Portal

As Wiz made his way toward the ruined castle, the echoes of his footsteps mingled with the noise of the villagers cleaning up the mess of the battlefield.

Suddenly, a voice from behind startled him.

"Hey!" Turning around, he spotted the newly summoned knight.

"Why are you here?" Wiz asked.

"The lord said I should go with you to familiarize myself with the village and my new comrades," the knight stated confidently.

Wiz nodded in understanding. "I see. Then you should tag along with me," he replied, extending his hand in greeting. "I'm Wiz, by the way."

The knight, named Razen, shook Wiz's hand firmly. "Ahhh, my name is Razen."

Together, they continued their journey towards the ruin castle. As they walked, Razen's gaze fell upon the remnants of battle – pits, arrows, and stains of blood.

Curiosity getting the better of him "What happened here?" Razen inquired about the events that unfolded.

"Hmm... Well the goblins attacked us last night for revenge after the lord captured this land, which essentially became our village. But somehow, we managed to make them retreat," Wiz explained, brushing his goatee with a thoughtful expression.

"I see," Razen murmured, a sense of realization dawning upon him. "Goblins huh"

As they strode towards their destination, Razen's curiosity sparked once again. "Hey Wiz, do the goblins here look like the goblins from our home world?"

Wiz then look at Razen and chuckled lightly. "Nah, the goblins here are much uglier and stupider. They only use tents for their homes, unlike the goblin tribes in our home world, where they even mimic the buildings constructed by builders."

"So, they're much weaker, then?" Razen remarked in curiosity.

Wiz shook his head. "Can't say for sure. These goblins may lack physical strength, but they're more maniacal. They use their numbers to overwhelm the enemy. Plus, they have those hybrid goblins."

"Hybrid goblins?" Razen asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, I didn't witness them in action, but I've seen their corpses inside the ruin castle," Wiz explained. "They have brown fur, a physique resembling a bear, and green skin. The barbarians who fought them said they're incredibly strong. If there are many of them, God knows what will happen next."

"I see"

As they approached the ruin castle, they were greeted by the sight of tethered horses and villagers attending to them, alongside Kael, a formidable figure in their midst.

"Why are you here?" Kael questioned, his grip firm on the reins of a horse.

"The lord said you should go to him and bring the horses and two barbarians," Wiz responded matter-of-factly.

"And did the lord say what it's for?" Kael inquired further.

"He didn't, but I think it's for finding the lair of the goblins that attacked us last night," Wiz speculated.

"Maybe," Kael muttered, handing the reins of a horse to Wiz. Turning his attention to Razen, he asked, "Who's this? A new guy?"

Wiz introduced Razen as Kael's gaze shifted towards him. "Yeah, Razen is a new knight of our village," Wiz explained.

Kael nodded in acknowledgment before passing another set of reins to Razen. "We should go now," he declared, prompting nods of agreement from Wiz and Razen.

Mounting their horses, they set off towards the Town Hall, accompanied by the silent guardianship of two barbarians.

_____________

"Now that's interesting... "

[ Single player ]

[ Goblin map ]

[ Lvl 1: Payback ]

[ Scout ] [ Attack ]

As Leon studied the tablet in his hand, his finger hovered over the scout option.

With a tap, the screen transformed, two clouds billowing in from the sides, momentarily obscuring the view. When they dissipated, a map appeared, resembling one from the game, revealing goblins loitering around a cottage and a lone cannon.

"The map is the same one as in the game," Leon remarked, his eyes scanning the digital landscape.

Spotting the attack button, curiosity overtook him, and he pressed it.

-Vhhmm~

Suddenly, a visible ripple materialized before him, followed by the fabric of space opening to form a portal. Its outline resembled a broken mirror, with a watery-like mirror within, unveiling a new land on the other side.

"What the hell?" a voice of bewilderment cut through the air, snapping Leon out of his stupor.

Turning to his side, he found Kael, Wiz, Razen, and two barbarians mounted on a horse.

"It's a portal," Wiz exclaimed.

"We are here, Lord. The horses are ready. What are we going to do today, my lord?" Kael saluted to Leon as his eyes drifted at the portal.

Leon regarded Kael before answering, "Well, we're supposed to scout the vicinity to track where the goblins came from," he said, his gaze shifting back to the portal. "But now, we have a new situation."

"This is?" Kael inquired, his eyes fixed on the swirling portal.

"A portal that connects us to a tribe of goblins," Leon explained. "Kael, let one of the horses go through the portal. We need to know if it's safe."

Kael nodded, guiding the horse he rode towards the portal. As it disappeared into the shimmering vortex, Leon glanced at the tablet, where the screen displayed the horse near a tree, a safe distance from the goblins.

"Incredible," Leon murmured in fascination. "Well, looks like we should deal with this before we scout the forest."