Alvrin just wanted to live in peace, and in this life he could. No longer bound to a world filled with endless battlefields, he was determined to live quietly with his family this time. Even with all the experience he got from an entire lifetime, it was proving difficult still. Who knew that the most intimidating being in existence was not the dragon king he slayed in his last life, but instead the five foot tall goblin woman he called his wife. Between her and their two sons, Alvrin had quite the rambunctious family.
When he was first born into this world Alvrin was confused more than anything. The last thing he remembered was fighting a group of over a thousand newt warriors who refused to lay down their weapons in the name of peace. He was making quick work of their numbers when all of a sudden he was on the forest floor covered in bodily fluids. He still wasn’t sure if he had died and been reincarnated or if he was forcefully moved to this world through the use of magic.
The goblins he saw around him at the time of his birth were human-like, but had light green skin and long pointed ears. After comparing it to the color of his own small baby hands, he assumed he was also inside the body of one. They all had rectangle boxes floating above their heads shining with a light golden hue. Upon first glance these rectangles seemed to be descriptors of the people below them. Most of the tribe's people had few variances among their titles, mostly shown to be hunters, mothers, or warriors.
His box was different though. He was named as the Harbinger of Contradictions, which seemed quite ominous compared to the rest of the tribe. It made sense to him after thinking over what the title could possibly mean. In his former world, he was the leader of a six member hero party referred to as the Fingers of the King. Each member had their own skills and experiences, but Alvrin was a tier above the rest. Known as the right hand to the king, he was tasked with orders to end the war. As the Fingers protected the kingdom and its citizens from their borders, Alvrin traveled to different kingdoms where battles were being waged. It hadn’t mattered to him whether they were at war with his own land or another.
Any battles anywhere close to his kingdom put his people in danger. It was his mission to put a stop to all of them. His usual tactic was to sneak into kingdoms and talk directly to the ruler of the land. If they didn’t surrender, he didn’t hesitate to kill them. By “them”, he meant he would kill any person with the ability to successfully pull the kingdom back to one piece, under a single ruler. Kingdoms without their kings fell into lawless regions, social order no longer existing. Still these areas were still more peaceful than the war torn lands around them. With the most powerful people being low level thugs, battles were no longer necessary. Families were allowed to stay together and farm any lands they could maintain for themselves, or start new small communities to protect.
Families were no longer broken by royals and fathers were no longer captured and used as soldiers against their will. The women of these small towns might even be shown with some kind of respect instead of being labeled trophies of war. Frankly, that was all these people knew though, war. It was only a matter of time before this land would be consumed by treacherous and greedy again. He thought maybe he could unite some of these lawless countries come under one territory again.
This peace gave Alvrin solace from the amount of deaths that had been dealt by his hand. He never wanted to become a murderer, but if he didn’t defend his people, who would? Could he really ask another to take on the weight of protecting thousands of lives? It wouldn’t be possible, having first hand memories of the numerous bodies covered in dirt and gore, he wouldn’t make anyone face the things he had to do. You only had to kill one to protect a dozen though right?
His ominous aura originating from the death of thousands powered the golden light coming off the box above his head, making the other goblins uneasy around him. Until eventually, as soon as he was able to crawl, which happened soon after birth for goblins, his mother left the tribe. His mother was been kicked out of the tribe because of him, he felt guilty being the reason for her banishment. After a few days of travel though, his mother grew weaker, unable to provide for herself. While the forest wasn’t lethal, it would be quite dangerous to leave a child alone to hunt. Not having the resources for both of them to survive she made a decision. She abandoned him. Leaving him in a knoll under a large tree with purple flowers so thick and vibrant he couldn’t see the branches behind them. Before setting him down she held him tightly while murmuring words he didn’t understand in his ear.
He understood why this was the choice she came to, why let both of them die when only one had to? While he was hurt he wouldn’t be able to be a part of a peaceful family like he had always dreamed of yet, he was happy that the tribe could go on without concern of what his existence would bring them. He just wanted his family to be safe, and if that meant him staying away, he would. Watching his mother walk away, he prayed to whatever gods ruled over the world that she would return safely on her own.
He wasn’t a religious man, but he prayed when situations got out of control. It gave him peace of mind thinking that there might be someone out there who could help even his poor soul in times of need. So he sent a quick message to whatever deities might be in this world.
"Please keep my mother safe"
Once he opened his eyes again, a screen appeared in front of him. It was enveloped by the same soft golden glow as the title window that appeared above his head. Attempting to grab it with his short baby arms, his fingers slid through the wall of text as if it were normal air. Focusing on the words on the screen, it read [https://i.imgur.com/LVAsNes.jpg]
He was surprised he could read the words considering he hadn’t learned the language used in this world. Synchronizing with his title? He didn’t know what it meant. Perhaps he did something is similar to what a "harbinger of contradiction" did? What the hell did someone like that even do? Contradict stuff?
