“Good one, Meuko.” I shout, running straight for the metal encased being.

“Weak weapons.” The hobgoblin says, breaking the spear that pierced his armor in his shoulder.

It is not like the metal sheets covering it broke apart. That would require great strength. Strength. I got it. I know how to win.

“Come on.” I say, rushing the hobgoblin without any fear or worry, only clear intent. Almost mocking it.

The hobgoblin answers with a thrust that I dodge effortlessly. Of course I would, given that my enemy is shocked with the sudden change in my appearance. I have not activated whatever trait that voice claimed to have given me, but just the normal sight back is plenty. I drop on my knee and twist towards the left, instantly grabbing the Varuna knife Blago gave me. The hobgoblin attempts to elbow me with its right arm. It is probably hoping that I dodge, using that chance to hit me with the sword. It must have gotten used to my movements by now. Good thing I am trying out new stuff. I use the knife to guard against the elbow strike, same principle when Eadwald guarded with her knee. The knife goes through the armor, cutting his arm bad. The hobgoblin winces, which is less than ideal, since I was hoping for a stronger reaction. It tries grabbing me, knowing it can snap my neck. I dart inside his arms, stabbing his right arm with the Varuna knife and climbing his legs, reaching about the same height now. I headbutt him but he only grins, clearly underestimating me. This move hurt me more than him, feeling the taste of iron in my mouth. I need to be fast now. I kick off him, using one leg to jump off his torso, using the momentum to superficially slash his left arm and push the sword away from him. It is too heavy to pick up with one hand, so pushing it away from him will have to do. He strikes me with a right backhand fist to the head, which thankfully adds momentum to my spinning slash, making it easier to take the sword away from him... I roll on the ground, recovering and holstering the Varknife. It has a name now. The hobgoblin’s sword lands right next to me with the hilt of the blade on my side.

I promise, Blago… I had to use it.

The hobgoblin laughs, taking its bracers off since I damaged them pretty horribly, revealing muscular red skin, green and blue veins bulging… Almost popping out its body. I slowly raise the sword from the hilt, carefully trying to pass it off like I cannot lift it. I may not be able to wield it…

“So what? You still cannot hurt me and I got used to your moves. That sword is useless to you.” The hobgoblin says, raising its fists. It is right. I cannot beat it. It is too strong for me.

“Right…” I pant, spitting blood on the ground and making sure the grip of the sword rests properly on my hands.

“But I can throw it.” I say, screaming with all my strength, throwing the sword.

The hobgoblin guards with its hands, instinctively moving to the side.

“MEUKO.” I shout as soon as the sword leaves my hands.

I look up, witnessing a first sight. The thick, wide blade… Darkened metal by design or overuse… Grip long enough for a hobgoblin to put both their hands with ease. An unconventional weapon, unless you have the strength to use it. And she has plenty.

Meuko shouts, becoming larger mid jump, grabbing the sword with both hands and twisting her body. She stole that move from me, when I used it during our sorcerer fight. The hobgoblin lowers their arms, realizing that I never aimed at it, only to scream in surprise, raising their hands once more. Futile effort. Meuko drops on the hobgoblin like a mountain, splitting his arms, slicing through the screeching armor, breaking through the bones as if they were brittle twigs. She practically opened it up from the upper left side, separating shoulder from head, all the way down to the lower right part of its waist. The parts go flying backwards, bile, blood and viscera splashing on the ground, covering the area around Meuko and this… Mess she made. Meuko stands tall over her kill, steam emanating off her arms. She raises the blade and drives it to the ground in order to rest it. As soon as she looks at me, she has the same shocked expression the hobgoblin had.

“What? Your eye...”

“Yeah, it is a thing.”

“You… It is back.” Meuko responds.

