A wave of goblins comes out… Instead of rushing us, they drop on their knees all around us, trying to breathe. It is only now that I realize… We are at the base of one of the eastern mountains. That is probably why this cave is so large… The underground must be connected with the entire mountain range.
Some of the goblins are fleeing upwards, climbing at a speed I can only dream of. The entrance is now wider than it was when we first reached this place. The reason it was so narrow was because two large pieces of stone were placed vertically, making the entrance smaller, probably to have an advantage over larger opponents. If only I knew that before we started this… Thing.
There are other creatures jumping and running from the enlarged entrance, some of which are four legged. Some are even flying. I can only see shapes of the many creatures that run from this place… Almost as if they are escaping. The smoke starts spreading in every direction, making it harder to discern anything. A few of these animals pass right by me.
They have wolves in there. One goblin stabs what appears to be a wolf, based on its painful growling bark… But Sylvar seems to kill that goblin… I am not so sure about what I can perceive here. I can only call out to Sylvar, trying to reach him.
“I cannot see anything… You?” I ask Sylvar loudly.
“With great difficulty, I must admit.” He responds.
I manage to reach his side again and we both get our weapons at the ready. One goblin attacks Sylvar, but I thrust with the spear, stabbing it before it gets the chance to finish its attack.
“Nice one, Volter.” Sylvar says.
He slashes another goblin that makes a lunge at me this time, decapitating it. The head rolls over to my side, making me jump… Mostly out of shock. Not out of fear…
“Did you really have to?” I say, kicking the head away from me.
We keep killing goblins that are too disoriented to fully attack us until six goblins group up in front of us. I stick the spear on the ground and then put the four arrows I picked up inside Sylvar’s quiver.
“Here you go, we will need all the help we can get.” I add, picking up the spear again.
We start slowly moving backwards, knowing that we cannot stay here forever.
“What do we do?” I ask.
I look the goblins in the eyes as they start circling around us.
“We need to protect Meuko, but we also need to move… I am thinking.” Sylvar responds.
We are not sure what the right move is. I cannot throw my spear, since it is the only weapon I have, other than my last knife of course, and my injured arm makes it harder for me to keep up with this fight. Sylvar is panting. He is not used to melee fighting for so long. If only I could buy him some time.
“When I tell you… Run for your bow. You have some arrows. I will hold them.”
“Are you out of your mind? No wa-” Sylvar gets interrupted by the goblins’ hissing, as they all start running straight for us.
We ready our weapons, knowing we will get hit, as they start communicating among themselves. A rock flies between Sylvar’s legs and mine, hitting a goblin, accompanied by a very familiar scream. Our hesitation ends, thanks to the efforts of Meuko.
I rush two goblins, while Sylvar takes on three. The two I face are unarmed, so I try to stab the one on the right with my spear. I do not want to expose my leg again. I graze the shoulder of the goblin and it stumbles on the ground, trying to pick itself up. The left goblin jumps at me. It tries to grab the knife I have secured in position… Inside my shoulder.
No way. I drop the spear and use my hand to try to throw the goblin away from me. It scratches my face, snarling and biting my hand. I manage to grab its neck, avoiding the bite, but I cannot open my eyes, as I am afraid of losing them. I try to focus and squeeze the neck of the goblin as hard as I can. In its desperation, the goblin tries to grab the bandaged knife. It manages to move it a bit in the struggle, unable to get a firm grab of it as it also gasps for air.
Having Meuko cover my back... My confidence gets a significant boost. Imitating her, I headbutt the goblin two times, as its eyes roll back and spit comes drooling out of its wide mouth. A sharp pain makes me lower my gaze, as the goblin I knocked down picked the spear I dropped and drove it through my right leg.
I dropped my guard. Now… When everyone is fighting with everything they have, I failed them. I use the goblin I hold and use it as a makeshift weapon. The goblin jumps away from me, leaving the spear inside my leg. Big mistake. I throw the choked goblin straight at the last one, then snap the spear in half, making sure that there is enough of wood left outside my body to pull it out later.
