Chapter 7: Representative

The day had finally ended and both Tom and Reia were exhausted. Tom showed Reia which room was hers and provided her with a bed. He left her alone as soon as she got her things into her room.

The day proved to be productive for a multitude of reasons. Tom was able to take the time to teach Reia a great deal about his world and she was able to teach him about hers. Tom was able to learn about the magic spheres he gathered from his last mission. Apparently, magic spheres could be used for a multitude of purposes. They could enchant weapons to do extra elemental damage, enchant armour to improve elemental resistance, or be used to increase the experience level of a spell of the same elemental type. Sadly, only a person with the Enchanter skill could do this.

Believing Reia to be asleep, Tom went into the kitchen and clasped his hands together and rested his head on top.

"You there, Kara?"

Hello Thomas. It's nice to hear from you. Congratulations on completing your first mission. I'm so proud of you.

"Uh, thanks. I have a question."

About your new friend?

"Of course you would know something like that. Yes. She has a title that can't be identified. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it do you?"

I'm afraid I do not. Hers is a special existence. It feels like she's a void in history.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Imagine finding a book but you can only read the last few pages. The rest are blank. I can't seem to read into Reia's past. Like someone outright deleted it.

"So someone hid Reia away?"

It seems like it.

"Then it would be the same as her sisters? They also have unknown titles."

Yes.

"Is it coincidence that she teleported to me?"

This I know. No. I was able to teleport her to you.

"But you don't know why."

I'm really sorry.

'What kind of god are you?'

That's not a very nice thing to think.

"I forgot you can hear my thoughts during Prayer. Sorry."

I'm also sorry that I couldn't be more help. I know in my heart that I would not send her to you unless she is important.

"I know she's important. Her stats are really good and with the right training, she'll be able to surpass me no problem."

And you'll be okay with that?

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm content with blending into the background. I'm not fighting monsters to get praise. I'm doing it to protect lives and save our worlds. Nothing more. Nothing less. I'll do everything I can to make sure Reia becomes the hero I know she is capable of becoming. She is going to shine."

You seem to think highly of her.

"Why wouldn't I? She has a good head on her shoulders and a good heart."

Unbeknownst to Tom, but known to Kara to her own amusement, Reia was around the corner listening to to their conversation. Her heart was beating rapidly as she listened to him praise her.

VVVVV

Several Days Later...

Cape Town, South Africa

The sky was clear of clouds and the temperature was in the mid-twenties. It was the perfect day as two business men were golfing on a resort course. The two were on a business trip to finalize an agreement to open a factory in the city. Richard wound up his club and hit his golf ball across the course.

"Nice shot!" Andre exclaimed.

"Of course," Richard acknowledged. "All that practice pays off."

The wind started to pick up. Andre's hat flew off of his head. He was too late to stop it from flying off as he smacked his head.

"Ah!" he groaned. "It seems the weather was in your favour."

"A skilled golfer knows how to take wind in account when they swing."

"Jackass," Andre grumbled.

Clouds started to gather in the sky at a rapid rate as the wind increased in speed. Andre aimed at his ball and wound up his club. Thunder cracked as he swung. The sudden noise made him mess up his swing and send his ball towards the trees.

"What hell is going on?" Richard muttered. "The weather report said it was supposed to be clear skies all this week."

Thunder roared again as bolts of lightning started to strike the nearby ground. Andre and Richard hit the ground. The bolts struck the ground in almost rapid succession.

"Should we run?" Andre asked loudly. The thunder at this point was deafening.

"You're not supposed to run during a severe lightning storm. You're supposed to keep yourself low to the ground."

"And what? Stay there?"

"We could crawl back."

Before Andre could respond, the lightning stopped. The two looked up and saw that, while the dark clouds still remained and the thunder was still roaring, the lightning had stopped.

"I say we go now while it's calm down," Andre suggested.

"Yeah. Golf can wait."

The two got up and brushed the grass off of their clothes. Something moving in the nearby bushes caught their attention.

"You hear that?" Richard asked.

"Probably a bird."

"Ehehehe." A high-pitch voice laughed from the bushes.

"That's not a-" Richard was interrupted as several arrows pierced him. Two went through his chest and one through his left eye socket.

"Richard!"

Andre found himself unable to move after seeing his friend fall to the ground, dead. He looked to the bushes, which rustled as the creatures came out of hiding. Many creatures came out of the bushes. All of them varied in size and skin colour.

The creatures were about two-thirds the height of an adult. Each of them had long pointed ears and noses. Their skin colours varied between shades of green, grey and brown. Some of their pointed teeth were visible as an overbite over their lower lip.

"Oh, Oh god."

