The forest was sinking into deeper darkness with every passing minute. Above the treetops, the sky slowly turned a heavy violet-black, and the scattered cries of birds echoed between the trunks as if nature itself were preparing for night. Small creatures rustled through the undergrowth, adding their quiet whispers to the growing hush. The air carried the scent of damp earth mixed with the cold, dry smell of fallen leaves carried on a distant breeze, making the entire forest feel heavier, more secretive.
The goblins returned in small groups, whispering to one another as they dragged the firewood they had gathered. They piled it in the center and set it alight. Flames leapt upward, grey smoke curling lazily into the night; the firelight danced across their green faces, twisting their already monstrous features into something even more savage.
Noa sat a little apart, leaning against a tree. One hand lightly covered his mouth while his mind drifted. The cold bark pressed against his back, but the chill seemed to please him, as though it were awakening the darkness inside.
This feeling… this feeling is the best there is.
A faint, shadowy smile crept across his lips.
X spoke inside him, excitement and caution mingling in his voice.
"You're thinking about killing again," he said, almost afraid of the answer.
Noa let the dark smile widen. His voice drifted through the air like an icy wind.
"No. Not killing. Dominion."
He slowly raised his left hand and closed it into a tight fist.
"I decided Sara's fate. I ended her… and I liked it. I was above her, and that is the most thrilling part."
A faint flush rose on his cheeks, the unmistakable trace of pleasure born from control and superiority.
"I feel like I've finally found myself. Before, it was as if I were living someone else's life. Now… I feel like me. I feel alive."
X gave a low, sardonic chuckle, clearly pleased.
"Noa, you're changing faster than I ever expected. The little boy who used to sleep in his mother's arms and wouldn't hurt an insect a year ago… there's not a single trace of him left."
Noa gave a slight shake of his head.
"You're right," he answered quietly.
The quiet was dangerous.
From behind, he sensed Kargal approaching. A soft rustle of leaves announced the tiny skeleton's arrival.
A moment later, Kargal stepped out from behind the tree.
"Master, how much longer do I have to stay hidden?" he asked, a mixture of weariness and boredom in his child-like voice. A faint cold mist seemed to rise from his small frame.
Noa answered in a cool, emotionless tone.
"Until I say otherwise."
Kargal let out a small, resigned sigh.
"Very well, Master," he replied obediently, though a hint of complaint lingered.
Noa turned fully toward him, focusing his attention.
"You may be small, but you're strong. What abilities do you have?"
Kargal thought for a second, then began to speak slowly.
"I can see heat… and bone telekinesis."
Noa raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
"Bone telekinesis?"
Kargal stepped closer and made a small gesture with his bony hands, as if demonstrating.
"I channel my mana into bone… then I can control it freely, anywhere my eyes can see," he explained, pride and primal ferocity mixing in his childish voice.
Noa offered a faint smile.
"That's an interesting ability," he said, his tone light but heavy with meaning.
Kargal scratched his skull, half-embarrassed, half-proud.
"Thank you, Master."
Noa reached out and gently stroked the little skull, not out of affection, but as a clear mark of ownership and control.
"You said you were a serpent, yet you look nothing like one."
Kargal lifted his head.
"I think it's because of your blood and the two goblin bones I ate… I evolved somehow," he answered seriously, as though he had just realized the truth of his own nature.
Noa's brow furrowed slightly.
"I see. In a way, you're my child now," he said calmly, the words carrying a dark undertone.
Kargal stretched his legs out, leaned back on his hands, and sat like a human child despite being a skeleton.
"That might be true, Master… In some way, you are the reason I was reborn," he said with sincere respect.
Noa drew a deep breath; the air left his lungs as a thin, cold mist.
"Good. Stay out of sight for now. Tonight…"
He gestured toward Sara's corpse with a tilt of his chin.
"You may eat that woman's bones."
Kargal's empty eye sockets suddenly blazed with excitement, this was a feast for him.
"Thank you, Master!" he cried the little skeleton joyfully, and vanished back into the bushes.
The forest fell silent once more.
The fire crackled, sparks drifting upward into the night.
The goblins brought Noa some roasted meat. He took it, frowned, and spoke with clear displeasure.
"You burned it again?"
The goblin who had brought it simply stared.
Noa bit into the meat without enthusiasm.
"Whatever. Get out of my sight."
The goblin scurried away, bewildered.
Farther away, on a ridge overlooking Rion's goblin village, someone was watching.
Smoke rose lazily from the crude huts below, and the faint glow of fires flickered in the darkness. The night air was thick, cold, and still.
Kovo, a young man of average height with slightly overgrown hair and brown eyes, a bow slung across his back, glanced at his companion.
"There are seventy or eighty goblins down there," he reported.
Bren, black-haired, dark-eyed, sword at his hip, clenched his fist.
"How many high-level ones?"
Kovo peered carefully downward.
"About twenty close to D-rank… but not quite there."
Bren turned and started walking back.
"Call the team."
Kovo hesitated, looking embarrassed.
"You know, Bren… we're exhausted. We just arrived. I think we should rest first."
Bren sat on a small rock and answered in a cold, measured tone.
"I didn't say we're fighting tonight. We have things to discuss."
"Got it," Kovo said and left.
Bren picked up a twig and began drawing in the dirt, lines, points, huts. The focused expression of a strategy-loving commander was etched on his face.
A short while later, the rest of the party arrived.
Tarl, tall, heavily muscled, clad in thick heavy armor, was the first to reach Bren's side.
"Command me," he said simply.
Bren continued drawing without a word.
The others formed a circle and sat.
Bren tapped the ground twice with the twig and began.
"I know you're all tired. But I want to get back to the city as quickly as possible. Don't you feel the same?"
Lina, the long black-haired healer with brown eyes, staff in hand, nodded.
"Yes."
Bren allowed himself a small smile.
"Good. Listen carefully. There are about forty huts and roughly eighty goblins. We fight tomorrow, but tonight we reduce their numbers a little. A direct battle would be difficult for a D-rank party like ours."
Mira, the black-haired mage with fiery eyes and a wide-brimmed hat, looked surprised.
"Didn't you just say we're not fighting tonight?"
Bren glanced at her and gave a faint grin.
"Exactly. We're not fighting.
We're going to burn the huts.
They'll panic, lose sleep all night, and by midday tomorrow they'll be exhausted.
Then we strike.
Simple. Effective."
The team exchanged glances.
In unison, they nodded.
Kovo grinned.
"Once this quest is done, we go straight back to the guild and drink until we drop. First time we've come this far," he said.
Tarl clapped a heavy hand on Kovo's shoulder.
"We've worked hard on this one. We've burned plenty of nests before. I'd say the reward won't be small this time."
Leave your opinion about the chapter and save it to the library. Don't forget the power stone. 80 power stone. I will open the history of Kargal.