The Game: Aether and Mind

I stood petrified with hands frozen in place as I eyed the world, melting into that of the void in which all colors, all forms, and senses were consumed into a quagmire of time and space. I gulped as the sensation of my head growing light became more apparent the closer I came to the bottom of this abyss. Unfortunately, before my mind was even able to come up with an idea to reach higher ground, my body was forced down a peg, mayhaps two, as the balance of my form shifted forward. My eyes were forced to stare into the dark, endless pit, while my limbs were glued tight onto the physics-defying elevator platform, craving to propel me towards my meeting with the underworld.

I took deep breaths in the hope of retaining consciousness, using any thought to keep me active while staring at my feeble hooves. It was true, my humanoid body was morphed to resemble that of my mortal shell, only leaving me with angry thoughts and an ever-growing worry that the Game, haha, was rigged from the start in somebody else's favor.

My remaining air was pushed out of my lungs all of a sudden, the moment my hooves reached the ground, the actual fall damage, if it can even be called that given that I received no real notification of my health dropping was the lesser evil compared to the sudden sensation that invaded my body.

My left, front hoof surged to my muzzle as the fetid, musky air attempted to overtake and destroy my tongue and nostrils. 'F-fuck, oh, goodness, crap-what is this smell?' I cursed in my mind while coughing silently, memories of me eating food out of the trash can in my old life could not compare to the inhuman reek this place bore. My overly large eyes stopped tearing up for a moment.

"Right, dungeon." I forcefully removed the hoof from my visage, despite my body's apparent refusal, and attempted to get used to the stench. It was not very effective. It didn't matter. I slowly ripped my eyes away from my hooves to see the world surrounding me; however, not much could satisfy my hunger for knowledge other than a few crumbles. At least, if one considered pebbles, rocks, and boulders as crumbles. The dungeon appeared to be a cave, not unusually large. Still, one should not suffer claustrophobia either, with various Stalactites and stalagmites decorating this hole in the ground, only a far off source of illumination, flickering vividly where a collection of multiple voices resided. A shiver traveled across my spine, the laughably badly illuminated cave system bore temperatures that would likely, in time, kill me if it's residents would not do so earlier.

I shook my head and took a deep breath in hopes of calming my heart beating firmly in my chest, however, it did little to ease the scribbling sensation in my stomach or the bottomless pit that hoped to swallow me whole. "E-Everything's alright, just gonna slay some monsters." I mumbled to myself. After the thought of the dungeon came to my mind, the purpose was not far off, and more importantly, what task I had to fulfill, but it left my quivering at the mere thought of killing, rivaled only by the idea that I was not able to do anything. Forcing myself to stand up, I unintentionally turned around, however this attempt to ~~flee~~ relocate was denied by a smooth stone wall on which a strange symbol resided: A goat's skull with six eyeholes and horns.

Attempting to leave a dungeon before completion will result in it becoming unavailable for about 170 hours.
Are you sure you wish to leave the dungeon?
Yes/No

"Eh-ehm, no?" I sputtered nervously, leaving me with the textbox blocking my vision just a moment longer, before disappearing as if it was judging me for just a second if my answer was ultimate or not. I gulped yet again; in this humid, cold cave, I could not even shift the blame onto nature's work.

You seem to be stressed.

"Ahh!-that's nothing, pal!" I screamed, before morphing it pitifully into a lie, which was pushed through my teeth with a shivering smile. "I just, well how can I say it, have never killed anything other than a few insects and bugs before, ya know?" A confession any other sane person would find honorable, or at least, at times more heartfelt, a standard.

I see... The Game asked suspiciously. I am not a coward, but neither do I have any kind of chivalry, I just never did anything... final. While I do wish to feel sympathy with you, which I can't due to my restriction based around emotions towards the nightmare spawn, I do encourage you to remember two things. If you don't kill them, they will kill someone eventually, like, for example, entity Amber, who, coming to my second point, you'll never reach without completing this task.

I felt a deep pressure forcing me to stay silent as if dared to burst were I to utter a sentence worth of letters. "Fuck you..." I mumbled, before throwing my head into a grid of items, my inventory, pulling out my knife stuck between my gritted teeth. "phuk ephrihing." I muttered under my breath while silently daring my path forwards. I pushed down my personal care for both my mind and soul, hoping that I could at least swallow it long enough to not break down amidst the task. My newfound bravery lasted as long as the burning flame of anger did in my chest, residing next to my heart. However, this fire grew dimmer with each clip and clack drawing nearer towards the amassment of horrors.

"Hugh?"

"Kragh!"

My eyes widened as I rushed towards the nearest boulder, heart hammering with stress daring to shatter ribs and life as the sudden action caused a burning sensation in my throat and legs. Pressing my back against the natural defense, bidding my growing and shrinking body behind it in hopes to be left unfound and unheard, I shivered in a horrific concoction of dread, fear, and adrenaline.

A mighty slap caused me to jerk violently, almost setting me off into a gallop, however, I was not on the receiving end of this treatment. I gulped silently, achieving little in drenching my parched throat in saliva, as the complaining from the other side grew louder, bordering a yearning, before peeking my head just slightly over the boulder, a decision I regretted immediately.

Ten goblins stood over there in the broad intersection of the cave, six of them armed, and fearsome looks adorning their otherwise meek looking forms. In terms of size, these beasts were slightly larger than me, but only by a few inches, less so if my horn was put into consideration. Their green bodies appeared to be malnourished, like starving children. However, their overly large heads and bloated stomachs spoke against this theory, as did the little muscle mass that allowed them to carry weapons that would better fit into a human's hands. Their heads were bald, pupils that of a goat and teeth yellow and rotting did little to take away even a slither of worry as I eyed them like a world terror.

I flinched as the next slap was delivered.

