Sphiel picked up a sword and shield from a sack behind the large boulder and readied herself for battle. There were some twangs and snaps in the distance. Goblins were setting off some of Shiva’s traps, screaming as they came to what was probably a painful demise.
Exhilaration wiggled through the elf’s stomach. She focused on the rumbling sounds of footsteps slamming against the ground and the shouts of her enemies. There would be a lot of loot from these little creatures. She had no idea where she’d put it all, much less the gold she would retrieve from the goblin village when she exacted revenge on them for attacking her.
The first goblins came through the trees. Shouting and charging her friends with their weapons raised. Sphiel began to sing and birds started circling around her. The first goblins reached Shiva and Balanos and the two immediately went to work outclassing the goblin warriors and putting an end to them.
The cloud of birds steadily grew around Sphiel until they were a whirlwind of furious color. She sent them at their enemy and they dove toward the goblins. The first wave of enemies fell beneath the avian onslaught.
Another wave of goblins came. Before they had a chance to reach the troll and dryad, small brown moles sprang from the ground and rushed the goblins. Some squirrels jumped from the trees and attached themselves to the little green creatures, scratching at their faces and arms. Three hawks came down from the sky and joined the fray.
Shiva and Balanos weaved through these goblins, picking off the panicking creatures until they broke ranks. Another ground came through the clearing, and they were met with the full might of the animal army Sphiel’s song summoned. Like the other two waves before them, soon they were overwhelmed and ran from the might of her spellsong.
Sphiel grinned as another group of goblins came through the treeline. Their eyes went wide as they saw the large dark cloud of birds and furry mass of little creatures scurrying across the ground. A small litter of rabbits and a few rats joined in, making the elf’s already formidable “army” larger.
There was nothing those little goblins could do. Her spell song was too powerful for them. The creatures tried to send in bowmen, but her birds or her two friends were on them before they could nock an arrow.
When the latest group of goblins were chased away, Sphiel stopped singing and took a breath. The hoard of animals began loafing around and her friends huffed as they grinned at the elf.
“My God Sphiel, I knew you’re song was powerful but I didn’t think you could do all that,” Shiva said.
“These goblins were easily crushed beneath our combined might. I don’t think they can do anything to stop us,” Balanos said.
Sphiel smiled and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “And you said we should run Shiva, you must’ve forgotten how great a force we are.”
“Perhaps I did forget how amazing we are,” Shiva cupped a hand to her ear and her brow furrowed. “However, I don’t think we should throw caution to the wind here. It would be wise for us to go before they regroup.”
“Again with the fearful talk?” Sphiel said with playful confidence. “I expected more from the mightiest warrior in the wood. You can go if you want, but I will stay.”
Shiva grimly nodded and took up a battle stance. There was another blast from a warhorn and a shout went up.
The goblins didn’t rush through the trees as they did the last time. There was a thundering of footsteps, but it was slow and methodical. A few goblins shouted in tune with the marching. The first goblins came through the trees. Unlike the others, these goblins carried large, square shields that protected the entirety of their bodies. They came together and formed a large line of wood. Behind them came another line of shield goblins, followed by goblin bowmen.
Sphiel sang and the mammals on the ground charged toward the goblins. Most were stopped by the shields. Some crawled up the wood, but their progress was slowed. The birds came down on the bowmen but the second row of shield goblins held up their shields and blocked most of the birds from attacking.
From beneath the shields the goblins knocked bows and lit a fire on the ends. Sphiel noticed the ends were covered in pitch. Shiva and Balanos tried to get to these bowmen but the first row of shield goblins held firm and pushed them back.
Sphiel increased the intensity of her spell song and the animals were worked into a frenzy. Their mouths foamed as they wildly crawled up the shields and attacked their wielders. A gap formed in the line, but shield goblins from the second line quickly shored up any holes.
When the arrows were lit the goblins bowmen fired their missiles, not at the her friends, but the trees behind them. Some of the arrows were fatally stopped by birds, but a few others found their mark. The bowmen fired off two more volleys of missiles and soon several fires were started on the trees.
Shiva and Balanos managed to get around the goblin lines and start attacking the shield bearers. These goblins carried no weapons and were unable to fight back. A few fell to the troll and dryad before dropping their massive shields and drawing their weapons. One of these goblins shouted before being dropped by a heavy mace blow.
More goblins poured through the clearing on all sides.They carried more serviceable bucklers, and wielded short swords, small maces, or spears. The green wave was met by animals of all kinds. The goblins came together and fought as a unit, pushing the creatures back.
Some of the goblin bowmen tried to launch an arrow at Sphiel, but without the large shields to guard them they fell prey to the birds. These goblins gave up and joined the melee.
Goblins fell as small creatures swarmed them or birds dived at them from the air. Shiva and Balanos took down a few as they lithely moved in and crushed the occasional combatant. However, a multitude of goblins still came through the trees and joined the lines, keeping the line together.
Sphiel hoped enough goblins would fall so that they’d lose heart and flee. But they refused to back down, despite their heavy losses. Shiva and Balanos were pushed closer to the elf’s position as scores of rodents and birds fell to their enemies.