The goblin that is alive is buried beneath the body of its comrade as I rush it with the broken wood I now wield as a knife. I stab its leg, as it shrieks, making it lower its defenses. While it is distracted by pain, I drive the stick straight through its eye, leaving it there as the goblin wails around, restricted as it is... Unable to pull it out.
I look at Sylvar, knowing he did not make the same mist- He is on the ground, being grappled by three goblins as he struggles to throw them off. I rush, not caring about my leg injury… The only thing that matters is reaching Sylvar in time. One goblin grabs Sylvar’s knife that is on the ground. It raises the knife high, preparing for a stab, as Meuko hits it with a rock… Not powerful enough to kill it, but enough to make it drop the knife.
The goblin decides that it should not waste time picking it back up. While Sylvar is pushing and kicking with all his strength, struggling to keep the two goblins away from him… The third goblin bites his right forearm. Sylvar shouts, reacting to the same sharp pain I felt before. The only difference is that the goblin that bit me was going for my leg, a larger area of muscle, stronger than just a forearm.
The goblin stays locked in its bite. Meuko cannot throw any other rocks, because she might hit Sylvar. The other two goblins snarl at Sylvar, throwing spit over him. Before another one has the chance to bite him, I try the goblins’ way of fighting. I lunge at them, pushing the two that Sylvar was keeping at bay away from him.
As the goblins and I tumble, I feel the knife being pushed further inside my shoulder. Not such a smart move after all… No matter… It did the job. Sylvar pulls an arrow from his quiver and uses it to stab the goblin in the gut, over and over again. While I am too busy looking at Sylvar, worried about his safety, the goblins rush me, climbing my back. I let out a painful and sharp scream, as one goblin bites my left shoulder while the other digs its fingernails inside my back.
“DROP.” Meuko shouts.
What does she mea- The goblin bites harder, causing me to open my eyes wide, screaming. My eyes hurt… I want to go to sleep… I feel like letting my body go… That is it. Meuko. I put all the strength I have into making a back flip… Only, halfway through… Purposely hitting the ground with my back… Right where the goblins are.
Both goblins wince and let go of their grapples… I roll away towards the right, ensuring that the knife does not cause any more damage in my shoulder by pushing myself off the ground with my right hand. Every… Muscle… Hurts. I pull out the last knife I have, gripping it in reverse, perfect for stabbing. As soon as the goblins rise up, Meuko hits both of them with rocks, breaking one’s knee and the other’s hand.
As they stumble over, grabbing the places where they got hurt and crying, I hastily stab them both, going for the lungs. I drop on the ground, breathing heavily. I look over at Sylvar as he is getting back up, picking his weapons once more. It looks like that goblin would not let go of its bite hold.
Sylvar takes his coat off, using it as a makeshift bandage. We both start slowly making our way towards Meuko, who has not only bandaged her leg, but has bandages and the rest of the mixture ready for us. We are all doing everything we can think of.
“Thanks for that save there, you two.” Sylvar says, grabbing his bow.
He sits on the ground and lays all four arrows in front of him, making sure he can use them as fast as possible.
“I just… Want… Julie’s magic.” I say, panting and trying to calm down.
“As if we do not all want that, Volt.”
“How is your leg, my friend Meuko?”
“Honestly… Bad… But Volt made a good job of bringing me here. Thanks.”
“All possible thanks to Sylvar’s cover.” I say, while carefully putting bandages around the broken spear, securing that as well.
Some mixture should stop the bleeding from the bites I got.
“Here, my friend Volter, let me help you with that” Sylvar says, placing some mixture and bandaging my shoulder bite.
“That knife is in a dangerous place.” Meuko says, gesturing towards me.
“True… Thank my luck again, I guess… At least Julie will have to worry about that...” I say, closing my eyes for a minute.
