Nikoletta’s mace became a golden beacon, matching her eyes. She practically snarled as she marched at Owin. “Monsters bring death.”

A red aura pulsed off Miklos the berserker as he spread out from Nikoletta. Both humans glared at Owin as he continued backward. He clutched Nikoletta’s bag tightly in his hand. He hadn’t even had a chance to check what the other potions were. At least his health had been topped off, but that likely wasn’t going to be enough to survive. Both melee fighters were right in front of him. Where had the hunter gone?

“I don’t want to fight,” Owin said. His greatsword still rested on his shoulder, clutched tightly in his other hand. He could swing it fast enough if needed, but what kind of abilities did a mender have? Owin had seen the goblin berserker on the first floor, and he had a good idea of what a hunter could do after seeing Kidibose fight. But a mender was something completely new. Her golden eyes and golden mace were concerning. The golden light had burned off the dried lizard blood that had marred the polished surface. Whatever light coated the mace, Owin didn’t want to let it touch him.

“Ward,” Nikoletta said. A white light flashed over her whole body. It dimmed and remained glowing around her as a faint white outline.

Owin quickly used Examine again, but it provided no new information. Maybe if his intelligence was higher, he would be able to see spells or abilities. As it stood, all he could see was that Nikoletta’s attributes were much higher than his.

Owin’s mana was still low from having used Discharge, and he wouldn’t get a chance to pull the mana potion from his own shoulder bag. What were the options? There was a chance, however small, that Owin could handle a direct melee fight. At least momentarily. He was much stronger than before, but these were humans, and high level ones. Even Cato at level 8 had been stronger than some of the mobs on the second floor that were higher levels. That only meant these three Heroes were going to be a challenge, or more likely, certain death.

Owin turned and bolted, leaping over the water. He landed poorly on the next mound and barreled through the ferns.

Miklos laughed loudly behind him. “A chase!”

Another flash burst from the mender. “Get him,” she shouted.

Miklos’s heavy footsteps pounded quickly behind Owin. The goblin turned and swung the greatsword, only to be met with Miklos’s bright red eyes. The berserker’s greataxe effortlessly blocked Owin’s attack. Miklos moved at inhuman speeds, swiftly pushing back the greatsword as he moved into his own swing. Owin dove to the side just as the axe chopped into the dirt and sand on the edge of the mound. Water rose, filling in the space between the mounds, splashing loudly as it poured over ridges of sand.

“Fast little bastard,” Miklos said. He blurred as he moved. Owin brought his greatsword up, barely catching the berserker’s swing. The strike threw Owin a dozen feet to the side, where he landed in a pool of water.

Miklos laughed again. “This is weaker than the lizards!”

“Stop fooling around,” Nikoletta shouted. She stomped through the water toward Miklos, still outlined in a white glow. Her mace and eyes were golden as she glared at Owin.

Owin scrambled out of the water and ran up the nearby slope onto another mound. Something hit him in the back of the head, throwing cool water over his shoulders. It dripped down his shirt and clung to his hair. He spared a quick look back to see Kata standing in a tree with another arrow drawn.

“A regular arrow would have killed it,” Nikoletta said, anger boiling over.

“I’m always hopeful for something better than water!”

Owin ran right over the little island, through some bushes, past a few trees, and through the next pool as it filled with water. An arrow from Kata punctured a tree, shooting bark in all directions like an explosion had just gone off.

Without his Goblin Cunning, Owin would be dead. Even thinking he might have briefly stood a chance against these humans was foolish. The only advantage Owin had, if it was even an advantage, was being quick. His strength was nothing compared to Miklos, and Kata could possibly kill him without Owin ever even seeing her. On top of that, Nikoletta was bloodthirsty and he still didn’t know what any of her spells did.

Owin barreled through another bush and collided with cold, wet skin. He bounced off and fell into the water. Hissing filled the air.

“More?” Miklos asked.

Owin rolled out of the water and dropped Nikoletta’s bag. He held his greatsword with both hands, ready to fight, even if it was foolish. The berserker was always directly behind him.

Three figures stood between the two mounds, just a foot from Owin. They were about the same height as Miklos, but they were green and blue lizard people. Another of the fires burned on the next island to Owin’s right, where another two lizard people sat. Their attention had turned to Miklos, who now hesitated.

The lizard in the center was mostly green with a blue stripe running from the tip of its nose all the way to the tip of its tail. It held a long spear and wore ringmail draped loosely over ragged clothes similar to Owin’s.

Great Forest Mob

Scaltari Knight

Level 15

The other scaltari held axes and flanked the Knight. Miklos had taken his eyes completely off Owin and held his axe ready to fight the lizards.

What better time was there to flee? Owin ran three steps, then heard an audible click. Something smashed against his shin. His health didn’t change, but his leg was bolted to the ground. A faint outline of a trap appeared, holding him in place.

“Take him out,” Nikoletta said.

