Godfrey’s piece of cloth felt itchy and uncomfortable, but its warmth could not be denied.

As I waded through the tall shrubbery, keeping my distance from the large palm trees, I was tempted to remove it several times.

I decided not to for a Shieldfather did not break his word, but inwardly I cursed Godfrey. Anger washed over me as I realized how much pity I felt for myself. Perhaps this was the demon’s plan after all. Destroy me from the inside, make me a resentful, pitiful creature that cared about its own well-being above all other.

No, that would not come to pass.

“I decry you, demons!” I yelled to the greenery around me. A loud crack suddenly came from my right and I tightened my grip on the crab shell.

“Show yourself!” I yelled. “I’m here!” The jungle was thick with plants growing mindlessly wherever they apparently desired. A sort of chaos I could only see in the hellspawn’s domain. Flowers of white, blue, red, and purple poked out of dense shrubs offering enthrancing scents that, despite their intoxicating fragrance, made me tenser. Which one of these would prove to be a demon in hiding? Which one of those vine-entangled trees would swoop down any moment and crush my skull? I could not know. But I trusted in my prowess as a Shieldfather, in my instinct as a killer, and the might of my stature to keep me alive and my enemies dead.

A small head poked over a lush berry bush to my right. Two long green ears stuck to a bald head.

“Whassa dis?” the forest demon said, every sound a hiss.

“I am Shieldfather,” I explained.

The creature raised an eyebrow over its large dark brown eye. Then it slowly walked around the bush and stood there, studying me in awe.

“Yous-a big!” it said then licked its fat lips.

The creature was tiny, half the size of Godfrey, and I relaxed somewhat knowing that no harm could come from such a feeble thing. Leather straps held up a small piece of fur around its groin. Red tribalistic tattoos meandered over its entire body. In its right hand, it held a dead animal. A fresh kill as blood was still dripping off the grey and white fur, gathering in a puddle beneath.

“My size is impressive and so is my strength, you are right. What is that animal you’ve slain?”

“This?” he said, holding it up for me to see. “Issa ferret.”

“Can you eat it?”

The forest imp smiled, showing many white fang-like teeth, then bit into the creature, tearing out fur and meat. It didn’t chew but swallowed immediately.

“Yesss…” it hissed. “But, why yous naked, hmm?”

“I don’t want to waste time retelling my story, little creature. I need to get to Underock Village to see a priest.”

“Human?” it said, cocking its head.

“No, I’m Vainar. What are you?”

The creature eyed me for a moment, cocking its head this way and that.

“Human.”

It sounded as if it wasn’t entirely sure about it, and neither was I. I had no doubt Godfrey was human, but this thing? It was small and green with pointy ears and I had not read about such humans before. I decided not to question it harshly as such behavior soured my relation with Godfrey. Instead, I chose to extend my respect toward the small… Human.

“Very good then, human. Show me the way to Underock and I will offer you a reward in turn.”

“Reward?”

“My respect.”

“Respect,” the human repeated, weighing my offer. “No coin?”

“I have no such thing and I find it insulting to consider coin over a Shieldfather’s respect, young one.”

“Come!” it said. “I will show yous a shortcut, yes?”

“Good,” I replied with a nod, feeling that I was finally shown the proper honor.

Godfrey may have been helpful but his cadence was irksome. This small human did not question me. He understood – simply by taking in the glory that was a Shieldfather – that earning my trust would bring great glory to him and hopefully his many children.

Finally, this world made at least some sense.

“I’m Guza, follow mes, here!” he said and I did so, taking a sharp right turn from the trail and delving deeper into the lush green jungle.

The trees seemed to become denser as we moved deeper into the darkness of the woods. It took the resolve of a legendary warrior not to be frightened by those large, looming protrusions that felt like the hands of Ta’een reaching from the underworld to clutch me in the Angel Arbiter’s foul grasp.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The sounds of that strange land helped little to steel my nerves. The rustle, the skittering, the squawks and screeches of a land steeped in otherworldly mystery made me tense. I noticed creatures, almost human-like if it wasn’t for their long tails, jumping from one tall branch to another, yet Guza paid them no heed, so I tried not to either.

Only a few minutes into our venture, I could hear voices similar to those of my little green human friend. This aroused suspicion in me, but I practiced patience. I would not be known as rash and unforthcoming.

“Guza,” I said, however, for I still had questions. “Is this your family down that slope standing around the fire? You have caged enemies there, I see. Have you been at war?” I asked as six of his kin slowly walked up to us.

“Wassa tis?” one of the other humans said. It had long, fiery red hair and just like Guza, it was covered in tattoos, albeit blue and white in color.

“Tis good friend,” Guza explained as the rest of them found their way up the slope. They moved to stand in a circle around me and I smiled, enjoying the primitive but welcoming appreciation ritual.

“I am Shieldfather and I seek guidance through these trees. I need to reach the place known as Underock. There I must talk to a human priest and find my way back to hell.”

“Yus a big!” one of them said.

“Issa strong?” another asked.

“Yes, little humans. I’m both.”

“Humansss?” several voices chirped at once.

“Hessa think we human,” Guza said and it was already there that I should have been suspicious of him.

“Oh, yes, yes! My name issa Peter Forestgoblin,” one of them claimed and the others giggled.

