บท 18: Novel 7-Strapped to a dusty throne
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"Urg… Wh… What happened?..."
A man opened his eyes to pure darkness, confused and fearful, unsure of where he was and why he was here…
As he looked around, his senses slowly returned to him. He could feel his arms and legs, nose and mouth, his chest weaving up and down as his heart pumped blood through his system…
He was sitting somewhere a stone throne. It was the first and sole thing he could tell about this place.
'How did I get here?... No… What am I doing here?'
Surprisingly enough the man did not panic. He felt fear, but it quickly subsided. He was wary but not in a hurry, he took deep breaths and focused.
There was a certain sense of comfort in this room, both physically and mentally, he felt at peace as he sat at the throne, but the more he thought the more confused he became…
The man had a dream. A vivid one. He dreamed of a life in a small blue and green world. Of being one of many in a world of stone and gold where your value was defined by the number of zeroes you had behind a flashing window…
The more he thought about it, the more he sorted through his thoughts. That was no dream, it was his life… And once he realized what that was, he asked out loud:
"Wh… Who am I?..."
As those words came out of his mouth, a sense of comfort washed over him. Determination, understanding, satisfaction, happiness, pride. Feelings that did not belong next to one another, strange emotions that should not be contained within the same vessel.
At that moment, he understood… Small fragments of understanding came together from the memories, forming a narrative to explain this unusual situation…
"I… I died."
It was in the middle of summer. The sky was dark and full of clouds. Raining pouring over the dark streets…
/Shaa…/
A young man ran under the rain with his suitcase in hand, returning home after a tiring day at his company…
As late as it was in the middle of a holiday, calling a cab would've taken too long, and being the petty men he was… Running back home seemed like the correct choice for him.
Just a few minutes on foot as his house was just a few streets away, there was nothing that could go wrong…
/Splash splash…/
The roads were unusually dark that day. He had been warned of it. Thieves had taken out the cables the night prior, this caused the street to go without light for the whole day. Even now, he could see the workers trying to put them back on again…
/Step…/
"?!"
That was when it happened.
As he ran back, distracted by the rain and workers, cell phone in hand, a man suddenly stepped out of the dark… And stabbed him in the chest.
He didn't even process the pain. By the time he realized something was wrong, his face was on the ground, the cold rain on his back as he wondered what he should do.
Before long, darkness… And then… This darkness.
"I… Is this Hell?... Silence… Isolation…"
'No, it can't be. If Hell is like this I'd rather just die…'
/Move…/
"?!"
He tried to move his body but soon realized he couldn't. Not because he was stuck but because he felt immense weakness in all of his limbs.
He was too weak to even move.
'Huff… M-Maybe I'm still alive but unable to control my body like in those movies…'
However, he quickly dismissed that idea. The situation didn't quite add up for that to be a possibility, so he moved on, trying to remember who he was…
"I… I was… URG!"
Pain, an incredible headache… Who was he again?
'S-Shit…'
Deep down, he fought bravely and eventually… Clarity came.
"!! I-I remember!"
/Flash…/
In response to his words, a red ball of light lit up before him, casting the darkness and his doubts away.
'This is…'
Familiar.
He had never seen it before, but at the same time…
Before he could even think about it, his left hand had already stretched out towards it.
/SHEEN!/
The moment he touched it, the ball fused with his arm, and a feeling of exhilaration took over his whole being.
Power, energy… Everything! At that moment, he felt unbeatable!!... He wanted to crash out of this room and…
"... Something's odd…"
The feeling died down as the man grew confused. These emotions did not belong to him, that was now who he was.
With a deep thought about his own identity, the ball of light materialized before him again, compressing and stretching as it took the shape… Of a window.
[The Unknown Lord (+)
> Name: Darius Leopold / ???
> Age: ???
> Race: Human (E) / Greater Fiend (T)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 5 (E); Fortitude 4 (E); Wit 12 (E); Insight 13 (E); Arcana 1 (E)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Lowest; Aura: Lowest; Flux: Lowest; Soul: Intermediate; Presence: Low
> Authorities:
Manipulate Essence -> EX
Inspection -> S
]
"What…"
A strange System window with vague information was displayed before him.
There… His name. Seeing it gave Darius immense relief. As if he had recovered something he had long lost… Even though he had it all along.
However… There was something else to it. Something that didn't belong there.
Another name was added next to it, a name he did not recognize… Nor understanding.
A jumbling of scribbles and words put together in the most unassuming way possible. Was it meant to represent anything?...
The more he tried to read it, the less it made any sense, as if the words were actively trying to hide themselves from him. So he turned his gaze to the rest.
Some aspects of the window were self-intuitive for Darius, but many were not.
Upon interacting with the window, he began learning what each did…
The window felt cold, like he was reaching out for a faint layer of water like a waterfall. Yet it pushed against his skin as if solid…
He began from the first few words on the window. Interacting with them revealed a new line of words… Ones he could only define as a dialogue:
[The Unknown Lord…
After an unknown amount of time, you have awakened from your slumber.
You were once a being of great authority yet now, faded is your authority.
It has been taken from you.
The world that is unaware of your existence, what do you intend to do with it?
]
[The Stigma of the Unknown Lord manifests]
A strange rune materialized before him, floating next to the window, it glistered silently as it pulsed in resonance with his heartbeat, waiting… Like a red firefly.
