“Boss, boss, stay with us boss!” A familiar voice said as I was dragged onto the riverbank. I noticed the sack of grain and sickle I snagged were gathered on the bank. The blade might be useful, but who knows if the grain will be any good still.
It was night out and the sky was clear. It hadn’t gone to plan. Not that it mattered. I was alive and made it out of my backstory so the world was mine! I saved some of my goblins to boot! Bato and Bobo got me out of the river. Fi was calling out from up the bank. Before the escape I was scared shitless this would be some fate vs freewill nonsense where I’d be trapped following the campaign's plot, but I didn’t have a crew of goblins with me before.
Screw following the campaign’s storyline. It can’t catch up to me if I don’t participate in it. Plus, I died in ‘the real plot’ anyway because of some bullshit luck. Like for real, three natural ones in a row. Nah, I’ll lead a goblin warband against the hobs damnit. Being part of a goblin revolution sounds better anyways. No point in limiting myself to what I’ve already done.
“Good job, getting me out of there crew,” I said after climbing up from the to where Fi was with Bato and Bobo. “Sorry it didn’t go to plan. Is this all of us?”
“Don’t worry boss. Ain’t like any of us would’ve been kicking this time next year,” Bato said. He grabbed a shortsword that was laying on the ground and threw it over his back. It was funny, the sword looked like a greatsword given his size. “I wasn’t too sure any of us were making it out.”
“What’s the plan now boss?” Fi asked.
Hmm, I hadn’t really thought this far. Survival basics first I imagine. “Well we got to find some shelter. Water’s freezing so getting dried up is a must. I doubt they care enough, but the damn hobs might come after us so we’ll need to flee early. As it stands though we’re not making it through the night like this.”
We scoured the nearby area looking for somewhere to hide out for the night. Fi found us a small clearing in a thicket of bushes. They blocked the wind well enough so we made camp there. Not much of a camp, mostly the four of us huddling together to keep warm. We were used to that at this point. Wasn’t like the hobs cared all too much when they kept us in those cages.
I didn’t really know where we were. I think our campaign placed us in the eastern half of the continent. That wasn’t where the gobs or hobs were so eastward seems like a good plan. Since Dato died we never got around to his backstory. Not that I really remember what happened to my other two characters.
The night wasn’t finished with us. Rustling in the bushes around us woke me and my crew up. Black-tendril like chains were worming their way into the opening. Bato drew his sword and slashed at them, metal rang out. The tendril chains kept squirming forward.
“Run!” I yelled, my goblins and I started running through the bushes away from the chains. The bushes were thick and hard to push through. A chain wrapped itself around my ankle and pulled me back. I ate dirt and got scraped up as it dragged me.
“Boss!” My goblins yelled seeing me pulled away.
The chains dragged me back to the clearing where a corpse now sat. My goblins tried to come for me, but were quickly wrapped in chains and left in the bushes. Fuck, we were supposed to have made it out damn it! Not for some dipshit undead to kill us.
The corpse looked elvish of some sort. It wore tattered and rotted robes, its skin was deathly pale with patches of dark spots coming out of it. Maggots were squirming beneath the skin. There was a massive hole in its stomach that exposed the spine and dripping organs. Everything about it was nasty, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to the book the corpse was clutching around its chest: it was a pristine white grimoire covered in intricate marking, patterns, and sigils. It had a series of pitch black small metal chains wrapped around it, so dark they almost looked like patterns on the book. What was this some sort of cursed holy book or something? My gut said this thing was definitely cursed. The book was shining even in the dim night. If it’s not cursed it’s powerful right?
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A chain wrapped around my wrist, it was pulling my hand towards the book. I let it happen. Something inside me wanted that book and it wasn’t like I could overpower the chains anyways. It was like I was struck by lightning touching it. Energy coursed through me, shocking and stunning me. For a moment I saw part of myself being ripped away from my goblin body. Hovering in the air being pulled towards the corpse by the book. Then suddenly, it stopped.
The chains on the book began to snap and break as the book’s pages unfurled. Ink flowing like blood began to seep and drip from the book’s white pages, curling and forming into words. The chains moving like dark tendrils extended wrapping around my limbs forcing me to look at the book.
“My, my. You are quite the rare specimen, my little goblin. It was quite fortuitous that my poor little Leori was close enough for me to find one of your ilk. I have questions for you.
“Hmm, how truly odd you are up close. One and one-thirds souls merged together and yet it’s the fractured one, rife and reeking with the smell of fell divinity, that’s taken control over the corporeal being. Dozens of specimens like you have been showing up recently. So tell me little goblin, what are you?”
“...What are you? Some sentient book. We don’t want trouble,” I responded to the book. I don’t know what the hell it was talking about.
