In under fifteen minutes, we had finally managed to strip off all the gear and harvest their hearts.

“I sure am glad these casters wear robes,” Dirk stated as he tied the sleeves around his waist. “It really makes carrying this stuff easier.”

Xeld started to laugh and even Turk was nodding in agreement as he stuffed a few more pieces of armor into the opening near Dirk’s head.

“Stop playing and hurry up! We need to go!” shouted Vreek.

Vreek had been overly anxious the last five minutes or so. He had already collected all the weapons and cinched them up in a bundle for Xeld to carry and had been running around scooping up all the armor as fast as he could.

“What are you expecting? Another party?” Turk asked.

Vreek grunted and threw a few more pieces of armor towards Xeld, who started putting them into the robe I was using as a backpack.

“One of the three main squads might be in this area. We are closer to a small outpost than you realize, Zolb. Had they been the party Turk found I would have called us back. Most likely though, they would have noticed Turk and ambushed us.”

I motioned to Xeld to hurry and while I was bending down to grab a piece of armor that had fallen out I smelled something different.

“Do you smell that?”

Everyone paused, and Dirk sniffed and nodded.

“I smell something. Like a… a fresh wood soap scent.”

Vreek turned and stared down Dirk.

“Like what?!”

Dirk tilted his head back a little bit and sniffed again.

“Like a clean scent. Not dirty but clean.”

Vreek turned and pointed to the direction we had originally come and shouted, “Run! Do not stop!”

Surprised at his sudden outburst, I paused for a second and looked at both boys who were waiting to see what I would do. Xeld immediately dropped what he was holding and sprinted for the woods.

Vreek ran to Dirk and grabbed him, pushing him towards the trees.

“They are close! You can only smell them because of the heart you ate! Run you stupid fools!”

I took off running and felt the collection of gear on my back jostling from side to side. Armor pieces were falling out everywhere. I glanced at Dirk and saw he was also struggling with his load.

“Leave it!” Vreek shouted. "It is not worth dying for!"

Both of us let the robes drop from our back and the crashing sound of the gear was louder than I had expected. I assumed I was able to hear better because I had eaten a heart. Every one of my senses felt like it was in overdrive. I found out later that was the only reason I had noticed a female on the far side of the clearing stepping out with her bow drawn.

“ARCHER!” I shouted as I pointed toward her.

Her arrow streaked across the opening and impaled Xeld in the back of his right leg. He crashed and tumbled a few feet from the safety of the bushes and trees.

Turk had his bow out and fired a shot that barely missed her. Thankfully it made her dive back into the trees she had just come from, to avoid giving him another clear shot.

As we closed in on the first layer of foliage Xeld started crying out in pain. "Help me!"

I started to slow down, and Vreek shouted, “NO! Keep running, it's a trap!”

Three steps later, I was almost at the treeline when I saw the archer appear again. She fired an arrow at me but I was able to read the flight of the arrow and dove out of the way. I had almost taken an arrow to my leg as well. As I got scrambled into the brush I saw Vreek as he buried a dagger in the back of Xeld’s skull as he ran past him. A mercy I guess…

We were running for our lives through the woods and I could still sense the woman behind us. As we crashed through the forest we left a massive trail for her and her party to easily follow. We needed to do something about this.

“Vreek! Do we need to split up?”

“No! Not yet!” He shouted as he led us through the woods, never pausing to even look back. “They will pursue us till we reach our camp but they will struggle to stay together if they do! This is a test of endurance and will! Keep running!”

Minutes flew by and I was thankful for the heart he had made me eat. My legs felt amazing as I ran. Even though I had been shot, my leg felt fine and I was not tired at all. Glancing ahead at Turk, I could see that he was starting to tire. He and Dirk were both right behind Vreek. Dirk seemed to be managing fine, probably because he had eaten part of a heart also.

For over ten minutes we ran, changing directions and barreling along the path Vreek was choosing. He plowed through bushes and cut down limbs off of trees making a trail that was easy to follow. I had no idea where we were but I did know he was not taking us straight back to camp. At the pace we were running at, we would have already arrived or been close to the outskirts of it. I could still hear our pursuers following behind us on the path we were making. I just had no clue how far back they were.

Another minute passed and Vreek started to slow down so that we could catch up as a group.

“We need to split up now!" he called out. "You three go right when I say and then keep running straight. Do not stop until you hit the water. Once there, Dirk and Turk, you two hide and prepare to support, Zolb!”