[Consecrating the Stigma shall raise your Potential]
[Only one Stigma may be consecrated at a time]
[You cannot exist without a Stigma; removing it will make your achievements crumble. A Lord must walk without regrets or bear the burden of the one without ties]
[Upon Consecration, you shall awaken…]
However, that wasn't all there was to it. He realized there was another 'Title' he could display on his window, so he opened it as well:
[The Usurper…
The Devil has awakened, yet the pleasure of existence was denied. Culled… By an unknown bystander.
Sitting upon its throne, you wonder with great curiosity about who you were before, unaware of your own actions.
The beast was slain before it could even breathe again. But in its place, a new ruler sits upon the obsidian throne, raveling at the powers it usurped from the ancient one.
You took its place in the world, devouring its name and blood. You have become the Ancient One, inheriting its legacy… And duty… Or have you?
You owe nothing to the world, but neither does it.
Shall you awaken as men… Or Devil?
]
[The Stigma of the Usurper manifests]
Another rune materialized next to the window, however, he could not identify its shape as it had none.
The red light kept trying to assemble into a shape, only to crumble and try again. An endless, futile cycle.
[Consecrating the Stigma provides no benefits, but the one without a past has only the future to take]
[Upon Consecration, you shall awaken…]
"..."
'How interesting…'
"A new life somewhere unknown… I'm still in disbelief. But there's no point in crying over it…"
'... I shouldn't have said that out loud…'
'That said. I miss my family… My life… But if there's a way for me to return, then I must reach it.'
'If my Soul reached this world, then I can reach mine again.'
"For now, a choice."
'The first seem to indicate a choice itself. I have become the Unknown Lord and what I shall do with this newfound power… Meanwhile. The Usurper seems to be the path of uncertainty and hardships… The path of someone who takes and has not become.'
'I think I understand what this is about now. The first part refers to Unknown Lord before I took over while the other one is the path I belong… That's what I'll be going with.'
[You've chosen the Stigma of the Usurper]
/Shine…/
The strange mark was imbued into his left palm. It remained there quietly like a mass of smoke, like a drop of ink on his skin, shining ever slightly…
[Consecration has been performed; the Stigma of the Usurper reshapes your body]
[Authority, Inspection (S) has been modified to Character Profile (T)]
[The authority of the Usurper seeps into your body; Takeover (T) has awakened]
[Authority, Takeover (T) has activated]
[The Stigma of the Unknown Lord has been consumed; your Potential has increased]
"This…"
[The Usurper (+)
> Name: Darius Leopold / ???
> Age: ???
> Race: Human (E) / Greater Fiend (T)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 5 (E); Fortitude 4 (E); Wit 12 (E); Insight 13 (E); Arcana 1 (E)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Low; Aura: Lowest; Flux: Lowest; Soul: Intermediate; Presence: Low
> Authorities:
Manipulate Essence (EX)
Character Profile (T)
Takeover (T)
]
"It's not much, but something changed… Alright."
Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Darius moved on with his inspection.
"What do I do now?"
/Shine…/
A light shone before him on the wall, a strange rune, beckoning him… But he couldn't reach it for his body was still severely weakened.
However, in this limbo not knowing what to do, he felt a strange sensation rise within his chest…
He closed his eyes and sought it out… Once he opened his eyes, a new window manifested before him.
It was a map of a cavern… Well, calling it a cavern was an overstatement.
'This must be where I am.'
A simple square room about five by five meters wide and the same as tall.
"... Isn't this bad?"
'Trapped in a room like this, won't I either starve or suffocate? I need to get out of here but…'
"I can't move." He said with a tired expression as his arms trembled
That wasn't entirely true, he could move his arms to interact with the System interface. However, that was one thing. And even then, he had already figured out he could manipulate the window with his eyes as well.
'My body isn't responding to me, something is really wrong… No need to panic.'
Darius took a deep breath and focused on the map, there was still one more look to look at.
A larger room with a strange fountain within. It alone is bigger than his very room.
However… It was broken.
"Some sort of ruin, a dried fountain… It doesn't look like anyone's been around in a long time and there's no passage leading here. It's a dead end…"
"Not good."
'I'm stuck inside a stone room with thick rock walls that leads nowhere. The map shows me up to a certain point, it makes me imagine I'm stuck inside a mountain. That is, if I assume its end leads outside…'
As he thought about what to do, his hand wandered to the map, which he pressed on, touching the fountain unknowingly.
"Hm?... Wait. Can I interact with the map… Oh!"
Once he touched the map, several new options appeared, such as editing the layout of his base and moving things around…
"It's just like a base management game, huh… I think I know what to do."
'Let's see… The build menu is bare, and I only have about… 100… A hundred what? It doesn't say what it is… Whatever, I'll call it energy points.'
'I can demolish walls, but it costs a little energy. I can also make holes that seem standardized to around one x one x one meter for a unit. This means I can dig a one-hundred-meter hole to crawl through if necessary.'
"Not like it maters if I can't move but if I can make a passage to get some air, then I'll be okay for a little longer."
'Aside from that… There isn't much I can do aside from repairing the fountain.'
The fountain looked special, and given it was the sole thing in the room, Darius was really tempted to do it…
"It costs me five points to awaken it; that's five meters I'll lose… Ah fuck… Whatever!"
The moment he ordered for the repair, cracks formed on the bottom of the fountain, causing red light to shine from within…
/Splash!/
Redwater gushed out from the cracks, filling the fountain, spilling red mist into the surroundings…
While the stone remained the same, the fountain had been filled, and with it, a whole new option opened.
