First Blood

We soon approached the edge of an enclosed area encircled by towering trees. Anything could have been hiding amongst them, waiting to pounce and feast on our vulnerable souls.

“Alright. This is the first mission. It’s as simple as it looks. We just have to make it to the other side. But–”

“Is that it? That’s easy, isn’t it?” I blurted out, cutting off Ren as he explained what to expect. My nerves had clearly gotten the better of me – anyone who had ever played a video game would’ve recognised how stupid my question was.

I, too, quickly realised how fragile and idiotic I sounded.

“Taro.” Ren instantly regained my attention.

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m explaining. This is important.”

“Sorry, brother.”

Ren resumed.

“We won’t be alone in that arena. Little goblins will appear from everywhere and anywhere. Above us, below us, from the left, from the right…be ready at all times. The closer we get to the end, the greater the numbers they appear in at once. But try not to worry. These goblins are weak and will be unarmed. This shouldn’t be too difficult. It never is.”

Ren seemed overly confident, but it didn’t do much to help calm my nerves. I still feared treading into, what was to me, unchartered territory. Yet my brother, as sharp as ever, evidently saw right through me. He knew I wasn’t going to do what Junpei could.

“Stay behind me, and stick with Izumi. You can shoot your fire from a distance while I take on the rest of them.”

“Let’s be cautious. I feel like we won’t be alone if we step into this place,” Izumi suddenly interjected.

My mouth opened instinctively, ready to praise Izumi for her insight – even if it was something Ren had already said. But before the words left my lips, He shot me a look and gave a small shake of his head, his expression laced with quiet irritation. I let out an awkward, light chuckle, shrinking back as I realised there wasn’t much point in responding to Izumi.

We then positioned ourselves accordingly, and entered the arena.

A numbness clenched my legs as I moved forwards. I couldn’t tell if I was in control of my body. This time, it wasn’t the exhausting weight of the armour that made my body shiver.

I wondered if what Ren said was true. Were the goblins actually weak and unarmed? Or was he just saying that to comfort me? Maybe he was trying to do me a favour as he knew how much I was already panicking inside. He understood my worth, and clearly didn’t think–

“Sabar, look out!”

The sickening slice of a sword mutilating a feeble body scraped at my eardrums, plunging my heart into a rapid assault on my chest.

I briskly turned to uncover what the noise was. To my luck, my body remained intact, but the unsightly goblin that lay below me did not. As I looked up, Izumi and I momentarily locked eyes.

“Thank you for saving me, Izumi–”

Before I could finish thanking her, she dashed away. She obviously didn’t have time to listen to what I had to say. Her only purpose was to retrieve her sister, and fight the enemies that blocked her path to achieving that goal.

“Khrom, we'll back you up!” Izumi howled as she charged through a herd of goblins, driving her sword through their thick necks one-by-one.

“Taro, focus. We can’t protect you from everything. You still have to fight. Remember what I told you. Don’t be afraid to use it.”

Although Ren was surrounded by thirty, no, at least fifty goblins, he still made sure to check I was okay.

I couldn’t let him down.

I stretched out my hands, opened my palms and tightly extended my fingers on both hands.A raw scream tore from my throat as fire burst from my hands, engulfing the goblins in a wave of destruction. An eerie raspiness followed, but their cries didn’t bother me.

They aren’t real — they are just characters in a video game.

And I’m here for a reason, and one reason only – to save my brother.

As time slowed, I turned to the others, guilt creeping in me as I realised they were pretty much doing everything.

“Wow. They’re amazing,” I muttered to myself.

Having set my eyes on both Izumi and Ren, I realised that their teamwork was flawless. They both appeared to know exactly what to do, even without speaking to each other.

Perhaps if I had just played this game before, I could’ve joined them.

Still, I did what I could to help them. I continued to purge the dwarf-like goblins as they approached me and grew in numbers.

I found a little satisfaction in that I didn’t falter. I was useful and that was what was important. After all, I couldn’t only be deadweight to Ren and Izumi. That wouldn’t be fair in a game like this.

CRUNCH!!!

My head jerked, then bowed low to the floor, swallowed by a tide of unspeakable pain.

A goblin had unexpectedly risen from the ground and dug its teeth into my left leg with its sharp canines.

How could I have been so careless? I forgot one of the few things Ren had told me only minutes ago.

At the mere sight of the goblin’s attempt to chew through my leg further, my composure abruptly retreated, and I scampered desperately toward our destination.

The distress that consumed me told me to run. To ignore everything around me and find my way to the end as quickly as possible.

My eyes squeezed shut as I held out my hands, releasing every ounce of fire my body could muster.

I’m sure Ren peered over at me with disgust. He probably scolded me before coming to my aid. I didn’t see what he did to rescue me, but I could hear the brutalising blows he laid to any goblin that tried to attack me.

The noises slowly began to subside. Then, they were gone.

That meant I could open my eyes again.

I was safe.

My eyelashes peeled from my cheekbones as I shakily loosened my eyes that were mangled shut. I let out a deep sigh of relief and my heart began to relax.

I could breathe again.

“That was a close one, right Ren?”

My inexcusably upbeat remark was met with silence.

Maybe Ren was angry. No, I knew he was ashamed of what I did. I would have been too. I clenched my teeth, the harsh grinding echoing in my eyes.

I balled my fist, full of a frustrated determination. I was going to assure Ren I wouldn't let that happen again.

“Hey Ren? Did you hear me?” I confidently shouted as I swiftly turned to meet his face once again.

“I promise next time I’ll–Ren?”

I realised Ren hadn't followed me. He was still in the arena, massacring the goblins.

Now wasn’t the time to pause. From what I could see, there were too many goblins heading his way. His chances of surviving were slim.

“Ren!” I exclaimed.

“I’m coming back to help you.”

I couldn’t just stand there. I had to help him.

I knew that, without him, I’d be completely hopeless.