“Where is he?” Emily muttered, exasperated. Sweat beaded down her sunset colored hair, and she could feel it freezing against her cold neck. It’s bad enough she needed to balance herself with a bow nocked on top of a branch; it took her everything not to look down. Now, the Kobold was near. Maybe ten meters away? She had aimed at one of them, confident she could take it down in one shot with her mana arrow.

  But, Rue's first move is nowhere to be seen; what's worse is they're making their way toward them, and there’s one Kobold Bone warrior too! Thankfully, only one. She had thought to switch target toward it, but Alquin told her to kill as many normal Kobolds first.

  They just needed to wait for Rue now. But still, this will be four against eight, twice their number. And only with one warrior. For their plan to work well, Rue had to draw their attention first.

  “Come on, Rue,” She gritted out. Her arm is clammy, her muscles straining from holding the arrow with the string pulled.

  “No sign of him?” Alquin called out.

  Tall foliage of grass rustles, and two figures crouch behind it. It’s Rue! Emily let out a sigh. “He’s here”. Wait… two figures. “Is that a goblin? He’s with a goblin!”

  “What?” Alquin's head snapped up. “He’s fighting?”

  “No, they seemed to work together.”

  Emily had to take a double look; her eagle eye showed the same thing. What is happening? Then Rue extended his hand toward the back of the Kobold.

  “He’s starting! Get ready,” She shouted down.

  Alquin and Rino started to creep forward, ready to jump out. Emily worried about Rino because the Long Bone Sword did not fit him like it fits Rue and Benedict. He looked incredibly awkward holding it; he might trip up because of the length alone.

  Deciding it's time, Mana flowed from Emily’s fingertip, seeping into the arrow. She had been conservative with her mana. Especially after hearing about Mana Vein from Rue, hers is 30%. If Rue's theory is correct, that will be the healthy number. Rue and Eve had been above 70%, a problem that hopefully did not bite them. But now, she had to pull extra weight so Rue did not need to use his magic to the point of destroying himself. She pushed extra mana to her arrow; her arcana is in tandem with her dexterity, her two highest stats. She sees the blue radiance glow transform her arrow, coating it in completely blue, thick light.

  (Magic Vein (Wood): 40%)

  Power thrummed on her fingertip, and something inside of her snapped an invisible knot of muscle rebelling. Emily bit her lip and aimed at the Kobolds who were in a line with each other.

  The Fireball of Rue burst forward.

  She let the arrow fly.

  Rue dashed in even before his fireball connected. The whoosh of flame drew the Kobolds attention to him and Rita. His flame is small, smaller than a basketball – casting it gave Rue an invisible strain that twisted him inside his head, so he settled with a weaker spell. The headache he could still feel thrumming with each beat is painful. But, the expectation of a fight surged any pain inside of him, and a gleeful excitement thundered like a surging force.

  The fireball crashed straight into a Kobold's chest in a sizzling red. The Kobold let out a shriek of pain, but it's not even falling.

  Instantly, however, a blue shooting star arced from behind them, crashing straight to one, the arrow carried through, piercing straight to another. Two Kobolds died with a gaping hole across their chest.

  The arrow still kept going into another, this one, though, did not fall, as the arrow's momentum had halted.

  Now only six remain, and one of them is the Kobold Bone Warrior.

  A distant two-figure ambled out of the grasses, charging toward the Kobold's back.

  The Kobolds, who were gaping in shock from the arrow, about to turn their head, they were about to spot Alquin and Rino. Rue is not going to let that happen; he launched forward, overtaking Rita.

  He wanted to fight the strongest. How convenient, it’s the closest one.

  The Kobold Bone Warrior growled, watching him with hatred as clear as a crystal sky. It roared – LongBone scythed through the air toward him.

  Rue, seeing the attack clearly, coiled low and whirled around, passing by the Bone Warrior's attack. Then he swept his own Long Bone to the side of the Bone Kobold. His attack was caught by the shield tied around its arm.

  The Kobold bashed the shield to his face, Rue skittered back as his nose bled from the impact, and he blinked, trying to stop the lull of his head.

  Another bone swung arced toward him, and Rue raised his sword, catching the strike.

  He shifted his feet; his strength is now not much lower than the Kobold's. He pushed the Kobold sword with his own, and it drew its sword back and struck battering against him.

  Each strike he blocked, every one of them, is a reminder that his level-up has granted him the strength to stand toe-to-toe with this monster now. Rue grinned without knowing it. He snapped the sword forward, catching the Kobold by surprise. His Long Bone stabbed into the Kobolds chest, bypassing the gap of its skeletal armor.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The Kobold stumbled back, snarling at Rue. Its wound is nothing that would hinder it. But the red liquid against its white skeletal armor is a reminder of how Rue had bested it.

  Rita, not far from him, is in a deadlock with three spear wielders; she cannot get close, but doesn’t seem to take any damage either. She seemingly stepped on a tip-toe and jumped aside, dodging like she was stepping over a line of rocks while crossing a river. And her light needle-like black sword is a perfect sneaky weapon to sneak an unsuspecting attack.

  The Other two Kobolds are fighting Alquin, Rue couldn’t see the old man as the Bone Warrior blocked his sight. But, this is good, if he can take down their strongest here…

  Rue clenched his sword, and the coarse bone handle came alive in his palm.

  ‘Need help, Rue? I can kill these three if I risk damage to me’ The female HuGoblin asked straight to his mind.

  ‘I’m fine, Rita. Don’t worry about me.’

  Rue sprang forward, his sword up for a downward cleave. The Kobold, as if someone had told it, copied Rue's movement.

