Darting to the side, the little red snake narrowly avoided the stick as it thwomped to the ground, missing her by a hair's breadth and sending up a small cloud of sand.

  “No leaving, little-tiny snek!” The lanky green goblin jeered, his voice pitched high with a nasally twang. A shoddy set of leather armor adorned his small green frame, covering everything within the snake’s reach except his thighs, calves, and unshod feet. A wicked smile spread across his face, reaching towards his abnormally large ears. “Our game isn’t end-over yet!”

  The little snake hissed at the goblin. Every movement was exhausting, yet she coiled her body and prepared to lash out and bite the little green shit. The low crackling of stone over sand came from behind, and the snake abandoned her attack to leap to the side and out of the large rock’s path.

  “Little snek too fast! Hit it more! Doesn’t count.” The husky goblin haltingly complained between breaths. He wiped sweat from his round face with one hand, while the other openly scratched at his large and fully exposed butt cheek. This goblin was not wearing nearly as much armor as his companion, just a leather loincloth that occasionally peeked out beneath his rotund green belly.

  “Mog is just too heavy and stupid-dumb. Mad he will lose.”

  “Am not stupid-dumb. You cheat!” The fat goblin - Mog - slowly replied.

  Taking the brief moment of respite resulting from the goblins arguing, the tiny snake collected herself. She had achieved her goal by making it out of the empty forest, but her single minded focus and waning attributes had led her directly into her current dilemma - trapped and used as the target in a sadistic game.

  She had found no prey, had still not eaten, and her Starving Condition had continued to worsen. So focused had she been on the hunt, searching for slight movements in the grass and for small burrows, that she completely overlooked the goblin footprints.

  The lanky armored goblin had suddenly appeared in her path, and led her on a panicked chase that ended with her trapped in a small circular playing field carved down into the now rocky ground. That’s when she was introduced to the much larger Mog, who was standing on the lip of the circle opposite her pursuer.

  The armored goblin, who she had since learned was named Deeb, was now frantically shaking his stick in the air and yelling at his fellow. The little snake crept very slowly to the side, careful to not alert the goblins to her plan. Inch by inch she circled, until she had direct line of sight to Deeb’s calf.

  Adrenaline pumped through the snake’s small frame, temporarily pushing away the exhaustion and letting her focus completely on the task at hand. With a crack, she propelled herself up and into the air, rocketing towards the goblin’s exposed calf and burying her fangs into his green flesh. Deebs yelped in shock and pain as she dropped to the ground and attempted to dart away.

  She wasn’t fast enough and the stick slapped into her side, sending her flying back into the makeshift arena. The snake skid to a shaky stop directly between her two attackers. The low laughter of the big goblin broke through the ringing in her ears as she collected herself once again.

  “Now who stupid-dumb, Deeb? Bit by tiny snek.” Mog gloated as he jovially slapped his knee.

  Deeb cautiously stepped around the lip, before standing over where the stone had stopped rolling. Pushing it with his foot, he sent it careening back towards Mog. Mog picked up the stone, which wasn’t quite as large as his distended stomach, one hand below the stone holding it up while the other braced it on the side.

  “Go Mog. Deeb want to kill stupid snek.” Deeb grunted in response, his face having lost its previously mirthful expression.

  Shame and impotent anger roared through the little snake, battering against the persistent fog of exhaustion. She glared at Deeb, willing the small goblin to keel over and die. He was leaning heavily on his weaponized stick, keeping his weight off of the leg she had bitten. His wounded calf looked slightly larger than normal, the once dark green skin blushing and growing lighter with a slightly red sheen.

  Pain sheared through her thoughts as the large rock rolled over the end of her tail, crushing it with a wet squelch. Darkness closed in as colorful worms danced at the edge of her vision, panic setting in as her wounds began to accumulate.

  With a force of will born from the desire to survive, to fight, the little snake fought for focus. Mog was cheering as he slapped his belly and taunted Deeb, who was sitting down and inspecting his leg. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

  She needed a plan. Something to create an opening to strike at the goblins again. Glancing at her surroundings, she saw that a portion of the arena floor consisted of a shallow sand pit. A potential solution flashed through her mind and she darted towards it, startling Deeb. Jolting back to awareness, he snapped his attention up to the little snake.

  “Now Deeb scared of little snek!” Mog yelled between bouts of raucous laughter.

  Deeb yelled something back before getting to his feet and returning the stone to Mog. Furiously, the little snake lifted the end of her little body and pressed it into the sand. Spikes of pain began at her tail and sent tremors through her body forced herself to carve multiple characters into the sand. Panic and expectation rocked through her as she strained to hear any indication of incoming danger. Surprisingly, none came, and she finished writing the word that had plagued her status condition screen for the past few days: ‘Death’.

  Mog had been watching the little snake with wide eyes, scratching the bottom of his round belly. Deeb, on the other hand, had returned to a world of his own as he bent over and inspected the small black veins branching out from his wound.

  She turned back to Mog, and for a while the little snake and the fat goblin stared at each other in stilled silence. The unexpected break in action brought the exhaustion back in full force, and her head slowly drifted down to rest on the sand. Mog had a pained expression on his face as his brain sprinted at a pace that was unfamiliar to him.

