“This is a really nice place you have,” Kayden said.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Jim said. “But it’s not mine; it’s my uncle’s. There’s no way I would’ve been able to get a house like this.”

“What did he do, win the lottery?” Edgar asked.

“Actually, he’s a hunter like you guys.”

“A hunter?” Kayden said. It was clear what he was implying.

“Yup, usually he would’ve helped us take care of any problems with monsters, but he’s busy over in Westbury right now.”

“Wherever that is,” Edgar said, getting off the sofa. “That’s enough rest. It’s time we go and kill the goblins.”

“Well…” Kayden said, glancing at a nearby clock, “yeah, I guess.”

Edgar strode to the door and opened it.

“There are five goblins for sure, right?” Kayden asked as Edgar went out the door.

Jim nodded. “The sheriff told us some folks saw the goblins on their way to the farm. Everyone said they saw five.”

“Great, thanks.”

Just as Cecily and Kayden walked out the door, they heard Jim’s brother shout, “Hey, Jim! Did you tell them about the basement? The fuckers, the fucking goblins can’t get near it!”

“Uh...right,” Jim said. “If you can, keep the goblins away from the basement. We keep a lot of personal stuff there, mostly letters and books.”

Edgar nodded and got on his bike. “This won’t take long.”

“Don’t listen to the guy,” Kayden said quietly enough for Edgar to not hear. “We might take a while.”

. . . .

“It’s a pretty big house,” Kayden said, staring at the farmhouse. It was the lone building in sight, flanked by fields of lettuce.

“Not big enough for us to have trouble finding them,” Edgar said. He strapped on his gambeson.

“They might not even be in the house, you know,” Cecily said, gazing at the fields of lettuce. “There’s plenty of food out here.”

“Nah, they’re probably still raiding the pantry,” Kayden said. “Unless they like raw lettuce more than dried meat.”

“They prefer meat.”

“Then there we go. They’re in the pantry,” he said, staring at a window on the second floor. “By the way, they’re smart enough to have look-outs, right?”

“Not sure, but it’s possible,” Cecily said.

Kayden and Edgar put on their mail shirts—albeit with some difficulty and with help from Cecily.

“All good?” Kayden asked. “We should take our time here and maybe take a look around to—”

“Let’s go,” Edgar said. “It’s just a few fucking goblins.”

He grabbed the handles of his bike and started heading for the farmhouse. Kayden smacked his own forehead.

“Worst case scenario, we run,” Cecily said, pushing along her bike as well.

Kayden sighed. “Yeah.”

The three approached the house. Kayden held his bow in his hands with two arrows in his hands, one nocked. Cecily and Edgar pushed their bikes and kept an eye out for any goblins outside the farmhouse.

The path didn’t seem particularly good for cycling on. That annoyed Cecily. The bumpy road would hinder them if they had to run.

When they were about 20 yards from the house, Cecily and Edgar flipped down their bikes’ kickstands and left their bikes parallel to each other on the path, the front wheels facing away from the house for an easier retreat.

Edgar grabbed the shield on his back, strapped it to his forearm, and drew his sword. He went first. Kayden was right behind him, while Cecily kept some distance from them in case they had to run.

They were loud and they couldn’t help it. Edgar and Kayden’s mail shirts rustled with every movement they made, and the wooden steps of the porch creaked under them. Edgar stood in front of the front door with his shield raised. Cecily took a deep breath and held up her own shield as well.

“Wait, do you know how to kick open a door?” Kayden asked quietly.

“No.” Edgar grabbed the door handle. “Let’s go.”

He threw open the door. Kayden cursed and shot an arrow. A goblin roared in anger. Cecily couldn’t see what was happening—her teammates’ bodies blocked her view. Her grip on her shield tightened.

“Die!” Edgar said. He swung his sword, and Cecily heard the clang of swords meeting. Edgar swung again and again, and Kayden fired off several arrows in quick succession. Cecily heard a thud. Kayden and Edgar went farther into the house, and she could finally see what was inside. One goblin was dead on the ground. Another was in front of Edgar, swinging its sword at him. The blade glanced off his shield, and he hit the goblin’s face. But his sword landed on its flat, doing no damage. The goblin tried to counterattack. Before it could do much, Kayden struck it from the side with his dagger.

Edgar finished off the monster and, breathing hard, said, “Two dead already. Easy shit.”

“Let’s stay cautious,” Kayden said, drawing more arrows from his quiver.

Cecily stepped over the bleeding goblin corpses and followed her teammates to the kitchen. They went slowly, scanning their surroundings. Cecily took a deep breath. They reached the kitchen, a place in chaos, with cupboards open, drawers out, and various containers and dishes strewn about. They saw the door to the pantry. It was open, but just barely.

