The day began with renewed energy.

After the sighting just before dawn, no one slept in. Zane had made a rough sketch of the goblin's position and path, and Tarni suggested they leave that section of the fence clear of traps—for now—so they could observe if it became a regular route.

But that would come later. First, it was time to train.

The yard behind the house had become their training ground. It wasn't much to look at: half-worn grass, dirt patches, a few targets made of old tyres and garden stakes, and a row of empty beer bottles lined up on an old shelf they'd dragged out of the shed. But in the crisp morning light, it might as well have been an arena.

Today's focus was all about teamwork.

Zane was the tank—he stood in front, shielded by reinforced leather armour and wielding a heavy machete with practiced confidence.

Tarni would act as off-tank and rogue, flanking enemies and testing stealth tactics, occasionally vanishing behind tree stumps or ducking low behind the garden's raised beds to simulate ambushes.

Bell, who had been practicing with a Bow from the sports store, would serve as ranged support. Despite some early frustration, she was surprisingly accurate—especially when it came to hitting her primary target: her son.

"You always take out the healer first!" she declared gleefully, loosing another blunt arrow toward Kai.

"Oi! Mum!" Kai yelped, narrowly ducking as it thudded into the dirt behind him.

"Don't complain, just learn to hide better," Bell called with a wicked grin.

Lily, playing flex support and bodyguard, leapt in front of Kai like a human shield, smacking another incoming arrow out of the air with her spear. "Back off, Mum! He's my healer!"

They all laughed.

Even Tarni, who was attempting to sneak up on Bell and had accidentally walked face-first into a hanging mozzie net, chuckled from behind the mesh. "Don't forget rogue problems, guys. We have net-based hazards now."

"New System feature?" Zane called. "Tangling Fabric of Doom?"

They played it serious, but the camaraderie came through in every exchange. Every dodge, every mock kill, every callout to protect the healer or reposition the tank—every moment they were learning more about each other's fighting styles and capabilities.

They were becoming a team.

Kai, at the centre of it all, felt something stir inside him. Not just usefulness. Not just System progression. Something better.

Everyone else did their best to keep him alive through the practice drills. Lily stuck close by, treating the role of bodyguard like her life depended on it. Zane called out threats like a battlefield commander, shielding his son when possible. Tarni even faked being a goblin assassin trying to "kidnap the healer," which ended with Lily rugby-tackling him into the dirt and Zane declaring him "dead by dad glare."

And through it all, Bell kept shooting blunt arrows at Kia with merciless precision.

When the sun reached its peak and they finally collapsed in the shade for a break, bruised and sweaty and laughing, it was clear they had achieved something important.

"Alright," Zane said, wiping sweat from his brow. "That was a success."

"Damn right," Tarni agreed, rubbing his ribs from Lily's earlier tackle.

Bell grinned as she pulled one of her arrows out of the garden bed. "I think my new bow skill's activating. It's called Embarrass the Healer."

Kai groaned, but he was smiling too. "You lot are the worst."

"You love it," Lily teased, nudging his shoulder.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

He did. He loved all of it.

The stars were out in full that night, scattered like diamonds across the inky black sky. Dinner had been eaten under the open verandah, laughter and flickering firelight dancing around the group as they sat in a circle with full bellies and the warmth of companionship.

Zane leaned back in his chair, a cooling cup of tea in hand. "Alright," he said, tapping the side of his mug, "I noticed that some of the sensor lights are failing and the Jenny is getting harder and harder to start."

"You think it's the system messing with the electronics?" Asked Tarni

"Yeah mate, it seems that way. I reckon it's time we stopped sitting on our hands. Our defences are deteriorating, and the goblins aren't pushing our fences, and that just makes me nervous."

"They might be wandering away from us," Kai added.

"Tarni nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you. If they spread too far, they might end up near town. The last thing we want is some poor tradie running into a green-skinned surprise on his morning commute. Or just waiting here until all our electronics fail before they ambush us."

"So what are we thinking?" Lily asked, scooting forward on the bench. "Full team patrol?"

Zane met her eyes. "Yeah. Tomorrow morning, all of us together. Armoured up, weapons ready."

