They moved through the forest with growing urgency.
The deeper they went, the clearer the signs became - crushed brush, clawed bark, blood. Whatever had passed through here had size and weight. And purpose.
The rumble sounded again - closer now.
They crept over a rise, then dropped low as they reached the edge of a wide ravine. Below, in the hollow carved between roots and stone, the Goblin Lord stood.
Towering. Armored in layered bone and steel scraps. Fangs jutted from its maw like knives. A massive hammer rested on its shoulder.
And it wasn't alone.
The axe-wielder from before was down there, leading his team in a full assault. Six of them in total. Each moving with speed, precision, and force. Coordinated. Experienced.
At first - it worked.
Their mage seared its armor with fire. The spear-user struck low while another slammed into its flank with a heavy warhammer. The Goblin Lord grunted and staggered back a step.From the treeline above, Vael and the others crouched and watched, hidden behind roots and scrub.
"They found it first," Ryne muttered. Her voice was tight, but her eyes were focused, studying the battle below.
"They're hitting it hard," Joss said quietly. His gaze flickered between the fight and Vael, as if searching for any sign of doubt in his mind. "They might win."
But Kainen's eyes narrowed. He wasn't so sure. "Look again."
Below, the Goblin Lord exhaled. A low, rasping breath that fogged the air like smoke.
Then it moved.
Faster than it should've.
Its hammer swept wide. The warhammer fighter blocked - but the sheer force shattered his weapon and sent him flying into a tree. He didn't get up.
"Shit," Ryne whispered, her hand instinctively reaching for an arrow.
The spear-user lunged. The Goblin Lord caught the shaft mid-strike, yanked the fighter off balance, and drove a clawed fist into his chest. Blood sprayed.
They broke formation. Two tried to run. One made it five steps before the hammer came down, flattening him.
Now it was a slaughter.
Screams rose. Blood hit stone. One by one, they fell - each more brutally than the last.
Ryne stood, her hands trembling slightly. "We have to help."
Kainen grabbed her arm. "We're not ready-"
She yanked her arm free. "We can't just stand here!"
Joss cursed, but the decision was made. He darted forward, Ryne close behind. Kainen hesitated, but finally, he followed.
Vael didn't move.
He stood at the ridge, watching. The silence around him was deafening. The voice was already there.
"Now you see," it said.
Ryne's voice broke through the chaos, her arrow already drawn and flying—only to glance off the Goblin Lord's shoulder.
Joss moved to grab a wounded fighter, but it was too late. A backhand from the beast sent both of them tumbling, blood splattering the earth.
Kainen rushed forward. Steel met steel. Sparks flew. His sword slid across the monster's arm—but didn't pierce deep.
The Goblin Lord turned.
And everything stopped.
The sheer weight of its gaze hit them like stone.
Ryne froze, mid-draw. Joss couldn't breathe. Even Kainen's grip faltered.
It wasn't fear—it was something heavier. A crushing, primal force that rooted them in place. Like they'd been marked for death.
Only Vael could still move.
He stepped forward, slow and silent.
The voice spoke again.
"This is your moment."
"They're frozen. You are not. That means something."
"The Grandmaster ordered you to hide your power. Fine. Then take this monster away from their eyes. Use it."
"Lure the Goblin Lord from here. Drag it into the dark with you. Make it your crucible. Make it your forge."
"If you stay, you waste the chance. If you go, you grow stronger than any of them will ever dream."
Vael stood just beyond the treeline, staring down at the beast, his teammates caught in its crushing presence.
Time stretched thin.
"Choose," the voice said.
The Goblin Lord stepped forward.
Its presence crushed the air. A wave of death, heavy and final.
The others couldn't move. Ryne trembled, eyes locked on the beast. Joss was frozen mid-step.
Kainen strained against the weight, but even he couldn't break free.
Vael moved.
He stepped in front of them—between his group and the monster.
"It's me you want," he said quietly.
The Goblin Lord tilted its head, curious.
"Vael-" Ryne breathed, her voice choked with fear and disbelief.
He didn't look back.
"Don't follow me," he said, his tone firm but oddly distant. "Don't think about me."
They stared at him, wide-eyed.
