《Conjured Villain》 1 - Am I Hungover or is This Really a Summoning? It¡¯s bright, way too bright. Immediately, I close my eyes and assess my situation. My ears are ringing and my head is pounding painfully. What is it this time? Taquila? Rum? Hmm, no this particular hangover is unique. My tongue detects something metallic. Blood. Hopefully not mine. Then again, I don¡¯t really want someone else¡¯s blood in my mouth, especially first thing in the morning. I scratch my beard as I groggily sit up with my eyes firmly clasped shut. Probably time to shave soon, my facial hair is getting to be longer than my pinkie. Silently, I sit waiting for the inevitable alarm. It¡¯s usually a good test to see if I¡¯m at my place or her¡¯s. Her as in whoever caught my eye the night before. After a bit, I realize it must be her place; this bed is hard as a rock and I don¡¯t feel any sheets. Doesn¡¯t really matter, though. It¡¯s warm enough here. ¡°So, are ya getting up or what?¡± That voice sounded distinctly male. Wow. Must¡¯ve been a wild night. ¡°... The king can¡¯t wait forever, ya know.¡± This guy is full of himself. Just who refers to themselves as ¡°king¡±? I guess he¡¯s raring to go for round dos. I just hope that there was a woman involved in round uno. If not¡­ well I must¡¯ve been drunker than I¡¯ve ever been. That¡¯s saying a lot. ¡°Look, man¡±, I say, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re expecting something, but I don¡¯t swing that way. Or at least I don¡¯t when I¡¯m sober. Gimme like two minutes and then I¡¯ll leave.¡± It¡¯s silent for a bit, I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s from shock, dejection, or anything else through my closed eyes. I¡¯m surprised to hear a low chortle from various sources around me. Seems like the ¡°party¡± was a bit bigger than I thought. ¡°You..! You¡¯re..!¡±, the original voice sputters, ¡°I don¡¯t either! Open your damn eyes and look around, jackass!¡± I sigh as I comply. ¡­ Woah. I¡¯m sitting on a huge stone pedestal, carved with thousands of tiny runes and inscriptions that just seem to be gibberish. But¡­ they¡¯re glowing somehow. Around me sit around three dozen more people, extremely varied in terms of demographics, sex, weight, looks, you name it. Each of us are wearing nothing but what seems to be a flimsy white sheet. Many of them clutch their sheet as they look around, worriedly. Some stand out to me: a fit teenager with blonde hair and an air of assurance around him, a beautiful woman with short blue hair, sky blue eyes, and a piercing in her nose, and a huge scarred dude with gigantic rippling muscles, grey moustache, bald head, and a fierce look about him. The blue-haired girl notices me looking and clutches the sheet to her ample ¡°personality¡±. I snort at her feeble attempt, as it¡¯s pulling the sheet off of her plump rump. Noticing this, she begins to blush and shiver indignantly, trying to glare at me. Shaking my head, I look away before she embarrasses herself again. We seem to be surrounded by a ring of guards around the pedestal. All of their faces are concealed by shining full helmets, and their body language is muted by their stiff stances. They are all adorned by a full set of plate armor, with the occasional patch of chain in areas that need to be flexible. Each of them have a swaying red cape attached to their back, connecting at the pauldrons, and are clutching a torch in their right hands. I note they all have a sheathed sword on their left hip. Either they mean us no harm, or we are literally no threat to them. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. All of us are in some kind of cavern, so impossibly large that the combined light of the runes and torches barely travel a few meters before the darkness devours it. I can¡¯t even see the ceiling. The guy who I was speaking to abruptly swoops in front of me. He¡¯s annoyed. In contrast to the guard, his face is uncovered. In fact, he isn¡¯t wearing any armor at all. He¡¯s wearing a well-pressed, formal business suit with a shiny blue tie, complete with slicked-back black hair. The guy¡¯s got kind of a feminine face that¡¯s currently contorted into slight disgust. ¡°You done? Had a good look? Ready to go now?¡±, he almost growls. Well that throws a wrench into things. I had the distinct impression that all of us here were summoned to be heroes in another realm, destined to kill the demon lord, blah blah blah. It¡¯s a painfully obvious plot for anyone who¡¯s read any light novels in their lifetime. Yet here stands a man in what can only be described as normal modern dress. If they have access to Earth¡¯s fashion, why not incorporate modern armor and weaponry to their soldier¡¯s armory? Or summon us in a city? So many questions, and no answers. ¡°Why are you asking me? There¡¯s plenty of people here, shouldn¡¯t you be addressing them in some kind of rousing speech?