RUSTY

The clamor of the crowd erupted like a tidal wave, crashing down upon Rusty's sensitive ears. His heart raced, quickened by the anticipation of battle and the chaotic energy that filled the air. The arena stretched out before them, a mostly flat plain of shifting shells that crunched and scraped underfoot, the space broken up by random assortments of barrels and crates and the one large pile of stones that might be used for cover.

"Stick close!" Jiho ordered, his voice barely intelligible over the din of the crowd. Chul, Seok, and Rusty instinctively drew nearer to him, their eyes darting around as they assessed the terrain and their opponents. He wasn’t the strongest among them by far, but his confidence was something to cling to. The melee was already underway, and the gang had spent the first few harried minutes running around together, trying to stay out of the way of the other candidates. As Rusty and the goblins struggled to maintain balance on the treacherous ground, the sharp edges of the shells cutting into their feet, Chul seemed to have no trouble keeping his footing, his [Terrain Mastery] already showing its usefulness.

"Watch out!" Jiho yelled as Grizzletooth surged by them. The seasoned [Skirmisher] charged ahead with a fearsome battle cry, bound for an opponent he obviously found far more interesting than the gang. Rusty squinted against the bright sun overhead, wondering how he had convinced himself they could survive this, as he watched Grizzletooth engage Yellsmash in a brutal clash of strength.

Despite his headlong rush, Grizzletooth's style was methodical, honed through long experience. His movements, though burdened by years, displayed finesse that could only have been developed over countless battles.

Yellsmash cared nothing for grace or discipline. He swung his iron-capped club with wild abandon, each strike an all-out assault, risking everything every second, relying on sheer ferocity to overwhelm his opponent.

As they came together, ax met club with a sound that echoed across the arena. Grizzletooth’s next strike was meant for Yellsmash's shoulder, but it was deflected at the last moment by a crazed backswing.

The noise of the crowd seemed to fade away as the two biggest goblins engaged in a personal duel. Grizzletooth adapted quickly. A twist of his torso and a swift sidestep allowed him to avoid a savage overhead swing from Yellsmash. Before Yellsmash could recover, Grizzletooth aimed a kick at his opponent’s knee, but the barbarian shifted his feet unconsciously, turning the attempt into a stumble.

To Rusty’s untrained eye, they were a storm of motion, but it seemed to him that Grizzletooth was aiming to disable, rather than kill, his opponent. Yellsmash, however, was fully engaged, his attacks relentless and unforgiving, seeking only to crush and destroy.

For a moment, the gang stood transfixed, awed by the sheer ferocity of the two combatants.

"We should go," Seok said nervously, snapping them out of their reverie. Realizing the danger of being out in the open, they headed for the edge of the arena, where a stack of crates beside the low wall that separated the candidates from the spectators promised a modicum of protection from the melee. As they maneuvered across the shifting shells, Rusty winced as a sharp edge worked its way between the scales of his feet. He knew it had to be much worse for the goblins, who lived barefoot.

As they reached the wall, Jiho leaned against it, catching his breath, and stealing a glance back at the ongoing battle between Grizzletooth and Yellsmash. Someone on the other side was close enough to spit in his hair, and Jiho screamed in rage, snapping at the faces there with his scissors, but they were just out of his reach.

“What’s the plan here?” Rusty asked.

“Wait,” Seok replied, crouching behind the crates. “Jiho says most of them will either kill each other or give up before long.”

Rusty nodded. It was the best they could hope for. He was stronger than he’d ever been, but he was still small, and seeing the way the older warriors fought had made him doubt his newly sharpened claws would count for much.

The roar of the crowd was even more pronounced now that they were right beside it, vibrating in Rusty's chest as they crouched at the edge of the battlefield, watching the other candidates fight.

A haunting chant echoed across the arena, flowing beneath the baying of their audience. Mudroot stood with her arms raised, invoking the spirits of the Great Swamp, her voice carried on a wind of its own making. Healing energies flowed from her fingertips, pale green tendrils reaching a wounded goblin beside her. It wasn’t anyone Rusty recognized. There were several goblin warriors around Mudroot, obviously supporting her, and he had seen some of them in the trials, but none on the victory platforms the day before.

