Lan dropped to the hardened soil, the impact of which found its way into all of his wounds, making him cough out blood. Once his mind stopped spinning and his eyes focused, he spotted his healing potions and tried to crawl over to them, using his one good arm to pull himself across the ground. Knowing that the goblins would be on him at any moment, he didn’t think about the pain, just moving forward.

When he was close enough to reach out for the potion, the goblin mage’s hand closed around it, and Lan felt his will waver. It had been foolish to think that they would have just let me drink a potion, he thought just before he watched in amazement when the goblin unstopped the vial and stretched its hand out, offering it to Lan.

He stared at the rose-red liquid, not registering what he was looking at. For a moment, Lan thought the goblin was going to pour the potion out in front of him, but as the seconds stretched on. He guessed that wasn’t the case.

‘The Highest wishes to see the strength that killed his Knighted. It would not do if you were not at your best.’ The goblin mage hissed at Lan before placing the potion before him.

Not sparing another moment to think, he picked up the potion and drank it all, not caring about the wasted half. Lan worked to his feet even as blue vapors rose from his skin.

‘As I said, the Highest wishes to see how many of our number it will take to kill a human like you and to avenge the fallen knight. Take your time and ready yourself.’

Lan heard and understood the goblin’s words, but understanding and believing them were two different things. Especially when he could feel the urge to kill him that had mixed into the air with the fervour that the goblins had stirred themselves up into.

Lan looked around. He was really in it now. All around him was a thick ring of goblins. He couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t the same behind the Goblin King's tent seeing as they wouldn’t be able to watch the fight to come, but the chances of him getting there without getting caught were slim. He still had the fire silk. If he set the Goblin King’s tent on fire, maybe it would be enough of a distraction for him to get away.

‘Are you ready?’ the goblin mage asked.

‘Hardly,’ Lan sighed. I haven’t eaten in hours. ‘I don’t think I will make for much of a show as I am now.’ he said more so to buy a few more moments to think. So he was left absolutely dumbfounded when the goblin mage nodded, walked into the Goblin King’s tent, and returned with a bowl of fruit.

‘The Highest wishes for a good show.’ Was all the goblin mage said as it placed the bowl down and stepped back.

Lan didn’t realise how hungry he really had been until he looked at the dark red apples, highlighted with golden light from the bonfires.

Taking one more look at the goblin mage, he picked up an apple making sure to watch the wall of goblins as the offer of food to their prey seemed too much for some of them, making them roar even louder and stomp their feet.

Knowing where it had come from, Lan took a large bite out of the apple, making sure not to eat it or drink the juice before checking and smelling the fruit's flesh. When it looked and smelled fine, it was gone a moment later as he devoured it in four bites, not even sparing the seeds or the stems.

He was four apples deep before he reminded himself not to eat too many. The last thing he needed was to make himself sick or weigh himself down. But still, he almost couldn’t stop.

As far as apples went, he had never eaten any that were worth remembering. But those before him, they were a memory in the making. The juice was sweeter than he knew possible, with a richer form of an apple’s characteristic flavour. The flesh of the apple had always been Lan’s least favourite part, finding the firm yet yielding fruit more of a chore than a pleasure to eat. These were so filled with juice that it was like silk.

Maybe they really were that good, or perhaps it was the fact that it was most likely his last meal that made him savour every bite, even as he stuffed his face.

Once he was done, Lan rose to his feet.

‘I take it you are ready now?’ the goblin mage asked.

‘Well, you couldn’t let me get a night’s rest in my own bed first, could you?’ Lan joked, taking some pleasure when it looked like the goblin mage wanted to shock him again. He didn’t know where he was finding the will to make jokes, but it seemed to fit the moment as well as anything else.

Lan picked up the one-and-a-half remaining potions before walking over to his sword, the fire silk and the mana stone, looking for something to help get him out of this.

Burning the tent was still the best thing he could come up with. But as he thought as much, Lan watched as four knights rushed over to the tent and started to take it apart. Revealing the one at the heart of the Swarm.

Sitting on a throne made of a dark wood that looked to have been grown into a throne with its branches bent back, adorned with skulls of many creatures, even humans, was a goblin the likes Lan had never seen before.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

It was larger than the titans, with a head twice as large to scale as the others and a similarly green-skinned body with elongated arms and legs. The Goblin King was in no way deserving of the title, yet none other fit what Lan was looking at. For in every way, it embodied the idea of the master of the green horrors. Lounging on its throne in the way only a king could, the image was ruined by its oversized frame not fitting the throwe well and its less than noble extended belly that hung over the leather and fur loincloth it was wearing.

‘There goes that plan…’ Lan breathed as the Goblin King’s eyes fell on him, and it began to grin a blood-hungry sneer. ‘Fine then,’ he said as he rewrapped his bracer with the fire silk. If this was how it would end for him, then he would take as many goblins with him as he could.

The Goblin mage looked to Lan, and he nodded. The mage then nodded to the King, who pointed to a goblin. The moment it did, the gathered mass exploded into roars of excitement at the end of their waiting and the start of the bloodshed.

