Chương 2: A Game of Chess

[Travis Binder: Cause of death - Beheading] [Analyzing Final Moments] [Observed: Quick action. Continued Masochism.] [Location of Death: Dungeon of the Carrion King] [Class Selected: Necromancer] [Spawn Point Selected. Dungeon.] [Reincarnation 4/7]"So you have returned," Stick said. Deep creases lined the goblin's face, exhaustion prevalent in his eyes. I looked around the cave, burying my head in my hands. Four deaths in the span of a handful of minutes.

"Yeah. Apparently." The goblin lowered himself to one knee, bowing deeply and presenting the jagged blade to me.

"Do you desire another cycle of death, my lord? Or are you now ready to join us?" I let out a deep sigh, and chewed on my knuckle. I let my heart rate lower, and tried my best to think things out. I was dead. Had died. There was no going back to my old life. Hell, I didn't even want to go back to my old life. But this? Not this. There had to be a way out of this. To make it back to the original timeline I was supposed to be in. To be a hero. Already I had wasted three of my attempts. There must be a better way.

"What is it that you need from me, exactly?" I said.

"You are to bring the Dungeon of the Carrion King back to its former glory. The Necrodungeon! As was foretold." I took a shuddering deep breath.

"I don't want to."

"But—" I set my milk crate on the ground and sat on it.

"Necromancer? The Necrodungeon? The Carrion King? I don't want any of it! I want to be a hero!"

"You... you're a hero to me, my lord."

"How long has it been? Since my last return?"

"Nearly a decade. My clan has waited generations for your first reincarnation. It has been two hundred years since the Necrodungeon was closed off." Stick swallowed.

"I…if I may, my lord. The clans are at war. The humans raid our hills. There is no time like the present for you to return." Was there really no choice for me? Was I truly destined to be an evil necromancer for the rest of my days? Why then, did whatever this 'system' was give me so many opportunities to come back as something else?

"Let's see this dungeon, then," I sighed. For the first time since our first encounter, the goblin smiled.

"Of course! We have sealed it off at your request, but I have kept the secret password as a way to reenter it." He approached the cave wall behind me, and taps on the floor in a steady pattern. The earth shook, and behind me, the cave floor slid away, revealing a set of stone stairs that delve deep into the earth.

"After you, my lord." I swallowed, and took the first step down. Iron sconces line the walls, hung on ornately carved slate brick. By the layers of dust evident on the stairs, this stairwell hadn't been accessed in years. But despite that, the torches emitted a faint blue fire, washing everything in an otherworldly glow. An ornate temple appeared. Above it, a glowing green gemstone. It radiated a sickly green light, and flashes with each step forward. Stick stood behind me.

"Embrace it, my lord. Accept your role as Carrion King." I placed my hand upon the gem, and text appeared over my vision. [Dungeon Core of the Carrion King] [Level 100 Dungeon] [Attune?] I staggered back.

"Absolutely not.

"But you have to." I shook my head.

"No. Listen, Stick. You seem like a nice guy—goblin—but this isn't what I want. Isn't what I need. Each time I die, whatever is sending me here recalibrates. If I'm really a hero to you, we need to find a way for me to die so that I can come back as a hero. Got it?" Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! He gave a disappointed nod.

"But how?" I smiled.

"Watch this." Looking at the dungeon core, I shouted, "I denounce you, evil doer! I shall have no part of your evil schemes!" And then I raised a fist and punched it, with all my might. The dungeon core cracked, and the color twisted to a deep red. [Defense System Activated] I blinked. And was suddenly engulfed in flames. [Travis Binder: Cause of death - Immolation] [Analyzing Final Moments] [Observed: Destruction of personal property.] [Location of Death: Dungeon of the Carrion King] [Class Selected: Necromancer] [Spawn Point Selected. Dungeon.] [Reincarnation 5/7]"I knew you would return," Stick said. Over the generations, the cave had changed drastically. Gone were the rough stone walls, replaced with carved stone. Instead of appearing on my feet, I now spawned into this world sitting on an iron throne, red and black flags hanging from above.

"I.... It's different in here."

"We figured something more befitting your stature would get you in the mood for evil."

"W-what happened to the gem after I punched it?"

"Fear not, Carrion King. The dungeon core has healed itself over this last decade." I stood from the throne and took a deep breath. How much of my life had I waited for something to change? I had more opportunities left to change fate—and I wouldn't just give up.