While six warriors stood guard, there were four more of the vermin-like race, much less prominent members of their forsaken race, smaller, weaker, slower, too slow for the more significant members to the point they used more physical means of encouragement to speed up the process of their work. Mining. These weak rodents worked away at a stalagmite bearing dozens of small, red, jewel-like stones gleaming in the fire's grace beautifully, yet, their beauty was marred by the constant picking of the mining tools, hoping to excavate them from their stone prison, but with little avail as their weak muscles lacked the strength to fulfill the task. Eternal imprisonment and torture, too weak to perform the duty, but kept too low by the master to do the job.

'Slaving them away until they can't even stand, just to push them even lower out of spite.' I grumbled angrily under my breath while pondering ways to get past the pack. 'Why do a bunch of rodents even have interest in rubies?' I thought, before using [Observe] on the horde and the stones. I was... impressed, in a sense.

Nitorium
A highly explosive gem, each gram bearing more explosive force than ten times the mass of gunpowder

"Strip mining..." I put the knife in my hoof, and mumbled to myself, a sense of realization left me awed for just a moment, was it not for these circumstances I might've even praised them for their ingenuity. However, I was not given the time to see the error in my thinking, as my muttering attracted the attention of a club-wielding goblin who turned towards me. I hastily pulled my head down, in hopes that my failure of stealth was left unnoticed, but it was already too late as I could hear the nightmare tumbling towards, its steps slapping the ground carelessly.

I cursed the world in my mind, but mostly my own idiocy to make such beginner errors, given that staying out of the enemy's eyes was what I've been doing for twenty years. I closed my eyes tightly, pushing away the thoughts and opening them with a clearer mind. I concentrated on the steps of the goblin, the beating of my heart, both growing louder as time went on. My dread of the task ahead was nibbling away at my bravery, while my mind was repeatedly telling me to finish the job, my body begged me to leave, flee to never return, but before I could make a final decision, one more pair of eyes joined my little panic attack.

"huh?"

I enveloped its neck with my [Levitation] in shock, pulling it in a firm hug, his back facing my front, and stuffed my hoof into his mouth. "F-fuck, just stay quiet." I mumbled to myself in between several gasping breaths of air, rocking back and forth while my captive thrashed in my grip while screaming at myself why I haven't slit its throat yet, it was so easy, nothing could stop me, but yet I hesitated. Staring into the nothingness I held my breath, building pressure to keep myself awake, the goblin’s attempt to claw out my eyes helped in that regard, however, my hopes of the problem solving itself grew dim.

-8HP

I ground my teeth as I felt the goblin's teeth gnaw into my flesh, daring to crack my limb's bones with its surprisingly strong jaw. Yet, despite the notifications of pain, the alien perception of sensation lacking mortal pulses, I could do nothing but stare idly at the beast chipping away at my flesh, health, and dignity.

Host, it would be for our best interest if you were to snap its neck eliminate the threat immediately. The Game urged with great assistance, yet all it achieved was making me quiver and shiver even more.

'I, can't, okay!' I shouted in my head, I don't kill, I just don't. I don't care about anyone's life, but it also means that I don't want to end it. 'There's gotta be a different way, can't we, I don't know, just grow some plants and kill them?' I begged silently while the goblin's attempts grew desperate.

John, you cannot show weakness or- The Game's voice cut off, my icons and indications, map and items left with a sudden motion as if the cord of television was pulled from the wall socket.

'G-Game?' I asked with concern as the world around me grew a bit quieter. It lasted not long. A new voice entered my mind, darker, grimmer filled with a cold undertone of disappointment, which was underlined by subtitles and a textbox that froze my blood.

Detecting resentment against the annihilation of the immortal's plague. Refusal will result in the failure of the following quests: Savior of the sibling, Host of the G.A.M.E, The Goblin Hideout.

Failure in the (3) previously mentioned quest(s) will result in:
permanent penalties.
Death of entity Amber
Extinction of humanity.
Tighter regulations.

Further refusal will lead to termination. Starting countdown for Last chance.

5

4

3

My pupils shrank to pinpoints, and my body locked up in shock as the numbers ticked down like the deathly ring of an old clock. My flesh became numb, the seconds felt like hours and my only noticeable change in time, besides the numbers ticking down like a falling guillotine blade, were the droplets of sweat rolling down my coat. Looking from side to side in tact of my heart, I tried to find any tangible solution to this situation, but all I could find was the ever-increasing, acidic taste in my throat.

2

1

13HP

I stared with wide-open eyes at the goblin while deep breaths of air left me, clouding my vision with white fog while my ears were filled with the muffled cries of the beast, yet all I could hear was a static, borderline beeping sound. I shakingly pulled out the knife, droplets of black, syrupy blood spattered across my body and face, tainting and painting it in ways to resemble my blackened soul, however, this thought only fuelled my act of massacring while the empathy for my victim never came to fruition. I rammed the knife into the soft, feeble and flimsy flesh over and over again while staring into the void, only twitching occasionally as some of the slightly burning blood landed on my eyes and inside of my nose and mouth. Again and again I struck, until it moved no longer, never would it again, and I ensured that I did it, only to stop when a new text box, followed by a cheerful, diddly sound woke me from my trance.

You have Leveled up! 1-->3

I held my gasping breath for a moment, failing in doing so and releasing a tearful sob as a burning sensation traveled down my throat. I slowly looked down onto the back of the goblin's head, the body sliding off slowly with a sickly squeaking before falling onto the floor with his face turned towards me. The throat shredded, bits and pieces of flesh hung by thin threads while a torrent of black, syrupy blood gushed out of the wound, one that could be easily mistaken for the work of a rusty saw. I held my hooves in front of my face, hoping to cover it up, hiding the shame, only to smear the blood into my face and making my deed more apparent. I shook my head quietly, before leaning forward and heaving, but no bile came, only the burning sensation of the goblin's blood in my throat, allowed me to give a hint of penance. Despite trying countless times to vomit, only tears flowed in my shocked desperation to wash away the tainted sensation coursing through my insides.

for taking damage, you received the following skill: Physical Damage Resistance.

Physical Damage Resistance - Level 1
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. There is nothing more to say about this ability.
-???
*Physical Damage is reduced by one point. If the amount of resistance outweighs that of the damage, no damage is dealt with the user.

