I woke up to the sound of complaining. “Are you awake yet master? My limbs have somehow both fallen asleep and feel like I’m being stabbed with thousands of pins and needles!”

“Ugh.” I said as I sat up. “Give me a few to sort myself out.”

“Look huemon, let’s be real here, it is going to take you longer than a few to sort yourself out. The least you can do is let me out of these bindings.”

“Enough!” I exclaimed as I mentally reached out on instinct to shut him up.

Gr’ex lifted off the ground and flew into the nearby wall.

SLAM!

“Ugh... I’m good... forget I said anything.” Gr’ex said in a daze and a bit of fear.

“How did I just do that?” I asked out loud.

Query Accepted

You have finished the first stage of absorbing the Ancient Celestial Dragon core. You used the new ability you have gained: Gravity Momentum Manipulation. The second stage of absorption will complete in 5 more hours.

You have gained the following benefits:

Mana Capacity and Mana Regeneration have increased.

Total stat point increases: +13 Strength, +9 Dexterity, + 5 Constitution, +10 Intelligence, +16 Wisdom, +10 Charisma.

New Ability Gained: Gravity Momentum Manipulation

Gravity Momentum Manipulation

Description: Ancient Celestial Dragons understand gravity and momentum at a fundamental atomic level. Once mastered, they use this ability to traverse the stars and change the momentum of celestial bodies.

Passive Effect: Learn to move your body’s momentum and position in space.

Active Effects: Use Mana and Stamina to adjust the gravity and momentum of objects within your soul’s aura. Warning: This ability drains mana and stamina quickly. Please Note: Finer control of this ability will reduce mana and stamina consumption.

Well, that explains that one. I stood up, withdrew my hunting knife, and walked over to Gr’ex.

“Seriously master, leave me here as long as you want! I’ll shut up, you won’t hear a peep from me, I swear!” Gr’ex exclaimed as his eyes were focused on my blade.

I waited until I was right up next to him and bending down to cut his bindings before I spoke. Sure, I could’ve alleviated his fears sooner, but the little jerk annoyed me, and I still hadn’t forgotten he tried to kill me.

“Oh relax. I’m just cutting you free.” I said as I cut the little goblin free.

The goblin rubbed his wrists and cracked his back. “Oh yea, that’s the stuff. Thank you, master. Is it possible I could get my clothes back? I mean I know I have a very attractive figure, but I think I might’ve messed up my loin cloth after being stuck there for so long. I would like to wash it and don’t want to make you jealous of my goblin endowments.” Gr’ex yammered on.

“Do you ever shut up? Hold on one second.” I replied as I cast PURITY!!! on his loin cloth and the puddle he had left.

Gr’ex’s eyes went wide. “What-What did you just do? My loin cloth is completely clean!”

“It’s one of my abilities. Here is your robe.” I said as I hit him right in the face with his robe.

THUD!

I used my Gravity Momentum Manipulation ability to fling the robe right into him and knock the goblin on his butt.

The goblin glared at me with a ‘was that really necessary’ look.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m still learning how to use that ability.”

That was technically true, but I did intentionally ramp up the speed. And yes, it was totally necessary. You would be practicing every chance you got if you could fling things about with your mind.

The ability was interesting. If I tried to push too hard when I first made it move it took way more mana and stamina, but if I lightened the gravity first then rev up the momentum after it was already in motion and then return gravity to normal to give it that extra impact when it hits. Something to practice and play with.

For now, it was time to finally sort out my new companion. Man, his face makes me want to hit him. I shook my head. As much as I didn’t want to play nice, I knew I would be a fool to waste the resource. The caster could teach me more about magic than I knew currently, which I could sum up as point and shoot.

GRUMBLE

My stomach let me know I was once again starving. Well time to break bread. “Are you hungry Gr’ex?”

“Starving. Last time I ate was taking a few bites out of one of my dead warriors before we started scouting.” Gr’ex answered.

“You ate your dead?” I asked incredulously.

“Waste not, want not. They were dead and just flesh. I needed to recharge after casting such a powerful necromancy spell and they were just lying there.”

“Well, I’m not going to unpack all that right now.” I said as I made my way to the kitchen.

“Unpack what? You already know I have nothing on me. Where do you think I have hidden something to unpack?” Gr’ex asked in confusion as he followed me.

“No, it’s a saying from my world. Don’t worry about it. Hopefully you like elk cause that’s what I’m fixing.”

“I have no idea what elk is but if it’s meat I’ll eat it. Worst case I can go make use of what is left of my two bootlickers.” Gr’ex commented.

I paused for a moment, looked at Gr’ex, and decided it just wasn’t worth the conversation. My body felt like it was put through the ringer, and I ached in places I didn’t know it was possible to ache in. My stomach growled again as I took out 10 elk steaks this time.

As I was preparing the steaks I decided to chat with my new companion. “Tell me Gr’ex, how much does a goblin usually eat?”

