Gorn and William exchanged a look. No words needed. They left the deer carcass where it lay and ran toward the scream, weapons drawn, boots pounding against the forest floor.
They broke into a small clearing. What they found there set both their hackles up at once. A middle-aged woman, Elara's friend Martha, was cowering by the riverbank, her clothes basket overturned, tears on her face. Four goblins surrounded her, green skin stretched over bony frames, yellow fangs bared.
One lunged at Martha, rusty dagger raised. Gorn roared and charged like a bear. His sword came down in one clean stroke and took the goblin's arm off at the shoulder. It shrieked and staggered back.
William drew his own sword, adrenaline flooding through him. He'd never fought anything before, but seeing the woman in danger lit something in him he didn't have time to question. He ran into the fight, sword swinging clumsy but hard.
He caught the nearest goblin across the chest. It staggered, more surprised than hurt. William pressed forward anyway, thrusting and dodging without much technique, just desperation. A claw raked across his ribs and he barely felt it. He lunged again, and this time the blade went in deep. The goblin gave a wet gasp and dropped.
Warmth spread through William's limbs. A translucent blue screen flickered into view.
[You have slain a Goblin!]
[You have gained 100 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Two levels at once. He turned, found another goblin, and opened its throat before it could react. It went down without a sound.
Gorn had already finished the last two. Silence settled over the clearing.
Martha ran to them, shaking but unhurt. "Thank you, thank you both," she said, gripping their arms. "I thought I was done for."
She'd come to wash clothes at the river when the goblins ambushed her. "They came out of nowhere," she said, still shaking. "I never even saw them coming."
"It's alright, Martha," Gorn said. "You're safe now. We'll get you back to the village."
They loaded the deer onto Gorn's shoulders and walked Martha back between them. The forest didn't feel peaceful anymore.
Partway back, William stopped. "Gorn. Can I check my status a second?"
Gorn nodded, and William closed his eyes.
Name: William Velmont
Level: 3
Class: None
Attributes:
Strength: 12
Agility: 14
Stamina: 10
Intelligence: 16
Mana: 11
Skills:
Chrono Shift (SSS-Rank): Allows the user to open a portal to a specific point in the past. (Details Unlocked)
Two levels from the goblins. Strength and agility up two points each, stamina, intelligence, and mana up one apiece. Something settled in his chest, satisfaction maybe. He was getting stronger.
Once Martha was safely home, Gorn pulled William aside, his face serious. "Goblins this close to the village isn't right," he said. "They keep to the deep forest, usually."
He paused. "Something's happening, lad. Something we don't understand."
"What do you mean?" William's stomach tightened. "Is the village in danger?"
"This area's always been safe. We get wild beasts, sure, but not goblins. They're cunning things, and they don't come near settlements unless..." He trailed off.
"Unless what?"
"Unless something's driving them," Gorn said, quiet now. "Something dark." He clapped William's shoulder. "I need to talk to the other hunters, see if anyone's noticed anything. Take the deer back to Elara, she'll know what to do with it."
William nodded and watched Gorn head off toward the square. He hauled the deer onto his own shoulders and started back to the cottage, the weight of it nothing next to the weight in his head.
Elara smiled when she opened the door, then the smile dropped when she saw the blood on his tunic. "William, what happened? Where's Gorn?"
He told her everything, the goblins, Gorn's warning, the strange feeling that something in the forest had changed. She listened with her brow furrowed.
"Goblins," she muttered, shaking her head. "That's not good."
Then she pulled herself together, brisk as ever. "Come on. Let's get this deer cleaned and put away. Worrying won't fix anything, and you need food."
She worked fast, helping him skin and butcher the deer, and soon the cottage smelled like roasting meat, which did more to settle William's nerves than he expected.
After eating, the exhaustion hit him hard. The fight, the adrenaline, all of it had drained out of him at once. He said goodnight to Elara and went to his room, and the bed took him under almost as soon as he lay down.
Hours later, the creak of the front door woke him. Voices, low, in the main room. He lay still and listened.
"The others are worried, Elara," Gorn was saying. "Old Man Hemlock swears he saw tracks by the west field. Elspeth heard growling in the night. Even Torak's dogs have been acting up, and he lives right on the edge of the Darkwood."
"What does it mean?" Elara's voice was tight.
"I don't know. But it's not natural. Something's stirring out there."
"We'll put together a search party at first light," Gorn said. "Better to know what we're dealing with before it's too late."
William lay there, heart pounding. Something was wrong in Willow Creek, that much was clear. But what was he supposed to do about it? He was an outcast with a power he barely understood.