"Hm… Oh? Now it makes sense."
'Once I upgraded the fountain, new building options appeared in the shop. Above all, my arms don't feel as heavy anymore.'
"If I take this fountain as the core of my base, upgrading it should allow me to move around. Although, for now, I'll have to accept my arms being this weak."
'However, those aren't the main points of this upgrade… The point is that now I can summon things!'
"Summoning may not be the right world… It's more like creating them? I don't know."
A simple shop had opened for him, there weren't many options in it but one thing was certain, they were all familiar to him.
Still, there was no sign of any form of provisions for him, only…
"Monsters. I can summon monsters… Great. As if that'll help me…"
'There aren't that many options, but if I were to choose one of them… It has to be this one, right?'
[Skeleton Sumonner]
"Instead of a creature that will likely require food for sustenance, something that doesn't require food should work, I imagine?"
'The description is also rather straight forward, it just says its a Skeleton with some "magic potential". They're weak and flimsy but don't require maintenance or rest. They're also better at taking orders than most creatures.'
'However, they are by far the highest cost unit I can acquire right now, each costing a whopping twenty-five points!'
'To upgrade the fountain, I need fifty points, leaving me with forty-five, which I can use to buy one skeleton and something else. Or maybe even a single unit that will be unlocked.'
"But I can't rely on the unknown… If I'm to make a choice, then I have to find a way to get outside."
'Since the map has a limit, I'll carve a path leading outside and connect it here. The skeleton will be my line of defense if something happens. I can summon more in case I need to, so I'm keeping my points free.'
'In fact, now that the fountain has upgraded, the size of my map has increased. And while I can't see what's outside, I know there's a cavern below me.'
"Digging there costs less than reaching the nearest corner of this mountain, so I'll go with that since I can now make proper buildings."
'Building stairs to the cavern end costs five points. With the Skeleton Summoner, that's thirty, and with what I spent before, thirty-five.'
'Good enough for now… Summon!'
/Bubble…/
The fountain gurgled with power, and from its depths, a hand rose. Grasping onto the ground, it pulled itself from the red pool, taking its first steps into this new world.
"Impressive process… But underwhelming results."
A skeleton with a hoodie was what Darius was looking at.
'It's something anyway… Let's see what it can do.'
[Authority, Character Profile (T) has activated]
[Name: Nasragusa
> Age: 43
> Race: Undead Human (N)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 1 (E); Fortitude 1 (E); Wit 7 (E); Insight 3 (E); Arcana 12 (D)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Intermediate; Aura: Lowest; Flux: Low; Soul: Lowest; Presence: Lowest
>Skills:
Knowledge of Dark Rituals (N)
Knowledge of Dark Magic (N)
Knowledge of Arcane (E)
>Extra:
…
]
His first minion had been born.
…
"Character Profile? Does this mean others in my position can't see the Status of their subordinates? No… Maybe they can't even summon creatures like me."
'All of this is a direct reflection of my Authority, Manipulate Essence. Maybe others like me can't even do what I've done… However, they can likely do something.'
"Something I can't do."
'That said, this summon is considerably better than expected.'
'It has a name, age, and it's race isn't graded at (E) like a Human… I thought this was something like creating monsters, but maybe I summoned them from somewhere. Unless they're created with memories and a past, which would be rather harrowing.'
"I'm unsure of how they grade things and why they are even graded but… It seems Stats have a different grading compared to everything else."
'Those grade would be ??? -> E-> ??? -> N -> ??? -> S -> T -> ??? -> EX -> ???...'
'While Stats seem to follow a more direct order, going from E to D, it'll likely go to C and B and so on, but I can't be certain of it yet.'
'For now, I won't assume anything else, those will be the ranks I'll stick to.'
"Next… This unit has Skills instead of authorities. They seem to define what it can do but I doubt its the full extent of its abilities… Maybe they're the things to take note of."
"Lastly, there's the Extras tab… It has quite a bit of information but the one I care the most now…"
[...
Affinity: 0
Obedience: 100
Loyalty: 100
…
]
"If all units have those Stats, then this means I'll have to do more then just command them to do things for me. Which is quite dangerous to think about…"
'If I didn't have Character Profile, I would've assumed they were completely loyal and obedient at all times until experiencing the contrary… Good to know.'
'Affinity seems to be the connection between us. Since we never met, its zero… Not like I want a high affinity with a skeleton anyway.'
'Obedience and Loyalty are self-explanatory but far too broad for me to drawn any conclusive results regarding its behavior.'
'Besides, one hundred may not even be the limit… It could be considered low, even…'
"What do I do now?... I spent thirty points so far and have seventy… I guess it's time to explore outside."
'It'll take me ten points to build stairs leading down, they don't need to be wide. In case of an invasion, I expect the enemies to be stuck there.'
'Just wide enough for a skeleton or two to pass through…'
/Construct!/
The cavern's walls quaked as the wall directly opposite to his room within the fountain room split open, revealing a set of stone steps leading into the unknown.
"That's done… Now what?... Hm?!"
Just as he thought what do to, a red mark appeared on his map, and it was fast approaching!
"S-Shit! Something's coming… P-Prepare for impact!"
A little panicked, Darius didn't know what to do, so he focused on the skeleton and relayed his orders like an old man screaming at the TV.
/Step…/
However, that seemed to be enough as the skeleton summoner immediately raised its staff before slamming it on the ground.
