When we reached my house, Slug followed a few steps behind me, silent as he had been since we left the trader. The rain had eased into a light drizzle, dampening the ground as I led him straight into the backyard.
I stopped and turned to face him.
"Slug," I said, keeping my voice steady, "what can you do?"
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced around the yard, his sharp eyes settling on a small fire ant crawling along the edge of a stone. He crouched, surprisingly gentle, and plucked it from the ground between two fingers.
I frowned, unsure what I was supposed to be seeing.
Then the ant began to dissolve.
It didn't burst or struggle. It simply broke apart, its tiny body turning to dust that flowed into Slug's skin as if being absorbed. The sensation made my stomach twist.
Only then did he speak—his voice rough, unused, as if words were something he rarely needed.
"I can absorb insects," he said. "And gain parts of their abilities."
As he spoke, his body began to change.
His mouth split slightly, reshaping into hard, curved pincers. Thin antennae pushed out from his scalp, twitching as if tasting the air. The transformation was quick—but deliberate, controlled.
Before I could react, Slug walked over to a nearby boulder half-buried in the earth. He wrapped one hand around it and lifted.
The stone rose effortlessly.
It was nearly his size.
I stared, rain dripping from my hair, as he held it aloft with one arm, expression unchanged.
For the first time since purchasing him, I understood something clearly.
I hadn't bought a weak goblin.
I bought a weapon.
And standing there, watching him hold that boulder like it weighed nothing at all, I couldn't tell whether that realization thrilled me—or terrified me.
A slow smile crept across my face—one I didn't bother to hide. I nodded once, satisfied.
Slug lowered the boulder, setting it back into the earth as if it weighed nothing. Then he looked at me again, his gaze sharper now, more focused. The antennae receded, the pincers folding back into something almost human.
"There is something strange about you," he said. His voice was quieter this time. "Something… wrong."
I didn't interrupt.
"I only speak now so you understand this," Slug continued. "I was not captured because I was weak." His hands clenched at his sides. "I was betrayed. By my own brother—the current king of the goblins."
Each word seemed to darken his expression, the bitterness unmistakable.
"And I want revenge."
The rain pattered softly around us as I considered his words. Then I nodded.
"As long as you serve me," I said evenly, "I will see that you get your revenge."
For a moment, he simply stared at me. Then Slug dropped to one knee, bowing his head far lower than before.
"For the next High King of Nebula," he said.
The title echoed in my mind.
I smiled again.
It sounded… right.
I exhaled slowly, then said what had already taken root in my mind.
"To be a High King… I'll need an army."
Slug's lips curled into something that might have been a smile. "Then let us gather one, my king."
"How?" I asked.
He nodded once, as if he had expected the question. "I know of a goblin camp nearby. I don't know how many still live there, but it would be a beginning."
A beginning.
I returned his nod. "Then let's start there."
I turned and walked toward the shed at the edge of the yard. The door creaked open as I stepped inside, the familiar scent of oil and old wood filling the air. I reached for my katars, their cold metal grounding me as I strapped them to my arms.
As I turned back, something struck me.
Slug stood empty-handed.
I hesitated, then asked, "Do you need a weapon?"
For the first time, Slug laughed—a quiet, sharp sound that didn't carry any warmth. He shook his head.
"A true warrior," he said, flexing his fingers slowly, "does not need a weapon to end his enemies."
The way he said it made my skin prickle.
I tightened my grip on the katars.
Before we left, I returned inside and grabbed the old map from my closet. The edges were frayed, the ink faded in places, but it was still usable. I spread it open on the table outside and looked to Slug.
"Show me where we're headed."
He leaned in, studying it for a moment before pointing to a patch of dark green just beyond the borderlands—near my intended target.
"Here," he said. "A small forest, close to Grimrest."
I nodded, committing the location to memory. We folded the map away and set out, moving steadily beneath the overcast sky. The rain thinned as we walked, leaving behind damp earth and the smell of wet leaves.
About twenty minutes into the journey, Slug stopped abruptly.
I froze.
"Enemies ahead," he whispered.
My hand instinctively moved to my katars as I lowered my stance. Slug gestured for silence, and together we crept forward, keeping low as we pushed through the underbrush.
That's when I saw it.
A Spitfire.
The creature was massive—a bloated frog nearly twice my height, its slick skin mottled with sickly reds and greens. Its back was turned to us, its wide body rising and falling as it breathed. I knew the stories. A venom gland sat at the base of its mouth, capable of spraying corrosive poison over a wide area.
One wrong move and we'd be dead.
We advanced slowly, every step measured.
Before the creature could sense us, Slug suddenly crouched and snatched a rhinoceros beetle from a nearby tree trunk. The insect barely had time to twitch before it began to dissolve in his palm, its shell breaking apart and sinking into his skin.
Slug's body shifted.
A long, black horn pushed from his forehead, curving slightly forward. His skin darkened, changing from its usual sage green to a deep, emerald hue that shimmered faintly in the dim forest light. The change was silent—but terrifyingly quick.
He looked ready.
The Spitfire remained unaware, its massive back still turned toward us.
I tightened my grip on my katars, heart pounding.
This was our first fight.
And there would be no turning back.
I moved slowly, every step deliberate as I came up behind the massive creature. The Spitfire hadn't noticed us yet. Its slick back rose and fell with each breath.
I didn't hesitate.
I drove my katar into its back.
Dark blood spilled from the wound as I tore the blade free and leapt backward. The creature let out a wet, gurgling croak and spun around, its massive mouth beginning to open.
Too slow.
Slug lunged forward, slamming himself into the Spitfire's face. With a roar, he forced its jaws shut, his transformed body straining as he held them closed.
I circled to the side, heart pounding, and slashed twice—deep, brutal strikes that split its thick skin. Blood poured freely now, staining the forest floor.
The Spitfire staggered, clearly hurt—but not finished.
As I moved in to strike again, its powerful hind legs snapped out. Pain exploded through my chest as I was kicked backward, thrown several feet into the dirt.
-10 HP
Before I could recover, the beast twisted violently, flinging Slug away as well. While he was still airborne, the Spitfire opened its mouth and spat a stream of corrosive poison straight at him.
"No—!"
Instinct took over.
I focused hard, calling on another vampire ability.
Blood Shield.
The blood soaking into the ground surged upward, pooling in front of Slug in an instant before hardening into a crimson barrier. The poison slammed into it, hissing violently—but the shield held.
Then the price came due.
-10 HP
A sharp wave of weakness washed over me, and I staggered. That's when it hit me.
I couldn't use these abilities recklessly.
They were costing me my life.
The Spitfire turned toward me, venom dripping from its mouth. For a split second, I thought I was done.
Then Slug charged.
He slammed into the creature with full force, grabbing its massive body and using his momentum to hurl it onto its back. The ground shook as it crashed down, legs flailing uselessly.
I didn't waste the opening.
I rushed forward and drove my blade down where I remembered the heart was supposed to be.
The katar sank deep.
Blood sprayed across my arms and face as the Spitfire shuddered violently—then slowly went still.
Silence followed.
I stood there, breathing hard, staring down at the corpse.
I had killed my first beast.
And as the rain washed the blood from my blades, I knew this was only the beginning.