As the fire grew, I slowly added pieces of wood. But as the flames grew larger, I heard voices and footsteps heading in my direction.
"Shit, shit, shit."
I raced down the tower of boxes, making a half-hearted attempt to stay hidden. Half crawling, half running, I misstepped near the bottom and went flying, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. As I tried to get up, a voice sounded from the other side of the box. I froze.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"Leave it, shit-for-brains. If this room burns, you'll wish the fire killed you. The boss will do a lot worse."
"Fine, asshole, but you didn't have to be a dick about it."
As the footsteps grew distant, I thanked God Almighty I hadn't been caught. That would have been so embarrassing. I continued sneaking around as the goblins rushed to put out the fire.
Near the exit, I spotted one distracted goblin. Thinking quickly, I pulled a spear from my inventory — one I'd collected off a goblin corpse. Please let this work, I begged as I aimed. With all the strength I could muster, I hurled the spear.
Bullseye.
The weapon buried itself in the goblin's chest. As it collapsed, I shot from my hiding spot. Passing the body, I yanked the spear free just as the corpse dissolved into nothing.
A familiar voice echoed:
System: "Spear goblin body collected. 10/20 goblin bodies collected. 0/5 sand crawlers collected."
I snuck down the hallway, only half-listening to the system's update, peeking into rooms as I went. That's when a door caught my attention — mostly because two goblins were fast asleep, leaning against the wall. Interesting…
But as I stepped forward, the floor creaked. I froze. One goblin twitched. Seconds later, the other goblin let out a snore so loud it woke his companion, who promptly smacked him in the jaw. The second goblin stumbled back in surprise.
Before I could move, he lunged, and the two rolled across the floor, weapons forgotten.
"This is stupid," I muttered, approaching with spear in hand. Standing over them, I drove the spear down. The tip pierced the first goblin and skewered the second in one strike. Both bodies vanished.
I turned to the door. "Now, let's see what you're guarding, shall we?"
I pushed it open.
A prison cell. A skeleton sat inside, and embedded in its skull was some kind of gemstone.
"Okay, wow. Weird and ominous. Fun."
That was a nope for me. But as I turned to leave, a glowing blue screen appeared, blocking my path.
Why do I have the feeling this was inevitable? You can't have an ominous room without me getting dragged in.
System: New Mission — Brave but Dumb.
Description: Collect the ominous jewel.
"Oh great. There isn't a small chance you're talking about a different ominous jewel, is there?"
System: No.
"Okay, but what happens if I don't grab the obviously cursed rock?"
System: I double the number of enemies you must kill. Your stay is extended.
"I hate you."
System: Love you too, bud.
"Let's get this over with."
I approached the skeleton and pried the jewel loose with a surprisingly durable, high-quality bone dagger. I was honestly impressed this thing hadn't broken or even chipped yet.
Finally, the jewel popped free. I caught it — and instantly regretted it. The stone sank into my hand.
"Shit, shit, shit! System, what the hell is happening?"
System: Mission "Brave but Dumb" completed.
Reward: You have been infected with a preserved mind flayer parasite. The parasite is weak. It cannot turn you for now, but it can still grant you some powers.
Skill Unlocked: Mind Lure
Nudge your prey into moving in the direction of your choice, leading them into ambushes or traps.
Skill Unlocked: Minor Emotional Manipulation
Mildly affect the emotions of a target, inducing fear, anger, or other unsettling emotions.
Skill Unlocked: Mental Stun
Freeze a target's train of thought, causing them to halt for a few seconds.
Writer here gist wanted to say thanks for all the support.