"You're going up against a water mage. The young little brat decided to anger some people he shouldn't have. Scrawny little human," the goblin guard said. He was a short creature with dark-green skin and impulsively touched the keys at his waist as if he was afraid someone might steal them. Though he looked physically tough, he had an agitated aura to him.
The goblin unchained Aurelius and pushed him forward, dagger at his back. "Don't even bother resisting."
They walked to a simply designed iron door, probably built solely for practical purposes. Aurelius sighed. There was only one way he could imagine getting out of this situation, and that was by winning.
This was going to take a while.
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He had already grown numb to the scent of booze and drugs that emanated from the crowds surrounding him. The clamoring of the people was still grating on his non-existent ears, but it had gotten better over time. He learned how to tune them out, to isolate himself in his own mind. Though calling them people is a bit of a misnomer since they were really a combination of hobgoblins, goblins, elves, and occasionally some humans. The biggest hobgoblin of them all was, of course, the one that sat on his poorly-made throne. He looked about typical for a hobgoblin, with a bulging belly and scarlet skin. The only peculiarity that stood out was his face, which was that of a model's. It stood in stark contrast to the rest of his stout body.
"Quiet!" the hobgoblin shouted. He got up off of his dingy throne, which was compiled together with the bones of dead animals.
"We will start the fight between the water mage, Kai, and a string of skeletons! How many will he defeat this time before he runs out of mana?!" he screamed. Aurelius was apparently going to be the first of Kai's opponents. The transmigrator was just here to waste the water mage's mana.
However, he had other plans.
He took a step forward, caressing the sandy floor with the metatarsal bones of his feet. He twisted his left ankle so that his foot would slightly face the left. He didn't want to telegraph his movements, a mistake that cost him dearly in several of his lives. Kai would aim for the center of his throat, though he was off with his aiming, and the icicle would lean to Aurelius's right.
Shing! The glistening icicle formed in Kai's hand, water droplets threatening to slide off. With the form of a javelin thrower, he propelled the icicle in his hand, probably using a combination of physical strength and magical power.
Aurelius ducked to his left, barely dodging the sharp water mage's weapon. It went past him with a whoosh. Kai's eyes widened, clearly startled that a mere skeleton had avoided his attack. But there was no time to dawdle. The skeleton quickly made use of the precious few seconds to run towards the young human, boasting an impeccable sprinter's form.
Kai threw icicle after icicle, each one barely missing the transmigrator. Truthfully, Aurelius was pushing himself just to keep running, the endurance of a skeleton not anything to be proud of. Finally, he was in front of the water mage. He grabbed Kai's wrist just as he was about to launch another icicle, and surprisingly decided to take the icicle!
Aurelius knew that Kai had another trump card, the thing that had killed him in his former life. If he had punched the water mage, Kai would've taken the chance to use it. An orb of concentrated water swiftly took shape in front of Kai, causing Aurelius's heart to thump in his rib cage.
This was the final make-or-break action that would decide who the victor was. Aurelius pushed himself forward with his legs, sparing no amount of energy into his last strike.
Schlick.
"Kuugh...," the water mage groaned, his heart punctured by his own icicle. Aurelius had used the water mage's own weapon to strike him, a move that would stop the water cannon that was about to form. It was a gamble, betting it all on the fragility of the magical water attack. For all he knew, it was plausible that it would continue after its caster's death.
Kai fell on the ground, the water orb dissipating on its own. Blood streamed out of the wound that Aurelius made as the skeleton panted in exhaustion.
He won.
It was a glorious feeling but made bittersweet by the fact that he had to end someone else's life. He took a panoramic glance at the crowd. It was silent now, which he supposed was his reward for winning. Some peace and quiet.
The giant hobgoblin standing above his throne had eyes bulging out of his head and a mouth wide open, though nothing came out. The creatures in the stadium were holding their bags of food and glasses of alcohol, but only the most gluttonous of them continued eating. It was an upset. Aurelius held his breath, hoping that he wouldn't be killed for winning.
"Well," a young goblin said. "That was interesting." Laughter erupted from the once-tense crowd, and applause grew to a magnificent volume. Even the giant hobgoblin was cheering, mirthfully smiling at the skeleton.
Aurelius was escorted out of the coliseum without a dagger at his back this time. The two goblins accompanying him were patting him on the shoulder and giving him their congratulations for winning. Though it was an upset, it was still damn entertaining to watch. They took him to a throne room of sorts, where an ornately designed throne was placed among a mess of animal pelts, rotting blood, and scattered bones. The throne was red in color and possessed a pattern on its surface that radiated kingliness.
"Do you like it?" a large figure came into view, and Aurelius recognized him as the handsome hobgoblin who had been overseeing the gladiatorial fights. "We stole this throne from a human city." The hobgoblin laughed heartily.