“Do not fall asleep. I will not carry you.” Meuko says, chuckling.
“On your guard. Here they are.” Sylvar says, loading an arrow.
I open my eyes, witnessing all the goblins we left bleeding being carried by the other goblins that were still pouring out of the cave…
“How… Many… ARE THERE?” I shout, readying my knife.
The goblins begin to gather…
“Get ready… No matter what… We keep fighting.” Meuko says, handing me over the backup knives I forgot about.
The goblins form a swarm…
“Well… Like my dear friend Volter says… Shall we?” Sylvar says, half drawing his bow.
The goblins all shriek at once. Before they reach us, there is a… Collective scream. It is not the same as the one the goblins have. This one is different… Like it is made from as many creatures as possible… The goblins stop their charge, as Sylvar shoots an arrow, killing one of the first goblins in that swarm. The goblins look surprised, looking at our general direction but almost around us.
The… Howls. Screams. Calls. All of them, from many different sources. The creatures that ran away… They are back. We start looking around, witnessing something I have never experienced before... Nature fighting back. All the wolves that got captured are running straight for the goblins, grabbing their legs with their mouth and dragging them off the rest of the swarm.
“We should probably… Yeah, we should cover them.” I say, moving a bit closer, just enough to throw a knife accurately.
“I am with you.” Meuko says.
Birds that flew away are now joining the fight, violently biting the goblins’ heads, taking eyes and ears with them before striking again. All three of us act like one. We assist the animals with what little ammunition that we have left. I use the three throwing knives to help out creatures that are in trouble, while Sylvar uses his last arrows killing goblins.
There are some snakes that start appearing, lunging at the goblins. Could it be that goblins used snakes for the poison Hollis was shot with? I need to ask Julie that one. The goblins, getting desperate, start rushing out of the little circle they formed… Which means they try attacking us once more.
Since Meuko and I are closer, they rush us. Most of them attack the immediate threat, which was the rest of the creatures, but three goblins grab me and throw me on the ground, trying to violently tear down my armor. I lose sight of Meuko but she must have been attacked as well.
“MEUKO, VOLTER.” Sylvar shouts.
He must be trying to get here with his sword. I kick and throw my body around, trying to shake the goblins off me, while they manage to tear the findal armor off my torso, revealing a simple shirt, made with Modesta’s interesting magic. One of them digs its nails inside my chest, clawing as violently as it can.
The pain is different… Like my heart will jump out. My entire chest feels on fire. My blood starts flying from the goblin’s fingers, painting its face red as its tongue lashes around. Thankfully, this goblin does not get enough time to finish the job.
It suddenly stops, letting the air escape from its lungs as it gets thrown away. I am about to smile, thinking Sylvar reached me… But it is not Sylvar that helped me. It is a wolf… One with two heads. They each bite the throats of the other two goblins, throwing them away as well. The heads turn to me, snarling and growling.
I slowly crawl away with my bloody chest facing the wolf. It is an ugly wolf, I have to say. Its skin is black, like the cave I was just in. The eyes have a faded orange color while the irises are black. Its fur is brownish but... Ruined, probably because of the goblins. It looks like it is... In pain.
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Meuko and Sylvar jump in front of me, making sure they stand between me and the wolf. Sylvar must have helped Meuko first, that is why they were slightly late. Not that I take it personally...
“What is that?” Meuko asks, getting ready for another struggle.
“That is an Abomination...” Sylvar says. “One that saved Volter’s life.”
The wolf… Or Abomination, as I have just learned is its name, turns around and joins the fray, along with the other creatures. They keep fighting the goblins. While there is this mayhem going on, we take our supplies and regroup.
“Do we run?” Sylvar asks.
“Volter?” Meuko asks.
They somehow expect me to make a decision. As if I know what the right one is.
“No… We still do not know anything new about Travlon’s murder attempt.” I respond.
It seems like I did make a decision.
