Chapter 7: Cursed Be My Leg
Aeden was now surrounded. This was the worst possible situation to be in. He blamed his dumb injury from earlier. “This could have easily been avoided” he chided himself through gritted teeth. He now had seven small goblins with variations of crude weaponry. The small horde crowded around him eyeing him hungrily as they smacked their lips revealing mouths filled with rotten and decaying teeth. Their breath was so putrid you could see the heat vapors escaping their mouths. It sent a chill down Aeden’s spine. He was able to defeat two earlier, but he was in top condition from before. A cold soul crushing truth running to the forefront of his mind, he was probably going to die. However thankfully his natural instincts kicked in forcing the decision between fight or flight and since he couldn’t escape, he chose fight. He quickly picked up a small piece of one of the ruins as a makeshift weapon just like before. ‘Well at least he wasn’t going to go without a fight,’ he thought to himself. Aeden was in a new world; with a system he couldn’t wait to explore and maybe even abuse if he was lucky. He wasn't about to be taken out at the starting line of his new life.
Not wanting the goblins to dictate the course of the battle Aeden quickly sprang into action lunging at the closet goblin to his right. He couldn’t afford to be on the defensive lest they all jump him. He pounced on the small creature throwing two quick blows on the goblin. It reeled back at Aeden’s quick consecutive attacks. The two blows seemed to do more damage this time it was bleeding already, and it was dazed a little. However, he was quickly ripped from his thoughts as the other goblins tried to pounce on him. He quickly dodged to the left receiving a small cut on his back from one of the goblins. When he stopped, he then quickly spun around landing a quick swipe with the piece of rubble in his hand. The attack hit the back of one of the goblins' heads. It fell as two goblins quickly changed course and began to simultaneously strike at Aeden. Aeden kept dodging backwards as the onslaught from the goblins continued. The pain was shooting through his leg like lightning. He knew he should be putting so much pressure on his injured leg but that was the least of his worries cause if he stopped, he’d probably be dead with five seconds. Aeden kept dodging until he saw an opportunity. One of the goblins stumbled, Aeden quickly struck it on the head with a loud ‘thud’, and the goblin dropped its knife clutching its head as a little blood started to trickle down it heads. The small creature seemed stun unable to move just writhing in pain where it stood.
Aeden heard a ‘ding’ go off but there was no time to check.
Another goblin saw its chance and cut Aeden's left arm. Aeden winced and hissed as he fell back a few steps clutching his arm as fresh blood began to fall down the length of his arm and cover his other hand. Another goblin struck as well, slicing Aeden around the right side of his ribs but thankfully Aeden was able to pull away only being grazed. Aeden was being surrounded again. “This was it huh? Brought to a new world only to lose to a pack of goblins. Seriously how pathetic am I.” He thought to himself. The group of goblins began to laugh in a high pitch cackle as they tightened their circle around Aeden. As the goblins were about to strike a yell broke the momentary silence in Aeden’s mind as Erika came out of nowhere wielding a thick tree branch as makeshift club and struck the closet goblin. The goblin reeled back, having been struck in the face. As all the goblins turned to face the new contender to the melee. Aeden saw his chance and grabbed the goblin in front of him dishing out a rapid series of hard blows to the goblins face with the fragment of the ruin he picked up. The goblins face imploded slightly, he dropped it and quickly changed targets.
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Erika wielded the club with a wild fury, repeatedly smacking the goblin she had initially struck until its face was a bloody mess. She quickly turned as another one began to charge her. This one was already bloody, so it just made it easier to handle for her. She brought the club back and delivered a fast side swipe like a baseball bat to the goblins head, its head spun 180 degrees. Erika never fought anyone before, but she couldn’t believe she was that strong. There was a disturbing crack as the branch made contact as it did. She didn’t let that faze her though as she fully committed into the fight.
She turned to face another goblin that began to square up with her. The goblin began to shift left then right before striking with a fast swipe close to her neck. She fell onto her back after losing her footing trying to dodge. It quickly tried to deliver a finishing blow, but Aeden quickly turned face on his heel to strike the goblin knocking it to the side. Aeden jumped on the fallen goblin delivering three rapid devastating blows until its face also caved in with a loud ‘crack’ followed by a squelching sound as the goblin splattered blue blood onto Aeden.
Aeden reached out a helping hand to hoist Erika back to her feet. As Erika rose they prepared themselves for the last three goblins.
The three goblins regrouped and looked nervously at each other. Talking to one another in a high pitch almost whining sound. The three goblins looked nervously as their short conversation finished, but the three steeled themselves to try and finish off the two larger creatures. They did out number them after all and they had struck the slightly taller one a few times. Then they could eat them after all, they didn’t get to eat much from the harvesting an hour ago. They lost much to the larger creatures that share the ruins deeper down. The goblin trio would do what they do best. Surround and strike.
The three goblins moved fast spreading out so they could split the focus of the two tall beings. Leaving the third to strike which ever one they thought they could get. Aeden saw what the were trying to do and shouted a warning to Erika to be careful of the third goblin that stayed in the middle. Erika shouted to let her handle the third because she had a longer reach with the branch and she wasn’t injured. Aeden nodded. He would try to finish the one charging him as quickly as possible to go and help her. Refusing to be put on the defensive again, Aeden jumped the one that was trying to flank him. He quickly rushed it, throwing a quick fist at the goblin. But the goblin had watched the creature do that to his pack brothers and sisters, it wouldn’t happen to him. The goblin dodged out of the way of the fist only to be kicked by the tall creature sending it tumbling back.
Aeden then quickly turned to engage the spare goblin waiting for the chance to strike, he wouldn’t give it any time. While Aeden was holding off the other two Erika sprang into action swiping wildly at her own goblin. It dodged her attempts to strike it, retaliating with its dagger whenever it saw the opportunity. The goblin was dodging her swipes very well, so she switched to a stabbing motion and hit the goblin hard in the chest. The goblin backed up slightly holding its chest but quickly recovered from the strike only to realize the other creature was faster as a second strike was already coming towards its head. Erika brought the branch down like a sledgehammer leaving a crushed skull in her wake. The blow connected and the goblin fell it was either dead or unconscious and she really hoped it was dead. The strike however wasn’t enough It tried to rise but Erika repeatedly slammed blows to its head over and over until the goblin stopped moving.
As Erika turned to help Aeden, she realized she wouldn’t have to do much because Aeden seemed determined to finish the fight himself.