Andre turned to run only to be engulfed in flames. He crumbled to the ground, screaming in pain. With any bit of awareness he had left, Andrew tried rolling to put the flames out.

Several of the horrid creatures walked up to the man on fire. One of the creatures wore a robe and had fire bouncing around in his hand.

"Heh, heh, ha!" the mage laughed. "Rodocula kreatir ignu! Ha, ha, ha!"

One of the other creatures walked up to the man with its sword and stabbed its sword downwards, ending the man's suffering. The fire at this point had died down, leaving a blackened corpse.

The sword wielding creature cut out a chunk of the man's flesh. It stabbed the chunk of flesh with the end of its sword and held it up to examine it. It took a bite of the flesh and savoured the flavour. "Mmmm... Sipodos set cacti!"

The third creature was much larger than the other two and had more muscle mass. It had two swords on its back. It scanned the area and saw a city nearby. The creature pulled out one of its sword and swung it towards the city.

"Nonc agrodi!" it announced to its army.

More creatures came out of the bushes. Over a dozen poured out as they charged towards the city.

"Cabom! Cabom! Cabom!" the creatures roared as they charged.

VVVVVV

Several days had passed since Reia came to Earth. Since then, Tom put her through training to increase her skills and stats. In turn, she helped him increase his own. Now with a sparring partner, Tom was able to level up his sword skill as he allowed Reia to attack him with her superior Spear Skill so he could practice blocking. The injuries he sustained gave her a chance to practice her healing ability.

During this time, Tom was also able to learn new information about how increased health works. The experiment was simple. He asked Reia to press her spear point into his left forearm.

Reia slowly pressed into his arm as he watched. He watch the red screens come up notifying him that was was taking damage. Soon he saw some blood come out from where the spear was stabbing him. A spear like Reia's would have been able to stab right through his arm in his original body. Now all it did was just slightly puncture his arm. Seeing this, he came to the conclusion that having an increased health pool makes his body develop a sort of biological armour. More health meant tougher armour.

Tom was driving home after his shift at the hospital while he was thinking of the previous several days. He was let go early since the hospital was empty of patients. The hospital was in hysterics because every patient that came to the building had been cured of their illnesses. While he had come to the hospital only twice since he started his volunteer work, the results of his actions was enough that several people from Health Canada came to investigate the hospital.

Since he was let out early, Tom decided to stop by the hunting shop on the way back home. There he picked up a bow and about forty arrows. Tom was also able to find a book about bow usage to allow him to learn Bow Skill. The bow he bought was about 1300 dollars. He found the cost worth it considering its stats.

Explorer's BowRankADurability200/200Physical Damage45Element Damage-EffectsNoneA high-end bow created with the most advanced knowledge in bow design. This bow was created to hunt big game animals.

The bow was very unique in its design as the bow looked similar to a bat. The string was attached to a cam idler that was attached to two cables. This gave the bow a greater draw strength.

Tom drove up his driveway that went through the dense forest. The only way to his home was this driveway that had a bridge in the halfway point. As he reached his house, Tom saw the results of Reia's training.

Reia and Tom had an agreement on what she was to do while he was away from home. He helped her set up a training regimen to train her magic abilities. She mostly focused on her wind magic as, according to her, she felt more natural using it instead of her ice spike.

Tom saw piles of cut wood that were sliced apart using Wind Blade. Just like they talked about, if she heard anything come up the driveway, she was to hide until she knew who it was. Reia came out from around the corner of the house with a smile on her face. She waved to him.

Tom parked his car and got out. "They let me out early. It seems like everyone at the hospital was cured of their illnesses. Crazy thing."

"That was nice of them. I've been training like you said. I managed to increase my Wind Blade level by two."

"That's awesome."

"What's that?" she asked with pointing to a long black sack that Tom was holding.

"I noticed that we both lack sufficient long range attacks. Even our magic is high-end medium range. So, since I was let out early, I went to a hunter shop and picked up a bow and some arrows. Check this out."

Tom pulled his bow out of the sack.

"I've never seen a bow like that before. Why are there wheels at each end?"

"The wheels are attached to cables. This allows the bow to have a greater draw strength and thus greater range and damage than a bow without these wheels. I picked up Bow Skill while I was at the store as well. I'm actually really excited to give this bow a try."

"I have a block of wood set up over there. Try hitting it."

When Tom originally put his arrows away in his inventory, the arrows were marked as a projectile ammo. As soon as he equipped the bow, the quiver immediately populated with several of the arrows he had in his Inventory. He pulled out one of the arrows from the quiver. It was quickly replaced with another arrow. Tom drew the arrow on the bow string and took aim. He let go of the arrow, letting it fly. The arrow embedded itself into the block of wood and forced it to the ground.

