The room reeked of sweat and dust, the wreckage of our battle scattered across the floor. My breath came fast, chest rising and falling as I sized up the Rage Goblin. He shook his head, sending bits of rubble tumbling from his shoulders. A dented iron helmet covered his eyes, leaving only his snarling mouth and jutting tusks exposed. His glowing red gaze burned through the narrow slits in the metal, locking onto me with murderous intent. Then he moved—fast.
I bolted, pushing off the ground just as his massive fist pulverized the spot where I’d stood. A shockwave of force sent debris flying, stinging my exposed skin like shrapnel. {You have lost 3 HP} I hit the ground in a roll, coming up with an arrow already nocked.
Sweat slicked my palms as I pulled the bowstring taut. His sinewy frame left little room for error—thick muscles, like iron cables, shielding most of his vital spots. The helmet protected his head, and the gaps in his armor were small. A shot to the chest or stomach wouldn’t do much. He’d power through it like it was nothing.
He turned, breath heaving, nostrils flaring. Bloodlust gleamed through the slits of his helmet, a predator scenting weakness. I moved first.
Pushing off my back foot, I sprinted left, forcing distance between us. He was fast, but he needed space to build momentum. If I could slow him down—I loosed an arrow, aiming low. It struck true, embedding deep in the joint of his knee. {You have dealt 12 damage}
The goblin let out a roar that shook the walls. He staggered forward, balance thrown off by the sudden wound. But it wasn’t enough. His snarl twisted into something darker—something that told me I’d only pissed him off. He lunged.
He was fast. Too fast. I twisted, trying to avoid the strike, but his knuckles still clipped my ribs. Pain flared, rattling my bones. {You have lost 8 HP} The impact sent me stumbling, a gasp escaping before I could stop it. Not good. I couldn't stop my momentum or find my footing and I crashed against the stone, air fleeing my lungs in a ragged gasp. {You have lost 6 HP} Stars burst in my vision, pain flaring through my ribs. Move! My fingers tightened around my bow as I forced myself upright.
The goblin’s roar echoed through the chamber, a wall of sound that rattled my bones. I scrambled backward over the rubble, my boots slipping against loose stone. I needed space—just a second to breathe. The second never came.
The Rage Goblin lunged, his massive fists swinging in a blind frenzy. I raised my bow, barely registering the slick sweat on my palms as I nocked an arrow and let it fly. The shot hit just above his eye. {You have dealt 10 damage}
He bellowed, staggering back, claws tearing at his face. Blood streaked down his cheek in dark rivulets. His fury twisted into something primal, something worse. Then he slammed both fists into the ground.
The chamber trembled. Cracks splintered outward like veins of lightning. I leapt aside, barely avoiding the worst of it—until the ground beneath me gave way. Stone crumbled under my feet. My balance shattered. I hit the floor hard, my bow skidding out of reach. {You have lost 5 HP} Pain jolted up my arms and knees, but there was no time to feel it. The goblin’s roars filled the room, shaking the very air.
I moved, rolling toward my weapon, reaching— Got it! No time to think. I flipped onto my back, raised the bow, and fired.
The arrow streaked through the dust-heavy air, aimed straight for his throat. The goblin reared back, muscles tensing, his next attack already coming. His massive fists swung down, aiming to crush me where I lay. I rolled. {You have lost 3 HP} Stone exploded where I'd been, a storm of debris pelting my skin. Dust filled my lungs, but I kept moving, scrambling for solid ground.
My fingers closed around the bow’s worn grip, and I staggered to my feet, heart hammering against my ribs. No hesitation. No time to second-guess. I aimed low and let the next arrow fly—straight for his foot. The arrow struck between the Rage Goblin’s toes.
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A screeching howl tore from his throat, raw and furious. {You have dealt 7 damage} His massive frame jerked as he stumbled back, hopping on one leg. Tremors shot up his towering body, his breath coming in ragged, seething bursts. Heat radiated off him in thick, pulsing waves, his rage so tangible it felt like standing too close to a forge.
