With a victorious scream, the goblin plunged the knife down, aiming for Lan's face. But instead of sinking into flesh and bone, the rotten dagger found steel as Lan raised his arm. The angle and speed of which served to knock the goblin's arm aside, giving Lan his first complete look at the monster.

With Large dark amber eyes, a broad flat nose and a mouth that was little more than a black line until it opened up to rows of almost reddish yellow teeth; that looked as wicked as its dagger.

The goblin looked just like the image that had been painted into the minds of all children. However, the goblin was a little more than half as tall as Lan, with a dark green body that was wiry in places and fat in others. Over which was covered in large black and white spots.

Not only was it larger than Lan had been led to believe. But it was also wearing more than rags too. Most importantly, the leather breastplate looked like it had been pulled off its previous owner and crudely altered to fit the goblin.

Forgetting its daggered hand momentarily, the goblin tried to claw Lan's eyes out with its thick black nails. Lan felt the nails graze his skin as his health dropped by a point.

[Hp 60 - 59]

Before it did more damage, Lan managed to grab its hand as the dagger fell again, sinking into the ground beside his head as he just managed to move. He watched the pockmarked blade grow out of the earth in a moment that stretched too long.

Then the blade rained down on Lan as he activated his shield, covering his face. With a sharp hissing screech, the goblin tried to chisel through his shield. He could do nothing but block as the monster attacked relentlessly, which only worsened when the monster started to break from his grip.

He didn't know by how much, but it was clear that the goblin was stronger than he was, and it took everything to stop it from breaking free. He needed to do something fast.

As the goblin raised the dagger again, Lan let go of its hand and almost laughed when it wrapped it around the blade handle instead of clawing out his eye. This time as the blade dropped, Lan turned his shield and pushed out, sending the dagger back into the ground.

Before the monster could recover, Lan balled his fist and struck out, connecting, but not well, as his fist slipped on the goblin's skin. His second punch was better, but Lan was only freed when his third caught the goblin behind the jaw. Buying him enough time to crawl back far enough to drive his boots into the goblin's chest.

The goblin flew back as Lan pushed to his feet and reached for the mace, not finding it on his belt. Realising that it must have come loose when he fell, Lan drew his sword as the goblin charged.

It was fast.

Before Lan could bring his sword down on it, the goblin got past his guard and tried to gut him.

The dagger scored a line just under where the metal ended, but he didn't lose any health.

Lan cut down, but the goblin dodged and stabbed up at his face.

[Hp 59 – 54]

Lan winced as the goblin’s dagger drew a ribbon of blood from his cheek, but it was worth it because at least now he knew its weapon's damage and having to reach for his head left the goblin open.

Lan slashed up, finding the goblin’s armour just as strong as his, which looking at it, couldn't be true, so its health had to be greater. And it did one other thing. As the goblin jumped back, Lan made it clear he wasn't going to die easy.

The goblin narrowed its eyes and, with a hateful snarl, dropped into a low stance.

Lan didn't know what he was doing but felt his body fall into a loose interpretation of the stance he had used with his spear as he activated his shield.

Just when he was about to move, he saw something that stopped him. From the corner of his eye, he saw another Wisp.

It was only a moment, but the distraction was long enough that the goblin was already on him when he looked back.

Lan slashed out, relying on his greater reach, but the goblin leveraged its size to duck under his attack and dragged its blade along his leg.

[Hp 54 – 49]

Gritting his teeth, Lan lashed out, cutting through the air as the goblin sidestepped and plunged the dagger into his arm.

[Hp 49 – 44]

Lan struck out with the blade on the shield arm, and when the goblin reacted, using its preternatural instinct to twist out of the way but putting it right in the path of Lan's sword.

Maybe it didn't have as much life as I expected, Lan thought as the Odd Steel bit into the goblin's arm. But any joy was short-lived as the goblin ripped its arm free and continued its attack, once again going for his face.

He managed to block this time but took another rake of nails to the face.

[Hp 44 – 43]

Lan returned by cutting down with his sword. But as he met the goblin's shoulder, the Odd Steel broke the skin and stopped. As Lan tried to figure out what had happened, the goblin started to push him back, striking as fast as it could.

And he could do nothing but shield his face while trying to keep the goblin from attacking his legs with the point of his sword. He had thought he had drained the goblin's health points, but it was clear he hadn't.

Lan found the glade shrink as his back pressed up against the root. Somehow in what felt like seconds, the goblin's attack had pushed him across the glade. Slashing the air to make some space, Lan ducked under the root, ready to lance the goblin when it followed.

Instead, a shadow fell on him, and he looked up just as the goblin jumped from the top of the root. The goblin crashed into Lan before letting out a pained screech as they hit the ground. Lan looked up and, for a moment, thought his sword had broken until he saw the top half of the blade sticking out the back of the goblin. His blade had punched clean through the goblin's armour and through its chest, yet it was still moving.

