Gob barely heard the chanting. In his current state he was solely focused on the hobgoblin. Notably at his sword. He needed to dodge his strikes. He breathed cold night air. It filled his lungs. He was ready to gamble. He needed to gamble. He will be strong.

Spinecrack roared. He didn’t have his armor on. Just his regular pants made of the overgrown sheep one could rarely find in the mountains.

They were both ready.

In this colosseum of sorts they clashed. Spinecrack rushed Gob from the very start. Quick movements of his muscular arms were supposed to overwhelm his goblin. It wasn’t the case.

Gob dodged his attack easily. Spinecrack continued to attack. He expected Gob to fight with the spear he brought, but it wasn’t the case. Gob didn’t use any weapons. He kept dodging Hobs attack like they were nothing.

It was true that his opponent was way bigger than he was, yet his moves were easily telegraphed. He could dodge by pointing out Spinecrack’s obvious movements. Not because it was easy to spot the attack, but because the attack itself was well known to Gob.

He followed him for five years. He saw his Hob fighting many times. It wasn’t clear for someone who didn’t saw Spinecrack in action before. His attacks seemed fast and efficient, yet not for Gob. They were sluggish.

After he dodged yet another swing of the Great sword, the crowd erupted in screams. They wanted blood. His blood in particular. Blood of the weak. 

Spinecrack wasn’t as stupid. He allowed Gob to do many things in the past. He knew Gob was smart. He stopped his attacks the moment he felt his arms getting numb after swinging in the air. 

Hobgoblins were stronger than goblins. They were bigger. Sometimes bigger than humans. Their arms and legs were thick. They sometimes had hair, which was unheard of in the male goblin case. And they were always male.

Gob knew of their strength. This knowledge allowed him to find their weakness. They were strong from the start. They did not train. Their arms and legs were muscular, yet their bellies were fat. They were stronger than even some humans…

.. but rarely faster.

Spinecrack felt that something has changed in Gob. He held his sword in two hands ready for anything the goblin might bring up.

He was big and fat. Throwing the dagger at him might wield no results while dodging was ineffective. One mistake could cost Gob his life. Still, he wanted to play some more. He never went ahead in the fights. He knew the cost of mistakes. Goblins died easily. Hobgoblins died easily. Humans died easily.

With a quick swipe he left his robe on the ground. Goblins were still shouting. Not impressed with the reveal, but Gob could see the shock of the Elder and a tall goblin who stood next to him. If he recalled correctly, he was the head goblin serving the Hob chieftain.

They looked at him with glaring eyes. Goblin that looked like a hob. Without the giant belly.

Gob saw the glint of surprise in Spinecrack’s eyes. This time it was Gob who rushed him, with two long daggers in his hands. The attack was fast.

Move the leg outwards. Step back and let the horizontal swing pass you. Gob felt the air pressure applied through the hobgoblins blade. He dodged, but didn’t step back. He instead walked one step further towards the Hob.

Spinecracker was twice as big as Gob yet he couldn’t reach him with his sword when he was so close! He tried to push the goblin away with his body and felt pain in the chest. He stepped back only by pure instinct. Gob’s other blade passed his head by inches. 

He stumbled back and swung his greatsword from an uncomfortable downwards position. Gob was done for he had to jump up in order to reach Spinecrackers neck. Goblins screamed. Shocked Nozgu stood up from his chair. The blade loomed closer to still airborne Gob.

He couldn’t dodge. No matter how muscular he was he couldn’t just block an attack like this. And so he didn’t. Gob caught the incoming blade with his dagger and with a powerful twist of his body he flew away unscathed.

Spinecrack regained his posture. Just to see Gob land a few meters away. He took this blow with ease. Spinecrack’s expression changed completely. Until this point he wasn’t fighting seriously, but this technique. He remembered it.

Gob stood silent. He could feel the attack he took all over his body, but he didn’t mind this pain. He was now certain he could win. His blood rushed to his head.

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Two warriors were fighting to the death. Illuminated by the flames of the campfires. Surrounded by the tribe of greenskins screaming for blood. They were being watched by the stars shining above their heads.

