Gideon blinked, his vision clearing. He slowly looked around, noticing the rock walls surrounding him on all sides. Looks like he had woken up inside a cave. He groaned as he slowly sat up. The next thing he noticed was the mouth of the cave, through which he could see a hint of a dense forest in the distance. The morning light played over the trees and... something else. There was a faint shimmer hanging in the air like heat rising from asphalt. He squinted at it. Not natural. A barrier. Some kind of protection, probably. “Safe zone,” he muttered. Every MMO had one. Good. At least that meant he wasn’t going to get eaten the moment he woke up.

  He began standing up, using his hand to brace himself as he got to his feet. He paused halfway up, staring blankly at the skin on his arm. It was green.

  He stood up quickly, his hands trembling as he turned them over in the light. He inspected the rest of his body, dread slowly building within his chest. Thin arms, ending in spindly green fingers topped with blackened nails. Bony legs. His fingers traced along the side of his head and brushed against ears that were long and pointed. His breath caught in his throat. “No. No no no. This can't be happening." The words echoed in the cave. But there was no mistake. He wasn’t human. He was a goblin. "Fuck."

  Of all the races the System could have thrown at him, it had to be the weakest, the cannon fodder, the weaklings that the noobs used to train on in every game and story he’d ever read. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. “The System screwed me. Random my ass. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?”. His breathing became erratic. He felt anger bubbling inside him. This was so goddamn unfair. His “clothes” didn’t help his case either. He wore what was essentially a stitched sack with holes for head and arms, cinched around his waist with a rope belt to give the illusion of pants. No underwear. Of course. He scowled as he finished looking himself over, the hem of the sack dangling around his thighs. “Perfect. Just perfect. A joke race in a joke outfit.” He internally kept grumbling as he finally decided to inspect his surroundings.

  He spotted a small bag lying on the ground nearby. Inside was a waterskin, some dried meat, and a dagger. The blade was plain but sharp. At least the System hadn’t left him with absolutely nothing. He tied the waterskin to his belt, slid the dagger through the rope, and tucked the meat away. Then, with a steadying breath, he sat down cross-legged near the cave wall where he could still watch the entrance. “Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s just calm down, and see just how badly I got screwed.” With those words, a screen shimmered to life in front of his eyes.

  Congratulations! You have been randomly assigned the Race: Goblin.

  He snorted when he read that. "Congratulations? Yeah, thanks so much, System. Reaaaaally appreciated." He continued reading the prompt on the screen.

  Goblin:

  Racial Bonus: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –1 Strength, –1 Charisma

  Unique Perk Assigned: Miscast

  Miscast: Your spells sometimes seem to be cast incorrectly. Spells cost slightly more Mana to cast.

  Please assign your Stat Points.

  Currently available Stat Points: 7

  Stats:

  Strength: 0 | Constitution: 1 | Dexterity: 3 | Intelligence: 3 | Wisdom: 1 | Charisma: 0

  Resource Pools:

  Health: 10/10 | Stamina: 10/10 (+1/10 mins) | Mana: 30/30 (+1/10 mins)

  Gideon swore under his breath. Seeing the numbers somehow made it worse. He was weaker than he’d thought possible. Both Strength and Charisma at zero. Great. As if goblins weren’t already weak and hideous enough. Still, he supposed Strength was not a Goblins defining feature in any game he had played, and Charisma wouldn’t keep him alive here in this forest he found himself in. Not like he could talk to a hungry wolf and convince it not to eat him. Not worth wasting points, at least on Charisma, he decided.

  His eyes lingered on the resource pools. His Stamina was only ten. But hadn’t he just run into the lot, dragged a kid, and carried him? He frowned. Maybe the System didn't take his previous body into account. He guessed that made some sense.

  “Fine. Let’s see what’s what.” He dropped a point into Constitution and watched his screen carefully for any changes.

  Health 20/20

  Constitution obviously affected his Health pool. He noticed that while his Mana and Stamina had a regeneration value next to them, his Health did not. He had to test and see how this new world treated wounds. Gideon took the dagger from his rope belt, and cut a very shallow slice into his arm. It began to bleed slowly. He watched as his Health dropped to nineteen, and waited. A few minutes later, the wound sealed itself. Back to twenty.

  “Slow regen. Small wounds seem to heal, but, I'm guessing the bigger ones won’t. That's good to know.” He placed his second point into Constitution.

  Health: 30/30

  Next, he put one point into Strength. He grimaced slightly. Nothing happened. He put another in as he kept his eyes glued to the screen to see any changes.

  Stamina: 20/20 (+2/10 mins)

  He grinned. “There it is. Stamina is tied to Strength, not Constitution.” Next he placed a point into his Intelligence.

  Mana: 40/40 (+1/10 mins)

  Intelligence had raised his Mana value, but not the regeneration. That must be Wisdom then, he reasoned. He placed his 6th point there and watched the Mana line on the screen.

