The forest closed in even more. The path narrowed to little more than a rocky trench, thick with roots and ferns. The stream twisted into a dense grove of trees and moss-covered stones.

  “Damn it,” Jack muttered.

  The forest had reclaimed the stream. They took the time to gorge themselves on water before they were forced back into the forest, now at least a few miles ahead of the hounds. The hunting horns were still distant and muted beneath the canopy. But still coming.

  Something shifted, the air went still, and a branch snapped. That’s when the first goblin struck. It dropped from a low branch with a scream like a strangled crow, rusted blade slashing at Cain’s face.

  Cain twisted and brought his sword up just in time. Steel met bone, and the goblin’s body split at the waist. Blood sprayed across the horse’s side, and the beast reared and neighed from the surprise attack.

  “Goblins! That’s all we need,” Cain complained as he wiped his sword clean.

  Another branch cracked.

  Jack’s eyes darted left, and he had just enough time to draw his bow before another goblin burst from the undergrowth. Its skin was grey-green, stretched over sharp bones, and its beady black eyes gleamed in its narrow skull.

  The goblin shrieked and launched itself at Cain. His horse reared again, its eyes wide with panic. The goblin struck low, aiming for Cain’s thigh. He twisted, dropping from the horse just in time. His sword flashed, and the goblin rolled beneath the strike and growled. It leapt again, landing on Cain’s chest, its rusted blade stabbed, missing Cain’s throat by inches.

  “[Chronos Sphere].” Jack used one of his precious [Chronos Sphere] spell scrolls. He dropped from the slowed-in-time horse. Leaves hung in the air like drifting feathers, Cain’s horse above him in a slow-motion mid-kick. He ran to the goblin and rammed his dagger into the goblin’s back, then he slit its throat clean.

  Time snapped back, and the goblin dropped from a confused Cain.

  Jack exhaled hard, his palm still itching as the rush of power hit. A new pseudo skill slid into place. He sighed with relief as his muscles loosened and fatigue ebbed from his bones. No healing? Despite using the dagger, none of his injuries had healed from the kill. Why did my ear heal?

  Cain looked around, confused. “What the hell just happened?”

  Jack blinked; the forest had brightened. “I can see more clearly now,” he muttered.

  Cain frowned. “You good, Jack?”

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  Jack nodded while checking his classes and skills.

  [Class Screen-Internal View]

  Class: Apprentice Scribe (31)

  Compatibility: 70%

  …

  Class: Novice Archer (0)

  Compatibility: 25%

  …

  Class: Novice Blood Mage (0)

  Compatibility: 82%

  …

  -- Pseudo Goblin: Night Vision (0)

  “I-I got a new skill,” Jack said with a smile. “Night Vision… I can see much clearer in the darkness.”

  “From killing a goblin?” Cain raised an eyebrow.

  While they travelled, Jack had explained how being a blood mage worked, but hadn’t mentioned gaining a pseudo skill from a previous goblin kill.

  “From the dying,” Jack explained. “It’s how being a blood mage works. This new skill looks to be passive… now that’s a good skill.”

  Cain just shook his head in disbelief. He’d killed countless goblins, and all he’d gotten was a bloody sword and 3 silvers an ear. He mounted up again. “We keep moving.”

  Jack mounted his horse with a groan. Despite the goblin kill relieving some of his fatigue, his back and arse felt like they needed a month at the Adventurers Guild’s spa to recover.

  After a few metres, another goblin dropped from a tree onto Jack’s horse’s back. The horse whinnied and bucked. Jack yelped as he clung to the mane, his legs close to slipping free. The goblin’s claws raked across his side, slicing through his jacket and skin.

  Jack grunted from the pain, twisted hard, and grabbed the goblin by the throat. The creature screeched, teeth flashing in an attempt to bite him. He ripped an arrow from his quiver and shoved it into its mouth. The goblin bit down, splintering the shaft, but Jack was already falling. He hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs.

  The goblin leapt down after him, snarling, with its jagged teeth bared. Its broken blade, a shortsword with eight inches of jagged metal remaining, came down… Jack rolled. The blade stabbed deep into the dirt beside his face. He kicked the goblin in the ribs before scrambling to his feet.

  The goblin slashed again, the blade scraping against Jack’s arm. He hissed and felt blood run hot down his sleeve. He drew his dagger and felt the familiar comfort of holding the damaged handle.

  The goblin charged. Jack ducked under the strike and rammed the blade into its chest. His palm itched as he ripped the blade free. The goblin howled and slammed a fist into his jaw, causing Jack to stumble from the blow.

  “Behind you!” Cain yelled.

  Jack turned in time to see another goblin rush from the trees. “Fuck!”

  Cain intercepted it with a roar and a warrior skill. His sword cleaved through the goblin’s raised club and buried deep into its collarbone. The creature snarled and latched onto Cain’s wrist, its jaws snapping.

  Cain tore the sword free and swung again. The goblin’s skull cracked, the top half of its head slid off, and it hit the forest floor with a wet thunk.

  Jack staggered back to the wounded goblin, which was still crawling away from him. Blood spilled from its chest, but it was alive. It turned, raising its rusty blade with trembling fingers.

  Jack didn’t hesitate. He stabbed the goblin through the throat and twisted. The cartilage crunched as a pulse of power passed through him, and some more of his fatigue cleared. Another half-skill clawed its way into his soul. His hand shook as he pulled the blade free.

  Cain exhaled. “That’s four.”

  Jack nodded, wiping blood from his face.

  They remounted, both moving with the stiffness of men twice their age.

  Jack checked his new skill.

  [Class Screen-Internal View]

  Class: Novice Blood Mage (0)

  Compatibility: 82%

  …

  -- Pseudo Goblin: Night Vision (0)

  -- Pseudo Goblin: Feign Death (0)

  “That’s an interesting one,” Jack whispered. He focused on the skill to get a feel for what it did. When wounded, I can mimic death for a short period of time. Not bad. Might save my life. He healed the cuts with Heal; the skin knitted shut with a fragile scab.