My frown deepened as I leaned back, the warrior goblins sword barely scraping my plateshirt, and I turned that lean into a backwards somersault as the 'mage' came in swinging his staff straight down. In midair, I kicked the staff right at the top, knocking it back with my momentum enough that it hit its owner in the head. Landing in a crouch, I rolled to the side as the warrior swung his sword down at an angle, and I sprang up and kicked my leg out, catching him upside the head. Using him as a springboard, I jumped towards the mage, who was just starting to get his bearings, and crashed into him feet first, sending him rolling down the little hill that led up to the stream. Let me tell you, if you've never seen a goblin rolling head over heels down a hill, you should. Its VERY funny.
Ducking down, I grabbed the bottom portion of the mage's staff, which he dropped when I kicked him, and swung it around in a full circle, smacking the warrior straight on the other side of the head, effectively giving him a concussion. Dropping the staff, I took a step towards the girl holding the rabbits, when I saw her start to mouth a warning. Stepping to the side, I barely sidestepped the sword thrust that was headed for my back, and spun around and slammed my fist into his chest. Hearing a 'shing' sound and three squelches, I looked down, and saw that three blades had extended from the gauntlets knuckles, stabbing right through the warriors chest.
After a second or two, the goblin fell limp, and burst into a cloud of bubbles and sparkles as I pulled my fist back. Looking at this display with curiosity, I glanced down the hill, and saw the mage wanabe sitting down there, his head resting against a slate boulder that had a dent in it, before he did his own little light show.
Sighing, I turned around and watched as the blades slid back into the ridges on the back of the gauntlet, and then I walked back towards the redhead, whos mouth was wide open while she stared at me. I stepped close and gently took the rabbits from her, scratching behind their ears gently before setting them down and nudging them towards a nearby bush that was right next to the copse of trees.
Straightening back up, I glanced at the girl, who still appeared to be in a state of shock. Grinning, I steeped forward, putting a finger on the tip of her chin and pushed up, closing her mouth. "Keep your mouth open too long, and a bird'll make a nest in there." Laughing at the look on her face, I stepped back and held my hand out to her. "My name's Marrok Hemming. I'm a level 1 Drifter. Its a pleasure."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
As she slowly took my hand, I noticed she was blushing, so I decided to tease her a bit more and turned her hand over, gently kissing the back of it like a knight would to his lady liege. As she started sputtering, I couldn't help laughing. "Sorry, after seeing the look on your face, I couldn't resist doing that." I leaned backwards to dodge a slap and laughed lightly, before bowing. "I apologize for my rude behavior.
I glanced up and saw a pained grin cross her face, before replacing it with a smile of amusement. "It's fine, There's no need to apologize. Although please, refrain from doing such jokes in the future."
Still smiling, she took my hand again and shook it. "It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you as well, Ser Marrok." She stepped back and curtsied slightly, which made me raise an eyebrow slightly. "My name is Pr- Er, I mean My name is Aroura Pyre, a level 3 rouge. I believe that is how you 'visitors' introduce yourselves?" I applauded softly, to which she beamed a smile at me.
Sitting down on the top of the hill and looking out over the forest, I motioned for her to sit down next to me. As she did, I gestured out towards the forest."Tell me, Aurora, what do you see out there?" She looked at me for a moment, puzzled, before looking out at the view. "I see a beautiful forest, full of life."
I smiled as I heard that. "I see the same thing, but also so much more. I see an adventure behind a tree, a journey in every hole. I want to find them all, and discover places no one else has, or rediscover ruins and places like that that no one has seen for thousands of years!" At this point, I noticed that I had stood up, and stretched my arms out like I was trying to hug the horizon. Blushing a little, I sat back down, accompanied by giggles from Aroura.
"I want to put my mark on this world, so that everyone will say my name with at least a hint of respect, and kids will think of my and say, ' I want to be like him when I grow up!' Or at the very least, thats what I want to do. What about you? What would you like to do?"
I watched as she started to fidget a bit, before looking away with a slight blush. "Well, to tell the truth... I would like to go out into the world and make a name for myself as an adventurer, one that isn't influenced by who my parents are or what they do."
I looked at her, confused for a second, before scratching my head lightly. "Well, I would ask who they are, but I will respect your privacy. For now, would you like to be friends?" I grinned as I manipulated my friends menu, and a small window appeared in front of the young fire-headed woman.
She was surprised for several seconds, then read the message and smiled at me before happily pressing the YES button.
The NPC Auroura Pyre has accepted your friend request!
I looked at her with a smile before a loud growl echoed through the evening air, and I spun around, watching the surroundings as a second growl echoed. I then turned to Aroura, who had been fidgeting since the first growl with a blush on her face, and I laughed as her stomach growled making the same noise as the first two times. "Hungry huh?"
She nodded her head shyly, the blush deepening, as I stood and helped her to her feet, then grinned wolfishly. "Time for dinner, then."