The goblin carried Kaden down a damp, winding tunnel, whistling a tune that echoed off the slimy walls. When they reached a small wooden door reinforced with iron bars, the goblin paused to unlock it, then unceremoniously tossed Kaden inside. The door slammed shut, and the goblin’s whistling faded into the distance, leaving Kaden alone in the dim, eerie silence.

Kaden lay still for a moment, disoriented and aching. He could hardly believe the situation he’d landed himself in, and rolled onto his side so he could see.

The room was lit by a strange, bluish glow from the lichen clinging to the walls, casting an ethereal light that illuminated the grim surroundings. Bones were scattered across the ground, and on the far side of the room, two human figures lay slumped against the wall, leaning on each other and wrapped in heavy chains. Their bodies were gaunt and lifeless, appearing dead or on the verge of it.

He scanned the room, confirming that there were no guards in sight. The goblin had left without a backward glance. Kaden was trapped, surrounded by enemies, and saw no immediate way out. A grim thought crossed his mind: what if he just smashed his skull against the wall and ended it? Every time he died, he awoke in a new place, completely healed like he was living an endless nightmare. The idea calmed him, but the uncertainty of whether he would awaken again kept him from taking that risk. It was a comforting last resort however.

His mind throbbed, making it difficult to focus on an escape plan. He felt a nagging sensation, as if he had forgotten something important. Hunger gnawed at him, intensifying with every passing moment. His eyes were drawn to a particularly large bone lying nearby—a femur? The thought of absorbing it was repulsive, yet the hunger was relentless, clouding his judgment.

"No," he muttered to himself, shaking his head as if to dispel the thought. "I can't...I won't."

But the hunger pressed on, whispering insidiously that it was harmless, that the owner of the bone was long gone. It acted as a devil on his shoulder, and as his resolve wavered, the pain in his head surged, making it hard to care about anything except quelling the hunger.

Driven by instinct, he inched forward, his body moving with a singular focus. Slowly, painstakingly, he used his skull and teeth to drag himself towards the bone.

His forehead came to rest against it, and somehow that strange absorption process began again as the black light appeared. Energy began to fill him, just as odd and disturbing as the last time, but also slightly different. Like he could feel the differences between the bone’s owners.

The bone was soon entirely gone, the nausea that now filled his conscious the only memory of its existence. But despite the sickening act, his hunger barely diminished.

He eyed another bone, then another, absorbing more than a dozen, feeling his skeletal frame grow denser with each one. As small spurs began to sprout where his limbs had been, a familiar chime echoed in his mind, breaking through his haze of need.

Advancement Criteria Met!

Very Brittle Skeleton advancement to Brittle Skeleton

Reward: +1 To All Stats

Right…the dark screens. How had he forgotten about them? If he had had a hand to do it with, he would’ve slapped himself in the face.

The screens had appeared several times before, like something out of a game, always mentioning unbelievable stuff like stats, levels, quests, and experience. What if he could use those to get out of here?

But what were his stats? And how could he see them? As he thought about it, wracking his brain, a menu soon appeared right in front of him.

Status

Kaden (Brittle Skeleton)

Level 1 (Classless)

Experience: 30/300

Stats

Strength: 2

Agility: 2

Density: 2

Necrotic Essence: 2

Free Stat Points: 2

Unique Abilities

Bone Essence Absorption

His eyes glossed over, the foreign information easily overwhelming him. It was a lot of strange numbers to take in. This was completely like a game and entirely nonsensical.

Unique abilities? Classes? Levels? He pushed aside the questions for now, the free stat points having caught his attention, looking like something he could use to improve himself.

The immediate problem was survival, and considering his situation, he needed something that made him strong enough to defeat the goblins. His limbs were growing back slowly as he consumed the bones, making him feel a flicker of hope. If he could get his limbs back and enough strength to overpower the goblins, he had a decent chance.

So the most important stats for his survival were definitely strength and agility. He put one point into strength and one into agility, feeling slightly better about his odds.

Status

Kaden (Brittle Skeleton)

Level 1 (Classless)

Experience: 30/300

Stats

Strength: 3

Agility: 3

Density: 2

Necrotic Essence: 2

Free Stat Points: 2

Unique Abilities

Bone Essence Absorption

Examining himself, nothing seemed to be all that different… But he felt stronger, faster, more capable. The hunger that had consumed him had dulled to a manageable ache from all the bones he had absorbed. But he knew he needed to continue absorbing bones if he wanted to fully regenerate his limbs. Even if he was more powerful now, it was little use without his limbs.

It was nauseating to think about, but he shoved that feeling down and ignored it. His newfound power motivated him and renewed his hope. He’d been running around down here for days without being able to fight back in the slightest. Time after time he was abused by sick humans and stupid goblins. He didn’t want to be forced to cower in front of them, to be weak and scared and afraid. No, he wanted freedom. From everything.

