First Blood

The goblin’s face twisted—a grotesque mask of rage warring with raw, animal fear. Its eyes flicked to Elizabeth's wound. They widened as torn flesh mended under its watch.

A guttural snarl came from the goblin’s throat. It showed less defiance and more fear, like a trapped animal.

Pain throbbed in Elizabeth's thigh where the blade had cut. But Rianne’s healing eased the worst of it, making it bearable. She tested her weight on the leg. Steady.

Good...

She hauled the hammer back with renewed vigor. "Come!" she shouted, their eyes locked in a fiery stare.

Then both of them charge toward each other once more.

The distance between them is closing.

Four meters apart...

Not yet....

Three meters...

Not yet...

Two...

Not yet...

One!!!

"Now!!!" Elizabeth roared, her voice piercing the air like a battle cry. With fire in her eyes, her lead foot slammed into the earth, heel digging deep. Hips twisted, shoulders followed in a brutal, whipping motion.

Then, in a blur of motion.

She swung!!

Wider and faster than ever before.

The goblin saw the massive hammer arcing its side, but it didn’t flinch. It stood firm, eyes locked, unblinking.

The goblin’s eyes shrank to venomous slits. As Elizabeth’s hammer whistled toward its skull, the goblin dropped hard. It collapsed its wiry frame flat against the dirt. Sliding like a shadow beneath the lethal arc of her swing.

Air hissed where steel should have shattered bone.

No hesitation. The goblin exploded upward in a spray of grit and dead leaves. Its nails tore furrows in the earth as it launched itself.

A guttural shriek tore from the goblin's throat. It moved with terrifying speed, hurtling straight for Elizabeth’s abdomen.

Her breath locked in her throat.

Too fast...

She barely registered the impact before pain ripped through her abdomen. The goblin slammed into her, bony fingers hooking deep beneath her ribs, digging. Its weight wrenched her sideways. It hung there, a grotesque weight. Its claws dug deep, anchoring it in place.

Before she could react, the goblin's free arm snapped up. The crude, serrated dagger in its hand caught the light, a jagged shard of malice poised to strike.

The goblin’s shriek tore through the air – sharp, primal. Its arm shoved down, driving the jagged dagger deep into Elizabeth’s abdomen. The blade sliced through fabric and flesh. Cold iron bit inward, an intrusion that locked Elizabeth's muscles in frozen shock.

Although she only felt thirty percent of the pain, having her gut stabbed doesn't feel good at all. It wasn’t mere pain; it felt like a sinister weight pressing inside her. A disturbing feeling wrapped around her. It felt like an invasion of her soul, making her shiver. Her breath hitched, a silent gasp that reverberated with unspoken terror.

She felt violated...

"Get the fuck off me!!" A raw, guttural scream burst forth from her throat. Instinct surged, drowning out her fear. Her hammer clattered as it fell to the ground; fueled by pure rage, her fist clenched, she struck downward. It connected with the goblin's face; her knuckles struck its tough, leathery skin.

Elizabeth's punch hit hard, making the goblin stumble back and lose its grip on her. The cruel blade tore free with a wet, sucking sound. A hot flood of blood immediately soaked Elizabeth's tunic red.

The goblin tumbled through the air in a flailing mess of limbs, but it hit the ground with unnatural agility. It skidded on clawed feet for a moment, then straightened with a low, rumbling growl. Its yellowed teeth were bared in a vicious, triumphant leer.

Elizabeth pressed her right hand to her belly. Warm blood oozed between her fingers. It felt like her insides were trying to spill out of the wound. Her vision swam, edges darkening from the blood loss.

Then, a sudden warmth. Not the heat of blood, but a soft, holy radiance that enveloped her entire body. It centered on her torn abdomen, a gentle searing heat that didn't burn but mended as if unseen hands were carefully knitting the flesh back together.

Blinking through the fading haze, Elizabeth turned. Rianne stood close by. Her open book glowed softly in her left hand. Her right hand was raised, thumb up. A relieved smile touched Rianne's lips. "I got you!" The words rang out, less casual cheer, more a vow settled. As if a payback for not healing earlier.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, as she felt her strength recovering. Though a deep ache still pulsated inside her abdomen. Although the wound is healing, it is a lot slower compared to earlier than she thought.

RAAAGGHHH!!

A guttural shriek of pure, thwarted malice ripped through the forest. Birds flew from the trees like shrapnel. The goblin's bloodshot eyes weren't on Elizabeth anymore. It was locked on Rianne, vibrating with boiling hatred. Its entire body trembled with rage.