“So...how big is the pantry, again?” Kayden asked quietly.

“We never asked,” Cecily said.

“Fuck.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Edgar said. “I’ll crouch when I open the door. Shoot an arrow over me.”

“Got it,” Kayden said.

They approached the pantry. With every step, nervousness built in Cecily’s chest. She glanced at the back door, which stood not far from them. The blinds of the window beside it were down. She thought about raising them, but before she could, Edgar sheathed his sword and approached the door to the pantry.

Edgar grabbed the handle and shot a glance at Kayden, who nodded. “Here we—”

He stopped. Cecily’s body tensed. They heard footsteps from outside.

Kayden aimed at the back door. Cecily stared at its handle and watched it turn. Edgar drew his sword.

The door flew open, and a goblin entered. It froze for a moment, surprised to see them. Then it hurriedly raised its shield. An arrow still hit its helmet, and the goblin stumbled back. A second goblin soon entered the house, and a third immediately after that. Edgar rushed at the monsters. Cecily followed not far behind.

Armed with a one-handed axe, the lead goblin swung at Edgar. He raised his shield, and the blade dug into it. Edgar tried to pull back his arm, but he couldn’t. Cecily swung her sword at the goblin, forcing it to let go of the axe and retreat.

“Fucker,” Edgar said, quickly unstrapping his shield and letting it fall onto the ground. The axe was firmly lodged in it.

“How’s your arm?” Kayden asked, shooting an arrow.

“Fine.”

The goblin in front of Edgar drew the dagger at its hip and attacked him again. At the same time, the rightmost goblin launched itself at Cecily, swinging its sword wildly.

The sight wasn’t at all terrifying. It only revealed a pathetic lack of technique. At least, that’s what she told herself.

When the goblin was close enough, she smacked aside its sword with her shield. She thrust her blade at its face. It tried to block with its shield, but she anticipated that and quickly thrust at its exposed stomach. The goblin bent forward, its face twisted with pain.

Good, she thought. She felt confidence swelling in her chest. She planned her next attack and was about to act accordingly. Then something pushed her from the side.

“Hey, what the fuck?” she said, shooting a fleeting glance at Edgar.

He grunted and stepped back, avoiding a spear thrust. Cecily had to back up as well to dodge a weak swing from the goblin she’d injured.

“I almost had it, you clumsy bastard.”

“Shut up and kill it fast, then,” he said. “And Kayden, get over here and use your fucking sword.”

“Got it,” Kayden said. He fired a handful of arrows and put aside his bow.

None of his arrows did much damage, but they gave Cecily a chance to approach the sword-wielding goblin and slash its leg. She dodged a counterattack and swung at the goblin’s neck. Her aim was perfect; the end of the blade cut the goblin’s flesh just above its ill-fitting gambeson. Blood poured out of the wound. The goblin’s eyes went wide in fear and surprise. Cecily immediately pressed the attack.

Meanwhile, to her left, she heard Edgar grunt.

“You okay?” Kayden asked.

“Fucking fine,” Edgar said. “Kill yours already.”

Cecily parried a hasty blow from her enemy and swung at its sword arm. Her strike didn’t make the goblin drop the blade like she’d hoped, but it did make the monster scream in pain. She swung again at its sword arm, and it predictably retreated, opening up an opportunity for her to slash its leg.

With that, its strikes became weaker than before, and it slowed down, becoming an easy target. Cecily continued to attack its sword arm to further chip away at its fighting ability, eventually rendering it unable to swing its sword.

Then she hit its face with her shield, dazing it, and slashed its neck. The goblin fell, and its blood poured onto the ground.

Cecily took a deep breath and stared at the dead monster for a moment.

Finally, she thought. Exhaustion was creeping up on her. Then she shook her head and looked to her left to see how her teammates were doing.

“Fuck!” Edgar cried, slipping on the blood on the ground.

Son of a bitch. Cecily hurried backward, staring at the sword he was carelessly flailing around. She tried to avoid him, but she couldn’t. He knocked her backward, and she fell. She felt her stomach sink with dread when she saw a goblin approach, holding a spear.

Then she hit the ground. Her gambeson cushioned the fall somewhat, but her helmet hit the ground so hard that the sound of the impact was deafening. The pain in her head was unbearable.

Fuck. I need to get up right now. She turned and quickly got onto all fours. She felt around for her sword and shield but only found the latter. That was good enough for her at the moment. She clambered onto her feet. Despite her dizziness and the pain in her head, she had the sense to draw her dagger and keep her shield in front of her.

But that did little. The goblin swung its spear, and its blade struck the side of her helmet. Again, she fell.