Chapter 5 Old warrior

“Crap, this goblin seems to know what he is doing and I already lost the element of surprise. Damn, damn, damn” thought Leshy as he stood in around 3 meters from the green creature. His hands were trembling slightly but his eyes remained focus and calm.

Goblin didn’t let the standoff to last too long as he dashed forward with sword raised high in front of him, diagonally to the ground. Leshy took a step back trying to use the length of the spear to his advantage and simultaneously thrust it at the enemy.

The green creature seemed to anticipate it as he blocked the spear dexterously with sword and used the impact to move to the right, shortening the distance to Leshy. In response, Leshy quickly jumped back dodging the incoming right slash.

The goblin continued to advance by giving himself forward drive-by skillful use of the feint move. Leshy without thinking used the blunt part of a spear to strike back forcing Goblin to block and stop his charge.

The strike was ugly but look of surprise appeared on Goblin's face and his eyes become serious as there was so much force behind the spear strike that it made the goblin take few steps back to keep the balance.

“Wow,” thought Leshy, he was even more surprised then Goblin by the strength before his sweep. Rejoicing that the goblin lost momentum Leshy without delay dashed back and started running back to his apartment. He intended to flee the fight. Even with his strength, the goblin was a way too skillful opponent to continue fighting.

The sudden escape surprised Goblin and made him hesitate for a second, but soon a cold smirk appeared on his face and he started to chase after his opponent.

Even though Leshy was much taller than goblin by around 30-40 centimeters, their running speed in such short distance was similar. The agility and goblin’s movement techniques were at full display here.

Leshy ran to the platform then jumped onto the stairs, passing half of them in a single step. He was breathing heavily, anxious about chasing his goblin. He didn't even have time to look back at seeing that friction of second after his second leg moved a dull sound of the sword hitting the rock echoed in the cave.

Goblin clicked his tongue in irritation of being a moment too late. If that hit landed it would seriously cripple Leshy’s ability to move.

Goblin was far too short to see the surface of the platform. He didn't wish to waste time and in great haste started climbing the steep stairs.

At the moment when Green Creature's upper body emerged on the platform, there was a whistling sound of spear thrust, directed at its heart.

Goblin with a smirk on his face already anticipated the possibility of a sneak attack and as he was prepared to parry. However, at the moment when weapons collided, Goblin's expression changed. Its arm got numb and terror grew in his heart when he released he no longer could keep footing on the stairs. The force behind full power stab from Leshy was so huge that it made the goblin threw heavily off the stairs and flew a couple of meters.

Leshy with vicious expression yelled and decisively jumped right after the goblin, not even waiting for his opponent to land on the ground. He wanted to make use the best he could his chance to get out alive of the fight.

While jumping he adjusted position of his with spear and started preying inside to not miss the goblin. In the air he noticed goblin on the ground, trying to stand up and catch the breath after the fall.

He tried to hit him with a spear, but he over calculated his jump and his spear missed the goblin, hit the ground and recoiled few meters away after hitting the stone floor.

But Leshy’s body felled directly on the green creature and did the job. Few cracking sounds coming from goblin’s chest echoed throughout the cave.

Leshy rolled over after jump, unsheathed a long dagger from his belt and dashed toward goblin that was coughing blood and trying to crawl to the place where his sword lied. This time it was easy for Leshy to win the race, as he picked up the sword from the ground and aimed it at his opponent who still was struggling to get up. Then Leshy slashed at the goblin, who tried to dodge but the sword still reached its leg and left a deep wound.

After the slash, Goblin no longer even tried to stand up. Leshy kicked him with full force at the already cracked chest making the creature yell in pain and tumbled on the ground. The fight was pretty much over.

Goblin looked at Leshy with anger and pain in his eyes unable to do retaliate.

“What a stroke of bad luck to die at hands of such unworthy opponent” he sighed. There was no trace of fear on him. He was a veteran warrior, no stranger to death. He knew that this day will come, he only wished for his death to make sense.

And now being defeated by some weak human in an unknown world, fighting for no good reason was the exact opposite of what he wished. To add to that as one of the best warriors in his clan he was charged with the duty of protecting two young nobles from his clan and dying stupidly now means not fulfilling his duties.

