The warg charges at full speed through the woods. Snow falls slowly, and little. The wind whistles loudly in my ears as I ready the crossbow. All I need to do is keep them occupied, if I let them get to the camp we could defend, sure, but against a force that big? It would be a matter of hours at most.
I have thirty bolts.
And I know that the enemy has many more. The bandits and the hunters that captured Nojus and his Huani, all had crossbows and bows. To fight them in the woods surrounded by trees is the best chance we have right now. They won't know it's just us, so we can delay their march for as long as we maintain the illusion.
The warg's feet make a loud thump each time they strike the earth. Like a heartbeat.
I know these woods well enough, we passed the small stream we use to collect water a while ago. The trees are already growing larger, and the sky is still somewhat orange. Is early in the morning.
We pass the third goblin, who is rushing back to camp as told to do. It won't be long now.
My mind goes over everything that could go wrong. They had horses, so they will be likely the first we find, scouting ahead. Surely they must have heard the horns, so they are prepared and their scouts spread apart. Bandits will be ahead, and most of them must be with Andrei right now. I know he is taking another path with a force of his own...he knows what I'm capable of, not just a simple goblin.
And after what I did to that village deeper inside the human territory, I'm certain that whoever is in charge of this army will take him more seriously if he tells them to be aware of me.
The kids.
Those with the golden sword, will there be more? Glancing at the tree trunks flashing in front of me I see the phantom of that child, dozens of it, staring at me in silence. They know no words will work this time.
It doesn't matter what they are, who they are, or why are they here. I will not hesitate, I will not stop.
They are nothing...just the enemy.
Dandrie summons her spear and I am ready for battle. My mind is clear and my hand steady. Where is she looking at? I can't even see what is she aiming at when she throws her spear and it sours high above the trees, and much faster than the warg. She repeats this three more times, in slightly different directions not too far from each other, when I hear the sound of a trumpet.
They know we are here.
Is she betraying me? My doubt is soon cleared when first comes the smell of blood. Then a horse without a rider runs away wildly, and soon after, the dead body of a soldier covered in furs, a hole through his chestplate. Those must be scouts I expected, How did she know exactly where they were?!
A second body, it's still alive, but barely.
She summons her spear, and it remains in her hand. I raise my crossbow.
There they are.
A mass of countless men pack together as they raise their wooden shields with iron corners. Many banners of their lords and masters are painted on their circular surfaces. There are only a handful of bandits, but they are not ahead of the group. Instead, they are behind, crossbows held firmly in their hands.
In front of the group are the hunters.
Their pelts of many animals and fancier clothing mark them out. They wear a long chainmail covering most of their faces, and an animal head on top of it or their shoulders. Long, three-meter-long spears form an impassable barricade in front of the many shields, any cavalry charge would prove deathly.
I don't need to tell Dandrie what to do, she knows exactly what we have to do. The warg jumps to the side as a barrage of bolts fly past us, any other that almost makes it is stopped by Dandrie and her spear that she throws as soon as the bolts stop coming. Impaling not only the man with the shield raised but two others behind him as well.
They remain suspended in place by the magical spear for a few seconds, enough to listen to their drowned wails before Dandrie summons another making it vanish and letting their twisting bodies fall to the redden snow.
I shake my head and let the stupor fade away. I too must get to work.
Together we shoot and throw. My bolts forcing them to raise their shields or drop to their knees. Giving her the perfect chance to make them choose, themselves, or those behind them.
For many, the choice is obvious. Dandrie readies to throw and they jump away, always costing a life or two. Often a limb is torn clean from their bodies as the spear travels like a deathly arrow of immense power.
Those to move away leave their sides exposed, and my aim is almost always ideal.
The bolts soon begin to fill their torsos, legs, occasionally a head or two. Had I carried a bow with me there is no guarantee my shots would have penetrated their protection, but with this deadly weapon, that is no issue most of the time.
Soon I notice the warg starting to slow down, he has been running for too long. His breaths are heavy, and he runs slower with each passing second. I glance around and there is still no sight of my men, where are they?! I'm about to run out of bolts and-
"YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH O' FUCKIN' TRASH!"
