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Near the Woodford River in the
eastern forest, we spotted a goblin pack.
We had to go upwind to go
around them, and the enemy would notice us, so we decided to take them by
surprise. We were to join the attack, and each of us began to prepare.
I lowered the backpack on my
back, held the round shield in my left hand, and checked the position of my
sword.
Mel pulled out her shortsword,
looking motivated. Dan had the bow slung over his shoulder in his left hand and
pulled one arrow from the quiver at his waist.
Sharon was standing behind me,
doing nothing special. But I could see the look of fear in her eyes and her
hands seemed to be shaking a little.
“Sharon, if you are
afraid, you don’t have to use magic. Instead, stay close to me.” (Zack)
Sharon shook her head at my
words.
“I’ll be fine… Thank you…”
(Sharon)
“OK, But don’t hit Hector
or Guy by mistake. And don’t use too much magic.” (Zack)
Sharon gave a small nod and
clenched her teeth a little to stop her hands from shaking.
(She’s just an eight-year-old
girl, so she doesn’t have to push herself too hard… But Sharon is trying so
hard. I can’t let her see me looking like a fool. …Don’t let fear consume
you. The enemy is only a goblin…) (Zack)
Sharon’s healthy appearance
gradually made me regain my composure.
Guy, who had gone to scout the
area, returned.
“There are twenty-one
goblins. There don’t seem to be any special individuals. What do we do?”
(Guy)
Hector makes a quick decision
in response to Guy’s question.
“Guy, Rob, and I will ambush
them with our bows. Will shall escort Master Zack and the others. There’s a
chance that some could slip through, so don’t let your guard down.”
(Hector)
Guy and the others nodded and
turned to face us.
“Master Zack will join me
in the ambush. Can Sharon come too?” (Hector)
Sharon and I nodded.
“Then on my signal, fire
your magic. Dan, Mel. You two, attack only the approaching enemies. The
panicked goblins might come this way.” (Hector)
After confirming Dan and Mel’s
nods, Hector quietly walks into the grass in a crouch.
Sharon and I followed, then
Dan and Mel, and Will.
After about two minutes, a
small goblin-like figure came into view on the banks of the Woodford River.
As we slowly approached, the
figure became clearer and clearer.
It was just as my grandfather
had described it to me – dwarf body, green skin, small horns on its forehead –
and I was so excited to see a monster in a fantasy world for the first time
that I forgot my nervousness about the battle.
(It was the first monster I
had ever seen. I feel like it’s a fantasy template to say that goblins are the
first, but they’re really there. I was impressed when I saw Liddy an elf, but I
was more surprised at how beautiful she was. This time it’s a real monster. I’m
starting to get goosebumps…) (Zack)
When we were close to about 30
meters away, one goblin looked in our direction. He pointed at us and started squawking.
With that as a signal, Hector’s
voice echoed out, “Start the attack!”
Arrows are shot from Hector,
Guy, and Rob’s longbows. Three arrows pierce the chests of three goblins and
the goblins panic.
I target one goblin and cast
the [Swallow Cutter] spell.
“O Wentus, God of Wind,
who commands all the winds in the world. Grant mine thy swallow-winged blade
that dances in the heavens, I offer the power of mine life to thee as payment. Come
forth! Swallow-winged blade, Swallow Cutter.” (Zack)
A swallow with a transparent
blade flies from my right hand.
The swallows fly at breakneck
speed toward the goblin about 20 meters away. The goblin seems to have noticed
my magic and is ready to strike the swallow down with a club in his hand.
Just as the goblin swings its
club down, it changes its trajectory slightly and dodges, and the swallow’s
blade pierces the goblin’s throat.
Before he can scream, his
carotid artery is sliced open, and he falls down in a fountain of bright red
blood.
Beside me, Sharon, who also
unleashed a [Swallow Cutter], slicing the right side of a goblin’s neck. The
goblin is holding its neck in a panic, but red blood is spilling from the gap
between his fingers. The magic swallow did not lose its momentum but went
further toward the goblin next to it.
It then pierced directly under
the ear of the next goblin and disappeared.
Immediately thereafter, the
two goblins fell, spurting out blood.
(Amazing! I wonder if I can
attack more than one if I slice through them with my wings. I can’t lose…)
(Zack)
Meanwhile, Hector and the
others’ arrows pierced the goblins. Before I knew it, Dan had joined the attack
and was accurately targeting the goblins.
Still, more than a dozen
goblins were unharmed, and they had recovered from their momentary panic and
were coming toward us, screaming like mad.