"We'll go slow and stay alert," Bell added. "I'll take rear guard and keep watch for movement. Zane tanks, Tarni's off-tank and scout, I'll provide ranged cover, and Lily floats. You stick close to Kai."

Lily gave a playful salute. "Healer bodyguard, reporting for duty."

Kai gave her a sheepish grin but nodded. "I'll keep my heals ready. Let's just hope we don't need them."

"Famous last words," Tarni muttered, half-joking. "We'll want everything cleaned, prepped, and packed tonight. First light, we move."

"Copy that," Zane said, standing. "Rest well. Tomorrow we go hunting."

The stars faded slowly, replaced by the soft grey of pre-dawn. One by one, the group stirred, some more reluctantly than others.

It had been a quiet night. No sensor lights triggered. No growls or howls from the bush. Just the low hum of insects and the occasional thump from one of the possums that had claimed the nearby gum trees as their nighttime playground.

Lily had drawn the long straw—or maybe someone had quietly given it to her out of kindness—and she slept through the night. When she stepped onto the deck that morning, yawning and stretching, the other four were already geared up.

Zane stood near the metal ladder, tightening the straps on his reinforced leather armour and checking the edge of his machete. Tarni was oiling the hinges of his homemade crossbow, it could only fire one shot, but it was his favourite new toy, while Bell tested the pull on her bow, looking confident and calm. Kia was double-checking their packs—rations, potions, bandages, and the makeshift net and spear they still used for non-lethal goblin capture.

They were a team now. More than just a family or a few blokes with weapons. They had practiced together, bled together, healed each other, and laughed through pain. Today, they would finally take that unity and step out into the unknown.

The plan was simple: head 500 meters beyond the fence, then begin circling the property in an ever-widening spiral. Patrol, observe, maybe encounter something—hopefully something they could handle.

Everyone was keyed up and ready.

As they set out through the long grass, the sun broke over the horizon in a blaze of gold. Shadows stretched and shimmered over dew-soaked ground. Bird calls echoed through the stillness, and somewhere in the distance, a kookaburra laughed like it knew something they didn't.

The early morning tension was thick. Each crunch of gravel or rustle of leaves drew heads around, weapons half-raised. Every distant movement—a hopping wallaby, a startled lizard—was met with narrowed eyes and hushed murmurs.

But as the hours crept by and no danger appeared, the tightness in their shoulders began to ease.

Bell started humming an old AC/DC riff.

Lily, walking beside her, added her own out-of-tune vocals until Tarni begged them both to stop before the wildlife formed a rock band and charged.

Zane snorted at that. "Mate, if I see a goblin with a guitar, I'm taking it home."

"Only if it can play Highway to Hell," Tarni shot back.

Kai, walking in the middle of the group, laughed quietly. He was scanning the tree line with practiced eyes, but the warmth in his chest kept building. This was nothing like the last time they had gone out. The uncertainty was still there—but so was confidence. They were working together. They were ready for whatever came next.

Their slow, looping path carried them past landmarks they hadn't noticed before: an old rusted trailer swallowed by blackberry vines, a broken-down cattle fence, and a patch of churned dirt that looked suspiciously like it had once been a goblin camp—but was now empty.

They didn't speak too much about that one. Just marked it on the map and moved on.

When midday rolled around, Zane called for a break.

The five of them slumped onto some sun-warmed rocks near a shallow creek bed. Bell handed out jerky and water. Tarni stretched with a groan and proclaimed it was "too bloody peaceful," which immediately got everyone back on alert.

But nothing came.

"Still," Zane said, scanning the horizon, "I don't like it. Too quiet."

"Could be they're moving," Lily offered, eyes narrowing.

"Could be they're watching," Tarni muttered.

Kai pulled out the little notebook he'd started keeping and made another mark. "Or maybe we're finally ahead of them."

Zane gave him a nod. "Let's not assume anything. We keep the loop going, bigger circle. We stick together. And no jokes about musical goblins until we're back home."

Everyone chuckled.

They stood, stretched, and began walking again—shoulders a little straighter, steps a little more in sync.

The wild was quiet, but their little team? They were ready to make some noise.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.