Magic Made Simple

Chapter 3: A Little Bit of Exploration

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, I am teleported onto a stone platform in the middle of a forest. The forest is pretty similar to the one I was just in. The only really noticeable difference was that the trees were all a good bit taller and thicker. Even picking at them with my nails, the bark feels stronger than the typical trees I'm used to.

Welcome to floor 2: Goblins Forest

This forest is home to the goblin race. While weak individually, goblins are well known for their numbers and engineering prowess. The exits to this floor can be found within the center of goblin cities. Remember, you can teleport back to floor 1 at any time from any entrance to floor 2.

Well, if magic was real, I guess it wasn't too much of a leap to believe goblins would be real too. Did that mean other fantasy races were a thing as well? Would I one day have the chance to go toe to toe with a dragon? That sounded both exciting and terrifying.

I looked around for a few seconds, trying to get an idea of where I wanted to go first. There wasn't any indicator of what to do other than to find a goblin city and reach the exit, so I just picked a direction and started walking. Every hundred feet or so I would hit a tree with a mana bolt so I didn't lose track of the way back to the entrance. It was just long enough that I felt my mana fully regenerate between shots. I spotted some deer wandering around, actually quite a lot more than were on the first floor. They were in groups of 3 to 4 instead of the 1 or 2 that I remembered seeing on the first floor.

Eventually, I started hearing something in the distance. It sounded like loud thuds, which I assumed must have been somebody fighting against a goblin. I picked up the pace and started jogging over, stopping when I saw that it was not a goblin fighting another person, but rather two goblins fighting one another.

I ducked behind a tree so I wouldn't be seen. Honestly it was a miracle I hadn't already been seen. I hadn't been making any effort to sneak up on the two short green creatures, but neither of them seemed to be particularly mindful of their surroundings.

I peeked around the tree, wanting to get a good look at the two. Both wore some simple looking leather armor, and each of them held a wooden club that they were using to fight one another. The closer I looked, the less it seemed like this was an actual sparring match and more of an actual fight. They were aiming for one another's head, and the speed of the strikes made it seem like a solid hit would do quite a number on whoever it hit. I couldn't say for sure how heavy those clubs were, but they couldn't be too heavy considering the goblins' small frames.

I take a deep breath in, and decide to test the waters a bit. I would try and make some kind of noise to get their attention, and see how they reacted. If they attacked me, I'd fight back. If not... well then I don't really know where I'd go from there.

I spot a branch on the floor, so I pick it up, step out from behind the tree, and snap it in half over my knee. The loud sound of the branch breaking made both of the goblins stop, and their heads instantly snapped to look over at me. All three of us were frozen in place for a moment.

They didn't seem to be doing anything. Maybe they weren't hostile-

They both start rushing at me, faster than I would have anticipated they could. I hastily cast a mana bolt their way, but in my panic I hadn't aimed it very well. It hits a tree way off to the goblins left, leaving a mark. I manage to shoot two more mana bolts at them before they get to me. One of them hits the armor of the closest goblin, leaving a burnt circle in the spot it hit and slowing it down a bit from the impact. The other bolt managed to hit the other goblin directly in the face, and I watch in a mix of disgust as the hit seems to rip off a part of its cheek, leaving its teeth exposed through the wound.