  Mana: 40/40 (+2/10 mins)

  He exhaled slowly. He placed his final point into Dexterity, and sat back down on the ground. He glaced at the page in front of him. Not amazing, but better than the pathetic base he’d started with. And those extra five bonus points from the Randomize gamble? Absolutely clutch. If he’d only had two points to work with, he’d still be sitting on ten Health and ten Stamina. He shuddered. It could have been worse. A lot worse.

  The System screen pulsed, then shifted. He watched as the text began reordering itself into a clean, final form:

  Name: Gideon

  Race: Goblin (Juvenile)

  Level: 1

  Resource Pools:

  Health: 30/30 | Stamina: 20/20 (+2/10 mins) | Mana: 40/40 (+2/10 mins)

  Stats:

  Strength: 2 | Constitution: 3 | Dexterity: 4 | Intelligence: 4 | Wisdom: 3 | Charisma: 0

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Skills:

  Quick Feet (Level 1)

  Climbing (Level 1)

  Stealth (Level 1)

  Dagger Proficiency (Passive - Minor)

  Mana Manipulation (Passive)

  Earth Manipulation (Passive - Minor)

  Identify (Level 1)

  Perks:

  Miscast

  Spells:

  Pebble Toss [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]

  Stone Chip [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]

  Stone Tap [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]

  Grain Shift [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]

  The categories pulsed faintly, drawing his eye. Gideon focused on each in turn, expanding their descriptions.

  Skills:

  Quick Feet: You may expend Stamina to temporarily increase your speed. Maximum speed scales with Dexterity.

  Climbing: You may expend Stamina to temporarily make climbing easier and faster. Maximum speed scales with Strength.

  Stealth: You are naturally quieter and harder to notice. Scales with Dexterity and level.

  Dagger Proficiency (Minor): You know which end of the dagger is sharp. You also know the pointy end goes toward the enemy.

  Mana Manipulation: You have the ability to manipulate Mana to cast spells.

  Earth Manipulation (Minor): You have a minor affinity with the element of Earth.

  Identify: You can inspect other creatures, seeing basic information such as Health, Mana, and Stamina. Only works on creatures two or fewer levels above you.

  Spells:

  Pebble Toss [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]: Launch a small rock at high speed toward a target.

  Range: 50 feet. Cost: 10 Mana.

  Stone Chip [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]: Splinter a small flake of rock from a nearby surface.

  Range: Touch. Cost: 5 Mana.

  Stone Tap [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]: Create a small tapping sound from nearby stone.

  Range: 20 feet. Cost: 5 Mana.

  Grain Shift [Tier 1 – Level 1 – 0%]: Move a small amount of sand or loose dirt a few inches.

  Range: 20 feet. Cost: 10 Mana.

  Gideon scowled at the screen, jaw tight. A Goblin. With a Perk that punished him. And a spell list that looked like it was practically useless. He shut his eyes, forcing a slow breath through his nose. “Alright. Fine. Let’s see what this garbage actually does.”

  He picked up a pebble from the cave floor and held it out. "Pebble Toss!" he cried. Nothing happened. "Right, dumbass, maybe try using your Mana, not your voice" he grumbled to himself. He had no idea what to do. Based on various fantasy novels he had read, he guessed that Mana was probably some sort of internal energy source, and he had to channel it to create the effect he desired. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing as he began to focus inward. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he felt something, in his core. There, just behind his belly button, was a swirling mass of... something. It felt... alive? It was a very odd feeling. He focused even harder and tried to visualize moving this energy around his body. At first, nothing happened, and he thought he might have been wrong. But then, ever so slowly, he exerted a small modicum of control over the energy source. He slowly guided it up, through his chest, to his shoulders, and then down towards his fingertips. When he had reached his destination, he opened his eyes, and glared at the pebble held in his outstretched palm. He attempted to push his Mana into it. Nothing. He tried again and again, willing himself to force it through the pathways he barely understood. Still nothing. By the fifth attempt, sweat prickled his forehead and his arms shook. Finally, on the sixth try, the rock vibrated, then zipped out of his hand and smacked the wall. Pebble Toss. A thin wisp of smoke curled from his fingertips. Gideon stared at it, unsettled. He supposed it was likely a byproduct of forcing Mana through his hands for the first time ever. He shook it off and moved on to the next spell. Stone Chip.

