For a bit – it was dark.

  It was undeniable – I had died. I had lost the fight against the Grey King and died.

  …Unbelievable.

  He had actually managed to defeat me without using his own powers and authority as a ruler…

  It makes me wonder — Just how much more powerful has he grown?

  Did I…Make a mistake by forcefully invading his territory?

  Was I too greedy?

  Maybe.

  Maybe I was.

  …

  Though – I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. I died — whatever happens in the waking world, no longer concerns me. It’s time I joined my ancestors on the other side…

  “Are you certain?”

  A voice echoed through the darkness.

  The Green Goblin looked around confused and startled – searching for wherever the voice could have come from.

  “He’ll be useful. Besides, I can’t remain here to rule – I must follow you, my Lord.”

  A snicker followed that reply. It seemed as though he was overhearing a conversation between two individuals…. Their voices sounded familiar. Like he had heard them before – but… how?

  What were these voices? He died – there shouldn’t be anything here with him nor should he be able to overhear any sorts of conversations. He’s dead — gone. He should be moving to the other side…

  “Well, alright.” A pause followed. “Then do your magic.”

  The Green Goblin suddenly felt light — as if he had lost all weight. From the darkness, fiery red chains shot up and zoomed past him, sending a shiver down his spine and causing the goblin to shed a sweat.

  What was—?!

  He didn’t get to finish his thought, as the chains quickly wrapped around him, squeezing tightly together and placing great pressure on him from all sides. He felt like he was being crushed in the palm of a giant – like he was going to just burst like a dirt ball being squeezed in someone's palm.

  For a bit, the pain intensified, until suddenly the chains un tied his body but then bound his arms and legs. Then, a collar made of flames appeared around his neck, locking itself with a golden key — the key vanishing.

  What is happening..?!

  Shouldn’t I be going to the otherside?!

  Why am I being chained up?! Am I… Am I going to the Palace of Darkness..?!

  Thoughts rushed through his mind.

  He was frightened – both of the things happening around him as well as the thought of possibly being dragged down to the depths of the world, where he would surely be tormented for the rest of his existence.

  However, that didn’t happen.

  Instead, he saw a white light appear above him, shining so brightly that it almost illuminated the endless darkness around him.

  “It’s done.”

  A voice said, as the goblin suddenly felt a sort of energy flow deep into his body. He began to thrash around for a bit, almost as if he were in pain, before his body was pulled up towards the light by the fiery binds on him. The goblin shed a cold sweat.

  What is…!

  The goblin bolted awake, breathing heavily before looking around. He was… back in his quarters? But that was impossible.

  “There, you’re back.” The goblin looked towards the source of the sound, being met with Sallow, who was kneeling next to him. His eyes immediately drifted to examine the Grey Goblin's body.

  It had changed.

  He had grown taller and bulkier – his shoulders were larger and more broad and his hands now possessed what looked like claws that were merged with his fingers. “Grey King…?”

  Sallow stood up, backing up a bit. “He… or rather, she’s fully awake. Vital signs are perfect.”

  “Impressive,” Jack replied, laughing afterwards. “Quite the handy new power you’ve awakened.”

  “Thank you, my Lord. I believe it will come in handy for us in the future.” Sallow responded by bowing towards Jack. The Tamer nodded, before turning his attention over to the newly revived Green Goblin King.

  “Welcome back to the world of the living, Green Ears.” The Goblin shed a sweat, however looked visibly annoyed by Jack's snarky comment. “You ought to show respect, worthless human—!” As the goblin tried to stand up, it fell back down to its knees. For some reason, his entire body felt weak – as if it had been drained.

  “I suggest not moving too much. Your new body is a bit brittle and it will take a while till your full power recovers.” Jack commented. The Green Goblin looked up at the Tamer before scoffing and looking at a nearby servant. “Bring something for me to see my reflection in!”

  The Goblin didn’t move.

  The Green Goblin looked confused, before once again getting irritated. “How dare you ignore an order from your King—!”

  “You aren’t the ruler anymore.” Sallow interrupted the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin looked at Sallow confused, while shedding a cold, silent sweat. “What do you…”

  Then, his eyes widened.

