As goblins returned, so did the misery. Alice saw fear in the faces of the fighters as if suddenly they understood they could not win this fight, accepting the finality of defeat and death. Yet, they all stood firm, not running away, waiting to meet their destiny, the voice of the Prince yelling at them to stand their ground, to kill the beasts, to kill every last one of them.
The arrows that were recuperated from the ground and the bodies of dead goblins were swiftly gathered and shot again through the air. And then the shields clamored as they were held next to each other, and spears were held up, and the goblin's and human blood started to flow again.
Then suddenly it all changed again. So, when Alice heard the horned beast call for retreat, she could not believe it at first, and only after seeing the goblins dropping weapons and starting to flee did she understand that it was happening again.
She thought she won the lottery of life till she heard a horrific voice announcing how it would feast on her flash tomorrow. It instantly made her forget all about winning today’s battle, made her forget her weariness, and it did not matter where her Health or Energy stood. Her mind shifted automatically into the higher gear.
What can I do to prepare for tomorrow, help to fight them tomorrow?
At first, not a whole lot came to her mind, her body begging her to first drop down the axe that suddenly weighed a ton, and then to just drop down her whole body and just rest.
But wasn't I lying down and resting in bed for too many weeks and months already?? I know that feeling. And it was never a good one. No. I rested enough for six lifetimes, not one. This one, I stand and fight. The thoughts struck her and defiantly, she jerked up and said out loud, “No! Not again!”
Her eyes went swiftly around, trying to absorb it all. She exhaled a long breath, and she suddenly knew what had to be done.
“Capture them!” Alice yelled, seeing three goblins who were trapped between the bodies of their fallen comrades and the burning fire. “We need prisoners!!! All we can get!”
The Prince heard her clearly, and, together with a few more soldiers, they moved to carefully circle the beasts. Then they used their shields to knock the weapons out of their hands and put swords behind their necks, forcing them to go down to their knees.
Alice watched it all, not able to move much, but as soon as she saw their limbs being tied before they were thrown and tied again around a large tree, she felt an outburst of emotions she did not know could exist, looking around all happy and satisfied, thinking that the battle was finally over and that they won.
But the more she looked around, the less euphoria she felt with a sudden chill freezing and churning her stomach.
”Where is El?” she asked.
She ran around, pulling people on their shoulders, then screaming his name.
Everyone stopped and stood still, staring around, and Alice asked them, “Has anybody seen him?!?”
“He was right behind me when we ran back to the camp,” Scarface said, looking around as well. “He said to go ahead, and I went down since there were no goblins back there that could have killed him. It must be something else.”
They stared toward the dark hill from where the torches of the goblins were disappearing fast, and nobody was able to see a white gleaming sword anywhere.
“Maybe he fell into a tree and knocked himself out. I saw him stumbling once,” one of the villagers that went up with them said.
“No, I do not think that would be the case. I think he stayed back to make sure they do not come back again,” Trim said after thinking about it for a moment, “We have to trust him. Still, we should prepare for the worst. Death finds anyone in these parts way too easy.”
“Oh, it is just like him. Trying to sacrifice himself. When he comes back, I swear, I'll knock some sense into him!” Alice said, trying to be brave while at the same time could not even contemplate the possibility that her mentor had fallen to the goblins.
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But taking care of the things around could not wait and the Prince started to bark out orders, “Attend the wounded! Reform the defense! Archers get your arrows back!”
But Alice just could not let go of thinking about El and asked, “So, who was the last one of you who saw him? And where?” She intended to go back up and try to find him. She needed to see him. Either alive or dead.
“I saw the Wizard's coming down but then his light just went out,” one of the archers said. “I made sure I did not shoot in his direction, you know.”
“His light went out??” Alice asked, suddenly feeling less sure of anything.
The man nodded his head in affirmation, and Alice felt her heart start to beat fast again. “Damn fool, I swear I'll kill him if something happened to him.”