For reaching Level 3 or higher with the Warrior class, you received the skill: Power Strike.

Power Strike - Level 1
To channel one's strength into every attack and protect yourself or others is perhaps the most primitive but, at the same time, the most effective way for battle.
-Maximus the Powerful
*Damage: (Weapon damage + Strength) *2
*Cost: 30 Stamina Points

I slowly shook my head, pushing away the messages and thoughts while cowering into a small ball, pushing my knees against my chest, tainting only more of my body in black. "I want to go home, Game..." I mumbled to myself while shaking my head once again, but the shame could not be shaken off, yet no regret for the goblin's death plagued me, it was the guilt of having killed something, but no tear shed for my victim, just the shell of my innocence.

...You have activated a warning, you cannot leave the dungeon before you have eliminated a sufficient amount of Nightmares. [1/11]

I slowly rocked my head, hoping it was all just a horrible, gruesome dream and wishing away the bottomless pit that grew in my stomach, the sensation of emptiness growing more powerful by the moment. The peaceful world of the ponies appeared to me now much more of a blessing than the dead human world or the forsaken nightmare realm, as it allowed me to at least numb myself in its softness. I gulped silently, peering through the gap between my hooves, the goblin's body continued to bleed, yet as I stared at it, I felt nothing. No pain, no despair for it, just the thought that I ended a creature's life, as wicked as it was, only slight irritation originating from the dead body plagued me. My eyes trailed over towards my first victim’s weapon, a simple club, stained with red and black blood, if I was in a less somber mood, I might've made a joke how edgy the few droplets of blood made the piece of wood look.

Goblin Club
Level 1 item
Common
A small club usually used by low-ranking members in a Goblin Hideout.
*+ 35 blunt Damage (Base Damage: 15 + Strength)

I gradually turned my eyes away from the blood smothered weapon, before pulling out a bottle of water from my inventory, only for a sharp sensation of refreshment to rush down my throat, an unwanted sense of rejuvenation. At least it erased one reminder of my murder.

Killing the remaining threats might lower your burden by decreasing the amount of time you have to spend with the duty. Do you want me to absorb the corpses and any other remains into our inventory to reduce the vision time of the deceased bodies?

I snorted strongly in defiance, gradually pulling my limbs apart, tearing my eyes away from the corpse and nodded meekly, the evidence vanished, just like the books at the library, but still, the puddle of blood remained, fluids could not be stolen this easily, just as the memory. I shook my head, droplets of various liquids, mixed into one cocktail, sprayed around me, as I put away the knife and equipped the club. I wanted not to spend any longer in this dreaded place than needed, in any future dungeon that required me to kill. I just wanted to go home to... mother, anyone for that matter, yet I could not talk about it, or fear the full extent of my deed as it was blocked by a mental barrier, leaving me in a state that could only be described as chaos at its worst.

I reared myself up against the boulder, my limbs shook, unsure if they had gone numb or mental weakness affected the physical world now as well. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, channeling the mana residing inside of me through the mana lines and coiled it around the bone, before ultimately funneling at the tip. The liquid magic burned with passion and anger, opposing my genuine emotions, flickering gently, before taking form as a fireball, floating just inches above my horn. I opened my eyes and aimed it at the archer, who pointed his bow at me and fired an arrow. My pupils shrunk as the arrow pushed my head to the left, shaking me from my numb prison and redirecting the fiery projectile towards the miners and their ore vein.

As if a flashbang went off, the cave was engulfed by an eye-melting light that was only rivaled by the ear-shattering noise it created, closely followed by the bone-breaking shockwave produced. With squinting eyes and ducked head, I watched as the miners were ripped apart by the explosions and their body parts scattered in the middle of the room, soon from which a great, black puddle with dozens of un-ignited pyromantic gems inside formed. The archer closest to the spire of fire that singed the roof was blasted away, however, he survived with a severely burned back and a possible broken leg as he jumped away at last moment's notice.

You have Leveled up! 3-->4

By leveling up, Health, Mana and Stamina have been refilled.

You have Leveled up [Fireball]! 1-->3

I slapped my head with great force, pushing aside the notification and newfound fear of fire, before jumping over the boulder with a club in my mouth and my horror in the back of my mind. As the closest goblin came in range, he stared idly at the fire before turning toward me, I swung my club upwards. With a vast, mushy crunch, his nose and teeth were crushed into a sprinkle of calcium before the flesh bag tumbled to the ground with a wet slap. The Goblin rubbed his bloody face with his palm and attempted to stand up with the other. His attempt was interrupted when both of my forehooves were rammed into his skull with exhausting force, spattering his skull content across my body.

-42HP

You have Leveled up [Physical Damage Resistance]! 1-->2

I grit my teeth with shut eyes while my head was forced downwards by a goblins club, whose wielder grinned smugly with an uneven grin. With newfound anger, I threw my head upwards, causing the Goblin to lose balance and trip a couple of steps backward, and rammed my horn through the underside of the monster's jaw. A torrent of blood glazed my face, followed by a maelstrom of wild scratches as the goblin choked on its own blood. However, its torment came to a sizzling stop when a mana blade erected from the tip of my horn to impale his skull. With a heavy breath, I retracted the magic weapon and tilted my head to let the squishy corpse fall to the ground with a splash, adding only more liquid to the giant puddle, borderline pond, in this cave created from monstrous creatures that could only be called juicy.'

My body jerked to the side as a sharp, 'whom' shot passed my left ear, taking bits of fur and skin with it before the sound was ultimately ended with a loud 'thunk.' Spinning my head upwards, I was confronted with the sight of the last three remaining goblins, one wielding a knife, the other another club, and at last the charred archer. The archer goblin, with his left side burned, stared at me with a half molten face, glaring at me with utter hatred while pulling back another arrow. Why did this sight give me a craving to flip coins?

