"Oracle, scan! Identify those sounds. What's happening over there?" you think urgently, focusing your intent.
The world freezes. The sunlight freezes on the grass, the faint buzzing of an unseen insect cuts out.
<< Scanning area beyond boulders... Analyzing acoustic signatures and life signs... >>
A moment passes as the AI processes.
<< Confirmed: One (1) Goblin, Rank E+. Two (2) Giant Forest Rats, Rank E-. >>
<< Situation: The Goblin is currently engaged in combat with the two Giant Forest Rats. Analysis indicates the Goblin surprised the rats, killing one (source of the squeal). The remaining rat is aggressively attacking the Goblin. >>
Mental images flicker – a small, wiry creature with green skin, pointed ears, and ragged leather scraps for clothing, armed with a crude, rusty dagger. It's facing off against a rodent easily the size of a small dog, with matted brown fur, yellowed teeth, and vicious red eyes.
<< Goblin Stats (Rank E+): STR 7, DEX 9, INT 4, CON 6. >>
<< Abilities: Low-light vision. Minor tool use. >>
<< Status: Minor lacerations on arm and leg. Moderately winded. Aggressive. >>
<< Giant Forest Rat Stats (Rank E-): STR 4, DEX 10, INT 2, CON 5. >>
<< Abilities: Keen smell. Bite attack. >>
<< Status: Aggressive. High stress. >>
<< Additional Data: The deceased rat represents a potential minor food source. Goblins in this region are typically scavengers and opportunistic predators, known to attack travelers if they perceive an advantage. They rarely travel alone unless scouting or lost. >>
<< Scan complete. >>
Time snaps back. The snarls and scrambling sounds continue, slightly muffled by the boulders. Knowing what's happening changes the situation entirely. A goblin – a classic fantasy monster, albeit a low-level one – fighting oversized rats.
Plan: get eyes on the situation directly. You move towards the large boulders, your enhanced Dexterity allowing you to move quietly and quickly. You hug the cool, mossy stone, carefully positioning yourself near the edge where you can peek around without exposing yourself too much.
You peer around the edge of the largest boulder. Just a few meters away, in a slightly more overgrown area behind the rocks, the scene unfolds exactly as Oracle described. A scrawny goblin, barely waist-high, clad in filthy rags, is locked in a frantic struggle. It has a jagged, rusty dagger clutched in one hand. On the ground near its feet lies a dead giant rat, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. The living rat, a snarling ball of mangy fur and teeth, is lunging and snapping at the goblin's legs. The goblin kicks out, trying to fend it off while swiping clumsily with its dagger. It looks like a desperate, ugly little scrap.
Neither the goblin nor the rat seems aware of your presence yet.
Seeing the goblin and the giant rat with your own eyes hits differently than Oracle's cool, analytical description. The goblin's green skin isn't just a color; it's sickly, stretched taut over sharp bones. Its movements are jerky, filled with a desperate, feral energy. The rat is equally real, its mangy fur, sharp claws scrabbling on the dirt, and the glint of malice in its beady red eyes making your skin crawl. This isn't a game render or a movie prop. These are living, breathing, fighting creatures. The smell drifting from them – a mix of damp fur, filth, and blood – is sharp and unpleasant. The reality of your situation crashes down with renewed force. Monsters are real.
Your eyes fix on the rusty dagger in the goblin's hand. It's crude, yes, but it's metal, pointed, and clearly capable of causing harm – unlike your own weapon. You instinctively touch the bum bag where your pocket knife rests. It suddenly feels utterly inadequate, a flimsy toy compared to the goblin's shiv. Could I even kill it with the pocket knife? You doubt it would be easy or clean. You'd have to get dangerously close, and even a wounded E+ rank creature could inflict serious damage. But that dagger... that would be a significant upgrade.
You watch the fight intently. The goblin is clearly tiring, its movements becoming sloppier. It manages a lucky kick, sending the rat tumbling back momentarily, but the creature recovers quickly, lunging again. The goblin seems focused entirely on the rat, its back partially turned towards your position behind the boulder.
This is it, you think, a cold resolve settling over you. If I can't handle one injured, low-rank goblin, I'm screwed. Your enhanced strength and speed give you an edge, but this is your first real combat, your first potential kill in this world. Your heart pounds, adrenaline surging through you, but your mind feels surprisingly clear, focused. You need that dagger, and you need the experience. It's time to act.
You grip the handle of your small pocket knife, flipping the blade out. It looks pitifully small. You stay low, waiting for the perfect moment – maybe when the rat lunges again, forcing the goblin to commit its attention and defenses fully.
