Chapter 8: The open road and bandits!

Lucian ate his fill that night as Eric and his family through him a feast as a thank you. He had never known himself to eat so much food in his life, and he wolfed down everything he could.

He didn't stay long, though, saying he was tired from all the fighting. Of course, they understood entirely and bid him good night.

Lucian had snuck a few bits of food with him and a large cup of milk that he had asked for. After all, he wasn't sure what baby goblins ate.

The baby goblin was where he had left it, hidden in his room safe from sight. Luckily it didn't seem to make much noise at all, so there was no risk of anyone finding it.

Lucian broke up a few bits of food into small manageable bits for it to eat. To his surprise, though, the baby goblin eagerly gobbled everything up with no trouble. It then proceeded to drink all of the milk before giving a small burp.

"Well, I guess I was worried for nothing." He said as he tickled the babies belly getting it to laugh.

Lucian decided it was time to turn in for the night and blew the candles out before getting on the bed.

His body was a little tired, but his mind was exhausted from the day. Lucian closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Lucian slept the whole night without waking up once. He could feel a slight pressure on his chest as he woke up to see the baby goblin asleep on him.

He smiled as he picked it up and put it down onto the bed next to him.

"Hold on a minute..." He said, looking at the baby strangely.

Lucian couldn't help but notice the new size of the baby. It had doubled in size overnight and was now the size of a two-year-old.

"How the hell did that happen?" He asked baffled.

"You fool, goblins grow at an extraordinary rate compared to humans or other species." The demon lord said inside Lucian's head.

It made sense to Lucian, and he didn't know why he hadn't thought of that.

"Knock, Knock, Knock."

Lucian was suddenly alerted to the banging on the door and jumped up off the bed in an instant.

"Lucian, it's Eric. Are you awake?" The blacksmith asked.

"Just a minute!" Lucian shouted as he grabbed the baby and started looking for a place to hide it.

"Oh shit, where should I put it?" Lucian said to himself as he looked all around the room for a place to put the baby.

The door opened, and Eric walked into the room with a big smile on his face.

"Come now, Lucian, what are you doing..." He said as he looked at Lucian in surprise, noticing the baby goblin.

"What in Astaria is that!" Eric shouted as he almost jumped back in surprise.

"Calm down. it's not what you think!" Lucian shouted in defence as he waved his arms.

"That's a goblin, baby! What are you doing with a goblin!"Eric said, pointing his finger.

"I can explain. Lucian said as he picked the little goblin up in his arm.

"I found it in the cave... It was a newborn. I couldn't bring myself to kill it." He said.

Eric calmed down a little as he looked at the small creature.

"Ahhh." He sighed as he lowered his arm.

"I don't blame you, Lucian. I wouldn't be able to kill a baby either." He said.

"If you want me to leave, then I will, but the kid stays with me," Lucian said in a defensive tone.

Eric let his stern expression relax as he crossed his arms."Please, Lucian, there is no need for that. If you feel so strongly about this, then who am I to stop you. After all, you saved my daughter not once but twice!"

Lucian relaxed and put the little goblin down. It gave a small giggle and started to crawl around the floor on its hands and knees.

Eric watched it go and had to admit it was a cute little thing.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that breakfast was really. Tell you what, why don't you bring the little guy down with you?" He said as he walked out of the room.

Lucian looked at the little goblin as it looked up at him with a questioning look.

"Yes, you can come, and yes, I will feed you," Lucian said as he pulled his white tunic back on.

The little goblin seemed to understand him as it got more excited and started to crawl around the room even faster.

Lucian sighed, giving a smile as he realised how much energy the little thing had first thing in the morning.

Once he was dressed, he headed downstairs and took the little goblin with him. Eric and the others were waiting at the table for him, and it seemed that he had already told them about the creature.

Helen didn't seem too bothered about it and had even put out a small plate of food for the little thing.

Elana, on the other hand, seemed very hesitant around it, and it was noticeable to the others.

"It's ok, Elana. It won't hurt you, honey." Her father said, trying to ease her anxiety.

Lucian decided to change the subject while they ate.

"So Eric, I was wondering where the closest adventures guild is located?" He asked.

Eric gave a large grin as he placed his mug back on the table.

"You must be pulling my leg, lad!" He said, giving a loud chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Lucian asked, not understanding.