"Not bad for a first try," Tom said to himself. 'That was about ten yards?'

Quest:Attack of the Goblin ArmyDifficultyCGiverKaraTime Limit6 hoursGoblins, led by their leader, have arrived in Cape Town, South Africa and they are hungry for human meat. If they are not stopped many will die. Time for Reia's first mission. Good luck to both of you.[tr]Reward600 EXP

75 silver

Random weapon

Random armour

700 fameConsequence For FailureHundreds will die

People will lose faith in you

Panic will spread across the world

"Tom, are you okay?" Reia asked. "You suddenly stiffened."

"We just got a mission," Tom replied.

"We do?" Reia repeated excitedly.

"Yeah. It's C rank. We have to kill goblins. If we fail, hundreds will die and the world will go into a panic. I'm guessing goblins will be easier to stop since they're not going to have immunities like the slimes."

"They are still much more intelligent," Reia pointed out. "Not the smartest, but still enough to make them a threat."

"Before we head out, there are two things I want to give to you." Tom reached into his inventory and pulled out the water spear and chainmail gloves. "Take these."

"A Water Steel Spear?! This is very valuable."

"Well you're the spear user, so you need it more than I do. Now go get your armour on. I'll wait here."

"Kay!" Reia said while running to the house.

"Equip Set One," Tom said. His armour appeared on his body in a flash of light.

Tom pulled out his sword and gave it a few swings. He placed it back into its sheath on his back. Tom then decided to try out a new trick he learned from Reia about his lightning magic. Apparently you can charge your magic before an attack. It's fairly stupid how simple it is. The name of the spell isn't just a name. It also acts as an incantation. Saying the incantation slower allows more mana to charge up into the attack.

"Liiiiiiightniiiiiing," he began. Electricity started to surge around his hand. "Strike!"

Lightning fired from his hand and struck one of the blocks of wood, blowing it into pieces.

"I'm ready, Tom," Reia said as she left the house. She was wearing the chainmail gloves and the modified extreme sports armour she got several days ago. "Now we need to party up."

"Party up?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention. In order for us to share experience, we need to be part of a party. All you need to do is say, 'Form Party' and then follow up with 'Invite Reia to Party'."

"Alright. Form Party."

Party formed

"Invite Reia to Party."

Invitation sent

A blue screen appeared in front of Reia asking if she wished to join Tom's party.

"Yes," Reia replied.

Reia has joined your party

"Alright. Ready to go?"

"Yup," Reia replied.

"Fast Travel to Quest Attack of the Goblin Army."

The two nearly fell over as they teleported to Cape Town. Changing temperature from the mid-teens to the high twenties felt very weird to them. They got their bearings and were able to focus on where they were exactly. The scene was familiar to Tom. There was trash all over the streets along with some dead bodies.

"This is horrible," Reia muttered.

"They weren't ready," Tom said. "How could anyone in a world without monsters be ready for this? We need to find the goblins fast and finish this before any more people die."

"Where do we go from here, Thunder?"

Tom smiled. "Ah, very good with the code name. Well, Aurora, we need to get on top of the buildings so we can get a better view of the city. From there we can figure things out."

Reia's wings spread out and flapped, lifting her off of the ground. She flew upwards to the rooftops of the local buildings. Tom hopped from one level of a fire escape to the next. He felt so light as he went upwards. The two met on top of the buildings. They scanned the city to see if they could see where the goblins were located.

"You hear that?" Tom asked Reia.

"That popping noise?"

"Yes. Gunfire. That has to be it! Come on!"

"Right behind you!"

Tom ran across the rooftops of the buildings with Reia close behind him. As he jumped across the street to reach the rooftops on the other side, Reia briefly opened her wings to help her reach the distance. At the speed the two were going, they were able to reach the disturbance in little time.

Tom signalled Reia to stop and get close. He slowly crept near the edge of the roof and looked down. Tom saw roughly a dozen police officers all dressed up in heavy gear while holding riot shields. On the other side of the street was a large squad of goblins. At least a dozen fighters with swords, six with bows and arrows, and four mages.

The goblin squad was slowly moving forward towards the wall of riot police, who were slowly moving backwards while firing their guns. Tom was able to see what exactly was really going wrong down below. Reia stood by him and looked down to see what's happening.

