Chapter 9: Goblins
I thought about how we would handle the goblins. We didn’t know how many there would be, or how many would come out at once. Usually it would be in small groups, but with this much blood and carnage out here, they’d likely come out in big groups to protect themselves. Would Alex be able to help fight? I decided to get the answer for that question first.
“Can you stand?” I asked. He nodded, and I helped him to his feet. He wobbled a bit and grabbed hold of my shoulder. After a moment he let go and took a few careful steps. Within minutes, he could walk around mostly fine.
“Do you know how many goblins are still in that cave?” he asked.
I shook my head. “It’s different every time. Sometimes it’s as little as two, other times it’s as much as thirty.”
“I don’t think we can handle twenty-two goblins at once.” He made a good point.
“They’ll be coming out soon. I think we need to lure them to somewhere that’s advantageous to us somehow,” I said.
Alex paused, thinking. “Can’t we just do what you did before? Roar and let them come to us; wherever we decide to stand our ground?”
I shook my head. “If just loud sounds would’ve lured them out, they would’ve come out while I fought the bear.”
Alex’s face brightened as I mentioned the monster. “Oh, speaking of the bear, can’t we use that as bait?”
“That would work!” I said. I wanted to smile, but the urge faded as I remembered what he said earlier. “But it’s too far now for them to smell, we’d have to get the bear closer. And it’s too heavy to move all the way here.”
“We don’t need the whole bear, though,” Alex pointed out.
I grimaced. That wouldn’t be fun work. “No, we don’t.”
We got to work after that, and we started by finding Alex’s sword. He’d dropped it when he was attacked. It took a few minutes, but we found it eventually. It had gotten stuck in a slime, which had moved away from the battle. Good for the slime, it had survived the bear while its brethren were slurped up like soup. Too bad it had then bled to death, still impaled by the sword.
The sword was a little rusty from the slime’s acidity, but still functional. Alex put the sword in his hip scabbard for quick access.
The monster bear was easy to find. It had left an obvious trail of blood all the way through the forest up to its final resting place. Alex stared at it in awe.
“When we’re done with the goblins, you’re telling me the entire story of that fight.”
We cut a few particularly pungent pieces off the bear and took them back to the pond. We spread them around in a way that would guide them through a particularly prickly thicket of bushes—perfect for an ambush. After that, Alex took a few pieces and spread them near the cave and up to our ambush, so the goblins would come from the direction we wanted them to.
We took up shelter near a bush, where we’d stashed a bunch of fist-sized rocks. If this didn’t work, we would have to go in there and fight them in the cave. It was simply too dangerous out here at night for us not to.
While the monsters in the area were low level, they were also currently distracted by other hunters. At night, we’d be their only target. We had considered trying to find said other hunters, but the area was simply too large to search through on foot. Especially while injured. We needed the cave.
For a long time, nothing much happened, and we considered going back to get more meat from the bear. But then, just as we were about to leave, the wind shifted. Seconds later, a goblin poked its ugly green head out of the cave. Not seeing us behind the bush, it went back inside and came out with a group of about ten.
We waited until they got closer, the pungent meat covering up our own scents. They never even saw it coming. The first rock whizzed through the air and hit a goblin hard on its shoulder. I’d aimed at the head of the goblin a meter to the right, but this worked too.
The goblins stopped and screamed as one of their own dropped to the ground, yelping in pain. They cast their heads about rapidly, trying to spot where the stone had come from. They were so busy looking for us; they missed the second stone, thrown by Alex. It hit a goblin square in the face and its head snapped backwards; the goblin dropping to the ground without a sound. The others hadn’t even noticed yet, the sound of the impact covered up by their own screeching.
Alex and I threw a dozen more rocks before they figured out where they were coming from. Half of them were misses, and another four only hit limbs, but the last two were killers. The group had dwindled from eleven goblins to four healthy individuals, another four injured, and the last three dead.
Those who could still walk sprinted towards our hiding spot while the rest limped after them. Alex readied his sword and stepped out of the bush. I followed his lead. I wanted to repeat my trick with the mud so we’d have an advantage when they finally reached us, but Alex would’ve been equally affected. Not that I had the mana for that trick, anyway.
Alex’s sword cut apart the first goblin, and I jumped in and hit the second to give Alex some time to finish his goblin off. I expected their pointy sticks to glance off my scales, so I didn’t do anything to protect myself from them. Poor decision. My scales had been torn away in many places and the goblins were smart enough to know they should poke their spears there. I roared in pain as the first spear pierced my hide, not expecting it in the least.
I swiped at the culprit and it blocked with its arms, which tore off. There suddenly was a lot of jubilant screeching from the other goblins. Confused, I looked up and saw more goblins had come out of the cave and were running this way. I struck the same goblin again, and with no arms to block my attack, I tore its head off.
I threw the severed head—which I had held onto—as hard as I could at an approaching goblin, sending it stumbling back, grasping its chest where I’d hit it. It fell to the ground gasping. I rushed forwards and caved its skull in with a quick stomp before it had a chance to recover.
Another spear poked in my side. Without pulling it out, I turned on my attackers and made quick work of them.