¡± I¡¯m fishing for answers. What else can I do? Suit-and-tie¡¯s face darkens. Oh? Some kind of bad memory? ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like it either¡±, he almost whispers, ¡°But that¡¯s out of my department.¡± He looks at me seriously and speaks in a matching tone, ¡°Look, I¡¯ll tell you in a way that you can understand: you all have been summoned here for¡­ let¡¯s call it a game. And you in particular have taken the Viceroy Nalia¡¯s interest. So, for now, you are the political figurehead of this group of Summonees. You can ask me more on the way, but we seriously need to get a move on.¡± I nod quickly. There are two possibilities: I¡¯m in a particularly lucid dream, or this is all actually happening. Either way, there¡¯s no real reason to doubt him, it just plain does not make sense to be angry or confused right now. As for trusting him or the forces behind this¡­ probably never. Nothing against ¡®em, but I¡¯m not really a trusting guy. Especially for a group that has both technology and magic. That¡¯s just plain scary. Without another word, he turns on his heel and begins to fast-walk in a random direction. The whole group hears him and after a moment¡¯s indecision, they gather their sheets and begin to follow. Not much else to do, huh? The knights start walking as well. Some even offer some more sheets to help clothe people temporarily. Me, I don¡¯t even bother covering up. In fact, I tie my sheet into a rudimentary cape as a crude parody of the knights surrounding us. The group casts strange looks my way. Whether it was because of my awesome cape or the conversation, I don¡¯t know. So, naked and confused as all hell, I jog to catch up the suit-man. 2 - I Wanna Play a Game Wow, this is pretty popular for a new fic. Thanks for reading, guys. My feet aren''t hitting stone. It''s softer and... wetter. Mud maybe? Moss? Anywho, our group is chugging along at a reasonable clip, but it still seems as if we''re pretty far from our destination. There still isn''t a single wall in sight, even with the knight''s bright torches illuminating our immediate surroundings. The damp ground silences our footsteps and any occasional grunts or breaths seem to be dispelled by the thick darkness. Seems as if we should pass the time with some tunes! Suit-guy glares at me, almost as if he''s saying ''don''t you dare''. Huh, I still don''t know this goober''s name, let''s rectify that. "Hey", I shatter the silence, "I''m Drew Peacock, who''re you?" Immediately, the group busts into laughter. All we needed was someone to crack the ice, because the heavy silence is now replaced with boisterous conversation. All the stress is gone and I can even see the knights noticeably relax. "That''s not your name, Matthew", he unperturbedly replies, "I am Tristan Lycanthi." Somehow, I''m not even surprised that he knows my name. Oh! I''ll have him guess my sign next! Tristan glances over at the now-raucous group before continuing, "You seem to have the gift of the gab. Apparently it was not wrong to appoint you as their leader." Spoken like a true Gemini. "No", I reply, "It''s human nature. We adapt. We survive. Even in impossible situations." What''s that look he''s giving me? Respect? I had thought it impossible. Especially with my junk hanging out and in a bedsheet cape. "Hmm, I would hope you can survive this ordeal. That would be optimal. ...Ask your questions. This trip isn''t going to be quick", he says. "Alright", I think for a moment before asking, "Where are we?" Tristans smiles lightly and answers, "A good enough starting point, I suppose. We are in Tartrus Cavern, directly beneath the Noble District of the Great Citadel Reaxsc. It is called such because of its massive size; it is large enough to engulf the entire planet''s surface" He''s risen his voice high enough so that the whole group can hear him. They''ve all quieted down and are intently listening. Catching on, I likewise speak up. "Really? So, I''d imagine that''d only be feasible if your society had massive shipments of water and food regularly delivered to you. Probably something only an advanced, space exploring culture would be able to do. If so, you would have to be in a state of relative peace on the planet. So why summon us? Space orcs need killing or something?", I question further. Tristan''s half-smile breaks out into a full-on grin. "Ha! Spot on, Matthew", He enthuses "I have to start trusting the Viceroy more often. Her judgement about you was correct." He sobers a bit before continuing, "It is as you said. Reaxsc is currently at peace. For now. You see, it is that very peace that threatens us. The people are growing restless, itching for battle, for our race is one of war. The peace we have now is not because there were no threats to contend with, but because every threat was either destroyed or enslaved. Soon enough, bloodlust will spill over into a war to end all wars. Before that happened, an anonymous wizard completed the first