/Shine…/
Arcane symbols ignited in the air, weaving together into a strange tapestry…
/Groum…/
Once they fused into an uneven shape in the air, they burst into light as dark fog smeared on the ground.
/Crack…/
From within the fog, vague shapes slowly took shape… One after the other, a dozen Skeletons materialized before him.
They all held makeshift bony spears. They looked flimsy, but they were better than nothing.
/Step step step…/
/Growl…/
"!"
Finally, the creature arrived…
Green skin, small stature, and tattered clothes…
An uggly, distorted appearance. Like a gremlin of legends…
"A goblin?... No. It doesn't look like one but… I can't only explain it as that."
"Kiku…"
The goblin walked into the room confusedly, unaware of the creatures waiting in the darkness…
'How odd. Why isn't it reacting to the skeletons… Aha! I see!'
Black mist oozed from the summoner's staff, obscuring them all.
The goblin approached the fountain without a care in the world, touching the red water with a cautious gaze…
"Capture him!" Darius ordered as he slammed his fist in his chair's arm
/JUMP!/
"KUK?!"
The skeletons dashed from the smoke, holding onto the skeleton and pushing it inside the fountain.
"GAAA!!"
"Hm?"
As the goblin-like creature struggled, Darius focused on the new function that appeared before him:
[??? 0/10]
[??? 1/10]
"What's this… More numbers and a strange rune beside each… Given one of them is filled… It must be the number of units I can control."
'Tsk. If I have a limit, this could be problematic. That said, anything extra is good.'
[A bound creature has been offered to the Essence Pool]
[You may enthrall, mark, or consume it]
"Hoo… Marking the creature costs about the same as summoning it. That's fair but a little upsetting since I have so little."
"Enthralling it costs nothing, but it likely has a side effect. The other rune should be the strange mark. Does this mean I can have ten units and ten thralls?..."
"... Consuming the creature should be self-explanatory. It's likely how I'll get my points."
'Since I lack units, this one will do.'
"I'll take it."
/SPLASH/
A tendril burst from the fountain, reaching the goblin's head and lightly touching it, leaving behind a strange rune similar to the one on his map.
/Sheen…/
After a while, the rune vanished on the goblin's green skin, and the tendril collapsed, dispersing with the water.
[Creature has been successfully marked]
[Codex has been expanded]
[Map has been updated]
"Hm?... Codex?"
Darius opened his System interface and looked around, finally finding what he was looking for.
"To think I would have such a thing… It's like a dictionary, but it's blank."
'From the looks of it, the codex will update over time. It doesn't seem to be part of the System. Although… It looks a little off… Maybe it's an extension of my Authority.'
"Since the ability to observe other creatures is an extension of Character Profile, this is likely related to it as well. Anyhow, the map being updated is a surprise…"
'Does it update with everything this goblin has seen over time?'
The map had greatly expanded, displaying everything beyond its previous limits.
"So I'm indeed within a mountain, like a large boulder in the middle of nowhere."
'Around me are forests that expand into the horizon, this goblin in particular doesn't seem to have ever gone too far away so it only covers a few hundred meters around me.'
"The goblins have set a small camp at the foot of the mountain leading to a cavern inside. The same one I've seen on the map before."
'Digging a hole into it has attracted this goblin's attention and that's how we met… Alright. I understand now.'
[Name: N/A
> Age: 2
> Race: Goblin (E)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 2 (E); Fortitude 2 (E); Wit 1 (E); Insight 1 (E); Arcana 1 (E)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Lowest; Aura: Lowest; Flux: Lowest; Soul: Lowest; Presence: Lowest
>Skills:
Knowledge of Survival (E-)
>Extra:
…
]
"This guy is pretty useless… But there should be over thirty of him down there."
'Also, I'm pretty curious why this guy is named Goblin. Is it because of me, or is his species named Goblin?'
'The answer doesn't matter right now, but it has some interesting ramifications…'
Darius opened his map and focused on the goblin camp:
[Goblin Camp (E-)
Description: A simple gathering of huts protected by shabby walls where Goblins proliferate. Easy to construct and abandon.
Goblins are notorious for invading land, constructing a camp, and after over-consuming the nearby resources, leaving the land and repeating the process.
…
It can house up to fifty goblin units.
Can be developed into a Goblin Settlement (E)
]
There was a more extended description, but he didn't put much emphasis on it until he reached the end.
"House?... Does this mean I can use this to hold more units than my limit?"
'If that's the case… I have to take it for myself… No. It doesn't change anything. I'd have to remove it one way or another.'
"From the Goblin's information, there are around thirty male goblins that hunt daily. Around ten children without much combat power, seven females, and the chieftain."
"From the Codex description of the Goblin, the chieftain is responsible for breeding with the females and populating the village while the others hunt. In older villages, it isn't uncommon for all male and female goblins to be children of the chieftain."
"Even if connected by blood, the chieftain will breed them. Otherwise, they'll be exiled for another Village or captured by others, and the cycle continues. That's how things are."
'The codex should expand over time with more details about these things but that's for later. For now… I have to find a way to capture more…'
"... I know what to do."
Darius focused on the goblin, giving it an order:
"Bring me another one of your kind. Be discrete!"
"Kuk…"
The goblin didn't seem to understand very well but it complied. Turning around and leaving the cavern.
Darius stood there anxiously as he watched the goblin return to his camp… Soon enough, he stepped out of it with another Goblin.
