The next day started like every other day. It was dim, chilly, and quiet. Gilreg felt there were a lot of similarities between goblins and the dark elves. Being silent was required for their survival. The orc prince yawned loudly as he stretched his massive frame. It was not entirely quiet, the goblin warrior thought as he watched Booger rise from his sleeping mat. Orcs were not silent. They were loud, boisterous and faced their foes head-on.

“What’s for breakfast?” Boomed the orc.

“No breakfast, this morning I fight,” Shaymus answered. The pale-eyed goblin was crouched in the corner of their hut and was sharpening her blades.

“Nonsense! You must eat before your fight. It may be your last, and nothing is worse than dying with an empty stomach.”

“I will not be dying,” hissed Shaymus.

Nulrok was meditating with his eyes closed and legs crossed. The goblin mage needed to do that every morning to keep his mind sharp. Raine’s sleeping mat was empty and neat. Gilreg guessed that the chieftain’s daughter had left the hut early in the morning to practice her archery because her bow and arrows were also missing. The group saw the white hair of Annya as her head peaked into the tent.

“It is time,” she said quietly.

They rose up, including Nulork, and followed Annya out of the hut. The onyx-skinned elf led them through the village and toward the lake. Gilreg saw Raine practicing her archery on the range near the waters. When they neared, she slung her bow over her shoulder and joined them. Near the archery range was a circle of dark elves. Gilreg felt the energy in the air, despite the near-complete silence.

“Looks more like a funeral than a ritual battle,” Booger observed. Orcs would never be able to appreciate silence.

The crowd parted to allow Shaymus to enter. Tassarion awaited inside the circle. The green-haired elf carried his scimitar and small round buckler with an intense look on his face that was partially obscured by his long bangs. Shaymus drew her blades, and she stalked in with her shoulders raised and head low.

Annya was also in the circle in her white gown and carried a long wooden pole. She was to be the judge. She was also the best person to keep the combatants alive from fatal wounds. There was no cheering and no words from either combatant. Only a nod to each from Annya signaled the start of the bout.

Tassarion presented with a crisp fighting stance. His arms extended before him, his left hand held the buckler, and his right hand held his sword. The blade pointed toward Shaymus as he shuffled in measured steps toward her. Shaymus’s was a stark contrast. She held her blades loosely by her sides and walked in a lazy circle. First toward Tassarion’s left, and then she switched directions and angled away from the elf’s shield and toward his blade arm.

Tassarion was getting near her and kept his buckler and blade between them. Suddenly, Shaymus lashed out with her sword at the elf’s knee. Tassarion caught her blade with the edge of his buckler and immediately countered with a flick of his wrist to slice at her head with his scimitar. Shaymus knocked his attack away with her dagger and rapidly retreated with a cackle of glee.

Shaymus circled back toward the center of the ring, and Tassarion patiently stalked her. The elf lunged in, his buckler raised high as his sword swung low. Shaymus deflected his sword attack and countered with her dagger. The smaller blade clanged against the buckler, and Tassarion returned a sword strike again, which Shaymus dodged out of the way. The two separated. Tassarion shuffled forward, and Shaymus circled toward the edges of the circle. Shaymus feinted a lunge. Tassarion reacted by lowering his buckler and swinging his blade. For a split second, the elf was exposed as his sword was extended. Shaymus deflected his scimitar to the side with her dagger and lunged with her sword. The elf had to spin to bring his buckler across to defend against her attack. This put him in an awkward position. He avoided getting hit, but he was off balance. Shaymus grinned and pressed her attack. Stabbing with her dagger and slashing with her sword. Tassarion fell and rolled onto his feet. He jabbed forward with his sword, but Shaymus had stopped her assault and circled lazily away. She was laughing at him, and Tassarion cursed as he rose to his feet. His narrow jaw was set with determination.

The two resumed their deadly dance. The elf with his crisp form. Buckler and sword held before him, his feet facing forward as he advanced steadily. He moved in sharp lines and angles. Shaymus was loose with her blades held low. She moved in circles and in changing patterns. She feinted again; this time, Tassarion raised his shield but held his position. He didn’t fall for her bait and continued advancing. Shaymus circled, evaded, and feinted. But the elf held steady and attacked when he was in range.

Tassarion closed in rapidly like a hurricane storm. His buckler and sword were held close before him and offered Shaymus no openings. The pale-eyed goblin furiously attacked and tried to scramble away, but she was trapped by the press of bodies at the edge of the circle, and Tassarion’s speed matched hers. Her attacks were met with his buckler and sword. The elf smoothly countered with delicate twists of his wrists and hips, and his sword lashed out in slices, upwards and downwards, from the left and from the right. One of his attacks sliced deeply into Shaymus’s cheek, and she felt her hot blood drip down her jagged dark green chin.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The demon-touched goblin roared and blitzed forward, swinging her blades in a deadly swirl. Tassarion prepared to meet her sword with his blade and buckler, but it was a feint. His defenses raised as she dove in low. Her dagger slashed out, cutting his side as she passed him and rolled into the circle’s center. She faced him immediately with her blades held before her. An evil grin was on her face. The elf grimaced in pain from the wound to his left side. He felt his blood pooling under his padded shirt.

