Chapter 6: Goblins

I can't help the solemn smile that crawls onto my face.

Today, as always, I sat by the rocks that prevented me from seeing the sun once more. I learnt to tell the time outside by listening to the sounds the critters around me made. It's always night-time when they're excitable.

Yesterday I took out a slew of rats. Yesterday I was happy. With Animate Animal I managed to kill about thirteen other rats and recover my mana regen as well as lose growling in my stomach. It was such a good day I even had the patience to start a fire; Turns out I just needed to dry the sticks.

But today, I wore a sad boy smile because it took me all of thirty seconds of waking up from my full belly slumber to realize I have no water source.

I knew I was missing something with my roasted rodent. Who would've thought it'd be water?

"Someone or something must really want me dead." I grumble to no one, or perhaps to my litter of rat corpses and cleaned sticks of food.

I kept two rat corpses to hunt for more of their kind, the fire didn't burn off all of the juiciness so I kind of considered them a food and water source now. Despite the mountain of hopelessness I felt, there was some good news though.

[Animate Animal Successful]

Necromancy Proficiency +0.5

Animate Animal Proficiency +0.2%

I was a quick study with my new favourite spell, I let my smile spill into a grin as I puppeteer the rat into a ballet performance. I had hope that before I died of dehydration, I'd get to see Anselm's skeleton do the same thing.

I had yet to summon the squire's spirit again, even on a full stomach I wasn't feeling all too forgiving. But I'd started muttering to myself, out loud, while staring at a wall. So, I was considering entertaining some company, although that wasn't my only reason for wanting to summon him.

I got up to my feet with my puppet and walk out to the Bear's pit. After the many scenes of cannibalism that took place, the rats weren't keen on hanging around there anymore so there aren't any scuttering as I walked through, heading for the single pathway I'd yet to scour through for food, water and an exit.

The day the Bear died I hadn't bothered with its corpse past kicking it pack down the pit, instead I'd thrown myself into searching for food in the pathways accessible in the cave. All I came across that day were rats, critters and moss.

However, I wasn't nearly done with my search. Even though a pattern of these expeditions deep within the cave was forming- rats, critters and moss- I couldn't afford to give up just yet. This magic thing was starting to get exciting.

"Animate Animal." I mutter, reattaching the tethers that sprung from my fingers to the rat. My favourite spell yet only lasted a minute, I couldn't complain though, in my expert opinion on necromantic spells it could rival Soul Drain, perhaps not in power but in usefulness. There was a reason I kept casting it even when I wasn't hunting.

With a thought I summon the blue box describing the spells function and grin with anticipation.

[Animate Animal]

Upon successful cast, user gains control over an animal corpse.

At sufficient proficiency user gains control over the senses of the animal, each sense unlocked at certain levels of proficiency.

[At a 100% proficiency, user unlocks a special skill.]

With a full stomach I can quickly tell that the first proficiency requirement for the first sense-sight- would be at 20%. Right now, I'd managed to accumulate up to 2%.

I come to a stop in front of a boulder. It's large, heavy and near immovable, but the little hole at the bottom and the ever-present growling, munching and grunting coming from the other side told me otherwise. The boulder could and has been moved. It even has a circular shape to it, perfect for rolling aside.

Of course, I'm not strong or powerful enough to move the boulder aside by myself. The last time I tried to do so, something came over and barked at me, effectively scaring my previously hungry self-off. But now, I come with a full stomach, a plan and a curious mind.

My intent was to have my little puppets sneak through the little opening at the bottom of the boulder and be my eyes on the other side alas I was running out of time; dehydration would be upon me quicker than I could raise my proficiency.

When I discovered that I'd been missing water all along, I also rediscovered that life was dependent on water. There were rats, critters, a lot of moss and once upon a time, a whole Bear. So where did these things get water?

My Hail Mary was behind this boulder. A lot of things didn't make any sense about it; Most prevalently, why was the Bear so far away from its only source of water? I couldn't answer that question, not yet at least but it was the last stone I'd yet to upturn to get to my salvation.

"Sense Death."

And I'd sell a soul if I had to.

