The adventures decided to shorten my name to just ‘Port’.

This was acceptable and seemed to match their shorter names in compared to my own. Kate said that my face looked like an unpainted picture, and I was unsure if that was rude or perhaps a compliment. Lore seemed intent to study me, whereas the other two seemed to accept me as I was. Manny remained a little more stand-offish, while the larger Daniel thought little of my oddities.

They taught me that there were other humanoid ancestries past human. Daniel was an orc. Manny was half on an elf, and didn’t appreciate being asked which half. My assumption was the outside parts.

Something else I hadn’t known about adventurers was they had Classes. This determined their trained abilities and what role they performed in combat. Although I had been taught positioning by Father, there was not much about fighting alongside others. I imagined I would need to be careful how and where I swung my axe, to not hit Daniel.

He was a Fighter, and had two hammers at his side. It turned out that his leathers were the more comfortable gear that he actually wore underneath dark gray plate armor. It reminded me of my own, except I was not sure what metal I was made of. 

Manny was a Ranger and used a bow. Something large and unlike those miniature ones my assailants had carried. He told me they were called crossbows - which seemed apt given how incensed they had made me. Kate was a Cleric and was able to use something called magic that came from a god. Healing and beneficial boons, although the former seemed to only work on biological targets.

Lore was uncomfortable to be around. He was also a magic user, but his did not come from a god. It was something innate and annoying. The Arcane, he called it. Talking rock was created by an Arcanist. I had shown one of my tools and he confirmed that it was enchanted by the same type of magic user. That did little to comfort me.

“Alright, we are getting close.” Daniel held up his hand and stopped us. “I’ll get you up to speed now, Port. No judgements if you take it easy, either - as long as you don’t get in the way.” He grinned in a manner I deemed to be earnest.

“You look competent,” Lore added, “but I’d hate for us to accidentally drag you into something way too much for you.”

Although his words spoke concern, I had no doubt my corpse would be a coveted possession to the young magic user. While I admired his passion for his craft, that was a something I’d need to get ahead of.

I turned my flat face toward him. “If I survive, I will grow stronger, more complex. When I die, you may have my inert shell, on the condition that you assist me reach the heights of what is possible unhindered.” Ambition could often lead humans to take darker paths to achieve what they wanted. A lesson learned from Goreblaster.

He blinked slowly as the others exchanged glances. “Are… are you sure?”

“I only speak truths.” This was a lie. I allowed it, as an act of rebellion against the forced that had wanted me to obey. “It is customary to shake, is it not?”

Lore’s hand went out, and we shook on it, sealing our fates. It was disgusting, his hand even softer than that of the orc. It was a wonder they didn’t just fall apart like… I did not have the knowledge of anything to compare them to.

“Anyway…” Daniel brought us back to the task at hand. “We’re after a gang today. Been terrorizing the local trade routes. Bunch of goblins, but they might not be alone.”

I scratched at the side plating of my head. “Are goblins evil?”

“Not all of them.” Kate adjusted her belt. “These ones just happen to be shits that the Crown want dead.”

“Or apprehended,” Manny added.

The Cleric rolled her eyes. “Going to arrest them with your arrows, are you?”

Daniel cleared his throat. “You’ve probably never heard of them before, but goblins are short, green creatures. Sharp features. They are evasive and will prefer to avoid melee to hide and pepper us with arrows if you allow them the chance.”

“I dislike that.”

Lore nodded. “Thankfully, they are pretty bad shots, and they prefer big targets like Dan.”

“That’s why I have a helmet.” The orc unclipped it from his belt and put it on. “There are some things Kate won’t be able to heal. My head becoming a pincushion is one of them.”

“How many are we expecting to kill?” I tilted my head. If I had to share the murder part, I would only get a portion of the souls - but I would still be lost in the forest without the adventurers, so I would not complain on this occasion.

“Reports say about a dozen,” Manny said as he ran his fingers down his bow. “But we always add a good twenty percent onto that.”

Three each, if we shared equally. Not enough to unlock a Minor Skill. My eagerness to gain power overrode my manners.

“May I request to be allowed to kill four goblins?” I bowed slightly, unsure of the convention. “I will owe a portion of our next kills, should our partnership continue.”

Dan tilted his head as I rose back up. “We don’t really share kills, so just do whatever you feel is comfortable and safe.”

“You’re more than welcome to kill any that glance my way,” Lore murmured.

I almost asked him to shake on that to, but the thought of his sloppy handshake actually revolted me. Rather than hold up proceedings any further, I allowed the orc to continue.

“Standard procedure is Kate and Lore will put buffs on me, and I’ll run into the throng. Manny will pick off any that get too far from me, and Lore will assist me from range while Kate keeps me healed. Assuming you’re a Fighter, Port, you can come in just after me and make my life easier.”

“I will do my best, Daniel.” To get as many souls as I can, I did not add out loud. While I had nothing but respect for the adventurers, including the annoying Lore, my purpose was to gain souls. A prime directive, as there was no alternative.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

With a nod and a couple of grumbles, we continued through the woods towards our target. What had started as a great expanse of blue overhead had now filled with rough blobs of white and gray. Clouds, I was told. They would bring rain, when the sky itself would cry to nourish the land. It sounded horrible and reminded me of Lore’s handshake. 

Still, even the sun was eventually covered by these horrid things, dimming the brightness of the day. I wondered if that was something that often drew together before conflict. It almost made me feel sorry for the goblins that they had seen their last bright day. Almost. They were evil and had souls they owed me.