With a grunt, I created a plate-sized shield in front of my head, knowing full well that it was unlikely that the goblin would aim for anything else given the rage-filled look it gave off with its red eye. I jumped backward in shock, nearly slipping in the oily substance, as the arrow penetrated the shield and was stuck in the center, the tip scratching my nose and dealing a single point of damage. With a huff, I used the time until the next arrow would hit its mark by the enraged gang leader, to use [observe] on said quarter portion.

Name: Goblin
Level: 5
Class: Scavenger
Race: Goblin
HP: 58/200
MP: (Unable to use magic)
SP: 100
STR: 6
END: 10
DEX: 13
INT: 3
WIS: 1
CHA: 1
LCK: 8

Goblins are the most common Nightmares, some even say that they were the very first ones to ever be 'birthed' into a once beautiful realm. Although they lack strength, they only require little to become more. Their biggest strength lies within their resourcefulness, as well as their strategy to overwhelm their enemy, before devouring their fallen kin and the prey. Do not let them call for help.

You have Leveled up [Observe]! 5-->6

Rolling my eyes at the cryptic demographic of my cave-dwelling enemies, I eyed their health pool and my remaining mana, as well as putting my health and stamina into consideration if my plan had any chance to succeed in my suicide mission. I flinched with a hint of strain as the second arrow hit my shield, not far off the first one and just like its predecessor, creating cracks in my defense. I lowered my head slightly while eyeing the quiver of the devil, only one more crude arrow remained, I would've smirked if it was not for the number difference.

The Goblin grunted angrily as he kicked his quiver away and pulled back the last arrow, aiming directly at my left eye. I took deep breaths while my vision flickered between my foes and the falling barrier, occasionally eyeing the arrow that now flew in my direction. With a loud crack did my shield shatter into bits, and the arrow fired, slowed from the impact but not stopped, embedded itself into my chest. I grunted dryly staggering backwards, before eyeing my health drop by another forty points, leaving it now at ninety points of health after the regeneration circle began anew. I snorted at the smiling goblin who let his bow drop and attempted to pull out his knife, but his grin faded when I gathered thirty points worth of mana into a [Mana Bolt] that was sent sailing into the archer's skull. The Goblin fell with its back facing the ground to the floor with both sides of its face equally burned, his companions were not amused by his sudden death and rushed forward. With a grunt, I scraped together the majority of my remaining mana and conjured a [Stunbolt] from the tip of my horn, creating a green flare, and sent off to the club wielder, who shielded his eyes from the bright light, before tumbling to the ground with a seizure-like twitching.

You have Leveled up [Stunbolt]! 1-->3

I smiled vividly as I waited for the shaking goblin to reach me while panting lightly, my intention was only to create space between the attackers, yet it worked greater than I originally anticipated, even if the light, physical exhaustion was not planned from practically using up but the last bit of mana. I bit down onto the club with great force, eyeing the rushing goblin with slight respect for its ability to run on oil, before jumping forward and whacking the wooden tool across his face with [Power Strike] sending it to tumble. I gave him no chance to recover, and my initial attack was followed quickly by another one, after which I was left panting while creeping towards the shaking goblin before delivering a final one, killing it and collapsing onto its corpse in exhaustion.

My shivering body rested on the animal's hide like a park bench, panting as hard as it could, while I stared at the nearly completely depleted stamina bar, rivaled only by the mana meter. 'J-just one more and I get to go home, j-just one more.' I slurred in my mind as I slowly pushed myself onto my hooves, strings of blood separated with a disgusting 'schlub' as I picked myself up, my steps emitting similar 'plitsch' sounds as I trotted through the black swamp.

The stunned Goblin laid with his face down in the soup, the occasional bubble reaching the shallow liquid indicated that the beast was at least still alive. With a pitious gaze, I levitated the goblin's former knife and floated it above its neck before stomping on it, causing the body to buckle slightly and vibrate as I twisted it deeper, which in turn momentarily increased the bubble count before they disappeared.

You have Leveled up! 4-->5

You have Leveled up [Mana Construct]! 1-->3

You have Leveled up [Mana Bolt]! 1-->3

You have Leveled up [Power Strike]! 1-->3

You have Leveled up [Mana Knife]! 1-->2

You have Leveled up [Physical Damage Resistance]! 2-->4

I sighed with disgust, lowering my head before mumbling quietly. "ID Escape."

ACTION... denied.

My eyes shot wide open, only to be met with yet another, familiar textbox which's content left me speechless, in a sense, empty to the point dread affected me not. '10/11 Goblins defeated.' I thought with a chuckle, a bitter one, before sinking into my knees and into the broth while watching the bodies and weapons just disappear, leaving me in this blood funnel, yet what horrified me most was that I felt not a single thing.

"I feel... nothing?" I mumbled to myself. Borderline genocide, massacring and defiling the bodies, not even mentioning assassinating a paralyzed green-skin, these deeds just left me empty, I could feel the shame creeping up my soul for what I did, but only from a selfish perspective, it felt like I could’nt even shed a single tear for my victims. "Just... empty."

Correction. I, under the restriction, thus including you, are unable to feel any emotions towards the nightmares other than anger, spite, or irritation, but regret and sympathy are forbidden. The Game answered calmly, though his approach seemed softer than before this nightmare trip. His words left me only chuckling to myself as I slowly crawled towards the darkness, or, more specifically, the next illuminated interception. nightmares are not alive, they are mere remnants of mortal and immortal negativity that act upon the given guidelines, but are not sentient in any way. Think of them as life-like golems.

"Like you?" I asked bitterly as I pulled out the arrow embedded into my chest with a flinch and threw it carelessly into my inventory. My wet steps echoing through the cave as I stepped out of the bloody pond, and drips that fell off my wet fur followed me.

Although I am not 'as alive' like you, I am still sentient, able to think and feel harm done, they, however, do not. The Game replied, slightly aggravated, yet less so that I insulted his sentience and more to the fact that I compared him to them. It does not matter what we think anyway, I was made for this purpose, you are bound to this cause, and it's better if you close your heart to them. Otherwise, you might become a shell of yourself. Another reason why I urge you to enjoy your time outside 'work,' lest you desire to see no humanity, as your race calls it, in yourself.

