You may raise your head. I neighed, with dignity.

"Ignore him," Flaze pushed me away lightly, but she couldn't hide the smirk on her face. "Stand up. We want to talk."

"Yes!" The hobgoblin stammered and obeyed, shooting back up. "A-About what, may I ask?"

Flaze laughed. "Relax. Then relax a bit more. We just want answers because this situation is uhhh... highly unusual."

"Right," he rubbed his head, an awkward smile. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Flaze shrugged and walked over to a couch. I followed and sat on it with my horse butt, taking up most of the space.

I saw her eyes narrow dangerously.

A joke. A joke. I neighed and sat on the floor instead, muttering something about how she's treating me differently just because I'm now a horse.

Flaze was sat now on the couch, and the hobgobber warily sat down beside her.

"First off," Flaze said with a disarming smile, her helmet taken off. "I'm Flaze. What's you're name? If you have one, of course."

"Ah. I'm Steven," He replied, looking over to the goblins just out of sight, their snarls and growls still audible, "Steven Brandison."

A name. And then a surname. I had been too busy, too frantic, and too amused earlier, so I hadn't really processed it all that well. But he is a Hobgoblin. A Hobgoblin that can talk and can be reasoned with. A Hobgoblin that can show emotions, can feel fear.

A monster, much like me. But one that had retained his ego.

Interesting...

His eyes met my own then, and he skidded away a little bit.

"Um," Steven said, "Your pet horse keeps staring at me. He's not going to... you know. Right?"

"Oh, he's going to be trying to lick his ass in a few moments."

Am not! I neighed. I'm a full person. A horse person! Tell him!

Flaze got the message and chuckled. "Jackal here, that's his name. He's a rare breed of horse that is very smart," I growled, trying to turn my neighs into a bark... for some reason, "I'm kidding. He's a person. A human. A dear friend of mine from before this all started. And he's become a horse."

That seemed to have gotten his full attention as Steven let out a surprised and hopeful gasp. He jumped from his seat and stared directly at Flaze, his face just inches away from hers.

"For real!? You can do that!?" He shouted, frantic, his every breath near visible as they cascaded off Flaze's expression that was about to crumble into a hideous grimace.

I laughed and she gave me a stern look, pushing the hobgoblin away.

"Yes Steven. It can be done." She answered, the words squeezed out of her teeth, "Rather, is that not what happened to you...?"

Seteven looked down at himself and chuckled. "Oh. No. I... Well maybe. You said he become a horse, but didn't... Jackal here, pick a class that turned him into a horse?"

The both of them looked at me and I shook my head.

Steven was confused. Flaze interjected. "Jackal, you became a horse just like how some people became monster, right?"

I thought about it for a second before nodding.

"I see..." Steven trailed off, a sparkle in his eyes. "I see! Yes!"

He began cheering and celebrating before Flaze pulled him down and sat him back on the couch.

"Steven." She spoke his name. "Focus."

I saw him straighten. "O-okay!"

"Right. So... Your circumstances differ from his?" she pointed at me.

Steven nodded. "Yeah. I... I was a human. And then this... whole thing happened. But I was still originally a human even after the whole Systemization happened, however my family had become something quite different..."

It poured out of him after that. The information we were looking for. The knowledge gleamed from a unique situation.

And we also allowed him some much needed emotional release. We provided a listening ear, and some reassuring words. He was crying midway through.

