by S. R. Witt
Opponent’s kidney ruptured!
Opponent’s nervous system disrupted!
You have killed a goblin scout!
Blood gushed from the wound, and I pulled the goblin away from the main pack as he bled out.
Monster fighting pro-tip: Goblins smell even worse on the inside.
Kicking the creature away, I faded back into the shadows. There were too many of them for me to stand and fight. With as few hit points as I had, they’d carved me into chunks in no time. It was up to Bastion and Havelock to hold the line against the horde while I whittled them down from the darkness.
The two fighters were side-to-side, holding back as many of the goblins as they could while Cringer kept them on their feet with his healing magic.
Indira was doing something near the campfire. Her hands flickered through complex gestures, and her mouth uttered syllables that cracked and stuttered through the frigid air.
I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t flinging fire in every direction like she had when she and Mercy were trying to kill Bastion and me in the Wenderly place.
She needed to do something, soon, because Bastion and Havelock were running out of time.
I skewered another of the goblins, but it wasn’t enough. More of the monsters closed in and drove a wedge between Bastion and Cringer. Blood coated my brother’s face like a crimson veil, and I couldn’t even see the gnome anymore.
If I couldn’t kill enough of the goblins to make a difference, maybe I could get their attention another way. The biggest of the lot was on a hill not far from me, waving his sword and shouting directions to the others.
Well, hello, Mr. Commander.
All the shouts and the cries of battle gave me the cover I needed to get close in a hurry. Indira’s light still burned overhead, but that was all right. The goblins had their eyes fixed on the campsite. They wouldn’t see me coming from the side.
I didn’t shout or pop off any pithy quips. I just ran up behind the big guy and shoved a stiletto under his ribs and into his lungs.
Well, at least I tried.
VERBOSE COMBAT MESSAGING ONWEAPON (PIERCING, 1-HANDED) SKILL CHECK
Dexterity (20, +5 Miracle of Valor) + d100 (35) + Ambush (25) = 80
vs
Dexterity (12) - Dodge (0 Surprised) + d100 (70)
Result = -2
Degree of Success = 0
Attack Time: 5 seconds
Stamina Cost: 1
My dagger skidded off the goblin’s armor and bounced loose from my hand to stick in the snow.
Oh. Well. Shit.
The commander howled in response to my rudeness and backhanded me across the face.
VERBOSE COMBAT MESSAGING ON
UNARMED COMBAT SKILL CHECK
Strength (15) + d100 (63) = 78
vs
Dexterity (20) + d100 (33) = 53
Result = +25
Degree of Success = 2
Unarmed attack damage = 10 points of damage (50 remaining/25 natural/ 25 from Miracle of Valor effect)
STUNNED!
Duration: 10 seconds
The blow clicked my teeth together hard enough to chip two of them. My vision blurred and went black as my brain bounced around my skull like a rubber ball in a mason jar.
This wasn’t going as planned.
Like, at all.
I drew my remaining stiletto and lashed out blindly, sweeping the weapon from side to side as I scrambled to my feet. My vision cleared, but my ears still rang, and my thoughts were scrambled.
The commander shouted again and jabbed his sword in my direction. I didn’t understand goblin, but the intent was clear: Kill this motherfucker, with extreme prejudice.
I’d wanted their attention, and now I had it.
A quick glance down the hill told me at least half of the monsters had decided they’d rather fight alongside their commander than rush into Bastion’s burning sword and Havelock’s darting blade.
My allies had the breathing room they needed, but I didn’t.
It was me against the bulk of the monsters, and I only had one stiletto to my name.
Did I ever mention that being hero kind of sucks?
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The monsters wanted to tear me apart. I could tell because they were screaming, throwing rocks at me, and waving their swords in my direction as they pursued me away from my companions. Their skinny legs weren’t much good for running, fortunately, and they kept tripping and slamming into one another in their eagerness to tear me limb from limb.
Dodging and tumbling over the hills and around trees kept me alive, but I was running out of steam. My stamina bar was shrinking, and the goblins showed no signs of giving up their pursuit. If I didn’t figure out some way to lose the monsters on my trail, I’d exhaust myself and be easy prey, very soon.
A bunch of the stunty little fuckers tried to flank me, and I responded by zigging when they thought I’d zag. My evasive maneuver carried me to the top of a hill, and I gave myself a moment to glance back toward the now-distant campfire where my companions were engaged in a life-and-death struggle for survival. Skinny bodies surrounded them and the snow was stained with black blood and severed limbs. It looked like the fight was going their way, but it also looked like it was going to be a while before they could wrap it up and figure out I might need some help, myself.
I didn’t think I had ‘a while,’ even if that only meant another five minutes.
I plunged back down the hill on the far side, using the loose scree and undergrowth to slow my pursuers. I jumped, covering feet at a bound, landing hard on the downward slope and skidding before I could get my balance back under me. My lungs ached, and the cold wind chewed my throat raw. I couldn’t keep this up.