Then, an eerie glint appeared in his eyes. "Razed their buildings to the ground and set fire to their land. Made slaves of their children and slit the throats of all who protested." He took a sip from the cup in his hand and sat on the throne. "I am called Yurip, by the way, a cowardly name for a hobgoblin but inherited from my father." He sighed, and his stiff shoulders relaxed. Yurip looked at Aurelius expectantly.
"Yurip," Aurelius started. "Is it possible for you to release my companions?" He needed to know how much he could receive for defeating the water mage.
The hobgoblin stirred the crimson liquid in his cup with a finger, no doubt not a very hygienic thing to do. "Your master, the sorceress. She's gone." He made a gesture with his hand. "Flew away. Didn't come back for her skeletons, but what can you do?" He gulped down everything in his drink and shook his head in pleasure. "The two skeletons, though," he said. "That's a different story." He slapped his knee and motioned to a nearby goblin. After several minutes, Edward and Thomas were brought out in chains, heavily bruised from the tight shackles wound around their bones. Edward's leather armor was filled with holes.
They were unchained and brought forth to Aurelius. The two skeletons kneeled in front of the transmigrator, surprising him.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"We heard the news about the master," Edward said. "As skeletons, we are made to serve. If we have no master now, then it is only right that we serve our savior."
"Just don't be a fockin' arse, will ya?" Thomas said, eliciting a chuckle from Aurelius.
"You two don't have names, do you?" Aurelius asked. The two kneeling skeletons looked at each other in perplexity.
"Skeletons don't usually have names. Will you grant us one?" Edward wondered.
"You," Aurelius pointed at the leather-wearing skeleton. "Are Edward. And the other skeleton next to me is Thomas. Call me Aurelius from now on." They quickly agreed.
This was only the beginning of Aurelius's army.
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A feast was held in the throne room that night, with many varieties of food and drink to choose from. It was anything but formal, crowded with the raucous audience that lined the coliseum walls. According to the city's laws, a slave was made free if they displayed overwhelming martial might in front of improbable odds. Though this law was pliable and easily bent according to how Yurip saw fit, the hobgoblin had taken a liking to the spindly skeleton. Either way, three skeletons could be easily suppressed by any hobgoblin, such was the weakness of their fighting prowess. Hobgoblins were hard to beat in a physical match, and what they lacked in mana, they made up for in martial skill.
Aurelius and his two officially named skeletal companions were standing together, their spines leaning against the pelt-covered wall. Yurip noticed that they were isolated from the rest of the crowd and decided to make conversation with them, or at least with Aurelius.
"Aurelius!" the hobgoblin shouted towards him. "How are you doing this fine evening?"
"Yurip," the transmigrator started. "Forgive me, but I have been in a cave for a long time, and I do not know much about this world. Would you educate me?" Aurelius had been pondering whether he should ask Yurip about this, but it seemed like the best bet. Edward and Thomas did not know much about the world other than some knowledge on beasts and the like.
"Go ahead, though I cannot stay here for too long. Though I may not look it, I am the king of this fine city," Yurip laughed. "Also, I must apologize for hitting you when I first saw you with Levi. If I had known your true strength, I would have given you a warm welcome." Aurelius grimaced slightly, understanding that his leverage over the hobgoblin only held for as long his strength was displayed.
"Can you tell me about this world's countries?" Aurelius asked.
"Do you mean kingdoms?" Yurip asked, not waiting for an answer. "There are seven known kingdoms, and we are currently in the kingdom of Gris. The elven kingdom of Uru borders us, so we often mingle together. Our hostility with the elves, at least in this city, has grown fairly mellow. That's why we work with the elves on occasion, bringing them our manpower while they sell us, slaves." He took a bite of the drumstick in his hand. "There is one kingdom you should take note of. It is a kingdom of one, populated by the awakener known as Sol. There isn't an official name for the place, so it's colloquially named the Barren Lands. If you enter that place, you will surely die."
"This Sol person, you mentioned that they were an awakener. What does this word 'awakener' mean?" the transmigrator asked.
"Seriously?" the hobgoblin looked at the skeletons next to Aurelius, as if tacitly chiding them for their incompetence. "An awakener is someone who has been blessed by the gods; they are granted a divine ability that transcends most people's understanding. It isn't magic, either." Aurelius considered this for a moment, wondering if his regression ability would designate him as an awakener. Of course, he thought it best not to reveal his power to Yurip, just in case the hobgoblin had a way to suppress it.
"What power does the awakener Sol have?" he asked.
Yurip considered this for a moment, putting one meaty finger on his chiseled chin. "Nobody is quite sure about what power he has, but all we know is that he gets stronger the more he kills. It's a terrifying strength that rewards him for ending the lives of others." He shuddered. "All this talk is ruining my appetite. Allow me to excuse myself, Aurelius." The transmigrator nodded, showing a respectful attitude.
