《Violent Systems》


 Chapter 1- Enter: Kelly Urqhardt

    Chapter 1- Enter: Kelly Urqhardt


    It¡¯s creepy. Very creepy.


    The place where I am is utterly white. Not a trace of any other colour. This place is in fact so white that I can¡¯t even begin to tell how big the area I¡¯m in is. It is also enshrouded in complete silence. Silence like I¡¯ve never experienced before. I would stretch my hand out to see if there is even any space ahead of me, however I am too captivated by the screen floating right by my face.


    It¡¯s slightly blue, almost transparent, and when I shift my head, it re-centres in the middle of my vision, as if it is locked with my eyes. The screen appears as though it has no mass. Like I could put my hand straight through it, similar to a hologram.


    Sweat begins to drip down my forehead.


    I swallow, and begin to read the black text that is written on the screen. Confused by what I read, I blink twice, inhaling as I do, and read it again.


    [Please choose a weapon]


    I am still frozen in place as I read. I turn my head to my left and then my right trying to see if there is anything around that may clue me into what is happening, and the screen follows my head movements. When I turn around fully, I begin to finally hear noise for the first time.


    I quickly turn back to my original position to see what is making this noise. It almost sounds like nails on a chalk board. The screen continues to follow my movements, and stays completely centre with my vision. In the distance - or what I assume to be the distance - I begin to see the first shred of colour in this very white space. It¡¯s small, almost like a little dot, but quickly increases in size as it gets closer, the sound getting louder with each passing moment.


    Sweat forms all over my body now, and I begin to shake.


    I would try to move away, as whatever is making the noise is getting closer, however even that is a major risk, as I can¡¯t see the floor. What I am currently standing on must be floor, I presume, however due to the whiteness of the room, I can¡¯t see if there is any more floor around me.


    I breath in, and close my eyes, listening as the sound gets closer. I think about praying, pleading with anything that will wake me up from this weird nightmare. The sound gets closer, and my shaking transforms into a full nervous breakdown. Tears form in my shut eyes, and I cease breathing as the noise finally stops right at my feet.


    I wait. It could have been a minute, maybe hours, but I wait. I stand there, eyes shut, trembling,trying my best to not make a sound while breathing. After an unknown amount of time, I slowly begin to open my eyes.


    The first thing I notice is the screen, still there, dead centre of my vision, still asking me to choose a weapon. As I read it once more, the screen magically disappears so fast that I almost gasp, but am able to control myself from doing so. I look down to finally see what was coming closer to me, and as I do, I raise an eyebrow in confusion.


    It¡¯s.. a table? It¡¯s a deep brown, and rectangular in shape, with nice carvings of markings I have never seen before. The table is massive, endless, as when I look down into the white area, I am unable to see where the table ends. The table has a white-gold cloth placed on it, again with the same markings that are carved into the wood. What is on the table makes me raise both eyebrows.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Weapons. An infinite array of weapons line the table.


    For the first time, I slowly and carefully move my foot, and thankfully continue to feel more flooring as I do so. I grab ahold of the edge of the table, and carefully continue to make tiny steps forward.


    The table has graciously given me a little bit of depth perception back.


    I carefully take a deep breath, and touch the first weapon on the table. It¡¯s a sword. I lift it up, and it¡¯s heavier than it looks. The sword has a burgundy leather that surrounds the hilt. It¡¯s long, but not so incredibly long as to allow it to still work well enough with one hand. I tighten my grip on the sword, and touch the blade. It¡¯s a darker silver colour - the colour you would expect from a blade. It¡¯s sharp, as when I lightly wipe my finger slowly down the blade, I feel a few layers of skin tear. I stop before any blood gets drawn.


    I place the sword back on the table and put both of my hands on my head. What the hell is going on? I look back down the never-ending table, and continue to see various weapons of all shapes and sizes. I continue to walk, as I have no idea what to do otherwise, and pick up and inspect many other weapons as I do.


    I come across a deep, dark blue bow that is extremely heavy. I try to pull the string but it hardly budges. I see a dagger with a purple tip and curved blade, giving it a crescent moon shape. I see spears, shields, hell, I even see a drum. Why would there be a drum on a table of weapons?


    I bang on it a few times and continue to walk.


    As I walk for probably another 5 minutes, that¡¯s when I see a weapon that truly draws my attention. It an axe, and when I grab hold of it with one arm, I feel that the head of the axe is much heavier than the handle. Just like most of the other weapons, it seems it can be used as a two handed weapon, but certainly works with one had as well.


    The axe is very nice, and would definitely get attention in a zombie movie. On the back of the axe head, it has 4 spikes that come off of it, making it deadly on both sides. I swing it around a few more times, and truly feel the force of it. Saying the head was heavy was an understatement. This beast of a weapon is more like a sledge hammer.


    As I continue playing with the axe, my anxiety seems to go down a bit, and almost as if knowing that it does, that clear-blue screen appears once again.


    [Please choose a weapon]


    Again, it has the same text on it, asking me to choose a weapon. This time when I look back at the axe in my hand, the screen stays floating in the air ahead of me, no longer centering itself with my vision. The axe is beautiful, and feels so good in my hands. I don¡¯t know what is happening, I don¡¯t know what is going to happen, but with this axe, my anxiety would feel a lot better. I could definitely defend myself with this weapon. I could even do a lot more with it if need be. This is a strong weapon. It¡¯s pretty, hefty, and down right deadly.