“Felix, watch out!”
I looked up. The group of goblins from the cave had arrived and were swarming towards me, their spears held out in front of them. When they got close enough, some threw their weapons, while others tried attacking from my blind spots. These goblins were smarter than the runts we had fought previously.
At least the thicket made it difficult for them to flank me. Of course, the small monsters still found a way.
While I took care of a goblin in front of me, I felt something jump on my tail and skittering up my back. Before it had the chance to do anything, I rolled over, crushing the goblin underneath me. I roared out in agony as my stump hit the ground.
The goblins flinched at the sound but it didn’t stop them from taking advantage of my exposed underside. Several goblins took the chance to jump on me and stab their spears at my open wounds, and one daring goblin tried stabbing at my private parts. It got one stab in before I kicked it away. Luckily everything was tucked away nice and safely inside my body, and the goblin didn’t do any damage.
I was less lucky with the other goblins, and they’d reopened several cauterized wounds. With effort, I rolled back to my talons, throwing the goblins off. I stomped on a few while the other scrambled to get away. They didn’t get far, though, and found themselves at the business end of Alex’s sword. Unlike me, he appeared to be unhurt. I exhaled a breath of relief.
After Alex killed the goblins, there were only a few stragglers left. They were injured or slow, and often both. We took care of them quickly and efficiently. When the battle was finally over, I took what little mana I had regained and cleaned and cauterized my most severe wounds. I would need to spend some time cleaning the rest later.
Having taken care of my most pressing injuries, we walked towards the cave and were relieved to find it empty.
-------
Felix’s notebook: Notes on Alex
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Sorry future Felix for wasting this valuable space, but I needed somewhere to put my thoughts.
For context, we just defeated the goblins and took up temporary residence in the cave. Alex is out collecting firewood while I clean my wounds. Now, onto my ramblings.
Making friends turned out to be more difficult and complicated than I thought it would be. Or maybe that’s just people in general. Alex is my first real friend, even if we only really met yesterday. I know he might turn out just like Jake did, but I think there’s a genuine connection this time and not just his parents pushing him. Alex’s parents aren’t even here.
But what he said really hurt. Stupid right? We just met, and here I am feeling hurt he might not want to be friends anymore. Stars, I’m clingy.
I know he said it in frustration and probably didn’t mean it, but… I don’t know. Why would he say something like that? People don’t just blurt out random things. He must’ve been thinking about it, right? Or maybe it was an impulsive thought that got said out loud?
This is going nowhere. I should talk with Alex.
-------
Alex Sandclaw’s POV:
I picked up another piece of wood. It looked dry, but what did I know? It was strange and marvelous, picking wood off the ground. It just laid there, and it was everywhere. There was enough that it was a tripping hazard. Literally. I’d already tripped over a branch or root three times since I began collecting firewood. Felix made walking through the forest look so effortless. Then again, he was a little too big to trip over a root.
I sighed. I felt awful for what I had said to him. I hadn’t meant to; it had just slipped out. We were in an awful, messy situation, and it just kept getting worse. The bear, the violation of privacy, his wing, my throbbing headache, being stuck... I had wished I’d never come along, and a part of my brain whispered I wouldn’t have been here if we hadn’t been friends. Between the frustration, the confusion, and the pain, it just slipped out. I knew it was no excuse, though.
But I did want to be friends, and I most certainly didn’t regret it. Felix was kind and funny, and didn’t seem to judge me for who I was, unlike everyone else I’d met so far. And given what had happened at the library, he might not even… No, I only knew him a day, he might show his true scales yet. But even then, I didn’t want to lose this budding friendship.
I took a deep breath and placed the stick on the pile. I wasn’t going to lose the friendship. Calm down, Alex, you’re overreacting. I said something dumb and hurtful, like usual, but Felix would understand I didn’t mean it. I’d just have to talk to him.
I sighed again. He had looked so crushed. Like someone took away his favorite toy and told him he couldn’t play with it ever again. A small part of me thought he had overreacted. We had only known each other for a day, after all. The rest of me agreed I would’ve felt crushed too.
I didn't really get the full picture, but from what he’d told me, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was his first ever friend. At least I’d had friends back home. At least, I did before—I shook my head to clear the thought. If I really was the first friend he’d made… stars, now I felt even worse about what I said.
I shook my head and pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind. I couldn’t do anything about it now. When I got back, I'd have to talk to Felix.
I picked up another piece of wood and put it on the pile. I’d have to take multiple trips to get it all back, but that was fine. It would give me time to think. Felix would have to sort through the wood, but I was sure there had to be something useful in there.
I picked up as much as I could carry at once, which was quite a bit with my thirteen points in the physical Attribute, and began my journey back to the cave. When I got there, I set them down just outside on a dry stretch of rock. I wasn’t sure if it would make a difference, but it probably couldn't hurt.
I peeked inside the cave. Felix was lying on the ground in the light near the entrance, his back turned to me. Before him on the ground laid his notebook, or maybe it was his diary. I couldn’t read what it said from all the way over here and didn’t try to. Felix was looking thoughtfully at the page, pen tapping against the cold hard floor. I’d seen him write in it before at the library.
