Evil Goblins, Die To My Flames

“Claire, move!” a deep male voice shouted before swords clashed.

There were sounds of a struggle—a heavy grunt, then metal hitting the floor.

“C-Chris, get up!” a girl cried out, her voice cracking, followed by goblins laughing.

I've got to help these idiots before something happens, Gwen thought, speeding up.

After thirty seconds, she came across a bald man in torn leather armor. He was lying down with a sword beside him— blood rushing out from a large gash. The only indication that he was still was the rising and falling of his chest.

Behind him, a woman with light pink hair backed away from three goblins. Her mage robes were torn swinging her magical staff wildly.

“Get away from me, you ugly monsters!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Gwen bit her lip, torn between the woman and the wounded man.

I hope the woman can hold out just a little longer, she thought, rushing to the guy first.

Her hand was shaking badly as she tried to aim her staff at the man. She tried using heal, but the tip flickered green and went out.

Rlex… he’s alive; I can do this, she repeated mentally, taking a deep breath.

She focused, holding the staff steady. The tip lit up green as she channeled her magic through it, finally casting heal.

A green cloud encompassed the man. The deep tear on his chest started to stitch itself back together, and color returned to his face—his breathing evening out.

Gwen held the spell until the bleeding completely stopped. Sweat dripped down her face by the time she stood up, using the staff as a crutch. Fuck! Healing takes way more magic than I thought.

She wiped her forehead. “Just lie still. I’ll go deal with the monsters and finish healing you later.” She promised the man, even though he was out cold.

Ignoring the blood on the ground, Gwen charged the goblins. The pink-haired woman attempted another wild swing, but a goblin just chopped it in half. The force threw her off balance. She tumbled backward onto her butt, terrified.

The goblins approached her, laughing.

“N-no!” she screamed, putting her hands up.

Gwen closed the gap and leveled her staff. “Fire arrow!”

A bolt of fire shot out, blasting the head goblin in the back of the head. The monster hissed as its gray skin burned, but it didn’t fall. Gwen fired off more, hitting the other two.

Dammit! I need to put more magic into the spell next time, she thought, gritting her teeth.

The monsters stopped dead and turned around, screeching.

Gwen gagged a little at how they were looking at her like a piece of meat.

The goblins had long tongues, dripping with saliva. They were short and had gray, hairless skin with long pointed noses; on their bodies, they had only loincloths.

“Aruagh!” The one on her right screamed, pumping its sword in the air. The others joined in, cheering, before sprinting toward her, their small feet flapping on the ground.

Gwen sighed and glanced at the pink-haired girl on the ground. “Move, you’re in the way,” she called out, spinning her staff into a defensive stance.

***

“Move, you’re in the way,” the silver-haired woman said, her voice completely deadpan.

Claire watched from the floor, trembling, as the silver-haired woman started twirling her staff around. Her heart pounded against her chest, a pit forming in her stomach.

Dear God, we are both going to die here, aren’t we? She thought to herself, all the hope she had in her body quickly fading.

She stared at the woman in front of her once again. The silver hair seemed familiar, though she couldn’t quite remember where she had seen her.

Despite being dressed as a cleric, the woman moved with a strange confidence. She twirled her staff, ending the movement with the base of her staff tapping against the floor. A sudden flare of energy flooded the area, and an orange glow surrounded the woman.

Claire struggled to breathe; the temperature sharply rose, and the pressure from the energy made the air feel heavy.

For a split second, Claire saw the silhouette of a woman dressed in all white behind the silver-haired woman; the woman was guarded by a giant lion baring its teeth. Then she blinked, and the image disappeared, turning back into the silver-haired woman now holding her staff at the three goblins.

“Fire Arrow!” she yelled. The heat released from the staff dried the sweat on Claire’s skin instantly, taking with it the moisture in the air.

At the end of the staff, three bolts of flame circled each other before shooting forward. The monsters didn’t even have a chance to react before the arrows struck their bodies. The light from the flames was so bright that Claire was forced to cover her eyes.

She thought the flames were going to burn her as well, but all she felt was a surge of warmth that restored her energy and wiped the tiredness from her body.

Seconds later, she opened her eyes. The goblins had been reduced to a pile of ash, with three objects she didn’t recognize lying on top of them.

Why the hell is someone so strong hunting slimes on the first floor? Claire thought, the feeling of death leaving now replaced with awe. Even the person who taught her how to use magic only had half the magic of the person standing in front of her.

The silver-haired woman stood behind them, the glow around her body fading as she lowered her staff. Once the wood touched the ground, the hold she had on the area vanished. The passion and energy in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a cold indifference.

The woman’s gaze brushed over Claire, and she couldn’t help but shudder. It felt as if the woman was looking right through her, stealing any and every secret she held.

Claire ignored the urge to flee and slowly climbed to her feet. She wanted to thank the mage properly despite the dangerous aura circling her body. Thankfully, the fire healed all of her wounds and injuries, so she felt nothing now on her feet. Taking a deep breath, Claire began to walk towards the woman.

I wonder where I’ve seen this woman before. She thought. Then, a light went off in her head. I’m pretty sure that’s Duke Vanderick’s daughter, the one who called off the wedding.

The newspapers had been running articles about it for the last few days. They had shown a photo of Gwen in a beautiful black dress. Her face was stone cold, with her long white hair floating behind her, just as it was now.

What the hell is a noble doing working as an adventurer? Did her house really face hardships because of the scandal?

Claire hurried toward her, but just as she opened her mouth, Gwen’s eyes widened. Before she could react, Gwen lunged, pulling her out of the way.

The sound of wood meeting steel bounced off the walls as Gwen raised her staff to block a strike aimed at Claire’s back.

Claire turned and froze. Standing over them was a goblin twice the size of the others. Its skin was tinted a dark, ashy gray; its eyes were bright red as it stared down at them.

Gwen’s arms strained, and the wood of her staff began to crack under the creature’s strength.

“M-move now!” Gwen yelled, her voice losing its cold edge, replaced by a sense of urgency.