  The reason Sallow looked different — He has killed him. The Grey King came out victorious in their fight, killing him and technically, “conquering” his clan, thus becoming its new ‘King’ and thus, undergoing a special evolution.

  The Green Goblin pushed itself back, before looking at his arms. “Huh…?”

  “Seems like he finally noticed.” Jack chuckled, crossing his arms. The Goblins pupils shook as they examined the rest of their body. It wasn’t theirs — it was of a smaller, female goblin. “This isn’t my body… What…” He looked at Sallow and Jack with fear.

  “What did you do to me…?”

  Sallow sighed. “Your body was too heavily damaged to be used for this revival process, so instead, I decided to move your essence into a different, fully together body, whose original owner was already deceased.” The Grey Goblin looked away. “Don’t worry, we made sure the body was in pristine shape before moving your essence.”

  Move his essence?

  “...So that’s why I feel so weak…”

  “Indeed. But don’t worry — when your essence fully merges with this new body, your power should begin regenerating rapidly.” Sallow stated. The Green Goblin stared at her hands, still in disbelief. The once Great King of the Green Goblin clan and pride driven being had now been reduced to someone who wouldn’t be able to even take on the guards of his own clan.

  There was a bit of silence, before the Green Goblin looked up at Sallow. “...Why did you bring me back?”

  Before Sallow got to respond, Jack stepped closer, kneeling in front of the Goblin and smiling. “Simple — We’ve got some questions for you.” His smile turned a bit dark, which caused shivers to run down the Goblins spine.

  “But first… We should get you into some actual clothing.” Jack stood back up, turning away and walking off. The Goblin looked down at her own body, before quickly covering parts of it up with her arms. Sallow eyed the Goblin for a bit, before looking over at some servants.

  “Bring your old King some new clothes. Preferably ones that fit.” The servants nodded and bowed towards Sallow, before rushing off. Then, the Grey Goblin looked over at the two Green Goblin Generals present in the room. “Once he’s done changing – bring him to the throne room.”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “...Yes, your Greatness.”

  Afterwards, Sallow turned around and followed after Jack, leaving the quarters and closing the door after himself. The Green Goblin stared at the door for a bit longer, unsure how she should feel about this situation she had now found herself in. Not that long afterwards, the servants that Sallow had sent away returned, bringing a set of clothing to the Green Goblin.

  “Here you go.”

  She hesitated. “My power, then my body…And now my pride! Grey King… are you trying to humiliate me?” The Goblin thought, before taking the change of clothes and turning away.

  In the Throne room,

  Jack, Sallow and Araneida waited. Sallow had sat down in the clan's throne, as its new ruler, while Jack and Araneida stood off to the side. Jack gazed at Sallow with a smile. “So,” He walked a little closer. “How does it feel to sit on a throne again?”

  “...Strange.” Sallow replied, looking down. “After you defeated me and I accepted becoming your familiar, I believed that my days on a throne had ended and that now I had a new purpose. So sitting in one once more… It feels strange.”

  “...That’s understandable.” Jack snickered lightly. Then, the two Green Goblin Generals entered the room, between them walked the old Green Goblin King, having changed into the clothes that had been brought for her much smaller and skinnier body. Sallow looked down at them, while Jack smirked lightly, crossing his arms and remaining by Sallows' side.

  The two Generals kneeled in Sallows presence. “You’re dismissed.” The Generals exchanged gazes, before standing back up and leaving the throne room – leaving Sallow, Jack, Araneida and the Green Goblin King alone in the throne room.

  The Green Goblin looked at Sallow and Jack nervously. “...What questions did you have?”

  “Straight to the point, huh…” Jack chuckled under his breath, before looking at Sallow, who nodded lightly. Then, Sallow got up from the throne and moved down towards the Green Goblin, reaching into his pouch. “I wish to know…” He took out the Hell Gem, before bringing to the Green Goblin's sight – which caused her eyes to widen. “How did you get your hands on this? And more importantly, why did you give it to one of your generals?”