The two climbed upstairs and like before, the Goblin was captured!
"Great. That's forty-five points spent but now I have three units."
"But… Is this the correct way?... At this rate I won't have enough points to fill the cap… Maybe I'll have to sacrifice some…" He said out loud as his gaze sharpened
"Bring me more goblins!" He ordered as he looked at the goblins
They complied… And soon enough, two more goblins were brought upstairs…
"Heh. Let's test things out… I'll sacrifice the first one and enthrall the second!"
/SPLURGE!/
"KUUK?!!""
Both goblins were covered in the red tendrils. But while one vanished, the other… Was slowly revealed from the darkness.
A dark goblin with red eyes, there was a strange aura around it as it slowly climbed out of the pool… As if its Soul had been taken out.
A husk of its former self.
[Creature has been successfully consumed]
[The essence Pool expands 55 -> 60]
[Creature has been successfully enthralled]
"Oh? So that's how it works."
'If I sacrifice a still living creature, I get its cost back… Maybe that only works in creatures I haven't summoned. I'll have to test that later but it shouldn't work, otherwise I would be able to summon and unsummon until all of my Units were of their highest qualities possible.'
'Meanwhile, what did enthrall process do?'
[Name: N/A
> Age: 3
> Race: Goblin (E)/Thrall (E-)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 6 (E); Fortitude 4 (E); Wit 6 (E); Insight 2 (E); Arcana 1 (E)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Null; Aura: Null; Flux: Null; Soul: Null ; Presence: Null
>Skills:
Knowledge of Survival (E-)
>Extra:
…
]
"Oh?... I see now!"
'Enthralling a creature doubles the value of all Stats aside from Arcana but nulls all secondary Stats. It could be that it just reduces them by a rank since the Goblin only had lowest in all Stats.'
'Since this Goblin had three might and wit, they doubled to Six. It's at least three times stronger than the average Goblin.'
"It costs nothing to do this, but it has a dark consequence... If I find a strong unit, enthralling it may be worthy it if I have no intention of developing it further."
'The thrall once has no affinity, obedience, or loyalty because it has no need for either, it is eternally loyal for its Soul has been taken… How scary.'
"But now I know what to do… You two, bring me more goblins, make sure not to be detected by others. You may bring more if necessary!"
"You stay back with the skeletons and wait!" He exclaimed as he gave everyone their orders
'I'll decrease the fighting force of the goblins as much as possible before taking over their camp!'
'Preferably, I don't want to kill the Goblins, but if they or not is irrelevant since I can recover the loss and summon more, maybe its even better.'
'Taken Goblins forced into obedience don't have a high obedience and loyalty scores but summoned creatures have… Maybe it's for the best I kill all Goblins and exchange them for my own summoned creatures…'
'However, since I have no idea what's out there, it's best I remain "low profile". Who knows if there are mages that can feel the "dark power" on the creatures I summon?'
'If I can, I'll avoid this, but if necessary, I'll do it.'
"I'll take over this camp within an hour. Each captured goblin is a slight update to my map. Thralls don't update the map, so that's not what I want… The problem is that I don't know if I should do so."
"Do I recover the points spent on marking them if I sacrifice them?..."
Darius soon found out the answer by sacrificing one of his marked goblins, and he could recover what he had spent on them that way.
What he learned was that as long as he hadn't summoned them, he could sacrifice any of the marked goblins to receive ten points back. Five for their unit cost and five to mark them.
However, he would not recover the cost if he marked than enthralled… But he could gain their points if he enthralled them first.
This way, he would mark every goblin before choosing what to do with them.
If they were weak, he would sacrifice them, if they were strong, he would enthrall them.
The goblins didn't realize he was there since everything happened too fast. Maybe a few noticed how some of them were missing but that was normal since goblins went to hunt all the time.
In no time at all he reached his cap for units so he made his choice… And now, with around half of them hunting and the other half either dead or under his control, the camp couldn't be more defenseless.
It was time to conquer the camp.
…
[Thralls -> 0/10]
[Units -> 10/10]
"... Great."
'I've capped my units now. But I had to sacrifice a few goblins for points since enthralling them would've wasted my points.'
'I've also sacrificed all my thralls to gain their points.'
"It's a little bit of a waste but I don't want to risk those things getting out there."
'Once I've confirmed my safety, I'll explore outside, although I'll have to deal with those…'
"According to the map, there are three goblin camps surrounding the mountain at around 1-2 kilometers radius. They're all competitors so I don't have to worry about them coming to avenge these goblins, but it means they'll come to take us down if they realize something's off."
"Taking them all down is my first real goal after this goblin camp goes down."
Darius looked at his troops on the other side of the throne room as they laid around the red fountain…
"Go! Knock all of those goblins out and bring me their leader!"
'Goblins follow the leader so if I mark the leader it should be enough to control them all, then I can take my time marking them all one by one.'
'Since the camp can house fifty, I won't have to worry much about them.'
'Once I build my army, I'll take each and every camp surrounding us!'
Darius smiled as his troops went down the stairs.
…
/March…/
Ten goblins with a strange mark on their foreheads walked out of the staris followed by a small army of skeletons…
Ten goblins and twelve skeletons… However, one of them was slightly different from the rest.
"..."
'This is still a little iffy to control…'
Authority Takeover.
