"Waaah... Waaah..."
"Thud... Thud..."
"Clang... Clang..."
"Waah... Waah..."
The darkness was so oppressive, it was like a cold, heavy blanket wrapped around me. All I could hear were distant cries and loud, jarring noises. My body felt chilled, and every time I tried to open my eyes, all I could manage was a wail.
"Silence, infants," a stern, yet calm voice echoed through the room, his words like a command that demanded obedience. The voice belonged to a man, old and wise, his tone holding a gravity that seemed to fill the room.
The warmth in his voice filled the room, making it impossible not to feel a sense of comfort and security. I finally managed to let out a shaky "Ahhhh," stretching my limbs for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Ahhhh."
"I heard something," the old man's voice echoed, his words resonating with an air of authority. "The first babies must have awoken." A sudden bright light filled the room, making me squint and shield my eyes.
"Oh, we have two prospects today," he said, his voice echoing through the room. He had a long white beard that he stroked thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the room with a stern, yet protective gaze.
I glanced around, my eyes finally adjusting to the light. I saw a group of small, green humanoid creatures sleeping peacefully around me. The only one who was awake was a little green girl to my left.
"Whe- Where-" I tried to ask, my voice shaking with uncertainty.
"Enough," the old man said, his voice stern but not unkind. "You have plenty of time to learn, so do not rush. It is the nature of life to unfold gradually." He closed the door to our chamber with a soft click.
"I think he's trying to say, 'Where are we?' " the girl next to me said, her voice soft and soothing.
"Thud... Thud..."
The door opened again.
"My, oh my, looks like we have a variant on our hands," the old man said, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"A variant?" the girl to my left asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"Wait for your brethren to awaken, and I shall name all of you," the old man said, his voice firm and resolute. "Only then will you understand." With a final glance around the room, he shut the door once again, leaving us in darkness.
In the darkness, the angelic voice asks, "Do you understand what he means by 'variant'?'"
"No," I barely manage to let out.
"Ahhhh"
"Ahhhh"
One by one, the others start to wake up. The box gradually grows lighter as time passes, and I can finally see everything around me. There seems to be around 20 of us green humanoid beings. The room we're in is dimly lit, the only light coming from a small crack in the wooden walls. The floor is covered with a layer of soft, damp leaves, and the air is thick with the earthy scent of decaying foliage.
"Looks like the others have woken up," the girl with the angelic voice says, turning to another green humanoid. "Hey there, everything alright?" The other goblin shakes its head 'yes' without uttering a sound.
"Hmm, they can hear me, but they can't talk yet. I wonder why" the girl says.
I turn to another goblin and utter, "Hello."
The other goblin waves at me with a swift motion, a silent acknowledgment of my greeting.
The girl begins to speak again, her voice echoing through the dimly lit room. "Are we supposed to live in this box forever, old man?"
"Wo- Woah, do you think it's safe to speak to him like that?" I mutter, my words stumbling over each other. "He seemed pretty strict."
"I mean, he did say he would explain everything when we all wake up, and it looks like the rest of us are up," she replies, her voice steady and calm. "Also, why are you stumbling over your words so much?"
"Well, he did say you're a variant, right?" I reply, glancing around the room at my fellow goblins. "It's pretty difficult for me to form words right now, and the others here can't even talk yet."
The girl nods thoughtfully. "Hmm, I guess you're right. But how long does he plan to make us wait?"
Just as she finishes speaking, a loud "BOOM" resonates through the area we're in, and we're all thrown into a chaotic tumble, colliding with each other and trying to dodge for what seems like an eternity. Suddenly, it stops.
"MY TRIBE, MY PEOPLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MY KIN," a loud, commanding voice echoes through the room. "IS HERE ON THIS LOVELY DAY THAT WE CAN START THE NAMING CEREMONY OF OUR MOST RECENT NEXT OF KIN."
A cacophony of cheers, whoops, and applause fills the air, punctuating the old man's words.
"Calm down, calm down," the man says, his voice cutting through the noise. "This is not my spotlight, but the future of our kind. May they bring prosperity to this glorious tribe of ours. Now, without further ado, I present you THE GOBLIN OFFSPRING NUMBER 56."