  “Why Mog not go?” Deeb spat. The little snake slightly adjusted so she could see him as he approached on shaky legs. “Time to kill puny snek.”

  His breath rushed in and out in ragged gasps, his condition worsening with each passing minute. Yet even as she recognized his weakness, she couldn’t push through the fatigue and weariness from her injuries and exacerbated status condition.

  As she prepared for the end, a loud thumping reverberated through the ground as Mog ran up and towered over her. His grotesque foot planted directly onto the sand she had labored over, chipped yellow nails brushing the hastily scrawled word out of existence.

  “No kill snek!” Mog yelled, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

  “Why? Game over. Move Mog, stupid-idiot!” Deeb gasped.

  Mog, still looking at the ground by his green foot, mumbled to himself. “Snek made sand book…” before trailing off into silence. His frantic search for the character the little snake had written shook multiple beads of sweat off his body and onto the little snake. One landed square on top of her head, and her senses were flooded with a rancid unwashed smell.

  If I could move, I would bite the husky goblin, she thought amidst the stream of curses running through her mind. She had glanced upwards to look at Mog, and immediately looked away after getting an eyeful of goblin parts. The loincloth appeared to be the only piece of clothing that he was wearing.

  “Stupid-dumb Mog try to trick Deeb?” The smaller goblin huffed scathingly. “Mog try to kill snek instead of Deeb?”

  As Deeb was talking, he lifted the staff above his head with both hands as his eyes grew more and more bloodshot. Mog absentmindedly began to mumble a response as he kept searching the ground, but was interrupted when Deeb brought the stick down onto his round head with a crack.

  Not at all phased by Deeb’s weak attempt at a surprise attack, Mog immediately turned and shoved the smaller goblin. Deeb moved to brace himself on his wounded leg, which immediately gave out and sent him stumbling backwards before his head cracked into the lip of the arena.

  A small pool of brown blood began gathering at the base of his skull underneath Deeb. A rush of warm energy flowed into the little snake, and she heard a popping sound. She could feel her system pressing on her with mild urgency, so she pulled up the notification.

  Mog grew still and absently stared at Deeb’s body, his face once again twisted in seeming agony as he struggled to understand what was happening.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The little snake continued on to the next notification.

  And the next…

  She had not only survived, but her plan had led to a set of circumstances that increased her attributes. A brief moment of shocked happiness flowed through the little snake, and she pulled up her status screen to verify her recent growth.

  A thick fist coated in cold sweat closed around the snake’s neck as she was lifted off the ground. She closed her status, and was came face to face with Mog’s beady and panic filled eyes. His rancid breath rushed over her as he said, “Snek come with Mog. Snek ‘splain to boss how Deeb die.”

  She briefly fought, but was too exhausted to make more than a token effort of escape before Mog lowered her to his side and set off down a narrow and well trodden path. They passed numerous sandy bluffs with bushels of sharp looking plants and resilient weeds that jutted out of cracks in the rocky ground.

  As they walked, the little snake swung back and forth in Mog’s clammy grip, moving in pace with his short and waddle-like stride. What felt like hours passed, until they eventually rounded a large rocky outcropping and stood in front of the mouth of a large cave. Movement shifted in the darkness, and the little snake watched as two more goblins appeared from the cave mouth. One of them called out to Mog as he came into view.

  “Patrol done? Where Deeb?” The nasally voice asked.

  Not responding, Mog used his unoccupied hand to push past them and descend into the cave. The little goblins didn’t protest, but the one who spoke made a quick gesture to his fellow and fell into step behind Mog.

  As they descended, the little goblin called out from a few paces back. “Patrol usually take longer. Why Mog back?”

  As the light of the cave mouth rose into the distance and completely vanished, the little snake settled into a numb acceptance of whatever was to come. The last week had been very difficult, and it was all she could do to hold onto her vague awareness.

  A warm and potent smelling breeze blew upward from deeper in the cave as Mog responded to their pesky follower. “Mog need see boss. Deeb dead.” He grunted as he continued his descent.

  The small goblin came to a brief halt before picking up his pace and continuing the pursuit.

  “How Deeb die?”

  Mog pointedly did not respond to the question, but made a shoo-ing motion with his hand, inadvertently waving the little snake through the air.

  The little goblin did not leave, and the tunnel opened up into an enormous subterranean cavern. Being held by the base of her head, the little snake couldn’t make out most of the details of her surroundings, but did see numerous huts lining the walls as she swung back and forth.

  They were circular, and were sized to hold a goblin or two each. The walls consisted of a dark brown material, sharpened stakes protruding from the top of their cone shaped roofs. Some had strips of ratty looking fabric draped over the doorways, but many did not, leaving the hut interior open for wandering eyes.

  She could see piles upon piles of useless nick-nacks, various trinkets, and shiny rocks. Goblin children were rushing through the open space, rough housing and fighting each other, some stopping to watch Mog as he beelined towards the center of the cavern.

