Dawn broke over the Gnarled Woods, The Pale morning light shining through the cave entrance. Zork was already awake, staring at his status screen in the morning glow. Level 2. Still two days until the magic girl would burn him alive.
Unless he changed things.
"Zork! Grak! Come!" The Chief's gravelly voice echoed through the cave.
Zork quickly dismissed the floating screen and scrambled to his feet. Grak groaned beside him, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The other goblins stirred but didn't wake, only those summoned by the Chief needed to move.
The Chief sat near the back of the cave, his size larger than any other goblin in the tribe. Scars scattered across his green skin, trophies from years of survival. In his hands, he held two items.
"You two," the Chief grunted, his yellow eyes glowing in the light. "Brought good food yesterday. Four rabbits. Tribe not starve because of you."
Zork and Grak exchanged glances. Praise from the Chief was rare.
The Chief held up a wooden shield, its surface battered but solid. "Grak. You. take this. Protect self better." He tossed it to Grak, who caught it with wide eyes.
"Chief! Grak... Grak grateful! Chief! Chief! Chief!" Grak clutched the shield like treasure.
Then the Chief's gaze fixed on Zork. From his belt, he drew a dagger, not crude like Zork's bent blade, but sharp, the edge glinting wickedly in the light. Purple stains coloured the metal near the tip.
"Zork. You. Better hunter. This for you." The Chief held out the dagger. "Poison on blade. Make prey die fast. But..." His eyes narrowed. "Try not poison self. Poison not care who it kill."
Zork took the dagger with trembling fingers. It felt balanced, deadly. So much better than his rusty piece of scrap metal. The weight of it felt perfect in his hands.
"Zork... Zork thank Chief" he managed.
"Now go. Hunt more. Tribe still hungry." The Chief waved them away.
Outside the cave, Grak was already strapping the shield to his arm, grinning like a fool. "Today good day! Grak have shield! Zork have poison dagger! We hunt many things!"
Zork tested the dagger's weight, feeling how it moved in his grip. Sharp. Deadly. With this, he could kill faster, cleaner. Maybe even level up again.
"We hunt," Zork agreed. "We hunt big."
---
The morning hunt started well. Other goblins had scattered throughout the woods, but Zork and Grak headed to their proven spot near the mossy stones. The horned rabbits were there, as expected.
The first kill came quick. Zork's new dagger slid between the rabbit's ribs like it was meant to be there. The creature squealed, then went still as poison did its work. Clean. Efficient.
The second and third rabbits fell just as easily, Grak's shield deflecting their desperate horn strikes while Zork finished them with precise cuts.
But when the third rabbit died, Zork felt... nothing.
No warm surge of power. No glowing words. No level up.
Zork felt frustration building in his chest. Not enough? He needed more wins to level up.
"Grak..." Zork said slowly. "We go deeper. Hunt bigger prey."
Grak looked uncertain. "Deeper? Chief say stay near cave. Deeper mean more danger."
"Also mean more food. More glory." Zork gestured to the three dead rabbits. "We already good hunters today. Why stop?"
That caught Grak's pride. The other goblin puffed up, shield held high. "Grak not afraid! Grak have shield now! We hunt bigger!"
They pushed deeper into horned rabbit territory, past the markers where smart goblins usually turned back. The forest grew denser here, shadows darker. Zork moved quietly, months of hunting instinct combined with his new stats.
Then they found it.
In a clearing surrounded by thorn bushes, a creature grazed. At first, Zork thought it was just another horned rabbit...but then it turned, and his breath caught.
Two horns spiralled from its head instead of one, each as thick as Zork's arm. Its body was massive, half the size of a goblin, with muscles rippling under its grey-brown fur. Its Red eyes fixed on the intruders.
[Double horned rabbit - level 4]
"Z-Zork..." Grak's voice shook. "That big rabbit. Very big."
Big. Dangerous. But also... valuable.
"We kill it," Zork decided. "Together. You block with shield. Zork stab with poison."
