First Encounter

January 8th, 2022

***

Something felt off. Richter woke up early like usual but the surrounding air was slightly suffocating.

He spread his senses out over the neighborhood and found that there wasn't a single person on the streets. There were no birds or bugs or any wildlife either. Stores were empty, bikes were left scattered and abandoned, and even the local train station was devoid of people. He grabbed his sword and made for the front door. He was too uneasy to ignore it.

The beautiful two-story houses and tall shrubbery of the area now felt claustrophobic and tight. Richter sensed the occasional person inside their home, but this did little to relax him.

A scream sent him sprinting down the block. A young man staggered around a corner. Dozens of stab wounds littered his chest, and a small knife was plunged into his abdomen. He collapsed onto the road, relieved at finally finding someone to help. Unfortunately, this would be short-lived. Richter could feel his pulse fading until his heart stopped beating entirely. The cause of his misery shuffled around the corner soon after.

The short, blue, humanoid creature pulled out another dagger and brandished it toward Richter. It seemed to be taunting him, swaying and moving in strange patterns, it kept throwing faints with the small little weapon.

Richer had already begun trembling in rage. His senses told him that it wasn't human long before it came into view. And the other thing his senses kept telling him… was that the creature was pathetically weak. He brought his sword up and leaped towards it.

The creature's pathetic attempts to show off gave way to panic as it felt the bloodlust of the man approaching. Each movement became harder and harder, the growing inability pushing it into a rage. It wanted to scream, to say anything, to call for backup even.

"GRARG–"

Richter's blade smoothly entered the neck of the creature. It sheared the flesh along the collarbone, gliding through the throat, and coming out the other side. The headless body fell over, and Richter felt just a little better.

Right after, a transparent blue screen appeared in front of him, covered in text.

[You have successfully slain your first monster]

['Goblin Level 3' killed. XP awarded]

[ Your bravery is commendable. You prioritized eliminating the threat above all else and had the strength to do it. ]

[Class acquired - Your intrinsic class is 'Swordsman']

[To view your status window, simply say "status" and it will appear.]

[Additional information can be accessed by clicking on the question marks in your status window.]

Richter read the text a few times before clutching his head. This really was a headache.

The information floated to the back of his mind, as a new aura gently permeated his body. He could feel it flowing through his veins and tendons, in and out of his heart with every beat. The feeling was incredible but still foreign. He directed the unknown energy to settle just below his heart.

As he turned back towards the dojo, his senses picked up a group of goblins making their way over. The biggest was only a little stronger than the one he just killed, and the other two were laughably small. Richter thought that he might as well make the neighborhood a safer place.

He followed the shrubbery along to the next intersection, where the goblins were about to cross. He took a breath, sharpened his gaze, and slid out of concealment next to the group.

The goblins jumped in surprise.

The big goblin pointed at Richter and motioned to his two underlings. They looked strangely unwilling to listen and started backing away from their leader.

Richter's momentum was stunted at the strange scene. The fact that they had a form of communication surprised him. But they definitely wanted him dead, so the result would be the same. Richter used the flat of his blade to deflect the dagger of the big goblin, who had moved on from his heartbreak. He pivoted on his left foot and shot his right into a kneecap of the creature.

After seeing their leader being dealt with so easily, the underlings made a run for it, back the way they came; towards a strange cave structure in the alley between two stores.

The efficiency of Richter's fighting style sent shivers down the goblin's spine. Their boss didn't last two moves against the guy. He would definitely spell doom for the rest of the colony. At least his two underlings would make it back to warn them abo–

The goblin's train of thought was cut short by Richter's sword, bisecting his head.

The notification chimed in again to congratulate Richter.

['Goblin Level 5' killed, XP awarded.]

[Level up! You have reached level 2. Attribute points awarded.]

[Use your status window to learn more.]

He swiped away the screen and redirected his gaze to the cave entrance from earlier. He had sensed it on the way over, but he couldn't penetrate the interior. He figured it may be a small little hole or crevice, but that was wishful thinking. The two underlings had disappeared through the entrance, and he could no longer sense them. 