I snorted under my breath while rearranging my Hotbar, removing the empty bottle and the fruit knife and adding the much better goblin knife and club. Halting for a moment, I chewed my inner cheek flesh despite my clinched jaw's protest, I hated that the Game was right, even more so the fact that he disliked this truth just so much, but agreeing seemed too petty-less for me. Thus I silently followed the dark path, shivering occasionally. Stopping for a moment, I narrowed my eyes at the blurry sight of what appeared to be a wooden door with something in front, something snoring.

"How the fuck is that sloth still asleep? At this point, the dead should be screaming at me to shut up." I mumbled, before snorting out a white cloud of air into the cold cave.

Higher ranking goblins hibernate when they are not needed in the clan, thus saving nourishment, as well as increasing their lifespan. However, there was supposed to be another low ranking goblin somewhere around here... The Game started, before trailing off into nothingness as if he was checking his memory for any holes.

"Great, not only is the dungeon buggy as fuck, I now have to deal with a boss." I sighed while shaking my head and sitting down behind a line of rocks acting as cover going past the goblin towards the wooden gate adorned with metal. "Got any stories while I wait for my health to regenerate?" I asked by pushing my burning spine against the cold rock, releasing several light pops.

While I lack stories, I do have a few facts, if you are interested. I licked my lips in hopes of removing at least some blood, only to be suddenly plagued by the burning sensation in my throat, almost like highly concentrated vodka. I take your silence as a yes. As you have most likely noticed, you are currently a pony, this has to do with the fact that these realms were designed, so that you can practice and learn the first steps, however, since you will be forced to physically enter the nightmare realm in the future, it would be disadvantageous for you to complete them as a bipedal. You can, however, visit them as a human afterward.

"Good to know." I said with a jerk as I squeezed my hoof, several drops of blood falling to the floor. My eyes slowly traveled upwards to the top left corner of my vision, my three bars: health, mana, and stamina, nearly filled up entirely. I shook my head with slight dread, before pulling out my new knife and using [Observe] on it.

Goblin Dagger
Level 2 item
Common
A wicked dagger usually used by the second-lowest member in a Goblin Hideout.
*+33 piercing Damage (Base Damage: 10 + (Strength+Dexterity)/2
*Backstabbing does *4 damage
+Small chance to cause bleeding

I perked my lips at the textbox, resisting the urge to whistle while inspecting the short blade with a small grin. With a slow turn, I directed my eyes towards the weapon itself. A long, crooked, jagged tooth with sharpened spikes and a skin handle, judging by the color it once belonged to a goblin, the weapon as well. With a light pop, I put the weapon between my teeth, hitting not only on the weapon but also through the disgusting taste, before hopping over the stone railing and sneaking towards the sleeping goblin—a goblin with a fascinating taste in fashion.

The Goblin in question was much more prominent in nearly every aspect compared to its underlings in muscles and height, at the very least one to one and a half heads taller than me. The Goblin wore a knight's helmet with several vertical slits in the visor and a large, luxurious red feather attached on the top, while the rest of its body was covered in tailored leather armor, seemingly perfectly latching onto its skin. A large halbert, clearly too large for the wearer, rested firmly in the green skin's hand while it laid against the gate, on the other was a small, round shield attached.

"Hmmm, this seems a bit problematic." I mumbled silently, before using [Observe] on the goblin, alongside its equipment.

Name: Goblin Guard
Level: 10
Class: Warden
Race: Goblin
HP: 500
MP: (Unable to use magic)
SP: 300
STR: 8
END: 20
DEX: 14
INT: 2
WIS: 1
CHA: 3
LCK: 15

The Goblin Guard is the first boss you'll encounter on your journey through the various dungeons. Although this is the very first big task you'll have to face and prove your worth, it is not as impossible as it may seem. Every race scales differently when it comes to weapons and stats. Use their disadvantages.

You have Leveled up [Observe]! 6-->7

Knight Helmet
Level 10 item
Rare
The helmet of a once mighty and powerful knight.
* +25 head armor
* Knight Set 1/6 - Bonus unknown
* Unfitting requirements (Unknown): Stats reduced by 50%

Knight Halberd
Level 10 Item
Rare
* +30 Slash/Pierce damage
* Knight Set 1/6 - Bonus unknown
* Unfitting requirements (Unknown): Stats reduced by 50%

Goblin Shield
Level 8 Item
Uncommon
* +30 defence
+Blocking: Damage/3=Stamina consumed

Leather armor
Level 6 Item
common
* +10 body armor

'Great, bastards not only ripped but stacked as well, gotta use some leverage over the pea.' I thought darkly as I sneaked my way towards the slumbering menace with impressive efficiency, given the otherwise damned noisey hooves. I held in my breath as I squeezed myself into the little gap between the warden and the gate, before popping the dagger into my mouth, rearing myself upwards and staring at the hole in the defense. 'Just one more goblin, and I can leave, but maybe... just maybe, I'll take out every last one of these slave drivers, so later I won't have to do it.' I thought grimly, before ramming the dagger right in the green flesh.

132HP

-76HP

The blade sank into the goblin's back with little resistance, however before I could even pull out the weapon, a great force made a sharp impact into my rips, digging deep and threatening to break them in addition to the cracks already created, before I was sent tumbling into the air. With a hard impact, stealing away yet another five hit points, I scrambled to my hooves while teeth gritted against one another. I turned my head slowly towards the goblin, feeling a crick building up, before jerking slightly at the sight of an orange glowing halberd head that quickly disappeared.

"Fucker’s got magic..." I mumbled to myself, before grabbing the knife from the ground and levitated it next to me, ain't no way in hell I'm sticking my neck anywhere near that executioner.

The Goblin Guard used a Martial Art called 'Goblin Strike,' a more advanced and race-specific version of [Heavy Impact], a technique used to break armor.