“Where? Where did you see him last?” the Prince asked and as the man pointed his finger, he added. “I'll go and look for him.”
Alice wanted to go herself but Elma stepped in front of her. “You're bleeding. We need to stop that. "
Not pleased at all, Alice looked at her and would have just brushed her off, but then the message popped into her vision.
{Warning: Your Health is deteriorating at 1 percent every minute.
Death is imminent in 30 minutes unless your body stops losing its blood}
How convenient. I have a system that works as the best AI doctor, Alice thought and then nodded her head. "Yeah, please, I need help. Please, attend my shoulder."”
“The Healer is here. She came after us with a few more people from the village. She's setting up a tent a bit down the slope-”
“No! Tell her and the rest to come here. We share the space with king soldiers. There are a lot of them that she can help here,” Alice said with stubborn determination.
“They can use my tent. Put the worst wounded in there,” the Prince offered. “And I'm looking for volunteers. We can't rest till we find out if El fell, or might be injured and needs our help. Gather some horses. Six of us will climb the hills and see if we can find him.”
“But are you sure we will not face another attack tonight?” Holgar suddenly asked them, worry and weariness on his face as Elma was bandaging his shoulder.
“I think Trim was right. That’s why El stayed behind, to make sure we do not get attacked again tonight,” Alice said, trying to stay positive and brave even though she felt too weak to speak with any definite certainty.
“Just in case, those who can still stand on their feet and are not gashing out blood should stand guards,” Trim said. “I know I will.”
El never got a chance to fight the half dozen heavily armored praetorians as one of them with a long white stripe painted over its metal chest plate said, “We were told to retreat. Lucky for you! But, we’ll get revenge on you soon enough! Get your rest old man, you’ll need it soon.”
El let them go, realizing he was in no condition to fight anymore. “I’m not sure I’d be even able to defend myself let alone attack. I need a break.”
But a break he swiftly decided not to give to himself. His feet automatically started to go up, without his mind really making a conscious decision why. In the darkness, he followed the goblins, not really looking to fight them, only following them from behind.
Until he ran into one that was growling and uttering insults at everything and everyone, expecting El to join him. But El pulled the sword out and sliced him across his belly, sending him down.
Another nearby goblin saw it and fear froze him to move and the creature could utter, “Please, don’t kill me. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t kill me. I’m not even a full-moon old.”
El thought about letting him go, but then he thought that tomorrow this same goblin might get a chance to drive a rude sword into someone’s back and eat a human flash over the fire after the battle has gone their way.
Slowly he raised his sword up to deal the creature the blow of death, expecting the goblin to rush onto him and try to kill him first. But the goblin fell to its knees and begged again for mercy.
“I’ll serve you, better than anyone had ever served you. Please, just spare me, this once.”
“I already have servants. Besides, how can you serve me? I’m not a dark lord,” El said and dropped the sword down against its exposed neck.
For some reason, that kill brought him no joy or relief.
He stood there for a second, almost too tired to think.
In the end, he sighed, turned around, and thought about going back. But he needed some answers, and he doubted he could get them down there.
So, up he went. For twenty more minutes, he climbed the hill till he saw the torches of the goblins suddenly starting to disappear up front. Up he went to follow them further and then realized the hill ended soon and a ravine opened up in front of his feet. Another hill was there in the distance and a darkness that stretched up and up. El figured it for a mountain. Seeing the first of the torches going up there, he calculated they were not more than two or three hours of walking to it.
“We’re so close!” El thought. “I could be there in an hour, maybe two. And then, maybe I can finish it all.”
“I would fall short, and they would not even know my name. I would die on this planet and nobody would know I even existed. My family name would be gone forever. No. My story does not end here. It starts here. I will not succumb to hate and heedlessly go into a fight I cannot win.”
Even as he cleared his thoughts, he could sense the evil bursting out of the mountains, he could hear it calling him and pulling him closer. And his body quivered sensing its malice.
Then he heard a distant hovering of the horses behind him and he turned around to see the Prince and his guard riding up the hill.