7 Chapter 7: Crime and Punishment
We proceeded through the forest carefully. The scent of the rabbit's blood could attract animals, which would not be pleasant. The white wolf was injured and, although not serious, made his combat ability almost nil.
Soon, I heard sounds coming towards us. I grabbed the wolf, put him on my back and ran behind a tree, hoping to escape any danger.
The soft sound of breaking branches, slow steps and low breaths, showed me that whatever was coming was hunting.
All the noises were noisy and the attempt to hide their presence was terrible. I lowered my guard a bit because what was approaching was not a really big threat.
My fear decreased because I guessed that those who were coming were my subordinates.
And as if to answer, or not, my pleas, a small goblin crossed through the bushes.
I knew they were stupid, but that broke my expectations. I don't think even Vangloria's dumbest AI could compare to the stupidity and carelessness of these creatures.
The duo didn't even notice that their master was just a few meters away and continued walking. They seemed to be looking for something, completely failing to try to hide their presence. I sighed at the tragic situation of these goblins.
If it was them encountering the rabbit, they would be dead.
I put the white wolf on the ground, walked towards the goblins and called them. The two little ones looked back scared, as I was now right behind them.
I slapped each one on the head and we proceeded together.
After another dozen meters, sounds of battle resonated through the woods. I ran towards the noise, coming across a comical but brutal scene.
Three goblins lay on the ground bleeding heavily and two others desperately tried to fight against another horned rabbit.
Before trying to save them, I decided to eliminate the threat. I followed the same scheme as before. The rabbit attacked and, in the process of falling, I counterattacked with an arrow.
The arrow flew at high speed, but in mid-air, the rabbit moved a bit, trying to dodge. However, despite the failed attempt, the arrow still pierced its paw and threw it against a tree.
This gave me time to go help the fallen ones. One goblin died; the other two were severely injured. Trying to help them, I stained my hand with a vivid red blood.
There's something wrong...
The fallen goblins screamed in desperation for their souls. The deep, burning pain made them shake mercilessly in continuous spasms.
At this moment, I realized what the reality meant.
This is not a game; my life is at risk... but there's something wrong.
I took a desperate step back as I watched the small servants agonize and drown in their own blood.
My breathing became heavy. I inhaled the air with difficulty and my chest hurt to the point of almost falling to the ground. My eyes began to play with me, making everything blurry, dark and duplicated.
I don't think I can handle this...
When I was falling... a message resonated.
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[Calm Mind Ability] Activated.
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At that moment, time stopped for a moment. My breathing normalized a bit, my blurry vision returned to normal, and my mind started working again; dare I say, even better than before.
I faced the situation thinking about what I could do, being as rational as possible. One of the goblins had already lost too much blood, but the other still had a chance.
"You four! Take him and return to the dungeon now! I'll catch up with you soon."
The goblins followed my orders and grabbed their fallen comrade, running back to the dungeon.
In the place, only I, the rabbit, the wolf, the dead goblin, and the injured one remained.
I took an arrow and approached the injured one. He trembled and his eyes rolled back. His life was short, but he died following my orders. He didn't deserve to suffer.
I held his body to calm him down, took the arrow in my hand, and cut downward toward his unprotected chest. After a few more seconds of trembling, he slowly passed away...
The white wolf watched the scene from behind me, releasing a loud and powerful howl to the skies. He seemed to be praying for the fallen.
I took the bodies of the two goblins, collected their mana stones, and placed them side by side in the canopy of a large tree.
Soon some animal would come to devour them; it was inevitable, but I had their mana stones and that was what mattered.
At least I could save a piece of them.
"White wolf, come, we still need to save the other one," I said, taking the still alive, although unconscious, rabbit by the ears.
The wolf ignored the pain he felt and just followed me closely in silence.
At first, I was afraid, but when the skill activated, I felt my mind relieved. Along with this relief, I realized that the number of Goblins didn't match.
There's really something wrong.
My anger became a true fury. One of the goblins had betrayed my orders and abandoned his comrade.
The white wolf didn't make a sound. It wasn't out of grief, or any other nonsense like that. He was scared because the expression on my face was that of a true demon in rage.
We quickly arrived at the dungeon. Entering, I came across the skeleton and the first goblin, each carrying the body of a rabbit.
It was surprising, but I decided to focus on the injured goblin. I didn't have time to waste on this.
I reached the goblins and realized that if I didn't do anything soon, the little one would die. Quickly, I opened the dungeon's status screen.