summoning, proving that dimensions other than ours existed. At first, it was unimportant, but then we as a species begun to grow genuinely curious. Our magicks allowed us to not only reach out into other dimensions, but to spectate as well. For a while we simply watched battle and bloodshed in other worlds to satiate ourselves without collateral damage here, but we grew bored, tired of the same old thing. ...You are not the first group to be summoned, you know. And I doubt that you will be the last. It is all part of the solution that was formulated long ago. The high council likes to call it the jurmunge or Game in your tongue. The logistics and planning in their game was massive to say the least. It had to be, so that could keep our attention away from battle, permanently. It was theoretically impossible... for mortals at least. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. So, our strongest and wisest sorcerers came together and wove the single greatest spell ever to be cast. We created life. It is akin to how your world wishes to craft AI, but your dream became our reality. We had our perfect Gamemaster, the Overlord of the Game. The very Game you were brought here for." We were silent for his entire speech and it''s continued well afterward. For a while, we just walk without another word, each of us consumed in our own thoughts. "...What is ''the Game''?", the blue haired girl asks. Huh, almost forgot about her. She''s obviously nervous, but below than that I see something else... her tits. Ha, just kidding. She''s quite curious. (AN: Matthew being a total ass is on purpose. He doesn''t share my views... most of the time) Tristan doesn''t even look back to reply, "It''s easier to see than to explain, Cassandra. We''re just half an hour away and when we get there, we can view an ongoing game on holoscreen." "That reminds me", I chime in, "Why aren''t you using modern technology instead of torches and medieval armor?" He chuckles before replying, "There''s really no set dress code for a guard, so these guys chose something that they liked from a recent game. Don''t worry though, it''s all enchanted to be very effective in combat." Wow, I''m being escorted by a bunch of fanboys. How has my life come to this? "Argh, boss!", a knight whines in a high-pitch, "Why''d you tell them? We wanted our first cosplay to be perfect! It''s all ruined!" All of them slump in depression. I''m too shocked to even utter one word for the next half hour. We finally arrive at a massive arch, leading off to a corridor. I notice as we continue that every single surface is perfectly smooth, with zero imperfections. Soon, we reach a cavern with a massive metal disk, large enough for our entire group times twenty. We all step on top, but the knights stay behind. They sadly wave their farewells before they trudge back into the darkness we came from. Apparently we made quite an impression. As the last ounce of light retreats, we are engulfed in darkness so black that it seems to suffocate us. It''s not long before we hear a low rumble below us. Dazzlingly bright runes flash to life beneath our feet as the disk begins to ascend. My gut is uncomfortable for a moment because of the sudden rise, then I get used to it. "... I just got some updated news on Mind Message, everyone", Tristan catches our attention, "We won''t be meeting the king after all. We barely have time to go over the rules before your first game starts." We all stand at rapt attention. What he says now will tell if we will live or die. "In a few moments, you''ll be brought to a new world. This world can be anything from a high fantasy setting to modern Earth with a twist. Most often than not, it will be something from your popular culture; movies, games, anime, books, and so on. Listen to the Overseers instructions and try to complete the particular goal he has laid out for you. If you do so, it will garner you points. Use those points to purchase stats points, powers, skills, and equipment after the mission is over. You will have three days between missions. Do try not to die and be entertaining whilst you do it. People have ''disappeared'' for being too boring, after all. Direct any more questions to the tutor when you arrive. ...Oh, and another thing, your complete freedom can be bought for one billion points." Just as those last words reach my ears, I feel myself being consumed within a violent blue light. I black out. Where did you come from, where did you go? (Transportation Poll) Thanks for reading thus far. You can just bundle the past two chapters under Prologue, the real action starts next chapter. Vote for which world you want our lovable MC, Matt, to end up in. This may not happen in future arcs, so vote if you can. The next chapter will be up within a day or two. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Oh, and have a wonderful day/evening/night. 