“you woke up, I left an ointment next to you, you should apply it on the wounds”.

“...Am I dead?” he said slowly as he tried to get up.

“I don't think so buddy, my body hurts too much to be” I groaned as my head was getting a headache again.

“You're right, mine too” He said as he fixed his eyes on his arms, which were full of bruises.

A silence fell over the forest while Dalos was engrossed in his thoughts and I in mine, we had several problems to solve from here on, I don't think the goblins had decided to stop their search for some lost ones.

“Dirhaël” I turned to look at Dalos, who seemed to have finished applying the ointment ”How are you...”

“Alive...it wasn't easy, but they are stupid, peasant-like creatures, no offense.”

“I always knew we weren't the smartest, but I never expected them to do that...”

“Do you feel ready to move, we should move to a safe place, I don't want to spend the night out in the open” I said interrupting her thoughts of guilt, I turned to look at Grandma. She seemed to have improved her condition and I would have no problem carrying her, while I would take the luggage to Dalos.

It took us a while to move because the mountain winds prevented us from finding a suitable place to spend the night. We would be in trouble if our search took longer and we had to rest in the open. Of course, not knowing where we were headed had made my company nervous.

“We should settle down, it will be dark soon and it will be hard to light anything with such strong winds” said Dalos with a tone of fear in his voice.

I was doubting my decision until a figure in the sky caught my attention “We will go there”.

There in the middle of the winds and the snow, we could see a bird on the top of a rock, with a closer look we were in front of the entrance of a cave, when I wanted to look again at the bird, it was gone.

The cave was somewhat wide but its entrance was narrow, so with a couple of bushes, we could cover it and we took out what little we had to have a comfortable night.

I spent the night resting while I tried to know what had happened to my mana, since the encounter with the idiots I could not retain a bit of it in my body, although I felt I could gather it, I hope I had not damaged something irreparable, mana would be indispensable.

I had asked Dalos to take care of Grandma's condition, changing bandages regularly and doing a proper cleaning, a fever would be a deadly thing in her condition so it was necessary.

___________________

I groaned as my mind began to refocus. Quickly, images, sounds of gunshots, and screams were everywhere, my consciousness was still confused by what was happening, I could see different faces dying and their pleas only to see Grandma in my arms... Dying.

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

Once I opened my eyes I remembered clearly everything that had happened, looking around me at where Dalos and Grandma were, seeing her face calmed my anxious heart even for the nightmares I had lived.

I never thought that they would follow me to this life, but apparently, it is difficult to get rid of some things even after death.

I left the cave and once I was sure I was far enough away to have a few minutes to spare, I opened the interface and grimaced at what I saw.

Darhiel (level 5- XP: 90/140)

Race: human (elf 36.5%,????)

_____

Vitality: 15 I Strength: 11 I Agility: 11 I

Mana: 8 I Stamina: 18 I Intelligence: 34 I Wisdom: 21 I

[1 SP]

My stats had increased exponentially since yesterday, leveling up seemed the right way to become strong. Something I expected but it was nice to confirm.

I pulled a rusty sword out of what seemed like nowhere and rejoiced at how useful it was, [Inventory] a skill I had chosen yesterday in the heat of the moment because it was the only one I would know exactly how useful it was.

Not having to carry a weapon and being able to have it when needed is what any soldier would appreciate. I had only one special point to spare, but there was no useful ability for so little.

.....

I looked across the clearing, enjoying the view as I waited for some of the rabbits I had been tracking to come out of their burrows.

We had a food problem to solve and while Dalos would take care of bringing back wild berries he said he had seen on the way, I would take care of hunting rabbits, it would be difficult without a bow, but a good slingshot with a bit of string, leather and a good branch. It solved some good problems.

Soon 3 rabbits had fallen before me, after many attempts, but like many previous times I had hunted, I had no experience with it. As I prepared to return to the cave, the sound of footsteps startled a few more rabbits, but they were not mine.

As I ran, a part of me was focused on planning what I would do to deal with them, it wouldn't be easy to take on five of them at once. Even more so without my most valuable card.

With a possible stupid plan in my head, I increased my speed until I found a tree high enough, it didn't take long to find it in the middle of this forest.

My momentum allowed for a quick climb over the branches while hoping the stupid creatures weren't smart.

Fortunately fate or the fame of how stupid the creatures were had played out, as I watched their attempts to follow me to the top of the tree. A rock with a slingshot was enough to take out the first one.

[XP: +40]

Their fear in the face of an unexpected situation left them no time to react before the second death came, and after that the third, until only one of them remained.

I could barely restrain myself from mocking how easy it was being, the creature blinded in its eagerness to hunt me, they had not even noticed that everyone but him had died. They were almost atrociously bad but their numbers would always present a danger.

Having spare stones in the inventory had saved my neck.

[XP: +40

you level up

+1 stat point]

Darhiel (level 6- XP: 150/280)

Race: human (elf 36.5%,????)

It had been a lucky mistake, but I would have to prepare myself, if there were still goblins willing to hunt me, there would be more of them and I would not underestimate their sense of smell again.

_________________________

“They haven't come back yet?” Tolfo said with concern, as he looked deep into the forest.

“N-no, I told you we should retreat, these humans are not the prey we thought” Said a goblin beside him, Lorak, someone capable but too greedy according to Tolfo.

“Shut up, this is all your fault, if you weren't so inept we would have caught them before the crossing, distracted by just one you haven't been able to catch yet.”

“That one has managed to kill many of our people, and even more with the squad you decided to send separately” Lorak argued to him, annoyed by his leader's incompetence.

“If you don't shut up, one more will die but at my hands.”

“Your threats don't scare me sycophant.”

Their conversation was interrupted due to a strange smell coming to their nostrils, with house one of them trying to figure out what it was,

Blood, the blood of their own had been spilled.

“Find him, I want his head” shouted Tolpho angrily, his saliva dripping from his mouth.

“He's close I can feel it” said Lorak, as all the goblins decided to end the life of their coveted enemy.