The sound of the surrounding battle draws our attention. I look around, feeling grateful for the ease of two eyes and their peripheral vision. My eye is back. On my left side, the sound of metal hitting metal. Eadwald has run up the Ogre, stabbed it in the chest and is now in the process of widening the damage with her shield. She keeps hitting her sword with her shield, constantly pushing it lower and deeper. The Ogre attempts to grab her, only to have its fingers explode in a burst of light as she shouts. I think she was holding back during our duel. More goblins, this time climbing the same path we did. They start moving from our left side. Eadwald’s side. She pulls her sword out, turning her attention towards the new horde. I am not worried about her. It is a weird blade. Elongated, thin, with a blue gem on the guard. The reverberation draws my attention towards the right side. Sylvar is shooting steadily at goblins, while Sylvie keeps taking limbs off any goblins that have the audacity to come close to our elvish archer. Further on the right side, where Meuko and I are currently running, there are the other two Hunters fighting. The Sun completely drops behind the mountains, almost abandoning us, shadows reminding us that things can always get worse. Before my eyes even have a chance to adapt to the darkness, an enormous orb of bright white light appears above us. I manage to see half a shape of a shield before being blinded by the light. Eadwald used some sort of spell. I try blocking the sudden light with my hands, trying to slowly get used to it.

“Get Alayne. I will help Modesta.” I say, hoping Meuko can hear me.

“Slaughter them.” Meuko says.

I can now move perfectly. No sight hindering. My body is trained. I am hurt, but not that bad. Adrenaline floods my body.

“Reinforcements are coming.” Sylvar shouts.

I rush the hobgoblin that Modesta is fighting. This one has lighter armor. Bone helmet, some leather padding and chain mail. It is wielding a circular metal shield, adorned with animal skin and bones. The color of its skin is pinkish, sort of like a lighter coloration of some flowers that tend to grow around the Village. They are beauti- Focus. The hobgoblin is in the middle of attacking Modesta, stopping its attack to guard against an earthen spear, spiraling towards him from the ground. The hobgoblin twists their body, redirecting the blow and hitting the magical lance with its axe, shattering it. I move towards the enemy, reaching for my swo-

My weapons. They were knocked away when I hit the tree.

Not now.

Not when I am right next to the hobgoblin. I look back. Roots, patches of dirt, undergrowth, uneven ground. It would take too lo-

“Dodge.” Modesta shouts, causing me to instinctively jump backwards.

I avoid a diagonal axe slash. Another slash. I dodge it. A shield bash. It hits. A headbutt. It hits, causing my sight to worsen momentarily. I grab the axe, making sure the hobgoblin cannot use it. Easier said than done. This one might be a smaller size than the previous one but it does not mean it is not bigger than me. It raises its axe along with me, hitting my abdomen with its shield before I have the chance to react. I kick, only to realize that it does nothing. The hobgoblin suddenly lowers the axe, hitting me with the handle in the head. I drop on my knees. I need to move. I am not dying here. I try to punch the inside of the leg, knowing that the armor is thinner there. I get interrupted by a knee strike in my chest. I drop on the ground, moving with my back to the ground as fast as I can. I cough uncontrollably, barely able to breathe properly. My head is bleeding but I am lucky enough to not have my eyesight blocked by it. The hobgoblin raises its axe to strike me down. Of all the times to forget my weapon.

Still weak.

Damn it all.

Modesta interrupts the attack with flying stones, causing immense damage to the hobgoblin as they break from the impact. The arm holding the shield shatters, the crooked bone helmet flies off as, hopefully disorienting this enemy. The hobgoblin drops on one knee, since the other breaks from Modesta’s magical attacks. It then turns around and throws the axe towards Modesta. The dwarf raises some sort of magical shield with one hand, only to have it cracked then shattered under the might of the hobgoblin’s throw, cutting off the right arm.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Shouting.

I jump up, grabbing the hobgoblin’s head and putting all my strength into a knee strike. I smash its head, feeling a crack. Probably the nose. It hits me with the right fist in the side, shock waking me right up. I keep hitting it with my knee.

More shouting.

“Shit. My fucking arm.”

Another knee. More blood coming off its nose.

Another knee. Teeth come loose.

The hobgoblin punches me.

Shouting.

I grab its left arm, taking the round shield off it. It attempts a strike that I easily dodge since it is barely holding on to life. I run up its body, using its one leg to push myself upward, hitting its head backwards with a knee strike, then bringing its own shield straight to the throat. I follow through the attack with all I have, crashing the hand that tried to block and separating the head from the rest of its body, shield half buried in the ground. Before I even have a chance to recover from the exchange, an Ogre appears from the tree line, actually breaking a thin tree apart. Bloated, skin barely covering its vital parts. I slowly move towards Modesta, cleaning off the blood around my eyes. He looks purposeful, almost forgetting about all the pain he was in a moment ago.