    But that¡¯s no what I need.


    I place the axe back down on the table and walk back the way I came. Back straight to the front of the table.


    I don¡¯t know what compels me to think this way, but I know that something that calms my nerves during this situation will get me hurt.


    I need something that is easy to use, powerful, and wont fail me. That¡¯s when I pick up the first weapon, the sword with the burgundy hilt. Something about it tells me that this is the correct choice.


    I swallow, and look at the screen that has been following me, still floating in the air, still showing that same sentence. I hesitate before saying my first words since being here. I look back down at the sword in my hand, and tighten my jaw. I stare back at the floating screen, and say the words it is asking of me.


    ¡°I choose this sword.¡±


    The screen immediately changes.


    [Please take the blue exit to proceed to the next stage]


    After telling the screen my choice, a gush of wind blasts me, and I almost tumble over, catching myself at the last second. I look towards the table, and it¡¯s moving at an unreal pace away from me, back the way it came.


    The wind continues to make me squint as I look around. That¡¯s when I notice a blue circle behind me. The circle is big, big enough that someone could walk through it. The centre of the circle looks like it is a liquid that appears to be thicker than molasses, but at the same time runnier than water. The edges of this blue oval appears to be evaporating into wisps of blue energy, however the circle does not shrink in size and remains constant. The wind gushes out of this¡­ thing and hits my body.


    With the sword still in my hand, I walk towards it. At this point, I¡¯m fully convinced this has to be a dream. I look to my left and still see the screen asking me to take the blue exit. I try to change the words on the screen with my mind, but nothing happens. Dang, guess it must not be a lucid dream.


    As I get closer to the blue circle, the wind gets stronger, and I have to put my left arm in front of my face to shield my eyes. I stop walking when I am directly ahead of it. My anxiety is back in full force as I reach my sword towards the circle. I try placing the tip of my sword into the circle, and it passes through with no problems.


    I gulp, and place more of the sword into the circle. Again, there is no resistance stoping my advancing sword. I exhale slowly, as wind continues to attack my face, and finally take my first step through this blue exit.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    They¡¯re beyond disgusting. Completely green, with red eyes, and black surrounding the parts that should be white. Nails so long and sharp they could be considered claws. Short, with round bellies, wearing minimal clothing so their¡­ bits, hangout. And the worst part¡­ the teeth. Rows and rows of teeth with saliva falling out of their mouth, so when they smile or make noises, fear gets instilled into their enemies.


    Or at least that¡¯s what happens to me when I see them talk.


    Goblins. Yep, they have to be goblins. There is no other explanation, right?


    When I stepped through the blue portal-circle, which is now what I am calling it, I landed in a dusty room. The walls of the room were made of a grey stone, with cracks running all around. The walls were curved and bent in random places, almost as if it were made in the side of a mountain. In the room there was a table with nothing but a small glass jar with bugs that were glowing strong enough to allow enough visibility to see where I was stepping. I noticed in the corner of the room there was a small wooden chest.


    This is really trippy. Where the hell am I?


    I walked over to the chest, and tried to open it. Dang, it¡¯s locked. I move to inspect the lock that keeps the contents of the chest hidden and notice it is rusted over. I try prying it some more, and with a bit of force it surprisingly breaks open.


    Aha! Screw you dream world. I¡¯m the best.


    I peek inside the worn down chest and am greeted with my findings. The first is a piece of wood with a string attached on one side. I pick it up, and when I hold it by the string, I realize that it is reminiscent of a shield. It¡¯s shoddy, small, and it would probably never hold up in a fight. It¡¯s something that a kid would make in his backyard during a summer break.


    I place the shield to my side and pick up the other item. It¡¯s a small sphere that fits into the palm of my hand. It¡¯s perfectly round, with no bumps or scratches. It is mostly see-through, however there is a small dot in the middle that is purple in colour. I look at it some more, and shake it. Nothing happens. I place it into my pocket and pick up the shield, holding it with my left hand.


    I stand up, and walk towards the only other thing in the room, the door. It is made of wood, and also completely run down, as there are big chunks missing from it. I look for a handle, and when I do not find one, I try pushing the door. It doesn¡¯t budge. I then grab from where there is a big hole in the wood, and pull, and it loudly begins to creek. I stop moving it before it continues to make more sound.


    Right, I have no idea what¡¯s going on. Probably should not make a lot of noise.


    I take one last look around this weird cave-room, and I do not notice anything else. I turn back to the door, and peek through one the big holes that is in the wood. It¡¯s quite dark on the other side of the door, but there are some small pockets of light illuminating different parts of the ground. I notice the light is coming from more of those bug filled jars that are either placed on the ground or hammered into the stone walls with strings attached. I wonder who put these all here? As I continue to look, I come to the realization that this is most certainly a cave, as the walls in the next room are still made out of rock.


    The place I am in must be underground? Or maybe it is carved from the side of a cliff? Who knows. I keep scanning through the hole in the wood to see if I notice any movement, however the minimal lighting makes it very difficult to tell. It¡¯s not like I can just stay where I am at, so I begin to once again open the door, this time opening it much slower so it doesn¡¯t creek as bad.


    Once the door is open wide enough, I slip through it and enter the next room. The wood door remains partially open, as it doesn¡¯t have a latch to swing it back closed, so thankfully I don¡¯t have to worry about anymore noise from it.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The first thing I notice is how cold it is. There is no wind, but I even feel the cold through my shoes.


