Chapter 3
Goblin Ambush!
Jyn’s breaths came in shallow gasps as the goblins’ snarls filled the air around him. He gritted his teeth, the taste of iron on his tongue, and tightened his grip on his sword. Their crude weapons gleamed under the moonlight, each step they took crunching the frost-covered grass beneath their feet. He was surrounded, outnumbered, and utterly alone.
The goblins attacked with a chaotic fervor. Jyn parried the first strike, his blade ringing out as it clashed against rusty steel. The force sent a tremor up his arm, but he couldn’t afford to falter. He sidestepped another swing, the tip of a jagged dagger grazing his armor. With a shout, he brought his sword down in an arc, cutting through one goblin’s defenses and sending it crumpling to the ground.
But for every goblin he struck down, two more seemed to take its place. They pressed closer, their beady eyes glinting with malice. One of them lunged at his back, its claws outstretched. Jyn pivoted and drove his elbow into its face before slashing his sword in a wide arc to force the others back. Another goblin darted in from the side, but Jyn swung his blade in a desperate counterattack, slicing through its torso. It let out a guttural scream before collapsing. The smell of blood and sweat thickened the air.
His muscles burned, his breath came ragged, and his vision blurred at the edges. A club struck his shoulder, and he staggered, the pain flaring white-hot. He managed to block the follow-up attack but not without losing precious ground. Still, he pressed on, his sword finding its mark again and again, cutting down another two goblins.
“Damn it,” Jyn muttered through clenched teeth. He had to hold on. Just a little longer. He couldn’t let it end here.
Suddenly, a sharp screech split the night, freezing everyone in place. The goblins glanced up nervously, their grip on their weapons faltering. Jyn followed their gaze and felt his heart skip a beat. A massive silhouette descended from the sky, wings outstretched and scales glinting like molten silver.
The wyvern landed with a thunderous crash, its tail sweeping across the ground and sending goblins flying like leaves in a storm. It roared, a sound so primal and fierce that even the bravest goblin quailed. Some turned and fled, disappearing into the darkness. Others hesitated, only to be caught in the wyvern’s wrath as it snapped its jaws and lashed out with its claws.
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Jyn dropped to one knee, his sword slipping from his grasp. He watched in awe and disbelief as the creature decimated his attackers. When the last goblin had fallen, silence settled over the clearing. The wyvern turned its piercing gaze to him.
Jyn’s instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move. The wyvern stepped closer, lowering its massive head until its eyes were level with his. It sniffed the air, then let out a low, rumbling growl.
“If you’re going to kill me,” Jyn rasped, his voice hoarse, “get it over with.”
The wyvern tilted its head, almost as if puzzled by his words. Then, to his astonishment, it spoke. Its voice was deep and resonant, carrying a strange, melodic quality. “You fought bravely, human. Foolishly, perhaps, but bravely nonetheless.”
Jyn’s eyes widened. “You… you can talk?”
The wyvern huffed, a puff of smoke escaping its nostrils. “Of course, I can talk. Did you think me a mindless beast?”
“I didn’t think you’d save me, either,” Jyn admitted, his voice trembling.
The creature’s gaze softened. “The goblins were pests. Their presence sullied this land. And you… you have a fire in you, human. A will to survive that is rare among your kind.”
Jyn swallowed hard, his body still trembling from the fight. “Who are you?”
The wyvern’s lips curled into what could almost be called a smile. “I am Willow.”
The name felt oddly gentle for such a fearsome creature. “Willow,” Jyn repeated, the word tasting foreign on his tongue. “Why help me? Why not just let them finish me off?”
Willow’s eyes gleamed with something unreadable. “Because I see potential in you, Jyn. And perhaps… because I grow tired of being alone.”
Jyn’s brow furrowed. How did this creature know his name? Before he could ask, Willow extended a clawed forelimb. “Come, human. Your journey does not end here. Not yet.”
Jyn hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and gripping the offered claw. The wyvern’s scales were surprisingly warm beneath his fingers. With a powerful beat of its wings, Willow lifted him into the air, carrying him away from the blood-soaked clearing and into the unknown.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Jyn allowed himself to hope. Whatever lay ahead, he would face it—not alone, but with an unlikely ally by his side.