Curious, Alvrin attempted to push the arrow on the screen that talked about his skills. Once he did, a new screen appeared.
[https://imgur.com/LVAsNes] [https://imgur.com/LVAsNes][https://i.imgur.com/eji5fg3.jpg]
He noticed the green bar indicating his Synchronization rate was barely filled in first. Then the new mid tier skill he unlocked caught his eye. Pushing the arrow on the mid tier skills section, yet another new window appeared.
[https://i.imgur.com/JoICgZQ.jpg]
His first skill ended up being exactly what he needed as a defenseless child abandoned in the woods. Luckily he still had the mental capacity of an adult, otherwise even with his skill he’d been given, he would've died. He crawled on the forest floor, eating whatever seemed edible to him. If the herb happened to be poisonous he would usually be fine due to his resilience skill. He tried using his past life knowledge to avoid dangers like brightly colored plants. Although he didn't really know how useful it would be here.
He had the survival instincts of a seasoned war veteran still though. Those were useful anywhere. He was good at hiding from danger in the safety of small caves or knolls. He grew up by fending for himself inside the forest, growing stronger physically and skill wise the entire time. Just like that, years past by, the mundaneness of life letting him rest for the first time in a long while.
When he reached the throes of goblin puberty he met his wife, Lina, who was also a goblin. Even though she was a different species than himself mentally, he still found her gorgeous. She had the tell-tale light green skin and pointy ears of a goblin, dangling jewels hanging from the tips, as well as a slightly freckled face and curly light green hair. Her body was much like a humans. She had a somewhat thick frame, sturdy muscled thighs attached to wide hips and a slimmer waist. She had a taut stomach and a moderately large chest, her arms were noticeably toned. She wore a strip of stained white cloth around her chest and a pair of shorts with material flaring out much like a skirt would, made out of the hide of an animal. She also had an odd title, being named The Traveler.
She was different from the goblins he had seen when he was first born. She looked like she wouldn’t have a problem traversing the forest alone unlike the scrawny looking goblins from his tribe. Her muscled physique was appealing. After locking eyes, she spoke up with a look of apprehension in her eyes.
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“Good day sir, I am just passing through and will not be staying in your territory. Do I have permission to pass?” She spoke in a questioning tone, false sweetness leaking through. What surprised Alvrin the most though, was that she was speaking his native language from his previous world.
“It’s not like I own the forest or anything, of course you may pass,” he responded in his own questioning tone.
She looked surprised, her eyebrows knitting together slightly in confusion. They stood there in silence for a moment, neither saying anything, just taking each other's appearances in.
Until finally, he spoke again, “How do you know that language? Are you from Gulick also?”
“No, it's simply a translation skill I got from my title.” Silence once again took over.
“Please forgive me,” she said, “I was taken aback by your response, usually goblin tribes tend to be majorly territorial. For you to say you don’t own the forest was strange for one of our kind.”
Alvrin thought she was strange for their kind too, and so he said as much.
“I don’t think a lone female traveling through the forest without her tribe nearby was normal for our kind either.” She looked almost slightly offended at that so he followed up, “I’ve only been a goblin for a few years now though so, I wouldn’t know much.” He felt his face redden. He hoped she didn’t put too much thought into what he just said.
She must have noticed his darkening face because she let out the tiniest giggle. After introducing themselves they sat there and talked for a few hours, munching on shrubbery Alvrin had been collecting that morning. It seemed that she had been traveling for quite awhile and was running low on stamina and provisions. In return for his hospitality she recounted tales from the places she had visited recently. Alvrin took this chance to learn about the world outside the forest, asking questions about the basic political structure and power dynamics of the surrounding countries.
It turned out that she was older than Alvrin by six years and had been born on the other side of the world. Just like him, she was isolated because of her title. While she wasn’t thrown out of her village, being the chief's own daughter, she did make the decision to leave on her own once she came of age. It felt like fate that the two of them ended up in the same patch of forest at the same time, and maybe it was.
As she regaled him with stories of the world outside, Alvrin felt like his peaceful life in the forest was no longer satisfying. After speaking to her for mere hours, he felt as if he was missing out on something, like his peaceful life was incomplete. As the thought crossed his mind he was greeted with a familiar status screen.
[https://i.imgur.com/LVAsNes.jpg]
He was surprised, only his second skill, he was still unaware of how they worked, and didn’t know how exactly he managed to unlock it. The distraction led to a lull in the conversation, Lina looking at him curiously.
“Oh I’m sorry, it seems that I just unlocked a skill somehow.” Lina’s eyes went big.
“You can only unlock skills when you harmonize with your title,” she explained, “What did you do that was so contractionary?”
Realizing what happened Alvrin's face lit up red.
“Um, nothing really. I just thought about how nice it would be being able to see the world like you. Go on adventures and live a happy life, meet people, eat good food,” he was starting to ramble in his embarrassment. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in over ten fifteen years up to this point.
