"Shall we bet on it?" said the human child, rising determinedly to his feet despite the blow he'd just received.
Amazing!
Gall thought the child would immediately give up and hand over the core after taking such a fatal blow.
However, the child stood erect, armed with his sharp stone. His golden eyes seemed to shine for a moment through the dust rising from the ground, revealing his eagerness to continue fighting.
"It's a real shame, but I've got no time to lose," thought Gall.
Despite his admiration for the young human, Gall knew it was imperative to finish the fight and retrieve the core as quickly as possible. The monsters would soon make their presence felt.
Ignoring the wound on his forearm, Gall threw himself without hesitation at the human child, who had not yet recovered from his injury.
"Sorry, kid," he said before bringing down his axe.
"Hm?"
However, as with all previous attacks, the human dodged again.
"How does he manage to move? I'm sure I broke one of his ribs," Gall thought.
Trying to organize his thoughts, Gall again felt a tingling sensation near his wound.
"He even had a chance to hit back," he realized.
Ignoring his wound, Gall turned and hurled a barrage of axe blows at him.
*Dodge
*Dodge
However, the child easily avoided all his attacks, letting the axe strike into the void.
"It's strange, the human's moving differently than before," Gall observed.
He noticed that the human was more reactive, more cautious, and made no futile movements. As if he were used to fighting.
"But the worst thing..."
With each missed blow, the human inflicted an attack on a part of his body or on an already wounded spot.
At this rate, the human would eventually hit one of his blood vessels and cause a hemorrhage.
"Hey, kid, do you really think I'm going to let you do this!?" shouted Gall.
"Of course," replied the child, sitting on a tree branch, before adding, "otherwise you wouldn't have received all these wounds from me."
Annoyed by this reply, Gall threw himself straight at the tree and chopped it in two with his axe.
Naturally, the child moved to another branch, trying to jump to a nearby tree.
Gall took advantage of the child's inability to dodge in mid-air and decided to attack him.
But just as he was about to bring his axe down on the child, the latter spilled sand that he had intentionally hidden.
Blinded by the situation, Gall suffered a barrage of attacks.
He tried to defend himself, but to no avail, until he regained his sight.
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the child juggling the stone that had been his weapon until now.
"You bastard!" exclaimed Gall.
"First human, then kid, now bastard... I have a name, mind you," retorted the child.
"That's your problem," growled Gall.
The child sighed, apparently tired of the situation.
"Gall, is it? Let me give you some advice."
His tone, initially mocking and childish, turned sinister.
"Where I grew up I was taught that losing 100-1 is acceptable, but..."
His pupils, once filled with innocence and ignorance, gave way to murderous intent.
"losing 1-0 is unforgivable."
* * *
One moonlit night, a group of orcs built a campfire deep in the forest. The flames danced, casting ominous shadows on the surrounding trees.
Some orcs were fast asleep, exhausted by the day's long walk, while others stood guard, their eyes piercing the darkness for any sign of danger.
"Ganki, I think it's time for you to get some rest," Gorou said as he approached his comrade, arms folded.
"Don't bother, Gorou. Go back to bed, we'll leave at first light," retorted Ganki, concentrating on sharpening his blade, each stroke of the stone against the metal producing a flickering glow in the night.
"Pheww," sighed Gorou deeply, clearly tired of the situation. He sat down next to Ganki, watching the sparks fly.
"You know, Ganki, Gall can never become the next village chief," Gorou said after a moment's silence.
Ganki paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the blade, before resuming his sharpening as if nothing had happened.
"What do you base such nonsense on?" asked Ganki sharply.
"Gall is reckless. He acts before thinking and has no strategy in combat. Besides..."
"But he's the strongest in the village," interrupted Ganki angrily, clutching the handle of his knife.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"You know how it is with us, the law of the strongest prevails."
In this world, hierarchy is based on strength. No matter your status or rank in the community, if you don't have the strength to match, no one will respect you. Goblins are no exception to this rule.