“A question for a question? How quaint. I do not believe you’re in a position to barter. Though, you interest me. So I’ll play your game, for now. What am I, but the knowledge that drives mortals to ruin. The secrets that people war over. I am the ruler of coveted truths. The bane of kings, merchants, and scholars. I am Soccra, the guardian and ruler of forbidden knowledge. Now tell me, lest I decide to feed your malformed soul to my precious little Leori,” one of the chains seemed to point to the corpse holding the book, “who are you? Keep in mind, I will know if you lie to me.”
I hesitated a bit but the book didn’t seem to take offense or push the issue. The chains extended from it almost moving around like tentacles. Wrapping around each of my limbs. I wasn’t about to let my new life get cut short. I couldn't not tell it anything. Though, I figured, if this was some eldritch being. If it could read my mind or something it wouldn’t be asking me anything. Maybe, I could get some powers or make a deal with it.
“I’m Dato. I mean I’m a goblin, or now a goblin, but I came originally from another world. I know how creatures like you are! If you want any more I better be getting something out of it,” I said, with all the bluster I could.
“Oh, it’s always amusing when my subjects still have some fight in them,” the book wrote in its pages. “My poor little Leori lost that long ago. It was amusing at first. Him thinking of me as his savior whenever I bring him back for my own amusement. But it’s been so dreadfully dull as of late. You’d be a fun specimen to experiment on. Mayhaps you can manage to support a fragment of a third soul rattling inside you. Amuse me. Do so and I’ll bestow a fraction of Leori’s power on to you.”
“Only a fraction, what I have to share is something really good. Might be worth the whole thing,” I said, not planning on getting screwed over by some dumb book. No more words appeared on its pages. The tendril-like chains tightened on my limbs. A reminder of my position. “Fine. What you’re some eldritch creature of secrets or forbidden knowledge? Here’s something you might like. This world, everything in it, was part of a game where I’m from. Me and some friends controlled you and everything here, don’t think we won’t do so again and make you suffer if you screw me.”
The chains tightened as I screamed out in pain, before falling slack. The book hovered in front of me. “Lies do not become you in my presence. Your body writhes with deceit and fear. You lack the power you once had don’t you? Now, speak more on this ‘game’ and be glad you’ve caught my attention.”
I looked away from the book, I already tried running and my gobs were damn hostages now. All I could hope for was that I get something good from this.
“Yea so it was this game where five of us sat around a table. Four of us had a character we played out the actions of, the fifth controlled everything else. She was called the GM. I know she had an actual name, but I don’t remember it. Or anyone else's or my own. The story with the characters and all we were playing in was called a campaign. Anyways, I know GM had other groups like us. I played in two different campaigns in this world. I mean, this world was a game to us, I didn’t think it was actually real. Anyways, how much power do I get for that?”
“Patience now little goblin. You have seized my attention indeed. Appease me and I’ll see that you shall be greatly rewarded. Do you know how many of you there were? And this ‘GM’ you called her. Tell me more of her,” the book wrote on its pages. It was only text, but there was a feeling of almost giddiness coming from it. I stared at its pages stunned. I know I’m missing something here, but I’ve already dug my hole. I’m going to get something good out of this, consequences be damned!
“Yea, I mean GM basically made the world and all. Not sure how much there is to say about it specifically. If we ever had a question about characters or stuff she’d tell us. I don’t know how many campaigns she had in total, I imagine quite a few in all honesty. I know of at least three or four she ran while we were in college. I was in two of them,” I said. A sharp pain rang through my mind making me fall to my knees.
“Fascinating. I believe I know what you are. Even if you yourself know not. My little Primordial, you are indeed an exquisite find. Be glad I can read the goblin’s memories but not yours. If not for that you would’ve made for excellent fuel for my little Leori’s revival,” the book wrote. I felt a trickle and brushed away blood coming from my nose.
“Don’t do that shit again you flammable stack of paper. Give me the power you owe me!” I spat back, unsure of how to insult a book.
“But of course! It will take some time for Leori’s soul to be incorporated into your strange amalgamation of a soul. I am nothing if not diligent. I’m sure we’ll have much more to give each other, my little primordial. Your body as well should evolve into a Signa Goblin. Congratulations, I hear evolution is important for your mortal kind. As a gesture of good faith I’ll see to your affairs while you… adjust. This will likely hurt.”
It felt how I imagined being on fire would. I fell onto the ground. Wait, signa goblin? That was so stupid. Shouldn’t I get an evolution with an actual name if I’m getting a lot of power? At least, the book doesn’t want me dead. It can’t read my Earth memories and it wants them no doubt. “So we’re clear,” I muttered out, “I have a lot more to give. Knowledge of the world I came from.”
The ink appeared on the pages, but I couldn’t make it out.
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