Chapter 12: Puppy Pajamas
"Task"
[Tasks]
[Slay the Goblin King in the Castle] - (Time remaining: 715:15:00 hours)
’It’s been a little over an hour since we entered...’
During that time, Axel rested his eyes for a bit.
Initially, Axel’s discomfort with the situation was eventually overshadowed by the entire group reinforcing that they would have died the moment they drew the goblins’ attention.
In no way could he feel good about what he had just witnessed...
It wasn’t just the fact that all he could do was watch as someone was ripped to shreds.
’Well, that is part of it...’
But it had put things into a dreadful perspective: they didn’t have nearly the upper hand he’d thought they did.
They had just fought a total of eleven goblins, as well as some goblin children, and no one had suffered even a single scratch. Plus, they were each now armed with swords, except Connor, who wanted the axe.
That boosted his confidence and made him feel like they had a real shot at winning that battle and, even more importantly, at surviving this place.
Sadly, that confidence was shown to be half-baked.
’What chance would we have if a horde of fifty or more goblins showed up?’
It wasn’t hard for Axel to reach the proper conclusion...
’None.’
So, all Axel could do was sigh and lament the situation.
From time to time, he peered through the gaps in the wall of the camp, but he never saw that particular goblin horde again.
As for Zayn’s weird outburst, Axel didn’t have the faintest clue as to what was going on in his mind.
Zayn was still leaning against the wall, lost in thought. Axel had been observing him for nearly the entire hour now, but Zayn had barely moved.
Zayn had a lean and compact build, not overly muscular but still in shape. His hands were uncalloused and showed no signs of weapon training.
Axel couldn’t help but think of him as suspicious. The possibility that Zayn also retained instincts from his past life loomed over Axel. However, Axel stopped dwelling on it when he decided it didn’t matter as long as Zayn was on his side.
As for the rest of the group...
For the first thirty minutes after they closed the gate, not a single one of them dared to make a sound. It was only after they were sure the goblins were gone that a single word was muttered between them.
Then they began rummaging through the various tents around the enclosure, gathering provisions.
On the bright side, the camp seemed to be designed for them. There were boxes of weapons, food, and clothing.
No matter how much Axel tried to rationalize the sight, he couldn’t justify the idea that the camp was designed for the goblins. Given the way the supplies were neatly packed and included human clothes, it seemed as if they were placed there for them to find.
Not that he was going to complain.
’I got a shirt...’
It was a bit boring, just a plain red short-sleeved shirt, but at least he had something to wear. He didn’t think anything they could find would fit him, but the box contained clothing of all sizes.
Axel looked at the group, who, despite his little heroic outburst that would have gotten them killed, still saw him as their ’leader.’
"Are we all ready to go?"
They answered one by one, then opened the front gate without ceremony, bags of supplies slung over their shoulders.
Axel stared at the spot where he’d watched the man be eaten alive. No matter how carefully he searched, he couldn’t find any trace of it. He thought he’d found the place, but only full-grown flowers remained—flowers that definitely hadn’t been there before.
When Axel felt they were safe, he lowered his guard, just a little. As they walked, he took the jacket off his arm and looked at his wound.
’It’s scabbing...’
And dried blood caked his entire arm.
After adjusting the jacket, Axel looked around the group and noticed they all seemed a little closer despite the situation.
The group eventually found one of the marks they had made on an obsidian tree. As Axel was inspecting the mark, he heard a thump from behind him. He spun around and steadied his sword, only to see the clumsy source...
Claire had faceplanted in the dirt, having tripped over an exposed root.
Taking the opportunity while everyone’s attention was on her, Claire asked:
"Can you explain now? Why are you so good at killing goblins? It’s hard to believe that Axel had a desk job, and Zayn looks like the type who has all these wicked hero fantasies, but in reality, he’s just a guy who sits on his ass all day reading comics and books."
The comment about Zayn was a little uncalled for, but Axel could see where she was coming from.
Axel shrugged.
"I don’t know. I’m just following what my body tells me to do."
Still on the ground, Claire gave Axel an unsatisfied look, then rolled over to Zayn as if asking him, ’And you?’
The entire group stopped and waited for her to stand back up, but she was unmoving and intently staring at Zayn, who remained silent.
Claire quietly screeched as if she’d just won the lottery:
"See! See! He thinks he’s some mysterious hero!"
Axel noticed the corners of Zayn’s lips begin to curl...
’Maybe I’m seeing things.’
Claire continued to joke despite the situation:
"Whatever, be all mysterious, as long as you protect little ol’ me."
Nobody told her to be quiet or chided her for talking...
They needed a moment like this more than they even knew.
Quietly chuckling, they continued on their way toward the rendezvous point...
But no matter whether they laughed or joked, Axel could tell... each of their eyes now held a darkness that had not been there before.
’Especially Zayn...’
During their walk, they made some small talk, but nobody ever mentioned the man wearing the puppy pajamas.