There were four of the big ones, wearing a hodgepodge of armor from hard leather to chain mail and even a few pieces of plate. They each had a buckler strapped to their offhand long, curved blades drawn in the other. Six regular sized goblins, the kind that were three feet tall with big mouths and small, beady eyes, came out behind them. While the hobgoblins wielded swords and shields, the goblins had a mix of throwing spears and tiny bows. I doubted they could kill, but it would sure hurt like hell.

Daisy didn’t hesitate. She banged her sword on her shield before settling into a combat stance, shield in front and her sword raised above it, point first. If she were fighting one-on-one, it would be a no-brainier, but with ten enemies? She wouldn’t last ten seconds.

I leaped to my feet, swinging the sword to loosen up as I placed myself at her back, gripping the long blade with two hands and holding it out before me defensively.

“At your back,” I yelled at her.

“Do you even know how to use a sword?” she asked without looking at me.

I shook my head. Carrying it around seemed like such a good idea at the time. Looking at these hobgoblins, who clearly know how to use their weapons, I realized maybe the spear would have been a better call.

They spread out in a circle around us, two in front and behind, while the goblins jockeyed for a clear shot.

Lexi flew between them, firing her Dazzle as it became available. She focused on the goblins, causing them to swat at her and yell obscenities.

A bow twanged, but the arrow banged uselessly off of Daisy’s shield. They were holding back for some reason, maybe trying to lull us so they could go for a surprise again? Half of winning a battle was dictating the terms of the engagement. I took one step forward and yelled like I was about to charge.

That did it.

Four charged us, waving their long, one-handed curved swords above their heads as they came. I tried to recall everything I’d ever seen in a movie decided that trying to clash blades with them was likely a fatal mistake. Instead, I dropped the tip down like a spear and charged.

As tall as I was, these things were my equal in height and easily out massed me. I guess the one I charged didn’t expect that, and he was momentarily confused. I took full advantage and rammed the sword right through his hard leather chest piece and out of his backside. Black blood spurted out of the wound while his heart continued to pump.

I yanked the sword back just in time as the other sliced down on it, trying to knock it out of my hands. The hilt was slick with blood, and now I knew why people wore gloves or gauntlets.

Daisy deflected a sword blow to the side, stepped forward and cut the first hobgoblins leg off at the knee. The second one brought his sword down on her shoulder with a crunch, eliciting a scream of pain from her.

I back peddled, trying to slap the curved sword with my own as he charged in on me. Any surprise advantage I had was gone.

A spear tore through the air and hit my side. I yelped as the tip glanced off a rib before falling to the ground. The pain dropped me to one knee, and I lifted my sword one-handed just in time to stop the blow that the hobgoblin aimed squarely at my head. However, the force knocked my sword to the ground, and I couldn’t hold on.

For crying out loud what I wouldn’t give for an M4.

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The hobgoblins mouth split into a cruel sneer. “Stupid weak human,” he laughed. He hefted his sword up to strike when a nearly three-foot arrow sprouted out of his chest, followed by two more in as many seconds.

“Yes,” I said. My ranger had arrived!

I grabbed my sword, and immediately I was notified.

Congratulations. You have a new party member! Select to see character sheet.

I dismissed the prompt, not having time to stop and look at numbers in the middle of a fight. There was one hobgoblin left, and he was wailing on Daisy’s shield while she tried to regain her footing. The goblins were peppering her with arrows, and now that they saw I had dispatched my guy were turning to me.

Then I heard her, like a banshee wailing, Briana came flying over me, twin curved swords flashing in the light as she leaped into battle.

Her lithe form twisted and turned in impossible angles as she dodged the goblin's sad attempt to shoot her.

I was stunned at her grace and beauty as she fought them in her skintight leather armor.

Daisy screamed for help. I pulled my eyes from the beautiful and deadly elf maid.

I ran for Daisy, holding my sword like a spear. As I got closer, I saw what had happened. An arrow was sticking out of her foot. One goblin had luck on its side. Or it had when it fired. I’m not sure how lucky they were feeling now as Briana carved them up like Sunday brunch.

The final hobgoblin saw me charging in the nick of time, bringing up his shield to take my hit on his buckler. We collided and fell, sprawling in a mess of limbs as I fought to gain control of his sword arm. I may not be Drizzt Do’Urden with a sword, but I can brawl with the best of them.

However, he was immensely strong. We rolled to a stop with him on top and he yanked his sword free, flipped it around with the point hovering above me and with both hands. A blast of light engulfed his face as Lexi unleashed a dazzle on him. He roared in anger, then suddenly went silent.

Blood splashed on my face as Daisy rammed her gladius through the hobgoblins back and out his chest. She grabbed his head and twisted, yanking him off of me and pulling her sword out at the same time.

He fell to the side, dead as disco.

I dropped my head back into the dirt, heaving in great big breaths. Nothing quite like a desperate melee to make sure your heart is working.

“Thanks,” I said when I finally could speak.

“What the hell are you doing with a sword?” Daisy asked. “You use it like you’ve never even held one before,” she said with disgust. She pulled a dirty rag from her belt and wiped the blood off her own blade before sheathing it.

“Thanks, Nick, for saving my life. I really appreciate how you threw yourself at the creature that was about to decapitate me,” I said sarcastically.

I heaved myself up, then immediately fell back down, groaning as agony lit up my ribs.

“She’s right,” Briana said as she came to stand over me. Despite the pain I was in, I certainly admired the view of from down here. Briana was breathing heavy, doing wonderful things to her chest since she was only clad in a leather vest that was tied up the center and on the sides with leather twine, leaving a great view of her cleavage and stomach.

Then the pain hit me again, and I rolled over, trying to get to my feet.

“Stop moving,” Daisy said, pushing down on my back and flattening me to the ground.

“He took a spear hit?” Briana asked.

“Yeah,” I muttered.

She leaped into action, kneeling down beside me and whipping out one of those curved short swords she carried. The blade sliced cleanly through my tunic like it wasn’t even there. Then, she ripped off the remaining and placed her hand on my side.

Which hurt like she stabbed me. I stifled a grunt and focused on my breathing, fixating on a point on the ground to focus through the pain.

“Poison?” Daisy asked.

“Yes,” Briana replied. “Don’t move. Try to stay calm or it will course through you faster.” She spun around, running for the forest and disappeared in a few seconds.

“She seems nice,” Daisy said, following the lithe elf with her eyes.

“I met her in the inn last night. She wanted to join us. I guess it was a good call,” I said tightly.

“Hang in their Nick, Briana’s an elf, they know all about poisons,” Lexi said.

I looked up at Daisy, her green eyes full of compassion, staring down at me. “Can’t you cure poisons?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Healing magic requires knowledge of what I’m healing. I don’t know anything about poison. It’s not something that’s ever come up in my work.”

I grunted in response. What I’d thought was just pain from being stabbed with a spear, which seemed like it should be bad enough, was actually the poison. My limbs started to shake. My stomach clenched, and I dropped into convulsions. Everything was so cold.

“Start a fire,” I heard Briana shout. “We only have a few minutes to save him.”