The feeling of cold wind blowing over the top half of my body jolted my mind awake. As I struggled to open my eyes I could feel a sore pain pulsing in my body but strangely a soothing heat started flowing through me. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was that everything below my waist was still being protected by Master. I also found out that a gentle red light was being transferred from Master to my body, and the light seemed to be what was healing me. Suddenly I began panicking because as I saw that Master was shrinking at a incredibly fast rate

Tibbs: "Master!! Master what’s wrong!!?"

It might have been the rudest way for a student to speak to his master but my mind was to busy worrying about master to even think about that. I jumped to my feet as fast as I could but by the time I could do anything there was nothing left of Master except for the red crystal that he kept in his body. My Body trembled as it started heating up again. But this heat was different to the previous heat I felt. Compared to the kind and soothing light that Master used to heal me, this heat was painful and intense. This uncontrollable heat was eating me from the inside, like I had swallowed a raging fire and allowed it to burn in the center of my gut.

I just stood there in the middle of the forest until, as though I were struck by a hammer, the realization of just what happened shook me to my core. After the initial shock tears began leaking from my eyes. At first the tears came as loose drops, but quickly became a steady stream. Compared to the burning heat raging in my stomach the tears pouring out felt ice cold. Each bone chilling tear felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, I felt as though the ground was shaking with each tear that dropped from my face.

With my body suffering two contradicting agonies I finally regained some sense of control. It seemed like the weight of the sky rested on my shoulders as I dropped to my knees with the heaviest feeling. My hands trembled as I reached out towards Master's crystal.

Tibbs: "M-Mast-Master, Oh Master!!!!"

'You stupid useless fool!!' I thought to myself. Thinking back to the time I spent with Master it was always me depending on him. From the first time I met Master where he saved me from the Luthunian and fed me, and all the time he spent training me till now. It was always me relying on the Master's kindness, it was me who constantly took from him without being able to give anything back. Even in my last moments with Master I depended on him to protect me and heal me.

I hated myself for being so weak. I hated myself for not being able to do anything for the person who showed me the most kindness I had experienced in my entire life, for the one person who wanted to take me under his wing and guide me. I couldn't do a single thing but watch him as he continued to help me without asking for anything in return, for the closest thing I had ever had to family I was too weak to take even little of his troubles away.I picked up the crystal with my trembling hands as my tears dropped onto it.

Tibbs: "Master, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for being a useless student, for being a useless waste of a student that sent his Master to his death"

I was about to lose myself to my sadness when I suddenly realized that the crystal was emitting heat. It was very faint but the warmth was definitely there.

Tibbs: "This must be a sign that Master can still be saved!"

The tears stopped as I resolved to do anything it takes to fix Master. 'Where’s the tree?' I asked. Thinking about it Master probably split his body to protect me and Luna. If the crystal is with me then the tree is probably with Luna. I don't know if reuniting the tree with the crystal will heal master but I don't have any other clues to go by. After calming down and coming up with a plan for what to do for now I felt like my entire mind and body was refreshed and filled energy. 'Master is counting on me right now, I can't let him down' In my head I was the only one who could support Master in his current time of need. I raised my chest with confidence at the thought of being the pillar that Master was leaning on.

Tibbs: "Hmph, It's only natural for a student to help his master. Not like that Luna can do anything, she might have crazy strength but what good does it do if she's just a bumbling crybaby"

I took another look around me and I was shocked that the town where Master I originally were was nowhere to be seen. The impact must have blown us more than a few miles away. For now I should try to find Master's tree (and Luna). The green forest was strangely quiet and there were trees uprooted and tossed around all over. I just hope Luna can at least take care of Master's tree for a few days. I looked at the sky 'looking at how the sun has barely risen its most likely still early in the morning, I'm just not sure how long I've been knocked out for' just as I was thinking about how long it might have been since the town was attacked I heard some rustling from afar. I cautiously took cover in a bush and waited to see what it was.The first figure emerged, it was just an injured goblin whose right arm was missing every thing below the elbow. You could see the bone sticking out from the wound. The second goblin was in better shape than the first one. It looked like it didn't have a scratch on him and it was an inch taller with a little more muscle.

I was going to just let these goblins pass me but then I saw her. The same mud and dirt covered blonde hair, skinny underfed body, but unlike before her eyes shined with life. The girl was tied up with rope and was being dragged by the second goblin. No matter how much she struggled and yelled there was no response from the goblins. 'if I don't do anything there's no way she can get away from those goblins' They might be one of the weakest creatures but for an ordinary little girl its impossible for her to handle them, even rookie adventurers would have a little trouble dealing with two. 'One is heavily injured and doesn't have a weapon, the second one is in good condition and has a dagger roughly made from what looks like a large fang' I analyzed the goblins and weighed my chances against them. As for whether or not I would jump into action to save the girl there wasn't even a trace of doubt. If Master did something for the girl then as his student it was only right that I do the same.I had been practicing the techniques that Master taught me as well as occasionally sparring with hime. After deciding that I had at least a seventy percent chance to beat the goblins I waited for just the right time to act.