Goblin SwordsmanLevel3RankCHealth80/80TypeCommonA foul creature that lives to pillage and kill. While not as intelligent as most sentient races, it is still cunning and dangerous.ResistancesPhysical0%Disease0%Fire-20%Plant0%Ice0%Earth0%Lightning-30%Water0%Wind0%Spirit0%Light-30%Darkness10%

Goblin ArcherLevel4RankCHealth70/70TypeCommonA foul creature that lives to pillage and kill. While not as intelligent as most sentient races, it is still cunning and dangerous.ResistancesPhysical0%Disease0%Fire-20%Plant0%Ice0%Earth0%Lightning-30%Water0%Wind0%Spirit0%Light-30%Darkness10%

Goblin MageLevel4RankCHealth50/50TypeCommonA foul creature that lives to pillage and kill. While not as intelligent as most sentient races, it is still cunning and dangerous.ResistancesPhysical0%Disease0%Fire-20%Plant0%Ice0%Earth0%Lightning-30%Water0%Wind0%Spirit0%Light-30%Darkness10%

Notice (Tom)Identify has reached Intermediate Level 3

Notice (Reia)Identify has reached Beginner Level 9

"They need our help!" Reia said while jumping off of the roof.

"Hold it!" Tom stammered out while grabbing her tail's end. He pulled her back onto the roof. She landed into his right arm which wrapped around her waist. Tom quickly let go of her as soon as he was sure she got her footing. "I know you want to save lives, but you'll save none if you're dead. Now actually look at what is happening. There are two problems we're facing here."

Reia looked down from the roof with Tom.

"With their guns, the police should be able to easily take care of goblins. But look. Not one dead goblin. It's because of the mages in the back. Every time one goblin gets shot, a mage quickly heals it. Actually a good strategy these creatures have going on. The warriors take the damage, the archers lay down an attack, and the mages heal anyone hurt. So that's our first problem."

"What's our second?"

"The police. As far as anyone knows, anything not from this world is an enemy. If you just jump down there, you'll likely be shot at. At your level, your health will drain quickly."

"So what do we do?"

"Wait for a specific opportunity," Tom replied. He was listening to the gunfire. It was slowly dying down. "Once it happens, we go down behind the goblins and kill the mages right away. And then the archers. In the confusion we can take care of the warriors."

"What opportunity are we waiting for exactly?"

The gunfire finally went quiet and stayed that way.

"They're out of bullets," Tom said. "We go now!"

Tom jumped off of the roof with Reia right behind the goblin line. He pulled out Sky's Fury and took a swing. Tom managed to catch two of the mages in one swing instantly killing them both.

Your party has gained 60 EXP

Goblin Mages have dropped 4 Mana potions.

Reia has levelled up!

Reia has levelled up!

'Jackpot!' he thought. 'Finally an enemy that is weak to lightning.'

Reia spun her spear and stabbed one of the mages in the back. She flicked the spear end tossing the goblin aside. She followed up by slashing another mage down the front causing his guts to spill out.

Your party has gained 60 EXP

Goblin Mages have dropped 4 Mana potions.

Reia has levelled up!

'Damn she's strong,' Tom thought.

The goblin line finally realized they were being attacked from behind. They turned, only to see their last two mages fall.

"Let's see how tough you bastards are without your healers," Tom said as he charged towards the archers.

"Next the archers," Reia said.

Seeing their brethren torn to pieces, the archers were inflicted with the fear debuff "Shocked" that slowed their movements. They were too slow to nock their arrows.

"Keep on the pressure," Tom told Reia as he cut an archer down the center and splitting its bow and body in two.

Your party has gained 30 EXP

Goblin Archer has dropped 5 wooden arrows

Reia charged forward with her spear and impaled it through two archers. She held up her hand and yelled, "Wind Blade!" A green blade of wind and magic launched forward and decapitated the two impaled goblins. Reia followed up by kicking the goblins off of her spear.

The remaining three archers watched as this Human and Naga brutally killed their fellows. The brutality reinstated their Shocked debuff. Reia's actions made them focus on her. This gave Tom the opportunity to come up behind them. His movements were fast as he swung his sword back and forth taking their heads. At his speed, Tom was able to decapitate the last one's head before the first one fell.

Your party has gained 150 EXP

Goblin Archers has dropped 25 wooden arrows

Goblin Archers has dropped 5 wooden bows

Tom has levelled up!

Reia has levelled up!

Reia has levelled up!

NoticeTom's Strength has reached 100. This has unlocked the skill "Power Strike."

Power StrikeTypeActivateStamina Required25RankCLevelBeginner 1 (0%)With your strength, you are able to put in extra effort into your strikes.

With all range attackers dead, all remaining were the swordsmen. They were not affected by the Shocked debuff and were approaching Tom and Reia with caution.

"Keep your distance," Tom told Reia. "Let them come to us and use your magic."

Reia nodded and held up a hand. "Wind Blade!"

"Lightning Strike!"

