Ren layed on the stone beneath him as the pulsing light permeated his body, the vessel of his soul was reshaping and changing. An alien force had come to him from something deep below, a vast being with unknowable power. Neither did he know if it was the Eldritch God, nor if it was some great artifact long abandoned by the dead civilization he had forsaken.

He felt himself enwrapped by an odd euphoria. The euphoria masked something horrific underneath that his mind tried to forget. He tried to force himself to watch what was truly happening. He was changing.

His flesh looked the same, though some underlying party was different. His soul was grayer than before. Almost as if the light that was him had diminished. The odd new energy that allowed him to use eldritch blast was far stronger and permeated him as a fourth energy, rather than an outside force sitting in a well to be drawn up.

Ren raised himself slowly from the ground, corpses surrounded him as blood and viscera leaked their way across all surfaces. Blood and gore even dripped from the ceiling of the cavern, as arterial blood had spurted a great distance.

Sighing, he continued forward trying to get a move on before the follow-up attack by newly attracted ants.

While going towards the blocked off chamber, he checked over himself. His wounds had been sealed, his stats restored, and himself… Changed.

It disturbed him, yet what was he to do? Try and revert whatever has happened. Return to his dying state desperately trying to hold onto life? No.

Whatever has changed shall stay that way, and he will live with it.

The thing in the void, that God, or demon, wants me to live. If I go jumping off cliffs, will it save me? Or is it just a one-time thing? Every time I get into mortal danger it interferes. Power, strength, vitality, it gives me all of this, for what ends? To devour me, to turn me into its pawn, its… vessel?

He came to the blockage and his thoughts went silent, as he imparted his will into mana. The blockage shifted enough for him to crawl through, and then he released the mana and allowed the blockage to reform its natural shape. If a digger is with the soldiers and guardians, this blockage won’t hold.

Activating his tracking ability, he followed the ethereal marks of her footsteps into unending darkness.

Drops of blood, and small signs of her passing, lay throughout the cavern. It was not long until he found her.

In a small niche in a wall, the huddled form of an emaciated woman lay curled up. Her blood was dried up, covering her shirt. Ren knelt down and tried to impart his willpower to heal her. She was unconscious and didn’t respond until his will touched upon her.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

She jolted awake, “What! Who…” Her voice trailed off as she looked into Ren’s lightless eyes kneeling next to her.

“It’s alright, forgive me, I must have scared you, by forcing my mana onto you,” Ren spoke softly, yet with an icy chill remaining from the terrors prior.

“It’s alright, I just never expected you to find me. They killed everyone, those fucking monsters.” A quiet hate was within her voice, she pushed her head down into her knees, and let out slow quiet sobs.

“I killed them, all of them. I failed to come in time, it is my fault they're all dead. I could have done more, and done so sooner. I’m sorry.” Ren bowed his head.

“It’s not your fault, you didn’t kill them. It was those cursed little things with their black souls.” She looked up at him.

He raised his head looking back into her eyes. “We can still live, I tracked you here, if you can guide me the rest of the way, we can escape,” Ren spoke while looking at her bruised and bloody face.

She summoned a small green light from her mana and tried healing herself further. “I don’t have much strength, I’ve hardly rested long enough to heal my wounds. I can walk, but it will be slow going from here.” She nodded and took his hand as he helped her to her feet.

“So, while we walk, can you tell me what happened? What made all of this, and why are you all down here? This is no place for life to dwell. It’s eaten away at me, the thought of humans subjected to life down here.” Ren looked at her while she continued healing herself with the green light.

Stopping her work she looked at him and guided them through the caverns. “This place was once called Alkitar, the kingdom under Lord Alkyri. That was before he died.” She said the last part with sadness in her voice.

“Alkyri, that is what the goblins called me, they worshiped me as some God.” Ren looked at her with anxious anticipation.

“Yes, he was, or is, our God. All of us, though we were never marked upon our souls as his devotees were. We were of his kin, his family before his ascendancy, he never marked us for our own sake. One marked by another can never be their equal, but only be their subject. The direct mark of another upon one’s soul is to be theirs in body, soul, and mind.”

“You are a descendant of his family? Of his bloodline?” Ren’s brows raised.

“All humans who live in the Underdark were. The Goblins were those he marked, and so corrupted when the Ascendancy Wars had ended. It was when the Silver Goddess was risen to Godhood. It was then that she had overcome all others on the pinnacle of reaching Godhood and took on the mantle herself.”

“So, was Alkyri one of those contending for Godhood? How many were there?”

“Alkyri was the only true challenge to her. The others were all subjected by the two of them, and thus their fates were sealed. All in all, there were thirteen Gods-Candidates. Alkyri allied with six, making him the Lord of Seven, while she had only five allies, the Lord of Six. While seemingly outnumbered, truly, she had the advantage. Two of Alkyri’s allies were traitors who served the Silver Goddess. When the war came to an end, the two had betrayed him. They had intentionally lost battles and seeded lies to convince the other four to turn against him. In the end, Alkyri was pierced by seven Holy Blades. It is said that forever since, he has been sealed there within the planet's depths, encased in a starmetal coffin, bound by a chain, and pierced with the Seven Holy Blades.” She gave a small unconvincing smile as if to say everything was alright.

“A God, bound in chains, pierced by seven blades, and locked away for eternity…” Ren looked forward with a hollow gaze, knowing something was terribly wrong.