Chapter 10: A Swift End

Raymond ran ahead in full speed. His body created a gust of wind as he shot forth like an arrow. The patches of grass blurred, and without him realizing, he had already arrived at his destination. He had never known that man could move so fast, so agile that even he felt a momentary lapse in his sense of time.

Surrounding him at all sides were small hills filled with overgrown weeds. The lake on his left was calm and serene. There was not a hint of ripples on its waters. Above, the twin moons were partly shrouded by clouds.

Despite the darkness of the night, he easily saw the overgrown figure of the monster. Its fat-laden skin sagged from the pull of the earth, with numerous patches of brown and green covering it. A necklace made out of what seemed to be human skull—those of a child at that—was twined around its almost non-existent neck. Every time the creature breathed, a putrid scent wafted through the air. Raymond cringed in total disgust.

Amidst the silence of the night, the occasional sound of leaves rustling was heard. It was quickly followed by skittering sounds, which would then vanish without a trace. Without having to look around, Raymond knew that there were more than a thousand goblins surrounding him in all directions. If he was his previous self, Raymond would have been frozen by fear right now.

“Can you let me speak to him, Master Jiablu?” said Raymond. He felt the restrictions that bound his body become undone. “Thank you, Master.”

He said to the creature, “You are the Goblin King?”

The creature continued sitting on the boulder, which felt out of place when considering the luxurious garb the monster wore. On its head was a golden crown filled with polished crystals, probably rubies and diamonds. Covering its body that passed the five meter mark was a silver coat, with ashen furs covering the edges.

“Correct. Human—who are you? It is impossible for a mortal to move with such speed, let alone move with such injuries,” said the Goblin King.

Raymond noticed the barrier that surrounded the Goblin King’s perimeter. It was crackling with lightning. The grasses below it had turned into crisp and dust. He breathed in a gust of air then answered with a question. “Tell me, why are you attacking our city?”

There was a deafening silence as the two stared at each other. Eventually, the Goblin King said, “Have you ever heard of the God of Death?”

Raymond felt Jiablu’s presence intensify upon the mention of the name.

The creature continued, “After the death of God Thanatos, the balance of power started to tilt to the mortal’s side. Moreover, it worsened when the five Muhar’Tava, those creatures created personally by that God, refused to ascend to the throne. There is even a rumor that Kiel’Jiablu left on a journey, leaving Qavan without a ruler. And I do believe that it is true.”

The Goblin King slowly stood up. “The hierarchy within monsters in this area used to be simple, with Kiel’Jiablu on top. But after he left, the strong ones started gathering their forces—with usurping the throne of Qavan as their ultimate goal.”

Raymond frowned. The name of the so called ruler of the monsters in Qavan Mountain Range was very much similar to that of his master. He said, “So you are among those that wish to ascend to the throne?”

The Goblin King broadly grinned, showing a rotten pair of canines. It maniacally laughed with its characteristic deep voice. “Guhaha! That’s correct!”

The creature snorted. “Kiel’Jiablu possesses one of the strongest army in the entire continent! If he does not wish to rule over them, then I will! I shall make every species bow down to me! I shall make them my servant! This King shall rule over everyone!”

Raymond heard a sigh within his mind. Jiablu said, “A waste of time.”

The sound of the wind was heard. The Goblin King’s head fell then rolled down the ground.

***

Moonsol slapped his cheeks. It was painful. This was reality. Still, he was unable to believe his very eyes. Along with everyone else, he stood slack-jawed as he stared at the aftermath of the battle. The stench of death filled the air, and amidst the silence, occasional gulping sounds were heard.

“S-Stop… Stop the fortifications! O-Open the gates!” shouted Moonsol. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Lady Sophia and Commander Lancelot nod in affirmation. It seemed that the same thought ran through their heads.

The soldiers remained in stupor. Moonsol snarled, “Open the gates! Didn’t you hear me?! Open the damn gates!”

One after another, the soldiers broke out their trance. They immediately moved to pull out the boulder that stoppered the entrance. The fortifications for it were almost done, and it took them some time before they were finally able to remove it from its spot.

Moonsol, Lancelot, and Lady Sophia immediately rode their mounts. Behind them were almost a hundred knights. As soon as the gate bolted open, Moonsol led the group outside the walls. Everyone cringed as the scent of dead bodies entered them. Even the horses seemed to neigh in disgust.

Their mounts galloped through innumerable dead bodies. Green blood splattered about as the group rode forth. The twin moons above were clearly reflected by the sea of blood.

“Who is that soldier?” mumbled Moonsol. He slapped the reigns of his mount. “Do we have someone that strong in our city? Why didn’t he show himself till now?!”

