Strange?

The Farmer walked to his home in a rush followed by Assassin.

"We are nearly there!" The Farmer screamed seeing his farm not very far from there.

"Okay... I appreciate that you are not pulling me anymore."

"Sorry about that… I saw goblins lurking around this morning, I'm sure that if nothing is done I will lose my only family. I'm grateful that you come when I asked." The farmer answered embarrassed.

'I'm more surprised than you…' Assassin thought folding his arms and looking to the sky, "Somehow I couldn't let this happen… not on my watch at least…'

Assassin started to investigate the area, looking for tracks or any damage on property that looked like that a goblin did. After a few minutes he found footprints near the border of the farm. They appeared to be from one goblin.

"You might be right… They might attack to night… Is there a cave around here?" He asked looking to Farmer.

"No there isn't a cave. The only mountain that could have a cave is miles from here…" Farmer said confident.

That surprised the young man, that could mean one thing.

"Wanderers then… If they are wanderers I must find their camp before the attack. You need to bring your family to the safest place on your farm."

"Right, I think it's the barn. It's the only place where we have a lock."

"It will have to do… Go!"

Farmer nodded and left. He never thought it would happen to him… He thought that the gods have already had enough of him after taking his sister and brother-in-law. But it seems that gods have more for him… and his niece. His younger sister's daughter. She had known terrible misfortune. The owner of the farm was under no illusions that he could replace her parents, but he would whatever he could to protect her.

"Uncle?" She asked surprised as her uncle threw the door of the house open with a bang. "What's going on?"

"We have to go!" He replied between heavy breaths.

"What's going on, uncle?" She asked more confused.

"We don't have time… Goblins may attack us tonight!"

The word goblin froze her in her place. She started to remember the corpses of her parents hanging in a tree… That image of destruction would never leave her as long as she live.

Her uncle put her hands in her shoulder breaking her trace and looked her in the eyes, "I promise you. Nothing will happen to you."

She nodded, confident that they would be safe. She needed to be strong now. She knew that her friend wouldn't like to see her being weak. As she left the house, she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't be weak in front of goblins.

"Hmmm… These tracks are fresh… one goblin… Must be the one that the farmer found," The assassin said to himself as he analyzed his last clue.

He faced the mouth of the forest, looking for more clues before entering. The sun had passed its zenith and was working his way down through the sky. It would be foolish run following the tracks. He needed to be sure that it wasn't a trap. Goblins may be stupid but they were not foolish.

As he walked inside the forest he couldn't stop thinking that something didn't feel right. Why would the goblins be waiting in an open area? They don't have any advantage like this… unless there was a leader…

'I don't like this…' He thought as he found more fresh tracks.

He activated his eagle vision and still didn't pick any sign of an enemy. He walked for more twenty minutes until he found footprints of four goblins. He presumed that this was the meeting point which means that the goblins were not far away… once again he activated his eagle vision and still nothing.

'My eagle vision is not working… that can only mean one thing… Magic… I have to take care of the one whom casted the spell first.'

He started to climb the tree in front of him. His plan was to keep following the tracks but now on a taller position, it would be great if he planned to kill the caster faster. As he jumped from tree to tree he could hear some noises… some distinct noises that he knew all too well. He then found them. An acrid smell hit his nostrils the moment he saw them. Rotten garbage. Filth. Bodily waste. The lingering stench of carnality. The goblins were camped in a clearing, there were about 20 of them, all equipped with weapons and armor and two hobgoblins. And in the middle of the camp was a man with a staff and black robes.

"I'm close… I have to take the opportunity that sun still up." He muttered to himself.

He checked over his equipment. He activated his hidden blades to see if they were working as usual, he drew and sheathed his sword, made sure the blade was still sharp. He took a knife from his belt and aimed at the caster.

"HEAR ME GOBLINS!" The caster started a speech stopping the Assassin, "To night we are going to invade the farm. I will take the treasure and as for you, you can have the girl that lives there!"

