The house was quieter now, though not quite peaceful. The scent of antiseptic still lingered under the eucalyptus breeze, and the faint hum of the relocated generator barely reached the bedroom where Bell now lay, propped up by pillows in the freshly changed bed. The old quilt covered her legs, faded from sun and age. Her hands rested on top, trembling slightly. Lily tucked the edges in gently. “Comfortable?”

  Bell smiled. “Still better than a hospital bed.”

  Lily hesitated at the edge of the bed, looking toward the hallway where Zane’s voice could be heard in muffled conversation with Tarni and Kai. “I should stay tonight. James will understand.”

  “No, you should go after him.”

  Lily blinked. “What? Mum, you just got here. You need someone here. I—”

  Bell reached out, her fingers wrapping around her daughter’s wrist with surprising strength. “I’m home now. He’s upset, and you love him. Go tell him not to be a goose.”

  Lily looked conflicted. “What if you need something?”

  Zane’s voice came through the door. “We’re not going anywhere, Lil. I’ve got her.”

  Bell gave her a wink. “Besides, I don’t think I’ve got long before these blokes come in with whatever mad plan they’ve cooked up.”

  Lily huffed a laugh despite herself. “Fine. But call me if anything happens.”

  Bell promised her she would.

  Lily gave her mother a long look, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Be good.”

  Bell smirked. “Never.”

  Moments later, the ute’s engine roared to life outside, gravel crunching as Lily turned around in the drive and headed back toward town.

  As soon as the dust settled, the bedroom door creaked open.

  Zane stepped in first, cautious. Tarni followed with less grace, arms crossed, while Kai hovered in the doorway looking oddly sheepish.

  Bell raised an eyebrow. “Alright. Let’s have it.”

  Zane cleared his throat. “We need to talk to you about something important.”

  Bell stared at him flatly. “You mean other than the fact the house looks like it’s hosted a Viking raid and no one’s explained why the power’s off?”

  “That... is related,” Zane said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Bell, there’s something we’ve been dealing with. A... change in the world. A system.”

  She blinked. “The system you tried to tell me about in the hospital?”

  Kai stepped forward. “Like a game. RPG-style. Stats, levels, titles. It's real. We’re in it. And it can help.”

  Bell looked from one to the other. “And you three are in on this together?”

  “Yes,” Zane said.

  “Absolutely,” Kai nodded.

  “I shit you not,” Tarni said.

  Bell fixed him with a look. “Charming.”

  Tarni held up both hands. “Right, sorry. But it’s real, Bell. Zane’s been bleeding all over the property. Kai just got in last night. We’ve killed goblins, and I fucking picked up my Bike, like practically one handed, you know she ways over 400Kg right?

  After giving Tarni a death glare for the swearing, Bell gave Zane a long-suffering stare. “You’ve lost the plot.”

  Zane stepped closer. “Bell, please. I wouldn’t bring this to you unless it was real. The system gives you health. Skills. If you get in, I can give you something that might help... something that could ease the pain. Maybe more.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Zane held out the Minor Health potion. “We have this. A healing potion. But only people in the System can use them.”

  Bell’s gaze softened as she looked at the bottle, then back up at their faces. “And how does one get into this system?”

  Zane hesitated. Tarni didn’t.

  “You kill a goblin,” he said.

  Silence.

  Bell blinked. “I’m sorry?”

  Zane winced. “It’s... how it starts. First blood. You kill a dungeon defender, the System takes notice. Kai just did it last night.”

  Bell stared at them, incredulous. “You want me—dying, brittle, bedridden, me to kill a goblin?”

  “They’re not that big,” Kai offered unhelpfully.

  Bell raised an eyebrow. “Oh, well that makes it fine then.”

  Tarni took a breath, ran his hand through his hair, and knelt beside the bed. “Look. I know it’s insane. I know it sounds like some kind of cooked fantasy novel. But it’s real. And it might be your only shot.”

  Bell narrowed her eyes. “And why should I trust this madness?”

  Tarni looked her dead in the eye. “Because if you do this—just this one thing—I swear to you, whether it works or not, you can ask me for anything. Anything. I’ll do it. No arguments.”

