Goblins were all around us now, little green men and women, some bigger, some in mounts.

They were congregrating, streams of them coming from different streets, but all going towards the same place.

The intersection where they come to die.

Spells and arrows, even the sound of guns rattling rapidly came from just out of view. I saw a woman in robes, like that worn by someone versed in martial arts. She jumped into the cascading waves of goblins, followed by other people, some wearing armor that obscured whether or not they truly were human.

They clashed with the monsters of greed, pushing them back, and killing the fuckers. The woman at the lead had her entire arm bit off by a warg, and the humans retreated, more spells shooting out from what I can now see was an entire encampment of them.

The goblins were raiding a human settlement.

I neighed at Flaze, loud enough to be heard through the clamor. She nodded as I observed our surroundings, a majority of goblins and adjacent creatures, the other kinds likely driven out of here or killed.

Few of the goblins remained hostile towards us, or at least they didn't pay us any attention. They were completely and fully hellbent on taking out that outpost, two stragglers like ourselves don't even register.

They dare to ignore me...!

Just kidding.

"Over there." Flaze said, and I ran towards the direction she pulled. A two story salon, we went towards, she sent her clone ahead to scout while I stopped running. My Longstrider had not been active, and I can rely on it in case the goblins suddenly decide that accessible prey was more delicious than those that bunched together.

"It's safe." Flaze said, and I trusted her word.

I entered the salon. It was thrashed, the remnants of a battle. I assumed the goblins have been here before, and took out hatever or whoever was inside. Now, the green fuckers were too busy to bother.

"Goblin mage on the second floor. Level 51. It was sleeping, so I actually managed to kill it with my knight clone. Hacked its neck over and over until its head came off."

Sick. I neighed.In a good way.

She gave a smug nod, getting off my back.

We sat in the middle of the ruined building, staring at each other.

"So." Flaze started. "What do you think we should do?"

Take a different route. Escape. I stretched my horse head sideways, pointing at a distance far away.

"Hmm. Run." Flaze nodded. "Perfectly fine. But, counterpoint. Those humans, they might have information, they might know about our friends, the people we're currently looking for. It's certainly possible. There's plenty of merit in making contact."

And you want to help. I neighed, and nudged at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know, Jackal. Maybe. But it's mainly to achieve our current objective. I'm not trying to be a hero. I don't think we have the strength to turn the tides anyway. What's two new people added to there roster really going to accomplish?"

I pointed down, where our feet were planted. Then how about we stay here? We can ask them later.

Flaze furrowed her brows. "We can... do that. But is it not better to ingratiate ourselves to them to grease the wheels a little? A good opportunity also to grind some levels. It's also a whole new scenario, an army against another whole army. How would experience be awarded then? Are you not curious?"

I chuckled, before laughing. I gave her a long nod. True. All true. I think that reasoning is sound. I pointed my hoof at Flaze. But you really just want to help, don't you?

Just admit it. I neighed, then pointed at myself, shrugging. I will help you out if you wish anyway.

Flaze sighed. "Fine. Maybe part of it is indeed helping. But that's just a part of my motivation. I'm done 'selflessly' offering my help. They'll only get themselves killed sooner or later anyway."

I kept quiet after that. I considered whether I should even do this next part. But I thought it important, a subject that must be broached.

I neighed to get her attention. I summoned a fireball, and had it circle around. The blood red orb of flames sailed through the air and met its target.

My face.

Flaze scrunched her brows. "They might attack us."

I nodded.

"...You're right."

I am.

I pointed at myself.

"You specially. Yeah. That's true."

Flaze pondered it for a second as we heard from outside, the constant noises of battle.

"It think it'd be fine." She finally said. "As long as we're careful, and they clearly see us as allies, I doubt they'd be stupid enough to turn on us mid battle."

Flaze laid out her plan, and while I'd really much rather just go around them and not get involved, I chose to go along with her idea.

It's nice in a way, nostalgic. To have her dragging me into some stupid altruistic bullshit.

