Another five days passed before he finally reached Onigas.

Alaster gathered any berries he knew were edible on the way, but even still, he was nearly out of food.

After he had crossed the Kingdom Borders, there was a distinct increase in monsters, forcing Alaster to hide more often and for longer. There had been multiple close calls. By the time Alaster entered the City Clearing. His clothes were ripped from diving into bushes. He was caked in mud and had twigs and leaves in his hair.

The boy set foot on an actual path for the first time in over a week and joined the procession of other travelers and merchants towards the Independent City of Onigas. All of them looked at the boy strangely and gave him space, but he ignored them and kept walking.

The next step in his plan would start once he entered the walls.

As to what that that next step would be, Alaster had still not figured out. As he walked, he allowed himself to think of it. During his journey to Onigas, he had intentionally thought about what he would do once he got there. The trip had been dangerous enough without him being distracted.

Luckily, the Goblins were the only creatures that he had been forced to fight. However, there were a few monsters that had chased Alaster that had Alaster fought, would have certainly killed him. Alaster's foot still ached after he had been forced to jump from the tree he had spent the night in after a monkey looking creature attacked him.

'First step, recon. I have to know my surroundings before I can plan further.'

Alaster briefly glanced around him, seeing the area that was cleared around him despite the many people and large animals.

'Scratch that. First step, wash myself.'

The boy left the path and quickly returned to the forest. He had spotted a small stream that briefly expanded into a sort of pond, before shrinking back to its small size. Luckily, it was far enough in the forest, that it would be concealed, but at the same time, close enough that it was not a long trip. In just under an hour, Alaster found it again, however he was not the only one.

Alaster ducked behind a tree and studied his surroundings. Besides the young girl that was splashing around the pond, there was nothing else out of the ordinary. The girl seemed to be around Evelyn's age. She had long bright blonde hair. Her vibrant red dress was clearly well-made and cleaned. At the edge of the pond, her boots were thrown, allowing the girl to play around.

Alaster considered walking up and just ignore her while he washed off the bigger chunks of mud, but decided against it. He simply was not in the mood to converse, and Alaster had a strong suspicion that once the girl started to talk, she found it difficult to stop. However, the true deciding factor of him not introducing himself was that she reminded him of his sister with her big, bright smile.

The memory was still fresh in his mind, not that it would ever leave. Just seeing the girl caused his chest to tighten painfully.

Alaster was about to turn away, but he heard a twig snap. After over a week in the wilderness, he silently dropped to the ground out of habit before he searched for the source.

On the other side of the pond from where he was, a group of four Goblins were quietly stalking closer to the girl. And she had not noticed them.

'Damn it!'

Angry with both himself and the situation, Alaster drew his dagger and began to get closer to the pond himself. He would have preferred to avoid the confrontation, but he knew he could not just leave the girl. Least of all to the Goblins. Forced into the fight, he would have then preferred to sneak behind the green skinned vermin, but he had neither the time nor the opportunity.

The stream had no foliage cover that could conceal him while he crossed it. As dumb and oblivious as they were, the Goblins would have spotted him. So, Alaster quickly came to the realization that his best chance was to hide as close to the Pond as he could and wait until the Goblins made their move, then he would jump out surprising them.

The boy snuck through the foliage on his hands and knees, leaves crunched under him, but the Goblins were even worse. It was like they weren't even bothering to conceal themselves. But the girl's playful splashing was loud enough that she did not hear any of it.

As foliage began to thin out, so Alaster stopped moving and prepared himself. The Goblins were close to the edge of their own foliage, and past that, only a meter away, was the edge of the pond. Luckily, the girl was closer to Alaster than the Goblins.

As Alaster watched, the two Goblins in the front crouched themselves down, preparing to sprint out of cover and ambush the girl. He tensed his muscles, preparing himself to intercept them.

With a triumphant screech, the Goblins sprung forward. The girl finally noticed them and backed up in panic, but her foot caught the edge of her dress and she fell into the shallow waters. Alaster forced himself to wait until they reached the edge of the pond before he sprinted out of hiding.

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The Goblins dropped into the pond and began to wade towards the girl. The two Goblins still in between the trees screeched a warning, but it was too late.

Alaster jumped over the girl, his knife over his head. He landed on one of the Goblins and slammed his Dagger down, into the Goblins chest, its blood coating the boy's face. The Goblin was thrown into the water by the force of Alaster's jump, but he anticipated that, and jumped off before he followed.

Before the Goblin could react, slowed by its surprise and panic, Alaster slashed his dagger deeply across its chest. The Goblin jumped back in pain as he held its hand over the cut, but it did not go down. It screamed as it raised its club and charged at the boy that had hurt it.