3 - Fly, You Fools So, Lord of the Rings won out, sorry other folks. But there were a couple of interesting ideas in the comments that I''ll be incorporating in the future. Oh, and for future reference, guest votes will be counted as one half of one registered user''s vote. This arc will be taking place within the Hobbit''s storyline. I hope you enjoy. Suddenly, I''m somewhere else completely. There wasn''t a single transition or warning. Hmph, this Overlord fella is lucky that there isn''t a helpline, or he''d be getting a stern talking-to. At least there isn''t anything immediately threatening around here. All it seems to be is a cave, naturally formed this time, as evinced by its rough edges and stalactites. It''s illuminated by the flickering red light of a torch placed in a black iron sconce embedded in the cave wall. Unfortunately, the whole group from before isn''t with me. Only the blonde haired teenager, buff moustache-man, blue-haired girl, and a half dozen background char- I mean others, are present. Even so, all of them are completely unconscious in a single dogpile. Whoever transported us really has no sense of personal space. Only one guy is awake and standing, but he wasn''t in our group before. He''s pretty tall, standing at 6'' 2", and ruggedly handsome, like some kind of western movie hero. He''s dressed in simple black leather armor with a shortsword at his waist and a medium-sized metal shield strapped to his left arm. His brown hair is tied back into a ponytail and his almond eyes are studying me intensely. You know what they say: sometimes, when you stare out into the void, it stares back. So there we are, glaring at each other like a couple of dumbasses when we both clearly know who each other is. He''s obviously the tutor that Tristan mentioned and I doubt that the appearance of a new group would be a surprise to such a tutor. ... But I suppose that it''s more than logic can convey. Really, it''s a fight for dominance, a battle for respect. His cold demeanor versus my cocky smile. More than just dick-measuring, if you ask me. It''s something more, something primal. <<>> Tristan informed me of the fresh batch of Gamers only recently. Really, it was exactly 7 minutes ago. I actually had high hope for these potential comrades. Turns out I was sorely mistaken. All but one of them are hopeless. *sigh* What should have I expected? After all, I chose to be here and these guys were basically kidnapped from their home dimension and forced to amuse us. And yes, I mean us. The Reaxscian blood calls to war and for many, watching the Game simply is not enough to sate it. Those born with massive bloodlust choose to participate of their own will. I am of that stock. It would seem as if I could not be more different from this pile of buffoons. That one guy who''s awake has finally noticed me. Hmm, not a bad physique, but why is he only wearing a cape? Do they not give clothes to Gamers anymore? He''s about 5'' 9", has alert brown eyes and unkempt black hair. He''s not bloated with muscle, yet what he has seems to be toned for combat. Street fighter, probably. Those types tend to catch on to these types of situations easily. I''ll be blunt with him and give all of the info he needs straight up, but I hope I don''t confuse him. I note with a bit of envy that he''s "bigger" than me. Damn, what do they feed these Earthlings? <<>> "Welcome to the Game", the guy finally breaks the silence, "I am your tutor, Rius Fellspare." I nod and reach forward for a handshake. After a brief bit of hesitation, he grasps my hand in his, blushing slightly. Oh? Not used to human contact, are we? Then it''s my win. After all, he seems to be the hardened warrior type that has terrible social skills. "I''m Matthew Walker. So, let''s get down to business. What can you tell me, Mister Tutor Man?", I poke at him. Rius, albeit a bit flustered, lays it down in pretty easy to understand terms, "They''ve explained what the Game is and what the overall rules are to you, yes? Then it''s pretty simple, this mission takes place in the fictional world created by JRR Tolkien, Middle Earth. Specifically, it takes place during the events of the Hobbit. Right now, we are in a cavern not far from the Goblin-town ruled over by the Great Goblin. As for our purpose here, just say or concentration on the phrase ''mission goals''. It will tell you the overall goal that is a prerequisite for ending the mission, side missions, and special instructions. For example, I got 5 points for telling you that. After the completion of your first mission, you''ll be assigned a general archetype that will garner you more points if you stick by it. If you don''t... well, you''ll probably disappear. Anyways, pull up your mission goals now." Mission Goals Immediately, bright golden words splayed themselves across my vision. Woah, not exactly blue screens, huh? Welcome to your first mission, Matthew! This world is Middle Earth during the events written in the