From among the group of dozens of men, a man shoves his way past them all. Exposing himself to us cleanly. He is large and heavy. With not a single piece of steel armor protecting his body. Instead, it is all leather, cloth, and belts with rows after rows of bolts. His skin is tanned, and above his bushy brown beard and thick eyebrows there is no hair. Only a bald with scars and golden piercings on his ears. His face is hard and square.
Something draws my attention above it all. What looks like a large, fox tail. Silver in color, resting on his shoulders.
Lifting the biggest, most ornate crossbow I have ever seen he takes aim. Dandrie suddenly forces the warg to charge straight at them when the man shoots his crossbow and not one, but five bolts travel so fast that I don't even see them.
I only feel them, when two of them go right through me, one on my shoulder, the other on my neck.
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Pushed back by the sheer force of the bolts I drop to the ground, looking briefly at how the warg collapses after a bolt goes through him, and Dandrie has jumped. Her spear in hand ready to strike at the humans preparing to try to impale her.
And finally, the skirmish is over. Now, it's chaos.
With no bolt stuck to my flesh, I gush out blood twice before they close completely. Raising to my feet the humans have all turned their attention to her, turning their backs on me. And even though I'm feeling the bloodlust take over, I can't help but be shocked by the brutality of this woman.
With unmatched strength, she punches the humans, and whatever body part has the misfortune of receiving it, explodes brutally, painting it all crimson. Her spear cuts heads off and impales trios of men with ease. And despite all this bloodshed, her movements are no less than captivating.
It reminds me of Mina, back at the whore house. Nothing short of an elaborate, graceful dance as she moves through the piled-up men, the same way water does as it escapes through your fingers when trying to hold as much as you can by hand.
But this is short. There are dozens, and they begin to strike at her, some shoot their crossbows, and while most miss, a few hit, and her blood is spilled together with that of men. If she were not here...I have no doubt there would be no chance of getting away from this situation alive.
It's time to remind them that she is not alone.
So focused on her, I doubt they register what killed them when my blade cuts their lives short. Bandits get disemboweled since they wear the least protection and I need to move fast. The hunters meanwhile are more attentive and soon catch on to me. But trapped in close combat, they are nothing compared to me.
I kill a dozen before my blade gets stuck in a human's body. And I pick whatever closest weapon I find abandoned on the ground. A charged crossbow is shot. Then a knife is stuck in someone's leg.
Finally, their neck is cut open. And when I have no weapon in hand, rather than reaching for my daggers I let the urge take over and tear their flesh with my teeth.
The war cries turn desperate, and together with Dandrie we are causing panic, and what's more, we have killed half of them already. Are actually capable of dealing with this army on our own?
But the sound of galloping hoofs makes it clear, this was not all they had to offer.
From among the woods, many more humans appear, all atop horses, with large spears or bows. But it doesn't matter, I will not stop, no matter how many cuts or bolts are stuck in my body, Until I'm drained of blood I will keep fighting!
I move like a phantom myself as if my body is untouchable dodging the arrows and deflecting them with my two daggers until one of the horsemen tries to charge and go through me with his spear. I jump on top of it and run up to him through it.
His eyes are wide through his helmet before they are gone once my daggers penetrate the deepest parts of his skull.
"F-FUCK! KILL HIM!"
They thrust and swing and let their arrows free. All they do is waste their time or strike at their own companions. I jump to the nearest man and cut him open. Tearing the neck of the horse as I force it to crash on the ground to shield myself from several bolts. Grabbing a spear from the ground and thrust through another horse's neck, impaling the rider on top of it.
The large beast is, however, too heavy and crashes against me when it falls to the ground. Its weight finally breaks the last vial of healing I had with me. The burning sensation of it healing my wounds manages to snap me free from the bloodlust as I quickly lick it from the snow before it goes to waste.
Most of my wounds heal just enough as I'm forced to dodge another charge intending to end me. I get a look around.
Dandrie is still fighting, but several pieces of her armor are now missing, and I see she has been fighting with the large man, who wields a scimitar in each hand. I notice his eyes are black with purple pupils, and his veins are big and dark.
That cursed trumpet hurts my ears, how long have they been blowing it?
Feeling much more rested and energized I grab a nearby bow and shot at the man atop his horse constantly blowing the trumpet. Are there more coming? We are my men?