Cawl’s words came racing back to him as the monster raised its dagger again. As it fell, Lan activated the shield arm, blocking as best as he could as he tried to use the sword to buy some distance. Even though it refused to die, it couldn’t move as well now. And its free hand clawed at Lan’s arm before grabbing it and started to pull itself closer, all while its dagger bounced off Lan’s shield.

He tried to roll, but the goblin dug its toes into the dirt as his sword arm started to weaken, and the goblin’s blows pounded harder off the shield metal as the gap closed. As it got closer, the goblin almost seemed to forget its dagger, hooking and locking it around his shield and then opening its mouth showing the rows of tarnished keratin thorns; at that moment, Lan knew what it was planning.

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He had seen something just like it almost happened to Vasha. With his arms bound, he could do nothing as the goblin drained his health before biting into his neck.

He just wasn’t strong enough.

[First configuration complete]

[Strength: 11 > 19]

Body: 11

Mind: 11 > 9

Dexterity: 11 > 9

Perception: 11 > 9

[Charisma: 11 > 9]

Lan’s muscles pulsed, growing under his shirt as the goblin's advance came to a halt. The goblin’s mouth snapped shut, and it looked down at his blade before looking at Lan and spitting a scream at him, who just lay there.

Although he couldn’t shake the feeling that his mind had grown duller and his eyes weren’t as sharp as a moment ago. His muscles felt good, like the feeling one got just after working them, and they were still filled with hot blood.

And that wasn’t all. The same weight that had been oppressive just a moment ago now couldn’t even move him. With a mighty heave, Lan threw the goblin off him. As it flew into the stream, Lan’s sword pulled free as he rolled to his feet, feeling a little heavier and less coordinated than before. The feeling was profound. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but he was not fully in control either. Like he was on the verge of being drunk.

Lan turned to where the goblin had landed and blinked when he found more wisps instead. About ten of them flew in time with each other as their light waxed and waned slightly.

A scream broke Lan's musing, and he found the goblin charging at him. Lan moved like a machine, his head still swaying as he caught the goblin with a punch right after the goblin landed another blow in his armour. Like a thrown rock, the goblin shot back into the stream as Lan shook his head and focused. He needed to find his mace.

But before he could turn, a rage-filled scream washed over the glade, shaking the wisps and the leaves as a red mist-like aura burst from the water. Lan readied himself, but this time as the goblin emerged, it was faster, and as its dagger met his shield, he learned that it was now stronger too.

Lan’s arm buckled, his feet dragging through the grass at the moment of impact before he once again found himself being pushed under the assault of the goblin, and whereas the goblin had gotten faster, he was now slower.

Lan threw everything he had into blocking the goblin's onslaught as he looked for an opening that wouldn’t lead to him taking more damage and not finding one. The goblin's attacks were so erratic and wild that he couldn’t find any pattern. Before he knew it, they had circled the glade enough times that Lan could feel embers mixed with his breath.

The goblin’s blade caught on Lan’s shield, throwing his arm. Seeing its goal open up, the goblin lunged, with blood lust in its eyes, which blinded it to the killing intent in Lan’s. Even if he took a hit, Lan was going to make it count. He told himself, bracing to withstand more pain.

[Second configuration complete]

[Strength: 19 > 15]

Body: 11

Mind: 9 > 8

Dexterity: 9 > 20

Perception: 9 > 7

[Charisma: 9 > 5]

As the goblin brought the dagger down. Lan’s blade reached it first, slashing up and through its leather armour, drawing a thick slime of dark green blood that closed the wound even as the monster retreated from his next attack. Despite being a clean cut, the goblin’s Health Points and armour left it shallow.

That didn’t stop it from letting out a guttural growl that grew into a screech before it surged towards him.

More sure on his feet than he had ever been, Lan danced back, scoring cuts that the goblin barely took notice of as it continued at him. Lan moved, slashing at the goblin that now seemed to be moving as if weighted down. No, not that; Lan’s reflexes had sharpened, and even though everything else had dulled again, his mind was racing. It was a little overwhelming, so much so that he found his mind drifting to the light out of the corner of his eye.

The lights…

All around the glade were more Wisps. There had to be a hundred of them around Lan and the goblin. Their light pulsed in a rhythm like they were watching to see the battle's outcome.

Lan saw the goblin and brought his sword forward, but instead of trying to avoid it, the goblin ran itself through, still spitting anger at him as it grabbed him by the shoulder, driving the dagger into his left shoulder before bringing its jaw down on the side of his neck.

[Hp 43 - 38]

Time slowed as Lan stumbled back.

