The Good Goblin

What is happening? I don’t understand. I can’t move. Oh gods… I can’t move… I can’t even speak… I can’t do anything.

Phoenix walked up to me. She removed the short sword from its scabbard on my back. She knelt down and kissed my forehead before turning away from me. She walked a few steps and stopped. As she stood there, I could see the sword glowing in her hand. I don’t understand… it only glows for me… it has only ever glowed for me… what the hell is going on?

Phoenix: “I’m sorry, Dwynfel. This was never your destiny.”

She thrust the sword into the air above her and the glow became so intense that it was almost blinding. A pair of wings made of flame burst forth from her spine and she began to rise up into the air.

Phoenix: “This duty… has always been mine.”

She rose high up into the air… well above the north gate. She pointed the sword to the north… in the direction that Laezel was approaching from. Flaming rocks started falling from the sky. They shot past her and over the gate towards the enemy. A sphere of flame started forming around her… getting more and more intense. Then she shot forwards over the gate and I lost sight of her.

There was an intense white flash… then the sky turned red. The feeling of cold disappeared and an intense heat replaced it. Then the paralysis ended. I felt the weight of my limbs once more as I collapsed to the ground.

I grabbed Asmodeus’ sword and stood myself up. I made my way to the north gate as quickly as I could. I could see the mages and archers emerging from the battlements. I need to find out what just happened. I don’t understand… I don’t understand any of this. It was my destiny to use the sword and save everyone. How… how did she know how to use the sword? I need answers.

I made it through the north gate to see a large flaming crater. And I don’t mean a crater a couple of metres wide. This thing must have had a diameter of at least three kilometres.

The enemies that had been so vigorously fighting the undead were fleeing in every direction and the knights were cheering their victory.

Chloe turned and saw me. She threw off her helmet and rushed towards me with a look of confusion on her face.

Chloe: “Care to explain what the fuck I just saw?”

I coughed and spluttered, but was unable to speak. Robert picked up her helmet and rushed to her side her side. They both looked badly battered and bruised… a couple of pretty gnarly looking gashes… but neither seemed to be bothered by any of it.

She gestured over to a nearby priestess.

Chloe: “Fix his throat… and his face while you’re at it.”

The priestess nodded and started hovering her hands over my neck.

Chloe: “So, we’re fighting the that swarm of bastards over there in the freezing fucking cold. When all of a sudden, a load of bloody meteors start raining down on them. I think… oh right, okay, either it’s the apocalypse or it’s something to do with you. So, I turn and look up only to see bloody Phoenix flying through the sky. Shrouded in fucking fire and wielding your bloody sword. She disappears into that freezing white cloud to the north and then bang! Biggest explosion I’ve ever seen… or it would have been if I hadn’t been blinded by the bloody brightness of the whole fucking thing.”

The pain in my throat dissipated and I was able to speak clearly once more.

Dwynfel: “She paralysed me on the other side of the gate. She took my sword and said it wasn’t my destiny… it was hers. Next thing… she has huge flaming wings and she’s floating through the sky with my sword glowing brighter than ever. I’m so confused… I don’t understand any of this.”

Chloe: “Well, that makes two of us.”

I started to hyperventilate. Chloe could tell that I was freaking out. She placed her hand on my shoulder. She led me to a large stone on the ground, lifted me onto it, and told me to try to breathe slowly.

She gave me a quick going over. Her eyes widened when she saw the state of my foot. It was dripping blood all over the ground. She asked the priestess to heal it as best she could.

Hang on… do they know about what’s going on in the city? I struggled to get my breath back under control.

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Dwynfel: “Monsters… in the city… used tunnels…”

Chloe: “Shit.”

She shouted over all of the remaining knights as well as Kin-Ayesha.

Chloe: “Right… the lot of ya. The cheeky bastards used tunnels to get past us and into the city. Since their main force has pissed off, we now need to clear the city. Each knight, take a squad of undead, and drive any remaining monsters, cultists, or anything that fucking looks at you funny out of our damn city!”

Random Knight: “Sir Chloe… is that wise. The civilians may react badly upon seeing the undead.”