    The room that I transitioned into is a big open circle, with many different dark pathways leading out of it. If I had to guess, the room I am in now appears to be some sort of central room? The door that I came from is the only door that I see on the walls of the cave. There are no markings or exit signs telling me where I should go or which path I should take to leave, so it seems to be some sort of guessing game.


    There are four paths. Three on my left, and one on my right. They all look similar, and have the same spurts of light, so there is no telling which path is correct. The problem with me¡­ is that my luck is shit. I don¡¯t mean like bad or unfortunate, no, I straight up mean shit. I have never once won a game of rock-paper-scissors, never got a lucky roll in a game of Monopoly, nothing. I have straight up the worst luck ever.


    I start biting my fingernails while looking at the four paths, debating on how much my crap luck is going to screw me over this time, when I remember I don¡¯t need luck! For the first time since acquiring it, I place the sword I received from the white room on the ground. Honestly it¡­ feels weird letting it go. Strange. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. I have forgotten about it this entire time. Yes, I may not be the brightest in the book. I unlock it, and look at the signal. Nothing. Not even the satellite figure shows up. Great.


    I move to my text messages to try and send a message out in the off chance my phone picks up a signal, and as I hit send to my mother, the message disappears. Usually it would just load and not send until I got a stable connection, or you would have to move it from iMessage to SMS, but it doesn¡¯t even go through. It¡¯s just gone. I type the same message that pleads for help and hit send again, and it too disappears. I try messaging others, almost everyone from my contact list, and it still does not go through.


    Very weird. But, typical, with my luck.


    ¡°Hey Siri,¡± I say, and the small circle in the bottom-middle of my screen appears, ¡°I have four paths in front of me. They all look the same, which one should I choose?¡±


    I think fuck it at this point. It can¡¯t possible get worse from here, so let¡¯s let Siri make my decisions. Siri takes a moment, and tells me to pick path #2. I place my phone into my left hand - the hand that is still holding onto the small wooden shield - and turn the flashlight on, allowing me to see a little better than before. I pick up the sword on the ground, exhale to calm my nerves, and start to walk towards path #2, the second path on the left.


    To be honest, I¡¯m freaking out. This is definitely still a dream¡­ but it¡¯s really creepy. For some reason, my body won¡¯t stop shaking, and my heart keeps pounding in my chest. I am trying to push those thoughts to the back of my mind, but they keep resurfacing. Freaking out now will do me no good, so I continue to take deep breaths and put one foot in front of the other.


    I shine my light down path #2 as I reach the opening. It¡¯s big, just like the other paths, and is wide enough as to easily allow two cars to drive side by side. As I begin to take my first step down the path, I quickly jump backwards in surprise, as that damned screen appears once again.


    Just like before, it is floating in the air, although this time it no longer stays in the centre of my vision. It¡¯s quite see-through, but the way it floats in the air makes it seem as if it is trying to block my path. I notice once again it has words written on it.


    [Quest: Defeat 3 Goblins]


    [Rewards: Blue Exit Portal]


    Excuse me? Defeat goblins? What is this thing even talking about?! There is no such thing as goblins. Goblins are just from folk tales and video games. I raise an eyebrow at the screen, but then notice my right arm that is holding my sword. It¡¯s trembling.


    I gulp. Looking back at the screen I read it again. What does it mean by defeat 3 goblins? Like¡­ I have to kill them? This dream is pretty dark if so. Where would these goblins even be, and why am I getting ¡®quests¡¯ to defeat them? This makes no sense.


    Oh! And what is this screen? It¡¯s really getting on my nerves.


    On top of that, I get a reward for completing this quest? It says I¡¯ll get a blue exit portal¡­ so I am assuming that means a portal similar to the one I took in the white room. But where will that take me? Will it wake me up? Or will it take me somewhere better?


    I shake my head. There are too many unknowns. I furrow my brow and take my first real step down the path I chose, while tightening my grip on my sword. I keep chanting in my head that this is a dream as I do. If¡­ or when, I¡¯m supposed to come across these goblins¡­ Ill be fine, right? It¡¯s a dream, and there is no way a goblin could be stronger than me in a dream, right? I glance behind me when I am a few steps further down the path, and notice the floating screen is gone.


    I continue to walk, and as I do, I stay close to the right wall. I read online onetime that if you are ever lost in a maze that you could put your hand on one wall and at some point you will find the exit. God do I ever hope that¡¯s true.


    No, I don¡¯t believe everything I read on the internet. At least most of the time I don¡¯t¡­


    I walk for a few more minutes down the path, noting how many jars of glowing bugs I pass by. My phone is still shining bright in my left hand, and I think to turn my phone on power saving mode, as who knowns how long this will take. But it is a dream, so does it even matter? This is what I think as to almost convince myself.


    When I pass by the 19th bug jar, I freeze. Sound. The entire time I¡¯ve been here, it¡¯s been quiet. Not as quiet as the white space, but quiet enough to raise a red flag. The things I am hearing sound like¡­ grunts?


    I start breathing heavy. What if I come across a bear. This is a cave, so what would I even do. Do I just die? What happens when you die in a dream? You¡¯re¡­ fine, right?


