Meanwhile, Elon and Freya had managed to reach a significant distance and emerged out of the tunnel even with their aching legs.
They stopped to catch their breaths, looking around in search of Lysar.
"Where is Lysar?" Freya's voice trembled as she spoke, her gaze scanning the surroundings.
"She entered the cave before us, no way she's behind," Elon added.
"Lysar!" Freya called out.
"Lysar!"
Just as panic began to creep in, they heard soft rustling and gigglings around them.
"Lysar?"
The green creatures that they so much dreaded emerged from the underbrush.
"You thought you could get away," one of the said, playing with the axe in his hand as the rest giggled.
Elon and Freya gulped their saliva and stepped back a few steps. They looked back to see the dark cave behind them and then turned to the goblins in front.
None was a good choice.
It was a dilemma.
The duo were stuck between the hammer and the anvil.
...
...
...
"Guys? Freya? Elon?"
Lysar approached the exit once more, shouting their names but still getting no responses.
"Where could they have gone to? Did they get lost?"
Going back into the dark cave without any source of light was not an option for Lysar.
"What would Freya do?" she questioned herself.
Lysar thought for a bit before making a decision. She decided to walk through the glade in front of her and continue into the forest, searching for them until she finds them.
The elf came upon a lea as she walked and called out Freya and Elon's names. She was anxious and afraid but she kept on because she believed Freya would have done the same.
Lysar continued calmly until she heard whispers just ahead of her. She went low and approached the source carefully to assess what was going on.
"Oh—," she almost exclaimed before covering her mouth.
It was a group of goblins seated and talking. Lysar instinctively stood up and started running without putting any thought into her actions.
"Did you hear that?" said one goblin to another.
They got up, picked up their weapons and started heading in her direction.
"It's a slave!" yelled a goblin.
"Capture the slave!"
The goblins pursued after her, giving a hot chase.
...
...
...
The present day.
In the same forest, where the elves were running for their lives.
Sethryn was traversing through the dense forest, frustrated since he did not know what quests he was supposed to accomplish in the 2nd Floor nor had he seen a Keeper since he arrived.
As he walked, Sethryn decided to activate a skill he had acquired earlier — the Right of Roaming.
The Right of Roaming was activated and the countdown started.
The skill was on an automatic setting to last for sixty seconds but before the countdown went down by half of the normal, Sethryn watched a perilous scene that involved a fleeing elf and her pursuers — a group of goblins.
[ Countdown: 0 Second ]
[ Time Up ]
Sethryn was dumbfounded for the moment with a confused look.
<< Skill 'Right Of Roaming' Has Been Deactivated >>
<< Recharge For 'Right Of Roaming' Enabled >>
<< You Cannot Use 'Right Of Roaming' While On Charge >>
[ Right Of Roaming: 2% ]
"What was that?"
He had been shown a scene sixty seconds into the future but he had not realised it.
He looked around. It was the same forest that he was in. He recognized it from what he watched using the Right of Roaming skill, it was the very same forest.
"If it's like those skills and abilities that grant the user foresight then someone is in trouble," Sethryn said to himself.
He waltzed through the dense woods as fast as he could, running to beat time and save an elf he had not met from her deathly fate.
From what Sethryn had seen, a young, elegant female elf was in grave danger as a ruthless group of goblins chased after her, driven by the desire and their king's order to capture her and bring her back to the mine dead or alive.
Sethryn understood that he had to intervene and that was why he started running towards the direction he felt Lysar would be found.
He had to stop her fate from happening. Sethryn was in a race against time to save Lysar from the arrowhead that would pierce her chest in a few minutes.
...
...
...
Sethryn arrived just in time.
He saw Lysar at the bank of a river, immersing her face in the water to take a drink.
"Then they have just arrived too," Sethryn said, recalling the future he had seen.
The next occurrence would be the approaching shadows of the goblins which Lysar would not notice, being too immersed in her refreshing moment.
This was the point that Sethryn had to intervene.
Sethryn rushed towards Lysar, his arms crossed in front of him, brandished his silver arm bracers and ready to go.
Lysar raised her face from the water and seeing Sethryn run towards her, she shuddered and stepped back, falling over.
Sethryn shouted something but she was too startled to make out what it was.
"Duck! Go down!"
She blinked many times when she finally heard what he was seeing.
Duck? Go down?
What was going on?
Lysar could not tell. She slowly turned her head to look behind her to see the giggling goblins approaching with one already pulling against his bow.
<< Location Selected >>
Lysar froze.
An arrow whistled through the air, travelling towards Lysar at an immense speed.
Clank!
The green arrowhead clinked against metal and changed its direction, sending sparks afloat.
<< Map Function, 'Teleport', Has Been Activated >>
Sethryn stood in front of Lysar, between her and the group of goblins, with his arms still crossed in front.
He arrived in time to deflect the arrow with his metallic arm bracers.
Sethryn rose from a crouched position, blocking more arrows with his now fully equipped shield and protecting both himself and Lysar from the shower of arrowheads.
...
...
...
The goblins snarled at the human. His guts disgusted them.
"Who are you? How dare you defile King Jogund!" they shouted.
Sethryn turned off his shield and relaxed his arms by his side.
"King Jogund, huh," he muttered under his breath.
"I hope your king can save you!"
Sethryn's eyes narrowed and his face wore an infuriated look. He glared that the band of goblins and they shuddered, not knowing when they reflexively stepped back as if fleeing from danger.
One halted and looked at his hand trembling while gripping the handle of his axe. He stabilized the hand with his other one and looked onward at Sethryn.
"Am I shaking?" he asked, looking around to notice it was not just him. Even his fellow goblins took measured steps back.
"Am I shaking... to a human!" the goblin exclaimed and charged forwards to Sethryn.
"Kill him. In the name of Jogund, kill him!"
The other goblins let out loud cries and charged forward as well.
Sethryn raised his arms in from of him once again.
"Synapse," he called.
[ Yes, Master ]
"Equip level 4 shield."
[ Level 4 Shield Activated ]