The night air in Goblin's Grove was colder than usual. An unnatural silence blanketed the forest, as if every creature was holding its breath—dreading what was to come.
Lee Jun stood atop a large stone, overlooking the assembled goblin warriors and border guards gathered beneath the firelight. Their faces were tense. Some afraid. But none turned away.
"From tonight onward," Jun said firmly, "no goblin will patrol alone. You'll move in teams of three. And if you see a shadow that doesn't make sense—run, and signal the others."
The goblins nodded in unison. They understood how serious the threat had become. This wasn't some beast. Not just a stray monster. This was something that commanded the darkness.
Midnight
A strange roar—deep and echoing like a scream from the bottom of the earth—shattered the stillness. Then shadows moved between the trees—silent, but unnaturally fast.
The northern border guards were the first to react, blowing their signal horns to alert the others.
But before help could arrive, the creatures had already leapt from the dark.
They looked like massive wolves, but their bodies were too long, their eyes nothing but empty black holes. A sickly green-black aura clung to them—beings born from pure darkness: Darkspawn.
"ATTACK!!" shouted one goblin guard before his body was dragged into the brush, ripped apart in an instant.
Two others tried to fight. One stabbed with a spear, but the weapon passed through the creature like smoke. Within seconds, three guards were dead.
The Darkspawn scattered, rushing deeper toward the farms and mining zone.
Battle and Loss
Jun arrived with Godon and Draksra just as one of the goblin farmers was mauled. Screams and blood filled the air.
"Godon, hold the back line!"
The hulking goblin slammed his weapon into a Darkspawn, forcing it back. Draksra leapt from a tree, driving a dagger through a creature's head from above.
Moji stood at the path leading to the central settlement, drawing glowing runes across the ground.
"Rune of Warding... activate!"
The rune blazed bright blue, summoning an invisible barrier that stopped the remaining Darkspawn in their tracks. Those who tried to pass through evaporated into mist.
But the protection came at a cost.
Three goblins died that night. Two guards. One farmer. And two miners were left severely wounded.
A Heavy Decision
After the battle, Jun gathered the survivors.
"I know you're afraid," he said. "But if we stay like this, they'll keep coming. And more will die."
Moji stood beside him, pale and shaking after expending so much mana.
"We have to strike back," Jun continued. "We'll find out where they're coming from—and destroy their source."
Godon gripped his weapon tightly. Draksra gave a slow nod, his eyes glowing in the dark.
A Quiet Farewell
That night ended with a solemn burial. The goblins stood in a circle, heads lowered. Jun placed flat stones marked with their names on the ground.
"They didn't die because they were weak," Jun said quietly. "They died because we weren't ready. But starting now... that changes."
And for the first time since he had built Goblin's Grove… a fire of vengeance burned in his eyes.
[Tamed Goblins: 31]