    I squint my eyes to try and see further into the distance, but am unsuccessful in locating the source of the noise. I quickly turn my flashlight off, even further diminishing my light source, and continue to listen. I start to take small steps towards the noise, making sure to be as quiet as can be. The stone under my feet makes small crunching noises, but nothing loud enough to alert any animals.


    As I creep my way deeper into the cave, I freeze when I see what a glowing bug jar illuminates up ahead. Oh my god.


    They¡¯re beyond disgusting.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3- Enter: Tobi Zayne


    No shot? There is no way that I got Isekai¡¯d, right? I take a look at the big clear window, and it tells me to pick one of the weapons off of the table. A smile appears on my face.


    I look, and above me is just more white. The entire place I am in pure white, except for the big table with a bunch of weapons on it. No guns sadly, but a bunch of medieval style weapons. No crossbows either, but it is what it is I guess.


    Just a moment ago, I was preparing for an epic raid with my guild. My friends and I have been preparing for this for weeks, grinding our characters and making sure we were stacked. Plus 12 raids are no joke ya know, so this is pretty shitty timing on God¡¯s part to Iseaki me, but meh. I guess it¡¯s fine. My heart is pounding in excitement and fear, and the smile won¡¯t leave my face. All the manga and anime that I have read says that I must have died before being transported here¡­ but like, I was just in my room chilling? Did I have a heart attack? That¡¯s so embarrassing if so¡­ I know I drink a few energy drinks, but they¡¯re not that bad¡­


    Am I gonna be like some super hero protagonist? Haha. That would be epic. What the heck is my magic power if so? Oh no¡­ what if I don¡¯t get any power. Or worse, what if my power is mid as fuck.


    I scratch my head as I walk and walk down the table to see if I find something I like. I need something that reeks of power, and I haven¡¯t really seen that yet. I¡¯ve seen some pretty sick axes and some cool daggers, but that¡¯s never what a hero wields. There have been some swords that also look cool, but when I picked them up they all felt weird.


    Ugh, this sucks. I hate walking. At this point, I¡¯ve been walking for like 15 minutes, and still can¡¯t find anything. I scratch me head again, and sit down, placing my head back onto the table.


    ¡°Heellllooooooo¡± I say aloud. I expect to hear some sort of echo, but nothing comes back. I wait a moment, and when there is still no response, I speak some more. ¡°Is God around? Or like some super deity-being? I¡¯d love to chat if you have a moment.¡±


    Dang, still nothing. This time I sink fully on the ground, placing my head on the white floor. I wonder if I can pick more than one weapon. Probably not. I also wonder who super important this choice is? What if I pick a bad weapon? What happens if I pick a weapon and later don¡¯t like it, can I change my mind? What happens after I pick a weapon.


    I pull my phone out of my pocket, thanking myself that I had it on me as I do, and look at the time. When I first arrived in this white room, I checked that the time was 11:31. Ive definitely been here for over 30 minutes, but the time on the clock still remains at 11:31. Pretty scary and cool if you ask me.


    As I lay there on the ground, I look back up at the table, and notice something dark on the underside of it. I squint my eyes, and as I inspect the dark metal looking thing further, I realize it is a blade! A katana!


    I quickly hop to my feet, narrowly missing my head from hitting the table as I do, and grab at the katana. With a bit of force, it comes off. God damn, I think, they tried to hide this baby from me!


    I look at the blade in awe. From my expert knowledge - of anime and manga - I know that a katana is the best weapon. I hold the handle and move it so it is upright, with the tip facing the sky. The blade is dark, honestly more like pitch-black, with the hilt being the same colour. Only by holding it can I tell where the hilt and blade ends. I put my finger up to the sharp edge, and as I do, I feel how sharp this thing is. It¡¯s gotta be folded at least a thousand times¡­ I think.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I swing it with one hand, and it makes a swooshing sound as I do. Then I grab it with both hands, and do some other moves. Some stabs, slashes, and pretending to block imaginary attacks.


    This sword is perfect. Beyond perfect really. It¡¯s a little heavy, but that just adds to it¡¯s deadliness. The blade is a sweet black, and the only thing I would ever change about it would be to give it a glowing red hue that drips from it¡­ like an aura. But I guess that¡¯s asking for a lot.


    As I continue to admire the new love of my life, the window pops back into my vision.


    [Please choose a weapon]


    ¡°Hm¡­ I wanna pick this one, but like, are you hiding anything else from me? Like I found this one under the table. Are there any others that are under the table?¡±


    Silence. Dead-silence from the hologram window in front of me. Typical.


    I stare at the blade, and then at the window, and then back at the blade. Even if they showed me other hidden secret weapons, this thing is just¡­ awesome.


    I scratch my head with my left hand and smile while looking back at the window. ¡°Yep. Definitely this one.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    - Kelly -


    I¡¯m frozen in complete fear. Fear I have never experienced once in my life. This is a dream, yet I still can¡¯t shake the feeling that something is wrong¡­ and that just maybe¡­ it could be real.


    I stand there, still hidden in the darkness of the cave, staring ahead at the little creatures that were making the snarling noises. They are as tall as just above my hips, and have weird, long arms and short, round bodies. The cloth they wear is a brown colour, held together loosely, only covering the important parts, and all look soiled and worn down, as if the cloth has not been washed in months.


    I begin to sweat and somehow stop myself from hyperventilating by looking away, down at the ground. I look at the shaking sword in my hand. I could just barely see the wrapping of the burgundy coloured hilt in the darkness. There is no way I could¡­ go kill these things. They look dangerous, and their claws and teeth look¡­ horrifying.


