Ambush

Instantly, the forest fell silent. All birds and insects seemed to flee at that moment, leaving the two of them in the stillness of their wake. Not even the wind caused the leaves to stir.

But the leaves did move.

Kieran’s eyes narrowed. “Three… no… more… way more.”

And he was right as all the bushes around them seemed to be teeming with something hiding within.

Seraphina blinked, her eyes flittering around, “what are they?”

He didn’t answer. No other sounds. Just the steady run of his breathing.

Without warning, the undergrowth erupted.

And Kieran was correct, it was far more than just three that emerged.

Figures poured from the brush on every side. Green-skinned bodies darted between the trees with rusted blades, chipped spears and crude clubs clutched in their hands. One scrambled up a fallen log while another circled wide through the brush instead of charging.

Their breaths were humid and loud with snickers and other disgusting sounds.

Kieran didn’t hesitate.

Steel flashed.

His spear swept low in a broad arc, forcing the front line of goblins back before reversing into a thrust that skewered three in a row right through the chest. The creatures let out guttural gurgles as Kieran retrieved his spear from their flesh in one swift motion. Before their lifeless bodies hit the ground in a sickening heap he spun the shaft around, the butt crashing into another goblin’s jaw hard enough to send it spiraling into others.

Another lept. But Kieran was already under the wild swing, driving his shoulder into its stomach, throwing it backwards into frontlines.

“Stay behind me!” He bellowed, thrusting his arm out to guide her as he made careful steps towards a tree at his back.

Seraphina clutched Marmalade tighter and hurried to obey.

The goblins hesitated, though it didn’t seem to be from fear. Rather they were watching him. Waiting.

Something felt wrong. Many years of experience told Kieran that goblins rushed in blindly. They overwhelm their prey with numbers and little else.

These, for some reason, weren’t.

A few raised their weapons forward as they took a defensive front. Some slowly spread out towards his flanks. Others hung further back, clutching rough slings instead of joining the charge.

They were surrounding him.

“...Since when do goblins hunt like this?”

But no answer came. Only another charge.

Kieran was faster. He twisted at the waist and ready his spear.

“Duck!” he roared out and began to move before Seraphina had a chance to understand the call was to her.

His spear became a blur. One by one as the razor sharp blade crossed the charging horde, they were ripped open with blinding speed.

Blood rained down just as several bodies crumpled into the ground at once. As Kieran’s swing reached the end of its arc, it just missed Seraphina’s braid as she ducked down, clutching Marmalade tightly to her chest.

For a moment it looked almost effortless. He drove them backward exactly as he had hundreds of times before. His feet moved on their own without him thinking.

Force the enemy together. Leave the opening. Then Alaric would–

But there was nothing.

His spear stopped halfway through the thrust. There was no Hero beside him.

A goblin slipped through the gap with a rusted knife clenched in a gnarled grip.

“Dammit!”

He twisted just in time, the chipped knife tearing across his sleeve missing its mark. He held the wound as dark blood trickled down his arm. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Another slammed its full weight into the shaft of his spear that he was using as a brace at that moment. Then another threw itself at his spear, wrapping its tiny arms around the wood and refusing to let go. And another.

Horror rose through Kieran as a realization hit him harder than any blow so far. They weren’t trying to kill him. They were trying to lock his weapon down.

As cold sweat ran down his back, Kieran ripped the spear free and swept at another goblin. But just as quick as he was reacting, the goblins's formation was also evolving.

More emerged from the trees. His heartbeat quickened, pounding loudly in his ears.

This was no longer a hunting party.

This was an ambush.

A stone struck his shoulder. Another bounced off the side of his head, sending a shock wave of pain over all of his senses.

The goblins with slings had finally joined the fray. As soon as he could think straight again, he shifted his stance to better retaliate against the new assault. But it wasn’t enough.

A club smashed into the back of his knee. His leg buckled as another goblin crashed into his side. And another.

He threw one aside with the butt of his spear before driving the blade through another’s chest. But another fear exploded over his mind. This time when he went to rip the shaft from the corpse, it didn’t yield. Instead, with haggard breaths, the dying goblin held on, refusing to let the Lancer move an inch.

And still they came. He was able to kick another away, but another was quick to replace it.

No spells scattered theme. No shield blocked the attacks he couldn’t see coming. No sword cut down those slipping in behind him.

Every instinct screamed that someone else would be there, to cover where he couldn’t. But no one was.

A goblin dove low. Another grabbed and tugged at his spear. A third slammed into his back.

The world spun as his grip slipped. With a loud clatter his spear clattered into the leaves.

“No!” He lunged for it.

Pain exploded across his ribs as a club struck home. All the air escaped his lungs as he landed face-first into the forest floor. Before he could even understand what was happening, bodies piled onto him.

One grabbed his arm. Another wrapped itself around his legs. A third shoved his shoulders back down into the dirt.

He strained against them, but there was no budge. His fingers dug into the earth until his gloves were thick with clay and mud.

Move! Please, just move! He begged his body but he was only able to lift his head just enough to see beyond the goblins holding him in place.

Sera!

She had backed toward a large oak, clutching Marmalade with one arm while fumbling for the dagger at her belt.

A goblin rushed her, but she managed a clumsy slash. The blade nicked its throat, spraying more blood at her as it felt lifelessly beside her. But another one wasn’t going to let that happen again. With a quick strike of its club, the dagger spun from her hand, disappearing into the brush.

Her eyes widened. She instinctively dove to retrieve it, but two goblins were already there. Thick drool dribbled down their grinning maws as they moved closer to her.

Kieran fought harder. Every fiber of his being screamed to protect her. The goblins pinning him shifted but refused to budge.

“...No…”

He couldn’t even crawl. He had done it again. He failed. He couldn’t even protect the person standing behind him. Let alone the person he loved most.

Seraphina stumbled back another step until her back was pressed tight against a tree. Marmalade finding his own opportunity made his escape up the tree and hissed down at the ambushing force. Though she wanted to try again, she knew trying to climb would only end in failure for her.

With little else to do, she searched the confines of her pack with a free hand. Bandages spilled out with a coil of rope. She frantically searched deeper until–

“Oh, right,” she blinked. Her fingers closed around something slender.

Kieran’s eyes narrowed, trying to discern what she had. All he could tell, it wasn’t anything he packed for her.

Pulling it free, a polished white wand caught the sunlight filtering through the leaves above. For a moment, even the goblins seemed to hesitate.

Kieran simply stared.

“...A wand?” he choked out under the weight of the wavering goblins. “When…?”