I saw Vreek look me in the eyes as he slowed down to run alongside me. His eyes conveyed how bad this fight could possibly be.

“When I jump off your trail, use your shield and sword to make the trail look wider and pick up the pace. I’ll come from behind in a bit. You need not to die.”

His face was grim so I just nodded I finally understood. He had purposely made the path big and easy to follow.

“How far is the water?” I asked.

“A few more minutes. Do not slow down!” he replied, dropping back behind me.

I took a breath and pushed ahead, pulling my sword out as I ran and started to cut some of the bushes I ran by. About ten seconds later I heard a grunt from Vreek and when I looked back he pointed to the right and then dove off to the left over a large bush. At some point, he must be planning on flanking them once they passed him.

“Let’s go!” I called out.

Both Turk and Dirk grunted. I had seen the sweat flying off their skin when we had clumped up some. Turk was struggling even more now to keep going but I knew he would not give up. He never gave up no matter how hard things got.

Running through this part of the woods that I had no knowledge of was difficult. Bushes snagged at my armor and I had to dodge trees while trying to stay in the direction Vreek had told me to run. My sword and shield had no problem making the path wider as I led the way. Anyone following would have a hard time realizing one of us had split up.

As I ran I tried to remember what I had seen on the map back in Brar’s tent. There had been a small squiggly line running along this area. Was that supposed to represent the water Vreek was talking about?

We burst into a small clearing and had to slow down quickly as the stream Vreek had told us about was only a few yards from the treeline. The stream was at least twenty feet wide and I knew this was the same one the camp used for their water source. I glanced to the left and right and found there was nowhere to hide along the waterline. The place was clear ground outside of a few small rocks or the occasional small shrub.

“Dirk go right, get in the trees or hide somewhere a little off from where we came!" I ordered. "Turk, get behind me and prepare to support!”

Dirk dashed off towards the tree line to the right of where we had come and I tightened my grip on my shield. Turk moved behind me and put two arrows into the dirt and nocked another one in his bow. If I counted right, he only had nine arrows total. Each shot had to matter.

“First person that comes through make sure your shot hits. It doesn’t have to kill. Just make them bleed!”

I didn’t look back but I could hear Turk taking deep breaths. He was tired and his arms had been shaking from the running and his exhaustion. Hopefully, whoever came was also just as tired and under these same conditions.

The crashing got louder and I knew this would not be like the first fight the three of us had faced a week ago. These people we were facing were experienced heroes. If Vreek felt the need to run, they must be extremely good.

As someone burst out from the spot we had run through, an arrow flew by my head toward them. I heard a cry and saw a woman fall forward and pitch onto the ground with an arrow in her shoulder. A short sword skipped across the dirt and rocks. She had dropped it from the hand of her shoulder, hit by Turk. She rolled forward, coming to her feet and facing us with another short sword in her other hand.

I barely saw the arrow coming toward me. Having eaten the heart, I felt faster and managed to move my shield in time to block where it had been aimed at my leg. I noticed the eyes of the female archer widen a little bit, surprised I had blocked it with my shield.

“There are just the two right now, Dad!” Turk yelled as I positioned myself to stay partially in front of him, hoping to block anything the archer shot at us. I saw that the woman in dark green leather and holding the sword was doing the same thing. She was taking deep breaths and snapped the arrow off with her sword, leaving part of the shaft sticking out. I lost myself for a moment as I saw her massive chest rising with each breath. How had a woman with a chest that big not injured herself running through the woods like that?

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The arrow flying towards my face brought me back to the moment, and I raised my shield and deflected it.

“Look out!”

Turk had called out a warning as the woman in green had used the shot of her partner to block my view of her dashing towards me. Turk fired an arrow at her but she simply moved between us. I provided her with a natural shield against him. Protecting him also meant I was protecting her from getting shot! I felt like an idiot for not realizing that.

Lowering my shield, I moved to engage the woman charging me.

I heard Turk moving behind me and I had to trust his ability to take care of himself.

She came in and swung her sword downwards at me and I raised my shield to block it. I felt something strike me on my right side and realized that I had been hit with an arrow. They were attacking as one and I had fallen into their trap. I spared a small glance down as I shifted to get their melee attacker between her archer and me. The arrow had pierced my side and bounced off a rib. It hurt but I knew it would be nothing major right now. I had worse things to worry about.

