"Hurry!" one of the chanting goblins snarled, voice shrill with urgency. "We can't let the ritual be interrupted! Our village's future depends on this!"
The rhythm of the chant quickened, their guttural voices rising in a chaotic crescendo.
Tess didn't slow down.
Her boots pounded across the blood-stained ground, eyes locked on the altar—and then, she saw it.
Hidden until now behind the bulk of the larger goblins, revealed only because she was so close—
A golden goblin.
It lay on the center of the altar, smaller and leaner than the others, its body fragile-looking but oddly radiant. It didn't move, didn't speak, but its eyes were half-lidded with awareness. There was intelligence there—something cold and ancient that sent a chill down Tess's spine.
"What the hell is that?" Tess muttered. Her grip tightened on her spear. "I've never seen a goblin like that in my life. It almost seems… human…"
But there was no time to hesitate. She was a mercenary—trained to act, not to question.
With a shout, she lunged forward, thrusting her spear straight toward the golden goblin's skull.
And that's when it happened.
Just as the point of her spear was about to pierce its head—
A golden light erupted from the altar.
It burst outward in a violent shockwave, engulfing the entire platform in blinding radiance. A pillar of golden energy shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds like a divine beacon.
Tess vanished into the light.
"Hehehehe!" one of the chanting goblins cackled maniacally. "Long live the king! Long live the king!"
"Tess!" Jenna screamed from above, eyes wide in horror.
"No!" Shay's voice cracked with fury.
"Fuck!" Han shouted, rage igniting in his chest. With a sudden roar, he surged forward and struck one of the towering goblins in the throat. The beast had already been worn down, and Han's blade cleaved through its neck in a single blow, sending its head tumbling.
Shay mirrored his fury. Her blade flashed, and with a swift arc, she cut down her own opponent, her breathing heavy and chest heaving.
But just as they turned toward the altar, the remaining two massive goblins stepped in front of them, roaring in defiance.
They blocked the path like immovable sentinels, eyes blazing with hatred.
Han gritted his teeth, blade at the ready. "Tch. They're still protecting the altar…"
Shay raised her sword beside him, her voice low but burning. "Then we cut them down."
Above them, Jenna fired another arrow, aiming straight for the last chanting goblin—in manic laughter, arms raised to the sky as the golden light pulsed stronger and stronger.
"Long live the k—!"
Thwip!
An arrow buried itself into the center of its forehead.
The goblin's expression froze in place—ecstasy twisted into disbelief—before it collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Jenna, perched above, exhaled slowly, already notching her next arrow.
But there was no time to celebrate.
The two remaining massive goblins stepped forward to face Han and Shay, their movements heavier, sharper—filled with brutal confidence. A smug smile twisted their tusked mouths.
They knew.
They believed they had already won.
And then came the next wave.
The surviving chanting goblins turned, hatred gleaming in their wild eyes.
"Don't let them interrupt the king!" one of them shrieked, and they all charged toward Han, Shay, and Jenna in a frenzied pack.
The battlefield became chaos.
Han ducked beneath a swinging club and parried another strike, only to be forced to leap back from a smaller goblin lunging at him with a jagged dagger.
Shay whirled through the fray, her sword a blur—but even she couldn't cover every angle. One goblin slipped through, a cruel grin on its face as it raised its blade to strike her exposed side—
Fwoosh!
A spear, gleaming with golden light, shot out from the beacon and pierced the goblin's skull in a blink, nailing it to the ground.
[Tess (☆☆)'s Spear Throw has risen to level 2!]
[Tess (☆☆)'s Spear Throw has risen to level 3!]
Shay's eyes widened as she turned to the light.
"Tess…"
Han and Jenna followed her gaze, along with every goblin on the battlefield.
The golden beacon pulsed one final time… and then collapsed inward like a dying star, its radiance fading into flickering embers that scattered into the air.
And from the altar—
Tess stepped out.
Her form was bathed in a faint red glow, tribal markings now etched across her skin—crimson lines and sigils that twisted and curled like living fire. They pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, alive with newfound power.
[Skill awakening!]
[The hero, Tess (☆☆), has awakened the skill: Warrior's Mark!]
Her breathing was heavy—but not from exhaustion.
From exhilaration.
Her eyes scanned the battlefield like an animal unleashed, lips curled into a feral grin. Her pupils were wide, wild, her fingers twitching as if itching for something to pierce, to shred, to destroy.
She had thrown her spear to save Shay—but now her hands were empty.
That wouldn't do.
With a sudden movement, she yanked one of the crude, jagged spears from a fallen goblin nearby. The shaft was splintered, the blade rusted and uneven—but her fingers curled around it like it was a weapon made for her.
"This'll do," she whispered.
The goblins stared in horror at the figure standing on the altar.
That wasn't their king.
That wasn't who was supposed to rise.
One of the chanting goblins dropped to his knees, shrieking. "Our king… where is our king?!"
"The ritual—!"
Their cries filled the battlefield, panic and despair spreading like wildfire through their ranks. The golden goblin—their chosen king—was gone. Tess had managed to kill him before the ritual could take hold. The energy meant to empower him had found her instead.
And now she stood above them, a red-marked fury made flesh.
Tess didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
She leapt off the altar like a falling star, spear in hand, her movements explosive and primal. She crashed into the nearest cluster of goblins, her technique far more brutal and chaotic than before—but each strike landed with devastating power.
Her spear spun in her grip, slamming through skulls and splitting ribs like paper.
[Tess (☆☆)'s Basic Spearmanship has risen to level 4!]
The red tribal marks flared with every kill, every roar, every drop of goblin blood she spilled.
"Graaahh!" she bellowed, her eyes wide with bloodlust as she drove the crude spear through one goblin's chest and hurled its body into another.
The goblins couldn't withstand her.
She was no longer just fighting—she was hunting.
And they were prey.
"Tess!" Shay and Jenna cried out in unison, their voices laced with relief as they saw her emerge from the fading beacon of light, tribal marks glowing red across her body.
She was alive.
Stronger than ever.
But Han… Han didn't just feel relief. He stared, eyes narrowed, watching the way she moved, the energy pulsing from her body with each wild, vicious strike.
"Warrior's Mark?" he murmured to himself.
His lips curled into a small, intrigued grin.
"She awakened such a cheat-like skill?"
He parried a blow from the massive goblin in front of him and used the opening to drive his sword through its gut, twisting hard.
"Looks like I'll have to raise my game too," he muttered, his eyes gleaming as Tess carved a path through the goblins like a storm of blood and steel.
Jenna, now emboldened, let loose another flurry of arrows with renewed vigor.
Shay grinned, flipping her sword and dashing toward Tess to fight by her side. "Let's clean this up."
To be continued...
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How was this chapter?
Liked how I powered up Tess? Did it feel forced or anything?