The Goblin Slayer's Gift

Chapter One – The Gamble

In a world separated by powers unimaginable the gods of light, order, and destiny fought with their most hated foes. The gods of darkness, chaos, and chance. Each wished to rule this separated world as they desired. Evenly matched, they could not win with a mighty battle. Unending and Infinite, they couldn't destroy each other.

Their only means to rule this treasured world was to work by proxy. To enlist champions among the mortals on the lower plane and lead them to influence the world as they wished. The gods took to this challenge, a reprieve from the constant battle and violence. The mortal races offered a variety of choice for those that would use them. Ages. Sex. Body types. Talents and powers.

So much to choose.

The deities loved their new game. Spending ages raising their chosen, selecting what they would use, and leading them to the desired result using their powers to guide them. Destiny and Chance were key. Destiny would determine what had to happen, Chance would help them choose how. Figures were made to represent the champions, and dice were crafted to represent choice.

The game became an endless back and forth. The dark gods would choose their demon kings, and the gods of light would uplift a hero to slay them. This game lasted for untold ages. Epic stories of love, loss, friendship and fiends would repeat constantly across history.

Then one day, an outsider came.

He wasn't interested in their champions. The dark god's carefully bred beasts didn't hold his interest. The Heroes blessed by the gods of light bored him. What he wanted was a piece left forgotten, untouched.

The figure might have had a patron at some point.

He had a hero's typical history. A slaughtered family. Trained to fight from a young age.

The reason that he was neglected was that the piece refused to let the gods roll for him.

The Light offered him blessings to slay his hated foe, the piece refused and would take no aid.

The Darkness offered to kill as he desired, then once finished to kill as they desired. They too were turned aside.

The outsider ignored the Gods insulted protests.

He entered their world, and made his offer directly. Nothing hidden, no tricks, or deception.

"How would you like to kill goblins for me?" the outsider asked.

"How many?" the slayer asked.

"All of them."

"How?"

"A gift."

"What tricks?"

"None."

"What do I have to pay?"

"Nothing."

"What do I have to do?"

"Tell me what to make. What powers to give it. Then you will use it to kill goblins."

The slayer was suspicious, "Why?"

"To give a black eye to the gods. To destroy something that deserves to be gone." the outsider's smile was able to terrify the Goblin Slayer. "For my entertainment as well."

"Why me?"

"You are an unpolished jewel, who suffered for the god's entertainment, then cast aside when they found something better. I wanted to correct this… travesty. I cannot change what has been done, but I will prevent what is to come."

Something reached out from the Outsider. An arm that could not be seen, attached to a hand that should not be seen.

The Goblin Slayer took the hand, shivering from the touch.

"I want a suit of armor." he decided.