[Hp 38 – 33]

With every second that passed, the goblin bit down again, each time its teeth inched closer to his neck until he could feel the points press against his skin.

[Hp 33 – 28]

Lan struggled to shake the goblin off him, stepping back and shaking wildly before tripping on something. As he hit the ground, the force dislodged the goblin, and Lan heaved it away. As it rolled, he looked for what had tripped him, finding his mace tangled between his ankles.

While the goblin hit the ground, Lan untangled himself. The goblin started towards him, charging and screaming. It jumped. He pulled himself to his feet, swinging the mace as hard as he could as he spun to face it.

The mace met the goblin's head with a sound like a bolder cracking in two rang through the glade. The goblin flew back, slamming into the giant root as its body slumped. When the echoes died down, all that was left was the sound of Lan’s heavy breathing.

Lan waited; there was no way it could still be alive, he thought, unwilling to rest until he was sure. But just when he was about to do so. The goblin opened one of its eyes.

Letting out a low growl, Lan readied himself as, despite the blood running down its eye, the goblin climbed to its feet with hate burning in its one good eye.

All it had to do was run, Lan thought. He was far too tired to go after it; all it had to do was run, and he wouldn’t follow.

But Lan knew it wouldn’t; even in the state it was in, there was no doubt it wouldn’t run. All it had to do was look toward the hole in the leaf wall it had come from, and Lan would have let it go.

But it just stared at him with a look he knew was mirrored on his own face, just as the thought that he should run never crossed his mind.

While the mace had damaged the goblin, pain ripped through his shoulder as he swung, and now his left arm was hard to move, the slightest motion of which sent glass shards pumping through his veins.

If the goblin was in better shape than it looked, he had just enough health to feel every last second of his death.

And yet he wouldn’t run.

Looking into the goblin’s eye, Lan knew it still had every intention to kill him, so he wouldn’t run. There was still a fight to finish. More than that, Lan wanted to finish the fight.

Goblin or no, it had challenged him, and to meet it with anything but his all would be an insult. Lan didn’t know where the words had come from, but as they set in, his mind cleared, and nothing else seemed to matter.

Along with the realisation, Lan noticed that the number of Wisps had tripled. Lighting up the glade as their lights bead as one. He almost thought he could hear them until he realised they were pulsing in time with his heartbeat. Like drums driving him forward as the sparks of the Lords of Lights watched on.

Lan tested his shoulder; every second, it became harder to move. Until he could drink a health potion, he would only lose more use of it. Before that, Lan switched his sword to his left, gripping it as best as he could as he took the mace to his right.

This was going to work. Lan thought as the goblin roared and charged.

If he were stronger.

[Strength: 15 > 20]

Body: 11 > 8

Mind: 8

Dexterity: 20

Perception: 8 > 6

[Charisma: 6 > 4]

Lan’s vision blurred as he rolled the mace onto his shoulder and threw it at the goblin, who knowing what it could do, dodged out of the way, putting it in line with the root.

It would work if he was faster.

[Strength: 20]

Body: 8

Mind: 8

Dexterity: 20 > 26

Perception: 6 > 3

[Charisma: 4 > 1]

Lan's body suddenly felt lighter as he wrapped his right hand over the left, bringing the sword up as he rammed his shoulder and sword into the goblin and lifted it.

Even as the goblin tried to stab him, Lan ran towards the root and plunged his sword into it. Before it could free itself, he searched for the mace. Finding it by his foot and lifted it. Despite it having tried to kill him, Lan wanted to make it fast, so he bit down through the pain and swung the mace as hard as he could.

Lan tried to pull air into his lungs, finding every breath mirrored in the withering and blossoming of the Wisps lights.

He watched as a trace of gold pooled in the goblin's chest before flying towards him.

[Kill Log]

[Goblin Knight x 1 – Level 10 = 300 Exp]

‘Goblin Knight?’ Lan asked

[Although not a Knight by the standers of human lands, this goblin was deemed to stand out enough to earn the title from its kin, giving it the right to lead a band of goblins.]

‘Oh…’ Lan said, half listening as he looked around at the Wisps.

If he didn’t know better, he would say that the Lords of Light really had been watching. Because nothing else explained what he was looking at. The Wisps looked like they were in a frenzy, flashing wildly before flying around the glade, spinning up into a tornado of light that grew into the air before collapsing in on itself and vanishing back into the wild.

‘Wow…’ Lan breathed. Never before had he seen anything like that. For a moment, it felt like something more was there. Like something really had been watching him.

As the lights faded, Lan spotted movement in the shadow of the leaf wall just as a thought hit him.

‘Wait, Band?’ Lan repeated as he realised what he had seen was a pair of large black amber eyes. Looking around, Lan noticed… far more than just one set of eyes.