The moment I moved to position myself between the woman in green and the archer, I immediately found out I had made another mistake because she dashed past me and towards Turk.

“DIRK!”

I shouted as I moved to intercept and felt another arrow strike me on my right side. Ignoring the pain I closed the gap and saw the woman turn, surprised I was still alive and coming at her. She missed a step and tumbled. I noticed then that she had taken an arrow in her left leg from Turk.

Swinging my sword at her, she tried to roll and parry my attack with her sword. Unfortunately for her, I had speed and power behind this attack and she was off balance. Her sword flew out from her hand and she fell onto her back. Lunging forward, I drove my shield at her and landed on top of her. I heard the wind rush from her lungs, but she still managed to hit me in the jaw with her left hand.

God, I am a dumbass, I thought as we rolled on the dirt and rocks. I could not use my sword, and she was wrapping her arms and legs around me like someone who did judo or jiu-jitsu back home. I should have stayed standing and just kept attacking with my weapon.

Ignoring her punches and thrusting knees, I pulled her close and used my teeth on her shoulder. The armor she wore protected the front and the back of her body but not the tender meaty stuff on top. Her scream in my ear let me know that my teeth were working. Over and over I chomped down on her shoulder and neck as I used my strength to keep her close. She was struggling less and her blood was flowing like a flood with every beat of her heart.

I glanced up and saw that the archer had finally been engaged by Dirk. He was on top of her back and she was face down on the ground. Turning back to the woman under me I felt her weakening and went for one last big bite on her throat.

Clamping down, I tore and tugged at her windpipe and threw my head back as I felt the muscle and tendons tear from her neck. I chewed a few times and swallowed it. Turning my head, I saw Turk kneeling on the ground, looking at me. I then realized he had an arrow sticking through his right arm.

“You ok son?”

Turk looked at me puzzled.

“Uh yeah,” he mumbled. “Are we not supposed to avoid those names?”

I groaned and slowly stood up from the embrace of the dead woman. My sides hurt and I realized I still had an arrow partially in me. I looked down and saw the tip of the arrow was sticking out my back and I took a deep breath while I pulled the shaft the rest of the way through.

“Gooooddd that hurts!”

My side was on fire. It took me a moment but I realized that everywhere I had been shot, burned. I looked back at Turk and saw he looked weaker.

The arrows! They must have been poisoned!

I dropped my sword and pulled out my small knife and started hacking away at the woman’s armor on her chest. As the armor tore open, her massive cleavage fell free and my eyes could not help but gaze upon them. Had I not been lost in the task I was involved in, I would have probably spent some time admiring them more. For a brief moment, I realized it had been ten years since I had been with a woman.

Ignoring her breasts, I stuck my dagger where her sternum and rib cage came together and started lifting up, tearing and breaking the bones from that connection. It only took a few seconds and soon I was straddling a topless woman with her chest cracked open like some surgeon. I took my knife and hacked out the heart, cutting off more of it than I should have.

Standing hurt from the arrows but Turk looked like he was fading fast.

“EAT THIS NOW!” I yelled as I forced the heart into his mouth.

Turk took a small bite and chewed. Swallowing it he breathed a little bit more and then took another bite. Multiple times he did this and by the time he had eaten half of the heart, he appeared to be returning to normal.

“Poison?”

I nodded as Turk asked and moved to his arm. I snapped the arrow off and pulled the shaft through his arm.

“Does it burn?”

Turk nodded and moved his arm a little bit more.

“Not like it did but more like a dull pain. Like if you got icy hot in a grass scrape.”

I chuckled. That burned more than he was letting on because icy hot in a scrape felt like fire.

I glanced over to where Dirk had been and saw him dragging the archer towards us by her hair.

“Is she dead?”

Dirk shook his head no.

“I came up behind her and smacked her on the back of the head with my dagger. She fell and hit her head on a rock. I was not sure what you wanted to do with her.”

Part of me wanted to kill her. Using poisoned arrows was impressive but almost cost Turk his life. Taking her back alive might be a good thing. Perhaps she could be used to learn their language as well as about their side of this world. If not I was sure Brar would have some plans for her.

“Good work. Get her bow and cut the string on it and bind her hands with it. Then get some cloth from this woman and bind her feet as well. But first, eat the rest of this heart. We need to make sure we are ok in case more people come.”