“Why are they here?” Rusty asked.

“She’s smart,” Jiho said. “They put their names in at the start but didn’t bother competing. They have to be her followers, and even though they didn’t get any pledges, they’re technically a part of the election, so Grik let them into the melee.”

“That’s cheating,” Chul said, offended by the idea.

Jiho shrugged. “We’re basically doing the same thing.”

"Should we take her out?" Seok asked, his eyes narrowed as he considered the healer. “She doesn’t look as tough as the others.”

“Are you crazy?” Jiho’s eyes bulged. “What did I tell you? We wait, and we survive till the end.”

The gang hunkered down, and Rusty caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Even without cover, there was something about the way Slink moved that made her hard to follow. She had been the one to clash with Mudroot’s posse, but the engagement had been brief, and now she was circling closer to their hiding spot.

"Guys," Rusty whispered urgently, nudging Chul, "she sees us."

“It’s just Slink,” Chul said, “she’s nice.”

Jiho readied his scissors, his forehead dripping with sweat, and Seok raised his scimitar. His arm looked healed, though it was still a little swollen, and Rusty wondered how he had gotten better so fast. An attribute boost was one thing, but maybe goblins recovered more rapidly than other races as well.

"Stay ready," Jiho advised, and Chul clutched his spoon. The gang formed a tight circle, watching every side.

As they stood waited to see what the [Sneakstabber] would do, a cacophony of croaks and hisses suddenly filled the air. Froglick, the [Marsh Warden], was summoning animals. Snakes and poisonous frogs rose out of the shifting shells, adding an extra layer of chaos to the already treacherous field.

The animals were slithering and hopping everywhere, including the area around the gang. Seok swung his sword at a snake as it climbed over the crate nearest to him, and Rusty unleashed his breath weapon at a brightly colored frog that was jumping his way. A cloud of noxious brown gas poured from his jaws, and the frog jumped once more, flipping onto its back, its legs kicking wildly.

“Careful with that!” Jiho snapped, backing away and pulling his shirt over his nose and mouth.

Seok knocked the snake off the barrel and struck it several more times once it was on the ground, chopping it to bits.

Then he looked up. “Where’d Slink go?”

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As far as Rusty could tell, the female goblin had simply vanished. It reminded him of the way the elf girl had disappeared in the junkyard, and he wondered if she was the elven equivalent of a [Sneakstabber].

"Where is that sneak?" Seok growled, frustration mounting as he dealt with another snake.

"Stay focused," Jiho urged. "Slink isn’t our problem."

A wave of sound from the crowd crashed over them once more when Grizzletooth fell. Yellsmash stood over him, raising his weapon to signal his victory, and seemed to be about to bring it down to finish off the other warrior when he caught sight of Rusty and Chul peeking out from behind the barrels.

"Look out!" Chul yelled, ducking back behind the barrels, but it was too late. The [Screamer] was coming for them.

"Scatter!" Jiho commanded, and the gang ran. Rusty’s claws scrabbled on loose shells as he spun around, taking off a second behind the others. They hurried along the wall of the arena, but Yellsmash was in no mood to let them get away, and ultimately, there was nowhere for them to go other than to flee the melee entirely.

The gang turned to face Yellsmash as Rusty caught up to them, and Seok stepped forward to meet the charge. He narrowly avoided having his skull cracked open in the first second and managed to bring the scimitar around for a weak slash to the [Screamer]’s ribs.

Yellsmash grunted, unphased, his eyes wild with rage.

Chul darted forward with the point of his spoon aiming for Yellsmash’s eye, forcing him to back up, and Rusty joined in, drawing red lines down the goblin’s bare thigh with his claws. Yellsmash took them all on, forcing the trio away with a few wild swings.

Jiho stood frozen, terror written plainly across his angular features. His scissors were low at his side, the white of his knuckles showing from the tightness of his grip.