"You mean to tell me you aren't already an adventure!" he said in astonishment.

The others also looked surprised, and Lucian decided to change the subject.

"Well, you see, I have been training all my life to become an adventurer." He said on the spot.

"Well, you must have had an excellent teacher," Helen said as she took a bite of her food.

"Where are you from, Lucian?" She then asked after swallowing.

Lucian again was put on the spot as he tried to think of something to say.

"Well, I'm from somewhere far away from here." He said with a little laugh.

"That's enough, Helen, don't press the lad," Eric said, interrupting.

"Doesn't matter where he is from. All that matters is that he was here at the right time."

Lucian smiled as he handed a bit of bread down to little red, who gobbled it down instantly.

"Anyway, the closest adventures guild would be in Dragonfront town."

Lucian nodded his head as he tried to remember where the town was. During his time playing the game, he had spent most of his time around and in the capital city. Never going further than that as his level was to low.

"It's about three days from here," Helen said.

Lucian had never heard of it but was glad it wasn't too far away.

"Why is it called Dragonfront?"

Both Eric and Helen laughed as they looked at each other.

"Well, lad. It's called Dragonfront because it's located not far from the dragon's nest.

"Ah," Lucian said as he gave a nervous chuckle.

"I wouldn't worry, though. Dragons rarely ever attack unless they have a good reason to." Helen said with a smile.

"Besides, it's the dark abyss swamp that is the real danger. Those lizardmen roam that area best to avoid it if you can." Eric said.

Lucian nodded with a nervous look before feeling a small tug on his leg from the baby goblin.

"Still hungry, huh? He said as he gave the little thing some more food. Noticing it had eaten all of its food.

"Well, before you head off, allow us to give you some supplies to take with you, and of course, the payment for rescuing the girls and clearing the goblins," Eric said, placing both his hands on the table.

Lucian nodded in agreement, knowing that saying no would only insult the blacksmith.

"Thank you, Eric."

With that said and done, they all finished breakfast, and Eric gave Lucian his armour back, complete with a few altercations.

"I have adjusted your gear for you, lad, upgrading it as you will." He said as Lucian put the gear back on.

His leather body armour now had metal plating outlining the muscles, reminding Lucian of a Spartans bronze armour.

His leather vanbraces also had a thin layer of metal on them for added protection, and his boots had a metal knee pad for extra safety.

"I've also added a steel toe cap and steel heel into your boots to give them some extra boot if you need it," Eric said, crossing his arms over his chest as he admired his handy work.

Lucian couldn't believe it. The craftsmanship was exceptionally well done, and Lucian felt even safer wearing it than he had last time.

"Just two things left," Eric said as he handed Lucian a dark green cloak with white fur around the upper back and shoulders.

"That will help keep you warm on the road!" Eric said, giving him a big slap on the back.

Lucian couldn't believe his kindness as he pulled the cloak over his shoulders and clipped it on.

"Now follow me, lad," Eric said, giving a nod of his head.

Lucian followed the blacksmith back into the weapons shop, and Eric lifted the sword that Lucian had used to rescue the girls.

He hadn't noticed until now how worn it was, chipped and cracked all along the blade, somehow having not snapped.

"I couldn't help but notice how damaged the blade was on your return. It got me thinking that maybe you would suit a more heavy-duty weapon." Eric said as he placed the sword down.

The blacksmith went over to the wall and took a heavy-duty Warhammer off of it. It was large enough to use with two hands but also small enough to use with one.

Eric handed it to Lucian, "Well, go on, give it a swing!" He said in amusement.

Lucian took it in his right hand and gave it a few good swings before gripping the handle with both hands taking a good luck at it.

The weight was perfect, and it felt well balanced in his hand.

"You swing that thing around so easily with one hand it makes me jealous. That is one of the strongest war hammers I have ever made. I put blood, sweat, and tears into making it."

Lucian placed it down by his side as he looked Eric in the eye.

"I promise I will make good use of it." He said before hooking it into his hip.

Eric nodded as he pulled Lucians shield from his workbench.

"Let's not forget this either. I fixed it up for you." He said as he helped strap it to Lucian's back.

"It looked like it took a good beating," He said with a smile.

Eric took a step back to take in Lucian's appearance to see if anything was missing.