  The Goblin remained silent, avoiding looking at Sallow. The Grey Goblin exhaled. “Alright, the hard way is necessary.” Then, his eyes lit up with a deep, fiery colour, which alone was enough to cause the Green Goblins entire body to tremble. Then, fire chains and collar appeared around her arms and neck — the same ones that had bound her inside that darkness.

  “You will answer my question. That is an order.”

  A great pressure was sent down onto the Green Goblin. “Wh-What… is this..?” The Goblin thought. The pressure she was feeling – it felt like she was losing control of her own body. “Y-Yes… your Greatness.”

  Huh?

  Why did I… Just say that?

  The Green Goblin kneeled down before Sallow, unable to control their body – it felt like someone had just attached strings to her body and began to puppet her like a doll. Was this the effect of the collar and chains around her?

  Jack watched from a slight distance, observing silently.

  “Sallow went through a special evolution that increased his Grade from ‘Ruler’ to ‘Grand Ruler’. With this, he also evolved from ‘Grey Goblin King’ to ‘Great Goblin King’ — which granted upgraded his old ‘Rulers Will’ skill into the new Race Skill ‘Goblin King’s Will’. With this…” Jack let a small smirk slide across his face. “He can control any Goblin under the Grey Goblin clan or the Green Goblin clan. Even the old ‘King’.”

  Sallow glared down at the Green Goblin, before crouching down. “I will ask again. How did you get your hands on this? And why was it in the possession of one of your generals?”

  The Green Goblin remained silent for a bit, before answering.

  “We were given these items by a passing wanderer. He said that they were ‘tokens’ of acknowledgement, and that we would have a part to play in his plans.”

  “A passing wanderer?” Sallow narrowed his eyes. “And can you tell me what he looked like?”

  “No.” The Goblin shook her head. “The wanderer was hidden by a pitch black cloak and all we could see from his face were a pair of deep, dark blue eyes.” Sallow looked unconvinced at first, however accepted the answer either way. “How many of the Hell Gems did he hand you?”

  “About six.”

  “And where did you put them?”

  “One was given to a general for safekeeping and another is in my possession, hidden in my quarters. The other four were hidden deep under the castle.”

  Sallow fell silent, before looking over at Jack, who shrugged and then gestured to the Grey Goblin. Sallow nodded, before standing back up and placing the Hell Gem inside his pouch. “You will help me gather the remaining five back here. Understood?”

  The Green Goblin lowered her head. “Yes, your Greatness.”

  Then, the effects of Sallows' skill were lifted, as he turned around and walked back over to Jack, allowing the Green Goblin to finally move on her own again. She breathed heavily, almost falling over to the ground.

  “That is one useful skill.”

  “It only works on those who are under me. It will be useless against other creatures such as humans.” Sallow replied. Jack sighed, before looking over at the Green Goblin. “So, we’re collecting the Hell Gems?”

  “Yes. One of them is dangerous enough, if there are five, we need to cease them and get rid of them.” Sallow reached into his pouch and took out the jagged orb once more, squeezing it tightly while staring at it. Jack eyed Sallow for a bit, before exhaling and nodding. “Alright. You deal with the ones hidden. I’ll go hijack those guys' quarters.”

  “Right.” Sallow nodded, looking over at the Green Goblin.

  “Araneida, come with me.” Jack said to the spider as he passed her. The arachnid threw a gaze at Sallow, before quickly skittering after Jack, the two of them leaving the throne room through a different door that was located behind the throne.

  Sallow approached the Green Goblin once more.

  The Green Goblin looked at Sallow with a nervous, while at the same time, disdainful gaze. “...What?”

  “Before we head under the castle, there is one thing I wish to do.” The Green Goblin looked at Sallow with a confused gaze. “...That being?”

  Sallow suddenly kneeled in front of the Green Goblin, before moving his face just a few centimeters away from the Green Goblins, sending slight shivers down her spine. “To ensure you truly are fully under my command, even after you gain back your power, you will swear your life to me.”

  The Green Goblins' eyes widened.

  “You don’t…”

  “Indeed.” Sallows eyes narrowed on the Green Goblin. “Now, let’s get this over with.”

