The enemy force starts spreading out. They are being tactical about this. Sylvar shoots an arrow, which is blocked from a shield. One Ogre moves towards our left, where Eadwald moves in to intercept it. The goblins hide behind rocks, avoiding Sylvar’s arrows.
“How many do you have?” I ask.
“Twenty.” Sylvar responds.
“Keep them. There could be archers behind.” I say.
I was right. More goblins jump out of the near tree line. Six, seven. Damn it. They are all archers.
A hobgoblin starts spewing out orders. Guttural, deep, strong… Wish I knew the goblins’ language. The archers load their arrows. Not good. I run behind Eadwald as she raises her shield. As soon as she notices me, she grabs me closer, making sure I am safe. She is… Certainly strong. She is not wearing her helmet. Her hair is tied up, pale skin barely seen through the armor. Two arrows impact the shield. I have to focus.
“Wear it.” I say, offering Eadwald her helmet, having plenty of time to cut the rope that holds it with my knife.
“Stay aware. This is not like the othe-”
“Not enough time.” I interrupt, running out as soon as she grabs the helmet. I take out the sword, hoping it will be useful against… Oh no. One hobgoblin is right in front of me. Same size as the sorcerer I fought before, without the bloated parts. Instead... A loud impact, causing my heart to skip a beat. Meuko is still working hard. Every hit she makes with the hammer resonates with my body. I need to make sure that my enemy is to my right, making it harder for the archers to shoot me. I have to move so they do not flank from my blind spot. The hobgoblin raises their sword, trying to cut me in half from the side. Eadwald has showed me this move plenty of times. I jump back, dodging the strike, which is followed by a downward one. I roll to the side, throwing a dagger. The dagger hits the armor, only to be deflected away. This hobgoblin is much stronger. It has to be. It carries a sword almost the size of me, thicker than Meuko’s arms. That sounds like it should not happen. Even with this large weapon, it has plenty of strength to carry around the heaviest armor I have seen. Plates upon plates, bolted together to form this protective metal. Greaves, bracers, tasset, cuirass, helmet. The armor lacks what Blago calls finesse… But it does the job. My dagger barely scratched it. There has to be padding on the inside as well, since he does not seem to lack mobility, quickly raising his sword again. What about the rest…
“Hunt.” Sylvar says, rushing the goblins with Sylvie. He shoots an arrow, hitting an archer.
The hobgoblin ignores me, turning his attention towards Sylvar. It brings the sword to its shoulder. Not letting you hit my elf. I throw a knife once more, this time aiming for the hobgoblin’s legs. It hits, but not badly enough to interrupt its attack. Thankfully Sylvar notices the hobgoblin’s reaction to pain, sliding on the ground, avoiding the attack.
“Right here.” I shout, slashing with my sword diagonally. I aim for the elbow, thinking the armor there will be thinner. The hobgoblin spins around, hitting my sword away with its free hand. I drop on the ground and backward roll, a move Eadwald taught me after that duel we had. The hobgoblin kneels and takes the dagger out, throwing it away. So… It needs both hands to attack with the sword but not both hands to hold the sword. This is troublesome. It can defend right after an attack. Now it is focused on me. What is this insane fighting sense that it has? We traded two blows and it already knows that I am not strong enough to kill it easily, yet I am not weak enough that it can just walk away and deal with the others.
“You… Daggers. You killed Gabor?”
“Who?”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I will bring your head to the Queen.”
The hobgoblin takes out a small axe. What is it going to do with it when there is that huge swo- I instinctively put my sword in front while jumping to the right. The sword flies out of my hand but it blocked the axe at least. I quickly get back up, only to realize that the hobgoblin is already covering the distance between us. There is no more room to go back. I will hit the tree if do. I slip. Not now. The hobgoblin raises its sword, only to be pushed back by a spear. Meuko… My friend is the last thought I have before my back hits the tree and my vision goes dark.
A feeling of floating through the air. I open my eye only to see that the Varuna tree is here but the ground is not. Just me. Alone. Standing on water that looks like it is slowly running off the tree in all directions. The tree’s roots seem to be spreading further than I can see. If this Varuna is the same size as the one I hit before… I slipped. The fight.
“Calm yourself. You are safe.” A voice stops me from hyperventilating. A word Julie taught me when we were busy talking about drowning and how it could kill you. Was it the water or the lack of air…
“Where am I?” I ask, looking around only to find my reflection on the water.
“You are where you were a moment ago. Only… Your mind traveled a little.” The voice… Ever changing, every word sounding like it is muffled from the outside, yet strongly resonates inside my mind.
“Are you the one who is sending us those dreams?”
“Is it only questions you wish to leave behind?”
The water moves slightly different, almost responding to her talking.
“Yet… You do not answer.” I say, taking in this serene sight.
“But you did. I called you here ever since you first laid eyes upon this place.”
“The… Feeling I had, drawing me closer to the tree. That was you?”
“Yes.”
“Send me back. They need me.”
“Not yet. You should relax now, while you can.”
“Are you mad? Send me back.”
“Ask me.”
“Could you send me back? Now.”
“While we are here, the world remains the same. When you open your eye, you will be as you were when you touched the tree. No need to rush.”
“What? How would that even work?”
“You find yourself in an extremely favorable position. In a place full of magic, gathered for decades.”
“What does that even matter? I cannot use it.”
“Correct. The… Limitations of being, what is that you call it? An Empty One. Still, you could ask.”
I feel like I want to lash out. Does she want to mock me? Remind me that I do not have the strength that others do? Yet… Something, something I cannot place makes me feel like she wants to help. Like she can help.
“I want to use magic. Magic strong enough to stop them.”
“I wish I could grant you that. However, your body is not ready for that. You do not seem willing enough. Instead-”
“How willing do you want me to be? Do you want me to beg? I have nothing to offer.”
“You really have no idea of the world around you, do you?”
“What is that supposed to mean? What are you?”
“I could bestow upon you a gift. I cannot offer you more, fearing you would weaken your body, grind it to dust.”
“Say again?”
“Pay attention, for you will need all your strength and determination for this fight. I will gift you with sight. You will be able to see arcane sources. It should make it easier to use magic without rending yourself from the inside. However, it will still hurt your body. Keep that in mind.”
The water around shakes as a small green orb appears from the top of the tree, slowly descending towards me.
“The effect will not last long for today. If you keep using it, you could lose your sight again.”
The orb stops in front of me. I feel a sharp pain as it enters my head.
Screaming. So intense that saliva keeps drooling off my mouth uncontrollably.
This feels like the day I lost my eye. There is a green flame being lit on the left side of my head.
“You never told me… Who you are.”
“I hope next time, you are ready to see that I mean well. You will need all the help you can get. Your allies are fewer than you know.”
I am on my knees, growling as my head keeps burning.
“What is happening? Why will no one tell me what is happening?”
“You have received the gift. Let us see what you do with it. I hope I see you again.”
I drop, expecting to hit water, only to feel like I am rising.
Right where I was.
Big target still in front of me.
And I feel lighter than ever.