'Green and brown skin, abrasive and rough like that of a leper, yet slippery when you think you might have it in your grasp. A wide, gaping maw filled with razor sharp teeth like broken glass, defiant to let go once they draw blood.
[https://i.imgur.com/CNPmh3h.jpg]
Fear the Goblin. It is a true incarnation of man’s deadly sins. It can appear when you are most vulnerable and it knows not the concept of honor. A fearsome foe to even experienced adventurers and a bane to all others.'
(The ascendant, Bestiary x.1)
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They drew closer to the small human child. Its eyes were closed and from the wounds it seemed deceased or at least too weakened to fight back, an easy kill. They would take the carcass and bring it back to the heart of the mountain, after they satisfied their own hunger that is. Restraint was a concept foreign to them.
“the master gonna be pleaased with such a good find.' the smaller of the two creatures said. 'we gon be Hobs at last.”
“Nihihihihi... yes big, strong Hobs!' The other one gabbed. 'Is... easier to carry if we takes care arms and legses tho.” it proposed.
'Yesses tasty thigh meat!' The thought alone made the small Goblin salivate in glee. 'I gets first bite!' It cried, the firm muscles hidden under its small, slender frame suddenly bulging and springing into action as it jumped atop its seemingly helpless quarry!
Before Trifinn could react the monster was upon him and dug his teeth into his leg. The pain was terrible as the Goblin ripped into his soft thigh and the boy very nearly passed out, but as his strength faded and his mind was clouded, his muscles started to move on instinct alone. He gripped the branch in his hand so hard that his knuckles turned a boney white and forced out a desperate cry: "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHRRRRRRRRR!" making the Goblin look up from his horrifying feast. The result of the next exchange was simple, a very soft eyeball met with the pointed wooden speartip. A reaction the goblin most certainly did not expect. The branch dug deep into the Goblins eye cavity, making the eyeball plainly explode in a gory mess and forcing its way through the optical nerve and at last into the brain, killing the creature instantly.
The second goblin was left stunned by the events that had just transpired. But the boy, though awake and conscious, was standing at death’s door with the amount of blood he had lost.
'Push it a little more and stay away from the pointy stick and then the prey is mines-'
"TRIIIIIFINNNNN! Where are you boy?!" Olivar shouted desperately, forcing the remaining Goblin to completely lose his train of thought and as any sane goblin would do in its figurative shoes, it bolted off and did what its species did best, live to pillage and kill another day. Luckily for the boy goblins are extremely cowardly when facing a threat alone, but grow exponentially more daring when in large groups. Had Trifinn not killed his companion, then things might have turned out differently.
Trifinn never felt this relieved before. He closed his eyes for now and slept a deep and long slumber. He had survived.
Congratulations! Trifinn Lv.0 Innocent became Trifinn Lv.1 Survivor
[https://i.imgur.com/eUZ7vgQ.jpg]
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'And that was my first encounter with a monster. A far cry from the stories you would hear from the bards. No glory, no epic loot, no maidens. Just a boy who managed to beat the odds through some wit and a whole lot of luck. But through this small encounter the young me learned invaluable lessons.
Never underestimate even the weakest of enemies, especially when caught off guard. Be wary of your surroundings even if you deem yourself secure, and most importantly of all, a little hope, however faint is never without worth.'
(The ascendant 1.3)
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Trifinn woke up to pain a second time...today? was it still today? He had a hard time gathering his thoughts. Unlike one would imagine though, his mind did not push away the traumatic events that had transpired, instead every minute detail was burned into his head.
The terrifying monstrous visages that tried to eat him alive, The burning pain that flared back up when he thought about his injuries and the heavy feeling as the monsters limp body feel onto his and pushed the air out of his lungs. It had to have been a nightmare, yet as he opened his eyes he saw the unmistakable reality of his nearly completely bandaged body, in his room, back on his family’s small homestead...
It had all been so very real.
As he slowly got used to the strain he began to think. 'I really was fortunate back there, wasn't I? If the pain had overwhelmed me and I'd have passed out... I don't wanna think about it... No. I have to do exactly that. Dad always said that men are the sum of their experiences. If I want to become brave and strong then I have to remember every detail and learn from it. This was the first monster I killed with my own hands and next time I won't have to cower on the ground. I 'll face them on my own terms.'
'Olivar said they would stay away from towns so I guess I won't do that anytime soon... but what if they just don't feel like that anymore and come with that master they talked about?'
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Wait... Oh my god! I have to tell the adults about that!' Trifinn forced himself into a sitting position and had to fight a strong dizziness to keep himself upright 'Master...aduls...'he stammered, and it was only then that he realized that the bandages around his leg were still seeping blood. At first he thought the wound might have opened up again while he was trying to sit up but he quickly dismissed the idea as he surely would have felt a large flesh wound like that open up.
Over the course of what could have been ten minutes or an hour the dizziness never really subsided as the bandage was soaked in blood and the white sheets were slowly being stained red, the morbid display did not scare Triffin as the whole situation still felt much too surreal to him. He thought about calling out... a few times but his slow and steady blood loss just made him revert back to a befuddled state, and he noticed that the linen he was lying on must have been changed a lot before if the blood just kept going like this.
Just then a key turned in the lock of his door and a familiar face entered the room with armfuls of bedsheets.
"Trifinn why are you... TRIFFIN! You're awake! Oh god and you look terrible! OLI! Please come quick. Bring the healer!" His mother called out and Olivar came rushing down the hallway, a bulky woman in her late thirties equipped with a large leather satchel in tow.
"Uh...didn't you say he wouldn't be awake for another 8 hours at least?" Olivar questioned the healer.
"This is unheard of." she responded in disbelief "He should not have gotten up this early in his anemic state! Lay him back down, the blood isn't flowing to his head. He might pass out again!"
