How does one choose a new name?
Do you try them out like clothes, to see what feels right?
Do you make something up off the top of your head?
The thought spun through the mind of the girl who had, until a few days ago, been a level 4 goblin. She was not anymore. She was… different. Stronger? Well, yes, she was stronger now. She’d been very weak when she first woke up, though. She neve knew it was possible to lose levels! A vague instinct whispered that she could easily become much, much stronger, that she only needed to take what was hers from -
She pushed it away. It wasn’t like she planned on staying weak forever, but rushing into danger was pointless. She didn’t need that power yet. Though she’d been in the process of reviving when her former leader had fought the humans, she still knew what had happened. He was a talented goblin, but arrogant, and just like her transformation had deepened her resolve, his had made him go mad with power.
Aimless strength was like poison, and so she would wait, learn how her abilities worked, and come up with a plan. She’d already hunted enough rabbits and wolves to return to her former level. Rather than waste her time hunting more prey when she wasn’t hungry, she had watched as their corpses went through the same strange transformation she herself had undergone.
First, color faded from their flesh. Vibrant green, earthy brown, and even pitch black… all of it slowly transitioned to a pale grayish white. Then, their eyes changed. A madness gleamed within them as brilliant, pale blue flames overwhelmed the gleaming orbs, leaving them glowing pools of icy blue light. This was followed by a sudden mending of the injuries that had killed the creatures, and typically a swift departure.
Typically. But there was an exception. A small level 1 bunny, whose fur had been white from the start, had stayed behind. At first, she’d suspected the little monster wanted revenge for the way she had ended its first life, but it had simply hopped up to her, its azure eyes full of curiosity. Even now, it rested in her lap, twitching in its sleep from time to time. She gently stroked the tiny Demon’s soft fur as she contemplated her next move.
She needed a goal, a name, and a plan.
The goal was probably the easiest part - revenge. The humans may not have landed the final blow on her, but they had wiped out her squad and backed her into a corner. She would repay the favor.
The name though… that had her stumped. Goblins liked to keep their names short and easy to pronounce, and while she wasn’t technically a proper goblin anymore, she respected her roots. Names with fewer syllables just felt better.
After 3 days of sitting and thinking, she had managed to name the rabbit. Rob seemed to fit the little guy perfectly, and he had hopped excitedly when she’d suggested it, spinning in the air and twitching his nose to demonstrate his enthusiasm. At least, she thought that was what he was saying. He couldn’t talk the same way she could, though she suspected he’d be able to speak one day if he grew stronger. She decided she would help him hunt soon.
Her own name was proving more difficult to figure out than his, though. Short was the way to go, but if this was to be her second life, it should be MORE than the first. She needed a second sound - That much she was sure of - but goblins almost never used a second syllable in their names.Their naming conventions were based around safety and convenience more than any attachment to tradition, and monosyllabic names allowed them to quickly warn individuals of approaching danger. Only the chief ever had a name longer than a single breath, and even then it was usually just a normal goblin name with the word ‘Chief’ in front of it.
How frustrating.
After careful consideration, she came to a conclusion. She’d been doing this backwards! She needed to go find humans first. Her goal wasn’t going to be simple revenge, destroying humans for the sake of destroying them, oh no! She wanted to take what was theirs, just as they had always taken from goblins! She wanted their homes, their treasure, their levels… and their names.
In fact, she knew exactly which humans she wanted to start with. But for that, she’d need to get a bit stronger. The strange, echoing voice ringing through her head stirred at the thought, along with a monstrous hunger.
Finally… it was time to act.
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The first thought Ether had upon reaching the dungeon was that it had certainly seen better days. The Forgotten Temple, as their menus called it, might once have been a magnificent sight, but now, it lay in disarray. A small stone pathway, weathered and cracked by age, led directly to the massive stone doors that marked the entrance to the dungeon proper. Shattered pillars lay in pieces around those doors, and rubble was strewn across the caldera, clear signs that there had once been other buildings here.
Something about the wreckage made Ether pause. The air seemed heavy here, and something about the rubble nagged at him. The subtle sense of wrongness irked him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being not only watched, but judged.
“Something about seeing ruins without any background music is kinda creepy,” Perseus observed. “But I guess if your environments can build tension without needing a soundtrack, that’s a point in your favor as a dev, huh?”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Ether and Shar nodded absent mindedly in perfect unison, each of them too distracted to give a proper response as they slowly approached the sealed stone doors.
“So is this riddle written somewhere?” Shar asked.