Rianne's gentle smile vanished, wiped away by her fear. She pulled back as the glow around her flickered. Her concentration crumbled under the creature's fierce intent.

The goblin took one deliberate step forward.

This made Elizabeth's gaze snap to the hammer lying discarded in the dirt. The realization that she was currently unarmed hit her like ice water. She lunged, fingers scrabbling in the dirt, snatching the hammer's haft.

The goblin took another deliberate step. Elizabeth moved without delay. She placed herself between the goblin and Rianne, with her hammer raised. Around them, the forest fell deathly still—even the wind seemed to pause. Only the goblin's harsh, grating breaths and low growl broke the silence.

Should I ditch the hammer and use my fist... Elizabeth's eyes flickered to her right fist, clenched around the hammer's grip.

But the goblin gave no quarter; it surged forward. Ignoring her half-healed wound, Elizabeth braced, with her hammer raised. Yet, hesitation is clear on her face. She never managed to hit the goblin once with her full strength. And now with this grave injury, it feels like it is more impossible to do so.

Even with her hesitation, the goblin didn’t wait—it kept coming closer and closer.

"Fuck it." The curse hissed through her teeth, sharp and final. Hesitation burned away like fog. She gripped the hammer until the wood groaned, muscles coiling. The goblin closed in, and Elizabeth exploded into motion. A raw cry tore from her throat as she swung. Her hips twisting, shoulders driving the hammer in a lethal arc aimed at the goblin's body.

The goblin dropped low, its body sliding across the cold earth like a serpent. Claws scraped grooves in the dirt as it skimmed beneath the whistling arc of Elizabeth’s hammer. Momentum carried it past her, and it rolled upright with feral grace. One bloodshot eye flickered and then locked onto Rianne. She stood pale and exposed, gripping her tome like a shield.

No pause, no warning—like a thunderclap, the goblin pounced. Clawed feet dug in as it launched forward, a snarling missile aimed right at Rianne.

"Gah! Get away!" Rianne’s scream wasn't just fear; it was raw detestion. Up close, the goblin was a nightmare of warts, matted fur, and yellowed, jagged teeth. The stench hit her – damp earth and decay. She stumbled back, "Liz! Help! It's on me!" She turned on her heel and fled.

Though the goblin was faster. With lightning speed, its hand darted down mid-stride. The goblin seized the abandoned dagger from the dirt without breaking its charge. The blade, still stained with Rianne's blood.

Should I...

Elizabeth contemplated. The thought hung cold and sharp.

Rescue Rianne?

It's not like she can do anything against the goblin with her slow hammer. She’d barely grazed the goblin before, and now, injured... Besides, Rianne did just watch her earlier.

How? Chase it down? Swing while it’s on Rianne?

Elizabeth's feet remained rooted to the earth.

It's no use...

Her hammer felt like a dead weight in her hand. Elizabeth can't reach them. The goblin was already behind Rianne. Its dagger raised high as Rianne fled blindly, her tome pressed uselessly to her chest.

With a deafening cry, the goblin coiled and sprang. It landed squarely on Rianne’s back, the impact driving them both to the forest floor with a sickening thump. Rianne’s face slammed into the dirt. Two brutal downward thrusts buried the daggers deep between her shoulder blades.

"Ghhhk—!" Rianne’s scream choked into a wet gasp. Blood bloomed darkly across her clothes, soaking into the earth beneath her.

The goblin wrenched the blades free with a horrible, sucking sound. Rianne screamed in pain as she felt that her whole back was being pulled and ripped apart.

It pulled back for the final blow. With a swift, brutal motion, both daggers crossed Rianne’s open throat. Rianne's choked cry cut off in an instant. Her body went limp as her head rolled down to the forest floor. The sudden gush of blood showered the goblin as the whole forest went silent.

Elizabeth stood transfixed. The world shrank to the red pool soaking the ground, and the goblin crouched on Rianne’s lifeless body. Its head slowly turned. Crimson eyes, devoid of anything human, fixed on Elizabeth. A jagged grin split its face. Slowly, deliberately, it ran a thick tongue along the edge of one blood-slicked dagger. A low, wet chuckle bubbled from its throat.

The sound crawled up Elizabeth’s spine. She took an involuntary step back, breath trapped in her chest. The goblin’s grin seemed burned onto her retinas. The silence left by Rianne’s final gasp was deafening, thicker than the forest air. Its gaze didn’t just hold hers; it feasted on the raw terror widening her eyes. A predator relishing the broken thing before it.

Author's note: If you see any mistakes in the chapters you can point it out in the comments and I will fix it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
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