The night continued peacefully, with several other goblins coming up to Aurelius and asking him how he was able to kill Kai. He had difficulty avoiding their questions while not making it seem as if he just got lucky. Luck, he considered, was probably frowned upon in the militaristic culture that dominated goblinkin.
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Yurip gave the three of them a small hut to live in, which they promptly filled with various decorations. They decided to work as miners in a mana stone cave, a place in which Thomas and Edward felt at home. Yurip had personally come over and proclaimed that they were not to be treated as slaves but as free skeletons, a favor that Yurip told Aurelius to repay in full. Though the hobgoblin had taken a liking to the skeleton, his goodwill did have its limits. Aurelius thanked him.
The following two weeks were filled to the brim with a busy schedule of mining, selling mana stones, and returning home to receive a good rest. It turned out that the mana stone cave Edward was leading them to initially before they were captured had already been taken over by Yurip.
This evening, there was going to be a special event, apparently celebrating the collaboration between elves and goblinoids that had spread throughout the city. Edward and Thomas asked Aurelius to come with them to watch the "magic poppers" that were going to be launched throughout the city. They appeared to be this world's equivalent of fireworks.
The incandescent magic poppers fittingly popped throughout the city, causing rambunctious children to scream and shout in excitement. It was truly a beautiful sight.
One of the poppers seemed to not want to blow up, stubbornly hanging on and shining like a flare. In fact, it began to fall after reaching its highest height. Falling, falling, falling. Aurelius's eye sockets widened. Was this supposed to happen? The magic popper continued to fall, and screams were heard as it collapsed on a building and exploded.
"The elves are attacking!" someone in the crowd shouted. Clanging could be heard as weapons were drawn and blood was shed. Elves that had once been friendly towards the goblins were being slain. Aurelius couldn't tell who was the provoker in this situation but knew that he had to get out of there. He looked at Edward and Thomas.
"We will follow you wherever you go," Edward said, nodding.
They were nowhere near the city's outskirts and had to make their way through streams of goblins and elves if they wanted to get past.
"Maybe we should seek refuge in Yurip's palace," Aurelius suggested. It was undoubtedly a palace, no matter how dilapidated it was. It towered over the other buildings in the city and served as a beacon for the three at the moment.
They ran to the designated location, carefully maneuvering around the battles taking place around them. Not all goblins or elves were fighting; many opted to tremble in place or find a spot to hide in. The skeletons knew their battle strength was low and weren't altruistic enough to try and defend every individual they came across. In fact, it was hard to tell who their allies were in this chaotic situation. Dragons roared from the heavens, startling everyone on the battlefield. Those who were having scuffles decided it was a better option to run for their lives as the fire rained down from above.
Aurelius entered Yurip's palace with his two skeletal companions in tow. He trusted them and knew that their strong loyalty was probably because he had saved their former master before.
The sight was grim. Elven and goblin corpses were scattered around, showing signs of being cut down with a blade. Aurelius couldn't tell if they had killed each other or if a strong foe had appeared. Either way, he had to find Yurip. The three skeletons sprinted to Yurip's throne room, where they knew he often frequented so he could idle around and play with his concubines. They noticed that the two hobgoblin guards in front of the throne room doors had been killed, one still twitching. The smell of blood was thick. Aurelius stooped down and touched the blood on the floor, noticing that it was still warm.
They pushed open the doors and found a wounded Yurip wielding a giant great sword. In his battle armor, he was a frightening sight. In front of him stood a muscular hobgoblin with crimson red skin. In contrast to Yurip, who was breathing deeply and exhaling hard with each swing, the hobgoblin with crimson red skin was composed. He turned around slightly, not paying much attention to the hobgoblin attempting to attack him.
"Seems we have visitors," the muscular hobgoblin said, swiftly sidestepping a swing from Yurip.
"Raiden," Aurelius said.
"Ah," Raiden exclaimed. "Seems you're no longer a captured slave." He held up an open palm. "Seems like I'll have to ask you how that happened in the afterlife."
A ball of black emerged from his palm, twisting and turning like a caged beast.
"Mana ball!" Yurip shouted. "Watch out!"
It was too late. A black mass of energy thrust itself into Aurelius's skull.
"Return."
"So," Yurip proclaimed. "This is where you three will be staying." He pointed at a small hut.
"In a goddamn shack?" Thomas exclaimed.
Edward patted Thomas on the shoulder. "It's better than nothing, yeah?"
Aurelius breathed hard, touching the top of his cranium to ease the lasting pain that often carried through his regression. He looked around at the scene playing itself out in front of him. This was two weeks ago. He had two weeks this time. He curled his hand up into a ball.
He would defeat Raiden, no matter what.