    I crouch down to the ground, putting my sword between my legs and placing my head in my hands. Tears begin to form in my eyes. What is actually happening. Where am I? I don¡¯t remember going to sleep. Wasn¡¯t I on the bus just before this? I have been trying my best to stay calm, and to not over think, chopping it up to it just being me dozing off on the bus¡­ but at this point, it¡¯s too accurate. Usually there are flaws in dreams, or something that just feels off. But this, this is too perfect.


    The air, the ground, the lights, the sword in my hand, the clothes on my skin. Everything is perfect. Exactly how I would expect it to be if I was awake. If this was reality.


    At this point the tears are flowing, and I put both hands over my mouth to not make any whimpering noises, as I don¡¯t want to alert those monsters close by. How am I supposed to kill them? With this sword? They¡¯re short, yes, but I¡¯ve never used a sword? And how fast are these monsters? How would I even protect myself? With this worn down, damaged wooden shield strapped on my wrist?!


    After a few more moments of looking down at the ground, I calm myself. The tears stop flowing, and I slow my breathing. No. I can do anything.


    I get back up, and take a deeper look at the goblins. There are only two, both the same height and both looking very similar. I continue to breath in and out, slowing my heart rate and nerves. I look down further, past the two goblins, to see if I can see anything else in the room, and notice an opened chest. It is bigger than the one that was in the room I first showed up in, but still made from the same wood.


    That¡¯s when I notice movement inside the wooden crate. If I wasn¡¯t focused on it, I would not have caught it, as just the top of a green head peeks out from the chest. It¡¯s hardly moving, and I can¡¯t see the creatures eyes, but I know it¡¯s a goblin. The third goblin. As quickly as I noticed it, I hear one of the other two goblins grunt loudly, drawing my attention away from the chest.


    One of the goblins is staring at the crate and pointing, and both goblins start to rush towards it. I notice there speed, and nod as I realize they¡¯re quite slow. The two goblins are roughly as quick as a slow jog, but I have no idea if that is their maximum speed.


    When the goblins get to the crate, the goblin that grunted and pointed grabs at the other goblin and pulls them out of it. This third goblin is smaller, and if I had to guess, would probably reach to the middle of my thigh. They are the same green colour, and all other features are quite similar. One of the two taller goblins - the one that did not grunt - points at the small goblin, and makes some noises with it¡¯s mouth I would never be able to replicate. This makes the smaller goblin sit on the ground, and cross it¡¯s arms.


    It looks¡­ upset? If it wasn¡¯t for my anxiety being so intense that I felt like it was tearing my body apart, I think I might have chuckled. It is quite a funny scene if you think about it.


    I massage my face with my left hand, and then retighten my pony-tail. I let two bangs hang down either side of my face - my typical style - and make sure my shoes are tied. When everything seems to be in order, I stare at the goblins to the point where I don¡¯t blink, and begin to creep forward.


    I once again tighten the grip I have with my sword, and for the first time since seeing these beasts, I walk into the light, my face stern and cold. Once my foot touches the lit area, I start running towards the goblins.


    When they here my footsteps, the two taller goblins quickly turn, and let out a nasty, evil shriek.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    The screams were deafening. They were extremely high pitched, so high that it quickly made my ears start to ring and my eyes water. I continued to run towards the goblins, with my both hands on my sword, ready to attack.


    I really should have came up with a plan, as when I got closer, I noticed the little goblin start to run away, as well as one of the tall goblins rummaging through the big chest. It pulled out two stones, and quickly passed one to the other taller goblin. When I was about 12 feet away from them, I stopped and realized that it was not stones in their hands, but small, rusted daggers. My eyes went wide, as the three of us stood there, staring, waiting for someone to make a move.


    It felt like years passed by, the only sounds being made were the pounding of hearts, as we eyed each other up. Then, when in the distance, the little goblin fell and made a noise when running away did the silence finally break, and the fight was on.


    The first goblin that I had noticed quickly dashed towards me, swinging it¡¯s rusted knife in the air. It looked like a child playing with a wooden sword, only this time it was a green monster ready to kill and eat me. I easily dodged it¡¯s first attack by jumping backwards. When it missed, the goblin stomped it¡¯s feet and screamed again, it¡¯s red eyes gleaming with fury. It once again charged, and when I tried to dodge the same way, it continued it¡¯s assault by chasing after me. That¡¯s when I swung my sword towards it, trying to slash it in the chest. The goblin was too nimble for my attack, and quickly ducked under my sword, rolling on the ground out of the way. I glanced at the other goblin, who was thankfully just standing there, watching, pointing it¡¯s knife towards me.


    The first goblin got up from the ground and this time it bared its fangs towards me instead of screaming. The rows of teeth that it showed were dirty, brown and decayed with saliva permeating every inch of it¡¯s mouth. The goblin got into a defensive stance, no longer charging aimlessly. The other goblin on the left of it quickly went behind him, and also took a similar stance. When I noticed both goblins were breathing heavily, my eyes went wide.


    What is that? I looked down at the old, rusted daggers the pair of monsters had and noticed they both started to glow. Each dagger had a faint, purple smoke come off of them, similar to how the edges of the blue portal were wisping away. Not only that, the purple colour went up to just under the elbow of these beasts, as if it was radiating off of the dagger.


