunnels. Inside the encampment were dozens of tents and a few training grounds. I looked over to my group and saw they were quite a ways away, standing at an open gate guarded by two goblins. I caught up with my group as they were leaving the encampment. The two guarding the gate were at least two feet taller than anyone in our group. Their bodies were more bulky and their bottom canine teeth peaked out of their mouth a little. Their appearance matched what I thought Orcs would look like but with softer faces. If I had to guess, they were probably hob-goblins. Immediately outside of the gate was a dense forest. There were tons of small pathways leading into it but none of them were big enough to be considered roads. Mash and Hogs followed one of the leftmost paths. I wondered how long it would take me before I¡¯d know where each path went and the general outlay of the forest. The last thing I wanted was to get lost and end up in the wrong place. The large forest was daunting at first but as we traveled tension in my body started to ease. The forest itself looked pretty empty in terms of wildlife. We came across a couple other groups of goblin but that was it. I expected there to be danger at every corner but the forest was pretty tame. Even my den mate who seemed more tense than me eased up a little after a while. Now that I calmed down a little, I really started to notice how long it took us to move through the forest. We were still following a path but it wasn¡¯t as traveled as the first. Walking around trees, through stream and over bulky roots caused us to travel at a much slower pace than wanted. It wasn¡¯t until the first hour of travel that the scenery started to differ. A small stream divided the old forest and the new one we entered. The trees were now more spaced from one another and everywhere was thick with shrubbery. The dirt ground was now full with grass but the most apparent difference was the appearance of wildlife. Small green slimes swamped the underside of the trees. They seemed more like a type of fungus than actual creatures. They looked motionless but as we got closer I realized they were slowly crawling around. Noticing my interest in the slimes, Hogs spoke up. ¡°Slimes asleep. They still move like this but very slowly. When awake they weak alone but together very dangerous.¡± I creased my brows and looked back at the slimes. I knew I had a worried expression on my face because Hogs snickered the moment I made it. ¡°No need to worry about slimes. Very good to forest creatures and only outsiders wake them. Even when awake they very calm and only attack threats.¡± The other goblin from my den released an audible sigh. It made sense I wasn¡¯t the only one holding my breath. The amount of slimes attached the the bottom of the trees were big enough to creep out anyone who wasn¡¯t familiar with them. I still walked a little lighter than usual, it would take me a while before I got used to them. It only took ten more minutes of walking before we finally reached our destination. Mash lead everyone to a bush on the outskirts of a clearing in the forest.
EUCLID FOREST 1-1
You have entered Euclid Forest Zone 1, Level 1. This is a monster spawning zone.
Although everything seemed the same I immediately noticed a difference in the atmosphere. As soon as we entered the zone the air stopped moving. The feeling I got was everything seemed very artificial, as if we were in a room with fake trees, grass and other nature. Mash grunted and continued to lead us forward. The clearing we crossed was the border between the seemingly lifeless forest we exited and what I could only explain as a giant sized backyard garden. Six foot leaves of grass dominated my view and it seemed to continue for miles upon miles. The rest of the goblins were unfazed by the sight. They didn¡¯t have past memories to contrast this with. The only thing on my mind was if this really was exactly like a giant-sized field of grass, there were sure to be critters lurking around. We only walked a couple of minutes into the zone before the grass in front of us began to ruffle. Mash and the more veteran goblins immediately took up stance. The goblin from my brood and I looked on in distress as we waited for whatever was behind the grass to come into view. Two large ants the same size as us came rushing forward. Before ants were nothing but insignificant black or red specks crawling on the ground. I no doubt killed hundreds of them inadvertently by walking around. Now we were on an open playing field, and I didn¡¯t like it. Their long creepy legs, segmented body, and powerful looking mandibles scared me shitless. And the hair, oh my god the short layer of hair covering their bodies unnerved me the most. I started to wonder if I could still reincarnate to an elf and lose my memories. Chapter 6 - Lost Mash and Hogs made short work of the two crawlers. Hogs, the more bulky of the two, was seemingly unaffected by the crawlers attacks. Its large mandibles couldn¡¯t break through Hogs¡¯ skin, leaving only small scratch marks. Blunt attacks were ineffective against crawlers since they had a hard carapace, so Hogs subdued it by ripping its appendages off one by one. The crawler stopped fighting back once it didn¡¯t have enough legs to stand on. A dozens seconds later Hogs yanked its head straight off its body. Mash took a similar approach to defeating the crawler but made sure to dodge any incoming attacks. Despite his name, Mash didn¡¯t use much blunt force when fighting against the crawler. He used the openings in the crawlers attacks to aim at the joints where the crawler¡¯s legs met its body. It only took a few strikes before it was legless and immobile. They both dragged the bodies back to the group. Since I had no idea what the goblin etiquette was I quietly watched Mash and Hogs dismantle their crawlers. They used the crawler¡¯s mandible to crack its tough outer shell like a spoon on an egg. He peeled off the exoskeleton from the the body leaving only the meat. ¡°Here,¡± Mash said as he threw unpeeled appendages towards the rest of us. The food he gave us wasn¡¯t going to fill the rest of us, it was clear if we wanted more food we would have to get it ourselves. Hogs didn¡¯t share his catch. I was starting to understand how he got his name. There wasn¡¯t much meat on the antennae I picked up. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, I really didn¡¯t want to eat an ant raw of all things. The pangs of hunger rumbling in my stomach made my decision for me. A few months ago I would have reservations about eating a giant ant leg but now I didn¡¯t have a choice. The meat was soft and it tasted bitter but it was definitely edible. The group finished the food and began to gather the scraps together into a pile. ¡°Don¡¯t leave scraps. Give in for prestige or feed slimes.¡± Mash said. He was saying this for my benefit, as well as my den mate¡¯s. ¡°How much prestige this worth?¡± I said, looking at the clump of exoskeleton pieces in front of me. ¡°Nothing. Scraps from big monsters worth something, scraps from crawler worth nothing. Feed worthless scraps to slimes.¡± Mash said. He got rid of his scraps while he was shelling his crawler, tossing the broken pieces at the base of nearby trees as they came off. ¡°Why feed slimes?¡± I wasn¡¯t against it but I was curious. ¡°Clomp tell Mash, ¡®feed no worth scraps to slimes¡¯, so Mash feed no worth scraps to slimes. Not many outsiders come to forest, slimes need food too.¡± Both my den mate and I looked back at the slimes. The slimes absorbed the scraps and were now breaking them down in their bodies, despite being asleep. We both found some unfed slimes and gave them our scraps and then returned to the group. I didn¡¯t know who Clomp was, why goblins cared about slimes at all or if they had the mental capacity to be grateful for the meal. It didn¡¯t really matter though, I would do it anyways. There was no reason not to and if I was a goblin, I might as well act like one. Once the area was cleared of scraps we continued through the zone with Mash leading. Crawlers weren¡¯t the only things that spawned in this zone. Worms, beetles, caterpillars, snails, slugs and all sorts of creatures were crawling about. There were a few flies and bees flying above but they payed our group no mind. What we didn¡¯t come across was anything I would classify as dangerous, such as a spider or a praying mantis. A goblin from our group or two subdue a critter when possible and brought their bodies back. They would get a lions share of the body to eat while the rest of us got the scraps. It only seemed fair, and my turn was fast approaching. There was only three goblins who hadn¡¯t captured their own meal; me, my den mate and an unnamed goblin. I was definitely scared but strangely confident. I saw enough fights to know I was fast enough to dodge any incoming attack as long as I was alert. I ate quite a bit but I was still hungry. My turn would both be a chance to fill my belly and compound on the little confidence I had. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Or at least, it would have been. A hissing sound passing through the grass halted our movements. Everyone glanced around to see where it was coming from, but it seemed to come from all directions. It wasn¡¯t until a patch of grass started shaking did we know where to look. Had I payed more attention to Hogs and Mash, I would have realized the danger we were in a lot sooner. They were scared pale. The grass rustling in front of us came to a halt. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on whatever creature was about to engage us. A bug, not unlike a centipede, made its appearance. Its long yet flat body lifted into the air as it arched its head downward to keep view of us. Its black chitin armor covered its entire body, including its numerous legs protruding from both sides of its body from its head down to its tail. Its mandible couldn¡¯t have looked more menacing; it had two scythes jutting out of the side of its mouth. Four venom sodden teeth spawned from its mouth as its forked tongue sporadically danced about like a snake. Its pitch black eyes screamed death. The whole group and I were frozen with fear, granting the fiend the first strike. It did not take its chance for granted and lunged at Hogs mouth agape. It moved so quick no one had any time to react. One moment we were all here, the next it was chewing on Hog¡¯s upper body while its legs were tearing another goblin limb from limb. I would like to say I remembered the rule to run at any sight of danger and made the smart decision to run, but that would have been a lie. I saw how quickly it dissected Hogs and the other goblin and got the hell out of there. I didn¡¯t think to look where or what the others were doing. I knew I had to get the hell out of there, or I would be dinner for an oversized bug. I ran through the zone not caring for the direction I was going, or the distance. I never looked back. I was too freighted by what I might see. Thirty minutes later, I finally ran out of gas. I was surprised by my endurance, but remembered I wasn¡¯t a human anymore. I¡¯m sure the adrenaline running through my body helped as well. Catching my breath I looked around to survey the area. There was no sign of the centipede anywhere, but I didn¡¯t see any goblins either. I was surrounded by the same large grass on every side and I had no idea where I was. I released an elongated sigh and collapsed to the ground. I made a mistake. I might have hand an inclination I made the wrong choice by reincarnating into a goblinoid but now I was sure. Life as an elf would have been much better than this. I realized how dramatic I was being before. Being nice was better than being eaten by a giant centipede. I wasn¡¯t sure what my next step was. I reasoned since I was lost, it was best to find some high ground and try to find out which direction to travel in. Problem was I didn¡¯t know which way was high grounds and the grass was too pliable to climb to find out. Half-defeated already, I got on my feet and started moving. I choose the direction opposite from where I came from. I knew at least where not to go. Unluckily my travels were cut short. Three crawlers pushed through the grass with their sights set on me. I wondered if the gods wanted me to die, or if this world was this cruel. I was confident I could fight, or at least run from one crawler. Three was a different story. I could have gone on about my predicament but I wasn¡¯t in a situation to complain. Whether the gods were after me, the world were this cruel or I was seriously unlucky, it didn¡¯t change the fact I had to fight for survival and running wasn¡¯t an option anymore. I looked forward and charged the three crawlers head on. Whatever there result, I would live with it.