The trio stayed on the edge of the forest until the sun hung low in the sky and the air began to grow crisp in the fall evening.

  “Anything?” Ember asked.

  Chris shook his head. “Nothing. No movements out of the ordinary. I think it's safe to say that, at the very least, there aren’t any scouting parties or outside groups. Everyone’s there.”

  Boulder nodded. “I agree. The fact that it's about to get dark means there should be some activity if someone were to return, but there is none. While goblins are not particularly smart, they still exhibit intelligent behavior.”

  “So what's the plan?” Ember looked toward the goblin camp. “Do we just march up in front of them and fight?”

  “No,” Chris said. “You won't be doing anything.”

  “What?” Ember looked at him dubiously. “What do you mean I won’t be doing anything?” He couldn’t stop the pang of relief and tried his best to hide it.

  Boulder clapped him on the shoulder, even the man’s light jab making him stumble. “Come now. You’re a commoner. On top of that, you don’t have any particular talents that I can see.”

  “Wow,” Ember replied deadpan.

  Boulder just shrugged. “That’s the way it is. The weak don’t get an option to fight. You’ll have to train more to be useful.”

  “So it’s just going to be the two of you trying to clear out that entire camp? You said there were like twenty of them.”

  “It shouldn’t be a problem.” Chris took his shield off and unsheathed his sword. “These goblins aren’t usually above a high-level commoner. Mabye fringe fundamentalist. I could take the entire camp myself if I wanted to. Considering how big and strong Boulder is, he shouldn’t have a problem taking care of them either. And it's closer to fifty.”

  “Of course,” Boulder said, pounding his armor, which echoed slightly. “These goblins will be done in no time.”

  “So I’m just supposed to sit here and watch?”

  “Yep,” Chris said as he tightened the straps on his shield, then handed Ember a pair of binoculars. “Just watch us. See how we fight. Maybe you’ll get some ideas. You’re not ready to be in a life-or-death fight.”

  “But the troll—”

  Chris held up his hand. “That was an outside variable. Now that we’ll be taking on party members for most of our missions, there’s no reason for me to risk my poster boy. So if I don’t have to risk it, I won’t.”

  Ember could tell he wasn’t going to get through to either of them. While he didn’t necessarily want to fight, he also realized he didn’t have a choice. He was going to have to learn if he wanted to survive—and he kind of wanted to test out the training he’d been doing. But of course, Chris wasn’t going to let him.

  His two companions nodded to each other and headed out into the field. Ember could do nothing but grumble, crouching in front of a log and putting his binoculars on their backs as they walked up to the goblin camp.

  The camp itself wasn’t that impressive. It was maybe the size of a baseball field, but the majority of it didn’t seem to be used by the goblins. It looked more like an expansion of some sort. There was a lookout on a rickety watchtower, and it spotted the two immediately. It blew its horn, and within seconds, the entire camp was flooding out into the plains.

  There was maybe a hundred yards between the forest and the goblin camp. Ember watched with bated breath as the two approached. Both were talking nonchalantly, as if this was just a stroll through the park. Ember swallowed hard.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  We’ll be okay, he told himself. They’re strong… I hope.

  As they approached the goblins, Chris tapped his shield twice, and a strange blue aura surrounded both of them before disappearing. Boulder thanked him loudly, then unlatched his axe from his shield, and the two charged.

  Ember wanted to watch the fight, but something else caught his gaze. To the left, there was movement in the forest. Ember focused the binoculars on it. It was a goblin. But it looked different than the others: slightly bigger, a little more fierce. It stayed just on the fringe of the forest, slowly moving, trying to get into a flanking angle on Chris and Boulder.

  Ember swallowed nervously. Should I say something? He shook his head. That would only distract them.

  His binoculars went back to Chris and Boulder, who were currently in the throes of battle. Chris flowed from one strike to another. His shield acted as a weapon as well, bashing into the goblins or being swung edge-first into their head or mouths. He was like a river, unceasing, never slowing or stopping. On the other side, Boulder was the exact opposite.

  He slammed his own shield into a goblin and crushed it completely. Another leaped at him, and Boulder turned with a yell, his axe splitting the creature in half. Blood splattered onto his chest, but he just roared and turned again, slamming his axe so hard into the ground, Ember could feel the reverberation from where he was.

  However, as Ember watched the devastation wide-eyed, the movement from the edge of the forest caught his attention once more. A massive tree-sized stick was being strung.

  Is that a bow?

  Should I say something? He looked back at the battle. No, their to busy. He set his eyes toward the creature and gripped the sword at his waist. It almost seemed to hum, though Ember was sure it was his nerves.

  Without a second thought, Ember took off toward the larger goblin. He tried to move quietly as he slipped along the edge of the forest. He didn’t know how accurate the creature was with a bow, but considering it looked more accomplished than the smaller goblins, he was worried it might hit Chris or Boulder. And while Boulder wasn’t necessarily someone to be too worried about, Chris wasn’t heavily armored.

  It took him around three minutes to reach the goblin. It didn’t seem to notice him yet. He hid behind a tree and stared at its back. It was maybe half a foot shorter than him, but its muscles rippled in the sunset, and he could tell it wasn’t an ordinary goblin.

  A hobgoblin? Maybe? Could I fight this thing?

  His eyes went to the bow—it was massive, as large as the goblin itself. It had stamped the bow into the ground and was setting up some kind of contraption, maybe to keep it steady as it drew. Ember wasn’t entirely sure, but he didn’t like the arrows. Each was longer than his arm and almost as thick as his wrist. If one of those hit even Boulder, he’d be dead immediately, if he was lucky.

  Ember’s hands were slick with sweat as his heart hammered in his chest. Can I do this?. He tried to control his breathing. His tongue was dry as the creature turned. Ember hid behind the tree and begged that it didn’t see him. Several tense seconds passed, and the sound of the monster working on its contraption resumed.

  Ember’s hands shook as he kept himself from gasping. I’m going to die. I can’t kill this thing. He was just about to leave when a thought popped into his head. Chris with an arrow in his head, and Boulder being torn apart. This made him pause. They’ll die if I don’t do something. I owe Chris my life. I can’t let him die. His hands stilled, and he gritted his teeth.

  As quietly as he could, he gripped the sword at his hilt and withdrew it. Thankfully, the sheath was made of leather, so it was almost completely silent.

  Just sneak up behind him and stab him in the back, just like with the troll. If I fail, we all die. No pressure.

  With a deep, shaky breath, he slowly stepped out from behind the tree line and crept toward the monster. It was still busy setting up its contraption, and Ember got within three feet. He was right. An arrow from that weapon could likely pierce a wall. It would easily be able to kill his companions. This gave him a little more courage. Then, just as he took another step forward-

  A twig snapped underfoot.

  Ember froze for half a second. It felt like an eternity. He wanted to scream at the universe for being so cruel, but he knew he didn’t have the time or luxury for such an outcry. Instead, he lunged forward, prepared to strike. His sword tip was just about to pierce the monster.

  But the goblin was faster. It turned in the blink of an eye, and as Ember lifted his sword, there was a flash of metal and a searing pain over his right eye. His vision went black on that side.

  He let out a cry as he fell back, clutching his face. His hand came away slick with blood. He stared, stunned, everything fading away as the warm liquid flowed down his face, dripping onto the forest floor.