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He was still trying to come up with some plan to get out of this situation when he glanced at that spear lying not too far away. A look of fright and worry appear on his face when his thoughts got interrupted.

“Wait, what? I can understand you?!” said Leshy out loud with the sword still aiming at the goblin. “Who or what are you? Are you a local here?” asked Leshy.

After a moment of silence, the green creature responded “I got transported to this strange world and from your question... cough..cough it seems it is the same case for you. There is no reason for us to kill each other. ” said the goblin, he look calmed and reasonable.

Leshy couldn’t help but agree on that point. He still didn’t trust the Goblin but maybe it would be better to have some ally in this strange world.

While thinking he noticed that the goblin glanced constantly not the sword that was pointing at him but at the spear that Leshy looted from the previous fight.

The spear was too far away to think about grabbing it but close enough to have a good view of it. There was a complex expression in goblins' eyes. He tried to hide it but it with not a great result.

“How can I trust you?” asked Leshy, trying to probe goblin

“My name is Diadus.” He said carefully looking straight at Leshy ” There is not much I can do to make you trust me…it is a case of high risk, high reward case”

Leshy opened his eyes astounded how intelligent the Goblin sounded. Aren't suppose goblins be stupid, ugly and easy to defeat? So far this one proved to be the exact opposite.

Suddenly a crafty gleam appeared in Leshy eyes and he walked to where the spear was and grabbed it. While doing it he watched goblin with the corner of his eyes. He grabbed a spear and made sure it was well presented to a goblin.

Goblin was unable to keep his eyes off the spear, and as his sight focused on the spear's ornaments, his facial expression became ugly. He quickly restored his normal, expression when he noticed Leshy watching him closely.

He released a sight and seeing no other option he decided to asked “This spear you had - where did you get it”

“Is it familiar for you?” responded with questions Leshy subconsciously tightening grip on the sword.

“Yes..cough, cough… that belong to two youths from my race who stole it from my master. I was on a mission to get it back. Right when I catch up to shooting range with them I got transported to this world. ” responded goblin with a cold gleam in his eyes “Have you killed them?” he asked.

Leshy didn’t respond and looked at the goblin in silence. He was pretty convinced that most of it was lies. The assassin would care so much at mare sight of the spear. Those two goblins were probably close to him.

There was a moment of silence as Leshy’s face remained indifferent

“So I have my answer...you save me quite a trouble by killing them.” said goblin as he was breathing heavily, blank look in his eyes.

“When have you entered this cave?” asked Leshy instead with an expressionless face.

“1-2h ago. This cave has a lot of items from our race so I figured my target might be there and decided to wait for inhabitants to return.” said goblin in a daze which he wanted to cover.

“..And you were cooking? That is a nice way to welcome ‘targets’” said Leshy with a strange smile.

Goblin’s face froze, and with all speed, he could muster he threw a rock at Leshy aiming at his head and with a knife taken from god knows where he started getting up motion.

Leshy almost dodged the rock but it still brushed his temple. However, the throw was too weak to get Leshy hurt and he managed to keep calm and not get distracted. At the same time, he used he heavily stab the sword at getting up goblin. His standing position and arm length gave him a great advantage over seriously injured goblin who ha trouble getting up.

The stab pierced through Diadus’s chest.

“I wish you painful death for killing me and my nephew…” released an agonizing scream Diadus as blood was coming from his mouth together with the last bit of his life force.

Leshy sighted and stabbed the body one more time to be sure that the goblin is truly dead and then exhausted sat on the ground right next to it.

He looked with complex emotion and goblin lying in a growing pool of blood. He was tired both physically and mentally. It was his second life and death situation in two days.

”My opponent was more skilled then me making this way too dangerous. So far every day in this world, I had to do my best to preserve my poor little life. I can't believe I am saying this but I wish my old life back” lamented Leshy as he slowly was getting his strength back after the fight. He stayed quiet for a while, calming his mind and body.

“I wonder if I got him in ‘defeated enemies’ section as well ” wondered suddenly Leshy opening his eyes from contemplation. He summoned his card. He quickly noticed that dead goblin’s face was indeed there.