"This isn't working. Stick, we need something real. An emergency. Something with real danger. Someone I can save." The goblin blinked.

"You desire to start a disaster! Excellent, my lord, we can orchestrate this."

"I wish to stop a disaster!" I said.

"Preferably heroically. In front of witnesses if possible."

"Yes of course. We can burn down the village for you," Stick said.

"Lock the doors and—" I waved my hands.

"Small fire. Controlled. Maybe a shed? I'll swoop in, pull someone out, and boom! You kill me, and I die a hero's death."

"Wonderful, my lord. We can prepare everything shortly!" Stick skipped forward, cutting down through the long cave path. I followed behind him. The pathway resolved into a rocky cave with a dead end of flat stone. Stick knocked on the wall, and the cavern shook. The slab rattled, rolling out of the way and sending dust and debris down on top of us.

"The old gears in this place are still running, just as you left it, my lord," Stick said, crossing over the rocky threshold and onto the uneven floor.

"We have ensured that the Necrodungeon has remained untouched by outsiders these last two hundred years." I chewed on my cheek. A cavern sprawled out in either direction from the hidden entrance. Stalagmites and stalactites grew high and hung low, and alcoves and niches lined the walls. Stick led us up the right-hand path, which circled and spiraled up for what felt like ages. The cave mouth opened up to a late-fall breeze.

Bright orange and yellow leaves covered the surrounding trees, the branches growing bare as the ground became covered in crunchy goodness.

"Please, wait here! I will gather the required things, and pull you aside when ready. If you are to go out in a blaze of glory, we cannot let the others catch wind of it." He waddled off, leaving me to my own devices. I sat in the carpet of leaves and fiddled with my thumbs. Compared to the air of Chicago and that cave, this place was luxurious. Each breath I took filled me with a new lease on life. If things didn't work out this time… perhaps I could get used to being here.

A rabbit leaped through the bushes and landed right in front of me. Its coat was fluffy and pure white, its eyes red.

"Hey there, little fella. How rare must you be? An albino rabbit of all things!" The rabbit's brows furrowed, and it revealed several layers of sharp teeth. It howled, and then charged me.

"What the fuck!" I said, scrambling back as it dove onto my arm, latching on tight. I shook it away as best I could, but it only let go once I grabbed its scruff and tossed it back into the woods. It scampered off, white form disappearing into the trees. My arm bled from a dozen different needle-point teeth marks.

"Never mind. Fuck this world."

"My lord?" Stick said, waddling back through the trees.

"Things are ready!" We headed through the woods, where smoke was already rising through the canopy of the forest. I grabbed my arm, trying not to make a huge point of the wound. I would be dying soon anyway. We arrived at a burning shed. Two other goblins stood outside, watching in horror. Stick joined them and smiled.

"Here he is! The Carrion King himself! My lord, this is my daughter and wife." His wife tossed a glare at me.

"Why do we have to burn our shed?" a tiny green figure said.

"The Carrion King demands it of us. He needs a heroic act." His wife sighed.

"But our winter stores—" I choked.

"Winter stores? You're burning your winter stores?" Stick nodded.

"You said you needed a disaster, my lord. I have created a disaster."

"Shit!" The glares made sense now.

"We need to put that out! There was supposed to be someone inside there to rescue, that was all!"

"There was, my lord," Stick said.

"But he left the moment he smelled the smoke." Wincing, I ran forward. There had to be some supplies I could save. I had no intention of dooming an entire goblin village to a winter without food. I tossed open the door to the shed, the bags of grain inside starting to catch as the fire spread to the roof. Wood snapped and splintered around me, and I grabbed one bag of grain after another, throwing them outside. Stick's voice was a faint echo.

"You should get out of there, my lord! It's starting to come down!" I grabbed one last bag of grain. CRACK! The central beam of the shed collapsed. [Travis Binder: Cause of death - Structural Collapse. Rabies.] [Analyzing Final Moments…] [Observed: Arson. Destruction of critical resources. Attempted heroism. Animal abuse.] [Location of Death: Dungeon of the Carrion King] [Class Selected: Necromancer] [Spawn Point Selected. Dungeon.] [Reincarnation 6/7]"My lord—" I sighed.

"Have you ever heard of chess, Stick?"