The goblins didn't understand a thing but started to jump and scream. As for Assassin, he decided to change his plans. Killing it would be easier but he needed to know more about what he was talking about. He took one more knife and threw the knives at the caster hitting in his both knees.

"GYAAAAAH!" The caster screamed in pain.

The goblins started to look around trying to find who threw the knives. Moving as quickly as possible, Assassin jumped at the closest goblin and planted his hidden blade in his throat.

"GOOROB?!" A choked cry was made by the goblins.

All the goblins turned to the young man, they started running at his direction leaded by a hobgoblin. Assassin stood up and drew one of his short swords.

"GOBGG!"

"GBBGROBG!"

The hobgoblin attacked him with a club swinging vertically, but Assassin moved to the right and stuck his blade in his liver. Hobgoblin screamed and attacked again but it was clear he was not moving as faster as he used to. Assassin just jumped back before slashing his throat with a smooth swing.

"That's two!" He proclaimed.

He rushed at goblins that screamed in seeing one of his big guys falling. He intercepted the goblin's club against the metal bracer on his right arm, slicing with his sword from hip level. He felt it bury itself in the creature's throat; he gave the sword a twist and then kicked the monster off the end of it.

"GOBORGOGB?!"

"That's three."

"GOBORG!"

A goblin jumped at him from the right, wielding a dagger; he blocked it again. Using his sword, he cut a diagonal slash through a goblin to his left. He pushed the goblin that attacked previously with his metal cestus and stuck his hidden blade into the goblin's throat.

"Four…"

He knew that his blade was chipped now. He clucked his tongue and threw the sword hitting the goblin's head that it was in front of him. The creature gave an inarticulate scream and fell to the ground, trying to hold back its overflowing innards. It was alive. But the wound was fatal. He could afford to leave that one to die.

He drew his other short sword and turned to the goblin to his left. He brought his sword down from overhead. There was a thock as the sword sank into the monster's brain; it tumbled backward, its brains splattering everywhere. He gave the body a hurried kick to free his weapon, lest the sword be pulled away from him by the falling corpse.

"Next…!"

The goblins growled this shouldn't have been possible. Their enemy was just one man. They were many.

That being the case, the adventurer should have taken fright, or charged them desperately—any adventurer would have. They were so stupid, after all. As far as the goblins were concerned, everyone but they themselves were complete idiots. All of them thought so.

That was what made them angry. That was what made them scared. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else but them who wasn't stupid.

An unsteady circle was forming with Assassin at its center.

"GOORGBB?!"

Assassin didn't even turn around at the attempted ambush; he simply took his sword in a reverse grip and drove it into the creature's stomach. The goblin whose innards were now so violently disturbed collapsed, howling in pain, his guts pouring out on the ground. The young man took a step forward, and all the goblins in front of him took a step back. The goblins looked at each other, uncertain. This was not what they had expected. Should they all attack at once? But who would make the first move? They worked their nasty little brains in a struggle for control. It was the second, or the third, goblin to act who had the most to gain. Nobody wanted to be first. So…

"If you are not going to attack…" Assassin spat, then assaulted the edge of the ring, battering enemies with his sword and hidden blade. His size and his equipment gave him such a weight advantage over the goblins that one or two of them were never going to stop him.

Assassin felt confidant if he kept that up he would leave this quest without a single scratch but then… he heard a noise…

"Tonitrus… oriens… iacta! Thunder!"

Assassin only had time to turn and make a X with his arms. He was sent flying against a tree. The tree shattered with a great crack, grass flying everywhere. A warmth that rose up from his innards. Pain. He raised his head seeing the caster in his knees smiling and with his staff sparkling.

"I'm surprise you're alive… that bracer must be very resistant but now you are done!" The caster shouted, "Hobgoblin! Kill him…"

The assassin couldn't stand up, he felt his body heavy. He saw the hobgoblin walking in his direction; he watched it dimly as the hobgoblin came close and picked him by his troat. Was this the end?