Behind the elf, the fires spread to other trees. Black curtains of smoke rose and spread out over the battlefield. The temperature dramatically rose. Sweat poured down Sphiel’s neck. She turned and horror spread across her face as the orange fires formed a writhing wall behind her.
Balanos and Shiva took damage from the goblins. They were both covered in bleeding cuts and bruises. A great number of the animals under Sphiel’s command had fallen. Sphiel’s side was fighting valiantly, but she knew they were losing the battle.
Shiva crushed the goblin she was fighting and ran toward the rock, put her mace in her belt and gathered sacks that she knew contained the most valuable loot. “Balanos, grab your tree, and Sphiel, grab a sack and let’s hoof it. We’re beat.”
Sphiel knew they were. She drew as much power out of her song as she could, but she knew eventually the goblins would overrun her position, or that she’d run out of mana. She motioned for Shiva to run. The troll took most of their treasures and ran through a large clearing that wasn’t covered by goblins or fire.
Balanos ran for his tree, beating back goblins that came at him with his staff. A group of three goblins cut the dryad off and stood in front of his goal. Sphiel directed what animals remained toward these three goblins and they were quickly covered in biting rodents. This drew animals away from the battle line and a few goblins pushed through.
Balanos reached his tree and took hold of it. He whispered something to it and there was a flash. The trunk shrank back to its original two foot in size and he began to ran for the tree line.
One of the goblins that broke through drew an axe from her belt and tossed it at the dryad. The glinting silvery head flew end over end toward the running dryad.
Sphiel stopped singing. “Balanos, look out.”
The dryad looked back in time to see the axe slam into his spine. He went rigid and fell to the ground. Two goblins ran up and hammered him with their maces. The elf scr
eamed as she heard the dryad’s cries as his bones cracked. Balanos took one look at her before the light faded from his eyes.
Tears flooded the elf’s eyes. Ice ripped through her chest when she looked upon his lifeless body. Her vision lingered on him for a second, in the hopes that he’d pick up his tree and start running for the woods, but he didn’t. He was gone.
Sphiel turned to the pathway Shiva took out of the clearing. Fire danced around the opening as it would the gates of hell. A few goblins ran forward and cut off the exit.
The elf bellowed and ran toward them. They attempted to strike the elf but she furiously swung her weapon at them. Her vicious blows cut down two goblins. More came at her, but she backed them away with her strikes. Two more goblins stood in her way, but she bowled the shorter humanoids over and ran into the woods.
War horns blew and goblin shouts were all around her. She ran as fast as her fleet elven feet could carry her as through the dark forest, blindly turning down any open path. A heavy hitch formed at her side and her stomach was tuning cartwheels, but she refused to stop. Sweat poured into her eyes, intermingling with her tears. Her vision became blurry and the world around her spun.
Sphiel found a small nook hidden behind a small cluster of trees. She slipped into it and sat on the ground. She drew her knees into her chest and shivered. Her teeth clenched together as she heard the goblins pound their way toward her position. She thought they were drawing close and held her breath, but she realized it was just her heart beating into her ears.
She tried to logout but a pop up window said she was still in battle. Sphiel strained her ears and could still hear some of the goblins shouting. She heard a small group of goblins approach her position. The elf stood and pressed her back against a tree.
The three goblins approached the nook, speaking to each other in their guttural language. Sphiel calmed her breathing. Her entire body shook. Her heart thundered against her chest. The goblins stopped in front of the nook and started talking to each other. One was so close she could make out the small black hairs on his pointed ears.
They stood there for a long time, arguing. From their gestures it looked like two of them wanted to go back. However a larger goblin pointed the other direction, which she guessed meant he wanted them to keep going.
The elf bit her cheek. She recognized the larger goblin. He was one of the two that delivered death to Balanos. Her hand reached down and tightened around her short sword. Her vision tunneled on him. She imagined him on the ground, screaming as she stabbed her sword into his gut.
The elf leaned forward and dried leaves crunched beneath her feet. Three pairs of black eyes turned toward her nook. Anxiety came over Sphiel. Her entire body went stiff. Her vision blurred. The elf clutched her heart and her knees buckled. She was going to fall to the ground and the goblins would take advantage and fall on her.
It felt like her heart was wringing itself, twisting into knots. Her chest was tight and the air was squeezed out of her lungs. The goblins walked closer and the larger one pointed to one of his subordinates to look into the nook.
Sphiel saw the larger goblin and she clenched her teeth. He was the one who took Balanos. He mercilessly brought his mace down on her friend while he screamed in agony. She had to return the pain. She had to make him feel what the dryad felt, and what she was feeling now. The elf funneled the nervousness clawing through her into rage pointed at the goblins. She saw red.
She drew her sword and thrust it at the goblin coming toward her. He was taken by surprise and ran him through with her blade. Sphiel screamed and rushed toward the other goblins who were equally as shocked.
The elf was on them in an instant. Her sword flashed and cut down the other small goblin. The other goblin managed to bring up his spear. Sphiel swung against the point with all of her might and the force knocked the weapon from the goblin’s hands. His jaw dropped and he turned to run.