I knew better than to insult them so I giggled with them. My sonorous cheer enchanted the humans even further.

“And mess a George Tree Ground,” another added, introducing himself.

“Mes a Sandra Hoom…an.”

“It is good to meet you Sandra Hoom’an, but I mustn’t dawdle. My path is clear and my mind set on finding the priest. You may touch me briefly, but then you must be kind and show me the trail.”

It seemed as though my words didn’t reach them. A sudden, treacherous silence befell the eight of us.

An unexpected hit to the back of my knee made me stagger forward and kneel down. I looked up and saw George Treeground swinging a club right toward my face. The impact was strong and painful and almost knocked me out completely.

Words of the Soulforge blinked into my mind.

YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED: FOREST GOBLIN

ATTACK: 6

DEFENSE:1

I grabbed for the assailant, curling my fingers around its throat, then tossed it as far as I could.

I felt more hits all across my legs and back accompanied by manic laughter.

“Betrayers!” I yelled for it was true.

I used [Shield Slam] against the closest fiend.

The crab shell hit it on its flat nose and left it standing there incapacitated for a brief moment. I followed up with my fist and the despicable little human fell over backward, but it didn’t die. In the back of my mind, I was aware that his attack was but a mere single digit, just like the goblin’s defense. While my own defense, with the help of the crab shield was a 6, just like their attack. I was more than aware that this meant only some of my attacks would go through, and some of theirs would land as well.

The rest of my foes widened their circle around me, slowing their attack.

“Foul trickery, humans.”

“Humansss?” One of them repeated and they all laughed again.

Especially Sandra Hoom’an.

“The thing believed mes. I said we humans, he believed me!” Guza explained.

What a fool I was indeed. The three points in intellect were well-deserved. Here I was extending kindness to treacherous fiends while scorning my good friend Godfrey. It tore at me worse than the savage weapons used to flail me.

“Hes big but weak he is,” another of them hissed.

I looked at my health and saw it was already down to 62 out of 100.

“So are you, demons!”

Another round of laughter met my words and confirmed the suspicion.

“We goblinsss, you big fat man!”

It made sense since it did say Forest Goblin in the Soulforge. My anger was unleashed. Whether it was trickery or not, whether these creatures were demons or goblins or humans, I didn’t care. I needed to see them to their graves.

I dashed to the nearest green beast and used [Shield Slam] once more, knocking it out for a few seconds. Just as I was about to follow up with my fist, the other five came at me all at once, defiling my perfect skin with their dirty cudgels. My health quickly dropped as the wounds mounted.

I managed to kick one to the ground, then followed up with the edge of my crab shield, slamming it into the goblin’s throat. His eyes almost popped out and I saw a small notification blink.

YOU HAVE KILLED: FOREST GOBLIN

EXPERIENCE GAINED: +18

EXPERIENCE: 28/130

I turned as quickly as I could, raising my shield and knowing that more attacks were coming my way. I used [Shield Slam] to stun Guza who was running at me with a rusted piece of iron.

I tried to follow up with another slam, my hand moving the crab shield forward and against the nose of Peter Forestgoblin. It connected with his face, bloodying his nose, but it didn’t stun the goblin.

I forgot about the cooldown but realized I could still use the shield for damage and distance without the stun effect.

I put my shield up against an overhead blow, lowered it again to deflect a horizontal swing by Guza, and then brought it up again to stop another club attack from above.

Not one of the attacks made it through. It was a simple rotation, but I executed it slowly and without grace. It felt as if I was fighting under water. I knew everything there was to know about defending with a shield, but I could not keep up with the speed or power of this foe.

The crab shell cracked as I stopped another vile blow to my side, then shattered completely as I defended against Guza’s swing. I was now without a weapon and a shield while six of the goblins, mostly unharmed were coming at me, giggling like d

ribblesnout demons.

“I will not succumb to you!” I snapped and lunged at Guza, ready to pry my revenge from the goblins’ open ribs. Guza, however, was somehow faster than me and smacked me viciously on the head.

My health dropped to 18/100 and a red notification blinked angrily in my vision. I then felt a sudden rush of strength, however, as the [Rage Against Death] ability flared up.

I grabbed for the nearest goblin, suffering more wounds to my back and hands then curled my fingers around its throat as the others beat on me mercilessly. I squeezed until blood and brains popped out of the goblin’s ears.

“Die Peter Forestgob…”

As I realized the jab in its very name, I felt ashamed like a child who was played a fool by his elders. What mockery these goblins practiced; it was nothing if not demonic.

My health dropped to a worrying 7/100 so I jumped away to create some distance. I was already breathing hard and sweating as if I had been at the end of a demon tide after having slaughtered hundreds. This was not as I hoped it would be. One more hit and I would be gone from this world, too. What afterlife would await me were I to die to such pitiful creatures? No, I had to distance myself, gather my strength, and return to face these vile beasts once more.

“I will return!”

“Hagra!” Guza cried, kneeling next to his kin whom I had destroyed with my bare hands. “Youss killed my darling! Youss suffer!”

It brought me some joy to see Guza in emotional pain for I was unable to create any physical one.

“And you will be next!” I yelled as I ran, not away, but to, as said, create some distance and come up with a different strategy.