Carbon Copy 3 - A new body

The first thing Dan felt when he woke up was that someone was pulling his arm. Then he noticed his back dragging across the ground and heard soft grunting noises. What was going on? Slowly the memories of before came back to him, and he tried to keep playing dead. He could feel fingers on his arm, so he wasn't being dragged by that cat, which was hopefully a good thing.

With his head resting on the arm he was being dragged by, blocking one eye, he carefully cracked open the other unwilling to move more than the eyelid. He saw the green canopy of leaves above him and part of his arm.

Green skin!

He should probably have been shocked, but all he felt was joy. The skill worked, and he now had a new and hopefully stronger body! As his excitement died down, he noticed the set of green fingers with black nails wrapped around his arm. Wait, was he being dragged somewhere by another Goblin? Listening closely, he made out only a single set of footsteps. If it was only one, he should be fine. Moving his head around, he opened both eyes and saw a Goblin with a bruised face and a closed, battered eye straining as he dragged him along the path.

Damn he's ugly, Dan thought as he instinctively jerked his arm free.

The Goblin fell on his ass, his one good eye widening as he stared at Dan.

"Why you sleep in forest? You get eaten by monsters!" a horrid, high-pitched but guttural voice questioned in a language Dan had never heard before. Nonetheless, he could understand every single word and nuance of it. The other Goblin was surprised and angry.

Struggling up, he noticed that he was a little smaller than the other Goblin, and he wasn't the only one to notice. The other Goblin looked him up and down, and his dark green lips curved up, showing a single canine.

"You small! Smaller than Bur. Bur no longer smallest! You come with, and do as Bur say!"

Stepping forward, the Goblin grabbed for Dan's arm. He jumped backward, lowering his pose. He noticed that all the wounds, pains, and aches seemed gone. Even his lower back didn't feel like cracking. Actually, he didn't think he had felt this good in a long time.

Bur growled at him, stepping forward, hands raised, fingers curved inward. Looking at all the openings the other was giving him, Dan grinned. He might not be any expert in martial arts, but his brother had been, and he had been the one on the receiving end of all the things his big brother had learned. You didn't get beat up all the time without learning a thing or two.

Seeing that Bur was serious, Dan waited until the Goblin got close before stepping into the other's attack and raising an elbow to his chin. He marveled at how smoothly his new body listened to his commands. Was it because it was a Goblin's body or because it was young? Wait, was he young?

Bur staggered back, blinking in confusion at what had happened, and Dan rushed in. Stepping past the other, he kicked his feet out from under him, causing Bur to fall to the ground. Before he could react, Dan made as if to kick him in the head but stopped a few inches away from Bur's face.

"You big, but slow and stupid! Do as Dan says!" Trying to mimic the others' speech, Dan was surprised when he heard that his voice was much lower than Bur's nagging, high-pitched whine. It was closer to his original voice.

A soft sobbing startled him, and he stepped back when he saw the Goblin sit on the ground, crying.

"Bur sorry, no hit Bur!" The Goblin cried. Wailing a bit, Bur kept his head close to the ground, not looking up.

Dan took another step back, feeling an awkward sympathy for the apparently retarded Goblin.

"Stop crying, or the monsters come," he said.

Deciding he wasn't going to try and speak like the Goblin again, Dan's mind began working like mad. What should he do? The Goblin had been dragging him somewhere, and the other two had been walking somewhere as well. Could there be a Goblin village or camp nearby?

"We are going back. You walk in front, so I can keep an eye on you!" Curious if the other would understand, Dan blinked when Bur stopped crying instantly, sniffed twice, and jumped to his feet. Rubbing his face with his arm, Bur nodded.

"Do as Dan says. I walk now." As if nothing had happened, Bur began walking along the narrow dark path.

Getting the feeling he was played by a child, Dan shook his head and followed the other, keeping an eye on his surroundings. They walked for around an hour, with the only exciting moment being when Bur farted and started giggling. Dan cursed at the stench and wished he didn't have to walk behind the other.

