The island drifted.
It moved at a pace that would have embarrassed a tortoise—one metre per second, steady and unalterable, gliding through the sea of clouds like a stone on a frozen lake. Essim could adjust its direction simply by willing it, a mental nudge that felt as natural as turning his head. But the speed was fixed. There was no rushing whatever lay ahead.
The siblings used the time wisely. They practised with their wooden swords, swinging and thrusting at nothing, getting used to the weight and balance. Neither had any training—Essim's closest brush with swordsmanship was a foam LARP blade he'd swung at a university festival, and Aisha had never held anything heavier than a field hockey stick. But their bodies responded with a strange fluidity, as if the system had granted them a baseline competence alongside their stats.
"The sword feels lighter than it should," Aisha observed, executing a surprisingly clean horizontal cut.
"Strength stat of three," Essim said. "We're not athletes, but we're not exactly normal humans anymore either."
Five minutes of drifting brought them through the densest part of the cloud bank and out the other side. As the mist parted, a new island emerged—larger than theirs, perhaps a hundred square metres, thick with vegetation. Tall trees swayed in the breeze, and at the centre stood a shabby straw hut.
And on the island, ten squat figures waited.
Goblins.
Each stood about a metre tall, their skin a mottled green, their eyes small and mean. They clutched crude wooden clubs and grunted at one another in a guttural language. A skinned deer roasted over an open fire between them, the smoke curling upward into the golden sky.
A panel appeared before both siblings.
(Goblin Tribe)
Level: 1
Attributes: Strength 1 | Agility 1 | Intelligence 0 | Resilience 1
"Weak," Essim murmured. His Strength was three—triple theirs. But there were ten of them, and his only real combat experience was losing fights to his alarm clock. "Still, we should be careful."
Aisha nodded, gripping her sword with both hands. Her knuckles were white.
Essim's island bumped into the goblin territory with a gentle thud. The goblins whipped around, clubs raised, beady eyes widening at the sight of two humans. A few of them snarled. Others shuffled into a rough defensive line.
(Wooden Sword)
Strength: +1
The bonus was small, but it was something. Essim adjusted his grip and glanced at Aisha. Their eyes met. No words were needed.
"Now."
Essim charged.
He closed the distance in three strides, faster than he expected, and brought his sword down on the nearest goblin. The blade connected with a wet crunch. The creature crumpled instantly, its club clattering to the ground.
Tskkk… Tsahh…
[Killed Goblin Tribe Member: EXP +1]
A second goblin lunged at him from the right. Essim pivoted—clumsily, but fast enough—and caught it across the neck. It fell.
[Killed Goblin Tribe Member: EXP +1]
The remaining goblins shrieked in rage and swarmed him. Clubs swung from every direction. One struck his shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through his arm—real pain, sharp and immediate. Another clipped his ribs. Essim grunted and threw himself backward, rolling out of reach.
And that was when Aisha struck.
She came in from the flank, silent as a shadow, and her sword took a goblin clean through the spine. She didn't pause to admire the result—she pulled the blade free and retreated in one fluid motion, her breath quick but controlled.
[Killed Goblin Tribe Member: EXP +1]
Their strategy emerged organically: hit and run. Essim drew their attention, retreated when they swarmed, and Aisha exploited the openings. It was messy, instinctive, and exhausting—but effective.
Two minutes later, it was over.
Ten goblins lay still on the grass. The air smelled of copper and crushed vegetation. Essim bent double, hands on his knees, his chest heaving. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead.
"Huff… finally," he managed.
Aisha stood a few metres away, similarly winded. A small, involuntary smile tugged at her lips—the adrenaline still singing in her veins.
They caught their breath, then examined the aftermath. Each had gained 10 EXP, pushing their level progress to 1%.
When Essim approached the nearest corpse, a new notification appeared.
[Goblin Tribe Corpse: Extract materials?]
"Yes."
The goblin's body glowed faintly, then disintegrated into pale ash. In its place, a small, cool crystal materialised.
[Acquired: Energy Crystal x1]
They extracted materials from the remaining corpses. Not every body yielded something, but the ones that did provided a modest haul:
Energy Crystals x3
Goblin Blood x2
Goblin Claws x1
Inside the straw hut, they found a second orb—identical to the one on their home island, but belonging to this territory.
[Take over the territory? Merging will combine this island with the ruler's island.]
Essim selected the option without hesitation. The two islands shuddered and joined, their edges blending seamlessly. His territory was no longer a perfect square, but it now had trees, a hut, and the beginnings of real space to work with.
"Brother, I'm thirsty," Aisha said, her voice rasping.
Essim looked at the small vial of water from their beginner's chest. Ten centilitres. Barely a mouthful. No water had been found on the goblin island either.
"Time to test the talent," he said, holding the vial up.
[Water 10cl: Duplicate?]
"Yes."
The air shimmered. And then five hundred identical vials materialised around them, clattering softly onto the grass in a spreading wave.
Aisha stared. Then she grabbed a bottle and drank deeply, the cool water running down her chin. She sighed with relief, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
Essim watched the sea of water bottles surrounding them and felt something loosen in his chest. It had been less than twenty minutes since he'd received his talent, and already it had transformed their situation entirely.
He checked the marketplace. As expected, water was the most in-demand commodity.
[Market]
(Iron Sword) — 10 Energy Crystals, accepting water
(Long Bow) — 50cl of water
(Hard Leather) — 1 Energy Crystal, accepting water
Every family needed litres of water per day to survive. The demand was desperate, and Essim now had the supply to meet it—every single hour.
"Aisha," he said, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Let's rest here for a bit. I have some shopping to do."