The hills of Havenpeace were a unique panorama in the region. Although the summits were not particularly high, they were covered by immense meadows, without any trees to hide the view. Only a few bushes were present here and there.
Therefore, from the top of one of these hills, it was easy to observe the territory from several leagues away. One could distinguish Avrel, but also some other villages.
In the distance to the west, the Skrites range rose, their peaks still covered in snow. To the south, it was possible to make out the sea marshes of Obera when the weather was not too foggy.
A few leagues to the east, we could see the azure blue sea of Aeira.
The rest was a forest. A gigantic forest that stretched as far as the eye could see, the Great Forest of Meranja.
While it was usually quiet in this idyllic setting, strange shocks could be heard.
An expert would have easily understood that they were clashing blades.
There, on the side of a hill, two young teenage girls were fighting. Facing them, five goblins.
Although the girls were more powerful than their opponents, the latter compensated by their numbers and the battle was therefore much more balanced.
"Stella, take out the goblin with the spear! I'll cover you!"
Of the five goblins that Lilliana and Stella were fighting, three were using wooden clubs, one was using a sword and one was using a spear.
Lilliana was able, albeit with difficulty, to hold off four goblins on her own. Unfortunately, this fifth goblin, with the range that her spear offered, was a problem.
She parried and dodged every blow the creatures threw at her while retreating step by step. Although the goblins were monsters, their intelligence was low, their small bodies and slightly atrophied muscles limited the range and speed of their movements.
"Give me five seconds!"
Although five seconds didn't seem like much, it could be an eternity in a fight like this. Still, Lilliana didn't flinch. Mainly because she didn't have the time, but also because she knew that her sidekick couldn't do any better.
The next five seconds were hardly restful for the young swordswoman. As the fight progressed, the goblins provided a better fighting pattern.
One on her right, one on her left, and two facing her. Each, in turn, they attacked. The rhythm of the attacks increased little by little.
She had little room to maneuver, knowing that in addition to these four, she had to keep the goblin spearman at a safe distance.
"En. Essfe En!"
A small spray of flame shot towards the furthest goblin, passing through the battlefield.
Thus ended the life of the little creature, engulfed in flaming flames. Frightened, the other goblins all took a step back.
Lilliana took advantage of this moment of hesitation to strike horizontally at the goblin closest to her, slitting its throat and splattering the other monsters with their brother's blood.
Panicked, they were paralyzed. After a few moments, as Lilliana tried to regain her breath by putting some distance between herself and her targets, one of the goblins growled, then screamed.
The shrill cry echoed through the valley and over the hills. Soon the ground began to tremble.
"W-What's going on?"
Stella, not understanding what was going on, was beginning to panic slightly. All around her, countless creatures were beginning to emerge from the ground. All of them, without exception, were goblins.
Some were larger than others. Their weapons were diverse and varied: from staffs and spears to swords and maces, a veritable army had awakened.
"Stella. Let's run."
Soon the two girls were surrounded. Lilliana took Stella's hand.
"Quickly! Follow me!"
Lilliana led the way, followed closely by Stella.
"What the hell is this? What's going on?"
"I don't know about that, but run!"
Lilliana didn't say anything, yet countless questions came to her mind. Why were there so many goblins? Why are they appearing now? Why them?
Despite this, she did not lose her composure. She didn't understand why she, who was used to panicking in the face of a problem, was currently keeping such a calm.
Was it because she was facing a situation where her life was really at stake for the first time in a long time?
As they were running, the ground slipped away from them, literally breaking under their feet. With each new step, new goblins emerged.
After running for nearly half a league, they had finally managed to lose their pursuers.
"Stella, you're not hurt?"
Her breath a little short, Stella took some time before answering.
"Shit... I thought we were going to die there. What the fuck was that at the end? Why were there so many fucking goblins?"
"Stella! I asked you if you were hurt!"
"No. I'm fine."
(Sighs)
"We can't just stand here, we have to warn the guild. We keep running."
"Wait what, seriously? I'm exhausted, and we've still got over a league to go!"
Lilliana frantically turned her head towards her friend, pointing at her.
"Don't argue, we have no choice."
Stella was downcast, but she didn't dwell on it either. As an adventurer, she knew that situations like this could happen. Of course, no one was ever prepared enough.
So the two girls ran with all their strength, towards the city of Avrel.
At the time, they did not know that they had just witnessed the beginnings of one of the most important wars since the last Great War.