  Jack and Araneida entered the quarters of the Green Goblin King once more, before Jack gently rubbed the back of his neck and then looked at Araneida. “Alright partner, let’s find that Hell Gem.” The Arachnid gave a cheery squeal in response.

  The duo then began searching through the room – Jack was checking the drawers while Araneida searched around the large bed that was at the back of the room. The Hell Gem could be anywhere inside this room – even a stupid and obviously terrible spot to put it in, such as a drawer – so it was better to search everywhere.

  While searching through the drawers, Jack took a mental note of how the room looked. Despite the clan seemingly having good advancement, with how they had actually good quality armour and weapons, this room…

  It was noticeably dialed back.

  He had expected to be grandiose, but it almost looked like a place where a commoner would live – Not a Ruler, especially one that acted as prideful and full of himself as that Green Goblin. “Hm…” Jack stormed a few ideas, however did not voice any of them, simply continuing his search.

  Eventually, Araneida dragged out a locked, black chest from under the bed, before looking at Jack and squealing. Catching his attention, the arachnid called her master over.

  Jack walked over, kneeling next to Araneida, before examining the chest. Its material was noticeably a lot harder than the wood or metal he had encountered in this clan camp so far.

  Knock, knock.

  He knocked on the chest. “It definitely isn’t a variant of wood. Something more akin to a really hard stone.” Jack eyed the chest, before looking at Araneida and smiling lightly, patting her head. “Well done Araneida.” The arachnid looked quite pleased about herself.

  Placing his right hand onto the lock, the Tamer took in a slightly deep breath, before smashing the lock into pieces with ease, brushing it off to the side. “Alright, let’s see what’s inside here…” Jack commented, opening the chest.

  As soon as it opened, he spotted just the item they had been looking for – the Hell Gem – in the corner. “Bingo.” He reached down and grabbed the orb, before quickly sliding it into his bag. The Hell Gem wasn’t the only thing inside the chest, there was also a rune and a rolled up paper. Grabbing the other two items, Jack examined them.

  The rune was different from the ones he had encountered so far – being deep grey with not a symbol on top, but a small piece of text — all runic. ‘??????’ — “I studied runic texts and alphabets in my old world, so I just about understand it…”

  On top of the rune, was the word ‘Goblin’ written.

  Perhaps this was a new kind of rune stone? Well, there was only one way to find out. Jack sharpened his gaze onto the rune stone.

  [ ITEM ]

  Goblin Rune

  Rank: ?

  A Special ‘Race’ rune that can only be used by a specific race. When a ‘Ruler’ of the race absorbs this rune, they are gifted a new skill befitting of their title.

  [ ITEM ]

  “A Race rune… Well, based on the word on top of it and the fact that it is called ‘Goblin Rune’, I’ll guess that I can’t use it. Maybe Sallow can benefit from it.” Jack slid the rune stone into his bag, before bringing his attention to the rolled up paper. Unrolling it, he looked at the contents in the scroll.

  ….It was blank.

  The scroll had absolutely nothing written on it. Jack looked a bit sceptical, sharpening his eyes.

  [ ITEM ]

  Enchanted Scroll (Locked)

  Rank: ?

  A Locked scroll.

  Its contents can only be viewed after unlocking it.

  [ ITEM ]

  “That’s certainly interesting… I should keep my hands on this.” Jack commented in his mind, rolling up the scroll before placing it inside his bag as well. Then, he closed the chest, sliding it back under the bed before looking at Araneida.

  “Come on - we got what we wanted. Let’s go back.” The Arachnid gave an approving nod, before following after the Tamer, the duo leaving the room. Jack threw one last look around the room before closing the door, his eyes sharp and narrow.

  As soon as he closed the door, a shadowy figure emerged from the shadows, walking over to where Jack had slid the chest under, before bringing it back out. “...Seems like this place will no longer be of use.” The figure commented under its breath, before picking up the chest and causing it to disintegrate into particles, which were absorbed into the figure's body.

  Afterwards, the figure threw a gaze over at the door.“....That Tamer….” It narrowed its eyes, before sinking into the shadows, disappearing from the room.