My stamina bar was halfway depleted; the time for being a hero was over.
I slid to a stop on top of the next hill and waited for a goblin to toss a rock in my direction. At this distance, thrown by a goblin without great aim and spindly little arms no thicker than two thumbs put together, there was no chance a rock would hurt me. But, it was dark, and the goblins weren’t all that smart to begin with.
A clumsy missile sailed up the hill, and I walked right into it.
Then I played dead.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The quest marker immediately let me know I’d screwed up.
LEARNING TO DIE
Attempt failed!
STATUS EFFECTS
STUNNED: You are unable to move or take any other action. All defenses reduced by 50%. (Duration: 10 seconds)
BLINDED: You are unable to see in any way. You are immune to sight-based attacks, but all of your defenses are reduced by 125%. (Duration: 10 seconds)
Status effects can be healed with proper medical attention, the correct healing herbs, or magic.
A wave of nauseating cold washed through my guts like a Slurpee enema. My limbs were rigid, and my vision had faded to a uniform gray. I could hear the goblins coming, but I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I was getting all the downsides of being dead without, you know, the goblins believing I was dead.
The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me. If I didn’t snap out of this attempt to play dead, I was going to be dead.
The lead goblin stopped next to me and snuffled at the air. It prodded me in the ribs with the toe of his boot and grunted.
And then a piercing pain shot through my side, and my hit points took a hideous drop.
UNAVOIDABLE INJURY!
Your defenses are reduced by 125%, rendering you incapable of avoiding any attack.
Damage: 10
STATUS EFFECTS
BLEEDING: Your injury caused minor bleeding. You will suffer 1 damage per round. (Duration: 20 rounds)
Immobilized status effect ended!
Stunned status effect ended!
Blinded status effect ended!
On the plus side, the injury had shaken the status effects off, so that was something. On the minus side, ouch.
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I yelped and rolled away from the goblin, then scrambled to my feet and kept running. My stamina was still down, just about halfway to empty.
If I didn’t turn back to camp, I’d run out of gas before I could reach my allies.
It was time for the rest of the party to bail me out.
Ready or not, kids, here I come.
The commander was closing in on me. His booming voice sent chills up my spine as he shouted an order that had an all-too-clear meaning: kill that running fool.
The command boosted the rest of the goblins. They dug in their heels and threw themselves down the hill toward me with wild abandon.
We were about a quarter mile from the rest of my group, and I really hoped they’d clean up the rest of the monsters before I got there.
Otherwise, I was going to be sandwiched in between two infuriated mobs of deadly creatures, and the last thing I was likely to see would be the error of my ways.
Another hill stood between me and potential safety. Skirting around it would cost me time. Rushing up the steep hillside would be faster, but it might burn up more Stamina than I had left. It was a tough call, and I wouldn’t know if I’d made the right choice until it was too late to change my mind.
I juked left and ran for round the hill for all I was worth. Evasion was out of the question, I couldn’t afford to spare any stamina on anything but running toward camp. One dodge too many and I’d run out of gas and end up face down in the dirt before I could reach safety.
A charging goblin plowed into my left shoulder and threw me off balance. A dull wave of pain radiated from that side of my body, and my health bar took a sudden and dramatic dive to below a third of its total. I needed to get back in range of Cringer’s Miracle of Valor, pronto.
The goblin who’d tried to tackle me fell down and didn’t get back up.
My boots slid on the snow, and I lost momentum. By the time I got my feet under me again, the goblins were only a couple of yards behind. I’d lost any advantage I’d gained by sprinting, and along with it the stamina I’d burned.
“Fine,” I growled and drew my remaining stiletto. If these assholes wanted a fight, they’d get it. I turned to face my enemies and embrace my death. I hoped I’d earned the rest of the group time to finish the fight and escape. My death was inevitable. I didn’t want it to be pointless, too.
The first of the monsters lunged at me. I twisted, and its crude sword skated past my ribs without making contact.
My blade, on the other hand, found its mark. The dagger plunged into the side of the goblin’s neck and tore through on a geyser of blood. The foul-smelling creature skidded, and its feet shot out from underneath it as it crashed into the snow.
Another goblin slammed into me. There was no time to parry or dodge the attack, and the goblin’s jagged blade ripped through my armor just above my left elbow. My blood steamed as it spurted into the winter wind. A quick stab from me ended the goblin, and I gave it a clumsy shove into the next opponent to reach me. I’d had a good run, but I was running out of time, stamina, and health.
“Come on!” I shouted into the goblins’ faces. Shock and pain filled me with a fatalistic burst of berserk rage. “Let’s get this over with.”
The goblins’ crooked smiles gleamed in the moonlight, impossibly white in their filthy mouths. Their leader barked a command, and they rushed me.
This was it. Time to go down fighting.