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The room begins to shake with the thunderous chanting, and with a loud "WHOOSH," the door swings open, revealing sunshine and a blinding light. A green figure with a giant red mohawk and ears so pointy they look like they could kill appears through the door.
"Cmon now, time to get out here for the naming ceremony," he says, ushering us to exit.
One by one, we exit the room and step into the vast arena. The place is huge, like a dome, with green figures sitting all around us in a circle. Some are big and brawly, others are fat, and some women look so clean and flawless, the sun seems to shine off them. The people farther back in the stadium are adorned in dirt-stained clothing, as though they've just finished laboring, while those closest to us are impeccably clean, their clothes shining in the sunlight. The sun is directly above us, shining in the middle of the stage where we are located.
"Ok, one by one now," the mohawk figure says. "Line up so we can start. This is the beginning of your lives, and some might say, the most important part."
We all line up one by one until we all are in a straight line on the white marble floor, the cold stone beneath our feet a stark contrast to the warm, frenzied energy in the air. The dome, an enormous, ancient structure, echoes with the excited chatter of the crowd.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ORCS AND HOBGOBLINS, TROLLKING, AND GOOOOOOOOBLIIIIIIIINS. ARE YOU READY!!!!" The old man, a towering figure with a booming voice, enthusiastically yells, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. The dome immediately erupts into a frenzy. The stomps of the crowd create a rhythmic pulse that echoes throughout the dome. The clapping of hands and the splashes of beer being thrown in celebration create a chaotic symphony of sound.
"FIRST GOBLIN, MOVE FORWARD." The old man says, his voice cutting through the cacophony. The first goblin, a small figure barely reaching up to the old man's knees, steps forward, the white marble floor gleaming under the dome's lights.
When the goblin steps forward, the old man starts chanting. "OOGAH, CHOOGAH, BOOGOH, BAAAAAAHG. YOUR NAME IS BINGIE!!!!" A yellow glow, almost ethereal in its intensity, surrounds the goblin. The crowd gasps, their eyes wide with wonder. Then, a screen pops up for everyone to see, illuminating the goblin's attributes in bright, bold letters.
Race: Goblin
Rarity: Common
HP: 5
Strength: 1
Speed: 2
Intellect: 1
Toughness: 1
Mana: 2
The crowd erupts in cheers and screams for the newly awaited Goblin Bingie, their voices a testament to their excitement.
"IT LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST GOBLIN IS COMMON. PLEASE WALK THROUGH THE GATES AND I WILL MEET YOU AFTER." The old man states, his voice filled with satisfaction. One after one, each Goblin goes up with the chant, the glow, and then the screen that pops up into the sky for everyone to see. As I am watching this, I realize it is the girls turn, that is so called a variant.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS ONE IS A LITTLE SPECIAL YOU SEE, SHE WAS ABLE TO TALK SHORTLY AFTER BEING BORN, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT SHE WAS ALSO ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN FULL SENTENCES." THE OLD MAN SAYS ENTHUSIASTICALLY, his voice filled with pride.
Gasps and whispers erupt in the crowd as if something phenomenal just happened. Their faces, a mixture of shock and awe, reflect the magnitude of this extraordinary event.
"PLEASE STEP FORWARD YOUNG LADY." The old man says as he begins chanting. "OOGAH, CHOOGAH, BOOGOH, BAAAAAAHG. YOUR NAME IS THALASSA!!!!"
Race: Goblin
Rarity: Mythical
HP: 25
Strength: 10
Speed: 8
Intellect: 25
Toughness: 5
Mana: 30
The crowd goes wild and starts a huge yelling spree that keeps going for five minutes in total, their voices echoing off the dome's walls, creating a deafening roar of approval.
"SHE MIGHT BE THE NEXT WARLORD!!!!" someone shouts, their voice filled with awe and anticipation.
"OUR TRIBE WILL PROSPER!!!!" another person bellows, their voice echoing through the dome.
