The Goblin Gambit

Francisco charged with his sword pointed outright, heading over to the nearest goblin. This goblin was shorter than him and had made a crown using the destroyed corn stalks. The goblin stuck his tongue out, dripping warm saliva onto the ground as he stared in confusion. Francisco felt confident that he would impale the enemy, but the goblin hopped to the side.

Francisco passed the goblin, gritting his teeth as his feet kicked dirt. He clumsily tripped over his foot, causing the group of goblins to cackle and holler. Their energy increased as they started hopping in place. Francisco readjusted his stance; his eyebrow twitched slightly, quickly annoyed by the antics of the goblins.

"Take me seriously!" Francisco yelled, charging once again at the same goblin from before. This time, he flailed his sword recklessly. The goblin with the corn husk crown easily dodged the weapon swings by hopping backwards. Francisco tried chasing him, focused on getting at least one hit. It was blind concentration as he didn't see another goblin just approach from his side and kick his ribs.

Francisco tumbled to the ground, creating a small cloud of debris. He quickly lifted himself, not wanting to be at a disadvantage. But it was too late, the goblins quickly circled the financial advisor. They galloped in circles around Francisco, laughing and hitting their weapons on the floor. The financial advisor kept his sword away from his chest, doing his best to give himself some distance. "Okay, redo. I made an oversight. It happens," Francisco chuckled nervously.

The goblins didn't understand Francisco's words, but they took notice of his sweat and unbalanced stance. One by one, they started to play with the penniless man. One goblin dashed across the circle, punching Francisco in the back before getting back in line. Franky grunted and attempted to swing at him. Every time he stepped forward or backward, the circle paced with him.

Another goblin crossed the circle, armed with a dagger, and slashed at Francisco's back. The financial advisor could only wince and groan in pain. They were rotating faster now. The tallest goblin came from the side and waved his sword aggressively. Francisco luckily defended from the attack, holding his sword up and gripping tightly. The collision of both swords caused a loud clatter as sparks flew.

Francisco took a victory sigh, which would only be replaced by a shriek of pain. Two goblins dashed across to deliver another punch and a dagger cut. It was becoming a game as they started laughing, running across, and doing just minimal damage. Francisco was becoming agitated and fearful that he would eventually lose to exhaustion. The several bruises and cuts felt hot on his body. It was just a series of punches, cuts, and the occasional blocked sword attack.

"Okay, this was a terrible investment. This is worse than tax season," Francisco thought. He gulped as his mind raced with negative energy. "Stay composed. Reevaluate the situation. Figure out the solution," he tried his best to calm his nerves. The attacks kept coming, leaving his back tarnished. "They keep attacking my backside."

Francisco readjusted his stance, taking a deep breath, and he maintained eye contact with the goblin in front of him. He kept his ears perked up, listening for any noises behind him.

The goblin with the corn husk crown held his rusty dagger and chortled obnoxiously. He licked his lip, watching the blood seep from Francisco's backside. The goblin charged forward and jumped up, prepared to hit the back of Francisco's skull.

Francisco heard the sound of a cackle followed by feet lifting off from the ground. He clenched his teeth and hurriedly spun around. The financial advisor swung his sword blindly in a circle. As he spun, he heard a congested gasp and felt his swing become heavier. Francisco had caught the goblin with the corn husk crown!

The goblin's torso and legs landed at the same time. Francisco stared at the two separate body parts, feeling a sense of nausea come up his throat. As stunned as he was, he noticed the other goblins were also surprised. Using this moment, he urgently moved to where the goblin had hopped from, leaving the circle and getting more freedom.

Francisco breathed heavily as the goblins looked up from the corpse of their dead tribemate and back at the financial advisor. The tone shifted immediately. The goblins weren't cackling or hopping around anymore.

"Goblin stocks are down, fellas," Francisco nervously mocked. His eyes quickly studied their body language. They weren't happy.

Four more goblins— one with a crooked nose batted the ground threateningly with his heavy club. One goblin had greasy locks adorned with colorful beads. He rubbed his gleaming dagger against his animal hide chest plate. The third goblin wore a cloak made of leaves and branches; his hair was a scraggly mess with bones and twigs sticking out. He raised his weapon, a curved rusty sword, above his head and waved it maliciously.

The final goblin, the tallest goblin of the bunch, stared at Francisco with his yellow glimmering eyes. His height almost matched the financial advisor. With a scar running down his cheek and his rustic armor stained in a red speckle, it was evident that this goblin was more experienced. His sword was well-maintained, and the sharp edge sparkled beneath the sun's light. He swung his sword, which forced Francisco to tense up; the financial advisor could practically hear the blade cut through the air.

All four of the goblins started walking toward Francisco menacingly. The financial advisor stuck his sword out as he paced backwards. Looking over his shoulder, he remembered the acres of stalk vegetables. Swiveling his feet, he hopped into the crops, running through several lines of vegetation. He tried to control his breathing, knowing his breath was heavy. Francisco could hear the goblins pushing through the crops after him.

Francisco quietly ducked into a trench, putting his back against some stalks of corn. He put his hand over his mouth to deafen his breathing. He overheard the goblins splitting up, their feet drumming onto the ground as they searched. The financial advisor moved his hand from his mouth and combed through his hair.

His heart thumped out of his chest. Francisco realized he had only killed one goblin out of the five. The calm breeze made the cuts on his back sting. Francisco did not see a victory in hand. "Should I call it quits? I would sooner file for bankruptcy than keep fighting."

Back then, Francisco never quit on his financial clients. He practically always found a solution to their debt. Even at times, it seemed impossible to incorporate a strategy or market plan; however, Francisco managed to find a way. But this wasn't as simple as making a personalized retirement plan or studying economic trends. Killing goblins was out of his field.