The rat, recovering from the kick, gathers itself and launches another furious attack, aiming for the goblin's legs. The goblin yelps, hopping back awkwardly and swiping downwards with the dagger to ward off the attack. Its focus is entirely on the rat biting at its ankles. This is your chance.
The opening is there. The goblin is distracted, slightly off-balance, and its side/back is exposed to you. What is your move?
Just as you steel yourself to move, Oracle's voice cuts through your thoughts, crisp and immediate.
<< Combat subroutine activated. Analyzing engagement dynamics... Calculating optimal attack vector and timing for maximum surprise and effectiveness against Target: Goblin (Rank E+). Standby for execution window... >>
You feel a strange overlay in your mind – lines of trajectory, highlighting the goblin's blind spots, predicting the rat's movements microseconds ahead. It's like having a perfect tactical overlay guiding your instincts.
<< Optimal window imminent... Target fixation on Rat maximizes vulnerability... Target重心 (center of gravity) shifting left... Execute primary strike on Target's right flank, aiming for kidney/lower rib area upon receiving signal... >>
The rat lunges again, snapping viciously. The goblin yelps and stumbles back, parrying wildly with the dagger, its attention completely consumed.
<< NOW! >>
Propelled by Oracle's timing and your own enhanced speed, you explode from behind the boulder. You cover the few meters in a silent blur. Following the mental trajectory, you bring the pocket knife around in a tight arc, aiming precisely where Oracle indicated – the goblin's exposed right side, just above its hip.
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The small blade sinks into the goblin's ragged tunic and flesh with sickening ease. It's not deep – the knife is too short for a devastating blow – but it hits true.
A choked, gurgling scream rips from the goblin's throat, cut short by shock and pain. Its head snaps around, wide, yellow eyes locking onto you with sudden terror and hatred. It drops the rusty dagger, which clatters onto the dirt near its feet, as it instinctively clutches its wounded side.
Simultaneously, the Giant Forest Rat, momentarily ignored, seems confused by the sudden appearance of a new, larger threat and the goblin's cry. It halts its attack, backing up a step, its beady red eyes flicking between you and the wounded goblin, whiskers twitching nervously.
You stand frozen for a split second, pocket knife still embedded slightly in the goblin's side. The creature is wounded but very much alive, staring at you with murderous intent. The rat is momentarily hesitant but still a threat. The rusty dagger lies tantalizingly close on the ground. The situation has changed dramatically in an instant.
The precision of Oracle's guidance is stunning. The AI didn't just suggest where to hit, but the exact moment, maximizing the element of surprise. A surge of fierce satisfaction, tinged with a bit of awe at Oracle's power, courses through you. This changes everything.
You don't pause to admire your handiwork. The goblin is wounded, enraged, and you need that dagger now. Ignoring the pocket knife still stuck in its side, you use your momentum and enhanced speed. With a burst of movement, you lunge past the staggering goblin, your eyes fixed on the prize. Your fingers close around the rough, worn leather wrap of the dagger's hilt just as the goblin lets out another pained snarl and turns towards you, one hand clutching its bleeding side, the other clawing defensively.
The rusty dagger feels solid and heavy in your hand, a far more substantial weapon than your flimsy pocket knife. There's no hesitation. Fueled by adrenaline and the primal need to end the threat, you pivot, bringing the dagger up in a powerful underhand thrust. Oracle doesn't even need to guide this; the target is obvious, wounded, and slow.
You drive the blade deep into the goblin's chest. There's a sickening crunch as it likely hits bone, followed by a wet, gurgling gasp. The goblin's yellow eyes go wide with final shock, its struggles cease abruptly, and it crumples to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Its limbs twitch once, then lie still.
Silence descends, broken only by your own heavy breathing and the frantic scrabbling sound of the Giant Forest Rat. You look over, dagger held ready. The rat, having witnessed the swift and brutal dispatch of the goblin, seems to decide you are far too much trouble. With a final hiss, it turns and disappears into the dense undergrowth beyond the boulders, vanishing from sight.
You stand panting slightly, the rusty dagger clutched tightly in your hand, slick with dark, greenish blood. At your feet lies the dead goblin, your pocket knife still protruding from its side. Nearby is the carcass of the first giant rat it killed. The clearing feels suddenly very quiet. You have survived your first combat, secured a better weapon, and confirmed the deadly reality of this new world.