“With pleasure,” Kata said, appearing to Owin’s right. The hunter grinned and drew another arrow. The plain arrowhead glinted in the sunlight.

“I didn’t do anything,” Owin said.

Kata scowled. “I’ve never heard a mob say that.”

“Examine me again. You didn’t read it wrong.”

A fight started behind Owin. The scaltari at the fire immediately ran toward Miklos and Nikoletta, leaving Owin and Kata alone.

“You’re not a human,” she said.

“I know.”

“Wha—” She kept an arrow drawn with the sharp point aimed directly at Owin’s face. “How? This doesn’t make sense. All the goblins I’ve encountered attacked immediately.” She adjusted her fingers on the bowstring.

“I don’t know. I just want to live.”

“Nothing is that simple.”

Owin sighed. “It could be.”

She relaxed the bowstring and walked closer. Her face softened. “Where did you come from?”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Kata! Stop wasting time!” Nikoletta’s voice was shrill while she was fighting.

The hunter looked over Owin’s shoulder. Owin, with his natural speed, swung with all his new strength. Unfortunately, his low dexterity attribute made it difficult to swing properly. The flat of the greatsword smashed against Kata’s face. Her constitution wasn’t much higher than Owin’s. She couldn’t handle melee combat.

Blood exploded as her eye popped from the strike. Her body went limp as she crashed to the ground and slid, leaving a trail of slick blood. She was still alive, though she was unconscious as the water rose toward her face. Her health was certainly low, though Owin couldn’t see any numbers or bars.

A quick tug against the trap caused it to break and disappear. Owin turned, expecting to see Miklos right behind him. Instead, the berserker was struggling against the scaltari knight. The lizard shrugged off many of the hits from Miklos and countered. Miklos had new wounds on his arms that caused rivulets of blood to stain his skin.

Nikoletta bashed one of the axe-wielding lizards in the head, spraying blue blood across her face. The light on her mace vanished, leaving the marred silver surface dull in the daylight. The other two who had joined from the fire were already lying dead in the water with their skulls caved in.

Nikoletta flashed yellow, pushing the other scaltari back. She laughed maniacally. “Now, your arguments are meaningless, Miklos!”

Owin grabbed the bag and quickly searched Kata for anything useful. He found two potions that looked like buffs, a shield potion, and two more health potions. That was more than enough for now. He stuffed it all in the bag he had stolen. Kata remained unconscious on the ground. The water wouldn’t rise fast enough to drown her, and Owin didn’t need to leave her free to be helped by the other humans chasing him. A quick slash down with the greatsword severed Kata’s head, letting blood run down the sandy dirt to join the rising water.

Miklos cleaved through the other lizard’s head, leaving only the Knight standing against both Nikoletta and Miklos. Nikoletta glared at Owin as she blocked an attack. Miklos used the opening to chop the knight in half. Blood sprayed all over the island.

Owin was already running. Whatever spells Nikoletta had used before had run out during the initial chase and the fight against the lizards. That gave Owin an opening, however brief. He looked at the map as he ran, but it didn’t help. Everything looked the same. Just tiny islands surrounded by odd-shaped bodies of water. Whether they were actually filled or not, the map always showed the space between mounds filled with water, even higher than Owin had seen it.

He stumbled over a hill and pushed through a fern. His foot smashed against something, causing him to flip and land on his bottom. He skidded over the dirt and turned to see a darting varanus lying on the ground. It hissed and slowly stood up.

The ground before Owin between the mound he was on and the next was filled with another five lizards. All eyes turned to him as he stood. One quick swing took the head off the nearest lizard, which turned out to be a mistake as all the others were spurned into a frenzy. They sprinted right at Owin. He took one step and jumped as far as he could manage. He soared right over the lizards just as Miklos and Nikoletta burst from the bush behind him.

They didn’t speak as they immediately went into slaughtering lizards. Owin ran over the next mound and smashed into a figure covered head to toe in metal. He rebounded off, landing heavily on his back.

The figure, in full plate armor, lifted a visor on his helmet. He was an older man with white eyebrows and a mustache peeking through the small opening. “A goblin on the third floor? Unheard of.” He crouched and closely eyed Owin. “A hero? Really?”

“That’s our prey, you old bastard,” Miklos shouted.

The man lowered the visor and stood tall over Owin. He held an elegant longsword in his gauntleted hand, letting the tip point at the ground. It hovered near Owin’s head. “We went over this before,” he said, voice muted from the armor. “You are best off leaving me alone.”

Nikoletta stepped up beside Miklos and swung her mace down, splashing blue blood across the ground. “That monster stole from us.”

The tall man looked down. Owin couldn’t make out details through the holes in his visor. He casually sheathed his sword and looked back at the other humans. “Did you give him a chance to explain himself? Stand up, little goblin.”

The man was huge. Much bigger than Miklos. It might have just been the armor, but he looked like he could tear the berserker in half with just his hands. He wasn’t threatened at all by the humans.