“Snap out of it!” Seok demanded, and in the next moment, his scimitar flew out of his grip. Yellsmash had knocked it away, and Seok looked down at his empty hands in confusion. Rusty saw him about to be crushed and unleashed another cloud of gas. His mouth was pointing up, so the breath weapon rose around Yellsmash and Seok both.

They gagged.

Seok dropped backward out of the cloud, and Yellsmash turned his attention on Rusty, his club taking the little dragon in the chest. Rusty was thrown on to his back by the force of the blow, the air stolen from his lungs, and his bones rattled.

Yellsmash paused in his assault, shaking his head as if to dispel the effects of the gas, some of the fire leaving his eyes. Finding his courage, Jiho lunged forward, plunging his scissors into the [Screamer]’s stomach. The big goblin roared, landing a punch that took Jiho off his feet. Towering over his prone form, Yellsmash raised his club for a killing blow.

Jiho’s breath came in shallow gasps, frozen again as he awaited his own death. Chul slid in front of him, waving his spoon, acting as a living shield for his friend.

“Get away from him!” Chul shouted, unafraid, and Yellsmash kicked him in the stomach, causing him to crumple.

As the warrior lifted his club again, Jiho’s gaze narrowed, and he said a single word.

“Wait.” There was something in his voice, an undercurrent of power like when he used the [Identify] command, and Rusty found himself freezing even as he was preparing to leap on Yellsmash’s back. The [Screamer] grunted, his arm stuck in mid swing as if it had been caught by a wire.

In the same moment, a grey shape slipped behind Yellsmash, and a bright edge bit into his hamstring. Forgetting the gang, Yellsmash spun to face a more dangerous opponent, but Slink was already retreating.

With a scream of renewed fury, Yellsmash went limping after her, leaving the gang in his wake.

“He’s got my scissors,” Jiho said weakly.

“What was that?” Rusty asked.

“Just luck,” Jiho said quickly, “Slink came at the perfect time.”

Seok coughed. The cloud had dissipated, but he was still suffering its effects. He was unsteady on his feet, and his eyes were bleary as he looked for his scimitar.

“We won!” Chul cried with unbridled exuberance. “Did you see that?”

“Back to the crates?” Jiho suggested, and the others were in no mood to argue. Rusty knew that Jiho had used a skill of some kind, there was no other explanation for what he had felt. But the effect had been momentary, and it was clear he wasn’t going to get any answers out of Jiho while the fight was still on.

Seok's labored breathing echoed in Rusty’s ears like an accusation as he leaned against a crate. Aside from bruises, the cuts on their feet, and a little poison gas, the gang was unwounded, but their brush with the [Screamer] had been enough to put doubt in their heads.

“Maybe we should quit,” Chul said.

Jiho glared at him, his eyes hard. “Not now,” he said. “We’re closer than ever.”

“But you lost your scissors.”

Jiho bent down to pick up a sharp-looking shell. “I won’t hesitate next time.” The look on his face left no room for argument.

“What’s…it look like…out there,” Seok asked between breaths. They were all huddled behind the crates, as concealed as they could be in a relatively open field. Rusty stretched his long neck to peek around the side.

The melee was far from over. Froglick and Leafsniffer looked like they’d teamed up to deal with Mudroot and her posse. Froglick was fighting alongside his rat while Leafsniffer supported them with a sling loaded with acorns. Where the nuts landed, vines sprang up, entangling the warriors defending Mudroot, who was engaged in another chant. Grizzletooth had crawled to her position, and she appeared to be healing him, suggesting another temporary alliance.

Yellsmash was still futilely pursuing Slink, hampered by his injuries, blood pouring down the back of one leg and over his stomach, refusing to give in. At the center of the field Sparkfizz stood alone, surrounded by a wall of flame.

Heavyarm had apparently challenged him, but the sober champion had been driven back. The tower shield he was known for was blackened and charred, and some of his hair had been singed off. He was shouting at the [Firestarter] about honor and satisfaction, and the wiry goblin only cackled in response.