Snorting loudly, I glared at the Goblin, who craned his neck before slowly making a move towards me with his two-handed weapon in grasp. I fired the weakest [Mana Bolt] at the Goblin's head, who, in return, dodged it by titling his helmet to the side. The Goblin lowered his head in retaliation, two purple gleams twinkled in his helmet, before charging towards me with a borderline howl-like growling. Lowering my stance, I awaited his arrival while twirling my knife anxiously, before jumping onto my hind legs, evading the wide arc of the Halberd by hair's breadth, before ramming the knife through one of the helmet's slits. The Goblin, much to my surprise, did not yield any reaction. It dropped his weapons and punched me in the face, followed up by his shield smashing across my face and a kick to my chest.

With a deep grunt, I forced myself up, daring not to fall to the ground while spitting several globs of blood to the floor. "Status." I hissed angrily, before looking up my reserves.

stamina: 120/150
health: 102/263
Mana 310/315

'Fuck, already half the life juice's gone.' I thought while glaring at the Goblin, I was anxious about killing it at first, but now looking at things, it was the only way to wake up. Either it or me and that bastard, if the Game was to be trusted, wasn't alive either way... I hope I never see other creatures this way.

The Goblin Guard threw his helmet to the ground with a sneer, fistfuls of blood flowed, as a continuous deluge of the dark liquid. The Guard, with his one intact eye, while the other bled strongly, glared at me while the little hair on his head waved through the non-existing wind. With a scream the guard once again charged me with impressive speed and his shield pointing forward.

With a frown, I lowered my horn and channeled large quantities of mana, taking every step of my foe into consideration of how long I could afford to charge before I would regret it. Time seemingly slowed down, daring to lull me into a false, comfortable sense of security while the buzzing of magic shunted out nearly all outside sound. With a grat buckle and a stagger backward was the mighty [Mana Bolt] fired at the Golbin's shield, a loud crack broke through the cave as it shattered into countless pieces. The Warden's arm could not stand against the force and broke at several locations, significant bits of leather broke off from the armor, but the wearer refused to give in and continued its charge. My eyes widened in shock as I realized the real purpose behind the suicide charge, but it was already too late for me to avoid being skewed by the Halberd.

-42HP

I coughed up a blob of blood, before glaring at the mad grin of the Goblin who had yet to stop his charge. Raising my hoof into the air, I used [Power Strike] onto the wooden pole, creating cracks that traveled deep into the wood, a second sent splinters flying in every direction, and with the last one did the weapon break in two. The Goblin staggered greatly, his feet losing footing in the process, and dared to tip over, was it not for a regular punch to the face, followed up by a deep cut into the Goblin's throat with the dagger.

The Goblin stared at me with wide, bewilderment filled eyes as the purple gleam vanished, letting the body slip off the dagger and plummet onto the floor with a great rattling of leather and metal bits.

"F-fuck." I forced out between gasps and pop in my ribs as they set themselves back into place. Closing my eyes from the horrendous cave for just a moment, I attempted to ignore the alien sensation of my body regenerating at such an incredible pace in seemingly every corner of my body. I jumped up in shock as I heard a clashing of metal against stone, only to be left ashamed at the sight of the broken Halberd head, previously embedded in my chest, laying on the floor. With a sigh, I shook my head, holding a hoof to my forehead, before granting yet another text box my attention.

You have Leveled up! 5-->8

You have Leveled up [Physical Damage Resistance]! 4-->6

You have Leveled up [Power Strike]! 3-->5

By leveling up, Health, Mana and Stamina have been refilled.

My surge of suddenly found joy was quickly quenched when three facts became immediately apparent. "Game, did you forget to heal me before the Guard?" I thought while running my hoof across the text box, eyeing its surface that wavered like water upon touch.

You denial of the task has greatly complicated and increased my workload, triggering a worst-case scenario fail-safe can cause minor Inconveniences. The Game replied while keeping his attention to our conversation a bare minimum, presumably being busy enhancing my body.

"Aha..." I said out awkwardly while looking at the Warden's corpse, still in place, and most importantly, his gear utterly destroyed beyond any hope. "I guess I should've been a tad more careful, that poleaxe could've been pretty useful." I mumbled to myself with a dry sigh as I picked up the two pieces of the Halberd with my magic.

Your concerns orbiting around the well being of this simple equipment is to be expected, however entirely unnecessary. The Game answered nonchalantly, before the corpse, as well as the shattered equipment, were sucked into my inventory.

"What's that supposed to MEAN!" I asked, before letting out a shriek as I was enveloped by a tight, for a moment, a nearly water-like substance that stole away my vision momentarily before allowing me only a few strips of vision. "Wait." I spoke out loudly as I lifted my left hoof, a shield attached to the hoof, and lifted the visor upwards. "How does that even work." I said with amazement while inspecting the Halberd that was shrunken down to my size, well, if I were to stand on my hindlegs, that is.

The armor bears enough of the smiths, as well as the previous owner's belief that it will protect the wearer from harm. Just like any other item, simply connecting it to our entity, allowing me to make small changes by supplying it with power, almost like a limb extension. However, I can only change the item in ways that won't contradict its purpose or injected belief, like restoration and adjusting to size. I cannot use it to create near infinite amounts of metal by clipping the head, as the mere intention is enough for it to end futile. Do not ask how it works, you lack the mental capacity for that task at the moment. The Game explained while granting me a tad more attention while my body grew in strength and slightly in size.

I stood frozen still for a moment, before shaking my head at the deep burn the Game brought upon me, before letting out a hum. "So, we can leave?" I asked, while looking at the great gate, a deep gash adorned it, a requiem of its former guard. A strange tingle invaded my chest for a moment, followed by a ghostly shiver, waking a hostile sense of curiosity.

Possitive.

"So... what's behind the great door?"

The end of the dungeon, the reward for completion and-

"Reward you say..." I mumbled loudly while rubbing the underside of my helmet with great interest, my eyes fixated onto the massive wooden trunk keeping the gate closet, but why was it outside of the chamber, and not inside? It was almost like they were trying to keep something inside.

While there is the completion reward, I would advise not to enter the room ahead, as it also holds the, at least it was supposed to contain, the last remaining goblin. The final boss, if you will. The Game hastily explained while once again bringing up the topic of a missing Goblin. Did you not wish to return to the waking world as soon as possible, my host?