Alaster tried to dodge to the side, but he had forgotten where he was, and the water that stood to his knees slowed him down.

The club slammed into the boy's arm and in his pain, he dropped the dagger.

Alaster screamed in pain, but pushed through it as his father had taught him. Instead of retreating from the Goblin, Alaster instead tackled it, driving it under the water. The water was shallow enough for the Goblin to go under completely, but not for the boy as well. However, he still got a large amount of water in the face, blinding him.

He rolled off the Goblin and hurriedly wiped his eyes, but when he could finally see, the other two Goblins had already arrived. One of them bent down and grabbed Alaster's dagger, while the second Goblin stood back up, the blood from its wound running wildly after mixing with the waters.

Alaster grit his teeth, both in pain and desperation. He was fairly certain that his upper left arm was broken. He had no weapon, while he was against three Goblins, all of whom had weapons, and one even had the boy's. And to make matters worse, Alaster could not run. The girl was still behind him, shivering and frozen in fear.

Nonetheless, his parents would be disappointed if he gave up or left the girl to be taken.

Alaster ran his good arm through his hair, swiping it back and getting the excess water out.

'Not quite the way I intended to wash.'

His left arm hung limp, but he held up his right in a fist, ready to fight.

The second Goblin growled as it once again charged forward, the other two just behind it.

Alaster yelled in defiance as he also charged. This time, he did not forget about the water. As he got closer to the lead Goblin, he sidestepped the rapidly descending club and thrust his fist into the Goblin's face.

Alaster grinned to himself triumphantly, but it quickly vanished as he saw his own dagger being thrust at him.

The boy barely had time to react, and he was just a tad too slow. His dagger, cut across his side, even nicking his rib at its deepest.

Alaster screamed in pain once again, but used the force on his side to spin him around and punch the Goblin in the ear.

It dropped both the dagger and club as its brain was scrambled.

But before Alaster could grab his dagger again, he was forced to back step from the horizontal swing of the fourth Goblin.

In his desperation, Alaster nearly tripped over himself as the water resisted his movements. But he managed to stay on his feet. One of the Goblin's clubs brushed against his knee and the boy quickly grabbed it.

Before he could bring it up, he was tackled by the fourth Goblin and he went under. The club was forced from his hand and he was once again without a weapon.

The Goblin grabbed Alaster's throat and tightened his grip. Both underwater, and without the air already in his lungs, Alaster began to suffocate.

The boy struggled against the grip of the Goblin as his vision dimmed, but under the water, none of his movements had any power.

In one final desperate move, the boy brought his legs up and wrapped them around the Goblin's chest before he yanked away.

His legs, still flexible from youth and much stronger than his arms, pulled the Goblin away and off the boy.

Alaster scrambled to the surface and gasped for breath. But he was not given any reprieve. The second Goblin, that he had punched in the nose, tackled him, slamming him into the side of the pond.

The Goblin was knocked off of Alaster and onto the bank of the pond. It yelled as it scrambled back to its hands and knees before it once again jumped at Alaster.

Alaster reacted and grabbed its arm as it sailed at him and redirected it over him. It splashed into the water past him.

The boy was quick to react and grabbed a club floating nearby. By now, two of the Goblins had recovered, while the one Alaster had punched in the ear was still clutching it and squealing in pain.

Blinded by pain and anger, the second Goblin moved first. Alaster swung the club as hard as he could.

The Goblin tried to duck under it, but its foot caught on a rock under the water. It lurched forward, lining its temple right in the path of the club.

Alaster felt the shock of the impact run through the club and into his arm. He almost dropped the club, but he managed to hold onto it.

The Goblin was thrown away from the blow and floated in the water.

The next Goblin was more careful and splashed at the boy to distract him, but he closed his eyes and blindly swung.

The blow landed.

Alaster wiped his eyes and saw the goblin scrambling in the water, bleeding profusely from its head.

The boy marched over and slammed the club over its head, stopping its movements.

In the water, Alaster spotted the glint of his dagger. He stumbled over and retrieved it.

The last Goblin groaned as Alaster walked over.

Not wanting to take any chances, Alaster tackled it, knocking it over the edge of the pond.

Exhausted and in pain, Alaster fell on top of it. It tried to fight back, but its senses were still scrambled.

Alaster had no strength left, instead, he just put the knife in front of him and fell, plunging the knife into the Goblin's throat.

Alaster stumbled off the Goblin and turned around, pulling the knife with him.

The girl still hadn't moved, but behind her, four large men in armor ran out of the trees.

The boy took a step forward, raising his knife up. His consciousness already fading, but still defiant. Still ready to fight.

Alaster took a step forward, but his foot caught. He fell forward into the water, his mind already absent from his body.