Sphiel rushed after him and leapt when she was in range. Gripping her short sword with both hands, she brought it down with all of her strength. The point went through the goblin’s back and came out of his chest. The creature shrieked as black blood fall from his mouth. The elf pulled out her weapon and stabbed him again.
She continued to stab her sword into his body long after his life left him. Sphiel continued until all of the rage drained out of her, until there was nothing left but emptiness and the tears streaming down her face.
Black blood seeped into the legs of her breeches, but she paid it no mind. She didn’t think about anything as she wiped her blade clean on the rags the dead goblin wore.
Sphiel ran further into the forest, ignoring the hitch in her side or her shortness of breath. She kept going until her legs were rubber and her breath came in weighty gusts. She leaned against a tree and listened. She no longer heard the sounds of goblins around her, only the gentle rustle of the wind through the leaves.
The elf choked back a sob and punched the tree’s bark. Pain ripped through her arm and the skin around her middle knuckle ripped. Blood pearled in the small gash.
Sphiel Lvl. 9
Health 99% (-1%)
Stamina 27%
Mana: 8%
Character Status
Healthy
Sphiel shook. With the threat of the goblins gone, thoughts of the battle crept into her mind. She saw Balanos’s eyes during his last moments, pleading with her, begging her to stop the goblins from bringing death upon him, but she couldn’t. She was powerless to stop them from bringing fire and death to the little clearing.
It was her fault. If she hadn’t been so arrogant, Balanos would be alive and he, Shiva, and her would be on their way to find another place to live, safely away from the goblins. Sphiel wiped her tears away and huggled herself. She rested her forehead against the tree bark and tried to block out the world.
A small beep sounded and several pop up windows came up.
You are now out of battle, you are free to logout.
Warning: A person outside the game world has entered your playing area.
Your skill with Enchanting magic has grown to 2!
Your skill with Enchanting magic has grown to 3!
Your skill with Enchanting magic has grown to 4!
Your skill with Enchanting magic has grown to 5!
Your skill with Enchanting magic has grown to 6!
Your skill with Spellcasting has grown to 2!
Your skill with Spellcasting has grown to 3!
You’ve made it to level 10! Good job!
You’ve made it to level 11! Good job!
She apparently gained quite a bit of experience in that last fight, but it didn’t matter to her at the moment. She wanted to be as far away from the game as she could be. She gave the silent command and a light flashed around her, taking her out of the game world.
TWENTY TWO
Mandy awoke in her bed covered in sweat. Her sister leaned over her, worry etched into her face. The elder sister pulled the VR band off and her arm brushed against her moistened cheeks.
Natalie looked into her sister’s tear glistened eyes. “Sis! Are you okay? You were screaming and I came in to check on you. What happened?”
Mandy shivered. She worked her jaw but no words came out. After several moments she worked her lips into intelligible words. “Goblin attack. Big goblin attack.”
“Big goblin attack? So the goblins got together and all attacked you? I guess it didn’t go well.”
Mandy shook her head. “They..got him.”
“Got who?”
“A friend, uh, a good friend.”
“Damn, well at least you made it out alive right?”
Mandy nodded.
“I’m sorry they got your friend but it’ll be okay. He’ll just respawn.”
“N-no, he wont. He’s an NPC, t-they don’t respawn.”
“What? That sounds stupid. Why don’t they respawn?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, don’t worry. He’s just an NP
C companion. You’ll find another one.”
“I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Yeah he was...special.”
“Special? Like? Special how?” Natalie thought about the nature of the game and a light came on in her mind. “Oh, like that kind of special. So is that why you’re wearing that weird box thing with all the tentacles?”
Mandy looked down at the pleasure synthesizer and covered it with her hands. A few of the tubes attached to it writhed beneath her shirt.
“Don’t look,” Mandy said.
“Didn’t Dr. Braun tell you not to wear that thing?”
“Yeah but, it didn’t bother me. Nothing did, other than the attack when they…” Mandy couldn’t finish her sentence.
Natalie sat beside her sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you play the game on your own. Something like this was bound to happen. Did you have a panic attack?”
“I think I did. I was about to have another when some goblins came at me. But, when I saw them, I got mad and attacked.”
Natalie looked surprised. “Did you beat them?”
“Yes,” Mandy sobbed. “It was my fault. Shiva said we should run and I thought we could take them. They were stronger than I thought.”
“Don’t blame yourself. With how much you were kicking their butts I would have thought the same thing. Anyway, don’t worry. It’s just a game. You’ll find another companion and, or a fuck buddy later.”
Many grasped her wrist and squeezed. “Maybe.”
“It’s not maybe,” Natalie squeezed her sister’s shoulders. “It will happen. I don’t think they’d just kill off NPC companions and not give you a chance to get another. Just give it some time.”
Mandy looked up at her sister and forged a wan smile. “I’ll try.”
The two were quiet for a moment before Natalie stood up. “Hey I’m gonna head to bed, it’s late. If you need me come and knock on my door. Also, please don’t play the game again tonight. If you do, come get me and I’ll watch you.”
Sphiel's Song (A GameLit Virtual Fantasy Adventure) Page 13