Two goblins fell to the ground, dead from the attack. The other goblins abandoned their caution and full-on charged.

"Wind Blade!"

"Lightning Strike!"

NoticeWind Blade has reached Beginner Level 6.

NoticeLightning Strike has reached Beginner Level 8.

The goblins were now close to them, forcing them to change their strategy.

"Wind Shield!"

"Lightning Shield!"

Two goblins tried striking Reia, only for her to block their swords with her spear's staff. Her shield activated and caused them wind damage, which sent them flying back.

One goblin got in a lucky shot on Tom causing him some damage. The creature was fairly weak, so it felt closer to a deep paper cut to Tom.

"Power Strike!" he yelled while swinging his sword. The sword sliced horizontally and split the goblin in two. Tom didn't feel any resistance as his blade went through the goblin.

NoticePower Strike has reached Beginner Level 2.

Another goblin ran towards him with its sword drawn. Tom cut its sword arm off, spun around and impaled it through its stomach. He looked up and saw Reia tearing through the goblins with ease. Her spear was able to stab goblins at range, but in close range, she used it to block and push back the goblins to kill through stabs and slashes.

'She is going to surpass me, no problem.'

"Kill, kill, kill!" a goblin yelled as it tried to attack Tom from behind.

Tom spun around and grabbed the creature by the face and yelled, "Fire Ball!"

Fire erupted from his hand into the goblin's head, blowing it apart sending bits of burnt flesh everywhere.

NoticeFire Ball has reached Beginner Level 4.

Tom turned and swung his sword to cut across the chest of another goblin. The goblin fell to its back. Tom quickly lifted his foot and slammed down on the goblin's head turning it into mush on the pavement.

Reia seemed to have a more efficient time killing goblins. In the time Tom killed three goblins, Reia killed four. All that remained was one really frightened goblin. The creature's legs were shaking and it had pissed itself. Both Reia's and Tom's eyes turned to it.

"Gah!" it screamed. "Monsters!"

The goblin turned to run away. Reia and Tom stood side by side and raised their hands.

"Fire Ball!"

"Wind Blade!"

The two attacks fired forward and spun around each other. The two spells fused together, creating a fire vortex that quickly caught up with the goblin. The pitiful creature screamed as the flames spun around it. After a few moments, the flames dissipated and the goblin's body turned into a pile of ashes.

Your party has gained 360 EXP

Goblin Swordsmen have dropped 12 health potions

Goblin Swordsmen have dropped 12 copper swords

Reia has levelled up!

Reia has levelled up!

NoticeSword Skill has reached Beginner Level 6.

NoticeSpear Skill has reached Beginner Level 8.

NoticeBy combining attacks, you have unlocked the party skill "Fire Tornado"."

Fire TornadoTypeActivateMana Required40RankCLevelBeginner 1 (21%)By combining one person's Wind Blade with another person's Fire Ball, you both created a Fire Tornado to entrap an enemy.

"There are party skills?" Tom yelped.

"I've heard of them," Reia said. "They're pretty uncommon and are usually discovered by people who work well together. I'm surprised we were able to discover one so fast."

"I think that's our Luck kicking in."

NoticeYou have fulfilled the condition needed to unlock your first class. You may choose between Mage, Rogue or Warrior.

"Tom, I'm seeing a window asking me what class I want," Reia said as she read the window. "I can't believe I've actually reached the level needed to pick my class."

"And then some. I'm guessing you're going for Warrior."

"Yep. Warrior."

NoticeYou have selected Warrior. Your base Strength and Endurance has increased by 20 points. Your base Luck has increased by 10 points.

"So what now?" Reia asked.

"Well, those police officers over there might have some info for us," Tom answered. "There's more goblins and we need to know where they are. Also, they're out of bullets. They don't really have anything else that's a threat towards us. Just do not hurt them if they try to attack in other ways. We need to gain the people's trust."

The police officers were still standing down the street looking at the two dumbfounded. Tom and Reia walked down the street towards them. The police officers held their shields up as they got close.

"We're not here for trouble," Tom said to the police. "I just need information."

"You're under arrest," one of the officers declared as he pulled up a taser gun. "You are wanted for questioning by the world community."

Each of the police officers held up a taser gun and aimed at Tom.

"We really don't have time for this," Tom tried to reason with the officers.

"And tell your freak there to put her weapon on the ground!"

Tom was thankful that Reia couldn't understand what they had said. "She's not freak. You people are alive thanks to us and-"

One of the officers fired his taser gun and the two barbs hit Tom in the chest. He heard the clicking noise as the electricity charged into him. A normal person would usually be on the ground convulsing from the taser. To Tom, with his Lightning Resistance, the taser caused no pain.