Gr’ex watched what I was preparing and answered. “Two of those cuts of meat should be sufficient. I could survive on one but with all the magic I flung around today my body needs the extra.”

“Explain. I thought Mana Capacity, Mana Regeneration, and the related stats were the primary factors in using magic.” I said as I tried to wrap my mind around the need for more food. ‘Maybe that’s why I’ve been so hungry lately.’

“For the most part you are correct. However, casting can still take a toll on your body and mana channels. Eating more when you tax your system helps it grow stronger, faster.”

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

“Makes sense.” I commented.

“Today I cast two higher tiered level spells that I normally cannot cast. The trip through the portal gives us a bit of a boost to our mana and magic. That and I had two single use items that helped me as an arcane focus.”

“Arcane focus?” I asked as I began to grill the elk steaks.

“Certain castings, usually more common with rituals or higher tiered spells required materials to act as a conduit for the magic. To do otherwise risks you burning out your mana channels or causing you permanent harm. Most creatures aren’t built to handle that much magic running through their bodies. That becomes truer the higher the tier you attempt. Some like my staff serve as an arcane focus for my magic to use, other materials are spent or consumed in the magical conversion process.” Gr’ex explained.

“Magical conversion process?” I inquired.

“Think of it as a catalyst that gets consumed to fuel or finish the spell. My master gave me a few mana crystals to use in case I needed to cast the more powerful magic he taught me.”

“Interesting. And you’re going to teach me all this magic and what you know?” I said as I held up a steak but waited to put it on his plate until he gave me an affirmative.

“Yes! I already agreed so stop teasing a poor starving goblin.” Gr’ex said in exasperation.

I chuckled as I put the two steaks on his plate before I started to dig into mine.

Gr’ex grabbed one of the steaks with his hands and took a big bite out of it.

“No, use the utensils.” I admonished.

“The what-now?” Gr’ex asked in confusion.

I waved the fork and knife I had in my hands and then pointed to the ones by his plate. Then I glared at him before he finally put his steak down and picked up the fork and knife.

“Fine! Waste of time. Using your hands is so much quicker.” Gr’ex complained.

“Perhaps, but it’s definitely messier, and if you ever end up around other humans, things like this matter to them.” I advised.

“Huemons are dumb.”

I stared at him.

“Present company excluded for now, but I reserve the right to change my mind.” Gr’ex replied.

“Fair enough. Speaking about other humans, I don’t think they will take very kindly to a goblin in their midst. They may shoot first and ask questions second.”

“That’s easy.” Gr’ex said as he revealed a ring on his finger. He rubbed it and a shimmering wave washed over the goblin. In the goblin’s place sat a short ugly man that looked like Gr’ex only if he was human. Somehow this made him look both uglier and ornerier.

“Minor Illusion Ring.” Gr’ex pulled out another one and set it on the counter. “I received two of them for later infiltration and spying on huemons up close. They are preprogrammed.”

Gr’ex wiggled his finger with the ring on it. “This one is specifically keyed to my mana signature and makes me look like the most handsome huemon possible.”

I tried not to say anything. ‘Hold it in. Ask him about the other ring to distract you.’ I told myself before speaking up. “What about the other one?”

“It is unbound, meaning someone has to attune to the ring so it can sync up with their mana signature like this one is to mine.” Gr’ex replied as he waved his ring around again.

“How does one attune to an item?” I asked.

“It is different for each person and each item. The easiest way to explain it would be to flow a trickle of your mana into the item and get a feel for the item’s magic type and functions. The process usually takes several hours of meditation. You can start and stop the process; you lose some momentum, but it gives you the flexibility of taking your time.” Gr’ex explained the process.

“Mind if I try it out with that one?” I pointed at the ring on the counter.

“That depends.” Gr’ex said cautiously.

“On what?” I asked.

“The magic core you absorbed, are you still ‘digesting’ it?” Gr’ex asked.

“It says phase two is still another few hours. Is that what you’re referring to?”

“Phase 2, interesting. My guess based on its size and brilliance there will be at least three phases, possibly more, for your body to fully absorb and integrate the power you consumed.”

“Good to know, but what does that have to do with the Minor Illusion Ring?”

“It’s simple. Your own core and body are in flux. You should not attempt an attunement while that is occurring. Take the time for you to assimilate what you have within you, then I will help you with the ring.” Gr’ex answered.

“Sounds good.” I answered.

“By the way, would you be willing to tell me what kind of core it was. It might help me understand what you’re going through and what to expect.” Gr’ex stated.

My hackles rose as did the hairs on the back of my neck. “No, I think I will keep that to myself for now.”

“Fair enough. By the way… this ‘Lkkk’ is rather delicious.” Gr’ex replied.

“Yes, it’s my favorite meat.” I said as I put the last piece of steak in my mouth.

“I can tell, you ate all eight of those steaks. Hopefully there is more food.” Gr’ex commented.

