Chapter 1

There is something about forests that Luke found charming, he was not exactly sure what, the smell, the everlasting shade, the small environmental noises that seems to almost form a song or the sum of all this things, but it made forests sacred for him. Especially the one that surrounded his father's house in the countryside. Sure that is expected seeing as he has spent an average three months per year walking (or running) between its trees.

However there was something amiss about the forest today. The day had began like any summer day: waking up early to train with the staff (I mean the Bo kind no the working kind of staff), then he had a light breakfast and decided to spend the rest of the morning walking towards a small clearing an hour of slow walking away.

When he arrived at the clearing, he sat against one of the nearby trees put the staff he always carried around next to him and started to feel that something was wrong.

‘hmm, must be my imagination’

After that he closed his eyes and tried to get a little nap before lunch. You must be thinking why did he come so far just to nap, right? Well here the thing, the forest soothe him and beside this particular tree (an oak he guessed) has a spot the perfect size for him, and that is worth walking any distance.

So, he was there, just about to fall asleep when he heard hooves resounding through the forest.

‘that’s weird, I don't remember any horse since the neighbor (neighbor is a way of referring to the closest human being which isn't necessarily close) sold his land’

And then he saw IT. Platinum white fur, slender but with strong muscles visibles and the biggest antlers he has ever seen. If there was an elks Olympics team, it would be its captain. In one word it was extraordinary.

He was so stunned that he couldn't close his mouth, he was obligated to use his hand to accomplish that task. Soon he noticed something strange: the fur seemed speckled with red above the hindquarters and in the neck too. Giving it a closer look it appeared to be wounded.

At that point, Luke looked at its eyes and saw pain and panic, the pain was quite obvious but the panic was although understandable strange. After all it only had light wound that must hurt but weren't life threatening. A deeper look also revealed a pleading that Luke was unable to comprehend.

Suddenly, Luke heard The Beginning.

DING

Congratulations!

You have found the Ancient Guardian of the Forest

The Guardian favors those close with nature and with a kind heart

Beware

If there is darkness in your heart it may attack without provocation

For being the first in encountering an Ancient level creature you receive

+5 to all stats

+1 level

Runic language

‘What the fuck!’

Luke was astonished. He had read about worlds turned into games, even dreamed about it happening a few times, but never believed it possible.

It has to be understood that despite his athletic look and his love for martial arts, Luke was at heart a nerd. This reached the level that he learned everything he would need if he went to a middle earth like environment. This included blacksmithing, leather working, carpentry and more. So even though he knew the cruelty this type of world connotes he was happy (or he was a couple second after he recovered from his stunned state).

The Ancient creature moved and then collapsed, it seemed like meeting Luke had sapped what strength it still had. Luke looked down and saw that both wounds were deep and appeared similar to a knife wound. Abruptly he heard more noises coming from where the deer (let´s call it Bob from now on) came. Turning around he saw five of the ugliest creature he had ever seen: they were short like a three year old child, the skin was grey and the ears slightly pointed. Their body movement suggested they were high or had drank too much coffee. All in all they were disgusting. Their short knives suggested that they were the ones that wounded Bob.

DING

New Quest!

Protect the wounded Ancient Guardian of the Forest (Bob) from the goblins and continue to do so until it regains it health

Reward: Unknown

Luke was stumped, he wanted to protect Bob but he also wanted to ran away taking into account that there where five of them with pointy shivs confronting his humble self with a staff and an unmoving white furred deer.

“What was that?!” yelled Luke gaining the attention of the goblins. They yipped and giggled and started aggressively inching towards Luke.

Luke was still confused about who was talking to him but he suspected it was white and big and it's name began with B. Soon he stopped thinking about it as the goblins were at striking distance from his staff.

´Well here goes nothing´

Quickly, he striked to the leading goblin with a speed he did not have before. His opponent were trying to surround him but the sides of the semicircle they formed hadn´t moved forward yet so it was the perfect chance to disrupt them. The strike was not some special technique, it was a simple downward strike but it used to the maximum the reach and the weight of the staff. Luckily it connected with the top of the goblin head and caved it in, killing it instantly.

´this is too easy´ he thought with a nasty grin when he felt one of the little runts stabbing him on the leg. In his gloating he hadn't realised the four remaining were quite close.

“Fuck”

Luke saw red and forgot everything he had learnt about using the staff (8 years of training and counting) in a fight and started swinging it like he was trying to score a homerun with their head. By chance, he connected once more, hitting the neck of the one to his utmost right, crushing its windpipe and sentencing it to death in a few seconds. However, his rage was costly, he had several cuts and scratches in exchange for that hit and the three remaining goblins had positioned themselves to attack at the same time from three opposite locations aiming for his vitals and he would only be able to defend against one, maybe two of the strikes if he was lucky.

Out of nowhere a sound was heard that seemed to make the ground shake and the sky to fall. It completely stopped the movement of the goblins, making them look dazed. Luke wasn't affected and he still was furious about being hurt, so he took the chance to strike at his opponents fast. First he hit the last goblin to his right with the butt of his staff in the knee shattering it and making sure it wouldn't stand on that leg again. Then he twisted the staff as fast as he could and used the momentum to knock the head of the two disoriented goblins on his left with excellent results. Lastly, he turned to the one with the shattered knee, ending its moans of pain with a thrust to his head that destroyed its cranium depositing bone shards in its brain.

Looking at what he had done, Luke turned green and proceeded to vomit most of his breakfast next to the cadaver except for the eggs, he loves eggs and he wouldn't allow a single egg to escape.

DING

Level up!