"Really?"

More officers fired their stun guns at Tom. He looked ridiculous with a couple dozen wires hanging out from him. Tom grabbed the wires attached to him and yanked out the barbs.

"We done? Can we talk now? I'm trying to help this city and I'd rather focus on killing the goblins than a confrontation with the police."

As if giving up the effort in arresting Tom, one of the cops lowered his shield and asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Why are there so few cops here? I'm sure Cape Town would have more police than this?"

"We're just tasked with keep those beasts busy while the other police help with evacuating the civilians. The current strategy in dealing with these monsters is evacuate, quarantine and then eliminate. Not exactly working well on the eliminate part."

"Don't feel bad," Tom said. "The mages were healing any goblin you injured. Now do any of you know where the other goblins are?"

"They set up a small fort south-west of here. They've been sending out their squad to gather people."

"Aurora, do you know why goblins would take prisoners?" Tom asked Reia.

"Goblins are likely going to eat them," she answered.

Tom eyes widened with her answer. He turned to the officers and said, "I'm sorry, but I need to go now. Those people are being collected to become food."

"Wait, who is that creature with you?"

"Aurora. And a person, not a creature. She's part of the Naga race. One of the many sentient races from the other world."

"What?"

"Sorry, gotta go!" Tom said as he jumped up the nearby building with Reia.

"What did they say?" Reia asked.

"Some rude things. But they did tell me where the goblin base is. We take it down, we finish the mission. Look over there."

Ahead Reia saw a pillar of smoke coming up from a forest.

"That has to be the goblin base. We go in low and quiet and take them by surprise."

They jumped off of the buildings and ran into the forest. The cloudy sky darkened the area, making it easier for them to sneak up on the goblin base. Tom was worried that the goblins were in the area longer than he realized, but seeing the base eased his anxiety. It was crudely put together from parts of shacks and wooden logs. The goblins were probably here no longer than a couple hours.

Tom and Reia took cover behind some trees. On the top of the fort were two archers. Tom took out his bow and nocked an arrow. He drew back and took aim at the archer on the right. Tom released the arrow, landing a lucky shot through the creature's head. The goblin fell over the side of the fort and landed on the ground. The noise wasn't enough to attract the attention of the other goblin.

Critical Damage

NoticeBow Skill has reached Beginner Level 3.

'Better shot, better experience,' Tom noted.

Tom drew another arrow and aimed at the remaining sentry. He let go of the arrow and the arrow landed in the goblin's chest. It must had hit its lung as the goblin was struggling to make a noise. Tom quickly drew another arrow and fired at the goblin to stop it from making more noise. The arrow impaled the creature's heart, silencing it.

NoticeBow Skill has reached Beginner Level 4.

Tom placed his bow back into his Inventory. "We go in through the top. Quietly."

Tom and Reia jumped up where the sentries were stationed and looked into the fort. The inside was an open space. In the center was an empty spit over a campfire. Tom breathed a sigh of relief as it appeared that the goblins haven't eaten anyone yet.

To the sides of the area, were cages filled with people. Adults, teenagers and children. A couple of the goblins were pestering a cage with two kids. They laughed as the two kids held each other and wept.

"You leave my kids alone, you monster!" one of the captives roared.

One of the goblins laughed and walked over to the man in the cage. It held up its spear and jabbed it into the cage. The man jumped back to avoid the spear. The creature laughed harder as the man struggled to avoid the stabs.

The goblin was having so much fun in tormenting the father that it didn't notice Tom jump down behind it. Tom sliced the goblin diagonally from behind. The goblin fell to the ground in a puddle of its own blood.

The other goblin saw its partner killed and screamed in anger. Reia took the opportunity to surprise attack it by jumping up and stabbing her spear downwards. The spear went through the monster's shoulder and through its body. Reia immediately regretted the attack since the goblin was impaled a good distance up her spear. She turned the spear on its side and used her foot to dislodge the goblin off of her spear, leaving a long streak of blood on it.

Your party has gained 60 EXP

Goblin Swordsman has dropped 1 health potion

Goblin Spearman has dropped 1 health potion

Goblin Swordsman has dropped 1 copper swords

Goblin Spearman has dropped 1 wooden spear

Reia has levelled up!

"Aurora, release the prisoners," Tom ordered. "I have no idea how many goblins are left and we need these people out of here before-"

"Intruders!"

"God damn it."

"Where is my crew?" the creature walked out from a room. This monster was different from the goblins they faced before. It was taller and much more muscular. It wore a black bandanna on its head. Its face was scarred up from its many previous battles.