His words hit me in a rather, sensitive way, making me flinch slightly, only reminding me of a complete lack of empathy for my deeds. Now I could only ponder of the horrendous sensation that plagued me after my first execution, but no matter how much I wished to relive this penance once again, a mental barrier kept me from going any further than mild anxiety and discomfort. I was no fool, I knew that I was being manipulated, what ancient being would create something like the Game, only for the mortal counterpart to fail the genocide of nightmares. I could at least understand that aspect; however, it didn’t mean that I would flow with this course of pushes and nudges without at least a hint of resistance.

"Yes, yes I do." I clarified while slowly crawling my magic around the wooden trunk keeping the gate closed. "However, I know myself too well. If I were to just blindly leave this place behind, I wouldn't be able to not think about it every night and day until the job is done." I explained firmly, before pushing the wooden rectangle upwards with a sudden motion, causing splinters and dust to fall off the geometric form. "Sides, this got personal." I thought back at the goblin miners, even if I knew that they were not alive, mere constructs to help me grow stronger for some enigma, who are trapped in these dungeons until I free them of this servitude by destroying them, the bitter taste of rotten nostalgia left me in an unreasonable mood. I was no more a package slave.

With a deep, unnerving creek did the ancient gate open, releasing a torrent of deep growling and a great wave of musky air, bringing tears to my eyes like onions and acidic waste. Coughing loudly, my head slowly rose upwards until my gaze met with the sole entity of what could only be described as a throne room.

The walls were dimly lit with crystals of various sizes and colors growing out of the green goo-like stone, only increasing the borderline royal appeal with a large number of pelts on the floor and trophies of many unknown war beasts. However, the most distinctive addition to this room's decor was, without a doubt, the throne, an amalgamation of countless corpses sewed together into a single piece of furniture, resembling a horrendous aberration worthy of the war bosses ass. The plus-sized goblin slumbered, daring to shake the entirety of the room to crumbles. His enormous belly jiggled strongly with each snore, barely contained by his cloth pants and a golden belt, the only other clothing being a shoulder plate with a skull, that of an orc if the novels did not deceive. His face, despite being in a state of slumber, was filled with anger, twitching and jerking as if it was reliving old memories from battles, the large black beard, the greats tusks, scars covering his body and the great, wooden, blood-stained club only reinforced my theory.

"What... is this sensation?" I thought with a quiver of my brow, feeling a sense of pressure in my chest, squeezing my heart ever so slight, even the mild sickness I initially believed to have been caused by the stench seemed comforting. "D-doesn't matter. Now, onto the task." I thought with limping confidence while a zealot-like rush of decaying overconfidence pushed me forward. Lowering my horn and letting mana channeling in great masses into the bone, I kept my eyes glued onto the skull of the giant goblin.

John, with all due respect, this is a horrible idea. Please cancel this spell and reconsider your course of action.

"I'm pretty sure I've got this, one bolt of this and this thing won't be in my way much longer." I spoke through grit teeth as I felt enormous pressure form in my horn, unlike other spells where the mana is directly converted into the spell, here the energy was still in its primordial form.

I highly advise you to use [Observe] on your target and see that-

"I've got it Game, I can think for myself."

No, stop!

"I said-" I started loudly, only to be interrupted by a loud grumble, followed by a slightly higher yelp of surprise. The goblin stared at me for just a second, before his left arm reached for his club with lightning reflexes. With a jerk, I fired the bolt, bearing nearly two hundred and ten points of mana at the boss's skull, only for it to hit its right arm that took the hit instead. With a bright implosion, did the mana bold release its power, carrying enough energy to separate the arm from the body, letting it soar through the air and finally fall to the ground with a loud smack, releasing copious amounts of the black liquid bearing a strong, alcoholic scent.

You have Leveled up [Mana Bolt]! 3-->4

[Observe]

Name: Hobgoblin
Level: 16
Class: Berserker
Race: Goblin
HP: 3600/4000
MP: (Unable to use magic)
SP: 2200
STR: 100
END: 140
DEX: 35
INT: 8
WIS: 8
CHA: 1
LCK: 5

Hobgoblins are Goblins who have absorbed enough Aether from creatures they have slain, unlike most other Goblin variations who had to reach a certain skill threshold. These sturdy nightmares who put all their focus in purely physical damage and defense as well as the search to fight the next worthy opponent to push them towards their next level of evolution ??? If fighting these brutes, it is advised to keep distance or dodge their attacks at all costs.

*Goblins and Orcs are natural enemies that often have territorial fights with another, both share similar features and are easily enraged.

My ears clung to my skull while my eyes opened widely, knees shaking at the numbers significantly for just a moment, before I turned around and bolted out of the room, taking the precious moment while the Hobgoblin stared at his amputated limb with surprise while the hints of indomitable rage began to show up. With a sudden motion, I rammed my hooves into the ground just outside the chamber, eyeing the Hobgoblin that rose from his throne and lifted his club high up. With a great thud did I slam the gate shut and rammed the trunk back into its original place, before bolting back the path I initially took, already dreading that it would not hold the giant.

'I-I regret it, I regret everything.' I thought with chattering teeth as a great roar echoed through the cave, causing the very rocks, stalactites, and stalagmites to quiver in fear, the sudden war cry was only rivaled by the eardrum-shattering thud and creaking of wood. 'I'm sorry Game, I shouldn't have touched that beast.' I pleaded silently, my mental rant interrupted by yet another, lesser crash against the wood that broke the trunk, given the loud crack and the creaking of metal.

Although I find your humility and regret flattering given my original warnings, I would advise you not to waste time and think of a way to damage the Hobgoblin as much as possible, before feeling the dungeon. Otherwise, you might be caught off guard by a well-rested, and most importantly, enraged boss.

