The dense forest began to thin, gradually unveiling a rugged, uneven hill nestled at the heart of the clearing, surrounded by towering trees and thick underbrush. At the base of this stony mound stood an imposing barricade—a crude wall made of stacked logs and sharpened wooden stakes, reinforced with vines and stone, clearly constructed for defence. It served as a perimeter, concealing and protecting what lay within.
Ali, ever cautious, leapt effortlessly into the branches of a nearby tree. From his elevated vantage point, hidden beneath the dense canopy, he perched like a silent predator. His sharp eyes scanned the area behind the fortified wall, where the real horror was revealed.
'That's a lot of them…' he thought grimly, his expression hardening.
Beneath him, the stronghold swarmed with goblins—dozens upon dozens of them. The grotesque green creatures scurried across the rocky terrain in organised clusters, each clutching a makeshift weapon in their gnarled hands. Some wielded spears made of sharpened wood, while others brandished crude swords and iron daggers pilfered from past victims. A few even wore scraps of mismatched armour—evidence that these goblins weren't just wild monsters, but perhaps something more: intelligent, resourceful, coordinated.
Ali's gaze shifted further. His pupils narrowed slightly as they landed on a second hill, adjacent to the first. Unlike the rocky fortress teeming with goblins, this hill was alive in a much more terrifying way. It wasn't a hill at all.
'When he said large…' Ali's thoughts trailed into silence as he truly registered what he was seeing.
The second "hill" was, in fact, a gargantuan goblin—dark green and monstrous in appearance, with thick warty skin and tusks the size of tree branches jutting out from its foul maw. Its mouth hung half-open in sleep, exhaling with such force that entire clusters of goblins were blown backward by each snore. Gripped in its oversized fist was a massive wooden club, easily fifteen meters long and studded with spikes. The very air around the creature felt heavier, denser.
'I can feel the power from here,' Ali mused, his instincts on high alert. 'It's definitely stronger than anything I've seen so far. I don't know about its speed, but if it lands a hit—one swing, and I'm paste. Shadow too…'
Ali's battle-hardened senses were screaming. The sheer pressure the creature exuded while unconscious made it clear—it was a living catastrophe waiting to happen.
Then came the gentle, high-pitched hum.
VOOOOOOO
Ali turned toward the source and spotted a shimmer in the air beside him—then a faint flicker of movement. A small drone uncloaked itself mid-hover, revealing its compact metallic frame and spinning blades. It drifted down to land beside him on the thick tree branch, blades winding to a halt with a mechanical hiss.
["I have a recording of the interior inside the drone."]
The message flashed on Ali's interface—Miles. The kid was very resourceful…
Ali watched as the drone clicked open with a soft hiss, exposing a sleek, see-through phone embedded into its body. Ali retrieved it and raised an eyebrow.
'I've never seen a phone like this before… It's transparent?' he wondered, his interest briefly caught by the advanced craftsmanship.
The moment Ali touched the surface, the screen flickered to life and went black—before shifting into a video playback. From the drone's perspective, Ali watched as it flew silently through the wooden barricade, undetected by the horde of goblins rushing around in their daily madness.
The deeper the drone ventured into the labyrinthine cave, the more disturbing the scene became.
'It's a complex system of tunnels,' Ali observed, watching the footage with analytical precision. 'Every path connects to another—one wrong move, and I'd have the entire colony on my head. And that big bastard outside won't stay asleep forever.'
But it was the next chamber that made even Ali's cold expression falter.
The drone turned a corner and entered a grim hall—lit dimly by green moss and fungi clinging to the rocky ceiling. Dozens of human women lay strewn across the ground, motionless or bound in despair. Their stomachs were swollen, and those not pregnant were being horrifically violated by elder goblins with long white beards and twisted grins.
He'd seen horror in many forms—but this was new. The goblins weren't just breeding—they were cultivating. Systematically and cruelly.
'So that's how they reproduce,' he noted. 'Well… at least now I know humans exist in this world. I just hope they're not weaker than these goblins…'
The drone moved on, gliding deeper through the twisted corridors until it entered a cavern unlike the others. It was enormous—perhaps a throne room of sorts.
Kneeling across the floor were dozens of goblins, their faces pressed into the dirt in servitude. At the centre stood a goblin unlike any other Ali had seen—taller, clad in stitched-together hides and animal pelts. In one hand, it gripped a glowing green staff pulsing with arcane power. Its eyes glowed the same sickly green hue, and its nails—long and curved like talons—dripped with raw magical energy.
The drone recorded as the goblin raised its staff and began a ritual. Green light extended like tendrils toward the goblins kneeling below. Those caught in its glow twitched and screamed as their bodies began to transform—muscles bulging, bones stretching, skin turning darker. Their screams echoed as they grew in size and ferocity, powered by whatever dark spell the staff was casting.
'And that's the goblin that can use magic…' Ali's thoughts were steel now.
He paused the recording, returning the device to the drone, which clicked it back into its frame.
He opened his interface and began typing to Miles.
[We will have to go the stealth route. I could deal with everything inside, but the big goblin outside is something else. From the recording, my plan is to lure a beast into their camp and force them out of the hill. We must reduce their numbers before extraction.]
Miles replied swiftly.
[Agreed. I can send drones to torch their storage and breeding chambers. That'll drive them deeper, give you more room to work.]
[Perfect. I'm off to find a beast.]
Ali closed his interface, his eyes scanning the tree line.
'Shadow can't be the bait. I invested five points of Spirit into him—no way I risk him for that.'
Just then, a bright alert appeared on his screen.
[Personal Mission: Clear out the Goblin Stronghold (0/1)]
[Reward: +0.4 Strength Attribute]
Ali exhaled sharply, his lips curling into a half-sneer.
'Of course. Paradise showing me the reward for a suicide mission to entice me. 0.4 is a lot though… damn it.'
Then, pain bloomed in his forearm—burning, sharp. A new presence made itself known nearby, and a the quiet sound of running could be heard through the woods.
Ali launched himself into the air, using the Force to boost his ascent. He landed quietly on a branch nearly eighty meters up, concealed among the leaves, eyes narrowing.
Below him, dozens of figures were now moving into the clearing.
[Are you seeing this?] Ali messaged Miles instantly.
Miles responded a moment later.
[Demi-humans. Humans with animal traits. Common in anime fantasy genres.]
Ali didn't reply. He was too busy observing.
There were wolves with blue fur and swords, rabbit girls with twitching ears and bows, a fierce-looking deer woman with antlers made of crystalline bark, and a dozen more types. Then—
His eyes landed on one.
The leader.
A minotaur—red fur, horned head, massive frame standing over eight feet tall. A walking mountain of muscle and rage, dragging a hammer behind him that looked heavy enough to collapse a house. One look was enough to know: this creature could rival the sleeping titan goblin.
Ali's eyes gleamed.
[The distraction is here. Be ready for extraction.]
He slipped off his coat, stashing it in his inventory, and summoned his lightsaber. Its deep hum buzzed softly through the air as he crouched—coiled and ready.
The Demi-humans took position. Archers in trees. Warriors at the barricade.
Ali could already tell—they were ready to fight.
But the goblins had traps set everywhere—spiked pits, buried nets, swinging logs triggered by vines. Ali had spotted them all with just one glance.
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