Hobbit. PRIMARY MISSIONS: Escape through the Goblin-Gate alive - 10 points Optional: Persuade the Great Goblin to let you live - 20 points SIDE MISSIONS: Kill a goblin - 1 point per kill PENALTIES: Kill a newcomer - Negative 5 points per kill Kill any of Thorin''s party - Negative 7 points per kill Kill Bilbo Baggins - Negative 50 points If you have zero or negative points after final calculations, you will be eliminated Current points: pending This is pretty close to Terror Infinity''s System. It was one of the light novels that I kept up with before I... left. "Those aren''t the only goals there are, only the listed ones. Finding and completing hidden goals will net you extra points and reward tokens. Tokens are needed to purchase special powers and upgrades. Tokens vary in value from S to F, with three lower letters equaling one that is a notch higher. Usually, upgrades are worth getting more than simply raising your stats manually, as they provide a better value and often special effects. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Keep in mind that stats are normally around 100 for a human and raising them by one costs a point. You can check your stats by saying or concentrating on the phrase ''status''." Status.... man it feels like I have a severe case of chuunibyou just thinking that. Another set of golden words pop up. Name: Matthew Walker Sex: (too much) male Age: 22 Archetype: None assigned Compliance: (N/A) STATISTICS: Intelligence: 122 Perception: 110 Reflexes: 107 Endurance: 109 Vitality: 100 Strength: 101 Speed: 105 Wow, my stats are all above normal, that''s good. ... Wait a second. The mission statement said that the highest I can get in the main goal is 20. Why is that so concerning to me? ...Oh no. ... Tristan said that you needed 50 billion to buy your freedom, right? That means 2.5 billion missions. "WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK?????", I shout. This is absolute BS! Just when I thought there was a sliver of hope, it''s all chucked out the window! I thought I knew what system the Overlord was basing this system off of: Terror Infinity. But, nooooo, he had to set our chances of freedom from slim to zilch by screwing with the point system! ... ...*sigh* Why am I railing against an omnipotent being? I can''t do anything but play in this twisted game of his for now. But I swear, I''ll grow strong enough to knock out all of his teeth and gouge out his eyes with them. "You calm now? I took the opportunity to explain the basics to your group that you conveniently woke up with your yelling. We just got done, actually", Rius interrupts my thoughts. I look over to the group to find an almost-comical range of emotions. Some are visibly angry and probably were since they were summoned, but couldn''t act on those feelings because of the knights. Right now, the angry ones are arguing with each other and raging at God or whoever put us in this screwed up situation. Some even scream obscenities at Rius, who is completely ignoring them. The gigantic moustache-man is in this group. Others are shaken and scared. Curled into balls, clutching their heads, sobbing their eyes out, you name it and its probably being done. They''ve lost all hope of surviving and the immense pressure and absurdity of the situation is catching up to them. Yet, a select few are calm. Not completely, as I can still see some fear under the surface. These guys have probably been in a life-threatening situation or have knowledge of Terror Infinity or transportation novels in general. The blue haired girl, blonde teenager, and some generic dude are in this group. And when I say generic, I mean it. I''ve lived quite a life for someone my age and can usually judge people well; "nobody is normal" used to be my motto, key words: used to be. This guy is so normal that it''s abnormal. I never thought that the "average male" trope in manga could be real. Yet, here he is. I can''t even tell the fine details of his looks because my gaze keep slipping off of him. "Hey, everybody calm down! We''re gonna be alright! The rules have been clearly laid out for us, so all we need to do is follow them to survive and go home!", the blondie rallies the group with his cheesy speech. Strange thing is, it''s actually working. The angry group winds down considerably, and the sad ones have a bit of hope in their eyes. What the hell was that? I could''ve sworn that he exuded some kind of yellow aura. "I''m John, John Smith", He continues, "I''m 18 years old and I work in a modelling agency. Thank you for being my comrades. May I have your names?" Wow. Generic name + Pretty boy looks + Young and vibrant = wet panties. It has to be true, I read that too often in LNs for it not to be true. This dude is literally a walking trope, just like Standard Man over there. Wait... this feels like too perfect of a set up. Bear with me for a moment here, generic guy gets ostracized by the rest