Good for him.

~~~

Steven Brandison. He was but a twelve year old kid when this all happened, despite the appearance he now gave. Contrary to my initial impressions, he was not forcibly monsterized and then retained his ego, just like I experienced. We were not the same.

Instead he was human, in a world of goblins. A room full of them, and more in the wider world.

He had a pounding headache because of his first introduction to mana, but Steven still saw it, heard it, perceived it. The screams of his mother and father, his siblings, both older and younger. They turned into monsters of green and warts, humanoid but uglier than beasts. And then their minds were shattered, by their new existence. The death of the ego.

Well, they didn't know about Ego Death because perhaps everyone else who's ever received the prompt ceased to be.

I can't speak, so it's hard to tell them exact terms, the full accurate picture of my story. Not that I cared enough to share it with Steven.

But, well, not like I'll lose anything either.

E G O D E A T H

I wrote on the ground, by singeing the tiled floor with a tiny fireball.

Why didn't I think of this before?

Not as metal. Of course.

Steven's eyes grew wide, and he looked at me. I nodded, my hoof pointed at his family.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Ego death... so that's what it was..."

Steven continued his story afer some further questions for myself that I had no answers for.

He spoke of when he saw his family all turn into goblins, the despair that he felt. He ran away and hid as they were still getting their bearings straight.

An interesting thing that he mentioned once prodded was that their levels started out at 1 through 3, not very strong yet. Flaze pressed the subject, and found that they had hardly went out to fight and kill since then, and yet their levels now hover between 15 and 25. They gained levels just by existing, something Flaze was sure did not happen to Ralph's crew back at Castle La Umbra.

"I was so scared then of what was happening. Goblins. Actual goblins in the house. And I knew them to be my family. I saw them change. They tried to attack me."

"They love me. They would never do me harm."

Steven deeply considered his options, his mind scattered into uncomprehending pieces. He cowered in a corner, accidentally bringing up his Status Screen. He read through his previous notifications and tried to piece together what has happened, eventually arriving in his evolution options wherein he saw a hobgoblin among his choices.

An interesting choice of Class, I found, when he explained its functions and why he picked it.

A hobgoblin is a leader of goblins, and thus is magically magnetic towards other goblins. Flaze pressed him for more details, and we found that it was possible for previous evolution options and descriptions to be brought up from one's Status Menu.

___________

Enduring Hobgoblin

An Enduring Hobgoblin is a goblin that will do anything for the horde, for the family. They will face the enemies of the tribe, always the first to act once the fighting begins, and the first one to get stabbed. This class will allow you to not die from that first stab, and keep on fighting, even at the cost of your life. A great role model for all the goblins that follow you.

Hobgoblins are natural leaders of the goblin monsters. Goblins and other adjacent monsters inherently magnetized towards such specimen, a directive born of magic. It becomes possible to earn their subordination through various means. Typically by besting them combat.

___________

He shared with us the full details of his selected Class, and I peeked through my own Status to confirm that previous evolution options could indeed be viewed again.

I smiled when I saw Steven was telling the truth. I would've loved to note down his Class details, but as much as I love my hooves for running and kicking and just overall killing, they are far from dexterous enough to allow for literature.

A shame. Becoming a horse has opened my eyes, to brand new ideas. But that knowledge, and wisdom, that I gleamed, will be scarcely passed on.

I also saw another thing when I was poking around in my interface.

_________

Monsters

Monsters, as defined in terms of Magic, are those beings that have suffered Ego Death. They act only in accordance to their Magical nature.

_________

That was interesting. I've undergone Monsterization, but does that mean I do not count as a monster? What about cases like Steven, Class Options that allow one to take the form of a creature normally associated with monsters?

Steven, at first, experienced quick growth just for trying out his powers. His level had already risen to four by the time he mustered up the courage to challenge the goblins that were once his family. However, that was in relation to his actions, and his "free" levels like that stopped coming far earlier for him than what we would consider monsters, like the goblins that he yet considers his family.

Flaze and I too had a similar experience. Well, minus the whole family-turning-into-goblins part. Although hey, that might still be that case--And that's where this train of thought should come to a halt.

I neighed then, suddenly coming up with an idea. Flaze looked at me, and saw that I was pointing at the thick bloody spear on Steven's back.

"Ah, this," he took it out, "it was a generated along with the Class Selection. I came to, and I just had it in my hand."

[Weapon - Ordinary]

It works with Identify. I'm pretty sure this means the object is Magical in nature. I would know because I've recently taken to trying to identify every piece of rubble, every pile of useless cutlery we come across. And none of them have been secretly a material the entire time like the monster remains have been.

Steven also grabbed a shield he had rested against the couch. It was partially burned. Who did that? "This too, came with the class."

[Shield - Ordinary]

He used those weapons to subjugate the first of the goblins, one he managed to find alone without allies. And then he challenged the rest of his family, trying to separate them first into groups. Thankfully, this apartment was decently big, and they also owned the adjacent one.

He was level 8 by the time he finished cajoling the goblins. And that's without ever killing anything.

We talked more about the topic of monsters and level, wherein Flaze noted that the level of the monsters she faced during the beginning also seemed to get stronger and stronger each day, and I think I noticed the same thing. It's hard to tell because I was out of commission for the very beginning of the apocalypse, but I do think it's true.

So when does it end? Do the monsters just keep on getting stronger and stronger without ever stopping? Must we keep on killing and killing, until we too are killed?

Not that I mind too much, but I'd prefer to get stronger at my own phase. Not work on a timer. A constant competition against the monsters, for our very survival.

I tried to tell Flaze and Steven about my own thoughts and discoveries, but I just neighed and neighed until they both started laughing.

Rude.

Can't even understand horse speak. Pathetic.