Right as the first goblin passed me I rushed out of the bush and charged right at the injured goblin. Pull my fist from beside my waist, launch my arm forward while rotating my fist, and explosively turn my hips. I executed the straight thrust as Master taught me, the punch that I had practiced over a thousand times will be put to the test for the first time.Everything happened so fast, I felt a solid impact from my middle knuckle and the goblins temple. The goblin fell and stopped moving but I didn't have a chance to check if it I had killed it because the second goblin went straight for me. He dropped the rope he was using to drag the girl and stabbed his dagger at my chest. I jumped back to avoid his thrust and yelled at the girl.

Tibbs: "Hurry up and run!!"

The girl seemed to hesitate for a second but then got to her feet and ran into the forest. The sturdy goblin seeming to have realized his mistake tried to catch the girl. But right as he was turning around to run towards her I threw another punch. The goblin sensed my attack coming and managed to react just enough to make fist land on his shoulder instead of the middle of his spine. The goblin howled furiously

Sturdy Goblin: "Raaaaaa!!! You make Darg lose sleepsleep toy! Darg no like boy humans but Darg make you new sleepsleep toy"

The Goblin then licked his lips and laughed crazily

Darg: "hahahaha! Darg sleepsleep till you break"

He then rushed towards me while swinging his dagger crazily. I jumped back, side stepped, ducked and weaved, I used all the movement techniques Master taught me but the goblin still landed a few attacks.

Whenever I would see an opening I would try to hit him with my straight thrust. At first I still managed to land a few but as time went on the goblin was getting more and more familiar with my punch. Less and less of my attacks managed to connect as the goblin dodged and blocked. Then as I was sending a punch towards the goblins chest he actually stabbed his dagger down.

The dagger went past the outside of my fore arm tearing out a chunk of flesh. "Agh!" I yelled out in pain as I jumped back. 'This is bad' I thought to myself 'good thing his dagger was a little off or he would have impaled my arm, but this is bad. He already has the timing of my attacks down' I was covered in cuts all over my body and the fatigue was finally showing, I doubt I could last more than a few more minutes. I need to finish this quick, I need to gamble it all on one chance. I threw another punch at the goblin and just as expected he stabbed his dagger down again. But this time I knew it was coming so I didn't put in any power to my punch so it was easy to pull my arm and side step.

The goblin never expected me to throw a feint so his dagger went straight down and before he could fix his stance my fist hit the side of his jaw and knocked him down. He tried to get back up but I sent another full power punch that hit him in the center of his face. A new found strength was unleashed in my body as instincts took over. I jumped on top of the goblin and started pounding his face with my fist. Left, right, left, right.left,right, I don't know how long it was but I lost myself as I kept on hammering the goblins face. At first I could hear something in the background "Please stop, Darg sorry! Darg no want die!" but it started getting quieter "Please.... Darg be good now" until there wasn't much noise left "uhh... so much.... hurt...."

Even after the noises stopped and all I could hear was the rhythmic hammering of soft flesh and the splattering of blood my body wouldn't stop moving. I felt like I would have kept on going forever but my as my right hand was on its way down it stopped mid swing.

Unknown Voice: " Whoa slugger, take it easy. You got him."

I turned my head and found the owner of the mellow voice. A kid only five or six years older than me was grabbing my wrist. He had a healthy looking build, not overly muscular but obviously no stranger to physical work. His complexion told you that if he stayed in the sun too long he would get a sunburn rather than a tan. His medium length hair almost covering his gentle looking eyes.Hearing his gentle voice and seeing his kind appearance I regained my senses. The sensation of pounding the mushy flesh of the goblin's broken head replayed in my mind and I couldn't shake it off. The feeling of cracking the goblin's skull and turning his brain into a smear on the ground lingered in my hands, as if I was still in the act of beating his dead head.

I looked back at the goblin and felt the contents of my stomach move up as I vomited on the on the goblin. Seeing the bits of goblin skull and brain mix with my vomit mad it even worse. The older kid let go of my wrist as I fell to the side and began to vomit even more.I was on my knees and forearms vomiting and crying. All the sensations I had blocked out came rushing all at once. The goblins pitiful voice as he begged for mercy, the sound of his skull and flesh being broken, the dull thud of pounding his disfigured face. The physical sensation of smashing the goblin lingered and wouldn't disappear.

This isn't how it was suppose to be. My first kill wasn't suppose to be like this.