Chloe: “That’s why the knights must stay with them. These people have got used to plenty over the past few years. If they see us walking hand in hand with the undead, then I’m sure they’ll get the hint. Although, thinking about it…”

She turned to specifically address Kin’Ayesha.

Chloe: “Best keep the fresh corpses out here. Just send the skeletons. People won’t recognise them.”

Kin’Ayesha: “Understood.”

She returned to addressing the group.

Chloe: “Now piss off ya daft bastards. We’ve got work to do!”

They all raised their fists in the air and nodded.

Knights: “Aye!”

They all went about dividing up their forces and charged off through the gate and into the city. Chloe returned her attention to me.

Chloe: “Where’s the squad that I sent with you?”

Dwynfel: “Chenowith and Darlington… are dead. Wu was… petrified… and is currently… being kept safe… in Madame Laurent’s. The other guy… he was fighting… a friend of Asmodeus… so that I could make it… here.”

Chloe: “Other guy?”

Dwynfel: “You know… short hair… goatee… big hammer.”

Chloe: “Still nothing.”

Robert: “He means Shevchenko.”

Chloe turned to Robert with a sudden look of realisation.

Chloe: “Elijah?”

Robert: “Il-ee-ya.”

Chloe: “What?”

Robert: “It is pronounced Il-ee-ya.”

Chloe: “Fuck off… it’s got a J in it.”

Robert: “He is named after his grandfather who hailed from the Ashen Veil. The pronounce J like Y over there.”

As they argued, my mind wandered. I looked at the scorched earth… the crater where a couple of farms used to be. The crater that Phoenix created. Oh gods… Phoenix… Phoenix… nobody could have survived that… she’s… she’s gone. Oh gods, no. I’m losing everyone… everyone around me dies… oh gods.

Chloe: “Well shit… I’ve been calling him Elijah for like two years.”

Robert: “And I have been correcting you for two years.”

Chloe: “Are you getting smart with me.”

Robert: “Oh, heaven forfend ma’am.”

No… no, no, no, no. Pull yourself together. She was right… she was always right. I can process this later. There are more important things at hand. Deal with them first.

Chloe: “I can still kick your arse.”

Robert: “You are welcome to try ma’am.”

Chloe: “Hold up…”

Her attention once again returned to me. Fortunately, my breathing had returned to normal by this point.

Chloe: “You say Ilija was fighting a friend of Asmodeus? That prick causing you problems again.”

Dwynfel: “He tried to kill me.”

Chloe: “That absolute bastard. I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

Dwynfel: “He was choking me… I couldn’t breathe… I had no choice.”

Chloe: “No choice but to what?”

Dwynfel: “I stabbed him in the neck… I… I… I killed him.”

Chloe: “Oh… shit.”

She squatted down to the side of the rock and put her arm around me.

Chloe: “Look… I know we were all friends once. But he made his choice. It was self-defence. I won’t have you feeling guilty over this… understand?”

I nodded… I know he has been a prick to me for the last four years. But still… we partied together for so long. I admired him… I wanted to be him. And now I’ve killed him.

My mind started to think back to all of the quests that we went on together and shit… shit, shit, shit. I need to get back to the vox estate… now!

I jumped up off the rock. The priestess jumped backwards in shock.

Dwynfel: “I left Kiyui at the Vox estate. He stayed behind so that I could get the sword here. I need to go back for him!”

I took a couple of steps forward and fuck… ow… ow… ow. I staggered and nearly fell. Robert steadied me.

Priestess: “I have healed what I could. But I am afraid the sword has done some irreparable damage. I suggest the use of a cane.”

Chloe grabbed a staff from one of the nearby undead and handed it to me.

Chloe: “Use this for now and go find Kiyui. We’ve still got monsters to kill.”

Chloe, Robert, and the priestess grabbed a squad of skeletons and headed into the city. Chloe turned to me as she went and shouted.

Chloe: “After this is over, you are going to tell me everything that happened! It sounds like an absolute shit show!”

I nodded back to her.

Chloe: “And for fuck’s sake, don’t go getting yourself hurt again!”

They disappeared through the gate and out of my sight. Well… here I go. I’m going to find Kiyui. And when I do… and he looks back at me… I’m going to ask him to marry me. And we are going to put all of this horrific shit behind us and just enjoy the rest of our lives together.