We’ll meet them with our swords! Will! Take care of Master Zack
and the others!” (Hector)
With those words, I drew the
sword from my waist and stood in front of Sharon.
“Mel! To my right! Dan! Drop
your bow and come to my left! Sharon, you stay behind me! Will! Make sure none gets
behind us!” (Zack)
I send out orders to Mel and
the other three and Will, my escort.
Hector and his men draw their
swords and spread out to shield us.
The goblins rush in like an
avalanche, but Hector and Guy’s swords gleam, and a few goblins are cut down.
Rob, the hunter, is not very
good with a sword, and he is attacked from both sides by two goblins, which he
struggles to deal with. But the enemy’s club seemed to strike him hard in the
shin, and he fell to the ground, crouching.
“Will! Support Rob!”
(Zack)
Will was taking my orders, but
he was torn between mine and the instructions from Hector.
At that moment, the goblins
began to gather around him, as if they thought the fallen Rob was easier to
give. I strongly instructed Will once again.
“Will! Go! Rob is in
danger!” (Zack)
At my shout, he decided to go
forward.
At that moment, I was feeling
pretty pumped up for my second real battle.
I didn’t have the primal fear
that I had when we were attacked by wild dogs, I just felt no fear at all, as
if I was just looking at a target painted on the goblin that was charging at
me. Adrenaline was coursing through my body, and I was feeling an emotion akin
to joy at the thought of defeating my enemy.
“Mel, Dan. We’re going to
take down the enemy that slipped through!” (Zack)
I said and readied my sword,
but Mel and Dan beside me moved stiffly.
I looked closely and saw that
their swords seemed to be trembling.
(Only I was roaring for the
attack. It was probably a mistake to let Will go in front of me. Liddy told me
not to get carried away…) (Zack)
I made my voice as calm as I
could to the two who were very nervous.
“That club is nothing
compared to my grandfather’s or Walt’s wooden sword. Remember your training.”
(Zack)
I felt both of them stop
shaking slightly at my words. Shortly after confirming this, three goblins came
running in front of us.
Even though they were small goblins,
they were taller than me, and I could feel a strong sense of pressure from
their stout bodies.
The goblin standing in front
of me, perhaps judging us as easy prey, gave an ugly grin and swung his club at
us. But thanks to his slow, rough movements, I was able to regain my composure.
“The attack is full of gaps!”
(Zack)
I shouted so that Mel and the
others could hear me, raising my arm to aim at the goblin’s unguarded belly. I
plunged my sword into the soft belly of the goblin as if I was going to slam
into it.
I feel the blade penetrate the
goblin’s thick skin, then the soft internal organs, and finally the gurgle of
the sword against the hard bone.
My sword was plunging deep
into the goblin’s thick belly, leaving such a sensation behind. The goblin’s
eyes widened in disbelief as it slowly fell onto its back.
The sickening sensation made
me nauseous, but with Mel and Dan still fighting to the death beside me, I
forced the feeling out of my mind.
I looked to my right and saw
Mel, who had regained her normal movement, cleanly slash away at the goblin’s
dominant arm. Immediately after that, she stabbed the goblin, who was crouched
on the ground in pain, in the back with a backhanded stab, putting a stop to
it.
(Mel seems fine. Dan seems to
be worse…) (Dan)
To my left, Dan was playing
with the goblin, skillfully using his dagger. The goblin had numerous small
wounds on it, but as expected, the dagger was not lethal.
I double-checked that there
were no new enemies around me, then headed to Dan’s support.
The goblins, frustrated with
Dan, do not notice me approaching from behind.
I slash down on the enemy’s
back from behind.
The goblin turns toward me
with a look of rage on his face as blood spurts from his back, but Dan does not
miss the opportunity. He drove his dagger into the goblin’s side, and the
fatally wounded goblin fell to the ground with a thud.
I looked around and shouted,
“Dan, Mel, Sharon! Are you okay? Don’t let your guard down!”
But the battle was already
over by then, and I noticed Hector looking at us from a distance with his bow
at the ready.
“That was magnificent, Master
Zack. Was anyone injured?” (Hector)
Apparently, Hector was
watching us at the end.
(Did he give you a chance to
fight a real battle? Still, the smell of blood is strong. Is this a battle…?)
(Zack)
Seeing Hector’s smile, I
finally regained my composure.
Around us, more than a dozen
goblins were being slain, splattering blood and entrails.
As the excitement receded, the
smell of blood like iron and feces and urine from their entrails hit my nose
and almost made me nauseous.
As I fought back nausea, I
thought of Rob, who had been injured.
“Is Rob all right? He
looked hurt?” (Zack)
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