“My right arm… My good arm… You wish to claim our lives.” Modesta says, starting some sort of spell, vibrant lines with brown coloration manifesting around him, ground erupting in front of him.

The light that was conjured by Eadwald slowly fades, most likely because of this tree’s siphoning effect. At least we have the chance to get used to the darkness now. I look at Meuko and Alayne, who are fighting an Ogre that is almost dead, cuts and burns all around its body. As the new Ogre reaches for them, Meuko steps forward, grabbing the sword from the middle of the blade almost like… A spear. She spins around, dirt flying off from the might of her jump as she throws the large weapon straight at the newly arrived Ogre’s throat.

“Back. To the tree.” Sylvar shouts, pointing at the numerous goblins that have arrived. Twenty… Thirty.

Alayne conjures a flaming lance from above the Ogre he has been dueling. Blago explained that lances are longer and thicker than spears, used primarily in ways that should not concern me. His words. Alayne gestures with his hands towards the ground, as the lance instantly falls down upon the Ogre that lacks the strength to raise its arms in defense, obliterating its head.

“Group up.” Eadwald shouts, coming towards our location. A pile of bodies is gathered behind her.

“Whatever entity holds our magic back… I will not relent… Bleeding out, I offer my magic. All of it...” Modesta says, voice reverberating as if we were in a cave. The goblins shoot arrows at us, only to be deflected by the collective power of Alayne and Eadwald, who have focused their entire magical efforts on defending. Meuko quickly grabs one of the goblins that foolishly overextended, splitting its body in two and throwing the parts like stones, hitting more goblins, scaring them. The sounds of a wave of arrows breaking against arcane floating shields, of screaming goblins bleeding out and an Ogre wailing around, accidentally hitting its allies, trying to keep itself from choking on its own blood. All this blood and ruin.

We could not have made this worse...

“You want to siphon my power? I will flood you with it.” Modesta says, extending one arm towards the army that is assembling around us.

I was wrong.

Parts of the ground fly upwards, erupting with force similar to the griffin’s lair destruction. Rocks fly towards the goblins, followed by earth lances, creating arches of dirt, broken roots and cracked stone. Some goblins get split apart, others are swallowed by the wave of earth that consumes all. This power… Modesta must be giving everything he has on this one show of overwhelming force. Alayne rushes to the dwarf’s side, burning the wound, offering some small reprieve from the catastrophic blood loss. I quickly turn around, knowing that there is still the matter of the Varuna wood to be dealt with. I climb the same branch that Meuko did, attempting to connect in the same way that resulted in my eyesight being given back. No response. The voice talked about an ability of seeing magic coursing through the world. I try to focus, my attention splitting between the branches I am supposed to break and the absolute destruction that is unraveling in front of me. Goblins attempt to flee, only to be impaled from behind and raised up, as if they have become the effigies themselves.

I have got to focus on my power for now. I can feel it…

Some sort of itch.

Behind my left eye.

A familiar green glow appears around my left eye.

“What is that?” Sylvar’s voice, barely getting through the cracking and thudding of Modesta’s spell.

This is one strong dwarf.

“It is a thing, apparently.” Meuko says.

I can see it. I can- The burning is back. Need to be fast, this magical eyesight hurts. A lot. Glowing light coursing through the tree, along with an overwhelmingly bright source from Modesta’s location. I can see the paths of arcane energy all around me. I focus my attention on the branch I am sitting on, hoping the accumulation of magic will be less. That way, I will probably not blind myself instantly. I take out the Varknife, aiming for the places where the magic is thinnest. I make quick work of it, breaking smaller branches off the big one I am resting on. One. Two. Meuko is putting the branches inside the bag, giving me a very disturbed look. Things are progressing rather fast. Three. This is not a matter of strength. This tree…

It wants me to have those branches.

I can feel some sort of connection, faint but there.

Let us not inform the Hunters of that. Better climb down.

Too late, given that Eadwald is giving me a curious look, only to take a step back as soon as she notices that the glow coming off me happens to be coming off my left eye.

“What did you do?” Eadwald says.

“No time. We need to run.” I say, moving towards Modesta.

I rub my eyes, hoping to end this way of… Seeing. It works. And not a moment too soon.

“Run. Hide. Fear me.” Modesta screams, extending his hand one last time, as the ground rumbles, then falls silent once more.

