Kaden woke with a gasp, the familiar chimes echoing in his mind. The world swam in front of him, and he wondered when this nightmare was going to end. He had been sick of it from the start. There was no more questioning whether this was a dream. He’d died several times, and all of it had been real.

His eyes fell upon dark screen in front of him, and his breath hitched, his phantom stomach churning.

─ Quest "Devour the Girl's Bone Essence" Complete!

─ Reward: 200 Experience Points + 1 Stat Point.

─ Experience Criteria Met!

─ Level increased from 1 to 2.

─ Species Reward: 2 Stat Points

"Oh fuck..." he muttered, the memory of what he did crashing over him like a tidal wave of revulsion. Gagging, he closed his eyes but the image of the woman he had chewed on wouldn’t go away. Her blank, accusing eyes stared back at him, silently judging him. The sickening crunch of her bones breaking between his teeth played on repeat inside his head. He could almost taste and feel the fragments stuck between his teeth.

Footsteps approached, and Kaden looked up to find four creatures staring back at him.

They were small, hideous, and completely green from head to toe, standing no taller than four feet, even when they straightened their crooked backs. Their heads resembled saggy pumpkins, with bulbous noses, wide mouths, and tiny black eyes. They wore simple tattered robes and carried crude axes made of bone and stone.

Both parties stared at each other, appearing equally shocked.

Kaden thought they looked like goblins, and he didn’t question it. They were far from the strangest thing he’d seen since arriving in this nightmare.

"Skeleton? It not supposed to be here!" one of the goblins screeched, its tiny eyes wide with panic as it flailed its arms, its hysterical screeching near incomprehensible.

Before Kaden could open his mouth, a goblin hurled a rock at him, striking him in the jaw and cracking the bone.

“Attack!” it yelled, preparing to throw again.

"Arghh, wait!" Kaden called out, wincing from the pain that shot through his jaw as he spoke.

The goblins paused, exchanging bewildered glances and scratching their heads.

"Skeleton talk? Use words!" one goblin said loudly.

Another goblin laughed and slapped its belly. "That funny! Skeleton use words!"

"Yes, I can talk!" Kaden raised his hands, showing he was unarmed and hoping to appear less threatening. “I don’t want to fight you.”

The goblins eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then their eyes widened as they giggled. "Skeleton not scary. Skeleton weak!"

"Hehe, skeleton weak!" another agreed, turning to Kaden. "Weak skeleton stay! Or we kill."

Kaden sighed, lowering his arms. Great, just what he needed—a bunch of stupid goblins giving him orders. But maybe he could turn this to his advantage. If he could befriend these creatures, perhaps he could learn something useful.

Seeing the skeleton obey them, the goblins cheered gleefully and laughed.

"Skeleton must obey goblin!" one of them shrieked, stepping closer and snarling to show off his pointy teeth. "Or skeleton die!"

Kaden raised his hands again, shaking his head. “Yes, yes, I am obeying.”

The lead goblin beckoned the others to follow, slowly stepping closer while he kept snarling and hissing at Kaden. "No move!" he yelled, grinning wickedly.

“Right.” Kaden said, staying rooted in place and keeping his hands up.

"Skeleton stay!" the lead goblin said with a chuckle, his eyes flashing dangerously before swinging his axe and cleaving off one of Kaden's arms in a single stroke.

The bony arm fell limp to the floor, and the goblins roared with laughter as Kaden screamed in pain.The attacker wasted no time, swinging his axe again and severing the other arm.

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Smiling proudly, the goblin picked up the arm, waving it around and causing it to rattle as it slapped against itself. Staggering backwards, Kaden clenched his teeth to bite back the pain, breathing heavily as he struggled to remain conscious.

"Now skeleton can't attack goblin!" the lead goblin said proudly, "Skeleton come with us!" He stashed the bony arms away and grabbed Kaden by the leg, dragging him along.

Pulled off balance, Kaden fell and struck his head against the rocky ground. He groaned, the world spinning in front of him while the goblins howled in amusement.

"Skeleton obey goblin! Goblin is master!" they chanted, jumping up and down in glee.

"This good day. We goblin have skeleton monster," the sadistic limb-cleaving lead goblin declared to the others, "Now let's leave."

"Where… are you taking.. me?" Kaden asked, slurring his words as he struggled to get the words out. His head constantly bumping against the uneven ground.

"Not tell," the goblin replied gruffly, pulling him along without care. "Now quiet!"

Another goblin punched Kaden's ribs, laughing gleefully as Kaden grunted in pain, trying to squirm away.