Hero

Artivan Morro

Knight

Nimble Hog Hero Company

Level: 31

Strength: 180

Constitution: 229

Dexterity: 84

Intelligence: 174

Wisdom: 79

Charisma: 54

Owin did as he was told. Artivan didn’t bother looking down to see if Owin followed directions. He kept his eyes on Miklos at all times.

“He killed our hunter,” Nikoletta said, almost hissing.

“Put the weapons down.”

Miklos’s knuckles turned white around the axe. Nikoletta’s eyes flashed golden.

“As you wish.” Artivan grabbed a shield from his back and held it out before him. He didn’t bother to draw his sword again. He stepped forward so Owin was directly beside him. As soon as the knight’s foot stepped down, he flashed white. The dirt under his feet shook from the impact. “Stay still, Owin.”

Owin simply nodded. This stranger was his only hope. There wasn’t a chance Owin would be able to ambush Nikoletta and Miklos like he had done to Kata. These two were significantly stronger in close combat.

The other two humans moved at the same time. Miklos swung the axe on Artivan’s right, while Nikoletta swung her golden mace right at Owin’s head on Artivan’s left.

“Rampart!” A brown flash covered Owin as it emanated from the knight. Artivan’s shield swung down, blocking Owin from the mender’s golden attack. Bright light flashed and washed over Artivan, making it look like the sun itself was on the other side of the shield. At the same time, Miklos’s axe smashed into Artivan’s side and clinked off harmlessly.

Artivan pointed at Miklos with his free hand. “Flare Burst.”

Bright white flames covered Miklos’s entire body. The berserker immediately dropped his axe and screamed. The shield moved away from Owin, allowing him to see as Nikoletta ran to Miklos’s side and calmed the flames. She healed him, and within seconds, he was back to normal. Even the cuts on his arms from the scaltari fight had healed.

Owin shook. His hands trembled while holding his greatsword and the stolen bag. He hadn’t realized how badly he had been shaking until he heard the potions clinking inside the bag.

Artivan let his arms hang to the side, but his feet remained in the same spot. He hadn't moved an inch in the brief encounter. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Owin said. He tightened his grip on the sword, forcing his hands to still.

Nikoletta glared at him as she pulled Miklos to his feet. “You would ruin your name protecting a beast?”

“I have no name to ruin.” Artivan chuckled. “You must not know the Nimble Hogs, mender.”

Miklos leaned close to her ear and spoke quickly.

“No,” Nikoletta said, almost shouting the word.

“Listen to your comrade.” The white glow around Artivan faded. He adjusted his stance, though his foot now barely disturbed the dirt when moved. “Any further threats against the goblin are threats against me.”

Miklos grabbed Nikoletta’s arm and pulled her away. The mender let him guide her away, but she kept throwing glares back at Owin until they disappeared through a fern, over a mound.

Artivan placed his shield on his back again and pulled his helmet off. He had a full head of lush white hair that almost reached his shoulders. A trimmed white and gray beard covered his jaw. “I assume you already used Examine.”

Owin nodded. Just how strong was this man to have taken two hits at once without even flinching. He seemed completely uninjured even after Miklos’s direct hit. If Cato had been like this knight, Owin would have never made it out of the caves.

“Artivan Morro,” he said, holding out his hand.

Owin stared at him. What was this?

Artivan kept his hand extended and laughed. “When you meet someone new, you shake hands and tell each other your names.”

Owin grabbed Artivan’s hand. It seemed like it was at least three times bigger than Owin’s. “Owin.”

“I’ve never seen someone with a deficient class as a hero. I’ve never seen a goblin hero either. Let’s find somewhere safe to relax. I could use a bite.”

“Why?” That was all Owin could manage. It wasn’t a clear question, but it was all that his brain said, over and over. Why had he helped Owin? Why was he here? Why did Nikoletta give up?

“I believe there are many answers to that question, and there are probably many more questions you have locked away in there. We should have a few hours before anything changes on this floor. Let us use it to relax.”

With the knight so calm and relaxed, Owin had no doubt he could score at least one solid hit before the knight was able to react. But did he have a reason this time? With the soldier, assassin, and Cato the knight on the first floor, Owin had been fighting for his survival. There hadn’t been any human heroes on the second floor, and the first ones he had found on the third immediately tried to kill him.

Owin hadn’t wanted to fight the three, and had only killed Kata so she would stop chasing him. This old knight had shown no aggression toward Owin. He had hardly been aggressive toward the two people trying to kill him. It wouldn’t make sense to attack him. But instincts told Owin to attack while there was an opening.

“You can relax,” Artivan said. “I never hurt other heroes unless I have to.”

“I’m not human.”

“Why does that matter?”

Just like that, Owin stopped shaking. Artivan reached into a bag that hung from his hip and pulled out a large mango. He muttered something and dug through the bag until he found a small sheathed knife. “Hungry?”

Owin nodded. “Yes.”