Francisco patted his pockets and quickly remembered his health potion. He fished it out and popped the cork open. It smelled a tad citrusy, hesitating slightly, he started to drink the red liquid. The liquid itself was a tad thick, with a blend of sweetness and bitterness. He drank it empty and felt instantly better; most of the cuts on his back stopped breathing heat.

Francisco got up from his feet and snuck through a line of wheat. He kept his breathing low. As he kneeled, he passed through another line of stalks and noticed the backside of the tallest goblin. He battled with himself internally— should he run or attack? The financial advisor nodded and slowly crept closer to the goblin.

"There were many times I should have told a client they were hopeless and quit. I'm not about to quit on myself," he thought. As he snuck closer, his foot stepped on a husk of corn.

Crunch!

He slipped partially and noticed the tall goblin pivot its body toward him. Francisco pushed against the ground, standing up and charging at the scarred goblin. The financial advisor arced his sword horizontally, yelling at the goblin as he tried to split him into two like the previous one.

The scarred goblin held his sword upright, blocking the inexperienced sword swing. Francisco didn't let this tarnish his confidence; he continued to swing his sword repeatedly. Every slice with his sword was met with a blocked attack from the goblin. He tried his best to tire the goblin out with his frenzied attacks, but it appeared that the goblin was effortlessly blocking him. Francisco paused and stepped back to regain his breath.

The scarred goblin snickered and showed his jagged teeth as if saying it was his turn. He lunged forward with his sword. It almost pierced Francisco as he had to parry the attack precisely. Every sword strike the goblin threw was heavy and assertive. The clashing of swords was louder now and more frequent.

Francisco was forced to back away as he tried to deflect the sword swings. He couldn't hold his ground anymore. His grip around the hilt of his sword was loosening. It was then that a strong, aggressive attack on his blade forced him to drop his weapon. As his sword dropped to the ground, Francisco panicked.

"He's been aiming at my sword the entire time!" Francisco was then kicked in the stomach by the goblin. He tumbled backwards and banged his head on the dirt. Crawling backwards, he could see the expression on the goblin's face change. The goblin cackled and played a sinister grin, eerily drawing closer with his sword raised.

Francisco patted his pockets again, stuffing them inside and feeling for anything that could help him. His hand touched something rough, and as he pulled it out, he frowned. A single gold coin gleamed in his hand. Gulping, he chucked it at the goblin. "Consider it a down payment!"

Donk!

"Gah!" The goblin wailed as the coin struck his eye. He lowered his sword and rubbed his eye. Francisco managed to stun him briefly! The financial advisor utilized this moment, jumping up to his feet and charging at the goblin with his shoulder.

Bump!

The weight of Francisco's charge managed to make the scarred goblin topple backwards onto the ground. The goblin, in a desperate attempt, grabbed hold of Francisco's neck collar and pulled him during his collapse. Both Francisco and the scarred goblin wrestled on the ground.

The goblin tried his best to arc his sword upwards to cut at the inexperienced adventurer. Francisco held his wrist down, unsure how he could defeat this goblin from his position. As they struggled, the scarred goblin let go of his sword momentarily. He punched Francisco in the jaw, knocking him over on the side.

The financial advisor rolled over to the side. He blinked a few times, trying to snap out of his disorientation. Francisco glanced and could see the tall goblin rising to his feet and picking up his sword. His eyes widened when he saw the scarred goblin leaping over to him.

Francisco turned his head away to hide from the plunging blade. As he did, a reflective light hit his eyes. Squinting, he noticed his dropped sword next to him. Grabbing it hurriedly, he pointed it in the goblin's direction.

Squish!

Francisco met the gleaming yellow eyes of the goblin. The tall goblin had leapt into this sword, and the blade pierced his gut. Blood dripped onto the financial advisor as the goblin tried to move. The wicked smile had disappeared.

Francisco let go of his sword as the scarred goblin took a few steps back and collapsed on his back. His back made a heavy thud, and Francisco's sword slid further into his body. The financial advisor climbed up to his feet; his breath was incredibly heavy. He realized how fortunate he was in this moment. Hanging his head back, he took a moment to regain his breath.

Putting his hands on his hips, he sighed again as he went to retrieve his sword. "Maybe my luck is rising," Francisco muttered under his breath. His moment of reprieve was halted.

A heavy pain struck the side of his leg. He hopped to the side instinctively as he looked over. The crooked-nose goblin had appeared and hit his leg with his heavy club. Francisco hopped on one leg away from the goblin. He glanced over at his sword, still impaled in the dead tall goblin.

As Francisco desperately hopped over to his sword, the other two goblins emerged from the stalks and cut his path. They brandished their weapons and kept Francisco away. The financial advisor stopped in his tracks, widening his eyes as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. His concentration was broken as the crooked-nose goblin struck the side of his torso with another club swing.

The force of the attack caused Francisco to stumble, unable to keep his balance with one leg. He fell through a line of stalks and tripped into a clearing. He grimaced in pain as he tried to crawl away. There was nowhere to hide, and he couldn't flee on one leg. The three goblins slowly pushed the stalk, cackling vindictively as they watched their enemy struggle. Francisco eyed the club, the rustic sword, and the gleaming dagger. All three goblins made it apparent that they were going to have fun.

He shook his head and sighed deeply, his head resting on the ground. Looking up at the sky, he watched the clouds hover motionlessly. "Looks like I'm a bad gambler, Richard," Francisco muttered. He closed his eyes and could hear the angry steps getting closer.

Squish! The sound of a sword being drawn from flesh could be faintly heard.