--

Shouting and crying were the first signals they were nearing their destination. Dan looked ahead and saw the trees thinning. The ground also seemed softer, and his four green toes left deep marks in the dark soil. Another hundred meters later, they stepped through a thin treeline and into a clearing. Lined by trees, there was a sandy hill with moss and low vegetation on the left and a dark, swampy area to the right. Green water flowed from the sandy hill towards the swampy area, where green ferns and sickly purple weeds grew.

On one side of the hill were three large round holes that seemed dug out, the soil dumped in front of the entrance creating a black patch. On the patch sat a group of ten Goblins, using stones to sharpen sticks. Two other Goblins were standing near one of the cave openings.

Bur stopped, staring at the taller of the two, who wore a skirt made of a piece of animal fur. Looking closer, Dan saw two saggy breasts hanging almost down to her waist. A female Goblin, though when he examined her face, he shuddered: two mismatched eyes, one staring another way and a sharp nose set in a face way too similar to the male Goblins.

Dan was glad he didn't have a mirror because he was not interested in looking at himself.

"Tsir back! Bur no go with, or Tsir hurt Bur," Bur whispered. The Goblin began backing up towards the forest, and Dan only barely managed to grab his arm.

"Who is Tsir?" he whispered.

"Female! Very pretty, but scary," Bur said, trying to pull away.

"She is the boss?"

Seeing Bur's confused look, Dan tried again. "Other Goblins do as she says? Is she the strongest?"

Bur began shaking his head while nodding at the same time. "Not strongest! All listen to her, or no touchies!"

Blinking, it took a moment before Dan understood what the other meant, and he had to suppress a gag reflex. "Tsir is the only female?" he asked. It would explain why she was in control.

"Yes. She eat others."

She what? Dan thought as he felt his heart skip a beat. Goblins ate their young?

"Why does she hurt Bur?" he asked, not wanting to let go of the other Goblin just yet. He was all alone now, and the prospect of going to that camp by himself wasn't appealing.

"Bur smallest, weakest. She want Bur watch crying smallsies. Feed them. Bur no want!"

Dan stood still for a while, processing what he had heard. Bur must be talking about children, babies. His mind spun as he realized how easy Bur was to manipulate, and an idea began to form in his mind.

"Bur, how long are the smallsies small? When do they become big, like us?"

Bur was silent for a while, his eyes never leaving Tsir, who was sitting next to the others, examining some of the spears.

"Long, long time. At least ten nights before they can leave dark cave and go hunt. Annoying to wait! Bur no want!'

Relieved, Dan grinned. "Bur, listen carefully! Dan likes watching smallsies. It is fun. You come with me and say I will watch the smallsies. You bring me food everyday!"

The Goblin's eyes widened, and he stared at Dan, a little drool coming from the corner of his mouth. Then he began grinning and nodding. "Bur bring lots of birds and insects! Bur no watch smallsies!"

Getting the feeling the other was pleased with the arrangement, Dan pulled Bur along. This time the other didn't resist. When they reached the dark soil, Tsir and the other Goblin with her moved towards them. As she got closer, Dan realized Tsir was even more ugly up close. Her limbs were even more out of proportion than the males, and she was thin like a scarecrow with saggy skin.

But, when he saw the sly grin on her face, Dan doubled back on his idea that all Goblins were stupid. Something about her eyes made him realize she was a lot smarter than Bur.

"Bur back! Good! And bring another, smaller Goblin," Tsir said. She spoke in a soft hissing voice, examining Dan for a moment before looking at Bur.

"Now Bur go look after smallsies. They hungry!"

Bur shook his head before glancing at Dan. "Him go watch smallsies. Me hunt!" Not waiting for a response, Bur turned around and rushed back towards the forest, appearing terrified that Tsir would disagree.

Tsir's eyes narrowed as she watched Bur run away, then she looked at Dan. "Go inside and feed smallsies," she snapped. Staring at him to see what he would do, she seemed pleased when Dan just shrugged and went towards the caves.

Moving past the Goblins making spears, he saw they were breaking most of the branches, and a discarded pile of wood lay next to them. So far, they had only finished two spears, though looking at them, Dan was pretty sure they would probably snap from a single usage. Storing the information for later, he stared at the three entrances, suddenly realizing he didn't know which opening to enter. He licked his suddenly dry lips, afraid he'd have to go back and ask when he heard soft howling from the middle one.