"But we followed you, you," Gorou resumed, a serious look on his face.
"..."
"Everyone came willingly. You consider us all your family."
"But Gall..."
"Stop comparing yourself to Gall. Everyone has their own way of doing things. Gall has his own methods just like you," Gorou said, handing Ganki a drink.
"The difference is that you don't leave anyone behind."
"Thanks, you really are a brother," Ganki replied, accepting the drink.
"In that case, go back to bed. Tomorrow we'll pick up the Scarlet Core and come back to the village to talk about the tournament.
Every decade the orcs hold a tournament to elect the new village chief.
"Okay, you've convinced me," said Gorou, before getting up and going back to bed in a tent made of wood and leaves.
At the same time, another goblin observing the scene approached Gorou.
"Did you really manage to convince him to go to bed?" he asked, clapping softly as if in disbelief.
"He deserves to rest anyway," Gorou replied with a tired smile.
It had been three days since they'd left in search of the core, and Ganki hadn't slept in all that time.
"But are you sure you're okay? Gall is someone not to be underestimated."
"Of course, I've witnessed his strength," Gorou said, recalling his memories of Gall handling his heavy axe.
"What worries me most right now is that Gall still hasn't returned."
"Normally, with his speed, he would have picked up the stone by now and returned. Maybe something's happened to him," Gorou thought aloud, his concern growing.
"You're overthinking this. Nobody can beat that pile of muscle, especially in an area where the monsters aren't strong enough to take him down. He's probably wandering around on his way home."
"I hope you're right," Gorou murmured, looking away into the dark forest.
After this exchange, the two goblins changed the subject to lighten the mood and continued chatting until morning.
…
…
…
The following day
"It's time to get ready," ordered Ganki, the first to wake up.
Without further ado, the group of goblins sped through the forest, their heavy footsteps inevitably shaking the earth. At last, they arrived at the place where they had located the core.
But what they saw was beyond their worst nightmares.
"How is this possible?" whispered Gorou, his eyes wide.
"Tell me I'm dreaming?" added another orc, his voice trembling.
Even Ganki, usually calm and imperturbable, could not remain indifferent to this spectacle. The scene before them was Gall sprawled back against a tree.
His body was covered in blood from hundreds of barely visible wounds.
In front of him, a solitary figure stood, wiping the bloody blade of a sharp stone.
The human child's golden eyes gleamed in the early morning light, reflecting unwavering determination.
"You gambled, and you lost," said the child, his voice echoing in the oppressive silence.
* * *
William's point of view
"You gambled, and you lost," I said in front of Gall's inert body.
Fuck, I almost died many times. It's a miracle I'm still conscious despite a broken rib, dislocated shoulder and nearly perforated abdomen.
Since yesterday, we've been trading blows non-stop. Fortunately, I emerged victorious from this confrontation. During the battle, my aim was to cause him to hemorrhage and finish him off, and it worked.
Just when I thought I could finally relax after that tough battle, I sensed the presence of others in the vicinity. Turning with difficulty, while suppressing a cry of pain, I saw a group of orcs.
Already, I had trouble defeating a single orc. If the whole family shows up, it's going to be tough.
An orc, whose gaze differed from that of his fellows, was watching me intently.
"What do you want from me!" I shouted to show that I spoke their language
and stop them looking at me strangely.
Apparently it worked, because the orc's expression changed, giving way to surprise.
"So, you manage to understand us," said the orc.
"Yes," I replied in a firm voice to confirm his concern.
"In that case, let me ask you a question: are you the author of this massacre?" asked the orc, pointing to Gall's corpse.
"Yes!" I replied without hesitation.
"..."
My answer didn't sound convincing, as some members of the group found it hard to believe.
"We've got a deal for you, human."
"But Ganki, what are you trying to do?" asked another orc.
Ganki, the goblin in question, stopped his comrade with a simple wave of his hand.
"A deal?" I asked.
"Yes, hand over that core and I'll give you this in return," said Ganki, pulling out a vial.