    No. That¡¯s wrong. I let go of my sword with my left hand and held up my wooden shield, now only wielding my blade with my right. The purple energy is not coming from the blade, it¡¯s coming from the goblins, and it¡¯s going into the blade. It¡¯s quite the assumption to make¡­ but is this some kind of magic?


    Just like before, the first goblin screamed and began to swing it¡¯s blade towards me while charging. Whatever the purple colour is, I do not want to find out. I also dashed towards the goblin when it started it¡¯s charge, and it¡¯s face contorted in a way that made it seem like it did not think I was going to do so. It stopped in it¡¯s tracks, and when I got near it, I swung my sword.


    I immediately wanted to puke. Blood splattered the floor of the cave, my clothes, and everything else as my blade ran through it¡¯s chest. The goblin dropped it¡¯s dagger, and fell to the floor, screaming in agony as blood poured out of the giant slash I made. My entire body started to tremble, and I felt like passing out as I stood on top of the beast, watching it bleed a deep crimson colour.


    Even though my panic, I raised my blade, my eyes shaking with a will I never knew I had, I was prepared to end it¡¯s life. That¡¯s when the second goblin slashed me in my leg.


    I swung my sword towards it, and it jumped back, easily dodging my attack. I fell to one knee, and clutched my thigh where it had hit me. I took a look at my wound and when I saw the blood gushing out of it I began to panic. The pain was unimaginable, and I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. How will I stop the bleeding?


    I gave a nasty stare to the goblin that slashed me while gritting my teeth. It did no charge attack like the other goblin, so I was able to stand up, trying to put minimal pressure on my injured leg. The blood was running down my leg at a pace that made me very nervous about blood loss. I¡¯ve never been hurt before, at least like not like this, so I am unsure how much blood a person could realistically lose before they start to lose consciousness.


    That¡¯s when it hits me. I have to end this quick, so I can get the reward of the portal, and maybe find some help. I steel my resolve, and continue to fight.


    Before the goblin that is watching me bleed can react, I grip my blade and swing in downwards onto the goblin that has the large chest wound from my blade, cutting through it¡¯s upper torso. After a few more seconds of it grunting in pain and clutching at the now two gaping wounds in it¡¯s chest, the goblins hands fell, and it died.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I looked back to the other goblin, the purple blade trembling in it¡¯s hands, and notice that it¡¯s crying. Crying? Why would a monster be crying?


    Eh, who cares if it is.


    I try to run forward towards it to finish it off, but my speed is greatly slowed. I know the pain in my leg is going to prevent me from running at my top speed, but this? I feel like a snail. I start to chase the goblin, and it runs away from me. We go at this for about a minute, all the while blood is still oozing out of my leg.


    While being chased, every time it sees me misstep, or almost fall due to the pain, it quickly attempts to slash at my face, arms, or any exposed parts. I dodge the first onslaught, and as I block the second with my shield, it quickly falls apart, crumbling to the ground. The goblin notices I did not intend for that to happen, and continues to attack, but I roll out of the way.


    That¡¯s when I feel a slight pain in my arm, and notice that my shirt is cut, with a small bit of blood on it. Upon closer inspection, I realize that the last attack from the goblin actually grazed me, but thankfully did not cut deep enough to cause any serious damage.


    Or so I thought.


    At first, I feel it in my legs, then my chest, arms, and even eyes. My mouth gets dry, and my vision gets a little blurry. I stand, but am wobbly as I do so, and lean against the wall of the cave. I notice that the goblin is standing further away now compared to before and is watching me. I also notice that it is still crying, but now the sides of it¡¯s mouth are curled, and it displays it¡¯s rows of teeth. It¡¯s smiling at me. The goblin has it¡¯s head tilted slightly backwards, as if this was it¡¯s master plan.


    Oh no.


    I stare at the blade of the monster. The glowing purple that was radiating down it¡¯s arm starts to slowly decrease in light, until it is faded from sight completely. Is this¡­ some kind of poison? My hands and legs are now shaking, either from the blood loss or whatever weird stuff is happening to me. The goblin begins to slowly walk forwards, still smiling as it does, and I ready myself again.


    I can feel that my arms are way heavier, and that I won¡¯t be able to keep up in this fight for much longer. Damn. How will I kill this beast now? Is this why I felt slower before?


    That¡¯s when an idea hits me. I dash backwards as fast as I can, which is by this point a fast walk. The goblin quickly follows, yelling as it chases me. When it gets close to me, I slash at it, but it dodges all my attacks due to my decreased speed, and we repeat this game of back and forth, until we are returned to where we started, near the large wooden chest and the other dead goblin.


    I try to back up, but as I do, I stumble over a rock, and drop my sword on the ground as I fall directly onto of the other dead goblins body. I try to reach towards my sword, but the short and vicious goblin quickly kicks it away from me and slashes at my hand. I pull my hand back, just missing it¡¯s slash, and sit there, on the ground.


    The goblin is still smiling, moving the blade around in it¡¯s hands as it watches me. My heart is thumping as it walks closer to me. When it gets over top of me, it raises the blade above it¡¯s head, ready to strike down at me. As it does, it screams something in a language I can¡¯t understand. Idiot.


    I slash the goblin in the stomach, cutting open it¡¯s belly, having it¡¯s blood pour all over me. Tripping over the rock was a part of the show I just performed to trick the goblin into getting close to me. I picked up the blade of the goblin from the one that I had previously killed when I hit the ground. The little beast fell right into my trap.