With a final impact did I hear by far the loudest, clearest, and most rage induced howl I hope I'll ever hear, one that with the mere force of the monster's lungs, pushed every last strand of hair backward. My ears shook as they were assaulted with the sound of dozens of steps every second, as if the runner was daring to reach record-breaking speeds, only to be momentarily stopped by a wall or falling debris. I pulled the break-in last moment to avoid a stalactite impaling me like a boney kebab, before I continued my run.

"That fucking bastard is trying to collapse the cave!" I cried loudly, before evading yet another falling rock, caused by yet another seismic wave. Turning my head around for just a moment, a decision I deeply regretted, I spotted the charging brute rushing into the stone wall with enough force to create many cracks. "He is already here!" I shouted, staring at his silhouette in the darkness, the purple gleam slicing through the darkness in a fearsome manner. With widened eyes, at minute's end, I gathered the entirety of my magic into a single [Fireball] spell, daring to bring me to the floor from exhaustion, before hurling the flame orb towards the giant target.

I did not expect to see this sight, and it was borderline embarrassing admitting that I was dumb enough not to realize it yet, but it appeared as if goblin blood is highly flammable. The Hobgoblin burst into flames like a giant torch, while his severed stump spewed fire like a dragon, his health points rapidly decreased, but his pain only spurred his speed further.

By making a correct assumption through the use of observation and practice, you earned one point in intelligence.

I would've let out a hollow laugh, were it not for my attention being needed elsewhere. With steady steps did I run over the large blood pool littered with the explosive gems. I was running over a lake of oil and dynamite. My eyes shot wide open while adrenaline rushed through my veins with such force I feared for my heart bursting as I took off, not taking any interest in any tissue or muscle damage I might receive. A moment later, my heart was no longer the loudest thing I perceived.

My ears were filled by a powerful, deafening ringing as an invisible force pushed me forward with great force and heat, singeing the fur on my back. I watched in slow motion as the cave rushed past me, and the beginning wall of the dungeon crashed into me. I heard countless breaks and cracks throughout my body, teeth broke out, ribs cracked, and I couldn’t feel my hindlegs, yet I was frozen still with emptiness as I slid down the rock, my blood tainting it with a great, scarlet smear. After several seconds did the ringing slowly decline, only to be replaced by the howls and roars of the Hobgoblin while the sounds of crackling fire grew ever so bold, until finally, after nearly half a minute, did the die out, just like the warmonger himself.

You have Leveled up! 8-->10

You have reached the maximum level possible at the moment.

You have Leveled up [Physical Damage Resistance]! 6-->7

You have Leveled up [Fireball]! 3-->5

By leveling up, Health, Mana and Stamina have been refilled.

With a sickening crunch, did my upper body sink downwards, reconnecting the two parts of the spine in the most disgust invoking way possible, before I fell onto my back, forced to stare at the Hobgoblin, or what remained of him at least. His charred body stood frozen on its knees, staring towards the ceiling with a look of rage imprinted into the corpse. With a shake, I shakingly scrambled onto my hooves and gave the corpse yet another look, only to take note of the empty sockets in the skull, shivers ran across my newly reformed spine.

Congratulations on beating the first dungeon! The Game congratulated me as the corpse and club vanished into my inventory, adding a distinct weight to it, before continuing his speech. By killing the final boss, you have earned this realm's treasure.

Do you want to accept the Goblin Hideout's Bounty?
Yes/No

"Y-yes..." I mumbled as I watched as the last few flames faded away, scraps of skin and burned flesh flew through the air like embers after a devastating forest fire. "I want to leave..." I mumbled quietly while sinking my head with fatigue. I expected a heavenly sensation, a bath of pride indulging me in my accomplishment, yet only spite and a subtle hint of disgust resided in me. I felt nothing for my victims, just that I murdered them all, every last one of them, and even the little, shining light in this darkness that was the justice served onto the slave drivers made me not feel like a hero any bit more.

You've gained the following rewards.

Gentle Touch
This skill doesn't require any resources
Your touch can be anything from normal to any way that is pleasureful.
The effect is decided by the user.

Spiritualist (Class)

Spiritual control
You are able to see and call the spirits and draw power from them. Your senses are heightened by their guidance and can receive blessings by praying to them and fulfilling their wishes.
* The ability [Spirit Senses] is available while the class is chosen.
* Meditation allows you to gather faith.
* Maximum Faith capacity 100 Faith.

Spirit Senses
1 Faith per minute
As a chosen one by the Spirits, your senses are heightened to levels beyond to that of a normal mortal.
* This ability can be turned on and off.
* Smelling is Enhanced
* Hearing is Enhanced
* Seeing is Enhanced.

Pure Aether (Small)
Permanently increases all stats by 10.

I sighed pleasantly as I felt the new power enhance every last bit of my body and mind, like deep cleaning in a hot tub, washing away the dark thoughts for just a moment. Closing my eyes and basking in this crisp, yet smoothly enveloping sensation I uttered under my breath calmly. "ID: Escape." The cold and hostile stench of the dungeon was replaced by a crisp wind and a warm light shining onto my back, opening my eyes I stood once again in the Gamer's Dream, but now the moon hung high, the sky, however was empty, lacking every last light in the blue sky. I didn’t question it as I laid down onto the soft, imaginary grass, folding my legs under me and resting my head onto the meadow.

You have approximately six hours of left. Do you wish for a dreamless, slumber, my host? The Game asked softly, lulling me deeper into this exhaustion erasing darkness.

"Yes." I answered, and my consciousness slipped away like a log in a gentle river, carrying me away to an endless ocean where worries and woes mattered little to none.

Gentle Touch awoke groggily amidst the night, feeling a weak tapping against her back. She rubbed her eyes to wipe away at least a little bit of sleepiness. The Mare's annoyance of waking at such late, or perhaps an early hour, was washed away at the sight of her little Star mumbling in his sleep while moving his hooves around.

Gentle smiled while thinking curiously. 'What I wouldn't give to know what you're dreaming little Star.' She smiled at her little wonder foal, before laying herself to bed again, but this time with her adoptive offspring in hooves.

It would be for the better if she never found out, ignorance is bliss after all.