"I'll kill it," he said. His voice was calm, but there was a quiet finality to it. "And I'll come back."
Then he turned, and ran.
The Goblin Lord roared and chased.
The forest bent around them—trees shaking, birds exploding into the air, branches snapping like bones. Vael didn't stop. He led the monster deeper and deeper, far past the hunt's range. Into the part of the forest that had no paths, no watchers, no light.
Only shadows. And silence.
At last, in a clearing wrapped by roots and stone, he stopped.
The Goblin Lord charged, raising its hammer.
"Now," the voice said. "No more distractions."
"You know what to do. Hand only. Small. Focused."
Vael tried.
He clenched his fist. Reached for the power. It sparked—lightning under skin—but slipped loose again. The energy burst too fast, too wide. He staggered as the Goblin Lord struck.
The hammer hit his side. He flew backward, rolling, breath punched from his lungs.But he stood.
Another hit came—shoulder this time. He slid across the ground but rose again, coughing dust.
"You're not breaking," the voice said. "Your body took the blows of a god. This thing?"
"It's noise. Pain, maybe. But it can't kill you."
"Again."
Vael breathed deep. Dug in.
The power rose—wild, furious. He focused it. Smaller. Tighter. Into the fist.
Too much. His arm burned. Skin cracked with light.
But not enough to stop him.
He struck.
A pulse of force. The Goblin Lord reeled—but didn't fall.
"Better," the voice said. "Again."
Another hit. And another. His strikes grew sharper, cleaner. Each time, the power folded tighter into itself—contained but deadly.
The Goblin Lord roared and swung—missed. Vael stepped inside the arc and slammed his fist into its ribs.
Cracks spread through the beast's armor.
High above, back where the team had been, Ryne's voice rose.
"Go after him!" she shouted. "We can't just leave him!"
Kainen hesitated. His hands shook, conflicted between following orders and protecting his friend.
"He said not to-"
"I don't care!" Ryne snapped, her face flushed with urgency. "He's not dying out there alone!"
They ran, following the path of destruction through the trees—splintered bark, footprints like craters, claw marks ripped through trunks.
When they found him, the Goblin Lord had him pinned. Hammer rising. Vael's back was to the ground. Blood smeared his arm, dust caked his face.
Ryne raised her bow, her hands trembling, heart pounding in her chest.
Kainen reached for his sword.
Then, before they could act, he moved.
He leapt to his feet, power surging. His fist ignited—pure crimson energy wrapped tight around knuckles that gleamed like hot metal.
The very ground cracked beneath him. Not from weight—but from power.
Vael stepped forward, completely unaware of the eyes on him.
The voice in his head spoke, calm and steady.
"Now. You've felt it. Hold it."
Vael clenched his fist, drawing the roiling chaos into that single point—his knuckles glowing with building destruction.
The Goblin Lord charged.
Vael moved to meet it.
His punch connected.
And the forest detonated.
The sound shattered the trees.
Half of the Goblin Lord vanished—atomized in a single strike. Not torn. Not broken. Just gone. A shockwave exploded outward, flattening trees in a wide arc, turning stone to dust, vaporizing roots and soil.
The clearing was ruined. Silent. Blackened by heat and force.
Vael stood alone in the center of it all. Steam rising from his skin. His eyes dim again.
Whatever that power was—it had gone dormant.
He exhaled slowly, and said nothing.
Just looked down at his burned, cracked hands.
The voice whispered, barely audible now:
"That… was the first step."
Silence followed.
Vael stood over it, panting. Steam rose from his arm. His eyes burned with power barely held back. His team stood at the edge, stunned. Speechless.
Ryne was the first to speak, her voice soft but full of concern. "Vael…"
He didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the fallen beast.
Kainen stepped forward, his voice quiet, a touch of awe in his words. "Vael… you-"
"I told you not to follow me," Vael interrupted, his voice calm but strained, his breath still uneven. Ryne's voice wavered. "You… you killed it."
Vael didn't answer. He just stood there, fists clenched, the energy still buzzing through him, his focus entirely on the destruction.
Joss, still catching his breath, glanced at the others. "What now?"
They stood in silence, unsure of what to say. The forest, once filled with the sounds of battle, was now eerily quiet.