Both combatants were bloodied. The exchange happened so rapidly that it was difficult to tell which was the superior’s swordsmen. Tassarion gave a knowing grin, which confused Shaymus. The two resumed their patterns. The elf was crisp and measured as he moved forward. The goblin was loose, evasive with chaotic movements. They had a couple of small exchanges, with Tassarion jabbing with his sword or Shaymus feinting low and attacking high. Shaymus was starting to feel feverish and dizzy. Her movements slowed, and Tassarion grinned. Their next engagement resulted in Shaymus getting struck along her left arm. Her thick padded shirt prevented cuts, but the blow still bruised her.

From the crowd, Raine’s sharp eyes immediately picked up the change in behavior from Shaymus. The goblin archer also noticed the knowing grin from the elf.

“He poisoned her!” Raine said to Gilreg. The goblin warrior raised his ridged eyebrows in alarm.

Before the two could voice their concerns. Tassarion and Shaymus engaged in another exchange. Tassarion jabbed with his sword, buckler held in front, and Shaymus deflected the attack with her dagger and lunged forward with her sword. Tassarion batted the attack to the side and chopped heavily down onto the goblin’s wrist that held her attacking sword. Shaymus howled in pain.

The small goblin scrambled back as her sword dropped to the floor. She was nursing her nearly severed wrist. The elf’s sword had cut through the padding of her armor and deeply into her arm. Blood flowed freely. Annya raised her pole, ready to intervene, but Shaymus waved her off. The small goblin still wanted to fight.

“You poisoned her!” Accused Raine to Tassarion.

Tassarion paused his advance to snarl into the crowd at the braided-haired goblin. “You are free to challenge me after I kill your friend,” he growled.

“End the fight!” Screamed Gilreg. The warrior felt elven hands holding him back. He struggled to fight, but there were too many.

“Only a combatant can choose to end a Blooding Rite,” Annya sadly explained. She nodded in apology as both Tassarion and Shaymus wanted to continue.

Nulork and Raine were both equally restrained. The goblin mage was unable to complete the hand gestures necessary for his magic. He looked helplessly. Raine looked furious.

“Booger stop them!” Gilreg cried.

The surrounding elves looked cautiously at the large orc. They would not be able to hold Booger back like they were with the smaller goblins. The orc furrowed his thick brow. His jaw was firm as his tusks protruded forward. He easily shrugged off the elven hands and rose to his full height.

“Shaymus, please bow out of this fight. You still have your honor,” the orc pleaded. He would not intervene against the traditions of ritual combat.

“Never!” Hissed the pale-eyed goblin as she circled. Her long dagger was held before her as her wounded arm was nestled against her ribs.

Tassarion smirked and, without compassion, lunged in on the wounded goblin. Shaymus slashed out with her dagger, and it was knocked aside by the elf’s buckler. Tassarion stabbed Shaymus, and the goblin coughed up dark blood.

“Nooooo!” Screamed Gilreg.

Nulrok and Raine turned their heads to look away. Tears in their eyes. Booger roared in anguish.

Tassarion placed a boot on Shaymus’s chest and pulled his blade free from her body as she slumped to the ground. The elf turned toward the crowd with his buckler and sword raised in triumph. Annya dropped her pole and rushed in to check on the fallen goblin. The elf healer was shoved to the ground as Shaymus leaped to her feet. Tassarion spun around and brought his sword and buckler back up.

Shaymus was hunched over. She was growling. The bones of her wounded right wrist cracked grotesquely as it righted itself. The gash on her check closed. Red lines and markings began to glow on the dark skin of her face. Steam rose from her body. Tassarion, not waiting, lunged in to attack. He moved quickly and precisely. He was fast. But Shaymus was quicker. The goblin blurred past the elf’s attacks and countered with her dagger. Tassarion barely deflected the attack, and the elf stumbled backward. Shaymus was moving faster and stronger from her demonic transformation. She attacked high, her dagger deflected by the elf’s sword and buckler. Then Shaymus went low. Her blade clanged loudly along the elf’s armored greaves that covered his shins. This knocked him off balance, and he fell onto his back. Shaymus rushed in, scooping up the sword that she had dropped earlier, and pounced before the elf could get to his feet.

She landed on top of him. Her sword thrusting toward his throat. The elf deflected the blade to the side, and it stabbed into the ground. He frantically tried to get his knees to his chest to kick off the furious goblin. But she scrambled fast, angling her blade to trap his sword and buckler against his chest. She stabbed him repeatedly in his side with her dagger.

“I yield!!!” Tassarion gasped, his body becoming limp from the severe wounds.

Shaymus raised her sword to cut the elf’s throat but was batted to the side by the pole of Annya. The demonic goblin growled and pounced on the white-haired healer. Annya brought the pole between them but was forced onto her back as Shaymus crouched on top of her.

“The Blooding Rite is concluded!” Annya tried to reason with the crazed goblin.

Shaymus held her blades poised to strike. She was snarling. Hot drool dripped onto Annya’s face. The dark elf closed her eyes and anticipated the worse. But no attack came. Shaymus was breathing heavily, and the glowing markings along her face began to fade. The pale-eyed goblin gasped and fell unconscious on top of the healer.