    The goblin screamed in pain, as it clutched it¡¯s innards that started to fall from it¡¯s wound. I got up and kicked it to the ground. It was once again crying, and this time looking at me. It put both of it¡¯s hands towards me, palms facing me as it did. Haha. Is this thing trying to plead for it¡¯s life.


    Fuck that.


    I kick it again, and it screams more. The blood that it¡¯s loosing will have it dead in probably less than a minute, but I don¡¯t care about that. I can still feel my body getting slower, and I want - no - need, to see this thing die. That¡¯s when I pick my sword back up, and place it over it¡¯s throat.


    For one last instant, the goblin looks into my eyes, and I get a sense of understanding. There is no longer any hate, or any malice. The goblin realizes it is dead.


    I slash at it¡¯s throat to finish it off.


    After I do, I stand there for a moment, panting, completely out of breath. Whatever poison or bullshit is affecting me from their weapons is really slowing down my entire body, to where I am scared that it is preventing my organs from functioning. I need that blue portal, asap.


    I look down the hall, to where I saw the third, smaller goblin run, and slowly make my way towards it. Blood continues to fall from my leg with each step, and I grunt with pain. Sure, I could take off my sweater and tie my leg off, or I could even use the dirty, nasty cloth around the waists of the goblins to make a makeshift tourniquet. But am I thinking logical? No. I¡¯m bloodthirsty.


    Just as I am about to make my way further down the corridor, I pause and turn, looking back at the wooden chest. I don¡¯t know why I do, but I just got a sixth sense that eyes were on me. As I turn to look, I notice two eyes, staring back at me. I pretend not to see them, and the green head of the goblin quickly darts down, hidden back into the chest.


    What a stupid creature. Why would it come back here? I walk over to the chest, passing the two other dead goblins on the ground. I glance at them, and pause. After seeing the blood, being cut open, and looking at the dead corpses that I killed, I start to vomit.


    Shit. Not good.


    I fall to the ground and quickly turn my head to the side as to try to mitigate the vomit that falls on me. After about a minute or two, I am able to reagin my composure, sitting there, breathing in and out, trying to keep my stomach from restarting.


    As I wait on the ground, I don¡¯t glance over to the chest, just to make sure the smaller goblin does not realize I know it¡¯s in there. I get up and shake my head as my eyes start to go even more blurry. The cuts from the dagger are really fucking me now.


    When I get over top of the wooden crate, the goblin finally understands that I¡¯ve seen it. It too is crying, just like the last one I killed. I raise my sword and pause. Wait, is it crying because¡­ these three were a family?


    The first one was just a tad bit bulkier than the second one, and was trying to protect the second one from the fight. Was that the man? Or the husband? So does that mean the second goblin was¡­ the wife? The Mom¡­?


    If so¡­ would this be¡­ their child? My eyes become even blurrier, as my legs and arms are shaking intensely. I am about to kill a child? A kid? For what purpose? To potentially get this exit portal?


    At this point, I pray it is just a dream.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    I rummage through the wooden chest and don¡¯t find much. A small leather pouch that seems that it was made to store water, some coins that looks like they are made of gold, and another one of those perfectly spherical orbs, this one with a green dot in the middle. I am shaking as I do this, but decide I need to be as prepared as possible for whatever comes next, so I take all three items.


    I turn around, having the wind of the portal hit my face. It feels pleasant, and that¡¯s a nice feeling right now, as I am currently dying from my injuries.

 Chapter 5- Enter: Gale Whitaker

    I continued to run, my tears finally stopping, as the three little goblins chasing me screamed and screamed. They were creepy to say the least, and all held little knives ready to slash at my body. Due to my size and being double their height, I am easily able to outrun them, but looking back as I ran made me almost drop to my knees and cry once more.


    Their pointed, sharp teeth were all bared, and I could tell these animals looked hungry.


    At some point, I made it back into the big open corridor with all the paths that I originally entered into. I looked for the old, worn down door, and when I spotted it, quickly dashed towards it. I hurriedly shut it, and as I did, it creaked and groaned, making a loud noise. Shit! Im screwed.


    I looked down at the weapon the hologram had me choose. It was your basic sword, the hilt going into a t-shape, however the lace was anything but basic.It was white and gold in colour, and had an elegant design, something you would see a king have. The blade was shaking. No, I was shaking. I tried to calm myself down, however breathing techniques did nothing. I looked around the room, and there was still nothing other than the chest filled with that strange stone and a wooden shield, and the table with the light.


    I picked up the light off of the table and made my way back to the end of the room. Shaking as I did so, I tried to prepare myself. The monsters are smaller than me, but have a long reach, so when they attack, I need to be careful. Almost on queue after thinking this, I see an eyeball peek through one of the big holes in the wood.


    A grin appears on the goblins face, and it shouts something I can¡¯t understand. That¡¯s when I see two other sets of eyeballs appear, all in different openings within the rotting wood. The door begins to open, slowly, and my heart sank. All three goblins had found me within seconds, and were grinning as they walked towards me.


    I felt like a deer in headlights. I was backed up as far as I could go, and now there was truly no where to run. They continued their approach, their green faces snarling as they did. The one furthest back stood by the door, standing in front of it. It was probably standing there just in case I got past the other two and would never allow me to leave. Not alive anyways.


