Morning came slowly to Duskmire Village, but peace did not return with it.
The air felt… wrong…..
Not loud….Not chaotic…..
Just uneasy…..
Whispers spread before the sun had fully risen. Travelers spoke in low voices near the inn. Farmers gathered in small groups, their expressions tense. A few men checked the edges of the village, glancing toward the tree line more often than necessary.
"They were here last night…"
"I heard something… near the barns…"
"Tracks… near the outer fields…"
No one had seen clearly. But everyone had felt it. Inside the inn, Aragon sat near the window, silent….
A wooden bowl of simple food rested untouched in front of him. His gaze was distant.
Focused…..
He had seen them….
Felt them….
Watched them…..
They didn't attack fully. That was the first thing he understood.
What happened last night wasn't a raid.
It was a test. His fingers tapped lightly against the wooden table.
Slow…..
Measured…..
And tonight… they won't hold back.
A faint noise drew his attention. Two travelers at the next table leaned closer, speaking in hushed tones.
"I'm leaving," one said, "This place isn't safe."
"And go where?" the other replied bitterly, "We're in the middle of nowhere..."
"…Still better than dying here"
Aragon said nothing
But he listened….
Fear was spreading,
Slowly…..
Quietly...
Just like the goblins. By midday, the village had begun to change. Men carried tools that could double as weapons. Doors were reinforced. Animals were brought closer to the center. Even the children were kept indoors, their usual laughter replaced by silence. Aragon moved through it all without drawing attention.
He helped where needed,
Carrying wood…..
Fixing a loose fence…..
Simple things…..
No one questioned him….
No one noticed him…..
But a few eyes lingered longer than others. At one point, a young boy watched him from a distance.
Curious...Silent…..
Aragon noticed…
But said nothing, The sun moved slowly across the sky.
And with it the tension grew heavier.
By evening, the sky had turned a deep shade of orange, fading quickly into darkness.
Too quickly...
The village quieted once more.
But this time it wasn't peaceful.
It was waiting…..
Aragon stood near the edge of Duskmire, just beyond the last row of houses.
Alone...
He hadn't told anyone…
Hadn't asked for permission….
He simply chose...!!
If they come… they won't reach the center.
The wind brushed lightly against his coat,
Cool...Steady…..
And then it stopped,
Silence…..Complete….
His eyes narrowed slightly.
They were here this time there was no hesitation. A low, guttural sound echoed from the darkness.
Then another…Then many….The forest moved, Figures emerged….Small….Fast….Hungry.
Goblins....
Not a few….Not scattered….A swarm….
They rushed forward, their movements no longer cautious…
No longer testing….
This was an attack…!
Aragon exhaled slowly,
Then he stepped forward. The first goblin reached him in seconds, Claws extended, Teeth bared, It never landed the strike.
Aragon moved
Not fast but precise a slight shift.
A turn….
The blade moved once
Clean…..
The goblin fell…
Another lunged from the side ,Then another from behind.
Three at once…..
Aragon didn't retreat he vanished
Shadow Step…
The goblins froze,
Confused…..
Too late…..
He reappeared behind them. Two quick strikes and two bodies dropped.
The third turned but its legs suddenly locked ,its movement slowed.
Something unseen wrapped around it , tightening. The shadow beneath its feet twisted unnaturally.
It struggled….
Panicked…..
Shadow Bind….
Aragon stepped forward calmly. The blade ended it. More came, from every direction. Their numbers increased rapidly.
Dozens now...
Aragon's gaze sharpened. This was no longer about control.
This was survival. He moved again but this time,
Different...
His presence faded...
Not vanished.!!
But… diminished...
His figure blurred slightly in the darkness…
Blending….
Merging…..
Shadow Veil…..
A goblin rushed past him
Unaware…..
Aragon appeared behind it
Strike…..
Gone...
Another…..
Then another...
He moved through them like a shadow itself,
Not seen clearly....
Not understood....
Only felt in the moment before death.
A scream broke the silence. From the village Aragon's head turned instantly.
They had slipped through. A group of goblins had reached the inner houses.
Without hesitation, he moved.
Shadow Step….
The world shifted.
And in the next instant,
He stood in the middle of the village.
Chaos had begun,
A man struggled to hold a door shut.
A woman pulled a child behind her.
A goblin leaped toward them…,
It never reached...!
Aragon appeared between them….!!
His blade stopped the attack mid air.
The goblin froze,
Then split apart…..
The woman gasped….
The child stared….
But before they could speak
He was gone...
Another scream...
Another movement...
Aragon reappeared again…..
And again...
Each time
A life saved….
A threat ended…..
The villagers saw only fragments,
A dark figure…..
A flash of movement…..
A shadow that killed…..
Nothing more…..
The battle intensified, Goblins poured into the village now. Not just small ones but larger forms,
Hobgoblins....
Stronger...
Faster...
More durable...
One charged toward Aragon directly. A heavy swing aimed at his chest.
This time, he didn't dodge.
He met it…
Steel clashed…..
The force pushed him back a step. But only one ,his grip tightened.
Then his blade moved again,
Sharper...
Heavier...
The strike cut deeper than before.
The hobgoblin staggered….
Then fell...
Aragon stood still for a moment.
His breathing steady,
His gaze calm,
Around him the battle continued. But something changed. The goblins slowed,
Not in fear…..
In hesitation…..
As if something had told them to stop.
Aragon felt it…..,
A shift…..
He looked up…..
Toward the ridge…..
And there that presence again.
Stronger now...
Closer....
The Goblin General stepped forward…!
Tall...
Massive...
Watching...
Its eyes locked onto Aragon...
For the first time,
It moved…..
Slow…..
Deliberate…..
And the moment it did the entire battlefield seemed to hold its breath.
Aragon didn't move and didn't step back. He simply stood,
Waiting….
The real battle was about to begin…..!!