“It’s done! You can come back!”

  Anthony and Elara crept back over toward Pom, instantly noticing the obvious difference in the creature’s demeanor as they neared it. The fortune hound was wagging its tail with a childlike excitement as it attempted continuously to jump up and lick Pom’s face, but the rope still tied to its neck pulled taut and knocked it back down each time.

  “Calm down, boy! Here, let’s get this off of you!”

  A bright smile was lighting up Pom’s face as she interacted with her new companion. Reaching down, she removed the rope from the creature’s neck. After freeing the canine she opened her large bag, pulling out a thick leather collar that she carefully buckled around it’s neck.

  Elara and Anthony came forward cautiously as they observed the interaction between Pom and the young fortune hound.

  “Has the beast been tamed? Can you control it now?” Anthony asked after he got closer.

  Pom nodded her head before rising to her feet, then held one hand in front of her toward the hound as she replied.

  “I can. The beast-taming process I used was first rate, it creates a proper magical bond between the two beings involved. Watch!”

  A sharp whistle sounded from Pom’s lips. As she twirled her finger in the air, the fortune hound before her instantly snapped to attention and began to spin in unison with her directions.

  An eager expression filled Elara’s face as she watched the display, staring at the white-and-gold creature as if she were looking at a bag of gold coins.

  “Fantastic! This little furball is our ticket to fortune! Hurry up and tell him to track down some valuables!” the red-skinned girl exclaimed with clenched fingers.

  “Oh. Um, okay!”

  Pom leaned forward and placed a hand on each side of the creature’s furry face, staring into its bright golden eyes as she spoke.

  “From now on, your name is Aurum! Welcome to our team.”

  Rising back to her feet, Pom nodded firmly toward Aurum. The young canine seemed to understand her intentions, immediately letting off a long howl before dashing off deeper into the woods at a pace that allowed the group to follow behind him.

  Anthony followed along at the rear of the group, watching Aurum navigate through the thick underbrush with slightly narrowed eyes.

  “Fortune hounds are supposed to be attracted to valuables, right? I’ve been thinking—could that be the reason Aurum suddenly showed up around here?”

  Elara’s eyes widened for a moment as Anthony’s words sank into her mind, her eager grin growing broader as she increased her pace behind Aurum.

  “You’re right! Something valuable is probably close-by!” she shouted back over her shoulder toward Anthony.

  The companions followed Aurum through the woods for nearly an hour, venturing so deep into the wild, untouched depths of the forest that they began to grow uneasy. Thankfully, the sun was still high in the sky, and there was plenty of daylight remaining for their exploration.

  “Be on your guard. Dangerous creatures lurk in the deep forest, even this close to Highwarden. We’re likely to come across them if we continue this hunt for much longer.” Elara warned.

  The group followed Aurum for another thirty minutes when the young canine’s demeanor suddenly changed. No longer rushing forward without a care, Aurum began to move stealthily and slowly as he led the companions over a small hill.

  Elara was currently at the head of the group behind Aurum, but when her vision crested the hill, she instantly dropped to the ground, withdrew her dagger, and motioned for Pom and Anthony to get down.

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  Anthony slowly crawled up beside Elara on the hilltop, gazing down to see a small cave structure set into the side of a rather large hill. An unlit campfire was placed just outside the cave, along with a half-dozen small animal skins—mostly from rabbits—drying on stones and logs around the area.

  A single goblin could be seen sitting beside the unlit fire, sucking on a small bone that it had cracked open on a rock.

  “Whatever valuables he sensed must be in the cave that the goblins have taken over! No wonder he wasn't able to retrieve the item!” Elara whispered.

  “Good boy! You’ve done well!” Aurum’s tail began to whip back and forth forcefully as Pom squeezed her arms around the creature's neck, smushing his face against her own as she praised him.

  Elara’s sharp yellow eyes were glued to the goblin encampment below as she gripped the hilt of her blade ever tighter, turning toward Anthony as she spoke.

