Max climbed back into the tree after removing his spear from the goblin he had stuck with it. Burning the blood off had also reminded him to burn the spear's tip, helping to harden it. He had forgotten that trick one of the older trainers had mentioned years ago.
Once the sun was up, he threw dirt over the fire until it was out and made sure it didn’t smoke. He did not want anyone to know he had been there.
Stretching, Max was in awe that he wasn’t as sore or stiff as he thought he might be.
After the point of strength he had gained, his body felt not just stronger but better, and he started to whistle as he prepared to head out until he remembered that he was trying to be stealthy.
Moving slowly back toward the thinner part of the woods, Max remembered there might be people looking for him. They might be searching the countryside or think he was hiding somewhere in town, waiting for them to leave.
Getting far from here as fast as possible was the best choice, so he grabbed his spear and the small one the first goblin had set down before heading off to find some water, as his skin was almost empty.
A few hours had passed as he navigated the treeline, keeping an eye on the fields off to the northwest and making sure to stay on the lookout for people. The hours dragged on, and the sun continued to climb high into the sky, leaving him thirsty as he finished off the last bit of water in his skin. There was a stream in the direction to the southwest, but it would probably be a few more hours before he actually made it there at this pace. Cutting up some of the cheese and meat as he walked, he had to eat it slowly as the dry mouth he had made chewing difficult.
“Water… it’s always something simple that gets you,” he grumbled, thinking about how many miles he had gone. Thirteen? Twelve? He had traveled far. The first real village should be within a day’s reach if he kept going in the same direction.
Lost in his thoughts and his concern over how dry his throat was, Max paused in shock as he heard barking off in the distance, coming from the direction he was headed.
He stopped and bolted deeper into the trees. Needing some time to think, he sunk behind a large trunk. There would be some small villages and even the occasional houses out here where people worked the land. A dog barking could mean almost anything. It sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t figure out why right now.
Listening carefully, he knew the sound came from the direction he needed to go.
I’m going to regret this…
Slowly, he made his way through the forest, stopping and waiting each time the barking stopped for a minute before it started up again. Trees were about ten feet apart, the trunks thick enough to obscure his line of sight, making it impossible to see far ahead. Even with the sun at its peak height, the canopy kept where he was decently dark as he slinked through the shadows.
After about twenty solid minutes of doing his best to remain hidden and not be seen or heard, the source of barking was only a good fifty yards or so ahead.
The barking sounded deeper and very familiar now. As he crept closer, the sweat building on his palms made him begin to second-guess his attempt to find out what was going on.
I swear someday, I will find a healing potion for this problem.
Slowly, he made it up to a few more trees and shook his head in frustration when he saw a brown sheepdog barking at a sheep tangled in a bush.
A groan escaped his lips as he knew what this meant. At some point, someone would come looking for the dog and the sheep. Backing up and skirting around the trees, Max didn’t want to deal with people. He had no idea how quickly news might be spreading about him, and if anyone learned his description and shared it, they would be on his trail faster than he could imagine.
Moving back into the deeper part of the forest, he began heading to the south, trying to judge where he was going by the sound of the dog barking.
After about ten minutes of making his way through the trees, the sound of the barking changed. It was different than the usual, “hey, I’m here, come and find this stupid sheep.” It sounded more like a threat had emerged.
He wanted to ignore it and keep moving, but he knew the cost of sheep and a well-trained dog. If something threatened the sheep, the dog would risk his own life to protect it.
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Moving back toward the direction he knew the dog was in, he began to jog, dodging the roots and trees as he darted through the forest.
The sound abruptly changed, and a yelp and whine sounded as he drew closer. He was still a good minute from where it was, but he knew there was no turning back now. He had raised too many dogs over his life just to let one be hurt.
Sprinting, he flew past trees, and he heard the whine of the injured canine.
Mother-loving goblins…
He made it far enough into the trees to see two goblins poking at it, pushing it away from the sheep, while a third one poised, ready for the kill.
The two pushing it away had spears similar to his own, but the third one carried a short sword. The goblin with the sword was limping from a bite Max saw on its calf.
