'Zork good at killing.'
That was what Zork told himself when he gripped his rusty dagger. The blade was bent, its handle wrapped in mouldy leather that smelled fowl, but still sharp enough for rabbit. Sharp enough for human child if Zork got lucky.
Today wasn't about luck though. Today was about hunger.
"Grak! You see anything?" Zork hissed at his fellow goblin that was crouching in a bush beside him. Grak was even dumber than Zork but Grak had a good nose.
"Grak smell... smell..." The other goblin's warty face scrunched up in concentration. "Smell flower? And... human?"
"Human!?" Zork's yellow eyes opened wide. "Where!? How many!?"
"One. Maybe two. That way." Grak pointed his clawed finger toward an old stone ruin half-buried in forest clearing.
The ruins had been there forever, older than the oldest goblin in tribe in the forest. Their Chief had told them to stay away. That bad magic slept there. But their Chief had also told them to either hunt or starve, 'so what Chief know anyway?' Zork and gram thought in unison.
Zork's stomach growled. It had been Three days since their last meal and five days since a 'good' meal. The tribe was getting desperate. Winter was coming soon, and winter meant death for weak hungry goblins.
Zork did not plan on being the next dead weak hungry goblin.
"We go. Quiet-like." Zork creeped forward, Grak followed. Both goblins moved through the forest like shadows...one thing goblins were actually good at besides dying.
As they got closer, Zork saw the human. A Young one, barely more than child. A Girl with brown hair, wearing a simple dress, kneeling by the ruin's entrance. She was holding something shiny, muttering words Zork not understand.
"Easy kill," Grak whispered, drool dripping from his yellow fangs.
Something felt wrong though. The Girl alone in forest, no guards, no weapons Zork could see. 'Humans not stupid enough for that. Usually.' Zork thought.
"Wait," Zork started to say, but it was already too late.
Grak charged forward with a loud screech, his crude club raised high. The girl turned, her eyes opening wide with fear, and she screamed.
Then everything went white.
Pain exploded through Zork's head like lighting. His Body went stiff. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Could smell burning meat....Grak's burning meat....and then Zork realized Zork was burning too.
'Magic. The human girl use magic.'
Through his blurry vision, Zork saw Grak's burnt corpse hit ground. Saw the girl standing now, with a shiny thing in hands glowing bright. Her lips moving, more strange words flowing out.
Zork tried to run. His Legs were not working right. Zork fell, tasting dirt and blood.
"Please" Zork croaked in goblin-tongue, not knowing if she understand, not caring. "Please no kill Zork. Zork sorry. Zork just hungry—"
The light come again, brighter this time.
Then nothing.
---
Zork woke up screaming.
"No wait. Not burning?. Breathing. Alive? How Zork alive?"
"Zork! You shut mouth! Some goblins trying to sleep!"
That voice. Zork knew that voice. Zork turned his head and saw....
'Grak. Alive Grak. Not-burned-to-crisp Grak.' He thought.
"Grak...?" Zork's mind felt like mush. "You... we... the magic girl...?"
"What magic girl? You having stupid dream again?" Grak threw a pebble at Zork's head. "Now shut up. Sun not even up yet."
Zork looked around the tribe's cave. Sleeping goblins everywhere, piled together for warmth. Everything exactly where it should be. Everything... normal?
But wasn't normal. Zork died. Zork remembered dying. Remembered the pain, burning, everything going dark.
So why Zork here? Still alive?
Zork crawled past sleeping goblins to the cave entrance. The Sky was still dark, stars bright overhead. The cold wind made Zork shiver. How long had Zork been... dead? Hours? Days?
Then Zork saw something that made his heart stop.
Floating in air in front of Zork's face, see-through like ghost, words appeared. Strange words, written in light:
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
[ETERNAL REGRESSION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
[WELCOME, ZORK]
"What...?" Zork reached out to touch the words. His Hand passing right through them. "What this?"
More words appear:
[1st REGRESSION ACHIEVED]
[YOU HAVE RETURNED TO: 3 DAYS BEFORE DEATH]
[CURRENT REGRESSION COUNT: 1]
Zork's brain hurt trying to understand. Three days? Three days before...
Realization hit like a club to his face.
'The hunt. The magic girl. That happen three days from now. Which mean... mean...'
"Zork went back," Zork whisper to self. "Zork died and went back."
Is this reward? Punishment? Demon king blessing zork?
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW STATUS?]
[YES] / [NO]
Zork was sure he couldn't understand what he was seeing but bit by bit the meaning behind the words were integrating themselves into his mind.
"Strar-...tos...?" Zork poked at the word [YES] with finger. This time, something happened.
An Entire wall of glowing words exploded in front of Zork:
[NAME]: Zork
[RACE]: Goblin (evolvable)
[LEVEL]: 1/10
[STR]: 3 [AGI]: 5 [VIT]: 4
[INT]: 2 [WIS]: 1 [LUK]: 1
So many words. Zork squinted at them, trying to make sense. Some parts Zork almost understood..."NAME is Zork, that obvious. But what mean by ...numbers? Why Zork only have 2 for INT and 1 in WIS and LUK? That sound bad."
"Psst! What Zork doing?"
Zork spun around. Grak was standing there behind him , with a suspicious look on his warty face.
"You see this?" Zork pointed at floating words. "You see magic writing?"
Grak stared at the empty air where Zork was pointing at. "Zork finally go crazy. Good. More food for Grak."
'Can't see it. Grak can't see the words. Only Zork can see.' ....Zork realised
"Zork not crazy," Zork muttered. "Zork died. And Zork came back."
"Sure, sure. Zork die and come back. Now come back to sleep before Chief hear you making noise."
Grak shambled back to the sleeping pile. Zork stood there, staring at the impossible words floating in the air, his mind racing with thoughts too big for his little goblin brain to handle properly.
"Zork died. Zork came back. And now Zork know things. Know about magic girl in ruins. Know Grak going to die if they go hunting there. Know—"....
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
[THE FIRST DEATH]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE THE ENCOUNTER THAT KILLED YOU]
[REWARD: REGRESSION POINT x1, SKILL UNLOCK]
[TIME REMAINING: 3 Days]
'Survive. The glowing words want Zork to survive.'
Zork looked down at his bent dagger, at his pathetic goblin body, at the cave full of starving tribe members. He Looked up at the stars and wonder what kind of god or demon or whatever had made Zork come back from death.
Then Zork smiled...not a happy smile, but a determined smile. A smile of goblin who suddenly realized something very important....
"If Zork can die and come back, if Zork keep all memories, then Zork can learn. Can try again. Can get better"
"Three days" Zork whispered to the night air. "Zork have three days to figure out how not die to magic girl"
The status screen flickered, like it was listening. Like it approved of his thoughts.
For first time in his miserable goblin life, Zork felt something strange in his green chest. Something goblins were not supposed to feel.
Hope.
Even if hope came from death itself, it was still hope.
Zork gripped his dagger tighter and watched the sun start to rise, his mind already planning, already thinking about a future that Zork already lived once.
"This time, Zork not die to magic girl."
"This time, Zork going to survive."
"Even if Zork die Plenty times, Zork come back more and more till Zork survive."