[Detected Sub Quest One: Kill the Goblin Chief xerovock is completed. Rewards are being distributed:
1.Full recovery of health and mana
2.Strength increase by two
3. Agility increase by two]
Veil's body, which but mere seconds ago he had driven to the absolute peak to the point he was going to die, had started to heal. His body convulsed; wounds started to close. His bones felt stronger; he felt faster, stronger, better.
His heart pumped faster, once, twice, three times, then settled back into its original rhythm.
[Health: 120/120]
[Mana: 340/340]
[Strength: 10 → 12]
[Speed: 12 → 14]
"So this is what not dying feels like, huh? Well, the job ain't done yet. I still got two goblins left to kill: some bitch shaman and an oversized beast."
Veil's thoughts were put to an abrupt halt as he tried to move forward. Every joint produced a cracking or popping sound, like the sound produced when fireworks light up the night sky.
"God… damn. I sound like a glow stick being snapped in half." Veil's words were casual, as if the situation that once brought him fear was becoming less and less terrifying every second.
Ezroph the shaman's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets. He felt utterly confused.
"H-how… that last attack you landed should've ended you, human. How are you still alive? You're supposed to be dead."
Veil rolled his neck; more cracking sounds. He stretched his fingers; more popping noises in the cave.
And finally, he exhaled before speaking.
"Yeah, your tribe—or is it a clan or whatever—is dead, and now your chief's dead. Can you guess who is next? I'll spoil it for you: the answer is you."
Veil's words were laced with the cockiness of a young master about to get his ass kicked and girl taken by the protagonist.
Ezroph's lips trembled from pure rage, and his voice was shaking.
"Y-You insolent little! You dare mock me? I am Ezroph, High Shaman of the Wolfeighner tribe! I command elementals older than your pathetic life"
"So elementals do exist in this world. Wonder how that works. Something tells me you won't tell me, so I will kill you and just ask someone el—"
A wet and chunky meaty thud interrupted veil.
The goblin Goliath—it was twitching once, then twice, and after a few more times, its entire fused torso spasmed like something inside was clawing its way out. It grew four new arms: two more on each side.
Veil's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, for fuck's sake, what the hell is going on?"
The four new arms that had burst from the creature's sides were long, veiny, and trembling like newborn limbs.
Steam hissed off its skin. The cave floor shook under its monstrous weight.
"No, no, no, no, no! The ritual was never supposed to go this far! I would be utterly terrified, but it seems to still be under my control."
The Goliath didn't care about the astonishment on Ezroph's face or the look of resignation on Veil's.
It didn't care about anything.
It couldn't.
The four new arms slammed into the ground, cracking the stone beneath them.
Its massive torso heaved, muscles bulging and tearing and reforming in real time.
Steam hissed off its skin like it was cooking itself alive.
Veil's eyes were focused and looking straight at the Goliath in front of him.
"Oh, just great. It's getting more like a zombie boss every moment."
Veil's voice was laced with sarcasm, which unbeknownst to him was slowly becoming a character trait and coping mechanism.
[Sub Quest Two: Kill the Goblin Goliath Updated
Quest: Kill Goblin Goliath (0/1)
Reward: Full health recovery, +30 mana, +40 mana, +3 strength, +4 agility, elemental contract (low)
Penalty: Death
TIME LIMIT: None
Description: Either kill it or wait it out until it cooks itself to death. You got this. If you escape, you do not die, so maybe run.]
Ezroph's voice cracked, not from fear, rage, sadness, or even from fear, but pure excitement.
"No way! While it may be cooking itself alive and evolving at the same time, it is still following my orders and acknowledges that human as the enemy."
Ezroph's grin stretched unnaturally wide, his eyes glowing with a growing fanatic joy.
"Yes… YES! Even in this unstable state, it still obeys me! Do you see, human? Do you understand? This is the power of a TRUE shaman!"
Veil just stared at Ezroph.
"You think this lump of meat is enough to stop me from killing you? Well, then, you're dead wrong because I'm still going to be taking your life today."
The goblin Goliath's head snapped towards Veil. It produced a sound that was like a thousand crows chirping or a hundred babies crying.
"You killed my old friend Xerovock. I won't let you escape. Go, my Goliath! End this pathetic mortal. He dared stand in the way of me, and he is still alive after slaying Xerovock.
After this, I can turn him and Xerovock into the perfect undead minions."
The Goliath began moving—not slowly, as despite its size, it was surprisingly fast.
Veil simply inhaled.
The world around him slowed down, and its color became less vivid. This was an effect of his unique skill; it allowed him to slow down the world around him.
Unfortunately, he was too slow to react before, even if he used this ability, but with his increased agility, that was now less of a problem.
Veil moved past the goblin Goliath and punched it in the face.
Veil then exhaled. The world returned to its original vivid color, and time around him accelerated.
A heavy impact slammed into the goblin Goliath, sending it flying a few inches.
"So this all you got? You know, for a guy so muscular, you're surprisingly weak."
Veil's words targeting the goblin goliath were like an arrow striking Ezroph.
"W-why you! My tribe would have never ended up like this if it wasn't for you barging in. We would've continued peacefully living. Xerovock wouldn't have pressured me into the ritual, and he would still be alive."
Ezroph's words didn't penetrate Veil.
"You're the one who let me kill your best friend, and I thought I already said: your clan means less to me than my own survival."
Ezroph froze because he heard Veil, because he heard it, and he had to face the truth.
His breath hitched.
His grip on the staff trembled.
His eyes widened with a mix of grief, rage, and something far uglier.
"You… you dare say that… after everything… after you ruined my tribe… after you killed Xerovock… after you killed him like that!"