“We keep observing them, we might learn something new… Let us just keep our distance.” I gesture towards the forest.
A loud thudding noise stops us at our tracks. We gaze back towards the entrance… All the creatures are running or flying away, whimpering. Most of the goblins are injured and the ones that are not just run back inside the cave, carrying the injured ones.
The only one staying is not a goblin… It cannot be… It is as large as Meuko, holding what appears to be a staff. Modesta uses one when he is doing important… Magic. No. Not now.
“Please, tell me you know what that is, Sylvar… As fast as you can.” I beg, holding my knife close.
“That appears to be a hobgoblin and their leader. It uses magic and if I had to say… It communicates.” Sylvar responds, talking sharply.
“Not good.” Meuko adds.
The leader is wearing way more clothing than the rest of the goblins. It covers his entire body except his bloated belly. There are rocks levitating around him. The noise that staff generated must be magical as well.
The staff has bright purple lines running all around it, the same energy that surrounds the stones hovering around him. I move towards the leader, getting ready to dodge any incoming stones. Sylvar and Meuko cover me, staying one step behind me.
“Get ready… Fan out… Figure out solutions… I delay...” I whisper to them, knowing I am far enough that he cannot hear, but fearing I am close enough that I cannot form full sentences.
I should not do anything to provoke him… Any more than we already have. The overgrown grass is littered with goblins and a few animals. Those creatures saved us. The leader makes clicking noises, then takes a deep breath.
“You...” It snarls. “You did-ck this. Impre-ack-ssive.”
“You… You tried to kill us a few days ago?” I ask, trying to not let the pain show.
I need to look strong if I am to make it out of here. We need to make it out of here.
“Not you… Just that e-ck-elf” It says, gesturing at Sylvar, who is picking off an arrow from a goblin.
“Why?” I say, attempting to delay as much as possible.
Some of the injured goblins remain, but they will not be a problem. All they are doing is crying and bleeding out, facing the ground. I did this… I burned their home. Did I have to? Did I seriously think that was the way to go? What if I was just scared of something I do not know?
“You weak-k flesh, you have no idea what is happening...” The leader says ominously, adding an extra rock around him.
There are five stones now, protecting him at all times… How do I fight this one?
“That one is a new nickname… Tell me then, as the leader, what are you planning?”
“Leader?” It asks.
Does it not know the meaning of the word?
“Tell us what you want…” I say, looking at the staff.
It looks strong enough to be held as a weapon on its own. Add the magic to it… You get a terrifying goblin leader. Meuko moves closer towards the leader from the right, while Sylvar maintains distance from the left. I do not think Sylvar has more arrows than three… maybe five, I hope. We need more information.
“Stay back-ck” The leader says, gesturing to Meuko.
There is energy gathering around Meuko’s waist, pulling her up in the air, then throwing her straight into a tree. The rocks that the leader has around it fall on the ground, only to be picked up magically once more, as if the hobgoblin forgot it was a sorcerer.
“Wait… What do you want from us?” I say.
My knees bend, readying themselves for combat.
“You… You barge into our ck-ck-home… Slaughter us… Just wait until the Queen gets what she needs from the dwarf...” The leader says.
The queen? Maybe it is not a leader… Just a strong magical hobgoblin. The sorcerer snarls as it makes strange hand gestures, light coming off its fingers, sending the first rock against me. I try to deflect with my knife but the force is too strong to completely avoid it. It sends me flying backwards, flipping me while on air, then knocking me down.
My right shoulder is dislocated. It is an injury I know of, having jumped from many a height. I immediately get back up, inhaling as much air as I can because of the pain... I witness Sylvar’s archery. He sends an arrow flying, one that gets broken by the sorcerer’s armor of flying rocks. I start running back towards the safety of the trees, keeping an eye on Sylvar.