The old man's voice chimes in, "WOOOOOAAAAHHHH, I ONLY THOUGHT SHE WAS A VARIANT, BUT IT SEEMS THIS OLD MAN'S EYES MIGHT BE FALTERING. YOUNG MISS, PLEASE STEP TOWARD THE GATE, AND PLEASE WATCH YOUR STEP." He gestures towards someone standing next to the gate, and then proceeds to follow her in.
The old man continues with the ceremony until he reaches the last goblin, me.
"PLEASE STEP FORWARD YOUNG MAN, THIS ONE WAS ALSO ABLE TO SPEAK SOON AFTER BEING BORN AS WELL." The old man says, his eyes twinkling with interest.
The crowd erupts into cheers and whispers once again, their excitement palpable.
"OOGAH, CHOOGAH, BOOGOH, BAAAAAAHG. YOUR NAME IS GUTTER!!!!" The old man states.
Race: Goblin
Rarity: Flawed
HP: 10
Strength: 3
Speed: 2
Intellect: 2
Toughness: 2
Mana: 1
The crowd blasts in questions.
"A flawed Goblin, we have only had one other, and he was useless." One Orc says, his voice gruff and authoritative, his gaze fixed on the young goblin.
"Ya, his future looks bleak." A woman dressed in ornate jewelry says, her tone filled with disappointment
"THAT CONCLUDES THE NAMING CEREMONY, GUTTER, PLEASE STEP TOWARD THE GATE. TO EVERYONE THAT SHOWED UP TODAY, MAY GOOLAHG BLESS OUR BOWLS. FAREWELL UNTIL THE NEXT CEREMONY." The old man yells, and the crowd starts to disperse down multiple sets of stairs.
As I walk toward the huge metal gate with spikes on top, the two guards slowly pull it open from both sides. My comrades and other goblins that were at the naming ceremony are here talking amongst themselves.
"Hey, look it's Gutter, so what rarity did you get?" Thalassa says.
"I got flawed, I don't know if that is good or bad though. The crowd seemed to take it roughly" I reply.
As we talk and get our bearings in this new world that we have finally seen with our eyes, the old man comes up once again.
"Now that the ceremony is over, I must say this batch of goblins has been particularly bountiful," he begins, his eyes surveying the group of us. "We had one flawed goblin, twelve common goblins, five uncommon goblins, one rare goblin, and one mythical goblin. My name is Thornhart, and I can see that there are many questions on your minds, so let me start by telling you about the society you have been born into. You are goblins, part of a world where orcs, troll kin, and other races exist because we all have the potential to evolve. Evolution requires skill and meeting certain stat requirements to complete. You can view your stats at any time simply by thinking about it, and the ceremony has granted you the knowledge to understand your own body in new ways. It's important to know, however, that not everyone possesses this ability. The regular folk you saw, some covered in dirt and others dressed in finery, were born in a different manner. You goblins are our fighters, born only once every two years, and everyone has high expectations for you. The regular folk will post quests on the city's boards, which you can undertake to become stronger. The hope is that you will be able to defend our city when the time comes against rival races. You are the fifty-sixth batch of goblins, which means there have been many before you who can provide guidance and knowledge. Now, let me explain your stats and rarity. Your stats will increase as you train and engage in activities related to them. For example, if you read a book, or if you train with spells, your intellect will increase and so will your mana pool. Similarly, if you train with swords or spar with other goblins, your strength will increase, and it will also increase when you face difficult battles. So on and so forth for the other stats. There are books available at the library if you want to learn more about them. Completing quests from the quest board will also help increase your stats, and there is a book about that as well. As for your rarity, it simply represents how quickly you will progress and learn. For common goblins, it's at the normal rate of 100%, for uncommon goblins it's 120%, for rare goblins it's 150%, and for mythical goblins it's 200%. There are more categories, but those are the ones you'll be dealing with for now. As for you, Gutter, you'll learn things at a rate of 50% compared to a regular common goblin. It's important to understand that this doesn't make one goblin better than another. Hard work pays off, so if you're lazy, you'll be cast out into society at the end of the day if no one needs your help. Any questions?"