  Mog continued past sharp stakes that jutted out of the ground, closing off small crawl spaces between large rocks. The ground of the cavern had transitioned to hard and well-packed dirt, having seen a lot of foot traffic.

  She tried to count how many goblins were walking around, but she just couldn’t. There were too many, she was too tired, and her vision constantly being jerked around did not help. The little snake closed her eyes as Mog continued walking, and she felt his pace pick up as his breath shot in and out in short rasps.

  Mog’s destination loomed into view as they crossed the cavern and approached an elevated hut. Raised well above the ground on large beams of wood to the height of three of four goblins standing on each other’s shoulders.

  It was circular and wide, larger than any other hut in the cavern by at least three or four times. Its walls were not made from the same material of the other huts, instead consisting of wood, hide, shiny rust covered plates, and various other undefined materials hobbled together.

  A large beast pelt hung from the doorway of the elevated hut, closing off the interior from view. To one side of the doorway hung a netted bag filled with small animal skulls. To the other was a large bronze circle suspended in the air by two cords that connected to a giant tusk protruding from the side of the hut. A dubious looking ladder made of tied together bones reached down to the ground, where two goblins holding spears and dressed in leather armor stood and glared at Mog with narrowed eyes.

  Mog stopped walking a few yards from the guards, clearly exerted and attempting to catch his breath. The small goblin who had been pestering him didn’t have this issue, and took the opportunity to dart past Mog and up to the guards. “Mog back early. Deeb not with Mog.” He said in a loud whisper, his sharp teeth displayed in a sly grin. “Mog have crazy look.”

  The slapping of little feet sounded from behind the group, and the other goblin they had met at the mouth of the cave ran up from behind them and past Mog.

  “Deeb dead. Bit by snek!” He yelled. His eyes scanned over the situation at hand, over the guards, the hut, and Mog. His eyes widened as he urgently pointed at Mog’s clenched fist. “Snek!”

  The guards at the base of the ladder readied their spears and shifted their feet into a more aggressive stance. At this point, a gaggle of goblins had gathered around the growing ruckus, and a nattering chatter filled the open space. Mog took a step forward, and projected his voice over the crowd.

  “Boss! Snek smart!” He yelled, “Snek like boss!”

  A shocked silence filled the cavern at Mog’s words, as the goblins reconciled what he said to the tiny snake dangling in his clenched fist. The little snake glanced at Mog and saw a thick bead of sweat rolling down the side of his plump face.

  When no sound came from the elevated hut, the crowd exploded back into noise. Some goblins were jeering, some laughing, and some scanned the ground to look for something convenient to throw.

  One of the guards approached Mog with a controlled gait, his spear leading the way. The crowd's volume dipped as he got closer.

  “Mog no see Boss. Boss busy. Too busy for fat-stupid Mog.” At the guard’s insult, the crowd started slinging their own barbs at Mog. The little snake heard many crass insults, but most had some play on ‘fat’ or ‘stupid’.

  In response to their words, Mog’s fist clenched tighter around the little snake. She was at a complete loss for what to do. If she somehow got out of his hand, there were numerous goblins surrounding her. If she stayed still, Mog might crush her little body in his hand. She was fairly certain that the only reason she still lived was because of how clammy and slick with sweat his palm was.

  Remembering the system message, she quickly assigned her free attribute point to Constitution, thinking that a little bonus survivability couldn’t hurt her odds. A small rush of warmth flooded out from her system core, briefly reinvigorating her body and helping her focus.

  She glanced up and noted that the guard now had the tip of his spear pushed into Mog’s shoulder, drawing a small amount of brown fluid that rolled down his chest and over his belly before being absorbed into his ratty loin cloth. The crowd collectively leaned in, trying to get a better look.

  Mog grunted as he pushed himself forward, driving the spear deeper into the meat of his shoulder. The guard's eyes widened and shock wrote across his face. Many of the observing crowd gasped, and in complete silence, the snake heard one of the goblin children whisper, “cool”.

  “Boss! Snek made sand book!” Mog yelled, taking advantage of the goblins’ shocked silence. It held for a moment longer as many goblins tilted their heads to the side and squinted their eyes, before the silence shattered and raucous laughter erupted through the cavern.

  A deep and rich gonging reverberated throughout the cavern, cutting through the laughter like a hot knife through butter. Every goblin’s head swiveled to stare at the elevated hut. Atop the ladder with a mallet held in a small wrinkled hand, stood a short yet severe goblin. She was clearly elderly, as could be judged by her hunched back, sun spotted flesh, and wrinkles beyond counting.

  She was also fierce. Tribal white tattoos danced along her dark green arms and up her exposed shoulders and neck, outlining her pronounced jaw before disappearing into a wild mess of white hair. Her pointed beak-like nose sat above a wispy silver mustache that danced along her upper lip. Numerous rings of gold and silver adorned her fingers, ears, and nose.

  The goblin woman wore golden glasses with large circular lenses that magnified her hawk-like eyes, giving the impression that few things escaped her notice. The lenses were connected on each side to dainty golden chains that wrapped around her large green ears and dangled down beside her face, a glinting stone at the end of each chain.

  “What’s all this racket?!” The goblin boss yelled from atop her perch.