Dirk nodded and caught the half I tossed to him. He started eating it as he walked over to where her bow lay on the ground.

“Dad, are we becoming like goblins?”

I turned back to look at Turk and saw his face. He had a puzzled look and had tilted his head to one side as he stared at the dead women before us.

“What do you mean?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. He looked at me and then back at the woman I had just butchered like an animal.

“Your face when you looked up after biting her neck. You looked like you enjoyed it. It seemed like you were reveling in the battle. Never in my life would I have imagined you doing something like that and enjoying it.”

Turk was right. I enjoyed it. All the video games we played, all the times we had lost ourselves in games after their mother had died, I had done some gruesome things and had played some dark roles. Did I really want to do something like this? I had felt lost and empty when she died. I was angry at how a woman as kind and loving as her could die so quickly of cancer. No one deserved what she had experienced in those last few months.

I simply sighed and just looked at Turk for a moment.

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “I guess I know the truth of our situation. We will have to do terrible things if we want to stay alive. If we are to have any life together as a family, someone has to die. I would rather it be them.”

Turk nodded and bent down to pick up his bow.

“I guess if we had ended up in this world on their side, we would be doing the same thing to goblins and orcs. It just seems weird when I see a human or other race like elves dead because of us.”

I walked over and put my hand on Turk’s shoulder.

“I would burn this world down if it meant afterward the three of us could find a place we could live without having to do this anymore or worry about anyone trying to kill you two. Do you understand?”

Turk nodded and put his hand on mine.

“Someone’s coming!” Dirk shouted.

I turned and faced the direction we had all come. Dirk was running with the bow he had secured in his hand towards us.

“Any idea who?”

Dirk shook his head no and quickly bent down and unhooked the bowstring and started tying the woman's hands together.

“They are not running but walking. I’ll secure her and then we can face whoever it might be.”

Fetching my sword, I stretched my sides a little and noticed that the burning sensation was almost gone now.

“Can you shoot?”

“I have two arrows left,” Turk informed me. “The first one will probably be off but the second one I can put where it needs to go.”

“It is what it is. Dirk, finish that and get on my other side. I’ll take whoever is their lead and you two deal with any others.”

I heard both of them grunt and I turned to face the woods, wondering what might come out of them.

Half a minute later, Vreek came hobbling out of the brush. He saw us and smiled. The armor on his left leg, which he was walking on gingerly, was missing, as was his chest piece. A nice cut ran from his navel to his nipple.

“You look like a female dwarf held you down and had her way with you!” I shouted.

Vreek started to laugh as he continued walking towards us.

“Where did you learn that? An insult like that might get you in a fight with someone else.”

I chuckled as did Turk and Dirk.

“One of the orcs said that to a goblin who got his face smashed in during a sparring match. You and he look the same right now.”

Vreek nodded and looked at the two women on the ground.

“That one is alive?”

I nodded and motioned toward Dirk.

“Dirk knocked her out. I figured we might as well keep her alive and take her back to camp. There are a few things I would like to try using her for.”

Vreek grinned and winked at me.

“Spoken like a true goblin and not some green whelp!”

I shook my head and chuckled.

“No, not that. I want to try and learn their language and learn other things about their land. That way I can know how to surprise and defeat them.”

Vreek laughed and put a hand to his chest, as it appeared it hurt when he laughed.

“You think she will do that for you? You have no idea who we just defeated, do you?”

“I know they were skilled and she used poisoned arrows of some kind. Who are they?”

Vreek rubbed his hand on his face and forehead.

“I guess you three would not know of them. The worst part is you ate a heart and now we need to get our arses back to camp quickly. Smart move, though if you got shot by her arrows.” Vreek turned and started walking along the stream in the direction of the camp. “One of you grab the dead woman and Zolb you carry the one that is alive. Time to start working on your training while we head back to town. I’ll tell you more when we can get a break.”

“What about the one you fought?”

Vrak laughed and put his hand to his chest again.

“One? You think one could do this to me? I fought two and don’t worry about that right now.”

Vreek pulled out the padded pouch from behind his back that we had found earlier with potions in it. It was leaking blood from its sides.

“I got their hearts as well as the other six. We need to go train. We can talk later. I will send some goblins and orcs back here to collect the other bodies.”

“You killed two by yourself?” Turk asked.

Vreek looked at Turk and smiled.

“Yes but let’s get back to camp. I’ll tell you on the way.”