“Actually last time it -” Perseus began, only to be cut off by a rumbling voice.
I raised you to heights of which you’d never dreamed
Beautiful, terrible, not as I seemed
Now struggle against me, you cannot escape
Be you God or Mortal, pathetic or great
I’ve brought you to ruin, burnt you to ash
Even so we both know you’ll mourn when I pass
For without me your lives are listless and gray
I am all you’ll remember of your fondest days.
What am I?
Perseus froze, frowning as a system message mimicked the rumbling voice. “That’s not the riddle it used last time,” he muttered. “Ether?”
“That’s a tricky one,” Ether mused aloud.
“I don’t suppose you have a guess?” Shar asked quietly. “I don’t want to stay here. I want out now.” The tension in her voice made the other two turn towards her, but they immediately wished they hadn’t.
Rows of what must’ve once been great statues stood on either side of the ancient path, but the majority of the pale stone pedestals lay empty - some even reduced to rubble. Of the dozens of pedestals that stood there, a mere four held intact statues, each of which looked almost pristine - an oddity amongst the worn and weathered ruins, and part of the reason that the [Adventurer] had felt that something was off about this place.
The rest of that reason might’ve had something to do with the fact that those 4 statues, which had previously faced the entrance to the caldera, were now staring directly at the party.
And were now blocking the path back instead of standing on their pedestals.
“Nope.” Perseus whispered tersely, his eyes going wide. “No. Nuh-uh. Nyet. Absolutely not.”
Ether kept a cool head, putting one hand on his glaive. “Did you see them move?” he asked calmly, narrowing his eyes as he stared down the menacing statues.
“No,” the [Battle Chef] replied nervously as she drew her knife and backed up towards the door. “I just glanced behind us and noticed they were looking our way.”
“Fucking Weeping Angel bullshit,” Perseus said shakily as he drew his enchanted blades.
“I’m gonna go ahead and guess that this is also new?” Ether said dryly.
“No shit!” the [Rogue] hissed. “I would never have said to come here if I knew they added this!”
Ether had guessed as much.He knew just how poorly his friend dealt with any version of what he bitterly referred to as ‘jumpscare statues.’
“At least these ones aren’t mannequins,” he offered cheerfully.
“Shut up.”
“I mean, that one has a lion head and goat legs. Not exactly human-like.”
“I will punch you in and out of game if you don’t stop talking.”
“That’s fair.”
“I don’t suppose our new friends here are gonna just give up and leave if we solve the riddle?” Shar asked nervously.
“I somehow doubt these things are related to the riddle at all,” the party leader responded grimly with a shake of his head. He glanced at his friends, an idea slowly taking shape.
“Perseus,” he hissed. “Get behind them!”
“That wont help much right now,” the pale man shot back tersely.
“Wanna bet?”
Perseus froze. “You aren’t suggesting -”
“I am.”
The [Rogue] swallowed hard. “If they turn around in the middle of this, I will cover every square inch of your home in glitter,” he warned his longtime friend. Ether simply grinned. If he was making threats, it meant he’d already decided to go through with it.
“Anything you’d like to share with those of us that aren’t psychic?” Shar asked dryly.
“Only because you asked nicely,” Ether replied glibly as Perseus took off, racing towards the Gargoyles. “They haven’t been moving while we look at them so far, and [Rogues] do more damage when nobody can see them. So if the two of us keep staring at them while our resident ninja wannabe goes for a walk…”
The thin, leather clad man flickered, then vanished, reappearing directly behind one of the gargoyles.A sharp sound rang out as enchanted steel met living stone, and cracks tore through the stone beast, which roared in pain as it crumbled to dust.
“We can’t possibly lose!” Ether finished with a confident smirk..
Then the other 3 gargoyles roared.
“WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!” Perseus screamed. And as a lion-headed gargoyle picked up the nearest pedestal and hurled it at him, Ether couldn’t help but feel like his friend might have a point this time.
The [Adventurer] went pale as the three remaining gargoyles tried to rip Perseus appart, proving to be far faster than their size would suggest. He quickly used [Identify], hoping desperately for some useful information.
Terror Gargoyle Level 9 x4
Gargoyles have a rock-like skin, which makes them incredibly difficult to destroy.
They are unable to move without using magic to soften their stone forms.
They like to move while nobody is watching, closing the distance between them and their target silently so as to frighten their prey before attacking.
They are absolutely able to move while being watched, though
Doesn't take a genius to figure out how useless a predator who can't move half the time would be.
“Well, fuck.” Ether said softly just before the second thrown pedestal slammed into him.