Kael
A goblin jumped from the bushes.
I leaned back.
"Wait." I looked at it mid-air. "You guys again?"
THUD.
It hit the ground where I had been standing.
More stepped out from the trees. Left. Right. Front.
…Oh no.
Not two.
Not five.
A lot.
Jane slid into stance.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
"I knew it," I said. "Missions like this never go smooth. Any world. Any genre. Forest equals goblins. Universal constant. It's like taxes."
"Do you ever shut up?"
"No. It's part of my charm."
The goblins started circling. Slow. Confident. They had numbers. Which meant they had math. I hate when enemies have math.
"Why are there so many of them?"
Jane didn't look away. "You sure you can fight? Or is that sword just decoration?"
"Of course I can fight. How do you think I survived this long?" I paused. "Well… I have died more times than I can count but still… don't judge me."
"...That is not reassuring."
"Okay then. Use your skills."
I blinked. "Skill?"
Jane blinked harder. "You don't know what a skill is?"
A goblin lunged. I panicked.
SLASH.
It dropped.
I looked at the sword. Looked at Jane. "I only know about Vein energy affinities. That's it."
Jane stared at me. "Oh for crying out loud, you've been here six months and still don't know what a skill is?"
"Affirmative."
"At least you know how to swing a sword."
"What do you think I'm doing right now?!"
Rael
Goblins surrounded us.
Good.
Finally.
My hands tightened on the axe. I grinned.
"Good. I was getting bored."
Kairo
"They are everywhere… what the hell is going on here."
Construct sword formed.
"Liora!"
Two goblins rushed her.
Slash. Slash.
"LIORA STAY BEHIND ME."
"You are literally in front of me."
"STAY BEHIND ME."
"...I am already behind you."
More incoming.
Kael
More goblins closed in. Jane and I moved back to back automatically.
"Time to get serious."
"Skill… Thread Manipulation."
Threads spilled from her fingers.
She jumped.
The threads shot forward, weaving through the air, wrapping around five goblins at once — arms, necks, torsos — pinning them to the nearby trees.
She landed lightly, then turned to face me.
She pressed one finger to her thread.
"Arcane Shred."
SHRRRK.
The threads tightened.
All five goblins were shredded at once, blood spilling across the forest floor.
I blinked. "...That move feels awfully familiar."
A goblin dropped behind her.
"Behind you!"
She jumped. Threads snapped upward.
"Skill… Silk Step."
She stood in the air.
I stared. "...Gravity just quit."
She pulled out a star-shaped blade.
"Isn't that a shuriken?"
"Sunwheel."
"...That's a shuriken."
"Sunwheel."
She threw it behind herself.
The thread went taut.
WHRRRR—
She launched it forward.
The spinning Sunwheel sliced a goblin in front of her clean in half.
She dropped from the threads and landed lightly.
The goblins paused. Looked at her. Looked at me. Then back at her.
Every single one of them charged Jane.
I crossed my arms. "...Wow. Not even one. I'm officially background scenery."
Jane smiled faintly. "Helios Thread Dance."
She moved.
Backflip. Spin. Swing.
Threads snapped between trees. The Sunwheel tore arcs through the air. Ten goblins rushed her. Ten goblins were sliced to shreds.
Blood hit the ground.
Silence.
"Amazing… you're strong."
She moved back.
A goblin dropped behind her.
"Duck!"
She ducked.
I raised my sword,
The mark appeared.
Lightning gathered along my blade.
"Raisen!"
I swung.
CRACK.
Lightning slice.
The goblin convulsed—
BOOM.
It exploded.
I blinked. "...Okay. That one was definitely not decoration."
"Quickly. Let's go meet the others."
We ran.
Rael
"They just keep coming!"
Branik blocked two. "They're probably coming from deeper in the forest."
Kairo
The construct sword vanished.
Too many enemies.
"...What is happening?"
Kael
We ran through the forest. Branches snapping underfoot.
"You think they're going to be okay?"
"I don't know… something feels off."
"Off?"
"This many goblins don't just happen… unless they're running away from something."
I slowed slightly. "Wait… something worse?"
"I don't know…" She tightened her grip. "But this might be something called Vein Touch."
"Wait… you mean monsters that are exposed to too much Vein energy and become abnormal?"
She glanced at me. "You're surprisingly smart."
"Okay. Rude."
She looked ahead.
"...but this feels different."
Silence.
The forest felt too quiet.
"...Something different."
Her voice dropped.
"...Evolution."