Thomas was questioning all his life choices as he frantically ran down the dark tunnels of the cave. With the screeching of the goblins slowly catching up to him. The red glow of the floating ball of fire that was his light source floated behind his head lighting the path ahead of him.

As he dashed towards the light at the at the end of the tunnel. Spreading more mana throughout his body, his speed increased even more. Propelling him forward until the sun was finally shining above him.

Putting space between him and the cave entrance, he turned, trying to catch his breath but now wasn’t the time to rest.

Cupping his hands in front of him, leaving a gap he concentrated and pushed. Grayish almost silver gaseous mana condensed between his hands. Creating a roiling ball of mana that shifted and twisted.

He didn’t stop pushing until most of his remaining mana was in what can only be considered as an ugly technique. The technique looked like a semi solid ball of grayish silver mana, that still quivered, like it was straining to break free.

His mana channels were sore from the quick usage of mana he forced through them. Head splitting from forcing the ghostly grayish silver mana together, he waited for the right time to release it.

Thomas could hear the loud goblins getting closer and closer to the opening. Their screams and guttural growls of joy thinking about the prey they were hunting. Finally, with the first green-skinned humanoid coming out of the cave entrance, Thomas shoved his hands forward.

The “technique” shot forward in a streak of silvery gray, missing the two goblins that had already exited the cave and landing just inside the cave opening.

The explosion was almost colorless, only a flash of gray but the sound was almost deafening. The explosion was also bigger than Thomas thought but still not big enough to collapse the cave itself. That wasn’t the goal anyways but wouldn’t have been surprising if it had happened.

The two goblins that were already out and running towards him were blasted forward and fell. They were twitching, clearly trying to get their bearing.

Even feeling like he was going to pass out at any moment from the rapid mana loss. Thomas pulled his three-and-a-half-foot blade from its scabbard and advanced forward.

With a quick thrust of his blade, piercing the heart of the two. It put a quick end to two goblins that were still scrambling to stand. The fight wasn’t over, Thomas knew he had to do something drastic, or the situation would become even more dangerous.

A small horde of goblins could chase him all the way back to town if he didn’t stop it right now.

Trying to do his mana cycling while moving was almost impossible but he still tried it. To try and pull in as much ambient mana as he could and turning it into his mana to replenish his almost empty core. Blade held firmly in both hands; Thomas listened. Trying to hear what happened to the goblins, all he heard was the sound of screams of pain and fear.

Trying to steady his uneven breathing he advanced forward into the opening of the cave. What greeted him inside was the bodies of five goblins torn to pieces or smashed in other places. All of them clearly dead from the explosion.

Another four goblins were injured, whaling from crushed or severed limbs, or other equally gruesome injuries. What Thomas was truly concerned about was the goblins frozen in place behind that pile of dead and dying ones on the ground, there were probably fifteen goblins staring as the gruesome scene.

With a barbaric yell Thomas didn’t know he had in him. He lunged, not at the still frozen horde, but at the injured and dying ones on the ground. Killing them in the most brutal ways he could. Stomping on heads while stabbing into other. Acting as if he was a beast gone mad. After he ended them, Thomas stood as tall and menacing as he could and bellowed “COME AND DIE!”

That broke the hold over the frozen horde and the goblins fled back deep into the cave system. Thomas on the other hand stood there for a few seconds after they turned and fled.

Once he thought they were far enough away. Thomas finally took a deep breath and letting some of the tension out, he almost immediately collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Muttering to himself, “well, that was way to close, luckily goblins are cowards at their core.”

Trying to straighten himself he felt like he was in drunken stupor as he left the cave only stopping to cut the left ear off each goblin he passed.

After getting all the slain goblin’s ears and stuffing them in the sack he prepared. He trudged to the hidden but surprisingly large tree hollow just large enough for him and his pack.

When he spotted the hollow while harvesting a medicinal plant, he stored his pack before heading to the cave. It was only a few hundred yards away from the cave entrance. He prepped the hidden space in case of emergencies, climbing in he used a wisp of mana from his core to activate the concealing runes he carved into it earlier.

He couldn’t allow himself to pass out or even meditate yet, untying a pocket on his bag he pulled out a metal container filled with a lumpy white cream. Scooping out a healthy dose he lathered it on the deep cut on his right side, a cut given to him from a goblin spear when he was facing something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

With a muffled groan from the sting the ointment caused. The last of the adrenaline left his body the feeling of absolute exhaustion washed over him. The small cuts and scrapes across his body became painfully obvious now.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Once he finished cleaning and bandaging himself up, Thomas sat cross legged and closed his eyes. Focusing inward, trusting his concealment runes would keep him hidden from the mana beast in the area.

Breathing in a controlled, practiced rhythm the ambient mana that has no aspect or affinity to it slowly converged into him. Breathing in the neutral mana it naturally attuned to him, turning into his silvery grey mana which no one knows what type it is. Not even himself.

He hasn’t even figured much out about his mana type. It had been a year ago just a few weeks before his sixteenth birthday, he awoke in the middle of the night to a slight burning sensation just above his bellybutton which meant his core awakened.

He had learned that no one had seen his mana type before, at least no one in his town. The adventures guild wasn’t much help either since his town wasn’t big enough or had enough quests that would warrant them setting up a full-sized guild building. With the full set of tools and staff to truly evaluate his mana and compare it to their records.

