Enidd awoke to the sound of a loud squawk from a bird somewhere above, a squawk that carried the unmistakable tone of a bird deeply disappointed with the current state of reality. A feeling Enidd herself strongly agreed with, her body stiff and aching from the previous day’s exertions. She had slept fitfully, wedged into the rocky alcove she had found, every slight rustle or noise waking her from her light sleep. The cold, hard ground had done nothing to ease the pain in her shoulder. For a moment, she lay still, trying to piece together the fragments of what happened. The chihuahua/wolf thing, the goblins, the strange glowing panel from her origami crane- it all seemed like a bad dream. But the dull throb in her shoulder, the dryness in her throat reminded her that this was all too real.
Groaning, she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, her muscles protesting with every movement. The sharp pain in her shoulder hadn’t diminished, and her body felt like it had been run over by a herd of enthusiastic tourists, each one convinced her spine was the scenic route. Remembering the strange stat panel from the day before, Enidd reached into her pocket and pulled out the origami crane, holding it in front of her.
“Alright, show me how bad it is,” she muttered, half-expecting the crane to refuse out of some misinformed spite.
To her relief, the crane fluttered its wings and began to unfold itself, transforming once again into the glowing panel that hovered before her eyes. She squinted at the display, still struggling to wrap her mind around the idea that she had become some kind of living video game character.
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Name: Enidd Morigwen
Level: 1 (Exp: 35/50)
Health: 50/100
Stamina: 45/100
Mana: 50/50
Skills:
* Origami Folding - Basic (Can create small, non-combatant creatures)
* Paper Mastery - Novice (Unlocks at Level 5)
* Environmental Awareness - Novice (Increases perception in natural surroundings)
Ailments:
* Untreated wound(Left shoulder).
* Unrested
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Enidd grimaced at the sight of her health and stamina bars, both of which were alarmingly low. The fight with the goblins had clearly taken more out of her than she realised. Her shoulder ached in protest as she gingerly touched the wound, confirming what the panel already told her - she wasn’t in great shape.
The experience bar caught her eye next. 35 out of 50 points. At least she had made some progress, though it wasn’t exactly comforting to know she was earning experience by nearly getting herself killed.
“Well, at least I'm not dead,” she muttered, trying to find some solace in that fact. The crane fluttered its wings, as if to agree with her rather bleak assessment.
She next studied the skills section, though nothing had changed since she last looked. Origami Folding was still at a basic level, and the other two skills-Paper Mastery, and environmental Awareness-remained locked behind higher levels. She sighed, closing the panel with a wave of her hand. The crane folded itself back into its familiar shape and perched on her shoulder, content to let her take the lead once more.
With a sigh, Enidd carefully got to her feet, using the branch she had kept from the night before to steady herself. Every muscle in her body protested stronger than train drivers, but she couldn’t afford to rest any longer. If she didn’t find food and water soon, she knew she wouldn’t last much longer.
Setting off down the faint path that stretched out from the alcove, Enidd kept her eyes peeled for anything edible. She wasn’t exactly a foraging expert—her knowledge of wild plants was limited to whatever had been covered in the handful of nature documentaries she’d watched—but desperation had a way of sharpening the mind. The problem was, everything around her looked either poisonous or too unfamiliar to trust.
“Why couldn’t I have been transported to a world with vending machines?” she grumbled, stepping over a tangle of roots.
The forest was eerily quiet, the usual morning chorus of birds and insects absent, as if they had all decided to take the day off. It was the kind of silence that made Enidd uneasy, as if something was watching her from the shadows. She tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung to her like cobwebs.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
As the minutes dragged on, her thirst became harder to ignore. Her throat felt like sandpaper, and her head was starting to ache from dehydration. She kept an ear out for the sound of running water, but all she could hear was the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Just when she thought her luck couldn’t get any worse, she heard it—the unmistakable sound of footsteps on the forest floor. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she froze, straining to pinpoint the source. The footsteps were light, almost cautious, but there was more than one set. She quickly ducked behind a thick tree, peering out from behind its trunk.
Enidd’s grip tightened on her branch, and she forced herself to stay as still as possible. She had no desire to go through another round with these creatures, especially not in her current state. But as she watched them creep closer, she realised they were heading straight for her hiding spot.