A scream, Dandrie.
Jerking my head back towards her I dodge a pair of bolts as I see the man having cut her torse, sending her floor flying in thin, large gashes of blood that join the already muddy ground. The man doesn't look any better than her.
Dandrie collapses to her knees. The man breathing heavily smiles widely, charging with both of his blades ready to strike. I run.
Throwing a spear at him is enough to halt his advance. And cutting my way to him we exchange blow after blow. Sparks fly and my limbs shake with the inhuman force behind each of his slashes.
"Who ARE you?!" he shouts enraged as I constantly cut him. His movements are too fast to let me deal a killing blow, but too slow to avoid all of my attacks. "Fuckin' GOBLIN!"
He catches me by surprise and kicks me straight in the chest. I feel my ribcage crack as I'm sent flying several meters away. This is not good.
Sheathing his scimitars he pulls out the massive crossbow hanging on his back with ease and aims it. Together with a dozen of his men. I jump off the ground several meters up the air, with the demonic strength that courses through my veins. My horns grow larger, and I feel every artery and vein in my body grow making all my senses even sharper.
But this won't be enough. I use the trance as the bolts are shot from their crossbows.
I see them clearly, slower than a falling leaf in autumn, I can-
AHHHHHHHHH!
WHAT IS THIS?! Everything becomes a mess of mixed images passing in front of my very eyes. The pain in my head is beyond anything I have ever felt! Worse than the pain I had when Morgana performed her ritual! I can't think! What is going on?! And among all the mess...I...what is that?
That...That is me. I'm looking at myself. The pain is gone.
I raise my hands and see no claws. In fact, I see no real body at all. Instead of flesh, I'm a flaming being floating right above my goblin self. I look around and see that the whole world is like a broken mirror. Everywhere I look I see myself looking back...but there is something else.
Something...someone. I look ahead. Where the humans came from and I see it. Another flaming body, except where my flames are color amber, the other has emerald green flames.
Suddenly I'm back in my body, what the hell just happened? I don't have time to think! Bolts strike me faster than I can react, I manage to deflect most of them, but three manage to hit me in the chest. My strengthened body no longer lets them get through me. Their force pushes me back as I fall breaking several three branches until I crash on the ground.
"That is how it's DONE!" the large man shouts howling as his hunters begin to cheer "Now get that whore outta her cacoon, I'm sure she must be worth a LOT!"
"HUMANS!" I shout with all my might and quickly get on my feet to see their confused, terrified faces.
My horns have grown large enough that I could run them through a person. My claws are heavy, and my tail is thicker, larger, and with a pointed bone at the end. The bolts are forced out of my body on their own.
"Fuckin' hell...so it is an imp," The large man says, quickly loading his crossbow, making some of the other men snap back to the present as they anxiously try to do the same, some panicking when they notice that they have no more bolts "Fuck, fuck! Not now!"
He lets the crossbow fall as he stares at his hands, seeing the black veins vanish, his eyes return to normal and he begins to look for something in his clothes. Now I see Dandrie has hidden inside her shelter of vines and roots, like the first time we met.
This is what I want. Those eyes, those pale faces. The remaining bandits whimper before running away. But I will not let them get away, none will get away. Until every last one of them is DEAD!
And the few bandits that began running away are cut to pieces. I recognize the culprit.
His dark blue cloak moves softly on the wind. His messy hair as well. And when he looks up, a large, bloodied steel sword held by a metallic...mechanical hand...he looks straight into my eyes.
"Gotz! Good! Call them all! Get everyone in here!" The large man says running towards him. The kid nods at him, he must have done so already, and yet he doesn't look away from me "Then you- Stay here! Fight that imp and become a champion! May the virtuous ones be with you and all that crap!"
All men begin to run away once their leader flees. So the kids wearing the golden sword are the last resort?
The wind blows calmly, betraying the gruesome picture painted beneath the dead branches of this winter forest. The strong odor of blood invades all, and the very ground is now muddy because of the blood and melted water.
Amidst this grim visage, I stand in front of this kid. Who hasn't even blinked since he laid eyes on me...Gotz.
Whoever you are, you are in my way.