He got back to work, slowly moving from bone to bone as fast as he could, absorbing them and feeling the power within him grow. The feeling…was also growing on him. And moving around only kept getting easier as his bones grew back more.

But it was still fairly slow. He had no way to keep track of time, and while he didn’t feel tired at all, he was sure nearly a whole day had passed.

The little spurs were starting to get some decent thickness, but they were not much more than a few inches long. He feared that he would run out of bones before his limbs fully returned.

Desperation clawed at him as he glanced toward the chained figures. And in that moment, an idea rose from the back of his mind.

He wasn’t quite sure where it had come from, almost certain it didn’t come from him. But somehow it was there, something had given it to him. His thoughts pulsed as he considered it. The small bones were a waste of time and effort in comparison. His gaze flicked between the figures.

He knew absorbing their bones was the best option if he wanted a chance of getting out of here. The two were practically like a massive feast compared to the scraps he’d been content with so far. Ugh, he really hated that comparison, why did he have to compare them to food?

But wasn’t that almost what they were? A source of fuel. His mind kept rationalizing it, and he paused in his actions, remaining still and debating within himself. Time kept ticking away, valuable time that he could use to prepare for his escape. Why was he even wasting time debating it? They were probably already dead, and as long as they were, then there wasn’t any problem at all.

Steeling himself, he decided to check. At least that way, he would know for certain. Kaden crawled across the room—the silence deafening—until he was beside the man. He watched the chest closely for any sign of movement, any indication of life.

Nothing.

Kaden pressed his head to the man's chest, listening for a heartbeat. Silence greeted him, confirming what he had hoped and feared; the man was dead.

He felt sick, yet he couldn’t ignore the gnawing hunger he felt or the promise of strength “I’m sorry,” he whispered before touching the man with one of his tiny spurs.

An intoxicating rush of power surged through him, stronger than anything he had felt before. As he absorbed the remains, his bones shifted and thickened, his limbs regrowing rapidly. It was exhilarating, a primal satisfaction that left him wanting more. He absorbed the man's remains, feeling more alive with every second. It felt too good, and it was like he could almost taste it, a heavenly delicious taste filling him from the inside. Beyond anything he had ever eaten, it was better than food! Not to mention, his arms had grown back to his elbows! He had no desire to stop, entirely absorbing the man’s bones and turning him into a husk.

All too soon, there was not even a single mineral left, the man’s body almost completely flattened. His limbs had now regenerated slightly past his elbows, the bones solid and strong. More than anything, he craved feeling that surge of power once more.

He needed to feel it again. Immediately! Turning to the woman, he followed the same process, first watching her chest for movement. But he didn’t get any further, seeing her chest rising and falling weakly. She was very close to death, but still alive.

A pang of disappointment washed over him, and he recoiled in horror and shock at himself. What was wrong with him? How could he feel disappointment over someone being alive?

He sank back against the wall, the weight of his actions crashing down on him as he looked up at the ceiling, hating himself for wishing death on a random stranger. Sure, this girl would’ve probably attacked him if she was conscious, but that didn’t matter, as far as he knew the girl was entirely innocent.

Wanting her to die made him no better than all those that had attacked him.

Kaden laughed hysterically and slammed his head back against the wall as he screamed, “This world is fucked up!” His voice echoed in the cavernous cell.

Nothing was the way it was supposed to be anymore. Humans saw him as a monster, these goblins treated him like a worthless slave. And to top it all off, some evil asshole had enslaved his soul… and for what? For what?

He had nobody. Absolutely nobody. This place was a living hell.

Anger flared up within him , rising and rising. He was furious. Rage, pure seething rage towards those demonic adventurers who tormented him, the hideous goblins that imprisoned him, and more than anyone else… the evil asshole that was to blame for all of his suffering to begin with. That threw him into this skeleton body and this crazy world without even explaining a single thing.

He swore he would get his vengeance one day, on everybody who had wronged him. And one way or the other, he would find this asshole and murder him so that he could reclaim control of his damn soul. No matter what it took. Even if it meant becoming the very monster they accused him of being.

He looked back at the girl. Her condition was critical. Her impending death was almost certain. What was the point in waiting? If she died by his hand, the system would likely grant him experience. So in all honesty, she should just make herself useful and die for him so he could get stronger.

The thought made him feel sick, but he knew that in this brutal world, strength was survival. If he needed to become a monster, then that’s what he would do. He was a slave to everyone else’s whims, simply too weak to have any rights, he didn’t have a fucking choice.

His eye sockets stilled, a burning determination almost palpable within them.

Without further hesitation, he leaned down and bit, sealing his resolve to do whatever it took to break free.