He shoots another one, only to be shut down again. The hobgoblin reinforces its defenses with more stones, using the makeshift hill as replenishment. The stones are never more than five… Why is that? Sylvar begins moving back towards me, since I am relatively safe now. I look over at where Meuko was thrown. She is already up, pulling sticks from her body and trying to regroup. We are a few trees apart.
“You okay?” I quickly shout towards Meuko.
“Fine… Did you see it? The stones.” She responds.
“I did. He cannot defend and attack at the same time. At least-” A flying stone, splintering part of the tree I am hiding behind, interrupts me. “Shit… At least, not magically. He must need concentration.” I say, taking note of my physical state.
I lack my armor, so getting hit in my chest with magic would probably be fatal. I hear the whistling sound of the flying stones but there is no impact… Sylvar. I poke my head out of my cover, seeing Sylvar running towards me, rolling whenever he senses a stone being thrown. I extend my right hand, offering help.
Sylvar jumps forward and we lock hands. I pull him with all the strength I have, bringing him behind cover. The impact of two stones cracking the tree means I was just in time. Sylvar and I quickly change cover, going closer to Meuko. Stones keep flying towards us.
“Any plans?” Sylvar asks.
“Arrows?” Meuko asks.
Another stone hits the side of the tree, making us drop our heads lower.
“Just two.” Sylvar says… We really need to make them count.
“I do not have anything to throw at him” Meuko responds.
“Throw me” I say.
What did I just say?
“What?” Meuko asks back.
Makes sense she would be confused.
“Throw me as far up as you can, I will get his attention… Sylvar, use the moment his magic does not protect him.” I say quickly, feeling pressured by the constant hail of rocks.
“Volt, your arm…” Meuko says, inspecting my shoulder with her arms.
In one swift move, she brings the shoulder back into place.
“Hey, careful…” I wince. “Thanks.”
The pain feels like someone just threw a lightning spell at me. The image of Modesta burning my house pops into my head. Why now, of all times?
“C-C-Come out, weak flesh...” The hobgoblin says.
Meuko and I both have ruined clothing, dampened by blood that slowly keeps running. We cannot beat it. I wince, thinking about nothing other than the burning pain surrounding my body. I have no armor to fight this battle. Meuko cannot win with her size alone.
I breathe frantically, unable to calm down. Another rock hits the ground, throwing dirt our way. There is a moment of silence, which sends a chill down my spine, only to be interrupted by the sound of the tree being pulled slowly off the ground. Judging by the humming of energy… The sorcerer is raising the entire tree.
“Sylvar, go left.” Meuko says. “I got you, Volter.”
The roots of the tree start rising up, throwing dirt all around us. The tree could give us cover...
“Throw it sideways, Meuko.” I shout.
She responds by bulging her muscles, shouting as she pushes the tree towards the direction that Sylvar went running off. The tree Sylvar and I were previously using gives in, splintering at its base, causing the rest of the tree to slowly fall down towards the hobgoblin. I guess the damage it sustained was too much.
The destruction it causes gives enough cover for Sylvar to move into position, getting ready to shoot. I look at him, waiting to move as soon as Meuko pushes this tree down. Having it lifted by the hobgoblin’s magic must help. Sylvar sees an opportunity. He loads an arrow, while the sorcerer has focused his magic on the tree, and shoots.
The arrow snaps as soon as it leaves Sylvar’s bow. A misfire… Now, of all times. Picking arrows that have already pierced goblins makes them weaker, I guess. The sorcerer notices Sylvar’s efforts, switching his focus on him. The second tree finally gives in to Meuko’s strength and drops. Thank our luck that the tree is not tall and the roots were off the ground, destabilizing it.
Sylvar drops back behind cover as two rocks start flying towards him. Meuko and I rush the hobgoblin, using the foliage of the fallen trees to mask our presence. Meuko reveals herself first, since she needs to get into position. She turns her back to the sorcerer, extending her hands at me…
This is it. I run, knowing everyone else will be there. They will make it, I just need to do what I have to first. I leap at Meuko’s hands. She lowers her legs, then throws me up with all her strength.
