Humanities Potential, a cruel thing

Life was dull, or at least as dull as I could feel living this kind of existence.

I had been stripped of my right as a human and was made to be an obedient puppet.

The only reason that I could even claim to live was my ability to think. It was not something that the goblin ritualist wanted me to keep however he needed to.

Or at least he believed he needed to, the dumb goblin wanted to climb the tower.

'Heh… shit' my spine was shocked, pain reverberating throughout my whole body.

It stung like hell but at least I had my free will to think. Though even now I could feel myself slipping.

Not out of lack of effort but it was the nature of a being of my existence.

An undead. Unless given maintenance, something the goblin seemed reticent to do, I would slowly lose my reasoning.

It would have been funny, the way that this goblin was going to lose no matter what he did. However this was my life that was being made into a joke and I couldn't even laugh at that.

My dagger slashed into the throat of another one of these strange gray creatures. Their blood spilling into the ground.

If there was one thing that was nice about this limited existence it would have been the strength.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to bask in the aftermath of the slaughter or even just the strength I had gained from it.

A human, one of the ones that had been with me in the introduction appeared out of nowhere.

'Heh.. pathetic. Did he really care for those beings?'

It didn't matter, whether it not he did he would die like them. A dog's death.

I sneered, the dagger in my hand being thrown at him.

I watched as he dodged, the blazing anger in his eyes shining brightly.

There were even circuit like lights glowing in his skin… just like the bastard shaman.

My eyes narrowed. It would be difficult. If he could use magic even half as well as that shaman could then this would be a difficult fight.

I reached to my side, my legs crouched and ready.

'There!' I yelled in my mind, the scene in front of me slowing down with my perception of time.

With as much force as I could muster I held the dagger up.

The ringing of metal rang in my ear. For a second it deafened me but I did not let that get to me.

Just as he glared at me so too did I. My crouched legs gave me the power I needed to retreat back.

I could hear a bang in the distance as the sword that was locked with my dagger impacted the ground.

Dirt and debris flinging everywhere.

It blinded me for a moment. A moment where I did not have eyes on my enemy.

…

I took a deep breath, controlling my emotions. I stuffed them to the back of my mind.

A second later and my mind was clear of the emotions that clouded them.

I could still feel them but it was distant, like a buzzing in my ear.

My teeth grit together, looking towards the cloud of dust and the way that the air was starting to clear of it.

In just a moment's time I would lose my opportunity to strike.

With a pull to my side my sword was unsheathed, my legs pulling me as fast as it possibly could towards my enemy.

For a moment I saw the same ethereal figure in the background, a smile kn her face as she seemingly cheered me on.

It brought a smile to my own impassive face despite the rage that I felt at the taking of my subordi- no… my friends lives.

However just as soon as she appeared, so too did she disappear, my eyes met with the man that deigned it wise to kill my own.

I narrowed my eyes, the sword in my hand halfway out of the sheathe fully drawn and slashed diagonally towards him.

I saw, for just a moment, a look of surprise and relief on his face before my sword cut through the protective clothing and into his chest.

It was not a clean cut, it would not kill instantly however it was enough to kill him given a couple minutes.

Minutes that I did not have. It was why I stopped right in front of his fallen body and stabbed through his heart.

A sickening squelch echoed through the air, his eyes going wide before stiffening in a dead silence.

I sighed, stabbing my sword in the ground and using it to hold me up.

The mana that I had been relying on was drained from me, all of my reserves taken from that attack.

I did not regret it though, it had done its job and done it well.

Even if I was vulnerable here, I had at least avenged my Kobolds.

…

'Interesting! Interesting!' This human, this man, had killed my own human.

Despite the enhancements that I had given him and the sacrifices that I had let him take.

It was either a quality issue of my own, hehe, it was not. Or it was that humans grew better alive.

Of the two, heh, even thinking that it was my mistake almost made me cackle in a raucous laughter.

Yes… it must be that they grew better alive. Looking at the pathetic human, only standing because that sword of his gave him support.

I could go there, right now, and take him for my own. Or I could wait and harvest a better deal.

One that had grown so much more. Ah… a dilemma. For all I knew this could be the last one but I doubt it was.

From that human's emotions prior to dying it seemed as if he was not to surprised to have found another human.

Which meant that there could be more. So I'm one hand I could let him go and grow then harvest him once he had fattened himself up.

Or… I could do it now and risk a subpar product.

'Ah… ah… ah… decisions.'

I closed my eyes and thought them over. Weighing the pros and cons but yet I felt there was only one option.

To let this human grow. Yes it was the best option of the ones I had.

I nodded my head, watching through he shadows as the human fled. All the while commanding my dear minions to let him go and only attack once he had gotten to a safe position.

He should have healed enough by then. Yes, he should have.

A small giggle, one that I heard only in the deepest parts of my subconscious echoed throughout my being.

I did not know it yet but that decision, it would cost me my life.