~~~

"Mom. Can you please light this on fire?" Steven asked a level 23 mage, one of his goblins.

His mom snarled at him, and the monster tried to set him ablaze instead of the pile of wood he'd gathered.

"Stop!" Steven commanded, his voice stern. But also sad.

He'd tried to get information out of me earlier, on how to retain one's mind as a monster. Someone that had undergone Monsterization, much like his goblins, as opposed to himself who'd only chose and associated Class.

Unfortunately, even if I could speak, I've no idea how I did it. I think it's just one of those things. A coincidence, something that happened by chance, or perhaps an unknowable phenomenon, like magic.

It's just like how Flaze was on the other end of the extreme, getting but a mild headache, instead of the harrowing, head-splitting experience that Systemization was supposed to be. Does that make her special? Well, she is special in a lot of ways. But I've seen, specially now in the apocalypse, that she is yet human. Normal.

I don't know if there's a way to turn Steven's family back.

I don't know if there's a way to turn anyone back.

I decided to set up the campfire for him, and he cooked us some orc meat that he had kept in the fridge. The refrigerator doesn't work anymore, of course, but it's still a good place to keep food I guess.

Steven invited us for dinner, and we had no reason to refuse. The goblins ate in a way wilder than wild animals, spitting half of the food that enters their mouth. I don't think they even care if it's cooked or not, but Steven wished to feed them proper human food regardless.

I made a point to eat on the table with the rest of them, and not on some bowl on the floor, like an actual animal. Even the goblins are here, it'd be doubly dehumanizing.

Steven tried to invite us to stay the night, but we decided it'd be best for us to stay in some other room instead.

We also told him of the corpses left in our bloody wake. Maybe his goblin family would need the food, to get past this goblin hard times.

Flaze had tried to offer even more of our help to him and his kin, but I cut her off with a shrill neigh. We can't delay ourselves for others if we wish to make certain of the safety of our own friends.

She sighed, but held her tongue.

Had we been in a more comfortable position, I would have been more than willing to help her out with her exploits.

Alas...

We picked a room far away from Steven's, and made sure to be extra wary during watch.

_______________

Name: Jackal Dolmer

Level: 43

______________

(Unassigned MANA: 0)

Vitality: 80

Strength: 80

Magic: 110

Agility: 110

Intelligence: 50

_____________

Class:

[Thy Blessed Pony]

[Hell Baby]

Skills:

[Foal Blessing] (Level 1 / Integration 45%)

[Hellborne] (Level 1 / Integration 55%)

[Hellish Fireball] (Level 1 / Integration 99%)

[Trailblazer] (Level 1 / Integration 50%)

[Blessed Heal] (Level 1 / Integration 82%)

[Longstrider] (Level 1 / Integration 84%)

[Horsekick Gambit] (Level 1 / Integration 100%)

_____________