Chapter 113: There Goes One

Kwan held his dagger with the tip closer to his chest, not the right way to handle a dagger while surrounded by hungry goblins, but, he held it like his life was depending on it.  "There's a hundred of them, Ned," he said, still holding the dagger awkwardly. "But, why is it that, almost half of them are here with us!"

Ned didn't answer. If Kwan liked it or not, this was to Ned's advantage. He doesn't have to travel hundreds of meters to look for the goblins. 

Ned unstrap the empty brown leather bag and laid it rest on the ground. He felt relieved having without the bag, yet, it was necessary for his safety. The pouch hanging on his waist was enough for small items. But putting big items inside a small pouch was confusing, especially pulling a black cloak out of the pouch. 

Kwan thought that the black cloak was inside and he rested his narrowing eyes on the bag, eventually shaking his head As if trying to shook away the bad thoughts he had for the bag.

"Kwan," Ned said, fixing an arrow in the recurve bow's string. "Keep a watch on my bag."

Kwan moved closer to Ned, behind them were a number of trees, making their escape tiresome if they wanted to. Kwan took the bag, and slung it behind his back, and focused on the goblins surrounding them. From time to time, Kwan gaze behind them. Making sure no one would flank them, a trait he learned being a porter. 

[Twenty-two.]

ICE prompted, counting the goblins on Ned's visual. 

[Including the one from the far back.]

Ned nodded. Eyeing the short, yet, muscle filled goblin at the far back holding a strange ax. An ax far longer than its body. One of its tusks was longer than the other, sprouting at the bottom of its jaw, while saliva seeped out its uneven teeth. The fur on its back was silver, might be indicating its age, since the rest of the goblin have either brown or pale brown furs while looking young. 

The rest of the goblins were either bidding time behind a tree, rocks size of an average human, and some were hiding behind shadows cast by a tall tree.

They almost looked the same, scars on their faces, missing ear, missing eye, crooked pointy nose, bald hair. But they all have the same mark encircling their neck, even the big goblin hand a mark on its neck. 

The host of the game wanted entrainment, and humans against humans was a boring one to watch. For that, they captured goblins and use them as targets for the game, since goblins multiply fast, and no one would bother if they died. 

Aside from their leader that holds a giant ax, the other goblins use crude wooden clubs, Ned hasn't seen a goblin using a bow, so far. 

The goblin leader roared. Pointing its ax toward the human blocking their way. The rest screamed, either with joy or hunger. 

Ned shot the arrow. Hitting the screaming goblin while it waved its club toward him, it fell lifeless. "Five," Ned said, calm and focused. 

The down goblin made the other roared in anger. One of them threw a club, helplessly passing beside Ned. Ned shot another arrow and another goblin down. 

Aside from the arrows traveling mid-air. Ned hasn't moved an inch. Left foot forward, while right foot behind, making a rustling sound against the fallen leaves every time he shot an arrow. 

Kwan stood uneven behind Ned, his hands on his dagger trembling, but as of that time, it wasn't fear, but excitement. Arrows after arrows flew, and goblins after goblins dead. 

One doesn't need a keen eye to see that Ned wasn't even sweating, nor struggling, it was quite the opposite, he was enjoying the slaughter. 

After another five minutes of blood spilling, eye-gouging, and goblin slaying, Kwan spoke: "Do you need help, Ned?" Although he knew that Ned doesn't need one. He urged himself to speak and try not to be left out. 

"No," Ned answered. "You'll have your turn after I'm done here." Throwing a gaze at the six goblins left. He then pulled an arrow and shot the one nearest to his right. Pulled another, shot. Aim, shot. The battle doesn't need a blade to win, so the bow shooting became a routine to Ned. 

[Safe to say you never lost a touch with bows, Ned.]

Ned smiled. And Kwan saw the first smile he thought to be genuine coming from Ned. It was as if Ned was enjoying. 

Twenty-one swamp goblins dead, and Ned was left with twice a dozen arrow and an angry goblin leader. The leader of the horde. 

Slaves or not, you green-minded goblins were still a beast. Ned thought, eyeing the tip of his arrow and aimed at the goblin leader's bloodshot red eyes. 

Behind the ax-wielding goblin leader came a scream. Under the painful orange of the fiery light, Ned saw a participant. Two goblins forcing her legs, trying to spread it wide open. 

Ned released the arrow, hitting not the goblin leader but the green minion a dozen meters behind it. The goblin fell lifeless on the lady's stomach. It died trying to pull the arrow out its eye while screaming at the lady participant bathe in a green liquid. 

The other goblin screech in surprise, its head jerked looking for the culprit who killed its partner-in-crime. 

Ned was too far for the goblin to see where he was. Their eyes were accustomed to complete darkness, especially inside caves. Instead of the leg, the goblin grasped its spiked club and aimed at the lady participant's innocent head; wanting to kill the lady instead of incubating her. 

A head plopped beside the lady. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands painted with green blood, she then pulled herself out of the two dead goblins. And escaped towards her savior. 

She walks while limping, yet, she was happy that she was saved. She ran, and not giving a damn about the dead goblins scattered on the ground encircling Ned. 

And certainly not giving a damn about the hulking goblin leader beside her. The lady participant was exhibiting extreme joy that it was too late for her to notice the ax traveling toward her neck. The last thing she heard was a thwack ringing her ears, and slowly succumbing to complete silence and darkness. She died with a smile on her face, unknown to her it was her last. 