No one answered. No one was able to. The group continued riding forth, towards the direction the unknown soldier went. Seconds quickly turned to minutes, and they loomed closer to their destination.

From beyond, they heard numerous screeching sounds accompanied by a soft, rumbling sound. Everyone furrowed when they saw a massive number of goblins headed their way. By estimate, there were a thousand of them.

Lancelot and Moonsol glanced at each other. Lancelot pulled out the large slab of metal on his back which he fondly called his partner. He roared, “Knights! Charge straight ahead!”

His men shouted their battle cries. They gnashed their teeth as they gripped their weapons tight. In a few seconds time, they would clash with the army of goblins headed their way.

But then, Lancelot suddenly pulled the reigns of his mount. He halted. “Stop! Do not engage! Hold your positions!”

Everyone wore confused looks upon their faces, but they followed their orders regardless. Losing the advantage of a charge may cost them their lives, but everyone believed in their commander. He was a man of good judgment. He must have noticed something that they have not.

True enough, an unexpected scenario occurred. The army of goblins avoided their army and instead fled towards the west, the opposite direction of Rube Fortress. A few moments passed. The silence of the night ensued.

“What the hell was that?” said Moonsol. His voice echoed in the night.

“Those goblins… They are fleeing from something,” said Lady Sophia.

Lancelot nodded. “I can’t think of any other reasons than that.”

The three glanced at each other. They looked ahead. In front of them were numerous small hills. They were sure that they would soon meet the source of fear of the goblins that had just fled. What kind of monster was it? They felt a chill crawl to their skin.

Lancelot snarled, “Staying here won’t get us anywhere. Let’s go!”

Horses neighed, and the group once again moved forth. They easily passed through the small hills, eventually arriving at the small lake which clearly reflected the moons above. Its water was serene, almost enchanting. There was not even a slight hint of ripple in its water.

It was quiet. Eerily quiet.

“W-What’s that?” said a soldier.

Everyone glanced to the place he was pointing at. On the opposite side where their group was currently at, just right after crossing the lake, a large shadow stood. They were unable to clearly make out what it was, but a silver glint was vivid on its body.

Lancelot signaled his men to stay on guard and to remain quiet. One by one, they dismounted. Their hands firmly held their unsheathed blades.

“Let’s go,” whispered Lancelot.

Careful not to make the slightest sound, they approached the large shadow. Their loudly pumping hearts seemed to give their locations away. The large shadow was probably the reason why the goblins fled the area.

As they inched closer to it, the putrid scent in the air intensified. Lancelot breathed a sigh of relief that the colossal figure was unable to detect them until now. It remained standing still amidst the darkness of the night.

Just when he was about to make the first strike, Lancelot stopped. His eyes widened in surprise, and so did his men behind him. Now that they had a careful look, they realized that the colossal figure was headless. Blood dripped down its neck.

Not far from where it stood, a large head was seen on the ground. Its green face was filled with numerous brown spots, and its large canines were prominent as it remained smugly grinning. For a moment, they felt the urge to scream when they saw its bulging eyes.

Even the nameless soldiers from Rube realized it: it died without knowing that it was dead. And such realization intensified their fear. Who killed it?

Lancelot’s ears twitched. He snarled, “Who is it? Show yourself! I know you are there!”

Immediately, everyone assumed their battle stance. Metals clanked as they pulled out their weapons from the scabbard. The accompanying magicians readied their magic.

From within the shadows created by the adjacent hills, a voice spoke, “Lady Sophia? Is that you?”

Sophia was taken by surprise for a second. Though hesitant, she replied back, “Who is it? Who are you?”

The sound of lone footsteps echoed. A few moments later, a man emerged from the shadows. His skin was dark, almost scorched. And his black hair was haphazardly tied to the back. His torn leather armor was filled with numerous blotches of blood.

“I thought I was going to die here. Someone came, huh? Just my luck,” said the man. By now, the numerous scars that ran through his face were evident. He was probably one of the ugliest men they had ever seen. But at the same time, his eyes held great beauty that depicted an intense resolve that could be felt even from the distance.

He coughed blood. He mumbled to himself, “Master said I improperly used the power. I would have died if he hadn’t intervened. Still, this is pretty awesome stuff.”

He gazed at Sophia. He broadly smiled. “Lady Sophia—this lowly foot soldier had completed his duty! I, Raymond Falxen have successfully driven away the enemies! This soldier has slain the Goblin King!”

Lady Sophia opened then closed her mouth. At the corner of her eyes, she saw that everyone else were also slack-jawed as they stared at the headless corpse before them. If their deductions were correct, then that overly bloated creature was the Goblin King?

No one was able to utter a single word.

The wind gently blew, creating a mellifluous sound amidst the silence of the night.

Raymond suddenly fell down the ground.