The night had grown wild.
Wind tore through the streets of Eldoria, rattling shutters and whipping the banners atop the city walls. Rain lashed against rooftops, turning cobblestones slick and rivers into rushing torrents. Thunder rolled across the hills like the drums of war, and lightning split the sky in jagged white streaks.
From the high towers of the palace, King Aldric watched the storm with a furrowed brow. Servants hurried along the hallways, candles flickering and extinguishing in the gusts of wind that found their way inside.
"This storm is unlike any we've seen," murmured General Lysander, the king's most trusted commander.
His dark eyes scanned the horizon where flashes of lightning revealed fleeting shapes moving through the forest beyond the city walls.
"Do you think it's... them?" King Aldric asked, voice low and tense.
Lysander swallowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. And I fear it won't just be the goblins this time. Whatever comes, it's coming to destroy Eldoria tonight."
At the edge of the city, in their small stone cottage, the Thorne family huddled together.
Elara peered through the window, rain streaking her face. "They're coming," she whispered. "I can feel it."
Darin tightened his grip on his sword. "I'll make sure they don't get past us."
Alaric laid a calming hand on Elara's shoulder. "Courage is good, but caution is better. We will face whatever comes together. Remember your training, my star."
Serenya knelt to light additional lanterns. "We can't just hide," she said softly. "We need to be ready to help the people too, if the city is attacked."
The howls from the hills grew louder, carried by the wind. And then... the first screams from the streets below.
Throughout Eldoria, chaos erupted.
Merchants ran from overturned carts, water-logged stalls scattering fruits and vegetables across the cobblestones. Families clutched children, trying to keep them from slipping in the rain. Soldiers scrambled along the walls, torches held high, readying fire arrows and fire balls.
At the palace gates, guards braced for impact, shields glinting in the flashes of lightning. With urgency in his vioce Lysander gave orders. "Do not let them breach the gates! Protect the villagers at all costs!"
Back at the Thorne cottage, a deafening crash of thunder shook the walls. Elara gasped. "They're closer!"
Darin yanked open the door, rain and wind slamming against them. "Stay behind me!"
Alaric grabbed his satchel of herbs and potions. "We may need to help the wounded. Be ready."
The storm seemed alive, whipping the streets and city into a frenzy. Shadows moved in the chaos — goblins leaping from roof to roof, their green and blue hides glinting in the lightning. Their horns glistened, teeth bared, and their shrieks pierced the storm.
A flash of lightning revealed a group near the marketplace. Civilians screamed as goblins tore through crates of produce. Soldiers fired arrows, but the creatures were fast, climbing and leaping with unnatural agility.
Elara's eyes widened. "Darin... we have to help them!"
He nodded. "Then we move!"
The battle raged for what felt like hours. The rain soaked everyone to the bone. Fire arrows hissed against the wet streets. Goblins shrieked and clawed at walls, but Eldoria's defenders held strong.
Elara rushed to an injured child who was crying, she made sure to tie the wound to avoid too much loss of blood. As she was doing that a giant goblin was rushing towards her and the child. The goblin raised his hand ready to strike, Elara shielded the child from the goblin, but before he could strike darin rushed and cut of the goblins hand he wasted no time and swung his sword ending the goblin's life.
Then, suddenly, as if sensing they had taken enough, the goblins retreated. They vanished into the storm, slipping into the shadows beyond the city walls, leaving behind shattered crates wounded villagers and soldiers, overturned carts, and a city that had survived... for now.
Elara sank against the door, breathing heavily. "They... they're gone?"
Darin's sword fell to his side, soaked but steady. "For now," he said, voice grim. "But they'll be back."
Alaric placed a reassuring hand on both their shoulders. "Tonight was a warning. Eldoria is strong, but strength alone won't keep us safe. We must watch, learn and prepare, we won't know what next will come."
Outside, the storm raged on, the wind carrying the distant echoes of creatures retreating into the night. Eldoria had survived, but the shadows at its edges were far from finished.
The drizzle had not completely stopped, but Eldoria's streets were already strewn with puddles, broken carts, and scattered debris.
Smoke from surviving lanterns flickered across the wet stone walls, casting shadows that danced like ghosts in dim light.
In the Thorne cottage, the family moved quickly.
Alaric sorted herbs and bandages on a small table, his brow furrowed. "Elara," he called, "I need you to gather more herbs from the forest. There are still injuries I cannot tend to alone."
Elara raised an eyebrow, voice sharp. "The forest? After the storm? Are you trying to get me killed?"
Alaric sighed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No, my star. I just ask that you be cautious. Stick to the path, don't stray, and if anything seems dangerous… turn back immediately."
"Cautious, huh?" Elara muttered, hoisting her satchel. "Sounds like a polite way of saying 'don't die, please.'"
Alaric chuckled softly. "Exactly. And bring the herbs back in one piece."
The forest was alive with the smell of wet earth and crushed leaves. Elara's boots sank into the mud with each step, and the soft drizzle made the branches glisten like jewels. She bent to gather a patch of the purple healing herb, careful not to crush its delicate leaves.
Then she noticed someone, a boy standing between two twisted trees, cloak dripping, hair plastered to his face. His piercing eyes met hers, and for a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
"who are you and what are you doing in the forest after the storm ?" Elara said, stepping back. "Watch it. You almost tripped me."
The boy raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Ah, I should be asking you that, seeing a fragile girl like you in the forest after the storm.