He would have to go to the capital for that and that is a trip that would take a few weeks at least to make it. The cost of travel plus the expenses in the capital itself means he can’t afford it either way. The knowledge would help him figure out how to best utilize his mana, but he had to make sure he wouldn’t starve just to get it.

He shook those thoughts out of his mind as he just focused on meditation. Slowly filling up his core with a basic breathing form he was taught at the mana class he was allowed, well, made to go to.

Waking up, Thomas realized he must have fallen asleep at some point during his meditation. The way sunlight was still shining outside his tree hollow meant he must have been out for only a few hours.

Checking inwards his core was only just over half filled and wasn’t packed full of the fog that was his mana.

Looking at the concealment runes which thankfully were still working which was as he expected but still a relief. Tenderly checking his side, the pain was there but not as raw as it was before his meditation or nap. Madam Plumbs Ointment is really worth the five silvers, the wound was still tender and somewhat closed but thankfully not actively bleeding.

Thomas hoped he would be back to completely healed in a day or two without needed to add anymore healing items to it.

Finally crawling out of the hollow Thomas slung his pack on and started the normally only two hours walk back to town. Based on the position of the sun he should make it back before the sun fully set, luckily the goblin in the cave were mainly nocturnal and wouldn’t come back out until then. At least he hoped so.

Thinking about the day’s events Thomas set off back home, thinking about the goblins instantly put a scowl on his face. The quest said there would be no more than six and was marked a solo D-Ranked or a party E-Ranked quest.

The hobgoblin he found alone made it a solid D-Ranked. The group of goblins plus the hobgoblin made it a party D-ranked at the minimum. What really bothered him was that he didn’t even truly make it into the first chamber of the cave system.

Before he made it back to town, he wanted to get a true understanding of what he thought happened. Playing the whole encounter over in his head to have a true understanding of what happened.

When he first made it to the cave entrance it was dark, crouching down once the sunlight from the opening was behind him, he listened, the faint sounds he could hear he couldn’t distinguish. letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, the glow moss would be bright enough once they did.

Creeping down the tunnel until he half stepped into the first chamber. The chamber was illuminated by the soft glow of blue from the glow moss. In the first chamber is where he found the hobgoblin, there were also at least twenty, probably thirty goblins in there.

This cave was well documented to have two chambers and since goblins love dark, damp places and would always go to the deepest darkest chamber they could find. If the hobgoblin was sleeping in the first chamber with the other lower ranked goblins that meant there had to be something even stronger than him in the second chamber.

Thinking back on it, Thomas realized and appreciated how lucky he was. When he saw the mass of goblins he tried to sneak back out. Sadly, the hobgoblin woke, Thomas didn’t know if it was the shuffling of his boots or his smell, but it knew he was there.

Its eyes snapped open and turned to him. It was standing and rushing at him faster than he thought the five-foot tall dark green rotund thing should be able to move. The accompanying guttural yell woke the rest of the horde.

Thomas liked to be prepared so he raised his arm above his head and activated the torch scroll that he already had in his hand. The entire cave chamber went from a dull blue glow to being washed in a bright red light for a second before it dimmed into a steady light source.

Thankfully, it achieved what he hopped and blinded the hobgoblin causing it to stumble less than three yards away from him, without hesitation Thomas flooded his body with mana to increase his strength and speed.

Then he did one of the few things he was truly proud of, a technique that coats his blade in mana. Sharping it to the upmost level he could, then he lunged and swung. The hobgoblin wasn’t prepared, so its head was taken clean off.

From the burst of light to when he killed the hobgoblin it was only seconds.

That’s when he was painfully reminded of the normal goblins in the room. When the thrown spear took him in the side.

Which would have been way worse if he didn’t have his body strengthening active. Reevaluating his situation, he made a quick cut to get the hobgoblin’s ear for proof before he bolted for the exit. Before the horde of goblins could orient themselves and attack.

Thomas truly was disappointed in himself; he handled the situation as best as he could at that moment. Now though with a clear head he realized how sloppy of a job he did. He wasted so much of his mana when he didn’t use his proper strengthening technique and rushed mana coating on his blade. Wasted even more when he used that ugly explosion. It was truly sloppy and wasteful.

This was an opportunity to learn from his mistakes that he wouldn’t go to waste. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate what to improve on.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he paid closer attention to his surroundings, the lush green woods around him calmed him. The massive trees, lush undergrowth teaming with useable plants.

There weren’t that many mana beasts in this forest so he turned his attention towards the plants hoping to find some he could turn in to the guild or sell directly to Madam Plumb.

The walk back to Les was uneventful, only stopping to harvest a few plants that can be sold. Stopping at the small river to wash up and as much of the remaining blood and dirt off as he could.

Before long his feet finally landed on the road just outside the gates to town. The only thing special about the town was that it had an actual stone wall around it. Thomas always found it funny because the town itself only had a few thousand people, wasn’t a fronter town, so there wasn’t a need for one. Maybe he would find out why one day.

At this time of day an hour or two before dark there was a small line of people trying to get in, stopping behind a small cart with fresh vegetables Thomas waited. As the line grew shorter, he pulled out the small copper colored metal card that was his guild identification.

When he was called up, next all he had to do was show his guild card, put a little mana into it to activate it, and he got in for free. Once he fully got into Les he made a beeline straight to the adventures guild so he could report what was actually out in the caves. Not just a handful of goblins.