Looking at him skeptically she said, “what's stopping you? You live alone anyway, that means you're obviously strong enough to defend yourself while traveling.”
Alvrin had never thought of it that way. He imagined his peaceful life somewhere quaint, only having to deal with the people he made his family. After traveling by himself for so long in his past life, he guessed he'd grown accustomed to being alone, not ever having anyone he truly wanted by his side. Instead of the happy giggles of family, he had only ever been able to hear the screams of agony his foes let out as he ended their lives. He didn’t know how well he could integrate back into a society with the blood of thousands on his hands.
Even among his old party, he was a leader before he was a friend. During their travels together they never got to fully relax around one another. They were on the battlefield so often they really didn't speak much.Thinking back, even if Alvrin could leave his life in their hands, it wasn’t because he trusted them specifically. Instead he trusted the skills that they developed under his guidance.
Seeing his hesitance, Lina spoke up, “If you're really that worried about it you could travel with me,” she offered. “You seem like a resourceful fellow. Just know though, if you can’t pull your own weight, or do anything that puts my own safety in jeopardy the offer becomes void.” She looked serious saying the last part.
Alvrin’s stomach flipped as he looked into her eyes for some sign that she was lying or leading him into some sort of trap. There was nothing there however, just a genuine desire to help him achieve his dream.
“Oh but show me your skills first, just in case they end up bringing more problems than solutions.” Alvrin clicked the view skill screen button from his status window.
[https://i.imgur.com/iCFQbCr.jpg]
His synchronization rate barely rose from the last time he gained a new skill. Though, he couldn’t be too surprised seeing as his first skill gave him a negligible amount of experience towards his synchronization rate too. Clicking the high tier skills list a new window opened.
[https://i.imgur.com/cK4ESLW.jpg]
“How do I show you the screen,” he asked Lina.
“All you have to do is think about how you want to show me, the status windows respond to mental commands.” She looked puzzled.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Alvrin was hoping that he hadn’t blown his chance to go adventuring with her simply because he didn’t know how to show his status screen.
“Well, showing status screens is something you learn as a child in most places. Was your tribe one of the ones who chose to ignore the system messages?”
His stomach flipped again, this time it wasn’t from excitement though, it was from pure anxiety. Although she had mentioned her origins in conversation, they mostly talked about her travels. His own experiences going unsaid, being content to listen to her. He didn’t want to tell her that he was actually abandoned by his mother, very soon after his birth. She may have questions about how he was able to live alone in the forest for so long at such an age, even with the skill he had received. There was no way an ordinary child would have survived. So he lied.
“Yes, I left my tribe for that exact reason. I wanted to know of the larger world around me, and what exactly I am supposed to do as a harbinger of contradiction. I haven’t been very successful though, obviously, I haven’t even made it out of the forest.”
Seemingly convinced, she dropped the subject. Alvrin tried focusing on his screen instead, willing it to become non transparent.
"Wow! A high tier skill, that's amazing. People who have anything above a mid tier skill are fairly uncommon. Most towns only have a handful of adventurers who have high tier skills and up, and even then, they can only be found in the more populated regions.”
Alvrin willed his other skill to reveal itself to her. Once it popped up she looked impressed.
“Are these your only two skills?”
“Yes, I’ve had restorative skill since I was a child, and I was unsure of how to unlock anymore afterwards.”
She whistled, “Unlocking a mid tier skill as a child is hard, and now you even have a high tier one? You're chopping up to be a fine adventurer already. Oh by the way, it's considered rude to ask to see people’s status screens, I only asked to make sure you weren’t someone with bad intentions, like those damn mind mages.”
This made Alvrin perk up, “Mind mages?”
“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know living in the forest and all. There are different categories skills fall into, one of them is mind magic." Can I tell you more tomorrow though? I've been walking all day my feet are killing me!"
Alvrin lead her to the pile of pelts he had been able to collect over the years. His cozy little tree nook was filled with furs and soft feathery looking plants. He was feeling tired too at this point so he figured he would go to bed as well. Although since a stranger was around he didn't know how well he would succeed. He went to lay on the forest floor after letting Lina get settled in, but she motioned for him to join her in his nook. He looked at her as if she was insane, a single female offering to share a bed with a stranger, especially a male stranger? How was she able to survive this long with such bad instincts?
"Oh come on I don't bite. I didn't mean to take over your bed. You'll make me feel bad if you sleep on the floor like that. Since we'll be traveling together from now on anyways, its not like it won't be a common occurrence."
He had to admit, she had a point. He guessed they wouldn't stay strangers for long. He hesitantly got up to join her. It was hard to resist the allure of his pelts. They were made of the softest creatures he'd been able to find, and some of them took a lot of effort to obtain. He might as well allow himself to use them.
"Okay, but you stay on your side, I'm an unmarried man you know. You'll have to take responsibility for me if I cant get married after tonight."
She chuckled, "I'm sure we can work something out" she winked and gave him a predatory smile. He could definitely get used to these sleeping agreements.