Death

Terror threatened to paralyze Elizabeth, a cold grip on her heart. But Rianne's sharp gasp, and running boots thudding loudly, snapped Elizabeth back to reality.

Focus... Elizabeth shook her head and kept running. It was just her intrusive thoughts working overtime to mess with Rianne again.

She focused on the fleeing figures ahead: the goblin and Rianne, who were just in front of her.

Teasing Rianne is fun, but I'll probably get a scolding if she dies this time.

But she needs to figure out how to stop the goblin soon, or else Rianne will suffer a fate worse than she can imagine. Elizabeth pushed her legs even harder, despite her abdomen throbbing with each stride.

Rianne ran faster than she had anticipated. She dashed through the trees with a speed Elizabeth didn't know she had. The pain she felt earlier must be giving her some motivation to run faster.

The goblin was right behind her, its dark shape flickering, daggers shining in its hands. Elizabeth pushed herself harder, her lungs on fire, but the distance between them grew. Her heavy hammer slowed her down more than she liked to admit.

However, just moments later, Rianne made a critical mistake.

She didn’t see the small rock jutting out of the ground; it was hardly noticeable, yet it was enough to cause her to trip. Her foot caught, and she stumbled forward with no time to recover.

Rianne slammed into the ground face-first. her sharp cry of pain sliced through the serene woods, echoing like a startled deer. She whimpered softly, curling up, cradling her aching arm in despair.

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat.

“Rianne!”

She forced herself into a sprint, ignoring the stab of pain in her gut. But the goblin didn’t hesitate. It lunged forward with a gleeful hiss, closing the last steps between them.

Elizabeth was still too far.

She ran as fast as she could, but the worst had already happened. The goblin leapt onto Rianne’s back, both daggers raised. With a savage thrust, one blade drove into her heart from behind. The second pierced her spine moments later.

“NO!” Elizabeth screamed—but the goblin didn’t stop.

It ripped the blades free from Rianne's heart and spine and stabbed again.

And again.

And again.

Like a crazed demon, the goblin slashed and stabbed as though trying to erase her. It was as if it was Rianne's punishment for healing Elizabeth earlier.

“Stop!!” Rianne shrieked in agony, her voice breaking with pain.

But the goblin didn’t care. The louder Rianne screamed, the fiercer its attack became.

Of course, the goblin did not forget Elizabeth coming after it and seeing Elizabeth getting closer from the corner of its eye. It delivered the final blow: a dagger plunged deep into Rianne’s skull. And the cruel blade exited through her mouth, silencing her screams.

“GET OFF HER!” Elizabeth roared, and with every ounce of rage, she swung her hammer.

This time, the goblin wasn’t fast enough. The hammer collided with its shoulder, making a sickening crunch. Sending the goblin tumbling away from Rianne’s lifeless body. It yelped, blood flying from its mouth as it hit the ground.

Elizabeth didn’t pause.

She leaped forward over Rianne's lifeless body, raised her hammer, and bellowed, “DIE!”

But the goblin twisted its body at the last second, using the momentum from the earlier strike to roll away. Elizabeth’s hammer slammed into the ground, a cloud of dust erupting around it.

Scrabbling on three limbs, its right arm hanging useless, it fled into the trees.

"Don't run! Face me!" Elizabeth roared. She wrenched the hammer from the ground and chased the goblin.

Once she got in range, she swung from the left.

The goblin sidestepped, avoiding the attack.

Instead of swinging from the right, Elizabeth tried something else this time. Carried by the momentum from the swing, Elizabeth stepped forward with her left foot. This made her whole body take a spin, letting the hammer’s weight carry her around into a powerful arc.

The unexpected move caught the goblin off guard. It raised its broken right arm defensively. The strike connected hard with its right arm. Bone snapped. The creature howled, coughing blood as it was sent flying. Its right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle.

With barely any time to dodge, its forced to use its broken right arm to cover its body. With the force of the blow from the hammer, Elizabeth sent the goblin flying. Its right arm was twisted beyond recognition, it coughed blood into the air.

"Yes!" Finally, she landed a hit. However, Elizabeth over-rotated, throwing off her balance, and she struggled to regain her footing.

The goblin crashed to the ground. But Elizabeth's inexperience gave the goblin time to recover on its feet. It gritted its fangs and stood, switching its dagger to its left hand. Blood dripped from its shattered right arm.

With an angry howl, its bloodshot eyes locked on Elizabeth, it charged at her with rage.

"Come!" Elizabeth met its rage with her own battle cry. “I'll make you pay for what you did to Rianne!”

Despite its injuries, the goblin was still fast. It reached her in seconds.

With speed, Elizabeth swung her hammer to the right this time.

The goblin expected Elizabeth's attack. It darted inside her guard as she swung right. In one fluid motion, it slid beneath the hammer, coiled under her legs, and twisted up behind her. Leaving her back completely exposed.

Shit! Elizabeth tried to turn, but the hammer's momentum slowed her turn down.

The goblin rammed forward, dagger raised, and plunged the blade into her left shin.

She howled in pain. Stumbling as the dagger ripped free, blood poured down her leg, staining the earth.

She turned and brought the hammer down, but she was too slow. The goblin had already pulled the blade free and darted aside. Her hammer smashed into empty soil with a thunderous thud.

The goblin circled, a predator sensing weakness. Elizabeth tracked the goblin with her eyes, but the pain in her leg made her stumble. She planted the hammer like a crutch to steady herself. But before she could rise, the goblin lunged forward again.

“You little—!” she snapped, trying to lift her hammer.

But the weight threw her off—her wounds were burning. She struggled to maintain her balance and tried hard to avoid falling.

The goblin zipped in close and slashed open the wound in her right thigh once more.

Elizabeth hissed, collapsing to both knees. She released the hammer in air and lashed out with her right fist.

The goblin tilted its head to dodge her strike. Then, it lunged forward and drove its dagger deep into her right chest. Pain seared through her body.

Elizabeth clenched her teeth, enduring the pain, she shouted. “YOU’RE PISSING ME OFF!” Elizabeth swung a wild left hook. The goblin ripped the dagger free, blood gushing, and hopped back again, dodging her hook.

You—” Elizabeth gasped, trying to chase—but pain pulsed through her legs and her chest. Elizabeth swayed. Blood soaked her leggings, and pooled beneath her; her vision dimmed.

The goblin cackled as if it had already won this battle. Staring at her with its crimson eyes mocking her weakness.

Then it lunged.

Elizabeth raised her fist to strike—but the goblin split into three blurred figures. Her vision couldn’t keep up.

Where?

Fuck it!! She swung at the middle.

But it vanished into smoke, Elizabeth hitting the empty air.

The image on her left solidified. The real goblin struck from the side. Pain exploded in her chest as the dagger pierced straight through her heart.

She choked, her mouth filling with blood. Pain shot through her entire body, leaving her limbs numb.

This must be the pain Rianne felt during the goblin's assault on her.

Who said that thirty percent of pain and dying is nothing!!!

Dying doesn't feel good at all!

It sucks!!!

Darkness swallowed Elizabeth's vision. Her body went limp, collapsing onto the bloodied forest floor.

She died.

But as if to comfort Elizabeth.

Lumière's voice broke the sudden silence. It echoed softly in her fading consciousness. It was as if she had been beside her all this time watching her battle.

[You died]