Her mind raced faster than an olympic sprinter, trying to come up with a plan. She could try to fight them off again, but she wasn’t sure she had the strength left to do so. Running might be an option, but they were fast, and she was already at a disadvantage. Just as panic began to rise in her chest, an idea struck her.
She reached up to her shoulder and took a hold of the origami crane, holding it close to her lips. “I don’t suppose you can distract them, can you?” she whispered.
The crane remained motionless for a moment, as if considering her request. Then, with a small rustle, it unfolded its wings and took off, fluttering into the air. Enidd held her breath as it soared over the goblins’ heads, weaving through the trees like a ghost.
The goblins stopped in their tracks, their eyes following the crane as it flitted about. They exchanged a confused glance, clearly unsure of what to make of the strange paper bird. Taking advantage of their distraction, Enidd began to edge away from the tree, keeping as low and quiet as possible.
She had just made it a few feet when,just like a cliché, she stepped on a branch, and one of the goblins let out a sharp cry, pointing at her as if suddenly realizing what the crane's appearance meant. Enidd didn't wait for them to react - she bolted, sprinting through the trees as fast as her aching body would allow.
The goblins were quick to give chase, their shrill voices echoing through the forest as they pursued her. Ennid’s heart pounded in her ears, each step sending jolts of pain through her shoulder, but she forced herself to keep going. She couldn’t let them catch her - not after everything she had been through.
The forest seemed to blur around her as she ran, her vision narrowing to the path in the distance. She could hear the goblins gaining on her, their footfalls growing louder and more frenzied. Small rocks, some peppered her legs,, from the goblins' crazed attempts to stop her. Just when she thought she might collapse from exhaustion, she spotted a break in the trees leading to a clearing. She started to run a bit more erratically trying to increase the gap between her and her pursuers. Eventually she was hearing the thud thud of the rocks not quite making it to her.
Summoning the last of her strength, what little it was left, Enid pushed herself towards the clearing, hoping against hope it would lead to relative safety. She finally burst through the tree line and stumbled into the open, nearly falling to her knees from the sudden change in terrain. But what she saw in front nearly made her freeze.
There, only some tens of metres ahead, nestled in the middle of the clearing was a small village.
The buildings were simple, made of wood and stone, with thatched roofs that looked as if they had seen better days. Smoke rose lazily from a few chimneys, and she could hear the faint murmur of voices - human voices. Relief flooded through her, and for a moment she forgot about the goblins chasing her.
But the sound of angry cries quickly brought her back to reality. Without thinking, she sprinted toward the village, hoping that people could offer some kind of protection.
As she approached the outskirts, she saw a group of villagers gathered outside of the village working the fields.
“Please, help!” Enidd called out, her voice hoarse from exhaustion. “There are goblins—”
She didn’t need to finish the sentence. The villagers immediately sprang into action, gripping their tools tightly and rushing to meet the approaching goblins. Enidd stumbled to a stop just inside the village, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She watched as the villagers fought off the goblins with practised ease, their coordinated efforts driving the creatures back into the forest.
Within minutes, it was over. The goblins, realising they were outmatched, retreated into the shadows, their shrill cries fading into the distance. The villagers, satisfied that the threat had passed, lowered their weapons and turned their attention to Enidd.
As the villagers returned, Enidd body started shaking from the fear she had faced, her body trying to get rid of the overdose of adrenalin it had all caused. Tears formed in her eyes, trying to hold back from crying completely, her breathing turned into large shaky inhales.
An elderly woman with a kind face and strong arms, approached her, and hugged her gently “Don’t worry duck,” she said, her voice full of concern. “Come, we’ll take care of you..”
Enidd nodded weakly, too tired to protest as the woman led her into the village. She was finally safe—or at least, safer than she had been in the forest. As the old woman helped her into a small hut and began tending to her wounds, she finally allowed herself to relax, tears blurring her vision, falling silently as the tension slowly drained from her body.
Eventually she was shown to a bed, and bought some food and drink. After finally quenching her forgotten thirst, and eating what looked to be a roast beef sandwich, she allowed herself to fall asleep and get some much needed recuperation.