The tables had now turned and he was in quite a disadvantageous position.

The spider was getting ready to strike and he had only moments to assess his options.

As a goblin, he was not gifted with much in the ways of physical or magical ability. They lacked the brute strength of the orc nomads and lacked the extraordinary control of magic that the elves wielded.

In fact, as their stature was relatively diminutive and with no real special abilities, it was a downright handicap when considering his battle capabilities.

Not only that, he was dragging another goblin along with him. She didn't have enough strength to stand on her own, let alone run off by herself.

He did have his weapon. The spear was suitable enough of a weapon to potentially deal some damage. He had tested the horn before and was pleasantly surprised by its hardness and sharpness. However, as a horn tied to a stick, he had very little faith in its durability. Two or three solid hits might just render his makeshift weapon into just a horn and a stick.

Ultimately, he would have to rely on his battle experience from his previous life. What his physical self couldn’t achieve; his accumulated experience would have to make up for.

He also had somewhat nimble feet, an ability enhanced by the training he had instructed in the village. However, it was nowhere near the level to be called a skill.

A skill? Wait, don’t I have one of those? Leap, of course! Surely I could use this as an offensive ability. At the very least, I might be able to escape with my goblin companion.

Before he could devise a plan, with a wild screech the spider struck at him with its fangs.

*SNAP*

He dodged by ducking and they snapped closed where his neck had been moments before. Scuttling back and dragging her with him, he decided to try and escape first.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, something caught onto his leg and he fell with a solid thump, the female goblin on top of him. Looking down, he saw his leg wrapped in a finely woven sticky silk thread. The spider must have thrown the silk at him as he was running away. Well now running away wasn’t an option and his .

“Sorry, I’ll apologise for this later,” he said hurriedly to the goblin. He threw her bodily as far as he could behind him. She yelped in pain as she landed. Luckily the vine was now removed so she didn’t suffer anything more than the wind being knocked out of her.

He planted the end of the spear on the ground and braced himself against it as the spider readied its next attack. His experience told him his only chance was to aim for the moment after it struck. Although he would have preferred to go for its eyes, he would have to aim for its belly instead as his leg was essentially glued to the floor.

*SNAP*

Again he dodged, this time avoiding certain death by a hair’s breadth. The spider was learning his timing. But that didn’t matter now. It all came down to if his blow would be fatal enough to kill the spider.

Utho pushed off his spear and lunged forward. He plunged the razor-sharp spear into its soft underbelly, the blade slicing through into the flesh. A red gelatinous goo spurted out, coating the soft loam.

He slashed at the webbing around his ankles as the spider staggered, it’s eight legs stabbing around him in pain and anger. It hissed furiously but did not fall.

Darkness take it, I didn’t cut deep enough, he thought as he felt his bonds loosening. Though I suppose that means I won’t be turned into a goblin pancake as of yet.

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The webs were finally sawn away from his leg and he rolled out from under the spider. It spotted him and screeched, stabbing down with its front legs. One leg stuck into the thick mud and one pierced through his left arm.

“Aargh,” Utho cried out, pain coursing through his veins. Blood spurted out of the wound and he felt the strength draining from his shoulder all the way down to his hands. He was also pinned to the ground and could only watch as the spider’s jaws dripped venom inches above his head.

As much pain as he was in, his years of combat experience had pulled through; he managed to retain a firm grasp of his spear. He paused, teeth gritting through the pain, waiting as the spider’s head drew closer and closer.

With a grunt, he stabbed his spear upwards towards the spider’s eyes. It was his last ditch effort at fighting back this horrid monstrosity. Unfortunately, with his back flat against the ground he had no strength or speed behind his thrust.

*Clang* The spider caught his spear in its mandibles, slobbering saliva and venom over the wooden shaft. It had predicted his movement with surprising intelligence, perhaps the dense mana that filled the forest was boosting its abilities as some kind of aftereffect.

With a resounding crack the spider splintered his weapon into a thousand fragments. The rabbit horn fell uselessly onto the mud as the spider screeched triumphantly. It was confident in its victory.

It buried its clacking fangs into his soft neck and bit down hard. He felt venom being injected into his veins as a thick, festering feel began spreading across his torso. Pain exploded within him like a wildfire, with this foul venom adding to his hurts on top of his punctured arm. The spider seemed content to let him slowly succumb to the venom before proceeding with its meal.

I can’t let it end like this, he thought faintly, dying like a bug in some far off corner of the world. Not when I have so much to do. So much to make up for, to fix my mistakes. Even getting given another name. And letting those expectations to be let down once more. Is this all that I am?

But he had run out of options. His weapon was broken. He couldn’t move much or even get up. He had poison coursing through his veins and he felt weaker and weaker by the moment. So weak. So tired. Maybe if he just fell asleep for a moment, he could get some strength back. Just close his eyes for a bit. Just for a moment.

***

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” A scream ripped through the clearing and he dimly saw a blur in the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, the monster seemed to react to the noise. It twitched its head left and right in random and convulsive movements. Wait are those a pair of legs hanging off the side of it’s head? He thought sluggishly. The spider screeched piercingly and reared up on its back legs, slashing at the air with its forelegs . It seemed to be struggling to shake off something.

The feeling of its claw ripping back out of his arm sent fresh waves of pains through his body, waking him like a bucket of cold water. With a gasp, he sat up and saw a goblin clinging on for dear life on top of the spider’s head. He saw blood dripping down the left side of its face where a knife could be seen protruding from the creature’s ruined eyes.

It was Brun! That son of a bedswerver had made it just in time. He must have jumped up and stuck the spider just as its guard was lowered. He hadn’t taught Brun this particular tactic, but couldn’t complain at how he had handled the situation. Although now the situation was Brun riding the spider like he was trying to tame his first horse. If he wasn’t in so much pain, feeling exhausted and their lives not being in danger, he would have found the sight quite funny to watch.

But now was not the time for such flights of fancy.

He snatched up the horn off the ground and yelled out as loudly as he could.

“Leap!”

He drove himself off the ground as hard as he could with his last remaining strength, propelling him almost into the canopy above. His left arm was useless but his right was fine to put all his weight into this one blow. He aimed for the creature’s neck, where its black shell did not cover and matted hair could not protect it.

For a split second, he met Brun’s eyes with his own and they held eye contact long enough for Brun to realise what he was trying to do. The goblin held on as hard as he could until the last second before letting go and rolling off the spider right before Utho struck it square in the neck.

He placed his entire weight behind the blow, bracing his elbow against his side. The horn cut into his palm where he gripped it but he could barely feel it. All he could feel was the resistance of the creature’s neck against his bodyweight. Slamming into its body, he felt the tip slice through the spider’s soft neck and its head dropping like a sack onto the ground. Not a single screech, skitter or hiss, it was dead.

He bounced off and thumped painfully onto the ground. The spider’s body collapsed behind him, a dark mass of legs and hair.

*ding*

[You have acquired a new skill – Venom Sting]

[You have acquired a new skill – Web Shot]

[You have acquired a new skill – Poison Resistance 1]

Utho barely heard the voice listing off his new skills before passing out cold, finally succumbing to the venom.