His glowing eyes snapped to me. His pupils shrank to pinpricks. His chest heaved. The moment stretched—just long enough for dread to coil in my gut. Then he charged. He bulldozed forward, wreckage crumbling beneath his pounding feet. Each step sent violent tremors through the fractured ground. His fists swung wide, obliterating everything in his way—splintering stone, shattering debris, flattening the space where I had stood just moments ago.
I didn’t move. I held my breath, gripping my bow so tightly my knuckles ached. Wait… wait… The ground quaked beneath me. His shadow swallowed me whole. Now!
I dove to the side. The Rage Goblin barreled past, unable to halt his own momentum. His bulk slammed into the far wall with an earth-shaking CRASH. {You have dealt 15 damage} The impact splintered deep cracks through the masonry, the sound like a thunderclap in the enclosed space. Chunks of stone rained from above, dust exploding outward in a suffocating cloud.
For a second, he swayed. His snarls cut off. His entire frame shifted unsteadily. His balance wavered. Then his head snapped toward me, eyes still burning—but something had changed. There was confusion in them. A flicker of dazed uncertainty.
A weakness. Now! Muscles burning with exhaustion, I pulled an arrow from my quiver and raised my bow. My vision tunneled, the whole world shrinking down to a single target—the back of his knee.
One of the last joints still holding him up. I loosed the arrow. It struck deep, sinking into the sinew behind his knee. {You have dealt 14 damage} A guttural roar ripped from his throat, shaking the air as his leg buckled beneath him. His massive frame shuddered, sending a ripple through the dust-choked battlefield. Veins bulged along his thick neck and arms, pulsing with raw fury. But he wasn’t done.
A deep, rattling snarl rolled through his chest. Then, in a blur of motion, he lunged—dropping onto all fours, his massive bulk propelling him forward like a beast unchained. Too fast. Jagged teeth snapped inches from my face.
I twisted, moving purely on instinct, muscles screaming in protest. A flash of motion—my boots hit the edge of a shattered column, and I vaulted over it, breath tearing from my lungs. {You have lost 4 HP} The moment my feet met the ground, the loose debris betrayed me, sending me stumbling forward. No time to stop.
I spun, bowstring taut, and fired. The arrow struck deep into his shoulder joint, driving between muscle and bone. {You have dealt 11 damage} His arm wrenched downward, the sheer weight of it now a useless mass at his side. For a moment, I thought that would be it.
Then he bellowed. The sound was raw, primal—a storm of agony and defiance wrapped into one. His body convulsed, wracked with unrelenting fury, his burning eyes locking onto me with an intensity that sent ice lancing through my veins. He refused to fall.
My hand shot into my quiver, fingers closing around my final gambit—a single arrow tipped with a sliver of poison. This was my last chance. I nocked the arrow, steadying my breath. This had to end now.
The Rage Goblin’s roar shattered the air, an earth-shaking fury that rattled through my ribs. {You have lost 5 HP}. The force of it sent dust spiraling upward, shaking the broken chamber like the aftermath of a quake. I looked at my health a blinking sliver of red. Then he charged.
Every ounce of his remaining strength coiled into a final, unrelenting assault. His massive body blurred—pure muscle, pure destruction, barreling straight for me.I didn’t run. I planted my feet, heart hammering. Bowstring taut.
No second shots. No room for error. Exhale. I loosed the arrow. The shaft streaked through the dim light, a silver comet slicing through the dust-choked air. It found its mark. {You have dealt 35 critical damage}
The goblin’s eyes widened. The fire inside them flickered, rage twisting into something else. Shock. His momentum faltered. Then failed entirely.
Knees buckling, he crashed into the rubble with a final, thunderous impact. {Rage Goblin Defeated} Dust exploded outward, a thick, choking cloud that swallowed the room whole.
I stood there, panting, every muscle trembling, my bow heavy in my hands. The air was thick with the remnants of battle—stone, sweat, blood, and something deeper. The dust settled. The room fell still.
A voice curled around me, soft as mist, cold as inevitability.
"Adequate. Barely."