of the summoned group because he doesn''t agree with pretty boy, but goes on to become a super OP loner, right? I''m living in a bad anime. "Would you all share who you are?" Blondie, oh so politely, requests. "Well, if we are to be comrades, that is only fair. I am Bradley Granghurst, 32 years of age", the big guy gruffly introduces himself. And so, the rest of the group rattles of their names. All the while, John pays rapt attention with a dazzling smile, earning him some blushes from the ladies. The guys can only look on in jealousy. Finally comes the time for blue-haired girl''s intro, so I pay attention. "Ahem. I''m Sarah Reese, age 22. Nice to meet you", she says evenly. Ouch, seems like she''s gotten the wrong impression of me, the way that she''s glaring at me the whole way through her introduction. I think I was supposed to notice a while back, but thumbs need twiddling, you know? Probably because I''m uncovered. Meh, I''ll stick with it. How often could you do this on Earth, huh? "Uh.. I''m Patrick Newkirk. Just turned 23", a voice resounds almost out of nowhere. Dammit, Patrick, be more noticeable! That nearly gave me heart attack! Composing myself, I draw a deep breath before saying, "Matthew Walker, 22, Blood type O-, born nine months after my parents did the do, learned to walk by eight months, ran by a year, college education, my favorite color is..." "We get it", Rius coldly cuts me off, "... Good. It seems as if you''ve all calmed down. I''ll tell you right now that I wasn''t listening in the slightest! Survive this mission and I''ll consider you to be part of the team and worthy enough to know your name. But for now, I have zero interest." You can hear a pin drop. This dude is a buzzkill. "Anyway, I''ll be heading off to the exit now, but I wouldn''t recommend you doing so unless you all acquire some gear and make an assault plan. It''s dangerous, after all", he mocks. And with that, he scampers off faster than the eye can see. This scene feels oddly familiar... Delays and Suggestions So, I just had my friend look over my chapters written for this arc and apparently, it deviates quite a bit from the original book''s plot. Now, that''s fine and well within what could feasibly occur in Conjured Villain, but it was not my intention. As such, I will be rewriting. TL;DR the new chapter will be out Monday, September 26th, 7:30 PM Central Standard Time. In the meantime, how about you guys suggest some items or skills to be used in the Point Exchange System? I''ll be picking three to incorporate into the story. They can be from any piece of fiction at all. Format- This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Item/skill name: Rank: Z-S Z is the lowest rank, maybe a skill like breathing or existing, while S is godlike and incomprehensible power. Point & Rank reward cost: Points are completely independent of rank. Rank rewards also go from Z-S. Usually, a rank Z would be 1 or 2 points, whereas a rank S would be a few billion. Skills and items are about equal in cost. Description: 4 - Goblin Author''s Notes: Okay, so I messed up. The required amount of points to return to the real world is actually 1 billion. Thanks for reading. John smiles at all of us before announcing, "Well, we''re all in a predicament, huh? Seems like something straight out a comic book, but, hey, at least we''re still human. We''ll watch each other''s back no matter the situation." This is met with some hopeful replies and a nod of affirmation from Bradley. John takes this as a cue to continue. "From what I remember, The Hobbit is pretty straightforward, so the mission should be too. All we need to do is get to the Goblin Gate for this "mission" to end. Obviously, we don''t know where in the cave system we are, so I suggest we start scouting in groups of two until we find a familiar landmark from the book or the Gate itself." Mutters of agreement all around. Really sound like, a ''let''s split up, gang'' type of moment, huh? "Another thing to note is that we should avoid changing the plot as much as possible. In fact, if you see anyone from Thorin''s party, avoid them at all costs. They''re useful as distractions, because the goblins swarmed them from the moment they arrived. Plus, they cost a pretty penny if any of us "accidentally" kill them. First priority is finding the Gate, and don''t let anything get in our way", I decide to speak up. The group is affixed to my every word. I must''ve made an impression on them when we were first summoned. Even though I''m wearing nothing but a cape, they''re taking me seriously. "Also", I continue, "Bring someone in your group who actually knows what they''re looking for. It''s useless if you don''t know the landmarks." Sarah, who''s standing next to me, says, "Sage counsel." "... for a pervert", she mutters quiet enough that I only I hear. I would say that she has the wrong idea, but I can''t. "So, let''s vote on who goes