  It was a bit taller than Rue and was armored too. If only he could wear the Kobolds' armor… All he has is the skeletal rectangular shield tied around his left shoulder; they’re heavy, so he didn’t want to risk two of them. Knowing a trade of damage was not favorable for him, Rue switched his strike toward Kobold's weapon.

  His Long Bone clashed against the other Bone. Rue blew Kobold’s weapon back. The humanoid lizard sword hand went flailing back, opening straight access to its body.

  Seeing his chance right in front of his eyes, Rue's mind went into overdrive. This is the perfect chance to apply frost.

  Rue let go of his Longbone then. Hands both still cups together, he lunged forward, bringing them up. Magic gathered between his interlocking palms, cold handle materialized, hardening into a Sword of Frost that caught the white light of the sun.

  In what felt like slow motion, Rue identified the gaps between its skeletal armor. He rends his Ice Sword down, avoiding the bones. Blood colored his sword, flesh gave way, and Frost applied to the gaping wound on the Kobold’s left chest.

  Not over yet. He has one more upward strike from his position before the Kobold pulls his sword back.

  Rue cleaved his blade toward its abdomen; this time, he didn't bother to avoid the armor. His sword sank deep into the Kobold’s flesh. The armor stopped his momentum and cracked his ice, but the damage was already done. Rue released his ice sword. He rolled back and drew his Long Bone.

  The Kobold swung its sword, but it was very weak. Rue just sidestepped the pitiful attempt.

  Around its two gaping wounds, ice spread like a poison, sending a deadly chill. The blood touches the ice, coloring it like a red crystal.

  It screamed, howling at Rue. But its movement got more and more sluggish. Rue slipped past its strike, tapping the kobold's face with his Long bone.

  The Kobold roared, its jaw tried to snap at Rue, but it was just way too slow. Rue swayed to the side, avoiding it. Then he brought his Longbone pommel, smashing it against the Kobold’s face. The Kobold went sprawling down, and Rue let out a small smile at it.

  He took a step.

  It tried to sweep at him. But with a lazy flick, Rue knocked its LongBone off the Kobold’s hand.

  He crushed his own LongBone straight down at the Kobold’s abdomen. It shrieked as its armor caught the brunt, but that still made its wound worsen.

  Rue didn't stop; he repeatedly struck down, unconcerned about avoiding its skeletal armor. Bones clanged continuously. The sound echoed around them, drowning out the other fight.

  Oh, right, the other fight.

  Finally satisfied, Rue slid his Long Bone into the blue wound across the Kobold’s abdomen. It cried out, but Rue did not care. He spared the Goblin from suffering, but these Kobolds... What is this? A strange hatred he had been feeling for them. Is it related to Cel? But he had barely just met Cel. Sure, there had been anger for someone he considered his friend, but this kind of anger did not make sense.

  Rue withdrew his Bone Sword, trying to think about it. But, the Kobold cried, it's shrieking, interrupting his attempt to think. How could it dare?

  “Quiet,” Rue said. He impaled deep into its chest wound.

  (You Have Slain Kobold bone Warrior. Lvl 10)

  He paused, seeing the dead Kobold, which was turning blue. Rue could make out how its vein has a blue tendril seeping into its body. This made him remember the necromancer ability he had been offered.

  That ability would’ve been nice to have now.

  ‘Rue, watch out!. One running toward you!’

  His head snapped to where Rita was. A normal Kobold had a spear lunged at him. Rue jumped back, and he was able to bring his LongBone to deflect the spear tip.

  That was close.

  As he was about to strike down the Kobold. An arrow flew into the Kobold's stomach, adding to its sword wound. The kobold spat blood, and then it fell backward.

  “You alright there?” Emily called out.

  “I’m fine,” Rue said. He turned to see that Alquin was uninjured, and Rino’s Bone Sword was coloured with red blood. Rue rolled his shoulder, letting tension out. Everyone is fine. “That was fast.”

  “Yes,” Emily huffed out, her eyes narrowed into something behind Rue. “It was, anyway,” She began to nock her arrow and aimed at Rita. “Mind, explaining why that goblin looked like us? And why is she helping us?”

  “Whoa!” Rue grabbed Emily’s bow, trying to lower it. She scowled at him. “No need for that!”

  “I’m not trusting!” She insisted, trying to pull her bow up again.

  “Look, she will explain, you just have to…” Rue looked at Rita.

  She nodded, and her eyes went to the rest of them.

  “A party invite?” Emily asked, and her gaze lingered on him. “You accept this?”

  “Rue… Just because she looks”

  Rue glared at Rino before he could finish the sentence.

  “I’m just saying,” He grumbled.

  “It just seemed like the obvious choice back then. I held her throat with my sword. And she did not resist,” Rue said. Thinking of a way to convince them. “She could’ve killed me, I think.”

  ‘I totally could have killed you earlier,’ She pointed out.

  ‘Wait… Can you understand me?’

  ‘Yes, it’s a perk of being in the party together, I got a passive skill to understand my party member's language!. Now, please tell them to accept. I can do the talking from there, you’re curious about what I want, right?’

  ‘Easy for you to say,’ He grumbled inwardly. Especially convincing Emily. “Let’s just hear what she wanted to say. Besides, she could help with the main tutorial quest, too.”

  “Alright, I will accept,” Alquin said as he was getting up.

  “Alquin?” Emily protested.

  ‘Tell them, the shared experience between party members will be more too’

  ‘What? That's a thing?’

  ‘Yes! I want to join the hunt with you humans.’

  (Rita the HuGoblin Has Issued A Quest)

  (Eliminate the Kobolds around this area and free the animal trapped within their camp)

  Kobolds (14/62). Kobold Bone Warrior (3/10). Robe Kobold (0/3). Kobold King (0/1)

  (Reward: Dancer Sword (Rare))

  (Reward: Blade Dancer Skill Option)