Quest Class Change Completed.

Rock has gained 250 EXP.

Rock has Leveled UP.

Rock Gained Class Thief.

Rock has unlocked Alternative Leveling Track Thievery.

Thievery: The ability to level up based on acts of thievery. The greater the value of the left, the greater the reward.

“How does it feel?” Elder Bone prods. His smile is infectious as I stand in the glow of accomplishment. I did. It. I DID IT.

Well, I almost died. And made an enemy of my village Chieftain. And will probably be exiled. Or hanged. Or killed in my sleep. Or—

I leveled up. Oh, this feels good. This feels—too good. Like everything feels better. My cuts, my exhaustion, my aches are just…. Gone?

“I feel strange, Elder?”

His smile becomes as wide as the moon, “GOOD! Check your Blue Screen!”

ROCK

Level 2

Race Goblin

Class Thief

Job THIEF

Hit Points : 16

Mana : 5

Morale : 12

Condition : Happier than a pig in shit!

16 HEALTH! That’s like- A LOT! What the fuck can hurt me now! Then I check the back—

Bravery : 6

Faith : 6

Speed : 14

Durability : 4

Physical Power : 13

Magic Power : 4

Intelligence : 10

Wisdom : 10

Charisma : 9

Exp: 68

All the numbers went up. No wonder I feel good. I’m TWICE the Goblin I was yesterday! The only thing left to do is laugh. And laugh some more. A hearty rolling laugh as the village whispers, wondering if I’ve gone crazy or made a play for Chief. Elder Bones taps me on the shoulder and points up.

All whispers and laughter stop as we follow where Elder Bones is pointing. And we collectively gulp.

Dragging one foot and bleeding from several cuts, Chief huffs and puffs down the hill. Chieftain Chief makes his way through the crowd with a piece of wood sticking out of his shoulder. His eyes glow with malice and power. Authority and rage radiate off him like steam. And worst of all, he doesn’t spare a look at any other Goblin. Just me.

I want to run. That’s the only sensible thing to do in the face of getting your head bashed in by an entire Level 4 Ex-Goblin Raider. But I’m braver than I was 30 minutes ago!

“You—”

I march up to Chief with the Staff of Leadership in both hands and shove it in his face.

“You, TAKE!”

My Chief stares at me, eyes hot with pain and fury. His expression shifts from vengeful to confused to back to vengeful.

“You-you stupid GOBLIN!” he snatches the staff and immediately tries to split my skull open. I don’t even see the large wooden stick move; only Elder Bones catching the incoming blow with his one good hand saves me.

“Stop it, Chief!” Elder orders. But Chief tries to yank the staff with renewed vigor. “He was only completing a quest on my orders!”

Chief stops. His grip on the staff slackens as he steps around me to better give Elder Bones the evil eye.

Now face to face, he leans in to whisper into Elder Bones’ ear, but despite that, I can still hear him.

“If you wanted to replace me, you old coot, send a higher level Goblin!”

Elder Bones turns his head slowly as he hisses a reply with equal malice, “Thanks to you, there are no higher level Goblins!”

Chief growls, “You can always fight me yourself, old coot.”

Elder Bones lets go of the Staff of Leadership and turns his back on the Chief. Chief fumes, but Elder Bones doesn’t seem to notice or care.

“I sent Rock on a Class Change Quest to turn him from Goblin Raider to a Goblin Thief!”

“Thief?” the village whispers in confusion. Some even go so far as to ask, “You can do that?”

But Chief roars, “No, you can’t! It’s UN-GOBLIN!”

Chief slams the butt of the Staff of Leadership on the ground, allowing a pulse of mana to echo through the village and maybe even the whole mountain.

“For generations, we GOBLINS ARE RAIDERS!” The Chief stomps to the center of the gathering village and stamps the staff again, “No Elder can change that!”

The other Goblins murmur in agreement, and even the other Elders grunt their approval.

“Well, I did,” says Bones with a straight back and a high chin. Almost daring the Chief to raise a hand against him. Or smack him with the Staff of Leadership.

“I helped Rock, no different than I helped the lot of you growing up! We have another LEVEL 2! A real Chief would be overjoyed!”

To my relief, some goblins agree, and in the corner of my eye, I see Dagger nodding his approval.

Chief doesn’t approach Elder Bones. He merely points at him with the Staff of Leadership.

“And how exactly, oh Elder, did R-Rock achieve this? In a raid? In battle?” Come to think of it, I did smack him pretty har— OR through your schemes!”

The tide of agreement shifts toward the Chief as he leans in. “You tried to replace me as Chief! But your little Goblin failed! I have the SCAR to prove it.” He points aggressively at the dent I left on the side of his head, which, granted, looks bad, but… it’s not bleeding….

“I was panicking. I didn’t mean to—”

“Steal the Leadership Staff!?”

“Hmm no, I meant to do that!”

The Chief face goes from green to red as I get the strong impression that he’s about to leap in the air and smash my skull in! But then his face returns to its normal color, and the Chief points a shaky hand at me.

“Rock, you’re banished.”

The crowd gasps, and everyone takes a solid step back. Only Elder Bones and I are in this circle, surrounded by every Raider in the village.

“You can’t banish him!” Elder shouts back.

“Goblins raid, and he doesn’t want to be a Raider. He also attacked your Chieftain! You want to challenge me instead!!?”

Me and Elder Bones shake our heads slowly as the high of leveling up and changing classes is replaced by the fear of being strung up as an example of the Chief’s strength.

“Good, son. Now follow me.”