I look around for the arm, noticing it did not drop far off Modesta’s current location. I pick it up, trying to look like I am confident in what I am doing. I most absolutely am not. This is scaring me to death.

“Maybe… Maybe Julie can re attach it. Or something.” I say, gesturing to move away.

“Your eye. I lose a hand and this shit gains an eye.” Modesta says.

“No time to worry about that.” Alayne says, pushing Modesta towards the way home.

Sylvie is finishing off any disoriented goblins, separating head from torso, leg from waist… Flesh from flesh, basically. The Ogre that Meuko kept back with one overpowering throw is impaled by multiple rocky formations erupting from the ground. Spirals, arches, earth poles… Modesta went out of control. The magician that is all about refining and controlling materials and properties… What a sight. What a smell, the combination of piss, blood and bile flooding this whole area. When we came here the tree looked strong and beautiful but now… Next to this scenery, it looks like a warning. The thick foliage of Varuna felt almost inviting, like a place where you could climb and sleep, safe from all the troubles of the world. Yet the tree is now tilted towards the cliff, a result of Modesta’s ground eruption, changing the very shape of the earth here, almost separating the tree line from the cliff where Varuna is resting.

“Stop resisting.” Meuko says.

“I shall not be carried like so- Okay.” Modesta says, suddenly carried over Meuko’s shoulders. “Eadwald… Can you help?” Modesta begs, attempting to discharge some sort of magical energy, only to realize that he emptied it out on the enemy.

“Meuko, climb down carefully, then run as fast as you can. Stop for nothing.” Eadwald says.

“Right.” Meuko responds, going ahead.

“Wait. Take… This.” I offer Modesta’s severed arm, covered with my cloak.

“We secure this area. No goblins pass through.” Alayne says. “Keep Meuko’s path safe.”

“More fighting?” I ask.

“Look.” Sylvar says, gesturing towards the north.

More goblins. Regrouping at the nearby trees. They will have to either go around this steep hill or start climbing down next to us.

“Use magic bolts. Anything else, it could be absorbed by the tree. We cannot Flare out. Keep it simple.” Alayne says.

“Got it. Are you ready?” Eadwald says, looking at Sylvar and me.

“The bag. I forgot about the-”

“Sylvie has it.” Sylvar interrupts me. Our trusty Blight Dog offers me the bag.

“Four javelins. Take two.” I say.

“There is also a knife.”

“That one is mine, Sylvar. You have a sword and a dagger already.” I say, quickly grabbing the last knife.

“Meuko is almost down.” Alayne says.

“How? It took us way longer to climb.” I ask, looking down only to see Meuko making slight jumps. Instead of going upwards though, she controls her fall, gaining more distance than she would carefully calculating each step. I guess her grip is on another level.

“Focus, Volter.” Alayne says “As soon as Meuko runs, we will need to cover each other. No slacking off.”

“No pressure.” I say.

“Do we climb down or go around the opposite way?” Sylvar asks.

“I just said… Covering Meuko is our task. If we run the other way, they will hunt her down, possibly track the Village.” Alayne says.

“So… Either fight some of them while climbing down or fight all of them on hills and forests.” I say, trying to understand our dire situation.

“We could hide between the different formations downside.” Eadwald says “We do not know what numbers they have and we just lost two strong fighters.”

“Your magic would be the only thing keeping the archers at bay.” Sylvar says.

The sound of a horn, reminding us that we need to make a decision. Now.

“Meuko is running back. She should make the trip in a little bit over an hour.” Sylvar says.

“While carrying Modesta? She is fast.” Eadwald says.

“Strong like an Ogre… Do not tell her I said that.” I say, quickly realizing it does not sound as good as I thought it would.

“We climb. You two, move carefully. Throw the javelins only if necessary.” Alayne says.

“Will he be alright?” I ask.

“He will live.” Alayne says.

“No time to worry about that, my friend Volter. We need to make it out of here as well.” Sylvar says.

“Sure. I just… I went there to help, not-”

“Not now. Climb.” Alayne shoves me towards the steep hill. “Eadwald, we go last.”

“Of course. Move, Sylvar.” Eadwald says, putting her sword in a scabbard and readying her shield. I guess the other hand will need to use magic. I thought she could use her sword at the same time. Another blow of the guttural horn. My legs feel like trembling a bit as I take a big breath. Time to climb down.