I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t want to disturb him either, so I went back to collect the rest of the pile.
On the way back through the field, I spotted something in the corner of my eye. Near the treeline, on the side of the field lay something blue. Felix blue. I was pretty sure I knew what it was and wanted nothing to do with it, but morbid curiosity took over.
When I got closer my suspicions were confirmed. Here, in the grass, laid Felix’s wing. It was large, almost twice as long as I was tall. And it was incredibly disturbing to see. That was Felix’s wing. It was supposed to be attached to Felix, but here it laid, discarded on the ground like a broken wheel. The most disturbing part however were the nibbles that had been taken out of it. Something had been eating his wing.
I turned away, nauseous. I took deep breaths and waited for my stomach to settle down. It didn’t, and I hurled my lunch all over the grass. Wiping the vomit from my maw, I looked back at the wing. It was the reason we were grounded, and I felt a vague, irrational anger toward it. Luckily, they’d placed tracking magic on us. I was still pissed about that. It felt so incredibly invasive.
And if they could do that without me noticing, what other magic could they place on me? It was a deeply unpleasant thought, and I shied away from it. At least Felix seemed fine with it, so how bad could it be? Then again, he grew up—something prodded me in the back; hard. I screamed as it slipped past the tatters of my armor and unexpectedly pierced my flesh.
I spun around and my hand went for my sword. I gritted my teeth as whatever was in my back turned the puncture wound into a cut while I turned around. When the object finally hit a piece of my armor, it slipped out and fell to the ground.
Before me stood a goblin. One small measly goblin. It looked frail, with its green skin hanging loosely over its bones. It had a wild, desperate look in its eyes. I decapitated it with a single swing of my sword.
[You have slain Goblin(lv. 1)]
[You have leveled up! 6->7. +1 to all Attributes]
“Damn goblins,” I muttered.
I checked my new wound. Unbelievable. I made it through the entire fight earlier without a scratch, but this runt of a goblin was the one to injure me?
The wound was very shallow and only bled a little. Without a doubt an effect of my Attributes. I used water from my canteen to clean it out a bit, rubbed some of the antiseptic salve on it, and finally reused a piece of bandage to cover it up. Felix had used a bit too much on my chest, so I had extra.
I also got a level out of it, which was very nice. With a quick mental command, I summoned my System status.
> [System Status Beginning]
>
> Name: Alex Sandclaw
>
> Species: Lizardkin
>
> Species subtype: Red-eyed Crocodile Skink
>
> Level: 7
>
> Mana pool: 100/110 (9 minutes until full)
>
> Attributes:
>
> Physical: 14
>
> Mental: 10
>
> Spiritual: 11
>
> Path one: Locked
>
> Path two: Locked
>
> Path three: Locked
>
> General Skills:
>
> [Internal heating]: 12
>
> [Blunt force resistance]: 5
>
> [Drawing]: 11
>
> [Empty]
>
> [Empty]
>
> [Empty]
>
> [System Status End]
My status was looking good. It might get a bit tight on Skill slots once classes started, though. Push come to shove, I could always drop [Drawing]. I’d rather not, though. I liked drawing.
The increase in my Attributes was really nice and I could already feel the extra power making a slight difference. My muscles were a bit more powerful, and my body quicker, while my senses perceived more. I was sure my mana power had increased too, but I wasn’t sure by how much; I didn’t have any magic to test it out with.
But the extra strength was definitely noticeable. I flexed my hands, reveling in the power.
I looked up when I heard a loud crashing sound coming from the forest and dropped into a combat stance. It sounded like a giant camel was coming through foliage, not caring who or what might hear it coming. Was it another bear?
Just a moment later, Felix sprinted out through the trees. He skidded towards a stop next to me.
“Alex! Are you okay? I heard you screaming!”
“I’m okay,” I reassured him. “It was just a goblin.”
He sagged in relief—and probably exhaustion. “Thank the stars. I heard you screaming and feared the worst.”
“I can handle a goblin.” I felt slightly offended, but it was overshadowed by the sheer warmth I felt at his concern.
“I know you can, but for all I knew it was another dire bear.”
“You thought it might be a dire bear and ran towards me, anyway?” I asked, incredulous.
“What else was I supposed to do? Let you die? I’m glad it wasn’t though. But what was a goblin doing all the way out—oh.” He’d spotted the wing, which had bites taken out of it. With great effort, he tore his gaze away, and back to me. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel about this. This was the second time he’d come to my rescue, even if the second time was a false alarm. I was ashamed to admit it, but I didn’t think I would’ve done the same had I been in his scales. Or maybe I would’ve. There was no way to know now.
And I hadn’t even thanked him for it, I realized.
“I forgot to say earlier, but thank you for saving my life. I would’ve been sandsnake food if you hadn’t killed the bear. So, thank you, and sorry about your wing.”
He smiled at me, but there was a hint of sadness to it. “You’re my friend. I think. I couldn’t just let you die.”
I sighed. No time better than the present, I supposed. “Felix, can we talk about what I said earlier?”