"Summon Spirit."

As always, Anselm haunted me. So, I didn't have to go looking for him now that I was ready to entertain his company.

He sports the widest smile on his face as his feet gently touch ground and just like the first time I summoned him, he was in awe with his physical body.

"Thank you so much for this second chance, Great Asher!" just like last time he fell to his knees and starts kissing my robes.

"Enough!" I yell, admittedly incensed by his very face. Dude almost had me killed. "We've got work to do."

"Again?" he moaned

"What do you mean again? We'll have work to do whenever I deign to spend my valuable mana to summon you." I wasn't about to have a repetition of last time so I make things clearer and higher staked this time. "The previous deal is off."

"Wh-What?"

"A second chance at life is not something I'm willing to hand out so freely, Anselm, not after you almost got me killed."

His chubby face made the look he gives me a lot more pitiful than his usual garb. "So, what now? What do I have to do to get a second chance?"

"You must please me." I say, thinking myself a monarch to be served.

"Ah jeez. I really don't want to do that. Anything but that."

"What? Wait no! That's not what I meant!" I wave my hands frantically, as he just began turning away. "I meant you just have to do exactly what I say and help me out however you can. You're a squire, right?"

"Yeah?" he mutters, still regarding me with suspicion.

"Well think of me like your Knight, or better yet your King. You must work valiantly in my service to convince me of your worth."

He sighs and mutters something under his breath about already being dead and nods, "Fine, I'll serve you to the best of my ability, Master Asher. I will prove my worth at a second life to you in my servitude."

Perfect!

"Now then, my second task for you. Scout the area behind this boulder." I slap my palm against the boulder for emphasis, "And report to me. Don't mess it up this time, I don't give third chances at second chances."

He gives me a curt nod and takes a deep breath, his body begins to turn transparent again, slowly, starting from his feet then rushing all the way to the top as he begins to float.

As he begins hovering to the boulder alarm bells start going off in my head and for some reason, I felt mildly anxious that the spell was about to end.

As though on cue the spell ends in a flash.

Its end is so abrupt and early that Sense Death is still active. "The hell?"

Wait. The same thing happened with the Bear. When Anselm had it possessed, he was suddenly kicked out because the spell ended, it ended early then too. And now there was this ringing like an alarm going off in my head warning me that the spell would end soon, and it did.

"Summon Spirit." I mutter, stabbing Anselm with a shot of green mana.

"I think the special ghost abilities draw on my mana…" I say out loud. Causing Anselm's waiting demeanour to change into a confused and curious one.

"Wait, you mean you don't know?" he asks. I didn't like the accusing tone his voice

"Of course, I do. Shut up and get back to work." I shoo him away and focus on the quiet humming in the background of everything as he walked through the wall.

It seemed I didn't only get alerts via the blue box. Then that would mean my near-death experience wasn't entirely Anselm's fault, it alert came in as a budding wave of anxiety and is gone once the Spell ends. With a Bear towering over me I doubt I would have noticed another wave of anxiety.

It's a shitty alert system. Who built this thing?

I spend a few more minutes again before the wave comes over me, alerting me that the Spell had ended and Anselm was no longer physical or under the influence of my mana. I spend a few more again before I feel like I'm being watched.

"Sense Death." Mana flows into my eyes and I'm greeted by an anxious, scared looking Anselm. "Summon Spirit. What's wrong Anselm? What did you see?" I waste no time interrogating him.

"Monsters! Short, large, thin little green monsters!"

Monsters? Green monsters. I couldn't help but imagine little green, oval-headed space aliens.

"Did you see water?"

"Yes, a water fall. Fresh water too."

Forget the space aliens. I had to get my lips wet with some water. "Is there no way to push open the boulder from the other side?"

His eyes widen as he nods, "Two giant, mean green monsters stand guard just right beside it. They look like they push it open."

Guards? These monsters were civilized.

"Do they have weapons?"

Again, he nods. "Spikes, spears, and clubs."

The picture was getting clearer and a lot more familiar. Instead of green space aliens now I saw something I was certain I didn't want to meet; Goblins.