Swashbuckler Hobgoblin CommanderLevel15RankCHealth200/200TypeUncommonA creature that has taken a fancy to the pirate life. It lives to pillage and kill. While not as intelligent as most sentient races, it is still cunning and dangerous. When strong enough, goblins can evolve into hobgoblins.ResistancesPhysical0%Disease0%Fire-20%Plant0%Ice0%Earth0%Lightning-30%Water0%Wind0%Spirit0%Light-30%Darkness20%

The hobgoblin saw Tom and Reia standing over two dead goblins. The creature glared at the two and pulled out his two scimitars.

"You die!" he yelled.

The creature swung his sword at Tom to have it blocked. The hobgoblin swung his other at Tom's stomach, cutting it. The attack forced Tom to take a few steps back as he grabbed his stomach.

"Thunder!" Reia screamed as she tried to attack the hobgoblin's back.

The hobgoblin swung his blade behind his back, deflecting the spear. Tom quickly used Heal and attacked the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin fought sideways with a sword on each side blocking their attacks. The creature was very skilled in ways of the sword.

'So this is the difference between level and skill,' Tom thought.

"Aurora, I think this guy's swordsmanship is in the Intermediate level."

"I can't seem to get an attack on him."

"Just keep on him. I need to think of a strategy."

'How is he able to fight us at the same time without breaking focus?' he wondered.

The hobgoblin block another one of Tom's attacks and kicked him in the stomach. It followed up with another attack to cut him. The hobgoblin turned to Reia and cut her left arm.

'Wait a minute, I wonder.'

Tom renewed his attack on the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin looked to Tom and blocked his attack. Reia then tried to attack only to have it blocked. Tom noticed the hobgoblin was just pressing in one direction on his sword. He pulled his sword back and dodged the hobgoblin's attack to counter attack, cutting his leg.

"Gah!" it screamed.

"Aurora, it can only focus on one of us at a time," Tom told her. "All it's doing is just pushing its blade in one direction when it blocks."

"Got it." Reia followed up with spinning her spear to release the hobgoblin's hold on it.

The hobgoblin lost his footing and stumbled a bit. Reia took the opening and jabbed its gut. The hobgoblin roared and renewed its attacks.

[table=#800000]WarningYou have enraged the hobgoblin. It has gone into a rage state.[/table]

The hobgoblin's attacks were stronger and faster. It took everything Tom and Reia had just to keep up with blocking its attacks.

"Come on, Thunder and Aurora!" one of the captives yelled. "You can take this bastard down!"

"Finish him off!" another yelled.

"You can do it, Thunder, Aurora!"

"Aurora, I have an idea," Tom said in a moment of inspiration.

"Listening," she groaned trying to block the hobgoblin's attacks.

"I'm going to charge a magic attack, as soon as his attention is focused on me, I need you to sweep his feet."

"Got it!"

"Liiiiiiightnniiiing!"

Electricity started to surge around Tom's hand. The hobgoblin saw the coming attack and focused on Tom, ready to strike him down before he could get a spell out. Reia took the cue, spun and tripped the hobgoblin with her tail.

The hobgoblin had his feet knocked out from underneath him. Tom slammed his palm into the hobgoblin's face and slammed it into the ground, creating a small crater.

"Strike!"

Lightning discharged from Tom's hand and went right through the hobgoblin's head. The hobgoblin screamed as the lightning went through its head and body. Tom lifted his hand off of it and saw smoke waft off of the body.

NoticeTactician has reached Beginner Level 7

"Is it dead?" Reia asked.

The hobgoblin suddenly regained consciousness. It coughed and groaned. It's eyes moved around lazily. Reia stabbed her spear downwards through its neck, ending its existence.

"It is now," Tom said.

Your party has gained 300 EXP

Swashbuckler Hobgoblin Commander has dropped 2 Steel Scimitars

Swashbuckler Hobgoblin Commander has dropped a Black Bandanna

Swashbuckler Hobgoblin Commander has dropped 1 seed of a Mother Tree

Reia has levelled up!

CongratulationsYou have completed the quest Attack of the Goblin Army.

Your party has gained 600 EXP

Tom has levelled up!

Reia has levelled up!

Reia has levelled up!

"We did it!" Reia cheered while hugging Tom. "We completed the mission!"

Reia noticed she was hugging Tom and quickly let go while blushing. "Oh, uh, sorry."

"Don't be," he said with a smile. "We still need to let these people out of these cages."

They started opening the cages using their weapons. The people inside slowly got out of their cages. They had been tormented inside those cages, so each of them was sore and shaken. One of the prisoners took out a cell phone and started filming everyone getting out of their cages. One of the prisoners, an older man, approached Tom. The guy was a good head taller than Tom.

