Within minutes, the clearing and its low fires were out of sight, the sounds of camp replaced by the distant drip of water and the brittle crunch of boots over underbrush. Mist clung to the trunks, coiling like breath caught between the trees. The deeper they went, the quieter it became—no birdsong, no breeze, just the three of them and the weight of silence.
Camila moved ahead with ease, weaving through brambles without a word. Yusuf walked beside Alex, both of them watching the shadows for movement. Camila hadn’t said exactly what they were hunting today—only that signs of goblin movement had shifted. Something was changing in the woods.
“She seems different today,” Alex muttered.
“Focused,” Yusuf replied. “More than usual.”
They followed her down a shallow slope where claw marks raked across a fallen log—deep gouges, not from any tool.
Camila stopped suddenly, crouching beside a disturbed patch of soil. Her hand hovered above the ground before brushing it gently.
“Two of them passed through here,” she said quietly. “Light-footed, cautious. They're scouting.”
Alex exhaled slowly. “So not hunting yet.”
“Not yet it would seem,” Camila agreed. “We’ll have the drop on them”
Yusuf glanced deeper into the woods. “We take them?”
Camila nodded. “Before they regroup.”
They moved like a unit now, falling into rhythm from repetition. No one spoke unless they had to. Alex had gotten better at reading the terrain—listening to the creak of branches, the scuff of displaced leaves. He’d even tied strips of cloth over his boots to soften his steps, something Camila had taught him two days earlier.
They found the first goblin near a stream, crouched low and sharpening a club. It never heard them approach.
Camila’s blade moved first—silent, swift. Alex grabbed the body before it slumped fully, dragging it behind a tree. Yusuf gave a low whistle and pointed upslope. A second goblin stood there, tense, looking down at the stream with a wooden spear in hand.
This one spotted them just as they moved. It hissed—sharp and feral—but didn’t run. It lunged.
Alex stepped forward first. The spear glanced past his shoulder, and he slammed his full weight into the goblin’s chest, knocking it flat. Yusuf struck downward with a sharpened branch, piercing through its eye, ending it in one blow.
Camila didn’t smile, but she looked satisfied. “Clean. Quick. Not bad.”
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“We bring them back?” Alex asked, catching his breath.
She nodded. “Two points each. Worth the trouble.”
A brutal roar is heard across the stream, they all turn in unison, and there it is, a bear, bigger them any bear they had ever seen, the height of a person at the shoulder, and even more notable was the two ram-like horns protruding from its head.
Before they could make any form of a plan, it charged. Its charge thunderous.
“SPLIT UP!” screamed Yusuf.
They all burst out into different directions, the bear slowing, trying to make a decision on who to follow. Before it could decide a rock slammed into its head, causing it to turn rapidly, it was Alex. The beast began its sprint towards him, covering the 30 metres between them in less the 3 seconds. Yet as it was about to make contact, the odd creature vanished before its eyes. Before it could have a second thought it plummeted, for it had not realised the odd creature was on the edge of a small cliff. Not overly high about 10 meters, but the ground below was rocky. This is where the stream ran off to, making a mini waterfall. But as they say the bigger they are the harder they fall, the bear made contact with ground, a sickening crunch echoed out.
“ALEX” Yusuf screamed. Running toward the cliff edge. Camila following shortly behind.
“Shit man, give us a hand” Alex gasping for breath, his fingers grabbing an outcropping.
“Fuck me man, how’d you think of that shit”
“Instincts I guess” as Yusuf hauled him up they all took a moment to look down. The bear was still moving, although it was clear it was in its death throes.
“I’m gonna climb down, pass us a knife, ill finish it and see if I can take something with us, obviously way too big to drag”.
Alex spent about an hour after finishing it off, cutting off its head with the ram horns. With this he would take the head of the bear back with him and the others the goblins.
All taking a breath to compose themselves, they started to make their way back.
Back at the clearing, the atmosphere had shifted again. News of Camila and Miriam’s path selections had spread, and small knots of people were now discussing powers in hushed tones. Jake was at the center of one such group, explaining what he’d learned about the Fairy Tail and Naruto systems.
Ellie was helping Marcy sort dried herbs by the fire, but her eyes kept flicking toward the Obelisk. She was close now—points almost there. She’d told Alex before he left that she was leaning Fairy Tail, but there was hesitation in her voice. Shed sacrificed most of what she had on her, and had a final ring that she planned to sacrifice, she was just trying to decide on what she’d pick.
By the time the hunters returned, the goblin bodies and the head of this giant bear in tow. A thin drizzle had begun to fall, painting the camp in shifting grey.
Miriam approached as they set the tarp down. “Any problems?”
“Two scouts,” Camila replied. “Alone. Quiet. Well, till the bear showed up”
“Yeah, I figured, how’d you managed that. I was thinking you came across a dead one/” Miriam said.
“Ill level with you Miriam, we were very lucky” Yusuf said.
Camila glanced at Alex.
Miriam looked between them, then toward the Obelisk. “Surely you two will be close now at least. I’ve noticed that you haven’t sacrificed your phones or out like that, but you’ve been picking up goblin kills every now and then and I’ve seen you make other sacrifices as well”
Alex glanced over his shoulder, at the obelisk, “Well I’m hoping this’ll be a lot of points, even if it isn’t I should have enough now”
“Same here”.
The goblins sacrificed.
Alex makes his own sacrifice.
- Ram Bear (Large beast) (Head, Dead) – 7 points
“Damn man, can only imagine what that full body is worth. We need to head back there tomorrow, hopefully the forest will be kind to us and leave it alone. You going to choose now?”
“Nah I’m gonna sleep on it, I’ll do it tomorrow” Yusuf nodded to Alex and decided to do the same. Their point totals were 21 for Yusuf and 26 for Alex.
They headed to bed, although theyd be up in a couple hours for watch duty. But both were very excited about the prospective choices ahead of them.