Stepping forward, he saw it was a tunnel that quickly turned dark. He stepped inside, planning to wait until his eyes got used to the dark, when he realized he could see pretty well. It wasn't perfect, but a pleasant surprise. Apparently, Goblin's eyes work differently, he thought as he walked further into the deep tunnel. Twenty meters and a small bend later, he entered a dark cave. With almost no light, he could still see basic outlines, and he noticed an elevation of mud at the end of the cave.

Moving towards it, he saw it was some sort of nursery. Inside were a dozen or so tiny naked Goblins crawling around, all roughly the size of a melon. Although no more than babes, they were moving quickly, and some tried to climb the side of the pit they were in. Interestingly, Dan only saw males and wondered if Tsir had removed all competition. He shuddered. If she had, she was smart and ruthless, and he needed to keep an eye on her.

Looking around, Dan wondered what he should feed them. After a quick search through the cave, he found a leather bowl lodged between some rocks next to the entrance. Surprised that they even had something like that, he examined it. It was a pretty smart thing; a large flexible branch bent in a circle with animal intestines around it and a piece of hide like a bag in the middle. Though wobbly, it worked well enough. As he wondered who had made it because it seemed far more ingenious than all the other things he had seen, he focused on the white mush inside. He took a careful smell and nearly gagged from the pungent scent when he saw a few insect pieces floating inside.

Are they trying to kill them? he thought, almost dropping the bowl.

He hoped they knew what they were doing before walking back to the pit, holding the big container in two hands. Now how would he get all of them to eat without falling in? The small Goblins had heard or smelled something and were huddled at the side of the cave, mewling at him.

Wondering how much they understood already, he looked at them for a moment.

"The first one to shut up is the first one to eat," he whispered, curious to see what would happen. The Goblins just kept howling. They probably didn't understand yet, which he found reasonable based on their age. Then again, that was how humans worked. These were anything but human.

He tried a few more things until he finally decided on a course of action. He gently grabbed one of the squirming Goblins by the neck and held him close to the food. The baby Goblin stuck his head in and began eating immediately. Waiting for three counts, he pulled it out and put it back in the pit. As he did, he smudged a circle on its back with mud.

He repeated the same process until the Goblins had all been fed, leaving a little bit of the sludgy meal. Examining the Goblins, he found some were bigger than the others, and he gripped them from the biggest down and gave them a second portion until everything was gone.

After he put the bowl back, he leaned over the enclosure, looking at the Goblins. Noticing them yawn and crawl around, he stepped inside the enclosure and sat down. Most of the Goblins rushed away, but a few curious ones moved towards him and began crawling over his legs.

He spent almost an hour cuddling with the small Goblins, determined to make a lasting impression if he could. He planned to imprint on the small ones, make them like him and listen to him so he could take control of this small group. With no idea of the state of the world, he needed a safe place to use as a base of operations while he figured out what he could do with his skill.

When the Goblins finally fell asleep, he walked out of the cave with the empty container. Outside the cave, it was slowly turning dark, and only three of the Goblins were left, spear in hand. Guessing the rest was out hunting, he put the bowl next to the cave entrance and moved towards the guards.

They were almost identical, except for some small scratches and bruises and all stared at him as he moved over.

"Smallsies fed," Dan said as he looked back at them.

"Tsir say, you catch bugs for smallsies," one of the Goblins said with a nasty sneer. He pointed towards the forest, and Dan grinned back, showing as many teeth as he had. He didn't know why he did it, but somehow it felt like the right thing to do. Something about the Goblin told him it was weaker, even though he was smaller. The Goblin took a startled step back, and Dan turned as he walked off towards the forest.

At night, the forest was teeming with insects, flying and skittering everywhere. Most were the size of small birds and mice and armed with sharp mandibles and claws. After looking around a bit and making sure there was nothing there to hunt him, Dan moved to a rotten log with dozens of insects scurrying around it. Gripping something that resembled a fist-sized dung beetle, Dan felt the thing squirm, and he quickly beat it over the head with a stone. It took ten good knocks before it stopped moving, and to his surprise, he felt his hand glow.

With bated breath, he dropped the beetle and raised his hand, tracing the symbol. Two lines appeared on the shimmering hologram.