None of them were paying any attention to his position, as the dog and the sheep had their full attention.
His heart raced. Wolves, coyotes, goblins, and other creatures often bothered [Shepherds], terrorizing their flocks. His dad had to hire [Scouts] on a regular basis to track and help hunt those creatures.
Without hesitation, he targeted the one with the sword. It was the closest, and Max did not want to be pinched between the three of them. As he drew near the goblin, he dropped the shorter goblin spear to the dirt and held his own longer one with both hands, clinching it so tight his fingers turned white.
The barking and bleating hid his footsteps as he came up behind the goblin, ramming his spear through its back in a surprise attack.
It let out a shriek before dropping its sword and stumbling forward, yanking Max’s spear from his hand.
The other two turned at their companion’s cry, and Max darted forward to where the goblin he had impaled was, putting his foot on its back and yanking his spear from its body. As he did it fell toward the ground, groaning and gasping as blood flowed everywhere.
The other goblins stopped in shock before screeching wildly and moving with their sticks pointed at him.
His spear was longer, but there were two of them.
He backed up and he brandished his spear against the goblins, waiting for them to close the gap.
As they came, he saw one of them move to the left a little to try and get around him.
His brain screamed back to one of the training drills he had watched Caleb do, and knew he would lose for sure if they managed that.
The moment one of the goblins committed to move left, Max rushed forward at the one on the right, using his range to spear it in the chest.
He watched as the hardened black and red shaft pierced the skin of its chest, cracking its bones and sending it backward.
Yanking his spear back out, he swung his spear toward the one on the left who was lunging at him now.
The goblin somehow dodged to the side, using its spear to shift the impact of his swing, and stuck its spear into his thigh.
Stumbling, Max pitched forward as the goblin yanked its tip free and prepared to stab at him again.
Time seemed to slow down as Max realized he might have overestimated himself and this skill. He had forgotten that he really wasn’t that strong. He was average, but his early success had led him to be overconfident.
Trying to push off with his injured leg, he felt it fold under him, pain lancing through his body.
The goblin cackled and moved back, lifting its spear up as it prepared to spear him again when it suddenly screeched out in pain.
Max saw that the dog had come up behind and bit it on the back of its leg, ripping off a large piece of its calf.
It snarled and tried to whip itself around but stumbled, having lost the ability to stand on its injured leg.
Using his spear to lean on while balancing on his right leg, Max clenched his teeth as he watched the goblin flail on the ground.
Suddenly, a cold and familiar sensation hit him.
[ 15 Hit Points Consumed ]
The pain in his leg disappeared almost completely, and he stood right up. He could barely stand a moment ago, and now he only had a slight twinge of pain when he moved.
Glancing at the one he had impaled in the chest, it was still moving, blood gurgling from its mouth and chest.
It must have been the sword one that just died.
Grinning, he felt that same calm that he had the last time he had killed a goblin. Fear was gone now, and he held his spear out as he moved in to finish off the last one.
The goblin shrieked as the dog barked near its head, sensing the change in battle. The dog drew its attention. It flailed its green arms and hands around, waving the stick as best it could, trying to keep it away.
Max swiped his spear when the goblin stick got near him, smacking it free from its hand.
With glee, he moved as he slammed the tip into the chest of the goblin, watching it spasm for a moment.
[ 7 Hit Points Consumed ]
When the cold sensation filled, he realized his leg was completely healed. No more pain came from where he had been stabbed.
Jumping up a few times, he found himself laughing as his leg felt as good as new. His pants were not as they were stained with red and a hole about a hand length from his crotch.
Glancing at the last goblin, he saw it spasming still. The other goblin had just died and now all he could do was wait for this one also. It took one last breath, blood leaking from its mouth and the hole he had made in its chest.
Max’s body jerked hard, his mind exploded, and he almost dropped the spear he was holding with a death-grip.
His eyes went wide when the notification flashed across his vision.
[Consume has successfully learned a skill]
[Would you like to learn [Warrior - Spear]?]
Blinking his eyes, Max couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Could he really get a third skill?