That used to be enough.

~~~

Flaze rode on my back wearing a Squire's attire. We were headed straight for the thick of the fighting, and I definitely felt the heavy gaze of the many people on defense. They're taking us as another threat.

I knew this was a bad idea.

I turned, suddenly, and kicked a boar with the proper momentum, Horsekick Gambit enhanced by my speed. The goblin on its back lurched and fell, promptly hit in the head by Squire Flaze who'd been sitting on my back. He was rendered unconscious, knocked out, and I stopped, looking at the humans who watched.

"People!" Flaze shouted from my back. "Fellow humans!" That certainly sounded legit. "We are not here to harm you. We are allies, we bring aid!"

Wow. I think I want to vote for her now.

I laughed.

She smacked me in the head. "Be serious."

Okay. Okay. I neighed, running towards more goblins who were focused on breaking the defensive perimeter set up by the humans.

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Spikes of wood, metal, and earth stuck out of the ground with a slant, pointing towards the approaching goblins, erected in between two large reinforced buildings to create a defensive line. Wolves, boars and other mounts were skewered as they came close, regular goblins walking on foot were hindered in their passing, the two surrounding building sealed off from entry funneling them all into a single kill zone.

It wasn't just those nearby skycrapers either. Much of the surrounding structures were blockaded, preventing enemy troops from taking a roundabout route, though I question if they're even clever enough for such tactics to begin with.

Fire, lightning, ice, and other elements rained down from above, the upper floors of the two main buildings apparently occupied by mages and archers. Perhaps those with guns as well, the weapon still useful, if not a bit unstable because of magic, prone to just spontaneously failing.

[Hellish Fireball].

I cast the same spell over and over, where more goblins were gathered. They were set alight by the dozens, panic rising through their ranks upon each deafening explosion, some near-instantly killed, despite their levels averaging at around 40. Inexplicably high for goblins.

They continued to charge for the human settlement, the few deciding to come after us easily felled by my kicks and Flaze's double impact strikes, the power of her squire form rising with every passing second of struggle.

Supporting spells also came from the defending humans, the people having decided that we were to be trusted, or at least left alone because we were helping. For now.

Projectiles rained down on the goblins, the creatures confused, unable to decide on their target. Some were driven to attack their allies, my hellflames sowing chaos, and the blinding light of my kicks adding to the confusion.

I activated Trailblazer in order to give us even more of an advantage as we weaved through the hordes of goblins hellbent on destroying this settlement that we have nothing to do with.

I jumped up as a pressurized waved of water pushed a party of goblins away, a large hobgoblin was toppled, her face smashed in by the karate woman who's now missing an arm.

She looked at us, and nodded. We returned the gesture, before we got right back to our own battles. The stump of her limb seems to have healed, but the arm itself has not regrown. Best remember that.

I found myself surrounded by four hobgoblin warriors, one barehanded, the other wielding a sword, and the remaining two sticking with clubs. Their levels were around our own, the clothes they wore ripped as if the person wearing them had expanded in size like a balloon.

I kicked one away as they charge, the other pushed back and distracted by my fireball. Flaze smashed one in the head, but one more remained with a large sword ready to cleave us in half. I braced myself and twisted around to direct the attack somewhere less lethal, and the goblin conspired as well for his own failure, for his slash veered right off at the last second, only managing a tiny slice to my rear. Still unpleasant. My ass is not for poking.

He grunted and struggled, and I saw his foot wrapped around by roots and vines.

Someone from beyond the fortifications set up by the people here had saved us, and I recognized who it was that did it.

A face somewhat familiar, a trimmed beard and a stern but friendly face.

It's Philip! I neighed, and Flaze responded eagerly.

"It is Philip! He survived! That's great!" She said in between hitting another goblin that was her target two more times, until its eyes bulged out and its body fell like a puppet with its strings cut. A notification resounded in my head, and we were sure we had killed it.

Flaze screamed, and both the rage of battle and the excitement of reuniting with a friend. She clobbered the goblin with its foot stuck, the slashes of his blade easily parried. The other two were kept back with both my kicks and fireballs.

The goblin Flaze was beating on finally died, his skull cracked open in many places. Another two fell in much the same way, already gravely weakened by my attacks, and Flaze having grown stronger throughout this entire battle.

More goblins broke away from attacking the human fortification, instead turning around to come after us. I felt the familiar pull of a Taunt in my head, more goblin riders and their mounts charging for us.

I immediately used Blessed Heal on both myself and Flaze, as I quickly turned around and kicked an approaching wolf in the face.

That gave a bright flash of light that dazed the creature and I ran for it before more could react.

I dashed through the streets followed by many riders, few of the goblins on foot able to follow, even the ones with mounts having trouble with my yet unenhanced speed.

