Chapter 10: Aberration
"Task"
[Tasks]
[Slay the Goblin King in the Castle] - (Time remaining: 718:34:24 hours)
Even if they spent three hours there, they would be able to make it back before the agreed-upon 715 hour mark.
The question was, did they want to find out what it was?
’In all honesty, no. I don’t. I would rather go back home and drink coffee while reading a book. Take a nap. Anything else, really...’
Sadly, in this situation, wants were nothing compared to needs; and right now, they needed to know what was behind that weird wall.
The others’ expressions grew stern as they steadied their breathing as best they could.
Axel’s confidence grew a little upon seeing their calm anticipation.
Maybe he was lucky, not unlucky, with the random assignment.
The group shared a gaze and quietly agreed to expose what was hidden behind the wall.
***
Using "Task," Axel stayed wary of the time.
Forty minutes had passed, and, after circling most of the way around, they spotted what seemed to be the front entrance.
It wasn’t large — roughly three-quarters the size of a basketball court — but despite its small size and supposedly few inhabitants, they decided to treat the situation with the utmost caution.
’However...’
Axel thought this would be somewhat exhilarating — behind enemy lines with intense suspense — but it was getting boring. The boredom was even causing the pain in his arm to feel like it had worsened.
The only thing he did was watch an unmoving structure of wood and the synchronized swaying of leaves.
However, any thought of boredom was instantly washed away and replaced with unease by the crunching of leaves coming from behind.
’Oh no...’
Axel spun around to see Ryon trembling, the brittle remains of a dead leaf crumbling between his fingers and drifting to the forest floor in dry, papery flakes. The signal they’d made for ’enemy spotted.’
Following Ryon’s gaze, Axel spotted two goblins staring back.
Ryon’s face contorted in horror as he muttered:
"Shit..."
Axel would have chided him for talking, but saw no point in that now.
’They must have good hearing...’
They had pretty large ears, after all.
The two goblins began to scream:
"Kreeeee!"
’...!’
The goblins charged toward Ryon and Mikhail, brandishing a sword and axe that were comically large compared to their frames.
’There’s no time to hesitate!’
Fight or run...
Axel had a split-second choice to make as the de facto group leader.
"Let’s split them up and take them out."
Everyone except Ryon, who was too focused on the goblins, stared at Axel.
With a shallow breath, Connor said:
"But Lucas told us to run..."
Axel scanned the group, his gaze settling on Claire.
"Yeah, but are you confident all of us can outrun those things? While I’d have agreed if they hadn’t already spotted us, they have." Axel stepped forward and tightened his grip on his sturdy stick. "But don’t worry, I won’t force you to fight. Run if you want to."
Connor tried to refute, but before he could open his mouth, Zayn cut him off:
"Why not..."
Zayn inspected the thick black stick he was holding, then took a fateful step in front of Mikhail and toward the encroaching goblins. Axel quickly followed suit and stood side by side with Zayn — the man who made his stomach twist just by existing.
The rest slightly lagged, ready to run and leave the two idiots behind at a moment’s notice.
When finally in range, Zayn struck first. He lunged forward and jabbed its chest, sending the goblin with the axe tumbling back.
The one with the sword swung at him, but he parried it and bashed it on the head.
’Was this guy a pro at killing goblins? Just what in the hell did he do before this? Fencing? Kendo?’
Not wanting to be useless, Axel stopped assessing Zayn and joined the fray.
Ignoring the sword goblin, he went straight for the one with the axe.
It had gathered itself and regained its footing, only for a rock hurled by Connor to nail it square in the forehead, staggering it.
Axel’s body acted as if on instinct, perhaps being guided by the him of a forgotten time. He jammed his stick under the axe head and yanked the disoriented goblin toward him. As it stumbled, he grabbed the top of the axe head with one hand and palmed the goblin’s face with the other.
Finally, he squeezed his hand while simultaneously clenching the goblin’s jaw shut and lifting it into the air.
’You’re surprisingly light...’
Axel slammed the goblin’s head on the ground, allowing himself to steal its weapon.
The goblin tried to stand back up, but was instantly met with a back heel from Mikhail.
Wasting no time, Axel spun the axe into position and brought it crashing down on the goblin’s head, sending green blood splattering across his gray sweatpants.
[You have slain a Nascent Aberrant, Goblin]
’Eugh!’
Axel gagged inside at the brutal sight, but managed to hold back his feelings of disgust and guilt.
He could revel in those feelings when he was safe.
As for the other goblin...
It seemed Leora, Huang Gao, and Zayn had finished taking care of it.
Axel couldn’t even begin to question the metallic voice that had just sounded inside his head before Ryon, with a forceful joking tone, said:
"What the hell, I thought you were a computer nerd — and Zayn, were you some kind of martial arts warrior?"
Connor began to add on:
"Yeah, just wh—"
"Shhh..."
Zayn cut him off and pointed toward the wooden enclosure.
The gate was opening.
They scattered behind different trees and watched.
Axel peered around the black trunk and counted nine goblins rushing through the gate, each carrying a different weapon.
’They must have heard the commotion.’
The goblins searched wildly, unsure of the group’s exact location, but they were getting closer.
Lucas had ordered them to run, and maybe that was the right call — but with goblins on their way, running no longer felt possible.
Axel glanced at Zayn...
Noticing the fire in his eyes, Axel turned and rasped a desperate order:
"Ambush them when they get close."
All except Zayn wanted to disobey him, but none of them wanted to be the one who left someone behind to die.
But soon, the option had been made for them.
The sound of wood colliding with flesh breached the air. Ryon, who stood with shaky arms, had just bashed a goblin in the face.
Zayn swiftly followed up, using the sword he had gained to slice the dazed goblin’s neck, killing it. The man with dark hair ripped the weapon it held from its dead hands, also a sword, and planted it by Ryon’s feet.
The beady eyes of the other eight goblins locked onto the group.