"Now you look like a real adventurer!" He shouted as he took pride in his appearance.

"Eric, I don't know what to say," Lucian said, knowing that he could never repay his kindness.

"Don't be stupid, lad! You saved my daughter twice. And besides, when you become a famous adventurer, you can tell everyone where to come for the finest weapons and armour!" He said with a loud laugh.

Lucian also smiled as he nodded his head in approval.

With that, the two of them walked out, and Lucian collected the rest of his supplies, including little red, of course. Helen had prepared him at least three days worth of food and couldn't help fuss over him as if he were her own child, telling him to be careful.

The entire village came out to greet him as he was ready to leave, and the village chief shook his hand in thanks, giving him his reward for saving the village.

"Take care, Lucian!" The villagers shouted as he waved goodbye to them.

Eric extended his arm, and Lucian took it as they shuck hands.

"Farewell, Lucian. You be safe out there, alright." Eric said.

Lucian nodded and thanked him once again before he turned around to face the open road. Making his way out of the village, he held little red in one arm and started walking until the villagers' cheers could no longer be heard.

Lucian was now heading towards Dragonfront as his next goal was to join the adventures guild. He thought this would be his best bet on the start of his quest for revenge.

He had been warned of the dangers of the open road, but with his new gear and trusty Warhammer, he felt little fear.

"You seem in a positive mood." The demon lord said.

Lucian's face dropped a little at the sound of its voice.

"I was until I heard your voice," Lucian said quickly.

Thankfully he didn't get a reply, and so he decided to ignore him and keep walking.

Lucian had quickly been walking for well over four hours now, and the sun was getting lower in the sky.

Little red was currently asleep in his arms, and Lucian decided it was a good time to find somewhere to spend the night.

He took a good look around as he tried to find the right area. He was surrounded by forest on either side but could see a small rock formation in the distance.

Lucian headed towards it. The closer he got, the more of a proper location it seemed. However, as Lucian got closer, his ears picked up a few voices coming from behind the rocks.

They sounded like men. Lucian could make out about four of them and decided it would be best just to keep walking and look for somewhere else.

He had been right. Four men were sitting down around a campfire as they chatted amongst themselves. They all had fur armour on and weapons strapped to their backs or hip.

They noticed Lucian and stopped talking as they eyed him up. Lucian hoped they would leave him be, and he paid them no notice as he carried on walking.

"Hey, you! Hold up, will ya!" One of them shouted as they all got up and started to walk over to him.

Lucian turned to face them, acting surprised that they had called over to him.

Right away, he could tell they were bandits from their gear. He knew how dangerous bandits could be, knowing it would be best to avoid a fight if possible.

"Well, looky here, lads, we got ourselves a bigin here." One of them said as they started to circle him.

Another one of them whistled as he took a good look at Lucian's gear.

"Got yourself some nice gear there, boy. Who you steal that off?" He asked.

Lucian kept his eyes on all of them, allowing his senses to keep track of them as they circled around into his blind spot as if he were prey.

"Look, fellas, I would love to sit and chat with you, but I'm kind of in a hurry," Lucian said.

One of the men noticed the baby goblin in his arm.

"What you got there, lad?"

"Looks like a goblin!" Another shouted.

"No, shit. A red goblin would fetch a pretty penny on the market..." The leader said.

"Why don't you hand it over, and you can be on your way." The large man said.

The little goblin woke up from all of the voices and gave a small yawn as it reached its little arms up towards Lucian's face.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Lucian said as he looked the leader in the eye with an untamed look.

"I don't think you understand, boy." The leader said as he drew his sword. The others following his lead as they too drew their weapons.

"Now that you have pissed me off, the price for your life has gone up. Hand over all your gear and the monster, or you die, and we take it anyway." The leader said as if he was trying to be a nice guy.

Lucian had yet to fight against other humans, having only battled against monsters so far. He wondered just how strong the humans of the world were.

"That isn't going to happen," Lucian said as he pulled his Warhammer off his hip and took a ready stance.

He couldn't help but notice a small number next to the men's head, each one having a different number than the other. But he didn't have time to worry about that now.

The bandits held their position for a moment longer as the standoff before battle grew more and more intense.

"Get him!" The leader shouted as he pointed his sword.