But these goblins kept coming, their numbers remain an unending tide aimed for the fortification that we'd just helped. I went against a whole stream of them as I fled, and I had to evade them as I ran away from the riders that managed to pursue.

Something that I'm graceful enough to do, but these green fuckers and their steeds weren't quite as practiced, the mounts colliding against the approaching tide, leading to much infighting.

No other sight pleases me more.

Bolts and arrows shot towards us as we went, and I deftly dodged them, though one still managed to pierce me in the ass. Again. Why?

Flaze pulled it out, and I healed the damage away. She was swatting much of the barrage out of the air herself, and we briefly debated the merits of switching to her knight form now.

"No. The existing boost to my squire form is too much to pass up."

I jumped on top of a flipped over car and stepped on the face of goblin classified as a tank. Using her as a platform, I landed on a more empty part of the street, but I was still under pursuit by the green beings.

A boar charged straight for my position, wolves lungingfrom many directions. I was surrounded now, until half of the approaching enemies suddenly turned around, enraged by a new target that had entered the scene.

Flaze Clone. Knight Form. She'd been hiding nearby all this time, ready to aid our retreat.

Flaze slammed her wooden sword unto a wolf, along with its rider. I quickly jumped for that opening, dodging a charging boar and running away into the wider roads.

The number of new goblins we still came across quickly dwindled, so many of their numbers clearly dedicated to invading that human base. I ran away still from many goblin riders, many of them unable to be pulled away by Flaze's single clone. A clone that had just recently died.

Another boar came charging for me, the goblin on top had a whip that sailed towards us.

Flaze swatted the whip away, and I veered off course from the boar that approached, kicking it as I dodged its course.

The boar was lit on hellfire, the goblin on top staggered. Flaze created another clone of herself, a squire already charged up to the limit.

The clone jumped towards the fallen goblin, quickly killing it, before working on the boar. The beast was not so easily felled, but it raged with her on top, the monster serving as a hindrance and perhaps an executioner for even more of our enemies.

Here lies Clone Number 2235987.

She too died, so we may live.

A wolf caught up to me, and I kicked it in the head, light flashed from the impact. Another wolf and then a horse, I just kept on kicking them from behind whenever they got close, my Horsekick Gambit enhanced by my current speed.

Flaze also attacked them whenever they drew near, mainly aiming for the riders atop their mounts. She even elected to use her shockwave ability as an actual ranged attack from time to time, as its damage had gotten buffed to high heavens. Not enough to actually kill by itself, not against these goblins that are inexplicably high level, but more than enough to stagger, and even dismount them in certain cases.

We kept up this same pattern for a while, seldom did we come across new goblins now. I could have pulled us completely away from the battle with Longstrider at any time, but we had decided to kill us many of these fuckers by ourselves as humanly, and horsely, possible. Just as much assistance to our new apparent allies, as it is to feed our growing power.

A pursuing horse collapsed behind me, along with its rider. Another, a boar, had its rider killed, and it proceeded to turn on its allies. More wolves were felled by my kicks and we circled around to finish off their once riders. I had long since stopped using my fireball, the skill costing too much mana, the fatigue easily unmanageable in this long of a battle.

There was only one goblin remaining now. A hobgoblin, really. Level 80, and wielding a crossbow.

A bolt shot for me, and I hurriedly jumped to the side. He knocked another arrow, but we were already right next to him by the time he was ready to shoot.

[Horsekick Gambit].

I turned around and kicked him with my hind legs. Hellflames triggered. Flaze too smashed him in the head with our passing.

I hurriedly circled back around and kicked to the burning hobgoblin again, while Flaze slashed at his head with her dull wooden sword, the impact further enhanced thanks to the speed I was going at.

A crossbow bolt managed to find itself lodged into my side during that exchange. Flaze pulled it out, I healed, and then hit him with my curse.

The goblin staggered, a fireball exploded on top of him, followed by another drive by from the both of us, ripping flesh off his head, and blinding him with light.

He staggered again, the goblins eyes widening when he finally regained his bearings. I reared up, crashing right on top of him. I kicked at the monster repeatedly in a storm of light and fire. He retaliated, punching and struggling, the monster's crossbow crushed and punted away. It still hurt, he was still higher level than ourselves, but nothing unmanageable.

Flaze jumped down from my back and we both battered his dying form. The goblin gave weakening shrieks and protests as all the bones in his body broke, ultimately ending with both Flaze and myself simultaneously stomping on his head, cracking it open like a watermelon in summer.

His hands, previously clawing and punching at us fell, motionless. His head had exploded into splatters amid green and red, and I slapped a heal into both myself and Flaze as I took in the sight. Of the death and carnage left in our wake.

Not just the crossbow-wielding goblin, but of the dozens that we killed on our way here.

"That was intense."

That was fun. I neighed. A bright smile blossomed on my face.