The man smiled and gave Tom a big hug. "Thank you so much! You saved our lives."

"No problem," Tom said.

The man let go of Tom. Two of the little girls walked up to Reia and said, "You're so cool! We wanna be like you when we grow up."

"What did they say, Thunder?" Reia asked.

"They said you're really cool, and they want to be like you when they grow up."

"Oh," Reia said in an embarrassed tone.

Tom placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Do you see why it's important that you're out here fighting? It's not just about saving lives. You are here acting as a representative of your people and all the other races of Xoth. Being a hero for the people of Earth will open humanity's eyes. Push my people to be more tolerant and open-hearted with the people of Xoth. We won't be able to survive in the war against Hastur unless all of our people work together."

"Could you tell these two that I'm happy with what they said? And that I hope to continue to be an inspiration?"

Tom nodded and said to the two, "She is very happy by what you said and wishes to continue being an inspiration to you two."

The two young girls smiled and gave Reia a quick hug before going back to their father.

"You ready to go home?" Tom asked Reia.

"I am."

"Good bye, everyone!" Tom said to everyone. "Fast Travel Home."

The two vanished from sight, leaving everyone surprised.

"I got it all on my phone!"

----------

Character's Stats:

Spoiler :

StatusNameThomas "Tom" EverettLevel19Experience5990/7075ClassWarriorRaceHumanAlignmentGoodCurrencyCanadian$10,691,089.52Xoth0 platinum 1 gold 96 silver 30 copperTitleClever One, Determined, Giant Slayer, Vaccinated, One Of The First, Sole Survivor, Generous HealerBuffsAgent of Kara2x experienceBestiary of Xoth+10% damage towards the creatures of XothBrief History of Xoth+10% persuasion chance and friendliness towards the inhabitants of XothDebuffs--Health1100Health Regeneration/min9.3Mana800Mana Regeneration/min8.9Stamina960Stamina Regeneration/min6.8Fame1400Infamy0Strength101Intelligence80Wisdom89Perception52Endurance96Vitality93Agility68Luck76Unallocated Points10

ResistancesPhysical30%Disease58%Fire30%Plant30%Ice30%Earth30%Lightning30%Water30%Wind30%Spirit30%Light30%Darkness30%

SkillsIdentifyIntermediate Level 3PersuasionBeginner Level 5Language ComprehensionMaster Level 10Book LearningMaster Level 10TeacherBeginner Level 4NonchalantMaster Level 10Lightning StrikeBeginner Level 9Lightning EnchantBeginner Level 7Lightning ShieldBeginner Level 7HealBeginner Level 9PurifyIntermediate Level 3Sword SkillBeginner Level 6DisguiseBeginner Level 8PrayerMaster Level 10Hero's CallMaster Level 10Fast TravelMaster Level 10Loot CollectorBeginner Level 6Magical RepairBeginner Level 8TacticianBeginner Level 7CookBeginner Level 5Mixed Martial ArtistBeginner Level 2Club SkillBeginner Level 2Trap MasterBeginner Level 4UnbreakableBeginner Level 2FireballBeginner Level 4Fire EnchantBeginner Level 4Bow SkillBeginner Level 4Power StrikeBeginner Level 2

StatusNameReia ZyerLevel13Experience1705/1860ClassWarriorRaceNagaAlignmentGoodCurrencyCanadian$0.00Xoth0 platinum 1 gold 75 silver 14 copperTitleUnknownBuffs--Debuffs--Health760Health Regeneration/min3.4Mana240Mana Regeneration/min2.5Stamina680Stamina Regeneration/min2.6Fame700Infamy0Strength76Intelligence24Wisdom25Perception36Endurance68Vitality34Agility26Luck71Unallocated Points55

ResistancesPhysical15%Disease100%Fire15%Plant15%Ice15%Earth15%Lightning15%Water15%Wind15%Spirit15%Light15%Darkness50%

SkillsIdentifyBeginner Level 9Weapon RepairIntermediate Level 6Armour RepairIntermediate Level 3Weapon CraftingBeginner Level 9Armour CraftingBeginner Level 10Accessory CraftingIntermediate Level 1Spear SkillBeginner Level 8Clothing ReformIntermediate Level 6Ice SpikeBeginner Level 2Wind ShieldBeginner Level 4Wind BladeBeginner Level 6HealBeginner Level 3Club SkillBeginner Level 1Sword SkillBeginner Level 1PersuasionBeginner Level 1

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Author's Note:

So, yeah, with my job and everything, this story is likely going to be on average a weekly update (unofficially, I'm updating this on a "when it's done" basis). But, hey, long chapters.