    I grabbed my sword with two hands, and moved into a fighting stance. ¡°Stop coming forward!¡± I yelled, and the two closer goblins froze, looking shocked as I spoke. Wow, I did not expect that to wor-


    I almost finish that thought when one of the goblins points at me and screams so loud my ears begin to ring. Then, the screaming one starts to charge, swinging it¡¯s knife while it does. I brace myself, swallowing the saliva in my mouth as I do, and raise my sword to swing it at the goblin. It easily dodges under my swing, and as it stands up from its summersault, it slashes my stomach.


    An intense pain washes over me, and my face goes pale as I see blood. My blood. I swing again, back at the goblin, and it quickly moves out of the way and walks back towards the other two, smiling and laughing as it does. I fall to my knees, clutching my wound as I do so. When I look down at my hands, I watch as the red blood pours out of me.


    Fuck. Am I going to die? There is no way I can die here. I have so much to do, and so much to see. My life was just getting good. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t afford to die here.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I move my vision back towards the creatures, looking at the one that slashed me. It still had a huge grin on it¡¯s face, showing it¡¯s fanged mouth as it smiled. Fuck that goblin.


    I try to stand, but quickly fall back to my feet. Absolutely no way will I die here, to this stupid green monster. My eyes began to burn with a fury I never knew I had, and my breathing hastens. I could hear the three goblins chattering, and saw one of them even lick their lips, as if these fucks thought they won already.


    No, I won¡¯t be dying here. Not without killing them first.


    That¡¯s when it happened. It was a strange feeling at first, and even stranger was the visuals I was seeing. The goblins must have been shocked as well, as I heard one quickly gasp, and the others stopped speaking. There was no sound to it, even though it felt like there should be. I watched as the blood - my blood - my blood that was seeping out of my wound and onto my hands and the ground, grew brighter and brighter, until it all turned into a white colour, and moved backwards¡­ towards me¡­ towards my wound. In seconds, all the blood that came out of me was returned, and when I moved my now dry hands off of my wound, I was greeted with just a cut shirt, and no gaping wound that was pouring out blood.


    What?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    - Kelly -


    This time, I had to squint my eyes as I exited the portal. Sounds quickly rushed my ears, and as I looked upwards, I noticed a bright blue sky with a warm sun shining down upon me. White, pretty clouds filled the air, and a cool breeze touched my skin. If it wasn¡¯t for my bleeding leg wound, I would have relished in this view for just a moment longer. I snapped back into reality, and was greeted with a large water fountain made out of a grey marble stone. The fountain had three layers, and a light blue water was flowing from it. Etched into the marble were markings of different symbols, people, flowers, and more. It looked like it was straight out of a movie, or from a princes castle.


    That¡¯s when I tumbled, falling flat on my face. Shit, I guess I lost way too much blood. Or the poison is killing me. This is not good.


    That¡¯s when I started to hear noise behind me. I attempt to turn but don¡¯t manage to do so from the fatigue that I am feeling. All I can hear is what they are saying.


    ¡°Help! Someone help! We have a fallen adventurer that is injured!¡± It¡¯s the sound of a young girl,most likely somewhere in the low teens. I hear their footsteps get closer as their shouting continues, and the girl bends down as she reaches me. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡±


    I go to ask the kid if she¡¯s stupid as I am laying here, bleeding, but no sound comes out of my voice. Damn, guess I lost my speech now too. But no you dumb child¡­ I am not okay.


    After a few seconds of the girl inspecting me, I notice a set of hands turning me over. They do so abruptly and without warning, and I get to see the face of the people around me for the first time. The girl on my left, who I am assuming is the one that first came over to me and yelled to get the help of others, has long, brown hair, tied into two ponytails, and tanned white skin. Her face is littered with freckles, and she has a slight chubby build, wearing a a brown long sleeved shirt that has even darker brown overalls over it. Her clothes are dirty, as if she has been playing outside all day.


    The next person I notice is a man. He has black hair, and dark brown eyes, and is sporting a straw hat. He has a black moustache on his lip, and is quite built. Not fat, just like he works out all day. I realize he must have been the one to turn me over as it was done so fluidly, and the young girl was too small to be able to do that.


    Lastly, I notice two other woman standing over me, looking at the injuries on my body. They both looked extremely concerned, and I saw one of them turn their head and wave, probably motioning to others to come over. Both the ladies looked the same¡­ wait, that¡¯s an understatement. They were twins! They both had brown, medium length hair done in the same way, having it fall down just past their shoulders. They had white cloth headbands on, each with a flower. The wore brown dresses, and apart from one having a bracelet on, I couldn¡¯t tell them apart.


    ¡°Marketh,¡¯ the woman with the bracelet spoke to the man that was crouched by me ¡°take her to the inn, I¡¯ll go to the church and have Mister Morgan come over right away.¡¯


    ¡°You got it ma¡¯am¡± said the man named Marketh, and he quickly picked me up with both hands, cradling me like a baby. The woman quickly took off, and was surprisingly nimble for her bigger stature.


    Welp, this is embarrassing, I think to myself, not really able to form many other thoughts. Being carried by a random man was not on my bucket list. The pain in my leg is now throbbing, and even the slash to my arm is starting to tingle bad. My vision starts to blur further, and shortly after the man picked me up, I am passed out, the last thing I witness is the young girl trailing behind us, staring at me.