[attr="class","wesleft2"]

[attr="class","westitle"]Everything I Wanted

The English countryside a was a little different from how Wes remembered it. He didn’t recall there being quite so many goblins. But this was the new normal, and Wes was struggling to adjust.

Wes had found a group of other low-level players who survived by farming points from hunting goblins and other weak mobs in these fields. There were four of them that met nearly every other day. Their progress was slow, and they garnered nearly no experience, but their goal was just to continue to live. It was like a basic job. None of them had any delusions of leveling up and clearing harder zones like some of the other players Wes had seen. He admired them, to an extent. He found the drive and ambition attractive, though a bit unhinged.

"Well, I think that’s enough for today," Bryce pulled his spear from out of the back of a goblin’s head. He wiped his forearm across his brow and glanced around the group. Older and stronger than the rest and with a warrior-like class, he led the group on these outings. Wes wondered why Bryce didn’t have his eyes set on leveling like others. With his handsome face and commanding presence, he could become a formidable figure on the leaderboards. At least that’s what Wes thought.

"Agreed!" chimed Sandy, in her sing-song cadence. Like Wes, she stayed in the back supporting the group with their limited magic, only ever stepping into combat when a goblin made it through to the backline. She bounced over to Bryce, a glee in her step that was at odds with the gruesome scene around them. They were in a forest they routinely ventured to hunt goblins, and the bodies from today’s conquest currently covered the grass like some avant-garde landscape. Eventually, the system would have them depart, but not until the group had a chance to loot.

When Sandy got close to Bryce she "tripped", falling into his arms. Wes rolled his eyes, he hated her. "Yeah we should head back. It’ll be dark soon."

Carl, the last member of the group, a round-fellow with red hair and glasses with some thief-like class, began to cough. All three turned to look at him. "Orrrrr" Wes sighed he knew this was going to be bad. Carl always pushed the safety of the group for his own greed. "We couuuld go for another hour. The goblins don’t get that much stronger, but the loot gets that much better. "

"I think we should just --"

"Great idea, Carl!" Sandy grabbed Bryce’s armed and nuzzled up against him. "Then we wouldn’t have to come back out the rest of the week."

Bryce blushed at her touch, "that does make sense." He glanced to Wes, "what do you think, Wes?"

"I" he started, then noticed the expression on all three. He swore their eyes were glimmering with the prospect of gold. Wes forced a smile, "another hour wouldn’t hurt."

They continued deeper into the forest. The setting sun cast eerie, unsettling shadows all around. The goblins were steadily getting more numerous and stronger, and Wes felt the limits of his Will being tested. When he was about to press the group to finally head back, Sandy let out a scream.

One of the little monsters had snuck up behind her and dug a dagger into her leg. Bryce retreated to her side, ending the goblin with a single slash of his spear. Sandy started sobbing--much more than she should have been in Wes’s opinion--and complaining about Carl not protecting her.

"Where is Carl?" Wes glanced around for their companion. He thought he heard some ruffling a bit ahead, so he stepped forward, pushing through some brush. He stopped when he spotted Carl’s limp body on the ground. Standing over him was a much larger, much more sinister goblin.




With a wicked snicker, it tugged its blade out of Carl’s back. Blood dripped down from the jagged edge of the sword.

It turned its sick gaze to Wes.