Daniel stopped and raised a hand up, a signal that meant ‘halt’. He then gave the one for ‘get low’. Either there was some unknown figure we were required to prostrate ourselves before—potentially whomever was in charge of the rain—or we were enclosing on the goblins and wanted the element of surprise.

We crouched and moved forward behind him. Kate and Lore were pensive, their hands ready to cast their magic on the large orc. They clearly had a routine and knew what they were doing—I was lucky to find myself amongst such adventurers on my first day of freedom. Then, amongst some bushes, we stopped to peer over.

Goblins.

I assumed, as they fit the description. A wagon sat against a ledge in the ground, whilst a couple of rough tables and chairs littered a grubby clearing. I counted sixteen normal sized goblins, along with one large one. He looked as though someone had tried to stretch a smaller one up to the size of an orc, and failed. He had the air of authority to him, that was accompanied tangibly by a crown made of silver.

He was sitting, three goblins listening to his gruff voice while another occasionally fed him grapes. A table was closer, four goblins playing some game that involved patterned cards. Some near the wagon were arguing. Other sat by themselves, busy with gear repair or observing a trinket. All had at least a dagger on their side, and most still had bows close by if not slung over their shoulders.

Daniel turned to us, his voice low. “I’ll go for the hobgoblin. Port, keep the rest of these guys safe, okay? We’ll go once I’m buffed.”

I nodded, something swelling up inside me. Tasked to protect the weak. Keep the adventurers safe. My feet had dug into the soil behind me, every part of my construction tense and ready to burst forth.

The hands of the casters went up and a sheen of radiant yellow followed by a pulse of blue washed over the orc. His plate armor retained a highlight that shifted between the two colors. One final spell from Lore then caused a green swirl around Daniel’s boots and then he lurched forward with a grunt.

As did I.

My house never had the room for running, much less sprinting. So now, with all the ambition and capability allowed to me I burst forward. Out of the bushes at the same time as the orc, and quickly overtaking him. He angled to the right toward the leader, while I went to the nearest souls wailing out to be freed. I would need to keep the area clear for the others behind me to work.

The goblins startled, tensing up as their yellow eyes shot in our direction. But, oh! I was so fast. My long axe cut through the air in a backhanded swing as I slide across the dried dirt. Decapitaion. My first, but I didn’t have the time to savor it. My large foot kicked the table, slamming into the other three opponents trying to scrabble for weapons. 

An arrow of bright flame flew beside me, striking a goblin near the wagon through the head before exploding. Two other enemies unjured from the attack. An angered yell came from the Fighter, but I was too focused on my own role.

Axe blade came down on a goblin pinned between the table and his chair. Split skull. One of the others had shakily drawn a bow while the last scrabbled off to find a better vantage point. The arrow struck me just before I leaped atop the table, bouncing from my armor as he didn’t go for the full draw of the weapon. He turned to run, but I threw my axe at him.

Not enough to kill, but the weight of the metal end struck him and caused him to drop to the dusty floor. Down from the table, I stepped forward and grabbed the handle of my weapon. Another arrow zipped through and killed a goblin near the back. My target squirmed around in the dirt, turning over to face me as he drew a dirk from his waist.

Axe took his hand off. With both hands, I brought it down again on his head.

Three souls. So close, but I must not lose sight of my role.

I looked up to see several goblins using the wagon as cover, their bows drawn and sinister eyes glaring toward… toward Lore. These were my goblins now, their lives forfeit. My head turned to see Daniel battling the hobgoblin. Three dead goblins lie around him, another two trying to assist their boss.

Ahead of me were two injured and four behind the wagon. With the three I had killed, and two Manny had slain, that added up to sixteen. Therefore, the adventurers would be safe if I took care of these.

I launched my axe toward them as I ran. Two of them fired off a loose arrow that I was sure wouldn’t land near the three at the back. My weapon slammed into the side of the wooden vehicle and startled them. I felt even faster now and could feel Lore’s uncomfortable energy around my feet. Bounding twice the distant than I usually could, I drew a dagger into both hands and leaped at the side of the wagon.

The first goblin was unprepared, taking my left-hand dagger into the side of his neck. I stepped past him toward the second who had drawn a blade. He blocked my right hand strike, but I was much stronger and almost disarmed him. Left had already jabbed out, taking him in the eye socket. I kicked him away and took an arrow to the chest from the about to flee, his companion already two steps out of cover before Manny planted an arrow through his chest.

Too slow to run from me now, he still turned and attempted the folly. First blade went through his dirtied shirt into his right lung. Second went through left lung and heart. As he dropped to the ground, I wasted no time in circling back around the wagon. I found the two wounded goblins. Burned muscle and charred flesh, the pain had caused them to be unable to participate. I grabbed my axe and took their souls.

A whistle came from over to the side, and I turned to see Daniel walking over. He had felled his opponents, their blood decorating his weapons and armor.

“I am both impressed and appalled at how effective you are. You must be quite powerful already?”

I watched the other three come into the clearing. They seemed rather proud of me. Or at least, that’s how I read it.

“Oh, no,” I said. “I am just getting started.”

[Soul Upgrades]
[Souls: 11]
[Buy Minor Skill (Req:5)]

[Lifetime Souls: 11]
[Upgrade Available]

[Upgrade Class?]
[Yes]