with who. If the mission was any more pressing, then I''d prefer someone being delegated to doing that, but we have time," John excitedly says with a sparkle in his eyes. What''s he so cheery about? ... ... And that''s how I got paired up with the blue-haired beauty. Can''t say that I really cared either way, but the look that she made when the group made that decision was priceless. Fuming, she follows me as I pass through a random passage. The rest of the group likewise scatters. We''ve agreed to meet up at the "spawn point" in half an hour (the Status screen conveniently has a clock at the bottom). So now we''re making our way into an gradually darkening tunnel. I constantly keep my hand on the left wall, adhering to the general rule of mazes: follow the left wall and eventually, you''ll find the exit. The passageway we''ve chosen seems to be endless, the only changing factor is the increasingly receding torchlight behind us. All that accompanies our journey is the slight sounds of our bare feet hitting the ground and our breaths disturbing the dusty air. Without warning, I almost stumble into a cavern. I hadn''t noticed it at first because of the pitch dark, so I take a moment for my eyes to adjust before quietly warning Sarah. We agree that if we find trouble, we''ll bolt the other way and head towards the spawn point. Craning my neck around the corner, I peek inside. There''s at least half a dozen goblins, surrounded by what seem to be the remnants of their gory last meal. They''re squat, standing at about 4 feet tall, and really ugly. Their skin is yellowing and disgusting, like that of a 60 year old chainsmoker, and they are wearing mismatched leather armor. Shouting and whooping gutterally, they find someone still alive from the earlier carnage and quickly advance on them, as they grasp at the implements on their hips. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Their crude iron swords are stabbing into a barely-living woman, and she''s begging and pleading for mercy, but there''s no hope in her eyes. She knows that the various wounds she has accumulated are bleeding too quickly, and even they didn''t kill her immediately, the goblins would eat her alive. The evidence is all around her, in the piles of gnawed bones and large pools of blood. I remember what Tolkien said about them, he said they were "cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted." From what I see now, that''s an understatement. This woman is probably a slave, brought under the mountains for the purpose of endlessly producing the goblin''s "black technology", appeasing the goblins'' sexual desires, and eventually becoming a meal. There is not really any hope for these slaves. They''re destined to die, whether is be slowly and painfully for lack of light and water, or brutally slaughtered by their masters. I look over at Sarah. She''s in shock, and angry, but ultimately frustrated. She knows it as well as I do. She knows we can''t save this woman. We''re too weak. Even though they''re quite smaller than us, we simply can''t compete with their weapons and numbers. Even if we serve as a distraction, they''d kill her anyway. The goblins are both intelligent enough to know what we''re doing and cruel enough to end her life in front of us. As we stand here watching, the goblins begin to disrobe, grinning evilly as they pin the dying woman down. The woman goes from hopelessness to full-on terror as she begins to realize that this will be the action that kills her. Her loud sobs and wails are cut off forcefully because a particular goblin has taken an interest in her mouth. "I.. I can''t stand watching anymore. I''m heading back to inform the others", she manages to whisper through a sob. I''m silent for a moment as I think. "Fine, can you find your way back alone?", I reply, "I have a plan, but I don''t think that I can pull it off with more than one person." She nods quickly before turning around and running away. Truly, the greatest pain is powerlessness. I, of all people, should know that. Slowing tearing my cape apart into strips, I try to stand the nauseating sounds coming from the cavern. My plan hinges on them falling asleep after their meal and their ..."exercise". I can feel my rage boiling hot behind my eyes as the goblins groan and shriek in pleasure. These bastards... Just a few minutes after I finish breaking down my cape, I can hear the clamor dying down and the slow rumble of snoring take over. Slowly, ever so slowly, I lean again to take in their status. Indeed, they''ve fallen asleep and their small bodies are rumbling with snores around the fresh body. I''ve got to make some robe with these cloth strips, but I choose to do it a few yards from the pile of sleeping bodies. I need to do this quickly. Squatting down and grabbing some crude tools from their things, I get to work. Another chapter will be posted tomorrow that''ll be longer. Thank you for reading.