Petibone (Fantasmical 2024)

5. Goblins in forest_ Fandomhype

Prompt: Your favourite character suddenly find themselves without their most trusted power/weapon/attribute. Now they only have to rely on themselves to overcome the burden.

**

I carefully packed my explosive devices into my backpack. I usually only carry one with me, but this time, I had to cross the land of the orcs to deliver a message to the lighthouse keeper by the ocean. The message itself could have been more wasn't interesting to me than the fact of what I had to go through. I spent hours bent over the map, looking for detours, wondering if it added days to my journey.

But unfortunately, it was clear that I had to pass through the forests controlled by the orcs. And, of course, where there are orcs, there are goblins, too. As a city dweller, I wasn't sure how to relate to my uncivilized kin. I feared they'd judge me, and I was equally unsure of how to interact with them.

Ultimately, I set out, taking a "come what may" attitude because canceling a mission wasn't an option regarding the king's messages. I never canceled them, either.

On the third day, I reached the forest and made good progress on the narrow forest path, but I saw no sign of creatures anywhere. I carefully avoided their village, making a wide detour, hoping that if my luck held out, I might avoid any unpleasant encounters with them.

For this reason, I even spent the nights in the forest, using my backpack as a pillow, which was somewhat comfortable. The first night went fine; I woke up well-rested, although somehow, my small knife had disappeared. I searched everywhere, even checking the road to see if it had fallen out somewhere, but eventually gave up, thinking I'd just buy another one. It would be inconvenient not to be able to cut my vegetables or bread, but I'd manage by breaking them.

The weather was beautiful, and I couldn't get enough of admiring nature, the trees, and the various plants. I tried to stay alert, hiding behind a tree whenever I heard a rustle or noise.

But everything was fine, and I began to believe nothing would happen in the remaining day. Besides the minor annoyance of missing my knife, I realized that my map had also disappeared. That worried me. And when I couldn't find my bread while preparing dinner, it was a little confusing. I was starting to feel a bit uneasy, as if something was not right.

I thoroughly checked my backpack to see if it had a hole or if I had lost these items somehow.

The bigger surprise came in the morning when I found myself lying on the ground because my backpack had disappeared.

This was where I started to worry because the only weapon I had to defend myself was in the bag. How would I survive unarmed in the land of the orcs?

What could have happened?

It was only then that I thought, although I hadn't seen anyone in the forest, the orcs were probably watching me. Were they stealing from me? These wild creatures were fascinating.

Now, I just wanted to get out of the forest as soon as possible, to the lighthouse, and I didn't care how dangerous the sea route was with its many hidden reefs—I was sure I would take a boat back.

But my determination didn't last long because an orc appeared around a bend as I angrily marched down the forest path. The ork was two heads taller than me, with a rugged, weather-beaten face and a heavy sword slung across his back. He looked at me with a mix of curiosity and caution, his eyes darting around as if he were expecting trouble. He quickly lifted his sword and held it towards me with both hands.

At first, I didn't know what to make of it—was he afraid of me? I saw him checking to see if I was alone. But when he saw that I was as confused as he was, he lowered the sword to his side and gestured towards me. "I see from your clothes that you're not a forest goblin," he said, and I stared at him in confusion as he continued, "At first, I thought you were from Malfy's gang."