The stench of damp earth and rot filled the air as Red, Selena, and Lio stepped into the forest clearing of Elderholm Trail. The trees grew denser here, shadows draping every crevice like dark curtains. Yet none of it masked the unmistakable sound of guttural laughter, bone-chilling chittering, and the sharp thrum of war drums in the distance.
Red: They're close,
Red muttered, unsheathing one of his black swords with a quiet rasp.
Selena: You weren't kidding about goblins being noisy.
Red: They're more organized than I expected,
Red said, scanning the treetops.
Red: Drums mean command structure. That's not good.
Lio adjusted his oversized chestplate nervously.
Lio: W-We'll be fine, right? I mean, it's just goblins…
From the treeline, a horn wailed, a deep, hollow note that echoed through the woods. Then, like a swarm, they came.
Goblins. Hundreds of them.
Small, snarling figures burst from the underbrush in waves, green, grey, some even sporting crude armor. Spears, jagged swords, and makeshift bows clattered in their hands. At the rear, five massive hobgoblins stood tall and wide, forming a crimson-furred vanguard around a massive, grotesque figure with a jagged crown of bone: the Goblin King.
Red: Stay close. Lio, protect Selena's back. Selena, don't hesitate.
Selena gripped her daggers tight, nodding despite the sweat clinging to her brow.
The battle erupted.
Red charged forward like a storm given form, a whirlwind of shadow and steel. He crashed into the first hobgoblin with the full weight of his armor and blade. Steel rang out like a bell, and the hobgoblin was flung backward with a roar, bones cracking beneath the blow.
Then Red was on the second, dancing between axes and crushing counterstrikes. Each move was calculated, deadly, beautiful in its brutality.
Meanwhile, Selena and Lio stood on the frontlines of the goblin horde.
Lio: Th-There's so many!
Lio cried, raising his sword just in time to deflect a goblin's rusty dagger. The impact sent him stumbling.
Selena leapt forward, slashing at two goblins that got too close. Her dagger sank into one's eye, the creature screeching before falling limp. The other tripped over its fallen kin, and she kicked it square in the snout.
Selena: Hah! Gotcha! Wait....ahhh!!!!
Selena yelped as mucus from a goblin's cracked gut splashed onto her boots.
Selena: Oh no, oh no~ ewww!!!
Lio: Selena, behind you!
Lio shouted, throwing a rock with panicked desperation. It conked a goblin in the head, stunning it long enough for Selena to finish the job.
She turned to him, half grateful and half exasperated.
Selena: A rock? Really?!
Lio: I panicked!
They stumbled back-to-back, panting, as more goblins poured in from the brush.
Selena's face was pale.
Selena: Red said don't hesitate… Right! Come on then!
With a yell, she lunged into the fray, blades flashing, though more than once she stumbled on the uneven terrain or tripped over a goblin's body. A swipe from one caught her shoulder, and she hissed in pain, barely managing to parry another attack.
Nearby, Lio had accidentally wedged his oversized sword into a tree.
Lio: Ugh! Why is this thing so big!?
Three goblins lunged for him. He ducked, mostly by tripping over his own feet, and accidentally bowled them over.
Lio: Hey, that… kind of worked?
Selena, sweat-slicked and panting, clumsily shoved one goblin into a tree with the butt of her dagger.
Selena: I think we're actually doing this!
Their relief was short-lived.
Another wave surged toward them, bigger, meaner goblins led by a bellowing hobgoblin. The creature grinned, swinging a massive spiked club that flattened a tree stump.
Lio: Oh no. he squeaked.
Selena's daggers shook in her hands.
Selena: O-Okay. Deep breath…
Lio: Selena! Duck!
She dropped low as Lio threw himself into the path of a goblin's spear. It grazed his shoulder, drawing blood, but he held his ground.
Lio: You okay?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Selena: I-I will be," she whispered.
Back at the other end of the battlefield, Red was bloodied, but still standing.
Three hobgoblins down.
The Goblin King now towered before him, its cruel eyes burning with malice.
Goblin King: Human…
the King growled, its voice low and ancient.
Goblin King: You are strong. You will die slow.
Red wiped blood from his chin with the back of his glove.
Red: Try it.
They clashed.
The ground quaked beneath their blows, black swords ringing against a crude greatsword made of fused bones and steel. Red ducked, countered, rolled. The King bellowed and struck with monstrous fury.
Behind him, the other hobgoblin flanked Red.
Red twisted, bringing both swords up just in time, but he was now outnumbered, both blades locked against brute force.
His body tensed. One mistake, and he'd be impaled.
And far behind him…
Selena and Lio were losing ground.
Bloodied, scraped, breathing hard, they stood side by side, surrounded by goblins. Lio's sword was chipped. Selena's hands were trembling. The hobgoblin before them raised its club with a wicked grin.
Selena's heart sank.
Selena: Lio… I don't think we can hold much longer…
Lio: M-Me neither. But if we fall, we fall swinging!
Selena looked up at the orange dusk sky.
Selena: Red… please hurry.