“Go.” She says.
The hobgoblin has not realized we are moving against it yet. I arch towards the hobgoblin I am meant to kill. I bring the knife close to my chest, bracing myself for the impact. The hobgoblin turns to me and I realize… It is not surprised. It actually knew we were moving against it. It extends an arm, followed by a rock… Heading straight for me. I will die if this hits me, I cannot dodg-
A flying goblin crashes the rock, offering me an opening for an attack. A goblin body. Meuko must have picked up one of the bleeding ones from the ground, where all the goblins were slaughtered earlier. That means she is close.
I shout as I make a move for the hobgoblin’s head. Its hand, larger than Meuko’s, grabs my arm. The sorcerer snarls and twists my hand while I dangle in front of him. I failed. That was fast. All this blood drawn and all the danger I survived just to end up in front of this vile creature. The sorcerer slams me on the ground. The force pushes the air out of my chest and next thing I know-
My eyes are closed. How long have I been on the ground? My head… It hurts. There is ringing in my ears. My back feels like it was slammed against the earth. It probably did… I remember when a kick in the guts by Blago was the only thing I had to worry about… I cannot hear anything.
“Ge… up” I hear someone say.
Is that Blago? Do I have to train today?
“Get back up.” The same voice again.
This one… It is not Blago… I have heard this voice somewhere. I think I heard it when I was sleeping. Seems gentle… Maybe female… Passing… Like the wind.
“Please, they need you. VOLTER.” That final shriek, like air piercing my ears.
I am awake again. I get up... Barely. I am spitting blood and feeling my bones weaker than ever. I am on my knees, looking at the ongoing fight. Meuko is locked in with the hobgoblin. She feints a few punches, turning them into elbow strikes when she gets a chance.
She does not get too many hits. The main reason she does not fully commit to those punches is because she cannot leave herself unguarded against that sorcerer. Its physical prowess is evident, being able to hold its ground against a beast like Meuko.
The hobgoblin has more experience, however. This fight would go the same way as it did with Eadwald but Meuko seems to have improved since then. I cannot see Sylvar… Is he dead? No, he cannot be… He must be hiding somewhere. He must.
I pick up my knife and cough up more blood. I can feel it in my nose now… I need to find my chance. What if I fail again? If I die here… No, only way out of this is by fighting this monster. My wrist throbs, reacting to the pain of… Oh, this must be what the goblins feel like when Meuko throws them around. The hobgoblin tries grappling Meuko but she uses the same twist and push that Eadwald used on her.
Meuko is gaining a small advantage. The problem is that she has a slashed leg and has been fighting for quite some time. And then, there are all the rocks that she carried over here. She is heavily panting, barely hanging on right now. This fight will not last long. The sorcerer, puts down its arms. Meuko uses that chance to hit the hobgoblin straight in its bloated stomach, but it grins. The sorcerer, without making any hand gestures, uses rocks, targeting Meuko’s lower body.
She was not expecting that. She gets hit from below, coughing and panting. The sorcerer raises their hands, as the staff that was levitating around him now rushes to its master’s grasp. As the sorcerer gets ready to strike Meuko down, Sylvar shoots the last arrow he has. It pierces the left hand and hits the right hand as well, effectively locking them for one vital second. I knew he was alive.
“Damn the forestwalk-k-er.” The hobgoblin says, as it bulges its muscles, still holding onto its staff.
“I got you.” Meuko says, using her arms to wrap around the hobgoblin’s arms, locking them even tighter.
The arrow snaps from the pressure. Meuko, tired and bloodied, kicks the hobgoblin’s right knee, giving her an edge in this grapple. She spits blood on its face, screaming in order to use all her strength, probably because this is all she has left. The staff glows purple once more.
“I will send you into the sky, human warrior.” The hobgoblin says to Meuko.