After they had exchanged the sheets and tucked Trifinn back in bed, the seeping became much less drastic. The whole exchange was very exhausting and he decided he might as well just sleep.
"Hrmph." Olivar snorted bemusedly. "We had nothing to worry about after all, Del. The boy must have gotten some of the fortitude from his dad. That idiot could chug ten pints of ale and still run 10 miles afterwards without breaking a sweat! No wonder he's fine."
"FINE? Oli, really? Is this what fine looks like to you!? He's been shredded to ribbons by these beasts! And what were you doing while he was fighting for his life?!" His mother shouted, much to the bewilderment of Trifinn, he had rarely heard his mother this upset.
"Look, I'm sorry Del. I wish I could have been there quicker but after I finally calmed the Oxen I looked back and the boy was just gone. I was lucky to find the exact place he fell in the first place. We should be grateful I got there in time." He calmed, trying his best to defuse the situation.
"Indeed." His mother was seething. "Had you been a little less "lucky" it would be you lying in this bed, staining the sheets with your blood now." She explained and the way she calmly stated this murderous intent made Olivar believe every syllable of it, proven by the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead.
"I'm sorry to interfere in your little... argument." The healer interrupted. She knew how long these fights could go on for if left for themselves, and she had other patients to attend to. "I believe I have solved the mystery of the bleeding."
Trifinns mother and Olivar immediately turned all attention to her.
"Monsters are unfortunately not a field I have much expertise in with how rare their attacks have been." She related "I also don't believe a more qualified healer from Aldnor would arrive here before the boy would be in a truly life threatening condition."
"It's fine. We want to hear your judgement." They both agreed, their hostilities now irrelevant in the face of Trifinn’s safety.
"You see, the symptoms of Trifinn’s condition are very similar to injuries caused by a bite of the slate skink, a native lizard. Although your son’s bites are of a much larger scale. The lizard’s venom causes the blood to stop clotting around injuries and keeps them open, a threatening condition that, if left untreated, could wear out even animals much larger than the lizard."
"That sounds terrible! What can we do?" Trifinns mother interjected.
"I was just getting to that mrs. Deldre. If this theory is correct then we are actually very much in luck. I have a blood thickening agent to counter the lizard’s bite at my workshop. I don't usually need this much though so the price might be a little steeper than usual, I believe you can handle it though. The child will be fine after the paste is applied and the body has the chance to get rid of the venom naturally. Afterwards the wound should close as usual."
The healer made a mental note. 'I can do this for these two... but if attacks like these increase there is no way I can keep up with the demand on my own. Perhaps I can talk to that lunatic Ahab about it? God...I hate visiting that fool."
Deldre sucked in some air. She had been holding her breath for the whole explanation. "That is relieving to say the least. I can't thank you enough. Oli will prepare the money immediately! I will walk you back to your shop to get the medicine. I don't want Trifinn to suffer any moment longer than necessary!" her commandeering air made everyone move swiftly and effectively and soon Trifinn’s wounds were treated with a black paste that quickly formed a lasting scab.
"That worked like magic." She said, genuinely surprised at the speed at which the paste worked.
"Never underestimate the healing powers of nature, mrs. Deldre. Now if you excuse me, I have other house calls to make and many of my older patients can get a little...cranky. Be sure to tell me if anything unnatural happens though. I can always make exceptions."
"We'll be sure to!" The two women exchanged farewells and the healer was sent on her way.
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When Trifinn rose from his bed the sun was shining from such an angle that its rays directly hit his face, making it comfortably warm and cozy while also being just irritating enough to the eyes to make you want to wake up. He knew this as the sign that it was now early morning. He was still aching, but it was nothing against the pain of the day before.
He saw Olivar sitting on a small wooden chair by the door, his eyes were staring straight ahead in a daze. Trifinn noticed that dark rings had formed around them. He was a rugged man with a rather broad frame, dark brown hair and a short stubbly beard that never seemed quite even. When he was not in his joking demeanor he usually seemed deep in thought and had a very keen, stout look to him. A quality Trifinn admired a lot in adults because it made them seem so incredibly safe and reliable to be around. He wanted to look like that someday too.
Eventually Olivar felt the eyes on him and snapped out of his stare. "Oh! Triffin! Good morning little guy. How ya feelin?" He beamed a grin as bright as the sun.
"Good morning Olivar." Trifinn replied and for some reason he felt very at ease right now inf ront of Olivar, not like his usual insecure self. "I'm sore all over and my leg is still hurting really bad...but I think I'll be fine."
"That's very, very good. I'm really glad you're okay little guy. Honestly, I was damn scared for you, but you pushed through and spared me a very untimely end through your ma, you know how scary she gets with me."
"Olivar about what happened in the fore-"
"YES! About that! Really impressive kill you got. Not many can say they actually defeated a monster."
"Is that all that cool? I just kind of grabbed a stick and pushed it. I don't even remember it well. Also it's not what I was trying to tell y-"
"It's VERY cool. Just the fact that you lived to tell the tale is proof enough of that. Look, I even fashioned a little something for you, and the next time you go adventuring don't make me carry your loot back for you."
Trifinn was getting annoyed at Olivar for the consecutive interruptions. As he saw what Olivar made for him though, all that had been forgotten.
[https://i.imgur.com/XYhEH2Z.jpg]
"Of course I also brought back your weapon of choice and took the liberty to make some minor improvements to it."
[https://i.imgur.com/b9iBzow.jpg]
"WOOOOOOW! This is so awesome! I can go on adventures now!" Triffin could not believe his eyes. A real sword to defend himself with and necklace made of actual monster parts.
Olivar had to chuckle to himself. 'Children really are easy to impress aren't they.'