'I'm still trying to figure out the purpose of this authority; however, I at least learned something ever since it awakened…'
'I can use it to possess creatures and take over their bodies forcefully.'
'I learned about this when I was trying to learn more about it, I ended up unknowingly activating it. Nevertheless, since it had no target, the authority dissipated on its own.'
'After I focused on a target and activated it again, this happened.'
'I can easily control a skeleton. Still, a goblin is a no-go. Even if they're a thrall.'
'This doesn't seem to be an issue of the authority but one inherent to me.'
'Anyhow, by controlling this Skeleton, I can now take control of the battlefield by witnessing things from a Unit's perspective. It's also good to finally leave that room as well. My eyes were sore from watching that bright screen in the dark for half an hour.'
/Tac tac tac…/
"..."
/Push…/
The army arrived at the defenseless camp. And Darius could already see their first few victims.
The goblins never expected an attack to come from within a cavern with an end so no walls were stopping them. It was far too easy.
A few children could be seen playing around in the dirt and mud with twigs and stones, some fighting each other even.
'Goblins will fight each other continually, often killing each other. Only the strongest can live.'
'Goblins drink milk for about a week before eating solid food, albeit they usually eat soft things first before going to hard foods like insects.'
'They usually eat meat six to eight months into their growth. Within a year, they reach juvenile age and can already reproduce. The males mostly. Females take a little longer to mature but can bear children, albeit that may be an issue, of course.'
'Two years seem to be their safe maturity age. This also means they don't live long…'
'After capturing multiple goblins, the codex updated multiple times and since I had nothing to do, I read it a little.'
'I have no use for these little guys, but is it alright for me to banish them? Goblins have little love for their kin, but it's not like there's none. If I sacrifice them all for points the other goblins may revolt… Which isn't an issue since I can just summon more but it feels wrong.'
'Hm… Maybe I should think like the overlord fiend I'm supposed to be?'
Deep in his own conscience, Darius failed to realize the fight had already started.
The goblins rushed inside the camp, running past the little goblins as they ran inside the leader's tent.
Meanwhile, the skeletons ran after them, capturing the small goblins before knocking them out with weapons.
"Kik?!"
A few females were nursing a few small goblins around. They were the first to see the oddity of the attack and exclaim in fear, alerting the others.
But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the attack had already expanded deep inside the camp…
/BAM!/
From the leader's tent, a loud clash reverberated before a few goblins were sent flying from inside. But soon after, the remaining few came crawling out with a larger goblin being dragged on the ground.
Their leader had been captured.
"..."
/Klack!/
Watching from afar, Darius smacked his jaw in delight.
'First milestone completed.'
[Goblin Camp (E-)
Capture?
]
"Oh? I didn't know this was a thing. Having to pay to conquer something."
'It costs ten essence, quite a little but fine.'
[You've captured the Goblin Camp (E-)]
[Your territory expands]
[A new structure has been added to the Codex]
On his map, a red outline grew from the center of his base to the surroundings like a bubble.
That was his territory. Now circling the entire mountain and a little bit more.
"Territory? One more thing to worry about… But this is what I wanted. Now I can have fifty goblins simultaneously without worrying about my cap."
With their leader captured, he quickly marked him:
[Name: N/A
> Age: 8
> Race: Goblin (E)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 5 (E); Fortitude 4 (E); Wit 4 (E); Insight 2 (E); Arcana 1 (E)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Low; Aura: Lowest; Flux: Lowest; Soul: Lowest; Presence: Low
>Skills:
Knowledge of Survival (E)
Tribal Leader (E-)
Tribal Combat (E-)
>Extra:
…
]
[Codex has been expanded]
[Map has been updated]
"Excellent. With their leader captured, I should have no trouble dominating the other goblins."
"Now I need to make some adjustments in my army."
'First, need to see if I can store thralls in the camp. Although a goblin thrall is still a thrall I have no idea if the group will accept them.'
'Second, I need to increase the efficiency of the army.'
"There are too many Goblins with diverging ages and Stats. Their leader proves that to me. Goblins stop growing in maturity once they're around 2-3 years old, but that doesn't mean they can't grow more."
"So the idea is to sacrifice the goblins with the lowest Potential and Stats and exchange them for Goblins from the fountain."
"I don't know if the goblins summoned by the fountain will be stronger. However, for every goblin I summon, there should be a chance for a divergent rarity to appear. Or so I believe."
'For now, I'll centralize the goblins and wait for their scouts and hunters to return. Once I check them all, I'll line them up and make a choice… Of whom I'll be keeping and who I'll delete.' He thought as his expression went dark
'I must do this much if I want to survive and succeed… For every upgrade I can do to the fountain and every species I can summon it means they exist out there and may one day attack me.'
'I can't act soft, I must think of the worst possibilities and act accordingly.'
"Let's see… This is new." He said out loud as he focused on the goblin camp
[Goblin Camp (E-)
Description:
…
Can be developed into a Goblin Settlement (E)
]
"Goblin settlement? Like a direct upgrade, I image?"
'It cost me ten points to capture the Goblin Camp. If I find a suitable place, I can build another, but that will cost me 100 essences. This means that capturing a structure costs a tenth of its actual value, which is completely different from marking creatures.'
'If I mark a creature I have to see if their potential and strength are enough for me to invest on them, otherwise, summoning one may be more efficient. There's also the matter of size of unit cap…'
'But for structures, the thought process is streamlined to determine whether I can pay for it or not.'