Why is she a human warrior, while I am just weak flesh? I am a threat, as well. The staff glow intensifies. I cannot let him use his magic again. I cannot. I growl, hurting all over my body. My knees burn, my throat feels the blood concentrating, making my breathing difficult. I rise, reverse grip my knife and try to finish this.
The hobgoblin is standing on one leg, the left one, since Meuko is constantly pushing its right knee with her legs so it cannot use it. I use the hobgoblin’s left leg to push myself upward, slashing the armpit of this vile creature.
I know I need to make the most of this chance they have created for me, so I use the momentum I gained to twist my body and land on the hobgoblin’s back. I slash its left shoulder, dragging the dagger down through the rest of its body, eventually reaching its waist. As the hobgoblin wails, I can feel its strength leaving its body.
Meuko screams louder than before, probably sensing that she has a chance as well, and uses her grapple to break the hands of the hobgoblin’s. The sound is horrible. It is a loud cracking noise of bones snapping, but Meuko keeps pulling the arms off the elbows, causing the skin to tear apart and expose the large muscles inside, as blood flies all around us. This one is not bleeding black, like the rest of the goblins. It bleeds… Purple.
The hobgoblin screams louder than ever, as I hear the sounds of muscles being pulled off its body. In desperation, it headbutts Meuko, throwing her off, and kicks me as soon as I turn around to face its chest. I get hit in my side, causing me to spit out, gasping for air desperately. Thankfully, it does not have the same strength it did when it slammed me on the ground.
“You pathetic weak flesh.” It screams, snarling and spitting blood.
Its arms are hanging, flailing around as it stomps the ground in anger. Blood is flying everywhere from its wounds. It makes a move on Meuko and me. Was that not enough? My vision is blurry, with the hobgoblin being the only thing I can focus on. Is this it? Did a make a mistake? A shape next to the hobgoblin. Sylvar appears from its right side, piercing its lungs with the short sword, just above the stomach. Sylvar pulls out the blade, followed by a massive bleeding of the same purple liquid. The sorcerer forgot about him. I cannot believe this worked.
“Barely made it.” Sylvar says.
I love this guy. Always there when I need him, bow or not.
“How… ugh… Who are you?” The hobgoblin says, dropping on the ground.
It uses the rocks behind it to rest for its last moments. Meuko and I stand up again and walk closer to it.
“What do you need from the dwarf?” I say, still trembling from the shock of that previous kick.
“Your place… We want to know… Where you are-ck… And ck-stop you...” The hobgoblin must be feeling too numb, otherwise it would be screaming with those wounds.
“Stop us… From doing what?” Meuko asks in response.
“The power you have… Why do you hide it?” The hobgoblin says. “Why do you not he...” A sigh… Followed by silence.
It is dead.
“What just happened?” Sylvar asks.
I wish I knew.
“This one… It is not even their leader… How strong is that one then?” I say, dreading the moment we might face it.
I pick up the hobgoblin’s magical staff. Maybe Blago can tell us how it works.
“For now… We run, before more of them come.” Meuko says, heading back towards the village.
We pick up our supply bag and use every last one of those bandages. We also start eating the food we brought. It is a weird thing for me… Running with one arm loose because of a knife stuck in my shoulder and eating with the other hand at the same time.
Sylvar is leading the group, so we do not spend a lot of time in the woods. We are focused on running and eating, which means there is not much of a conversation to be had. That is the case until Sylvar suddenly stopped us.
“Shh… Can you hear that?” He says.
I focus on my hearing, closing my eyes and tilting my head. I do hear something… Like a sudden movement of wind. I open my eyes again and take a closer look at Meuko. She is exhausted.
“Well… What do we do?” She says.
Sylvar gestures to stay close, moving towards the location of the sound. As we get closer, the sound becomes clear… It is a wounded animal, sneezing and whimpering behind a tree. It is the same wounded animal that helped me… The one with the two heads.