Chapter 7: Betrayal in the Night

Sorin awoke with a start, the sharp whistle of an arrow slicing through the air. He barely dodged as it embedded itself into the earth inches from where his head had been.

“We’re under attack!” he shouted, scrambling to his feet. The others were already moving, weapons drawn, scanning the treeline as shadows flickered in the firelight.

Sorin’s Analyze skill triggered automatically, flooding his vision with red-tinted health bars. There were dozens of them—goblins. Scouts, warriors, and a few larger figures that loomed ominously behind the first wave.

A second arrow whistled toward him. He raised his sword instinctively, deflecting it before charging into the fray. The first goblin scout fell easily, his blade cutting cleanly through leather armor. Another followed. Then another.

Sorin grinned as the adrenaline surged through him. Each kill sharpened his reflexes. Each swing of his sword felt more precise.

“Cowards!” he roared, cutting down another goblin. “Attacking us in our sleep!”

A tingling sensation raced through his arm. New skill acquired. Without hesitation, he raised his sword and let the energy guide him.

“Sword Rain!”

A flurry of rapid thrusts struck his opponent a dozen times in mere seconds, piercing through armor and flesh. The Goblin Warrior crumpled, its health bar vanishing into nothingness.

Across the battlefield, Zarin spun into a Whirlwind, her axe becoming a blur as she cut through goblins with vicious efficiency. Twelve bodies lay in her wake.

Celis, standing back, muttered an incantation. The air grew frigid. With an outstretched hand, she cast Imbribus Glacialis!

From above, hundreds of razor-sharp icicles rained down, skewering a cluster of goblins.

Sorin barely had time to react before a massive shape barreled toward him. A Goblin Juggernaut. Twice the size of the others, it plowed through its own warriors to get to him.

They clashed. The Juggernaut’s sword met Sorin’s in a brutal exchange, sparks flying with each strike. Sorin dodged back, swinging, but the goblin’s armor was thick. Even his new skill barely left a dent.

His stamina was draining.

Desperate, Sorin vaulted over the goblin’s head, his blade ripping a deep gash along its throat. The Juggernaut staggered, clutching its neck as blood poured between its fingers.

Sorin drove his sword deep into its exposed spine. The creature shuddered, its health bar plummeting. Victory was his.

But he barely had time to revel in his success before a dark force slammed into his back.

A wave of pain tore through his body. His vision blurred. The last thing he saw before the world faded to black was Celis lowering her staff.

---

Captured

Sorin awoke to the sound of chains rattling. He was trapped in a wooden pen, surrounded by filthy, malnourished prisoners.

He tried to move, but his wrists were shackled.

“Don’t make a scene,” a voice beside him muttered. A man—human—helped him sit up.

Sorin blinked and activated Analyze.

Name: Hashan
Race: Human
Level: 3
Health: 146/160
Stamina: 36/120

“Hashan,” Sorin murmured. “What is this place?”

“A work camp,” Hashan whispered bitterly. “The goblins make us mine iron, forge weapons, build their walls. If we collapse from exhaustion, they throw us in here until we’re ‘useful’ again.”

Sorin’s jaw clenched. “How did it come to this?”

Another voice, gruffer and filled with anger, spoke up. A dwarf.

“They grew in numbers. This place used to be a weak dungeon camp. But now? The goblins are preparing to march on Elan.” The dwarf’s eyes burned with fury. “They plan to take the city, then my homeland in the Aerwyni mountains.”

Sorin used Analyze on him.

Name: Korovh
Race: Dwarf
Level: 5
Health: 172/210
Mana: 70/70

Sorin turned to him. “We have to escape.”

Korovh scoffed. “They outnumber us 500 to 1.”

Before Sorin could argue, the gates creaked open. A familiar trio stepped in.

Zarin. Celis. Florin.

Sorin’s blood ran cold.

“You’re awake,” Celis said, her tone unreadable. “I know you weren’t expecting this.”

Sorin glared. “You betrayed me.”

Florin chuckled. “Betrayed? Please. We were never on your side. We made a deal with the goblins months ago. Helped them grow. In exchange, they’ve given us gold, weapons, and a guarantee of power.”

Sorin’s fists clenched. “The merchant caravans. The attacks on the roads—”

Florin grinned. “Us. Who do you think was leading those raids?”

Zarin’s face remained blank, but she finally spoke. “Break his spirit,” she told the goblins. “Then he’ll be of use.”

Sorin didn’t fight as the goblins dragged him toward the mines.

---

The Escape Plan

Sorin’s body ached as he swung the rusty pickaxe, mining for ore. Sweat mixed with dirt, coating his skin.

“Dig,” a goblin guard sneered.

He struck the rock, harder this time.

Whack. Whack. Whack.

Zarin appeared beside him, her voice low. “There’s a way out.”

Sorin froze but kept mining.

“The goblins unearthed something in the tunnels,” she continued. “A **hidden chamber—**the heart of the dungeon. They’re afraid of it.”

Sorin risked a glance at her. “Why tell me?”

Zarin sighed. “Because I was wrong about you.”

She glanced toward the deeper tunnels. “If you can get there, you can warp back to the dungeon entrance. Get to Elan before it’s too late.”

Sorin took a breath, then nodded.

He turned to Hashan and Korovh. “Spread the word. Tonight, we escape.”

Korovh grinned. “Now that’s something I can get behind.”

Sorin raised the pickaxe, striking the wall once more, determination burning in his chest.

Whack. Whack. Whack.