  Gideon walked over to where Pebble Toss had impacted against the cave wall. He saw a small chip from the impact, and he pressed his palm against the wall, pushed Mana through his hand, and on his third attempt a flake of stone about the size of a quarter, with sharp edges, snapped loose into his hand. This time his skin felt clammy, and somewhat damp. Gideon figured that with practice and repetition his Mana channels would become more used to this strain and he would stop having these physical side effects. He continued on. Stone Tap was next. It took four tries before a faint tapping echoed ten feet away. He let out a shaky laugh. “Could at least spook someone if nothing else." He paused, and considered. "I could also use it to distract something I'm sneaking up on, I suppose." He grinned at that. "Its probably the only use this spell has right now. Seems kinda useless outside of that." He continued on. Finally, Grain Shift. He scraped a small amount of dirt into a pile, focused, and tried. This time it took 9 attempts before anything happened. "Stupid Miscast Perk is fuckin with me. Thanks again, System" he grumbled as he kept trying to cast the spell. Finally, the small clump of dirt trembled, rose about 4 inches into the air, shifted a few inches to the side, then fell flat back to the ground. "Wow. Amazing. Truly the peak of magic" he said flatly, staring at the small pile of dirt he had barely moved. How this spell was supposed to be useful, he had no idea.

  His hand tingled as though a breeze had passed over it. Gideon had to sit down. His chest heaved, his head spun, and his Mana was gone. Every last drop. He hadn’t been watching the bar as he worked, as he was simply too focused on actually getting the damn spells to fire. But now it sat completely empty. Zero.

  Mana: 0/40 (+3/10min)

  “Shit. Okay. So not only do these spells take forever to cast, but they drain me dry faster than I can blink.” He rubbed his temples, then glanced back at the Mana value staring him in the face. His eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. How is my Mana completely gone? My spells should only cost 30 Mana, not 40. Dammit. I really should have paid more attention."

  He sighed and sat back, eyes on the shimmering barrier at the cave mouth. It was still there, glinting a faint blue. If this really was a safe zone, he could afford to wait. Let his Mana tick back. Then figure out exactly what the System was skimming from him. He had nothing but time, and no reason to leave before he was fully prepared. Knowing these types of things could be the difference between life and death, and Gideon had no intention of getting a second chance at life just to die immediately.

  While he waited for his Mana to replenish, he decided to make use of the time. He drew the dagger from his belt and felt its unfamiliar weight in his hand. He practiced grips, thrusts, and swings. His movements were slow and light at first, but gradually became faster as he acclimated to the feeling of wielding the dagger. The blade was plain but well-balanced, easy enough to handle. He paced, and began talking out loud to himself as he thought about his situation some more. "My spells are cool, in theory, but goddamn are they unpredictable. Took me 9 freakin tries to move a small clump of dirt 6 inches. I can't trust them in a fight right now. Maybe they're better used as a opener, if I have the element of surprise and can actually focus on casting. I'm sure with time, I can begin to rely more on my spells, but for now..." he trailed off as he looked back down at the small dagger in his hand "this will have to do". It was better than trusting his life to his unpredictable spells.

  Next he tested Quick Feet. He began by running normally, as fast as his little Goblin legs could manage, from one end of the cave to the other. Then, he did it again, but activated the skill. A surge of Stamina bled away as he dashed across the cave. His body definitely moved faster, his movements sharper, although it burned through his Stamina quickly.

  Stamina: 16/20 (+2/10min)

  Then, he tested out his Climbing skill, scrabbling up the cave wall with and without the skill active. With it, his hands and feet found holds almost instinctively, and the difference in speed was obvious. This one depleted his Stamina slightly faster than Quick Feet did.

  Stamina: 10/20 (+2/10min)

  By the time his Mana bar had ticked back up to twenty, nearly 2 hours had passed. Enough to test again.

  He started with Stone Chip. He succeeded on the 4th try. The spell claimed to cost five Mana, but his bar dropped from twenty to thirteen. Seven, not five. Gideon ground his teeth. It cost 2 more than advertised. His Miscast Perk was really looking more and more like the System was sabotaging him the more he experienced its effects. Following the logic of Stone Chip, his 10 cost spells should cost... 14, probably? He waited another 2 minutes until his Mana ticked to 14, then he tested it. Gideon managed to cast Pebble Toss on the second try this time. The spell description claimed a Mana cost of ten. His Mana dipped from fourteen to one. Thirteen. Not ten. He wiped his damp hand on the cloth tunic he wore and thought about what he had learned. His spells cost an extra 30% Mana to cast, and of course, the System rounded up. Why wouldn't it? That just seemed completely fair, after all. Gideon glared at the System screen floating in front of him and forced it to close and disappear.

  So, that was it. Miscast was a curse. A penalty on every spell making it more expensive than it should be to cast his magic. On top of that, he had yet to succeed in casting even the simplest spells on the first try. He really drew the short end of the stick with this bullshit. Gideon slumped back against the wall, dagger balanced across his knees. “Great. So, I'm a Goblin caster with a Perk that makes casting harder and more expensive to boot. Just perfect.” He huffed out a laugh, bitter but not entirely without humor. “Guess I’ll be making friends with this dagger for a while.” He munched on one of the strips of dried meat the System had so graciously left him. His gaze drifted to the barrier. Beyond it, the forest waited.

  And for the first time, he wondered what exactly a goblin’s place in this world really was.