When boys die

Part 4

The scent of blood fills the air outside the walls of Torgrenze. The Scarlet Moon hangs high into the night sky. Monsters of all kinds march outside the wall, each step they take is met with resistance. Arrows travel throughout the sky, slaying or wounding them. For the less fortunate monsters, they are faced with balls of fire, burning to death.

In all my time of adventuring I never had seen such a scene in my life. I had heard of other adventurers talk about the Scarlet Moon and the riches it brings. They failed to mention the disgusting behavior of the monsters. How they use their own kind as shields from the arrows. Picking the mutated bodies from the ground.

There's no shred of consciousness within the eyes of those monsters. They are only filled with madness. As if their only goal is to run us dry of blood.

"Fredrick"

The more I look at those things... The more I question if the riches are worth it. I can see ogres in the distance, they tower over the goblins. I think they might be as tall as the city walls. Looking past them, I see an endless sea of green skins.

*Swoosh*

An arrow flys by Fredrick, slashing his cheek.

"They entered retaliation range! Fire at will at those dam Green Skins!" A knight from the walls says

This is it. Am gonna die here. I don't want to die. I feel blood running down my face.

"Fred!"

Ava pulls Fredrick out of the way of an incoming arrow, "Pull yourself together! Do you want to die to a dam goblin?! Imagine how people will talk about you!"

"Talk about me?"

"They say, remember Fred... The one who died to a lousy goblin! Think about how pathetic that is!"

To die to a goblin... That really is pathetic, imagine how the women will talk about me! I can't die! Not like that! I refuse!

"Fredrick, stay focused." Folas points towards the ogres, "At this rate they will reach the walls."

The walls! Shit there's no way.

"If they reach the walls, what are the chances they can destroy it?"

Folas winces at the question but it's not him who answers. "The walls won't stand. Not against the force of that many ogres." Igan comes from behind, holding onto his staff.

"Then what should we do?!"

Folas draws his bow, chanting in some tongue I never heard. When he released his arrow, it seemed blessed by the wind. No arrow should travel that fast, not without of some other being.

It was fast, fast enough to go through the skull of an ogre. That huge beast fell to the ground crushing the goblins below it.

"We have to kill them before they reach the walls, or else it's over." Folas prepares another shot.

"Fred, we're useless from a far. We have to get in close." Ava says brandishing her draggers.

Close! Is she insane?! How the hell are we supposed to reach them, when there's an entire wave of goblins in front of them?!

"Follow me, stay close or else we are going to end up sperated."

"Ava wait!" Too late she already jump from the walls. Landing in front of the goblins, she slashes her way through. It was a bloodbath, the goblins were too slow to do anything, Ava speed was unparalleled. No goblin could hope to land a hit on her.

"Go support her." Folas said, he wasn't wasting any time. Ava was skilled with daggers and her speed was godlike but Folas was a monster in his own right. The destructive force which his arrows carried was as powerful as the strongest spells I seen.

These siblings are really quite the pair. I started realizing who I have really been socializing with at this point. I might have been a veteran adventurer but I was no where near as strong as them. Makes me wonder if everyone in Deno Code is as strong as them.

At that time though, I didn't think. I just acted. I wasn't going to die to a dam goblin. I listen to Folas, like a crazed madman I jump from the city walls.

I still remember how much it hurt. Jumping from a goddam 15ft wall didn't do me any favors for my knee. I reckon any normal man would have died or broken their legs. I would die if it wasn't for old Folas and his wind power.

I followed Ava's lead running behind her, she cleared a path to one of the ogres but she didn't account for how many goblins there still were. Maybe she didn't care, I figured it was the dam latter.

"I take care of the ogre, you deal with the surrounding goblins!"

Yep that confirmed it. She didn't care about the goblins because she wasn't going to deal with them. She expecting way too much from me. God damnit, I hate to admit but am 30 years old already! I can already start feeling my bones being shaky!

I looked around and the goblins were already surrounding me, the path Ava made was no longer there. It was do or die for me.

I already made up my mind that I wasn't going to die to a goblin! I ready my greatsword, I might not be a knight but am a god dam B rank adventurer.

I charge those dam Green Skins like there's was no tomorrow. I slashed and slashed not taking a single break. If I let up, I knew that would be the end of me.

Being in this line of work for so long, one tends to know their limit. 40 minutes in right now, I knew I should have been reaching it. Ava already killed a few ogres making me distract the goblins around so she can focus.

There's no way I could have holed up normally, but I wasn't in a normal condition. I didn't feel tired, all because Igan cast another blessing on me. A stamina one he said. Not only was I not feeling tired but I was cutting these goblins in two without much strength. My sword was never that sharp, yet Folas wind certainly made it so.

That moment is the only time in my life that I felt on par with the Elf siblings, even if it was only temporary. I felt like I could kill a dragon... Maybe it's because of that dam arrogance, that it cost me my leg.

I got too cocky, Ava and Folas were making quick work of those ogres. The knights and adventurers from the walls rushed onto the battlefield killing the goblins. Of course not a single one was even remotely close to killing as many as me but no one could have foreseen that damn Green Skin.

As Ava killed the last ogre, I let my guard down.

"In only an hour you managed to slash those ogres into pieces!"

"Wasn't all me, my brother took care of a lot of them. Anyways you weren't too bad yourself Fred!" Ava smiled brightly at me.

"You're right, these dam goblins could never even lay a finger on me!"

I think it was that mouth of mine that caused this. Kid, remember don't get cocky. One wrong and it's over. I'm lucky Ava was next to me or I wouldn't be sitting here telling you this story.

The way I lost me leg was due to a damn goblin shaman. They ain't like regular goblins, they use the power of the God they say. It allows them to control the earth, nature.

It sent me a rock spear. That rock was flying just as fast as Folas's arrows to my eyes. It destroyed my left leg, leaving no trace of it behind. No God's blessing could have stopped me from feeling that pain.

I left out a roar of pain. I remember looking at the goblin shaman. It's face, he was smiling. Laughing to himself no doubt. From the enjoyment of seeing me suffer. I saw him weaving his staff, probably about to send another rock my way.

It never made it. That goblin made the fatal mistake. He ignored Ava, she moved faster than he could cast. I bet that Green Skin didn't even know he died, his face still smiling as his head rolled from his body.

After that Ava carried me back to the safety of the city. Igan tried his best but since there was no trace of my leg, he couldn't restore it. In the end they made a wooden leg.

Well that's the end of my story kid. If I remember correctly, you were just a baby in the cathedral that night.