Soft moonlight streamed through the trees, faintly lighting the ground.
'How long have I been following them?'
Edrik peeked from behind a tree at the goblins dragging the humans.
On the way they had walked, the path was covered with blood.
"Are they even alive?"
'Crack.'
He accidentally stepped on a stick. He covered his mouth and hid behind the tree.
He peeked again, but the goblins didn't seem to notice the sound.
The goblins kept walking, sometimes stopping to check their surroundings.
After stopping, the goblins with staffs would cast some magic on the humans.
While the others would look around, killing every small or big animal they encountered, but would leave their corpses there.
At such times, Edrik would have to climb trees and sit still. Though he had never climbed trees in real life, it felt natural here.
After following them for some hours, the goblins stopped outside a portal-like entrance in front of a straight hill.
Edrik climbed a nearby tree.
"Is that a dungeon?" he mumbled.
He watched as the goblins entered the portal one by one, dragging the humans along.
After the last goblin entered, Edrik jumped from the tree and walked towards the portal.
"Should I…?" he muttered, moving his hands towards the portal.
But he felt something and pulled his body back.
In the next second, a sword came out of the portal. A second later, a goblin came out holding it.
He clenched his fists, bringing them up.
"I think I should have brought the others."
---
The sun had an orange hue at the horizon. Faint light scattered through the land.
Alden woke up and walked out of the tent.
He walked to the bushes and came back after some minutes.
Before going inside the tent, he glanced outside.
"Is he asleep, or did he again—" he said, yawning.
Then he walked to the tent on the right, Edrik's tent, and peeked inside.
"Huh, again?" he shouted, finding no one inside.
Alden searched around the tent but found nothing.
"Wait, this isn't normal," he mumbled.
He then ran to his tent and said, opening it, "Arthur, Arthur, wake up."
"What happened?" Vesta said, coming out of her tent, rubbing her eyes.
"I can't find Edrik," Alden said, looking at Vesta.
"Maybe he walked in his sleep again," Cecily said in a low tone, coming out of the tent with ruined hair.
"Yes, it happens every now and then, right?" Vesta yawned.
"Alden, did you search around?" Arthur questioned as he got out of the tent.
"Yes, I did," Alden said hurriedly.
"Maybe he walked a bit farther this time," Vesta said, cutting Alden off.
"I don't think it is like that… Didn't you find him acting strangely yesterday?" Arthur moved his gaze around the tent.
"You are right, but hasn't he been like that after that day—" Vesta looked straight into Arthur's eyes.
But Arthur didn't say anything. He just stood silently with a strange look in his eyes.
"Hah, fine," Vesta sighed. "But if he did walk in his sleep again, you all better prepare yourselves."
Alden smiled. "Good, then I will go search the road. Cecily and Vesta, you go look around the village, and Arthur, you go with them near the village."
"No, I will go look around the forest," Arthur said, avoiding eye contact with Alden.
"But—"
Cecily tried saying something but was cut off by Alden.
"Fine." Alden looked at Arthur's pale face and sighed.
Alden walked along the road, while Vesta and Cecily went towards the village.
Arthur watched everyone go for some seconds, then moved towards the forest.
Vesta and Cecily searched through the village, within and outside the buildings.
Alden looked near the road.
While Arthur walked in the forest alone, moving his head, scanning his surroundings.
After moving a bit deeper, his eyes stumbled upon something.
Dried blood.
He gazed around to find more, leading both left and right.
He sat near some of it and stared for a few moments before standing and starting to walk towards the left.
After walking for some minutes, he exited the forest and stumbled onto the road.
Across the road, he saw five tents with a campfire in between. Three tents were torn in places, while the other two were nearly torn to shreds. The campfire still had some half-burned wood.
Arthur crossed the road and stood at the extinguished fire, staring at the tents.
"What even happened here?"
A hand appeared on Arthur's shoulder.
He lunged forward and kicked while rotating back—
But he stopped just before hitting the face.
"Alden?" He frowned, tilting his head.
He pulled his leg back and looked into Alden's eyes.
"Were you following me?" He pressed his lips together.
Alden looked at Arthur for a few seconds, then walked towards the campfire and sat near it.
"I was just following the road," he exhaled slowly.
Arthur looked at the path. "Do you think it was another party?"
Alden picked up a half-burnt piece of wood and looked at it closely. "Maybe they were attacked like us."
"Do you think Edrik—" The words didn't leave Arthur's mouth.
"Edrik?" Alden stood up and walked beside Arthur, placing his hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"That kid has grown, Arthur." A small grin appeared on Alden's face.
He walked towards their tents. "I will tell the others about this."
Arthur clenched his fists and looked back.
"Alden, get the others ready. We are going to find Edrik."
"Yes, leader," Alden laughed lightly as he walked away.
The party walked through the forest, their weapons tightly held in their hands.
"Do you think we would be able to find him like this?" Vesta asked, looking at the blood on the ground they had been following.
"I don't know, but this seems like the only way," Arthur said, clenching his jaw.
"If what we are thinking is right, then it means the villagers and the other party were kidnapped and not killed." Cecily's hands trembled slightly as she spoke.
"And this is the only way if we want to find them," Alden added, looking at Vesta.
"But why would goblins kidnap hu—" Vesta tried questioning but was cut off by Arthur.
"And I think Edrik found some clue, so we need to find him too," Arthur said in a cold tone, tightening his grip on his sword.
Alden glanced at Arthur's hands, which held the sword too tightly yet shook slightly.
They walked for some hours before reaching a straight hill.
But they all stopped some meters away from it.
They just stood there as if their feet had turned to stone.
At the foot of the hill, outside the dungeon gate,
The area was covered with goblin corpses, the ground soaked in green blood.
And above those corpses stood a single person—
Edrik—expressionless, almost like a stone statue, his clothes ragged, blood dripping from almost every part of his body.
Arthur's sword dropped from his hands as he mumbled and ran towards Edrik.
"No… Edrik… Not again… Please."
To be continued…