Solveig the Great, Pt. 2

Solveig kicked the nearest chair before covering her eyes.

Were the gods really this sadistic? How could they gift her the mind and the will to fight, but not the body to back it up?

Her eyes drifted to the corner of the room, to the little wooden fox Erling had carved her. She went and picked it up.

Then her mind drifted too, back to when the other kids used to wait for her outside her door in the mornings. Her fingers tightened around the fox until the corners of it bit into her palm.

“GOBLINS!”

W-What?

She quickly discarded the statue and ran toward the window.

Goblins, here?! It didn’t make sense—her house was in the deepest part of the village!

Yet… Mommy did say the Demon King’s army was moving rapidly…

They must have breached our walls. But how? Uncle reinforced them with—

“Help us! Please… s-somebody!”

That voice… it sounded like it belonged to another kid!

“Ah, crap…”

She thought to what Daddy said—about responsibility… and restraint.

It wasn’t a hard decision in the end.

Because what was more heroic than answering a call when you least expected it?!

She grabbed her steel dagger.

\\

Fire… fire everywhere.

On the hay rooftops, on the wood that had been split apart by stone artillery, in the damn sky—gods, what wasn’t on fire? The Demon King hadn't been this brazen before. He must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today…

Solveig shook her head and ran toward where she approximated cries for help came from.

She didn't like where she was heading. She hadn't been to these parts of the village in a while, but if her intuition was right... then she wished, more than anything, that she was wrong.

This was where the kids usually played. And since this was a surprise attack…

"STAY BACK!"

The voice, this time, sounded crystal clear.

Solveig’s heart dropped.

Erling!

She ran and ran. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t her friend! Heroes helped, no matter what!

She rounded the final corner, and that’s when she saw them.

Those creatures were short little things. Green, brown, black—a little everything in between. Nothing but flesh with loincloths that bore putrid, slimy noses and engorged pimples. Solveig had always thought her parents were exaggerating their appearance, spinning them up to be nothing but savages too stupid to be feared…

But they were to be feared. Nothing seemed to faze them, not the spells the children were casting, and certainly not the weapons they waved around. One or two of them fell to the defence, sure… but nothing seemed to be in the goblin’s minds apart from the thought of fresh lamb.

Solveig would be lying to herself if she said she stood a chance against them.

They weren't even supposed to be out here. Their first enemy raid with an overseeing adult wouldn’t be for another year.

Solveig had to pace herself. What killed young heroes fastest wasn't the enemy, most times.

It was pride.

But you needed pride too. She needed it now, if she was going to save Erling and the others.

"HEY!"

The goblins turned, one by one, as if taking their cue from each other.

"I-I'm way tastier than them! Pick me instead!"

Hero rule number three: remain calm, even against insurmountable odds. Because if you weren't, what were the people you were saving supposed to feel?

"Solveig!" Erling's face was streaked with dried tears. "This isn't funny, okay?! We need an adult!"

"But they're not coming, are they?"

Erling flinched. Something flickered in his eyes, and for a few moments his face went blank. Then, slowly yet reluctantly, he nodded.

Soon, he blew out a breath, and raised his right hand, dagger already gripped tight in his left.

“Alright, Useless One. How do we want this to go?”

"By not going at all," Solveig interrupted.

"Sorry, what?!"

“Just trust me!”

The goblins were advancing now, drifting away from the other kids toward her, almost amused.

"Yes. Come. Closer now."

They did. Slowly, the reek of sewage and rot grew stronger with every step.

"Closer..."

They couldn't have been more than twenty feet now.

"Closer...!"

It was only when she could make out the flecks of grime crusted on their teeth that she finally moved.

"NOW!"

A faceful of wind was all the goblins got of Solveig as she ran the other way.

...What? Of course she wasn't going to fight them! She was brave, not suicidal!

And indeed, the taunt had its intended effect. She could hear the goblins snarl in fury as they gave chase.

Buildings blurred around her. Wind streamed through her hair. Her heart beat fast, melodic, singular in its purpose.

Solveig was alive.

The maze of her village was perfect. She tore through alleyways, awkward intersections, people's backyards, cutting corners only she knew existed. And eventually, even with the goblins still on her tail, she'd made it close enough to the front gates that it barely mattered anymore.

Solveig grinned as she slowed.

“Look what I brought, guys!” she shouted toward the heavens. “Flesh goblin meat on the board!”

Finally.

Solveig succeeded. She'd made an amazing plan to lure them to the gates, executed it wonderfully, and even shown some restraint. She could have taken the glory herself, right then and there—her fireballs were more than powerful enough—but no, she'd played it smart. And now, she'd let a responsible adult handle the rest.

Said adults would be here any second now.

Aaaany second now.

…

…

What’s with the hold up?

Slowly, she turned around.

Smoke billowing…

Corpses of dead orcs and giants…

And not a sign of life.

…Where did they all go?

Mom and Dad and the rest of the adults had gone to defend the village, right? And if they'd gone on the offensive, surely one or two must have stayed back, just to make sure there weren't any stragglers left behind. Right?!

“GRR…”

Solveig gasped.

She turned back.

There they were. Six goblins… just as she ordered.