"Grak... Grak not sure...."
The double horned rabbit charged.
Grak screamed and raised his shield just in time. The impact sent him sprawling, but the wooden shield held. The rabbit wheeled around, surprisingly fast for its size, and lunged at Zork.
Zork rolled sideways, feeling the wind of those horns passing inches from his face. His new [AGI: 6] made him faster than before, but this creature was still quicker than any rabbit he'd fought.
"Hit it! Hit it!" Grak scrambled up, his shield dented.
Zork darted in, slashing with the poison dagger. The blade scored a line across the rabbit's flank. The creature shrieked, blood welling from the wound. Poison seeped in.
But it wasn't enough to stop the beast.
The rabbit kicked backward, catching Zork in the chest. Air exploded from his lungs as he flew back, hitting the ground hard. Stars burst across his vision. But he was still conscious, barely.
"Zork!" Grak charged, club swinging. The strike connected with the rabbit's head with a solid thunk. The creature staggered.
Zork forced himself up, his ribs screaming in pain. The rabbit was turning toward Grak now, red eyes blazing with fury despite the poison working through its system. Those horns would punch through wooden shield like paper.
'Move. MOVE!'
Zork lunged forward, ignoring the pain, and drove his dagger deep into the rabbit's exposed side. Once. Twice. Three times. Poison flooded into the creature's body.
The double horned rabbit let out one final, terrible scream. Then it collapsed, twitching, before going still.
[Double horned rabbit defeated!]
[level up!]
[level 2 → level 3]
[all stats +1]
[SP: +5]
[Special victory bonus: +5 RP]
"YES!" Zork yelled.
The power surge hit Zork like lightning. Warmth flooded his battered body, easing the pain in his ribs, sharpening his senses. His muscles felt denser, stronger. His mind clearer.
"ZORK STAB! GRAK BASH! WE WIN!" Grak laughed breathlessly, leaning on his shield. "We kill big rabbit! Tribe be so happy!"
Zork stared at the massive corpse, then at his bloodied dagger. They'd won. Barely, but they'd won.
---
The journey back was slower, both goblins carrying their spoils. Three horned rabbits plus one double horned rabbit made for heavy loads. Zork's body ached despite the level up, every step a reminder of how close to death the had come....again.
Then he heard voices.
Human voices.
Zork froze, hand shooting out to stop Grak. Through the trees ahead, maybe fifty paces away, he could see movement. Humans. Two of them, wearing leather armour, carrying real weapons.
Adventurers.
"Humans!" Grak's eyes lit up with the same bloodlust that had driven him during the hunt. "We attack! We kill! We—"
"No," Zork hissed, clamping a hand over Grak's mouth. "We too tired. They too strong. We go back quiet."
"But—"
"Grak want to die? Zork not want to die. Not today." Zork's voice was firm, surprising himself with its authority. "We have good food. We go home. Fight humans another day."
Grak struggled with his pride for a moment, then the exhaustion won out. "...Fine. Grak tired anyway."
They circled wide, avoiding the humans, and made their way back to the cave. By the time they emerged from the tree line, the sun was starting to set.
Other goblins saw them approaching and began to cheer.
"Zork and Grak return!"
"Look! Big rabbit! Huge!"
"So much food!"
The tribe poured out of the cave, chattering excitedly at the sight of the double horned rabbit. Even the Chief emerged, his scarred face showing something that might have been approval.
"Good hunt," the Chief grunted. "Very good."
That night, the tribe feasted again. Meat sizzled over fires, goblins laughed and fought over the best pieces, and for a few hours, starvation seemed like a distant memory.
Zork sat apart from the celebration, staring at his status screen in the firelight:
---
[level]: 3/10
[str]: 5 [agi]: 7 [vit]: 6
[int]: 4 [wis]: 3 [luk]: 3
---
[SP]: 10
[RP]: 15
---
One more day until the magic girl. One more day to prepare. Zork felt confident that he was going to defeat the Magic human girl this time.