*********************************************************************************************************The goblins didn't even take time to attempt to be discreet in their flight. Meliadol easily followed them up and around the forest trails, until he reached a cliff face.
The tracks vanished.
"I wonder where they went? Did they climb?" He considered the problem. The cliff was a sheer wall with few handholds. Furthermore, why would they even attempt to climb instead of going around?
Meliadol was no stranger to video games though. He began inspecting the wall, tapping every few paces. It only took moments before he found what seemed to be a loose rock. There was a clicking noise when he jiggled it and slowly, with a grinding noise, the wall began to split.
He almost gave a shout of excitement, but managed to subdue himself. It'd probably go better for him if didn't alert all the goblins probably lurking within. Keeping with that train of thought, he skittered over to the edge of the opening, listening intently.
The steady drip of water could be heard, but beyond that, nothing seemed amiss.
He took a deep breath. This world was too real. He was actually starting to shake with nervousness. It took all his willpower to calm himself. It was just a game. Still, he had to admit to himself, this was pretty intense.
Slowly, foot over foot, he entered the revealed passageway. It curved around into a spiral staircase, but thanks to the lit torches along the wall, he was able to navigate his way down. He had to take things slowly, straining his senses. Last thing he wanted was to alert the goblins he was hunting. The sword felt heavy in his hands at that thought. He'd never swung a weapon in real life, but this felt like the real deal.
Could he do it?
Meliadol shook his head free of the thought.
It was only a game.
The chattering of voices shook him free of his thoughts, and the passageway grew brighter. He paused at a fork in the tunnel. Carefully, Meliadol peeked around the edge.
The room was dimly lit, furs and refuse littered the floor. The stench of shit and body odor was overwhelming! But what stole his attention was the occupants currently arguing within. They were tiny green-brown humanoids, barely coming up to his waist, with large noses and garish yellow teeth set in a too-wide face.
Goblins!
Meliadol's grip tightened around the handle of his sword. What should he do? There was at least eight of the nasty creatures within his sight. He wasn't sure as to their strength, but he doubted blindly attacking them would do much. He still had no idea how this game really worked. From how to use skills, to how much damage one received and dished out, he was a complete newbie.
He was about to turn around and explore the other side of the tunnel fork when he heard a voice behind him.
"Intruder!" It squawked. Meliadol spun and saw a robed goblin pointing at him with indignation. He'd been discovered!
The other goblins turned to the alert, immediately spotting Meliadol as well.
In a frenzy they rushed toward him, trapping Meliadol between themselves and the robed goblin.
Meliadol panicked. What should he do? The robed goblin didn't wait for him to figure it out, chanting and wiggling his fingers. A spellcaster!
He didn't know the rules to this world, but he knew enough that the goblin couldn't be allowed to complete the spell. This was basic common sense to anyone who played video games. Spellcasters were always a trade-off of power and frailty. With a bellow he rushed forward but it was too late.
The goblin completed his spell and a beam of light arched from his fingertip, slamming into Meliadol.
He didn't even have time to scream, every muscle in his body locking up. He took one… two…three steps..and fell, crumpling to the floor. His sword flew from his grasp, hitting the ground with a metallic ring.
The last thing he saw before passing out was the leering smile of the goblin mage as it reached for him.
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