One of the bandits from behind charged in with his sword held high in both hands. Clearly feeling as if he held the advantage because Lucian couldn't see him.

Lucian spun around at an alarming rate and swung his Warhammer hard, crashing it into the bandits face with tremendous force.

The man's face crumbled from the impact, and the blow sent him flying through the air before he crashed into the ground, clearly dead.

Everyone was silent for a moment before another ran in, attacking.

"Why you!" He shouted as he swung his weapon like a madman, slashing and hacking at Lucian.

Lucian couldn't help notice how slow the attacks were. The number above his head was displaying the number 3. It was apparent the bandit had no training and that he had never engaged in a sufficient battle.

Lucian stepped out of the way of each of his attacks, making the man look like a fool.

He was outraged as his blade hit the ground as Lucian moved out of his way once more.

"Arghh!" He screamed as he charged in again, his sword held high.

Lucian still held little red in his left arm and decided it was time to end this once and for all.

He stepped forwards and swiped his hammer, hitting the mans arm breaking it from the weight.

The bandit dropped his weapon and screamed in pain as he clutched his broken wrist.

Lucian then kicked him in the chest with his boot, and the man flew back before sliding across the ground, struggling to breathe.

"Maybe I used to much strength." Lucian thought as he looked at the end result of his attack.

Now only two were left. The leader who had two swords, one in each hand. The number above his head was a 5. The other who was a tall thin man wielding a dagger with a cloak covering his face, his number also displaying a 5.

Both of them looked more threatening than the other two, and Lucian guested that the higher the number, the stronger they were. As he lowered his stance, getting ready for the fight to come.

"Looks like your not just for show." The leader said as he twirled his blades around in his hands slowly.

The other man was clearly a rouge type, and Lucian was guessing he was fast.

"Why don't we stop this here?" Lucian said.

The leader of the bandits gave a hard laugh.

"You think you can kill two of my men and walk out of here, unharmed?"

Lucian shrugged his shoulders.

"Why not? You attacked me."

The leader smiled as he pointed his blade at him.

"I'll give you a slow death, boy!" He said as he suddenly ran at Lucian, attacking with both blades in a whirlwind of steel.

Lucian was put on his back foot as he tried his best to deflect the attacks with his hammer. However, he was to slow, and the bandit landed a slash to his arm.

Lucian jumped back and avoided a thrust aimed at his neck where his armour didn't cover.

Lucian swung his hammer in a counter-attack, but the bandit leader ducked under his swing and landed a clean cut to his leg.

Lucian swung his hammer back after giving a yell from the slash on his leg. But the bandit leader jumped back, avoiding the blow.

"Now, now, lad. Getting angry won't do you any good." He said with a smile on his face.

However, it quickly faded as he noticed the wounds on Lucian's arm healing, disappearing as if they were never there.

"What the?" He said in disbelief.

"What are you?" He said, crossing his swords together as he took a stance.

Lucian tried to calm down, knowing that getting angry wouldn't help him. He took a breath and let his mind relax just enough that he noticed the tall rouge had disappeared.

"Oh shit, I took my eyes off him for a second." Lucian thought as his body grew tense.

Suddenly he felt a dagger slash at the inside of his leg. Lucian screamed in pain as he felt the artery open, dropping him to his knee.

The rouge had used his stealth to slip past Lucian while he was distracted and landed a dangerous blow cutting his femoral artery.

The rouge wasn't finished there, though, as he raised his dagger, quickly spinning it around in his hand with skill as he slashed towards Lucian's throat.

At the last second, Lucian raised his left shoulder, blocking the blade.

The dagger slashed deep into his flesh, but Lucian's shoulder had taken the blow, saving his neck and his life.

With his right hand, Lucian swung his hammer with all of his power, and it struck the rouge in the chest.

The power behind his swing was still strong enough to break the bandit's ribs and send him crashing to the ground.

Lucian winced in pain as his leg was bleeding badly. His health bar was flashing and going down at a steady rate.

"Shit, why isn't it healing!" Lucian thought to himself.

He didn't have time to think about it anymore, though, as the leader rushed in with both blades above his head.

"Die!" He shouted as he brought them down as hard as he could.

Lucian raised his arm at the last second, and the blades bounced off his metal vanbrace. The bandit leader was surprised, and the force of it knocked him back.