“Goblin powerful! Skeleton fear goblin!” the goblin said, punching again.

He felt utterly humiliated, entirely at the mercy of these tiny and stupid creatures. They pulled on him without care, laughing each time he hit something. His skull bounced along the ground, small cracks beginning to form from the repeated impacts.

As they walked, the tunnel grew darker, but the goblins navigated with ease. They took him through several long corridors and countless forks, clearly familiar with the cavern’s layout.

Maybe they had a map? Even if not, Kaden was sure they knew the way out.

The goblins whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing back at Kaden with predatory smiles, their nasty teeth glinting in the dim light.

With a massive headache pounding in his skull, Kaden was finally dragged into a vast chamber. Poorly constructed wooden shacks lined the walls, and several goblins peeked out, staring at him with curiosity and malice.

They dragged him before a fire pit in the center where most of the goblins were gathered, the flames danced in the air, filling the room with an orange glow. In front of the pit stood a wooden platform, as shoddily built as everything else.

On the platform, a fat and ugly goblin sat upon a large throne. This goblin was bigger than the others in every dimension, and was dressed in an elaborate red-and-white robe, with several tacky jewel encrusted necklaces hanging around his neck, and a pair of plate armored boots on his feet. He wore a crown atop his bald head that was much too small, and had been secured in place by a rope serving as a chin strap.

As Kaden was brought before the platform, the chamber fell silent, every pair of eyes fixed on him and his captors.

"Chief! We find talking skeleton," The lead goblin who had severed his arms announced proudly. "Now skeleton obey us!"

"Talking skeleton? Excellent!" The chief's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward in his chair, a crooked smile spreading across his face. "Bring it here."

They dragged Kaden closer, dropping him at the chief's feet. Nearby goblins snickered and started poking him with sticks.

"So you can speak? Interesting," the chief mused, leaning forward to scrutinize Kaden closely. "What is your name, skeleton?"

Kaden hesitated, he didn’t like the situation but he couldn’t do anything but go along with it.

"Kaden," he replied, straining to meet the chief's gaze from his position on the ground.

"Kaden... hm," the chief murmured, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "That sounds familiar."

"Maybe Chief hear of him before," one goblin whispered to another.

"Maybe Chief eat him before," the other replied, and both broke into giggles.

The chief silenced them with a glare. "Be quiet," he commanded. Then he turned back to Kaden. "Do you know who I am?"

Kaden shook his head, unsure what answer would satisfy the ridiculous looking goblin.

The chief laughed, slapping his knee. "I am Big Grulak the Great!" he proclaimed proudly.

His words were met with cheers from the gathered goblins, who banged their spears against the floor repeatedly, the noise echoing throughout the chamber. The chief basked in the adulation, his lips curling into an arrogant sneer. He let the cheers continue for a moment before raising his hands to silence the crowd.

"Silence," he commanded, his voice booming. "Now listen closely. Today is your lucky day. We have taken pity upon you and decided to make you our slave!" he declared grandly, gesturing dramatically with his arms.

The goblins erupted into cheers again, and Kaden was left speechless, the absurdity of the situation overwhelming him.

"Uhh, thank you. I guess," Kaden muttered, wishing he could be anywhere else.

"Good! Good!" the chief exclaimed, nodding in approval. "You are wise to understand your situation. Now, what should I do with you?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully, then pointed to Kaden's legs. "Bring me that skeleton's bones!" he ordered.

Several goblins leaped forward to carry out the order, tearing at Kaden's bones with a savage ruthlessness. The pain was unbearable.

Kaden tried to struggle, but the goblins were too strong. They held him down and tore his remaining limbs away, leaving him writhing in agony, now reduced to only his torso and skull.

"Ah, perfect!" the chief exclaimed, his lips curling into a smile as he held up one of Kaden's legs, admiring it. "I will make myself a fine bone staff out of this one."

He pointed to the other leg. "And this will make a lovely necklace. A symbol of how I, Big Grulak the Great, defeated the fearsome talking skeleton Kaden!" he declared.

Lost in agony, Kaden barely registered any of what was said. He lay there screaming, his pitiful wails drowned out by the goblins cheering for their leader.

"Now," the chief said, turning to his followers, "Take it to the slave pit. And do not let it escape!"

Escape? Just how stupid were they? Kaden didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How the fuck was he supposed to escape with no damn limbs?

"Yes, Chief!" A goblin nodded and picked up Kaden by one of his ribs, using it like a handle as he carried him off into a nearby tunnel.

As he was carried off, the goblins chanted in unison while the chief acted out the tale of how he slayed the fearsome talking skeleton.