Children were trying to leave the hut, for there was nothing outside. No animal, no rival goblins and the White One were all gone for the day.
"Let us out" they said "Can we play???" and "I`m hungry" were coming from behind the doors of many huts in the village.
But they were not let out. The Big Shaman forbade that. And since the latest hunter party didn`t return yet.....it meant the danger was still around.
The sun was almost set, giving the village a fiery aura and shadows of pure darkness, while the bonfire tried to re-shine the light in the other direction, but after hours of burning, it was too weak.
Now shadows were sitting still , their dance was over.
Except one. The one that they all feared and the only bright shadow, the one thing that was both dark and bright white. And it got bolder by the hour.
Yesterday it only appeared in the shadows of the trees.
Today morning he laid rope traps around the village and caught a few curious goblins.
At noon it took the same rope and grabbed people from a distance.
Now...The White One would run out of the forest and like a smudge come through the village and leave with one more dead goblin on the ground. Never more than one and never for more than seconds.
The Big Shaman could only try and shoot his magic at him, but he never got a proper hit in. It only caused more fire and smoke.
And time was running short. Children annoyed and adults almost gone, while the ones in between were both.
One of the only surviving hunters left was just passing through the main path.
"STOP" the shaman got up and shouted towards him
The hunter slowly shook his head and pointed towards himself and the shaman nodded while patiently holding up his staff. The White One escaped him many times today. But now... hes ready for him.
"Come to me" he hurried the goblin "Yes yes" while pointing his wooden staff at him
And the hunter obliged ,not knowing what he did wrong but he came anyways.
"KHAR-ZUKKA" it all happened in an instant
The staff`s jewel shined with orange glow and fired the flames towards the hunter. He of course, scared as shit ran to the side, accordingly to Big Shaman`s plan. Because behind him, The White One was almost catching up to him.
Instead of dashing towards the hunter, it was forced to ran to the side.
The Shaman breathed heavily but shouted the words of power and recreated the fire. Hitting the hut was a bold choice, but the smoke and explosion got to the creature and blowing it to the side.
"NOW , SHOOT IT" He screamed towards the other goblins. And they shot their arrows.
But... the shaman miscalculated this part.
Yes, they were goblins that shot arrows at the creature. But they were young. Very young.
All the hunters and warriors went into the forest. Every experienced goblin was gone.
Only the excited yet untainted by the darkness were left.
Sadly, that was the one thing needed now, the face off against the dark.
The shaman saw their terrified faces, just after seeing the White One. What will happen when he starts killing . No. He can`t let that happen.
Another fireball. Another miss.
The hunter that just barely survived was now dead in front of him.
The arrows still flew but to nowhere, and a fraction was hitting the place the White One just left. The shaman watched, his eyes slowly sinking in and the white hair almost growing in size. He lost more and more energy, and with it - his smidgen of hope.
Smoke from his fireballs kept rising.
The White One used it to its advantage, as it made a bridge for him between the outside and the inside of the village. It dashed through it and appeared next to one of the 'archers' on the roof.
"Khaar kahaaar..." even if he saw the young ones, the shaman could not shoot at it. It was still just a small baby in its eyes. And...it was now dead.
The White One covered in dark smoke kept reappearing all around him, and disappearing just as fast with more and more goblins dying.
"GRAHRGAAAAAAAAA" The shaman was pissed - no more mercy for the young, no more caring about destroying the place. Let the creature feel the fire.
"KHAR ZUKHAAA" He shouted the loudest and the most primal words he could. The jewel creating red hot flames and gathering them in the tiniest spot imaginable.
It over shined the falling sun. It over shined the fire place in the night. It became a star in his hands.
The White One stood still on one of the roofs. Watching intrigued.
"DIEEEEEE" and it went off.
The spot became a river of fire, destroying and burning anything in front of the Shaman.
Alive or dead, goblin, wood, huts and everything else became fire and coal.
Except the White One. Which was nowhere to be found.
And he was right behind him. Smoking and with his right arm covered in embers, his face scarred and leather even darker than before. But alive.
And pissed off too.
The White One kicked his hand and grounded him with one strike. The staff flew away, broken to pieces. The shaman, oldest and wisest, was now laying in the dust he made a second ago.
White One`s foot kept digging into him, pinning him to the hot hot ground.
And the one cold thing he could feel, was a metal blade at his throat.
"NO" it whispered to him "You die"
And slit his throat
The village was burned to ashes, children were either dead or had to run away in fear. All adult goblins, counting up to 60 were dead. The Biggest Shaman of this forest was dead.
It was the end for them.
-----------------------
Voro stood still for a long time.
His burns were aching. His injuries from combat with the hunters painfully remainded of themselves every second. Dust in his lungs and eyes, emptiness in his stomach.
And just, just overwhelming tiredness.
Voro prayed for the end of the floor at this point. But with no clear goal set, even if the shaman was the boss, there was no clear message of the end. And he waited for it.
And waited.
[Predator Lvl 1 has been deactivated]
The high of the hunt was gone too, all the adrenaline stopped pumping.
Everything he just felt became even worse.
He noticed something. The shaman was not dead yet. He convulsed still on the ground. Barely holding on. But alive. And pissed at him. He kept trying to move.
Voro grabbed his knife in both hands and raising it high he said
"Just...die....please" and crushed his skull fully.
[5th Tower Floor Cleared]
[CONGRATULATIONS CHALLENGER]
[Voro Vane lvl 5]
[You have completed the Tower of ??????? Goblin Tutorial Stages]
[You will not choose your reward yet]
[The administrator is awaiting you]
The window shined on his face with its compelling and peaceful glow.
Voro sighed and breathed in normally.
Very normally.
There was no dust in the air anymore.
'What the..'
He looked around.
There was nothing around him. Pure white void.
The pain - gone. Injuries still present and visible but painless.
No sound, no dust, no heat....nothing.
[DO NOT WORRY CHALLENGER VANE]
[FOR I]
Voro looked at the system window with simultaneous voice booming from behind him
He turned around
[AM HERE]
"Are you fucking kidding me??"