Rusty watched as more colorful flames sprang up, flying from the mad goblin’s fingers at random, setting the field ablaze. A ring of dead snakes and frogs surrounded Sparkfizz, who may or may not have noticed them.

Windskip leapt over the ring of flame, coming at Sparkfizz with a roundhouse kick. The wiry goblin shrieked in surprise, narrowly avoiding the flying foot, and another ball of fire exploded between them, dazzling Rusty’s eyes. He pulled his head back around the crates, blinking.

“Still pretty bad out there,” he said.

“Is anyone down?” Jiho asked.

“Grizzletooth might be getting back up.”

“Slugs,” Seok swore. “What are we doing here?”

“Waiting,” Jiho said, “just like I told you. It’s only a matter of time before things swing our way.”

Rusty found it hard to take comfort in Jiho’s assurance, which clearly bordered on the delusional. They had faced only one other candidate so far, all of them together, and barely survived. If not for Slink’s intervention, Jiho might have died already.

“I think this is enough,” Rusty said. “We’ve done enough. Look at Sparkfizz out there if no one else. If he decides we’re a threat, the best we can hope for is getting out of this permanently scarred. He doesn’t even have to be trying to kill us. He could burn any of us to cinders by accident.”

“You don’t have to worry about Sparkfizz,” Jiho said, smirking. “That’s something I’ve already considered. The more excited he gets, the more dangerous he’s going to be. Pretty soon, everyone out there is going to be focused on him. He won’t be able to take them all on at once, but I know him. He’s going to try. The guy gets lost when he’s heated. He won’t be able to stop himself. Whoever’s still there after he’s done for won’t have any fight left in them, and we’ll still be fresh.”

Rusty looked at the gang, Chul’s wide eyes, and Seok’s labored breathing. His own chest ached from the blow he had taken, every breath he took a reminder of exactly how strong the [Screamer] had been. Fresh wasn’t a word he would have used to describe them.

“You really think they’re all going to kill each other?”

“Kill, incapacitate,” Jiho waved his hand dismissively, “some of them are going to quit. And we’ll still be here, waiting and watching for our time to strike.”

He really believed it, and listening to him, Rusty could almost believe it too. But it wasn’t worth risking his life, or Chul’s, or any of them. He didn’t care that much about a member of the gang becoming the Great Goblin. There was plenty of treasure out there in Midden that no one had claimed. He could build a fine hoard without extra tribute from the tribe. If dragons never really got old, then what was the rush, anyway?

“We should quit,” he said, turning to Chul. “What do you say?”

Chul looked at Seok, and Seok looked at Jiho, who shook his head.

“We’re in this,” he said, his face hard, “until the end.”

Chul tugged on his hat, giving Rusty a sheepish look. “It’s a good plan,” he said. “Jiho’s really smart.”

Rusty laid down, resting his head between his claws. There was a pattern here, and he didn’t like it. Jiho was making big plans, and getting in over his head, and Chul wouldn’t abandon his friends.

“Alright,” he said, “we wait a little longer. We seem okay for right now, anyway. No one’s paying any attention to us.”

Seok nodded. “That’s…right. I just need…a minute…to shake this off.”

Rusty still didn’t know exactly what his breath weapon did, aside from giving rats and frogs seizures. Yellsmash seemed to have overcome it quickly enough, though it had slowed him down a little. Seok was having a much tougher time, but he would be alright if he had a chance to recover. It was toxic, obviously. Paralysis gas? Maybe it would be more effective against the less hardy goblin classes, like [Shaman]s and [Firestarter]s. He certainly hoped so.

It was then that an errant fireball smashed into a crate, bursting it in a hail of burning cinders, and knocking the others in all directions. Seok went down with the crate he had been leaning against on top of him, while Chul and Jiho ducked. Rusty felt the wood shards pelting him, protected by his scales, but Jiho ended up with a splinter the size of a thumb in the arm he had raised to protect his face, along with an assortment of smaller cuts and scrapes.

Rusty turned around. Their cover, meager as it had been, was gone. So much for waiting and hiding.