> Used Carbon Copy on a new species. Skill experience gained: 1

> Exp gained: 2

A predatory snarl came from Dan as he looked at the lines again as hope flared up higher and higher. His skill could grow! He had never heard of that before, and that had to mean something. Anything that could become stronger was bound to be good. Besides, seeing the experience he got, presumably from killing the beetle, he knew he could finally start on the road of power that might lead to his family.

Snatching the beetle from the ground, he looked around for more, quickly finding another one. He rushed forward, determined to go back when it was completely dark.

--

Using the pointy stone to perforate a hand-sized flying insect that had tried to steal some of his kills, Dan felt the now familiar warmth in his hand. It lasted for a second before changing to a tingling sensation that spread to his fingers. Wondering what that was about, he pulled up the hologram and was stunned when he read the messages.

> Exp gain: 1

> Exp gain: 1

> Exp gain: 8

> Level up

Behind the Level up word was a wheel icon, blinking rapidly. Feeling a rush of exhilaration, Dan clicked it. The hologram expanded upwards and outwards a bit, becoming dimmer as it did, and a long list of skills and options presented itself. Curious, he began reading through them, and slowly the smile faded, replaced by a frown. Almost all of the abilities were grayed out and needed prerequisite skills to be unlocked.

Examining the stupid, hard-to-navigate interface, he finally noticed a lock icon. Using his fingers to highlight it took forever but clicking it proved it was a filter. It reduced the list to three lines, only two of which were skills.

So few, he thought as he wondered if it was because he had a low-level Goblin body.

> The below skills are mutually exclusive and are requirements for future paths or skills.

> Mana-augmentation: You can use the ambient mana to strengthen your physical shape.

> Biological manipulation: The structure of your body changes as your bone and tissue density increases, making you more durable.

"Fuck…" he snapped.

He hated decision trees, especially those that could determine the rest of his life. Looking at the darkness surrounding him, he closed his hand, causing the messages to disappear. It might be better to think about this when he wasn't dead tired. Snapshot decisions would only cause him to cry bad choices later.

He picked up the basket he had woven from branches and leaves. It was filled with insects, and he hoped it would be enough as he began walking back towards the Goblin camp. He had made sure to stay reasonably close because he didn't want to get lost. It took only a few minutes before he walked out into the clearing again. The silvery moonlight made it easier to see than the dark woods from before.

When he saw the outlines of the small group of Goblins huddled together in front of the entrance, no fire and shivering, he sighed. These guys are pathetic.

Walking up to them, he saw Bur had returned, sitting apart from the others, and hiding something in his arms so obviously that Dan wondered how nobody had taken it from him yet. Tsir wasn't around, but he heard a rhythmic slapping noise from inside the leftmost cave. The picture of her face, contorted in pleasure, made him sick to the stomach, and he quickly sat down next to Bur.

The other Goblin looked up, and instantly a big, proud smile lit up his face.

"Brought bird! Smallsies no bite you?" Bur whispered as he shoved the thing in his arm, a bird with brown feathers the size of a big pigeon, into Dan's basket.

Smiling at the idea of babies biting him, Dan the smile suddenly disappeared as he realized Goblin babies might actually bite. He had better be more careful next time.

"No, they not bite," he said. Trying to make sure he fit in, he attempted to speak as Bur did, which proved harder than it looked. "Where you get bird?"

Bur raised his head, the smile on his face turning even wider. "Me great hunter! It feeding on fruit, me sneak up and hit with spear!" He raised his spear as if to show which spear he was talking about.

"Good!" Dan said, grinning at the childlike glee of the other.

A moment later, a shuffling came from one of the entrances, and Tsir and another Goblin came out. The Goblin had an obscene grin on his face, and his loincloth couldn't cover his excitement. Across the Goblin's chest was a scar from one shoulder to the next that had healed poorly.

Tsir walked towards the others and looked them over, rubbing her slightly bulging belly. Seeing Bur and Dan, she snorted, shook her head, then pointed at two of the others. "You come both. Him take too much time. Me want sleep, so you hurry!"

