The Forsaken Hero

The small, grassy knoll sloped out of the forest, cresting just higher than the tops of the trees. The sky was filled with blues and grays, an occasional drop of rain plinking onto a leaf or branch. Patches of light roved across the land where sunbeams descended through cracks in the clouds, their intensity the only sign it was still midday.

We crouched in the thick underbrush, peering closely at the small crevice yawning into the hillside. I twisted my staff in my hands, finding solace in the glassy rod’s familiar touch. I stood beside the strongest hero and one of the great prodigies of the generation, yet my heart couldn’t help but beat quickly.

”Ready?” Soltair asked, glancing at Trith.

She nodded, knuckles whitening as her grip on her sword hilts tightened. ”Of course. They’re just goblins, right?”

He nodded, eyes flashing with excitement, ”We can’t afford to mess this up. I’ve been waiting far too long for that.”

”Shouldn’t I cast a few supporting spells?” I asked nervously, my fingers fidgeting with the tip of my tail. I peered over their shoulders at the cave entrance, flinching back as an ugly green head popped out of the darkness. Nothing greater than a second-level presence registered with the Eyes of Fate, but I couldn’t help but feel a shiver of unease. Surely a bit of magical protection wouldn’t hurt, right?

Trithe rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with impatience. ”Oh, come on, Xiviyah, goblins are far from the strongest creatures. Now, are we doing this or not?”

I bit my lip, torn between my cautious instincts and the pressure to keep up. Soltair shot me a reassuring smile, his eyes understanding. ”It’s natural to feel uncertain, Xiviyah. But trust in your abilities. We’ve got this.”

He took a short breath and launched himself forward, releasing a blazing light as he charged the goblin sentry. The foreboding blackness of the cave fled before his light as he stopped short in the entrance, just beyond the monster, sword held out vertically. The goblin’s eyes bulged as they finally registered his sudden appearance, but it was too late.

With a strangled cry, its head tilted, then rolled onto the ground, bouncing into the cave with muffled thumps. Blood spurted from its neck in bloody pulses as the body collapsed, causing Soltair to step back with a frown.

”Gross,” he muttered, slashing his sword down sharply to flick the blood from the blade.

”Hey, don’t rush forward like that. You said I could have the first kill,” Trithe complained.

”Stop whining. There’s plenty for everyone. I think that leaves 49, now?”

She snorted, walking beside him in the darkness. ”I’m serious. Don’t take my kills.”

I followed behind them as they descended into the cave, clutching my staff and jerking my head about to watch every sound. Soltair raised his hand, summoning a small sphere of bobbing light to illuminate the darkness. I hardly needed it, but the two humans weren’t so lucky. ”Let’s slow down,” I whispered, ”what if they set a trap?”

I flinched Soltair’s laugh echoed down the passageway, and he raised his sword to rest it on his shoulder. ”I would welcome the challenge. Are you really worried about goblins?”

”We shouldn’t underestimate them. Even the strongest adventurer can die to an arrow in the back.”

”Where’d you hear something like that?” Trithe asked, raising an eyebrow, ”I had the impression you’d never even been on an adventure before. We’re not so weak as to die to something as simple as a goblin. Even the strongest of them are only capable of third-circle magic, and you only find those in large warbands.”

Soltair stopped and raised his hand. ”Enough chitchat. Looks like we’re here.”

The cave opened up into a small cavern. The first thing to hit me was the smell, a foul combination of unwashed bodies and feces. I gagged as bile rose in my throat, the assault on my enhanced senses almost too much to bear.

Over twenty goblins huddled together within the room, clutching rusty knives, swords, and the occasional bow. Their warty green skin was covered in a filthy sheen, complimented well by knotted muscles and wiry frames. The creatures stood no more than five feet tall, but their beady black eyes held the promise of unrestrained violence. I shivered, taking a step back, my tail lashing behind me. How could such terrifying creatures, whose very presence stunk of death, exist?

”I got left!” Soltair cried, dashing into action. His sword emitted a wave of sparks as he swept it forward, flooding half of the cavern with dancing sparks. Enraged screams ripped through the cavern as the goblins’ loose formation broke. I covered my ears as the cave amplified their agony, averting my eyes as the creatures’ skin popped and boiled, blackening beneath the hero’s magic. Over half his targets slumped to the ground, rasping through scorched throats, but the time he arrived in person and finished the rest off.

The other side didn’t fare much better, and Trithe opted for a much more personal approach. After witnessing the horrifying deaths of their comrades, the goblins’ motivation crumbled, but they still charged forward. They likely assumed it would be easier to break through the weak and unarmored women than fight the monster in full plate.

Trithe danced through their blades, her blades flowing from one creature to the next. Blood arced through the air in thick ribbons, dragging along the tips of her swords. Her movements blurred when she reached the midst of them, turning her into a veritable storm of blood and steel. Hands, limbs, and heads thumped to the ground like rain, and I raised an Aegis to protect myself from the countless wind blades released by her strike.

In a whirlwind of action, the bloodbath ended and the goblins were swiftly dealt with. Breathing heavily, Soltair and Trithe exchanged triumphant grins, their weapons gleaming as they began the task of cleaning up.

”Don’t you know any water spells? It’s already starting to stick to my hair.”

I sighed and walked forward stepping carefully to avoid the worst of the blood and bodies. The metallic stench wafted up my nose, and I held back a gag. Waving my hands, I summoned several waterballs, using throwing them against Trithe’s bloodstained body. She gasped as the cold water rolled over her, turning her glare against me.

”A little warning!”

”Sorry,” I muttered, looking away. I still felt shocked by the scene, more so by the two’s lack of hesitation.

”Shall we finish this up? The rest of them should be further back,” Soltair said lightly.

Trithe nodded, and they split up, leaving me behind. I took a step forward, only to feel the firm squish of flesh beneath my boot, looking down, my stomach rolled as I beheld a hand, neatly bisected in two. My face paled as the pressure squeezed the last of the blood from the severed veins, splashing onto my foot.

”I’ll be outside,” I called, voice trembling, and broke into a run.

Collapsing on the grass, I carefully washed the gore from my feet and stared back into the cave. Piercing screams floated up from the depths, continuing in an unholy symphony for quite some time. At long last, everything fell silent, and Soltair and Trithe emerged from the hole.

”That’s all of them,” Soltair said, ”why don’t you wash me off too?”

I nodded, creating more water to thoroughly douse the two of them. As they shook off in the sun, I finally managed to find my voice. ”How can you do that? How can you all kill so easily?”

Trithe looked over, hair bundled together in her hands as she wrung it out. ”Why are you making it sound bad? It’s not like they’re humans. Monsters are dangerous and need to be exterminated. The small towns around here requested this, and have lost several villagers to their raids already.”

”Not human?” I murmured, self-consciously running a hand along my horn.

”Don’t take it so seriously. We were called her to fight a war, right? Did you think it would be all flowers and sunshine? Well, I suppose I can promise the latter,” Soltair said, grinning wryly.

I knew they were right, but the sticky feeling in my stomach wouldn’t go away. Perhaps it was because of the power difference. The goblins felt like newborn children against the two and were slaughtered with impunity.

”Just wait until you see what monsters are truly capable of,” Trith said solemnly. ”Then you won’t bother feeling bad for them.”

I nodded slowly, taking a deep breath to calm my troubled heart. ”If you say so,” I replied softly, unconvinced.

Soltair sheathed his sword and cleared his throat loudly. ”If that’s taken care of, let’s report to the village and move on. I heard a basilisk’s been causing trouble a little further on, so we can go there next.”