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The square erupted into chaos.
Goblins spilled from the treeline like a green tide, shrieking and waving jagged spears. Villagers screamed, scattering in every direction. Guards formed a ragged line, swords flashing, but they were outnumbered three to one.
Alex stood frozen for half a second, adrenaline slamming through his veins. Then instinct took over.
He sprinted straight toward the auburn-haired woman at the fountain.
She had already planted her feet, staff raised. The first goblin reached her and swung a rusty cleaver. She parried with surprising strength, wood cracking against iron, then drove the butt of her staff into the creature's throat. It dropped choking.
Alex slid in beside her, shoulder to shoulder.
"Name's Alex," he said, breathing hard. "Mind if I borrow some of your courage?"
She shot him a quick, fierce grin. "Elara. Try to keep up."
Two more goblins rushed them. Alex raised his hand and triggered Charm Pulse again, this time pouring every drop of his 25 LP into it.
A wave of heat rolled out from him, invisible but thick as honey. The charging goblins stumbled, eyes glazing over. Their spears drooped. One actually moaned.
Elara didn't waste the opening. Her staff whipped out, cracking skulls. Alex grabbed a fallen spear and drove it through the nearest goblin's chest. Hot blood sprayed across his arms.
+15 LP
+12 LP
+18 LP
The notifications flashed across his vision like fireworks.
Elara stared at him, eyes wide. "What in the gods' names did you just do?"
"Later," he panted. "Right now we live."
They fought back-to-back. Every time a goblin got too close, Alex hit it with a pulse or a whispered temptation. The creatures turned sluggish, confused, aroused. Easy kills. Elara's staff became a blur. Within minutes a ring of green bodies lay around them.
Across the square, the village guards were losing ground. A massive goblin twice the size of the others, some kind of chieftain, roared and swung a spiked club that shattered a guard's shield and sent the man flying.
Elara's face hardened. "That's Grash. If he reaches the houses, everyone inside dies."
Alex felt the system stir.
New temporary skill unlocked: Lust Drain (Touch)
Cost: 30 LP
Effect: Siphon life force through skin contact. Victim experiences overwhelming pleasure followed by total exhaustion. Duration: 10 seconds.
He had 63 LP now. Plenty.
"I'll handle the big one," he said. "Cover me."
Before she could protest, he was running.
Grash saw him coming and laughed, a wet, guttural sound. The club rose high.
Alex slid under the swing, palm slapping against the goblin's bare, sweaty thigh.
Contact.
Grash froze. His yellow eyes rolled back. A deep, shuddering groan escaped his throat. The club slipped from suddenly limp fingers and thudded to the ground.
Alex poured everything into the drain. Lust energy flooded into him, thick and intoxicating, like drinking pure fire. Grash's knees buckled. He collapsed face-first, twitching and whimpering, completely incapacitated.
+120 LP
Title earned: Goblin Bane
Bonus: +20% effectiveness against goblin-type enemies
The remaining goblins saw their leader fall and broke. They fled screaming into the forest.
Silence fell, broken only by distant sobbing and the crackle of a burning cart.
Elara walked up slowly, staring at the unconscious chieftain, then at Alex.
"You're not from any village I know," she said quietly. "What are you?"
He met her eyes and felt the system ping again.
Target: Elara Voss – Herbalist Level 2
Current arousal: 47/100
Latent desire detected: Protection, belonging, raw passion after near-death
Alex took one step closer. The air between them felt charged.
"I'm the guy who just saved your village," he said, voice low. "And I'm very, very new here. I could use a guide. A friend. Maybe more."
Her breath caught. The adrenaline of battle still pumped through both of them. Her cheeks flushed, pupils wide.
The village elder was shouting for healers, for barricades, for someone to chase the stragglers. No one was watching the two of them by the fountain.
Elara glanced around once, then grabbed Alex's wrist.
"My cottage. Back door. Ten minutes," she whispered. "We need to talk. And… other things."
She walked away without looking back, hips swaying just a little more than before.
Alex watched her go, pulse thundering in his ears.
Current LP: 153
New quest: Claim First Companion
Reward: Permanent stat boost, dual cultivation unlock, 300 LP
He smiled.
Ten minutes.
He could work with that.
(To be continued)