After what felt like an eternity…
Kael finally arrived at the source of the light.
It wasn't some hidden sanctuary. No magical gate or altar. Just… a dead end.
Just a stubborn wall at the ass-end of a mountain. No markings. No mystery. Just sitting there, like it had the gall to waste his time.
No lever. No inscription. No carved doorframe hinting at secrets beyond.
"Is this it?" he muttered, squinting at the glow still seeping faintly through the cracks. "Couldn't be…"
He bent down, grabbed a nearby rock, and hurled it at the glowing wall.
Clack.
It bounced off harmlessly, barely making a dent. Not even a scratch. The glow pulsed in response — soft and uncaring, like it hadn't even noticed.
Kael limped closer, eyeing the surface suspiciously. With a grunt, he placed his palm flat against the stone.
An odd, serene warmth bloomed across his skin — not heat, not magic, but something calm. Something... old.
CLACK.
The sound echoed sharply, like a gear snapping into place.
Then came the grumble — low and guttural, like the mountain itself had drawn breath for the first time in centuries. The ground trembled beneath Kael's bare feet, a subtle warning that arrived a heartbeat too late.
The wall didn't open. It gave up.
Stone cracked like brittle bone. A deafening snap, followed by a tsunami of dust and rubble as the entire face of the rock gave way in one violent exhale. Chunks of jagged stone crashed down, skittering across the earth in chaotic waves.
Kael threw up an arm against the dust, eyes narrowing through the haze.
"Well," he muttered, coughing once. "That's one way to build a door."
Kael stared for a beat.
"…How nifty. If only this thing showed up before I cried myself to sleep," he muttered, shaking his head with a short, bitter laugh.
Still chuckling, he stepped past the rubble and into the newly revealed cavern.
It was… basic.
Plain stone walls, some wet with moisture. A faint mustiness in the air. The distant squeak of bats and the rhythmic drip of water from unseen cracks echoed in the darkness.
Nothing glowing. Nothing moving. No monsters, no traps. Just silence and stone.
Until—
His foot brushed against something metallic.
He glanced down.
A sword.
Lying half-buried at the side of the path, like someone had dropped it and forgotten it centuries ago. Rusted. Jagged. But... still usable.
Kael knelt and picked it up, testing its weight. It wobbled slightly in his grip, but it was solid enough to kill with.
"I should take it," he mumbled, resting the sword on his shoulder. "Might run into goblins or something stupid like that…"
As for why a sword was just there, alone in a random cave?
He didn't know. Didn't care.
It was a weapon. That's all that mattered.
And it proved useful faster than expected.
Just a few meters ahead, a goblin stood in the path. Or rather — slept. The little bastard was slouched against the wall, snoring softly, a small iron dagger resting limply in its clawed grip.
Of course, for its size, that dagger looked like a proper short sword.
Kael's lip curled.
"A warmup, huh?" he muttered, tapping the edge of his new blade against the cavern wall.
CLANG.
The sharp sound rang through the air like a bell.
The goblin jolted awake, eyes flashing red, and immediately lunged with a feral snarl.
Kill. Breed. Eat.
That was the extent of its thought process.
Simple. Brutal. Efficient.
"A simple life," Kael mused. "Honestly, might be preferable."
The goblin raised its dagger overhead and brought it down in a wild arc, aiming for Kael's chest.
Kael blocked it — barely.
His hands shook from the impact, arms straining.
"Woah… feels like I'm holding a ten-ton weight," he grunted, surprised by the strain. "I've gotten way too soft."
Still, he managed to parry the strike, deflecting it with a sharp twist.
The goblin skidded back, stumbling on the uneven ground.
Kael exhaled through his nose. "A limping man versus a feral goblin. Truly... a battle for the history books."
The goblin didn't wait. It lunged again — lower this time, aiming for his leg, trying to cripple him further.
Kael sidestepped, twisted, and brought his blade down hard.
Slice.
A clean graze across the side of the goblin's skull. Blood splattered, hot and thick.
"I missed?" he muttered, annoyed. "I was aiming for a decapitation."
The goblin screeched, now fully enraged.
It came at him with a flurry of rabid slashes — wild, desperate, furious.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Steel clashed again and again. Sparks flew. The cavern echoed with the sound of desperate survival.
Neither gained ground.
Kael's breath grew heavier. His muscles burned. His left leg shook with every movement.
The goblin, meanwhile, bled from a dozen scratches — but kept coming.
"Tough little bastard. Must've grown up chewing on iron ore."
Kael grimaced.
"Won't you die already?"