Richter's brow furrowed. He swept his gaze back and forth between the residential area and the dangerous cave of goblins in the alley.

"If they were to all breakout, it would be difficult to catch them before they cause more damage," Richter thought. He sighed and started walking towards the cave entrance. Along the way, he sensed a few more groups of goblins in the vicinity.

He grinned and altered his path. His heart fluttered slightly at the thought of slaying more goblins.

'These guys could be good practice for my disciples' he thought.

And so, the cries of goblins continued on that early afternoon. A pair of bloody footprints could be seen connecting every one of their deaths.

***

Inside a narrow cave, down a long and dark path, two little goblins were running as fast as their legs could carry them. They pushed past every worker mining, trampling anything that got in the way and finally made it to the throne room. A beautifully large, 20-square foot room carved out of the rock by their king. A set of stairs toward the back wall led to a throne where a lovely sapphire-colored goblin resided. He was surrounded by half a dozen purple goblins armed with swords and helmets.

He eyed the two younglings curiously; they had nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"FLAR!" (King!) one goblin started.

"GAVHRG FLES" (Kel has been slain by a treacherous human! He ambushed us from behind some shrubbery.)

The two underlings were slightly embarrassed.

"DEL SAER?" (Kel was among my strongest. How are you two alive if he isn't?) the king questioned.

The two underlings froze at the question. They knew the punishment would be severe, but were they really supposed to just stay there and die? What a ridiculous idea.

The king tied them up and prepared for battle. He would punish them later. Right now, his heart was beating with excitement. Someone with a decent level of skill was on their way to slaughter them. He hadn't had a good fight in a long time.

The king smiled viciously and checked his reflection on his blade. His enhanced senses picked up on an uninvited guest at the front of the cave. Seems he wouldn't have to wait long at all.

***

The cave was cramped. No better way to describe it. A one-way tunnel was the only visible path around, and the occasional torch kept the light levels at a minimum. He had limited space to wield his sword. Without enough arm room, his range of motion was limited. And the short ceiling kept him at an awkward angle. Perhaps he'd try out one of their daggers if given the chance. He had picked up a few from the last group of goblins.

He could hear several clangs further down the tunnel. Upon spreading out his senses, he found a few oblivious goblins, mining the walls.

The loud sounds made sneaking easy. So he pulled a dagger out and tiptoed to the closest miner. A swift slice along its neck snuffed out the life of the goblin. Their weak bodies made it easy to muffle their shouts.

He repeated this action several more times, until coming to a straight segment of the tunnel. One of the miners just happened to turn around and spot him. He pointed at Richter and grunted.

"FER!" (Look, he's here!)

A cold flash of metal glided through the air, briefly registering in their eyes before burying itself in the goblin's throat. He staggered backward and slid down the wall of the tunnel.

Richter was always surprised at how fragile their bodies were. He hadn't put a lot of force behind it since he couldn't wind his arm back.

The other miners huddled together and wielded their pickaxes. At the very least, their vision was hindered as well. Or maybe they didn't have good vision to begin with.

He slid out the last two daggers and chucked them at their defensive formation. Two more goblins fell clutching their chests. Taking advantage of the panic, he lunged forward and delivered a straight kick to the throat of the nearest goblin. The sound of its neck snapping echoed down the tunnel.

By this point, the morale of the miners had crashed. They made a break for it down the tunnels, but turning their back on Richter was a terrible idea. He brought his blade back, tightening his muscles as much as he could manage, and catapulted his arm forward.

[Thrust.]

The 2 goblins were skewered straight through. The sweet build-up of XP sounds played in his ears. He was glad to be almost done.

Up ahead was an expansive cavern, with several stronger auras inside. He wouldn't be restricted like he was in the tunnel, but it may not matter.

One, in particular, seemed to be looking right through him. The blue goblin smiled and projected bloodlust throughout the room.

Richter crouched down at the end of the tunnel and grit his teeth. He fought the shaking of his own body and steeled himself. This was the kind of opponent he was looking for, Richter grinned.