'Upgrading to a Camp will cost me two hundred points, a bit far from what I can afford now.'
"It seems that waiting for the other Goblins to return is the sole option for now. But that will take too long… Sigh."
"As for you all… You can return to your ordinary routine."
He turned his gaze to the chieftain, saying:
"No one shall leave to hunt. Gather all returning Goblins and lead them to the fountain as soon as they return."
He then moved to the skeleton summoner.
"You'll remain here and protect me and the fountain."
His orders given, Darius closed his eyes in boredom to rest, forgetting about his previous urge for air and food.
Without realizing it, he went to sleep, soundly resting as his creatures went on with their day…
[Initiating Hibernation…]
The hours passed, the sun fell, and the moon rose…
[Halting Hibernation…]
[The collected essence flows…]
[The essence Pool expands 20 -> 32]
"Hm…"
The moment the goblins returned, Darius woke up.
"What… Did I fall asleep?... Wait… How long has it been?!"
He suddenly realized his urgent need to eat and breathe!
"Shit! I… I'm fine?... Huh…"
'I don't feel any hunger or thirst, and it's not like air is a problem… Actually, I feel great, the air is cold and even a little moist, I'd say.'
"Hm… Maybe I don't have to worry about this. But I'll keep a look out for it anyway…"
'But what's this about? Hibernating gives me essence? And why this much?'
Darius looked around, and he finally found a clue.
"There's a log?... I see…"
A hidden function, a log that gave him a summary of everything that went on inside his territory.
'It seems I slept for six hours. This means that each hour of sleeping gives me two essences?'
[Hibernation:
Description:
Hibernate to gather your essence, doubling passive essence acquisition.
While in hibernation, recovery also grows and the body's needs for sustenance are halted if necessary.
]
As he explored the log, he learned yet another mechanic.
"So I can hibernate? Passive essence acquisition… So I gather essence without doing anything?"
'If the day has twenty-four hours, I can gather forty-eight points every day if I sleep through it… That's quite good.'
"... "Halted if necessary"... Interesting. Is this telling I don't consume anything like this?"
"So many things to think about…" He said asa he turned his gaze to the map
'Now… Time to settle these guys.'
In the fountain room, over a dozen goblins awaited his decision.
"Before I thought I could only use Character Profile on creatures I've marked, but that's not true. As long as I'm close enough to them, this seems to be possible…"
'Let's see…'
Darius checked each goblin, drawing an average of their Stats with the others before deciding.
"Alright. I'll sacrifice these few and keep the others since they're better than most."
'Finally, the remaining goblins will be directly turned into thralls for a total of ten.'
"Push them into the fountain." He ordered deeply, his voice echoing within the minds of those he had marked
/Push…/
""Kuk?""
Some seemed to realize what was about to happen, but it was too late once they all stepped into his domain.
The waters rumbled, and the tides took them…
/Splash…/
From within ten dark-skinned goblins walked out standing side by side next to the tribe leader and the skeleton summoner.
"Excellent… There's one thing left for me to check."
"Bring me the creatures you hunted."
The Goblins brought back food from their ventures into the forest, and Darius wanted to see if it was possible to get something from them.
A few small critters and three larger animals similar to boars were thrown inside the pool.
/Splash!/
"Consume."
[The essence Pool expands 32 -> 55]
"It works as expected. The only thing now would be to see if a live offering grants me more energy then a dead one. Or if there's a point in sacrificing the whole body."
'Would things change if I sacrificed only the bones and flesh? Could I keep the pelt?...'
Darius nodded in satisfaction, looking at the leader of the Goblins, he said:
"Excellent. You may all return now. Starting tomorrow, you shall lead the remaining goblins in hunts to bring me as many sacrifices as possible."
'I should give them something to aid them in this process… The goblins only have simple stone and wooden tools. Some of the stronger ones have bone tools… That's no good.'
Darius explored the shop and found a simple series of tools to summon. Nets and bows…
"Each wooden bow here costs two points, and ten arrows cost one as well…"
'I'll summon ten wooden bows and give ten arrows each as well, that'll go for around thirty points.'
'Nets are more expensive though, each costs five… I could go for another summoner but I'll go with five nets instead.'
/Splash!/
With the items summoned, the skeletons grabbed them as per his orders.
"Go! Hunt and capture as many beasts as you can and bring them back to me!"
"Those that bring back great harvests shall be rewarded!" He said with a smile as he looked at the goblin chieftain
"Krunk!..."
The stronger goblin went downstairs while the skeleton summoner remained behind.
As he saw the chieftain share the news with the other goblins, Darius closed his eyes again.
"Haaaa… Is this my life now? Acting like some overlord demon and controlling these alien creatures to do my bidding?"
"I don't feel hunger, thirst, or tired… If I stop breathing, I don't feel the urge to breathe either…"
"I don't know anymore, this is all so fucked up."
'I'll keep moving on, its the least I can do I guess. Move on until I reach the truth about me being here. If it was coincidence or not, I'll make a place for me in this world.'
"I'll find a way to unseal myself from this accursed chair and a way back to my world, even if I can't live there anymore."
With those words echoing in the throne room, Darius closed his eyes again as he entered hibernation.
Tonight marked the starting point of his domination.
…
A few hours later, the sun rose…
[Halting Hibernation…]
[The collected essence flows…]
[The essence Pool expands 0 -> 24]
"... Urg… I'm up."
'Time to get things going.'
