Chapter 11

The silence in the room could be sliced through with a sword. For a full twenty seconds, Zach, that fucking bastard of a goblin, stared at each other. No one moved. No one made a sound. Then, I saw the goblins face break out into a crooked grin, and his hand moved before Zach or I could stop it.

He snapped his fingers in front of him, and sparks rained down onto the stone below. From where he snapped his fingers, a small ball of flames grew and expanded, illuminating the area around him, and casting a shadow over Mino's face. The ball grew until it was as big as its head. By this point, Zach had erupted into action, running towards the goblin with a yell. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or fury. Then the goblin flicked the ball of flames at Zach.

I saw his hand holding his hammer come up to try and deflect the ball, but it didn't really do much. The flames exploded all around him, causing him to almost disappear in the fire's roar. His shouted turned into yelps of pain and fear, and he collapsed to the ground like a sack of rocks.

With a shaking hand, I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and tried to run forward. But my legs didn't move. I couldn't move, my legs would start, wouldn't push me forward. I fearfully glanced down at my legs. Big mistake. As I went to look back up, the goblin was already in my face. He was fast. Much faster than any living thing I had met before. Then a sharp pain erupted in my side. His claws were embedded deep within me before I could even make a sound.

I hunched over his hand dug deep into my side, blood spurting from the wound onto his claws. "So, this is what they sent me, huh? Two weaklings and a girl who thinks she's hot shit." His voice was raspy, uncomfortable, as if he wasn't used to talking, the inflections used in conversation unfamiliar to him.

I glanced up into his eyes through a haze of pain, the simple effort of trying to stay upright almost making me collapse. "Y-, you can talk?!" My voice was barely more than a whisper.

He stared at me for a few seconds before erupting in laughter. His deep, heaving laughs echoed throughout the chamber. I knew I wouldn't forget them anytime soon. "Yes, but, I don't really feel like explaining to a dead man. So, goodbye."

I don't know where I got the strength or resolve, but as he finished his sentence, I straightened and raised my right hand and brought it down on top of his head, hoping to crush it. With barely a movement, he caught my wrist and stopped it dead. Without a word, he brought his other arm up and struck me in the face.

The force of the blow felt like I had been hit by a fast moving car. I flew back from him ten feet and landed at the base of the wall. I could feel my cheek swelling and blood pouring out from a scratch above my eyebrow. The ringing in my ears was all I could hear. I barely even registered the goblin slowly walking towards me. He grabbed me by the throat off the ground and brought me up to eye level with him. "You humans don't consider the ramifications of what you do to those weaker than you. Ever. If there is someone you perceive to be weaker than you, then you step all over them. I have seen it, time and time again. You murder my friends and family without remorse, and then insult them." He brought a fist up and hit me across the face. My nose immediately started gushing blood as my head snapped back and hit the wall behind me. "You conquer those without the ability to conquer back, and FOR FUCKING WHAT?!" He struck me again. My vision started to go dark with that hit. "You bastards have been given the ability to think, to research, to achieve a higher purpose and standing without having to worry about your next meal, and yet you still pick on those WEAKER THAN YOU!" This time, he unhooked his sword from an unseen belt and ran it through my shoulder and into the stone behind me, pinning me. I couldn't barely comprehend anything. His voice was faint, everything was blurry, and I could feel myself slipping.

Then I faintly heard the sounds of feet thudding against the stone. I looked up through a haze of blood on my face and pain, and Zach was right behind the goblin. His arms were badly burnt, and he looked like he was going through so much pain. But he fought through. He brought his arms up, both hands clutching the hammer, and swung sideways in a massive arc, aiming for the side of the goblins head.

I don't know if it was the anger of the moment, or the simple shock of realizing his attack didn't work, but the goblin didn't block or dodge this time. The head of the hammer connected straight with the side of the goblins head, causing him to let go of me and wobble in place. The strike hadn't killed him, but it wounded him, and made him stunned. Zach took this opportunity and tried to hit him again. This time, the goblin stepped inside the strike and punched Zach straight in the stomach, sending him flying away.

He went to chase Zach, to finish the job, to end him. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I reached out as far as I could with both arms, and grabbed the back of his head. I brought it into my chest, holding him in place. I could feel the muscles of his body tightening as he tried to escape my grab, but I didn't let go. Not even when he brought his hand up and dug his claws into my forearms as deep as they would go. Not even when he started using his head and bashing it against the middle of my chest. I could feel my sternum cracking with each successful hit.

I just dug my fingers in deeper, hoping Zach or Mino would come finish him, end him. But I could see them. Mino still was slumped on the ground, and Zach was throwing up blood and puke, the blow to his stomach severely hurting him. And so I just grabbed tighter. I wouldn't let him go, cause I know If I did he would finish us, he would kill us, and not quickly either, but slowly. I could feel the anger coursing through every fiber of his body. And so I couldn't think, not through the pain, not through the fear, not through the adrenaline coursing through me.

And I squeezed tighter and tighter, the goblins' faint voice not even reaching my brain. Until I felt the squishiness of his eyeballs. And without thought, I pressed my fingers into them. The goblins scream's of pain were horrifying, but I didn't care. I just pushed my fingers in as deep as they could go, I was only focused on hurting him, on killing him! In a flash, I felt his eyeballs pop underneath the pressure, and his movements became erratic, animalistic. I was scratching my whole body with his claws. My grip was loosening. I was losing him. So I did the first thing that appeared in my head.

With my fingers still in his eye, I brought his head up to the exposed part of the blade that was still pinning me to the wall behind me. With a shout of pure focus and effort, I brought his head up and down right against the blade. Due to his movements, I couldn't take a lot, but I saw his right ear and part of his head fly off and flop onto the ground.

At this, his body went limp. I couldn't even tell. I just kept squeezing and squeezing, both of my hands going white and straining with the effort. I started shouting. I was going to kill this bastard, I was going to murder him!

Then I felt a touch on my shoulder, and I immediately let go of him. I looked up, and Zach had his hand on my shoulder, looking at me with concern. He glanced down at the crumpled body beneath me, and then nodded at me. We got him.