  “I’ll take care of the first one. You rush to the cave entrance and kill any that come out. When I give the signal, ignore everything else and get into position right away. Got it?”

  Anthony pulled his dark black sword from its sheath, taking a deep breath as he nodded toward Elara.

  “What about me?” Pom asked nervously.

  “You’re on backup. Just keep an eye out and help anyone that needs it.”

  “Okay.” Pom squeezed a potion bottle between her fingers, nodding swiftly as she kept Aurum close to her side.

  Elara crept forward on the ground, staying concealed behind the brush as best she could as she got closer to her unaware prey. When she got within a dozen yards, there was no longer any way to move forward without being seen.

  Rising to her feet, Elara’s eyes turned back toward Anthony, who had followed her lead and gotten as close to the cave entrance as he could without being seen. The two met eyes across the distance as Elara held three fingers up high in the air, slowly counting down.

  As the final red finger dropped, Anthony and Elara dashed forward in unison. The sound of crunching leaves and the hard pattering of feet against soil broke the silence of the forest.

  The small goblin’s appearance was that of a nearly naked, ugly green humanoid with bulbous eyes and an oversized head. The startled creature jumped to its feet, letting the broken rabbit bone fall from its gnarled teeth as it heard the sudden noise.

  “EEEEE!”

  A high-pitched scream sounded from the creature’s jagged tooth filled mouth as its oversized eyes locked onto Elara’s form, which was currently dashing aggressively toward it. The goblin bent forward hastily to pick up the sharpened stick resting on the ground beside it, raising the weapon into the air just as Elara finished closing the distance.

  CLANG! FWOOSH! THUNK!

  Elara expertly parried the spear, a single swing of the dagger in her left hand sending the tip of the crude weapon shooting harmlessly toward the sky, allowing her to step forward and sink her second blade into the top of the creature’s head with all the strength she could muster.

  Anthony followed his leader's instructions perfectly, refusing to look back as he rushed toward the cave entrance. He could hear the echoes of footsteps from inside following the loud screech of the first goblin. After getting in position at the entrance just in time, Anthony’s sword rose high above his head while the image of his first nexus key rose up in his mind.

  The blade in his hands began to glow a dull red as the sound of rushing footsteps arrived beside him. Anthony watched as two green-skinned creatures, much taller than the first goblin, rushed out of the cave into the midday sun.

  They were a pair of hobgoblins, the magically mutated form of goblin. It wasn’t exactly rare for a goblin to rise in rank to a hobgoblin, but it made things more difficult for anyone trying to slay the creatures.

  Hobgoblins were an all-around upgrade from their smaller relatives, with greater speed, strength, and endurance. Most troublesome, though, was the massive increase in baseline intelligence that the creatures gained after mutating.

  The two hobgoblins wore patchwork clothing consisting of a multitude of small animal pelts crudely sewn together. One carried a long spear, while the other held a primitive hammer, made up of nothing more than a heavy stone tied firmly to the end of a stick.

  As the two creatures stepped out of the cave, Anthony lunged forward behind them, bringing down his sword with all the power his body could muster. He caught the hobgoblins by complete surprise, the edge of his glowing blade sinking into the nape of the spear-wielding enemy.

  The empowered blade moved through flesh and bone with great ease, removing the creature’s head while its legs were still moving. The headless body took an additional two steps before crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap.

  The second hobgoblin jumped to the side to avoid Anthony’s follow-up swing, narrowly escaping the same fate as the first. The creature glanced down at the body of its slain companion, blood-red veins popping out around its green pupils as it screamed unknown words at Anthony.

  The muscles on the creature’s arms seemed to bulge as its eyes turned completely red. Elara was in the process of rushing over, after killing the first goblin, when she saw the scene unfold. A look of caution spread across her face and she shouted a warning toward Anthony.

  “Be careful! I can feel the power circulating in its body—it just used some sort of natural talent!”