Darius opened his interface, immediately noticing an odd thing in the fountain room.
"Are those… Live animals?"
Over a dozen animals bound by primitive ropes stood there under the watch of the skeletons.
"That's more then I expected… But it makes sense, goblins are nocturn hunters mostly. They usually only move in the morning to check on traps and scout."
'Time to test some things then…'
He focused on Nasragusa, giving him an order:
"Put that creature on the fountain!"
As ordered the boar-like beast was sacrificed.
/Splash!/
/Squeal!.../
[The essence Pool expands 24 -> 29]
"So the boar gives me five points if sacrificed as it is… Okay, let's test the next thing…"
"Kill that creature and skin it!"
/CUT!/
Without hesitation, the skeletons ended the boar's life with a cut right at the back of its skull before beginning to remove its pelt as ordered.
In a few minutes, the lifeless carcass of the boar stood there, waiting…
"Sacrifice it to me."
/Splash!/
[The essence Pool expands 29 -> 34]
"Haa… So the pelt doesn't count… At least in this case."
'Could this mean that the energy is contained elsewhere?... I must figure out where.'
"But there are so many organs inside these creatures… I'll begin with the simpler ones."
"Kill that creature and take it's heart out!"
/Splatter!/
"... These guys are efficient alright… Ahem…"
"Throw the heart in the pool!" He said in a deep voice as he tried to sound menacing
/Splash…/
[The essence Pool expands 34 -> 39]
"It worked… Then that's it. I just have to sacrifice every heart I see and it'll be done. Nice to have this solved… But just to confirm… Throw the rest of the body in."
/Splash…/
"... Nothing happened. Excellent. I know what to do."
"Kill all of the remaining creatures and sacrifice their hearts to the pool! Give the rest to the goblins."
/SPLATTER!/
The skeletons took down beast after beast as they carried on his orders. Within a few minutes, all of the hearts had been sacrificed.
[The essence Pool expands 81 -> 84]
"Nice… Give the rest to the goblins."
'It's time to think…'
"Right now, I have ten thralls and twelve male goblins. Not counting the children, females, and the chieftain."
"... I'll begin by summoning ten goblins and then I'll sacrifice the the two weakest out of the twenty two goblins."
"I'll keep this group going for a few days and then strike one of the nearby camps. Speaking of that, I should start scouting them now."
"Taking out the camps is of great priority since they're competing for resources with us. I don't think food would be an issue even if they all remained, but I still need to find a way to have them submit to me so I can have the hearts of every creature they hunt for myself."
"Finally, once I've secured the perimeter, I need to find another source of points since hunting won't be enough forever… Unless I keep fighting and expanding my territory that is…"
"I could one day grow livestock for this purpose but that wouldn't be efficient unless I had a massive farm to rely on."
"I'll begin… Summon!"
/Splash!/
Ten goblins rose from the fountain, standing side by side as they walked out of it.
Darius quickly went over their Stats, satisfied:
[Names: N/A
> Age: 4-7
> Race: Goblin (E)
> Main Stats: (+)
Might 3-5 (E); Fortitude 2-5 (E); Wit 1-3 (E); Insight 1-2 (E); Arcana 1 (E)
> Secondary Stats: (+)
Potential: Lowest; Aura: Lowest; Flux: Lowest; Soul: Lowest; Presence: Lowest
>Skills:
Knowledge of Survival (E)
>Extra:
…
]
"As I expected… The summoned goblins are much stronger overall."
"It could be because they're older than the average, but since I don't have the time to wait, they'll do."
'I'll slowly change the previous goblins to these over time. Those that don't improve and grow will be thrown out while those that do will rise with the others.'
'Above all, those that aren't loyal… Shall be met with the fountain too.'
'I don't have to worry much about those I summon, at least for now since their obedience and loyalty are so high. So compared to those lying around, the difference between them is night and day.'
'If necessary, I won't hesitate to sacrifice them all for their summon counterparts.'
"... I have to be ruthless if I want to survive in this world… I could be acting a little too strongly but I won't give myself room for failure like this."
'That said, it's time to sacrifice two individuals so I can have many servants. And while I can easily sustain these numbers, I prefer round numbers.'
"No special creatures were summoned but that's okay, overtime, things are bound to change."
That said, Darius dismissed the ten goblins, having them join the Village while he called in the two weeks out of the bunch, sacrificing them immediately after,
[The essence Pool expands 34 -> 44]
"Almost enough to upgrade the fountain… No matter, I just have to wait for now."
'Most of the goblins are either protecting the camp or sleeping. I gave them orders to hunt and train in their spare time. I must have the strongest units possible.'
'My thralls can act 24/7 since they aren't living beings but they have no potential, so it matters little to have them train. Instead, I have them hunt and rearm traps as they go.'
"I'll hibernate once more. Once night comes, I'll update their orders."
'To scout the nearby camps and see how hard it would be to take them all down.'
"It shouldn't be too hard. I can just use the same method as before…"
'Take control of one goblin and have him bring another, and then four goblins, eight… Until I take control of them all.'
'Of course, since they're goblins from another camp, they likely won't count to my camp's cap, but that doesn't matter.'
'If I control ten goblins from the enemy camp and use them to take ten more, then no matter how large the camp is, it would be essentially crippling their military.'
"I can take this slow anyway. I must upgrade the fountain before anything to see what I'll unlock."
'One step at a time…'
[Initiating Hibernation…]
…
.
.
.
Notes
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