The champion of the tribe armed with a giant Greatsword, adorned with a small wound on his chest, resembled the mountain. The other warrior holding two long daggers in a reverse grip resembled a certain hunter who once dared to approach said mountain.

Once again they clashed.

Move quick. Keep breathing. Don’t mind the sweat. Do not block. Dodge. Step closer. Bend your body. Attack! Fall back. Aim for the arms. Aim for the hands. Dodge!

The flurry of attacks were hard to follow. The mindless spectators remained mindlessly screaming. Nozgu did not sit back. Gob was keeping up with the hobgoblin elite. He could see that the match was close. It was too close!

Hobgoblin could lose. Gob did not attempt to attack his head anymore. He was pushed back by the reach of the sword. It wasn’t enough to stop him though. Wounds were showing up on the Spinecrack’s body.

Gob was bruised here and there but it wasn’t serious. He slowly chipped away his opponents defence. If the fight were to continue, he would win.

They came closer once more. Spinecrack tried to keep Gob in his range yet not too close to be grazed by his daggers. It was an impossible task. Gob rushed in his openings. Every time he swung he needed some time to reclaim the blade in the correct position.

Gob would always approach him in this moment. He would try to catch him when he did yet it seemed pointless. His left arm was severely bleeding. He tackled Gob a few times with his shoulders, but it only worked for a while. Gob was adapting to his opponents size.

Still it wasn’t an easy fight Gob was expecting. He was bruised and even cut in a few places when he miscalculated the size of the blade.

Spinecrack attempted to swing his great sword overhead with a single arm. Gob used this opportunity to dodge it effortlessly, yet was instead caught by Spinecracks fist. He flung his right dagger thoughtlessly which likely saved his life.

Spinecrack got painfully hit in his belly and didn’t change the way he held his sword. Gob was pushed away with the tremendous force of Spinecracks sword. He got pommeled with a dull side crushing his right arm.

He flew a short distance. Terrible pain filled his entire body. Still, he got up slowly.

Spinecrack didn’t remove the dagger that was stuck in his stomach. It was a wise decision. He would likely bleed out before the end of the duel. Which meant that he needed to kill this goblin.. No. He needed to kill Gob in the next attack.

He held the Great sword with both hands. He would rush Gob and swing with all his might. Like he killed the human hunter.

Gob checked his right arm. It barely moved. Despite the pain he took another dagger out. He changed his position. He held the swordbreaker in his right arm creating a familiar pattern he once observed.

Spinecrack roared at his sight and dashed towards his opponent. He raised his sword. Gob raised his guard. The time stopped for a short breath.

When the sword clashed against the two daggers Gob moved slightly to the right. Spinecrack didn’t prepare for that. Gob didn’t need to prove anything to the hob. The hunter failed so he could learn from his mistakes. He didn’t block the attack. He instead dodged at the last second by dropping both daggers to the ground.

He didn’t need to block. He instead kicked the dagger still intact in hobs stomach with all his might.

Hobgoblin screamed and dropped his weapon. Gob was certain of his victory. Suddenly he got caught by the Spinecracks arm. He was trying to break his neck.

With the last ounce of strength Gob draw his last fourth dagger. Hob realised he was in danger and went to block the strike with his other hand. He won’t die. Gob will be strangled. He will win.

As the dagger loomed closer Gobs other hand suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. It was too far to gouge his eyes he was safe…

The flashing light made him lose his vision and remove his grip. Gob dropped down and cut down his legs. Spinecrack fell down to the ground. He still managed to catch Gob’s right hand. It didn’t stop him. With a furious expression Gob twisted his arm. He reached for hobgoblins throat.

He stabbed him, but the thick skin stopped the blade. Spinecrack tighten his grip in order to tear Gobs arm, but it still wasn’t enough. With pain well visible on his face Gob moved his body twisting the arm Spinecrack latched onto.

With the sound of breaking bones and a mindless scream of the audience Gob hit the dagger further down hobgoblins throat. As it reached the hobgoblin's spine, he finally died.

The arena fell silent as Gob moved away from the corpse. He barely raised his left arm up.

“I am strong!”

He whispered.

He stood there in the middle of the tribe. Victorious. Watched by the stars shining above his head.