Alec continued getting up each day and practicing the three sword movements. The more time that passed, the closer his body came to matching the motions from memory. His feet began to land where they were he wanted to without him thinking about it. His hands followed. The sword felt lighter now. Alec wasn't sure if his body was getting stronger or he no longer fought against the weight.
He became absorbed in the feeling of improvement. In the way the blade cut cleanly through the air instead of wobbling. In how the swings no longer pulled him off balance.
With the traps taken from the shop in Hillburn, his hunting improved. Rabbits, sometimes two in a day. Alec cooked the meat away from the cave and ate quickly, always scanning the trees while he chewed. Then he returned to practice.
His injuries were fully healed now. The soreness was gone. Calluses had begun to form along his palms and fingers, thick and pale. When he gripped the sword, it no longer hurt.
He tried to copy the same movements with the broken spear, but it never felt right. The balance was wrong. The weight pulled forward too much. His swings were awkward and slow. After several tries, he stopped. He leaned the spear against the cave wall and decided it would be an emergency weapon only. Something to stab with if wolves came too close, or to finish whatever he caught in a snare.
Most days were the same.
Practice. Eat. Practice again until his arms shook.
He had not gone farther down the river in some time. One morning, while he was mid-swing, a loud screech echoed from downstream.
Alec stopped instantly.
He slid the quiver over his shoulder and slung the bow across his back. Sword in hand, he moved into the dense brush, careful not to break branches or crush leaves beneath his feet.
Another sound came from ahead. Rustling. A sharp, ugly noise.
Alec crept forward.
A small goblin stood near a bush, its back turned. It held a crude iron dagger and a round wooden shield. Its skin was dull green, stretched tight over narrow shoulders.
Alec lifted the sword above his head and stepped into the diagonal stance he had practiced countless times.
He brought the blade down.
The goblin split cleanly in two and collapsed onto the soil. Green blood soaked into the dirt, making it slick and dark.
Alec stared down at the body, breathing hard.
A surprised smile crept across his face.
Something faintly blue caught his attention. In the goblin's chest, where the blade had passed, a small crystal glowed weakly. One edge had been shaved by the sword.
Alec knelt and pulled it free.
Nothing happened.
He turned it over in his fingers. The surface was smooth. No cracks this time. He struck it once with the pommel of his sword.
The crystal dimmed.
Coolness spread through his body again, starting in his chest and flowing outward. It was not painful. It felt like sinking into cold water after heat.
Alec stood there for a moment, waiting for something else to happen but nothing did.
He didn't know what the crystals were, but the feeling told him something mattered about them. That something was changing, even if he couldn't see it. He tucked the crystal away and moved on.
More noise echoed ahead. Shrieking voices and movement.
Alec slipped deeper into the brush.
Ahead of him stood a larger cave entrance cut into stone. Two thick pillars flanked the opening, worn down by time. Faded symbols were carved into their surfaces, barely visible beneath moss and cracks. Rusted metal fixtures hung from broken stone above, creaking faintly when the wind blew.
Four goblins stood guard near the entrance, pacing back and forth.
Alec watched from the brush, patiently waiting and observing their movements.
After a long while, more goblins approached from the forest side, following a narrow path between the trees. They exchanged sounds and gestures before taking positions near the cave.
Alec understood then. This was where they lived.
He waited until only two goblins remained closest to him.
Both carried daggers and small shields.
Alec tightened his grip on the sword. He knew he could kill one. He had never fought two at the same time. He crouched low and moved along the rock wall, slow enough that his legs burned.
The goblins never turned.
Alec wondered, briefly, if their hearing and smell were worse than Owen had said.
He stepped forward and swung.
The first goblin's head came free and rolled across the stone.
The second goblin shrieked and raised its shield, charging forward. Alec stepped back and swung upward, exactly as he had practiced. The blade split the goblin from hip to shoulder and exited through its neck.
The body fell in two pieces.
Alec stood there, chest heaving.
Another smile spread across his face before he realized it was there.
He worked quickly, pulling the crystals from both bodies and retreating into the brush. One by one, he struck them with the sword's handle. Each time, the cool sensation flowed through him.
He waited, listening. No more goblins came.
Alec looked back toward the cave entrance, then toward the path the other goblins had taken.
After a moment, he tightened his grip on the sword and moved into the forest along the path. Carefully moving his feet quietly along the path. Alec kept moving forward until he found a small clearing.
Short huts made of mud and straw sat in a circle. A weathered wooden house with a partially collapsed roof sat behind the huts. Around the outside of the huts were pieces of an old wooden fence broken in multiple places.
He watched as several goblins moved around the area as he carefully remained hidden in the brush. After some time, two more goblins headed towards the path leading to the cave. Alec smiled as he realized he could keep killing the goblins along the path.
Moving quietly as he followed the goblins, he raised his sword as he prepared to attack.