A smile, Kwan sure to remember for the rest of his life. His knees shook and fell on both, trying to comprehend what had happened at the smiling lady. Kwan took a deep breath, forcing every muscle he had to support his breathing. Kwan heard nothing but a thump coming out his chest. His vision was deemed and saw nothing, but his dagger while his hand clenching it. 

"Aaaaaaaaaand!" The announcer cried with excitement, blowing all the air reserved in his lungs. "There goes one! Who will make it? Who will survive? Bettings were closed! Better luck next time! And remember participants! Killing is forbidden between yourselves unless you're a swamp-goblin!" 

People cheered outside the arena. They weren't the people before, they were different, they were the people looking for excitement. And they were right watching the Chance Arrow game. 

"Kwan," Ned spoke after he shot three consecutive arrows at the goblin leader and another two at the approaching goblins. The first arrow hit the ax goblin in its chest, while the two went beside him, hitting the other two to die. "Kwan, get up."

Shit. The kid lost it, he'll die. Ned thought. 

"Kwan," Ned said. He doesn't want to appear that he was forcing Kwan, so Ned tried to talk with calm. "Was it like this Kwan?" Ned knew, that Kwan doesn't know what was level six, and beyond. Yet, Ned tried to get Kwan's attention. He tapped the frailing kid's shoulder. 

Kwan gasped for air, he snapped hearing Ned's voice beside him and feeling his arm on his shoulder. He shook his head. "No," he said, still gasping for air. "No... I don't know."

"Then stand up," Ned said. Aiming for the goblin leader's kneecap. Trying to slow his rush. "I need you now, I need you to move. Get yourself to safety." The arrow hit the kneecap, but it wasn't penetrating. 

Aside from his parents, Ned's words were the best thing Kwan heard for a long time, that someone needed him. It was also the worst, Ned needed him to do nothing. He was right, Kwan should do nothing, and he wasn't stupid, he doesn't want to get on Ned's way. 

His legs moved on its own, he backed away. And he doesn't stop. He backed away as far as to where his feet would take him. To the edge, to the barrier. To safety. 

Kwan's figure disappeared inside the darkness veiled forest. Weeping and wiping the tears he couldn't control. And Ned didn't stop him. He was glad that Kwan took the right decision. With that, he could focus on killing the goblin ax leader. 

Ned spun. Without using magic, he will battle the goblin leader. 

This will test my limits. Ned thought. Unconcerned, unflinching, and unrelenting. 

Ned brushed the arrows stacked inside the quiver. "Nineteen," he muttered and pulled an arrow. 

The goblin ax leader rushed toward Ned, the cold body of the lady lies flat beside a tree. While her head. The goblin leader was holding to it with a big smile on its face. Ax to its right, head to its left. Red blood dropped as the goblin rushed. It ran stomping its muscle-filled leg. 

Ned had seen too much death. Cruel he may be, he doesn't felt a thing as the goblin leader rushed him with a head. Ned released an arrow. Air broke apart as it traveled midair. 

And there's a reason why the goblin leader, was the leader. It wasn't smart, but, wasn't stupid either. It knew Ned was aiming for its eye. It raised the dead participants' head and blocked the whistling arrow with it. Hitting not its eye but the lady participant's joyous eye. The goblin leader roared then threw the head toward Ned. The only human left might be worthy of his challenge. 

Ned evaded the head, the throw was slow, that Ned caught a glimpse at the head. She was Liv's spotter—was. The head thudded behind Ned, hitting a tree, and rolling until it stopped, Maker only knows where.

After Ned evaded, he pivoted. Evading again, this time the ax slicing his neck. He evaded releasing an arrow while jumping backward. The arrow hit the goblin's kneecap. It moaned, feeling the tingling sensation traveling from its knee to the rest of its body.

But it never stopped swinging its ax—

"Another one!" Cried the announcer. "Another one! dead!"

The voice echoed the arena as Ned evaded with nimbleness. He bent, with one leg on the ground, the other kicking the arrow stuck on the goblin kneecap. The kick was strong it let Ned pushed backward. Escaping the ax's attacking range. 

The goblin jumped, holding the ax with both hands, and aiming at Ned, attempting to slice him to half—

"And three!" Another cry rang the arena, and Ned hoped it wasn't Kwan. 

Ned shot another arrow while he was backflipping midair, hitting the goblin's leg. All arrow Ned shot was aimed at its knee or its left leg. Making the hulking goblin moved even slower. 

The fight was filled with arrows whistling, and ax swinging. The goblin ax leader didn't have the chance to hit Ned, not once. He cried out of frustration, all his attacks were a miss, while Ned's arrow was a hit. 

Ned backflipped twice, gaining momentum and distance, a good range for a recurve bow. Ned nocked an arrow, yet, he didn't shoot. Instead, he sped toward the goblin.

The goblin was limping. Its left leg was mutilated as the green blood flowed. Ned ran and prepared the arrow. 

The goblin raised its ax as it saw Ned dashing toward it. The moment Ned entered its ax range, it swung.

Hitting nothing but air. 

Ned slid between its legs and shooting an arrow into its dangling crotch. It roared, maybe out of agony, pain, frustration, or the loss of its goblinhood. Ned never knew, and he doesn't want to know as he spun around the goblin's hulking body, and shot the back of its knee, where the other arrow was stuck.

It fell with one knee, hand supporting its body while the ax laid flat on the soil. But the goblin wasn't finished yet, it spun around—

And fell lifeless as the arrow pierced its neck, and bubbles of green blood seeped out. It jerked before it went silent. It died. Blood flowed; body cold. Its eyes went dim and shut off. 

"And four!" Cried the announcer, unlucky human died, didn't reach until the end. "And the last goblin died! Level six has ended!"