"It's a healing potion."
"..."
"Don't you believe me? Let me show you. Gorou!"
"Yes," replied Gorou.
At his call, Gorou gave Ganki a knife and wounded his right forearm, then drank the potion they wanted to give me. Instantly, his wound healed visibly.
"See? So do you accept the deal?" asked Ganki.
Right now, I'm willing to sacrifice everything to get this potion, but taking it by force seems impossible in my condition.
Nevertheless, if I hand over the core, I'll have no way of passing the test. After a long reflection, I opened my mouth and said:
"I accept."
"A wise decision," replied Ganki.
I tossed him the kernel, which was attached to my neck, and Ganki caught it in mid-air.
"Now for the potion," I demanded.
But just as he was about to give me the potion, he stopped in his tracks and said:
"I refuse."
"What!? But you're supposed to give me the potion!"
"Yes, however, how can I trust someone who has struck down Gall?"
"This has nothing to do with our deal!" I yelled despite my wounds.
"Be reasonable, human. Who's to say you won't attack me once your wounds have healed?"
"..."
"That's what I thought. See you later then," Ganki said, turning to leave.
"G-Ganki!" whispered a husky voice.
"Gall, are you still alive?" exclaimed Ganki.
"Help me!" begged Gall.
"No!" refused Ganki without a second's hesitation.
"All this wouldn't have happened if you'd waited for us. Now, reap what you've sown."
"..."
But Gall remained silent
"Well, I'll leave you two to have your fun with the skeletons," he said before walking off with his group.
"Skeletons?"
Before I could react, fleshless humanoid creatures had already surrounded us. Their appearance was terrifying: animated skeletons with empty eyes and strangely fluid movements.
Their bones cracked with every step, emitting a sinister sound that echoed in the icy air.
* * *
Luca's point of view
Behind the door leading to the fourth trial, the environment was immaculately white, sanitized, almost unreal.
Directly in front of me, a sign stood there, imposing, dictating the rules to be followed:
"To move on to the fifth and final test, relive your past traumas and accept your destiny already written, without altering the course of history."
It sounded easy, didn't it? After all, I was reincarnated in the body of a six-year-old child. What traumas could he have had?
Maybe arguments with classmates, or at worst, a scene where he's sacrificed to enter this sanctuary.
Nothing too scary, I thought.
"It can't be worse than the third ordeal," I muttered, remembering the horrible memories of the goblins, their vicious eyes and sinister cackles.
In the novel, those who didn't abide by the rules were condemned to a hellish loop, reliving the same trials over and over again until they accepted the conditions.
As I imagined this child's possible traumas, the scenery began to form around me. First the floor appeared, then the ceiling, the walls, and finally the furniture.
"What the..."
The more the environment took shape, the more familiar it seemed. A wooden wardrobe with suitcases piled on top, a fan with a broken blade, clothes strewn everywhere, a retro console...
"This... is my room."
It was my old room at my parents' house. Every detail, every object took me back years.
"How long has this been your room, Luca?"
A distant voice, sounding like an echo from the past, popped into my mind, a voice almost forgotten.
"Hey, Luca, are you listening to me?"
That voice! It couldn't be.
I turned towards the source of the voice to check I wasn't hallucinating.
In front of me, a child was sitting on a bed adapted to his size, rubbing his eyes as if he'd just woken up.
His messy black hair confirmed my impression.
Despite the dim light in the room, I recognized him instantly.
"Wait, Luca, are you crying?" he asked, concerned that my tears were running down my face.
"K-Kim, K-Kim, Kim..."
"Are you hurting somewhere? Do you want us to go and see the parents?"
Now I understood the meaning of this ordeal. I thought I was about to relive that child's trauma, but it was my own I was about to face.
I remembered that day. I was eight years old, just like the body I now inhabited. Kim was my twin brother and my best friend at the time, but that day had changed everything.
It was the day I discovered a terrible secret about my brother.