The two Goblins jumped up, excitement on their faces, while they quickly followed Tsir into the cave. Bur sighed, a miserable look on his face. "Bur never get touchies. Poor Bur." He glared at the scarred Goblin, who was sitting in a corner by himself, his hand between his legs and his eyes closed.

Dan shuddered and picked up the basket before heading toward the caves.

"Dan no go! Tsir make others hit you!" Bur whispered loudly, though, from his uncaring face, it was obvious he wouldn't be bothered if it happened.

"Don't worry. I go to smallsies. They crying for more food." Seeing the incredulous look on the other's face, Dan shrugged and headed into the cave. As he passed the other one, he heard heavy breathing and a wet slapping sound.

He quickly moved deeper into the tunnel until he was in the cave with the baby Goblins. They had begun moving around again, but none of them were crying. Placing the basket next to him, he sat down at the furthest end of the cave, giving him a clear view of the entrance.

Trying to stay awake, he wondered about the two level-up choices he had. A long time later, he was nodding off, his mind swirling around, when a sudden idea caused his eyes to open wide. Would that biological manipulation skill even work for the bodies he got with Carbon Copy? If it didn't, which seemed highly possible, he would only increase his human body, which was useless.

Curious, he went through the hassle of summoning the small screen again, looking at the three lines. If mana-augmentation was something he actively did, that meant he could use it on any form he occupied!

Well, that's assuming it's active, and the other one is passive, he thought. If he could manipulate any physical form with biological manipulation, it was good as well. Still, based on the wording, it seemed less likely.

He probably should wait, but a childlike desire to figure out mixed with a lingering fear of the dangers, made him highlight mana-augmentation. Without giving himself another thought, he clicked it and immediately felt his entire body tingle.

A sudden fear rushed into him as the tingling turned to heat.

I'm not going to change back to a human now, right? he thought, fear growing.

Then something unlocked deep in his mind as a switch flipped on a machine or curtains pulled back from a window, and a new sense appeared. It was as if someone who could never smell scented roses for the first time, or someone who couldn't see, saw the ocean.

He knew he would never be able to explain it to someone who hadn't experienced it, as he tasted something fresh and minty in the air. He couldn't really see it, but he perceived it non the less. Something that he could gently move around like fog with his hand. It seemed to permeate his body, like heat or cold, but it was neither.

Sensing the mana rush to his hand a split second before the symbol became hot, he realized something else. The symbol was powered by the ambient mana!

Relishing in the new sensation, he knew that if he ever lost the ability to sense mana, it would be like losing the ability to hear or taste. Wondering if the Goblins could sense mana, he looked at the small hologram.

> Mana sense awakened due to high affinity!

> Select first mana-augmentation

> Speed - Coordination - Muscle Density

Looking at the three options, Dan felt a vein begin throbbing on his head. Seriously? This would be his life from now on, deciding between things without knowing the end result?

With a sad sigh, he examined the three options, trying to determine which one seemed the most likely to keep him alive. He had an inkling, but his eyes kept being drawn to the third option. Running had always been the way out for him, first to get away from his abusive brother, then with the sprinting team to get a scholarship that pulled him out of the small town he hated. But deep inside, he had always wished for strength—an unstoppable power to push back at those who kept forcing their will on him.

Knowing he had already made one decision that might prove hasty, he tried to reason it out, not just determine it with his heart. With speed he could easily survive by running from the stronger things in this new world, while strength would fail him if anything he found was stronger than him. Even coordination had its merits! Ranged weapons were the bane of the strong and slow. But inside his mind, images played like a movie. Getting beat up by his brother when he got back home from school. Getting beat up at school for trying to help a friend, and then his inability to help any of the people he saw during the last few days before whatever happened, happened. Those that needed help while others hurt them, but with nobody there to help them.

Dan's face twisted as long-buried feelings began bubbling up, pressuring him to choose. Unable to contain his rage, again, he selected the Muscle Density option before closing his eyes. He felt the mana flow towards him, inside him and his body began cramping. It didn't really hurt at first, but as his muscles twitched, then bulged and shrunk rapidly, he began sweating, and his teeth ground together.

The horrible sensation continued unabated, and all he could do was stop from screaming. He had no idea how long it lasted, but when it was finished, he sagged down, falling into a stupor.