The adrenaline rush begins to fade, leaving a strange mix of shaky relief and lingering intensity. You stare down at the dead goblin, its vacant yellow eyes staring up at the sky. You replay the moment in your head: the lunge, the satisfying weight of the dagger in your hand, the thud as it connected, the abrupt end to the struggle. It felt... efficient. Necessary. And disturbingly, undeniably, a part of you felt a surge of power, a thrill in the victory that felt... good.
Is it because it wasn't human? you wonder, trying to process the feeling. It looked monstrous, alien. Maybe that disconnect makes it easier. Or maybe it's just the raw, primal satisfaction of overcoming a lethal threat, of surviving when you could have died. It's a complex feeling, one you don't fully understand yet, unsettling but undeniable. This world demands a certain ruthlessness, and perhaps you just discovered you possess it.
Shaking off the introspection, you focus on the practical. You wrench your small pocket knife from the goblin's side – it's coated in the same dark blood as the dagger. Grimacing slightly, you kneel beside the corpse. The goblin's rags are filthy and smell awful, but they'll serve a purpose. You tear off a reasonably sturdy section of the rough-spun material. First, you wipe down your pocket knife as best you can and fold it away back into your bum bag. Then, you use the rag to clean the worst of the gore from the rusty dagger blade and its crude hilt. It's still stained and unpleasant, but less messy.
You wrap the cleaner part of the torn rag around the dagger's blade several times, creating a makeshift sheath to prevent accidental cuts and keep the blood contained. Carefully, you slide the wrapped dagger into the large inner pocket of your weatherproof sports jacket. It feels secure, accessible, and far more reassuring than the small knife ever did. You now have a proper weapon, taken from your first kill.
You stand up, taking a deep breath. The clearing is still quiet. The path ahead, marked with those humanoid footprints, continues on the other side. You've faced your first danger and come out on top, better equipped than before.
With the goblin dealt with and its dagger secured, you feel a renewed sense of purpose, mixed with caution. The encounter, brief as it was, proved that danger is real and can appear suddenly. You glance back at the dead goblin and rat, then resolutely turn towards the continuation of the path leading out of the clearing, the path marked by those intriguing footprints.
Your hand instinctively rests on the bulge in your jacket pocket where the dagger lies wrapped. It's a cold comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. You proceed at a steady walk, deliberately scanning your surroundings. Your enhanced senses feel sharper now, honed by the recent adrenaline. You listen intently, trying to parse the layers of forest sounds – the omnipresent birdsong, the rustle of leaves under an unseen breeze, the occasional snap of a twig somewhere off in the undergrowth. Is that just an animal, or something else? You pay closer attention to the shadows beneath the trees and the dense clusters of ferns.
The path continues much as before, a ribbon of packed earth winding through the trees. If anything, it seems slightly more defined here, as if it sees more regular use. Occasionally, you spot a branch that looks like it was deliberately snapped or cut long ago to clear the way. The footprints you follow are still visible intermittently in softer patches of ground.
Your thirst, temporarily forgotten during the fight, returns more insistently now. The memory of Oracle's scan mentioning a stream on the other path is frustrating. You keep straining your ears for the sound of running water – a gurgle, a trickle, a roar – anything. You scan the ground near the path for signs of moisture, looking for muddier patches or specific types of lush vegetation that might indicate water nearby, but find nothing obvious. Your empty water bottle feels heavier with potential disappointment.
The forest remains dense, sunlight filtering down in shifting patterns. The air is still cool and smells of damp earth and growing things. You estimate you've been walking for another ten to fifteen minutes since leaving the clearing where you fought the goblin. Your stamina is gradually returning to normal levels as the adrenaline fully recedes. The path begins a gentle upward slope, winding around the base of a larger hill covered in thick woods. Still no sound or sign of water. Your throat feels increasingly dry.
Time: Mid Morning
Date: 01/05/1042
Character: Keelan
Status:
- Health: Healthy
- Hunger: Slightly Hungry -> Hungry
- Thirst: Slightly Thirsty -> Thirsty
- Stamina: Recovering -> Near Full
- Injuries: None
Inventory:
- Currency: 0 Copper, 0 Silver, 0 Gold
- Clothing: Black shirt, black sweatpants, black weatherproof sports jacket, athletic sneakers.
- Worn Accessories: Silver watch, Silver ring (sports club logo).
- Bum Bag: Smartphone (50% charge, no signal), Small foldable solar charger, Lighter, Small pocket knife, Basic modern medication (Painkillers x10 doses, Multivitamins x30 doses), Empty sports water bottle.
- Weapons: Rusty Goblin Dagger (wrapped in rag, stored in jacket pocket).