[Information]
Dungeon
Name: None | Type: Tower
Rarity: Unique | Grade: 1
Servants: 11
Floors: 2 | Subsidiary Floors: 0
Points: 610
Requirement for next Grade: 1000 Points | Uncommon Monster | Monster Grade: 2
[Bonus]
Subjugated and Tamed monsters have a chance to receive the Calm Mind ability
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I quickly opened the store and searched for a specific item. Relief washed over me when I found what I was looking for.
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[Item]
Name: Weak Healing Potion
Type: Healing Potion
Grade: Common
Uses: 3/3
Description:
Instantly heals wounds.
Cost: 100 points
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I quickly purchased the potion and, as if by magic, it took shape between my fingers. It was a glass vial no larger than my index finger. Inside it, a pulsating red liquid rested.
I pulled the vial cap off, turned it into the goblin's mouth, but that alone wouldn't do it. I bought more, and another, and another... Until...
"He stopped shaking," I said relieved.
The goblins put their little companion down; they also seemed relieved. I spent almost all my points again, but I was sure it would be worth it.
Calm Mind wouldn't let me act illogically, so I understood that saving that little one would bring me future benefits.
Everyone saw my efforts to save him, making me a kind leader, but they would also see what was to come, removing from their minds the idea that they could one day disobey me.
"You," I pointed to the first summoned goblin. "Bring everyone back to the dungeon."
Without hesitation, he ran off with the skeleton. I checked on the injured little one; he was fine. Free from that worry, I sat on a rock and waited silently.
About an hour passed when the goblin returned with everyone who was outside. Apparently, nothing bad happened to them.
Soon, I looked for the traitor. Everyone was accompanied by their pairs, as I designated, but there was only one alone. He was sitting with his head down in a corner, trying to go unnoticed.
"Hold him," I said coldly.
Realizing what was about to happen, he tried to run away, but I was the master of that dungeon and, despite everything, he was still connected to me.
"Stop."
As if an invisible force had seized him, he came to a sudden halt in mid-air. Disobeying my orders meant going against the very will of his creator. To do so, two out of three conditions were required.
Not being subjected to domination, that is, my will, being stronger than me and not fearing death.
He was not stronger than me, but he was also not under the influence of domination, so the only thing he feared was death.
"Fighting against your creator is fighting against your own existence, little one," Mercy was not in my vocabulary, and I never intended to add it. "Hold him."
With that chance, the first summoned goblin and another one grabbed the traitor's arms.
"Firstly, this is a message to everyone here," I made my voice resound with depth in their minds. "If you obey me, do your job well and with true enthusiasm, you will never go hungry, cold, and never have to fear."
I took a step forward, put an arrow on the bow and pulled back.
"However, if you disobey an order out of cowardice, try to betray me, even think about it, and, finally, abandon a companion to death again..."
I released the arrow that flew to the little one's shoulder, making him scream in pain.
"Death will be where you'll be going. And now, just for you, little traitor. For the crime of cowardice, for disobeying my clear order and abandoning a companion, I declare you a corpse."
Seeing that he would have no chance of survival, what was holding the goblin broke, for he already knew he would die. He writhed and tried to escape, but the skeleton held his shoulders and I proclaimed:
"Wolf, kill him!"
{Image}
A growling sound emerged and then only a short scream that was replaced by the sound of bones breaking one by one, as the still warm corpse was devoured.
I left the scene under fearful and respectful gazes. I walked alone to the throne room. There, isolated from everyone, I placed my hand on my chest.
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[Calm Mind Ability] Disabled
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When the ability turned off, my heart raced. My unbreakable, Oscar-worthy façade was replaced by disgust and revulsion.
As I stumbled and collapsed onto the wooden throne, I vomited all over the ground in front of me.
The anger and effects of the ability had passed, leaving behind a hollow and shaken self.
I was just an actor being manipulated by emotions and the Serene Mind. How could a normal human do that?
And with the end of the ability, the real me returned. This power wasn't absolute. I realized that to survive in this world, I couldn't just act.
I really had to become it...
That day, I spent the rest of the time in contemplation. The lights in the hall were turned off, and only the warm, soft glow of the dungeon core was my company.
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Day 0: The day Kayn was summoned
"Meredith, do you really think there's something inside this forest?"
"To be honest, Miss, I don't know. But before I met you, I wouldn't even dare to set foot in this place. In fact, none of the soldiers gathered here would proceed if it weren't for you leading us. I only believe in you."
The young heroine Reese nodded her head with a bright and determined face.
The convoy of about 1,000 of the best-trained soldiers, the elite, entered the Forest of Fate with the Heroine.
The elite soldiers traversed the outer terrain with great ease in a short span of three days. Nothing bad happened during that time. On the fourth day, they reached the intermediate areas, where few adventurers dared to go.
It was in this place that a soldier came across what would decimate half of the convoy.
"Is this a... Horned Rabbit?"
