At the end of their trek, the goblins stopped at an area that looked man-made.
Twelve pillars, six on each side, lined a long and narrow path along a marble stone floor.
The area itself was 100 square feet in size, the pillars alone reaching 20 feet in height. They were as wide as two people standing beside each other.
Out of the twelve pillars, only one remained at its original height. The others were broken, some smaller than others, and some larger.
The structure was overgrown with nature, vines, grass, and moss covering most of it.
However, the air in the area was much more still than that of the jungle.
There was silence in the air. No small critters nor birds seemed to be anywhere near this place.
At the end of the pillars, a step led to a slightly elevated platform. There, an untouched altar lay.
It was a small table with a fountain on top. The bowl of the fountain was empty, and the entire altar was almost glowing with purity.
Not a single vine, nor an inch of moss, had grown on it. It was white, enriched, and had a slight gleam.
"Drop em..." Gool said as the two goblins pushed Midas off their shoulders. "We will wait for him to wake up first."
"What is this place... why does it give me odd chills?" Grem asked, feeling goosebumps on the back of his neck as he looked around.
"I know... It’s the same for me." Gool looked around, his eyes wide with intrigue, but also fear.
"It’s been here since long before the age of orcs on Demadur Island."
"W-what!?" Grem seemed shocked by this news, "You’re saying a civilization existed here on our island before orcs? But I always thought that the dawn of this island was forged through the dead bodies of orcs and serpents who fought for millennia..."
"Pfft... you would really believe such a pathetic lie? I know you’re a goblin, but try acting like you got a brain up there..." Gool scoffed, "I don’t know the true history... but I do know that before orcs, or even serpents, the beings that existed here were..."
And that was when Midas stopped paying attention to the words of the two goblins in front of him.
He had awoken. Or rather, it had been about 5 minutes since he had been awake.
’Last time, I panicked like a retard and allowed them to recapture me.’ His brows furrowed even though his eyes were closed, slight anger building up within him.
’Goblins... fucking goblins captured me? And what are they even yapping about? How can I rule this place if I can’t even beat a couple of goblins...’ As he spitefully mused this in his head, he was scraping a small, sharp stone back and forth against his vine shackles.
’Usually, goblins in fantasy tales are pretty weak... I’d say I at least have a chance against them. It’s not like I have any other choice...’
Just then, Midas managed to cut off the vines wrapped around his feet.
He opened his eyes, quickly glancing at the goblins to make sure they hadn’t caught on to anything yet.
’Good... and now just the hands.’ He began sawing away at the vines on his wrists.
"Huh?" Gool raised an eyebrow in confusion as he looked at Midas’ feet.
"Why... are his feet untied?"
Grem’s eyes slowly panned over to Midas as well, suspicion rising in his gaze.
*RATTLE*
Out of nowhere, a massive thundercloud showed itself overhead the island.
With a thunder and clap, it sent down a massive ray of lightning a few hundred feet away from the pillars.
The crash of lightning was almost supernatural, sending a small shockwave several miles from its impact zone.
Fierce winds quickly swallowed the island, sending branches flying and trees wavering left and right.
"H-huh!?" Gool said, quickly running to a pillar next to Midas and hiding behind it. "Get cover! It’s a greater thunderstorm! Tsk... this doesn’t usually happen on its own. Why now!?"
Grem quickly followed directions, protecting himself.
Midas could feel his heart pumping, his forearm muscles sore and nearly cramping from sawing the vines on his wrists back and forth so aggressively.
"Wait, let’s not get distracted. The sneaky human looked to have somehow slipped out of his feet’s binds." Gool exclaimed, his gaze not leaving Midas for even a second.
Thankfully, Midas’ hands were tied behind his back, so from the angle of the goblins, they couldn’t see any movement from him.
"But he still looks unconscious!" Grem screamed, confused.
"Tsk..." Gool sucked his teeth, "You think you can fool us, human!?" He grabbed a stone, tossing it straight at Midas’ face.
The stone came inches from the young man’s face as Grem and Gool’s eyes locked on, waiting in anticipation.
For a split second, they felt relief.
’Surely he would have moved by now if he were really awake.’ Gool mused.
’He must still be asleep. He hasn’t even budged at the stone... if it hits him, it might even break his nose.’
The goblins felt as though they were sitting at the edge of their seats, anticipation reaching its climax.
Just as the stone reached Midas’ face, his eyes flew open.
’Trust... I must place trust in myself.’ These were Midas’ thoughts seconds before he opened his eyes: ’I am no killer... but my body moved on its own when I killed the mosquito. Not a second thought, nor doubt. I must trust my body to act. I must trust my instincts.’
Midas rolled back, the stone narrowly missing his face and landing on the floor before skidding across the marble.
Without hesitation, Midas pushed himself off the ground and darted forward.
The two goblins were taken off guard, not expecting the human to run straight toward them.
However, before they could make any moves, Midas ran straight past them.
The two quickly ran around the pillars, but by then, the human was nowhere to be seen.
As rough winds hailed from all directions, the two goblins slowly made it to the center of the several pillars.
"He can be behind any one of them... stay on your guard," Gool said in a low tone with his back against Grems, the two brandishing their small daggers.
They looked around with worry as stillness overwhelmed the atmosphere.
No footsteps. No breathing.
Nothing but wind and thunder echoed all around them.
Just then, they heard a series of light but quick footsteps behind them.
They both turned to face the altar, but found nothing but a stone lying in the center of the path.
Gool’s eyes widened with fear, "Trap... it was a tra--" Before he could finish his sentence, a blunt object bashed against the back of his head, instantly rendering him unconscious.
Grem turned, seeing Midas in the corner of his eye.
Midas’ face had changed. His eyes were intense, like those of a coiled viper ready to strike.
There lay no mercy. No fear. Not even a thought behind those eyes.
Grem could sense nothing but doom.
Midas grabbed Gool’s blade as he fell, slashing it across Grem’s throat in one fluid movement.
The goblin’s head was instantly decapitated, flying into the air before landing in the bowl at the altar.
*Ding*
[You have slain a Goblin!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]