Chapter 7: Carnage [II]
GOU POV:
This doesn’t look good. There are about 140 people left in the arena, and I won’t be able to protect both myself and Rock at the same time. It would be best if we could retreat and gather our strength. But where? The whole arena is engulfed in battle. "Rock, listen to me, we need to make our way to the wall." But is that the best move? Right now, we don’t have a better idea...
ROCK POV:
[You're bleeding; your health decreases [-1hp] every 20 minutes]
Damn, if this keeps up, I’ll bleed out soon. I can’t do anything about it; I need to stick with Gou—maybe by some luck, I’ll survive. I'm really pathetic; Gou has saved my life several times, and I’m using him as a shield to survive. Who's the real monster here?
We started running towards the arena wall, looking around for the best route to avoid fights. Of course, in some moments, combat was unavoidable. Despite losing an arm, I still felt like the limb was there. Maybe there’s some magic that could restore it? No. I can’t afford to think positively.
"Rock—enemy ahead, get behind me." After hearing those words, I felt truly pathetic. Get behind him? Am I really unable to do anything but leech off others' strength? "Don’t worry about me; if this is my end, so be it," I replied, frustrated by my helplessness. "Don’t worry about you? We’re friends, of course I’ll worry—just to be clear, I’m not doing this for you; I’m doing it for myself." In truth, those were exactly the words I needed to hear. Gou, thank you. A glimmer of hope appearing in my voice "Of course we are; I’ve got your back," I replied. Two centaurs were heading our way.
Gou blocked both attacks simultaneously. For a moment, I felt a strange sensation—I knew exactly what to do, as if all my senses had sharpened. I leaped from Gou’s back, landing directly on one of the centaurs' backs. Before he could react, I drove a dagger straight into his heart. [You killed a centaur] [You gained 20 experience]
[A special condition has been met] [You have unlocked a new active skill] [D] Backstab
GOU POV:
Good job, Rock, now it’s my turn.
ROCK POV:
Gou took advantage of the second centaur's hesitation and launched an attack. The centaur, however, dodged at the last moment. Gou didn't give him time to think and immediately attacked again with a powerful thrust. The spear pierced the centaur's shoulder, causing him to drop his weapon in pain. However, Gou didn't finish him off. "Leave him, he’ll die soon enough—let’s keep moving," he said with confidence, but I sensed that it wasn’t really about the centaur dying soon. Gou simply didn’t want to kill him. I’m not sure if it was out of mercy or because he detests fighting, but one thing is certain: this panda truly has a heart of gold.
Stolen story; please report.
We started running again, and luckily, we managed to avoid further combat and finally reached the coliseum wall. "How are you holding up?" Gou asked me. "Never felt better," I replied. "Haha, if you have the strength to joke, then it’s not that bad," Gou answered with a slight smile on his face.
Twenty minutes passed, and we just watched the ongoing terror in the arena. Only about 100 people were left alive, and the spectators in the stands were eagerly waiting to see who would emerge as the victor of this slaughter. Taking advantage of the brief respite, I opened my status:
Name: Rock
Age: 1 year
Race: Goblin
Class: None
Titles: -
Level: 4 [38/80]
Stats:
* HP: 14/30
* MP: ?/?
* Strength: 4 (-1)
* Stamina: 6
* Agility: 8 (-2)
* Intelligence: 3
* Intuition: 6
Skills:
Passive:
* [S+] Hero's Guide
* [A] Self-awareness Eye
* [A-] Polýglōssos
* [F] Beginner Dagger Proficiency
* Effect: Increases dagger proficiency by x1.1
Active:
* [D] Backstab
* Effect: Your attacks from behind are x1.5 stronger
Affiliation: Slave of Freypass Kingdom
Assuming I don’t take any more hits, I’ll bleed out in about 4 hours. Damn, this isn’t good. At least I got a new skill. But that’s not enough. We need to somehow increase our chances of survival. Maybe we should form a temporary alliance with someone else. No, that’s pointless—why would anyone trust us not to stab them in the back during the fight?
While I was lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice that the cheers of the crowd were turning into screams of terror. Everyone began rising from their seats and heading in an unknown direction. Suddenly, the same low voice as before started broadcasting a message. "We are under attack. I repeat, we are under attack. All citizens are advised to seek safe shelter immediately. All soldiers are instructed to eliminate the prisoners as quickly as possible and prepare for the incoming battle."
Before anyone could react, large black dots began flying over the arena. Everyone was in the same state of shock. As I looked closer, they weren't dots but flying creatures resembling wyverns. I had no idea what was happening. Maybe this is our chance to survive, I thought. For a moment, all fights ceased. Everyone was staring at the wyverns as a few of them started heading in our direction.
After a few moments, they landed in the middle of the arena. Before I could notice the riders on their backs, I heard a voice. The voice sent a shiver through my whole body, not because of the words spoken, but because of the intense hatred it carried. "Why do you fight among yourselves?!!! We all know who our true enemy is!!! All who can still fight; will you take your lives into your own hands or watch the death of your kin?!! Let's show them what the monsters they call us truly mean!!"