“Oh, there is plenty of meat in the freezer. If you’re finished, I can show you around and get you settled in one of the bedrooms.” I picked up the dishes and did a quick once over with my ability.

I was not a fan of doing the dishes, but this changes everything. Of all the abilities to get in the apocalypse, being able to stay clean is got to be one of the most useful.

“You seem rather prepared for the end of your world as you know it. Why is that? Were you granted some kind of vision?” Gr’ex asked.

“Ha, ha, ha. No nothing exactly like that. Some of us like to be prepared for worst case scenarios. A friend of mine built this place to withstand various catastrophes. I just so happened to be staying out here when the energy hit, and we all received the notification.” I chuckled in response.

“Your Luck stat must be through the roof.” Gr’ex commented.

“Hey System, is Luck stat a thing?”

Query Accepted

The simple answer is yes, and no. Luck is a stat you can display in your attributes, but it is not pure chance as most believe it to be.

“Please explain.”

The Luck stat is more accurately based on a combination of any blessings you may be receiving, your power signature, spiritual impact, and presence. Your other stats also can factor into the overall stat. Some systems grant the user the ability to increase this stat, but it does not always directly translate into tangible results. Please Note: Your system does not allow Luck stat modification. That functionality was locked out for all remaining humans on the planet as part of the consequences of their actions and spiritual decisions.

“In other words, humanity screwed up and you won’t let us un-do it artificially. It will take hard work to survive. I will say Gr’ex does seem to have a point that my luck seems to be good as of late.”

Query Accepted

One primary reason is broken down into two. First, you chose to sacrifice yourself in the hope to save others who turned away from salvation. Second, your spiritual impact, strength of will, and high imagination will naturally influence the universe around you. Please Note: This is also the beginning of the apocalypse, and many calamities await your world.

“So, in summary, I made good choices in life and those choices are helping to pay off now. Oh, and these minor benefits in the grand scheme of things pale in comparison to what humanity is left will have to face.

Correct. No more can be shared at this time related to this subject.

‘Interesting. Again, I feel like I am beginning to scratch the surface of some greater understanding. The fact that my system seems to speak to me directly is significant in and of itself. More to sort out later. Time to focus on finishing Gr’ex’s tour of the cabin.’ I thought as I was showing the little goblin around.

The tour did not take long. Gr’ex gave me many confused looks as I showed him around. I’d say the conversation about the importance of using the toilet and flushing was the most eye opening. At first the goblin did not understand why I was so adamant. His attitude quickly changed as he saw the water change into clean water.

“And you say this is not magic? You’re joking right? Do you know how strong goblin urine is? I used to send my men into the woods and make sure I wasn’t downwind. This removes that problem. Goblins do not care much about hygiene and until this day I did not think that was too important either. I just avoided the stinker of my kind.” Gr’ex commented.

“Well let’s make a point for me to never find out. Just make sure to flush and we are good. Now let me introduce you to the shower.”

“Rain on command! This ‘show-er’ is amazing as well. You huemons may have some merit. Huemons will make great slaves to build such wonders…” Gr’ex commented.

I interrupted Gr’ex as I lifted him off the ground with my Gravity Momentum Manipulation ability. “You were saying?”

“I was just saying how other huemons would make excellent slaves, of course not you, master. Ahh!” Gr’ex cried out as I elevated him higher off the ground. “Okay, okay, no huemon slaves.”

I began to lower the little goblin to the ground. “What about the dumb ones? Maybe they can be slaves?”

I just shook my head and chuckled a bit. “Ha, I make no promises. Though I doubt the dumb ones will last very long to begin with.”

Gr’ex thought about my words before speaking up. “You would be surprised master. We have many dumb goblins that grow in strength or some skill but still are more trouble than they are worth. There is a reason Gr’ex is the last one alive, use the dumb ones as fodder first.”

“Hmmm, perhaps that rings true with humans too at times. Still not agreeing to give you any slaves. Let me show you upstairs.” I said as I led Gr’ex to the next floor.

The most hilarious part of the tour was showing the little goblin the bedroom. Paul did not skimp on mattresses, they were the kind that supported your body yet were extremely comfortable, almost guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Gr’ex jumped up onto the bed.

“This is for me? So huge. Only goblin kings can hope to have a bed so large. I forgive you for your prior poor treatment of me, for the most part. Keep it up huemon. Now to try this out… Wait… soooo comfortable. Ahhhh!” The goblin sighed in contentment as he partially sunk into the bed.

It was at this point in the tour where it was like I didn’t even exist anymore. His attention fully focused on the comfort he was experiencing. I was lucky to get a hand wave and an “Uh-huh” before I heard snoring.

Leaving the bedroom, I shut the door. “Crazy little goblin.”

As I started to walk to my bedroom down the hall, I said to myself out loud, “Well at least I should be able to get some decent sleep in my comfy bed.”

Phase 2 Integration Commencing...

I barely got out the words, “You couldn’t wait until I got to my bed?!” before I fell face first into the hallway floor and passed out.