Hooves thundered toward me from behind, and I spun to face a threat, dagger raised high overhead. A hand slammed into my chest, claws dug into my armor, and a strong arm scooped me off the ground and across the back of a horse. The saddle dug into my ribs, and every galloping step pounded against my wounds.
“Hang on!” Mercy shouted. She held me in place with one hand until I could twist around and get behind her on the saddle.
Maybe I wasn’t going to die, after all. “Took you long enough!”
Mercy didn’t have the concentration to spare for a snappy comeback. She leaned hard to the left, and I leaned with her, arms wrapped around her waist. The horse turned in a tight circle and galloped away from the goblins, who shouted in dismay. They’d had me but, at the last second, they’d been cheated of the kill.
Good thing for me.
But there were still too many monsters on our heels. Even if we outran them, the mob wouldn’t stop chasing us until we were all dead. I’d seen the hateful, bloodthirsty determination in their beady eyes and flaring nostrils. They had our scent now, and they weren’t going to be so easily shaken off the trail.
Mercy guided us around the hill and toward the camp. Goblin bodies littered the snow ahead of us, and Bastion waved his burning sword overhead as we thundered toward the fire.
Our horse slid into camp as Mercy yanked back on its reins. Its hooves dug into the snow and kicked up a spray of icy particles. Mercy jumped from the saddle, and I followed her, landing stiff-legged on the ground. My health was dangerously low, and I was bleeding out with every passing second.
“There’re more coming,” I gasped. “So I don’t know what everyone’s lollygagging around for.”
Bastion, Cringer, and Havelock groaned. The dwarf priest took one look at my injuries and sadly shook his head. Either he was out of mana or I was too far gone for his magic to patch me back together again. Whatever the case, I’d be facing the fight of my life already at death’s door.
Bastion and Havelock took up positions next to one another, bracing themselves for the charge behind Bastion’s shield. Mercy trotted up the side of the hill and flattened herself against it to spy on the approaching enemies. “Soon,” she called down to us, her voice thick.
Meanwhile, Indira was still chanting. A white ball of light hung in the air above her, stretching and contorting itself into unnatural shapes. The words pouring from her mouth hurt my ears, and her veins stood out like black threads against her skin. Whatever she was doing, it was taking a hell of a lot out of her.
Without warning, the monsters exploded over the hill ahead of us.
The poured down the hill in a headlong scream.
When they were within fifty feet of us, Mercy shouted, “Now!”
The horde was bunched together, a charging mass of glistening bodies and flailing weapons. They snapped and snarled at one another as their wildly whipping weapons cut into the bodies next to them and their commander screamed his rage to keep them directed at the right enemy.
I’d never seen anything like it. We were all dead. There was no escaping that tidal wave of malevolence and steel.
“Down!” Indira shouted. Her voice cracked like thunder and Havelock and Bastion dropped to the earth as if they’d been poleaxed. Cringer bowed his head and covered his face with his arm, while Mercy covered her eyes with her cloak.
Clearly, they’d been planning on this, but no one had filled me in on what was going to happen next.
The orb of light above Indira’s head transformed into a blazing arc of pure flame. It lashed out and carved through the rushing goblins with a crackling hiss.
Bodies flew in every direction as the fiery guillotine cut the lead goblins in half. Their crude weapons flipped through the air as the arms holding them exploded away from their bodies. The heat of the fire was so intense it boiled their blood in the air and burst their eyes in their sockets.
The second row of goblins burned down as well, unable to stop before the arc of fire swung again.
I caught a glimpse of all this in the half second or so before the fire’s intense flare blinded me and the world burned.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Mailed hands hooked under my armpits and hoisted me onto my feet. The air stank of burning hair and smoldering flesh, and all I could see was a flickering sheet of white where the world was supposed to be.
“Can’t see,” I gasped, “I can’t see!”
“We have to get out of here,” Bastion shouted. His voice was almost drowned out by the cries of dying goblins. Indira’s spell had killed many
of the monsters, but from the sound of it, many more had been maimed.
“Can’t see,” I gasped again, terrified. “I’m blind.”
Bastion took my hand and walked with me for a few steps. He pushed my palm against a warm, furry body. “Here’s your horse. Hang on.”
He slapped the bridle into my other hand, and I clutched it as if it were a lifeline keeping me from drowning. The horse whickered in my ear and stamped nervously, but didn’t drag me away.
Everything was a confused jumble. I couldn’t tell which way I was facing or where my friends were. Someone was shouting, but I had no idea who. Mercy was talking to someone, maybe Indira, but they weren’t answering her.
“Saint needs help,” Bastion shouted. “The fire took his eyes.”
The panic in my brother’s voice unnerved me. I’d thought my blindness was temporary, that I was flash blind. Hearing his frantic shout for help, however, terrified me. Were my eyes damaged? Had they been burned out of my skull?
I couldn’t even see the Dragon Web Online user interface to check my status. The horse was the only stable thing in my life. I clung to it like a frightened baby holding his mother’s hand.