Lucian saw his chance, and he put little red onto the floor before he jumped as hard as he could, diving at the bandit.

Lucian flew through the air as he tackled the bandit leader to the ground, both of them rolling before Lucian landed on top of him.

His health bar was still flashing in the corner of his eye, but he batted it off as the bandit leader wiggled and tried to get his arms free.

But now that Lucian had hold of him, his extra strength became all too apparent for the bandit leader.

"N-no, please!" He shouted as he saw the demonic look in Lucian's eyes.

Lucian didn't say a word as he gripped the man by his throat, almost crushing it in his hand.

Lucian then pulled his dagger out from his hip before he slammed it down into the bandits head, killing him instantly.

Lucian took a small breath as his body relaxed just a little.

However, his health bar was still dropping as his leg continued to bleed.

"Ah, crap." He said as he rolled off the man's body and took a look at the wound.

Lucian could see the wound was deep, and he grabbed his leg, squeezing hard.

"Aghh!" He yelled as he bit his lip from the pain.

Lucian had managed to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on it, and not long after that, the wound healed up all on its own as his health bar reached full again.

"Looks like the regeneration still has its limits." He said as he collected his weapons and headed over to little red.

The small goblin was sat on its backside as it clapped its hands together, watching as Lucian approached it.

"It's alright now, little one. it's all over." He said as he picked the baby up. Tickling its little belly.

"Looks like we found a place to stay the night at least. Lucian said with a small chuckle before movement caught his attention.

The bandit he had kicked in the chest was slowly getting up. He took a quick look around and realised his allies had been killed.

He then looked noticed Lucian, and his legs started shaking in fear.

"P-please, I was just with them, so I didn't starve..." The bandit pleaded as he fell to his knees.

Now that there was no threat, Lucian walked closer to the man and decided to investigate the small number above his head.

He couldn't believe he had never seen it before and felt pretty stupid for it. He remained quiet as he focused on the number with his eyes when suddenly it opened up an information screen on his display.

Lucian could see all of the information about the man displayed right in front of him, just like the game.

Name unknown.

Class, bandit lackey.

Skills - None

Rank. 3/20 - Copper.

Stats - Strenght 3/10 - Speed 3/10 - Intelligence 2/10 - Magic 0/8.

Lucian studied the menu as he tried to make sense of the numbers.

He knew that the numbers meant 3 out of 20, for example, for rank. His class was obvious also. Lucian wasn't sure what the Copper meant after his rank but was sure it meant he was weak.

As for his stats, Lucian could only guess that they were ranked out of ten. Other than the magic slot that he knew, 0 must mean that he could not use any magic.

"It must mean once all the stats reach 10/10, then the overall rank will increase," Lucian said as he mumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, the bandit was confused about what Lucian was doing but decided staying quiet was his best bet.

Lucian closed the display screen and looked at the bandit with a stern expression.

"I suggest you leave here before I decide to kill you."

The bandit didn't need telling twice and quickly stood to his feet as he ran away with his tail between his legs.

Lucian smiled as he heard little red giggling, and he decided it was time to clear the area and get settled for the night.

Once Lucian had gotten rid of the bodies and stripped them of anything of value. He settled down by the campfire they had built, adding more wood to it to keep it going.

Lucian opened his rucksack that Helen had given to him and pulled some bread and milk out, giving some to little red as he ripped a bit off.

The little goblin took it and started to chew it without hesitation, making Lucian smile.

He then took a bite of his own food as he opened his display screen, trying to check his own stats.

"Hmm..." He thought as he looked all over for them. It was no good, though. He couldn't find any clue to where his stats might be and decided to close the display before he got angry.

Lucian looked over to little red and could see a number 1 over its head. He then looked harder, and the stat menu opened up, showing him the babies stats.

Name - Know as little red.

Class - red goblin baby.

Skill - None.

Rank - 1/20 - Unranked.

Stats - Strength 1/10 - Speed 2/10 - Intelligence 1/10 - Magic 5/7.

"Looks like the demon was right about the kids magic potential." Lucian thought as he studied the menu carefully.

He closed it and decided that was enough for today. He gave little red some milk, and of course, the kid downed it very quickly.

Lucian smiled as he lay back, placing his head on his hands, looking up to the stars.

He had survived another day in this world, and he was determined to survive as many as he needed until he got his revenge.