As the chosen goblin, a single unevolved goblin shoved its way out of the crowd, the wisp flew frantically at Lan’s face. From the moment it returned to his side, the little light had been assaulting his mind with the feeling, but it wasn’t like there was much that he could do about it now. Lan looked around again; there had to be something that could help him out of this.

Before he could think of anything, the Goblin King waved its hand, and his opponent charged at him.

Bellowing its challenge, the goblin ran at Lan with everything it had as if it was being driven by the roars of the crowd. Distracted by his thoughts, the goblin was almost on him when he noticed it. The look in its eyes was one of a beast that could already taste the blood of the kill as it threw Every last shred of strength into its first and only attack.

With the surety that only a calm mind afforded, Lan stepped out of the way and slashed down, leaving the two parts of the goblin to slam into and slide along the ground. A sound that was made deafeningly loud by the fleeing of all other noises from the goblins that now had nothing to cheer for.

As Lan fixed the strap of the shield arm with his teeth, he wondered why they were so surprised. They believed he had killed thirty of them; what was one more?

Looking over at the mage and the Goblin King, they didn’t seem too impressed. Before the silence could go on, the Goblin King pointed out three more from the horde. Who made their way with a newly kindled hatred in their eyes.

Lan tested his hand a few times as he watched them; finding no pain, he flexed his arm, activating the shield and fell into stance.

Before the goblins could make the first move. Lan shot forward, catching them by surprise by closing the distance as fast as he could before driving his boot into the middle goblin’s chest. The recipient of his boot flew back into the crowd as he drove his sword into the face of the one to his right, simultaneously catching the dagger of the one on his left.

Like in the hollow, Lan deactivated and reactivated the shield before connecting with the dagger. His timing was off, however, only managing to remove a few of the goblin’s fingers as he found the goblin he had run through was somehow still alive, even with steel through its head.

Lan retrieved his sword by cutting it out of the goblin’s head, and although it looked stunned, it was still standing, but it gave him the time he needed to block an attack from the left assailant and remove its head before turning and killing the staggered goblin.

Lan almost forgot about the third opponent he had kicked until it screamed and charged him, looking like it would try and tackle him. Before it could, Lan reached into the Other World Chest, took his mace, and swung it as it cleared the chest’s effect.

The goblin met his backswing, spinning through the air as it connected with the mace, the clearing went quiet, and Lan was left to finish the goblin off in a silence worthy of a prayer.

‘Well done, human. I see that our simple brethren are no match for you.’ The goblin mage said as it walked over to Lan.

‘How can you praise me for killing your people.’ Lan asked. Really, he didn’t feel like he had done anything outstanding. His sword was strong enough to kill the goblins with a strike to the neck, and he had fought enough of them that he knew how they would come at him. Not to mention they were facing someone that wouldn’t freeze. Turning their greatest weapon of near unchallenged assault into unprepared surprise.

‘We will mourn them in our own way,’ The goblin mage stated without feeling. ‘More importantly, we now know that even without your dragon’s breath, three are not enough to kill one like you that will stand and not run.’

Lan stifled a curse as the goblin mage looked at him impassively. Although he knew that it would take far more than that to kill anyone in the guild, the better he did, the worse he was making it for the city’s defenders.

Lan thought about the mage; if he could kill it, he would be doing more than if he was somehow able to get back. But could he? He didn’t know the goblin's level, nor would he get a second chance at it. What if I just throw everything I have at it? He thought, but before that, Lan looked the goblin in the eyes. ‘So then, how many goblins would I have to kill for you to let me go?’ he asked, making the goblin smile.

‘We have many goblins. But if you can kill half of our number, then I will ask the Highest to allow you to live.’

Lan smiled at that. ‘If I can kill so many, I might as well stay and finish the rest.’ After a moment, both he and the goblin mage laughed. Although neither saw any humour in the situation, making it all the funnier. Seeing this, the Goblin King frowned at the two.

‘I just have to ask, why do all this?’ Lan asked, getting the goblin mage to look up at him. ‘Clearly, you are capable of deeper thought. So why do all this. We don’t have to be enemies. If those in power knew that goblins could be communicated with, I am sure we could find a way to live around each other, if not as far as with one another.’

In that moment, Lan wasn’t trying to save his life. It was just something that he felt he needed to say. All the wasted lives and all that would be wasted, none of it needed to happen just because one goblin could change it.

‘You do not understand what we are; that is the only reason you think so. But even if we wanted to, we couldn’t take the chance. Finding a proper stronghold is the only way I can see that we survive as we grow bigger.’

Not liking what it was seeing between the two of them, The Goblin King pounded its fist on the arm of its throne.

‘We will become a larger target as our numbers grow, and the forest becomes smaller as all life is eaten.’ The goblin looked into the darkened tree line and back to Lan. ‘All we can do now is what we were born to do and hope it is enough.’

With a defeated sigh, Lan watched the Goblin King pick his next opponent.