  Zane turned to him. “Tarn?”

  But Bell had already leaned forward. “Anything?”

  Tarni nodded. “You name it.”

  Bell smirked, something wicked and sharp in her expression that hadn’t been there in weeks. “Then if I do this, and I get in or not, you have to promise—really promise—to stop swearing.”

  Tarni’s face twisted in silent horror. “What, completely?”

  “Completely.”

  Kai stifled a snort. Zane looked up to the ceiling, probably asking the heavens for strength.

  Tarni let out a breath like it physically hurt him. “Fine. If you kill the goblin and the System lets you in—I’ll give up swearing.”

  “if the system is real or not!” Bell reminded Tarni.

  “Fine” Tarni said while throwing his hands in the air

  Bell nodded, triumphant. “Good. Then get me up, boys. Let’s meet this goblin of yours.”

  The shed out the back still smelled like fish oil and rust. Half-rotted tackle boxes were stacked in the corners, and cobwebs stretched lazily between old camping chairs. It had been Zane’s gardening shed once, before time, and Bell's illness, and disuse turned it into a graveyard of hobbies.

  Zane hauled the rickety wooden door open, letting in a shaft of pale afternoon light. Inside, tied to a steel beam with several lengths of orange rope and a dented dog lead, was a goblin.

  It hissed and squirmed, yellow eyes glaring through a mess of matted hair and dried blood. Its green skin was mottled and scabby, its limbs twitching like it still hadn’t decided if it wanted to fight or flee.

  Kai and Tarni, who had been helping Bell stand, had stepped back.

  Bell stared at it from the threshold, one hand gripping the doorframe for balance.

  “Well,” she muttered, “it’s uglier than I expected.”

  Tarni handed her the old spear gun with the reverence of someone passing down a family heirloom. “Found it under the stairs. Reckon it still fires. You only need one shot.”

  Bell took it carefully, feeling the weight. It was heavier than she remembered—Zane and Her had used this thing decades ago to bring in flathead by the bucketful. Now, she was having trouble just aiming it at a monster tied in one spot.

  “I can do this,” she said aloud, more to herself than anyone else.

  Zane stood beside her, close but not hovering. Kai hovered awkwardly near the door with a baseball bat, just in case.

  The goblin snarled and pulled against the rope, teeth snapping. Bell stepped forward, raised the spear gun slowly, and in her arms, it wavered a bit before she lined it up.

  It wasn’t just about the system. It wasn’t even just about the potion.

  It was about doing something. she was dying and she knew it. she was going to do this for two reasons: it would make Zane and Kai happy, and she would do anything not to die. She had been fighting for so long already, why not literally fight a bit more?

  She took a breath. The gun clicked. The spear thrummed through the air with a sharp twang.

  And hit the goblin square in the chest.

  It let out a startled, choking grunt—then sagged forward, gurgling.

  Bell’s arms dropped. The spear gun clattered to the floor beside her.

  The goblin twitched once… then stilled. Its body began to glow faintly, like bioluminescent moss under moonlight. Then it melted away, hissing into a puddle of greenish goop before evaporating entirely, leaving nothing but a stained patch on the concrete.

  No one spoke for a moment.

  Then Tarni raised both hands in celebration and called out, “Hairy goblin balls, that was a great shot!”

  Bell turned slowly, eyebrows raised.

  Tarni shrugged. “What? I didn’t swear.”

  Zane choked on a laugh. Kai looked like he was trying very hard not to clap.

  Bell staggered and nearly followed the spear to the floor, except Zane stepped forward and caught her. She leaned into his chest, looked up into his face and asked. “So now what?”

  Zane held her as firmly as he dared, trying not to hurt her. “Now we ...” before he could finish his response, in the air around Bell, faint lines of golden light began to draw themselves in a ring around her, like the first stroke of dawn.

  Congratulations Isabelle Rider

  You are the fourth to kill a Dungeon Defender on planet EARTH

  Title gained

  2nd to last . . . it’s better than last, trust me.

  You will receive 1x bonus XP (Experience Point) for all STATS at each level until level 5.

  Also, you have been granted a skill

  Basic powered Shot